Xiao Lou turned on the navigation system and set the destination to Zerg Planet. The screen showed that it would take another half hour to reach the destination. Looking at the shooting stars outside the porthole, Xiao Lou's mind raced, trying to come up with a plan—
Currently, both Ye Qi and Shao Qingge have used their Bug King cards. Ye Qi used his card to heal Tang Ci's legs, while Shao Qingge transformed into the Bug King during their last landing on Zerg Planet. Both cards are exclusive to the secret room and can only be used once. Now that the Bug King card abilities are on cooldown, their attempt to infiltrate Zerg Planet will be even more difficult.
The Zerg Queen harbors immense hostility towards humanity. If she were to call upon the Zerg to attack, the six of them alone would be no match for billions of Zerg. The number of Zerg on this planet far surpasses that of Spade 8. Even Lu Jiuchuan, leading a fleet to wipe out the Zerg, nearly suffered total annihilation. Their six men wouldn't even be enough to satisfy the Zerg's hunger.
The driver's cab suddenly fell silent. Noticing Xiao Lou frowning in thought, Yu Hanjiang walked over to him and asked in a low voice, "What are you thinking about?"
"Regarding Chu Huaying, I have a question..." Xiao Lou snapped out of his thoughts and turned to Yu Hanjiang, saying, " Huaying should be on Zerg Planet. That Uncle Qin must have reached some kind of agreement with the Zerg Queen. The strange thing is, as a Hunter, why didn't Uncle Qin kill Chu Huaying?"
"..." Yu Hanjiang was also puzzled when he heard this.
Xiao Lou turned to Lu Jiuchuan and said, "Ninth Brother, I remember you said before that because Hua Ying killed too many Hunters, she became the number one on the Hunter Alliance's bounty list, and the bounty for killing her would be very high, right?"
"Yes." Lu Jiuchuan shook his healed left hand, stood up and walked to Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang, and said seriously, "Actually, Hua Ying is not the kind of ruthless female demon that the outside world talks about. Most of the Hunters she killed were to cover for me. During the six months I was undercover in the Alliance, I experienced many Weekly Secret Chambers. She would go with me to the same world to help me eliminate Hunter companions who doubted my identity."
"Of course we know that. The previous [ Endless Sea ] Weekly Routine was organized by Chu Huaying, who killed the Hunters who were with you to make it easier for you and me to meet," Yu Hanjiang said in a low voice.
"Since Hua Ying is number one on Hunter's bounty list, why hasn't Uncle Qin killed her yet?" Xiao Lou asked疑惑地. "Doesn't Uncle Qin want to collect the high bounty?"
"Could it be that they're going to use Sister Ying's genes for some kind of research?" Ye Qi eagerly rushed over to join the discussion.
"The Zerg have already obtained Chu Huaying's genes and created Chu Huaying version 1.0, so they shouldn't need to continue researching her genes. If they were afraid we'd discover that Huaying's name had disappeared from the contract book, so they kept her alive to kill her after the starship crashed... but now the starship has crashed, and Huaying is still alive?" Xiao Lou was very puzzled by this.
"That is indeed strange." Yu Hanjiang frowned. After a few seconds, he thought of a possibility and guessed, "Could it be that Hunter was able to find out that we weren't dead? That's why he didn't kill Chu Huaying and wanted to use her to lure us into a trap?"
"I can check the team contract book to determine whether my teammates are alive or dead, so how does the Hunter know whether we are dead or alive?" Xiao Lou paused, then suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, and said in disbelief, "Could it be that they also have a tool that can check the status of Challengers?"
"Suppose Hunters and Challengers are opposing factions, and our goal is to clear the secret room, while the Hunters ' goal is to kill us, will the system display information like '12 Challengers survived'? Just like when we're playing a game dungeon and it shows how many bosses are left?" Ye Qi scratched his head and guessed.
"…That makes sense." Xiao Lou pondered for a moment and said, "If Uncle Qin could see the message '12 Challenger survivors,' he would know that we didn't die when the starship crashed. Therefore, he didn't rush to kill the unconscious Chu Huaying. He wanted to use Chu Huaying as bait to lure us to rescue people."
Xiao Lou looked at Yu Hanjiang, asking him with her eyes what he was planning.
