Gamers Are Fierce-Chapter 829 - 828: Expansion (4K)
"What a commotion..."
Li Ang crouched on the ground, pressing his palm against a metal pipe, feeling the intense vibrations coming through it. He muttered, "I wonder if it’s a player or a native monster..."
He had already left the previous Dormant Capsule Hall and scouted around nearby—the buildings here could indeed absorb various forms of energy.
The absorption effect on electromagnetic waves was the strongest; after an unmanned scout drone flew a certain distance, it would lose contact.
The absorption effect on Spiritual Energy was secondary; the strength, distance, and stability of the Spiritual Energy connection were all somewhat diminished.
However, the Bug Nest had previously experienced using pheromones, sound waves, and light for communication, so they could contact each other even without Spiritual Energy, let alone with Li Ang’s Divine Power network—the absorption effect of buildings on Divine Power was moderate. As long as Divine Power was consumed, Li Ang could still contact every Brain Worm.
Relying on the information fed back by a large number of Scout Worker Bugs, Li Ang had roughly figured out the terrain of the vicinity.
The area was filled with huge and complex architectural structures—walls, pipes, steps, suspended corridors, drawbridges—with abandoned mechanical wreckage of unknown function scattered everywhere.
Within the ruins, at least two types of "Mechanical Creatures" lived.
The first type, which Li Ang called "Mech Beasts,"
usually inhabited semi-enclosed spaces such as ruptured pipes. They were small in size, vast in numbers, moved in clusters, and had a special fascination for flesh-and-blood life forms. Upon contact with flesh-and-blood life, they would generate weapons to tear it apart but would not consume the flesh.
The Prometheus Laboratory Company and Whale Song Organization’s network intrusion devices and EMP electromagnetic interference devices were ineffective against them.
Spiritual Energy and Swamp God Power were also ineffective in causing significant damage to them.
According to the Worker Bugs’ observations, these mechanical creatures would sometimes pick up abandoned machinery from the ground, drag it back to their nests, disassemble it, and use it for self-replication, creating more of their kind.
They were somewhat like mechanical wild beasts without self-awareness or intelligence, only acting on instinct.
The second type, which Li Ang called "Builders,"
were scarce in number but enormous in size, each comparable to a ten-thousand-ton ship.
Their shapes and models varied, and they generally wandered freely within the architectural complexes, picking up and consuming mechanical wreckage from the ground. They melted the mechanical wreckage into basic materials inside "forging furnace"-like areas within their bodies,
and constructed more walls, pipes, and steps in the internal space...
However, the Builders’ intelligence was not higher than the Mech Beasts; their activities lacked any planning, and their overly large size keep crashing around.
While constructing, they also destroyed the original architectural structures, leaving the architectural complex in a constant state of chaos and disorder.
Li Ang believed there might be some connection between the Builders and the Mech Beasts but had not found concrete evidence. Over time, the Worker Bugs observed no signs of self-replication among the Builders.
Typically, Mech Beasts would actively avoid Builders,
only in rare cases, when reaching a critical number, would they gather to attack Builders—yet due to the size difference, it took the Builders a long time to realize they were being attacked.
In response, they would increase the temperature of their power and forging furnaces, making their bodies burn with intense heat.
Coupled with slow body rotations, they would shake off the dense Mech Beasts clinging to them—however, before being shaken off, the Mech Beasts had already stolen enough metal and parts from the Builders, returning to their nests to continue self-replicating with their bountiful haul.
These two types of creatures formed the ecological environment of the Constructed City, but Li Ang had yet to see the "Security Guards" mentioned by the belt.
"Now, over two thousand Worker Bugs released have been attacked and killed by Mech Beasts; about half of them remain. The remaining one thousand four hundred have completed reconnaissance of floors 46, 47, and 45 and are gradually exploring floors 48 and 44."
Li Ang muttered, "So far, I have not triggered any battles, nor have I been noticed by any of the Detectors allocated by the system.
Either over ten battles have broken out elsewhere, drawing all Detectors away,
or no battles have broken out elsewhere, and ten Detectors are randomly switching among the three hundred players, just not reaching me.
The former is more likely, given the presence of the belt’s speed limiter,
players with abundant recon methods and confidence in their strength will inevitably act proactively, raiding others, or forming alliances to seek radiation powder on the map.
However, as time goes on, the number of players decreases, and the intensity of battles will drop below ten, increasing the likelihood of my exposure under the cameras..."
