’The future of civilization is already plain to see. What’s the difference between that and being dead...’

He let out a soft sigh. Ling Yi’s flat, sarcastic narration made Lin Feng feel the profound truth of the saying—that the cosmos preys on the weak—all the more keenly.

With mixed emotions, he crossed the Black Stone District. Upon reaching the foot of the volcano, the sight of a sulfurous hot spring zone appeared before them.

"Why haven’t we seen any of the Black Spine Zergs or the Tiger Spine Zerg Swarm the Awakeners mentioned?"

Lin Feng glanced around but found no signs of life. The only things nearby were toxic gas bubbles emerging from the geothermal vents, letting out a chorus of GURGLES.

However, the volcano was massive, about seven or eight kilometers wide.

Like an island on a tectonic fault line in the Blue Star Ocean.

Ling Yi’s gaze fell upon a large expanse of volcanic rock.

"Shen Jie probably killed them all. Every time he dies and revives, it means starting over. He has to build up his Power again before he can reach the summit and challenge the King Zerg."

"I can feel a stronger aura of Slaughter over there. Let’s go take a look. Be ready."

Lin Feng knew what she was implying. If Shen Jie had fallen into a frenzied state and lost himself, he would likely attack friend and foe alike.

The first batch of Second Awakening Warriors had encountered this exact situation. Although Shen Jie had helped them escape the pursuing Swarm, they later died during one of his frenzied rampages.

If they ran into that situation, Lin Feng had to be prepared to restrain the unhinged Shen Jie while also protecting Ling Yi from harm.

Danger was near. This time, Lin Feng took the lead.

Ling Yi followed closely, her expression slightly tense. Maintaining the Spiritual Passage required her to divide her Spiritual Power, which severely weakened her in the Slaughter Realm. It was so bad she could barely control the Tiger Spine Zergs affected by the Slaughter.

Soon, after bypassing a hot spring lake, the two of them saw a pile of Tier Two Tiger Spine Zerg corpses behind a gray-black volcanic rock.

Their torsos had been hollowed out, leaving only their extremely hard Giant Mandibles and fleshless limbs.

The Zerg corpses were piled one on top of another, filling an area the size of a soccer field. At a rough glance, there were at least forty or fifty of them...

Another pile of Black Spine Zergs had been discarded on the outskirts.

"Over there!"

Before Lin Feng could get a good look at the primitive Spine Zergs, Ling Yi’s voice cut in as she pointed to the opposite side in the distance.

Lin Feng gripped the Tiger-toothed Chainsaw Sword in his hand, remaining vigilant as he cautiously advanced.

Once a dark figure came into view, he stopped. With the Electromagnetic Cannon in his left hand and the Tiger-toothed Chainsaw Sword in his right, he called out in a powerful, resonant voice:

"Shen Jie! Is that you?!"

The dark figure was hunched over a dying, struggling Tiger Spine Zerg. Hearing the call from behind, it slowly rose and turned. A head with Spine Zerg Giant Mandibles, its mouthparts still stained with Zerg Race flesh and blood, was revealed to them.

Lin Feng had already raised his Electromagnetic Cannon, aiming and locking on. If the creature charged, he would first use a Magnetic Storm Bomb to restrict its movement, then follow up with his Chainsaw Sword to suppress it.

However, the humanoid Zerg did not attack upon seeing the two of them. Instead, it remained where it was. After staring blankly for a moment, it began to gesture with its hands while a hoarse whimper escaped its Giant Mandible.

Seeing this, Lin Feng glanced at Ling Yi. After she gave a nod, he stepped forward.

He did not lower his weapons, however.

’Can’t let my guard down yet.’

When they were twenty meters away from the Zerg Person, Lin Feng was finally able to confirm from its specific features that it was indeed Shen Jie.

This was because its current form bore a striking resemblance to Shen Jie’s Black Knight form.

Although it was influenced by the primitive Spine Zerg genes and didn’t look as ferocious and terrifying as the real thing, the patterns on its Outer Armor and the Bone Blade on its arm hadn’t changed much.

"Are you lucid?"

Lin Feng asked, his brow slightly furrowed.

Shen Jie nodded, then pointed to the black Giant Mandible on his face, indicating that he couldn’t speak.

Lin Feng looked at Ling Yi beside him.

"Can you fix this? Doesn’t your Infinite Reproduction Realm allow you to control Genetic Fusion and separation?"

After Ling Yi nodded, she walked up to the Zerg Person’s feet.

Shen Jie was now a full three meters tall, and Ling Yi, who was not even 1.7 meters, looked like a small doll in front of him.

As Ling Yi placed her hand on Shen Jie, a strange golden light flowed from her palm into the Zerg Person’s Outer Armor.

"I won’t remove it from the other parts for now. I don’t want to affect his combat strength too much."

Ling Yi commented as she manipulated the energy.

Following that, the Giant Mandible covering Shen Jie’s entire face slowly peeled off, trailing threads of blood and mucus.

A thin layer of skin had been peeled from Shen Jie’s original human face. Fortunately, the damage wasn’t deep, and the reddened skin quickly returned to normal thanks to his self-healing ability.

His face then turned pale. He bent over and dry-heaved a few times, spitting out some Zerg-like organs, before finally recovering and speaking in a human voice:

"Finally... I can finally speak..."

Lin Feng put away his weapons and walked forward.

"When did this happen?"

A trace of confusion flickered in Shen Jie’s eyes. He thought for a moment before replying:

"Ab-about half a month ago. After sending off the third batch of Second Awakening Warriors, I kept hunting Tiger Spine Zergs. Without me realizing it, the Assimilation of Zerg Race genes changed my internal organs. By the time I noticed, my throat... I couldn’t speak anymore."

"It’s mainly because I didn’t need to use it. For the past few months, aside from a few chats with the Warriors, I could only talk to myself."

Lin Feng nodded. ’The lonely days in the Mental Realm must have been hard to bear.’