Lord: Starting with Biological Modification

Chapter 251: Chapter 246: Observation Window

At Velin’s command, the vast war machine of the underground base began to turn.

No alarms sounded, but the atmosphere instantly tensed.

Hundreds of massive Worker Ants disengaged from their respective posts, converging into a black iron torrent. Under Sarah’s spiritual dispatch, they surged toward Sector 17.

Their scythe-like forelimbs scraped across the ground, producing a dense scratching sound.

Tristan stood on a high observation corridor, watching the scene with a dry throat.

It was the first time he had witnessed the swarm’s true efficiency.

No orders, no shouts—only an absolutely unified will.

At a single command, hundreds of monsters began their work in perfect unison.

They secreted a corrosive slime from their mouths to soften the rock layer, then used their forelimbs to efficiently cut and transport the debris. A brand-new tunnel extended into the depths of the earth at a visible pace.

’He couldn’t imagine what it would be like if this group of "miners" were to march onto a battlefield instead.’

And it was all completely in Velin’s hands alone.

Meanwhile, Ola and Barrett, who had returned to the surface, also began to act.

Ola’s selection method was very direct.

In the center of the Knight barracks’ training ground, he placed a heavy shield forged from Gray Swamp Crocodile hide and refined steel.

"Anyone who can withstand three of my full-force charges and remain standing gets to come with me!"

He took off his shirt, revealing the solid blocks of muscle unique to the Dwarf Race.

With a roar, he shouldered his battle-ax and charged the heavy shield three consecutive times.

Each impact produced a heavy, booming sound.

After three hits, the shield guard he had chosen was pale and his legs were trembling, but he remained firmly rooted to the spot.

"Good! You’re in!" Ola laughed, clapping the man on the shoulder.

Barrett’s selection of archers was much quieter.

He gathered the twenty best archers from the garrison and led them into a pitch-black cavern.

Deep inside the cavern, only a few phosphorescent fungi emitted a faint glow.

"The targets are moving."

Barrett released several Burrow Bats.

The Scouts had to shoot these small, fast-moving creatures in the dark, relying only on their hearing and the faint light.

In the end, only six managed to hit their targets without a single miss, their breathing remaining steady.

"You six, with me." Barrett put away his longbow.

The preparations proceeded in an orderly fashion.

Tristan found Velin checking on the excavation’s progress.

"My lord, going to the observation point yourself is too risky." Tristan chose his words carefully. "You are the core of the entire territory. Any accident could lead to a total collapse."

Velin didn’t turn his head, his attention completely focused on the three-dimensional map Sarah was transmitting into his mind.

"Tristan, remember one thing."

"Without confirming the data with my own eyes, without grasping the primary information, any decision based on secondhand intelligence is a gamble. And I hate gambling."

He turned to face Tristan.

"The swarm and Barrett’s team will guarantee my safety. But if I make a poor decision, the entire Grey Marsh Territory will pay the price for my mistake. Which risk is greater?"

Tristan couldn’t argue.

Velin didn’t stay idle.

While waiting for the tunnel to be completed, he locked himself in the archives of the Lord’s Mansion.

He pulled all the documents he could find concerning the North Sea.

From the *Northern Sea Map Anecdotes* to the *Salvager’s Log of the Ship Graveyard*, and even some legends about Sea Race tribes recorded by bards.

He tried to find any clues about "multiple tentacles," "humanoid form," or "deep-sea intelligent race."

He found nothing.

In all the books and Scrolls, descriptions of the deep sea were filled with fear and the unknown.

Beyond the common Sea Sirens and fish-people, the deeper world was a complete blank to the land-dwelling races.

[Father]

Sarah’s mental message interrupted his research.

[The Worker Ants’ excavation has caused minor seismic vibrations underground. As per your contingency plan, I have already ordered the King Insect to release subsonic waves of a specific frequency around the excavation site.]

[These subsonic waves will interfere with the propagation path of the vibrations, disguising them as minor, natural crustal activity. The enemy will be unable to detect our movements through conventional means.]

