Galactic Alliance, Full of Dignity

Because it was a surprise attack, those administrative planets capable of faster-than-light travel had no time to react before the planetary organisms brought them within the range of their psionic power.

The gravity waves of simulated gravitational interdiction ships directly sealed off the administrative planets' possibility of escaping at faster-than-light speed.

The Galactic Alliance had already urgently notified nearby fleets to rush over and eliminate the planetary organisms.

Lu Shang was not worried in the slightest. With the black curtain created by psionic power, no matter what kind of attack came, it would not be able to harm the planetary organisms anytime soon.

In his residence, Lu Shang picked up a cup filled with plain water from the table, took a sip as though tasting wine, and asked meaningfully, "You didn't really think that once you developed faster-than-light travel, the Swarm could no longer threaten your administrative planets, did you?"

The representatives of the various galactic civilizations remained silent.

The representatives of the Dias Empire, Banner Coalition, Yinlun Sea Kingdom, Manfut Interstellar Corps, and Tranaya Coalition trembled with extreme rage.

Lu Shang glanced at the representatives who were on the verge of losing their minds to despair and fury, then said calmly, "Don't get so worked up. The Swarm acts on my command. They will only attack the moment this cup hits the ground."

As he spoke, Lu Shang shook the cup in his hand, then released it and let it fall naturally.

"Don't!"

"Please, no!"

The representatives of the Dias Empire, Banner Coalition, Yinlun Sea Kingdom, Manfut Interstellar Corps, and Tranaya Coalition stared in terror at the falling cup.

They had the urge to rush forward and catch it, but their reason told them that this was merely a virtual projection.

Just as the cup was about to hit the ground and the hearts of several representatives nearly leaped from their chests, they saw in astonishment that it had stopped floating about six decimeters above the floor.

Lu Shang had the planetary organisms support the cup with psionic power.

"What did you just say?" Lu Shang looked at the representatives with an expression of confusion.

The representatives of the Dias Empire, Banner Coalition, Yinlun Sea Kingdom, Manfut Interstellar Corps, and Tranaya Coalition had just begun to answer when Lu Shang interrupted them.

"Enough, you don't need to say anything. I understand. I understand it all."

"For the sacred and inviolable glory and dignity of your civilizations, I know that none of your civilizations would ever agree to the full infection I proposed earlier. So I won't waste everyone's time. Die early, reincarnate early; die late, suffer more. Consider this a tiny bit of goodwill from me," Lu Shang said.

"Who said we don't agree?!" the Dias Empire's representative cried anxiously.

Lu Shang paused. Remembering the question the other party had asked him not long ago, he asked with faint amusement, "Then can you surrender on behalf of your civilization?"

"I'll find a way to convince the Imperial Council! It won't take long, just a little while!" the Dias Empire's representative said anxiously.

"You still need to convince them? That's too troublesome. At this rate, we'll probably end up stuck in endless wrangling." Lu Shang took out an hourglass custom-made from one of the infected planets and placed it before the representatives.

It was a one-minute hourglass.

With a kind smile, Lu Shang said to the five representatives, "When all the sand in this little thing falls to the bottom, the Swarm will destroy one administrative planet belonging to each of your five civilizations."

"Then I'll turn it over and let the sand fall again, repeating the destruction of planets."

Thus, after the Swarm had destroyed twenty-five planets—five minutes later—the five civilizations successively announced their surrender to the Babel Swarm.

That day was also regarded by the Galactic Alliance as the most humiliating moment since its founding.

Before the eyes of all, five member powers had been forced to surrender to the Babel Swarm. This dealt the Galactic Alliance a far greater blow than if those five member powers had simply been destroyed by the Babel Swarm.

The Galactic Alliance had been formed because survival was the foremost need of civilization. Terrifying threats had brought together civilizations of many different races.

But if this alliance could not protect any of its members, then what meaning did its existence have?

The surface was covered in thick snow. This was a cold planet orbiting a white dwarf.

Beneath the snow and glaciers lay countless ruins of buildings.

Once, this had also been a planet teeming with life, until disaster befell its civilization.

The glaciers and snow had frozen the cities in ice, but that did not mean this place was lifeless. There were always those who favored such brutally cold, harsh environments.

A cave in a massive wall of ice extended all the way to a base sealed within the glacier.

Inside this long-abandoned base, later modified by newcomers, Tern and Lan'er, the chief commanders of the Galactic Alliance fleet, sat facing each other, drinking Alliance liquor with abandon.

"Listen to that, listen! Incompetent!"

"We've become a joke—the embodiment of incompetence in this world!"

Tern pointed at the news displayed by the projector and laughed without any concern for his appearance. As he laughed, he began to make hissing sounds. For his species, this was an expression of grief, much like human crying.

Lan'er took a huge gulp of Alliance liquor and said sorrowfully, "But they're telling the truth. The Swarm organisms possess the strongest shields, yet we do not have the sharpest spears to break through the enemy's shields."

"Warriors who can protect no one—aren't they incompetent? Another twenty-five planets that should have been protected by us are gone! The people on them... they're all gone too..."

Lan'er's words drew another burst of laughter from Tern.

"Hahaha! A toast to our incompetence! Incompetence!"

"Incompetence! Cheers!"

They clearly wanted to save them, yet could do nothing, forced to watch as the people they sought to save were destroyed in fear and despair...

Nothing was more powerless than this. The frustration weighed on them until they could barely breathe...

They were supposed to be the protectors of those people. They were supposed to fulfill their duty to protect them, keeping them away from war and danger...

The two chief commanders, continuously venting their emotions, failed to notice that a new visitor had entered the base.

"What are you doing here?"

The two chief commanders turned around and recognized the visitor at once—the chief director of Alliance Laboratory No. 7743.

"Hoshiti?"

Lan'er looked at Hoshiti and said sadly, "It's simple. The Alliance is beyond saving. Incompetent people like us can only rot away here as trash."

"That's right! Trash! Hahahaha!" Tern laughed loudly.

"Don't you want an absolute spear?" Hoshiti abruptly asked as he looked at the despairing pair.

Tern, whose mind had been muddled by the Alliance liquor, immediately sobered up. "...What did you say?"

Lan'er also looked at Hoshiti without saying a word.

Hoshiti took out a projector and displayed a massive structure. He said to the two of them, "I have a set of research data here, information regarding the sharpest spear. Are you sure you don't want to take a look?"

"The sharpest spear..." Tern carefully considered Hoshiti's words, then suddenly understood. He looked excitedly at the projection and asked, "Something capable of breaking through the defenses of the Swarm organisms?!"

"More accurately, it doesn't break through them. It bypasses the enemy's defenses..." Hoshiti corrected.

"If it can be completed, then aside from the rules themselves, nothing in this world will be able to stop our attacks."