At this moment, Fang Senyan tentatively extended his right hand, and with a mere thought, it began to morph. Swiftly, the planetary-scale high-energy mechanical gauntlet he had previously absorbed materialized onto his hand. Its attributes were identical to the original, and it even retained the Extinction effect…

Next, Fang Senyan continued the transformation. The +13 West morphed into a chilling, silver-white long saber, abruptly escalating from deep blue quality to Legendary equipment grade. Even more terrifyingly, within the list of available phantasms, Fang Senyan also found… the Demon Sword Apophis!!

Undoubtedly, Fang Senyan finally felt a profound sense of satisfaction, believing all his suffering had been worthwhile.

However, the profound killing intent and chill emanating from behind him intensified rather than diminished. He keenly realized one thing: the crisis behind him was still clinging to him like a shadow, and it was growing stronger! It was akin to an incomparably sharp blade tip pointed directly at his heart, slowly pressing inward inch by inch.

This situation was undeniably unfavorable for Fang Senyan, but he was never one to simply await death!

He narrowed his eyes slightly, took a deep breath, and then slowly nudged the control stick to the right, aiming directly for the shadow emerging from the distant horizon as he sped toward it.

If one observed closely, they would notice that the color of the earth around Fang Senyan was gradually shifting from dark cyan to black—a deathly, desolate black! As he drove further in, the surface became severely desiccated, with wisps of smoke curling upward, resembling ground that had been ravaged by fire for three days and nights. Not a single trace of life could be found; there was only despairing stillness!

Yes, this was the true environment of the Lost Temple Planet, the region known as the "Deadlands"!

In areas where the Humans, Zerg, or Protoss could operate, the earth was tinged with a dark cyan hue. This was due to a common, minute type of moss growing in the soil, a plant capable of purifying the not-too-intense aura of the Deadlands.

That SNAKE had long informed Fang Senyan that this planet contained vast swaths of death zones, within which existed potent toxins fatal to Humans and Protoss alike. Even the hardiest of Zerg could not incubate eggs in these regions.

Now, Fang Senyan was backed into a corner. Naturally, he could only choose to fight his way out of certain death!

Gradually, a cluster of mountain peaks resembling wolf fangs emerged ahead, impossibly sharp, seeming to pierce the very heavens. The topography here mirrored the complex karst formations of the Guilin region, only utterly devoid of water. As he approached, the wind noticeably increased, whistling and shrieking through the narrow mountain gaps with a haunting, agonizing cry, like the never-ending wails of wronged spirits, ceaseless and unrelenting. The pitch-black mountains seemed to stretch boundlessly to the horizon.

Arriving here, Fang Senyan had no choice but to decelerate. He dared not maintain his absolute speed of four hundred kilometers per hour. He realized that if his top speed was inferior to his pursuer's, he could not simply stand by and allow the small tactical advantage he had painstakingly gained to be eroded! Therefore, he must utilize the treacherous terrain to restrict the chase.

More importantly, Fang Senyan's ultimate goal was still to buy time. The Queen of Blades had implicitly become the sole leader of the Zerg; for her, abandoning clan duties to hunt him for too long was unthinkable. If the Protoss seized such an opportunity, the Zerg, deprived of the Queen of Blades' command, would face utter annihilation!

Suddenly, Fang Senyan noticed the Vulture chassis beginning to alarm, flashing red lights. It was clear the vehicle and its engine were slowly failing, being intensely eroded and having their lifespan consumed by the special acidic, toxic atmosphere of the Deadlands.

This discovery made Fang Senyan rejoice rather than panic, because it meant that in the near future, both parties would be forced to abandon their vehicles and be exposed to the overwhelmingly harsh natural conditions. However, Fang Senyan possessed the powerful Sun Steps within him, rendering him immune to poison and disease, and giving him extreme resistance to acid. This undeniably granted him a significant advantage in this regard!

The Vulture weaved aggressively and fiercely through the labyrinthine wolf-fang terrain. A single lapse in concentration meant instant ruin—the vehicle wrecked and the occupant dead!

At this moment, the Queen of Blades, Morrigan, had closed the gap to within a mere twenty seconds of Fang Senyan's full-speed chase, yet could only watch helplessly as the cunning rogue plunged into the depths of the Deadlands.

Abruptly, the Queen of Blades, Morrigan, slammed the Vulture to a halt. It was impossible to discern her expression, but within her pupils, countless stars seemed to be exploding, coalescing, and dying out continuously. Suddenly, the snake-like hair atop her head stood erect, trembling violently before finally settling down after a long pause!

