Zerg

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Zerg (虫族)
Type	Neutral Character (AI)
Species/Race	Alien insectoid hive species
Occupation/Role	Expansionary hive force; converts mineral and biological resources into troops, structures, and nutrient solution
Status	Active; Zerg Mother Nests, fleets, and a separate Zerg Plane remain operational 774 1516 1522
First Appearance	Planet E-96, where a concealed island hive is discovered near Liu Zhi's territory 694

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Level 2 Mother Nest	720	A Mother Nest comparable to Liu Zhi's first destroyed hive is assessed as roughly Level 2; reaching this state requires at least half a year of hidden development.
Level 3 Hive	745 746	A migrating hive fields Plasma Bugs, tank-like insects, guard insects, a Brain Bug, and a Queen—units and defenses associated with Level 3 or above. It can establish a defensive shield once rooted.
Tier 4 Mother Nest	765 766	A Mother Nest changes its expected aerial-development route to an ocean-focused evolution, producing concealed deep-sea Overlords and constructing an underwater base.
Level 5 Mother Nest	772 774	Star Spirit bugs are used to consume a planet's core, the stated method for advancing from Level 4 to Level 5. A Level 5 Mother Nest is reported to be directing the Star Spirit Zerg attack.

Background / History

The Zerg repeatedly visited Planet E-96 thousands of years before Liu Zhi's arrival. Local beasts associate them with vanished civilizations, the planet's Unobtanium ore, and its abnormal ecosystem; these beasts are consequently hostile to the species. 692

A concealed Zerg hive later develops on an island near Liu Zhi's base. It consumes Unobtanium ore, expands beneath the ground, occupies roughly one-third of the island, and melts down local corpses so their souls cannot return to the earth. 694

Liu Zhi's assault destroys much of this hive's surface force and exposes its three-part leadership. During the ensuing underground battle, the Zerg attempt to preserve themselves through mutation, poison, and escape passages; Liu Zhi ultimately finds the abandoned facilities and acquires Mother Nest knowledge and eggs. 697 704 707 719

The Zerg later attempt a major sea migration after land-based expansion is hindered by Bunker camps, native forces, and players. When their flying commander is killed, the fleet follows genetic contingency orders: it protects its Overlords, lands, deploys thousands of troops, and establishes a new Level 3 hive. 741 744 745

A surviving Mother Nest subsequently adapts to the ocean, modifying Overlords with octopus genes to discharge concealment ink and developing a Tier 4 underwater base. Its forces later seek to use Star Spirit bugs to consume Planet E-96's core and advance a Mother Nest to Level 5. 765 766 772

Appearance

The Zerg encompass numerous specialized bioforms rather than a single fixed body type. Their structures and troops are characterized by chitin, purple fungal matter, living organs, and extensive genetic modification. 694 697

• Early combat Zerg resemble skinned wild dogs covered in chitinous exoskeletons. 694
• Cobra-like ranged Zerg exceed seven meters in height and spit highly corrosive green liquid; they can attack airborne targets. 694
• A developed hive features three arthropod-like supporting legs over a thousand meters tall, organ-like structures, a purple fungal carpet, and a continuously beating heart-like core. 694
• Queens normally resemble enormous white termite queens, with an upper body and an egg-producing lower body many times larger. 703
• Brain Bugs resemble giant brains carried by small ground insects. 697
• Overlords are fleshy, balloon-like transports that vary from a few meters to over one hundred meters in size. 740 746

Hierarchy and Hive Structure

• Mother Nest — The first of a hive's three leaders to emerge. It converts its body into fungal terrain and living base structures; its avatar can appear anywhere within the hive. 697
• Queen — Produces larvae and is essential to the hive's continued troop generation. A Queen can create up to three combat-capable avatars, but each represents one-third of her life. 697 703
• Brain Bug — Holds the remaining Zerg genetic information, modifies larvae into specialized units, and commands Zerg forces. It cannot fight directly. 697 701
• Drones — Engineering organisms produced from Queen eggs; they mine ore, excavate tunnels, and perform hive construction. 697 746
• Zerglings and specialized troops — Larvae altered by the Brain Bug for specific roles, including melee assault, aerial combat, transport, defense, and plasma bombardment. 719 745

