July 21, 2056, 6:00 a.m.
Qin Mu enjoyed a hearty breakfast in the supply base cafeteria. The food at this warrior supply base was genuinely delicious.
After finishing, however, he noticed quite a few people looking at him strangely.
Although it was still early, many people were already eating.
As warriors, most people were diligent and disciplined.
Thanks to his powerful physical constitution as a warrior, and because those people were not particularly trying to avoid him, Qin Mu easily overheard their conversation.
"Is that the pre-warrior who plans to enter the Wilderness Zone alone? I think his name is Qin Mu?"
A fierce-looking warrior with a scar on his face stared curiously at Qin Mu as he chatted with his teammate beside him.
"He's just some kid who doesn't know his limits. I bet he'll be dead outside before he's been out of the city for a day."
A lean warrior with a long saber hanging at his waist curled his lips disdainfully.
"I'm not so sure! Maybe the moment he enters the wilderness and sees a monster, he'll be so scared that he runs straight back."
Someone else shook his head.
"I heard the Blood Wolf Squad opened a betting pool in the camp. They're betting that if he dares go out, he won't come back!"
Listening to their discussion, Qin Mu smiled and walked over to the scar-faced warrior.
"Brother, can you do me a favor?"
Seeing Qin Mu approach, the scar-faced warrior instinctively became wary and reached toward the small of his back.
Although fighting was strictly forbidden in the supply base, a greenhorn who dared enter the Wilderness Zone alone might not be able to control himself.
"Brother, I'm in a hurry to leave the city. Help me place this ten-thousand bet. Bet that I can stay in the Wilderness Zone for at least five days and come back alive. How about it?"
Rather than making a move, Qin Mu smiled and pulled ten thousand yuan from his pocket, placing it on the table.
The scar-faced warrior froze. After realizing what Qin Mu meant, admiration appeared on his face, and he gave Qin Mu a thumbs-up.
"Brother, you've got guts! If you come back alive, do you want to join our Barbarian Bull Squad? Our captain is a Warlord-level warrior."
"We'll talk about that after I come back! Hahaha!"
After indulging himself for once, Qin Mu strode away without looking back.
Under normal circumstances, becoming a pre-warrior and then rashly charging into the wilderness alone was no different from suicide.
"But with my Zerg Clone, I shouldn't count as an ordinary person, right?"
A smile appeared at the corner of Qin Mu's lips.
At the camp entrance, Qin Mu sat in the driver's seat of the off-road pickup truck and started the engine. With a roar, the truck charged into the wilderness without looking back.
The pickup sped along the highway.
Though it was a highway, the road had fallen into disrepair over the years. It was broken and battered everywhere, making it difficult to drive on.
Wrecked vehicles littered both sides of the road, along with countless black bloodstains.
After leaving the base for more than ten li, Qin Mu checked the soul link in his mind and gave the order.
"Worker Bug, hatch!"
In the bed of the off-road pickup truck, the Worker Bug immediately broke out of its egg upon receiving the command and crouched in the truck bed.
With a Worker Bug possessing strength equivalent to a Primary Beast Soldier assisting him, Qin Mu's safety would be greatly improved.
After driving another twenty or thirty li, Qin Mu began spotting traces of monsters from time to time, while the cries of insects, birds, and beasts echoed intermittently.
Qin Mu's nerves tightened.
Fortunately, no monsters attacked him.
After traveling more than fifty li, Qin Mu followed the map off the highway and headed toward the Villa District along a small path.
This stretch of road was difficult to navigate, so Qin Mu drove slowly.
Rustling sounds frequently came from the forests on both sides of the road, keeping Qin Mu on high alert.
Several times, the off-road pickup truck got stuck.
Fortunately, Qin Mu had anticipated this and directly ordered the Worker Bug to climb down from the truck bed and push.
Although the Worker Bug was not large, it was incredibly strong. It could easily lift objects dozens of times its own weight, and the off-road pickup truck Qin Mu had chosen was not particularly heavy either. The Worker Bug could lift it with ease.
After much trouble, Qin Mu finally approached his destination without incident.
It was the Villa District from his plan.
This Villa District was huge, with more than a hundred detached villas and supporting living facilities. Each villa covered more than three hundred square meters. Unfortunately, most of them had now collapsed and were covered in weeds and vines.
One li away from the Villa District, the off-road pickup truck came to a stop.
