Lilith hovered in the air, not even sparing it a glance.
Her gaze fell upon her own hand.
There, she held a crystal fragment she had just casually plucked from the Crystal Blue Whale's forehead.
The crystal was about the size of a palm, crystal clear, and emitted a faint fluorescence under the sunlight.
Most peculiar of all, it seemed to have no weight, hovering in the air and drifting along with the movement of Lilith's palm.
Lilith narrowed her eyes slightly.
This material was very similar to Plaustrite from Genshin Impact, capable of hovering automatically without falling, yet possessing the hardness and texture of a diamond.
It seemed the Crystal Blue Whale's defense was indeed very strong.
It had surpassed at least a hundred points.
In this world, during this time period, only SSS-Rank Hunters could break through a hundred in their attributes.
In terms of attributes alone, the opponent was indeed comparable to an SSS-Rank.
However...
She opened her small mouth and swallowed the crystal fragment into her stomach.
Closing her eyes, she felt it carefully.
The [Gene Dominator] talent operated frantically, decomposing, absorbing, and analyzing...
But there was no feedback.
No Gene Fragments were added, and there were no system prompts.
Lilith opened her eyes, a flash of realization crossing her scarlet vertical pupils.
"It seems,"
she said softly, her voice childish yet hair-raising.
"only by eating you can I obtain feedback."
Sato's pupils constricted violently!
It stared fixedly at the petite figure, its eyes filled with disbelief.
Eat it?
With its massive body over sixty meters long, how could she eat...
Just as the thought occurred, it saw it.
Red mist.
Dense, blood-red mist surged frantically from Lilith's petite body!
The mist churned and expanded, instantly swallowing her whole!
The sound of bones popping erupted from the red mist, crisp and dense, as if countless bones were breaking and restructuring at the same time!
The red mist grew larger and thicker, gradually outlining the silhouette of a behemoth!
A few seconds later—
The red mist dissipated.
A silver-white giant beast appeared in everyone's sight.
Fifty-six meters long with a seventy-two-meter wingspan, its hideous body was covered in a silver-white Exoskeleton, featuring four scarlet vertical pupils, as well as claws and a Bone Tail capable of tearing through anything.
Lilith — Tyrant Form.
An indescribable, terrifying pressure swept through the area like a physical tide!
That was an SSS-Rank Hunter.
The true pinnacle of the Slaughtering Path.
The absolute overlord standing at the very top of the food chain.
Sato's mind went blank.
Just moments ago, it thought that once it grew up, it wouldn't fear an SSS-Rank Hunter.
But now, when a true SSS-Rank stood before it, it finally understood—
The gap was not something that growth could ever bridge.
It was a natural chasm.
An unbridgeable divide.
Lilith moved her massive body and landed on the ground, walking step by step toward the Crystal Blue Whale.
Her four scarlet vertical pupils looked down at the giant beast, which was pinned down and unable to move.
Then—
She opened her massive, tooth-filled maw and bit down hard!
"Crunch—!"
A crisp sound of shattering!
The Crystal Blue Whale's proud crystal defense shattered like fragile glass before Lilith's sharp teeth!
Blood sprayed!
Lilith tore and bit in large mouthfuls, devouring Sato's body piece by piece!
No matter how much power or how many skills it possessed, they were useless under the suppression of the Alien Queen and the Flesh and Blood Corpse King.
It struggled and roared frantically, but could only watch helplessly as its body was torn apart and devoured bit by bit.
"No... No—!!"
Sato was afraid.
It was finally afraid.
It begged, it pleaded for mercy, using every means possible to try and make Lilith stop.
But Lilith ignored it completely.
She simply continued to tear and devour, from head to tail, bit by bit, consuming Sato's entire sixty-meter-long body into her stomach.
The last piece of flesh entered her stomach.
Lilith closed her eyes, feeling the surging torrent of genes within her.
A notification sound rang in her mind.
[Devoured Blue Whale, obtained Blue Whale Gene. Current Blue Whale Gene progress: 100%]
[Detected unknown energy residue, analyzing...]
[Analysis complete.]
[Blue Whale Gene has mutated, evolving into — Mutated Blue Whale Gene.]
[Unknown changes will occur after fusing the Mutated Blue Whale Gene. Proceed with fusion?]
Lilith opened her eyes, a flash of satisfaction gleaming in her four scarlet vertical pupils.
Mutated Blue Whale.
It was exactly as she had expected.
However...
"No."
She spoke indifferently, refusing the fusion.
Now was not the time.
Megalodon gene, Mosasaurus gene, Blue Whale Gene.
Only by integrating all three into her body simultaneously and then completing an evolution could she maximize the advantages of these genes.
At that time, her size, her strength, and all her attributes would undergo a qualitative leap.
She turned around and looked at the distant sky dyed red with blood.
"Since the Blue Whale Gene collection is complete,"
she said softly,
"it's time to head back."
But she didn't leave immediately.
She walked to the Alien Queen's side and conducted a brief Spirit exchange with it.
The Alien Queen understood its master's intent.
It slowly raised its tail and laid a special, faintly fluorescent Xenomorph Embryo.
That embryo was completely different from a normal Xenomorph Egg; it was larger, had a stronger aura, and its surface was flowing with dark gold patterns.
Lilith took the embryo and walked to the Flesh and Blood Corpse King.
The Flesh and Blood Corpse King lay prostrate on the ground, its massive body trembling, its dark purple eyes filled with multiple pupils showing only awe and submission.
Lilith placed the embryo in front of it.
Then, she gave the command.
Devour it.
The Flesh and Blood Corpse King did not hesitate for a second.
It opened its massive maw and swallowed the special Xenomorph Embryo in one gulp.
Lilith nodded with satisfaction.
Under Lilith's suppression, the embryo would not hatch too quickly within the Flesh and Blood Corpse King's body.
It would slowly fuse with the Flesh and Blood Corpse King, remodeling its body and raising its upper limit.
When the day of its true hatching arrived—
this Flesh and Blood Corpse King would become the Alien Queen's Guard.
Its strength would be comparable to a true SSS-Rank Hunter.
Lilith took one last look at the behemoth fusing with the embryo, then turned around, her body transforming back into a human. She donned her Gothic military uniform, stepped into her combat boots, and leaped onto the Alien Queen's head.
"Let's go."
The dragon wings flapped.
Person and beast soared into the air, disappearing into the distant horizon.
Behind them, on the ruins of the Sports Center, only the prostrate Flesh and Blood Corpse King remained, slowly fusing with the Xenomorph Embryo.
Around it, countless Flesh Zombies were gathering.
They would become the best nourishment to nurture this newborn Guard, waiting for the day it would emerge from its cocoon.
And that day—
would not be far off.
...