Upon hearing the accusations from Fang Senyan and Mogansa, a corporal stepped forward, his voice heavy with sorrow: "Lieutenant! We know this blocking position isn't ideal, but the Hive Mother explicitly commanded us to guard the nearby Zergling Hatchery! If we retreat to the location you mentioned, the Hatchery will be exposed to the enemy’s direct assault range, and we certainly won't be able to hold it. If this critical structure is destroyed, the Hive Mother can no longer incubate Zerglings, nor can she spawn Creep Tumors—that would be tantamount to utter annihilation for us!"

Fang Senyan understood after hearing his explanation. The Hatchery itself had no incubation ability; it functioned much like the male testes, specialized in secreting the hormones necessary to spur Zergling development, which were then transported via pipes connected to the Hive Mother. Furthermore, this vital organ structure required a Cerebrate to inject its unique fluid to be constructed. Thus, for the current Black Spine Tribe, it was an absolutely irreplaceable structure—once destroyed, it could never be regenerated.

Currently, the only offensive units the Hive Mother could mass-produce were Zerglings and Hydralisks; a creature like that Queen was a product of genetic mutation and could not be mass-produced. Moreover, the Hive Mother's current psychic energy could only control about three hundred Zerglings continuously reinforcing this battlefield, but if converted to Hydralisks, she could manage at most only about one hundred. If they lost the ability to produce Zerglings, one could imagine they would be left defending with only a hundred or so Hydralisks, which were not suited for close combat, alongside the similarly ranged Creep Tumors!

It was easy to imagine that defending against the Zergling swarm plus a few Hydralisks from the Viscous Fluid Tribe assault with such a defensive combination would indeed result in what the corporal described—only utter annihilation! Without the continuous supply of three hundred cannon-fodder Zerglings and the ability to rebuild Creep Tumors, even someone as monstrously powerful as Fang Senyan would only be ground down and killed on the spot!

This was because the Prometheus III Flamethrower, despite its immense power and infinite ammunition, could be used for a maximum of five minutes, even when conserved. Once those five minutes were up, it required at least a five-minute cooldown period for refueling before use! If the battle dragged on for about half an hour, those cooling intervals would be more than enough time for the astonishing numbers of subsequent Viscous Fluid Tribe forces to wipe out everything capable of moving in the area!

A silence fell over the group. The current situation was a death sentence whether they retreated or stayed—the only difference was dying sooner or later. They exchanged nervous glances. Mogansa suddenly lowered his voice: "If the Black Spine Zerg hasn't committed the vast majority of its current forces, why don't we all sneak away together? The Black Spine Tribe is preoccupied right now; even if they send pursuers, they might not be able to kill us!"

Lieutenant Colonel Dundee’s eyes suddenly lit up: "Right, then you two can go!"

Fang Senyan, however, caught the implication in his tone and immediately countered: "What about you all?"

Lieutenant Colonel Dundee slowly shook his head with profound resignation. He unbuttoned his jacket, revealing a prominent, bluish vein near his heart from which grew an oval tumor streaked with red filaments, its surface exceedingly smooth. "Remember that flying Queen? That's a specialized Zerg unit. Besides using its special ability, 'Entrapment,' to weaken enemies over a wide area, it can also gestate tiny parasites and attach them to enemies. These parasites allow the caster to see everything visible to the attached troops. So, we are destined not to escape. As long as that mutated Queen wills it, she can hatch parasites inside us at any moment to kill us—this isn't the first time I've encountered those disgusting little things on the battlefield. In fact, once these parasites attach, they are incredibly difficult to remove; the most efficient way to eradicate them is to destroy the infected host."

Fang Senyan and Mogansa certainly had no intention of abandoning Lieutenant Colonel Dundee. After exchanging a look, Mogansa suddenly asked: "I find that Creep Tumor to be quite a formidable defense; why doesn't the Black Spine Mother build more of them?"

Before his words even faded, the Hive Mother's mental transmission echoed: "I am currently operating under the constraints of a Tier I, basic base mode. The spread of the Creep is already maximized, meaning the nutrients drawn from it have reached their limit. I cannot support the incubation of any more structural organs; the twenty-one Creep Tumors currently constructed are the absolute maximum! Furthermore, Mr. Dundee, I do not deny that there are parasites attached to your body, but as long as you adhere to the agreement between us, they are not only harmless to you but have also eradicated the cancer within you. Am I correct?"

