That Is My Resource

"Kregg, surely you must be joking at a time like this?"

"You are still young and do not understand the ins and outs of war. The Empire cannot possibly undertake something so risky."

Algor frowned slightly. How could anyone still dare to slam the table and glare while he was sitting here?

His gaze fell upon the man, but when he recognized the old minister, he withdrew it.

Long ago, a major division had erupted within the Viltrumite Empire. He had led his followers to achieve unification, then finally ascended the throne as Emperor.

The old minister who had slammed the table was one of his earliest followers, a genuine veteran.

As the years passed, those followers had died off one after another, leaving fewer than five of them now.

That was why he showed such tolerance toward these old stubborn veterans.

If anyone else had dared to slam the table, Algor would have rebuked them long ago.

"As far as I know, the Anti-Viltrum Alliance is not particularly strong at present, and the natives on the other planets are even more insignificant."

"The Anti-Viltrum Alliance is developing every moment. If we do not expand while they are weak, are we supposed to wait until they have grown strong before acting?"

"As long as we send out one billion Viltrumite Warriors, I believe every planet within thirty million light-years can be incorporated into the Empire's territory!"

"Once the war ends, we can rest for a mere thousand years, let the Anti-Viltrum Alliance jump around for a while, then rebuild our forces and take several star systems in one stroke. Would that not be effortless?"

"Across the entire universe, no one can stop the tide of the Empire's warriors. The great undertaking of conquering the universe is within our grasp!"

At that moment, Kregg's eyes gleamed.

He had already imagined the sight of the Viltrumite Empire occupying the entire universe.

The universe would be unified. Every race would become servants, obeying the Viltrumites without question.

Viltrumites would feel incomparably proud of their identity, while every other race would mourn not being Viltrumite.

Kregg's breathing gradually grew heavier. The mere thought of it thrilled him beyond measure.

The old minister came back to his senses and looked toward his colleagues, only to find a few lowering their heads in silence while most had the same fanatical gleam in their eyes as Kregg.

Clearly, most of them had fallen into the fantasy of universal unification Kregg had painted.

The old minister desperately wanted to curse. Did this group have no brains?

A few words from Kregg had reduced them to this state. They had no thoughts of their own at all.

Still, it was only natural. Kregg's intellect was equivalent to Einstein's within the Viltrumite Empire.

There was no need to mention the others. Every last one of them had questionable intelligence.

The old minister looked at Emperor Algor. "Your Majesty..."

The moment he spoke, Algor raised a hand to stop him and said in an unquestionable voice:

"We will end today's discussion here. Whatever matters remain can be discussed tomorrow. This meeting is adjourned."

He then rose from his seat and strode out of the conference room.

Kregg followed close behind, but stopped when he passed the old minister.

His face was expressionless as he cast him a sidelong glance.

"You should be grateful that Teddus is in the Rai Quadrant right now. He is not as respectful toward you as I am."

With that, Kregg walked out of the conference room.

Teddus had once been his comrade-in-arms. He had been the strongest in the company, and also the most ruthless.

If Teddus had been in this conference room, the old minister would have been dragged out for a little sparring long ago. He would not have wasted his breath like Kregg.

The old minister watched Algor and Kregg's retreating backs and muttered:

"It is true that you are His Majesty's favored man."

"But your foolish proposal will push the Empire into the abyss. One day, the Empire will surely be destroyed by such opinions."

"Your Majesty, are you still clear-headed?"

The two left the conference room and made their way to the bedchamber.

"He has become weak."

Algor spoke in a hoarse voice, and the "he" he referred to was undoubtedly the old minister.

The old minister had once dared to fight and kill. Not only was he powerful, but he had also been one of the Military Department's generals.

Now, he had become a pillar of the anti-war faction, constantly speaking of "stability," "caution," and "prudence." He was no longer the man he had been thousands of years ago.

Kregg did not know how to answer for a moment. After thinking for a long while, he finally said:

"His personality has changed greatly, but he remains loyal to the Empire and loyal to Your Majesty. As long as those two things remain true, there is no need to worry."

"Living in peace for too long does indeed make people lose their fighting spirit and passion."

Algor scoffed at that.

Could a Viltrumite who had lost his fighting spirit still be called a Viltrumite?

Fighting spirit was vital and indispensable to Viltrumites. It was precisely because they possessed it that they had gained an empire spanning tens of millions of light-years.

"All resources in the universe belong to the Viltrumite Empire, while those natives are merely rats that have sneaked into our granary."

"What is laughable is that those rats have taken over the nest and believe the planet belongs to them."

"They use my resources, eat my food, and still dare to resist me."

"That is my planet. That is my resource."

Algor's thinking was simple: the entire universe belonged to him.

The natives living on those planets were rats that had fallen into his family granary. When dealing with a pack of thieving rats, there was only one option: drive them away or kill them.

Now the rats had multiplied into a plague. He had to strike hard and defend his own granary.

Seeing this, Kregg hurriedly fanned the flames from the side.

"That is why, Your Majesty, sending troops is the right decision."

"The resources on every planet are limited. If those native rats consume them all, what will the Empire eat?"

"The Empire is not sending troops to plunder or occupy. We are reclaiming what already belongs to us."

Algor nodded in satisfaction. This was why he valued Kregg so highly: he spoke pleasantly, in a way no one could refute.

Plunder and occupation—those words sounded both unpleasant and grating.

But what if they called it reclaiming what already belonged to them? Instantly, everything seemed clear.

"Then troops will be deployed in thirty days."

Joy rose in Kregg's heart, but his expression did not change as he spoke softly:

"Your Majesty, some of the senior ministers do not wish to deploy troops."

Algor waved his hand. "I am the Emperor of Viltrumite. Who would dare defy my words?"

"Your Majesty is wise."

And so, without informing any of the senior ministers, the two decided the course of an enormous war.

Elsewhere, at the Military Department's Recruit Company.

Sparta was strolling down the road with nothing to do when an acquaintance happened to approach from ahead.

Duken, dark as charcoal and dressed in a white-gray skintight combat suit, blocked Sparta's path.

"Duken, what are you doing here? You are not in our Second Platoon, are you?"

Sparta looked startled.

Each platoon operated in a different area. Under normal circumstances, platoon members were not allowed to wander into other platoons' territory.

But... why was he in the Second Platoon's activity area?

Duken gave a silly grin. "The higher-ups are all gone, so I snuck in."

He immediately looked left and right, then leaned close to Sparta's ear and whispered:

"I'll tell you a secret. Something big must have happened in the company. Everyone with an official position was called away to a meeting."

"I'm guessing it definitely isn't anything good."