The attacks of Zhou were like a devastating storm, sweeping away everything in their path. Having learned from the last encounter, the newly spawned Zerg had evolved once again.
No longer were they aimlessly killing everyone they saw like last time. Under the command of the Fat Worm, they prioritized military targets, communication bases, and spaceports as their primary objectives. They had let too many humans escape previously; now, with the planet’s human resources running scarce, they couldn’t afford to squander them.
“Lin Xiaohe, Lin Xiaohe, Lin Xiaohe…”
While killing, all the Zerg scoured the entire planet looking for Lin Xiaohe.
As a military planet, Gonggong Star bore the brunt of the Zerg infestation. The commander of the 53rd Division, while directing the fight against the bugs, also had to spare attention to monitor the movements of the Anidam Cult.
“Reporting, sir! They’ve all retreated to the border between the Fourth and Fifth Star Rings.”
The commander’s eyes darkened. So this was what they meant by “just you wait,” was it? From this, it was clear that the operation targeting Lin Xiaohe had been a long time in the making.
“Born from the same root, why torment each other so mercilessly?”
He truly couldn’t fathom Marshal Chu’s thinking. Compared to the suddenly appearing Anidam and these Zerg, wasn’t Lin Xiaohe far more trustworthy?
Soon, he had no time to ponder such things. The Zerg’s offensive grew increasingly fierce.
The wormhole expanded larger and larger.
The human ground forces’ defense lines were compressed at an alarming rate. They crossed the grand canyon and fell back toward that mysterious Stardust Mutant Plant zone.
The Gonggong Star Ground Command Center requested instructions: “Should we advance deeper into the mutant plant zone?”
This was the observation post where Lin Xiaohe had once stayed.
Over the years, the Federation had undergone earth-shaking changes, but this anomalous plant zone hadn’t changed a single bit—it hadn’t expanded, hadn’t been devoured by the Zerg; everything seemed perfectly normal.
But that very normality was the most abnormal thing of all.
The 53rd Division commander hesitated for a long while before finally deciding: “No deep penetration. Maintain a safe distance.”
“Yes, sir!”
The Fifth Star Ring was consumed by flames of war, with lamentations and suffering everywhere.
Lin Xiaohe frowned in discomfort. She wanted to turn over but found her body unbearably heavy.
Her limbs felt like they had turned to stone, incredibly difficult to lift.
Wake up! Wake up, quickly!
The constant self-suggestion urged Lin Xiaohe to open her eyes.
But she couldn’t locate the organ that was her eyes. The pressing need forced her to seek another path.
It was like piercing through a layer of window paper—Lin Xiaohe’s consciousness broke through the hazy fog and finally found a path to navigate.
Her consciousness was split into three parts. One part split into countless fine threads, sensing the pressure of the soil and the earthy smell.
Another part seemed to have entered a mass of liquid, where searing heat and biting cold interwove. The liquid gradually solidified, and along with it, this portion of her consciousness also slowed down.
The final part of her consciousness, along with Little Black, entered the Fourth Dimension Sanctuary.
Being able to return to the Fourth Dimension let Lin Xiaohe heave a massive sigh of relief.
But the very next second, her heart clenched, and a shrill alarm blared in her mind.
“Found you…”
It was Zhou’s voice!
It had successfully pinpointed Lin Xiaohe’s location through the Fourth Dimension!
Lin Xiaohe hastily withdrew from the Sanctuary.
Without yet understanding her own condition, she wasn’t fit to duel with Zhou.
Using the third part of her consciousness, Lin Xiaohe observed her body from outside.
And what she saw left her utterly speechless.
It was less a human form and more like a large, round ball.
At the very core was a churning pool of magma, with the [Source Body] bobbing up and down within it.
What caused the [Source Body] to rise and fall were two intersecting streams of white rules. They coiled around each other, spun, and twisted the surrounding spacetime.
Outside the magma lay layer upon layer of various metallic minerals—red, white, black, blue, purple…
And these minerals were all wrapped in a dense mesh of plant roots.
