Chapter 1244 Back

The distortion of the spatial passage suddenly dissipated, and as soon as Liu Yang and the other two landed, they were enveloped by a familiar smell mixed with rust and decay—the ground beneath their feet was mottled cement, littered with the remains of zombies and mutated beasts, and the faint metallic clanging of the safe zone's defensive fortifications could be heard in the distance, which was the outer area of ​​the China Safe Zone.

"We've finally arrived." Li Qingyue bent down and picked up a piece of rubble stained with black blood, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes—this place lacked the spiritual energy of Burning Heaven Valley, but possessed a real, earthy atmosphere, completely different from the ethereal world of cultivation. Bai Jingjing, on the other hand, vigilantly scanned her surroundings. Her fox-like perception allowed her to instantly lock onto several energy fluctuations hidden behind the ruins, but those fluctuations were not malicious; they seemed more like patrols and vigilance.

“It’s one of us.” Liu Yang smiled and patted her shoulder, raising his hand to release a faint wisp of spiritual energy—this was the identification signal he had agreed upon with the guards in the safe zone before leaving. Sure enough, a moment later, a series of hurried footsteps came from behind the ruins, and three guards dressed in black combat uniforms and carrying supernatural firearms ran out. When the leading guard saw Liu Yang’s face, his pupils suddenly contracted, and he almost dropped his gun.

"Chief Liu... Chief Liu?! You're back!" The guard's voice trembled with disbelief as he turned sharply and roared into the communicator, "Quick! Notify command center! Chief Liu is back! In the western outer area!"

A cacophony of exclamations erupted from the other end of the communicator. Less than half a minute later, a piercing alarm sounded from the distant gates of the safe zone—not a warning alarm, but a welcoming signal indicating the return of "highest-ranking personnel." The gates slowly opened, and figures rushed towards them, led by Li Mengting, a capable-looking woman in a white combat uniform.

"Liu Yang!" Li Mengting's voice choked with sobs. She pushed through the crowd and rushed to Liu Yang, her eyes red-rimmed, but she fought back her tears. Before Liu Yang could speak, she reached out and hugged his arm, her fingertips turning slightly white from the force: "You're finally back. We've waited for you for three months, worrying about you every day..."

As Li Mengting arrived, more figures poured out of the safe zone—Su Xiao, Chen Dan, the Mermaid Princess, the Snake Woman… tens of thousands of women gathered around, all dressed in uniform combat gear, their faces filled with longing and urgency. Liu Yang's gaze swept across the crowd, and his heart suddenly warmed—many of the women's bellies were already noticeably protruding, and those who walked slower needed the support of their companions; they were clearly pregnant.

"I'm sorry to have worried you all." Liu Yang's voice was a little hoarse. He raised his hand and gently patted Li Mengting's shoulder, his gaze sweeping over everyone. "I'm back. I won't let you suffer any more grievances in the future."

"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back." Su Xiao stepped forward and handed over a clean towel, her eyes full of relief. "After you left, we reinforced the safe zone according to the plan you left behind, and also formed an army of superhumans. Now the safe zone is safer than before."

Liu Yang touched the other person's protruding belly.

Liu Yang's heart skipped a beat, and the warmth from his palm made his nose sting slightly. He looked at the pregnant women one by one, his eyes filled with guilt and tenderness—he had been pursuing power in the world of cultivation, yet he had left these women to bear the hardships of pregnancy and the dangers of the apocalypse alone.

"Thank you for your hard work." Liu Yang took a deep breath, suppressing his emotions, and then asked, "How was the situation outside during the months I was away? Did anything major happen?"

When the topic turned to business, Li Mengting's expression instantly turned serious. She pulled Liu Yang toward the command center of the safe zone, and the others followed, gathering around the two to listen. "In the second month since you left, the alien insectoids have arrived," Li Mengting said in a lower voice. "It wasn't a large-scale invasion, just a small-scale harassment. They sent a few hundred 'Star-Eating Insects' and several small warships. We barely managed to hold them off with the weapons you modified from the cultivation materials you left behind, but quite a few of our sisters were injured."

