Lieutenant Colonel Dundee's armor was, naturally, custom-made, so these few blows didn't inflict serious damage, but one of the Baozi Wyverns seized an opening in his attack and lunged forward! A direct collision would put him in a dire situation! Fortunately, at that critical moment, a figure suddenly sprang out from the side, clamping down on the Wyvern's neck with hands like iron pincers! His force was immense, and his maneuver perfectly positioned him against the creature's center of gravity. Immediately, the hapless beast let out a piercing shriek, its wings flailing uselessly as it rolled sideways in distress. (Net)

Amidst the swirling dust, the Baozi Wyvern struggled frantically, but the figure astride it remained as steadfast as a boulder, raining down punch after punch. There was a sense of absolute suppression, a feeling of "I remain unmoved." The other Paozi Wyvern, sensing disaster, was already beating its wings to flee, when the crisp sound of gunfire—"tat-tat-dang"—echoed from the distance. The first shot struck its left eye; the second and third, however, sparked against the nearby cliff face, sending shards of rock scattering. A massive boulder then rumbled down, slamming the flying Wyvern from the sky to the ground! Viscous blood immediately seeped from beneath the fallen stone.

Three minutes later, the Baozi Wyvern captured by Fang Senyan was completely stunned. Distinctive red stripes were visible across its abdomen and wings, likely the tribal markings of its clan. The shape of these markings bore a striking resemblance to the Death Zerg that Fang Senyan had encountered on the battlefield while fighting the Zhuore Kouqi (Scorching Orifice). Morgansa, who had roasted and eaten that Zerg before, readily confirmed Fang Senyan's assessment.

Perhaps at this moment, the near-dead Host had transmitted the collected intelligence to the Hive Mother, as numerous Zerglings equipped with anti-air capabilities were already seen wriggling rapidly across the ground, scrambling to seize the high ground around the base.

Soon, Fang Senyan and his companions received a mental transmission from the Cerebrate:

"My friend, it seems you have captured an Acid-spitter. Can you bring it before me?"

Fang Senyan naturally complied with the request, dragging the half-conscious Baozi Wyvern toward the Hive Mother's location.

The evolved Black Spine Cerebrate Demon Juice, now possessing its own carapace, no longer confined itself to the heavily guarded Hive Mother all day like its predecessor at the fourth stage, avoiding risk. It would often patrol the territory with a retinue of personal guards. Thus, they met near the western side of the base.

Fang Senyan tossed the near-lifeless Baozi Wyvern before it. The Black Spine Cerebrate Demon Juice ordered its subordinates to hold the creature down, then lowered its head to read its memories via brainwave, continuing the process until the unfortunate creature could no longer withstand the mental strain and its head exploded into a pulpy mess with a "crack!"

"We have a major problem," the Black Spine Cerebrate Demon Juice communicated, its tone laced with anxiety. It raised one of its short, thick forelimbs and swept it across the ground. A nearby fleshy organ automatically dissolved, reforming before Fang Senyan and the others into a nightmarish, three-dimensional map made of flesh and blood. The Demon Juice then began to explain:

"My nemesis, the Red Stripe Tribe, has also unified the surrounding clans and advanced to the Tier-Four base ahead of schedule. The territory it occupies contains mostly impoverished Pandora Crystal mines; if fully exploited, they will be depleted quickly. The Red Stripe Cerebrate has always been my mortal enemy. Publicly, I control the richest reserves of Pandora Crystals; privately, my hatred for it is deeply personal. Therefore, a fight to the death between us is inevitable in the short term!!"

Seizing the opportunity, Fang Senyan voiced the question lingering in his mind:

"On my way here, I passed a battlefield where Zerg forces were fighting—black Zerg that strongly resembled our troops, and another tribe bearing a clear red insignia. Is this conflict related to the enmity between you two?"

The Black Spine Cerebrate Demon Juice spread its massive, dung-beetle-like carapace wings and began fanning them, appearing quite agitated. After a long pause, a mental wave was transmitted:

"That unit was an elite force I dispatched. Otherwise, the Viscous Fluid Tribe would not have had the opportunity to take advantage of the situation and abduct me. I did not expect the Red Stripe Cerebrate to have concealed its strength as well. Though the forces it sent were merely standard units, they were mixed with several new, powerful soldier types, resulting in the complete annihilation of my troops."

"New soldier types?" Ansenyan’s heart quickened. Though he already had a general idea, he let the Black Spine Cerebrate Demon Juice continue transmitting information.

"Our Zerg Matriarchs can absorb the genes of certain local indigenous organisms to create new combat weapons. While these weapons may not be suited for combat in all planetary environments, they are most powerful in their native habitat. The Red Stripe Tribe's Hive Mother has captured and modified one of the planet's gigantic blister beetles, successfully fusing it into a massive Fire-Spitting Beetle—quite formidable. Of course, the construction cost is exorbitant, and the success rate of incubation is very low."

