Chapter 27: Isaiah, the Zerg Lord
After clicking "confirm," Ai Ying found herself in a completely unfamiliar place, feeling dizzy and disoriented.
There wasn't a single plant here, just scattered rocks everywhere, and hissing sounds could be heard from a distance from time to time.
She sat sideways on the hard ground, one hand supporting her body, looking up to observe her surroundings.
This place... looks just like Planet Carlo.
Thinking of those silly, obedient insects, Ai Ying's wariness softened for a moment.
However, remembering her teacher's instructions before entering the training battlefield, she quickly covered her entire body with her mental energy.
She didn't know the difference between the simulated Zerg and the real Zerg.
Just in case, she should proceed with caution in her next move.
Just as Ai Ying was about to get up, she suddenly felt a strange gaze coming from behind her.
Her brow twitched:
No way!
Her luck can't be that bad, right?
Outside the simulated battlefield, Lucia saw this scene while inspecting the students' situation. She frowned slightly and stopped beside Ai Ying.
Although the students' drop locations in the training battlefield are random, no one has ever dropped right next to the Zerg as soon as they entered the battlefield.
Knowing that Ai Ying only had a C+ level of mental strength, Lucia already had a potion to restore her mental strength ready.
With Ai Ying's mental strength, she might collapse the moment she faces the Zerg and be squeezed out of the training space.
But……
Seeing what happened next, a hint of surprise appeared on Lucia's usually calm face:
How is that possible?!
In the training ground.
Although Ai Ying had already guessed what was happening behind her, she wasn't panicked and her heartbeat remained steady.
Even knowing that the insects here are different from those in reality and might harm her, she still couldn't feel much fear.
Because she vaguely sensed subtle characteristics similar to those of the insects on Planet Carlo.
She took a deep breath and turned around.
This is a low-level insect with a grayish-black color.
His carapace reflected the dark light of the rocks, his pincers were menacing and sharp, and his deep gray vertical pupils were like a machine, devoid of any emotion.
Everything suggests that he was merely a simulated Zerg in the training space.
But Ai Ying sensed a hint of caution in his vertical pupils.
His antennae were straight, and when he saw her turn her head, he couldn't help but shake them happily.
He didn't know what the person in front of him was, only that the insectoid instinct urged him to get closer to her, much closer:
So happy, so at ease!
I wish I could stay here forever, so I could always see her!!
Ai Ying's heart softened when she saw the insect raising its pincers and running happily toward her.
But……
This is a training ground for the human world. If they see the Zerg being friendly and approachable towards her, it will be difficult for her to explain to them.
Although they could never guess her identity as the Insect Queen, she still needed to be careful.
She twitched her fingertips, resisting the urge to touch the insect's head.
She slowed her breathing:
Since these insectoids are similar to the real-world insectoids, her Gu techniques should also be able to control their actions.
Upon realizing this, Ai Ying felt a surge of excitement:
After she realized that her Gu magic could affect the Zerg, she only had Fidelock, a Zerg, by her side.
Even if she was very confident in her Gu techniques, she couldn't possibly control a Lord Zerg for even a second.
Therefore, she had no way to experiment with the effects of Gu magic on the Zerg.
Isn't this the perfect opportunity for her to practice her Gu techniques?
Ai Ying lowered her head and closed her eyes, her spiritual power carrying Gu magic as it surged towards the insects in front of her.
Gu magic – 'Heart Manifestation'.
To allow the Gu worms to sense the Gu Master's requirements.
In StarCraft, a Zerg race without a queen is equivalent to an unclaimed worm.
Therefore, regardless of whether they have a contract or not, they will be affected by the Gu Master's abilities.
She used 'mental manifestation' to peacefully convey her thoughts:
"Leave here and pretend you didn't notice me."
Ai Ying's thoughts, carried by the spreading Gu technique, were transmitted to the brain of the insect in front of her.
Although the insect in front of her still appeared emotionless, she could sense the grievance emanating from its core.