She paused, took out a folded intelligence report from her pocket, and handed it to Liu Yang: "What's more troublesome is that our radar has detected that the main force of the Zerg is heading towards Earth and is expected to arrive within three days. Other safe zones of the Human Alliance have sent distress signals. Their defenses are not as strong as ours, and they have fewer superhumans. I'm afraid they won't be able to withstand the first wave of Zerg attacks."

Liu Yang took the intelligence report and quickly scanned it—it included photos of the Zerg: the Star-Eating Bugs were entirely black, with steel-like shells and sharp mandibles capable of devouring metal; the Zerg warships resembled giant beetles, their shells covered in energy cannons, radiating a dangerous aura. The report concluded by stating that the Zerg were under the unified command of the "Zerg Queen," who possessed advanced intelligence, could control all Zerg, and whose power was unfathomable.

"The Zerg Queen..." Liu Yang tightened his grip on the intelligence report, a cold glint in his eyes. "Looks like I'll be busy this time. But don't worry, I'm capable of protecting Earth and protecting you now."

As they spoke, the group arrived at the entrance of the safe zone command center. Behind the glass curtain wall of the command center, a cyborg was operating complex instruments. Upon seeing Liu Yang, she immediately stopped her work and strode out, her eyes filled with the precision unique to the cyborg race and a hint of barely perceptible joy: "Leader, welcome back. Radar monitoring shows that the Zerg army is still three days and six hours away from Earth. We need to formulate a battle plan as soon as possible."

Liu Yang nodded and pushed open the door to the command center: "Okay, let's start the meeting now. Mengting, you're in charge of compiling intelligence from each safe zone; Su Xiao, you're in charge of assessing the combat strength of the superhuman army; Chen Dan, you're in charge of organizing the inventory of modified weapons... We only have three days, so we must be fully prepared to welcome the arrival of the Zerg."

Everyone responded in unison and got to work. The command center was instantly filled with a tense yet orderly atmosphere. Liu Yang stood in front of the huge holographic projection of Earth, looking at the coordinates of the Zerg army flashing on the projection. The Ice and Fire Immortal Slaying Sword in his palm was slightly hot. This time, he would never let anyone hurt the people he cherished, nor would he let Earth repeat the chaotic mistakes of the cultivation world.

The holographic projection in the command center was still flashing. Liu Yang had just finalized the initial defense deployment when the mermaid princess pulled him to the medical pod behind the safe zone. This was a recuperation area specially set up for pregnant women. In dozens of transparent pods, many women were resting with their eyes closed. The curvature of their bellies varied, and the vital signs data of the fetuses were displayed on the pod walls.

"Look, this is Lin Yuting. She's almost two months pregnant. The water-based energy fluctuations will be transmitted to the baby through the umbilical cord. The doctor said the baby might also have a water-based talent." The mermaid princess pointed to the outermost cabin, her tone filled with excitement. Hearing the voice, Lin Yuting slowly opened her eyes. When she saw Liu Yang, her cheeks instantly flushed, and she gently waved her hand: "You're back. Don't worry, the baby and I are both fine."

Liu Yang walked to the edge of the cabin and looked at Lin Yuting's lower abdomen through the glass. A wisp of gentle immortal power emanated from his fingertips—as soon as the immortal power touched the cabin wall, it was automatically absorbed and transformed into a faint mist of light that enveloped Lin Yuting. She sighed comfortably, "So warm, much more effective than any supernatural power."

“Immortal power can nourish the spirit body and is also beneficial to the development of the fetus.” Liu Yang smiled and withdrew his hand, then walked towards another cabin. Inside, the snake woman was leaning against a soft cushion, her fingertips wrapped with subtle poisonous energy, but she deliberately controlled the intensity, afraid of harming the fetus in her womb. When she saw Liu Yang, the coldness in her eyes instantly disappeared, and her voice softened considerably: “You’ve finally returned. Before, when the insectoids attacked, I was afraid that the poison would get out of control, so I didn’t dare to participate in the battle.”