Ansenyan wondered aloud:

"Then why can't the Black Spine Mother absorb and create such a soldier type?"

The Black Spine Cerebrate Demon Juice continuously transmitted thoughts:

"Our current location is not the native habitat of those blister beetles, so the number of specimens we can capture for experimentation is extremely limited. Furthermore, the high-energy Pandora Crystal mines here make abandoning the base impossible. This puts us behind in translating genetic codes. According to the intelligence just acquired, the Red Stripe Tribe advanced to a Tier-Four base three days ago and already possesses nearly ten Fire-Spitting Beetles. They are currently stockpiling more forces, intending to launch a decisive assault on our territory. Therefore, we need help!! Please delay the Red Stripe Tribe's attack for as long as possible!"

Upon obtaining this information, Morgansa had a creeping feeling that they had been tricked into a major loss. As soon as the Black Spine Cerebrate Demon Juice finished speaking, both he and Fang Senyan simultaneously received a notification:

"You have acquired a Side Mission: The Crisis of the Black Spine Tribe."

"Mission Difficulty: [Unspecified]."

"Mission Objective: Employ every means possible to delay the attack of the Red Stripe Tribe."

"Mission Details: The Black Spine Tribe requires forty-eight hours to advance to a Tier-Four Hive Mother and build sufficient defensive forces. You must secure forty-eight hours for them."

"Mission Details: After reaching forty-eight hours, every additional hour delayed will grant extra rewards and evaluation. The maximum delay time is capped at four additional hours."

"Your current Reputation within the Black Spine Tribe is: Revered. You cannot refuse this mission."

"Failure to complete this mission will result in a penalty of a maximum base attribute reduction of [Unspecified] points, and a reduction of 7 Merit Points."

"Wait!" Morgansa took a deep breath, his eyes holding a trace of despair, and asked, "Esteemed Lord Black Spine... may I ask where the Red Stripe Tribe's base is located?"

The Black Spine Cerebrate Demon Juice replied instantly:

"You will certainly find the fool's tribe four hundred kilometers to the East."

Morgansa nearly blacked out, almost spitting blood. Fang Senyan, however, suddenly thought of the dark, sticky mass in his private storage—the unidentified Nodule dropped after killing the initial Legendary creature, the Zhuore Kouqi. The item description stated: No human knows what use this object has!

Napa... None of the creatures in the Black Spine Tribe were human!

Did this suggest something?

With that thought, Fang Senyan immediately handed the object to Goblin Gold Mine, instructing him to "freestyle" with it before gifting it to the Black Spine Tribe. Gold Mine happily accepted the task, seemingly deriving immense pleasure from haggling over such a rare commodity. Not long after, Fang Senyan received notifications:

"Your servant, Gold Mine, has gifted the genetic core of Zhuore Kouqi to the Black Spine Tribe on your behalf."

"Your servant Gold Mine's Racial Ability: Anchor Point Comparison LV5 is in effect. This gift will be treated as if conducted under the world's maximum Charm value of 50 points."

"Your servant Gold Mine's hidden ability, Extortion, is in effect. The Black Spine Tribe's inventory has decreased by a certain amount; the Black Spine Tribe's treasures have decreased by a certain amount; the Black Spine Tribe's loot has decreased by a certain amount."

"The Black Spine Cerebrate Demon Juice and the Black Spine Mother are extremely grateful to you."

"Your Reputation within the Black Spine Tribe has increased by: 10000 points."

Watching Gold Mine scamper away with a wicked grin, Fang Senyan couldn't help but send his condolences and deep sympathies to the Black Spine Tribe's storerooms. Barely ten seconds later, the Black Spine Cerebrate Demon Juice sent a mental transmission:

"My friend, thank you for your support. The Hive Mother has analyzed the perfect genetic sequence for the Fire-Spitting Beetle. Incubation of the finished product is expected to begin in ten minutes. Its only drawback is the consumption of a considerable amount of Pandora Crystals and a rich supply of LV5 rare minerals."

Fang Senyan also let out a sigh of relief. For the Black Spine Tribe now, holding control over multiple Pandora Crystal mine resources—one of which was an enviable high-energy, rich deposit—they should have more than enough Crystal Energy units if they pushed production with worker drones. Since they now possessed a unit capable of directly countering the enemy's Fire-Spitting Beetles, and since the attacking reinforcements would have to traverse a full four hundred kilometers once produced, while the defending forces could be deployed immediately upon creation—possessing such an innate advantage in logistics—their chances of successful defense were naturally much greater.