Chapter 121: Global Queen Battle Royale, Beyond Tier 3

The psychic connection was quite mysterious.

This was especially evident in perception.

Similar to quantum entanglement, it could bridge vast distances or even time, creating resonance between two beings.

At this moment, the parasitic host was remotely controlled by its queen, projecting its consciousness into the host, causing severe grotesque mutations.

It was uncertain whether the queen's consciousness exacerbated the deformity or if the body needed expansion to house the queen's mental energy.

Regardless, witnessing this scene, even Lin Feng, seasoned with experience, found it quite nauseating.

Moreover, the energy waves emanating from the deformed humanoid insect triggered Lin Feng's telepathy, creating a sudden connection with Jiang Yuner, thousands of miles away.

He sensed her lying listlessly on a sofa in a villa.

Simultaneously, Jiang Yuner felt Lin Feng's presence, sharing his disgust and shock.

However, this link was unstable.

It lasted only a few seconds before vanishing.

Both wore slightly furrowed expressions, one clutching their chest in confusion, while the other raised their weapon.

Facing the queen's offer, Lin Feng shook his head:

"Tiger Bugs? I can kill those myself, no need for your delivery."

"There are so many queens in the south; I can take a dozen from each, plenty to kill."

With a smile, Lin Feng added:

"Once I finish off a hundred Tiger Bugs and reach late-stage Tier 2 peak, it'll be a festival for you queens."

Hearing Lin Feng's bold words, the queen didn't retort. The human awakener before her had the strength to back his bravado...

If he reached Tier 2 perfection or Tier 3, he'd be a major threat to the insects, a queen slayer among humans.

However, Lin Feng's upgrade speed, while impressive compared to other humans, was insignificant against the global insect invasion.

Once the Wu City battle concluded, the queen would lead the insect army, swallowing hundreds of miles of coastline, amassing resources to reach late Tier 3, possibly beyond...

Even if Lin Feng reached Tier 3 by then, he couldn't face a higher-level enemy.

So, the writhing queen on the ground, hearing Lin Feng, didn't argue but continued:

"Exactly. By the time you've hunted enough Tier 2 Tiger Bugs after months, completing your Tier 3 awakening, humanity will have no future..."

"Among the thousands of queens landing, many have reached late Tier 3. When they unite, humanity will face extinction."

The chilling words tightened Lin Feng's heart, recalling Qin Hu's warning...

The northern Federation capital faced an invasion by over eight queens, forcing newly transformed Qin Hu to rush thousands of miles for support.

A single early Tier 3 queen could easily handle tens of thousands of human soldiers. Eight together promised terrifying mid-Tier 3 threats...

Without hundreds of thousands of veterans and a strong logistics system, the Federation capital might not last a few days.

The queen's message was clear.

Lin Feng's upgrade pace lagged behind humanity's retreat. Even if he reached Tier 3, he'd be weaker than most queens by then.

He'd still be suppressed.

The current Haicheng queen would grow stronger post-Wu City battle, making it hard for Lin Feng to compete.

His allies couldn't keep up.

Trading with the queen could quickly grant Lin Feng the upgrade points he needed to rise swiftly.

After all, each queen could only be exploited once; they weren't fools. If defeated, they'd retreat underground.

Killing ten per queen meant Lin Feng needed to hunt over ten queens to upgrade himself and his two pieces of equipment, not counting a third unbound item.

Ten queens meant ten major cities.

Covering nearly a thousand kilometers, equivalent to two coastal states, even with just the Land Cruiser Battleship, would take a month.

By then, queens would ascend to higher levels. Lin Feng would struggle against multiple queens attacking together...

Lin Feng evaluated his future strategies based on the current queen's power.

Considering the queens' upgrades, Lin Feng's growth indeed seemed insufficient.

Even as humanity's strongest awakener...

He couldn't change the tide alone.

Unless he killed a massive number of Tier 2 insects quickly, amassing enough upgrade points to stop the early queen invasion...

With luck, even kill one!

Ascend to Tier 3 Awakener!

Facing mostly early Tier 3 queens, Lin Feng would have the confidence to fight!

With an awakened army, challenging multiple queens wouldn't be an issue!

After careful thought, Lin Feng's frown eased, and he asked the grotesque insect-human before him:

"So, what are the terms of the trade?"

Hearing Lin Feng's interest, the "queen" on the ground cackled, a sound emanating from its abdomen:

"My terms are simple and easily met..."

"Not to join us, nor to betray your kind..."

Lin Feng relaxed slightly, gesturing with his weapon for the queen to continue.

The queen paused, lowering its voice:

"I need you to return to the northern front, continue blocking that queen's advance!"

"Hold it off for five days..."

"So I can be the first to reach the lakebed."

Lin Feng was taken aback, not expecting such a request.

In that instant, countless thoughts raced through his mind, sparking a mental storm.

After half a minute, Lin Feng spoke:

"Are high-tier insects... competitors?!"

The insect-human, now a creature with a dozen legs, supported its two-meter-tall form, its human-like face displaying a self-assured expression.

Yet, such a scene on an insect-headed creature was indescribably eerie.

Lin Feng's frown deepened. After confirming no special changes with his identification skill, he lowered his guard.

The queen's avatar nodded, raising its limbs, explaining:

"Your home planet, this blue star, has the perfect composition for carbon-based life, with land and sea in a 3:7 ratio, and surface-accessible liquid water..."

