Ten minutes later, one hundred and fifty kilometers from the Red-Patterned Zerg base, the newly produced seventeen Raptor Beasts and two Spore Wyverns of the Black-Thorn Tribe clashed with a contingent of the Red-Patterned forces, annihilating them completely, though suffering casualties of over half their own number in the process. After advancing to within eighty kilometers of the Red-Patterned Tribe, they were entirely wiped out again by the Red-Patterned Tribe's newly mobilized troops.

The entire situation was locked in this kind of tug-of-war, yet with every offensive launched by the Black-Thorn Tribe's fresh forces, they managed to push closer to the Red-Patterned Tribe's main base! By the time Fang Senyan and his group passed this front line aboard their host, the new Black-Thorn forces had painstakingly advanced to a mere twenty kilometers from the main base of the Red-Patterned Tribe.

At this point, the Black-Thorn unit was a remnant force already engaged in battle once. Just as they were about to be annihilated by the superior Red-Patterned forces, Fang Senyan’s group intervened. Although Fang Senyan and his companions were also wounded and fatigued, dealing with common Hydralisks and Raptors in a small-scale skirmish was no issue for them; their impact was decisive.

Thus, this remnant unit, which was destined for destruction, was preserved. Fang Senyan’s group then linked up with newly arrived reinforcements and successfully suppressed the next wave of Red-Patterned troops! From this battle onward, the Black-Thorn Tribe’s forces gained the upper hand!

It was like ten equally matched individuals hacking at each other; perhaps only one or two severely wounded would survive on the winning side. However, if fifteen people of roughly equal strength attacked ten, the side with the numerical advantage would certainly not leave behind just $15 - 10 = 5$ survivors, but at least ten would remain alive!

When the Black-Thorn forces reached the gates of the Red-Patterned Tribe's base, they ceased their advance. This was because the Red-Patterned base also housed a large number of Creep Tumors and Spine Crawlers. Naturally, they did not charge in headlong to their deaths. Instead, they massed at the entrance, effectively bottling the Red-Patterned forces inside! By this point, the Red-Patterned Tribe had even lost control of the surface, completely losing the capacity to attack, and had shifted into a defensive phase. Although their base remained heavily fortified, for the Black-Thorn Tribe, whose economy behind the lines was secure, standing once again on an equal footing in terms of troop strength meant achieving overall victory in this war.

The Red-Patterned Brain Bug still had a sliver of hope for survival: to board a host and evacuate as many Drone/resources/combat units as possible before the Black-Thorn Tribe regained complete air superiority, allowing it to rebuild elsewhere. But this meant abandoning the Level II Hive it had painstakingly established! (If the Hive were devolved into Super Drones, the base would be entirely uncontrolled for a long period, and the defensive Spine Towers would wither from lack of nourishment. The Black-Thorn Tribe could then attack and achieve total victory.) Such a decision and level of courage were far from easy to make!

Once the standoff stabilized, Fang Senyan and his group realized they could no longer gain any prestige, so they re-boarded their host and returned to the Black-Thorn Tribe. Having been engaged in continuous, fierce battles after sustaining injuries, everyone was extremely exhausted. Furthermore, Fang Senyan had lost an eye, and Mogensha, besides being blind, also had several fingers bitten clean off and had lost half a leg. Naturally, they returned to the Hive's incubation chambers to recuperate.

During the repair process, Fang Senyan contacted the Black-Thorn Brain Bug, Mo Zhi, to inquire about the possibility of repairing Bairangs' severed limbs.

The Black-Thorn Brain Bug, Mo Zhi, gave a very clear answer: Yes, it could! But it needed to focus all its energy on crushing the Red-Patterned Tribe, so it couldn't spare the extra crystalline energy to regrow limbs for an "unrelated fellow." Therefore, Fang Senyan and his group would have to foot the bill themselves. Fang Senyan’s team had previously raided a Red-Patterned sub-base and made a tidy profit, so they tentatively inquired about the price, only to react with a mixture of stifled laughter and exasperation upon hearing it.

--The cost of repair was horrifically high, demanding 1300 units of Pandora Crystal and over 800 units of rare G-companion ore!

Calculated this way, even if Mogensha generously contributed all the Pandora Crystals his Drones had collected, it still wouldn't be enough! Moreover, Mogensha was somewhat reluctant to do so—only a stubborn fool like Reef would waste precious Pandora Crystals on a storyline character who wasn't particularly powerful. Fang Senyan frowned, pondered for a moment, and finally took out an item stored within the Nightmare Mark:

"Valuable Item: High-Energy Crystal."

