Hearing the manâs final question, the Mother Empress Avatar was stunned for a moment. After a brief hesitation, it replied:
"Yes."
"Every Cosmic Life is not only incredibly powerful, but also unique."
"Take us, for example. Only one Tier Four Mother Empress will ever be born. She will command all her Tier Three counterparts. And those failures, unable to gather the necessary genes for advancement, will be trapped at Tier Three forever."
"There are no exceptions to this..."
"Not until... the Tier Four dies, or ascends to an even higher level, creating a vacancy in the speciesâ ecological niche. Only then will others of her kind have a chance."
Lin Feng took a deep breath. âAccording to this logic, it means there can only be one Tier Four being among humans, and he would be the undisputed King of Humanity.â
âThe strongest on Blue Star.â
The Mother Empress before him seemed to have read his mind and replied with a smile:
"Donât get ahead of yourself..."
"Tier Four is far too distant for you humans. Even though youâve already stepped into the Tier Three Late Stage, itâs still completely impossible."
Lin Fengâs brow furrowed slightly.
"Is it because there are no other peers of the same tier, making it impossible to collect the necessary energy and genes for advancement?"
The Mother Empress nodded, then shook its head.
"Over one thousand Tier Three peers and more than 50% of the genetic sequenceâand those are just the basic requirements for advancement."
"For a race that has never produced a Tier Four Cosmic Life, you would also need to spend a vast amount of time on research to enhance your genetic potential."
"You would have to conduct countless experiments until you evolve a body of steel capable of handling higher energy densities..."
"And that last part is often the key to reaching Tier Four."
"Unfortunately, this isnât something a single individual can accomplish. Besides, you humans have simply run out of time."
"But rest assured, once this empress successfully enters Tier Four, I will permit you to lead a group of humans to become my vassals. You will follow me in my conquest of the stars, and I will leave a sanctuary for you on this Blue Star."
Lin Feng shrugged.
He dismissed the Mother Empressâs final words.
âIt might be impossible for humanity, but not necessarily for me, who has the Upgrade System.â
âWhen the time comes, I just need to complete the upgrade requirements listed before me, one by one.â
With his final question answered, Lin Feng prepared to leave.
"Thanks. Have two hundred Tiger Spine Zergs ready in the outskirts by noon tomorrow. After Iâve killed them, Iâll return to the Wu City defense line to help you hold back the advance of that Tier Three Mid-stage Mother Empress."
The Mother Empress Avatar shook its head.
"Fifty first. In three days, another fifty. I only need you to hold out for ten days."
"Paying in installments is better for both of us."
Lin Feng glanced at the lv. 25 Armor-Piercing Magnetic Cannon in his hand, nodded, and lowered the muzzle. Just before leaving, he suddenly asked,
"You were able to cross a Star Realm to get here. There must be other Tier Four beings in your race, right?"
The Mother Empress didnât answer. A stiff smile, uglier than a grimace, formed on its face.
Lin Feng clicked his tongue and shrugged. Then, before the Mother Empress could react, he turned to the side, raised his cannon, and fired.
BANG!
The Mother Empress Avatar before him exploded from the middle.
Lin Feng walked over to the remaining upper torso and head, looked down at the avatar that was coughing up blood incessantly, and said coolly,
"Consider this interest on your installment plan."
"And remember, never threaten me."
The mutated parasitic host, controlled by the Mother Empress, struggled briefly before nodding and dying completely.
A kill notification immediately appeared before Lin Fengâs eyes:
[Successfully killed one mutated parasitic host. Gained Upgrade Points +1 and bonus Spiritual Energy, which can be used for the next synchronous upgrade to be converted into Spiritual Attribute +50.]
âDamn, so this is what happens when itâs directly infused with the Mother Empressâs spirit and completely controlled. Itâs totally different.â
âIt gives twenty more points to my Spiritual Attribute than the host that had parasitized Cheng Zhan.â
It was possible that by killing it, Lin Feng had also damaged the Mother Empressâs Spiritual Energy, thus gaining the extra bonus.
In fact, as soon as the parasitic host had appeared, Lin Fengâs plan had shifted from destroying this bizarre settlement to killing the parasitic host before him.
Killing a parasitic host would grant him bonus Spiritual Energy, allowing his Spiritual Value to break its limit again.
That was far more appealing than destroying the settlement.
Besides, they were currently partners. Lin Feng could kill one of her Tier Two Zerg Race, but he couldnât destroy the Mother Empressâs research project.
These were two different matters.
Tier Two Zerg Race could always be hatched, but a human settlement like this was not so easily re-established.
Having achieved his goal and confirming that the mutated corpse had no valuable materials to collect, Lin Feng got up and left.
Lin Feng wasnât worried that the Jia City Mother Empress would go back on her word. As long as the human settlement was still here, he could use it as leverage to make her honor their agreement.
Besides, for the next ten days, the initiative was in his hands. The Hai City Mother Empress was not going to be easy to deal with.
He quickly returned to the city outskirts.
A few minutes later, Lin Feng saw the Land Patrol Battleship speeding toward him in the distance. He was standing on the roof of a seven-story building. As Chen Yanyan piloted the Battleship closer, he leaped up. From a height of thirty meters, he flapped his Flying Tiger Armorâs Membrane Wings and landed lightly on the vessel.
Back in the cockpit, Chen Yanyan set the Battleship on a return course. She walked over to Lin Feng and waited for him to retract the Battle Armor that enveloped his body before asking,
"How did it go? Was it a success? Did you find any trace of the Tier Two Tiger Spine Zerg?"
Lin Feng shook his head.
"I didnât find the Tiger Spine Zergs, but I did run into a survivor settlement in Jia City Center."
Chen Yanyan took the clothes Lin Feng had shed, her expression surprised as she asked for confirmation,