Even though it wasn't an order, the insect still didn't refuse.
When he was three or four meters away from her, he turned around hesitantly and left as if he wanted to take a minute to walk away.
Ai Ying watched him stagger slowly, like an insect waiting for her to retract her command at any moment. She took a deep breath and forced herself to turn around.
She has more important things to do.
She withdrew her mental energy and continued exploring the battlefield:
Even the lowest and most basic Gu technique can still make the insects here obey her commands.
In that case, the course tasks become much simpler.
Next, following the mission requirements, she leisurely searched for the mission's supplies.
At the same time, he was also constantly practicing Gu techniques to control the insects around him.
At first, she could only control one.
With her mental strength, it's easy for her to make the Gu worm obey her commands, but completely controlling a single worm is quite difficult.
It should be noted that even low-level Zerg in interstellar space can rival S-class human powerhouses.
Ai Ying's ability to completely control a low-level insect is already a result of the intimidation she exerted on the insect race by her status as a Gu Master.
But later, as she honed her mental strength in the mental training battlefield, she gradually found the knack.
Controlling multiple insects at the same time is difficult, but as long as she can distribute the Gu technique to each insect, she can command even more insects.
After the three insects passed in front of her one after another, Ai Ying's face only turned slightly pale.
She lowered her eyes to hide the excitement in them:
As the number of instructions increased, her control over each insect gradually improved.
As her mental strength was tempered, her Gu techniques became simpler and more effective.
By the time Ai Ying came to her senses, she had already found most of the supplies in the training ground.
She belatedly stopped:
If the grades are too good, it will definitely attract the attention of the teachers at the joint military academy.
Given her current special status, it would be best for her to maintain a moderate demeanor.
With that in mind, she used her Gu magic to silently attract several insects to her side, making them pretend to be about to attack.
Watching them happily twitch their antennae and wave their pincers as if they were asking for praise, Ai Ying took a deep breath and pretended to be scared as she pressed the exit button on her wrist.
After she left the battlefield, the score of 99 on the screen caused a stir among those around her.
"How...is this possible?"
A student stared at the score in disbelief:
The highest historical score in the training grounds was only 85, and that score was achieved by the current Imperial General, a double S-rank powerhouse.
How could Ai Ying possibly get such a high score given her mental strength?
Especially considering Ai Ying's experience on the training battlefield, he stepped to the front and couldn't help but question:
Why aren't these Zerg reacting at all?
Is there something wrong with this machine?
Otherwise, why would all the insects see Ai Ying, yet choose to stay away from her at the last moment?
Surely these Zerg can't be blind, right?
Seeing where Ai Ying had left the simulation space, he rushed forward, unwilling to give up, and put on his helmet.
It's definitely a machine problem!
Upon seeing the Zerg on the battlefield, he imitated Ai Ying, pretending not to see the Zerg and carefully passing behind one of them.
A second later, he emerged from the battlefield, his face deathly pale and a look of utter disbelief on his face.
The machine... isn't broken?
How did Ai Ying manage to escape unscathed despite being surrounded and attacked by so many insects?
Unlike the shocked classmates around her, Alicia stared intently at Ai Ying's retreating figure, her eyes filled with the unwavering determination that should have been there:
really!
Ai Ying's pale face, frail body, and even her low-level mental strength were all deceptive appearances!
How could someone who can control such a terrifying being be an ordinary person!
Alberta, standing beside Alicia, paid no attention to her expression. He turned around and looked at Ai Ying with barely suppressed astonishment and confusion in his eyes:
How did she manage to do that?
Is it physical training, breath control, or the concealment of mental power?
He never even considered the possibility that Ai Ying could control the Zerg.
Because apart from the legendary Zerg Queen, it is impossible for anyone to have the ability to control the Zerg.
He recalled the scene he had just witnessed where all the Zerg treated Ai Ying as nothing, and subconsciously assumed that her ability was related to hiding.
