OBS Chapter 297 The Existence of the Swarm Queen
Chapter 297 The Existence of the Swarm Queen
Chapter 297 The Existence of the Swarm Queen
Her emerald eyes looked at Leon, then swept over Olivia, Helena, and Ludick, before she said, "I will return to Lelita with you. It is both to fight the End together and to complete my unfinished studies."
Li Ang nodded, not surprised by Maya's decision: "Okay, then let's go straight back to Lelita."
After confirming the route, he continued, "The information I just received was quite extensive and disorganized. I need some time to meditate and sort out the clues. Everyone should take this opportunity to rest and recharge."
After saying that, Li Ang turned and walked to his room on the second floor. He closed the door to block out the outside noise, sat cross-legged on the bed, and quickly entered a deep meditative state.
The heightened concentration and detachment of perception brought about by meditation allowed him to examine the deluge of information he received from Galakrond, the Star Dragon, more calmly and clearly.
Like an archaeologist, he sifted through the sands of the mind, piecing together, connecting, and analyzing the scattered fragments of history.
Time passed quietly. After an unknown amount of time, Li Ang slowly opened his eyes. A hint of understanding flashed in his deep eyes, followed by an even deeper sense of solemnity.
He pushed open the door and walked out of the room, only to find everyone gathered in the living room, seemingly waiting for him. Helena and Ludick were discussing something in hushed tones, Olivia was sitting on the sofa with her knees drawn up to her chest, her eyes still somewhat dazed, while Maya was holding a velvet cloth, carefully wiping her huge mithril warhammer.
When Li Ang came out, everyone stopped what they were doing and focused their attention on him.
"Everyone's here right now." Li Ang walked to the center of the living room, his voice calm, yet everyone subconsciously sat up straight.
"Regarding the end, I have sorted out some key points from the fragments of information given to me by the First Emperor."
He paused, making sure everyone's attention was focused, before slowly speaking: "First, the true nature of the End is not some kind of natural disaster or rule, but a kind of—life, or rather, a biological cluster."
They are a swarm of insects that feed on the "sparks of civilization"—wisdom, knowledge, and historical heritage—greedy and inexhaustible.
The living room was silent, with only Li Ang's voice echoing.
"Secondly, this swarm possesses a hive-like social structure, at its core a queen." As long as the queen lives, the hive can breed new swarms almost indefinitely. This means that simply eliminating the visible swarm is merely a temporary solution.
Upon hearing this, Rudik's face turned pale, while Helena gripped her wand tightly.
"Third," Li Ang's tone grew heavier, "the arrival of the End is not, as we originally thought, a sudden event that will occur at some point in twenty years. According to the information, the Zerg swarm—it's very likely already arrived in our world. The so-called twenty years refers to the approximate timeframe at which they will complete their full-scale invasion and consumption of current civilization, ultimately leading to the world's demise. In other words, the End—has already begun."
"What?" Maya exclaimed in surprise, almost jumping up from her chair.
Olivia also suddenly raised her head, her red vertical pupils filled with horror.
Helena and Rudik were even paler than usual.
"Fourth, the Queen's power is beyond our imagination." Li Ang recalled the Queen from his memory, who was incredibly vast and integrated with the entire planet, carefully choosing his words.
"She has merged with the entire planet, or rather, she is the planet itself. If we judge her by our power levels, she has already reached the realm of gods."
Seeing the somber expressions on everyone's faces, Li Ang continued, "There's one piece of good news and one piece of bad news."
"The good news is that, based on the information, what has arrived in our world is not the Queen, but rather the Executors known as Vanguard. This means we still have time. The bad news is that if we cannot locate and kill the Queen of the Swarm, then even if we repel the current invasion, the End will continue like the tides, wave after wave, endlessly. We are facing—"
It could be a long and endless battle.
A heavy, almost suffocating silence enveloped the entire living room.
Nelson and Rodney had already stopped what they were doing and stood at the kitchen doorway, their little faces filled with fear.
The velvet in Maya's hand slipped from her grasp. She stared blankly at Li Ang, while Olivia buried her face in her knees. Helena and Ludick's lips were pressed together until they turned white.
Every piece of information Li Ang shared felt like a boulder weighing on everyone's hearts.
Seeing the sudden somber expressions on his companions' faces, Li Ang took a deep breath and forced a smile onto his face.
"I know this news sounds despairing," he said, his gaze slowly sweeping over everyone. "But I want to tell you all that history has changed."
He raised his voice slightly: "Compared to the historical processes of the past eleven times," our current position, our allies, and the information we have are completely different.
"The variables have already been created, and the outcome has changed from predetermined to unknown. But I think it is precisely because of the unknown that we have hope, and that we have the possibility to fight and create a new future."
His words were like a gust of wind, dispelling the lingering despair in the living room. Maya picked up the velvet cloth again, vigorously wiped the hammer head, and whispered, "Li Angqing is right—we haven't even started fighting yet, how can we admit defeat first?"
Olivia raised her head, her gaze gradually refocusing.
Helena and Rudik slowly loosened their clenched fists.
Finally, Li Ang concluded, "Regardless, let's return to Lelita first, and then inform the Alliance of this intelligence. We need to become stronger faster and more actively unite all forces that can be united."
On the return journey, Li Ang devoted almost all his free time to meditation.
Thanks to the high-level insights gained from frequently entering legendary realms, the excellent environment created by the [Gentle Breeze Barrier LV50] with a wind element magic concentration of 500%, and the effects of top-grade calming potions, Li Ang's mental strength growth rate and the speed at which star particles condensed reached an unbelievable level.
When the floating workshop finally caught sight of Leli Tower's iconic, towering figure, the number of stars in Li Ang's spiritual world had quietly reached eighteen.
Feeling the immense power contained within the eighteen stars surrounding the ring in his spiritual world, Li Ang's lips twitched slightly as he thought with a touch of helplessness.
This blue robe seems to have only been worn for a few days, and it's almost time to change it again.
The workshop landed smoothly on the open ground behind the tower. Li Ang told the others to go back to their dormitories to rest, while he went straight to the enforcement team headquarters. He needed to report the horrifying information about the End that he had obtained on this trip to Deacon Seronster as soon as possible.