Chapter Twenty-Two: Because Her Mind Was Broken

At this moment, Liu Shaoyu felt his mind growing hazy… He was human, wasn’t he? Or could he possibly be an insect? He certainly didn’t look anything like a crayfish! As he puzzled over this, he heard Wang Weifu begin to explain.

“The term ‘same kind’ here means that the Zerg Queen wished to achieve evolution through a certain method. She attempted to transfer her consciousness into a new body through spiritual transference.”

No matter how Liu Shaoyu thought about it, he simply couldn’t see how he was related to the insects. He could only continue asking, “And then?”

“Here’s where it gets interesting: the new body she chose was human.”

Now Liu Shaoyu was even more confused. Human? Why would the Zerg Queen want to change into a human body? But soon, a train of thought began to take shape. Since it was evolution, it implied progressing to a higher life form. But among all the intelligent species in the universe, why choose humans? Weren’t those big-headed octopods just as good?

“However, the experimental reports contain no record of whether the Queen ultimately succeeded. The final section of the records was destroyed,” Wang Weifu said regretfully.

Liu Shaoyu had no answer to this either; he only knew he had found the Queen’s remains. And as for the shadow on the battlefield, the distance had prevented him from seeing clearly, and later combat footage didn’t provide a detailed record due to the energy waves the Queen released.

Still, Liu Shaoyu believed the Queen had likely succeeded in her transformation; the size of the shadow matched that of the remains. It certainly couldn’t have been a human form.

“I think she succeeded,” Liu Shaoyu said in a low voice, sending the battle footage to Wang Weifu.

As Wang Weifu watched the recording, his brow slowly furrowed.

“Your guess is probably correct, but…” Wang Weifu said after finishing, his abrupt pause piquing Liu Shaoyu’s curiosity.

“But what?” Liu Shaoyu pressed.

“There’s good news and bad news,” Wang Weifu began, teasing.

Liu Shaoyu could only lament that losing his biology teacher early in life had left him vulnerable to this kind of suspense, but he restrained his impatience and said, “Let’s hear the bad news first.”

Wang Weifu smiled faintly, recalling how Liu Shaoyu had always been like this since childhood—always wanting the bad news before the good.

“The bad news is… We have no idea what she’s planning.”

Liu Shaoyu felt a flash of contempt; what kind of bad news was that? But not knowing the enemy’s intentions was certainly not good news.

“And the good news?” Liu Shaoyu asked, hoping it would be better than the bad.

“The good news is, she can no longer reproduce.” Wang Weifu paused after saying this, watching for Liu Shaoyu’s reaction—his signature move. Somehow, making this genius friend of his lose composure always gave him a sense of accomplishment.

But Liu Shaoyu, well aware of his little tricks, showed no surprise. He simply replied calmly, “And?”

Wang Weifu was once again left unsatisfied…

“For the Fengtower Zerg, losing the ability to reproduce means there will be no more Queens. The inner ring star systems of Fengtower now contain all the remaining Queens.”

“So you’re saying, every time a Queen in the Fengtower star system is destroyed, there’s one less in the world?” Liu Shaoyu asked.

As a captain, Liu Shaoyu naturally considered things from a broader perspective. An ordinary person might immediately think: in that case, we should hurry to eliminate them—they’re finished! But what Liu Shaoyu considered was this: if the number of Queens was fixed, then their extinction would mean the permanent disappearance of vast quantities of precious metals and Zerg chitin, something the Earth Federation would not want to see.

“Yes, and after investigating the ruins, the Galactic Coalition high command is likely to reach the same conclusion. The war is ending,” Wang Weifu said, clearly not an ordinary person himself, quickly cutting to the heart of the matter.

“Yes, the war is ending,” Liu Shaoyu agreed. A war that had lasted a year was ending just like this.

“And now, the Fengtower Queen herself may be in danger,” Wang Weifu continued, offering another conjecture.

Liu Shaoyu already sensed this was from the data and let him continue.

“It’s clear from what you found that the transformation process didn’t begin after full experimentation; in other words, your war forced the Queen to start the transformation prematurely. In such an incomplete state, errors were likely. This also explains why the Fengtower Zerg have been steadily losing ground, retreating to the inner star systems.”

After listening, Liu Shaoyu also felt that the Galactic Coalition’s campaign had been… almost too smooth.

Victory in war depends on timing, terrain, and unity. This time, the coalition happened to catch the Queens mid-transformation. As for terrain, although fighting in enemy territory, they possessed a combat map far superior to the enemy’s. And with interests aligned as never before, the coalition was united.

