Chapter 753: The Pain of Losing a Daughter, A Family Tragedy

That layered chorus continued:

“Mother, please wait here—after we finish eating this batch of impatient worms—we will then properly show Mother our merits—”

Then, under Lynn’s frozen gaze, those smiling nano-flesh clusters instantly swarmed outward like a massive hive, like a sweeping storm. On the microscopic level they clashed with the Mechanical Cult’s nano-machine clusters.

Lynn stood with his mouth ajar.

For a moment he did not know what to say.

But once he calmed down, his active mind immediately realized how terrifying this micro-tribe he had accidentally created truly was!

They possessed a collective consciousness of their own, required no external control, and had an expansion capability as powerful as the nano-machine clusters. For him, this was unquestionably an extremely fearsome weapon!

Thinking that, Lynn’s heart thumped with excitement.

He thought of himself.

Although each of his family members were Root-level and incredibly powerful, they each had their own affairs and certainly could not accompany him like Zuo Zuo. If something urgent happened, it would be difficult for them to arrive immediately.

But these nano-clusters would be different!

Carry a few of them on you.

If trouble arises, feed them on a large scale and they would rapidly turn into a formidable force!

Moreover, judging from the situation, these nano-clusters now trusted and adored him deeply. Wasn’t this a perfect opportunity to take advantage of?!

Lynn felt his spirits soar.

It did not take long. Under Lynn’s watchful eyes, the Mechanical Cult’s nano-clusters were rapidly destroyed and devoured in large swathes by his flesh-and-blood clusters, and Lynn could clearly see that compared to before, the number of these nano-flesh clusters had not decreased but instead become even larger.

They swarmed like a huge, floating red mass above his head!

This terrifying expansion capability!

“Mother—sorry to have kept you waiting—those damn mechanical insects have been cleaned out—”

Like boasting for credit, the flesh clusters rearranged themselves again in front of Lynn, forming a huge crude smiling face. Because their numbers were greater than before, the expression looked even more vivid.

A terrifying tribe that might one day grow into a microscopic civilization!

“Thank you for your hard work!”

Lynn adjusted his monocle and revealed his signature smile.

“Since those nano-clusters no longer pose a threat, have you decided what you’ll do from now on?”

The layered voices immediately rang in Lynn’s ears, “Of course we will follow Mother—always serve Mother—Mother is our creator—we must forever follow Mother’s footsteps—this has been the Mother Faction’s rule since birth—”

The red swarms whirlled around Lynn’s body, and even without special observation methods he could feel their excitement.

Lynn instantly felt delighted, and said, “Ah—this is a bit embarrassing—but if you want to follow me, I have no reason to refuse. But could you use a different form of address? Maybe call me ‘Dad’?”

The voices cheered as they floated around Lynn, “Mother-Daddy—”

“……”

A brief, uncanny silence.

Well…

Since they were now his, there would be plenty of time to train and correct them later.

Mother can stay Mother for now; it’s definitely better than Mother-Daddy.

When he has spare time, he’ll make them call him Father every day.

Lynn cleared his throat and closed his eyes, “Well… forget Mother-Daddy. Since you’re willing to follow me, I’ll reluctantly accept you. After all, having some children makes the family feel complete, right?”

No sooner had he finished speaking than a System notification rang in his ears.

[ Ding! Congratulations, you have triggered a special phased achievement: One Hundred Trillion Children (Pseudo). You have gained 1000 base experience! ]

[ One Hundred Trillion Children (Pseudo) ]: Special phased achievement. This achievement is almost impossible to obtain through ordinary means. Although much easier than One Hundred Trillion Children (True), it is still not easy. Usually only when the host successfully becomes the parent of ten trillion organisms can it trigger, indicating the host is honorably advancing toward the stage of having countless descendants! You are no longer a mere mortal! Congratulations, you have received a permanent buff: All Attributes +20%, Charisma +20%, [Maternal Love]: when actively feeding your children, you can gain a large amount of Affinity.

Lynn: “!!!”

Before Lynn could fully react, another System notification sounded.

[ Ding! Congratulations, you have triggered a phased special achievement: Family Misfortune (Highest Stage). You have gained 500 base experience! ]

[ Family Misfortune (Highest Stage) ]: Special phased achievement, a special life achievement. Only obtainable when you dispose of more than ten thousand offspring in a short time. According to system statistics, one second ago you starved to death a total of 31,212 children. System friendly reminder: life and death are everyday occurrences; please do not drown in grief—who hasn’t lost a few daughters? Congratulations, you have received permanent bonuses: Mental Energy +20, Pain Tolerance +10, Willpower +5, Happiness -10.

Lynn froze in place.

These two achievements triggered absolutely without warning.

Although absurd, the first achievement was not unreasonable—becoming the father of a tribe naturally triggers it. But what was the deal with the second achievement?

How did I become one to whom family misfortune applies?! How did tens of thousands of my descendants suddenly die?!

Damn it!

This system has gone too far!

He quickly recovered and, hesitantly, probed, “Do you… die every moment? The people here—meaning the individuals in your tribe—surely not that extreme, right?”

Lynn did not expect such a prompt and affirmative reply.

The voices cheerfully answered, “Mother is right—maintaining this enormous group requires a massive amount of food and energy—so if we can’t get enough food or energy replenishment—we will select some to eat first—when there’s no fighting—we also randomly pick some lucky ones—eat them—”

They spoke in a light, carefree tone, saying things that sent shivers down the spine by human moral standards.