Chapter One Hundred and Eighty-One: Crushing Defeat (1)

The greatest advantage of a high-level civilization lay right here. The assembly and deployment of troops were exceptionally effortless. Following a joint operational plan, in just twelve standard stellar hours, the combined fleet of over a thousand civilizations surged toward the Doko Federation. Each civilization had dispatched, on average, a standard space fleet composed of fifty Tier One warships, accompanied by numerous auxiliary vessels and transports, totaling over a hundred thousand ships.

As the massive fleet neared the Doko Federation’s stellar territory, about half the warships dispersed to secure the Doko Federation’s various mining planets, blockading every space route and jump channel within Doko space. The Doko Federation’s military had made little preparation in these areas; all personnel had retreated to the Doko homeworld, and even the staff at the space lighthouses near the jump channels had completely fled.

On the second day after the joint fleet set out, they encircled the Doko Federation’s homeworld. The assembled Doko Federation fleet took up a defensive posture, relying on the three natural satellites near the homeworld and over a dozen defensive fortresses. While their ground defense systems were not as ridiculously formidable as those of the Yafic Kingdom, they could not be underestimated. Coupled with twenty new-model motherships, over ten thousand Tier One warships, numerous auxiliary ships converted into cannon fodder vessels, and an unknown number of assault ships, this force was sufficient to give the joint fleet a serious headache.

Inside the command bridge of the Yafic Kingdom flagship, the Light of Yafic, Gu Xiechen stood by the viewport, gazing intently at the Doko homeworld a million kilometers away, and the three satellites orbiting it.

This flagship measured an astonishing nine thousand meters in length. It was the royal seat commissioned by the Yafic Kingdom at tremendous cost from a six-star civilization. Usually, only the King of the Yafic Kingdom occupied this colossal vessel when traveling, yet this time, Fuya Ming had assigned Gu Xiechen to command this giant in the assault against the Doko Federation. The implication behind this gesture caused many who understood the situation to shatter their spectacles.

Ducate stood beside Gu Xiechen, watching his back and asking in a low voice, "Why aren't you aboard your own warship?"

With a gentle wave of his fan, Gu Xiechen smiled without turning his head, "All robots aboard the Primordial-class warship have been melted down and destroyed. All electronic systems have been repurposed. Every instrument on the vessel is undergoing a complete overhaul and modification by the Yafic National Research Center. Except for one crucial main cannon, every other apparatus has been refitted."

Ducate’s mouth dropped open. He stared blankly at Gu Xiechen, unable to utter a single word.

Turning sharply, Gu Xiechen faced Ducate and smiled faintly, "I do not wish to fight on a warship where every robot has developed independent consciousness. That would be far too dangerous, wouldn't it?"

Swallowing hard, Ducate managed, his voice dry, "You know?"

Nodding seriously, Gu Xiechen lightly tapped a speck of dust clinging to Ducate’s lapel with his fan. He sighed softly, "For this piece of intelligence, I gave that little fellow Boroboru ten cubic meters of Starlight Silver. He earned it."

After a period of silence, Gu Xiechen looked directly into Ducate's eyes and said with utmost sincerity, "If you wish to leave separately, I will personally ensure you are given this flagship we are currently on. You and Lily can take this ship back to the Solar System. But be careful along the way. Do not bring the Star Alliance people there. This is currently a war between two nations; I do not want it to escalate into a multi-nation melee. That would be detrimental to both our Earth Federation and your Roman lineage."

"I am not Roman!" Veins bulged on Ducate’s neck. Both angry and ashamed, he glared at Gu Xiechen and hammered a frustrated punch onto the viewport.

After his second fusion, who knew the sheer force Ducate possessed. With a sharp crack, hairline fractures resembling a spider’s web spread across the three-meter-thick transparent alloy viewport of the Light of Yafic's command bridge. The Yafic officers witnessing this were stunned speechless. Was this the strength expected of a human?