"Thank you for your hard work," Liu Yang said softly. "Now you can rest assured and prepare for childbirth. Leave the battlefield matters to us." He then checked on more than ten pregnant women, injecting a wisp of immortal power into each one. As the immortal power merged, the values ​​of "fetal activity" and "maternal spiritual strength" on the medical pod's data panel steadily increased. The doctors standing by were full of amazement, calling it a "medical miracle of the apocalypse."

After looking around, it was already evening. Li Qingyue took a list and found Liu Yang, her brows furrowed slightly: "There are 326 pregnant women in total. Among them, 46 are of special constitutions such as mermaids and snakes. Although their pregnancy reactions are strong, their fetuses are very stable. Lin Yuting and Zhao Lina are ordinary human beings and need more superhumans to protect them to prevent them from being interfered with by the insectoids' mental waves."

Liu Yang took the list, ran his finger over the names on it, and became more determined: "Starting tomorrow, transfer twenty high-level mental ability users to guard this place. Also, take a portion of the Immortal Marrow Liquid brought back from the Meteor Palace, refine it, and mix it into the drinking water to enhance their spiritual resistance."

The words had barely left his lips when a piercing alarm blared from the command center. The cyborg rushed in, his face grave: "Leader, radar has detected the Zerg army arriving ahead of schedule, only a day and a half from Earth! Their numbers are greater than anticipated—over five million Star-Eating Bugs, three thousand two hundred Zerg motherships, and ten gigantic 'Zerg Lords,' their energy fluctuations equivalent to the Nascent Soul stage in the cultivation world!"

Liu Yang's face darkened, and he immediately followed the cyborg towards the command center. On the holographic projection, a pitch-black swarm of insects was approaching Earth from the depths of space. Each mothership radiated terrifying energy, even swallowing the light of the surrounding stars. Li Mengting pulled up detailed data, her voice slightly urgent: "The Zerg Queen's mental waves have covered the outer reaches of Earth. Many low-level ability users are experiencing dizziness and nausea. The morale of the Human Alliance is starting to drop again."

"What's the panic!" Liu Yang's voice was calm and powerful, instantly suppressing the chaos in the command center. "Pass on my orders: all safe zones must immediately activate the 'Immortal Power Defense Array'—melt all the remaining cultivation materials into the defensive fortifications. Su Xiao will lead the ice-type ability users to set up ice walls outside the atmosphere to slow down the Zerg's advance; Chen Dan's fire-type ability team will prepare 'Flame Blast Bombs' to focus their attacks on the Zerg mothership's energy core."

Su Xiao immediately stood up, his eyes filled with fighting spirit: "We guarantee to complete the mission! The ice-type ability team has assembled and is ready to depart at any time!" Chen Dan also clenched his fists: "Our stockpile of fire blast bombs is enough to destroy five hundred motherships. We can also refine more on-site. As long as we have immortal power to support us, we can hold out until the Zerg retreat!"

Liu Yang nodded and looked at the mermaid princess: "You will lead the mermaids to communicate with marine life and deploy defenses along the coast—the insectoids may land from the sea, so have whales and giant sharks help with the vigilance. Once the star-eating insects are discovered, immediately attack them with sonic waves."

"No problem!" The mermaid princess immediately turned around, her fingertips shimmering with blue light, and began to contact her kind in the deep sea using her water-based abilities. Inside the command center, everyone performed their duties, and the previously low morale was gradually restored thanks to Liu Yang's composure.

As night deepened, Liu Yang stood alone on the rooftop of the command center, gazing at the dark night sky. He raised his hand and summoned the Ice and Fire Immortal-Slaying Sword. The sword's blade reflected the lights of the distant safe zone, and he could almost hear the soft laughter and chatter of his sisters in the medical pod.

“The Zerg Queen…” A cold glint flashed in Liu Yang’s eyes. Immortal power surged at his fingertips, and a tiny spatial rift unfolded in front of him. He could vaguely see on the other side of the rift that inside the Zerg mothership, a figure clad in black insect armor was sitting on a throne, surrounded by countless tiny swarms of insects. It was the Zerg Queen.

"Tomorrow, let's settle this once and for all." Liu Yang sheathed his longsword, turned, and walked back to the command center. On the rooftop, only a faint mark of immortal power remained, like a vow of protection, shrouding the safe zone below and everyone he wanted to protect.