Flying Beasts

In the ruins of a residential complex above Mother Nest No. 2 in County Town 0203.

A Shadow Cat darted back and forth through an eighteen-story residential building, scouting the area.

Before long, it discovered a High-level Beast Soldier Lion Mastiff resting on the seventh floor.

It did not rush in recklessly. After waiting for a while, movement came from below as ten Tiger Mastiffs charged upstairs in a pack.

After a bout of roars and chaotic fighting, the Tiger Mastiffs dragged the dead Lion Mastiff into the underground garage.

In the greenbelt at the edge of the complex, over thirty Ironclad Bulls wandered about. At some point, they had been surrounded by a pack of Tiger Mastiffs. Absurdly, several Iron-Haired Wild Boars were mixed in among them!

The Tiger Mastiffs and Iron-Haired Wild Boars actually coexisted in eerie harmony. Not only did they not fight each other, they coordinated exceptionally well.

As soon as the battle began and the Ironclad Bulls charged, the Iron-Haired Wild Boars launched a fierce countercharge.

The most brutal, bloody slaughter began. The two tank-like formations crashed together, sending pigs and bulls tumbling as they descended into a melee.

The Tiger Mastiffs seized the opportunity to charge in, overturning Ironclad Bulls one after another.

Atop a high-rise building, Qin Mu stood on the rooftop, observing the battle throughout the residential complex.

The three types of Zerg Units worked together seamlessly. Their combined strength was not as simple as one plus one, but multiplied geometrically.

"With the Swarm's current strength, as long as it doesn't provoke those few Beast General-level monsters, ordinary monsters won't be a match for it."

Qin Mu considered the Swarm's next stage of development. Only after arriving in County Town 0203 had its numbers truly begun to explode.

The resources here were simply too abundant. Monsters were everywhere. Even this small county town likely contained hundreds of thousands of monsters by rough estimate. It was utterly ridiculous.

While the Swarm cleared out the monsters in the complex, Qin Mu did not idle about either. He joined the sweeping force himself, and had personally killed several hundred monsters.

Thanks to the abundant energy, the Mother Nest incubated Zerg Warriors without pause. The number of Tiger Mastiffs in the entire nest had now exceeded six hundred, the Iron-Haired Wild Boars had reached eighty, and the Shadow Cats numbered over a hundred.

That figure was still increasing at an astonishing rate, while the energy stored in the Mother Nest had exceeded two thousand points—more than enough in reserve.

Around Mother Nest No. 2, three Evolutionary Cavities had also been incubated and were fully analyzing Monster Genes.

With the two Mother Nests operating, the gene progress toward evolving into a Level 2 Hive Mother had reached 23%.

Everything was developing in a positive direction.

"Unfortunately, I don't have suitable Psionic Weapons. Otherwise, I'd slaughter that Primary Beast General Tiger Mastiff first."

Qin Mu looked regretfully toward a building on the eastern side of the complex. Several hundred wild Tiger Mastiffs lived there, ruled by a Primary Beast General Tiger Mastiff leader.

As a Mental Master, lacking suitable Psionic Weapons put him at a serious disadvantage. This only strengthened Qin Mu's resolve to buy several good Psionic Weapons once he returned to the base city.

However, that Beast General-level Tiger Mastiff leader could not escape. Under the Mother Nest's control, several Tiger Mastiffs incubated by the Mother Nest had already successfully infiltrated the Beast General Tiger Mastiff's pack.

Several Unicorn Daggers circled and danced around Qin Mu. These were not the original three horns; he had long since replaced them.

After all, these horns were not true weapons, and they wore down quickly in battle.

"So what does the Swarm lack most right now?"

Qin Mu pondered carefully. The Swarm's Gene Bank now contained more than a dozen types of Beast Soldier-level monster genes, as well as one type of Beast General-level monster gene.

"Flap, flap, flap—"

A flock of flying monsters beat their wings as they howled overhead.

Qin Mu looked up, a smile appearing on his face. Flying monsters!

The Swarm's current units were all ground units. What it lacked were aerial units.

Whether in battle, reconnaissance, long-range raids, support, or anything else, flying monsters possessed enormous advantages.

Compared to land monsters, aerial monsters had many advantages. Flight alone left countless warriors and monsters in the dust.

