The egg in his hands pulsed with light, faint cracks spreading across its shell. Zhou Wen's heart beat faster.
A soft click echoed. The shell split apart.
A small black ant crawled out. Its carapace gleamed faintly, and its sharp little mandibles glimmered as if forged from steel. Unlike an ordinary bug, its beady eyes shone with a strange clarity.
The phone buzzed. A stat window appeared.
---
Companion Beast: Ant Soldier
Grade: Mortal (Perfect Potential)
Life Soul: [Soldier]
Fate Soul: None
Strength: 9
Speed: 7
Constitution: 8
Origin Qi: 6
Talent: [Steel Carapace] – Greatly increases defense
Potential: 100% (Perfect Inheritance)
---
Zhou Wen's eyes narrowed.
In the original world, an Ant Soldier egg would never have such stats. They were usually crippled—half the power of the real thing at best. But this one…
This one had inherited everything from the Ant Soldier he had killed.
The full potential. The cheat was real.
The small ant climbed onto his palm, its mandibles clicking softly. Its eyes shimmered with faint intelligence as it tilted its head at him.
A warm connection pulsed in his chest. He could feel its thoughts—simple, but affectionate.
"Master," the voice echoed faintly in his mind. Not words, exactly, but an impression of loyalty and warmth.
Zhou Wen froze. Then a small smile tugged at his lips.
"You're different from the others, aren't you?"
The ant leaned closer, rubbing its head against his finger like a cat seeking affection.
Zhou Wen stroked the top of its head gently.
"Alright then… from today, you're not just a soldier. You're mine."
The ant let out a soft chirp, mandibles snapping playfully as if happy.
---
He sat on the bed, staring at the small creature crawling across his arm. A strange warmth spread in his chest.
Back on Earth, he had lived and died alone. His only companions had been pixels on a screen.
But here, in this dangerous world, the first living being that truly belonged to him wasn't human—it was a little insect with loyal eyes.
Strange, but comforting.
The phone vibrated again.
> Crossbreed Function: Compatible.
His brows furrowed. He remembered the system's strange note: Crossbreed Gene Fusion with humanoid female Companions.
Of course, this ant wasn't humanoid yet. But if its potential was perfect, then as it evolved, it would eventually take on a more intelligent, perhaps even humanoid, form.
Zhou Wen chuckled softly. "So even you might become… more than this."
The ant tilted its head, sensing his amusement, then crawled up his shoulder, perching there proudly.
---
That night, he entered the Ant Nest again.
With his companion by his side, something changed. The ant moved with him, its Steel Carapace shimmering, blocking strikes that would have killed him. Zhou Wen timed his blows with its movements. Their rhythm grew in sync.
It was still grueling, each fight a desperate struggle, but this time he wasn't alone.
And when another Ant Soldier finally fell, Zhou Wen's blade dripping with ichor, the phone buzzed once more.
> Companion Egg Dropped.
His lips curved slowly.
"So this is how it begins…"
---
End of Chapter 3
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