Chapter 449 - One’s Loss is Another’s Gain

Han Wu ordered his locusts to capture several female zombies to implant them with the second-generation Viral Maggots. Once the procedure was complete, he had the locusts toss the female zombies near the goblin army’s patrol route.

Dark Locust monitored the entire operation. Soon, a small goblin patrol entered the area. The goblins were abnormal, with mismatched limbs jutting from their bodies. They were scouring the area for female life forms to take back to their base.

As planned, Han Wu’s female zombies drew their attention. The goblins grew excited when they spotted the five of them. If they could capture them, the Heroic goblin in charge of them would surely reward them.

To make the ruse more convincing, Han Wu sent a group of survivors and a few locusts to appear nearby. The two factions had been locked in fierce combat for days, and by now, it was no exaggeration to call them mortal enemies.

As expected, the goblins panicked when they saw the survivors and locusts appear together. They split into two teams: one to capture the female zombies and the other to stop Han Wu’s survivors.

Han Wu had instructed his people to act weak and run away after feigning defeat. The goblins were elated after chasing them away and carried the female zombies back to their base.

Dark Locust concealed himself in the shadows and followed them to transmit a live feed to Han Wu.

Four hours later, the goblins arrived at Huang Shengjun’s base with their captives. The sight of the five female zombies drew the attention of several perverse-looking goblins, which immediately started calculating how many offspring they could produce with them. In that war-torn period, offspring had become the most precious currency of all.

Before long, the five female zombies were led to the designated breeding area. Dark Locust hovered above, circling as the obscene noises continued late into the night. He saw everything, even when the goblins invited others to share in their vile acts.

Han Wu watched the revolting footage, forcing himself to endure the disgust that churned inside him. Still, a flicker of satisfaction crossed his face. “They did it!”

Based on their mating patterns, the Origin of Mutation had guaranteed him that Huang Shengjun’s army would face the second-generation Viral Maggots’ true terror within ten days.

As time passed, Dark Locust continued sending reports. He had detected that the first goblins had already succumbed to it, and the lower ranks started displaying signs of zombification.

At first, Huang Shengjun ignored them, assuming that a few goblins had been accidentally infected and displayed the symptoms. He believed that burning them in time would keep the rest safe.

Yet no matter how many he burned, more goblins kept turning into zombies. Their appearance differed slightly from human ones, yet they shared the same traits. They had razor-sharp hearing and could locate prey by the faintest sound, but their eyesight was poor and could not reach beyond ten meters.

Their minds were gone as well. The zombie goblins had become vacant, muttering husks that stood motionless unless they sensed flesh nearby. However, the moment they caught the scent of blood, they flew into a frenzy and charged forward with terrifying speed that few life forms could match.

By the time Huang Shengjun realized the scale of the outbreak, it was already too late. Too many of his goblins had been infected, sending a chill through him. Four-fifths of his army had been turned, and their condition worsened each day. Only one-fifth of the newly born goblins showed no symptoms.

Huang Shengjun immediately decided to expel all the infected goblins and forbid them from ever setting foot in his territory. Many of those with milder symptoms begged and prayed for mercy, but he had to protect the uninfected. He remained steadfast and drove them all out.

Even so, he couldn’t stomach the notion of losing so many goblins without gaining anything in return. He had invested countless resources to raise them. Even if he was sending them to their deaths, he would at least make sure their end served some purpose.

Thus, he gave one final command to the goblins that were about to turn into zombies: they were to charge toward Han Wu’s base before the transformation completed. Even if they died, Huang Shengjun intended for them to infect Han Wu’s locusts at the very least. He wanted Han Wu to feel the same misery he was enduring.

On that very day, close to 12 million goblins stormed into Han Wu’s territory in the final moments of their lives. However, Han Wu showed no concern; he only grinned. To him, the goblins were a feast delivering itself to his locusts. Rather than drive them away, he welcomed them into his base, funneling them straight into his swarm and letting them watch as their flesh was stripped away and their lives faded.

The locusts gorged themselves and grew stronger. Under Han Wu’s command, his forces now included another King life form, several thousand High Lords, and tens of thousands of Lords. In contrast, Huang Shengjun had lost 80% of his army. His remaining strength amounted to only three King life forms, and 500 High Lords.

With his plan complete, Han Wu finally gained the confidence to challenge Huang Shengjun’s army. Once the goblins were devoured, he ordered his locusts to take flight and launch a full-scale assault on Huang Shengjun’s base.