The Whole Room Against Him?

Chaotic Star Region, Planet RT-191.

Logically speaking, the various forces in the Chaotic Star Region are intricately intertwined.

It's unclear whether this is a genuine defection, an indigenous group, or a scheme orchestrated by a highly advanced civilized family.

The daily routine revolves around fighting and claiming territory.

However, none of these behaviors were observed in the vicinity of this star, number 191.

The surrounding star system was unusually quiet, with no other forces in sight, and hardly any native inhabitants of the planets.

The reason is simple: six of these large ships, which are rarely seen on ordinary days, are now stationed on the outskirts of Planet RT191.

The large ships are too big to be fully accommodated in the 191-star docking area, so they can only be moored on the perimeter.

In addition, there are more than twenty medium-sized ships, hundreds of small ships, and frigates and supply ships whose numbers cannot be accurately counted.

Almost an entire army group surrounded the entire planet.

Judging by this situation, it would be a miracle if they could even escape, let alone cause trouble.

Even the indigenous people are now frantically packing their belongings and preparing to flee.

The RT Star Tower, the newest and most magnificent building in 191 Stars to date, is named as "RT New Tower".

It was built in just two months by the Logistics Department of the Seventh Central Army Group's Large Ship SQ03.

Even Lister was somewhat shocked when he first heard about it.

As expected of the Central Army, their Logistics Department is truly impressive.

As for today, a meeting is being held in this building to arrange the recruitment mission.

On the top floor of the building, in a brand-new, dedicated meeting room.

Although he served in the Arcane Civilization Army, Lister was still invited to sit in the first row.

In front of him were several officers standing on the platform, solemnly recounting the difficulty of the mission.

"... This Mechanical Civilization is extremely difficult to conquer and annihilate! Its main leader, Kavin Deer, belongs to the Leviathan Civilization and is one of the Quasi-Hegemon of the mechanical system, at rank 17."

"Isn't it only level 17? Do we need so many of us?"

A long-legged woman sitting next to him immediately began to complain.

The woman had long, silver-brown hair and a delicate face that conveyed a hint of impatience.

She has a relatively thin figure, but her long legs are very attractive.

She was dressed in the formal attire of a Federation Government Senate, exuding a mature and sophisticated charm.

Many people around, who had been silently observing the woman, now focused their attention entirely on her.

This is because, not only is she a member of the Federation Government's Senate, but she is also one of the true power holders in the Federation Government.

It also reflects the woman's own strength; her name is Ailan Sanders.

As a member of the Federation's list of Quasi-Hegemon, it is still ranked first.

Belonging to the Witchcraft Civilization, at the 18th level, he is among the most senior and strongest in the list of Quasi-Hegemon, and also the most promising to advance to the level of Hegemon.

"What do you think, Lister?"

"I heard you just led your fleet to wipe out an 18th-tier Zerg. You shouldn't consider a mere 17th-tier Kavin a threat, right?"

He turned his head with a curious look, a hint of teasing in his eyes.

Seeing this, Lister calmly looked back at Ailan, somewhat surprised that Ailan would speak to him.

Seeing that everyone's attention was turning to him, he was about to offer a perfunctory explanation when Tolon, who was on the stage, spoke first.

"Ailan, Carl is different!"

"His strength is absolutely top-tier among Quasi-Hegemon! Or rather, extraordinary!"

There were five people on the stage: two major generals and three colonels.

Although one of the major generals was the first to recount the mission, it was Colonel Tolon who truly took the lead.

Tolon Davis, belonging to the Leviathan Civilization, is an 18th-tier combatant, ranked third on the list of Quasi-Hegemon, and belongs to the Seventh Central Army Group of the Federation Military District.

The actual leader of this clearing operation was Tolon Davis.

It is not uncommon in the Galactic Federation for a major general to be inferior to a colonel.

The rank of general is different from that of colonel. The minimum standard for general is to complete the fourth evolution and maintain combat strength at or above A level.

In reality, it's just that some of the original A-level Third Advancement powerhouses have completed four evolutions.

And most of the Quasi-Hegemon, after four evolutions, failed to become Hegemon and were given the rank of general.

If one were to truly rise from Quasi-Hegemon to Hegemon within Federation Military District, the starting rank for promotion would be lieutenant general, and it's even possible to advance directly to general.

At the rank of Major General, one's combat strength may not necessarily be as strong as that of Quasi-Hegemon at level 18.

"What could be different?"

"So Colonel Tolon thinks he's got the upper hand over Kavin? No wonder he's got so many of our helpers!"