"Ai Ying is truly exceptionally talented; she managed to retrieve supplies unharmed from so many Zerg."
Alberta's eyes flickered, and she tentatively asked:
"I wonder if Ai Ying could answer my question?"
When Ai Ying heard his question, she blinked her clear black and white eyes innocently.
She glanced at everyone staring intently at her, and considered herself to have given a reasonable answer:
"Perhaps it's because I was lucky?"
She can't say it's because she can control the Zerg, can she?
“Just being lucky isn’t enough to achieve this.” At this moment, Lucia stepped forward. Although her voice was still cold and hard, it carried an undisguised admiration.
After hearing Ai Ying's answer, she had a vague guess in her mind:
In the interstellar world, the effects of mental power on different species may vary slightly, but they are generally similar.
However, there is a very special kind of person whose mental power mutates and produces special effects, but such people/species are too few, and there is not a single record of them in the history of the empire.
In the history of other species, the number is estimated to be no more than three.
If she wasn't mistaken, Ai Ying's mental power could, to a certain extent, conceal her existence.
With her current mental strength, she can only make lower-level insects ignore her existence, and she cannot maintain this for too long.
If only her mental strength level were a little higher...
No, this is enough for now.
If her talent and abilities were both exceptionally high, her race would never have released her, and naturally, their joint military academy would not have known of her existence.
Thinking of this, Lucia's admiration grew even stronger: "Ai Ying, in this exercise, your score surpassed the historical high by 14 points."
"The previous all-time high score of 85 points has been sealed for six years."
Upon hearing Lucia's words, Ai Ying's expression remained calm, but her heart skipped a beat:
The highest score is only 85?
She thought this exercise with only low-level insects was a simple mode, so she didn't control her score well at first.
If she had known the highest score would be this low, she would have kept it even lower.
Seeing that Ai Ying's expression remained unchanged, Lucia figured that Ai Ying was new to the Joint Military Academy and unaware of the difficulty of this exercise, so she explained:
"All the Zerg in the exercise were simulated based on the residual energy values of the real battlefield, achieving almost 60% to 80% realism of the real Zerg."
"Therefore, the training ground is almost equivalent to the real battlefield."
"Ai Ying, do you know what this means?"
Hearing her words, Ai Ying's heart stirred:
This means she finally has a place to train her Gu techniques!
No wonder her Gu techniques can control the Zerg in the simulated battlefield.
It turns out that their origin is the real-world Zerg.
She really made the right choice by coming to the Joint Military Academy!
The simulated insectoid race is the most suitable entity for her to practice her Gu techniques.
They wouldn't doubt her identity, nor would they truly harm her; in fact, they could help her refine her spiritual power and Gu techniques.
More importantly.
She can also come into contact with higher-level insects here.
For example, the higher Zerg, or... the Overlords.
If she could refine her Gu techniques in a simulated battlefield to the point where they could be effective against higher-level insects and even lords, then she might... be able to do what she wants.
Lucia had no idea that Ai Ying was already dreaming of a higher-level Zerg simulation battlefield.
She was still immersed in the shock brought about by her special mental power.
She couldn't help but imagine:
Even if Ai Ying can only achieve half the effect on the real battlefield, her role on the battlefield can still influence the course of the battle to a certain extent.
She now finally understood why Ai Ying, despite not having high spiritual power, still possessed so many precious resources of a race.
With the accumulation of resources, even if Ai Ying's mental strength can only increase by one level, the effect will far exceed the resources themselves.
By then, she might not only be able to make the Zerg ignore her, but also do much more!
Lucia, seeing an opportunity, couldn't resist trying to poach Ai Ying and recruit her into the army.
Because she never smiled, her forced smile looked slightly stiff.
"Ai Ying, would you be interested in experiencing military training sometime in the future?"
"These simulated battlefields are just simulations. Once you join the army, I'll grant you the highest level of privileges a new recruit can have!"