Abilities & Skills

Hive Construction and Resource Conversion

Mother Nest eggs carry stored energy, building genes, three Queen eggs, and ten Drone eggs. After landing, an egg secretes protective fungi, burrows underground, and expands into a living base. 719

• Converts Unobtanium ore into energy for base growth and troop production. 694
• Forms a fungal carpet that transfers energy between hive organs. 694
• Builds underground tunnels, storage areas, incubation chambers, genetic-modification facilities, and defensive structures. 707 746
• Can create an Extractor that converts ore plus flesh and blood into nutrient solution for creature evolution. 719
• A newly deployed Mother Nest is vulnerable during its approximately one-month incubation period. 720

Reproduction and Genetic Modification

The Queen produces larvae, while the Brain Bug determines their eventual forms through genetic adjustment. This division allows a hive to field units tailored to different environments and battlefields. 697 719

• Produces Drones for construction and mining. 697
• Alters larvae into Zerglings, Hydralisks, Wyverns, guards, Plasma Bugs, and other specialized organisms. 719 745
• Can mutate existing organisms, as demonstrated when a Queen is transformed into a powerful six-armed, winged combat form. 704
• Uses genetically engineered poison designed specifically to affect Zerg. 707

Adaptation and Environmental Assimilation

The Zerg rapidly adapt biological designs after observing threats or entering new environments. 766 767

• Studied Liu Zhi's Dark Sky Curtain and reproduced its concealment effect by giving Overlords octopus-derived ink glands. 766
• Developed specialized eyes capable of seeing through the Dark Sky Curtain. 767
• Shifted a Tier 4 Mother Nest's projected evolution from aerial expansion to deep-ocean development. 765
• Created underwater Overlords able to conceal themselves and transport troops through the sea. 765 766
• Can deploy genes as a last resort, abandoning a hive's existing bodies and base to consolidate into an egg and begin again elsewhere. 701

Plasma Warfare

Several Zerg units use Plasma Liquid, a weapon system capable of threatening both ground forces and spacecraft. 742

• Plasma Bugs fire plasma cannon attacks over wide areas and can destroy ships. 745 746
• Flying Scorpions use Plasma Liquid but are considered weaker than dedicated plasma units. 742
• Destroyers function as massive ground-based turrets capable of firing into space and piercing spacecraft. 742
• Plasma-equipped forces can conduct sustained bombardment while other Zerg establish a hive. 745

Transport and Mass Deployment

Overlords carry troops and hive materials across long distances, enabling migration and rapid establishment of new bases. 743 745

• A one-hundred-meter Overlord can transport twenty Plasma Bugs. 745
• Fifty-meter Overlords can deploy approximately fifteen tank-like creatures each. 745
• Thirty-meter Overlords can carry nearly forty Zerglings or fifteen Hydralisks. 745
• When a field commander dies, nearby Zerg follow genetic programming to protect Overlords and prioritize landing and troop deployment. 744

Star Spirit Assimilation

Star Spirit bugs are sent into a planet's core to consume it from within. If successful, the planet becomes Zerg-controlled and provides the power needed for a Level 4 Mother Nest to advance to Level 5. 772

• Star Spirit bugs are delivered by Suicide Bats rather than ordinary Zerg during the later assault on Planet E-96's core. 772
• Some Star Spirit Zerg souls possess traces of divinity, suggesting the involvement of a Zerg deity seeking a physical body. 774
• The process risks opposition from planetary Star Spirits and the Pantheon. 772 774

Known Units

• Zerglings — Dog-like chitinous melee troops used in packs and capable of attacking through trees and across the ground. 694 695
• Cobra-like ranged Zerg — Towering corrosive-spitting units with anti-air capability. 694
• Hydralisks — Standard Level 2 Mother Nest troops transported by Overlords. 745
• Wyverns — Enlarged Mutalisk-like aerial troops that fire tail projectiles. 717
• Suicide Bats / Exploding Bats — Disposable aerial units deployed against enemies such as Wyverns or Star Spirit defenses. 699 772
• Overlords — Living aerial or underwater troop transports. 743 765
• Flying Scorpions — Plasma Liquid-using aerial units; one black Scorpion served as a migration-force commander. 742 744
• Plasma Bugs — Major plasma artillery organisms available to Level 3 hives. 745
• Guard Insects — Spider-like, jumping defenders comparable to Hydralisks and dedicated to protecting the Mother Nest. 745
• Tank-like insects — Hard-shelled charging organisms roughly the size of tanks. 745
• Star Spirit bugs — Mycelium-like organisms intended to devour a planet's core. 772
• Space Insects — An extinct or declined Zerg race able to open Space Channels and deploy troops from Space Pouches. 1522

