Just by swinging its Giant Mandibles, it sent Shen Jie flying as he tried to block.

He stumbled back several steps. Just as he regained his footing, he saw the Black Spine Zerg’s next attack bearing down on him.

In a flash of desperation, Shen Jie once again used his small, agile frame to his advantage. He fell back into a slide, slashing his arm’s Bone Blade across the Black Spine Zerg’s abdomen.

Just like when he first killed a Tiger Spine Zerg...

He had secured the final victory!

With great effort, he hacked the limbs and Giant Mandibles off the corpse. Shen Jie, his back a bloody mess, carried his spoils away from the battlefield.

’Who knows if more Zergs will show up? I’m running on fumes. Better get out of here fast.’

After consuming the corpse, Shen Jie successfully transformed into his Black Knight form and began hunting down lone Black Spine Zergs.

He went from easily handling one, then two or three, then seven or eight, until finally, after reaching Tier One Late Stage Perfection, Shen Jie could effortlessly face a swarm of dozens of Black Spine Zergs.

His combat skills were continuously sharpened...

And now, he had also discovered through combat that the Superpower’s Assimilation Form in the Spirit World didn’t have a time limit.

It could be activated indefinitely, but the degree of his transformation also deepened as the battles continued.

By now, Shen Jie had gradually lost himself in the Slaughter of battle. There was only one thought in his mind:

Kill!

He began to crave battle, to crave the feeling of taking any and all life.

Over time, the Black Spine Zergs of the Black Rock Zone could no longer satisfy his insatiable need for battle...

And Shen Jie, half of his face now covered in a black Shell, even growing the mandibles of a Spine Zerg, turned his gaze toward the sulfur region near the foot of the volcano.

The environment there was even harsher. Hot springs emitting sulfuric acid mist were everywhere, and the pungent stench of sulfur was enough to kill swathes of creatures.

But it had precious water sources and scorching heat rising from the Underground.

And the only ones who could survive here were the even more powerful Tier Two Tiger Spine Zergs!

Shen Jie’s footsteps had already brought him to the sulfur region at the foot of the volcano. His reddened eyes were locked on several Tier Two Tiger Spine Zergs not far away, baring their fangs and claws as they threatened each other over a small hot spring pool.

They lived off the water within and could also absorb geothermal Energy to become stronger.

Seeing the three Tiger Spine Zergs about to fight, Shen Jie suppressed his inner urgency and waited quietly.

He waited until a victor was decided. One died a miserable death, another was defeated and fled, leaving only the final winner. Covered in bloody wounds, it walked into the ten-meter-wide hot spring, dragged the corpse of its fallen kin from the side, and began to enjoy the fruits of its victory.

However, at that very moment, an inconspicuous Low-tier Black Spine Zerg suddenly appeared before it.

The victor let out an extremely impatient, shrill roar.

It wanted to scare this little bug away.

’My territory and my food are not to be touched!’

But not only did the little bug not flee, it quickened its pace and charged toward the hot spring pool!

The Tier Two Tiger Spine Zerg was no fool. After sensing a hint of a threat, it quickly pulled its limbs from the lime mud sediment of the pool and climbed onto dry land.

It was preparing to teach this reckless little bug why the sulfur region at the foot of the throne was a forbidden zone for low-tier trash!

However, arrogant and conceited from its recent victory, it had completely forgotten its own injuries. Shen Jie quickly found an opening, and it soon met a miserable end at the edge of the hot spring pool.

Using the hot spring water, Shen Jie began to wantonly devour the two Tiger Spine Zerg corpses.

...

After hunting like this for several months...

A battle drew the bored Shen Jie’s attention.

By this point, the skin of his entire body had grown the same bright yellow Outer Armor as a Tiger Spine Zerg. Except for the lack of wings, he was otherwise identical to the Winged Tiger Frenzy Form.

And in order to survive, Shen Jie had to maintain his Assimilation Form at all times. It reached a point where he had forgotten about his assimilation, even coming to believe that the Zerg Person reflected in the pool was his true, original appearance!

