Colonial Suit

Vikseirk Star, Realm of the Netherworld.

In the enormous underground plaza, rows of spire-like structures were arranged in a spiral pattern. Each one was incredibly huge. Beneath them, groups of mutated humans toiled like worker ants, transporting energy harvested from the Earth's core into the spires, where it was then processed into tumor-like energy clusters.

They worked diligently, none slacking off. Their faces even bore expressions of pride, as if performing these tasks was an immensely noble honor.

The spire structures were numerous and densely packed, but the center of the spiral arrangement was a massive sinkhole. This sinkhole was thousands of meters in diameter, pitch-black and deep, making it impossible to see the bottom. Only faint red lights emanated from the depths.

At the bottom of the sinkhole, within a certain nest, Lil's high heel was stepping on a tumor.

She stared at the twitching energy cluster with a perfectly calm expression.

"How is the preparation work progressing?"

"We have already collected seventy million Source Cores. Everything is proceeding very smoothly." Behind Lil, an old man with snow-white hair stroked his chest as he spoke, his face filled with reverence and adoration. "The Stronghold Nest is also evolving. Preliminary estimates suggest it will break through the protective membrane in eighty-six hours. At that time, we can inject these Source Cores into it. I believe that if nothing unexpected occurs, our Lord will soon acquire enough Stronghold Warriors."

"Very good." Lil raised her head, gazing at the dark cavern ceiling with a calm expression. "But quantity cannot solve the problem. I need quality."

"Everything will be as you wish." The white-haired old man bowed respectfully, answering clearly. "Because these Stronghold Warriors are based on your genetic template, their quality is extremely high. Initial estimates suggest they can reach the peak of Apprentice level. Moreover, they will receive combat experience infusion during their development, so they will emerge as fully qualified warriors. They will certainly open up a new situation for our Lord."

"What are their combat styles?" Lil remained unmoved by the old man's words, still asking coldly.

"We have collected a great deal of combat data from the Star Pirates and have input it into the development code. Therefore, the Stronghold Warriors' combat styles will also be modeled after the Star Pirates, with both melee and ranged categories."

"No ability users?"

"Regrettably, Most Supreme Lord. The genetic chains of ability users are too complex for Stronghold Warriors to accept. And until now, we have not been able to obtain the genetic source code for abilities. Therefore, this development does not include any infusion in that regard. It is impossible for us to obtain Stronghold Warriors with abilities." The old man answered respectfully, a hint of regret on his face.

He was the latest high-level Sage awakened by Lil, with abilities five to ten times greater than ordinary Sages. He had always believed himself to be Lil's strongest assistant, but he felt ashamed that he had failed to achieve perfection on his first mission.

Seeing the expression that suddenly appeared on the old man's face, Lil clearly understood his thoughts. She waved her hand dismissively.

"Don't mind it. This was never going to be an easy task. In fact, I am already very satisfied that you have been able to achieve this level. Cosmic warriors who require a long time of training and combat to nurture are being born in a new way. This will surely surprise those Star Pirates."

"All for the glory of our Lord." The old man knelt on the ground respectfully, a fanatical look appearing in his eyes for the first time.

Lil was a god.

Yes, in the hearts of all the mutated humans, this was the only truth. For their deity, any mutated human was willing to sacrifice everything.

Stronghold Humans were the latest armed individuals successfully developed by Lil, a new generation of warriors to replace combat genetic templates. They possessed extremely strong combat power and could also change their combat styles and forms through infusion, making them highly competitive. The old man believed that when Lil possessed them, the mutated humans would usher in a new dawn.

It was just a pity that the development of Stronghold Humans was too complex, and the consumption of biological energy was enormous. They could not be mass-produced, or it would certainly change the power structure of the Sixth World, the old man thought regretfully.

But Lil would not consider these things. Through the Blood Pool, she had mastered a large number of biological development methods. Stronghold Humans were only one of them. And although Stronghold Humans seemed good, they had the huge weakness of high development costs and low finished product abilities. They could only be used as a stopgap measure. Lil's ideal combat unit was the next generation variant of Stronghold Humans, a new biological unit with complete autonomous evolution capabilities.

But with her current abilities and the Blood Pool's energy, these could only remain in the planning stages, far from being realized.

After walking around the vast underground nest for a while, she suddenly asked.

"What has Sabik been up to lately?"

"Prince Sabik has gone to Planet Kouchuan," the Sage replied. "It is said that traces of cosmic mercenaries have been discovered there, and he has accepted a mission to eliminate them."

"He is still so enthusiastic about combat. Are Star Pirate missions that fun?"

"Prince Sabik is doing it for the development of our race," the Sage explained softly. "During this period, we have relied on him and Lord Murdock to exchange for a large number of contribution points, so we can obtain enough material support from the Star Pirates. Moreover, Prince Sabik said that he must conquer a vast starfield for our Lord and lay the foundation for the future of our race."

