Two months had passed, so their territory should have expanded two hundred kilometers inland by now.
They might only be a dozen or so kilometers from Jin City.
They might have even reached the edge of the North District.
Liu Yueqi thought for a moment.
"I’ve run into some Black Spine Zerg patrols in the suburban area of the Celestial Great Wall, about ten kilometers to the north."
"There’s a lake over there, I think. A lot of Swarms have taken root in that area."
"But they don’t seem to be from the same Zerg Race. I’ve sometimes seen two groups of Black Spine Zergs fighting each other. That’s actually how I managed to scavenge some things..."
Lin Feng’s eyes narrowed.
In the northern tributary system of the Great River, there were two large lakes: Gaoyou Lake and Jin Lake. Their areas were about one-fourth and one-third the size of Taihu Lake, respectively.
Although their biomass resources, like fisheries, weren’t as abundant as Taihu Lake’s, it was enough for a Zerg Race Mother Empress to advance to the Tier Three Middle Stage.
And this was something Lin Feng couldn’t preemptively stop or intervene in. After all, just dealing with the Hai City Mother Empress was already taking all his effort; he simply didn’t have the extra energy to fight a war on three fronts.
So, after winning the decisive battle in Wu City, even if they successfully defeated the Hai City Mother Empress, they would have to retreat to Jin City first. This was to avoid being pincered by another Tier Three Mid-stage Mother Empress leading the Zerg Race from the north.
But they couldn’t stay in Jin City for long, either.
Jiangnan Province had numerous water systems and abundant biomass resources. At least three or four Tier Three Mid-stage Mother Empresses would emerge.
Against such a lineup, Lin Feng alone, even with the Zerg Race mole Ling Yi, would be unable to compete.
The three leaps within Tier Three—from Early Stage to Middle Stage, and then to Late Stage—each represented an exponential increase in power.
After Lin Feng killed a Mother Empress and entered the Tier Three Early Stage, his various Attributes at Lv. 30 were just over one thousand. However, a Tier Three Middle Stage entity, even at just Lv. 24, would have Attributes of at least four thousand, or even close to five thousand.
With a four-fold difference between them, it would be difficult for Lin Feng to contend with one, even with three pieces of Golden Quality equipment.
Therefore, after the Battle of Wu City concluded, his Warriors and Support Soldiers could rest for a while. But Lin Feng himself, along with the Tier Two Corps, had to immediately head to the northern part of Jiangnan Province. They needed to investigate whether the High-tier Mother Empress there had entered the Tier Three Middle Stage. If not, they had to kill it preemptively to eliminate the future threat!
At that time, Liu Yueqi would become the second candidate to enter Tier Three and a powerful rival to Shen Jie.
This was one of the reasons Lin Feng wanted to recruit her.
He would use Liu Yi to stabilize the Tier Two Corps internally, then rely on Liu Yueqi and Shen Jie to counterbalance each other, creating a balance of top-tier combat power.
This would prevent a situation where, if Lin Feng was away on a mission, Shen Jie might lose control with no one to stop him.
"Alright. After the Battle of Wu City is over, we’ll take a trip north to cut down their Zerg Race numbers and halt their expansion."
Lin Feng said calmly as he drove across the river bridge and into downtown Jin City.
"Do you want to rest at the base for a bit, or come with me to the biological research institute? They’re performing the surgical modifications for the Genetic Warriors there."
Leaning against the window, Liu Yueqi looked puzzled.
"What are Genetic Warriors? Some kind of Federation biological project?"
Lin Feng explained the whole story, and Liu Yueqi’s interest was immediately piqued.
"So, does that mean I can undergo this surgery too and become a powerful Genetic Warrior?"
Lin Feng shook his head and went on to describe the pros and cons of being a Genetic Warrior. He emphasized the terrible side effects, the damage to the human body, and the impact on one’s sanity.
It was especially unsuitable for women, who wouldn’t want to become bald, armor-plated Zerg People monsters...
A slight chill appeared in Liu Yueqi’s eyes, especially when Lin Feng mentioned Zhang Liying’s condition.
"Never mind then. If the defects are so severe, why throw a large number of Tier Two Awakeners into it?"
In her view, Tier Two Awakeners were all Superman-like beings capable of dominating a region. Before Lin Feng’s arrival, a single one of them could have swept through all of Jin City.
But now, Lin Feng was planning to turn these seventy-plus Tier Two Awakeners into half-human, half-Zerg monsters to fight the Zerg Race invasion.
’Isn’t that a bit of a waste of talent?’
Lin Feng shook his head again, his tone low.
"No, they all volunteered. Although becoming a Genetic Warrior shortens their lifespan and will cause numerous long-term complications, in the present, their power will increase exponentially. It will be enough to achieve Tier-Jumping challenges!"
"Especially when facing the new Tier Two Zerg Race, ordinary human Tier Two Awakeners are simply no match."
"But a fully equipped Genetic Warrior can handle several Tier Two Zerg Race members at once, and their survival rate on the battlefield will also increase dramatically."
"So even though I made it voluntary, nearly half the members of the Tier Two Corps still chose to become powerful Genetic Warriors to guarantee their immediate survival."
Liu Yueqi asked in astonishment,
"Half? You mean you have more than one hundred and fifty Tier Two Awakeners under your command!?"
Lin Feng smiled.
"Of course. Otherwise, what would I use to defend Wu City and fight the final, decisive battle?"
Liu Yueqi sucked in a sharp breath, the shock on her face gradually turning to determination.
"Let’s go. I want to see just how powerful a Tier Two Genetic Warrior can be!"
Lin Feng immediately turned the steering wheel and drove west.
After more than half an hour of winding roads, they finally arrived at the Old Mountain Biological Research Institute under the glow of the setting sun.
Lin Feng led the young woman into the laboratory building.
With Ling Yi overseeing them, the afternoon’s surgeries had progressed much faster, finishing a round ahead of schedule. They were already implanting the Genetic Glands into the seventh batch of subjects.
Only two Battle Group Leaders at Tier Two Late Stage Perfection were left.