Up until now, the Great Devourer colony had operated primarily through three categories.
The queens and Legion Commanders in charge of command and production, the mutants responsible for combat and special missions, and the worker ants that handled everything else.
Among them, the worker ants were by far the most numerous.
On every planet, in every region, and within every nest, there were at least three to five times as many worker ants as combat troops. They were the very blood and oxygen that sustained the colony.
Their appearance did not differ much from that of a standard Great Devourer, meaning they consumed the least amount of resources and effort to produce.
Possessing robust jaws and muscles capable of generating immense strength, countless worker ants swarmed under the precise control of the hive mind. Whether it was massive civil engineering projects or intricate interior construction of the nests, they could accomplish it all with their own bodies.
“The worker ant system will remain unchanged.”
Gaia decided to leave the worker ants alone.
Since they were already working perfectly well, there was no need to modify them; doing so would only waste resources.
Besides, "basic" upgrades like exoskeleton reinforcement, muscle cell modification, and joint strengthening would naturally be applied to the worker ants anyway.
The same applied to the command and production system composed of the queens and Legion Commanders.
The queens were the core of the colony recognized by Lin Miao, each playing a specialized role in fields such as evolution, production, tuning, and combat.
Although the Legion Commanders were indispensable combat assets in the war of aggression, there were simply too few queens and Legion Commanders to build, modify, or improve the massive production factories.
This meant there was no reason for Gaia's current systemic restructuring to touch them.
“Mutants, begin categorization.”
The part Gaia was officially setting out to improve was the mutants, which could be considered the "midsection" of the colony.
Indeed, the types of mutants are growing, and their forms and missions are becoming increasingly complex. We can no longer simply classify them as mutants or combat units.
Lin Miao watched Gaia's work with great interest.
Although the mutants were fewer in number than the worker ants, they were actually the pillar of the Great Devourer, and could even be called the very essence of the colony.
They were also the main force in warfare; their strength represented the strength of the entire colony.
“Categorizing individuals by purpose: special mutants and common mutants. Common mutants will be further categorized by power output: Lictor, Tyrant, and mass-produced mutants.”
Gaia first split this massive group into two categories.
Special mutants, as the name implied, were those that executed specialized tasks.
These included the Phase Resonance Core, which served as a biological warp engine; the resonance spindle, which acted as an ether-synthesizing bio-generator; and production units that could rapidly divide and produce cell masses to grow into new individuals.
There were also the heart-fusing worms that consumed magic stones to process and manufacture magic hearts within their bodies, and the decomposers that broke down source energy to convert it into nutrients.
Special production facilities and nests that required more resources and technology, such as the Chronos and Hive Mothership, also belonged to these special mutants.
True to their roles and the name "special mutant," one could tell they were no ordinary creatures just by looking at their appearances.
Monsters with massive hearts or internal organs exposed separately, or those that resembled giant nests themselves, were precisely these special mutants.
Gaia classified all combat troops as common mutants.
Lin Miao took notes, marveling at Gaia's design.
Unlike the special mutants, which were hard to identify from their appearance alone, the common mutants were much more straightforward.
This was because they included almost all the combat troops developed and produced by the colony to date.
Gaia then divided them into three categories based on their output levels.
The "output" referred to here was a power that only the Great Devourer could harness—psionic energy.
By extracting energy that transcended biological limits through various means like magic hearts or reinforcement formulas, this ability, when combined with technology, could unleash power that defied physical laws.
Precisely because they needed to absorb and utilize these technologies, the Lictors, which required more resources and technology, possessed the highest psionic output.
After all, with their smaller sizes, they had to compensate for their physical shortcomings through raw power output.
The second category consisted of Tyrant individuals equipped only with magic hearts to deploy defense shields. The energy contained within their bodies scaled directly with their size.
The output power of the magic heart inside a giant heavy-armored ant was enough to power a small nest.
The final category was the mass-produced mutants, whose body cells carried only a small amount of psionic energy.
“Based on the lessons learned and accumulated data, I propose a ratio of 1:3:6 for Lictors, Tyrants, and mass-produced mutants.”
Instead of blindly producing units and wasting energy, Gaia suggested utilizing this accumulated data and experience to calculate the optimal production ratio.
“Approved.”
Elise approved Gaia's calculations.
This was the moment the massive main nest colony began to function, seizing and controlling numerous planets like a colossal biological factory.
“We need to consolidate and restructure the excessive number of mutants.”
Gia did not stop there. She pointed out that there were simply too many varieties of mutants.
Of course, Gaia understood the context and necessity behind the creation of these mutants, but circumstances and environments had changed, hadn't they?
For example, the bombardier ants, originally created to handle close-quarters combat against swarms of enemies, were barely produced anymore due to the limitations of their firepower range.
“Distinguishing combat mutants: space species, flying species, and terrestrial species.”
Gaia divided the combat mutants, which fell under the common mutants, into three categories based on their respective locations and purposes.
She was convinced that the countless mutants in each category should be restructured and improved, reducing each to just a handful of standard types.
No matter how powerful the hive mind was, or how versatile the Universal Cells were, efficiency could not be ignored.
By trimming away the useless branches and strengthening the necessary parts, production efficiency would increase several times over.
“Currently, there are only three space species. Our primary focus will be on restructuring the flying species and terrestrial species.”