The army Lucia mentioned is the empire's highest command army. Unless one has made outstanding contributions in military academy, it would take at least three to five years of training in the ordinary army before one could enter it.
The other students looked at Ai Ying with envy, wishing they could just agree for her.
But Ai Ying's eyes showed no surprise; she simply nodded slightly and politely replied:
"I definitely will if I have the chance in the future."
Ai Ying noticed the hint of disappointment in Lucia's eyes and felt helpless.
If Lucia were to actually see her on the battlefield someday.
It's hard to say what her expression will be.
It's unlikely to be a surprise.
Lucia knew that Ai Ying was of high status and that her invitation would most likely be rejected, so she quickly composed herself.
Looking at the calm and composed demeanor of the person in front of her, she felt an increasing sense of regret.
It was not only her mental strength, but also her calm and unwavering attitude in the face of adversity that impressed her.
It's a pity that such a promising talent doesn't belong to the human empire.
Lucia shook her head inwardly, still appreciating his talent, and said:
"Ai Ying, if you want to continue training your mental strength in the future, you can ask me for access to the training room directly."
"With more training, your mental strength might be able to improve again."
Upon hearing this, Ai Ying finally revealed a genuine smile:
"Thank you, teacher."
After the course ended.
All the students kept glancing in Ai Ying's direction.
However, due to her calm and proud demeanor and the strength she exuded, no one dared to approach and disturb her for the time being.
Only the most outgoing Laura cautiously approached:
"Ai Ying, the next class is mecha repair. Would you like me to show you the classroom?"
Mecha Repair Course?
Ai Ying made her decision without much thought:
I'm not going.
She's pressed for time right now, so she'll put aside courses that might not even be useful after she's taken them.
Thinking of this, she smiled politely at the girl in front of her:
"Thank you, but I have other things to do."
"I won't trouble you."
Watching Laura's departing figure, Ai Ying's fingertips twitched involuntarily:
She suddenly remembered the first person on Planet Carlo who had spoken to her.
He was also the first person she could entrust her secrets and her back to.
It wasn't because of her status or strength, but simply because he was worried that she would be discovered by the Zerg at that time, so he answered her question that she was talking to herself.
I wonder how Charlotte is doing now.
Ai Ying blinked, concealing the longing in her eyes, then turned away resolutely:
It's still too dangerous for her to be around right now.
Charlotte will be safer the further away she is from her.
Ai Ying walked slowly down the long, suspended corridor.
Every few steps, you'll see classrooms made of special energy.
Some courses at the Joint Military Academy are classified, but others are relatively open, allowing students to see the content of the class through a window.
Just then, she suddenly saw the projection of a low-level insect through an energy window.
The teacher in the class is explaining the content of the picture.
Ai Ying suddenly realized that she didn't seem to have had the opportunity to systematically understand the Zerg.
She turned and walked towards the classroom.
The principal granted her many privileges, including the freedom to skip classes and choose courses at will.
Reaching the doorway, he scanned the energy gate on his wrist with his personal terminal, and it opened silently.
As soon as the door opened, the teacher's impassioned yet serious voice rang out:
"The will of the Queen is the will of the Zerg."
"In the eyes of the Zerg, there is no good or evil, no right or wrong, only the orders of the Zerg Queen."
"This is even more true after the Queen of Insects became the ruler!"
"Therefore, the terror of the Zerg lies in the fact that they have no selfish motives and no disagreements. As long as the Queen gives the order, all the Zerg will carry it out regardless of the consequences."
Humans and other species will never be able to do this.
Upon hearing the teacher's words, Ai Ying paused slightly, then walked to a corner and sat down without attracting the attention of others.
The teacher merely glanced at her before continuing to point to the projected low-level Zerg:
"This is the most common low-level Zerg in StarCraft."
"Their pincers are their primary means of attack, capable of easily piercing bodies with A+ grade physique."
"Of course, it can also cause casualties to S-class powerhouses."
