On the twelfth day in the secret chamber, the Zerg army, following the Queen's orders, gathered at the Dongguan Bridge.
The assembled Zerg army made no move. Just as Xiao Lou and the others had guessed, the Queen sent out signals to summon the Zerg, but her more important purpose was to find and eliminate those "Zerg traitors" who disobeyed orders one by one.
For her, over 99% of the city's residents were already infected, and the Zerg were just one step away from completely taking over the city.
Since only one leader can exist among the Zerg at a time, those Zerg who reach level nine in the chaos but are unable to continue leveling up due to the Queen's presence become her most powerful subordinates once they obey her. However, if they disobey her, those high-level Zerg will become the greatest threat to her.
With the Zerg Queen's current strength, ordinary humans can no longer defeat her. What she fears most are certain high-ranking Zerg who want to usurp her position. Therefore, she has summoned the Zerg army, gathering those willing to obey her, to prepare for a final purge of the city.
Shao Qingge was now a level nine Zerg, one of the Queen's greatest threats.
After resting for a day, he completely tamed the new insectoids within his body, and his insectoid abilities were restored to full strength. Shao Qingge tried to scratch his arm with his fingernails, and within a minute, his arm miraculously healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Ye Qi reached out and gently touched his healed arm, remarking, "It looks just like a human's, but I always feel like there's a layer of hard armor under this skin?"
Shao Qingge chuckled and rubbed the muscles on his arm, saying, "That's right, that's Zerg armor. My body can only suffer minor superficial wounds now. Ordinary knives and guns can hardly pierce through it. Besides, Zerg have a very strong healing ability. Even if the sharpest knife cuts off my limbs, theoretically, new ones will grow back within minutes."
Ye Qi gave a thumbs up: "This ability is amazing!"
Xiao Lou said, " CEO Shao can be said to have an 'immortal body' unless burned by fire."
Ye Qi asked curiously, "Are you afraid of fire?"
Shao Qingge shook his head: "I'm not afraid. Because I am essentially human now, my will has suppressed the will of the Zerg and assimilated them. The Zerg are naturally afraid of fire, but I am not afraid. Of course, burning me would definitely kill me."
Xiao Lou's eyes lit up: "It seems we can try using fire to deal with the Zerg Queen. As long as she wasn't created after humans assimilated the Zerg, then CEO Shao has an advantage over her—he's not afraid of fire."
Yu Hanjiang frowned slightly, stroked his chin, and said, " Could the Zerg Queen also be a Challenger?"
Shao Qingge shook his head: "It doesn't seem like it. If the Challenger had been assimilated and upgraded to the Queen, she could have issued other commands to make the Zerg disperse or stop attacking, which would have made it easy for the Challenger team to clear the level. However, her first command was to have the Zerg army gather at the East Gate Bridge, and she kept sending signals to search for the surrounding Zerg. I'm sure this Queen is still a Zerg."
Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang exchanged a glance. They remembered that when they first encountered the Challenger teams from Luoying Pavilion and Eternal Kingdom at the supermarket, the captain of Luoying Pavilion mentioned that the Zerg might produce a leader like a "Queen," a common trope in science fiction movies.
Who could it be?
Xiao Lou thought carefully about the people she had met at the beginning: the woman who went crazy in the hospital? That Little Girl? Or the intern who was with her? And the female respiratory patient who first fell ill at the Second Hospital?
Each one is possible, and they may have never seen it before.
Xiao Lou took a deep breath and looked at Shao Qingge, saying, " CEO Shao, you've just acquired the Zerg's powerful abilities, so you might not be very proficient at using them yet. Practice and master these abilities as soon as possible."
Shao Qingge nodded. He leaped, jumping directly from the rooftop of this floor to the frontmost rooftop, a jump distance close to the 50 meters of the Teleportation Card. After his evolution, Shao Qingge's climbing, jumping, and attacking abilities were all greatly enhanced, making his combat power no less than Yu Hanjiang's. Moreover, Shao Qingge had an advantage in dealing with Zerg, since lower-level Zerg wouldn't attack him proactively.
Shao Qingge repeatedly tried jumping and climbing to practice his newly acquired skills. Watching his agile figure leaping across rooftops, everyone couldn't help but sigh, " CEO Shao is no longer a weakling who can win without effort. It's a bit strange to be used to him now!"
