Laos Star was the ancestral home of the Zerg in the interstellar setting, where the god-like Protoss, guided by the Sarnegae, once performed their powerful bio-engineering to create the heaven-defying Zerg race.

A planet choked with ash and irradiated, the environment of Laos Star was a hundred times harsher than the unnamed world Yang Ying had christened. Yet, upon this brutal world, the Zerg prospered, until they eventually turned back and consumed their creators, the Sarnegae.

Upon attaining the entirety of their creators' knowledge, the Zerg Overmind learned of another powerful race—the Protoss—existing somewhere in the universe. It immediately marshaled the entire Zerg host and began expanding outward, seeking to locate and consume the Protoss to achieve ultimate perfection.

This was the backdrop of the stars, though it had little bearing on Yang Ying; he merely borrowed a name. Once the unnamed planet was christened Laos Star, it became his designated Zerg territory.

After the Zerg host set forth, the results were immediate and decisive. The native beasts stood no chance against the Swarm. Within five days, the first ten Hatcheries were successfully established.

The sustenance required to build these structures was plentiful. Once the Drone evolved into a Giant Stinger, the Zerg army rampaged through the surroundings, dragging the corpses of native beasts back to pile them before the Giant Cocoons. When the Stingers needed nourishment, they would drain the blood and flesh from these carcasses, absorbing sustenance. Once development was complete, the Cocoons burst open, and the new structures emerged.

With structures in place, they could begin manufacturing Creep and spawning Larvae.

Creep was a miraculous substance. It spread across the ground like moss, acting as the primary producer in the food chain. The organisms within the Creep could extract various elements from the soil, and under the influence of light, synthesize numerous nutrients.

This process, however, was quite slow; for initial colonization, directly utilizing organic matter was far more efficient.

After slaughtering various native beasts, their corpses were placed upon the Creep. The Creep would automatically decompose the bodies, converting them into vital nutrients. This method of decomposition demonstrated an exceptionally high utilization rate of nutrients, embodying the core Zerg value: efficiency!

The zenith of efficiency was the manifestation of the Zerg's perfect essence. Individual Zerg achieved astonishing efficiency in utilizing proteins, sugars, and fats. An individual needed very little sustenance to maintain periods of intense activity; a single human meal could sustain a small Canine unit in battle for an entire week!

Among the carcasses hauled back by the Zerg army were not only mid-sized creatures but also numerous large and even colossal specimens.

Under the unified command of the Overlords, the coordination between the Zerg ground and air forces was seamless. No single creature, no matter how powerful, could withstand the Swarm’s numerical superiority. While large groups of beasts possessed superior individual strength, the Zerg numbers surpassed them, rendering the beasts incapable of resisting the sheer tide of the Swarm.

Furthermore, as their numbers grew, the Zerg advantage compounded, for organized power always triumphs over disorganized scattering.

For instance, if a single Canine unit battled ten native creatures, it would suffer a crushing defeat. However, scaling this up—ten Canines against one hundred natives—might result in a stalemate. But one hundred Canines against one thousand natives would invariably end in victory for the Canines.

This was due to unified command; the Overlord issued directives, and due to their inherent subservience, the Canines could not disobey the Overlord’s orders.

The entire Zerg host, though composed of countless distinct forms, was fundamentally directed by the singular Overmind, coordinated by a few independent intellects, unifying the army into a singular entity capable of unleashing a terrifying 200% combat potential.

Even facing a beast horde exceeding a million, the Zerg army showed no hesitation.

This was exemplified when Yang Ying first unleashed the Swarm against the aerial beast horde pursuing the initial Zerg leaders.

Subsequent statistics revealed that the aerial pack numbered around two million. Yet, under the wave assaults of the Mutalis and the Devourers from above, and the Hydralisk spines sweeping the air below, the beasts lasted barely an hour before being utterly annihilated by the formidable Zerg forces.

This outcome was partly due to behavioral constraints; these flying beasts seemed incapable of retreat. Once engaged, it became a battle to the death—only one side could survive. Secondly, the Overlords expertly guided the maximum offensive output of the Zerg, minimizing wasted attacks and hesitation.

The carcasses of this aerial beast cluster supplied the necessary nutrients for the first Zerg Hatchery to grow, serving as their final contribution.

Two days later, countless additional Hives—also called Hatcheries—sprouted like mushrooms after a spring rain. Larvae matured into adult forms within these structures.

The Zerg's prodigious ability to field numbers stemmed directly from the high efficiency of the Hatcheries; provided sufficient nutrition, the Zerg host could be manufactured inexhaustibly from these structures.

One week passed since Yang Ying named Laos Star. The Zerg losses and reinforcements reached a crucial equilibrium. Tens of thousands of Zerg perished daily in this conquest of the planet's ecosystem, but an equal number of new units were replenished into the army each day.

