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

Chapter 46: Chapter 45: Using Plugins to Mass-Produce Troops

The battle ended quickly.

Although those alien mimics could attack both from a distance and in close combat, the Zerg didn’t take much damage from them. Two Hydralisks and seven Jumping Bugs charged in and wiped them out; the only loss was two Jumping Bugs—because they jumped out of the ground too eagerly, and were pierced through their bodies by the enemy’s antennae as they died, serving as casualties.

After this battle, Fang Zheng had a certain understanding of these alien mimics. Although their actions seemed biological, they didn’t genuinely appear to be pure life forms but some form of energy creature. As for combat power, it should be somewhere between Hydralisks and Jumping Bugs averaged out. This insight came from Mirune’s dissection of the alien remains in the Incubation Pool. Luckily, Fang Zheng’s guess was correct; the Zerg did detect a peculiar genetic sequence from these creatures’ remains. According to Mirune’s analysis, this genetic sequence seemed to be used for immunity against time retrospective.

Not only that…

“Master, this genetic sequence can speed up the Zerg’s pace. I believe it will significantly enhance the Zerg’s combat power.”

“Do you know how it works?”

“Of course, Master. According to my experiments, this genetic sequence can accelerate the Zerg’s time flow, granting them greater combat power.”

“…Is that so?”

Hearing this, Fang Zheng couldn’t help but frown. Mirune’s words were easy to understand. Essentially, this genetic sequence would make the host’s time flow much faster than other creatures. Meaning, what would be a second for an ordinary person would be two seconds for the host of the genetic sequence. Being faster naturally had its benefits; attack amplitude, frequency, and speed would all be greatly enhanced. But…

“Are there any side effects? If I recall correctly, the enemy has a similar control system. I don’t want to face my own Zerg turning against me on the battlefield.”

“It will cause accelerated aging for the host, but to the Zerg, that’s not an issue, Master. The possibility of being controlled is essentially zero; the Zerg are eternally loyal to their master.”

“Makes sense.”

Upon hearing Mirune’s reply, Fang Zheng thought it over and realized. The Zerg don’t die of old age; they either die in battle or are on the way to dying in battle. He had never heard of a Zerg dying of old age anyway. So accelerated aging wasn’t really a problem for the Zerg, and it was even uncertain whether Zerg could naturally die of old age. In Fang Zheng’s memory, Zerg seemed to get tougher with age, and speeding up the time flow seemed to also accelerate the Zerg’s autonomous evolution?

My God!

That realization gave Fang Zheng quite a shock. If that were true, then the alien genes in “Edge of Tomorrow” were absolutely fantastic for the Zerg. Accelerating battle and evolution simultaneously, it was like activating a speed hack in a game, taking a bunch of Jumping Bugs for a spin, and coming back to find they’ve mutated and grown wings without even needing to upgrade the tech tree?

No wonder Mirune’s eyes were gleaming green when she talked to him; she was already eager to enjoy this genetic feast.

As for the control issue, Fang Zheng decided to put it aside. Even if the Zerg were controlled, he could always activate Kerrigan’s Soulstone. The Queen of Blades would command all Zerg, and Fang Zheng didn’t believe that alien behemoth could outmatch the Xel’Naga in controlling them, daring to snatch control from the Queen of Blades.

After Fang Zheng gave his approval, Mirune immediately began adjusting the Zerg genetics. Fang Zheng had no idea how the Zerg completed it, but overnight Mirune reported that all the Zerg nests and units successfully assimilated the “time gene.” Moreover, Fang Zheng received an unexpected surprise—this time gene was beneficial not only to combat units but also to Zerg buildings and drones. Since the gene accelerated time flow, manifesting as faster activity, and as Zerg buildings were essentially biological entities too, they underwent changes after integrating the “time gene.” The most noticeable evolutionary trait was the accelerated production speed, research speed, and the speed at which drones converted into buildings also increased.

Though it was only just under three seconds, Fang Zheng understood how powerful even that small advantage could be. Imagine playing a game where all your units were three seconds faster than your opponent’s—within five minutes, your opponent would probably report you for cheating.

The Zerg continued to expand while Fang Zheng watched a live broadcast on a phone he took from some thugs. On the phone screen, a white-haired, uniformed old man was waving his hands confidently.

“This time, we will strike back. We will completely repel those alien creatures and show them the strength of humanity!”

The scene changed to countless transport planes taking off, while the reporter, with a tense and serious face, reported:

“Today, our brave warriors will cross the channel and face those terrifying alien creatures. Let’s wish them victory and a safe return. The enemy will ultimately fail. Victory will be ours!”

Indeed, the enemy will fail. But victory belongs to the Swarm.

Fang Zheng put down the phone and glanced at the time.

10:23:45.

Today marked the beginning of the plot.

If Fang Zheng was correct, Tom Cruise would go to the battlefield today, encounter that peculiar creature during the beach battle, and then die together with it shouting, “On your feet, maggot!” before respawning and starting over. Now Fang Zheng just had to see if he could gain any advantage during this event. As for himself, he wasn’t worried. This was also a test for him. Since his layout was finished, even going back a few days, his Zerg would still be intact and impossible to interfere with.

“Boom!”

Three hours later, Fang Zheng suddenly felt his heart skip a beat. Then he stood up and looked far into the distance.

In the next instant, the weather changed dramatically.

Almost in the blink of an eye, the world in front of Fang Zheng began to change. Everything seemed like a reverse playback, but at a faster speed, making Fang Zheng feel as if he had entered a time tunnel. He only saw the sky and the ground vaguely as the world grew blurry. Within less than ten seconds, Fang Zheng felt a jolt, and then the scene became clear again.

Everything seemed unchanged, but Fang Zheng keenly sensed something was different. He turned his head and saw Mirune quietly standing beside him, watching him.

“What’s the situation, Mirune?”

“Just as you predicted, Master. We seem to have traveled through time. Do you remember what we were doing before?”

“Discussing the next evolution plan for the Jumping Bugs?”

“It seems you successfully retained your memory, Master.”

Hearing Fang Zheng’s reply, Mirune smiled. Fang Zheng shrugged, saying nothing more. He thought that his Dimensional Codex might have helped him make it through this time retrospection. After all, it was designed to have power beyond time and space, and could protect its bearer… Well, it turned out the settings he created for show were quite useful.

“Report the situation?”

“All insect hives are normal, the Alien Insect population hasn’t decreased, and according to the drones, the previously depleted resource minerals have been restored.”

“Oh?”

Hearing this, Fang Zheng’s eyes brightened.

“Does this mean we can use unlimited resources?”

“Indeed, my Master.”

At this point, Mirune’s voice grew passionate. The Zerg yearned for power and resources, and now, everything they needed was here.

“Then, let’s continue the action.”

With that realization, Fang Zheng quickly made a decision.

“Have the Insect Hives hatch more drones to gather resources and transform Alien Insects. When the time is right, we’ll make sure the people of this world witness our power firsthand!”