Chapter Thirty-Four: Nature’s Selection

Thank you, Yaoyue, for writing the first long review for this book.

As they walked, Xuanxuan suddenly said, "Stop."
Zhanyu stopped without hesitation.
Xuanxuan shared the situation she had sensed with Zhanyu.
"We’re surrounded by the insect race?" Zhanyu examined the information carefully.
Xuanxuan nodded. Yes, they were surrounded—even the well-hidden queen had emerged. Using her mental power to observe, Xuanxuan noted that the queen’s combat abilities seemed weak, but the insects around her were obviously powerful, at least of B-level strength.
"We’re pretty lucky," Zhanyu appeared to be in good spirits.
Xuanxuan raised an eyebrow, "Why?"
"It’s B-levels we’re facing, not very intelligent, and they’ve come out so brazenly. We don’t have to worry about them escaping. Destroying an insect nest is all about killing the queen. If she survives, the nest will soon regenerate, just like spring grass growing again," explained Zhanyu.
Xuanxuan nodded. The most terrifying aspect of these insect creatures wasn’t their combat prowess, but their reproductive ability and numbers.
"Protect yourself," Zhanyu said.
Xuanxuan didn’t respond, merely fortifying her shield to its maximum.
Then Zhanyu’s mech, "Sunlight," unleashed its full firepower, filling the surroundings with the shrieks of countless insects.
Seeing Zhanyu’s overwhelming strength, the queen began to panic, emitting piercing cries. The insects around her moved into action.
Watching Zhanyu, Xuanxuan knew this wasn’t his full capability. He was best at close combat, but for her safety, he chose ranged attacks, which limited his potential.
The last mech battle had left Xuanxuan deeply shaken; she understood well the abilities of the master of this machine.
The barrage from the mech grew ever more intense, explosions raising the temperature inside the cavern and drying out everything around them. The queen was visibly uneasy in such an environment.
She retreated several steps, dispatching the four B-level insects at her side.
Zhanyu, ever vigilant, saw this too. Unlike the main control system of "Emperor Flame," his approach was always forceful.
Powerful energy cannons fired relentlessly, and before the enemy could approach, the insects were already eliminated. The four B-level insects became the main targets.
In a short span, one B-level was gravely injured.
"Hold on tight."
"Alright."

As soon as Xuanxuan uttered her assent, Zhanyu’s mech sprang into action. The speed was astonishing. Sitting atop the mech, Xuanxuan activated "Eagle Eye" to barely make out the situation around them.
Zhanyu’s mech didn’t move in a straight line, but zigzagged according to the distribution map Xuanxuan had provided.
He didn’t pause for long, but the stops were so brief that they didn’t even feel like pauses. The seamless transitions between stopping and accelerating were flawless. Even without much knowledge of physical technique or mech control, Xuanxuan could tell that Zhanyu’s performance was exceptional.
Every place Zhanyu stopped was precisely where an insect was lurking or launching an attack, and each pause left behind a dead insect.
In the blink of an eye, Zhanyu was beside the four B-level insects. A laser sweep took down the already injured one, and his remaining firepower targeted the last three.
Xuanxuan’s sharp eyes caught the queen attempting to retreat. With a wave of her hand, a "Swamp" appeared beneath the queen.
The queen’s form was unlike the other insects—less fierce, more bulk and fat, little armor, just a huge black body without scales or shell.
Countless slender claws scraped anxiously.
The "Swamp" slowly engulfed the queen. Xuanxuan reinforced it, preventing the queen from escaping, then cast "Freeze," locking the swamp and trapping the queen halfway within.
The queen screeched, and all the surrounding insects rushed over, spitting saliva to corrode the ice.
Even the three insects beside Zhanyu grew frantic in their attacks; one, farther from Zhanyu, disengaged from battle and returned to the queen’s side.
Xuanxuan thought it would attack the ice, but instead, it began slaughtering every insect around the queen.
Her brow furrowed—was this a rebellion among the higher insects as the queen neared death?
Quickly, Xuanxuan saw she was mistaken. The dying insects submitted without resistance.
This was the insect race’s way of survival, their hierarchy strict.
And then, hmm? The ice was being corroded even more fiercely.
Green liquid—was it the blood of the slain insects? Their blood was corrosive as well.
Clearly, they would do anything for the queen.
On Zhanyu’s side, one insect had left the fight; just two remained, and before they could approach, they were eliminated.
Even in death, their eyes watched the queen, hoping she would escape, their last effort spent on lunging toward Zhanyu.
But obviously, Xuanxuan’s swamp and ice were not easy to break free from. Both were third-level magic, which Xuanxuan could use only because of her powerful mental strength.
With his hands now free, Zhanyu launched a powerful attack at the B-level insect beside the queen. The strike severed its lower limbs, but Xuanxuan saw it still crawl toward the queen, determined to corrode the ice around her.

Xuanxuan wondered—do all intelligent beings cherish their lives so? Yet why do they only love their own, seeing others as expendable?
Clearly, the B-level insect failed, and the queen’s cries grew sharper. Another laser sweep from Zhanyu, and the remaining insects died; the queen died as well. Her unprotected body wasn’t even D-level in combat.
A faint sigh escaped Xuanxuan.
Zhanyu remarked, "This is the survival of the fittest."
Xuanxuan nodded; she understood.
"I once visited a planet, originally a farming civilization. Their strongest machines were just stone throwers. By chance, the insect race invaded. By the time I arrived, only one percent of the population remained."
Zhanyu continued, "Some were killed, some taken as food, but the worst were those used as incubation hosts for the insects, their body warmth hatching the eggs."
Xuanxuan frowned.
"They were tortured beyond recognition, neither human nor ghost," Zhanyu’s brow furrowed deeper. "They watched helplessly as larvae burrowed out from within, only to be eaten as food."
"Heh." Zhanyu let out a cold laugh. "Back then, I seemed to glimpse the Federation’s future."
Xuanxuan didn’t quite understand his pessimism, so she sent a blaze to burn the insect nest even more fiercely.
After that, neither spoke further on the subject.

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Hehe, tomorrow is a special day. How about three chapters?
PS: Let me recommend two books for you to check out:
"Tea Garden Noblewoman" and "Laughing Proudly Among the Clouds."