At the foot of the Fengyan Observatory’s dry volcano, the structure was exceptionally simple: an outer perimeter of hardened, circular alloy walls, enclosing five utilitarian buildings and two open spaces. The five structures managed weather, geology, ecology, security, and life support, respectively. The two clearings served as a sports field and a parking lot.
The security detail, naturally, was the first to detect the beast horde’s approach. Several complex antennae jutted from the roof of the security office, maintaining constant contact with the fleet in outer space.
Currently stationed overhead were two hundred massive Battleship-Cruisers, providing fire and technical support for the ground operation. These vessels were constructed by Yang Ying over the last two months within the Flyn Kingdom, though he had deployed them here instead of sending them to aid the Kingdom directly.
With manufacturing capabilities constantly improving, the Terran-Zerg race’s monthly shipbuilding output was continually increasing. The two hundred Cruisers deployed here were not the total produced in the last two months; another three hundred Cruisers remained on Earth, and when added to the three hundred and nineteen that had recently returned from the Flyn Kingdom, the total fleet now exceeded eight hundred.
Shifting focus back to the nameless planet, the moment the security office spotted the beasts charging the observatory coincided with lunchtime. Most personnel were eating in the life-support sector’s mess hall. Fortunately, the soldiers ate in shifts, ensuring at least one squad was always on duty, thus preventing any operational lapse.
The discoverer immediately sounded the alarm. Several researchers affiliated with the Ecology sector, barely halfway through their meal, were pulled out by the Colonial Marines to analyze the approaching beasts. The resulting analysis was decidedly dangerous.
Consequently, the security office instantly relayed this intelligence to the Colonial Marine Major serving directly under Yang Ying. The communication was less than halfway complete when the sound of gunfire erupted from outside.
When Yang Ying reached the front of the observatory, the battle between the security force and the horde was locked in a tense stalemate. The Marines’ older “Puncturer” Gauss rifles were formidable. Their newest 8mm spike rounds could penetrate thirty centimeters of alloy steel plate, firing five hundred rounds per minute. Facing the surging tide of beasts, the firefight was certainly spectacular.
The planet held a substantial number of beasts, but their strength fell far short of the Zerg Swarm’s capabilities. The attacking beasts were covered in thick, heavy scales, possessed three pairs of eerie green eyes, six gleaming claws, and exhibited wolf-like pack behavior. Were they unleashed on 21st-century Earth, they would undoubtedly cause widespread havoc—but that would be the limit of their impact.
Under the barrage of Gauss rifle fire, some beasts were actually pierced through. Yang Ying personally witnessed several creatures being struck through the forehead, the bullet passing completely through their bodies until it exited near the tail root—a fatal shot beyond doubt.
The sole issue was the sheer insufficiency of the observatory’s security force. Three squads of Marines were tasked with engaging five thousand beasts stretching as far as the eye could see; this was evidently not an easy task.
Luckily, there were three pre-established bunkers that served as the backbone of the defense. The safety of the Marines within these bunkers was not in question, ensuring the continuous operation of these three strongholds. They inflicted massive casualties on the horde, yet a significant number of beasts still managed to breach the defense line, climbing over the bodies of their fallen comrades to scale the perimeter wall, attempting to directly assault the Marines positioned there. Fangs and claws left faint white scratches on the powered armor. Two Marines were knocked down by a single pounce, but they quickly leveraged themselves up and prepared to rise again.
As combat clones, the Marines possessed exquisite combat skills. They smashed with their rifles, hacked with drawn daggers, and could even use their armored hands to wrench the necks of these beasts clean off. After all, operating within power armor was no trivial matter.
However, the Marines’ primary weapon being the Gauss rifle meant that allowing the enemy to close for melee combat was inherently a dangerous sign.
Yang Ying arrived just as he witnessed this very scene unfolding. He knew that under the overwhelming "horde tactics," it wouldn't be long before beasts leaped over the wall defenses and poured into the observatory compound.
Without hesitation, he raised his hand, and a flash of golden light signaled the summoning of one thousand Zerglings!
The reason for choosing one thousand over five thousand was Yang Ying’s estimation that a single Zergling could handle five of these beasts, especially since the Marine fire had already thinned the horde. Deploying one thousand Zerglings against the remaining enemy force was merely trivial work.
Yang Ying pointed his hand toward the beast horde and issued the command mentally. The Zerglings instantly went into a frenzy. They emitted deep, guttural roars, leaping and running to strike the horde midsection!
The Zerglings were sheathed in hard carapace, their joints bristling with spike-like thorns, and their forearms bore serrated edges. From their backs sprouted two menacing, sharp cones, making them look as fearsome and lethal as dragon fangs.
Experimental data confirmed that Zergling claws and teeth could easily shred light alloy plating.
Against the nameless beasts of the nameless planet, even though the Zerglings were the lowest-ranked soldier-forms in the Zerg hierarchy, they immediately demonstrated overwhelming offensive power.
The scales of the nameless beasts were ripped apart effortlessly by the Zerglings. A single sweep of a serrated forearm brought a spray of gore, and a powerful downward bite resulted in a crisp crack as the beast’s neck snapped.