The latter nodded to him and whispered, "Even if we know it's a trap, we have to jump in. First, Chu Huaying is our teammate, we can't just stand by and watch her die; she can't handle the entire Zerg planet by herself. Second, since we've confirmed that Zerg Planet has a clone lab, we have to destroy it to clear the game— Zerg Planet, we have no choice but to go."
What Yu Hanjiang said was exactly what Xiao Lou was thinking. A trap lay ahead, and if they had a choice, they would naturally choose to avoid it. But now they had no other option but to grit their teeth and force their way through.
Tang Ci calmly said, " Hua Ying's cards are mostly stamina-enhancing cards. If she wants to escape, the only one she can use is Invisibility Cloak. My concern is that if she gets drugged and loses consciousness, it will be much more difficult for us to rescue her. Besides, there are billions of Zerg on the planet. I agree to rescue Hua Ying, but we must make thorough preparations beforehand."
This planet is overrun with Zerg.
Once they land on Zerg Planet, the sensitive little bugs will quickly report the news to the Zerg Queen. Forget about finding the clone lab to rescue Chu Huaying; they might be unable to move an inch, or even be overwhelmed by the swarming bugs that arrive after hearing the news.
How can I log into Zerg Planet to minimize my losses?
Everyone fell into deep thought once again.
A moment later, Xiao Lou said, " The 30 minutes of Invisibility Cloak can be used. Back in Spade 8 Secret Chamber, we wore Invisibility Cloaks and passed through the plaza at night; the Zerg didn't spot us."
The Zerg in Chamber 8 are of the same origin as the Zerg here, so Invisibility Cloak should also be effective against them.
"But the cloak is only valid for 30 minutes. Is that enough time?" Lu Jiuchuan pressed his temples, his head aching at the thought of those crawling bugs. " Zerg Planet is so big. If we search slowly to find the clone lab, it will probably take a month."
"Brother, do you remember when we came here last time, we circled the planet and didn't find any buildings protruding from the surface? That means the clone lab isn't on the surface, but underground," Yu Hanjiang said. " More than 90% of Zerg Planet is black. Those black parts are the creep that the Zerg use for breeding, so we shouldn't need to search for them."
"That's right." Xiao Lou's eyes lit up as he looked at Yu Hanjiang and said, "Creeping provides nutrients for the Zerg's development. Creeping is to the Zerg what soil is essential for plant growth. It's impossible to dig a deep pit under creeping to build a secret laboratory. So, we just need to search for areas on the planet that are not covered with creeping."
"Then there's less than 10% of the area left, right? That'll save a lot of time." Lu Jiuchuan stroked his chin, looking at Yu Hanjiang with a complicated expression, and said, "With you and Professor Xiao around, why do I always feel like I'm not smart enough?"
"Ninth Brother, you'll get used to it! When I used to go to the heart room with Captain Yu and Professor Xiao, I even felt like I hadn't brought my brain with me!" Ye Qi chimed in earnestly.
"It's quite comfortable to just sit back and win," Shao Qingge said with a smile.
" The cloning project must be carried out in secret. If the Queen is really collaborating with the Merfolk Clan on cloning research, she wouldn't set up the lab in an area with too many Zerg. She would probably find a relatively remote place to build an underground lab." Tang Ci never joked or participated in his teammates' banter. His expression was always cold and indifferent, like a talking robot.
But what he said made a lot of sense.
"That's right, the remote place, without fungal carpet, and suitable for building a secret laboratory, is very likely the mineral vein we found back then," Xiao Lou concluded.
"Some of those mineral veins have already been mined by Space Pirate, and many mines still have large quantities of precious ore. At the time, the Zerg arrived in time, and we didn't have time to check if there were any hidden mechanisms underground." Yu Hanjiang looked at Xiao Lou. "The secret laboratory is very likely hidden beneath those mines that have already been mined."
"Six months ago, Brother Jiu led the Arrow Legion to Zerg Planet. Xiao Lou No. 5 of the Merfolk Clan happened to be passing by and reached an agreement with the Queen to jointly research the clone project. Then the Zerg began to build clone laboratories..." Xiao Lou paused, then asked doubtfully, "The Zerg shouldn't be good at building these underground structures, right?"
"Although they are conscious, they are just a group of insects living on the fungal carpet. They don't know how to use the instruments and equipment that humans need, so how could they build an underground laboratory?" Yu Hanjiang thought for a moment and said, "Could it be that the Merfolk Clan helped? The Merfolk Clan can build mazes in the ocean, and their architectural skills are no less than those of humans."