Gently fanning himself, Gu Xiechen extended his right hand warmly toward Ducate, "If you refuse to acknowledge you are Roman, then Ducate, I feel we are essentially the same kind of people. Don't rush to deny it. Remember our journey to Yafic Planet? You and I, and Peng Hua. Although we look different, we are the same kind!"

Gu Xiechen looked into Ducate’s flickering eyes and smiled, "If you are unwilling to leave now, I promise that when we return to Earth, we will first stop at Mars."

Ducate flinched violently and stumbled back a step, exclaiming in shock, "Go to Mars for what?"

Fixing his gaze on Ducate's eyes, Gu Xiechen spoke gently, "To bring your mother back to Earth for you. You must understand how important 'falling leaves return to their roots' is to our Gu Hua people."

Ducate’s mouth twitched, displaying a bizarre expression of wanting to both cry and laugh. He stared blankly at Gu Xiechen for a long time before coldly scoffing, "Do you know how heavily fortified Mars is? Let alone you, even if all the powerhouses of the Earth Dark Alliance were mobilized, they might not break into Mars."

Gu Xiechen stepped forward and raised his hand, "Since I have said this, I naturally have my confidence. If I told you that I control a power millions of times stronger than all the powerhouses of the Earth Dark Alliance combined, would you believe me?" Gu Xiechen reached forward, his hand nearly brushing Ducate’s body.

Looking at Gu Xiechen with disbelief, Ducate's eyes once again flashed with that cold, merciless electronic light. His brain was analyzing Gu Xiechen’s expressions, movements, and tone with the speed of a supercomputer, searching for underlying information.

After complex calculation and analysis, Ducate reluctantly realized that what Gu Xiechen said was likely true; his words held at least ninety-nine percent credibility! But how could he possibly possess power vastly superior to the entire might of the Earth Dark Alliance?

Yet, Gu Xiechen’s eyes were clear, utterly untainted by impurities! So warm, so kind—they were almost identical to the eyes of the mother in Ducate’s memory.

"What a joke. This man, whose hands are stained with blood..." Ducate's face twitched. But without realizing it, his hand had closed around Gu Xiechen’s.

Glaring resentfully at the smiling Gu Xiechen, Ducate said in a low voice, "I... believe you, for now."

Gu Xiechen affectionately squeezed Ducate’s hand and slammed his chest against his. He stood on his tiptoes to awkwardly throw an arm around Ducate’s shoulder, laughing heartily, "Then it’s settled. After we bring your esteemed mother back to Earth, you are my brother. Hmm, you don't look very old, so you can call me Big Brother from now on!"

Ducate roared back in exasperation, "Nonsense! I must be older than you! Look at your face, then look at mine. Do you honestly think you could be older than me?"

Gu Xiechen frowned, glancing at his own fair, tender, almost translucent face in the reflection of the viewport, and sighed helplessly, "That's not my fault. It’s an issue with my cultivation technique. The deeper my power, the younger I look. But I feel like I should be many years older than you? Hmm, what year were you born?"

Ducate glared at Gu Xiechen, let out a forceful breath, and said briskly, "I won't tell you!" As he exhaled, Ducate suddenly felt a profound lightness, as if a heavy burden that had weighed on his heart since birth had completely dissipated. The feeling of boundless freedom—like a bird soaring in the high heavens or a fish swimming in the wide sea—gave him a surreal illusion.

He didn't know why he believed Gu Xiechen, but this feeling annoyed him intensely! Why should I believe you? Why should I call you Big Brother? Look at you—how could you be older?

Lily sat chuckling in the corner of the command bridge. Initially, she had watched Gu Xiechen and Ducate with worry, but gradually, she began to laugh happily.

A feeling of equally carefree lightness washed over her. Lily propped her chin on her hands, thinking that she would never again have to face the terrifying Bolbort or those equally terrifying Lord Romans. She felt like singing. Unconsciously, Lily began humming a slow, melodious little tune. A few small, pale green birds flew out from her palm, circling her joyfully.