Yu Hanjiang said in a low voice, "It's a good thing for the team to have an extra combatant. In the past, we always had to assign someone to protect CEO Shao. Now he doesn't need our protection. Instead, he can protect his teammates, which is a huge improvement for the whole team."
Everyone nodded in agreement, happy for CEO Shao. However, they wondered if this ability could be taken out of the secret room. Upon leaving, his physical data would be cleared, and CEO Shao would definitely revert to normal unless he drew a relevant card. Judging from Xiao Lou's draw of the Zombie Leader in Spade 2, perhaps CEO Shao would actually draw a Zerg card this time.
As lunchtime approached, Shao Qingge, having mastered his skills, returned to the rooftop to eat with everyone.
Ye Qi asked seriously, "Do you want to eat instant noodles now, or do you want to eat human blood?"
Shao Qingge chuckled and ruffled the boy's hair, saying, "Of course I eat noodles. I'm still human at heart."
He paused, then lowered his voice and whispered in Ye Qi's ear, "I remembered when you fed me blood back then... Does your hand still hurt?"
He gently took Ye Qi's hand and looked at her cut finger.
Ye Qi
A band-aid was on her hand; after all, Ye Qi's skin didn't have the ability to heal itself, and the wound was still there after a few days. Shao Qingge's heart tightened slightly, and she said softly, "Don't do such a foolish thing again."
Ye Qi laughed and said, "I was afraid you'd starve to death if you turned into an insect. It's nothing, just a minor injury."
Shao Qingge didn't say anything more and personally changed his band-aid.
After everyone finished lunch, Yu Hanjiang glanced into the distance, then looked seriously at Shao Qingge and said, "The Zerg army should have already gathered. We need to plan our next move as soon as possible. The Queen can sense CEO Shao's location, and she will definitely bring some high-level subordinates to eliminate CEO Shao. If she brings some level nine Zerg to kill you, what are your chances of winning?"
Shao Qingge frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "It's still uncertain how many high-level Zerg are around the Queen, but we have a significant advantage. First, I not only have Zerg abilities, but also cards, and you teammates. Working together, we can control those Zerg. Second, I'm not afraid of fire, but Zerg are. Perhaps we can start from this aspect and make some preparations in advance."
He paused, then continued, "What I'm most worried about is the Zerg Queen. The level nine Zerg are already so powerful, I wonder how powerful the level ten Zerg Queen will be, whether she'll be invulnerable and heal instantly after being injured?"
Yu Hanjiang also considered this possibility. The level 10 queen's abilities are clearly stronger than Shao Qingge's, though the exact difference is currently unclear. If she were to bring her elite troops to kill Shao Qingge, without prior preparation, there's a high chance of total annihilation, let alone a perfect victory.
The enemy's combat strength is incalculable, and that's the most troublesome thing.
Yu Hanjiang's thoughts were transmitted to Xiao Lou's mind through the Telepathic Connection. Xiao Lou took out paper and pen and wrote down his thoughts while analyzing: "The Zerg will only fuse when they encounter danger. Two Zerg of the same level can be upgraded to a higher level. To fuse into a level nine Zerg, two hundred and fifty-six level one Zerg are needed."
Xiao Lou carefully recalled her experiences over the past few days.
On the first day, the Challengers were busy finding teammates and gathering supplies. The Zerg had just invaded the city and were frantically tearing at the humans around them. The Zerg were disorganized and undisciplined, and their locations were scattered, so there would be no large-scale fusion or upgrades.
In their encounter at the supermarket, there were only about 50 Zerg, and they killed many of them. Even when they merged with each other in danger, they only created level three or four Zerg.
That night, as they fled from the city center to the East City District, they saw all the insectoids in the central area suddenly gather together. The dense swarms of insects surged into the residential areas like a flood, attacking the uninfected humans in the city...
Thinking of this, Xiao Lou suddenly said, "By the way, on the first night, so many Zerg moved together, they must have been called upon by the higher-level Zerg. CEO Shao, can you command the lower-level Zerg?"
Shao Qingge said, "A few in a small area are fine, but to mobilize a large number of Zerg, only a level 10 leader can do it."
