The Insect Race knew only to fight to the death, not retreat, leading to a frenzied mutual slaughter with the otherworldly tribes.

The victor was in a frenzied rage. It had battled other Energy Gathering Mechanical Species before. Typically, by this point in a battle, an opponent at such an absolute disadvantage, with no possibility of victory, would inevitably collapse and flee. But not these insects!

The victor had slain hundreds of large insects, yet the "morale" of the Insect Race remained unaffected. They continued to hurl themselves at their enemy, regardless of the consequences.

The slaughter continued unabated. Gradually, only a small remnant of the Insect Race was left, surrounded by the otherworldly mechanical species.

But they were still fighting! If the otherworldly mechanical species even slightly retreated, the insects would counterattack!

The victor was thoroughly enraged. It leaped high, landing amidst the last insect cluster and unleashing a ferocious assault. The red light on its body intensified with the battle, and even its frame began to expand. By the time it had single-handedly slaughtered the last of the Insect Race survivors, its stature had increased by a full meter from the start of the battle.

With this final victory, the victor's prestige within its species reached its zenith. It leaped onto a high boulder and let out a tremendous roar towards the sky. The surrounding otherworldly mechanical species echoed in unison, all prostrating themselves on the ground. This was their king!

The victor was filled with pride, surveying its domain. Suddenly, a massive shadow swooped down. Enraged, the victor swiped and bit, charging to meet the threat. However, it was shocked to find that its greatly increased strength was as feeble as a newborn cub's against this new opponent.

This shadow, another Energy Gathering Mechanical Species, measured twenty-three meters in length—nearly twice the victor's size—and possessed even more formidable strength. With a single claw, the attacker pinned the victor to the ground. Then, it bit down, and with a sickening CRUNCH, the victor's sturdy mechanical spine snapped.

The otherworldly mechanical species, which had been roaring in adulation for their king, were all stunned into silence. For a moment, not a single one dared to step forward to rescue their king.

They couldn't even comprehend how this massive Energy Gathering Mechanical Species had managed to ambush their king so silently. Such a colossal figure should have been detected the moment it drew near!

The Combat Rooster, clutching the fourth victor in its beak, leaped from the boulder and sprinted away without a moment's pause.

It left only the stunned otherworldly mechanical species on the ground.

The fourth victor, having just led its forces to annihilate the Insect Race swarm and reached the peak of its existence, whined miserably in the Combat Rooster's beak.

Chen Gu lightly patted the Combat Rooster again and said, "Eat up."

The Combat Rooster immediately began to devour it, and soon, not even a whimper remained from the fourth victor.

...

On the wasteland, a vast swarm of the Insect Race relentlessly pursued, their lines stretching far behind them. Viewed from high above, the ground appeared to be draped with a black cloth more than ten kilometers long.

Ahead of them, a group of equally swift otherworldly mechanical species fled at high speed.

This group of otherworldly species clearly belonged to the same tribe. Their bodies were slender, agile, and swift, which allowed them to escape from the numerically superior Insect Race.

Leading the pack of otherworldly mechanical species was the fifth victor. Its form was similar, but having been blessed by a Super Life, it now resembled a Super Life form.

It glanced back contemptuously at the futilely chasing insect swarm and let out a long howl. Its kin behind it seemed to understand, quickly joining in with a chorus of howls.

Tens of kilometers ahead lay massive meteorite craters, some still burning with flames—the site of their arrival from beyond the heavens.

For beings with the speed of the otherworldly mechanical species, a distance of tens of kilometers was a matter of about ten minutes. They had already reached the craters. At the bottom of these pits, points of light were beginning to shine.

These were Starships of strange design!

They looked very battered but were still operational. Their design style was drastically different from that of both humans and the Insect Race, yet possessed a unique beauty.

Each year, at a set time, these warships would travel between the two planets. They were always punctual, never missing a journey, and had operated this way for countless years.

The native mechanical species on this planet had therefore gradually adapted to a life of concealment. This allowed them to better ambush the otherworldly mechanical species and weaken their forces.

After each "Proving," the otherworldly mechanical species would retaliate by mercilessly slaughtering the native mechanical species. Seizing this opportunity, the victors from the otherworldly mechanical species would join forces to eliminate the victors from among the native species.

This window of opportunity was short. They needed to hurry back, or the "ferries" wouldn't wait. The ferries departed strictly on schedule, and any otherworldly mechanical species left behind would be stranded on this planet.

This year, an unforeseen swarm of insects had emerged from nowhere. But it no longer mattered; the time had come, and the ferries were about to depart.

As the engines roared to life, a Starship's hatch slowly opened. It was empty inside, with no sign of any living crew, as if pre-programmed to make these scheduled trips between the two planets.

The fifth victor craned its neck and let out a loud call, urging its group to board quickly. It stood guard at the rear, ready to teach any pursuing insects a final, harsh lesson should they catch up.

However, the insects were a step too late. By the time they reached the edge of the meteorite craters, even the fifth victor had managed to leap through the half-closed hatch and into the Starship.

The hatch sealed completely. The insects frantically hurled themselves at it, but the Starship's engines now spewed scorching light. The insects melted one by one in the intense heat as the Starship slowly ascended.

Chen Gu and his companions, riding their Combat Roosters, arrived just in time to see the Starship ascending from afar. He couldn't help but feel a sense of incompleteness.

Its Combat Rooster had already devoured the other three rival victors, sparing only this last one.

The Combat Rooster could sense that its rival had not perished at the hands of the Insect Race but was aboard one of those departing Starships. Enraged, it roared at the ever-ascending vessel.

Chen Gu decided against risking Quantum Teleportation to board the Starship and continue pursuing the fifth victor. There are several reasons, he thought. Our primary goal is to prevent the Insect Race from capturing these victors. As long as they don't fall into the insects' clutches, it's an acceptable outcome even if the victors themselves escape. Second, the Starship is ascending too quickly. Using Quantum Teleportation to catch up now could lead to positioning errors; I might not materialize where I intend. What if I make a mistake and appear right in the Starship's engine exhaust... Finally, I can see these Starships have very unusual designs; they're clearly of mysterious origin. I'd rather not risk an encounter over something relatively trivial.

Gong Shuxu let out a long sigh of relief—the operation was a success! He contacted Bai Yunpeng through the military satellite overhead. "Marshal Bai," he said, "please arrange our retreat route."

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