Chapter 162 - 154: Thunder Beast, Tunneling Worm, Leviathan

Chapter 162: Chapter 154: Thunder Beast, Tunneling Worm, Leviathan

"Thunder Beasts, Tunneling Worms, and Leviathans. To think it would be these three units."

Qin Yu had long anticipated that the appearance of the Tier Three Insect Nest would bring about a qualitative change, completely overturning and transforming the entire Insect Swarm. However, he never expected the surprise to be this massive.

The growth of his soul allowed him to freely roam the Swarm’s Mind Network and use any Insect Race unit as a vessel for his physical body. Even if his true body fell, he could possess other units. He could even be "reborn" within the Insect Nest.

As long as the Insect Swarm lived, he would not die. He now possessed a true body of immortality.

And the three newly emerged units completely changed the Insect Swarm’s combat style, exponentially increasing their overall combat strength!

Thunder Beasts, Tunneling Worms, and Leviathans—each of these three units was incomparably powerful. First were the Thunder Beasts.

Thunder Beast (Qi Sea Realm): Large-scale ground combat unit. Requires 100,000 Energy Points to spawn.

Hearing the name alone, one might mistakenly believe this was a powerful unit that controlled Thunderbolts. However, that was not the case.

According to the Insect Swarm’s records, Thunder Beasts evolved from docile Brontoliths, becoming an extremely powerful ground combat unit. Their appearance closely resembled gigantic mammoths, with four exceptionally long tusks protruding from their heads.

They stood a full 42 meters tall at the shoulder and were over 80 meters long. Their bodies were covered in diamond-shaped chitinous shells. Though extremely light, this carapace boasted unparalleled hardness. The four terrifying, thirty-meter-long tusks were incredibly sharp. Once they initiated a charge, they were practically unstoppable!

In fact, on the interstellar battlefield, the Thunder Beast was fundamentally classified as a super-heavy armored unit—a living siege engine. Its Bone-like Giant Scythe could easily pierce through most known materials. Their massive size meant they not only possessed thick armor but also housed multiple sets of internal organs. Even if their bodies were shattered by fierce attacks, they could continue to fight.

"Thunder Beasts are much larger than the Mountain-Splitting Demon King. Such a massive and heavy frame makes them standard ground units," Qin Yu thought, reading over the Thunder Beast’s information. "I can have them absorb the Mountain-Splitting Demon King’s genes to control Earth Attribute Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi. That will let them master Earth Escape, Earth Manipulation, and condense Rock Armor to Enhance their combat strength."

As an alien lifeform, for the Insect Swarm to survive in this world and contend with numerous Demon Fiends and Martial Artists, relying solely on their original abilities was not enough.

Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi!

If a Qi Sea Realm combatant could not manipulate Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, how could they even be called Qi Sea Realm? It was just slightly surreal that something named a Thunder Beast would actually possess the Earth Attribute.

This change was just the beginning. Given the Insect Swarm’s research into Arrays, they could entirely use the Thunder Beast as a foundation to carve massive Arrays onto its body. This would drastically increase its defensive capabilities and overall combat strength.

In the Insect Nest’s database, the Thunder Beast was its own series of units with multiple variants. For instance, the Thunder Beast—Poisonous Beast form. This variant could continuously excrete toxins harmful to non-Insect Race units and actively release poisonous mist, effectively wiping out small units or dense formations.

Or the Thunder Beast—Violent Dragon Beast form. Its massive body allowed it to pre-store and compile special "larvae" internally. If the Thunder Beast died in battle, these larvae would swiftly activate. They would then devour the Energy in the Thunder Beast’s corpse, spawning a new Thunder Beast in a short amount of time!

Theoretically, as long as five percent of the Thunder Beast’s physical tissue remained, a new Thunder Beast could be spawned from its corpse! The more intact the corpse structure was, the faster it would grow. It was practically an unkillable cockroach.

