The Mother Nest's incubation required three hours. Qin Mu did not simply wait around; instead, he began setting up defenses nearby.
After carefully surveying the surrounding terrain, Qin Mu planted landmines at several key locations, then unloaded some of the vehicle's firearms and placed them near the Mother Nest.
Only after all the arrangements had been made and safety was somewhat assured did the sweat-soaked Qin Mu finally relax a little.
Qin Mu checked his Tactical Watch and looked at the time.
It was two in the afternoon. The jungle was already hot and humid, and Qin Mu was wearing a full Combat Suit. Even the slightest movement left him drenched in sweat.
Yet no matter how hot it was, Qin Mu had no intention of taking off his Combat Suit.
The jungle was filled with venomous insects and snakes. Going without the protection of a Combat Suit was practically suicide.
Returning to the vehicle, he turned the air conditioning to maximum and took a huge gulp of water before finally letting out a long breath.
It was July, when the sun was at its most vicious, and it was two in the afternoon. The blazing sun was like a furnace.
Qin Mu had actually calculated this time in advance. Though it was hotter, it was also relatively much safer.
Such extreme heat was unbearable not only for Qin Mu; most ferocious beasts were hiding in the shade as well.
"Now all I have to do is wait. As long as the Mother Nest incubates successfully, I'll be safe."
After cooling off slightly, Qin Mu took up his weapon and carefully inspected the area once more, ensuring that no monsters would interfere with the incubating Mother Nest.
Time passed second by second as Qin Mu waited anxiously. The flesh tumor, originally only as tall as a person, grew larger with every breathing-like pulse. Only after reaching more than five meters in height did its growth begin to slow.
Centered on the flesh tumor, a purple Fungal Carpet covered everything within twenty meters. Flowers, grass, and even venomous insects and snakes that had failed to escape were enveloped and completely digested.
"Almost there. The incubation progress has exceeded ninety percent. The insect race will soon appear on Earth."
A smile appeared on Qin Mu's face as he watched the Mother Nest nearing successful incubation.
Then, in the next instant, Qin Mu's expression changed. An unusual sound suddenly came from the jungle.
Crack—
The sound of a branch snapping startled Qin Mu. He gripped the Po Jun Spear tightly and retreated several steps, assuming a stance.
"Something's wrong. It's a ferocious beast."
From deep within the jungle emerged a large canine monster, tall and muscular, covered in spots and possessing a streamlined body.
"It's a Tiger Mastiff!"
Qin Mu was startled, and information about the Tiger Hound rapidly flashed through his mind.
Tiger Hounds possessed astonishing speed and strength among canine monsters. A casual charge could produce more than 2,000 kilograms of force.
Though somewhat panicked inside, Qin Mu forced himself to calm down.
It was only a Primary Beast Soldier level Tiger Hound. He was already a pre-warrior, and his strength was no weaker than this monster's.
One had to know that to pass a pre-warrior's practical combat assessment, one had to kill at least three Beast Soldier level monsters.
This Tiger Hound was merely one of the most common monsters in the assessment.
He was well-equipped and fully prepared. A mere Tiger Mastiff was not enough to make him afraid.
Watching the Tiger Hound slowly approach, Qin Mu glanced at the path ahead of it. A landmine was buried there.
There were three more such landmines in this area!
Then he glanced at the loaded rifle and four-tube rocket launcher behind him, and confidence surged within him.
These firearms were more than enough to easily kill this Tiger Hound.
Qin Mu gripped his spear tightly and assumed a defensive posture, shifting his body to the right to draw the Tiger Hound's attention.
Seeing Qin Mu move, the Tiger Hound naturally changed direction. Under Qin Mu's guidance, it avoided the landmine ahead.
If it stepped on that landmine, not to mention a Tiger Hound, even an Iron-Haired Wild Boar, the beast most skilled in defense, would die!
Qin Mu did not intend to use the landmine to kill it, because the explosion would easily attract more monsters.
Suddenly, the Tiger Hound stopped. Looking at the enormous five-meter-high flesh ball behind Qin Mu, it became tense, showing hesitation and inner conflict.
Monsters were not mindless fools devoid of intelligence. They, too, feared unknown things.
