Chapter 757: The Prototype of the New War Map

The mechanical voice of the Zerg sub-brain echoed:

“That is not the case. While the number of Zerg that can be bred is infinite, the number of Zerg that can be projected into high-dimensional spacetime is limited,” the Zerg sub-brain replied. “Not just any number of Zerg bred can be brought into high-dimensional spacetime.

“Although this is a core Zerg talent—the Zerg are able to continuously evolve, mutate, and reproduce, developing countless species with infinite possibilities, precisely because of the inherent perfection of the 'Eight-Tier Path'—it is still a fundamental Zerg ability. While the Zerg Mother Empress's consumption is low, it is not zero. There is an upper limit to the number of Zerg that can be projected.”

Xu Zhi slowly sat down in a yellowish-brown meteorite crater on a planet, beginning to grasp the implication.

“It's likely an innate divine ability of the Zerg Mother Empress. As a heaven-defying creature, she can project her subjects as a group into high-dimensional spacetime, but this ability consumes energy. Clearly, projecting an unlimited number of Zerg subjects is not feasible.”

Xu Zhi's realization deepened. Any Zerg bred beyond this limit would move at a normal biological pace, rendering them largely useless.

“So that's how it is?”

“Even the Zerg have limits.”

Xu Zhi suddenly let out a self-deprecating laugh, sitting in the crater and gazing at the endless, beautiful firmament of the vast cosmos. “Just like immortality, the universe maintains an unseen balance; there can be no truly heaven-defying existence. If it were so simple to infinitely mass-produce troops and project them all into high-dimensional spacetime, they could instantly ascend to the peak of cosmic power. That would be a truly broken ability. Such a race wouldn't just be a top cosmic race; it would be an invincible, cosmic cheat code. If the previous Zerg Mother Empress could have achieved that, how could she have been beaten to death?”

It seemed that furiously breeding troops, filling the entire galaxy, and then accelerating their existence, was clearly unrealistic. That is simply beyond my capabilities.

“Precisely,” the Zerg sub-brain continued. “Similar to the Three Pillar Gods, whose power grows with the strength and overall level of the races under their command, my projection limit depends on the overall evolutionary level of the entire Zerg race.”

Xu Zhi listened intently, then suddenly asked, “So, what is the current capacity?”

“While not infinite, it is still immensely vast—ten thousand times the current total Zerg population of over three hundred billion creatures,” the Zerg sub-brain replied.

Xu Zhi was speechless. He felt somewhat bewildered. Such an enormous number was, for Xu Zhi at present, practically limitless... The Zerg truly lived up to their mass-production reputation. The Zerg sub-brain's statement, in essence, was this: exploding troops across the entire universe is unrealistic, but producing an overwhelming, immense swarm remains effortlessly achievable.

Xu Zhi was left speechless. He had just resigned himself to the universe's inherent balance, and now he felt his earlier expression of profound realization had been utterly wasted.

“What are the specifics?” he asked, still patiently.

The precise number was an astronomical figure, difficult to conceptualize.

The Zerg sub-brain replied, “The precise number is roughly equivalent to the maximum capacity required to fill the entire Zerg protective shield.”

Xu Zhi almost wished he could grant it more intelligence, just so it could comprehend the 'pain' of a sower.

“So, what is the maximum range of the Zerg protective shield you can currently deploy?” Xu Zhi suddenly asked calmly, “Can it cover this galaxy, and a wide circle of adjacent galaxies? Don't give me scattered numbers; just point out a clear, easily understandable example.”

The intelligent sub-brain paused for a moment. “It can barely cover that one galaxy,” it replied.

It pointed to a galaxy similar in size to the Solar System. Xu Zhi observed it. Good heavens, it was enormous: nine planets orbiting a central sun. He paused, then dismissed his concern. “This area is sufficient. A grand, brilliant civilization, akin to a solar system... Especially as they develop, the greater the area they can encompass, and the stronger the sub-brain's control will become.”

Xu Zhi remained unperturbed. This was a terrifyingly positive feedback loop, leading to exponential growth.

He lowered his head and gently parted the space. He appeared high above a rocky planet. Looking up, he saw a structure resembling a solar system. At its center, a golden star, radiating heat and light like a sun, illuminated everything, surrounded by countless beautiful planets with luminous rings, slowly revolving to form a magnificent cosmic vortex.

“Sub-brain, deploy spores to every nearby planet!”

Within this small galaxy, Xu Zhi immediately intended to sow spores frantically on every planet, introducing the most primitive vacuum plant and animal spores. He would cast a wide net first. Every planet, except for the central sun, would receive its share. He would sow to the greatest extent possible within his capabilities, utterly transforming them.

He entered high-dimensional spacetime and rapidly sowed for an entire month. Xu Zhi expended a vast amount of energy to cultivate the spores. This unimaginably immense territory, comparable in scale to a solar system, nearly depleted all his energy reserves. He had, in essence, invested an enormous amount, exhausting his core resources, just to barely seed a few planets. No pain, no gain. It was all to be expected.

However, what truly vexed Xu Zhi was not the cost, but the realization that the Zerg sub-brain, after all, had its limits. Initially, as long as energy was supplied, spore reproduction was incredibly rapid. But after a month or so, no matter how much energy he supplied or how he tried to replenish himself, the process slowed to a trickle, like squeezing the last bit of toothpaste from a tube, or an old ox pulling a heavy cart. He was utterly depleted.

“It seems seeding all nine planets in this galaxy in a short period is indeed unrealistic,” Xu Zhi muttered, gazing downwards. “Currently, only four of the nine planets have been seeded to the minimum requirement... Well, the remaining five can wait.”

His gaze settled on those four planets. He intended to pursue a core development plan. He would focus on developing civilization on one planet, while the others would be allowed to evolve more freely, serving primarily as massive energy generators, much like Mercury. The primary plant species would be the Bodhi Fruit Tree. After all, an entire solar system was simply too vast to manage comprehensively. Even simply terraforming them would require immense effort and meticulous oversight.

“This one then.”

Xu Zhi selected the fourth planet in the system, which had a thin atmosphere, soil, rocks, and glacial coverage, making its environment relatively normal.

“And next, I'll need to terraform the environment,” Xu Zhi said, turning to gaze pensively at the planet's surroundings. Caroline, in her time, also undertook extensive planet transformations, creating habitable zones and implementing various measures. After all, preparing a suitable land for sentient beings to inhabit was no simple feat. After all, he was about to create a civilization that would originate within a solar system! A vast, genuine civilization akin to Earth's! A galactic-level civilization! The thought alone filled him with a certain excitement.

“It's missing a giant moon. It seems I'll have to artificially create one,” Xu Zhi mused, looking into the distance where a massive meteorite drifted idly in the void.