A is in StarCraft, just disembarked from the Zerg Prince spaceship.

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......

In the history of Earth's evolution, after the extinction of dinosaurs in the Cretaceous period, mammals rose to prominence, quickly filling the ecological gap left by the dinosaurs and establishing their dominant position in the current mammalian era.

However, the Cretaceous period did not only leave behind warm-blooded animals; many cold-blooded animals also survived.

Reptiles, amphibians, insects, fish.

They clearly possess more energy-efficient physiological systems with very low energy requirements, giving them a significant advantage in catastrophic environments where resources are scarce and food chains collapse.

Furthermore, cold-blooded animals have more efficient reproductive strategies, producing more offspring, faster growth rates in their young, and greater independence, thus making them more efficient at securing living space after a disaster.

These are all species that once ruled the Earth. Why did they fail to rise again and instead have their thrones usurped by mammals?

Because of the arrival of the fungal age on Earth.

6500 million years ago, a large number of plants and animals, including dinosaurs, went extinct in the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event. Fungi then appeared in large numbers, and rock strata show a thick layer of fungal and spore fossils from this era.

An asteroid impact triggered a cold snap, with a cloud of dust that blocked out the sun, causing global temperatures to drop and plants to die in large numbers due to the interruption of photosynthesis.

Fungi do not perform photosynthesis and generally prefer dark and cool environments. The harsh winter provides them with ideal survival conditions, making it their paradise.

In just twenty years, fungi have spread to almost every corner of the earth.

The high body temperature of holothermic animals acts as a natural barrier, effectively preventing fungal colonization. Even if infection occurs, it remains on the body surface and is not fatal.

In contrast, fungi are extremely deadly to cold-blooded animals; the appearance of any fungus can lead to the extinction of hundreds or thousands of cold-blooded animal species.

The proliferation of fungi has caused a huge disaster for cold-blooded animals. Fungal spores spread across the land, making cold-blooded animals more susceptible to fungal infections. Moreover, their metabolism is relatively slow, making it difficult for them to heal themselves after infection and thus impossible to get rid of them.

The fungal era, which lasted less than twenty years, wiped out almost 90 percent of the cold-blooded animals on Earth, directly killing their chance to regain dominance and preventing them from reclaiming their position in the food chain.

Mammals seized the opportunity to fill the ecological niche vacancies, ushering in the mammalian era.

Since Earth fungi have a restraining effect on cold-blooded animals, can fungi be used to restrain insects, which are also cold-blooded animals?

In particular, when the Zerg Ministry of Foreign Affairs visited Earth, they were infected with one of the most famous fungi on Earth, called Cordyceps.

After the pirates who had been inspecting the area left, the fear and trembling on the crew's faces vanished instantly.

They ran to the box filled with moss and carefully pulled out the large glass bottle from inside.

"Thank goodness, you're alright."

Major Beta checked the bottle's seal and confirmed that it was undamaged and the spore powder inside was intact.

This contains the spore powder of Cordyceps militaris.

Cordyceps is a peculiar parasitic fungus whose most famous host is insects.

The spores are carried by the wind, seeking suitable insect bodies. Once attached, they silently invade the body, feeding on the host's tissues, absorbing nutrients, and then sucking the host dry, from which mushrooms grow.

This is a terrifying force that humanity has accidentally discovered in the long history of Earth, a force capable of overthrowing cold-blooded behemoths.

Humanity may not be able to defeat the Zerg, but Earth can.

Everyone understood the consequences of their actions. The spread of the fungus took time, and so did its parasitism.

If this step is discovered, the person may be torn to pieces by the Zerg space pirates immediately.

No, that's not it either; being torn to pieces would probably be the most satisfying ending.

Given Orion's cruelty, unimaginable torture and murder may await them.

It's normal to be afraid; everyone is afraid of dying.

Like moths drawn to a flame, they still came.

The soldiers encouraged each other and got ready.

The Crown Prince has helped us so much, and we humans are grateful for his kindness.

Humans have many flaws: greed, shortsightedness, infighting... they have quite a few inherent weaknesses.

But while humanity has its flaws, it is also great. Morality, integrity, faith, sacrifice... these are all bright highlights in human history.

We can't just wait for the Zerg crown prince to save us.

It is not the savior of one person, but the result of everyone's joint efforts.

"For the future of humanity!" They placed their palms together, then separated them.

As the spaceship approached the ground, the bare, black rocky island below rapidly magnified in the field of vision.

"Prepare for landing."

The soldiers quickly adjusted their posture, their faces once again displaying the slightly fearful expression typical of simple flower farmers.

.......

The ship's onboard AI received a landing guidance signal.

The flower-decorated ship was guided to the area where the starship was docked for cargo handling.

The space pirates also exchange supplies, and they have already established a standardized process.

Upon landing, another scan was conducted to confirm that their ship contained no lethal weapons, no flammable or explosive materials, and no advanced female insects had infiltrated before the guards below moved the weapons away.

The flower boat docked in the fresh produce area.

The underground parking area is already full of starships, so they can only park in the open-air parking area.

The spaceship eventually docked at a relatively isolated berth in a corner. Around the berth were other spaceships that had also come to deliver goods, piled high with fruit and vegetable crates, hydroponic troughs, and live livestock cages.

The ground was wet, and automated forklifts and Zerg guards patrolled in the distance.

The crew began unloading the cargo.

They opened the cargo hold door and unloaded countless flower boxes from the ship.

The fragrance of flowers filled the air.

A soldier was carefully moving a box of white roses whose edges were wilting when he suddenly caught a glimpse of the shadow of a starship next to him out of the corner of his eye.

A small figure was timidly peeking from the shadows.

She was only the size of a human hand, with two pairs of almost transparent wings on her back, and a head of brilliant golden hair. She wore an adorable little dress shaped like leaves and petals.

A little elf that appears in a fairy tale.

Her image was that of a miniature little girl who probably hadn't seen flowers in a long time, staring longingly at the flower box with her big, tender green eyes.

Noticing that someone had seen her, she looked up at the somewhat wilted flowers and humans who had recently arrived: "Excuse me, do you need any help?"

She speaks the interstellar common language.

She is an intelligent species, and should also be some kind of cosmic race.

The soldier's movements stopped.

What a coincidence! He knows him.

He had stumbled upon snippets of information about this endangered race on the Zerg StarNet.

Little Leaf Elf.

The young soldier's heart raced slightly. He put down the flower box without disturbing anyone, slowly crouched down, trying to appear harmless, raised his head to look directly at the small, floating figure, and asked softly in a low voice, "Excuse me... are you the Leaf Sprite?"

Little Leaf Elf's eyes widened immediately, and she said, "Yes."

She is the little princess of the Little Leaf Elf Clan.

Back then, the planet Little Leaf Elf was almost wiped out by a garbage race. She was kidnapped. Little Leaf Elf has the superpower to cultivate plants, and she was sold to space pirates to cultivate plants.

She couldn't escape, so she had no choice but to work here.

Now this unfamiliar race knows about the Leaf Elves. Does that mean their Leaf Elf race hasn't been completely wiped out?

Did they spread outside?