So, it was only a matter of time before they won—the conclusion Liu Shaoyu quickly reached as well.

“The most important thing is…” Just as Liu Shaoyu thought the explanation was over, Wang Weifu started his suspenseful routine again.

Realizing there was more, Liu Shaoyu’s interest was piqued, though his face remained calm, as if to say, get on with it.

Seeing Liu Shaoyu’s unchanging expression, Wang Weifu could only continue. “Actually, the most significant discovery in the data you brought back is that it involves the potential for unlocking human physical limits.”

“Physical limits?”

“Yes, even today, only a very small portion of the human brain is developed; the true limit is far from reached. The reason the Queen chose a human as her transformation vessel is…” Wang Weifu suddenly paused, but this time not for suspense—he’d simply grown thirsty after talking so much.

After a sip of water, Wang Weifu continued. “Because, although the human brain is small in size, its capacity is enormous. Don’t be fooled by the Amestan people’s enormous heads—half is filled with water, the other half with flour. Shake them and it’s all mush…” He even shook his head to illustrate.

Liu Shaoyu was helpless at Wang Weifu’s mockery of the galaxy’s reputedly most intelligent species. But then, as a genius himself, the Amestans could only resort to lowly methods like kidnapping when dealing with him.

“So what exactly forced the Queen to attempt the transformation?” Liu Shaoyu asked, voicing a question that had long puzzled him.

“Because her mind was failing,” Wang Weifu said with a dismissive wave.

Shaoyu could only sigh at this answer. Her mind was failing… Well, thinking about it, if it weren’t, why would she want to change bodies?

“This was quite the grand move by the Fengtower Queen—kidnapping so many researchers. Tsk, tsk. We’ll need to study these materials carefully to extract anything useful for humans. By the way, I expect an armistice agreement from the galaxy soon. I’ll contact you then.”

“All right,” Liu Shaoyu replied, ending the call and falling into thought.

He found himself increasingly interested in Wang Weifu’s theory of unlocking human potential. But such research would take a long time, and Liu Shaoyu was in no rush. For now, his attention turned to the matter of the Wasteland Star Region.

He’d always felt indebted to Shen Qingyi. Ever since his mind had cleared, he’d begun to understand the changes in her attitude toward him and why. Unconsciously, he patted his head and sighed, “Liu Shaoyu, how can you be so adept at war, yet so clueless in other matters?”

He made up his mind that, once the Federation’s armistice took effect, he would go to the Wasteland Star Region to find her. With his decision made, Liu Shaoyu felt a wave of fatigue and prepared to sleep.

While Liu Shaoyu and Wang Weifu were talking, the bounty hunters’ team had already finished scouring the ruins. Their significant discoveries were quickly reported to the military. As expected, the conclusions reached by the military matched Liu Shaoyu and Wang Weifu’s predictions almost exactly.

The armistice agreement soon arrived. The Galactic Coalition left a small contingent to guard the buffer zone near Fengtower’s inner ring, while all other forces sent logistics teams to consolidate their territories.

As a member of the Bounty Group, Liu Shaoyu also received orders to pack up and return home. This campaign had filled the coffers of all the galaxy’s powers, and Liu Shaoyu himself had earned a substantial reward. As the one who discovered the ruins, he also received another large sum from the military—a hush fee to keep him quiet.

Liu Shaoyu was quite pleased with this outcome. Although he’d already taken the most important finds for himself, who would refuse free money? Not everyone in the fleet was happy, however.

Take Xu Meng and Hua Qiang, for instance. Both had lost their fathers in the war against the Zerg. To them, only the complete eradication of the Fengtower system could truly avenge their loss. They were on the brink of victory when the military suddenly called an end to the conflict.

Hua Qiang was more at peace; his father had fallen fighting the Queens, and in the past year he’d personally slain over a dozen Queens—revenge enough. Xu Meng’s situation was more complicated; his father had died due to faulty intelligence.

Liu Shaoyu had always been outside the Federation’s inner circle and knew nothing of such intrigues. Only by rising higher could he ever hope to uncover the truth. He resolved that, after returning from the Wasteland Star Region, he would find a way to enter the Federation’s leadership, so he could finally discover his own origins and help his brothers.

With a sigh, Liu Shaoyu realized how limited his power still was. He couldn’t help but look forward to the prospect of unlocking the full potential of the human body, just as Wang Weifu had described.