In the vacuum, there was dead silence; sound could not propagate.
The Insects’ screams were unheard by anyone other than themselves.
The strangling vines were as forceful as ever; their slender thorns easily tore through the Insects’ shells and shredded their bodies into pieces.
On one hand, the crowd was stunned by the grand spectacle before them, and on the other, they felt reassured by the organization’s formidable strength.
"Hmm? Something’s not right!"
In the crowd, Ji Xiaoqi’s expression slightly changed after carefully observing for a moment.
Dean, who was nearby, asked with some curiosity.
"Look closely at the attack movements of those vines."
Ji Xiaoqi’s face didn’t look good.
After Dean heard this, he observed even more earnestly, and his facial expression also shifted slightly.
"What’s going on with you two? What’s with the riddles?"
Tina, who was closest to them, overheard their conversation and her curiosity was piqued.
Ji Xiaoqi glanced around and whispered:
"Let’s go, there are too many people here; it’s not convenient to talk. Follow me!"
She quickly stepped aside to a deserted area.
Tina followed and looked at the battle that had already ended outside, as well as the spaceship’s position, full of confusion.
"We’re about to land soon, Xiao Qi, what were you two discussing just now, making it so mysterious."
Ji Xiaoqi didn’t speak; instead, she opened her hand, projected the image from her wristwatch onto her palm, and played a video clip.
"Look here, this is the record of the strangling vines killing the Insects just now."
She paused the video, zoomed in, and pointed to a particular spot as she explained:
"These Desert Worms, we call them ’Flying Wings’, are a type of flying unit of the Insect Race, known for being lightweight, fast, and for spraying a green corrosive acid with potent effects."
"However, the weakness of the Flying Wings is their low defense; their shells are not thick. A regular automatic rifle can penetrate them within 100 meters, a handgun within 20 meters, and the strength of their shells is roughly equivalent to a 3.5mm thick A3 steel plate."
Ji Xiaoqi first explained the data of these Insects, as an Awakener, this was the most basic information.
Tina nodded; she was somewhat familiar with what the other party was describing.
After all, she was the head of the biological research department, and some of the data were provided through her research.
"But Tina, look here, do these Insects’ shell colors seem different from what we’ve seen before?"
Tina looked carefully and then said:
"There is a difference, it seems the color has become darker... and it also appears smoother... wait a minute, I remember their shells were not this smooth before... could it be..."
As she spoke, she seemed to have realized something, and her face changed color.
"Exactly, this is no coincidence! Every single Desert Worm has undergone a similar change! I clearly remember, when the strangling vines attacked the Flying Wings, they would usually tear through their defenses in one stroke, but look here..."
She pointed to a pattern on the screen.
"The attacks from the vines are clearly diverted in some cases, and sometimes it takes two or more tugs to kill them!"
"So, if I’m not wrong, these Desert Worms have evolved! They are adapting to these attacks!"
As Ji Xiaoqi spoke, Tina’s face turned to one of astonishment; she was a biologist herself and understood what such a change implied.
"Adaptive evolutionary biology, then... How could this happen... Normally, such evolution requires a very long time, yet these Insects have begun to adapt in such a short period. What kind of species is this..."
Her face, filled with amazement, gradually morphed into worry, then fear followed.
"Ji Xiaoqi, does our BOSS know about this? We had better report this immediately!"
Ji Xiaoqi looked at the now-motionless scenery outside, knowing that the spaceship had landed, and nodded before turning towards the exit.
The Dawn was large and wouldn’t land easily; firstly, because it was cumbersome, and secondly, to avoid attracting attention.
However, it was different on the Moon; here, inside the Shield, no one could see, and there was plenty of open space, so there was no need to worry about finding a place to land the ship.
The Shield-enclosed environment had been transformed by the World Tree and became as habitable as Water Blue Star, allowing life to thrive freely here.
Its surface might still look barren, but with the Shield acting as an atmosphere, the darkness was no longer oppressive, and although it didn’t seem as blue as the sky on Water Blue Star, it had brightened up too.
The researchers had disembarked from the spaceship, not wearing spacesuits, but moving as freely as they would on Water Blue Star.
At this moment, they appeared like curious babies, looking around in awe at the ability to set foot on the Moon so freely.