Dundee sighed, offering no denial. After a long pause, he turned to Fang Senyan with a look of deep helplessness: "You have seen the perilous state of affairs. You still have time to leave now. The damned insects’ assault for today is over; the next attack won't launch until this time tomorrow, giving you ample time to depart. And that harmonica Kit made, while it looks pieced together from scrap metal, contains a hidden signaling device! It can summon a ship to extract you, but remember to use the signal only after you are thirty kilometers away! Otherwise, Kit won't risk forcing a landing under the Zerg anti-air Spore Colony fire! Oh, and please pass a message to Kit for me: Vansa, I will love you forever!"

At this moment, Fang Senyan and Mogansa received another prompt: "You have received Lieutenant Colonel Dundee's Hidden Quest: Message." "Quest Objective: Escape the Black Spine Zerg territory and deliver a message to his family." "Do you accept this quest? This quest cannot be re-accepted once abandoned."

Clearly, this quest was compensation for failing the main objective this time: low difficulty, high reward. Completing this task would allow Fang Senyan and his companion to recoup some of the Honor Points lost due to the main quest failure, and the deducted base attribute points might be compensated in the mission completion rewards.

Mogansa was about to accept when he noticed Fang Senyan looking thoughtful, seemingly unwilling to accept the quest. He was startled: "Sailor! Don't let a small gain lead to a bigger loss. This place is a death trap; staying here offers no chance of victory! The opposing Viscous Fluid Tribe is getting stronger; no matter how well you suppress the Zerglings, if that swarm sends just twenty—no, ten—Hydralisks at once, you won't be able to handle them!"

Fang Senyan’s gaze was deep, and he remained silent for a long time before slowly saying: "I believe that even in this extremely difficult situation, there might still be a chance to turn the tables."

Mogansa frowned deeply: "How can there be a comeback in such dire circumstances?"

Fang Senyan looked earnestly at Lieutenant Colonel Dundee: "Sir, I don't want to give up, so could you give me some time to gather intelligence? In any case, the Viscous Fluid Tribe needs time to amass forces before tomorrow's attack."

Lieutenant Colonel Dundee nodded: "Agreed. You can come to me for the pocket watch anytime before midnight tonight, but after that time, it will be extremely dangerous outside."

Mogansa finally breathed a sigh of relief. With at least seven or eight hours until midnight, that buffer time should be enough to accomplish anything. Fang Senyan, meanwhile, moved among the soldiers, helping them bandage wounds. For the more severely injured, Fang Senyan offered them a swig of his potent, endless vodka, which provided significant relief from their pain. Under these circumstances, asking what he needed to know became easy and pleasant.

After gathering firsthand intelligence from the humans, Fang Senyan frowned and sat down on the ground, breaking a twig to sketch diagrams on the dirt, calculating something unknown. After a while, he rubbed his temples and sighed wearily, then suddenly called out loudly: "Black Spine Mother! I demand all your firsthand intelligence data right now, especially anything concerning the Viscous Fluid Tribe! The more, the better!"

The Hive Mother's mental transmission immediately echoed in Fang Senyan's mind: "We have captured members of the Viscous Fluid Tribe multiple times, thus possessing detailed firsthand data, but your clearance and prestige are insufficient to meet the access qualification."

Fang Senyan retorted decisively: "Let your Queen parasitize me! That should open up the data access, right?"

The Hive Mother hesitated for a moment: "The Queen's feedback indicates that parasitism on you and your companion is unnecessary."

Fang Senyan grew impatient: "Then share the specific data I require with me, or my companion and I will leave immediately! I have no interest in dying with you. You saw for yourself; without me holding the line against those damned Zerglings, the Viscous Fluid Tribe might have destroyed the Hatchery next time! Then your core body would be savagely torn into organic fragments by those brutes."

The Black Spine Mother fell silent briefly: "Very well. Your body bears a mysterious and grand aura (Legend Rating +1); I do not comprehend why you humans are so powerful. Your physical resilience is almost comparable to our ultimate unit, the Mammoth. But remember this: if you dare commit any act detrimental to our tribe, Lieutenant Colonel Dundee and the others will perish with you."

Fang Senyan snorted and began carefully reading the firsthand data shared by the Black Spine Mother through the mental link. After finishing, his eyes suddenly shone as if ignited. Mogansa, standing nearby, seemed to catch a vague murmur: "It seems... the situation is highly promising!"