Former Interstellar Mercenary In Urban Cultivation World
Chapter 1144: The Queen’s Hive

Chapter 1144: The Queen’s Hive

"That’s right. So, if we find the planet where these two types of ants reside, we’ll find the Space Insectoid Queen," Officer Khan confirmed.

At that moment, Kenny Lin, who had been silent, smirked and said, "Finding the Space Insectoid Queen shouldn’t be too difficult. She’s probably on the planet with the highest vitality in this area."

Officer Khan hesitated briefly before nodding. "That’s highly likely."

Kenny Lin pointed to a planet on the star map. "This planet has a distinct force around it. It must be the psychic power you mentioned, and it’s incredibly strong—not something ordinary."

Officer Khan drew in a sharp breath. "That’s a problem. The Space Insectoid Queen has already grown this powerful. Eliminating her will be extremely difficult."

What surprised him even more was how Kenny Lin could sense the abnormalities on that planet from such a vast distance.

"We really shouldn’t have let these space insectoids grow unchecked back then."

However, it was too late now.

Humanity no longer had the resources or capacity to deal with the space insectoids.

"It’s still manageable," Amalia said, studying the map. "This planet is quite close to Noctis. Those black space insectoids that was advancing toward planet Noctis must be the Astro Infestation Ant, directly controlled by the Space Insectoid Queen. No wonder they can replenish so quickly—it’s intriguing."

Kenny Lin seemed interested.

"I’ll take a closer look," he said while glancing at Amalia.

"I’ll go with you," Amalia replied, an idea forming in her mind, though she wasn’t sure if it would work.

"Fine," Kenny Lin said before heading out.

Officer Khan quickly stopped Amalia before she could leave. "Should we wait for you here?"

Amalia nodded. "Yes. Stay here. At this distance, the space insectoids shouldn’t detect you for now. Even if they do, breaking through the battleship’s defenses will take time—more than enough for us to return. In the meantime, I need you to compile detailed reports on the planets in this area."

"Understood."

Moments later, a silver spacecraft detached from the bottom of the massive battleship.

The pilot was Khalil, with Tariq assisting.

Both of them had been pulled aboard by Amalia to help manage the spacecraft, whether she and Kenny Lin acted together or separately.

Neither Khalil nor Tariq had ever seen so many space insectoids in one place.

When the Empire relocated to the other side of the Erythar Star System, they hadn’t even been born.

They’d only heard generals recount the fearsome nature of the space insectoids.

The Empire’s planets still aired documentaries and films about the space insectoids’ devastation every year.

Their training simulators also included scenarios simulating battles with space insectoids.

Even without facing them in reality, Khalil and Tariq had experienced countless simulated deaths at the hands of space insectoids—deaths so vividly realistic that the terror lingered long after.

As the spacecraft drew closer, they could already see the space insectoids on the planet with their naked eyes—packed densely together in a writhing mass.

Even those without trypophobia found themselves developing it at the sight.

"Just ahead are the space insectoid-infested planets," Tariq said, rubbing the goosebumps on his arms.

"We’re heading straight into their territory, to Planet Umbrq," Amalia said, marking the planet’s coordinates.

Khalil glanced at the screen and saw they were indeed heading straight into the space insectoid swarm.

However, with two powerful figures like Amalia and Kenny Lin aboard, he felt reassured.

The spacecraft’s passage through the vicinity of several planets seemed to draw the space insectoids’ attention.

Through the targeting system, they could see on the monitor how some space insectoids on the surface tilted their heads upward in a disturbingly human-like manner, staring directly at the spacecraft’s path.

Even Khalil, who had been relatively calm earlier, felt a shiver run down his spine. "Why is it that after spotting us, these space insectoids aren’t making any moves?"

Amalia quickly identified the oddity. "That’s normal," she replied calmly. "These space insectoids have been breeding here for years. Their numbers must be in the hundreds of billions, possibly even trillions. To them, our lone spacecraft flying into their territory is nothing more than a meal served on a silver platter—one they can enjoy at their leisure."

At the mention of numbers in the trillions, Khalil and Tariq couldn’t hold back their gasps.

Their faces turned ashen.

Even hundreds of billions were enough to make them break out in a cold sweat.

"We can’t let these space insectoids continue to reproduce unchecked," Khalil declared with firm resolve. "If this goes on, the entire Erythar Star System will be doomed."

He recalled that the Draconis Empire had relocated from this region only fifty years ago.

In just fifty years, the space insectoid population had exploded into the trillions—far exceeding the population of the Draconis Empire itself.

"If war breaks out, we won’t even have enough people to stand against them," he added grimly. "No matter how many lives we throw at them, it won’t be enough to outmatch this space insectoids."

Kenny Lin let out a derisive chuckle.

Khalil’s expression turned awkward, unsure of what Kenny Lin was mocking. "What? Did I say something wrong?"

"If you lack the strength, don’t talk about eliminating these space insectoids," Kenny Lin replied sharply. "Back when their numbers were far smaller, your Empire couldn’t even take down the Space Insectoid Queen. And now you think you can? Ridiculous."

Khalil’s face burned with embarrassment.

He knew Kenny Lin was right.

If they couldn’t do it fifty years ago, how could they possibly manage it now?

Amalia interjected, cutting through the tension. "Enough banter. These space insectoids may have peaked at trillions in number, but ever since they set their sights on Planet Noctis, their numbers have likely dwindled significantly."

Amalia had already analyzed the situation from the battleship.

The space insectoids being obliterated by the particle storm numbered in the tens of millions every second.

"No matter how powerful the Space Insectoid Queen may be, she can’t spawn ten million space insectoids every second. The attrition rate is enormous. But because their numbers were so vast to begin with, the Space Insectoid Queen hasn’t hesitated to sacrifice swarms of her offspring in an attempt to breach the storm."

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