Chapter 351: Gene Collapse, Anti-Biological Weapon

"Tampered gene virus?"

Zhang Xianzhong repeated this unfamiliar name, his brows furrowed tightly.

He was a pure soldier, never caring for the Academy's mystifying new terms.

But from these few words he sensed a smell that made even his heart race.

"Xiao Qin, what is this?"

"An anti-biological weapon."

Qin Hao's explanation was brief and to the point.

"A weapon tailor-made for the Devourers' 'symbiotic collective'."

On the bridge of the Void Voyager, Qin Hao called up a holographic model.

It was an extremely complex double-helix structure, but what composed it were not base pairs, but a string of faintly glowing 'symbols' made of pure information.

"The Devourer civilization, at its core, is a monster forged by forcibly splicing together the genes of countless conquered civilizations."

Qin Hao's finger lightly tapped the model.

"They appear powerful, but this 'stitched' life form has a fatal flaw."

"Their gene chains are not stable enough."

"The virus we developed is essentially not a substance, but an 'information'."

"An information capable of tampering with the very logic of 'life' as an existence."

Qin Hao's voice was calm, but hearing it, Zhang Xianzhong felt an inexplicable chill.

Tampering with the existence of 'life'?

What level of weapon is this?

"Once infected by this virus," Qin Hao continued, "the Devourers' gene chain will suffer a 'logic error'."

"Their cells will identify friendly cells as 'viruses'."

"Their immune systems will begin frenziedly attacking their own bodies."

"Their regenerative ability will turn into a catalyst that accelerates death."

"In the end, they will internally self-disintegrate, self-consume, until completely collapsing into a puddle of meaningless organic matter."

Zhang Xianzhong felt his scalp go numb.

This is no longer war.

This is erasing a race's existence at its root!

Too ruthless.

And too effective.

"Order: all Divine Might-class warships, switch to special warheads."

Qin Hao's voice interrupted Zhang Xianzhong's thoughts.

"Target: all remaining biological units within the Dimensional Pocket."

"Fire."

"Yes!"

Zhang Xianzhong suppressed his shock and immediately relayed the order.

One hundred thousand Divine Might-class warships readjusted their barrels.

This time, what they fired was no longer the Dimensional Shockwave Torpedo.

But a series of pitch-black special missiles with no energy reaction.

These missiles didn't even fly toward the target.

As they passed through the Dimensional Pocket barrier, they detonated directly in the vacuum inside the pocket.

Invisible information ripples, undetectable by any instrument, instantly spread to every corner of the Dimensional Pocket.

The virus began to spread.

At first, there was no change on the battlefield.

The artillery continued to roar.

The surviving, scattered Devourer warships were still making their last struggle.

The Devourer sub-bodies were still frantically attacking the dimensional barrier.

It seemed this new weapon had failed.

The allied commanders of the United Fleet all showed puzzled expressions.

"What are the Yanhuang people up to again?"

"Did they fire a bunch of dummy shells?"

However, only thirty seconds later.

A strange scene occurred.

A War Beast charging toward the dimensional barrier suddenly stiffened its massive body.

Then, its surface began to sprout huge, pus-filled tumors.

The tumors quickly ruptured, spewing out dark-green acidic fluid.

These fluids splashed onto its own armor, making a 'hissing' corrosive sound.

It began to attack itself!

Immediately after, the second, third...

More and more Devourer warships showed the same condition.

Their bodies began to undergo uncontrolled mutations of various kinds.

Some grew hundreds of useless eyes.

Some bodies melted into a puddle of writhing rotten flesh.

Some even turned around and launched suicidal attacks against their nearby allies!

The entire Devourer Fleet fell into complete chaos.

A bloody internal war originating at the genetic level broke out.

"Roar——!"

The Devourer Sub-body also finally sensed something was wrong.

Its vast will swept over the entire fleet.

It saw its own soldiers destroying themselves in an extremely horrifying manner.

A fury even more violent than before erupted from its will.

It tried to use its will to suppress this chaos.

Afterwards, it issued a mandatory order to all subunits: "Cease self‑attack."

However, it was useless.

【Gene‑Altering Virus】, it works on the most basic logic of life.

This cannot be overturned by will.

Just as you cannot command your own heart to stop beating or your own cells to stop dividing.

This collapse is irreversible.

The Devourer Sub-body, for the first time, felt a hint… of fear from that pure fury.

It discovered that its own body was also beginning to show abnormalities.

On the surface of its massive flesh‑and‑metal body, those purple energy tendrils began to shrink and necrotize uncontrollably.

Some metal structures also began to show rust and peel off.

The virus works on it too!

Although its Life Level is higher and its resistance stronger, it still cannot be completely immune to this contamination from the level of existence!

"Success!"

Zhang Xianzhong looked at the screen, where the collapse spread like a plague, and shouted excitedly.

"This weapon… is practically their natural nemesis!"

"On the Void Walker."

Qin Hao's face finally showed a hint of satisfaction.

"How are the data records?"

【Report to Chief Commander, the virus spread model has been established.】

【Data on infection time and collapse process for Devourer units of different levels have all been recorded.】

【Preliminary assessment: the virus can disintegrate ninety‑nine percent of regular Devourer units within ten minutes.】

"Very good."

Qin Hao nodded.

His gaze fell once more on that huge sub‑body.

"Analyze the data changes after it's infected. I need to know how long it will take to completely disintegrate it."

【Analyzing…… based on the target's current damage rate and resistance strength…… estimated time…… 70 hours.】

"Too slow."

Qin Hao's brows furrowed.

70 hours, about three days.

He doesn't have time to spend three days on it.

The Dimensional Pocket, under its frenzied attack, can last only a few more hours at most.

We must deal with it before then.

"It seems the testing of conventional weapons ends here."

Qin Hao rose from the command chair.

His body emitted a faint cracking sound from this simple movement.

He hasn't moved his own body in a long time.

"All units, cease fire."

Qin Hao issued a new order.

"The entire fleet withdraws two astronomical units, maintaining the encirclement formation."

"Why?"

Zhang Xianzhong asked, bewildered, "Now is the perfect time to beat a dog in the water! We should press the attack……"

"Because."

Qin Hao's voice, for the first time, carried a hint of chilling killing intent.

"This big guy, I'll handle him myself."

"I want…… him alive."