"Very good." Velin set down a copy of *Sea Race Fables*.

’The unknown... it meant there were no weaknesses to reference.’

「The next day, after nightfall.」

[Father, the excavation is approaching the designated coordinates. We are less than ten meters from the outer wall of the enemy tunnel.]

[Slow down.]

Velin ordered, [Cease physical excavation. Switch to the ’Cavern-Corroding Worms’ for the final stage.]

The order was given, and the foremost Worker Ants retreated. Several soft-bodied, grotesque, worm-like creatures were brought to the front. They attached themselves to the rock wall and began to secrete a highly acidic liquid.

Under the acid’s corrosion, the hard rock dissolved silently, turning into plumes of green smoke.

The entire process was exceptionally quiet, with only the faint HISS of liquid seeping into the rock.

A suffocating feeling permeated the long, narrow tunnel.

「Several more hours passed.」

[Warning! Unknown spiritual fluctuation detected! The mental link with the three Cavern-Corroding Worms at the forefront of the operation has been severed!]

Sarah’s voice rang in Velin’s mind, carrying an unprecedented sense of alarm.

[We cannot contact them, but their vital signs are stable.]

’It wasn’t a direct attack?’

’Then it must be the side effect of some kind of Magic.’

’Their excavation tools, or perhaps their method of excavation, is producing a fluctuation that can interfere with the hive’s terminals.’

"Cease all operations," Velin ordered. "All units, fall back fifty meters."

He stood up and said to Barrett, who was waiting outside the door, "Prepare to move out."

Tristan watched Velin’s resolute back, but ultimately did not try to dissuade him again.

The path to the end of the tunnel was narrow and damp, the walls covered in the rough marks left by the Worker Ants’ digging.

Barrett and his six chosen Scouts formed a combat formation, protecting Velin in the center.

Their steps were light; aside from the occasional clink of armor plates, they made almost no extraneous noise.

Ola and his shield guards remained fifty meters behind, forming a second line of defense.

Velin arrived at the end of the tunnel.

Here, only the final few meters of rock separated them from the enemy’s tunnel.

The acrid smell of acid corrosion hung in the air, along with a strange, salty-brine scent from the deep sea.

He didn’t dare to rashly penetrate the rock wall with his Spiritual Power, as that would likely alert the enemy.

He took a specially made steel tube from a Scout. Its tip was coated with a special Alchemy Potion.

Velin aimed the steel tube at the rock wall. With a slight push, the tube sank silently into it, as if piercing soft mud rather than solid rock.

Soon, cold seawater began to seep out from the hole.

This steel tube was a periscope specially crafted by Velin—one end was sharpened to a point, while the other was inlaid with a crystal lens.

After passing through the final layer of rock, the tip submerged into the seawater on the other side.

Velin pressed his eye to the lens.

His vision passed through the steel tube and into a dark underwater world.

It was a tunnel completely filled with water, where several tall figures were working. They weren’t using any tools. Instead, they pressed their thick, sucker-covered tentacles against the rock wall. The suckers on their tentacles were vibrating at a high frequency, pulverizing the rock into powder that dissolved into the water.

’So it’s them...’ Velin understood.

The spiritual fluctuation was the aftereffect of this high-frequency vibration.

After confirming their form through the periscope, he activated his [View] ability without hesitation.

His gaze locked onto one of the figures, and streams of data flowed into Velin’s mind.

[Name: Melnus Black Tide]

[Level: Level 4 Warrior]

[Bloodline: Descendant of the Deep Sea (Black Iron Tier) 87%, Mixed Bloodline 13%]

[Abilities: Water Current Manipulation, Fortified Physique, Magic Affinity (Ice), Paralysis Spray]

[Overall Evaluation: A standard deep-sea intelligent race. Body structure is adapted to high-pressure aquatic environments.]

’They aren’t monsters.’

’This is an invasion by an Alien Race from the deep sea.’

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