On the largest light screen in the command bridge, a harsh light flashed, revealing Dogol, dressed in crimson uniform, his face unnaturally flushed.

Following a series of nervous, cackling laughs, Dogol pointed at Gu Xiechen, all the fleet commanders, and the envoys from various nations displayed before the screen, sneering, "You! Is it you who believe yourselves to be emissaries of justice, wanting to punish our Doko Federation?"

The envoys from other nations remained silent. The core of this conflict lay between the Yafic Kingdom and the Doko Federation; this face-to-face confrontation should be handled by Gu Xiechen, the supreme commander from the Yafic Kingdom. For a moment, all attention focused on Gu Xiechen. The light screens on all warships split in half, displaying the images of Gu Xiechen and Dogol, respectively.

Waving his large fan, Gu Xiechen smiled, "I apologize. I have never considered myself righteous."

Dogol paused, then threw his head back in wild laughter, "You are not righteous? Hahahaha! You ignorant fools, did you hear that?"

Gu Xiechen stated frankly, "It is simply that you provoked me, so I must deal with you. It’s that straightforward! The law of the jungle: I am strong, you are weak, so I consume you. Justice and evil? Perhaps such things exist, but once the Doko Federation is destroyed, who will care who was just and who was wicked?"

Peng Hua, who had been sitting in the corner of the command bridge smoking, with seven or eight automatic cleaning robots already toppled around him, slowly stood up. He pointed at Dogol on the screen and laughed oddly, "Hey, Dogol! Don't get cocky! Once we finish off the Doko Federation, we'll be writing the history textbooks. 'The Great Dictator Dogol possessed three thousand wives and forty thousand illegitimate children because he raped hundreds of thousands of female Doko citizens. Thus, a citizen rebellion arose, and the long-suffering people of Doko invited the righteous multi-national coalition to right the wrongs, leading to the downfall of the Doko Federation.'"

Gu Xiechen covered his mouth with his fan, emitting a muffled chuckle of 'Heh heh.'

Ducate looked at Peng Hua strangely. This fellow was utterly malicious.

Dogol pointed furiously at Peng Hua, his mouth opening and closing, unable to speak for a long moment. When a politician encounters a hooligan—especially a hooligan who fears neither heaven nor earth and possesses immense power—it is perhaps the most suffocating experience imaginable.

Peng Hua counted on his fingers, "Ah, President Dogol is a product of tyranny, that is undeniable. But what is the nature of this tyranny? This requires careful study. Hmm, President Dogol grew up on his family's ranch, so starting at age eleven, he began sexually assaulting the female livestock on the premises—we might even have video evidence of this! Because the homeroom teacher at the Star Alliance Military Academy, who was over two hundred and seventy years old, rejected his advances, President Ming Yi developed the habit of stealing male underpants. The 'Underwear Thief' of the Star Ming Academy—that was him!"

With a deep sigh, Peng Hua’s eyes glittered with starlight as he lamented, "President Dogol, although love is sacred, transcending background, age, and race—and perhaps even gender!—your homeroom teacher was over two hundred and seventy years old, and moreover, he was a genderless silicon-based lifeform. For you to attempt to rape him—that is simply too much!"

The envoys of various nations recoiled, staring at Peng Hua as if he were a ghost! This string of vile accusations affixed to Dogol’s name—he would surely die without peace.

Dogol stared blankly at Peng Hua on the screen, suddenly spitting out a mouthful of blood far to the side. Enraged, he jumped up and roared, "You are dead! I swear by the great Sun God, you are dead! You despicable villains, the Doko Federation will fight to the last man! Even if we all perish, the great deities will avenge us!"

Click. Dogol terminated the communication. The routine pre-battle dialogue between the two sides was concluded.

The command bridge fell silent. Peng Hua contentedly pulled a cigar from his shorts pocket and looked surprisingly at the quiet Yafic officers. "What's wrong with you all?"

