That crystal was not an external attachment, but seemed to grow from within its body, perfectly merging with its skin, muscles, and bones to form an indestructible layer of natural armor.
Under the lights, the crystal refracted a brilliant radiance, like a divine beast stepping out of mythology.
A thick, solitary horn grew from the Blue Whale's forehead.
That horn was likewise composed of pure crystal, with spiral patterns coiling from the base to the tip, emitting a faint fluorescence.
Eight thick pipes connected this massive cultivation vessel, with the other ends leading to complex machinery operating in the distance.
At the center of the machinery was a massive, pulsating heart.
It was no ordinary heart.
What it pumped was not blood, but a certain life essence refined from within the Blue Whale's body.
That essence was continuously transported through the pipes into the cultivation vessel, sustaining the life of this crystalline behemoth.
But this required a massive amount of nutrient solution to support.
That nutrient solution was purchased from the Main God System using countless Points.
It had nearly drained the entire savings of every survivor in the Island Nation.
The Island Nation had even abandoned development in the trading channel and given up the chance to compete with other Factions, pouring all resources into this mad experiment.
All for the sake of creating their own SSS-Rank Hunter.
To let the Island Nation rise again.
And even—
Dominate the world.
At the other end of the experimental site, inside a dark cubicle.
On a cold metal throne sat a man covered in instruments.
His eyes were tightly shut, his face pale, and his breathing weak; the vitality radiating from his body was failing at a Speed visible to the naked eye.
But that failing life force was not dissipating; instead, it was being transferred through those dense clusters of tubes.
The target of the transfer was precisely that crystalline Blue Whale in the cultivation vessel.
It seemed he intended to abandon his fragile human body and be reborn using this behemoth—which fused crystalline defense with the Blue Whale's physique—as a vessel.
To become a Hunter possessing human consciousness and a beast's physique, becoming the true top of the food chain!
On the instruments, the curves of his vital signs pulsed slowly.
The transfer was still continuing.
Once the life aura of this body completely vanished, then that crystalline Blue Whale would also awaken...
...
A distance of several hundred kilometers was but a matter of minutes for the Alien Queen.
Supersonic flight tore through the sky, leaving a white wake that lingered for a long time.
When that massive figure that blotted out the sun appeared above the Sports Center, the patrollers below hadn't even had time to react.
They were still holding their respective posts, their eyes habitually staring at the distant horizon, alert for the tide of zombies that could appear at any moment.
"Eh, why did the sky turn dark?"
A scout picked up a water cup and was about to take a sip, but the sudden shadow made him involuntarily look up; then, the cup in his hand slipped and fell.
Seeing this, a nearby staff member looked puzzled; following the other's gaze, he looked up and then froze as well.
Many people had already noticed that colossal object high in the sky, but they seemed frozen, as if their throats were being strangled, making no movement and no scream.
Until—
A terrifying aura, violent enough to be suffocating, crashed down from the sky like a physical shockwave!
That was the Alien Queen's unreserved release of her aura.
The seventy-meter-plus colossal creature hovered a thousand meters in the air, its azure Exoskeleton glinting with a cold metallic luster in the sunlight.
Those dark gold vertical pupils looked down at the crowded survivor base below as if looking down at ants.
Everyone, at the same moment, felt their hearts shudder violently!
It was a fear stemming from biological instinct, the uncontrollable trembling of a creature at the bottom of the food chain when facing a top predator.
Those humans who hadn't noticed all looked up in unison.
Then, they saw a scene they would never forget for the rest of their lives—
In the sky, a behemoth so massive it blotted out the sun was quietly suspended there.
Its hundred-meter wingspan almost covered half the sky, casting a massive shadow on the ground.
That hideous silhouette, that cold gaze, and that innate aura of destruction made everyone who saw it feel what true despair was.
"Enemy attack—!!!"
The heart-wrenching cry of a patrol member broke the dead silence.
In the next second, piercing alarms exploded throughout the Sports Center!
The already deployed defensive lines instantly went into operation.
Anti-aircraft gun muzzles turned rapidly, anti-aircraft missile launchers began preheating, and even those remaining heavy weapons originally used to deal with zombies were now all aimed at the colossal creature in the sky.
"Fire! Fire!!!"
The moment the order was given, countless tongues of fire erupted simultaneously!
Dong dong dong dong dong—!
Anti-aircraft shells poured out like a rainstorm, drawing dense ballistic trajectories in the sky!
Swoosh swoosh swoosh—!
Anti-aircraft missiles, trailing long plumes of fire, soared into the air from various launch Points like moths to a flame, darting toward that massive figure!
Even those heavy sniper rifles and anti-materiel rifles originally used for breaching were now all aimed at the sky, frantically pouring out firepower!
The sky above the entire Sports Center was instantly swallowed by a blanket of fire!
And that petite figure was currently standing atop the Alien Queen's crest.
Lilith looked at the weapons firing frantically below and the bullets and missiles flying toward her, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly.
She did not have the Alien Queen dodge.
Nor did she have the Alien Queen descend.
She lightly tapped her toes, her petite body floating up from the Alien Queen's crest, her dragon wings instantly unfolding as she came to the front of the Alien Queen.
She hovered there, dragon wings flapping slightly, her crimson vertical pupils calmly watching the rapidly approaching death.
She wanted to see—
With her current strength, how much damage could human thermal weapons still cause her?
The first missile arrived first.
Boom—!!!
A massive fireball exploded in front of Lilith, and the violent shockwave, carrying glowing metal fragments, instantly swallowed her petite figure!
Immediately after came the second, the third, the tenth!
Dense clusters of missiles exploded one after another, completely turning that patch of sky into a sea of fire!
Anti-aircraft shells poured in like rain, bursting into countless gorgeous flowers of flame within that sea of fire!
All firepower was concentrated on that petite figure and the colossal entity behind her, venting mercilessly!
The people below had no idea if the creatures swallowed by the fire were still alive.
They only knew they could not stop.
They had to exhaust all firepower to gain that tiny, illusory sense of security.