The Worker Bug climbed down from the truck bed and stood guard. Only after confirming there was no danger did Qin Mu open the door and step out.
The location Qin Mu had stopped at was excellent. It was relatively elevated, allowing him to overlook the entire villa complex with ease.
Taking out a pair of binoculars, Qin Mu began observing carefully.
"Monsters!"
Qin Mu narrowed his eyes and stared intently at the ruined walls and rubble of the villas.
A canine monster about 1.2 meters tall at the shoulder, with spots across its streamlined body, prowled through the ruins.
"A Tiger Mastiff. Judging by its size, it's a Primary Beast Soldier."
"There's more than one!"
Qin Mu's heart jolted as he looked through the binoculars.
There were far more than one. Within his field of vision alone, Qin Mu saw seven or eight Tiger Mastiffs.
Besides the Tiger Mastiffs, Qin Mu soon discovered even more monsters. A herd of pig-like monsters covered in fur like sharp spikes, each with a pair of massive tusks, roamed the ruins in search of food.
"Iron-Haired Wild Boars!"
After searching carefully, Qin Mu discovered that there were at least several hundred monsters in this Villa District. Besides Tiger Mastiffs and Iron-Haired Wild Boars, there were also traces of Shadow Cats.
"This Villa District is too dangerous. I need to change the plan."
Qin Mu remained calm as he carefully analyzed the situation.
At first, Qin Mu had considered that without cover in the wild, the Mother Nest would be easily discovered by monsters and human satellites alike. That was why he had planned to use human buildings as cover.
But he had overlooked a serious problem: in places like the Villa District, where buildings were densely packed, there were too many monsters.
After years of fighting with humans, monsters had gradually shifted from open, desolate areas to human-built zones with all kinds of cover.
Because in the wilderness, they were too easily locked onto and killed from afar by human heavy weapons.
Especially since this place was close to a military district, nearly all the ferocious beasts wandering outside had been wiped out by military patrols.
The Villa District's terrain was complex and filled with monsters. If he wanted to infiltrate it directly and hatch the Mother Nest inside, it would be almost impossible.
As a newcomer who had never entered the wilderness before, even if he managed to sneak in, finding a suitable place to hatch the Mother Nest in a completely unfamiliar environment would be far too dangerous.
Who knew how many monsters were hiding in the dark corners of that Villa District? Rushing in blindly would truly be courting death.
Moreover, if he infiltrated alone, the various heavy weapons in the truck would be completely useless.
"Without actually entering the wilderness, the plan I made based only on information from the HR Alliance Platform was still too crude."
Having grasped the key issue, Qin Mu decisively gave up on entering the Villa District and began searching the surrounding area for a suitable place to establish the Mother Nest.
The Villa District was located in a hilly mountain region with complex terrain. No one had maintained it for decades, and trees and vines grew everywhere.
Qin Mu quickly settled on a location: a dense forest beside the road.
The tall trees could block views from the sky, making it less likely for flying ferocious beasts to discover it. With a little more camouflage, no one would pay attention to this place as long as he did not cause any major disturbance.
In any case, this Mother Nest was only temporary. Once the Swarm developed, it would definitely have to relocate.
"Worker Bug, clear the way! Enter the forest and hatch the Mother Nest!"
Qin Mu gave the order decisively.
At the same time, he carried out a crate of landmines, preparing to set traps around the area.
Upon receiving the command, the Worker Bug entered the forest and nimbly moved through it. Qin Mu, fully armed, followed close behind.
Crack!
The Worker Bug clearing the way ahead suddenly swung its Pincer and caught a black creature.
Hisss!
Qin Mu took a closer look. It was a venomous snake nearly a meter long, entirely black, with a triangular head. It was clearly highly poisonous!
"That was close!"
A bead of cold sweat appeared on Qin Mu's forehead. The venomous snake had hidden itself too well. If the Worker Bug had not been clearing the way ahead, he would probably have stepped right on it.
After going several dozen meters deeper, the Worker Bug stopped. It carefully searched the surroundings, then, after confirming there was no danger, lay down on the ground.
Then, the Worker Bug's body rapidly transformed into a huge lump of flesh that pulsed like a heart.
The flesh lump grew at an astonishing speed. With every pulse, it expanded by another circle, while a purple Fungal Carpet spread outward like flowing water. Flowers, grass, small insects, and everything else it touched were dissolved as if they had encountered concentrated sulfuric acid.
This Worker Bug was mutating into a Mother Nest!
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