Post-Apocalyptic Survival Modpack

Chapter 70: Arriving as Promised
The underground Zerg army finally stopped in an open area not far from the breeding center.

They built nests there, burrowed, collected materials, processed them, and eventually transformed the environment into a habitat suitable for the insectoid race.

The bad news is that they seem to intend to settle here and reproduce.

The good news is that they did not continue to move forward, at least not with a clear purpose, towards the territory of the ideal community.

Even macro-level observations and statistics reveal that they seem to be consciously restricting the range of their populations' activities, preventing them from crossing the boundaries of the breeding farm.

Outside the breeding center, a large number of stone-brushing machines are still operating, continuously producing stones.

And those insects... were like diners waiting for food, lining up in groups, waiting at the limited output of the stone-making machine for the endless flow of lava and water to mix and refresh the stone.

Then they dig it up and carry it back to the nest.

The insects continued to swarm in, waiting to be refreshed.

“They know that this thing was made by us, and they seem to know that this is a kind of ‘domestication’ behavior, and they are happy to be domesticated.”

Linde summarized the Zerg's behavior and reported it to Wang Ji:

"The subterranean insectoids are intelligent, and not insignificantly so; their social nature has been underestimated."

"From what I've observed, the subterranean insectoids also have some form of communication besides sound, somewhat like 'scents,' but not quite the same, containing more information."

"I don't know if you can sense it, but we are all marked in some kind of way. Just like some wild animals mark their territory with scent, these insects have also marked us. That's why we can move freely among the insect swarms without being attacked."

"I have noticed that."

Wang Ji glanced at his status bar.

[Swarm Tagging]

Duration: **:** (Infinite)

This isn't a negative buff.

If it's a negative buff, the protective amulet will be automatically removed.

"It's a good result, too."

The swarm of insects in the west has temporarily halted its advance, at least not to attack the Ideal Community's territory and threaten the people inside.

But there is also the east.

Wang Ji said, "There are also traces of insect activity at the southeast border. Lin De, you'll have to work overtime."

Linde nodded and said, "That's my duty, I'll do my best."

Next…

Wang Ji looked at the map, deep in thought.

Although the underground insectoids seem docile, there's no guarantee they won't suddenly go berserk.

Perhaps we could artificially create an isolation zone to confine the insects on one side, or even find a way to get them back underground.

As for the underground Zerg breeding institution, it can continue its duties, but the content will need to be modified.

It will transform from a loosely organized, voluntary group into a more specialized institution dedicated to researching and intervening in the subterranean insectoid race.

Let's settle on this.

Wang Ji breathed a sigh of relief, having temporarily ended his work here, which was also a routine source of phantom pain in his liver.

but…

Upon closer reflection, it is indeed quite strange. Why did these insects crawl out of the ground, and why did a large crack suddenly appear?

Wang Ji suddenly realized the root cause of the current situation.

too weird.

There has never been any mention of such an underground insectoid race in the thousands of years of recorded history of this world.

Wang Ji didn't believe that no earthquakes had occurred in the past few thousand years. There were plenty of relevant records in the library; it couldn't be that historians had conspired to fabricate them for fun.

But only this time, only this earthquake was of a global scale, directly creating a fissure that runs across the southern continent.

Weird.

It's hard to say whether the earthquake caused a large fissure, or whether the earthquake occurred because of the large fissure.

This matter needs to be investigated later.

As for now, the more pressing matter is the Empire, which is still launching reckless attacks against the underground insectoids.

We can't let them continue like this.

We must control the empire, otherwise something bad will happen again sooner or later.

Two days had passed since the negotiations in the capital.

Wang Ji convened a meeting.

"The final liquidation will begin one day later."

"Let this young but rotten empire disappear."

...

The capital city, in the conference hall.

The emperor sat on his high seat, cursing loudly without regard for his image.

"Those insects are savage and lack intelligence!"

"But that's alright, they can't breach our strong walls."

After venting his anger, the emperor asked his men, "My marshal, how is the battle going?"

A person in armor stepped forward and reported, "Several high-ranking individuals have penetrated into the heart of the insect swarm and suppressed their attack, but many small insects are still lurking nearby, threatening the safety of the capital."

"Then let them continue cleaning."

"this…"

The marshal seemed somewhat troubled.

"what happened?"

In response to the emperor's inquiry, the marshal said, "Your Majesty, those distinguished high-ranking officials disappeared after they cleared out the most powerful insects, and no one can contact them."

"what?"

The emperor had a bad feeling.

"What could this be? Has something happened?"

"These guys are unreliable, they're no good..."

"I hereby issue my order: lift military restrictions and begin recruitment unconditionally!"

"Let the people of the empire stand up, put on their armor, take up their weapons, and defend the capital against those evil insects that have invaded us!"

Are insects invading us?