It had smelled an unfamiliar scent in the jungle and discovered an exceptionally savage, violent aura. That aura was constantly growing stronger. It had not wanted to take the risk, but hunger had driven it here anyway.
The Tiger Mastiff let out a low growl, saliva dripping from its sharp canine teeth onto the ground.
In the next instant, the Tiger Hound suddenly exploded into motion and pounced at Qin Mu.
Whoosh—
Qin Mu swiftly sidestepped, avoiding the Tiger Hound's frontal charge. Then a cold glint flashed through his eyes as the spear in his hand stabbed out fiercely, leaving a bloody hole in the Tiger Hound's body.
Awoo—
The Tiger Hound cried out in pain and quickly counterattacked. A tail like an iron whip swept toward him, forcing Qin Mu to pull back his spear to defend.
Die!
Qin Mu knocked aside the sweeping tail with a thrust, then stabbed straight out again like a hidden dragon emerging from the waters, forcing the Tiger Hound back repeatedly.
Awoo—
The Tiger Hound let out an enraged roar, twisting its body and opening its bloody maw. Its sharp fangs gave off a heavy, rancid stench.
"So fast!"
Qin Mu was startled, but the spear in his hand did not hesitate as he savagely swung it toward the Tiger Hound's head.
Clang—
The spear collided fiercely with the Tiger Hound's right claw, producing the sound of metal striking metal.
An immense force traveled through the spear, numbing Qin Mu's palm and nearly knocking the weapon from his grasp.
Fortunately, Qin Mu had been prepared. He immediately used the momentum to swing his spear in a horizontal sweep, forcing back the Tiger Hound that had tried to press its attack.
"This beast is incredibly strong!"
Cold light flickered in Qin Mu's eyes as he considered his options.
This Tiger Hound was significantly faster and stronger than him, but he had an advantage as well: the spear in his hand was long enough and sharp enough.
The Tiger Hound stood barely over a meter at the shoulder. No matter how far its claws and fangs could reach, how could they compare to Qin Mu holding a long spear?
Weapons were one of humanity's greatest advantages when facing monsters!
He sidestepped and retreated several times in succession, evading the Tiger Hound's attacks. Qin Mu grew increasingly composed.
The Tiger Hound could not touch him at all, and it had been injured by his spear from the very beginning, bleeding continuously.
The Mother Nest was also about to incubate successfully, so Qin Mu was in no hurry.
Time was on Qin Mu's side!
Several consecutive attacks had failed to injure Qin Mu, and combined with the wounds on its body, this made the Tiger Hound increasingly restless.
Awoo—
The Tiger Hound raced on all fours, circling Qin Mu at extreme speed through the jungle.
Qin Mu did not dare let down his guard. He fixed his eyes on the Tiger Hound, turning his body with it without the slightest carelessness.
Whoosh—
Concealed by the jungle, a black shadow suddenly darted out from behind a tree and pounced.
"I've been waiting for you!"
Qin Mu sneered. With a nimble turn, he actually evaded the pounce. As he turned again, the spear in his hand shot out like a venomous dragon.
The spear sliced across the Tiger Hound's soft abdomen, opening a wound more than a foot long.
A heap of intestines and organs spilled from the wound.
Bang—
The Tiger Hound's body crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Qin Mu did not rashly step forward. Holding his spear, he watched the fallen Tiger Hound. Only after waiting several minutes did he approach and thrust his spear through its neck, delivering the finishing blow.
"Fortunately, I got lucky and wounded it at the start. Otherwise, killing it really wouldn't have been easy."
Just as Qin Mu finally killed the Tiger Hound, the giant insect egg behind him suddenly pulsed violently and burst apart with a thunderous crash.
The flesh ball formed from the Worker Bugs ultimately became a mountain of flesh nearly six meters tall. Then, after abruptly contracting, it exploded with a bang, transforming into an enormous Mother Nest that covered dozens of meters.
The Mother Nest looked somewhat savage and terrifying. Its center rose like a towering spire, with several curved spikes protruding from the top.
Spikes also surrounded the entire Mother Nest like the claws of some enormous beast, while flesh tumors and holes of varying sizes covered its surface.
These holes continued to twitch and writhe. The Mother Nest's surface began continuously hardening the instant it burst apart, forming a thick shell.
The Mother Nest had successfully incubated!