The battle ended quickly.
Although those Mimic Aliens could fight at both range and close quarters, the Zerg simply shrugged off their pathetic damage. Two Hydralisks and seven Zerglings rushed in and tore them apart. The only losses were two Zerglings—after leaping out of the ground a little too enthusiastically, they had been skewered through by the enemy's tentacles and dragged down with them as cushions.
After that battle, Fang Zheng had gained a certain understanding of these Mimic Aliens. Although their behavior resembled that of living creatures, they did not seem to be purely biological lifeforms. Instead, they appeared to be some kind of energy-based organism. As for their combat strength, it was probably somewhere between a Zergling and a Hydralisk. Milune had only learned this after analyzing the remains of those aliens in the Incubation Pool. Fortunately, Fang Zheng's guess had been correct. The Zerg had indeed detected a peculiar genetic sequence in the creatures' remains. According to Milune's analysis, that sequence should have been what made them immune to Time Reversal.
And that was not all...
"Master, this genetic sequence can increase the Zerg's speed. I believe it will greatly enhance the Zerg's combat power."
"Do you know how it works?"
"Of course, Master. According to my experiments, this genetic sequence accelerates the Zerg's Flow of Time, granting them greater combat ability."
"...Is that so?"
Fang Zheng frowned when he heard that. Milune's explanation was easy enough to understand. Put simply, this genetic sequence made the host's time flow much faster than that of other organisms. In other words, while one second passed for an ordinary person, two seconds passed for the host carrying the genetic sequence. Being faster than others naturally had its advantages—attack range, attack frequency, and attack speed would all receive a major boost. But...
"Are there any side effects? If I remember correctly, they have a control system similar to ours. I don't want to get counterattacked by my own Zerg on the battlefield."
"It causes accelerated aging in the host, but that is not a problem for the Zerg, Master. As for the possibility of them being controlled, it is practically zero. The Zerg will always remain loyal to their master."
"That's true."
After hearing Milune's answer, Fang Zheng thought it over and realized she was right. Zerg either died in battle or were on their way to dying in battle. He had grown up without ever hearing of a Zerg dying of old age. So accelerated aging really was not much of a problem for them. Besides, whether the Zerg could even die of old age was still unknown. In Fang Zheng's memory, the older Zerg seemed to become, the more troublesome they were. And accelerating their Flow of Time seemed to accelerate the autonomous evolution of their bodies as well.
Holy crap!
The thought startled Fang Zheng. If that was really the case, then the alien genes from the world of Edge of Tomorrow were simply too perfect for the Zerg. They accelerated combat while also accelerating evolution. It was like turning on a speed hack in a game, taking a pack of Zerglings out for a stroll, then coming back to find that they had mutated, evolved, and grown wings. No need to unlock the tech tree at all?
No wonder Milune's eyes had practically glowed green whenever she spoke to him. It seemed she could hardly wait to enjoy this genetic feast.
As for the issue of being controlled, Fang Zheng gave it some thought before putting it out of his mind. Even if the Zerg were controlled, he could activate Kerrigan's Soul Stone. The arrival of the Queen of Blades would take control of all Zerg. Fang Zheng refused to believe that the alien giant sphere could be stronger than the Sargana and dare snatch control from the Queen of Blades.
Once Fang Zheng gave his approval, Milune immediately began modifying the Zerg's genes. Fang Zheng had no idea how the Zerg accomplished it, but after just one night, Milune came to report that all Zerg Hives and combat units had successfully absorbed the "Time Gene." Moreover, Fang Zheng received an unexpected bonus from Milune—the Time Gene was useful not only for combat units, but also for Zerg structures and Drones. Since this gene accelerated the Flow of Time, its effects manifested as increased speed. Zerg structures were fundamentally biological organisms as well, so after absorbing the Time Gene, Fang Zheng's Zerg buildings changed too. The most obvious evolutionary trait was faster production, faster research, and faster transformation of Drones into structures.
Though it was only a difference of less than three seconds, Fang Zheng knew that was already terrifyingly powerful. Imagine playing a game where every unit under your command was three seconds faster than the enemy's. After five minutes, they would probably report you for cheating.
The Zerg continued expanding, while Fang Zheng used the phones he had taken from those thugs to watch the live broadcast. On the screen, an elderly man in military uniform, his beard and hair gray, waved his hands energetically.
"This time, we will strike back! We will completely repel those alien monsters and let them taste humanity's strength!"
The scene changed, showing countless transport aircraft taking off. The reporter's expression was tense and solemn as she delivered her report.
"Today, our brave soldiers will cross the channel and face those terrifying alien monsters. Let us wish for their victorious return. The enemy will ultimately fail, and victory will belong to us!"
That was right. The enemy would ultimately fail, but victory belonged to the Swarm.
Fang Zheng put down the phone and checked the time.
10:23:45.
Today was the day the story began.
If Fang Zheng had guessed correctly, Tom Cruise would go to the battlefield today, encounter that unusual monster during the beach battle, grab it while shouting something incomprehensible, die together with it, and then reload the save. Now, Fang Zheng would see whether he could gain anything from this. As for himself, he was not worried. In fact, this was also an experiment for him. The preparations had already been completed. Even if time returned to several days earlier, the Zerg under his command had already taken shape. There was no way it could interfere with him.
"Boom!"
Three hours later, Fang Zheng suddenly felt his heart skip a beat. He rose to his feet and gazed into the distance.
The next moment, the sky and earth changed.
In almost the blink of an eye, Fang Zheng saw the world before him begin to shift. Everything looked like footage being played in reverse, only much faster. It was as if he had entered a time tunnel. Even the world before his eyes seemed to blur, leaving him barely able to make out the sky and the ground. But it lasted less than ten seconds. Fang Zheng suddenly shuddered, and the scenery before him became clear once more.
Everything appeared unchanged, yet Fang Zheng could keenly sense that something was different. He turned around and saw Milune standing quietly beside him, watching him.
"How is the situation, Milune?"
"Just as you predicted, Master, we should have passed through time and space just now. Do you remember what we were doing before this?"
"Discussing the next stage of Zergling evolution?"
"It seems that you successfully retained your memories as well, Master."
Milune smiled faintly at Fang Zheng's answer. Fang Zheng merely shrugged and said nothing more. He suspected that the reason he had safely endured this Time Reversal was the Dimensional Codex. After all, in his setting, the Dimensional Codex possessed power that transcended time and space, and it could protect its bearer... Well, it seemed the setting Fang Zheng had written just to look cool had turned out to be quite useful.
"Report the situation."
"The Hive is functioning normally. The number of Xenomorphs has not decreased, and according to the Drones' reports, the Resource Ore they had previously mined clean has returned to its original state."
"Oh?"
Fang Zheng's eyes lit up at that.
"Does that mean we have unlimited resources?"
"Indeed, my Master."
Milune's voice grew excited as well. What the Zerg desired most were strength and resources, and now everything they needed was here.
"Then continue the operation."
Fang Zheng quickly made his decision.
"Have the Hive hatch more Drones. Gather resources, convert Xenomorphs, and when the time is right, we will let the people of this world witness our power!"
Before you continue