Chapter Ten: Fierce Battle and Evolution

Both Gu Feng and Baldy’s expressions changed at the same time, a testament to the sheer power of their opponent’s attack. Wood’s face turned even paler—he was genuinely worried that Unit One might be damaged, especially since he had only just acquired this advanced transforming robot. However, Unit One proved himself far stronger than Wood had anticipated. After the explosion faded, Unit One stood tall and unmoved in midair, raising his head to gaze toward the direction from which the blasts of energy had come.

Perhaps sensing the tremendous threat posed by Unit One, the swarms of energy masses, after their initial outburst, began to retreat rapidly, and the surging sea of insects followed suit. Wood, anxious for Unit One’s safety, hurriedly summoned him back.

“Was that all your power just now? How much energy did it cost you?” Wood asked with genuine concern.

“I used only fifty percent of my strength. There’s no energy loss—Unit One is equipped with a perpetual energy reactor! There’s no need to worry about power!”

“What?!” Zi Gui exclaimed loudly, “A perpetual energy reactor? The Silicon-Based Dimension actually has such a thing?!”

Gu Feng and the others didn’t understand what this meant, but Zi Gui knew it was a priceless treasure! This device completely upended the laws of energy conservation, and no technological world had ever succeeded in developing one. Now, hearing Unit One’s words, Zi Gui slung an arm around Wood’s neck and grinned slyly, “Brother, let’s make a deal—sell me this Transformer! Name your price—money? Women?”

Wood replied glumly, “If you had one, would you trade it to me?”

Zi Gui snorted, “Forget I asked.” After a moment, his eyes flashed with cunning. He leaned close and whispered, “How about this—forget the Transformer. Just take out that perpetual energy reactor and give it to me…”

Before he could finish, he felt a shadow fall over him. Looking up, he saw Unit One, his red eyes flashing menacingly, the laser cannon in his hand subtly aimed at Zi Gui.

Wood pointed at Unit One and said, “Why don’t you negotiate with him?”

Zi Gui broke out in a cold sweat, as though standing under a waterfall, and forced a laugh. “Just kidding, just kidding! By the way, Unit One, you’re absolutely magnificent—truly formidable, ha ha ha…” By the end, his laughter was more pitiful than weeping. Only then did Unit One turn and walk away as if nothing had happened.

Once the insects had fully retreated, the group climbed to the highest point of the base and gazed out in all directions. They saw nothing but barren yellow hills—a desolate landscape. Curiously, though, not a single insect was visible, despite their previously overwhelming numbers, a situation that defied all logic.

“They’re all hiding beneath the hills!” Gu Feng said, closing his eyes to sense the surroundings. “Except for directly beneath the base, the bellies and depths of all the surrounding hills are filled with insects.”

Baldy was fiddling with something. After a moment, he unfurled a transparent sheet, upon which the insects lurking in the hills became visible.

“What is that?!” Gu Feng exclaimed in surprise.

Baldy smiled calmly. “Mental probing can reveal the insects’ locations, but only you yourself know the details. With this, everyone can see for themselves!”

Wood suddenly understood. “I see—mechanical bees?”

Baldy nodded. “That’s right. Technology has its advantages too, Gu Feng. You really should consider changing your perspective!”

Gu Feng just snorted dismissively.

At that moment, Zi Gui was in the conference room receiving reports from various department heads.

“The insect army suddenly appeared on Planet E4. Originally, there were insects of this species here, but they weren’t very aggressive, and they weren’t nearly this large. Three days ago, though, they suddenly mutated. Fortunately, the planet is still in the early stages of development and hasn’t been colonized yet, or the losses would have been catastrophic!” A chubby, middle-aged man of nearly forty wiped sweat from his brow as he reported, still shaken. “Thank goodness the young clan leader arrived in time—otherwise, our entire base would’ve been wiped out!”

Zi Gui was unmoved by the man’s flattery. His face remained grim. “When this planet was first discovered, the clan invested heavily in exploration and research. These insects were studied and deemed harmless. How did they evolve to become so dangerous in such a short time? As the person in charge here, why didn’t you notice anything earlier? Now that things have gotten so serious, the clan’s entire investment here might go to waste!”

Zi Gui’s words left the man drenched in cold sweat. Zi Gui continued, “Can anyone tell me—was there anything unusual that happened before and after the insects mutated?” The conference room fell silent. The disaster had come so suddenly that no one knew the cause, and no one could offer the clan an explanation.

“Wood, tonight we’re going to the insects’ lair!” Baldy told Wood.

Wood was horrified. “Just the few of us?” He’d seen the terrifying power of the insects that day. Facing a handful might be manageable with weapons, but if the entire swarm appeared, it would be certain death.

