Chapter 55: The Frenzied Massacre

From the vast spatial rift emerged hundreds, no, thousands of Claw Zerg. Each was a Level 1 Evolver, and neither Zhuo Fan nor the other Evolvers stood a chance against them. Moreover, in the face of these intelligent beings—creatures capable of speech—they could sense an immense disparity. These Claw Zerg not only spoke but wielded combat skills with fearsome proficiency.

Courage evaporated from the defenders; all former bravado vanished. They turned and fled. The Claw Zerg would not let them escape—like a silver tide, they surged in pursuit.

At that moment, a presence descended upon them—a curse from the Claw Civilization.

“There’s a native here.”
“Damn it, he’s killed so many of our god’s pets. He must die.”
“Go kill him. The rest of you slaughter these natives. What is this race called? Humans? From now on, humans will be wiped from the universe.”

Their thoughts collided, mental tendrils intertwining as they discussed. Unbeknownst to them, a four-armed Claw Zerg had already perished before; otherwise, they might not have spoken so arrogantly.

Qin Hao, wielding the Star-Cleaver Divine Blade, released a chunk of steel. With his mental tendrils, he extracted metal from the steel and forged sword after sword. Twelve blades became one hundred and eight! His formidable mental power gave him terrifying control. Dense clusters of metal swords, guided by his will, shot toward the Claw Zerg.

The creatures who moments before had been so brazen were now impaled, one after another.

A wet, pulsing sound. In an instant, over a dozen Claw Zerg fell dead or dying.

The rest were aghast. “A Level 2 Mental Evolver!”
“How can there be a Level 2 Evolver here? Are these natives actually powerful?”
“Attack together.”

Their intellect was considerable; they understood the logic of ants killing an elephant. Though they feared Qin Hao, they surged forward without hesitation. The faith of their gods promised resurrection—they did not fear death. Even in death, rebirth awaited them.

“Good, come then.”

Qin Hao did not fear for his own life—he feared only that the Claw Zerg would escape and slaughter others. His hundred-sword phalanx wheeled and swept through the enemy ranks, reaping lives with every pass.

At last, a Claw Zerg reached him, mantis-like arms whirling to sever his head.

Qin Hao split his focus—his mind commanding the sword swarm, his hands wielding the Star-Cleaver Blade. A flash—the creature’s mantis arms fell to the ground, and a fresh red line blossomed across its throat. Blood spurted as the Claw Zerg stumbled forward and collapsed.

More Claw Zerg hurled themselves at him, heedless of death.

Qin Hao alone barred their advance, an unmovable bulwark.

“Blood Sacrifice Demon Body.”

His strength surged, tenfold what it had been. In a single sweep, he felled another foe. In ten paces, he killed a hundred; rivers of blood flowed.

He unleashed every power at his disposal, slaughtering countless Claw Zerg. He became a god of death, ensuring these invaders would remain on Blue Star, their bodies nourishing the soil.

“Gene Devourer Technique.”

He invoked his innate ability. Blood pooling on the ground surged into him, the life force of the Claw Zerg endlessly replenishing him. Tempered by the Blood Sacrifice Demon Body, their essence condensed into his most evolved form.

With every battle, Qin Hao grew stronger, his power climbing ever higher. At last, his life force reached its zenith. A sensation of eruption threatened to tear him apart—his body demanded an outlet before his boiling blood could calm.

He channeled star energy, compressing the Blood Sacrifice Demon Body into a singular force.

A thunderclap of energy shattered a barrier within him.

[Life force increased—reached the Level 1 Evolver limit.]
[Ding! You have broken the Level 2 Life Gene Lock.]

Within the Hero System, his stats transformed:
[Qin Hao]
Life Force: Level 1 Evolver Limit, Level 2 Gene Lock
Mental Power: Level 2 Evolver Limit, Level 3 Gene Lock
Innate Ability: Gene Devourer
Powers: Metal (Divine), Poison, Lightning (Divine)
Combat Rating: F+

With these breakthroughs, Qin Hao’s strength became terrifying—among his peers, he could face a hundred alone, even challenge those above his rank. Were he to face the Level 2 Claw Zerg Evolver from the [Manhunt] mission now, he could immobilize the foe with a mere thought and his metal powers.

Even his life force had become monstrous.

“Star Energy Shockwave!”

Star energy erupted within him, flooding into his fist, which smashed forward. Power gathered, forming a sweeping gale that spanned over thirty meters. Where the shockwave passed, dozens of Claw Zerg fell dead.

His physical strength was immense—a single stomp could shatter a Claw Zerg’s bones, a punch could obliterate their bodies.

Kill, kill, kill!

Qin Hao was a true demon, his eyes filled only with slaughter.

He killed from noon until nightfall—six hours of carnage, Claw Zerg corpses piling high.

Night descended, but it brought the Claw Zerg no comfort—only dread. Darkness offered neither warmth nor solace.

“We must flee—find a black hole, return to the Hive World!”

Their thoughts rippled with panic, and they scattered in all directions.

Terrifying—what kind of monstrous beings were humans?

Eight thousand Claw Zerg lay dead; only three thousand remained, their ranks shattered. They were no mindless beasts, but a sapient species—such losses brought terror, not blind resolve.

Qin Hao did not tire from their relentless onslaught; on the contrary, he grew ever stronger, and the Zerg sensed something was wrong.

Their only hope was to escape before he could kill them all.

Three thousand Claw Zerg broke and ran.

Qin Hao’s mind swept the battlefield, gathering more than a hundred thousand units of star energy into his spatial ring. His consciousness extended, locking onto a direction, and he gave chase. Not a single Claw Zerg could be allowed to survive.

When Qin Hao’s figure vanished and the sounds of battle ceased, a full hour passed before anyone dared return.

It was Feng Qun and Zhuo Fan.

They were not quite comrades, but Feng Qun still needed Zhuo Fan’s Hero System, and Zhuo Fan needed Feng Qun’s leadership. Each had something the other required; their interests were now aligned.

By moonlight, they took in the scene—a river of blood, corpses strewn everywhere.

“Are they all dead?” Zhuo Fan’s lips trembled.

When, he wondered, would he ever become so powerful?