The corner of Gu Xiechen’s mouth curved. He nodded to Peng Hua, "Senior Brother, you are truly formidable... I believe that from now on, no one in the entire Star Alliance will dare stand against you."

After a few dry laughs, Gu Xiechen squeezed Ducate's shoulder forcefully, "Ducate... The Doko Federation fleet, I’m entrusting it to you? Hmm, can you control that many warships?"

Ducate smiled confidently. He stated calmly, "If I were not required to imbue them with life, merely controlling warships like the Primordial-class, my limit would be ten thousand vessels! The number of electronic lives I can instill now is ten thousand... and the number of super-brains I can control is also ten thousand!"

Gu Xiechen nodded firmly and waved his fan gently.

Peng Hua took a drag of smoke in surprise. He stared blankly at Ducate, who was turning to leave the command bridge, and muttered under his breath, "Monster! Ten thousand Tier One warships? Oh, wow. Can this kid hack the military super-brains? What about the account management super-brain at the Earth Federation Central Bank? He could probably wire me a few million just for fun!"

A small hatch on the Light of Yafic opened. Ducate, clad in thick armor and sporting three pairs of metal wings on his back, shot out in a streak of lightning, propelled by plasma flames from his feet.

His speed increased rapidly, reaching three thousand kilometers per second in just a few blinks, and his velocity continued to climb.

The Doko Federation registered absolutely no response to the tiny figure of Ducate. In mere minutes, he effortlessly infiltrated a natural satellite belonging to the Doko Federation.

Vast streams of complex signals propagated through the Doko Federation’s operational network without alerting anyone. The many firewalls and monitoring systems within the network reacted to these signals with complete indifference. In the blink of an eye, Ducate’s will traveled throughout the entire Doko Federation via this immense network.

Gu Xiechen remained in the command bridge. About twenty minutes later, he connected the communication channels to the envoys of all participating nations.

"Gentlemen, it appears the Doko Federation intends to resist to the bitter end. We of Yafic absolutely will not let them off lightly. I will launch an assault against the Doko Federation in three minutes. What are your thoughts, sirs?" Gu Xiechen’s expression was grave. He spoke righteously, "No matter the sacrifice, no matter the cost, I must annihilate the Doko Federation."

Duke Shenwu and the other national envoys exchanged glances, each cautiously suggesting, "Shouldn't we first deploy the fleet to sweep aside the Doko Federation's defense systems?"

Gu Xiechen neither agreed nor disagreed, shaking his head slightly. He said nonchalantly, "Risking danger to fight a space battle first, then launching a ground war? That method is obsolete! Gentlemen, the Yafic Kingdom's fleet will forcibly land near the Doko Federation’s capital."

Glancing at the dumbfounded envoys, Gu Xiechen smiled, "Gentlemen, do not forget our agreement. I am off to seize glory."

Without waiting for Duke Shenwu or the others to speak, the fifty Tier One warships, led by the flagship, and over three hundred auxiliary vessels of the Yafic Kingdom began to accelerate. Soon, this small contingent reached its maximum assault speed and sped toward the Doko Federation.

The Doko Federation’s defense systems opened fire, unleashing torrential downpours of light. However, as if protected by a divine spirit, all high-energy beams grazed past the warship commanded by Gu Xiechen; not a single beam struck home. In just over ten minutes, Gu Xiechen’s fleet breached the sniping range of the Doko Federation’s space defense system and violently forced its way into the atmosphere of the Doko homeworld.

Duke Shenwu was stunned, then suddenly shrieked, "There must be a problem with the Doko Federation’s defense system! I knew it. Their hastily constructed defenses, even their warships were just purchased—how could they have any combat power? Full-scale attack! Full-scale attack! We must not let the Yafic Kingdom claim all the spoils!"

Whoosh. The fleet of the Lei Wu Kingdom suddenly accelerated, hurtling toward the Doko homeworld. The fleets of the thousand-plus nations behind them seemed to awaken from a deep dream and hastily followed suit.

