"What... did you say?"

  Dean Sterling's heart jolted. His eyes widened instantly as he turned to look at the Roach Matriarch in the distance.

  That colossal creature... was actually feeling fear?

  "Wait, Fly, are you saying you scared the Roach Matriarch witless with a single bottle of insecticide?" Dean Sterling asked.

  He was a graduate of a prestigious university and had been deeply cultivating Martial Studies research for many years. He knew quite a bit about such matters, but he had never seen anything so bizarre.

  If the source of an insect-type Beast Totem could be subdued with insecticide like this, wouldn't writing a paper on it and publishing it be a tremendous scientific discovery?

  But unexpectedly, Fly's next words interrupted his fantasy.

  "No, it's not because of the CleanSweep."

  Fly shook his head. "Although I thought so at first, after listening carefully to the Roach Matriarch's voice, I found that wasn't the case."

  "Her fear has nothing to do with the insecticide just now, and... it has nothing to do with us."

  "There is something else here that terrifies her to the extreme."

  As soon as Fly's voice fell, Dean Sterling's face was instantly covered with horror.

  His usually elegant demeanor was gone. He sucked in a sharp breath, staring at the Roach Matriarch's pupils which were flickering incessantly with tremors.

  This massive guy... is actually not the strongest creature here?

  Above the Queen, what else is there?

  At this moment, the Roach Matriarch curled her body, hunching in front of the tunnel opening. Her lower abdomen extended and contracted, constantly spitting out one egg case after another.

  Giving birth?

  Is she giving birth?

  Sensing the threat to her life, is she trying to birth the egg cases in her abdominal cavity to complete her final mission?

  "Fly, quick, continue to feel the inner heart of the Roach Matriarch!"

  Dean Sterling couldn't help but urge. It was the first time he had seen such a scene.

  "No, there's nothing more..." Fly shook his head and said. "She only has one feeling right now—fear, immense fear."

  "As for why she has this thought, I don't know either."

  "It seems to be a thought carved into her genes, just like a sheep to a grey wolf, or a rabbit to a fox—an innate fear of a natural predator."

  "I only feel that... that thing is nearby. Very close, very close."

  "It... is coming!"

  Fly said with a serious face.

  "This..." Dean Sterling hesitated. The source of Beast Totems had many unsolved mysteries originally; even as knowledgeable as he was, it was hard to come up with a reason at this moment.

  Just then, a painful roar spread throughout the entire cave.

  "What the hell was that noise?" Dean Sterling couldn't help but complain, his gaze subconsciously starting to search for the source of the sound.

  Looking over, he saw a massive egg case trembling violently not far away!

  "Is that...?" Dean Sterling looked at the huge egg case. He saw it turning from brown to yellow, flickering and twitching constantly, with whimpering wails continuously coming from within.

  "Is it finally going to be born?" Fly's gaze also focused on the egg case, a premonition rising in his heart for no reason.

  In the Freshman Invitational, he had obtained Skaar's Beast Totem—the genes of The Phantom Hivequeen. But after entering the Inner Realm this time, the System had been uncharacteristically quiet, not mentioning anything about fusing new genes at all.

  Moreover, judging from the form of this Roach Matriarch just now, there were no traces of having fused with The Phantom Hivequeen.

  Following the premonition in his heart and his current analytical deduction, that egg case was very likely nurturing the source of a new Beast Totem—one that had fused with the genes of The Phantom Hivequeen.

  He felt it. Slowly, bit by bit, he felt the call coming from inside that egg case—a call trying to connect heart-to-heart with him.

  Soon. His intuition told him that everything was coming soon.

  It is about to be born.

  I am about to be born.

  We are about to be born.

  The trembling of the Roach Matriarch in the distance continued to intensify. Yellow light gradually flickered on her body, and wisps of lightning began to surround her.

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  Dean Sterling also felt the powerful aura coming from that egg case. He immediately revealed his own Jadefire Dove totem, assuming a stance as if facing a formidable enemy.

  "Vic, what are you doing?" Fly raised an eyebrow and asked casually. However, he quickly realized that Dean Sterling was worried the situation would spiral out of control.

  However, Fly did not make a defensive posture. Instead, he took a few steps forward, getting closer to the egg case.

  Suddenly, the trembling and whimpering of the egg case stopped all at once. The world seemed to fall silent.

  Then.

  Splat!

  A stream of fresh blood sprayed out from within the egg case, bursting instantly in the air like dancing red butterflies.

  With a miserable, strange cry, the egg case cracked open with a crash. Two slender antennae appeared first. At the end of the antennae was a flat, round head. Huge mouthparts were connected below the head, opening and closing incessantly, with yellow-green viscous saliva dripping constantly from them.

  Its forelimbs were also broader and thicker than the previous Roach Matriarch. It easily tore the hard-shelled egg case into two pieces, and then stood up.

  Its standing posture bore some resemblance to a human. It shook its head, seeming to feel something was missing, then turned around, looked at the remains of the egg case on the ground, reached out, lifted the remains, tore them into powder with a few cracks, and then put them all into its mouthparts and swallowed them.

  "I—AM—HUNGRY!"

  A strange sentence spilled from Fly's mouth. That sharp, shrill voice made Dean Sterling, who was standing aside, feel his hair stand on end.

  "Fly, what are you saying!" Dean Sterling turned his head to stare at Fly, speaking loudly.

  "I—AM—HUNGRY!" That sharp voice rang out from Fly's mouth again. And in the distance, that newborn cockroach also let out a miserable, strange cry accompanying Fly's voice.

  Fly's mouth kept repeating the words just now, and the giant cockroach also kept roaring and hissing. The voices of both sides echoed each other, lingering for a long time.

