Chapter 874: Second Life Branch of the Zerg Iron-Based (Two-in-One)

Another bizarre phenomenon? The members of the exploration team were completely unsettled.“Could it be some special type of zombie?” the exploration team whispered, as they had already witnessed the colossal and vast mechanical factory zombies, so another strange and horrifying sight wouldn't be too unusual.

“What it is, we don’t know,” said Swordsman Gusla, smiling gently and elegantly. Holding a delicate purple longsword, he looked into the distance. “But there’s no powerful aura from it, yet it’s dissecting a powerful mechanical zombie. This alone is bizarre... This doesn’t signify weakness; perhaps it’s already unimaginably powerful.”

“That’s why we dare not approach,” said a young girl named Mansha beside him. “This is too terrifying. Even High Gods might fall here. At the same time, there’s even worse news. Although your empire has deployed cloned gods and remote automated mech squads, their goal isn't to combat the virus, but to eradicate you survivors, destroy your subspace areas, and then launch a second planet-destroying cannon... However, there's now a high probability that their mech squads could be infected and completely wiped out.”

Both factions had already entered. The mechanical forces had relied on their non-living structure, believing they couldn't be infected, but now, infection seemed possible.

“We gods initially entered this place because we boasted a higher life level, believing the virus’s current evolution couldn’t infect us. Now, thinking about it, it’s terrifying...” Swordsman Gusla's face was calm, but his heart was sinking uncontrollably. The entire situation was far more serious than he had believed! No wonder this vile Antler Bug Empire had desperately invited them.

“Our civilization might not survive!!!” A terrifying thought emerged in the mind of this powerful god, who had lived for six thousand years.

“But as long as my daughter can...” He gripped his longsword solemnly. Coming here, of course, he had his own calculations. Mansha was his daughter, a descendant of a god. She was born incredibly noble, possessing the authority to enter high-dimensional spacetime; one could say she was born divine. She was, essentially, a second-generation god.

In reality, he came from humble origins. Although his talent was astonishing, reaching this point from nothing was his limit. He clearly knew that he could no longer make any further progress. He could only place his hopes on his daughter. He meticulously nurtured her, providing her with a higher starting point, a greater legacy, so that the next generation could continue his dream. Such was the essence of legacy. The foundation of a divine family was never built by one individual, but by generations of descendants. He had already crossed the most painful and difficult threshold, pioneering knowledge, systems, and paths; those who followed should find it easier.

Their target was the infant of a cosmic Daoist. Their arrival wasn't just to investigate; it was also to have his daughter meet the infant of the cosmic Daoist. Born only a day ago, both were considered peers. If they could establish a connection, it would be a huge advantage for his lineage of natural gods, and for himself. A transcendental civilization with multiple cosmic Daoists must possess ancient knowledge, and perhaps even mature and ancient “Cosmic Daoist Methods,” to have produced so many Ninth-Tier beings. This alone would make all Supreme Gods incredibly envious!

Of course, other divine factions had similar plans. They weren't just here to investigate; they also brought their divine daughters from their respective lineages, intending to explore and move around here. Moreover, it wasn't just exceptionally beautiful divine maidens; there were also some handsome divine youths, just in case the opposing race preferred not only females. Ultimately, they had to try. Some unique races were like that.

He looked gently at Mansha, “We must be careful; this place is becoming increasingly strange. Perhaps in a short while, even we gods won’t be able to resist the virus... We need to quickly find our target, that infant born into the world. Perhaps only they can contend with this and know how to deal with it.”

“By the way, you’re the exploration team, aren’t you?” Swordsman Gusla turned to the weak humans and smiled, “Go investigate that mysterious factory next door and see that mysterious man.”

“Us?!” These few individuals felt their scalps tingle at his gentle smile. Which of these gods, who had climbed to their current positions by wading through mountains of corpses and seas of blood to establish their divinity, wasn’t incredibly ruthless? It was then that they understood the true purpose of their rescue: They were saved to be used as probes for another, even more terrifying and eerie factory.