Chapter One Hundred and Eighty-One: Crushing Defeat (2)

The Doko Federation’s vast space defense system went into a frenzy again. Perhaps it was an issue of too many targets, or perhaps the soldiers had finally familiarized themselves with operating the defensive systems. In any case, they managed to hit one warship out of every three shots. Billions of light beams swept toward the joint fleet. Warships of the coalition began catching fire and exploding. In the blink of an eye, over a thousand warships were utterly destroyed.

Before the commanders of the joint fleet could react, swarms of space fighters erupted from the twenty Doko motherships like roaring clouds, closing the distance to less than thirty thousand kilometers from the joint fleet in moments. The void was suddenly filled with flashing firelight as hundreds of thousands of high-power, high-velocity anti-ship missiles traced massive arcs, surging toward the joint fleet like a pack of hungry wolves.

The Doko Federation had deployed at least thirty thousand space fighters this time. Each fighter carried around twenty anti-ship missiles. The spectacle of hundreds of thousands of anti-ship missiles flying simultaneously elicited massive cheers from the fearless frontline reporters of the Star Alliance media corporations. War—war of iron and blood, a game of death—it was all so spectacular.

The energy shields of the joint fleet snapped into place, and enormous bursts of fire erupted among the ships. Giant warships swayed violently under the shockwaves of the explosions. More ordnance rained down from the three satellites and dozen space fortresses. In moments, hundreds more warships were pulverized into dust.

The recently purchased fleet of the Doko Federation began to stir. Many specially modified fast assault ships darted toward the joint fleet from eight directions—top, bottom, left, right, and diagonally. These customized assault ships were loaded with anti-matter bombs capable of delivering a fatal blow to Tier One warships, posing an immense threat to the joint fleet.

Combined with the threat from the thirty thousand space fighters, the joint fleet was momentarily thrown into disarray.

The joint fleet was too massive. It was so vast that everyone assumed defeating the Doko Federation would be a trivial matter, leading the coalition to neglect establishing a central command headquarters. Does a pack of hungry wolves fighting over a small lamb bother to democratically elect which wolf takes the first bite? Everyone scrambled to get ahead, terrified that their own nation would gain less advantage. How could they possibly allow others to command them?

The Ducat defense system immediately gave the Coalition Fleet a taste of harsh reality.

A loss of less than two thousand warships was nothing more than a scratch to the massive Coalition Fleet, but to be held immobile in space by such a force was an unbearable humiliation!

The Ducat Federation's suicide assault ships hurled themselves maniacally toward the Coalition Fleet. These small vessels, no longer than thirty meters at their longest, moved at incredible speeds, swarming in like a cloud of death-bringing wasps whose sole purpose was to rush toward the Coalition ships and detonate their onboard antimatter bombs.

Violent explosions erupted, the power of the antimatter bombs stunning the senses.

Nearly a thousand suicide assault ships detonated their payloads simultaneously, engulfing nearly half the Coalition Fleet in a sphere of brilliant light spanning thousands of kilometers in diameter.

When the searing light faded, at least ten thousand warships had vanished without a trace.

The Coalition Fleet commanders went frantic; they finally took the battle seriously, dropping all pretense of complacency. They activated every defensive battery on their ships, weaving a dense net of death. Ducat Federation suicide craft and fighters were destroyed one after another, momentarily halting the frenzied assault dead in its tracks.

The Coalition Fleet was battered and bleeding in space, yet on the ground, Gu Xichen was advancing rapidly, enjoying himself as he led a horde of ruthless thugs.

Improved by the laboratory-grade factories under the Yafik National Research Center, the eight thousand Hercules Model IV combat armors were over ten times stronger than the originals. Furthermore, Gu Xichen had secretly alloyed parts of innate matter scavenged from subspace into the armor shells. With the help of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Mo family inscribing simple defensive immortal formations onto the armor, the defense of these suits was unreasonably powerful—a combat armor barely two and a half meters tall possessed frontal defensive capabilities equivalent to a Star Alliance Tier-3 warship!

