Each World Beast is like a Beast Gold Element absorber, making them rich veins of Beast Gold.
This powerful energy source was incredibly precious to Shen Feng and human civilization at this juncture.
This had been Shen Feng’s plan from the start: build a Beast Gold Ranch right here in the Shield UY Star Realm. He would let these World Beasts live happily, while he periodically came to harvest and refine their Beast Gold. At critical moments, he could even command them as a fighting force. Wouldn’t that be perfect?
The Devourer Beast Ancestor instantly understood Shen Feng’s intentions. It let out a furious roar as arcs of electricity flashed across its body, and it began to struggle with all its might.
’How could it let these lowly creatures control it and strip it of its freedom!’
"Tsk tsk, it’s pretty stubborn." Jingwei shook her head in mock surprise. "Xiaofeng, it looks like your suggestion was ignored. If you ask me, it would be better to just raise the ordinary World Beasts. They aren’t very strong individually, but you can farm a lot more of them. The amount of protein you get from a flock of chickens is the same as what you get from one cow."
Shen Feng replied helplessly, "Lady, tactics! It’s all about tactics! I was planning to negotiate a future partnership with it. We could have a mutually beneficial relationship. I’d spare its life, maybe even get it some fun things to enrich its existence, like virtual reality games or karaoke. Then, it could help me get some World Beasts to skin and butcher for refining Beast Gold. But you came right out of the gate calling it a Beast Gold Sow! That’s a huge blow to its dignity as a beast. Of course it’s not going to be happy."
"Bullshit! It’s a defeated foe, what does it need dignity for? Besides, do you really think a spontaneously evolved intelligence like this can be won over by your consumerist, sugar-coated tactics? It’s roamed the Cosmos! Why the hell would it need virtual reality games and karaoke? And another thing, how many people even do karaoke anymore? Dude, you’re so old-fashioned. You don’t sound like a young person from this era at all," Jingwei scoffed, completely dismissing Shen Feng’s words.
Shen Feng was left speechless. He retorted, "Is... is karaoke really that old-fashioned? Music is universal! I believe any intelligent being can be moved by music!"
The Devourer Beast Ancestor struggled for a long while, only to find that the viscous Gray Tide was even slicker than its own tentacles. Yet, when it needed to be, it became harder than meteoric iron, making escape impossible.
Moreover, the surrounding meteorites were being continuously consumed by the Gray Tide, which was still expanding. Even the hard shell on the beast’s body was gradually being eaten away, revealing the much softer tissues underneath.
’And yet, those two strange creatures didn’t seem to care whether it lived or died. They were arguing about something utterly meaningless!’
’This proved they were completely ignoring it. The power it took such pride in was nothing to them!’
The Gray Tide gradually spread across the Devourer Beast Ancestor’s body, slowly enveloping it. It washed over the beast’s limbs and tentacles, over its shell, over its eyes, and finally surged through its massive maw, pouring into its body.
"WHIMPER..." A whimpering drone came from the Devourer Beast Ancestor’s mouth, but it was powerless to stop the damned Gray Tide tentacles.
’As a tentacled creature, no one understood tentacles better than it did. It knew in its heart that these bizarre tentacles would plunge into its body, piercing every part of it until it burst from the inside out!’
’Although this was the first time it had encountered such a thing, it had the strange, hazy feeling that it had died this way once before.’
"’Human! I accept your proposal!’ Its survival instinct had overcome its pride. The Devourer Beast Ancestor sent out an urgent broadcast, indicating its agreement to Shen Feng and Jingwei’s demands."
’As an intelligence that had evolved on its own, survival was the prime directive in its dictionary. Dignity was merely an optional extra.’
’Besides, before that... Space Wormhole... appeared, it had always lived freely in this Meteorite Belt. The future wouldn’t really be any different.’
’As for the idea of traveling to Earth through the Space Wormhole, that was extinguished for the time being.’
’The whole point of going to a new world was to improve its living conditions. If those conditions were far worse than its current ones, then there was no point in going.’
"Giving up already? How boring," Jingwei said irritably, reluctantly loosening the Gray Tide’s hold.
The Devourer Beast Ancestor, which had been on the verge of being crushed, heaved a long sigh of relief. The fear of death that had enveloped it finally dissipated.
To its dismay, however, the Gray Tide that had bored into its body did not retreat. Instead, it remained coiled within, even seeping through the crevices of its biological tissues to permeate its entire system.
These things were practically time bombs, ready to detonate at any moment.
"’Rest assured, I only want to cooperate with you, not kill you,’ Shen Feng said with a smile."
’A good World Beast is one that can be controlled at any time.’
The Devourer Beast Ancestor’s body was now occupied by a large amount of Gray Tide. This Gray Tide was, in turn, controlled by the low-level AI, the Licking Fur Elf, which acted according to the instructions Shen Feng had left.
In the face of absolute power, schemes and tricks were useless.
He believed that with the constant threat of death hanging over it, the Devourer Beast Ancestor would become an obedient pet.
"’Let’s go. Take me to that laboratory.’ Shen Feng dismissed the massive Gray Tide surrounding them. Clad in his Gray Tide Battle Armor, he and Jingwei stood on the Devourer Beast Ancestor’s back as he gave the order."
The behemoth, nearly the size of the Moon, immediately began to move, its tentacles propelling it through the void. It brought Shen Feng before the meteorite that housed the mysterious laboratory.
Just as in the cosmos of the Water World Apocalypse, there was indeed a similar laboratory here.
He just didn’t know who had built them.
The more powerful Shen Feng became, the more curious he grew about the powerful entities hiding behind the scenes.
But for now, his and Jingwei’s purpose wasn’t to uncover the truth.
Stepping into the pitch-black laboratory, enveloped by the Gray Tide, the surroundings were suddenly cast in a brilliant light as the Gray Tide illuminated the space.
Looking at the familiar equipment and data within, Shen Feng and Jingwei made their way to the building’s biological laboratory.
Physics experiments concerning the Space Wormhole and the Quantum Force Field Core were already being researched around the clock by the Salvation Army’s scientists. What Shen Feng needed now was the biological knowledge contained here.
This was also his greatest weakness.
Without the protection of the Gray Tide Battle Armor, Shen Feng’s body would have been utterly destroyed by the vacuum and freezing temperatures of space.
Although he had powerful external protections like the Gray Tide and the Silicon-Based Brain, his human body was still far too fragile.
It was no match for the body of a World Beast, which could function in the freezing vacuum of space and the high-pressure depths of the ocean.
’But, if the Stone Statue Virus, a zombie virus, and the structure of a Nanomechanical Cluster could create a creature as resilient as a World Beast... then what would happen if those biological traits were combined with human cells?’
’Perhaps he could try it...’
After they walked into the virus laboratory, they activated the lab’s sealing system. By using the meteorite’s rotation, they created a low-gravity environment. Jingwei’s nanomechanical avatar began to skillfully operate the various instruments, activating the bio-pod inside.
She then took out some medical equipment and began to calibrate it. Drawing a vial of anesthetic brought from Earth, she looked at the needle and said:
"’Alright, my esteemed patient. Please lie down in the bio-pod and state your needs. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. I’ll get you set up with the premium package in a bit.’"