After a moment, she closed her eyes. Then, several jellyfish-like floating host organisms were observed descending from the sky. Two of the hovering hosts were common creatures; upon landing, they immediately withered and died, turning into scorched ash. The remaining several were elite-grade, and soon, one individual wriggled out from their internal cavities.

This individual was none other than the Ghost soldier, the old SNAKE!

After his failed attempt to lure monsters to harm Fang Senyan, this man had been targeted by other Zerg. Thanks to the hosts’ anti-cloaking effects, he had been unable to shake off the pursuit. Fortunately, the Zerg who captured him sensed a familiar aura—one reminiscent of the Queen of Blades—on his body, so they spared his life, merely injecting him with paralytic fluid before delivering him to the Queen of Blades, Morrigan.

The old SNAKE was tightly bound by the hosts' fleshy tentacles, struggling madly but utterly immobilized. Soon, the unique aura of the "Deadlands" permeated his body. His specialized uniform could be seen rapidly corroding into chunks, which then violently spread along his blood vessels beneath the skin, causing his vitality to weaken rapidly.

The Queen of Blades, Morrigan, suddenly turned to face the old SNAKE, speaking in a voice laced with magnetic resonance: "Human, I see rage, resentment, and burning ambition in your eyes! Excellent. I need exactly a test subject like you!"

The weakened old SNAKE managed, "Queen of Blades… Sarah Morrigan?"

The Queen of Blades sneered, "You think appealing to past events will move me? You are gravely mistaken!"

She suddenly threw her head back toward the sky, her mouth slightly agape, emitting an invisible shockwave. The seven or eight elite hosts nearby instantly exploded into gore, splattering onto the ground. However, this flesh, once it touched the soil, transformed under the Queen of Blades’ psionic power into the unique Zerg Creep, effectively insulating the spread of the Deadlands' toxins. The remaining biological matter began to writhe violently.

The Queen of Blades suddenly plucked a single strand of her serpentine hair and tossed it into the writhing mass of flesh before her. Immediately, this mass surged toward the old SNAKE, eventually solidifying into a colossal cocoon of flesh standing rooted to the spot. Numerous blood vessels pulsed and contracted spasmodically over the cocoon's surface, seemingly struggling to supply energy to whatever was inside.

Yet, the old SNAKE’s uncontrollable screams could be heard intermittently from within the fleshy cocoon.

"Pain is the driving force of life's evolution," the Queen of Blades stated coldly. "If you wish to survive, you must learn to draw the power of life from agony! When the Zerg Overmind experimented on me, it was an unprecedented trial. I was modified seventeen times, and each time, halfway through the process, something went wrong, forcing a reversion back to my human form! Compared to that, the pain you endure is nothing! Wake up, wake up! My loyal servant, the Emissary of Pain!"

The fleshy cocoon emitted a harsh, tearing sound, like brittle leaves being ripped apart, creating seven or eight fissures. An acrid, amniotic odor began to flood the air, and then, a humanoid monster emerged from within!

Its body was covered in a Zerg exoskeleton that resembled armor, but its face bore a slight resemblance to the Tyrant from Resident Evil. Its arms and legs possessed a branch-like structure, though the thick, calloused edges appeared unassuming—in reality, they were incredibly sharp. The most bizarre feature was a sharp osseous javelin growing from its shoulder, resembling a polished rib bone, exuding a primal, savage aura. Its hair had entirely regressed, replaced by stiff needles.

Fang Senyan’s assessment was correct: the Queen of Blades truly could not stray too far from her swarm to pursue him deep into the Deadlands. However, the captured SNAKE provided her with an alternative route: transforming the fellow Ghost soldier, SNAKE, granting him immense power to become the Emissary of Pain to hunt Fang Senyan subsequently!

"Go! Use the power and senses I have granted you to track that man," the Queen of Blades commanded, gazing toward the complex wolf-fang terrain not far away, her voice chilling and precise. "Retrieve my Keystone, and that firearm that once belonged to you! Oh, and bring me the thief's spine; I wish to savor the taste of his bloody marrow."

The old SNAKE, or rather, the Emissary of Pain, emitted a piercing shriek and dropped onto all fours, tracking like a werewolf. By this time, the flesh-carpet used to modify the old SNAKE had completely dried up, a clear testament to the formidable power of the Deadlands...