Standing atop a saucer-shaped flyer provided by Ducat, Gu Xichen, much like the legendary strategist Zhuge Kongming of Earth Federation lore, waved his feathered fan and casually pointed forward.

“Brothers! Take the Ducat Federation capital! Whoever secures their national treasury first gets the lion’s share!”

A beast-like roar erupted from the mouths of Hadewald’s mercenaries; this band of veterans went completely berserk!

The eight thousand demonic-looking black armors ignored all tactical formations, cover, or support maneuvers; every single one simply charged forward with all their might—charge, charge, charge!

Hundreds of Ducat Federation light combat vehicles arrayed themselves in a line to block the advance!

The eight thousand mercenaries didn't even utilize the high-energy weapons on their armor. Several hundred of the most highly cultivated mercenaries surged forward, tearing open those flimsy sheet-metal cans with their bare fists.

Nearly a thousand Ducat Federation medium combat vehicles lined up shoulder-to-shoulder to obstruct them!

Nearly a thousand frenzied mercenaries charged forward with savage cries, jets of potent Gang Qi erupting from their fists and palm edges. They effortlessly smashed these slightly thicker metal containers into scrap metal discs.

Several thousand Ducat Federation heavy tanks formed a defensive belt ten kilometers wide and twenty kilometers deep ahead of them, packed at maximum density!

Several thousand berserk mercenaries cheered and charged forward, swinging their custom alloy sabers, blades crackling with fluctuating Dao Qi. Thousands of heavy tanks were instantly dismembered into fragments.

Advance, advance, advance—pushing forward with an unstoppable momentum!

Tens of thousands of Ducat Federation soldiers occupied a stretch of rolling hills ahead, establishing three-dimensional, all-around defensive positions.

The eight thousand madmen howled as they surged onward. They feared no gunfire, no blade cuts, no fire. Countless landmines exploded beneath their feet; countless high-energy lasers struck their armor; countless high-energy beams sent showers of light sparking off their suits. Yet, spurred on by Gu Xichen’s powerfully motivating war cries, these eight thousand maniacs surged forward like a column of foraging ants, instantly overwhelming the defensive positions spread across the five high grounds. In less than ten minutes, the force of tens of thousands of professional Ducat soldiers lost half their number; the remainder, utterly demoralized, dropped their weapons and fled backward like startled lambs.

But the fleeing soldiers were not fast enough to escape the pursuit! The eight thousand mercenaries, encased in jet-black armor that exuded a faint, chilling aura of death from the netherworld, cheered loudly as they rushed behind the fleeing troops, cheered as they swept past them, cheered as they overtook them.

Tens of thousands of routed soldiers stood stunned, caught between fleeing and fighting, their faces blank with bewilderment.

Gu Xichen looked upon these pitiable souls, whose fighting spirit had been instantly extinguished, with a detached pity, saying lightly, "Stay here, and you are prisoners! Any who dare resist will be executed immediately!"

Purple light flashed. Zhao Yi, accompanied by a hundred comrades, strode forward, hovering majestically in the air as they monitored the tens of thousands of routed soldiers, slowly herding them together.

Advance, advance, advance!

Several large permanent artillery emplacements appeared ahead. These turrets were originally intended for engaging low-altitude warships but were now aimed at the eight thousand mercenaries led by Gu Xichen! All high-energy main cannons were leveled squarely at the charging horde, their muzzles already glowing with blinding light—the barrage was imminent.

Gu Xichen burst into laughter, leaping up from his saucer-shaped flyer. He swung the Fuyao Fan with his full might toward the front, unleashing a black, serpentine dragon that shot forward. The earth trembled, the mountains shook, and the main cannons on the emplacements vibrated incessantly. The monstrous black dragon, screaming with a piercing shriek, rushed toward the turrets; with a single pounce, it enveloped them. A tremendous metallic crash echoed as hundreds of high-energy main cannons tumbled skyward, instantly torn to shreds in the blink of an eye.