“That’s right, just us. And you’re not bringing Unit One. We need to train your abilities—if you rely on Unit One, there’s no point in the exercise!” Baldy’s words made Wood even more desperate.

“No Unit One? You might as well kill me now!” Wood wailed, but no one showed any sympathy.

“Actually, we’re not planning to charge in head-on. We’ll find the insects’ queen, subdue her, and figure out what caused the mutation!” Zi Gui came over as well. “These six-legged spiders are native to Planet E4. They were originally about the size of a small dog, but for some reason, they mutated and multiplied rapidly. But this species is matriarchal—there should only be one queen on the planet. We’re going to capture her.”

Zi Gui pulled out a flashlight-shaped device and switched it on. A beam of light projected a map onto the ground. “There are two bases on this planet—this is the main base. A hundred kilometers to the west, there’s a small outpost manned by a clan squad of ten. We lost contact with them some time ago, so…”

Zi Gui fell silent, his expression somber. Anyone who’d seen the fury of the insect attacks would know that outpost had little chance of survival. “The mutation of the six-legged spiders reportedly began over there. Tonight, we’ll sneak over and see what’s really going on!”

Wood couldn’t change the group’s decision. Though he doubted so few people could capture the queen, he reasoned there must be a reason for the plan. Gu Feng’s reassurance gave him some confidence: “See this? It’s a spatial scroll. If there’s danger, just throw it and we’ll be transported back—no need to worry!”

When night fell, the group quietly boarded a craft hidden in the ship. Zi Gui piloted it toward the outpost. Wood quickly observed that only Gu Feng, his two personal guards, Baldy’s five burly men, Zi Gui, and a robot were present—he was the only one alone.

“Hey, Zi Gui, why not bring more people? What about the mechs?” Wood asked.

Zi Gui grinned, “If the others found out we were going to the outpost, they’d never let me go. Do you think I could mobilize the mechs?”

Wood realized he was right. As the young clan leader, Zi Gui’s status was too important for his subordinates to let him take such risks.

A hundred kilometers was a short distance for their craft, which reached its destination in under ten minutes. But on this moonless planet, if not for the navigation instruments, they would never have found the base. The place was fraught with danger, so they dared not turn on any lights—the darkness was so thick that one could barely see a hand in front of their face. Yet the darkness seemed not to trouble Gu Feng and the others at all. Even Wood could faintly make out the ground beneath them.

Though small, the base covered an area about the size of two basketball courts, its metal walls and flooring now battered and broken—a testament to the ferocity of the insect assault. The group split up to investigate.

No sooner had Wood stepped off the craft than he felt an eerie sensation, as if unseen eyes were watching him. Baldy, observing Wood glancing around nervously, remarked meaningfully, “Trust your instincts.”

No sooner had he spoken than Wood felt a chill down his back, a shock to his skull. On instinct, he seized his high-frequency vibroblade and swung it behind him.

The hum of the blade cutting through the air was followed by a piercing shriek—one of the six-legged insects had ambushed him from behind. At the same time, more shrieks erupted as creatures burst forth from the ground and the ruined base, quickly surrounding the group on the open plaza.

To avoid alerting even more insects, Zi Gui refrained from using his Gauss ion pulse gun, instead raising his own vibroblade for close combat. The blades’ glow lit up the darkness, but strangely, the insects focused their attacks solely on Wood and Zi Gui.

At first, Wood was extremely tense, but he soon discovered that his reflexes and movements were slightly faster than the insects’, his neural responses sharper. He quickly calmed down and met the onslaught head-on. On the plaza, amid a storm of blood and carnage, the twin beams of light flashed and weaved, keeping the insects at bay.

Wood fought with single-minded concentration, giving his all. Zi Gui, meanwhile, was more at ease, even cursing, “Damn! These insects only bully the weak—why aren’t they attacking you guys?”

Indeed, the insects besieged only Wood and Zi Gui, shying away from Gu Feng and Baldy. Baldy said unhurriedly, “Stay here and help Wood train. We’re going inside to investigate.” With that, he and Gu Feng walked through the base’s main doors. Zi Gui shouted after them, “Hey! At least help deal with these bugs before you go!”

But Baldy and the others ignored him, leaving Zi Gui to yell in frustration. Wood, for his part, ignored everything else, focusing on battling the insects. As he moved, he gradually found himself in control, each motion becoming fluid and natural. His mind grew keenly attuned to the darkness, and suddenly, a surge of strength welled up inside him, compelling him to let out a triumphant howl that echoed through the night.

“Beep… Basic Material Plane agent has surpassed the physical barrier. All bodily attributes exceed 100. Agent has become an F-class warrior. Physical functions evolving…”