Ye Qi's eyes widened suddenly: "So, the Zerg Queen was actually created on the first day? When we ran out of Old Mo's studio to scout ahead, we saw shopping malls, food courts, office buildings... and huge numbers of Zerg swarming into the residential area. Was that the Queen's order?"
Shao Qingge's expression also turned serious: "It seems so. Only the Queen can mobilize tens of thousands of Zerg."
Xiao Lou felt a chill run down his spine: "This queen must be very cunning. She has been lying in wait, first gathering the Zerg to infect the residents of the city center, then sending the vanguard to find the stragglers. Step by step, she has made a very meticulous plan. Now that the city's residents have been mostly subdued, she has finally turned her attention to those high-level Zerg who do not obey her orders."
Yu Hanjiang added, " Gao Xiaoyi's team was besieged by the Zerg in the North City University Town. At that time, they used their knowledge of chemistry and physics to blow up an experimental building. The Zerg would definitely merge in panic after the explosion, which should be able to generate level nine Zerg. We burned the Zerg with gasoline outside the warehouse, and those Zerg that were not burned to death could also generate level nine."
Xiao Lou looked at Yu Hanjiang and said, "According to the characteristics of the Zerg, large-scale Zerg legions will only spontaneously merge when they encounter danger. The original inhabitants of this city were infected too many of them at the beginning because they did not know the truth. When faced with tens of thousands of Zerg troops, they were easily overwhelmed by the Zerg. Therefore, the biggest crisis for the Zerg should be created by us Challengers."
Yu Hanjiang agreed: "Yes, the Challengers have cards, and those who have made it to this level in the survival room are all experienced and can quickly find the weaknesses of the Zerg and learn to use fire to eliminate them."
Shao Qingge understood Xiao Lou's meaning: " Professor Xiao is saying that the number of advanced Zerg should be related to the number of crises created by the Challenger team—only when we create a crisis will the Zerg self-destruct?"
Xiao Lou nodded and said, "These days, most of the Challengers are on the run and won't actively seek out trouble with the Zerg. But if the Zerg come knocking, everyone will definitely prepare countermeasures in advance, using explosives, gasoline, alcohol, and other flammable and explosive materials to deal with the Zerg, which can easily intensify the Zerg's self-melting."
Upon hearing this, Ye Qi couldn't help but interject: "I remember there should be around 30 Challenger teams in this escape room, right?"
Xiao Lou said, "That's right, but in the first two or three days, the Challengers suffered heavy casualties. Many people didn't discover the Zerg's weakness of needing fire, and several teams were wiped out by the Zerg. Only the Challengers who survived to the end mastered the techniques to eliminate the Zerg, which also catalyzed the Zerg's fusion and upgrade... According to my deduction, apart from the Zerg Queen, after these ten days of guerrilla warfare, the number of level 9 Zerg should be around 100."
His deduction was based on the characteristics of the Zerg.
Zerg prefer to live in groups, but they don't merge with each other inexplicably. After all, each Zerg has its own consciousness, thoughts, and memories, even if they are very weak. They are all independent individuals and will not actively be devoured by their own kind.
Only when faced with extreme danger and unable to protect themselves will the Zerg rapidly merge and upgrade with their surrounding companions—this is probably due to their instinct for survival.
The city's residents were infected too quickly, and being overwhelmed by the massive Zerg population made it difficult to create a crisis that would cause panic among the Zerg. Therefore, the number of times the Zerg self-melted was similar to the number of times the Challenger caused trouble. Only one level 10 Queen could exist, and the number of level 9 Queens would not be too many. For example, the day in the warehouse, 80% of the Zerg were burned to death by Xiao Lou and his team with gasoline. At most, only two or three level 9 Zerg would be melted out.
These days, the Challenger team has created a major crisis, but the number of times it has triggered Zerg self-melting is not too many. His estimate of 100 is still an overestimation. Maybe some Challengers will not fight the Zerg when they encounter them, but just hide, so the Zerg will not self-melt.
Upon hearing Xiao Lou's conclusion, Shao Qingge frowned and said, "According to Professor Xiao, even if we count 100 high-level Zerg, we are not absolutely certain. As for those at my level, I cannot suppress them directly with my will; we need everyone's cooperation and advance planning."
Yu Hanjiang thought carefully for a moment and said, "I have a way." He looked at Xiao Lou with a questioning look in his eyes, "However, this way requires Gao Xiaoyi's team to work together to make it work."
