The communication from Bi Bo Barn did not affect Yang Ying's mood in the slightest. The Jushou was busy calculating the intelligence gathered by the Observers, analyzing the escape vector Captain Ral had taken.

Compared to the explorers from other races, Yang Ying held a distinct advantage: the data disk Captain Ral had given him. It contained the memories extracted under deep hypnosis from Captain Ral and his surviving crew, offering far more detailed knowledge than the hearsay gathered by outside explorers. Information was power, and the more information Yang Ying possessed, the greater his strength!

This nebula was clearly the habitat of the Void Stings. The Observers had already located over a hundred of them, weaving through the gas cloud. They were flat-bodied creatures with twin wings spanning five hundred meters. A tail, thin from a distance, was nearly ten meters thick upon closer inspection! They possessed a fierce territorial instinct, attacking any probing explorer vessel with electrical cannon fire, a blast equivalent to a Level Six Focused Cannon. A single direct hit meant certain doom for an ordinary exploration ship.

Yang Ying found these Void Stings fascinating. Their individual combat prowess arguably surpassed that of the Zerg’s high-tier aerial units, the Guardians and the Devourers. Of course, they clearly lacked the Zerg's most terrifying weapon—their reproductive capability; otherwise, they would undoubtedly have become the galaxy's most dominant enemy, perhaps even preventing the rise of other races entirely.

Even without the Zerg’s fecundity, the Zerg possessed another terrifying characteristic: the ability to absorb superior genes from other lifeforms and integrate them rapidly, leading to swift evolutionary leaps.

The majority of life in the galaxy was carbon-based, and the Void Stings were no exception. Yang Ying recalled reading the specifications for the Void Sting in the vast collection of electronic books he had purchased from Baant Planet, and this knowledge was now proving useful.

Having decided to capture a few Void Stings to test on the Zerg, Yang Ying piloted a Ghost fighter towards a cluster detected by the Observers.

There were exactly ten Void Stings in this group, their nest situated far from other exploration vessels. After Yang Ying arrived and confirmed with the Observers that there were no witnesses nearby, he made his move.

Rumble

Yang Ying began with a powerful Psi Storm. As a peak Tier Three practitioner, the Psi Storm he unleashed now was potent enough to envelop all ten Void Stings!

The Void Stings shrieked in unison, a sound piercingly sharp. However, they could not detect Yang Ying, concealed within the cloaked Ghost fighter. They relied on infrared sensing to locate enemies, but the Ghost’s stealth field masked infrared emissions entirely, leaving them circling pointlessly, finding no trace of an intruder.

Perhaps because the Void Stings naturally utilized electromagnetic cannons for offense, they possessed high tolerance to electrical energy. Yang Ying’s first Psi Storm only managed to injure the entire group collectively without killing a single one.

Immediately following, the second Psi Storm struck!

Rumble

This enraged the Void Stings completely. They thrashed violently, spraying electromagnetic cannon fire in all directions. The thunderballs of electricity and light carried immense destructive force; a nearby planetoid, two hundred meters in diameter, was instantly pulverized into dust amidst a roar of explosions!

However, no matter how powerful the attack, what good was it if it couldn't land a hit?

Yang Ying discovered another weakness in the Void Stings: their means of reconnaissance were too rudimentary. They lacked the sophisticated detection capabilities that Zerg Overlords possessed, which could even pierce stealth cloaking.

Rumble

After the third assault, all ten Void Stings were left critically wounded, drifting lifelessly in space. Their bodies were charred black and blistered, seemingly moments from death.

Only then did Yang Ying pilot the Ghost fighter closer. He leaped from the cockpit and, since these creatures did not originate from the Floating Continent, he had to use direct physical contact to absorb them one by one into the Continent.

Moments later, above the Zerg territory on the Floating Continent, the Void Stings materialized out of thin air, dropping onto the ground. The surrounding Zerg instantly swarmed them, tearing them apart. Soon, the Void Stings were mere husks, their forms rapidly devolving toward skeletal structures.

"Omnipotent Master, we thank you for this exquisite sustenance. Under the radiance of your glory, the Zerg shall surely have boundless prospects!" Baal, the first Zerg Overlord—a sycophant—led a throng of other Overlords in fawning praise directed at Yang Ying.

"Baal, after consuming these Void Stings, can you integrate their unique traits?" Yang Ying ignored the flattery and asked directly.

"They are called Void Stings? Of course, we can!" Baal confirmed first, before pivoting slightly. "However, these creatures' evolutionary trajectory differs slightly from ours. Their electromagnetic cannons are energy-based attacks. While their power is high, the energy consumption is enormous. The main forces of the Zerg utilize biological attacks, such as spores, biological acid, and bio-bombs. These attacks offer superior effect-to-cost ratios compared to electromagnetic cannons, making them far more suitable for the massive numbers of the Zerg."