The Terran research outpost did not withdraw; instead, they sent more personnel. Their objective was to study the instinct and efficiency displayed by the Zerg during this massive conflict, while also collecting specimens of the planet’s diverse fauna, as the planet’s unique biology itself was a colossal treasure.

The Zerg also sought to leverage this wealth, possessing the innate ability to absorb superior genes for evolution. However, they carelessly discarded genetic snippets deemed useless—a wasteful process vehemently opposed by the Terran Research Institute.

By the tenth day, Zerg Hives dotted the landscape across a radius of a thousand kilometers. The purple Creep spread daily, nurtured by the blood of countless native organisms, marking the rudimentary establishment of the Zerg domain.

Within the towering forests, Spore Colonies dotted the landscape. Spore Colonies extended the Creep, upon which Zerg units gained significant battlefield enhancements—faster stamina regeneration, increased movement speed, and rapid wound healing, among others. Some Colonies further evolved into specialized Zerg defensive structures, such as Lurkers or Air Defense Towers.

When attacking, Lurkers would drive their spike-like tongues deep into the earth, then erupt beneath their targets, delivering devastating strikes.

The Air Defense Towers spewed torrents of dark green spores, attacking at an incredible frequency. A single hit from a normal flying creature meant instant death; even those with greater resistance would lose balance, plummeting to their destruction.

A sprawling network of Creep Tunnels interconnected all Zerg territories. Within these tunnels, Zerg units could move at incredible speeds, traversing from one domain to another, often faster than being airlifted by Overlords.

With the Creep Tunnels established, if any single Hive came under attack, large support forces could be mobilized in the shortest possible time, saving both time and effort.

By the twelfth day, as the Leviathan neared the solar system, the Zerg’s reinforcement rate began to outpace their attrition rate. The Zerg host grew steadily, having already recovered to—and surpassed—the initial numbers when Yang Ying first summoned them.

A far larger offensive began to brew. Yang Ying manifested in the form of the Swarm Lord, positioning himself on the front lines, accompanied by twelve other avatars, all similarly in the Swarm Lord form.

Here, unknown to any local entity, Yang Ying could unleash his Swarm Lord transformation without reservation. His true self remained aboard the Leviathan; he was utilizing the bodies of his avatars, which were also capable of taking on the Swarm Lord aspect.

Before him stretched a vast plain. According to the battlecruiser fleet's estimates from orbit, the plain housed over one hundred million native beasts of medium size or greater, including many individuals of colossal size or exceptional combat prowess.

For example, hovering above Yang Ying were over a hundred unknown creatures resembling dragons from Western mythology, possessing four legs, scaled bodies, and a pair of bat-like membranous wings.

The space fleet had captured footage of these creatures feeding. These dragon-like beings possessed a breath weapon, capable of spewing superheated flames to cook their prey. However, they rarely used this, fearing they might overcook the meal; they preferred raw flesh to scorched meat.

A powerful Zerg army assembled behind Yang Ying. The vanguard alone consisted of three million Zerglings.

Zerglings were the quintessential Zerg troop: rapidly spawning, numerous, not weak in combat, and demanding little of the environment. They served both as cannon fodder and primary assault troops, their presence integral to the Zerg host at every stage.

One million Hydralisks were divided into numerous combat groups; if so many Hydralisks stood together, their own coordinated attacks would become problematic, hindering their ranged effectiveness.

In the skies, one million Mutalis, two hundred thousand Devourers, and two hundred thousand Guardians formed the aerial main assault force. Their combined firepower was enough to grant the Zerg victories against superior numbers, and in engagements where they held the advantage, their destruction was absolute.

Two hundred thousand Lurkers were deployed as area-of-effect weapons, embedded within the ground forces, effective in both offensive and defensive formations.

Finally, a corps of tens of thousands of Queens and Scourges formed the spellcasting legion. These units utilized various specialized substances they secreted—pathogens, parasites, and the like—to execute effects akin to magic, significantly boosting the Zerg’s attack and defense in combat while creating myriad problems for the enemy.

The rear guard was Yang Ying’s personal Ultralisk Retinue. With bodies the size of small buildings, the sight of the Ultralis instilled immediate dread, each wielding twin massive scimitars. Though bio-engineered, their hardness surpassed hardened alloy steel; coupled with the Ultralis' overwhelming brute strength, even Yang Ying was hesitant to face one of their blows head-on.

Yang Ying communicated with the group of Overlords high above, gathering intel on the terrain of the plain. The Overlords relayed the sights they witnessed directly into Yang Ying's mind via telepathy, providing a perfectly clear picture.

"Well, after this battle, it’s time to head back to the solar system," Yang Ying murmured, glancing around to confirm all units were in position. An invisible aura of sheer killing intent surged heavenward, causing even the aggressive, winged dragon-like creatures to retreat slightly, unwilling to descend and provoke conflict.

Yang Ying smiled, issuing the command in the collective mental space: "Advance the entire army!"

Finally, both chapters related to the World Expo had been completed. If everyone has tickets available, please give your support!