Gaia decided to set aside the small number of space species for now, focusing first on restructuring the flying species that ruled the skies, and the terrestrial species that dominated the land and sea.
There were only three space species in total: the Chronos, which served as a warp mothership; the Hive Mothership, which acted as an escort; and the Brood Lord, a small ship used for fire support.
However, the flying and terrestrial species were a cluttered mix of vast data accumulated by the Great Devourer since its days in the frontier borderlands of Terra.
Gaia intended to organize all of this to propel the colony toward a more advanced civilization.
Even with Gaia's massive, biological-computer-level processing power, this task could not be accomplished overnight.
Furthermore, the process of restructuring and upgrading their existing forces required consultation with Elise.
“So, what are your expected results?”
Thus, Lin Miao directly asked what kind of results they anticipated.
Neither Gaia nor Elise would ever exaggerate or lie.
They saw no reason or need to do so.
“Once the new nests are developed, resource efficiency will increase by more than five times, and final production is projected to grow by over thirteen times.”
As such, Elise's voice remained remarkably flat as she delivered the latest projection.
It was as if this were a matter of course, completely unworthy of surprise.
Including the worker ants, there are already hundreds of millions of individuals now.
Hearing the figure of thirteen times, Lin Miao's eyes widened.
Even for them, this was an astronomical figure.
What would it be like for the opponents who had to face this staggering number?
...
Hestia stared blankly at her hands.
Her Divine Status was falling in real-time.
Though she had already experienced a demotion once, she now had to worry about falling even further.
To become a deity, personal cultivation and awakening were paramount. But once one attained a Divine Status, that status was determined by their territories and followers.
The more territories and followers one had, the higher their Divine Status; conversely, it would drop.
【The dissatisfaction of your followers is surging】
【Your followers earnestly pray for the Goddess's aid】
The prompts floating before her eyes were hollow.
She could not punish those who dared to complain and voice their dissatisfaction to her.
Nor could she help those who, on the brink of death, still believed in her and cried out for her aid.
To think that such a moment... would come because of those insects...
No matter where she opened her screen, those sickening monsters were all she could see.
Those damn, loathsome arch-nemeses that had already seized nearly ten of her territories.
Those Great Devourers knew nothing of satisfaction.
They intended to completely devour the world she had pioneered and slaughter her followers.
Even in battles between deities, it was rare for one to completely annihilate another.
While leaving a home planet behind and enslaving the defeated deity as a lower-tier god was common, it was still a way to survive.
But Hestia had a premonition.
The true goal of those monsters was her. They would strip her of all her territories and followers, and then violate her after she fell.
Thus, Hestia could no longer afford to care about her methods.
Since dialogue and compromise were out of the question, fighting to the death was the only logical path.
[Goddess of Light: If you can drive away those damn insects as agreed, I will reward you.]
[God of Mercenaries: The situation is worsening by the day. Sending reinforcements is no simple task; I require additional compensation.]
Recruiting reinforcements in exchange for rewards through the mercenary section of the Divine Net forum was one of the ways Hestia sought allies.
While acquaintances with whom she had some connection might offer help at a lower price, these mercenaries maliciously sought to squeeze exorbitant rewards out of her.
[God of Mercenaries: My pioneering zone happens to need a large number of human virgins for reproduction. Around fifty thousand should do.]
[Goddess of Light: Fifty thousand? No way. I don't even have enough hands to repair the damage!]
Hestia trembled with rage at the other deity's demand.
Quite apart from the drop in Divine Status caused by the loss of followers, her vital labor force would also dwindle, and the public sentiment of her people would be severely shaken.
It was an absolutely unacceptable demand.
[God of Mercenaries: Hestia, you're the one in a hurry here, aren't you?]
The implication was clear: Hestia, currently backed into a corner, was in no position to be picky.
She clenched her teeth in deep humiliation, though she was glad they were far apart, preventing him from seeing her strained expression.
Even among high and mighty deities, the political games of interest and benefit remained cold and ruthless.
Just as Hestia found herself in a dilemma, a group of well-meaning goddesses, unwilling to watch one of their own suffer, stepped in to mediate. Only then did they manage to reach a dramatic compromise.
[God of Mercenaries: Since several goddesses have pleaded on your behalf, I can make an exception. However, this favor must be paid for with Goddess Holy Water.]
This holy water, refined solely by Hestia and something only a goddess could produce, was a core strategic resource in short supply on the front lines. Yet, trapped in such a disadvantageous position, she had no power to refuse.
Her only way out now was to silently endure the bitterness, grit her teeth through this war, and wait for a chance to turn the tables.
I will not forget this.
Hestia trembled with rage as she watched the mercenaries and reinforcements she had hired at such a steep price join the battle on her planet.
Now that she had secured a significant amount of aid, she might be able to turn the tide and see the light of victory. To achieve this, she had paid an immense price.
Yet, even if they repelled the enemy and achieved victory, the only ones who would truly benefit were those who had been paid to fight.
Hestia and the Goddess of Light Association would gain nothing but a pyrrhic victory, likely spending the next several centuries scrambling to recover their losses.
“...What on earth is that?”
However, what appeared before the eyes of the reinforcements deployed to the front lines was a gargantuan army.
Having harnessed the energy radiating from the worlds they occupied and undergone physical restructuring, the Great Devourer's army had multiplied its productivity several times over.
Rate on N.U.
