Chapter 21: Unexpected Turn
After deducting the energy needed for the nest's own growth, as well as the energy replenishment for the fungal carpet and Demon Beasts, Su Xiao had a total of 162,050 Bio Energy.
With this 160,000 Bio Energy, Su Xiao decided to cultivate 10 Spore Tanks to serve as transport and storage units. The remaining Bio Energy would all be used to cultivate Demon Beasts.
Once the order to cultivate Spore Tanks was issued, Jila inside the nest stood up from the consciousness transmission device and began controlling the nest. After testing the performance of the consciousness transmission device, Su Xiao decided not to use this machine frequently for the time being. Under normal circumstances, having Jila control the Demon Beasts was sufficient.
With the cultivation order given, ten fissures appeared on the exterior of the nest. Like balloons being inflated, large, pale-green membranes bulged outward. Spore Tanks were too large to be cultivated inside the nest.
A few minutes later, those ten bulging membranes burst open, revealing creatures that looked like large lumps of gray-white slime.
These gray-white slime monsters were the Spore Tanks. Spore Tanks had no fixed form; they transported items by swallowing them into their internal cavity.
Don't be fooled by the fact that a Spore Tank was only a 15-meter-high lump. In reality, it could swallow objects dozens of times its own volume. However, the more items it swallowed, the slower its movement speed became.
When transporting objects eight times its own volume, a Spore Tank was slightly faster than a Mantis Armor, but slower than a Stinger.
However, they had one performance trait: their bodies were extremely sturdy. This allowed them to extend biological tentacles, letting other fast insect-type units drag them along, thereby increasing transport speed.
As for the remaining Bio Energy in the nest, it was all used to cultivate Demon Beasts. The nest began cultivating Demon Beasts at a rate of 150 every seven minutes.
Thirty-seven minutes later, 804 Demon Beasts emerged from the nest one after another. Their luck was quite good this time, as they actually cultivated 9 Elite Demon Beasts.
A total of 1,307 Demon Beasts were now distributed near the base camp, with 16 Elite individuals being particularly conspicuous.
It could be said that Jila's tribe had now entered the upper echelons of the Third Stage insect race. But even so, Su Xiao was still not prepared to attack the Third Stage nests.
War would not involve casualties on only one side. The Third Stage nests indeed had more Bio Energy, but to chew through these tough bones would require paying some rather painful costs.
If one factored in the gains after casualties, attacking Third Stage nests was really not as good as bullying the Second Stage insect race. Although the spoils obtained from the latter were fewer, the war's consumption was also lower.
With 1,307 Demon Beasts in hand, Su Xiao prepared to begin large-scale operations. He gathered Bubu Wang, Amu, and Baha together and entered the nest.
Jila was sleeping soundly inside the nest. Using the consciousness transmission device had heavily drained her mental energy.
Su Xiao grabbed the somewhat dazed Jila and pulled her up. One man, one dog, one cow, one bird, and one insect girl sat together in a circle. Among them, the insect girl was like a little airhead, on the verge of falling asleep and collapsing onto the ground at any moment.
"With the most basic development capital in hand, we now need to do two things. First, clear the nearby resources with maximum efficiency."
The resources Su Xiao referred to were the nearby Second Stage nests. Only after clearing these nests would Su Xiao prepare to deal with those 15 Third Stage nests.
"Proposal."
Baha raised its wing. Since this was a meeting-style conversation, it naturally wouldn't crack any jokes.
"Speak."
"Boss, we should split into three teams now."
Baha's gaze shifted to Bubu Wang and Amu. When it looked at Amu, there was a hint of concern.
"Mm, that's what I was about to say next," Su Xiao lit a cigarette and continued, "First, we need to divide the 1,307 Demon Beasts into three teams. As for the Spore Tanks, each team gets 3 to 4."
The reason Su Xiao divided the Demon Beasts into three teams was to have Bubu Wang, Baha, and Amu each lead one team.
Of course, they didn't need to command the Demon Beasts in battle; they just needed to observe. These Demon Beasts were controlled by Jila.
With Bubu Wang, Amu, and Baha on the battlefield, Su Xiao could receive real-time battle reports from the three of them. Moreover, this was an extra layer of insurance.
Having three teams fight simultaneously was more efficient. Furthermore, each team had Spore Tanks that could store a large number of spoils. They would return at 6 PM every day to consolidate resources, rest for one hour, and then continue fighting.
As long as they didn't fight personally, Bubu Wang, Amu, and Baha could supervise the battles continuously for several days without issue. Besides, every time they returned, the number of Demon Beasts would increase significantly.
In the end, Su Xiao's team division was as follows:
Bubu Wang's Team: 435 Demon Beasts (4 Elite individuals), 3 Spore Tanks.
Baha's Team: 430 Demon Beasts (4 Elite individuals), 3 Spore Tanks.
Amu's Team: 442 Demon Beasts (7 Elite individuals), 4 Spore Tanks.
Su Xiao's allocation took into account the respective strengths and weaknesses of Bubu Wang, Amu, and Baha. Bubu Wang and Baha had strong adaptability, while Amu had strong frontal combat power. Therefore, its team had the most Spore Tanks. Su Xiao knew that Amu would definitely participate in the battle personally, which would make the war more efficient and yield more resources.
As for how to deal with the Second Stage insect race mothers, if there were rare insect types inside that nest, they would bring the mother back. If not, they would execute it on the spot.
"That's roughly the plan. Any additions?"
Su Xiao's gaze swept around, waiting for Bubu Wang and Baha to add their opinions. He never had a habit of being autocratic. As for Amu, as long as Su Xiao said it, even if it was wrong, Amu would follow.
"Woof (full support)."
"Let's roll."
Baha, Bubu Wang, and Amu led their teams and set off. Su Xiao looked at the drowsy Jila. The consciousness transmission device had to be used sparingly; using it too frequently would affect the nest's development speed.
Su Xiao stayed behind to guard the nest. With nothing else to do, he leaped to the top of the nest, sat cross-legged, and sensed nature. This was also a form of training for his blade techniques.
...
On the eastern side of the continent, mountain ranges stretched endlessly. It was currently morning, and flocks of birds filled the forests.
Beneath this mountain range, inside a huge cavern, several Contractors were looking up at a large, transparent crystal layer above them.
"Finally... found it."
"The Contractors from Reincarnation Paradise are indeed crazy, but this time they've fallen. It's the third day since entering this world. They want to use the power of the Hasaro Tribe; it's simply impossible."
"Is the intelligence from Death Paradise accurate? Can they really muster 2,500 members of the Sun Tribe?"
Several girls from Holy Light Paradise were talking. Their clothes were stained with drops of blood, left behind when their teammates covered their retreat.
"Aklo is very reliable. Apparently, his trusted subordinate married a Fire Priestess of the Sun Tribe. That priestess is almost fifty years old."
"Huh? How did he manage that? An iron tree blooming? A spring heart stirring? Love at first sight?"
"Drugged..."
"Uh..."
The expressions of the few Holy Light Paradise girls were quite interesting.
"That's not important. The World Core... belongs to us."
As soon as a female Contractor finished speaking, the crystal layer above began to crack apart.
With a crack, the crystal layer shattered, and a fair hand grabbed the World Core.
[Announcement: A Contractor is now in possession of the World Core.]