Space Odyssey from Abandoned Mining Space Station

Chapter 603: Chapter 187: The New Insect Race_2

”I don’t have much experience with ground combat, you’ll have to manage on your own. Try not to stay on the ground for too long.”

”By the way, when you fight against the Mechanical Race later, you can record the whole process, or broadcast it to me in real-time like you did when you were at the Pirate Space Station. I can teach you some things based on that.”

This might expose Chen Ming’s current location, and it might also expose the Insect Queen. However, Chen Ming did not directly refuse, only saying, ”Let’s see how things go by then.”

”Hmm, then I wish you good luck.”

”Actually, I suddenly feel that the permission you wanted for simulating space battles isn’t very useful; you’re always doing it for real.”

Chen Ming smiled and said, ”There will always be a time when it’s useful. I can’t be fighting with the Mechanical Race every day, right?”

”Hmm, then let’s continue the lesson. Those items you wanted will be sent to Wu An as usual, right?”

”Yes.”

The morning class ended shortly after Chen Ming and Bai Quan talked.

In the blink of an eye, several days passed.

The few devices Bai Quan promised for deployment had already been sent over to the boss, and Chen Ming used spiritual energy to transform them back onto his spaceship.

Since the equipment needed some time for debugging and installation preparation, Chen Ming patiently continued his daily learning and observation process with the Mechanical Race in the meantime.

However, this waiting period was longer than Chen Ming had imagined.

Until another week went by.

In a situation where Chen Ming had already set up several devices and was ready to confront the Mechanical Race battleship,

the cocoon of the hibernating Insect Queen finally showed some activity.

It was already close to midnight, and Chen Ming was planning to take a rest.

Upon noticing the change in the cocoon, he immediately stopped and instead directed the insects in the Insect Nest to the location of the Insect Queen’s hibernation to observe its situation.

At this time, the previously multicolored cocoon covered with proliferous growths was slowly seeping out some sticky purple liquid.

The liquid gradually covered all the proliferations that had spread over the surrounding ground when the Insect Queen cocooned itself.

Not only covering them, but the viscous purple liquid was also rooting into these proliferations, consuming them completely.

Chen Ming immediately instructed the Mechanical Race units protecting the cocoon to move away from there.

To prevent them from being affected by the Insect Queen’s purple liquid.

After waiting for about half an hour, the area surrounding the Insect Queen’s cocoon was entirely saturated with this viscous purple liquid.

And then a crack finally appeared in the cocoon situated in the center of the area.

Very soon, several tendrils tore apart the crack on the cocoon and pulled out the biomass spaceship, whose appearance had changed once more, from the giant cocoon.

The Insect Queen’s second evolution had completed.

Although its overall appearance still looked like it was covered by a hard carapace, the color had changed from the original pitch-black to a deep purple, and the carapace was covered with numerous purple fungi.

This made the once smooth carapace look as if it was covered in mold, making anyone unaware feel disgusted at first sight.

However, just a few breaths after the Insect Queen was exposed to the air,

the purple color of the carapace faded, and the fungi on the outside were reabsorbed back into the Insect Queen’s body.

The entire biological spaceship reverted to its pre-evolution appearance, only with slight differences in some of its exterior details.

But it’s obvious that with these fungi, the carapace of the biological spaceship provided far more superior defensive capabilities than before.

The changes in appearance were not truly important.

What really mattered was that Chen Ming could sense a spiritual energy fluctuation from the Insect Queen’s body.

It wasn’t a spiritual energy fluctuation produced by Chen Ming’s spiritual energy acting on the Insect Queen, but one emerging from the Insect Queen itself.

And this spiritual energy fluctuation was very restrained, completely different from Chen Ming’s spiritual energy.

It was more like the spiritual fungi that the Insect Queen had consumed.

Up to today, Chen Ming, regarding spiritual matters, still heavily relied on exploring on his own.

Thus, he wasn’t very clear about the role of the spiritual energy fluctuation on the Insect Queen’s body.

And when Chen Ming communicated with the Insect Queen, the information it transmitted was also very vague.

The Insect Queen was not very familiar with the spiritual energy it had just acquired.

Just like how Chen Ming was when he first acquired spiritual energy.

It’s not a major issue.

As time passes, the Insect Queen will become familiar with its spiritual energy and learn what it is truly capable of doing.

So, Chen Ming wasn’t in a rush to figure out the Insect Queen’s spiritual energy right away.

Instead, he paid attention to other significant changes in the Insect Queen’s body besides the spiritual energy.

Namely, the pure liquid composed of fungi spreading from the Insect Queen’s body.

Once spread, the purple liquid gradually lost some moisture and turned into the common fungal covering appearance.

But it spread wider, thicker, and had more biological vitality than the mold Chen Ming occasionally saw on food.

Furthermore, when the Insect Queen returned to the nest, it directly sprayed this purple fungus over the entire nest, covering it with a thick fungal mat.

And all the insects that came into contact with these fungi were instantly absorbed by them, turned into nutrients, and gathered onto the Insect Queen’s body.

Chen Ming no longer needed to reclaim old insects through digestive organs.

These fungal mats were now the Insect Queen’s digestive organs.

And during the digestion process of existing insects in the Insect Nest.