The eight thousand veterans howled in near-mad excitement: “Boss is unrivaled! Unstoppable!”

Advance, advance, advance! Having smashed through two more lines of defense manned by the Ducat Federation army, the Ducat capital lay directly ahead! In the three hours since they began, Gu Xichen had led his mercenaries through the slaughter of over a hundred thousand Ducat Federation troops, tearing open the main defensive perimeter on the western flank of the capital like a ferocious beast.

Nearly a thousand fighter jets appeared in the sky. These aircraft dove toward them with near-suicidal abandon.

Gu Xichen merely chuckled. He gently waved the Fuyao Fan, and the pilots of the Ducat fighters suddenly discovered with terror that they had lost control of their craft!

All the fighters swung in a massive arc in the sky, flying toward the defensive positions outside the Ducat capital, frantically dumping all their carried ammunition upon them.

“Brothers! The Ducat capital is right ahead! Breach it, conquer it, and bring me its masters!”

Gu Xichen hung suspended in the air, flicking his wrist to launch dozens of Cai Shui Yin Lei blasts that rained down. A heavy mechanized unit rushing toward them was pulverized amidst the dull, black lightning.

“Long live! Long live! Long live!”

The mercenaries shouted their slogans, charging into the Ducat capital in a frenzy, quickly splitting into dozens of small squads that streamed toward the capital's most important administrative sectors.

Each small squad was supported by celestial troops led by Xin Jia, Mo Liqing, and others; Gu Xichen felt no anxiety for their safety.

Countless fighter jets circled around him. Gradually, more and more aircraft formed massive concentric circles centered on Gu Xichen. The pilots stared at the hovering figure with expressions of utter despair; some with weaker psychological fortitude pulled out their sidearms and fired into their own temples.

Yet, even without their pilots, these aircraft continued to orbit Gu Xichen, as if he were the absolute sovereign of the sky.

In this campaign that pulverized Ducat defenses and pierced straight to the heart of their realm, the greatest credit was effortlessly claimed by Gu Xichen.

Watching Peng Hua a few kilometers away carelessly blasting open the gate of a bank with a high-energy cannon, Gu Xichen stood with his hands behind his back and smiled faintly, “This is perhaps too easy a victory!”

Gazing tenderly at the city below, Gu Xichen flicked his hand, sending out dozens of Cai Shui Yin Lei blasts that annihilated a contingent of Ducat Federation troops attempting to blockade his subordinates at a street intersection.

“Fuya, this is a gift for you. Of course, Earth Federation must also claim a portion here. This place shall serve as the Earth Federation Liaison Office to the Star Alliance.”

Watching the city consumed by fire, Gu Xichen’s vision stretched far, far into the future.

Hovering above the Ducat capital, watching the eight thousand black-armored figures under his command relentlessly crush the Ducat Federation’s reinforcing ground forces, Gu Xichen laughed with profound satisfaction.

In the profit-sharing plan agreed upon with other nations, the Ducat capital carried the highest value: whichever power captured it would secure an outright thirty percent of all future benefits.

This allocation rule had been approved by the envoys of all nations. Rather than splitting the entire profit of the Ducat Federation among a thousand civilizations, it was better for everyone to gamble on who could seize the largest single share.

“The capital is thirty percent. The Ducat Federation Core Experimental Base is twenty percent. The Ducat Federation’s major military bases constitute fifteen percent. The outer space defense systems account for twenty-five percent. The remaining ten percent goes to Daogeer himself. If he signs the proclamation of defeat and surrenders, allowing the Yafik to legally take over all of the Ducat Federation’s assets, the transition will be smooth.”

Calculating silently for a moment, Gu Xichen’s divine sense locked onto a heavily guarded building within the city, and he flew toward it directly atop a cloud of water vapor.

