In the bizarre Spirit World, on a black and yellow planet, Shen Jie’s spiritual consciousness took form once again.

He stared at his hands. The lingering pain from his recent death felt all too real.

The soul-tearing agony made it hard for him to pull himself together.

After all, who could possibly go through the experience of being torn to shreds by a Swarm twice?

But now, as a faint tremor ran through the glassy black stone beneath his feet, the still-dazed Shen Jie snapped to his senses.

Without a second thought, he turned and ran.

He hadn’t taken more than a few steps before a familiar sound rose behind him—the collective shriek of the Black Spine Zergs. It was accompanied by the sound of the Swarm crushing the natural Obsidian glass, formed from cooled surface lava, as they charged forward at full speed.

Shen Jie fled for his life. The Zerg Race traits that had been eroding him were now gone, which naturally meant he could no longer use his Awakening Superpower, Devouring Assimilation.

However, to Shen Jie’s dismay, he soon ran into another group of Black Spine Zergs blocking his path.

Trapped and attacked from both front and rear, Shen Jie experienced the agony of being torn apart for the second time.

The wail from the depths of his soul didn’t last long...

For the third time, his spiritual consciousness coalesced, resurrecting Shen Jie back to two minutes prior.

This time, as he came to his senses and started running, he glanced at his own translucent white hands, his expression grim.

Shen Jie had discovered that with every death and resurrection, his spiritual consciousness was growing fainter and more transparent.

This proved that his revival wasn’t without limits or consequences.

It was like a video game: with every lost life, the end drew closer.

Eventually, his soul’s Power would be completely exhausted.

Shen Jie suspected that what awaited him then wasn’t a return to consciousness in the real world, but an eternal damnation, like one of the living dead...

’Damn it!!!’

’I have to find a way to escape, and fast!’

With a low growl, Shen Jie ignored the painful tremors still wracking his body and quickened his pace, sprinting in a direction where the Black Spine Zerg Swarm hadn’t appeared before.

This time, he reached an area of volcanic rock. The grayish-white, porous stone was exceptionally thin and brittle, making a CRUNCHING sound under his feet.

Fortunately, the Black Spine Zergs were nowhere to be found in this gray region.

The gray zone of porous rock wasn’t large, only about the size of a soccer field.

After a brief rest, he resumed his exploration.

Shen Jie soon discovered that every time he took a step, his trailing foot would sink deep into the porous volcanic rock. It was like wading through a bog; each step was more exhausting than the last, making progress incredibly difficult.

The volcanic rock wasn’t strong enough to support his weight on one foot.

Then, at one point, his front foot suddenly found no purchase. His back foot plunged deep into a rock fissure, and he lost his balance, toppling over.

Fortunately, Shen Jie’s quick reflexes kicked in. He twisted sideways, planting a hand on the ground and quickly sprawling flat on the porous rock to distribute his weight. This was the only thing that kept him from sinking completely.

He then carefully crawled around and peered into the deep hole his foot had just broken through.

Light filtered through the opening, illuminating the Abyss below.

He saw countless hard, black appendages—the four sharp-bladed legs of the Black Spine Zergs.

Only then did it dawn on Shen Jie: the volcanic rock field where he had taken refuge was actually the roof of the Black Spine Zerg Swarm’s nest.

The porous structure of the rock provided ventilation and heat dissipation for the Hive Space below, allowing air to circulate.

’This must be the home nest of the Spine Zergs.’

He had no idea how these bizarre creatures managed to survive and multiply in such a harsh planetary environment.

After observing for a moment, Shen Jie rolled onto his back and stared up at the pitch-black sky, which was obscured by thick volcanic ash.

The sky was bleak, without a single ray of sunlight.

Just like Shen Jie’s heart at that moment...

Lifeless and lost.

But soon, Shen Jie regained his resolve and began to think about how he was going to escape.

’Do I have to kill all the Black Spine Zergs here? Or just survive until a certain time limit?’

Shen Jie had no idea.

’Perhaps that mysterious woman Lin Feng brought back—or rather, that high-ranking member of the Zerg Race—knows what to do in this situation.’

That was right. From the moment Ling Yi had appeared at their camp, Shen Jie, through his Genetic Assimilation, had smelled the thick scent of the Zerg Race on her.

But she was different from the parasitic matriarchs of the Zerg Race. The matriarchs only controlled human brains, and their stench was unbearable. To Shen Jie, they were nothing more than lumps of stinking, rotten flesh—poisonous and disgusting to consume.

The feeling Ling Yi gave him, however, was that of a King among the Zerg Race, one that made him want to bow his head in submission instinctively.

That’s why Shen Jie had been so wary of her.

He had rarely ever spoken to her.

On the rare occasions their gazes met, he would see a flash of intense interest in her eyes, even as she smiled, as if she could see right through him and all his secrets with a single glance.

This unsettling feeling had only intensified after they went deep into the Hive. And when he witnessed Ling Yi’s incredible abilities firsthand...

An astonishing theory surfaced in Shen Jie’s mind.

’Could this woman who appeared so suddenly be the Zerg Race Mother Empress?!’

Once the thought occurred, it took firm root in his mind and refused to leave.

Shen Jie, of course, didn’t believe the explanation Lin Feng had given. How could a woman know the Hive’s structure like the back of her hand, unless she lived in it every day and could somehow evade the Zerg Race Mother Empress’s mental scans?

’If my premonition is true, then Lin Feng’s reason for cooperating with *her*... could it be to fight other Swarms together?’