Compared to the demon cores of the previous zombie era he had studied, this new zombie era evoked a sense of nostalgia for Xu Zhi, yet it was also somewhat different. This was a pure technological civilization, and the infected zombies were all ordinary people. However, intelligent mechanical AIs were ubiquitous. Every household had smart TVs, washing machines, mops, and even smart toilets. They were common and affordable creations, much like how computers were standard in every household on Earth.

“They say that nuclear explosions cause biological mutations, leading to unimaginable disasters for humanity... It really is true.” Xu Zhi’s expression was calm and leisurely, almost as if he were enjoying a peaceful, unhurried day. For him, everything unfolded naturally. He took a sip of tea and continued dissecting the ultra-small tea factory, chuckling: “The instantaneous high temperature and radiation from the planet-destroying cannon, like a super-hot furnace, caused a common electronic mechanical AI infected with the Pillar God virus to give birth to true life.”

A computer virus infecting a computer merely implants a program, at most. But the current situation was like a stone gaining sentience and enlightenment. The entire machine had gained sentience, possessing true life. Xu Zhi’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he mused inwardly: “However, this isn’t an ordinary transformation into a spirit. During the planet-destroying cannon’s explosion, all plant-based and humanoid life forms on the continent were annihilated. The other two major Pillar Gods are natural disasters. This new Pillar God is different; for it, it wasn’t true extinction. Steel mechanical AIs are different; many were blown away and turned into scrap metal, but there was still a chance for them to survive. They aren’t made of flesh and blood. This Pillar God seized the opportunity to gather the scattered cells of the entire Psion race, mechanical steel, and the Pillar God virus from injured Psions... Under special conditions, it formed a new life form.”

“So, the destructive power of the planet-destroying cannon's explosion actually provided a tremendous, oppressive opportunity for biological evolution? Survival of the fittest, natural selection – very interesting...”

“It’s simply too fascinating.” Xu Zhi continued his research, observing the cellular structures under microscopic conditions, feeling a sense of profound exhilaration. “Knowledge truly is power. This new Pillar God race before me has embarked on a life form path enabled by unique knowledge...” He found it quite extraordinary. What he was witnessing was a state that even he found utterly inconceivable.

The cells of the entire race had no possibility of being infected, because they lacked DNA genetic material; they were unique clay-particle extraordinary cells. Extremely simplistic, Caroline called it “one,” and thus also “all.” However, in that environment, iron was fused into the outer shell of the entire race’s cells, and a new DNA sequence mutated. These were no longer the original cells of the race; they had merely absorbed parts of the original cellular structure, becoming a special kind of “iron cell,” or perhaps, a peculiar iron-based life form. These were entirely new types of mechanical flesh-and-blood life.

Yes. What is the most important characteristic of a race? Continuation. They could produce offspring. Large factories giving birth to small factories... This wasn't an industrial 'assembly line' mass-producing AI machines; it was genuinely birthing life, just like a mother carrying a child for ten months. Did you think the factory was producing a mechanical army? It was genuinely having children! It was just that the assembly line manufacturing process had formed a unique fusion, which, after becoming a civilization, evolved into the means of reproduction for this special iron-based life form! The significance of this was a generational leap.

The current Zerg structure consists of branches of carbon-based life, with the tree of life entirely founded on carbon-based organisms. Yet now, a second, original branch node had appeared: iron-based life. What kind of life are we? We are carbon-based flesh-and-blood life. This includes Earthlings, the Antler Aliens and Cat-tailed Aliens present, and even the top cosmic Zerg, all of whom are carbon-based life forms. According to the Zerg, most naturally evolving life in the universe is carbon-based, accounting for about 98%; approximately 1% is silicon-based life, and the remaining 1% comprises hundreds to tens of thousands of other alien life forms.

So, how did carbon-based organisms naturally form? Anyone who has studied biology knows that they are formed from a mass of meaningless, ubiquitous carbon compounds, amino acids, nucleotides... which happened to combine to form the most primitive life spore structure. A pile of inert matter, coincidentally combining to form a living entity, then evolving to possess life... In other words: any existing life structure is built upon the foundation of 'carbon-based' life, but now... a completely different form of life has emerged? This was equivalent to laying the foundation for a second ‘iron-based’ life structure.