Xiao Lou quickly realized: "You want to use their physics and chemistry prodigies' various cards to set up a trap, and then blow up the Zerg Queen when she comes to you?"
Yu Hanjiang nodded: "Our advantages against advanced Zerg, as CEO Shao just mentioned, are first, we are not afraid of fire, and second, we have cards. Only by making full use of these two advantages can we have a chance of winning this tough battle."
He then added, "Initially, we were hesitant to cooperate with other Challengers because we were afraid that Infected players might appear in other teams and launch a surprise attack from behind. But now that CEO Shao himself is a level 9 Zerg player, he's not afraid even if there are Infected players in other teams. CEO Shao can sense the presence of Zerg, so this concern can be completely eliminated. Therefore, we can try cooperating."
Ye Qi said worriedly, "But are they willing to cooperate? After all, there are only three days left to clear the game. If they hide and avoid the Zerg, it will be safer for them to clear the game. But if they join us to fight the Zerg Queen head-on, that would be very dangerous."
Yu Hanjiang said, "Let's talk to them as soon as possible."
Xiao Lou fully supported Yu Hanjiang's decision and nodded, saying, "Okay, let's go talk."
That night, when the Challenger Provisional Alliance came to find them, Yu Hanjiang remembered the direction the group had left in—east. He guessed that Gao Xiaoyi might have led the group back to the warehouse.
A great battle once took place near the warehouse, and the raging fire produced by gasoline burned countless Zerg to death. Since the Zerg are naturally afraid of fire, they will never go back to that place.
At the time, Yu Hanjiang contained the flames to the outer edge, and the warehouse was not affected by the gasoline explosion. There were still many vegetables and fruits inside, so it was indeed the best choice if the Challenger Alliance wanted to find a temporary base.
Yu Hanjiang looked at Shao Qingge: "Leave this to CEO Shao. Professor Xiao and I will go and talk to them."
In the past, he wouldn't have felt comfortable entrusting his teammates to CEO Shao for protection. But now, unless the Queen arrives immediately, dealing with ordinary bugs is a piece of cake for Shao Qingge. Moreover, Xiao Lou gave Shao Qingge the [ Tao Yuanming ] card, so if they encounter a situation they can't handle, they can use The Peach Blossom Spring for mass teleportation and hide in the Peach Blossom Spring for three hours.
Shao Qingge earnestly assured him, "Don't worry, I'll take care of things here. Go quickly and come back soon, and be careful."
Yu Hanjiang wrapped one arm around Xiao Lou's waist and used the Lightness Skill Card and Teleportation Card to fly away with Xiao Lou.
The two teleported in mid-air and quickly arrived near the warehouse.
A massive fire burned down all the surrounding trees, and the ground was littered with the severed limbs of the Zerg, a truly horrific sight.
Xiao Lou tossed Ye Qi's eavesdropping device far away and whispered, "There are people in the warehouse."
Yu Hanjiang nodded, picked up Xiao Lou, and flew to the warehouse door. Xiao Lou gently knocked on the door and said softly, " Is Gao Xiaoyi here? We have something we want to discuss with you."
Inside the room, Gao Xiaoyi's eyes widened in surprise; she recognized Xiao Lou's voice. The girl stood up, signaling her teammates to be on alert, and called out from a distance, "What is it?"
Xiao Lou said, "Could we speak in private for a moment?"
Gao Xiaoyi walked to the door, maintaining a safe distance from Xiao Lou: "Go ahead."
Xiao Lou lowered his voice: "We want to get a perfect score and we need your help. I wonder if you'd be interested?"
Gao Xiaoyi was slightly taken aback: "Perfect clear?"
Yu Hanjiang said, "According to the setting of this secret room, you can only pass the game perfectly by defeating the Zerg Queen."
Gao Xiaoyi's face instantly turned ashen: "Don't joke around! Do you know how powerful the Zerg Queen is? We formed a temporary alliance because we encountered her!"
Because Gao Xiaoyi spoke loudly, her teammates next to her also heard what she said.
The bespectacled physics major walked over and said, "During our escape, we saw a flying shadow. The Zerg Queen seemed to have gained the ability to fly; she flew directly from one tall building to another and instantly jumped behind us. There were also quite a few high-level Zerg around her. If it weren't for our Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell..." Card is acceptable.
