Chapter Twelve: The Majesty of the Empress Mother

Seeing the insects surge toward the main base like a tide, Zigu's expression changed dramatically. “This is bad, I must go back!” he exclaimed in alarm.

Baldy replied, “There’s probably no need. These insects aren’t especially strong fighters, and with Woody’s Transformers helping, they shouldn’t be able to breach the base.”

Zigu said, “I know, but right now I’m the highest-ranking leader at this base. If I’m absent in such a crisis, it would reflect poorly on me.” Baldy nodded thoughtfully. “You’re right. If you’re not there, your troops’ morale will probably plummet. They might even think you’ve run away! Take the aircraft and head back—we’ll contact you once our mission is complete.”

Without delay, Zigu hurried back to the base with his robot, while Baldy commanded his mechanical bees to search for the Queen's whereabouts. The cave was an intricate maze, and even thirty mechanical bees searching for over two hours yielded nothing. Meanwhile, Gu Feng slumped to the ground and instructed Neon and Rainbow to pull out a bundle of firewood from their storage bracelets, built a campfire, and started roasting meat. Woody watched, dumbfounded. “Brother Gu, you really know how to enjoy life!”

Gu Feng laughed heartily. “It’s not a difficult mission, and I doubt the Queen will require my intervention. Let’s treat this as a vacation in a different dimension. Why not enjoy ourselves?”

At this moment, although there was no moonlight, the dazzling orbs overhead bathed the spacious cave in a unique, otherworldly glow. Baldy and Woody seemed at ease, but Gu Feng reclined in Neon’s arms, watching Rainbow roast the meat, a rare and indescribable sense of comfort filling him.

Seeing the bees still searching, Baldy ordered several of his bodyguards to take out meat to roast over the fire, and they began to chat idly. Woody then realized that Baldy’s bodyguards were all bio-combatants, humanoid weapons developed in the Biochemical Research Plane. Some sci-fi plane agents even bought these bio-warriors as bodyguards, since they were extremely powerful, typically around D-rank, possessed human-level intelligence, could assist their masters with daily tasks, and, most important of all, were absolutely loyal—never betraying their owner. Moreover, Baldy had his own bio-research base, making him one of the dominant forces in the Biochemical Plane.

Woody exclaimed, “What amazing things! Baldy, you must be really influential in your plane!”

Baldy laughed. “If we’re talking about influence, Old Gu Feng here is the most resourceful. Everyone knows the most sought-after items for plane agents are storage bracelets and belts—space artifacts that only the Magic Plane and Cultivation Plane can produce. But Cultivation Plane agents rarely show themselves; they appear in the trading space only fleetingly, swap for what they need, then vanish, and almost never communicate with other plane agents. So, those needing spatial artifacts can only turn to Magic Plane agents. And Old Gu Feng himself is a master of spatial magic—tell me, isn’t he the most influential?”

Woody then realized why Gu Feng always gifted him storage items. Baldy went on, “And Old Gu is generous! The storage bracelet you have is a C-rank item, and your twenty-four-slot storage belt is one of the best B-rank artifacts!”

Just then, Gu Feng sighed. “Pity my items can only store non-living things. Cultivation Plane has a technique called ‘Sumeru Storage Medium,’ which supposedly creates its own world. That would be an S-rank artifact!”

As they spoke, the meat finished roasting. Rainbow tore off a small piece and fed it to Gu Feng, who chewed thoughtfully. “I’m getting tired of roast meat—can’t you try something new?”

Hearing this, Woody’s mind stirred. He took out a packet of seasoning. “Try rubbing this on.” He’d grabbed several barbecue spice mixes while shopping, mostly cumin-based. Rainbow took the seasoning, sprinkled it evenly on the meat, and soon an enticing aroma wafted through the air.

Smelling it, Gu Feng’s eyes lit up. “Is this seasoning from your plane? It’s wonderful, so fragrant! My mouth is watering!”

Baldy came over as well. “Smells amazing! Give me some, too!” He snatched a packet from Rainbow and rubbed it onto his meat. Woody also taught them to score the meat so the flavors penetrated deeper.

As soon as the meat was ready, everyone couldn’t wait to taste it. Gu Feng exclaimed again and again, “So hot! So delicious!” His face beamed with joy.

After swallowing a piece, Gu Feng’s eyes sparkled mischievously. “Brother Woody, aren’t I good to you?”

Woody tossed him a few more packets of seasoning. “If you want spice, just ask! No need to beat around the bush.”