Seeing that none of the students seemed too nervous, the teacher shook his head and expressionlessly enlarged the miniature Zerg projection.
The Zerg projection, which took up the size of two lecterns, swept through the entire classroom with an oppressive atmosphere.
Some students were terrified by the Zerg, their faces pale and their eyes filled with vigilance:
Is this the real Zerg?
That's dangerous!!
Seeing the terrified looks on all the students around her, Ai Ying guiltily looked away from the projection of the lowly insects.
A second later, I couldn't help but look back:
So cute!
Those trembling tentacles are so cute!
"The Zerg's tentacles can detect the presence of creatures within hundreds of meters. They are extremely useful and dangerous!"
The insect pincers that open and close are so cute!
"The Zerg's pincers can easily pierce through hardened rails, and they can also easily slice open your chests!"
It's so cute that it wags its tail and sweeps the ground when it's happy!
"The Zerg's tail can snap a steel bar in two with a single swing!"
She looks so cute from head to toe!
"Every part of their body can be used as a means of attack to kill the enemy!"
As the teacher explained, Ai Ying's head gradually lowered:
Even though she is human.
But she doesn't seem to have any way of hating inferior insects.
After witnessing the low-level insects of Carlo Star sacrifice themselves one after another for her.
Even though she didn't know if the insect would hurt her, her first reaction wasn't fear, but rather that she thought it was... cute.
Ai Ying lay on the table, carefully watching the insect limbs projected from under the table:
This projected insect doesn't seem to be in good condition; it doesn't even have time to grind down the newly grown nails on its limbs.
At this moment, the teacher's stern voice continued.
Every word speaks of the terror and brutality of the Zerg.
Although the Zerg have lost their leader and their numbers have decreased, they are now rarely seen on planets belonging to the human empire.
It has also been a long time since it has fought a war with other races.
But no one knows if the Zerg without a king will suddenly go berserk.
After all, everyone knows that the Queen of Insects will never be born again.
In the event that the Zerg launch a counterattack before their extinction, humanity must be fully prepared.
This is also why, in the first year of school, students are required to take Zerg combat studies as an elective regardless of their major.
"Of course, there are also some rare advanced Zerg among the Zerg."
"The appearance of advanced Zerg will be closer to that of humans, and their attack methods will be more dangerous and diverse."
Seeing that the teacher was about to continue talking about Zerg history after giving a brief explanation of the advanced Zerg, one student asked curiously:
"What about the Zerg Overlords?" "What do the Zerg Overlords look like? What are their attack methods?"
The teacher's expression instantly turned serious:
"The Zerg Lord."
His voice was much slower, as if it took a lot of courage to utter just those few words.
"Legend has it that the Zerg have a total of seven lords."
Hearing this, Ai Ying slowly perked up her ears, a hint of worry appearing in her eyes:
Are there really seven lords?
She couldn't control even one, let alone seven lords appearing before her at once—
The teacher continued in a solemn voice:
"No human has ever truly witnessed the Lord's abilities, nor does any human know what the Lord looks like or what his preferences are."
"Those who have seen them, and other species, simply do not survive."
"However, there is one exception."
"That is Lord Isaiah."
Ai Ying also curiously raised her head:
"Isaiah is the only Zerg lord who appears in public and travels among the various races."
“Every so often, he would descend upon the various races.”
Then they would search every planet of every race for every drop of blood and marrow, looking for anything that could be offered to the Queen.
At this point, the teacher secretly rejoiced:
Fortunately, the queen insect can no longer be born.
Otherwise, he really couldn't imagine how crazy they would be when faced with the newborn insect queen.
but……
The teacher frowned:
The Zerg lord Isaiah has not appeared on human planets for a long time.
This time, the place he will most likely descend upon is the human empire.
The empire must be prepared.
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Author's Note: Mwah to all my darlings who watered with nutrient solution, I love you so much!!!
A quick calculation suggests that today's giveaways will be random red envelopes!
As expected, each chapter will contain 88 red envelopes!
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