Relationships

• Liu Zhi — Recurring opponent on Planet E-96; he destroys or disrupts multiple hives, extracts Zerg souls and memories, and repurposes Mother Nest technology. 694 719 770
• Planet E-96 beasts — Hostile toward the Zerg due to inherited memories of past Zerg incursions and associated civilizational collapse. 692
• Empire and Bunker camps — Primary military opposition; players are deployed to protect mining sites from Zerg attacks, while Empire forces later bombard a grown hive. 684 725
• Fishmen — Compete with and pursue Zerg in Planet E-96's sea regions; Fishmen chased at least one unusual Zerg to the surface. 747 765
• Star Spirit of Planet E-96 — Opposes the Zerg's attempt to consume the planetary core and seeks Liu Zhi's assistance against Star Spirit bugs. 772 774

Story Role / Major Arcs

Planet E-96 Island Hive

The Zerg first emerge as a localized threat to Liu Zhi's island territory. Their concealed hive consumes Unobtanium, corrupts the environment, and prevents the natural return of slain creatures' souls. Liu Zhi attacks before the hive can establish branch bases. 694

The Zerg Triumvirate

Liu Zhi's assault reveals that even a small hive is governed by a Queen, Mother Nest, and Brain Bug. Their internal tensions become apparent when the Queen favors direct combat while the Brain Bug prioritizes command, adaptation, and eventual evacuation. 697 701 704

Sea Migration and Level 3 Hive

Blocked from safely expanding across land, the Zerg move their forces by sea. Liu Zhi intercepts the migration fleet, but its forced landing creates a heavily armed Level 3 hive that overwhelms much of his fleet and forces him into delaying tactics. 741 745 746

Underwater Mother Nest

The Zerg reappear beneath the sea with an adapted Tier 4 Mother Nest. Their deep-water Overlords use ink camouflage, while the hive develops countermeasures to Liu Zhi's Dark Sky Curtain and nearly traps the Yadaliate. 765 766 767

Assault on the Planetary Core

After escaping the underwater hive, Liu Zhi reaches Planet E-96's core and learns that Star Spirit bugs are being sent to consume it. The operation is intended to elevate the Zerg from Level 4 to Level 5 and may be connected to a Zerg deity. 771 772 774

Zerg Plane

Much later, Liu Zhi discovers the coordinates of a Zerg Plane and sends Necromancer players, Insect Shell Undead users, Heroes, and the Spinning Fate Spider Woman's followers to establish a foothold. The Plane is severely depleted: most consumable matter has already been devoured, rivers contain blood or amber body fluid, and hungry Zerg treat outsiders as food. 1516 1517 1518

Zerg Plane Ranking System

Rank Indicator	Requirement / Meaning	Chapter
Bronze	A Level 1 Zerg Player begins metalizing part of its body; by later levels, a pair of organs becomes fully bronze.	1517
Silver	Silver coloration begins appearing at Level 5; bronze organs gradually become silver through hibernation.	1517
Gold	Gold coloration begins at Level 10; silver organs progress toward gold through hibernation.	1517
Insect King	Not a conventional level rank; an intelligent leader of an insect race, sealed by its kin in its strongest state to sleep indefinitely.	1522

Trivia

• A Level 4 Mother Nest can produce only three Mother Nest eggs per day. 720
• In one known Zerg Plane, ordinary bugs are not considered living beings and possess no souls; only the Zerg Queen is described as intelligent. 1465
• Zerg corpses with hard chitin shells can remain after death, while softer-bodied Zerg may decompose rapidly and leave no trace. 1522