His words were barbed and sarcastic, and his demeanor was extremely casual, showing no intention of giving Tolon any face.

This puzzled Lister. Logically speaking, both of them were veterans who Quasi-Hegemons. Could it be that they had some conflicts in the past?

Moreover, Ailan is a Senate; one would expect someone involved in politics to be better at managing situations and not act like this.

He glanced at the officers around him; none of them spoke, as if the situation were perfectly normal.

At that moment, they either lowered their heads and ignored everything, remaining indifferent, or remained expressionless, waiting for the meeting to begin.

Perhaps the politics of the Federation Government are different from what he imagined.

Moreover, the Senate is the private domain of a Level 4 civilization, and its style of operation cannot be compared with that of the House of Representatives. It may not need a so-called calm and composed attitude or methods in the face of external affairs.

"It's really different!"

Colonel Tolon ignored the sarcastic remarks, his expression growing increasingly serious as he surveyed all the officers attending the meeting.

"Now that everyone is here, and they are all our own people who participated in this mission."

"Let me share some internal information from the Federation Military District, which hasn't been made public yet."

Upon hearing the inside information, everyone immediately became interested.

Even Ailan, who had initially seemed a bit playful, now looked quite expectant.

"Four months ago, the Ninth Army Group of the Federation Military District, with a full complement of one large ship, seven medium ships, and twenty-two small ships, had already fought against the Mechanical Civilization led by Kavin."

"As a result of the battle, the Ninth Army Group's large warship formation..."

"Completely annihilated!"

The expressions of everyone in the room turned serious the moment they heard it.

"This included Tuan Fleming, who also died in that mopping-up operation."

"If it weren't for the fact that the large ships of the Ninth Army Group had separate emergency backup communication devices that temporarily blocked information and automatically sent it to the Federation Military District a month later, the Ninth Army would still not know that this fleet had been destroyed."

Tuan Fleming, belonging to the Beta Civilization, ranked eighth on the list of Quasi-Hegemon, at the eighteenth level.

Upon hearing this, even Ailan's expression turned serious and gradually became solemn.

Kavin killing Tuan, and a 17th-tier Quasi-Hegemon killing an 18th-tier being, are not unheard of.

The power gap between Quasi-Hegemon is already enormous, which only proves that Kavin is indeed quite strong and has great potential to become Hegemon.

But to swallow an entire full-strength fleet of large ships in one fell swoop without releasing any information, that would have a different meaning altogether.

This only proves that Kavin's strength is even more exaggerated than they imagined, almost an overwhelming force.

If Kavin can achieve this, and if his future development proceeds normally, he has a good chance of Hegemon.

Many people are still secretly lamenting that a potential Hegemon is ultimately not Hegemon.

The creation of Mechanical Civilization signifies a war with the current Federation Government.

Even if someone skirts the rules, betraying their partner isn't a big problem; the unspoken rules don't usually go too far in investigating it.

As long as one can ultimately become the Hegemon, the past will be wiped clean.

However, Mechanical Civilization and Zerg civilization are two major taboos for the Galactic Federation, not to mention that they also killed a Quasi-Hegemon from the reserve force.

Lister's expression also became inexplicably serious at this moment.

Of course, he was more enlightened than anything else.

It turns out that it wasn't that Kavin hadn't eliminated them all, but rather that the large ships of the Ninth Central Army had such emergency backup channels.

It was only re-released after being blocked for a month, no wonder the Federation Military District found out.

Otherwise, under normal circumstances, the timing of such conscription missions is completely unpredictable and could take several years.

Kavin could slowly find a new Chaotic Star Region to go to, and by the time the Federation Military District reacted, the entire Mechanical Civilization would have already been relocated.

It's getting too late now; at least the entire civilization transfer star system can't be moved under our noses.

"Therefore, I hope everyone will stay alert and follow the instructions. This recruitment is extremely dangerous."

The major general, after being gestured to by Tolon, continued speaking.

"This mission was conducted in the form of an encirclement and suppression; six large ships approached from six directions..."

The general plan for the mission was clear: to completely surround and eliminate them.

The main force consisted of six large ships, among which nine were considered Quasi-Hegemon.

Of the top ten Quasi-Hegemon, five out of the eighteenth-tier Quasi-Hegemon were present, excluding those who had rebelled or were wanted.

In addition, there are four more of the sixteenth and seventeenth orders, for auxiliary work.

Roland, an old acquaintance of Lister from the Glimmer Civilization, also participated in this mission.

"Ship A73 is responsible for the final route, under the command of Lister, with the Ship CR-01, Ship CR-02, CR109, and other ships from the Glimmer Civilization participating in the support and awaiting orders."