Additionally, there were forms like the Frenzied Thunder Beast, Split-claw Thunder Beast, and Abyssal Thunder Beast. Each possessed different abilities, but without exception, they were all extremely powerful.

"I’ll start deducting the combination of Thunder Beast genes and the Mountain-Splitting Demon King, and spawn them immediately," Qin Yu muttered. "At 100,000 Energy Points a head, it’s an incredibly expensive unit. I won’t be able to cultivate many with the Energy I have on hand. I’ll have to slowly deduce the other variants later."

Despite his excitement, Qin Yu also felt a slight headache coming on. The Thunder Beast was actually the unit that consumed the least amount of Energy among the three!

The second unit, named the Tunneling Worm, was very unique. It was not a combat unit. Rather, it evolved from the insect tunnels—the subterranean organizational structure found wherever the Fungal Mat covered the earth.

This giant unit was akin to the Insect Race’s version of a subterranean bullet train. It could stretch itself to astonishing lengths, forming a passageway out of its own flesh and blood. Insect Swarm warriors could enter the passage through the Tunneling Worm’s head or via the tunnel network, traveling through it at incredible speeds propelled by the passage’s peristalsis.

In short, it could be imagined as a super-massive "earthworm." It could travel at extreme speeds underground and then offer up its own body to allow the Insect Swarm to "pass through."

For example, a thousand miles separated Snake Valley and Cyan Peak County. It was fine for flying units, but relocating ground units was highly troublesome. Even a unit like a Rapid Insect would need a full day to make the journey.

However, if the two locations were linked by a Tunneling Worm, the transfer speed would be even faster than that of a flying unit. Furthermore, Tunneling Worms could form an interconnected tunnel network! With multiple Tunneling Worms connected to one another, entering from any location would allow one to reach other linked areas. Even massive units like the Thunder Beast could be transferred through Tunneling Worms.

This was a strategic unit!

"If I had Tunneling Worms before the Battle of the Bishui River, transferring troops would have been so much easier," Qin Yu said, his eyes shining. To secretly move a batch of forces to the perimeter of Bishui City beforehand, he had not only ordered the Insect Swarm to excavate four temporary outposts deep underground, but he had also used aerial units like the Thunder Roc to transfer Cockroaches under the cover of night. However, due to the abysmal transfer efficiency, there weren’t many units like the Cockroach available.

Cockroaches were still manageable. But for a super-massive unit like the Thunder Beast, rapid transfer would have been even more difficult.

However, with the Tunneling Worm, everything changed. He could swiftly transfer troops anywhere without having to consider their size.

It wasn’t just for combat units either. The dozens of mineral veins the Insect Swarm had discovered in the Wilderness Mountain Range could also be quickly accessed by using the worms as transport tunnels.

Because transporting minerals was inconvenient, it had also been troublesome for the Insect Swarm to spawn certain units. For example, Cockroaches could consume various metals to form a composite metal carapace. And the newly introduced Thunder Beast—such a behemoth would undoubtedly be a massive metal devourer!

During the spawning process, it didn’t just require a flat 100,000 Energy Points. Massive amounts of metal ores could also be invested to make its bones and carapace sturdier and bolster its defenses.

"I’ll prioritize establishing Tunneling Worms in Snake Valley and Cyan Peak County, and then build a massive transport network centered around the Wilderness Mountain Range," Qin Yu decided inwardly. "I might even open a direct tunnel straight to the County City!"

Tunneling Worms could also incorporate the Mountain-Splitting Demon King’s bloodline, granting them Earth Manipulation. This would drastically increase their extension speed, burrowing speed, and movement speed.

Unlike other units, spawning a Tunneling Worm required first cultivating a tunnel nest, which would then extend outward from that center. The Energy consumed correlated with the extension distance. The further the distance, the more resources were naturally consumed. It was also tied to factors like terrain structure and the presence or absence of a Fungal Mat. Extending a thousand miles would likely require hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of resources.

But it was worth it! It was a necessary investment.

Finally, Qin Yu looked at the third unit—the Leviathan!

