The Monster in the Imperial Palace Laboratory

"The improvement was indeed quite limited." Augustus looked at the obese cerebrate lying belly-up in the pool and pondered for a moment. "But its weight has clearly increased."

"I really thought it might evolve into something like a butterfly." Harnack yawned. "Can we go back now, boss?"

"This time, I think you're right." Tychus pointed at his soaking-wet coat.

At this rate, this Royal Cerebrate would probably charge uncontrollably down the evolutionary path of becoming a super-sized shut-in. It had traded the enlargement of its body for a massive increase in Psionics and mental strength. If it could continue evolving like this, it might one day surpass the older cerebrates and even touch the threshold of the Overmind.

"Just wait, I'll show you another trick!" The cerebrate, which had just flipped over in the pool, refused to admit defeat. It struggled to roll twice, only to gulp down several mouthfuls of water.

"It was already this fat. What if it caves in the palace floor now?" Queen Sarah cried out. "Looking at it this way, it might not even be able to squeeze through the dining hall doors."

"W-what?" The cerebrate was both furious and alarmed. "I endured humiliation and hardship, biding my time, all just to scrape together a meal?"

It glared viciously at Egon Stetmann and shrieked, "Egon, I knew your half-baked skills couldn't be relied upon."

"Compared with Dr. Narud, I'm still only a beginner in Zerg research." Rather than argue, Stetmann looked deeply embarrassed.

"Cerebrates are slow, clumsy, and fragile. They can scarcely even move under their own power. They are highly specialized higher Zerg lifeforms with a single function, born solely to control other Zerg," said his assistant, Isabella Yorin. "The power of the Primal Pool further strengthened its Psionic abilities, but it cannot turn