253: Chapter 253 Destroying the Ovaries: No Time to Lose

The wind stopped, and the cave fell silent.

Chen Wuwang stood at the edge of the shield, his feet crunching lightly on the gravel.

The controller on his wrist was still glowing, casting a cold light onto his face.

He didn't move, nor did he look back.

His right eye was mechanical, emitting a faint red light as it scanned the hill ahead.

Where there had once been many insect eggs, only a black pit remained, smoldering like scorched earth.

Data continued to flicker: heartbeat at seventy-six beats per minute, embryo activity up by seventeen percent, energy supply tubes unstable. Time was running out.

The shield energy was at 41%. He knew in his heart that he had to detonate within three seconds, or it would be breached.

He raised his right hand, his thumb pressing against the controller, his fingers turning slightly pale.

"Preparing to detonate," he said, his voice not loud but carrying far within the cave.

No one answered. Everything that needed to be done was done; now, they only waited for the explosion.

He used his mechanical eye to check the positions of the three bombs—all were below, with a two-second delay.

The fuses were normal, energy was stable, and the angles were precise; there were no issues.

Everything was going according to plan.

Yet he still stared at the data, counting down second by second.

[Countdown: 5]

The hill suddenly shuddered, several cracks splitting open as a purple-gray liquid oozed out, crawling along the vein-like structures on the ground like a final struggle.

[Countdown: 4]

The shield flickered, its energy dropping to 40%.

"There's still time," he said, not to comfort himself, but as a confirmation.

[Countdown: 3]

Vibrations rose from underground—not from a cave-in or a stampeding beast, but a low sound, the same as before the Zerg arrived years ago.

His gaze tightened.

"It's not a coincidence," he realized immediately. "Someone is trying to stop the explosion."

He didn't release his hand; instead, he pressed down even harder.

[Countdown: 2]

The air outside the shield began to distort, heat swirling up dust into spiraling winds.

The membrane in the center of the hill ruptured, revealing densely packed insect eggs inside—every single one was moving as if being prematurely ripened.

[Countdown: 1]

"Now."

He pressed the button.

BOOM—!!!

Fire erupted from underground like a volcanic burst, instantly swallowing the entire hill.

Shockwaves slammed into the walls and ceiling, and stones rained down like water.

The shield shook violently, cracks appearing along its edges, but it did not break.

Chen Wuwang was knocked back half a step, his knees buckling slightly before he steadied himself.

The explosion lasted for seven seconds.

The first wave severed the three main energy supply tubes; the second wave of high heat cleared the nest, the fire surging in to burn over three thousand eggs to ash.

The data showed: a temperature of 3,200 degrees Celsius, sustained for 4.8 seconds—enough to turn all the eggs into fly ash.

Smoke and dust billowed as the firelight slowly dimmed.

He remained standing, unmoving.

His mechanical eye switched to infrared mode, scanning the ruins.

[Target Area: Black Pit]

[Life Signals: 0]

[Energy Fluctuations: Safe]

[Mental Pollution: Residual low-frequency, no threat]

"Clearance complete," he said to himself.

The shield deactivated, and the generator fell to the ground with a 'clack'.

He didn't go to pick it up.

Everything before him was a mess.

The hill was gone, replaced by a massive crater, its blackened edges still smoking.

The vein-like structures on the ground had withered, and the purple moss had turned entirely to ash.

The air still had a scent, but the stench had lessened, replaced by the smell of char.

He took a step forward.

His shoes crunched against the gravel.

Small stones were still falling from above, but the cave wouldn't collapse immediately.

Part of the passage entrance was destroyed by the blast, but it wasn't completely blocked; the exit was still visible.

"I can leave," he thought.

But he didn't leave.

He just stood by the pit, watching the ashes as his mechanical eye recorded the final scene: the Egg Core exploding, the high temperature destroying the embryos, and the gene chains snapping.

This data was very important.

The machinery of his right eye was slightly hot, and there was a scratch on the casing from a flying fragment.

