Looking at the Two-tailed Tiger Cat, now devoid of life and torn to shreds by bites, Qin Mu said nothing.
Qin Mu could originally have controlled the Unicorn Dagger to kill it outright, but he had not done so. He had merely wounded it and let the Swarm kill it!
He wanted it to experience the pain of being tortured to death as well.
As for the Two-tailed Tiger Cat's corpse, Qin Mu did not let the Swarm devour it completely.
Instead, he ordered the Worker Bugs to dismantle its body. Beast General-level monster materials were different from Beast Soldier-level ones; they were extremely valuable.
Its claws, fangs, and the tendon in its tail, for example, could easily sell for tens of millions if brought back. Meanwhile, the horn of a Beast Soldier-level Unicorn Wild Boar could only fetch a few thousand.
And Qin Mu still had a three-million loan on his back. He needed money!
One Worker Bug carried the remaining parts of the corpse, planning to have the newly hatched Mother Nest analyze them after they entered County Town 0203.
When a Mother Nest analyzed Monster Genes, it was best to have a complete corpse, including critical parts such as the brain. That allowed for faster and more accurate analysis; otherwise, the results would be somewhat worse.
For instance, without the brain, it would be impossible to read its memory information.
Claws, fangs, tendons, and the like were not important for analysis, but those were precisely the most valuable things to sell, along with bones and fur.
All in all, this approach allowed him to make money while also analyzing Monster Genes.
"Rest in place!"
The battle was over, and Qin Mu no longer hurried onward.
After this battle, the Swarm had suffered considerable losses. Fifteen Tiger Mastiffs had died, and an entire scouting squad had been wiped out.
Fortunately, nothing else happened along the way. Although they encountered some monsters while traveling, none posed a threat to the Swarm.
On July 26, just before nightfall.
Qin Mu and the Swarm finally reached the outskirts of County Town 0203.
Unlike the wilderness, County Town 0203 had an extremely high density of monsters. Any random street held dozens, even hundreds, of monsters.
Before Qin Mu led the main force there, three Tiger Mastiff squads had already entered County Town 0203 to scout.
The information sent back by the scouting squads made even Qin Mu's heart tremble.
In just half an hour, the scouts had discovered no fewer than five Beast General-level monsters, including a High Beast General-level Raging Bull!
Moreover, each Beast General was surrounded by a large number of Beast Soldier-level monsters. With the Swarm's current strength, it had no chance of defeating any one of them.
Fortunately, the scouting Tiger Mastiffs were monsters themselves, so they had not caused any disturbance.
After sensing the scouting teams' Advancement Route, Qin Mu quietly led the Swarm into County Town 0203. Avoiding several Beast General-level monsters, they continued forward along a small road.
After instantly killing more than a dozen Beast Soldier-level monsters, the Swarm finally arrived at a ruined residential complex without incident.
"Enter the underground parking garage!"
The underground garage of this residential complex was spacious and well concealed, making it highly suitable for hatching a Mother Nest.
One Tiger Mastiff after another filed inside. Once they entered the underground garage, they scattered to clear out any possible threats within.
An invisible force opened a backpack on the back of a Worker Bug following beside Qin Mu. A tactical flashlight flew out, switched itself on, then hovered above Qin Mu's right shoulder.
The tactical flashlight illuminated the dark underground garage.
"Screech—"
Monsters were disturbed in the darkness. A group of rat-like monsters over a meter long let out shrill cries, their eyes bloodshot as they charged out of the dark.
"Black Fur Rats?"
Qin Mu gave them a glance but paid them no mind. These Black Fur Rats were merely Primary Beast Soldier-level monsters. They were no match for the Tiger Mastiffs.
Sure enough, though the Black Fur Rats charged fiercely, they died even faster. Qin Mu did not need to act; the Tiger Mastiffs and Worker Bugs easily killed them.
Only when several High-level Beast Soldier Black Fur Rats appeared did Qin Mu control the Unicorn Dagger and instantly kill them.
"Is this underground garage a rat nest? There are actually hundreds of Black Fur Rats!"
After spending over twenty minutes sweeping through the underground garage, Qin Mu complained.