"…"

Listening to the Sage's words, Lil fell silent. After a long while, she sighed.

"Sabik is doing well, but he has been a little too radical lately."

"There is no other way. Our Lord, as long as our race rises here, the Star Pirates cannot be unaware. Moreover, I have recently investigated this starfield and discovered that the Realm of the Netherworld is a very strange place. It has never been fully surveyed since it was first discovered, and even now, large areas are designated as restricted zones. Although the Star Pirates nominally own this place, their actual control is limited to a few planets. As long as we are careful not to provoke them, we should not be seen as a threat."

"You are thinking too simply." Lil glanced at the Sage. "You are the latest Sage I have awakened. Before you were put to sleep, you were also a highly intelligent scientist. But now you are a mutated human. It is clearly wrong to use the thinking of a mutated human to predict the behavior of humans."

"Please instruct me, Our Lord," the Sage immediately lowered his head and said respectfully.

Lil glanced at him and nodded slightly. "The Star Pirates are a group of lawless warriors. Their organization is also full of violence and uncertainty. If you use common sense to infer that they will not be a threat, of course, that is true. But I believe that when we begin to develop outwards, they will certainly interfere, and may even send warriors to attack."

"Why!?" The Sage was shocked. "We are also members of the Star Pirates!"

"Because we are developing too quickly." Lil raised her head, her blood-red hair fluttering slightly.

"The Star Pirates are an organization that worships the strong, but that does not mean they will watch others become strong.

When our development reaches a certain stage, some of them will definitely be unable to stand it, then suppression will be the simplest and most effective method. Moreover, this is just a branch. Who would notice if a few newly joined Star Pirates die?"

"Damn it! They are truly a group of demons."

"We are too." Lil smiled slightly, indescribably charming and moving, but revealing a hint of cold and eerie in her smile. "A world of sin requires sinful methods. The behavior of the Star Pirates is certainly lawless, but we will also receive corresponding convenience. The Realm of the Netherworld is exactly the environment we need."

"Yes, everything will be in accordance with our Lord's will." The Sage lowered his head, his eyes shooting out looks of adoration.

They then spoke about some matters related to development. Lil then led the Sage out of the nest. She was just about to go to the place where the Earth's core energy was collected when suddenly, a violent tremor came from under the ground, accompanied by a muffled roar like thunder.

"It's the Blood Pool!!"

The Sage's expression immediately changed. Among so many Sages, only his thoughts were connected to the Blood Pool, so he immediately felt it when something went wrong with the Blood Pool. He could no longer care about talking to Lil and turned to run towards another passage.

Behind him, Lil's expression also gradually became serious. First, she closed her eyes and felt it for a moment, then revealed a hint of a smile.

The next moment, she stepped on the ground, and her whole body disappeared into it as if drilling into the ground. When she reappeared, she had already arrived at a certain nest deep underground.

This nest was the core of the entire mutated human society and also Lil's forbidden area.

In the huge nest, everywhere was covered with substances similar to biological meridians, as if a thick layer of fungal carpet had been laid. In the very center of the carpet, a giant Blood Pool was churning, emitting bursts of thunder. This cavern was not completely enclosed. There was also a hole leading to the ground directly above the Blood Pool. At this moment, streams of bloody mist were pouring into the Blood Pool from this hole, churning like living things.

A burst of footsteps came from behind Lil. The old Sage had finally arrived. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the scene of the blood mist churning before him.

"So it's back. It gave me a fright. I wonder how much energy it has collected this time, whether it is enough for the Blood Pool to raise another level?"

"That's impossible. The upgrade of the Blood Pool is very slow, regardless of what it can collect in a short time. If it weren't for the Blood Pool upgrade requiring a large amount of biological energy, I wouldn't have let it go out." Lil said coldly. Her eyes did not blink as she watched the blood mist descending from the sky.

She knew that these blood mists were a part of the Blood Pool, a kind of individual with self-awareness.

Don't look at their simple form, they were actually extremely dangerous. Even she had to treat them carefully. Usually, these blood mists would be released, and only when they had collected enough biological energy would they return. It could be said that they were the key to upgrading the Blood Pool.

This cycle of plundering energy was not the first time, but for some reason, Lil felt that something was wrong this time. She could actually feel a faint hint of excitement in these blood mists.

While she was wondering, suddenly a muffled thunder sound came from above. The blood mist actually began to condense into liquid.

Immediately afterward, a large mass of blood rolled down from the hole above. With a *thud*, it fell to the ground.

Blood splattered everywhere, and two human bodies were instantly exposed in Lil's eyes.

"Eh?" Lil was stunned, and then her eyes shone brightly.