"Dominator."
A low, respectful voice, with the unique hum of a Dragon's chest, sounded beside him.
Uka’s massive dark golden body, like a moving fortress, had been waiting there for a long time.
Its huge head bowed, its dark golden vertical pupils filled with reverence, and the tip of its thick tail unconsciously swept the ground, making a "rustling" sound.
"Uka, follow me and let's see the current development of the main base," Zhou Qi's voice was like the collision of cold metal, every syllable seeming to carry weight.
At noon in the Iron-Blood World, two suns hung high, mercilessly scorching the earth.
The air twisted and shimmered, and the steel framework was so hot it could brand meat.
Zhou Qi, accompanied by Uka, moved through the bustling base like a mobile lighthouse.
They first arrived at the building area that soared into the clouds.
This was not just a construction site, but a battlefield where flesh and metal fiercely collided.
"The Dominator has arrived—!"
A roar, like a clap of thunder, exploded.
The one who roared was a Lizard Parasite.
Its dark purple, heavy scales were covered with deep claw marks and scorched imprints from energy burns, clearly indicating it had been through many battles.
Its huge, hideous mouthparts opened and closed, its voice having the texture of clashing metal.
Boom!
Hundreds of Army Ants below, who were working together to drag a huge base glowing with earthy yellow energy runes, instantly stopped.
They uniformly raised their heads, their cold compound eyes all turning towards Zhou Qi.
A dense "clack, clack, clack" sound of colliding carapaces, like the beating of war drums, arose—this was their unique salute.
Even under the high temperature, their movements showed no delay, the dust covering their carapaces was distorted by the steaming heat, and a scent mixed with sweat, steel, and a rigid will rushed over.
Leaving the steel jungle and stepping into the Free People's residential and trading area, dubbed the "Nest of Ten Thousand Insects," felt like entering another world.
The clamor of hawkers, the chirping of insects, the sounds of arguments, the burnt smell of low-quality grilled meat, the pungent aroma of strange spices, and the mixed scent of sweat and excrement, all washed over them like a hot wave.
In front of a makeshift stall built from rusty metal plates and thick insect hides, an old Lizardman, covered in scales and dragging a long tail, was there.
He was spitting as he grabbed a molten beetle with a fiery red shell and antennae constantly spewing sparks: "Look! A treasure from the Lava Canyon, it only eats scorching hot red Ore, full of true fire. Buy it to feed your Flaming Spear Mantis, and I guarantee its slashes will melt iron! Just fifteen points for one, and I'll even throw in half a jin of fire moss feed. Don't miss this chance!"
His rough fingers pinched the beetle's hard shell, and the insect, in pain, spewed out even more intense sparks.
Next to him, a Mud Swamp Frogmen, covered in sticky mud, was holding a transparent jar sealed with thick swamp moss, inside which dozens of slender, faintly blue-glowing fluorescent worms squirmed uneasily.
He was arguing fiercely with a buyer wearing a tightly wrapped cloak: "...Twelve points, no less. These are top-grade goods I fished out after soaking for three days in the Weeping Blood Algae Forest, almost torn apart by razor-toothed eels! The energy is pure enough to directly feed young Dragons."
The focal point of the entire area was the few buildings cast from cold alloy, spewing steam, and bearing the cold sign of the base's resource recycling center.
In front of each window, there were endless queues.
An Ironblood Bugman naturalized citizen, over two meters tall and covered in iron-gray carapace, was handing an entire heavy, still wriggling and hissing rattan basket to a blue-blooded Parasite inside the window.
The mechanical arm behind the window scanned the rattan basket, humming.
The light screen next to it displayed: "Eight adult Giant Beetles, total weight forty-five jin, energy purity C+, equivalent contribution points: 78 points. Confirm?"
"Confirm!"
The Ironblood Bugman let out a hoarse, muffled sound, watching the chip implanted in its wrist flash with the faint light of increasing numbers, and a hint of relief showed in its single eye.
It then heavily squeezed into another, even larger queue nearby—the Training Space Exchange. There, several Yi Serpent Person warriors who had just exchanged for slots were excitedly slapping the ground with their tails, impatiently sliding towards the entrance.
Zhou Qi's gaze swept over this vibrant, bottom-tier ecosystem, and a young Mud Swamp Frogmen who had just emerged from the training space caught his attention.
The Frogmen stood ramrod straight, its skin no longer a sickly gray-green, but a tough, dark green luster, and its originally dull eyes sparkled with sharp light.
It was using its newly acquired contribution points at an old craftsman's stall, carefully selecting a short-bladed dagger that shimmered with energy arcs.
Its hand holding the dagger was steady, emanating a faint Qi honed in the combat space, indicating it had improved greatly in the training space.
"Dominator, currently we are divided into three tiers here. The Bug Clan Family are the army, guarding everything; the Parasites are the management of the base; and the Free People are equivalent to the grassroots. Currently, they either build or lease insect farms themselves, exchanging contribution points through breeding."
"Contribution points can be exchanged for all the goods they desire, and they can also go to the training space to improve their life strength."
Uka explained to Zhou Qi as they walked.
......
Soon, one man and one Dragon arrived at the main base's command center.
This was a massive building with the characteristics of an insect nest.
In the sky, a Zhu Yan Demon Insect Patrol Teams swept low, bringing a gust of wind.
Their wings were retracted like blades, and their bodies contained internal lightning patterns, but occasionally their claw tips scraped the ground, leaving faint scorch marks and "sizzling" sounds.
The leader's cold compound eyes scanned below, and the Free People subconsciously shrank their necks.
At the vital entrance leading to the command tower, four Mingling Devil elite guards stood like sculptures.
Their liquid metal blades on their arms slowly flowed, and the space around them subtly distorted, emanating a cold aura that warned others to keep their distance.
A reckless Free Person's cart accidentally approached the Warning Line, and one of the guards merely slightly turned its compound eye, and that person retreated, pale as if struck by a heavy blow.
Zhou Qi entered the command center and slowly sat down.
Uka's massive dark golden body stood silently to the side and behind him, like a guardian statue.
Its report was no longer a flat narration, but directly utilized a holographic projection to display the current status of the entire base:
"Currently, the situation of all subordinates in both worlds is as follows:
12th-tier Army Ant: 580 million.
12th-tier Four Fiends Insect Soldiers: 24 million.
12th-tier He Bo Insect: 5 million.
12th-tier Spiked Horned Tyrant Bug: 3 million.
12th-tier Zhu Yan Demon Insect: 100,000.
12th-tier Mingling Devil: 8,000.
12th-tier Mind Control Demon Bug: 1 million.
Iron-Blooded Queen's offspring: Daily increase of 50,000, existing 1st-tier Ironblood Bugman warriors: 1.62 million.
Parasite: 1 million, including Earth's Core of Blue Star, the surface world, and the Iron-Blood World.
Free People, including various conquered races, nearly 100 million, of which Ironblood Bugman account for almost half.
......