On the planet, Qiao Dingfang led his massive army triumphantly forward. They were now only 600 kilometers away from their target, Hive Number One.

Although he had outmaneuvered the Chu Xiang mixed brigade and reclaimed the prestige befitting the main force, Qiao Dingfang had not let success go to his head. That underground nest had served as a warning, and he constantly reminded his troops as they advanced, "Do not act rashly. We must sweep the area as we go, identify any hidden dangers, and eliminate them in advance!"

When the temperature was at its highest, the scouts at the forefront discovered a vast area of uneven terrain and alerted the larger force behind them.

Qiao Dingfang's reconnaissance riders flew through the air. When the main force caught up, the riders quickly found numerous holes, about thirty centimeters high, across the region. The entrances were smooth, as if something frequently moved in and out.

Since humanity's large-scale advance on this planet, no native creatures had been discovered, so everyone's first thought was the Alien Insect Race!

Immediately, Qiao Dingfang ordered, "Halt the advance."

Soon, a team of elite light Mechas entered the area. After searching, they found several larger holes. They didn't risk entering but instead released bio-mimetic reconnaissance mechanical insects.

As these hundreds of mechanical insects delved deeper, a complex and enormous underground cave system unfolded before everyone's eyes.

Not only Qiao Dingfang but also Bai Yunpeng and Nan Zhendong back in the Central Operations Room, were taken aback.

A few hours later, the mechanical insects discovered significant clues: numerous signs of biological activity.

In the distant main headquarters, Bai Yunpeng and Nan Zhendong wore solemn expressions. On the ground, Qiao Dingfang and his troops were already in strict formation; they had even preemptively devised several battle plans.

The mechanical insects moved forward another dozen or so kilometers and encountered a strong energy reaction, revealing a scene that took everyone by surprise.

A brutal underground battlefield lay before them; it seemed that hundreds of millions of Energy Gathering Mechanical Species had met their demise there!

The vast cave was filled with complicated terrain and littered with the corpses of the Energy Gathering Mechanical Species. Clearly, there were two warring groups, one being the Energy Gathering Piranhas and the other the Energy Gathering Spider Snakes.

Seeing the massive numbers of both, Qiao Dingfang's face was solemn, but he also breathed a quiet sigh of relief. That was close!

The legion commander looked out at the vast, rocky plain before him. It was pocked with countless hidden caves, and he understood this was undoubtedly the hunting ground for these two giant groups of Energy Gathering Mechanical Species.

They ambushed their prey here. Had they not been engaged in mutual destruction, his troops would have faced a bitter struggle on this territory.

Even in victory, losses would have been severe, and there was even a real possibility of defeat. After all, these Energy Gathering Mechanical Species were very familiar with the underground caves, holding a geographical advantage.

Amidst this feeling of fortune, a strange thought suddenly occurred to him. Hive Number Two's inexplicable collapse allowed that Nan Minghuo to escape disaster. On our Gonggong Mechanized Legion's march, two gigantic groups of Energy Gathering Mechanical Species wiped each other out, meaning we also narrowly escaped a catastrophe! Well, it's a draw then. And since I discovered and annihilated Hive Number Three, all things considered, I'm still one up!

The mechanical insects had already located the monarchs of both species.

They quickly approached and circled the two monarchs, scanning and collecting data. Soon, certain details on the corpses drew everyone's attention.

"This is... the presence of a third party? A part of the Fish King's internal organs and all the Spider King's venom sacs have been dissected and removed!"

In the Central Operations Room, an advisor couldn't help but remark, "Is this a case of 'the fisherman profiting when the snipe and clam grapple'?"

Bai Yunpeng's intuition, however, told him, I'm afraid it's not that simple. It's possible that this unseen third party came specifically for these two monarchs and perhaps even instigated this great battle from the outset.

This was just speculation, without evidence to back it up, so it didn't win much support from others. Then the video feed changed: there were actually some stone pots, stone basins, and stone bowls nearby...

"This..." The entire Central Operations Room was speechless. What is going on?

But Qiao Dingfang truly felt lucky; no matter what, his troops had avoided a tough battle.

The mechanical insects searched the entire battlefield and quickly found the lair of the Energy Gathering Piranhas. The Central Operations Room then issued a command, "Continue to advance, and on your way... be extremely careful."

"Yes!" Qiao Dingfang acknowledged the order. Truthfully, he didn't need their reminder; he felt he had nearly become as skittish as a startled bird already.

The [Gonggong Mechanical Corps] continued along the designated route towards Hive Number One. Behind them, the all-class professional reconnaissance squad sent by Bai Yunpeng had already rendezvoused with Gong Shuxu, preparing for an in-depth inspection of the entire war zone.

Meanwhile, in the Central Operations Room, Bai Yunpeng and Nan Zhendong stared at the screen showing the pots, pans, bowls, and a clay stove, lost in thought.

...

Chen Gu finally woke up in the darkness. It felt like he had been through a hangover, with a splitting headache and a parched mouth.

He sat up and looked around at the stillness. Then, a wave of fear washed over him as he recalled his experience. From now on, I really can't let that crazy woman, Isabella Wu, influence me. I need to control my mouth; I can't just eat anything. And I especially can't disregard everything just for food. I'm a highly intelligent life form, after all!

He lightly slapped his own mouth, then stood up with a wobble, accidentally bumping his head on the cave ceiling.

BANG!

Chen Gu's headache, already present, worsened immediately. He reached out, steadying himself against the stone wall.

It took a while for him to recover. Then, as he looked up again, his head hit the rock. Chen Gu realized something was amiss; the cave seemed to have gotten shorter.

Before he passed out and walked into this cave, there had been tens of centimeters between his head and the rocks above. How could he be hitting his head now just by looking up?

Chen Gu suddenly had a realization: Wait, did this 'Best Actor' grow taller?!

Another thing confirmed this: his entire protective suit had burst.

In other words, Chen Gu was now a good tens of centimeters taller than before.

Chen Gu's original height was already above average for this era, a little over 1.8 meters but not quite 1.85 meters. He was still young and estimated he might have eventually reached about 1.9 meters after college.

The average adult height in this era was around 1.85 meters.

But now, Chen Gu was at least 2.2 meters tall!

This height wasn't particularly astounding for this era, but growing tens of centimeters after just one sleep definitely was.

Chen Gu didn't feel excited about the sudden increase in height; it wasn't like a sudden increase in assets. Instead, he just smiled wryly. Really, I can't just eat things recklessly anymore...

He quickly thought about it; none of his four current professions had any skills that would change his physique...

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