If you counted Colonel Walter and her entire squad, then even without including the "Past," who had already fallen, and the other twelve members of the Thirteen Faces, the Executors and prospective Executors who had died in the Serpent's Lair numbered well into the double digits. Even for a long-established terrorist organization like the Serpent Around the World, that was enough to leave them feeling a little short on talent.
Besides, the Void Fortress, which had taken centuries to build, had ultimately been conquered by the allied forces. It was only to be expected that the Serpent's bases and assets in the Spiral Cross Nebula would be rooted out one by one. Even for a secret society as mysterious and ancient as this one, it was a devastating blow.
Going by the organization's track record, they would probably naturally switch to a dormant state and wait for a resurgence sometime a century or so later.
"So how are these people snakes? They're fucking water bears." Yu Lian couldn't help grumbling.
He really was considering whether it was possible to wipe them out once and for all, but on second thought, that wasn't very realistic. As long as they still served as the Alliance's and the Empire's deniable assets, they would naturally have room to exist. Besides, even if the true rulers of the galaxy completely abandoned them, where in this vast universe could they not find shelter?
Put simply, cults and secret societies devoted to mysticism were like the common cold of civilization: nearly impossible to eradicate. For those in power, it was already a success if they could keep the cold from turning into cancer.
Yu Lian only hoped they wouldn't come out and stir up trouble again for a while.
But his instincts told him things probably wouldn't