" The Merfolk Clan have lived in the ocean for a long time, so they might not be able to adapt to the climate of Zerg Planet. Moreover, the materials they use to build mermaid palaces in the ocean are mostly seashells, which is quite different from digging into the ground to build a basement," Xiao Lou said earnestly.
"..." The teammates were a little confused. Were the two of them discussing "architecture"?
"Humans are the best at digging basements," Yu Hanjiang paused, then said, "Could it be that the Space Pirates helped?"
"That Uncle Qin must have been in contact with the Zerg a long time ago, which is why he sent Hua Ying's genes to the Zerg to create a clone. But Hua Ying's starship didn't go to Zerg Planet six months ago. Uncle Qin stayed on the starship the whole time, so how could he have helped the Zerg build a laboratory?" Xiao Lou frowned and thought carefully. Suddenly, a key idea flashed through his mind, and he said in a trembling voice, "I thought of another possibility— the old captain of the Space Pirate team might not be dead!"
"…The old captain?!" Upon hearing this, Ye Qi's eyes widened. "He fused with Zerg genes back then, and was captured by General Lin and taken back to Capital Star 20 years ago. Noahs Ark Project extracted his gene fragments…Right, there doesn't seem to be any record mentioning his fate!"
"Yes, the information we found from Merfolk Clan only says that scientists extracted his genes and discovered gene fragments that were different from those of humans. After research, they fused this gene into the cloned cells. But these documents never specified what happened to the old captain in the end."
Xiao Lou paused, then looked at Ye Qi: "Moreover, what you just said is very important—he was taken back by General Lin."
"So, it's possible that he was also taken away by General Lin?" Yu Hanjiang thought carefully and said, " When General Lin fled, he took his daughter and all the data on the Noahs Ark Project with him... If the old captain was still alive at the time, General Lin could indeed have taken him with him."
"Because he has Zerg genes in his body, therefore, Egret" "He didn't die when the starship crashed into the sea?" Shao Qingge narrowed his eyes slightly, finally realizing the reasoning behind Xiao Lou's speculation. "If that's the case, then the old captain not only knew the exact location of Zerg Planet, but also the cloning plan, and ultimately encountered the Merfolk Clan in the deep sea?"
"I've always been puzzled as to why Merfolk Clan would suddenly upgrade and modify the clone. They're not familiar with the genes of humans or Zerg, and even if they get the data, they might not be able to conduct experiments. But if the old captain is still alive, and he joins forces with Elder Karen of Merfolk Clan, they could indeed help Merfolk Clan develop clone version 2.0," Tang Ci said calmly.
"Back then, clones had just come out of the petri dish, and their intelligence was like that of infants."
Even if Elder Karen of the Merfolk Clan rescued them, it would be difficult to extract much information from them. The old captain, however, was an adult and knew a great deal. He had survived the deep sea and, together with Elder Karen, created the tailed clone 2.0. Then he took the mermaid prince Xiao Lou to visit Zerg Planet. He was an old friend of the Queen, and with him intervening, she was more likely to agree." Ye Qi continued his reasoning along the lines of the others. He realized that adding this crucial clue would make everything much more logical.
How did the prince of the Merfolk Clan in the deep sea suddenly visit Zerg Planet and rescue Lu Jiuchuan and Tang Ci along the way?
Clearly, there is a "middleman" guiding the Little Mermaid Prince.
This person was none other than the Space Pirate captain who had lived on Zerg Planet for several years!
"After the Queen agreed, the Captain stayed on Zerg Planet to assist her in continuing to build the clone laboratory. He also contacted his old subordinate, Uncle Qin from the Dark Night Starship, and had Uncle Qin steal Chu Huaying's genes?" Lu Jiuchuan finally figured out the logic. He frowned and said, "It seems that there is more than one boss in this instance. The old Captain, whom we overlooked, is the key!"
The mysterious captain has been secretly pushing forward the Noahs Ark Project.
He collaborated with Merfolk Clan in the deep sea to create clone 2.0, saving Lu Jiuchuan and Tang Ci. He also instructed his old subordinates to steal Chu Huaying's genes and replicate Chu Huaying on Zerg Planet...
Perhaps, he is also a Hunter?