"This… what is this?"
A Hayes soldier stared at the black land before him, his face filled with confusion.
In his view, the foul-smelling land, radiating an ominous aura, contrasted sharply with the surrounding desert.
The contrast was so stark, it was as if…
A once pure, normal wall had suddenly developed terrifying, twisted matter and unspeakable tumors!
The difference was so extreme that the Hayes soldier could not contain his curiosity. Ignoring military discipline, he turned to his fully alert companions.
"Hey, do you think this black land… doesn't belong to this world?"
The others froze for a moment.
Truthfully, this feeling was not unique to him.
Every member of the Hayes squad, upon seeing this scene, had a vague sense that the black land seemed completely out of place in this world.
"Silence, 092! Watch your discipline!"
A fully armed Hayes soldier, with a disc-shaped magical device on his back, scolded him.
Clearly, he held a higher rank than the others.
"Examining the world's rules and properties is the duty of stationed mages and scientists!"
His half-lidded bluish-purple eyes expressed full displeasure.
"Our job is to explore the terrain and environment, then report back to command!"
The other soldiers sighed helplessly.
"Here we go again… the captain's nagging."
Whenever someone violated discipline, the captain always seized the opportunity to give a long lecture.
As expected, the squad captain began a classic speech…
"For the survival of the Hayes clan, for our doomed world, we must forget our emotions, dedicate everything… (thousands of words omitted)."
Faced with the murderous glares of his teammates, the soldier who asked the question helplessly waved his hands.
"Okay! Okay! My bad, my bad! I promise, it won't happen again! And during the upcoming scouting, I'll take the lead myself!"
Finally, the squad resumed its march.
This time, however, they truly stepped onto the black land.
---
Dozens of minutes later.
"092, report!"
In a corner of the black land, the captain held an alchemical device and asked 092, the Hayes soldier.
The squad had spread out in an arrow formation, each separated by roughly a kilometer.
It might seem foolish, but this was the optimal scouting formation the Hayes clan had developed over thousands of years of war.
It ensured the squad could avoid being wiped out easily, and, more importantly, any Hayes scout could escape at least a kilometer unless intercepted by legendary creatures of the invaded world.
"092 reporting: I've found traces of alien lifeforms here."
092 was hiding behind a large rock, using an observational alchemical device to record the alien lifeforms.
"What kind of aliens? What are their lifeforms?"
The captain asked.
"Uh, if there's no mistake, these aliens currently exist as…"
"Eggs!"
"Or perhaps cocoon-like structures?"
"There are many of them, and their shells have black and red patterns. They move quickly!"
092 reported patiently, eyes on the distant demon cocoons.
"But unlike ordinary lifeforms, no adult is protecting these eggs or cocoons!"
"I haven't found a single adult in this area—only these eggs!"
"I'm going to approach carefully to observe their hatching forms."
The captain hesitated for a moment, then said:
"Proceed, but be careful. We don't know the lifeforms of this world. There might be parasites inside these eggs!"
He then issued further orders.
"The rest of the squad, assemble at my location to support 092!"
"Understood!" "Yes!" "Received!"
The squad moved to the designated spot.
Meanwhile, 092 finally stood before a demon cocoon, raising his magical blade…
The cocoon seemed to sense danger and wriggled faster.
Slash!
The blade struck…
The cocoon's shell cracked, revealing a small, not yet fully hatched demon, opening its eyes…
---
Boom!
Before the reconnaissance squad fully assembled, a massive explosion came from 092's direction!
Every squad member knew the sound came from an exploding magical weapon!
092 had encountered an enemy!
"Damn it, 092! What's happening over there?!"
The alchemical device transmitted 092's heavy breathing, along with terrifying sounds from an unknown brutal creature.
"Answer me, 092!"
"Huff… huff…"
Soon, 092's voice came through, filled with panic and fear.
"Captain, it's… the creatures of this world. They hatch extremely fast, faster than I've ever seen, and are fully combat-ready at birth! Damn! My arm was bitten off! I'm trying to escape!"
"Damn, I've never seen creatures like this! They…"
"They're like chaos and evil combined, the most twisted beings! I killed a few, and they were eating their own kind while attacking me!"
"They… they've grabbed me!"
"Oh no, they… they're going to eat me alive!"
"No, no, no, they want to torment me. I can see it in their eyes!"
"Damn it, I won't let them succeed! Die, die!"
"Kill me! Quick, kill me!"
Boom!
Another terrifying explosion echoed from 092's direction.
Then came absolute silence…
092's voice disappeared from this world.
Yet before vanishing, the sounds from the alchemical device chilled the Hayes squad to the bone, making them shiver uncontrollably…
The laughter of demons, 092's screams, the cracking of demon cocoons, a malicious and mocking chorus from creatures of a chaotic world directed at a lone scout!
Suddenly, someone patted the captain on the shoulder.
"What is it?"
The captain, immersed in grief, turned around, trembling.
On their way, countless cocoons had appeared…
The cocoons for hatching demons.