Among warriors, unless one was an expert beyond the War God level, flight was impossible.

Moreover, flying monsters were incredibly fast. Flying monsters of the same level were usually several times faster than land monsters, and breaking the sound barrier was ordinary for them. Ordinary fighter jets were no match for them at all.

That was why, just like the ocean, the sky was a Forbidden Zone for humanity.

With a thought, he summoned thirty Shadow Cats and fifty Tiger Mastiffs to the building where he was located.

He ordered them to hide, then began waiting for flying beasts to pass through the sky.

Not long afterward, hundreds of gray-black bird monsters with wingspans of around one meter shrieked as they flew over the residential complex at an altitude of one hundred meters.

On the rooftop, Qin Mu narrowed his eyes and carefully examined the flying monsters in the sky.

"Gray Cloud Finches. A common type of monster in the Wilderness Zone. They live in groups and are usually Primary Beast Soldier level, but their vast numbers also produce many Beast General-level and even Lord-level individuals."

"The strongest Gray Cloud Finch in this flock should only be High-level Beast Soldier level. I can make a move!"

After carefully identifying them, Qin Mu fixed his gaze on the largest Gray Cloud Finch in the flock, whose wingspan was only slightly over two meters, and spoke with certainty.

Having made his decision, Qin Mu acted decisively. His backpack opened, and ten Unicorn Daggers shot out with a howl toward the Gray Cloud Finches in the sky.

Squelch—

A Gray Cloud Finch had its chest pierced. It immediately let out a terrified wail, flapped its wings weakly, and fell.

The consecutive deaths of ten Gray Cloud Finches instantly threw the entire flock into an uproar.

All the Gray Cloud Finches screeched furiously in the sky, searching for the hidden enemy.

Before long, some Gray Cloud Finches spotted Qin Mu on the rooftop. Qin Mu had not hidden himself at all; he stood there openly.

After several sharp cries, every Gray Cloud Finch found the culprit, and they immediately dove down in a black mass.

"They're here!"

Hundreds of Gray Cloud Finches swooped down, seemingly blotting out the sky. The sight was enough to make one shudder.

Yet Qin Mu felt no fear. Another twenty Unicorn Daggers flew from his backpack, spinning rapidly around him before shooting straight into the sky!

Gray Cloud Finches spilled blood and fell from the sky one after another.

Most of these Gray Cloud Finches were merely Primary Beast Soldiers. They were fine up in the air, but getting close meant courting death!

However, there were simply too many Gray Cloud Finches, and they were diving down from the sky at the same time. Even with Qin Mu controlling thirty Unicorn Daggers, some inevitably slipped through.

One Gray Cloud Finch screeched as it closed to within a few meters of Qin Mu, yet Qin Mu still showed no intention of dodging.

Just as the Gray Cloud Finch bared its bloodthirsty fangs, a black shadow shot out from the rooftop access behind Qin Mu. It leaped fiercely into the air and accurately caught the Gray Cloud Finch.

It was a Shadow Cat!

Feline monsters were incredibly nimble and normally loved hunting small flying monsters like these. They countered them perfectly.

Thirty Shadow Cats emerged from the accessway in succession, covering the entire rooftop. They constantly leaped into the air, fighting the Gray Cloud Finches above.

Thud—

A Gray Cloud Finch with its wing pierced dropped in front of Qin Mu. His eyes sharpened, and an invisible force erupted, charging straight into the Gray Cloud Finch's sea of consciousness.

The Gray Cloud Finch rolled its eyes back and fainted.

It was merely a Primary Beast Soldier-level monster. How could it possibly endure the mental attack of a Mid Warlord?

This was a type of Soul Attack Qin Mu had developed. Though still crude and simple, it was more than sufficient against a Primary Beast Soldier.

Every Zerg Mother Queen was a Soul Master, most skilled in all manner of Soul Attacks. As the Zerg Overlord, Qin Mu possessed the same talent.

After only a simple attempt, Qin Mu had found the trick to it.

"Eh, no... What is going on???"

After conducting several more Soul Attack experiments, Qin Mu suddenly discovered something strange!

He seemed to have sensed a Gray Cloud Finch's soul link!