"Any objections to the current operational arrangements?"

"If so, bring it up now."

"I don't think this kind of encirclement and suppression plan is feasible."

"Since, according to your intelligence, Kavin's strength far surpasses that of Tuven, it's also possible that he surpasses the five of us."

Ailan continued to speak rudely, showing no respect not only to the officers and generals present, but also to the other four Quasi-Hegemon who had not yet reached the eighteenth rank.

He immediately mentioned the five of them, Quasi-Hegemon at the eighteenth level.

Fortunately, everyone was already used to her tone of voice, and she was the only senator Senate, a powerful figure in the government, so they didn't bother to refute her.

"That's right...!"

"According to the assessment of the military region's high command, Kavin's strength may have reached a level above ours."

The high-ranking military officials that Tolon mentioned must be truly high-ranking, absolutely Overlord Tier figures!

The so-called next level, Lister estimated, should be the World-Ending Level he was currently at.

"If that's the case, why do you think we can encircle and annihilate them?"

He could break through from any direction successfully.

Even though Ailan still harbored doubts about Kavin's abilities, the experiences of Tuven and the Ninth Central Army were undeniable.

Even if her strength was exaggerated, at least she wasn't wrong about this point.

If your top-tier strength is inferior to the opponent's, there's no point in talking about encirclement and suppression.

"Congressman Ailan, I'd like to offer a brief reminder."

"According to our intelligence, Kavin Deer is a very complex person."

"He has a certain affection for his Mechanical Civilization and wouldn't easily abandon it alone."

"Moreover, this encirclement and suppression mission is not as simple as you imagine; it is truly being coordinated by the higher-ups."

"Our primary mission is encirclement and annihilation. Do you have any objections to that alone?"

Tolon didn't originally intend to explain much, but unfortunately, Senator Ailan was not under the jurisdiction of the military district.

When inviting someone to fight, some things need to be explained more clearly.

Fortunately, we are now in a state of combat readiness and external communications have been shut down, which does not prevent him from revealing this information.

Upon hearing that it was coordinated by higher-ups, Ailan naturally nodded and stopped questioning the task arrangements, but she still had quite a few specific opinions.

"I have no objection to the task assignments, but I do have objections to the selection of leaders for these six lines."

"Tell me more?"

"Heh heh! I don't think Lister beside me is up to the task."

Her outburst drew the attention of the surrounding officers back to him.

Lister frowned slightly. How did the conversation end up back around him again?

And why is it being targeted so directly at me?

He had thought it was just a simple pre-battle mobilization meeting, and now he was prepared to slack off in this battle, just as Major General York had warned him.

Logically speaking, I have never had any contact with Congressman Ailan, nor have I offended him.

Why was I the first person they questioned?

Why?

Tolon couldn't help but rub his forehead; even with his good temper, a hint of impatience appeared between his brows.

After all, there are only five Quasi-Hegemon at the 18th level present; we can't just ignore these top-tier combatants, can we?

"It's very simple. I investigated Kavin before I came here as a Senate."

Although they belong to the Leviathan Civilization, their true place of origin is the Merrick Civilization, and they even share the same planet and the same country as Lister.

"What if Lister secretly released Kavin and other mechanical lifeforms from his direction?"

"Is that so, Lister?"

Tolon looked at him with a curious gaze, his expression unreadable.

"That's right."

As the Senate's information channel—the core of the Federation Government's power— Kavin's background was thoroughly exposed.

Lister didn't intend to respond; he simply admitted it honestly.

In any case, it's quite normal for citizens of civilized civilizations to fight each other under different missions and forces in the Galactic Federation.

Not to mention that he just wants to slack off right now, and because of this need to avoid suspicion, not being in charge of the main line of encirclement and suppression is exactly what he wants.

Colonel Tolon, however, was not as prejudiced as Senator Ailan.

He would be more aligned with Lister's perspective, as the Civilization Army was also Federation Military District, at least closer to him than Ailan, a member of the Federation Government.

Moreover, he had always had a bad impression of this Congressman, Ailan, seeing him as a troublemaker.

He couldn't discern any political maneuvering, but his style of offering opinions was exactly like that of politicians, which he disliked from the bottom of his heart.

Now it was time to speak again and defend Lister.

"Our Galactic Federation has no rule that denies someone's rights based on their birth."

"A mission is a mission, and I believe Lister is a man of principle and principle."

"And if we're going to go by what you say, I'm also a member of the Leviathan Civilization, so I can't possibly side with Kavin, can I?"

"Yes, I think you're also at risk."