The Zerg swarm attacking the objective was not idle either. Within the swarm existed a new type of unit, the Chong Hou (Zerg Queen), a caste holding extremely high status in the rigidly hierarchical Zerg society, second only to the Zhu Zai (Overmind) and Nao Chong (Cerebrate). They could issue orders to Du Cha (Overseers) and Ling Zhu (Lords). However, their role leaned more toward logistics. Their specialties included accelerating Zerg reproduction, extending Creep, and healing damage sustained by Zerg structures.

Although the Chong Hou possessed some combat capability, compared to their logistical functions, fighting was merely a secondary role. On the battlefield, they were constantly under heavy protection, and only when the troops guarding them were completely annihilated would it be their turn to engage in slaughter.

The existence of the Chong Hou allowed the swarm to rapidly establish strongholds and breed more armies—a crucial component of Yang Ying's plan.

After eliminating the garrison, the Zerg began digging. The Zerg’s new unit, the Zhang Lang (Zergling/Roach—context suggests tunneling unit, often associated with Roaches in depth digging, but will retain original term structure if not clearly defined), possessed formidable adaptability and razor-sharp tunneling claws, enabling them to excavate tunnels and move rapidly underground.

The deep shafts, kilometers down on those occupied Zerg planets, were also dug by the Zhang Lang. Truly worthy of being called "Little Strong Ones" (a nickname for cockroaches).

The reason for digging tunnels on occupied colonies was to buy time, establishing a batch of strongholds before the main forces of the various races could return to reinforce. Although the Zerg's reproductive power was formidable, at this stage, they were still vastly outnumbered by the allied forces of the other races. The most pressing issue was ensuring the breeding process was minimally disrupted amidst the inevitable full-scale encirclement by the allied races.

Establishing strongholds underground was evidently suitable. Building upon this, and supplementing resources gained from conquering colonies, they could breed more Zerg armies—sustaining the war effort through war. This plan was not complex, but guaranteed by the Zerg reproductive rate, few factions in the Orion Arm could resist it.

Due to time constraints, these newly established strongholds would not be excessively deep, perhaps only a few kilometers to a few dozen kilometers beneath the surface. However, in Yang Ying's estimation, this was sufficient.

Not every race was as formidable as the Galan individuals. Setting aside other factors, simply locating Zerg strongholds deep within a massive planet was a task that most races could not complete quickly.

Discovering hidden Zerg required high levels of reconnaissance technology. The Dian Zu's (Dian Race's) subterranean capabilities were on par with the stealth abilities of the Human and God races. The Zerg biological carapace itself could shield against most forms of reconnaissance scans.

The depth of several kilometers to several dozen kilometers for the Zerg Nests was not chosen arbitrarily. Yang Ying had been collecting military intelligence on the races of the Orion Arm for a long time.

Through the intelligence network established by the Trant Mercenary Group, Yang Ying had amassed a considerable amount of critical information. He also received much classified intelligence from the Song People, giving him a comprehensive understanding of the military strength of the Orion Arm factions.

In his strategy, the concealment level of underground strongholds was directly proportional to the enemy races' scouting capabilities, sufficient to provide cover and concealment for the majority of the swarm against the superior numbers of the returning allied forces, supporting them in waging guerrilla warfare against the allied armies.

Yang Ying believed the only way for the allied races to effectively eliminate the Zerg was to blast the entire planet into space, ensuring mutual destruction between the Zerg and the planet. However, based on his understanding of the allied races and visions glimpsed during his future prognostication, Yang Ying was certain that in the vast majority of scenarios, they would not choose this extreme course of action.

Of course, each race possessed unique histories and cultures, leading to divergent thought patterns. Races capable of making the decisive choice to destroy a planet certainly existed, but they could not dictate the decisions of the other allied races.

In reality, the Fourth Level entities on the Expeditionary Force side had already begun to engage with Yang Ying. Both sides constantly foresaw the future and simultaneously altered the timeline based on what they predicted.

This mutual maneuvering churned the River of Time within the Perseus Arm into chaos.

The flap of a butterfly’s wings could cause a tornado thousands of kilometers away, and any Fourth Level entity who grasped the ability of foresight, even merely shifting a thought about changing the future, would introduce countless variables into what was to come.

The River of Time was currently filled with whirlpools and hidden reefs, with many segments shrouded in mist. Certain impending events became unstable, wavering between one outcome and another.

The ability to discern crucial clues from the turbulent River of Time and respond with the most appropriate countermeasures was a test of a Fourth Level entity's wisdom and power.

Yang Ying's mental strength, however, was superior to most Fourth Level entities on the Expeditionary Force side. This allowed him to see further into the River of Time, observing things the Expeditionary Force entities could neither see nor influence.

This granted him the initiative.