"Perfect for pioneers like us."

"Our goal isn't just claiming this blue planet, but completing our high-tier queen ascension here..."

"In human terms, it's a global queen battle royale."

"Of nearly ten thousand queens, only one will emerge, transcending planetary shackles to become..."

"A cosmic life form."

Lin Feng took a deep breath, asking:

"Is it Tier 4 beyond Tier 3?"  

The queen nodded, elaborating:

"Yes... Each tier divides into early, mid, and late stages. After three sub-stages, there's a major enhancement..."

"From the lowest Red Beetle, transforming to Tier 1, awakening abilities, a life-level boost, while human potential peaks at Tier 1. Upon reaching Tier 2, physical limitations emerge."

"Breaking through Tier 3 grants another evolutionary leap."

"From planetary-constrained insects to universe-roaming super life forms."

"Within the planet, life cycles repeat."

"In the universe, infinite possibilities..."

Lin Feng's eyes widened. The queen's brief words painted a vast cosmic tapestry of countless stars...

Countless beings, from cradle planets, discovering, building civilizations, ultimately facing extinction.

Reasons varied: civil war, environmental collapse, natural disasters...

Planets were cradles, but life couldn't stay there forever.

Blue Star's history saw countless civilizations rise and fall: ancient arthropods, the dinosaur era of diverse reptiles, until a meteor ended their reign 65 million years ago.

Then came the mammals' rebirth.

Over hundreds of millions of years, only humans evolved high intelligence, choosing the right path, using tools to take tentative steps off the planet.

Sadly, just as humanity neared a breakthrough, alien insects disrupted progress.

Now, to combat insects, individuals must evolve.

As the queen said, Tier 4 beyond Tier 3 adapts to harsh cosmic conditions, strong enough to leave planets for cosmic adventures.

If high-tier queens ascended to Tier 4...

Attributes would skyrocket, size increase tenfold, immune to humanity's last card, nuclear weapons.

Then humanity's true doomsday would come.

Contemplating this, Lin Feng's frown deepened, aiming at the queen's avatar:

"You want to reach the lake before the Haicheng queen, to access its abundant water and resources..."

"But why should I help you?"

"Both you and the Haicheng queen will destroy all life on this planet once you ascend."

"And while I fight on the frontlines, you'll reap the benefits, encircling me with the Haicheng queen."

"This risk isn't worth a hundred Tiger Bugs..."

Sensing a hint of death, the queen's avatar recoiled, urgently saying:

"No, you must help me!"

"Because it's helping yourself!"

Lin Feng remained stoic, gesturing for more.

The queen inhaled deeply, its abdominal chambers rhythmically expanding and contracting like caterpillar segments:

"The Haicheng queen you mentioned..."

"Is nearing mid-Tier 3!"

"I don't know how much biomass and mutant gene pools it acquired, but it succeeded in under a month."

"As mid-Tier 3 queens, we can control exponentially more low-tier insects, and hatch over a thousand Tier 2 insects..."

"Most importantly, mid-Tier 3 queens can mass-produce Tier 2 Wind Wing Bugs, or synthesize special insects with unique abilities."

"These special insects have human-like abilities and local genetic adaptations."

"If it reaches the lake first, solidifying mid-Tier 3 power, it'll seize 500 kilometers of land, advancing to late Tier 3..."

"Then, not just southern humans..."

Lin Feng realized the urgency, continuing for the queen:

"Not just humans, even you early queens lagging behind will be devoured by those Tier 3 queens, becoming fodder for Tier 4 ascension..."

"Am I wrong?"

The queen's avatar nodded heavily. This was why it risked approaching a human awakener.

No eternal allies, only eternal interests.

In life-or-death moments, even enemies could cooperate.

The main reason was the Jia City queen hadn't expected the heavily resisted Haicheng queen to reverse its fortunes...

Its progress was only slightly behind other queens, using human troops to train, nearing mid-Tier 3.

Once upgraded, it'd swiftly conquer Wu City, reaching the lake first...

Snowballing its lead over other queens.

As Lin Feng unraveled the truth, he agreed the Jia City queen's proposal was mutually beneficial.

But Lin Feng had reservations.

What if it was a trap by the two queens, a ruse to let the Jia City queen occupy the rear...

Blocking Lin Feng and the Thirteenth Division's escape.

Even if Lin Feng escaped, many innocents would die.

Lin Feng needed assurance:

"How many Tier 2 insects can early Tier 3 queens control?"

The queen's avatar hesitated, replying:

"Two to five hundred, the stronger hatch more, but not over five hundred."

Lin Feng nodded, raising two fingers:

"Two hundred Tiger Bugs, or one Tier 2 Wind Wing Bug for ten Tiger Bugs."

"This is the bottom line."

"My price is fair, ensuring your safety while allowing my escape, even prolonging the front defense."

The queen hesitated, its power mid-low among queens, with no human resistance but hurried territory management...

Biomass acquisition and Tier 2 insect hatching barely reached four hundred, a quarter not yet fully developed.

Lin Feng's demand took half.

But recalling his strength and the poised gun...

The queen agreed after brief consideration.

Lin Feng smiled, saying calmly:

"One last question."

"You mentioned a global queen battle royale, with only one winner ascending to Tier 4."

"Does that mean..."

"Tier 4 life forms are unique?!"

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