The Incubation Nest

It wasn't just that Gu Hang's security anxiety stemmed from his own direct forces being weak, or that he suffered from paranoid delusions of persecution. There was also an urgent matter that forced him to expand his military strength more quickly.

Earlier, a "Abscess Monster" attack had occurred in the Governor's Camp. Afterward, Yan Fangxu led a team to investigate where the monster had come from and discovered that it had emerged from the woods to the west.

Later, when Yan Fangxu took the soldiers out for training, he used the area both for field exercises and to clear out the monsters.

They had no idea what they were getting into until they went. The forest was teeming with monsters, and not just Abscess Monsters. More troubling still, they discovered numerous monster incubation nests.

Gu Hang went to inspect one himself.

In the part of the forest where the corrupted nests were clustered, the trees' bark had been riddled with holes by the secretions of Xenos monsters, and a strong stench of decay hung in the air.

The incubation nest he saw was hidden in a dark, damp part of the forest. Its entrance was concealed by dense vines and thornbushes.

Once the vines and thorns had been burned away, they could enter the nest. Parasitized trees formed a ring around it, enclosing a dark, damp hollow filled with a thick, foul odor.

In the corners of the nest, countless Xenos eggs clung to the wet ground. Inside their translucent shells, the embryos of mutant monsters writhed. A thick layer of mucus covered the eggs, occasionally dripping down and turning into puddles of foul-smelling green pus. Strange glimmers shone through cracks in the shells, casting eerie shadows on the walls of the nest.

Gu Hang had ordered the nest destroyed on the spot. They burned it with fire and demolished it from within using explosives.

However, that had been only a small incubation nest. No one knew how many more there were in the forest.

According to their assessment afterward, if left alone, a wave of mutant monsters would sweep toward Gu Hang's camp, including the Waste Mine Society, in a few months.

How much it would cost to quell that wave when it came was anyone's guess.

Fortunately, they had discovered the situation relatively early, while there was still time.

Gu Hang needed to expand his forces to protect the camp. His plan was for all units except the necessary garrison forces to rotate through the forest and cleanse the monster nests once the troops had finished reorganizing.

The main goal, of course, was to nip the problem in the bud as much as possible.

But there was another benefit he could reap right away, and Gu Hang valued that just as much.

That benefit was Grace Points.

When Yan Fangxu's troops destroyed the first Xeno incubation nest, a battle-results screen appeared in front of Gu Hang.

They had suffered no casualties and gained two Grace Points.

Then he learned that there were a great many incubation nests in that forest.

His eyes lit up at once.

It was true that they posed a threat. But to Gu Hang, they also looked like a huge treasure trove!

He had spent ages developing his territory, bringing in people, and building up light industry, heavy industry, and construction. Only after all that had he managed to raise his fixed monthly income from 12 to 25, more than doubling it.

He had been planning to keep at it and raise that figure further, then wait until the month was up to collect the fruits of his labor. And now, he had stumbled upon a massive gold mine.

Destroying one incubation nest earned him two Grace Points. Burn down just ten, and he would have the equivalent of a whole month's income!

So much for all that backbreaking farming... Well, he still had to farm. The two things didn't conflict.

But it was precisely because of the rewards that he took this matter even more seriously.

The 1st Servitor Battalion remained largely where it was, split between garrison duties at the River Valley Estate, the Governor's Camp, and the Waste Mine Society.

The 2nd Infantry Battalion, on the other hand, had been sent almost entirely into the Aberration Forest—a name Gu Hang had just come up with.

Captain Yan Fangxu was put in overall command and tasked with clearing the forest.

In just a few days, they had already burned seven nests.

Captain Yan was cautious in his command. He would rather make slower progress and proceed carefully if it meant avoiding casualties as much as possible.

The former commander of the 2nd Infantry Battalion, Pobov, was not very happy about this. In his view, they should have burned not seven nests, but seventy, by now!

If they didn't seize as many victories as possible, as quickly as possible, how could they live up to the Governor's trust?

Gu Hang was very pleased by the high fighting spirit Pobov had shown.

Then he chose to support Yan Fangxu's command strategy.

Things were not yet so dire that they had to throw away lives to solve the problem. Gu Hang had no reason to order his soldiers to die for nothing.

They could still clear the monsters in the Xenomorph Forest at a measured pace, wiping out the monsters and destroying the incubation nests bit by bit.

There were still several months ahead. Even with Yan Fangxu's cautious approach, they should be able to deal with the problem in time.

Of course, as the leader, Gu Hang needed to be even more cautious.

Destroying those seven monster nests had earned Gu Hang a total of 11 Grace Points.

He planned to recruit another infantry battalion from among the refugees and the Starship Serfs.

With the Black Box Manufacturing Machine, he could quickly produce enough weapons, ammunition, and equipment for them. By spending Grace Points, he could also train the new recruits into capable soldiers in no time.

Gu Hang could raise troops at an astonishing speed.

The Governor's will was soon carried out.

A recruitment office opened in each of the Waste Mine Society and the Governor's Camp.

Residents of both places eagerly enlisted.

Of course, they had different reasons for doing so.

The most enthusiastic were the residents of the Waste Mine Society. They had enjoyed a spell of good days and deeply treasured them. They were willing to shoulder rifles and defend the hard-won gains they had made.

The refugees who had only just been assigned to the area were the next most eager. They had no particular convictions; they were simply drawn in by the generous terms the Governor offered his recruits.

Three meals a day, two uniforms, weapons and equipment... That was more than enough to attract the destitute refugees.

What was more, Gu Hang would give them work points, which they could use at the ration station to "buy" whatever they wanted. After two days of briefings, they understood perfectly well that work points were valuable.

As Gu Hang had instructed, the 300 soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Battalion were to be drawn from three groups: 150 refugees, 100 Starship Serfs, and 50 residents of the Waste Mine Society.

The recruits came from a mix of backgrounds, but Gu Hang had always hoped that the army, as a great melting pot, would bring soldiers from different walks of life together.

An even more effective melting pot was the system's [Troop Token] system.

After a short training period, Gu Hang would have a capable infantry battalion.

Three or four days of training and about six days to produce their equipment, and the battalion would be ready.

As Gu Hang prepared the troops for a major operation in the Xeno Forest, he didn't forget about another matter:

How was the investigation into the cult in Revival City going?