“This is pseudo iron-based,” the Zerg Sub-brain replied. “We are a carbon-based life race, and our spore forms are carbon-based spores... We can evolve countless races, but we cannot depart from our carbon-based framework... What we see now is merely simulating an alien life form; it is not, after all, the other party’s true biological structure.”

Xu Zhi, however, paid it no mind. “Originally, when I first started producing demon cores, my intention was to try and create silicon-based life, another branch of life... But the Ishdals appeared, and it was undoubtedly a failure... They remained carbon-based flesh-and-blood life, except for the silicon-based demon core in their heads...”

“Yet now, from the demon core’s semi-silicon-based life, it didn’t truly evolve into silicon-based life, but surprisingly transformed into another strange branch...” Xu Zhi’s expression was a mix of surprise and oddity. Life is uncertain; no one knows what it will evolve into.

“This species has begun to develop full reproductive capabilities,” Xu Zhi said, setting down his dissection tools. Nevertheless, he knew there was still much to 'dissect' (understand). Previously, when he wielded the power of laws, he always did so by utilizing the 'Six Paths of Reincarnation.' Caroline and the others were true weak Ninth-Tier beings, naturally perceiving the entire biological structure like a three-dimensional being observing a two-dimensional one. Xu Zhi, however, could not; it was like needing to open a book in a library to understand. He certainly wouldn't summon Reincarnation and invoke laws for trivial, unnecessary daily matters. Would that make things convenient for him? On the contrary, it would be highly inconvenient, because once Reincarnation disappeared, the Underworld would fall into chaos again.

“However, speaking of the climb to the Ninth-Tier, it’s somewhat lengthy...” He massaged his temples, a hint of distress on his face. “I don’t want to take shortcuts; I prefer to proceed step by step, but it seems very slow...”

A click. Suddenly, a sound came from outside the door. A few individuals from the mechanical team, feigning recent arrival, looked at the human before them with surprise and asked, “You, which subspace region are you a survivor from? What are you doing here?”

Xu Zhi was startled. He naturally saw through the little schemes of these youngsters. He had been researching here for several days, and the others had naturally been hiding here for just as long. They were incredibly patient, and their intention of bringing their daughters was perfectly clear to him. Of course, Xu Zhi also clearly understood that when the dust of an era settled on individuals, even powerful gods found it an unimaginably heavy burden. The empire’s high-ranking officials and the gods themselves were struggling, seeking escape.

“There’s no need for further talk. Let the one using you for probing come out,” Xu Zhi said, putting away his alchemy table. He was quite interested in the structure and system of these indigenous gods. After all, it was a genuine extraterrestrial transcendent civilization.

Further away, Gusla’s face revealed a look of incredulous horror. Then, he fell silent for a moment, looking towards the threshold of the factory where someone had appeared. “Your Excellency, are you from the Cosmic Garden?” he asked softly. “Are you the mysterious taboo existence who suppressed the entire Teal Empire with just a cloned arm?”

Xu Zhi was startled; they mistook him for Medusa. He didn't answer them, instead looking further into the distance, “Are the ones still probing from behind not coming out?”

Gusla’s mind reeled, utterly horrified. Behind him... There was someone else? Someone was still using him, probing this mysterious being before them? He was a High God, already embarking on the path of laws; even Supreme Gods would find it difficult to completely conceal themselves from his senses.

But in the next second, under Gusla’s horrified gaze, he witnessed a sight he would find unbelievable for the rest of his life.

A ripple. In the air, invisible electromagnetic waves vibrated slightly, coalescing into a hazy silhouette of a child. This was the first time their civilization had witnessed the elusive “Pillar God.” He felt countless mechanical factories, electronic devices, mops, digital watches, gears... as if an endless mechanical populace, the entire zombie race, converged into a vast torrent, forming a unique, chaotic, and hazy cosmic consciousness. However, this powerful, chaotic aggregate consciousness stared at the mysterious young man with extreme solemnity, asking sternly, “I have been observing you for a long time. Who are you? Are you the master of the Cosmic Garden, the supreme existence from countless millennia ago within these ruined lands... Rennimansgar?”