Base Exposed

"My Emperor... although I fear hurting you, there is still something I must say." Ye Feng hesitated after receiving the order from Ye Luo, looking at him.

Ye Luo looked at him, confused. "What is it?"

"I have discovered those humans, but it seems they have discovered us as well. Their emotions are very intense, though their excitement is different from yours. You are excited to see your former kin, while they have discovered wealth..."

Ye Luo's heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean? Speak clearly..."

Ye Feng answered faithfully, "They likely view us as prey..."

"Could there be a misunderstanding?" Ye Luo frowned deeply. Yet, as soon as the words left his lips, he knew it couldn't be a misunderstanding... The Hatchery was now over ten meters tall, and the towering trees surrounding it had all been corroded by the Creep. Anyone approaching this area would easily notice the anomaly... And greed... Greed is the driving force of human progress, and also humanity's greatest original sin!

The appearance of a new life form is not necessarily something all humans would be excited to accept. Their first thought would likely be whether this new entity could bring them profit...

"My Emperor, one mile away, more humans detected!" Ye Feng suddenly closed his eyes to sense, reporting immediately, "One of them carries a Crystal Core on his weapon that is a grade higher than the Demon Core Ye You devoured! Fifty-seven in total! They are approaching rapidly. Based on their speed and direction, I can be certain..." Ye Feng opened his eyes and looked at Ye Luo, "They are coming for us..."

Disappointment, sorrow, confusion... Upon obtaining the Zerg civilization, Ye Luo had been immersed in the excitement of infinite potential, only to suddenly realize he was drifting further and further away from his own kind...

"My Emperor, they are seven hundred meters away!"

"Prepare for battle!" Ye Luo sighed deeply in his heart, the resolve in his eyes sweeping away all despondency. "Ye Yi, dispatch the Flying Ants immediately!"

Currently, the only combat units Chen Feng had were these eighty-six Zerglings, and he did not know the strength of the fifty-plus people approaching.

By the time the Flying Ants neared the group of humans, they were only a little over three hundred meters from the Hatchery. From afar, the humans could already see the towering spire of the Hatchery!

In Ye Luo's eyes, the images transmitted back by the ten Flying Ants, adjusted by the Overmind's nerves, presented a complete picture in his mind.

Fifty-six humans, with golden hair, blue eyes, and high nose bridges, looked exactly like Westerners from Earth.

Their leather armor, broadswords, longswords, and shields resembled those of medieval Western warriors. The two leading the group were striking: one was burly, his muscles filled with explosive power, and more importantly, a faint energy field swirled around his body. The other, an old man, was far inferior to the burly man in physique, but the sharp glint in his eyes made one dare not look directly at him. In his hand, a slender, one-and-a-half-meter-long wooden staff had a red crystal embedded at its tip. As a Flying Ant gradually approached the old man, he suddenly turned his head, staring intently at the position of the Flying Ant. After checking several times and finding nothing, he frowned, suddenly raised his staff, and a ball of fire erupted from the crystal!

"Whoosh!" Under the intense fire, the Flying Ant died instantly...

"Is this... a mage?" Ye Luo's heart jolted. Recalling the previous Magic Wolf, he suddenly gained some understanding of this world: a magic world, a Western magic world...

"Mage Morgan, did you discover something?" The mage's actions had clearly startled the burly warrior beside him.

Morgan shook his head, the wrinkles on his face folding like pleats. "Nothing, Mr. Roman. Perhaps I was overthinking. Let us continue forward..."

Roman nodded, gazing at the tip of the pointed Hatchery hundreds of meters away, and asked doubtfully, "Mage Morgan, it is said that mages are highly learned. Have you ever seen a building like this?"

Morgan shook his head, signaling the team to stop.

Roman looked at him in confusion. "What is it? Is something wrong?"

Morgan gazed at the pointed structure, hesitated, and said, "I can feel a trace of life force from it. I am worried this is not a building at all. If it happens to be a massive Demon Beast, and we just walk in so casually, I fear we won't be coming back out..."

Roman was shocked. "A Demon Beast? This big? The highest-level Demon Beast in the Cloudfall Forest is only level five, and a level five Demon Beast shouldn't have such a massive size..."

Morgan shook his head. "Caution is never a mistake. Let your warriors scout it out first. If it is a Demon Beast, do not disturb it and withdraw slowly. If it is not a Demon Beast but truly a building, do not rush in, to prevent danger..."

Roman nodded in agreement and waved his right hand. "First Squad, move in and scout. Remember Mage Morgan's words—be careful."

The First Squad, consisting of six men, received the order and slowly approached the Zerg Hive.

Three hundred meters... two hundred and fifty meters... two hundred meters... When they reached the two-hundred-meter mark, they stopped, because at this point, the area within two hundred meters of the Zerg Hive was completely covered in Creep. Other plants and animals had been entirely consumed. Two hundred meters away, behind them were trees and bushes, while before them lay a vast kingdom of Creep, and the Zerg Hive was naturally in full view...

"God, Captain, what is this thing..."

One member stepped forward and stomped on the Creep. "Hey, it's actually quite soft..."

"Hey, aren't you disgusted? Squad leader, I feel like this giant nest is breathing, rising and falling. I think we should go back and report to Lord Roman quickly. Let him judge if this has any value to us. If not, let's just burn it down; it's disgusting to look at..."

The Flying Ants transmitted the members' words back to Ye Luo's ears word for word. Ye Luo sighed. "Attack!"

As soon as Ye Luo finished speaking, over twenty Zerglings burst from the ground. The six warriors didn't even have time to struggle; they let out screams before being torn to shreds by the Zerglings!

In the distance, Roman's expression darkened upon hearing the screams. Beside him, Morgan suddenly opened his eyes. "I sensed it. It was an attack by Demon Beasts similar to the Magic Wolf. They appeared suddenly and likely have a special way of hiding. Everyone, be careful!"

The screams had stopped as quickly as they began, clearly signaling the strength of the enemy to Roman and the others. "Mage Morgan..."

Morgan sighed. "Men die for wealth, birds die for food. Lord Roman, launch the attack!"

"Blazing Mercenary Corps, everyone with me!" Roman roared, swinging his door-sized broadsword above his head with one hand, and charged toward the Zerg Hive first!