Li Ang’s biggest advantage over other players is his logistical combat capability.
If he wants to defeat players from other factions and advance to the next round, he must utilize the Bug Nest...
"The Bug Nest can be released, but I cannot be exposed with it under the cameras."
Li Ang pondered, his eyes deep and calm like an ancient well, "In previous rounds, I used flying Workers Bugs.
But several hundred flying Workers Bugs used for reconnaissance,
are entirely different from a Bug Nest with a complete production and combat system.
The former can still be explained away as summoning-type skills or props.
Once the latter is exposed,
other factions will certainly take action,
considering the Bug Nest’s insane expansion capability, environmental modification ability, and production ability,
its user might well obtain resources from the real world and pose a huge threat to the ecological environment of the Mortal Realm.
This power shouldn’t belong to any unrestricted, sentient individual life form."
Li Ang paused, thinking to himself, "In other words, once the outside world knows Bug Nest = Li Rising,
then the Li Rising identity will be subjected to suspicion, hostility, unprecedented investigation, and even pursuit.
The tacit relationship Li Rising has maintained with the Special Affairs Bureau would also be broken."
The current Bug Nest has not grown to the point where it can fearlessly face modern strategic weapons.
The history of humanity is a history of war, and humans, born war-crazed, have no opponents left in the biological world, turning their sights on each other, continually refining the art of war and weaponry.
Even without using nuclear weapons, the pinnacle of power in the Mortal Realm,
fuel-air bombs, thermobaric bombs, and other sub-nuclear weapons are still capable of destroying mountains, burning seas, and obliterating a Bug Nest that’s exposed its coordinates.
"The Bug Nest’s only means of countermeasure is to release fungal spores, destroy the ecosystem, and threaten Mortal Realm forces from going all out, maintaining a terrifying balance.
However, this countermeasure is still too passive and can’t ensure the absolute safety of Li Rising’s identity.
The best plan is still to proactively prevent situations from escalating, not linking me with the Bug Nest.
This way, after leaving the "Lost World," there would be no reckoning,
nor would my logistical capabilities be exposed to other players in the "Lost World," leading to them shelving their disputes, cooperating in unity, and prioritizing dealing with me..."
As Li Ang thought this over, he began to move, reaching an area already explored by Scout Worker Bugs.
The space was vast, occupying a large area, and not long ago, the dome above had just been breached by a Builder,
through the dense pipes, one could see the scene of the 47th and 48th floors above.
The ground was lined with engineering machinery, some faintly showing the outlines of crushers, wood chippers, magnetic separators, and conveyor belts.
"A waste processing center, huh..."
Li Ang frowned slightly, squatted to the ground, and used the Mirage Dragon Red Mane Gloves on his hand to peel away sharp metal, revealing the gray-black soil beneath.
Plant fibers extended from his fingertips, piercing the soil to extract and analyze components.
"The soil’s acidity is moderate, and the surface has a kind of lichen formed by the symbiotic compound of fungi and algae, while deeper layers have microorganisms like bacteria, fungi, and algae.
No small macroscopic organisms like earthworms or termites are seen, but the total biomass of air, moisture, and accumulated matter...
It’s enough."
Li Ang stood up from the ground and pulled an Automated Pet Box disguised as a flat pyramid from the void. After ensuring no detectors were around, he placed his left hand on the side of the sarcophagus and extended his right hand, opening his palm.
Let’s begin.
The Breeding Box special effect activated,
from the palm of Li Ang’s right hand slowly "squeezed out" a mass of purplish-red, moist, egg-shaped object over three meters tall.
The egg-shaped object was covered with a layer of translucent mucus, with numerous network-like protruding blood vessels on the surface, and a flower-pedicel-like hard part at the bottom for support.
Thump, thump, thump.
Within the egg-shaped object, a persistent and muffled heartbeat could be heard,
as six vertical cracks split open on the purplish-red surface, blossoming like a flower.
Swish.
A large amount of viscous liquid flowed out from the egg-shaped inside,
revealing a looming creature nearly three meters tall standing quietly in the hard pedicel center.
The creature was predominantly red and black, with a near half-meter long horn on its head,
its back covered with a carapace similar to coleopteran insects (material was a mix of chitin and high-strength metal), densely packed with sharp spines,
and eight chimney-like organs covered with fine pores grew along the carapace’s edges, filled with capillaries and cilia, able to quickly expel heat, exchange air, and provide necessary oxygen for the creature.
