Continuous Deployment

The entire navy was active across the sea, continuously transporting the Swarm to the East Continent, where they were then sent through portals into the Abyss.

The bugs also launched another large-scale war against the Mist-covered zone, quickly seizing a vast number of portals.

A rough count showed that the number of usable portals had reached as many as 500.

This number was enough to transport the Zerg to the other side in a very short amount of time.

Unlike the demon world, the Mist-covered zone was no longer particularly dangerous for the current Zerg. The Tier 7 and Tier 8 monsters that were once difficult to deal with now appeared very weak.

However, just as they invaded deep into the region, a mountain-sized creature suddenly let out a roar, instantly killing hundreds of bugs.

Xia Jin was startled when she saw this scene through a zergling's vision.

She suddenly remembered the massive figure she had seen on a rainy day long ago.

That shadow had blotted out the sky as it flew overhead, its size at least a kilometer long.

“So what I saw back then couldn't have been an illusion.”

She calmed down and ordered the bugs to abandon the attack.

Although she believed she had the ability to grind the thing down, the cost would be too high. As long as the opponent didn't come out to cause trouble, the Zerg wouldn't seek it out for the time being.

If it did come, they would simply have to fight it out.

...

After waiting for half a day and seeing that the giant creature made no further moves, Xia Jin breathed a sigh of relief.

Most of the Mist-covered zone was already under her control, so there was no need to push the offensive further.

The demons were the real priority.

Setting aside the Abyss power, even the concentrated energy obtained from the demons was staggering.

After converting it into high-energy crystals, she could produce an enormous number of bugs, but Xia Jin chose to stockpile it instead.

After a day of preparation, and accounting for losses, the size of the Swarm in the Abyss reached 1.5 million.

The offensive continued.

It was the same as before: launch rocket bugs, clear out inventory, and then enter the cities at maximum speed.

The Zerg split into multiple routes again, directly attacking demon cities to the west.

In addition, a Swarm of 200,000 headed south, toward the other side of the portal.

However, after running for a distance, those bugs discovered a strange space composed entirely of pitch-black cracks.

The space itself obscured everything, seemingly enveloping the entire world.

A zergling tried to jump in, but it died instantly without causing so much as a ripple.

“Could this be the edge of the world? The legendary space rifts?”

Once this was confirmed, Xia Jin ordered the bugs to stop exploring that area.

Overseers began observing the region and eventually confirmed that the rifts extended infinitely.

A curvature could be seen, allowing her to estimate that the Abyss might be an arc-shaped space with a diameter of 50,000 kilometers.

“If it's that big, this is going to be interesting.”

Relying on the demons alone, she would definitely have enough resources for the next level of the hive.

A new wave of attacks captured three more demon cities within two days, and even more bugs were enhanced into elites.

The Swarm's losses over these few days were also significant, totaling one million units.

While this didn't compare to the battle with the Dawn Empire, the intensity was actually higher considering the current combat zone.

Xia Jin continued to send a steady stream of reinforcements to the front lines.

By now, the daily output of main units was 600,000, but the current deployment rate into the Abyss was 1,000,000 per day.

By the second week of the war, the Swarm had conquered over 40 cities, with a total loss of two million bugs.

In fact, looking at the proportions, the loss rate of the legions was slower than at the beginning.

This was because Xia Jin had significantly increased the ratio of long-range bugs, deploying ravagers in large numbers. If the armor-piercing rockets they fired scored a direct hit, even a Tier 11 powerhouse would be heavily wounded.

Combined with their exaggerated accuracy, every subsequent battle gradually developed in a direction favorable to the Zerg.

“Before I knew it, there are already five million bugs.”

Most demons only realized what was happening when the Zerg were already right in front of them.

It could be said that this campaign against the Abyss was much easier than the battle against the Dawn Empire; it was starting to feel like the time they steamrolled the Orc Empire.

Relying on the superior transport capabilities of nydus worms and Overlords, the Zerg deployed their military forces everywhere. If they were lucky, they could directly surround Tyrant legions moving outside the cities.

If a demon army of 300,000 was spotted in the wilderness by the Zerg, nydus worms could immediately begin setting up tunnels along their march route. Then, in just half an hour, over 500,000 Zerg could be positioned for an ambush at a predetermined location through the assistance of over 200 nydus worms, simultaneously surrounding the enemy.

The most ridiculous part was that sometimes, while the nydus worms were lying in wait, the long-range bugs would pop out for a single volley of attacks and then immediately turn and run, leaving the demons completely baffled.