Testing

What if there are no native genes on planets that need to be conquered before?

This problem is actually easy to solve. When the Swarm's scout Flying Bug appear on the planet, it is easy to obtain local samples. After uploading them through the Swarm Network, Rowan can adjust them and then send the new gene samples back, thus achieving the localization of the Insect Empress's genes.

As time passed, the Star Sea Alliance's reconnaissance ships repeatedly attempted to breach the Swarm's blockade network in an attempt to uncover their true Swarm. However, faced with Swarm forces arriving at the front lines daily, their efforts were largely ineffective, aside from sending nearly a hundred reconnaissance ships.

On the other hand, within the Duoqi Planet, an eerie calm prevailed, as if the war had already ended. But all the Duoqi Race remaining there knew this was wishful thinking. The Zerg combat units in the planet's near orbit were so numerous they were almost blocking out all sunlight. Were they gathered here simply to sunbathe?

All the Duoqi Race understood that the Zerg were plotting some grand conspiracy, and the current peace was merely a matter of time. The immense mental pressure made many of the Duoqi who remained behind regret their hasty decision, wishing they could turn back time and make the choice again.

But now they have lost contact with the outside world and can only wait on this "isolated island" planet for the fate they do not want to see.

Months later, at a Duoqi underground base, a piercing alarm shattered the long-standing tranquility.

"What's going on?!" Duoqi Commander asked, his emotions a mix of feelings. Upon hearing the alarm, a feeling he couldn't quite define—whether it was anticipation or something else—swelled up within him. It was as if a guillotine had finally been lifted from his head, bringing a sense of relief.

"Sir, something is rapidly approaching us."

Do you know what it is?

"Our sensors can't display any impact, they can only tell it's a big guy. Here it comes!"

With a deafening roar, the entire underground base seemed to tremble slightly.

"B51 Zone has been struck by an unknown object; the walls are damaged. Oh no, it's still attacking!" the data analyst exclaimed, looking at the instrument display.

"Sound the battle alarm! Send Team One and Team Two to scout ahead. If enemy activity is detected, attack immediately! The rest of the teams, prepare to provide support." The underground base has narrow passages. Sending too many people at once would not only make deployment difficult but also cause overcrowding and reduce movement space. Therefore, two teams are the optimal configuration.

Outside the underground base, a giant Tunneling Worm, seven or eight meters in diameter, crashed into the outer wall of the base. At that moment, it opened its huge mouth and bit down hard on the base wall.

The Tunneling Worm is densely covered with three layers of tiny, spiraling teeth that gleam coldly and appear exceptionally sharp. Moreover, some of these teeth are connected to venom glands; when the Tunneling Worm, it secretes a special, strong acid. This acid is remarkably effective against various metals, rapidly destroying their structure and softening and corroding them.

With the combination of teeth and strong acid, the Tunneling Worm effortlessly tears off large sections of the base's outer wall with each opening and closing of its massive jaws. The torn sections are then swallowed whole, ground into fine particles by the teeth within its long cavity, and expelled. Some of these metal particles are then carried back to the Insect Nest.

Although the Duoqi underground base was heavily fortified, with metal walls nearly ten meters high, it did not last long under targeted attacks and was breached.

The moment the wall breached, a deluge of attacks erupted from within the base. However, these small-caliber individual weapons were utterly ineffective against the thick-skinned Tunneling Worm, like scratching an itch through a boot.

As the Tunneling Worm watched the artillery fire widen the breach to a diameter of five or six meters, it shrank back, retreated from the hole in the wall, and turned to burrow to the other side.

Its role is over, and it's time for the main character to take the stage. The Duoqi Soldier in the base saw the Tunneling Worm retreat and assumed their attack had worked. But before they could even celebrate for a few seconds, a spider-like worm about half a meter long jumped out of the breach.

This is a localized version of the Spider War-Bug, also known as the Raider. It made an appearance during the attack on the Riken Base on Proxima Centauri. Although there is no place for them in the space environment, Rowan has never given up on optimizing them over the years.

As the role of the Raider became clearer, biased modifications made their strengths and weaknesses more and more prominent, ultimately resulting in the rather extreme combat units they are today.

Their inexpensive genetic design removes all unnecessary armor and other secondary abilities such as stealth. This makes them extremely cheap to produce, yet they offer virtually no defense against high-tech weaponry.

However, the lack of armor allows them to reach top-tier agility; their six spider legs and hook-like structures enable them to dart and move across most terrains.

At the same time, the simple structure allows each Insect Egg to produce multiple Raider. And they develop extremely quickly; with sufficient energy, they can mature in just a few days.

Once mature, they begin to secrete excessive amounts of adrenaline. This gives the Raider combat power far exceeding their own attributes, but it also increases the wear and tear on various parts of their bodies, resulting in an extremely short lifespan. Even if they don't die in battle, they will self-destruct within a year.

However, the recovery rate of these Raider is very high; after recovering all the limbs and torso of one Raider, at least 0.8 more Raider can be created.

All these characteristics make them a very powerful cannon fodder unit.

At this moment, faced with the sudden appearance of the Raider, the Duoqi Soldier, who were cheering for repelling the Tunneling Worm, were collectively stunned. Several professionally trained members then displayed excellent combat skills. They immediately stopped celebrating, raised their guns, and fired at the Raider. Inspired by them, the other recruits also opened fire.

Faced with overwhelming and concentrated firepower, the Raider dodged left and right for only two seconds before being hit by an attack and completely obliterated. The Duoqi Soldier were also dumbfounded by this situation; they hadn't expected the insect to be so fragile, being eliminated with just one attack, a far cry from the large creature they had just encountered.

Just as they were pondering whether the Zerg might not be as terrifying as the legends suggested, the next second, an overwhelming, densely packed Raider poured out of the broken tunnels.

Because of their sheer number, their limbs were intertwined, rendering them unable to dodge. But their sheer numbers made them surge towards the Duoqi Soldier like a black tide.

"Fire!"