This item had dropped during the previous battle with the Scorching Maw. Its description stated that it could be traded with any Human base as if it were a real-world diamond. However, they had been dealing exclusively with the Zerg ever since, never having a chance to visit a Human base. This descriptive clue had evidently limited Fang Senyan's thinking until now, when he suddenly remembered that this item's value should also be considerable. He decided to try it out, holding onto the faint hope that "treating a dead horse like a live one" might work.

The High-Energy Crystal appeared as a deep black oval, resembling a black crystal olive magnified several times. Other than that, there was no discernible special characteristic. Fang Senyan presented the item with a tentative air:

"I found this in the corpse of the Scorching Maw after I killed it. What do you think?"

The Black-Thorn Brain Bug, Mo Zhi, scanned it with mental power:

"This is the agglomeration of undigested residue after the Scorching Maw consumed Pandora Crystals. You can think of it as a human gallstone, but it also contains strong energy. One crystal can be calculated as 1000 units of crystal for you."

Fang Senyan's probing attempt was quite successful this time. He snapped his fingers, and the Goblin Goldmine, which had been eagerly watching nearby, darted over with the agility of a long-legged rabbit, his eyes fixed on the High-Energy Crystal with immense joy:

"Great Master! My current research project urgently requires this!"

In fact, even if Goldmine hadn't spoken up, Fang Senyan had already planned to reward it with one. Based on the information Fang Senyan had gathered so far, the upkeep costs for summoners with loyal servants (even those with 120 loyalty) and even pet-raising contractors were exorbitant. Mogensha had revealed that the upkeep fee for the Armored Ankylosaurus raised by Fanou in each world iteration likely exceeded five to ten thousand Universal Points. Compared to these titans of power, Goldmine, despite being sordid, slovenly, and greedy, was certainly very easy to appease considering its comparable utility.

Fang Senyan then took out another High-Energy Crystal, offering Goldmine a choice as compensation—faced with such a windfall, Goldmine excitedly rubbed its hands, completely oblivious to the drool trickling from its mouth. This green-skinned little creature then rummaged in a tattered sack on its back for a while, eventually producing a battered scale balance. After weighing the two High-Energy Crystals for a long time, it finally chose the heavier one with evident satisfaction.

The subsequent events involved a deep communication between two non-human entities. Fang Senyan, with his arms crossed, walked leisurely outside. At this moment, he intensely missed the scoundrels from the Caribbean world—Mogul and the Alchemy Master Bacon (Fang Senyan was unaware Bacon had already kicked the bucket). Fang Senyan eagerly anticipated the day of their reunion, a mere thought of which brought a surge of intense pleasure—believing his loyal servant, Goldmine, would bring them a great surprise.

In just ten seconds, the Black-Thorn Brain Bug, Mo Zhi, completely capitulated. The treatment fee was settled at: one High-Energy Crystal + 200 units of rare G-companion ore. However, his 50 Charm points alone couldn't account for such an exaggerated reduction. The primary factor for the price drop was likely Fang Senyan having Goldmine proactively present the "Scorching Maw's" nodule, successfully earning Mo Zhi's goodwill. This was probably the best possible preferential price it could offer.

Due to storage limitations within the space, the Pandora Crystals and rare G-companion ores plundered earlier were mostly loaded onto Fang Senyan. Therefore, he immediately settled the "treatment fee," unafraid that the Black-Thorn Brain Bug would renege on the deal, and carried Bairangs into the incubation chamber for treatment.

Truthfully, Bairangs was deeply resistant to such a terrifying and disgusting form of treatment deep down, but the desire to regrow his limbs gave him immense courage. After being submerged in the Hive’s amniotic fluid and adapting, his nervous tension gradually eased. Fang Senyan had always been a disciplined and responsible person in the real world. Since he had promised Reef this matter, he would certainly ensure Bairangs' limb regeneration was done perfectly, while simultaneously earning Reef's gratitude. Thus, he did not slack off, staying right by Bairangs' side to prevent any accidents during the regeneration process.

Suddenly, the Nightmare Mark sounded a notification:

"The Red-Patterned Brain Bug's distance from this region has exceeded 1000 kilometers."

"The Red-Patterned Brain Bug has fled."

"Prerequisite for regional scenario: Dual-Bug Hegemony Concluded."

"Regional Scenario: Dual-Bug Hegemony Concluded."

"The Black-Thorn Tribe has officially become the master of the rich Pandora Vein."

"The Black-Thorn Tribe now rules this region."

"You have concluded this mission ahead of schedule."

"Your evaluation for passing the mission will therefore be greatly increased."

"You have met the conditions for a perfect mission completion."

"Your reputation within the Black-Thorn Tribe has increased by 15000 points, and your reputation level is permanently fixed at Revered. The Revered level will not decrease even if your reputation value is consumed to zero during purchases."