Gu Feng caught them and laughed heartily. “Good brother, thank you!”

Suddenly, Baldy roared, “Old Gu, you want to keep it all to yourself?” He grabbed a packet of seasoning. Woody quickly said, “No need to fight! When I get back to my plane, I’ll send you plenty more.”

Gu Feng mused, “So this spice is common in your plane?”

Woody replied, “You have to buy it, but it’s not expensive.”

Baldy teased, “He’s probing you! Afraid you’ll try to trade it for something valuable from him.”

Woody responded, “You two have helped me so much—never mind if it’s rare or not, I’ll find a way to get it for you!”

Gu Feng was delighted. “A good brother, a true friend! From now on, we advance and retreat together.”

Just then, the map in Baldy’s hand suddenly displayed a new scene: In a massive cavern, countless insects swarmed around a central area where an enormous six-legged spider monster loomed. Every so often, thousands of fist-sized white eggs gushed from beneath its abdomen, hatching almost instantly into dog-sized larvae. As soon as these larvae could walk, they began attacking each other.

What astonished everyone was that after each skirmish, the victor immediately devoured the loser. Thus, out of thousands of eggs, only about a hundred six-legged insects survived.

The three exchanged glances. “The Queen?” they said in unison. There was no doubt—the planet’s insect infestation originated with this Queen. But how had such a mutated Queen appeared here?

After resting and eating, everyone was back to full strength. Baldy studied the transparent scroll. “Thirty kilometers away. Gu Feng, it’s your turn.”

Gu Feng glanced at the map, then sat down to meditate. “No problem, I can teleport us instantly! If I went alone, I could teleport directly. With everyone, I’ll need a magic circle.” With a wave of his hand, he produced a wand inlaid with a fist-sized red gem and began inscribing a six-pointed star on the floor, chanting as he worked. The star glowed with golden light.

When the final stroke was complete, Gu Feng said, “All right, step inside!”

As soon as they entered the circle, Gu Feng chanted a few incomprehensible words—clearly a spatial teleportation spell. The formation flashed gold, and everyone felt a momentary dizziness. The next instant, the screeching of insects filled their ears—they had arrived in the Queen’s cavern.

Seeing the flood of insects, Gu Feng frowned slightly. “Attack,” he said coolly.

The two beautiful girls, whom Woody had thought mere decoration, sprang into action, levitating gracefully and raising slender white wands, chanting in unison. Instantly, a gale whipped through the cavern, forming a spinning cyclone. Any insect that touched the whirlwind was shredded instantly, blood raining down from above.

Gu Feng shouted angrily, “Idiots! Why use that spell? You’ll ruin my clothes!” He quickly raised a translucent magical shield, enveloping everyone within. Clearly, he was obsessed with cleanliness—even in battle, he refused to let his clothes get dirty.

The two girls, chastened by his rebuke, stopped the wind magic and clasped their hands, unleashing a sea of fire that incinerated countless insects amid shrieks of agony. But Gu Feng yelled again, “Stop! This is a cave—aren’t you hot?”

The two girls glanced at each other, unsure what to do. Woody could only laugh and cry at Gu Feng’s antics; in a fight, all that mattered was ending it quickly.

While the two girls hesitated in mid-air, the Queen unleashed a piercing shriek. An invisible wave of force swept through the chamber. Gu Feng, Baldy, and the others were unscathed, but Woody felt as if a giant hammer had smashed his chest—he was sent flying into the wall, blood surging and then spewing from his mouth.

This Queen was vastly stronger than the ordinary insects. A single roar had injured Woody gravely. At this moment, a mechanical voice reported:

“Subjected to psychic wave attack… Activating shield function… Damage reduced by 30%... Warning: Energy reserves low—shield will deactivate if depleted!”

Woody realized then that the shield consumed energy. Even with 30% damage reduction, he’d suffered a serious injury. Without the shield, he’d likely have been knocked unconscious.

If the Queen roared again, who knew if he’d survive? A shadow of death crept over his heart. He scrambled to his feet and, with a wave of his hand, unleashed his newly acquired B-rank skill—Particle Wave—at the Queen. But his mastery was shallow; the attack was weak, and the loyal insects leapt up to shield their Queen, absorbing the blast before it could reach her.

After using Particle Wave, Woody felt even more dazed, realizing he couldn’t launch another. Meanwhile, the Queen was already drawing breath for another shriek. If she let loose again, half his life would be forfeit…