Yang Ying foresaw that after a period, the Zerg could survive on the majority of planets and expand geometrically until they surpassed the Expeditionary Force in overall strength. At that point, even if the allied races annihilated everything in the entire Perseus Arm, they would be unable to eradicate the fully established Zerg swarm. "No..."

At this moment, on many colonies originally belonging to the Expeditionary Force, various Zerg units were busily engaged in constructing strongholds.

They utilized the resources stockpiled by the allied races, dividing tasks in an orderly manner. Among them, Gong Feng (Drones/Workers) were responsible for hauling, these industrious laborers transporting the materials into the excavated tunnels, delivering them to the newly opened subterranean fortress caverns.

Within the caverns, sprawling Fu Hua Chang (Hatcheries) had already been established. A large number of Chong Hou were laying a vast quantity of eggs in the Hatcheries; these eggs nurtured Zerg larvae.

Larvae resembled massive silkworms; they possessed no combat strength. Once their developmental path was designated, they would spin cocoons and mature into adult forms within the cocoons.

Egg, Larva, Cocoon, Adult—these were the four stages every Zerg unit went through during development.

From small units like Gong Feng and Zergling (or Xiao Gou), to Ci She (Hydralisks), and up to Ling Zhu (Lords) and Meng Huo (Mutalisks/Brood Lords—context suggests heavy hitters), all were larvae before their developmental paths diverged. Larvae possessed versatility, capable of developing into any type of Zerg unit, making them the most fundamental unit of the Zerg.

The resources stored by the allied races on the colonies were digested and absorbed by the Hatcheries, converted into nutrients to support the larvae's development.

A significant portion of space within every stronghold was cleared to store eggs. Typically, a storage chamber the size of a football field could hold several thousand, or even tens of thousands, of eggs. And on every colony the Zerg had captured, there were, on average, over a hundred such storage rooms.

Of course, filling these storage rooms required a considerable, though not excessively long, period. Depending on the external conditions encountered on each colony, this time frame ranged from ten days to half an ear (month/period—contextually suggesting a short term).

In the past, when the Zerg only bred on floating continents, they could expand the swarm's total population by about two hundred times annually. This was a breeding rate intentionally suppressed by Yang Ying; under nutrient-rich conditions, this figure could increase significantly.

Now, Yang Ying had lifted the Zerg breeding restrictions. The Zerg could even develop a batch of eggs into adult forms in just one day.

Under these circumstances, a Zerg army would naturally not be satisfied with conquering just one colony. They needed to establish Zerg strongholds on more colonies, spreading the flames of war to every colony the Expeditionary Force held in the Perseus Arm.

Thus, before the strongholds on the first colony were even fully established, the Zerg army mobilized once more. Ground troops formed neat ranks and entered the transport chambers of the Ling Zhu, while Ling Zhu loaded with ground troops, flanked by air units, ascended with the Nao Chong into the sky. After leaving the planet's atmosphere, they re-entered hyperspace, flying toward the second target colony.

They intended to conquer as many colonies as possible before the allied forces could return to reinforce.

This was Colony Number Fourteen, named by the Loya Expeditionary Force. Five standard days had passed since the outbreak of the Zerg chaos.

In these five days, nearly a thousand colonies had been attacked by the Zerg army. Among the fifty-plus colonies occupied by the Loya people, over ten had come under attack; half of these had fallen, while the other half were still resisting. Colony Fourteen was among the latter.

Looking down from the sky at the Loya main base, one could see the tide-like Zerg army surging against the base's perimeter walls.

This base was once a heavily guarded military stronghold covering ten square kilometers, equipped with complete military facilities. Its initial design required it to withstand at least two large-scale assaults.

But now, the base's outer walls were mottled and scarred, with gaps visible every few steps. The silver-white walls were covered in purplish-red bloodstains, immediately indicating the savage battles that had taken place here.

The base's original three layers of defensive shields were all breached two days prior. Since then, the base garrison had been forced into close-quarters combat with the Zerg army.

The focal point of the struggle was the outer wall. The Zerg deployed hundreds of Meng Huo, towering over fifty meters tall, far exceeding the height of the outer walls. They swung the bone blades on their arms, howling, attempting to break into the base.

Blocking their advance was the elite mechanized unit squadron of the Loya Empire. The Loya people were reputed to be the most combat-talented race among the Orion Arm factions, and their talent manifested more in robust physiques, swiftly reacting nerves, and powerful motor skills; consequently, their mechs favored close combat and melee fighting.

These mechs were often studded with menacing spikes at their joints, moving with the swiftness of the wind. Their primary weapons were light sabers or other forms of close-quarters energy projection weapons. While they possessed long-range weapons, they rarely used them; in the Loya view, ranged combat was too inefficient—the time it took to kill a Zerg with a beam rifle was enough for them to hack three with a light saber!