Chapter 31: Bravery and Gluttony
Su Xiao dismissed the mail composed of light particles as he sat on the tatami on the second floor of the wooden building. Behind him, Bubu Wang was snoring loudly.
Kaisa had successfully infiltrated the enemy's ranks, which was good news. Although their side had held off the initial assault from the Nether forces, they were still at a disadvantage. They now had defensive strength, but they were in no position to launch an offensive.
The Brutal Cannon Towers were indeed powerful, but as insectoid structures, their movement speed was too slow, barely matching an ordinary person's brisk walk. However, as tower structures, being able to move at all was already impressive—one of the advantages of insectoid buildings.
Hunkering down wasn't a good strategy. The main force of the Nether faction would arrive before long. To put it bluntly, what currently occupied Platinum Capital was merely a cannon-fodder legion deployed by the Nether forces. Apart from their sheer numbers, they couldn't compare to the main army in any other aspect.
For now, their side needed to focus on racing against time in development. Before the Nether's main force arrived, they had to crush the vanguard legion in Platinum Capital. If they could kill Uying Soraro, it wouldn't just be cutting off one arm of the Nether Emperor—it would be severing both arms at once.
Among the Three Knights Under the Throne, Uying Soraro handled external affairs. All foreign military operations were under his full authority, and he only answered to the Emperor.
The Golden Lion Miu, who also held military power, commanded the Imperial Guard. This legion was responsible for protecting the Emperor and never ventured out to battle.
As for the last knight, Xiao Fulia, this female powerhouse excelled at assassinations—give her a target, and she'd handle it with ease. But if you asked her to lead an army into battle, Fulia would gradually put on a mask of agony. She truly wasn't suited for that.
Thus, in Su Xiao's view, Uying Soraro was somewhat arrogant but exceptionally capable. His military prowess needed no elaboration, as evidenced by the Nether faction's current invasion.
But he wasn't without weaknesses. If Uying Soraro were as steady as an old dog, he would never have come to Pandora Star in person. If he hid in a safe rear area, killing him would be nearly impossible. However, capable people were generally confident, and confidence bordered on pride.
It was precisely this confidence that brought Uying Soraro to the front lines. Or rather, being on the battlefield was one of the meanings of his long life. If he always stayed in the rear, Uying Soraro might end up like the previous generations of "Uying"—a decrepit, undying being whose soul had been eroded into a sieve by Nether energy.
From another perspective, after living such an extended life, Uying Soraro still possessed his current spirit and presence because he never hid in safety. Comfort would inevitably corrupt the soul.
Su Xiao glanced at the sky outside the window. It was already past three in the afternoon. After the Dark Eye in the sky had receded, the weather remained overcast. Now, the air outside was muggy, and fierce winds howled, threatening rain. Being indoors at such a time brought an inexplicable sense of security.
Before long, a torrential downpour began, gradually washing away the traces of war within the base camp, especially the lingering smell of scorching.
One by one, the Brutal Cannon Towers recovered from the exhaustion of firing at full capacity. This eased Su Xiao's constant anxiety. If the Nether faction had attacked during that past hour, even if their side wasn't completely wiped out, the existing 780 Brutal Cannon Towers and 20 Titan Beasts would have been severely diminished.
Even with 100,000 elite Demon Beasts as strong combatants, given the enemy's numbers, under such an assault, the Demon Beasts would have had to abandon everything else to form a circular defensive line around the Mother Nest.
Fortunately, none of that happened. Su Xiao unwound the Holy Serpent Pendant wrapped around his wrist. The Holy Serpent, overwhelmed by bad luck to the point of tears, shed tears of joy—it could finally return to the storage space.
Outside, the rain poured. Su Xiao turned on the light, brightening the dim room. He opened the Mother Nest data to check the current bio-energy.
After the Nether faction's final wave of attacks, their side's Mother Nest had reached maximum bio-energy storage at 50 million points. This could only be used to build "Bio-Reaction Stacks," each storing 3 million bio-energy points. A total of 11 such stacks had been built.
Current bio-energy stood at 81.6 million points. As for the Brutal Cannon Towers, the existing 780 were sufficient for now.
The base camp's perimeter would be expanded to a diameter of 8 kilometers. The outer wall would remain circular, with a circumference of 25,133 meters. If 500 Brutal Cannon Towers were stationed along the perimeter, accounting for their footprint, each tower would be spaced about 20 meters apart.
The remaining 280 Brutal Cannon Towers would be evenly distributed throughout the base camp to avoid wasting firepower during battle.