In a world without humans, the difference between man and zerg grew increasingly blurry in Shen Jie’s mind.

Until this moment, when it stopped and looked out to see a group of Tiger Spine Zergs leading a large number of Low-tier Black Spine Zergs across the wasteland, hunting a group of fully armed humans.

A flicker of confusion crossed Shen Jie’s eyes, but it was quickly overshadowed by his thirst for Slaughter. Excitement drove it forward.

It became a yellow bolt of lightning and descended upon the battlefield.

In its wanton Slaughter, it had no idea how many Tiger Spine Zergs it had killed, or how many Black Spine Zergs had been swept away by the aftershocks of its swinging Bone Blade Heavy Sword...

In short, this troop, led by thirty or forty Tiger Spine Zergs, survived for only a few minutes before being utterly annihilated by the mysterious Zerg that had suddenly charged in!

The humans who had scattered in retreat wore looks of bewilderment.

Until the strange, humanoid Zerg pointed its pair of Bone Blade Heavy Swords at them.

A new battle erupted.

The humans, clad in Red Profound Armor, opened fire on the Zerg Person with their Shotguns.

Although their enemy had changed from a swarm of Tiger Spine Zergs to a single, strange Zerg Person, the humans’ reactions were too slow. They couldn’t keep up with its speed at all.

Watching his comrades fall one by one, dissolving into specks of light...

The last remaining old captain stared intently at the strange Zerg Person’s appearance and fighting style.

’He suddenly remembered someone similar!’

Just then, the strange Zerg Person killed the last Warrior and locked its sights on him.

Then, with a flicker, it transformed into an afterimage and rushed toward him!

At this critical moment of life and death, the old captain suddenly had a flash of inspiration and shouted the name:

"Shen Jie!"

The Zerg Person’s figure stopped abruptly in front of him as he trembled on the ground in fear. The bone Giant Sword, with its flowing fire-and-cloud pattern, was pressed against his neck. It had not only sliced through the neck guard of his Battle Armor, but blood was also starting to seep out.

But the old captain didn’t hesitate for a second. The moment the Zerg Person showed an opening, he pulled the trigger.

The Shotgun shell exploded at point-blank range.

Shen Jie, caught in a daze and unable to dodge in time, was hit directly in the face.

Fortunately, he was protected by the Tiger Spine Zerg’s Frenzy Form. In the end, only half of the mandible on his face shattered, revealing the skinless muscle and blood vessels underneath...

Its face had already completely fused with the Zerg Armor on its skin, and as the mandible was blown off, a chunk of his face was torn away with it.

Having lost half his face, Shen Jie paid no mind to the blood splattering from his wound. Instead, he used his bloodshot eye to stare fixedly at the dying human before him.

"H...how... you... here..."

The words came with great difficulty from his mutated, distorted throat.

The old captain looked at his lower body, which was gradually disappearing, and realized something. He grabbed Shen Jie’s arm.

"Remember! You must... you must remember to go back!"

With that said, he dissolved into motes of starlight and vanished.

Leaving Shen Jie standing there in a daze...

A new Zerg Armor mandible began to grow on his face, but his eyes revealed only confusion.

Then, he tore off the newly grown half of the Zerg Armor from his face, grasped it in his palm along with his own skin, and crushed it to dust.

"Go back..."

"Go back!"

...

Back in the Real World, as Lin Feng stood guard by the Black and Yellow Zerg Eggs, continuing the Upgrade on his Tiger-toothed Chainsaw Sword, a chorus of agonizing cries echoed from a residential building in the distance.

Then, Liu Yi hurried over, his expression grim and his voice trembling slightly.

"S-Sir..."

"The first group of members undergoing the Tier Two Awakening... they’re all trapped in the same dream during the Awakening process. And among them..."

"One of the old captains reported that they encountered..."

"Captain Shen Jie!?"