Chapter 3: Mining Efficiency Increased by 20%.
...
Su Xiao didn't hesitate and directly chose [Mining Efficiency Increased by 20%].
The cultivation cost for each elite worker scorpion was 0.5 points. The current elite worker scorpions weren't particularly powerful mining-type insect units yet, so the cost naturally wasn't too high. However, as the worker scorpions' mining capabilities gradually improved, their cultivation price would inevitably rise as well.
Su Xiao kept 168 points of bio-energy and used the remaining 10,000 points to cultivate elite worker scorpions.
Cultivating elite worker scorpions was much simpler than cultivating demon beasts. Before long, the first batch of worker scorpions crawled out from the insect nest. They had six short, thick arthropod legs, and their pincer claws used for digging had a peculiar structure.
What was most eye-catching were the worker scorpions' three long tails. These three tails were cylindrical in shape, sacrificing combat ability in exchange for flexibility and strength. The tips were shaped like mining picks, with one end suitable for digging and the other resembling a hammer.
The three round tails of the worker scorpions were all different. One was used for drilling, one for chiseling, and the last for collecting. The bone structure at the end of the long tail could expand, much like a mechanical hand.
This was how biological evolution worked. At higher ranks, it became truly astonishing.
The number of elite worker scorpions on the surrounding fungal carpet grew larger and larger. Su Xiao then used 2 points of bio-energy per unit to cultivate 30 spore tanks. This quantity was sufficient for the initial phase.
The prototype of the mining army gradually took shape. One thousand demon beasts served as guards, 20,000 elite worker bees were the main force, and 30 spore tanks were responsible for transporting the life ore mined from the mining site back in batches. With the demon beasts escorting them along the way, the risk wasn't great.
Once this scale was established, subsequent matters became much simpler. All bio-energy obtained would be used to cultivate elite worker bees, thereby increasing mining speed. When the number of worker scorpions reached hundreds of thousands, or even millions, a situation could arise where they arrived at the mining site in the morning and had it completely hollowed out by the afternoon.
Development was on track, but Su Xiao didn't notice a mechanical eye floating high above, observing the insect nest below.
Fifteen kilometers away from the base camp insect nest, beside a third-rank insect nest, Molei, Yueshitu, and Hao Mei were all looking at the screen in Molei's hands. On it was a scene of demon beasts and tens of thousands of worker bees. The insect nest over 80 meters tall was conservatively estimated to be a seventh-rank insect nest.
After developing their insect clans, Molei, Yueshitu, and Hao Mei had fully leveraged their own advantages. To ensure their worker insect mining wasn't slow enough, the three of them and their summons had all joined in.
Not long after entering this world, the three of them had already cultivated their insect nest to the third rank. At most, they would reach the fifth rank by tomorrow. No matter how you looked at it, this was a commendable achievement.
Originally, the three of them were in a good mood, as if they could already see the scene where, after a single command, thousands of insect clans would swarm forward. But this morning, they discovered that a neighbor over 20 kilometers away had been wiped out. Following the clues, they saw the scene before them now.
"This can't be real."
Yueshitu seemed unable to accept reality.
"I've been robbed by this guy before."
Hao Mei's expression was indignant. She hadn't just been robbed; she had also been used as a blood-drawing tool.
"Revenge!"
Molei suddenly 'stood up'.
"Yeah, revenge! Once we develop, we'll rob him too."
Yueshitu deeply agreed. One of her greatest life embarrassments was in the World of Paintings, where she was caught → released → and caught again.
The tones of Molei, Yueshitu, and Hao Mei were all exceptionally firm. But after looking at the seventh-rank insect nest on the screen and the close-up of Su Xiao's face, Molei, Yueshitu, and Hao Mei gradually put on pained expressions, feeling that the insect clan development on the other side was probably a bit too fast.