Dimensional Codex System: I'm really not a cultist!

Chapter 45: Chapter 44: Come after me, if you catch me, I’ll let you…

The Zerg’s expansion was faster than Fang Zheng had imagined.

The reason Fang Zheng chose to summon the Zerg in the world of Edge of Tomorrow was to try out the usage of the Soulstone and to see how the Zerg would proliferate in such a world. In the game, the Zerg required resources like crystal mines and high-energy gas to develop. However, it was certain that these resources did not exist on this world’s Earth, so could the Zerg still develop?

As it turned out, that was not a problem at all.

After conducting experiments, Fang Zheng was surprised to find that the Zerg actually did not need crystal mines and high-energy gas at all. Unlike in the game, the Zerg here would not sit idly and do nothing, waiting for Fang Zheng to find minerals before transforming and collecting them. Instead, the Zerg drones would actively search for the resources they needed and, once they found something useful, they would report back to Fang Zheng through telepathy. Once Fang Zheng nodded, they would immediately begin gathering those resources.

Out of curiosity, Fang Zheng had watched them collect minerals. He found that the Zerg were not picky at all, collecting everything from coal, copper, and iron ores to oil and natural gas, and packing them away. Fang Zheng was quite surprised to see this at first, but after hearing Mirune’s explanation, he understood. The Zerg needed energy, but energy itself only varied in quantity, with no significant differences. The limitation of crystal mines and high-energy gas in the game was likely a design requirement, but in reality, the Zerg were not so particular. As long as it could produce energy, they didn’t care about the rest.

Thus, Fang Zheng finally understood why the Zerg in that other world never worried about resource shortages or consumption and could solve problems with a single F2A wave. If the Zerg were really that undiscriminating, then their rapid and powerful development would make sense.

The Zerg’s development went smoothly. There were a few mines in the surrounding forest, but perhaps due to the battles with the aliens, these mines were mostly abandoned. Fang Zheng did not hesitate to order the drones to occupy these mines and start collecting resources. Soon, larvae hatched from the Insect Hive, and various Zerg buildings began to quietly emerge in the forest.

However, Fang Zheng was not very reassured because he still remembered that the big boss in Edge of Tomorrow could reset time. If it reset everything, would he have to start over from scratch?

Fortunately, the Insect Matriarch Mirune gave Fang Zheng a good suggestion. She suggested that Fang Zheng kill some mimetic aliens. This way, as long as the Zerg could obtain the flesh of these mimetic aliens, they could gain their unique powers through genetic adaptation. Although these mimetic aliens were formidable, their abilities probably wouldn’t affect the Zerg.

Upon reflection, Fang Zheng found Mirune’s suggestion reasonable. The alien boss could manipulate time, but it seemed its ability did not affect his soldiers. After all, aliens couldn’t just materialize out of thin air. If the aliens had to start producing soldiers from scratch every time they reset time, their numbers would not be so large. Especially considering the alien boss had already controlled most of Europe. If it had to reset and reproduce its soldiers every time, it would be very troublesome.

Conversely, if the aliens were unaffected, their numbers would only increase each time time reset. Given that manipulating time was a skill the aliens had long mastered, it was possible they used it to snowball their forces.

Of course, this was all just conjecture for the moment, but it didn’t matter. Fang Zheng had received news that in two days, humanity would launch a full-scale counterattack against the aliens on the French coast, signaling the start of the Edge of Tomorrow storyline. If he could obtain alien genes before then, even Tom Cruise resetting time wouldn’t affect him.

And now…

“Let the hunt begin,”

Fang Zheng muttered to himself as he gazed at the abandoned town before him and quickly strode in.

The alien attacks had grown fiercer. The place Fang Zheng was now in wasn’t the small town where he had crossed over, but an abandoned town on the front lines. Although the aliens were very cruel and cunning, humanity’s greed was no less rampant. In the bar, Fang Zheng had heard more than once about people sneaking into these abandoned places to find valuable items to sell. Of course, the risk was high; the aliens usually burrowed underground and didn’t show themselves.

Looks like I need to deploy a few eye bugs for detection.

With thoughts racing through his mind, Fang Zheng casually walked into the town. It had been completely destroyed by warfare, leaving only large expanses of ruins. But Fang Zheng didn’t mind. He now possessed the Queen of Blades’ psionic abilities, allowing him to easily sense the energy fluctuations around him. Therefore, he soon discovered that several lifeforms were hiding in the nearby ruins.

Over there?

Raising his pistol, Fang Zheng cautiously moved toward the ruins ahead. This pistol was obtained from a few unfortunate thugs, and since dead men don’t need guns, it was his gain.

Three meters, two meters, one meter.

“Boom!!”

Just as Fang Zheng was passing by a dilapidated building, it suddenly exploded, and a creature burst out from within.

It was an extremely strange entity, looking like a mass of cables assembled into a quadrupedal beast. Although it was large, it moved as swiftly as a cheetah, charging at Fang Zheng with astonishing speed. The cables converged into two tentacles, aiming to pierce him.

If Fang Zheng had been an ordinary person, this attack would have been enough to impale him and turn him into a corpse. However, armed with psionic abilities, Fang Zheng was not so easily taken down. As the alien lifeform pounced, he waved his right hand, shooting out a psionic shockwave that struck the creature’s massive body, throwing it back. Simultaneously, Fang Zheng turned and ran without hesitation.

“Roar——!! Roar——!!”

Although it had taken a heavy blow, the creature wasn’t killed. It flipped up its mangled body, roared furiously, and chased Fang Zheng. As the creature roared, two more alien creatures leapt out from nearby, trying to block Fang Zheng’s path from both sides.

But Fang Zheng’s speed exceeded their expectations. Blue light flashed over his body, and in the next moment, he vanished, reappearing behind the two alien creatures. The aliens, momentarily stunned, did not expect this human to possess such extraordinary powers. Nevertheless, they quickly reacted, turning to pursue him again. Their back tentacles rose once more, emitting a dazzling light as energy bolts shot forth.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!!”

Large energy bolts exploded around Fang Zheng, but he remained unscathed under the protection of his psionic shield. While running, Fang Zheng silently gauged the aliens’ strength.

They seemed to have only this one form, but in this form, the alien creatures were versatile, capable of both ranged and close combat, and effective against both air and ground targets. They could be considered all-purpose soldiers. However, their bodies were not sturdy. From the way human bullets easily tore through them in the movie, it was clear these alien creatures were fragile.

The Zerg didn’t seem much different.

Thinking of this, Fang Zheng glanced at the three figures in hot pursuit, then smiled slightly. In the next moment, he disappeared in a flash of blue light.

“———?”

Realizing their prey had suddenly vanished, the three alien creatures halted, waving their tentacles vigilantly as they scanned the surroundings.

The alien creatures only now noticed that they had unknowingly pursued the human into the forest. They hesitated briefly, then turned to leave.

But Fang Zheng hadn’t brought them here to play hide-and-seek.

“Whoosh!”

As the three alien creatures turned, the ground around them erupted, and a swarm of Hydralisks leapt out, attacking the enemies before them.

A battle between alien lifeforms had begun.