Lin Xiaohe was at a loss for words.
Was she going to be completely stripped of her humanity?
Aside from her life origin, it seemed her body no longer had any concept of being human.
No, wait—there was still a tiny bit of human genetic material left, but it just didn’t hold a dominant position.
Even though Lin Xiaohe no longer had teeth, she still felt a phantom toothache.
With a body like this, she didn’t even know how to control it!
“Where’s the head? Give me a shout if you can hear me?”
No response whatsoever.
Lin Xiaohe was starting to panic.
On the surface, her body seemed incredibly impressive—she had Stardust Mutant Plant genes, Zerg genes, the genetic matrix of the Boulder Clan, a strand of Dao rhyme, and the life origin reset by the Divine Venerable.
Any one of these elements, taken individually, would be an extraordinary existence.
But the problem was, all these heavy hitters were each fighting their own battles inside her body.
This had caused her body to collapse into a scattered mess, her body and mind separated like a pile of disassembled building blocks. Forget combat ability—even taking a stable form was a struggle!
Lin Xiaohe stared at the sight before her, deeply troubled.
Wasn’t this like having a mountain of gold right in front of you, but with a great river in between, no bridge, and no way to cross?!
It was absolutely maddening.
“Finally here. Here’s what I owe you. We’re even now.”
A familiar voice suddenly echoed from the dull, deep underground.
As the words faded, the human ground forces on Gonggong Star watched in horror as the plants in the mutant zone began to wither on a massive scale!
It was as if something had sucked the energy right out of them—not a single plant was spared.
Deep beneath the ground, invisible to the human armies, the roots of these mutant plants were tightly coiled around a single seed.
If anyone could see the flow of energy, they would have witnessed the mutant plants’ power channeling through the roots and into the seed.
That energy roused the seed from its deep slumber.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The moment the seed took its very first breath, it received the hereditary will passed down from its mother.
Find her! Help her!
It was born for her.
Two tiny sprouts emerged from the top of the seed, their tender leaves as hard as metal and possessing incredible strength.
Like miniature propellers, the two little leaves broke through the soil, digging a tunnel toward that very person.
Scritch-scratch, scritch-scratch.
Lin Xiaohe watched helplessly as this tiny seed resolutely made its way toward her.
The consciousness attached to the outermost plant roots hesitated for a moment before making way for the little seed.
Lin Xiaohe wanted to see what it intended to do.
It carried a familiar aura, one that made her feel a deep sense of kinship, reminding her of the Lotus Tree.
The little seed burrowed and burrowed, plunging straight into the magma.
It found the [Source Body], easily pierced through its indestructible shell, and stuffed its entire body inside, leaving only two tiny leaves exposed.
Through the [Source Body], the seed frantically absorbed the surrounding magma, sprouting noodle-like roots that expanded infinitely.
The white roots split into four main strands, gathering and condensing all the previously warring materials—along with Lin Xiaohe’s consciousness attached to them—into one cohesive whole.
Finally, a rough humanoid form with a head and four limbs began to take shape.
When all the energy inside the seed was finally exhausted, Lin Xiaohe felt a powerful suction pull her third stream of consciousness, which had been floating in the air, into the seed.
Boom!
After a dizzying whirl, Lin Xiaohe was back!
Surges of abundant energy filled every single cell of her body, making her want to throw her head back and roar to the heavens.
What thrilled her even more was that she could finally reconnect with her companions, who had been out of touch.
“Xinbao!”
“Here!” After being refined, Xinbao had become its complete form, with plump ears of wheat standing tall and full of fighting spirit.
“Doudou!”
“Here!” Doudou’s beans gleamed with a metallic sheen, their surfaces covered in a fine, dense layer of crystalline spikes.
“Fanfan, Xiaohong, Xiaohei, Tiantian, Pugongying (Dandelion)!”
“Here!”
Looking at her strong and well-equipped little companions, Lin Xiaohe stood with her hands on her hips and laughed heartily.
Zhou, you just wait for me!