It was still functional, but it would need to be replaced sooner or later.

He still had sixty percent of his Spiritual Power remaining, which was not a small amount.

After the battle, his body automatically entered power-saving mode; his heartbeat dropped to fifty, and his breathing became steady.

He raised a hand to wipe the soot from his face.

"Is it over?" he asked himself.

It wasn't a sentimental thought, but a confirmation.

He knew this wasn't the end.

Blood Butcher had escaped, Mo Yuan wasn't dead, and the Zerg Broodmother's consciousness hadn't completely vanished.

But at the very least, this nest was truly destroyed.

He looked down at his hands.

His palms were sweaty and covered in soot.

When he first arrived in this world, these hands were white and soft, only capable of typing on a keyboard.

Now, they could press a detonation button, hold a blade to kill, and survive amidst ruins.

He didn't smile, nor did he sigh.

He simply turned to face the passage.

"Threat neutralized," he said, his voice quiet but clear in the silent cave.

His tone was flat, as if he were talking about the weather.

But after saying those words, his shoulders relaxed slightly.

He had been tense for so long that he could finally breathe.

He stood still, feet unmoving; five meters ahead was the deep pit, and behind him was the path out.

His position hadn't changed, his posture hadn't changed, and the direction of the wind remained the same.

But he knew that some things were different now.

That explosion hadn't just destroyed a nest.

It was also a message to everyone, including the enemies hiding in the shadows:

The Chen Family is not to be trifled with.

The mechanical eye flickered, saving the final image: the black pit, the smoking ground, and the deathly silent cave.

Then, he lifted his foot.

It hadn't even touched the ground yet.

With a 'clatter' from above, a stone fell, landing three meters ahead and shattering into powder.

He didn't dodge.

He stared at the pile of gravel for a few seconds before retracting his foot.

He still didn't move.

Wind blew in from the passage, carrying the scent of vegetation and dew from outside.

It was faint, but real.

He closed his eyes for a moment.

When he opened them again, a prompt appeared in his mechanical eye:

[Environmental Safety Rating: Grade C (Passable for short term)]

[Suggested Evacuation Time: Within 12 minutes]

[Follow-up Risks: Unstable ley lines, possible further collapse]

He didn't look at it.

He knew he should leave.

But he didn't.

He was waiting.

Waiting for what?

Waiting for the data to hit zero, for the anomalies to disappear, and for this land to truly become a dead zone.

He couldn't take any risks.

A single mistake, and the entire race would die.

So he stood there like a nail, driven into these ruins of victory.

The stones beneath his feet cracked, dust drifted, and the air was still somewhat hot.

He stood.

Motionless.

Ahead was the pit, behind was the path.

He did not look back.

Nor did he intend to.

In the next second, the mechanical eye emitted a 'beep'.

A remote tracking signal connected:

[Target: Xue Tu's Afterimage]

[Status: Weak energy, speed reduced by 83%]

[Location: Eastern Wasteland Border, Chiji Ridge Cliff]

He glanced at it, his face expressionless.

He turned it off.

He didn't want to deal with it right now.

Right now, he just wanted to stand here, looking at this destroyed nest and the ashes on the ground.

He had won.

That was all.

He raised his hand and gently touched the three scars on his left cheek.

They didn't hurt anymore.

But he remembered when they did.

He remembered that night when the Zerg came, the village was on fire, and he ran toward the mine tunnel holding the last child, with strange shrieks echoing behind him.

He had made a vow then—

Whoever touched his people, he would ensure their roots were severed more cleanly than this Egg Mountain.

Now, he had done it.

He lowered his hand and stood tall.

"Let's go," he said to his own voice.

But his feet still didn't move.

The wind grew stronger.

It blew his long silvery-white hair.

He narrowed his eyes.

Then, finally, he lifted his foot.

One step, onto the gravel.

Crunch.

The sound was small.

But in this moment, it rang out like a bell.