There were no other monsters in the underground garage. It was filled entirely with Black Fur Rats.
After killing several hundred Black Fur Rats in succession, the poorly ventilated underground garage became unbearably foul, filled with a stench that made one want to vomit.
Once he confirmed it was safe, Qin Mu endured the stench and walked to the center of the underground garage.
At the center of the underground garage, dozens of Worker Bugs gathered together, waving their Pincers to smash through the concrete floor and dig out a deep pit.
The underground garage was only a little over three meters high, not enough to fit a Mother Nest. But as long as they dug downward a little, there would be enough space.
The Black Fur Rats that had originally gathered here already liked burrowing. The concrete floor was riddled with rat holes, so the Worker Bugs did not have much difficulty digging.
"Begin hatching the Mother Nest!"
The Worker Bug that received the command crawled into the newly dug pit. Its body rapidly transformed into a huge lump of flesh that pulsed like a heart.
A purple Fungal Carpet spread outward like flowing water, wrapping around and devouring the foul-smelling Black Fur Rat corpses on the ground.
The surrounding Worker Bugs also began clearing away the soil dug from the underground garage, along with the Black Fur Rat corpses scattered everywhere.
Worker Bugs might not be much in battle, but they were first-rate laborers.
The Tiger Hounds were not idle either. Some firmly guarded the two entrances to the underground garage, preventing monsters from barging in.
The remaining Tiger Hounds scouted the monster distribution around the residential complex, gathering intelligence for the Swarm's future development.
Qin Mu did not go out. He found a relatively clean spot and dropped down onto the ground.
Several consecutive days of traveling and fighting had left Qin Mu utterly exhausted.
But Qin Mu did not simply fall asleep. Under the protection of several Tiger Hounds, he began cultivating the Five Hearts Towards Heaven Cultivation Method.
Over the past few days, Qin Mu had discovered that the more exhausted he was when cultivating, the more efficient his Gene Energy cultivation became.
Although, as the Overlord of the Swarm, Qin Mu's strength steadily increased even if he did not cultivate, he did not become lax because of it.
Because Qin Mu understood clearly that in this world, relying solely on the Swarm was not enough. His own strength was equally important.
While Qin Mu cultivated, the Mother Nest continued hatching.
This time, the Mother Nest's hatching encountered no accidents. It hatched successfully as normal.
When the new Mother Nest appeared, a warm current still flowed through Qin Mu's body. Although this Mother Nest's appearance increased Qin Mu's strength, the improvement was not as dramatic as the first time. He was still at the Advanced Warrior level, only more firmly established now.
"Display the Mother Nest's information."
Qin Mu connected his consciousness to the newly hatched Mother Nest, temporarily calling it Mother Nest No. 2.
The data returned by Mother Nest No. 2 showed that it could now hatch three kinds of Zerg Units: Tiger Hounds, Iron-Haired Wild Boars, and Shadow Cats!
That was right. While traveling these past few days, Mother Nest No. 1 in the Villa District had successfully analyzed the Iron-Haired Wild Boar and Shadow Cat as well.
Genetic information was shared between Mother Nests. As long as one Mother Nest analyzed a Monster Gene, every Mother Nest could hatch it.
"Iron-Haired Wild Boar—consumes 50 energy points. After thirty minutes, it can hatch an Iron-Haired Wild Boar with Intermediate Beast Soldier Level combat power."
"Shadow Cat—consumes 10 energy points. After twenty minutes, it can hatch a Shadow Cat with Intermediate Beast Soldier Level combat power."
Looking at the newly available Zerg Units, Qin Mu nodded in satisfaction.
The Iron-Haired Wild Boar consumed twice as much energy as a Tiger Mastiff, but that did not mean it was stronger. In a one-on-one fight, it was hard to say which would win.
However, the Iron-Haired Wild Boar was far larger than the Tiger Mastiff. In a frontal charge, it was simply beyond comparison to a Tiger Mastiff, like the difference between a soldier and a tank.
Likewise, the Shadow Cat followed the path of an assassin.
Therefore, hatching Swarm Units also required consideration of a balanced composition.
"Then, Mother Nest, begin hatching!"
Before you continue