The thirty-six-story building, outwardly unremarkable and indistinguishable from its neighbors, was guarded by more than two reinforced battalions. All soldiers were elites, possessing skill levels matching those of the Earth Federation’s standard Garrison Special Operations units. A significant fraction even possessed the combat strength of Uranus Battle-Knights—when measured against the Star Alliance’s universal six-star energy user classification, the strongest among them already registered above two stars.

These guarding soldiers were one thing, but the more than two hundred ability users gathered on the basement level surprised Gu Xichen; the strongest among them possessed power equivalent to Mercury Low-Tier, or the Star Alliance’s universal six-star beginner level.

“Daogeer, you’ve hidden well!” His divine sense sweeping over the Ducat Presidential Palace, which was currently engaged in fierce fighting, Gu Xichen jumped directly from the sky. With a forceful stomp, he tore through the street paving, more than ten meters thick at the entrance, and plunged directly into the spacious first basement level.

This area appeared to be a massive underground arsenal; nearly a hundred heavy tanks were stacked haphazardly in the warehouse. The two hundred-plus ability users were divided into two teams. The weaker team held the elevator exits leading to this basement level, while the stronger team guarded a metal door tucked into a corner of the basement.

No one expected Gu Xichen to bypass the main routes and smash through the ceiling overhead. Gu Xichen landed heavily on a tank, the immense impact driving the vehicle more than a meter deep into the ground. Only then did the ability users react, shouting as they launched their attacks toward him.

“Interesting!” Gu Xichen waved his sleeve broadly, unleashing a black whirlwind that shot up from the floor. The hundred-plus ability users from the weaker team cried out in agony as they were swept up by the gale and slammed violently against the walls. Horrifying sounds of bones fracturing echoed from within their bodies; they were smashed into pulpy masses plastered against the walls.

With a tap of his left hand, three clusters of Zan Xing Mang silently shot upward, trailing brilliant blue light. These fine starlight particles, carrying a chilling frost, swept across the entire basement. Everything within the blue light was pulverized—the sturdy tanks, the ammunition crates piled around, the various strange and unique components, and the remaining nearly one hundred ability users—all were shredded by the starlight.

Tilting his left hand, Gu Xichen dialed the communication numbers for Holm and Linghu. He spoke in a low voice:

“I’ve found an interesting location. Bring your brothers carefully. Quickly crush... no, annihilate all enemies here, then proceed to attack the several key targets below. Tell Peng Hua to stop playing around; we are short on troops, and he needs to work harder.”

Holm and Linghu responded loudly in affirmation. Gu Xichen kicked away the metal door in front of him, which was nearly a meter thick.

Beyond the door was a corridor several hundred meters long, sloping downward continuously. Just as he stepped inside, four apes, each over three meters tall and clearly of the same species as the Big Gold and Little Gold at his side, charged him wearing heavy armor. The fur on these four apes was slightly white, indicating considerable age. As they swung their massive arms to strike, they generated piercing fist winds, and faint earth-yellow energy waves manifested around their fists in the shape of eight dragons.

“Heh, Earth-element ability!”

Gu Xichen smiled, his left sleeve flipping and rolling open, unleashing the Fei Pu Xiu. The four apes cried out in alarm, feeling as if their bodies were caught in a giant vortex, rendering them immobile. A ripple of hazy water energy flashed; the four apes screamed as they were flung hundreds of meters away by the sleeve force, slamming into a large door several meters wide and long ahead of them. The Cai Shui Yin Lei contained within the Fei Pu Xiu erupted, blasting the four apes into dust and fragments; the door behind them was also buckled inward from the force.

“Die!” As the door was blasted open, over a dozen bald men charged out, piloting bizarre, octopus-like armed robots. These men sat secured in cockpits at the center of their machines, their hands gripping tightly onto a transparent blue crystal sphere. Visible beams of intense light continuously flowed from their bodies into the sphere, causing the armed robots to raise their limbs and spray streams of extremely fine but terrifyingly penetrating mental shockwaves toward Gu Xichen!

It was a mental shockwave, not an ordinary high-energy beam.