This was the unit that truly sent him into a state of ecstasy. Why?

If the Thunder Beast was the icing on the cake for the Insect Swarm’s combat units, and the Tunneling Worm tightly linked the Swarm together, then the Leviathan was what would allow the Insect Race to skyrocket to the heavens!

Because the Leviathan was not just a simple combat unit. It was the Insect Swarm’s Biological Battleship! A Biological Battleship capable of interstellar travel!

Even the most basic Leviathans could traverse cosmic Space. They could use their own Energy to accomplish spatial travel, even crossing an entire Fixed Star System.

The Leviathans spawned by a Tier Three Nest were kilometer-class Leviathans. As for the stronger tiers capable of spatial leaps, they needed to be at least 11 kilometers in size.

But even so, this was still a super behemoth—a colossal monster far larger than the Dragon King of the Bishui River. It could carry the Swarm, allowing vast numbers of insects to multiply within its abdominal cavity.

Within the Leviathan’s body lay a built-in Insect Nest. This wasn’t a Microscopic Insect Nest like the one inside the Heaven-Burning Fire Crow, but a complete Tier Three Insect Nest. It could spawn all conventional units: Thunder Rocs, Profound Flood Dragons, Cockroaches, and more—even Thunder Beasts!

After spawning was complete, the Leviathan could use Airdropped Insect Pods to eject units from its body, breaking through the atmosphere to land on the ground. Upon impact, they could even sprout Fungal Mat Tumors.

As a Biological Battleship, the Leviathan itself possessed incredibly powerful combat capabilities. From its massive, fish-like body, it could spew a "Plasmid Burst" attack from its mouth.

Its attack style was akin to a Laser Cannon. Once aimed, it was practically impossible to dodge, and its attack range was phenomenally far. Hitting a target a thousand miles away was child’s play, and its might was terrifyingly immense.

Qin Yu estimated that a regular Primordial Mansion Realm cultivator wouldn’t even survive a single shot; they would instantly perish. After all, this was a Cosmic Battleship!

Its head featured numerous spikes similar to those of a Needle-spine Crawler. These spikes could extend to ten times its body length to attack, and their hollow tubes could also serve as assault corridors for the Insect Swarm. It was even equipped with a thick Energy Shield.

"The Leviathan also needs to be optimized by combining it with local Demon Fiend bloodlines," Qin Yu’s excited voice echoed through the Insect Nest’s Mind Network. "Currently, the most suitable option in the Swarm is undoubtedly the Dragon Race bloodline, which can command the wind and rain and manipulate Thunder and lightning. That would be an excellent Enhancement for the Leviathan."

When he first saw the Celestial Patrol Army’s Celestial Patrol Battleship, he had been moved. He never expected that the Insect Swarm would obtain its very own aerial mothership in such a short amount of time!

With the Leviathan, heading to the County City tens of thousands of miles away would be like stepping next door. To a Cosmic Battleship, tens of thousands of kilometers was nothing.

Qin Yu opened his true body’s eyes within Bishui City, a fiery passion filling his gaze. He murmured to himself, "Even the lowest-tier Leviathan requires at least a million Energy Points to spawn. And once successfully spawned, it still needs to store massive amounts of Energy as combat reserves. It also needs to be loaded with internal combat units. To build a complete fleet, I’ll need at least ten million Energy Points.

"The Wilderness Mountain Range alone is no longer enough to support the Swarm’s growth. It’s time for the next round of expansion to begin.

"The Cyan Profound Sect seems to have a small Primordial Stone Vein? Now that the Swarm has broken through to the Qi Sea Realm, spawning Qi Sea Realm units requires a massive amount of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi. The same goes for the Leviathan, Thunder Beast, and others after they fuse with local bloodlines.

"The Void Nether Stone Vein that the Zhang Family is fighting my Qin Family over is also a good prize, and the Su Family holds the Celestial Spider Lineage inheritance from the Five Poison Sect... They must have quite a few good things as well, right?"