Watching the emperor spouting nonsense high up, Giovanni, the scribe who hadn't spoken in a long time, couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth.

That's really bold of them; their skin is thicker than fat.

This empire is doomed.

Fortunately...

Giovanni felt relieved as he recalled the message from the Ideal Community liaison a while ago.

It's alright. Luckily, I've never really gone out much since I was a child, nor have I had much contact with outsiders, and I'm certainly not so bored as to go looking for commoners to bully and play with every day.

That's something only ignorant and incompetent naive fools would like to do, since they can't do anything else either.

Many people who do this are actually insecure.
Giovanni thought dismissively, but then a wave of fear washed over him.

Fortunately, I've never done such a thing.

The message relayed by the liaison of the ideal community clearly stated that they would not be subject to purging.

Moreover, due to the many important messages conveyed during this period, there are still many credits to be awarded.

'A new world…'

As Giovanni imagined the scenario of an ideal community, he felt a little uneasy.

What will happen after the empire disappears?
What will I do after losing my noble status, and how will I live in an ideal community?

No matter what, things will be better than they are now.

'After all, I'm a contributor to this cause...'

Just then, a figure suddenly walked into the conference hall.

Suddenly, the entire hall fell silent, including the emperor.

He glanced around and fixed his gaze on Giovanni in the corner.

Giovanni slowly raised his head and met a gaze that exuded a hint of hostility.

It was a feeling like standing on the edge of an abyss.

Gloomy, terrifying.

The aura of death spread from the soles of one's feet to the top of one's head, making one's scalp tingle, slowing the heartbeat, and making breathing difficult.

But it's just a feeling.

Death never came.

The man shifted his gaze to the emperor.

what--

Giovanni clutched his chest and took deep breaths.

That's... the second seat of the high-ranking officials. What is he planning to do? What has he discovered?

"The army of the ideal community will arrive tomorrow, and they will attack the capital."

The second seated official glanced at the emperor, then looked around at the group of astonished imperial high-ranking officials, and said:
"You can handle this yourselves. No high-ranking official will intervene."

"This is my final reminder. I've said all I have to say. Take care of yourself."

The words are astonishing.

These few words immediately threw the hall into chaos. The emperor loudly questioned the second seat, and the high-ranking officials shouted and argued in a disorderly manner, making it difficult to hear what they were discussing.

The second seat remained unresponsive, only pausing briefly as he passed Giovanni, glancing at him out of the corner of his eye.

He then left without looking back.

Giovanni clutched his chest, his forehead covered in sweat.

Am I still alive?
"No, no, we can't stay in the capital any longer..."

He was getting restless.

The Imperial Conference ended abruptly.

"It's over, it's all over, that sage is coming!"

"Why does he have to go against the Empire at this time? Who offended him?!"

Someone shouted, and they hurriedly gathered their belongings, trying to escape.

Some people were also inquiring about ways to surrender, trying to continue the old practice of "changing emperors but not noble families".

After losing the support of their superiors, no one had any will to fight anymore; they were either thinking about running away or how to surrender.

Giovanni simply scoffed at these people.

Try to escape? Do you think you can get away? The world is not what it used to be.

As for surrender?

The vast majority of people present did not have that qualification.

This group of people are not even willing to use their brains to understand the model of an ideal community; they are still dreaming of surrendering and moving to another place to continue being nobles.

It leaves one speechless with emotion.

Giovanni shook his head, returned to his residence, changed out of his gorgeous clothes and into casual clothes, and quietly left under the cover of chaos and darkness in the palace.

They did not take any valuables with them.

The community doesn't need these things; bringing them would only be a burden.

According to the plan, Giovanni shouldn't have left so early, but the second seat's eyes were intimidating today.

He simply couldn't wait any longer.

...

The night passed.

The next morning.

The army of the ideal community has arrived as scheduled.

The well-organized enchanted legion advanced slowly, pressing towards the capital.

There was no noise, only the sound of movement.

Somber and oppressive.

Wang Jifei flew in mid-air, a pair of pure white wings sprouting from his cloud-patterned robe and slowly flapping behind him.

He looked in the direction of the capital.

Above the capital, five tiny figures floated in the sky, just like him.

They made no move, simply watching silently, witnessing it all with their own eyes.

Surprisingly, he kept his promise.

Wang Ji muttered this to himself, then raised his voice and announced:

Three days have passed.

"I'm here to end this empire."

"Where are the Imperial Legions? Let me see your courage and skill. This is your last chance to show your bravery!"

At this moment, Wang Ji and the veterans leading the troops below, such as Ryder, Ian, and Martin, were all on high alert, waiting for the final battle with the Empire.

Even Morin, who serves as a support unit for the Legion's magic, tensed up, preparing to face the final counterattack from the behemoth that is the Empire.

However, after waiting for a long time, no one answered.

Wang Ji seemed somewhat puzzled.

"What about people?"

(End of this chapter)