The central area would be guarded by 20 Titan Beasts, the ultimate weapons. This time, the enemy's Nether Whale Dragons had nearly been driven to collective despair by the plasma cannons—one shot, one kill.
Now that their base camp had developed to this level, it was time to consider building an offensive legion. Su Xiao planned to use the current 80-plus million bio-energy for this purpose.
If this resource were used to cultivate Solar Flame Dragons, it could produce 22,700 of them. For elite Demon Beasts, it could yield 180,000.
While over 20,000 Solar Flame Dragons would be a spectacular, apocalyptic sight, the problem was their insufficient Nether resistance. They could easily turn into Nether Flame Dragons mid-battle and start spewing fire at their own side—a frustrating situation that had occurred frequently in the previous battle.
Thus, cultivating elite Demon Beasts was more reliable. The Demon Beasts' carapace defense had been enhanced several times, providing excellent protection against the attacks of the Corrupted.
Additionally, Demon Beast attacks could inflict true damage. Currently, the stats of Demon Beasts under the War Lord effect were:
Name: Elite Demon Beast
Strength: 196 (True Attribute)
Agility: 203 (True Attribute)
Stamina: 192 (True Attribute)
Intelligence: 30
Charm: Insectoids have no Charm attribute.
Skill 1, Demon Power (Passive, LV.65+12): Attacks inflict 175 points of true damage.
Skill 2, Hunter's Stride (Passive, Lv.63+12): Running speed increased by 275%. Can ignore most terrain, including walls, swamps, and other harsh environments, allowing high-speed movement.
Skill 3, Combat Insectoid (Passive, Lv.60+12): Carapace defense +75 points, physical defense +47 points, health +7,200 points.
Skill 4, Combat Instinct (Passive, X+): A killing machine born for battle; combat ability is etched into its genes.
Skill 5, Lethal Tail Blade (Passive, Lv.55+12): Tail blade attack +85 points, sharpness +102 points, penetration +73 points.
Skill 6, Life Devour (Exclusive Passive, X): On attack, gains a life-steal effect, absorbing 16.72% to 18.52% of the damage dealt as health to heal itself.
Skill 7, Blood·Soul Power (Title-Class·Passive, Lv.55+12): Weapons are imbued with soul-burning power. Each attack inflicts 150 points of true damage, with a 2–3% chance of causing the enemy to experience numbness or stiffness.
Note: The Demon Beast's tail blade and claws are considered weapons by default.
The Demon Beasts' base true damage wasn't particularly high or low, but with the War Lord's boost, it reached over 300 points.
True damage was somewhat effective against the Corrupted. The Corrupted's average health wasn't high; their troublesome aspect was their near-immortality. Even if shattered, their limbs and organs could reconstitute into man-eating monsters.
True damage could counter this. As long as it wasn't the type of immortality that allowed resurrection on the spot or extreme regenerative abilities, most seemingly undying abilities were suppressed by true damage.
Therefore, Su Xiao had Jila issue a mental command. Through the Mother Nest and incubation nests, cultivating Demon Beasts would take about 8 hours to produce 180,000.
If they could obtain more bio-energy and bring the Demon Beast legion to 300,000, their offensive force would reach a decent scale.
Of the six bonuses from War Lord, all except the final "Battle Skill Awakening" had been triggered. The "Battle Skill Awakening" still depended on luck.
Insectoid units had their potential fully developed from birth, unlike other races that gradually unlocked it. This was why insectoid units could quickly form combat strength.
Full potential had both pros and cons. In this case, "Battle Skill Awakening" would likely go unused unless a low-probability event occurred—a Demon Beast miraculously exceeding its limits and awakening a powerful ability.
If that happened, they'd hit the jackpot. One Demon Beast awakening an ability would grant it to all Demon Beasts. As for the loss of primordial life force from triggering "Battle Skill Awakening," the Demon Beasts didn't care. Even without losing it, their lifespan was only about a month, or a few months at most.
The mass production began. Su Xiao stood by the window for a moment, watching the Worker Scorpions busy in the rain. After confirming nothing was amiss, he sat cross-legged on the tatami for his daily meditation. The sound of rain outside, mixed with the occasional low roar of Demon Beasts, created a unique atmosphere.
As dusk fell, Su Xiao finished his meditation. The rain had stopped, and the chirping of frogs outside was incessant. This was strange—Nether energy seemed harmless to animals, only targeting highly intelligent races.
During the previous siege by billions of Corrupted, the vast grassland had been overrun. Logically, most animals should have died. But the reality was that, shortly after the rain stopped, a herd of zebras appeared in the distance, heads down, grazing on the nearly flattened grass.
Known intelligence: