Chapter 35: Expeditionary Force
Li Qingsong had initially created a total of 100 embryos using the strange birds’ bodily fluids. But now, only a dozen or so showed superior physical qualities. The majority remained ordinary, and some even showed signs of deformity—obvious cultivation failures.
But that didn’t matter.
It was most likely because his extraction and filtration techniques weren’t up to par.
’That’s not important. What’s important is, does this strange bird’s fluid truly contain superior nutrients? Does it have the potential to let me cultivate higher-quality Clones, even at my current stage without any breakthroughs in biotechnology?’
’If I can further improve my filtration or purification techniques, does that mean I’ll be able to use the strange bird’s fluid as an "additive" to mass-produce even more high-quality Clones?’
’At that point, not only would I have more consciousness link slots, but the average quality of each Clone would also increase. With this dual improvement in quantity and quality, the mental processing power at my disposal would also see a massive boost...’
Watching this scene, Li Qingsong’s heart burned with excitement.
Although he didn’t know yet how many Clones he could link with once these embryos were fully developed, Li Qingsong had already made up his mind.
’Not a single one of the strange birds that came to Ceres will escape! I’m going to catch them all!’
’Some of them I’ll kill and extract their fluid immediately. The rest I’ll keep for research and artificial breeding... and then I’ll kill them for their fluid too!’
With this in mind, Li Qingsong assigned more Clones to build over a hundred additional off-road vehicles. He then sent them all out, along with the previous scout vehicles, to search the surface of Ceres.
Across the dimly lit landscape of Ceres, one off-road vehicle after another sped along, searching.
Just as one of the off-road vehicles rounded a mountain peak, preparing to continue its search, the Clone driver suddenly spotted something unusual.
A bright pillar of light had suddenly appeared in the dim sky.
The pillar of light shot toward the heavens, rising at least a hundred meters before abruptly vanishing.
"What was that?"
Puzzled, the Clone floored the accelerator, and the vehicle shot forward.
The farther he drove, the fewer obstacles there were, and the more he could see.
And then the Clone witnessed a truly stunning sight.
It was a small plain wedged between two mountain peaks, with a total area of no more than two hundred square kilometers.
At this moment, the small plain was teeming with strange birds, packed densely together everywhere he looked!
Strange birds continuously shot hot, bright gas and flames from their undersides, propelling their bodies hundreds of meters into the sky like rockets. Afterward, they would either let themselves drift slowly back down or change direction mid-air, flying like jets.
Countless strange birds were constantly taking off and landing, while on the ground, innumerable others jostled against one another, transforming the plain into a bizarre, fantastical world.
Li Qingsong finally understood.
’It seems that every single strange bird that came to Ceres has gathered here, on this plain about 1,000 kilometers from the main base!’
’Why are they all gathered together? This is...’
After a moment of observation, Li Qingsong realized what was happening.
’It must be the strange birds’ breeding season...’
’They’ve all gathered to mate and reproduce!’
’So that’s why they’re all here!’
’The birds constantly flying up and down must be the males. They’re showing off their strength and how well-nourished they are to the females to attract a mate!’
’The ones on the ground, not bothering to fly, are the females. They just watch the males’ performances, and when they see one they like, they approach to form a pair.’
On the plain, Li Qingsong even saw many hatchlings that had just been born. Unable to walk, they could only survive on the Oxygen Ore and organic matter brought to them by the adult birds!
’It’s logical. Perfectly logical.’
Li Qingsong’s thoughts raced. ’Space is sparse and its resources scarce; it’s obviously not suitable for reproduction. Only by finding a resource-rich planet and securing supplies can they get enough nutrition to reproduce.
Clearly, Ceres is their chosen breeding ground.
Once they’ve multiplied and exhausted the resources on Ceres, they’ll abandon this planet, migrate en masse to another, and start the cycle of reproduction all over again...’
However, whether the strange birds were breeding was of little concern to Li Qingsong. What caught his attention was something else.
’Since they’ve entered their breeding season, it proves they have all recovered their strength.
And recovering their strength... means they now have sufficient flight capability!
Even if it’s not enough for space travel yet, flying near the planet’s surface is no problem at all.
This means I’m no longer facing over a million ground-bound creatures, but over a million flying monsters...’
Li Qingsong’s mind raced, and he instantly made a decision.
’I have to mobilize the entire army to eliminate them immediately. Otherwise, once they get stronger, their flight capabilities improve, and their numbers increase, I might really be no match for them...’
In an instant, he severed his consciousness link to all 1,100 Clones on reconnaissance missions, except for the few near the flock. All those link slots were reclaimed.
He no longer cared whether they lived or died. At worst, it was just the loss of over a thousand Clones.
Li Qingsong transferred the thousand-plus reclaimed link slots to his reserve Clones, directing them all to the factory.
Simultaneously, all research and development activities were halted. The Clones originally assigned to R&D were all reassigned to production.
’At this stage, production is the top priority. Research can be put on hold for now.’
Furthermore, since the strange birds were all gathered in one place and posed no immediate threat, he only needed to leave a few Clones on perimeter duty. The consciousness links for the rest were also reclaimed and funneled into the factory.
And so, out of Li Qingsong’s 21,000 total consciousness link slots, a full 20,500 were now devoted to production.
At this moment, Li Qingsong truly unleashed his full power.
Tens of thousands of Clones worked in shifts, keeping the machinery running day and night, without a moment’s rest.
Vast quantities of steel and minerals were transported from the other bases and rapidly processed at the main base. Some of it was turned into tanks, armored vehicles, fuel tankers, and logistical support vehicles. The rest was forged into countless bullets, innumerable firearms, and scores of Cannons.
After about half a month of feverish production, all the weapons, equipment, and logistical supplies Li Qingsong required were finally ready.
And now...
"Expeditionary Force, advance!"