Shino grasped Karina's naughty hand, taking it off, throwing the tempting woman a glare. This woman... was really bad.

Originally, she would be an emotionless machine at his beck and call, but now after merging the artificial intelligence with the consciousness of Karin, it resulted in a queen with this 'special' personality.

Facing his glare, Karina licked her lips, her fingers intertwining with his, "Shino-sama, at least let me enjoy this much?"

Shino relented, "Fine. Now, keep talking."

Karina wore a gorgeous smile on her face, her voice popping up in his mind once more.

[According to the calculations, the boost in my specs had exceeded initial estimations. Accordingly, Karina can command and control the zergs with greater flexibility, adapting to any situation that may arise, even without Lord Shino's prompting. As long as Lord Shino sets a goal, Karina will help you achieve your ideals.]

Shino's eyes were deep like an abyss as he threw out a question, "So, you have autonomy now?"

[Affirmative. Thanks to the retained personality and intellect from the merge, Karina can manage lot of things freely on her own now. Karina can also help Lord Shino conduct research. As long as Lord Shino gives Karina the word, Karina can optimize your research or even take over and explore further on my own.]

Holy. Did he just unlock a free researcher?

One of the reasons why he was so vehement on picking up the original Karin was due to her talent for research. Now, this talent may have been transferred over!

"Anything else?"

[Yes, as Karina was bred from this biosphere, my very essence has been intertwined with it. Now, this biosphere had morphed into a hatchery...]

A breeding ground where new zergs could spring forth and thrive!

With this merge complete, he basically now had two functioning hatcheries at his disposal, effectively doubling his zerg production speed!

Of course, this all depended on whether or not he could keep up with the required biomass to maintain such a feat.

High risk really does come with high rewards, and these weren't the only perks unlocked!

Shino listened intently, absorbing everything that Karina told him.

From this intelligent woman's words alone, Shino could tell... she will definitely be a valuable asset for the expansion of his zerg empire.

But the full extent of her combat prowess remained to be revealed, and this was their current goal.

The duo left the biosphere, burrowing through the ground, delving deeper into the earth and headed towards one of the pre-dug caverns.

Finally, they arrived at a large empty cavern, dug by his drones to serve as his secret training room – a place where he could hone the skills of his main body.

"Stand there," Shino gestured to a small platform in the center of the cavern. "I need to conduct some tests."

Karina nodded and stepped onto the platform. Standing there, she casually placed a hand on her hips, posing in a seductive manner.

Shino walked over, grasped her hands, and began to inject his chakra. Their connected hands began to glow with a soft blue light, and Karina felt a surge of energy course through her body.

At first, the energy seemed to run rampant, but she quickly controlled the energy. Not long later, she looked down and saw that her hands were now covered in a shimmering purple aura.

"Hmm… Could this be...?" she looked up at Shino, her mind querying the database.

"Yes, this should be... chakra?" Shino replied with a bit of hesitation. "According to our estimation before the experiment, the body's chakra network would be sealed during the infestation. Now, I have reactivated it. As a zerg queen merged with a ninja bloodline, you are able to use chakra as well, but it seems there had been some unknown changes."

Karina nodded. Closing her eyes, she focused, feeling the chakra flowing through her body like a river. She could feel her strength increasing, her senses sharpening, and her mind becoming more focused.

Suddenly, Shino's voice broke through her concentration.

"Attack me."

Karina opened her eyes and saw that Shino had taken up a defensive stance. She could see the confidence in his eyes, but she could also sense the danger. She knew that Shino was testing her value, and she was ready to show him.

She took a deep breath and charged forward, her hands glowing with chakra delivering a quick jab.

Shino sidestepped her attack and countered with a swift kick, but Karina immediately showed off her agility.

She dodged his kick and launched a flurry of attacks. Backed by the power of her chakra and calculations, her palms sliced at him like a knife, leaving shallow cuts on his jacket even when he dodged!

So, Shino had to take the initiative to deflect and brush off her attacks, immediately feeling the heavy momentum behind each blow.

To top it off, her taijutsu skills also didn't lose out to his own!

Karina, having merged with the same system that trained him, proved to be no less skilled than him!

As time passed, Shino's taijutsu was struggling to keep up. He was even forced to rely on basic ninjutsu and simple cheap tactics, just to stay in the game.

Before long, Karina could see that Shino was beginning to sweat, his defenses weakening. Yet, she didn't hold back and kept pushing,  attacking relentlessly, looking to break through his guard.

She launched another punch, this one aimed at Shino's stomach. Shino blocked it, only to have his hands locked by Karina.

With a tug from her, she destabilized his stance, following up with a knee to his chest!

Shino stumbled back, quickly regaining his foot and easing the faint pain on his chest, "Good, that should be enough." 

Shino swept his eyes over her body, noting she didn't even break a sweat. So, he nodded in satisfaction, "It seems your physical stats are already stronger than mine. If I don't use bugs, it is nearly impossible to win. And you still have potential to be unearthed."

At his words, Karina relaxed her stance with a smile, her hand reaching up to give her own bosom a squeeze to check her own stats, "According to my calculations, my Uzumaki physique is still far from its full potential. Only a mere 12% of its maximum potential was unlocked during the infestation, and more research will need to be conducted to unearth its potential."

Crossing her arms to emphasize her fullness, Karina then suggested, "However, rather than blindly groping my way forward, it would be best if Shino-sama could acquire some Uzumaki clan techniques – that would definitely increase the pace of the research."

Shino's lips flattened.

With only a mere 12% of her potential unlocked, her physical prowess already outclassed his own. Accordingly, her other stats such as chakra capacity also exceeded his own.

And she was telling him she can even get a buff when she acquires her Uzumaki class skills.

Seriously... the power bestowed by the bloodlines of elite ninja clans was truly an unfair advantage.

As if reading his thoughts, a mischievous grin appeared on Karina's face, "Jealous?"

Is there even a need to ask? Shino stared at the confidently woman sauntering over with a deadpan face.

Arriving before him, Karina invaded his comfort zone, placing a hand on his chest and giving him a sultry look, "Does Shino-sama want the Uzumaki bloodline, too?"

Feeling the hand wandering his chest, a hint of desire flickered in Shino's expression. "Is it possible?"

"Of course... My abilities go far beyond the original speculations. Aside from what Karina mentioned before, Karina also has the ability to breed fleshly clones of both you and me. Naturally, a bloodline implantation would be no issue. As long as…"

Karina's carapace melted away, and she pressed her curvaceous form against his body, uttering in a seductive tone, "My dear gives me... enough essence."

In the light of her revelation, Shino's fiery gaze smoldered her. Feeling her naughty strokes arousing him once more, his hand instinctively coiled around her waist, uttering in a low and dangerous voice, "Woman, you're playing with fire."

"Ha..." The sorceress bridged the gap, her alluring, velvety lips of temptation breathing into his ear.

"Then, burn me."