Early next morning, Xia Jin changed into a new set of clothes.
A light blue midi skirt and white over-the-knee socks suited her surprisingly well.
Of course, the wardrobe included several shorter skirts, but Xia Jin refused to wear them for fear of accidental exposure.
After all, safety pants did not exist in this era.
Stepping outside the Hive, she could see the swarm constructing a massive surface fortress.
The first step involved laying the foundation.
A sprawling underground palace, nearly a hundred meters deep and extending in all directions, would serve as the base for the entire structure.
As it was to be her own residence, it needed to be both secure and grand.
Proper drainage was essential—she did not want a heavy rainstorm to flood her out. The exterior had to be a marvel, reflecting the majesty of the Zerg Queen.
However, Xia Jin soon realized that no matter how much she prioritized aesthetics, the resulting architecture always exuded a thick, dark atmosphere... it looked positively sanity-draining.
“Whatever. If it is dark, it is dark. I will just call the Zerg style a unique feature.”
She simply could not change this eerie aesthetic.
After watching the construction for a while, she immersed her consciousness into the swarm, scanning their overall status.
Currently, the number of combat units was approaching six thousand.
Three hundred were guarding the perimeter of the main hive, primarily zerglings and a small number of hydralisks.
One thousand were concentrated toward the Glowing Forest. This was the densest gathering of hydralisks, with a full three hundred standing ready to defend against potential elven attacks.
Two hundred zerglings lurked in the jungle within twenty kilometers to the south, discreetly observing adventurers who might come from the kingdom.
One thousand were hunting wild beasts in the north.
All the others were being used to clear a path to the city states.
Indeed, Xia Jin planned to send over three thousand insects to attack toward the northeast. They would bypass the City of Darkness from five kilometers north, reach a point ten kilometers east of the city, and drop a new Zerg base to begin mass-producing units.
In effect, Xia Jin’s swarm would have the city surrounded.
As long as the people inside did not venture more than five kilometers into the forest, they would find it difficult to detect the presence of these insects.
Despite the swarm’s size, their vision was exceptionally sharp. Before any battle, numerous scouts would keep a watchful eye on the City of Darkness. If anyone emerged, the Zerg would either avoid them or kill them quickly to prevent the city from discovering the situation.
In truth, the residents of the City of Darkness had recently stopped entering the forest.
Many suspected the Zerg were magic beasts. Encountering them meant death, so why risk it?
The city, which had always relied on selling forest products to the kingdom, would likely fall into an economic crisis before long.
To make matters worse, the relationship between the two regions had become extremely strained.
Aside from the initial group of refugees who had been turned away, almost no one had successfully entered Count Amelo’s territory since.
Some tried to head toward Duoye, the city where Xia Jin had traded.
But those unlucky souls were wiped out on the road by a team of insects she had dispatched.
Consequently, news of the City of Darkness being under siege had not spread very far yet.
To avoid further trouble, Count Amelo had suppressed the information internally.
He had also apparently sent special envoys to investigate the situation in the City of Darkness.
And then...
The count very cleverly spent money to hire more adventurers to scout the forest.
Exactly—after covering up the news of magic beast attacks, he let ignorant people hunt magic beasts in the Border Forest. This way, those who returned alive would more or less bring back information from within the woods.
As a result, over the past two days, Xia Jin noticed more and more adventurers appearing in her field of vision.
While most only dared to hunt within twenty kilometers of the border, a few parties with Tier 2 or Tier 3 strength—or those supported by mages—dared to push deeper.
On the afternoon of the second day, Xia Jin spotted a very unusual party.
When they entered her sight, they were only twenty-two kilometers away from the Hive.
...
Within the dense jungle, a four-person party moved forward cautiously.
The group consisted of a Tier 3 male shield warrior, a Tier 4 male swordsman, a beautiful Tier 3 female mage, and a Tier 3 male archer.
In some online games, this would be considered a standard all-around party.
The shield warrior served as the tank, the swordsman provided physical damage, the archer offered crowd control and distraction, and the mage provided magical support and utility.
Judging by their attire, this party’s equipment was clearly superior to that of ordinary people.
The warrior’s shield was even embedded with magic crystals that could provide a certain strength boost.
The female mage was slender and wore a robe that gave off a priestess-like vibe. Her loose, light blue hair and delicate features caused Xia Jin, who was sharing the swarm's vision, to take a few extra looks.
“Senior, we have already gone over thirty kilometers into the forest. Do we really need to keep going? I have heard that many terrifying magic beasts live deep in the Border Forest. If we rush in blindly, what if...”
Hearing the mage’s question, the swordsman smiled. “It is fine. The outer reaches of the Border Forest span thousands of kilometers. The magic beasts in this area are generally below Tier 6, and the truly powerful ones are over a thousand kilometers away. Even if there is an occasional Tier 3 beast out here, they are usually loners. Otherwise, why do you think those Tier 2 adventurers dare to come in?”
“Alright then.”
The female mage puffed out her cheeks.
Rate on N.U.
