[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-re-tales-of-the-rune-tech-sage":3,"chapter-re-tales-of-the-rune-tech-sage-re-tales-of-the-rune-tech-sage-chapter-71":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},147734,246,"Chapter 70: The Nest Queen","re-tales-of-the-rune-tech-sage-chapter-71",71,"\u003Cp>CH70 The Nest Queen\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex stared in disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Controlled... modification?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This creature had just rewritten its own biology—on the fly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t just a mutant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was adaptive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And worse—it was intelligent, at least at a structural level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’What in the world have I created?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex’s first instinct was horror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The chimeric ant archetype—a species that evolved too fast, bred too easily, and overwhelmed entire civilisations—was a classic villain trope in many of the novels, games, and anime he had consumed in his previous life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now, he’d possibly created one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He almost spiralled into panic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Almost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then he forced himself to breathe. Think. Not everything had to follow trope logic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>--\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He calmed down and assessed the situation rationally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And what he saw wasn’t so bad after all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Runes!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sleep.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a wave of his hand, Alex cast the spell smoothly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bee-like creature—having just finished its first meal—wobbled, then collapsed into a peaceful slumber.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex didn’t waste any time. Carefully, he transferred the 60cm-long creature to the platform beneath his Alchemic Microscope and cranked the magnification to the maximum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>--\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’As expected...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He exhaled softly, though the disbelief in his eyes betrayed his amazement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’It really is a being made of Runes...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the microscope, the biological structure of the creature defied conventional logic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Somehow, the virus had mutated the former mite’s cells, altering its genome. It no longer followed standard genetic patterns—its genetic code was made of Runes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’No... not just any Runes,’ Alex muttered, his eyes narrowing as he studied the patterns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’This is Runic Encryption. Likely a protective measure...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was looking at a full Runic genome, encrypted for structural security.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A lesser mage—or even a seasoned researcher—might have been utterly baffled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Alex was the creator of Rune-Tech. He had designed the system that enabled this transformation. He knew exactly what he was looking at.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’A Runic lifeform... a living, self-evolving script structure...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And with that understanding, his fear evaporated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn’t a monster he couldn’t control.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a miraculous discovery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>--\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, Alex didn’t immediately dissect or tamper with the creature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, he made a decision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He would observe it in its natural state, see how it behaved when left alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Release.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He cancelled the Sleep spell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The creature stirred, blinking slowly before raising its head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its multilens sensory plates locked onto Alex.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t attack or flee. Instead, there was a moment of quiet tension.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A strange emotion passed through its posture—a mix of confusion and recognition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, as if dismissing the thoughts from its half-formed mind, it turned away and flew back into its containment pen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There, it settled into a quiet, dormant state, save for the faint shimmer of the encrypted Runes still glowing on its exoskeleton.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>--\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex’s Spirit Sight watched as energy began to churn inside it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He quickly realised what was happening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The creature had exhausted a large portion of its internal life energy—not just for the metamorphosis, but also for the physical expansion that came with it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its body might now be larger, more formidable in appearance, but in truth, it was weaker than before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its cultivation rank had dropped—from Class 1 to Class 0, putting it on par with an ordinary wild beast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’So that’s the cost of self-reconstruction...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex had assumed the bone meal would replenish its energy reserves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, the creature underwent another transformation—but not of itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>--\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a queen bee, the creature began laying eggs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had consumed the bone not to recharge, but to reproduce.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two pale, pulsing eggs appeared beneath it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They began to grow rapidly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within half a day, the eggs reached full maturity—enough for Alex to see the developing shapes within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Identical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were clones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two more of the same bee-like Runic creature—perfect copies of their mother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>--\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It reproduces asexually by cloning,\" Alex whispered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, with a dry chuckle:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This could really be the birth of a Zerg or Chimera Ant-type species...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then he added silently, eyes glinting with dangerous excitement:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’One that I can control.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a full day of observation, the eggs finally hatched— and brought Alex yet another surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The so-called offspring weren’t living creatures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were hollow—empty husks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More accurately: drones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Artificial constructs that the original creature could control remotely via a Runic Mental Link.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A link, Alex quickly realised, that mirrored the same mechanism he had used before— between the Detector Rune on the mite’s carapace and the Receiver Rune embedded in the OmniRune.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’This gives me an idea...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex grinned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He instructed the OmniRune Core to piggyback on the creature’s mental link— to trace the signal that connected it to its drones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And just like that—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Success.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex’s smile widened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was so seamless, so natural, that it almost felt as if the drones had been born already connected to the AI.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’In that case... let’s take it further.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pushed the OmniRune Core’s authority deeper, attempting to use the established connection to issue commands to one of the drones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This part wasn’t as smooth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was some resistance, and the process required multiple iterations and fine-tuning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But eventually—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He managed to wrestle control of the drone away from the creature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a few minutes, Alex experimented. He had the drone hover, walk, mimic human gestures. He even made it do a twirl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, just before the creature acted again, he returned control.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The response was immediate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A needle-like organ extended from the creature’s head and pierced the drone’s skull.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The previously motionless shell twitched— then activated, its limbs twitching as it stood up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The creature repeated the same process on the second drone— the one Alex had briefly hijacked, but kept tethered to the OmniRune.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And thanks to that tether, OmniRune Core detected everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The needle had injected instructions— not just magical impulses, but a structured command logic akin to basic programming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex watched, fascinated, as the two drones came to life and flew from the housing pen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They hovered briefly, then oriented toward a corner of the lab.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>--\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Toward a plate of food Alex had left for himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’You’ve got to be kidding me.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The drones worked in tandem, lifting a portion of the food and flying it back to the creature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex could only stare in mixed horror and amusement as the creature consumed the offering with gusto.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a resigned sigh, he moved the rest of the food into the housing pen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no point in eating it now—not after the drones had touched it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The creature devoured everything, not leaving even a morsel behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t hesitate, nor display any preference.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was no longer restricted to bone essence or skeletal remains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was omnivorous now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another shift.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And once fed, both the creature and its drones fell dormant once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex noted the now-familiar stirring of energy in its core.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was preparing to lay another set of eggs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>",1157,"2026-05-29T03:49:10.136Z","2026-06-01T04:29:07.188Z",1,"novelbin.me","d1773622e19bd74d6cbe0f87c43ada4fa15db137efeadc4672893a4ac26fdf9a","re-tales-of-the-rune-tech-sage-chapter-72","re-tales-of-the-rune-tech-sage-chapter-70",692,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fre-tales-of-the-rune-tech-sage-cover.jpg"]