The entire group was almost wiped out by teleportation.
Gao Xiaoyi said, "That's right. The Zerg Queen's abilities are terrifying. You want to destroy her? You have to know that she's not fighting alone. She has dozens of high-level Zerg under her command, as well as tens of thousands of Zerg minions. How can we possibly destroy her with just our strength?"
Xiao Lou gently advised, "Don't underestimate your abilities. No matter how powerful she is, she is still a Zerg at heart, and her fear of fire will not change. Moreover, she is only physically strong, with her climbing and jumping abilities pushed to the limit. But we have cards in hand, and we can control her."
The boy adjusted his glasses: "You have a point, but it's too risky. We can hide now and survive the last three days to clear the game. Is it really necessary to take this risk?"
Yu Hanjiang pointed out incisively: "Don't you want to achieve a perfect clear? We're only at Spade 8 now, and you don't even dare to challenge the Zerg Queen, who has obvious weaknesses. Are you going to hide again when we get to Spade J and Spade K?"
Xiao Lou chimed in, "That's right. Although a perfect clear is risky, the rewards are also great. After clearing a level with an S rating, you can draw a powerful S card, which will be helpful for future escape rooms."
Seeing that the boys' attitude was wavering, Xiao Lou continued, "We only need your help to set up traps. Leave the dangerous task of fighting the Zerg Queen head-on to us. There are too many of the Queen and the high-level Zerg. It's really difficult for the eight of us to wipe them out. When it's time to cooperate, we should cooperate to clear the game. It's better for everyone, isn't it?"
Yu Hanjiang said, "Besides, your captain Cheng Ziyang is dead. With his strength, it's impossible for him to come back from the Nightmare Secret Room in Spade 8. Your team also needs to strengthen its combat power and draw more good cards. Think about it carefully."
The two were perfectly in sync, like husband and wife, which made everyone's hearts flutter.
Gao Xiaoyi and her teammates exchanged glances.
Before she could even speak, the female captain of Luoying Pavilion suddenly said, "I'm willing to help."
The efficient-looking girl walked up to Xiao Lou with a cold expression: "We at Luoying Pavilion always strive for a perfect completion in every escape room. However, this escape room is too difficult to complete perfectly. Since you are willing to join forces, I can provide card assistance free of charge."
Xiao Lou nodded to her: "Thank you."
Xiao Lou remembers the scene of her burning her teammates to death very clearly. This female captain had an iron-fisted approach and was indeed decisive in making decisions. With such an ally joining her, Xiao Lou gained more confidence.
Currently, there is no competition between Challengers, and there's no need to fear Infected stabbing them in the back. As long as everyone is willing to join forces, with so many cards, they can naturally find the safest way to kill the Queen. It's mutually beneficial and a win-win situation.
Seeing the people from Luoying Pavilion step forward, Gao Xiaoyi gritted her teeth and said, "Okay, let's give it a try too!"
Xiao Lou glanced at the others.
Bearded Uncle from Eternal Kingdom laughed and said, "We won't get involved. We're just aiming for a normal playthrough. There's no need to take the risk of a perfect playthrough. Good luck to everyone."
This guild has always been laid-back, only doing weekly routines and not liking to challenge difficult escape rooms. Xiao Lou was also very curious as to why they suddenly came to the Spade 8 Secret Chamber, but he couldn't guess their purpose from Bearded Uncle's smiling attitude.
Xiao Lou nodded politely and didn't press them any further.
The two teams willing to join the plan to kill the queen were taken back to the temporary base by Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang.
The Distant Place Association had 10 members, Luoying Pavilion had 11 members, and Xiao Lou and his group had 8 members; the three teams combined had less than 30 people.
They were about to face a level 10 Zerg Queen, about a hundred level 9 Zerg, and countless Zerg minions!
This battle is extremely risky, but in order to pass the level perfectly, draw stronger cards, and enter more difficult escape rooms, everyone has no choice but to grit their teeth and fight.
Xiao Lou said, "If we can't win, we'll plan a retreat route to ensure we don't get wiped out."
The female captain of Luoying Pavilion nodded readily: "Okay, tell me, how should we arrange it?"
Xiao Lou smiled and took out a piece of paper, saying, "We want to turn this neighborhood into a maze of flames."