A few nameless beasts managed to coordinate and overwhelm a single Zergling. However, their claws scraped harmlessly against the Zergling’s carapace; when they tried to bite, they only managed to chip their own teeth.
The pinned Zergling fought back desperately. A wild swing of its forearm, when it connected with one of the nameless beasts, smashed a cavity of exposed flesh and blood.
More Zerglings followed from the rear, charging into the horde of nameless beasts and beginning a massacre—no, for the Zerglings, the concept of "holding back" didn't exist; they killed when they wished, with no restraint necessary.
After a maelstrom of blood and chaos, the nameless beasts were terrified into submission. In their dim, confused minds, they had never encountered enemies so utterly savage. Not only was their entire body weaponized, but their combat instinct surpassed the local creatures’ by tenfold.
It was like a group of martial arts masters, armed with divine weapons, bullying novice martial artists—unbeatable in every encounter.
The leader of the horde—a beast a full size larger than the common specimens—sensed the inevitable defeat and immediately let out a wild shriek. The entire horde instantly turned tail and fled.
They retreated as swiftly and fluidly as they had advanced like a tide. However, Yang Ying had no intention of letting them escape so easily. He raised his hand, and with a flash of golden light, summoned over a hundred Zerg Overlords, commanding them mentally to direct the Zerglings to pursue and eliminate every last one of the nameless beasts.
The Overlords accepted the command and departed. Their bodies floated in the air like balloons, dangling numerous tentacles below, capable of transporting the ground Zerg forces to any required location.
The Overlords possessed incredibly keen sensory perception, rivaling that of the Protoss Observers, including the ability to see cloaked units—though their internal mechanisms differed significantly from the Protoss design.
Among the three races Yang Ying currently controlled—the Zerg’s biological civilization, the Terran’s mechanical civilization, and the Protoss’s psychic civilization—each represented a fundamentally different developmental path with unique advantages. Now that the Terrans had the Solar System and the Protoss had Aiur, Yang Ying felt it was time for the Zerg to establish their own foothold.
The Zergling detachment, chasing the tail of the fleeing creatures, soon vanished from sight. The siege of the observatory was broken.
At this moment, the survey team investigating the volcano also returned to the observatory.
After the beasts retreated, everyone understood the next imperative: the volcano was close to eruption, and evacuation was imminent. Everyone began packing, discarding anything non-essential. The observatory’s simple buildings were abandoned, though all instruments were dismantled and taken.
The Battleship-Cruiser formation in space dispatched a small squadron of transport ships to aid the observatory’s relocation. The entire process took about two hours, and the observatory was left deserted, a mere shell.
Yang Ying had originally planned to accompany the transport ships to the new site, but a telepathic message transmitted by a Zerg Overlord caused him to change his mind.
The Zerg Overlords had encountered the planet’s native aerial beasts. The enemy forces held an overwhelming numerical superiority. Lacking aerial combat capabilities, the Overlords were engaged in a desperate retreat, urgently requesting that the Omnipotent Overseer immediately deploy Zerg air support.
Yang Ying looked up toward the direction of the Overlords. An ordinary person, even if they could spot the tiny silhouettes of the Overlords, would see them only as small as sunflower seeds, unable to discern any detail. But Yang Ying was different; his peak Third-Tier vision allowed him to see the situation in the distant sky with perfect clarity.
A cloud-like swarm of the planet’s native flying beasts was pursuing the Zerg Overlords. Yang Ying couldn't count the exact number within that dark cloud, but one thing was certain: even if those flying beasts possessed zero offensive power, their sheer mass, upon collision, would be enough to knock the Overlords out of the sky.
Seeing this, Yang Ying couldn't help but marvel at the sheer volume of life on this nameless planet. The Zerg Overlords had flown less than ten kilometers before encountering such formidable opposition.
However, this was ultimately a good thing. An abundance of life meant an abundance of organic resources, which were absolutely vital for the Zerg’s expansion.
“Very well, there’s no better time than the present. Let it happen here and now.”
Yang Ying had not come here merely to sightsee; his objective was for the Zerg to claim this world in the physical reality as their home. This nameless planet was far larger than Earth, its landmass four times that of Earth, reaching nearly six hundred million square kilometers.
Compared to the Zerg territory on the Floating Continent, which was barely seven hundred thousand square kilometers, this world was almost a thousand times larger. Coupled with biological resources far exceeding those of the Floating Continent, there was simply no better place for the Zerg to call home.
With a flash of golden light, a shimmering barrier spread out, enveloping several hundred square kilometers of surrounding land. As the golden light faded, ninety percent of the Zerg Swarm from the Floating Continent descended upon the nameless planet.
They covered the rolling landscape—a vast, overwhelming presence of various Zerg forms appearing on this untouched territory.
Yang Ying pointed around him and commanded sternly: “Go forth! Establish your hives, absorb the genes of the native species, evolve into more perfect forms, and conquer this planet!”
At this command, the Swarm erupted in a chorus of buzzing, clicking, grinding, hissing, and roaring sounds—as if displaying their resolve—before violently spreading out in all directions, launching their assault against the planet’s indigenous life forms.
“From this day forward, this planet shall be called Xylos!” Yang Ying withdrew his gaze, and his form flickered, vanishing without a trace.