  Dean Sterling looked at Fly, then at the giant cockroach, and instantly understood the whole story. That newborn giant cockroach was undoubtedly the new Roach Matriarch, and Fly's mind had already been connected as one with hers.

  In other words, the call from the new Roach Matriarch's mouth was the meaning in Fly's words—she was hungry, she wanted food!

  "Damn it!" Cold sweat seeped from Dean Sterling's palms. He never expected things to develop to this stage!

  Fly was already deeply connected with the new Roach Matriarch. If he attacked the Roach Matriarch now to forcibly cut off her mental connection with Fly, he knew all too well what the consequences would be.

  Fly would instantly become an idiot!

  Just as a sleepwalker cannot be awakened at will, a Beast Warrior deeply connected with the source of their own Beast Totem cannot be awakened at will either.

  Next, it would be a battle of wills.

  If Fly could tame this new Roach Matriarch, he would be able to break through the bottleneck and become a Level 3 Beast Warrior; if he couldn't, there was a high probability he would be devoured by the new Roach Matriarch, resulting in brain death.

  If it's the second scenario, Dean Sterling thought to himself, then I must save Fly from the mouth of the new Roach Matriarch even at the risk of my life, and take him away from here.

  If he becomes an idiot, there's no chance for a cure; if he suffers brain death, everything is truly over.

  Dean Sterling clenched his fists, carefully observing the situation between Fly and the new Roach Matriarch. His concentration was at its peak. If the situation changed even slightly, he would strike immediately. He was currently like a bowstring pulled to its limit, ready to fire at any moment!

  However, the new Roach Matriarch did not seem to show any signs of attacking Fly.

  She stood in place, seemed to think for a while, then knelt on one knee in Fly's direction and lowered her head.

  "Very good." Fly, with a glazed look in his eyes, nodded with satisfaction.

  It looks like Fly has temporarily suppressed the violent new Roach Matriarch. Good job, Fly! Dean Sterling thought, his taut nerves relaxing slightly.

  "Hunt." Fly said in a low voice.

  Dean Sterling's nerves, which had just relaxed, tightened up again instantly.

  Hunt whom?

  Who else is here to hunt?

  Don't tell me she's going to hunt me?

  You brat! I haven't treated you badly, yet you want the new Roach Matriarch to hunt me?

  But what Dean Sterling didn't expect was that the new Roach Matriarch didn't pounce on him. Instead, she turned around with heavy, thumping steps and ran in the completely opposite direction.

  "What is she doing?" Dean Sterling said, puzzled.

  Isn't this new Roach Matriarch here to hunt me?

  What is she doing running in the opposite direction?

  Dean Sterling looked up in the direction the new Roach Matriarch was running and saw that at the end of the path, the original Roach Matriarch was curled up in a ball, shivering.

  Could it be...

  Only one sentence came to Dean Sterling's mind: The old king must die so the new king may rise.

  A kingdom only allows one ruler!

  He saw the new Roach Matriarch charge over wildly, ripping off the old Roach Matriarch's right forelimb with one grab. Then, using the most primitive brute force, she crushed it into powder. The electric current covering the old Roach Matriarch's body couldn't hurt her in the slightest!

  Bang!

  Various yellow, green, and white viscous liquids sprayed out from the stump of the old Roach Matriarch's right forelimb like smashing watermelons. The sound created made Dean Sterling stunned for a moment.

  After this cruel tearing, a stream of faint light transformed into yellow energy, swirling around the new Roach Matriarch's feet.

  "Is that... a staff?" Dean Sterling muttered as he watched this strange scene.

  The main attack method of Skaar's Phantom Hivequeen was relying on the staff in her hand to summon a large number of Spectral Wasps to attack.

  It seemed now that Fly's Thunder-Roach, after assimilating The Phantom Hivequeen, had also obtained the power to use this kind of witchcraft.

  "Good job!" Fly's mouth opened slightly, chanting words, seeming to look forward to this hunting feast.

  That ball of energy transformed into a pitch-black staff with strange patterns. The new Roach Matriarch took the staff and waved it. Subsequently, a bright red flying needle sped towards the old Roach Matriarch.

  That is... The Phantom Hivequeen's Poison Needle! Dean Sterling thought. He was the leading teacher for Star City High in the Freshman Invitational, so he naturally recognized the poison needle released by Skaar's Phantom Hivequeen. However, he didn't expect that while Skaar's Phantom Hivequeen fired poison needles from the abdomen, the Roach Matriarch who fused with its genes could release them simply by waving the staff.

  Before the old Roach Matriarch could react to what had happened...

  No...

  To be precise, the old Roach Matriarch noticed nothing at all.

  In just the blink of an eye, this flying needle pierced directly into her body, flew out from the other end, and finally stuck into the ground.

  And the place that was pierced was dissolving at a speed visible to the naked eye!

  It looked like it had been corroded by strong acid.

  Acid Blood!

  This was the acid blood flowing in the bodies of the Spectral Wasps summoned by Skaar's Phantom Hivequeen Totem!

  The new Roach Matriarch, having fused with The Phantom Hivequeen's genes, could integrate the corrosive effect of the acid blood into this flying poison needle!

  In less than half a breath, the old Roach Matriarch fell heavily to the ground, her mouth incessantly emitting wails like nails on a chalkboard.

  It was enough to make one's skin crawl!

  And the place pierced by the needle had dissolved into a basketball-sized hole, transparent from front to back.

  Fly didn't seem surprised by this. He walked over slowly and began to admire this scene from a close distance.

  Dean Sterling took this scene into his eyes, his mouth wide open, standing stunned on the spot.

  "Fly's promotion process is truly unique..."

  Thank you for your reading!

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