But then, Baal added with manufactured anxiety, "Of course, if the Omnipotent Master desires greater raw destructive power, we can certainly evolve a Zerg lifeform possessing formidable energy projection based on the Void Sting template."

Yang Ying paused in thought, then shook his head. "There is no need. You are entirely correct. Purify them according to your inherent racial nature. The Zerg are a race defined by essential perfection; if I interfere with your evolutionary path, you will cease to be perfectly what you are."

"Indeed, an infinitely wise Master. May your will forever guide the Zerg," Baal intoned another hymn, then continued, "Of course, these Void Stings will not be wasted. Firstly, they are exceptionally good food—even superior to deceased Zerg, as their bodies contain vast stores of biological energy. Their size is immense; one creature is equivalent to a million cattle, significantly promoting faster and better Zerg reproduction and the production of more future generations. Furthermore, their genetic structure contains segments worth studying, which can benefit other strains as well."

"Food, you say?" Yang Ying glanced down. Seeing masses of Zerg joyfully devouring the Void Stings across the boundless expanse of purple Creep, he nodded and returned to the real world.

Over the next two days, Yang Ying continued to carve out time to harass the Void Stings. In total, nearly a hundred of them were deposited into the Floating Continent. After the Zerg territories digested them, the Creep covering the ground had thickened by fifty percent. Creep acted as the culture medium, supplying nutrition to the entire Zerg domain; all Zerg structures required Creep to grow and develop. Thicker Creep meant the territory could support more vigorous growth.

By the end of these two days, the number of possible escape routes was significantly narrowed. Over eighty percent of the Observers had returned to the Jushou; they had completed their assigned sectors, and Captain Ral was unlikely to have passed through those areas.

A day later, the vast majority of Observers had returned. Yang Ying didn't bother hunting Void Stings that day, as only six Observers remained. The six remaining directions were ambiguous, each presenting a plausible path.

"To narrow the possibilities down to six is already an unexpected joy. We can investigate them one by one, searching for the markers mentioned in the data disk. If we find nothing, we return and try the next path," Yang Ying stated. "Let's move."

The Jushou adjusted its heading and set a course toward one of the six remaining routes.

Meanwhile, Bi Bo Barn received confirmation of the Jushou's departure: "Those arrogant fools have been circling nearby for days. Why have they suddenly chosen one direction and left? There must be something behind it."

"Captain, what shall we do?" the First Mate on his ship inquired.

"We haven't found any leads these past few days anyway. Let's tail them and see what happens," Bi Bo Barn replied, lifting his chin with arrogance.

On the bridge of the Jushou, Bi Bo Barn’s pursuit was quickly detected.

"Captain, Officers, that Burke individual is following us," a staff officer reported.

"Is this accidental, or intentional?" Howard asked gravely.

"Judging by the situation, it appears intentional," the staff officer replied.

"They truly are a persistent nuisance," Howard mused, stroking his chin. "We rejected them three days ago, and now they brazenly follow us."

"According to the records in that Guide to Customs and Practices of Various Races, most advanced civilizations dislike being followed, especially during exploration. The world of explorers is defined by 'survival of the fittest,' and following is widely considered an act of profound hostility. Retaliation by the followed against the follower is the most reasonable course of action. For Bi Bo Barn to dare this is sheer recklessness," Yang Ying said, a smile playing on his lips—though it was a cold one.

Bi Bo Barn was clearly aware of the danger of trailing. He consolidated four of the five ships in his escort fleet, positioning them spread out behind the Jushou. Four ships could handle most contingencies, and even in the worst-case scenario of total annihilation, one ship would remain to relay the information. Coupled with the Burke race's status as the overlords of this star sector, this offered enough deterrence to keep most parties from launching an attack.

"It seems Bi Bo Barn has a little sense, but unfortunately, he’s heading in the wrong direction. And the biggest mistake he made was provoking me," Yang Ying decided it was time to teach Bi Bo Barn a lesson. "Howard, execute a turn and initiate a warning bombardment on them."

"Understood, Officer."

With the orders issued, the ships began to pivot.

Aboard the Burke vessel.

"Captain, something is wrong. They are turning around. Could they be preparing to attack us?" the First Mate's voice trembled slightly.

"Do they dare! To explore new planets in our Burke territory is one thing, but to attack Burke explorers? That is the highest form of provocation against the Burke people! If they dare fire, I will report it to High Command and have forces mobilized to blow them to pieces!" Bi Bo Barn ranted, waving his hands wildly.

The words had barely left his mouth when a Level Six Uranium Shell streaked past his ship, narrowly missing by perhaps half a meter. The explosive flash illuminated Bi Bo Barn’s ashen face, while the First Mate nearly collapsed onto the floor.