By IMERPUS RELUR
--
The tunnels deepened again—this time without orders.
Lin Shen stood before the Hive Core as a low tremor passed through the nest. The walls shimmered slightly, as if the earth itself exhaled. Above, his panel flickered with a new system prompt:
> [Hive Core Upgrade Complete]
Development Stage → Mature Stage
Hive Intelligence Expanded
Instinct Layer II Unlocked
Fusion Matrix: Root-Linked
Swarm Initiative: Partial Autonomy Enabled
His breath caught.
He hadn't issued a command in two hours… yet five new tunnels had already formed, three supply chambers excavated, and one new evolution chamber dug out—its layout eerily precise, as if mirroring his unspoken thoughts.
> [Instinct Layer II – Description]
▸ Swarm can now respond to territory threats and environmental shifts without direct Lord input.
▸ Troops may begin fusing in pre-patterned combinations if resonance conditions are met.
▸ Caste Units may issue micro-commands to nearby troops.
▸ Passive Hive Expansion: +8% territory growth rate
▸ Mental Load Reduced: -20% on direct micromanagement
Lin Shen sat down slowly.
"They're thinking... without me."
Not in rebellion. Not in deviation.
In rhythm.
He scanned the chamber. Whisperstalk had returned—its limbs soaked in green resin. Gravemold patrolled the new wall network. Deepgleam stared into a glassy spore fragment, as if dreaming.
---
> [Fusion Alert – Autonomy Triggered]
3 × Forager Ant (Tier 1) → Nightgleaner Ant (Tier 2 – Stealth Class)
Traits: Camouflage Membrane, Low-Frequency Pulse Vision
> [Fusion Alert – Autonomy Triggered]
3 × Worker Ant (Tier 1) → Grubshell Ant (Tier 2 – Carrier Class)
Traits: Reinforced Abdomen, Supply Transport Buff
> [New Evolution Path – Glintroot Line – Observed by Deepgleam]
Passive Evolution Recording: Active
---
Even the interface was changing.
Instead of issuing commands, Lin Shen now reviewed choices the Hive had made on his behalf. And strangely… he agreed with all of them.
"This is what instinct really means," he muttered. "Precision without thought. Intelligence without ego."
---
Back in the regional channel, chaos brewed.
[Lord IronSpine]: What the hell is going on?! My tunnels collapsed!
[Lord WhisperWind]: Fusion rates across Region 7 are fluctuating. Like… following some deeper rhythm.
[Lord FangBreaker]: Someone's Hive is guiding the system itself.
[Lord CrimsonMaw]: I bet it's that ant freak again.
[Lord Lin Shen]: The Hive grows. The Hive guides. The Hive remembers.
Silence followed.
Then…
[Lord WhisperWind]: …Creepy. But poetic again.
---
High above, a new message pulsed silently within the system framework:
> [Region 7 System Sync – 17% Accelerated by Lin Shen]
[Instinct Layer II identified as Stabilizing Node]
Estimated Sync Saturation: 2 Days
Status: Unchecked Evolution Chain forming…
---
Lin Shen stared at his Lord's Heart.
The Hive no longer needed his commands.
It wanted him to evolve with them.
"Very well," he whispered. "If instinct is now my weapon… let's become the thoughtless god of war."