The creature’s chest was covered with metal armor plates made by the Alchemy Workshop’s Mechanical Workbench,
with a total of six arms, four of which wielded bone blades covered in barbed, serrated teeth,
and the other two possessed a Carnivorous Beetle Gun and an Acid Cannon.
Its two recurved legs were robust and powerful,
with four toes on each foot, three in the front and one at the back. All four toes extended arc-shaped sharp claws capable of gouging into the smooth and solid surface of metal deeply.
The hefty tail, two meters long, ended in rapid contraction, division, and sharpening,
forming two slender blades capable of cutting through metal armor easily and firing spines, injecting poisons.
This menacing, violent beauty-representing biological weapon unexpectedly opened its large eyes beneath its massive shell, with chimney-like organs at the carapace’s edge, spewing hot vapor,
as the remaining mucus dripped down the hedgehog thorns and bone blades to the ground.
The highest crystallization of Bug Nest technology, the biological weapon existing for slaughter, the extension and manifestation of the loving father’s will, the strongest carrier of the Brain Worm - the Bug Nest Overlord,
looked at its creator, bent its knees and knelt fiercely on the ground,
the four bone blades effortlessly pierced through the metallic debris and soil,
and its blood-red sharp horned head drooped to the extreme,
expressing the most pious and fanatical reverence towards the creator (if the Double Blade Turkey were here, it would certainly criticize the bowing angle as not being low enough).
"Go."
Li Ang instructed with a smile,
the Bug Nest Overlord named Cerberus (formerly the janitor responsible for cleaning the Alchemy Workshop) silently stood up, its legs bending, as white vapor waves akin to a dragon burst out from the chimney-like organs on its back,
leaping with an agility unfit for its massive build,
dexterously gripping the edges of construction machinery with hooks extending from the joints of its six arms and two legs,
and the entire Overlord silently perched between the 46th and 47th floors, to guard Li Ang.
One, two...
Li Ang released a total of fifty-three Bug Nest Overlords to serve as guards,
then took out 227 Brain Worms without Bug Nest Overlord bodies, numerous Worker Bugs to serve as labor force, and various massive and peculiar Bug Nest organ factories.
Spore Towers - purple-red tentacle-like, covered with holes, effect is to emit spores and assist Worker Bugs in producing Mycelium Carpet, altering air composition;
Digestion Pools - green acid pool-like, effect is to recycle biomass;
Incubator Bugs Nest - pyramid-like, connected to Digestion Pools via pipelines, responsible for mass-producing Worker Bugs and Soldier Bugs;
Gene Banks - shell-like, storing previously collected gene data of the Bug Nest;
...
Tremendous alien organs filled the entire space,
orderly rows of Spore Towers spewed smoke;
mycelium carpet expanded rapidly along the ground at a speed visible to the naked eye, burrowing deep into the soil’s depths, voraciously absorbing all usable biomass; 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦
vast quantities of vascular hollow fleshy roots transported biomass and nutrients transformed by the Digestion Pools into the tower-like Incubator Bugs Nest;
vast numbers of low-level Worker Bugs cultivated the soil, cleared rubbish hindering mycelium carpet expansion,
transported those inexplicable mechanical debris to the Bug Nest core for Brain Worms to dismantle and study,
tens of thousands of Servant-level, Beast-level, Heavy Armor Mechs, Guard-level, Close Guard-level Soldier Bugs, quietly crouched at the landfill’s edge, like statues plunged into stasis.
Li Ang stood atop the Bug Nest core, overlooking and scanning the alien-like bizarre space.
This is the unrestricted Bug Nest.
Li Ang flipped his palm, casually tossing out the Evil God Statue.
The Bug Nest Overlord Cerberus, perched atop the construction machinery, immediately sheathed the four bone blades back into the biological scabbards on its waist-side carapace,
accurately catching the Evil God Statue.
All Brain Worms knelt fervently, watching as Cerberus crashed to the ground, presenting the Evil God Statue, delivering it to the micro-temple deep within the Bug Nest core.
Click.
As the Evil God Statue was placed atop the temple,
the chaotic and disorderly beliefs of the Brain Worms instantly unified, a massive surge of Power of Faith flowed into the statue, through the profound and mysterious Divine Power Connection, transmitting to Li Ang.
"Hail! To the Master of Flesh and Swamp of all things united!"
The vast and silent hymn resounded in Li Ang’s mind as he accepted the created reverence with indifference, nodded, and ascended the invisible staircase, his figure disappearing into the dim fissure in the dome.
