With Drones gathering resources and more and more Larvae being produced, Ye Luo finally welcomed his first combat unit: the Zergling!
Zerglings were also called "puppies" by some other creatures in the universe because they looked a bit like dogs. But after evolving again and again, modern Zerglings looked more like the velociraptors of Earth's Jurassic period. Their thick hind legs let them dart about like the wind, while their short forelimbs, tipped with blades, could easily tear through any sturdy armor.
Even newly hatched Zerglings had the combat strength of a first-level creature. They couldn't spit Wind Blades like the Demon Beasts Ye Luo had encountered before, but their strength was far greater than the Magic Wolf's...
Of course, Zerglings fought by overwhelming their enemies with numbers. They relied on swarms, not individual strength...
Aside from Larvae, Drones, and Zerglings, a first-level Hatchery could also produce Flying Ants!
"Bang!" A Larva's mutated flesh burst apart. Ye Luo's eyes widened, but there was nothing in front of him. Still, he could sense an extremely tiny creature hovering before him.
Ye Luo held out his right hand, and the Flying Ant landed on it. He stared intently at his finger as his pupils shifted like the focus of a microscope. At last, he made out a tiny creature resembling an ant with wings, its head raised as it looked at him.
With a thought from Ye Luo, the sights and sounds from the Flying Ant's perspective instantly flowed into his mind!
"What a little powerhouse—a perfect scout!" Its body was so tiny, scarcely larger than a speck of dust. There was no better way to spy on someone without being noticed...
Then the Zergling and Flying Ant heroes appeared. The Zergling hero, Ye Meng, took human form, with two blades extending from his hands, just like Ye Luo's. The difference was that Ye Luo's blades had three prongs, like Wolverine's, while Ye Meng's were more like short swords!
As for the Flying Ant hero, Ye Yi's ability struck Ye Luo as downright absurd. Had you seen the movie Ant-Man? That was right—Ye Yi could grow and shrink at will, just like Ant-Man. But while Ant-Man couldn't fly without special equipment, Ye Yi could...
"What does the twenty-first century lack most? Talent..." Looking at his subordinates Ye You, Ye Feng, Ye Meng, and Ye Yi, each with extraordinary abilities, Ye Luo felt a surge of ambition. He waved his hand. "Come on. Let's see how strong everyone is in a fight!"
In the green forest, two Magic Wolves were devouring the bloody carcass before them when one suddenly raised its head, alert.
Whoosh! A gust of wind, and a black shape pounced toward them!
"Awooo..." The Magic Wolf targeted by the attacker barely managed a yelp before the black shape slammed it to the ground. Sharp fangs sank in and tore through its throat!
"Awooo, awooo..." Startled, the other Magic Wolf immediately backed away. The black shape turned out to be a leopard!
A leopard that could kill a first-level Demon Beast in an instant was clearly no ordinary predator. Two fangs protruded from its mouth, gleaming with deadly light, and a mysterious rune shimmered in the center of its black forehead!
"A third-level, high-grade Demon Beast—the Gale Leopard!"
"Awooo..." Recognizing its opponent at a glance, the Magic Wolf knew it couldn't outrun this child of the wind. With a mournful howl, it opened its jaws and fired three Wind Blades in quick succession at the Gale Leopard!
A look of disdain and mockery flashed in the Gale Leopard's eyes. It stood its ground without dodging. When the Wind Blades came within about a meter of it, they struck an invisible wall and vanished with three soft pops...
"Roar..." The Gale Leopard curled its lips into a cruel smile. In a flash, its claws lightly swept across the Magic Wolf's neck. The Magic Wolf's eyes widened, and it collapsed dead...
The Gale Leopard threw back its head and roared, as if showing off its prowess. But before it could go and enjoy its kill, its bright eyes suddenly filled with wariness!
It scanned its surroundings, on guard, as the rune on its forehead glowed green!
Yet... a minute passed... and nothing stirred...
The Gale Leopard remained alert...
"What a wary beast!" Suddenly, a mocking voice sounded beside the Gale Leopard's ear. Its pupils contracted!
"Bang!" A ferocious kick came out of nowhere from the side and sent it flying!
The force was so great that at least two ribs on its side snapped!
And that wasn't all. Before the Gale Leopard's body could hit the ground, a figure sprang up from below. It couldn't make out what the black shape was, but it was terrified by the gleaming blades in its hands!
"Shhk... shhk..." Unable to change direction in midair, the Gale Leopard could only let the two blades slice two huge, bloody gashes into its other side...
A mighty third-level, high-grade Demon Beast had been badly wounded in a single exchange, before it even saw its attacker!
The Gale Leopard hit the ground. Fearing another attack, it flashed the rune on its forehead, sending more than a dozen Wind Blades fanning out around it and shredding the leaves and branches of nearby trees!
The Gale Leopard's blades were far more impressive than the Magic Wolf's. Ye You's eyes lit up as he watched from beside Ye Luo. "My Emperor, he's mine! He's mine..." Ye You was like an impossibly chatty old woman. Ye Luo had already told him he understood, but he still kept muttering under his breath, as if afraid Ye Luo would forget the moment he looked away... And yet Ye You had an incredibly rugged face. A burly man who talked like a delicate girl left Ye Luo at a loss whether to laugh or cry... Of course, Ye Luo later learned that when Zerg heroes took human form, they were all bigger and fiercer than the last. By comparison, Ye You was downright scrawny for a Zerg. So, in a way, his physique suited his personality...
The Gale Leopard's Wind Blades had bought it a moment to catch its breath. But when it saw Ye Luo and Ye You emerge from the forest, it had no fight left in it.
"Roar!" But the cunning Gale Leopard didn't immediately turn and flee. It still remembered that unexpected kick. The thought of an enemy nearby that it couldn't detect frightened it most. With a roar, it sprang toward a nearby tree, then kicked off with all four legs and leaped to another. After two or three such jumps, it was moving faster and faster, until it became a black blur.
"Careful, My Emperor! He's about to unleash his ultimate move!" Ye You warned in a low, cold voice. Then... he very sensibly ducked behind Ye Luo...
Ye Luo's mouth twitched. "Are you telling me to be careful while I protect you...?"
The Gale Leopard's movements put Ye Meng into a half-crouch, ready to fight. But then, to everyone's surprise, the black blur suddenly veered away and shot straight into the distance...
Ye Meng came to his senses and watched the Gale Leopard streak away like an arrow. He sighed. "We're both beasts. Have some dignity..."
Ye Luo smiled faintly. "A fine feint. It looks like once Demon Beasts reach a higher level, their intelligence is every bit as good as a human's. But escape from us... Heh, not a chance!"
As soon as Ye Luo finished speaking, the black arrow that was the Gale Leopard suddenly plunged to the ground. Ye Yi had transformed into a two-meter-tall brute and was riding on the Gale Leopard's back, punching it over and over in the head. With every blow, he shouted, "You bastard! If you're going to run, just run! Why go in circles? Don't you know your old man gets carsick? You bastard! Take that! Keep running in circles!"
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