TCPUAAV Chapter 74

 

Through the combined efforts of the reinforcements and the residents of both the inner and outer city, several temporary shelters were finally established within three days.

 

Although the remaining number of Zergs was still uncountable, the fear of them had gradually dissipated. Ordinary civilians were incorporated into the frontline soldiers’ squads, taking turns each day to help clear out the Zerg threat.

 

Ruan Shiqing even had two truckloads of Zerg corpses brought back for research, wondering if the countless bodies littering the battlefield could be repurposed somehow.

 

Meanwhile, Rong Heng and Dares piloted a shuttle and once again left B3024, venturing into space to track down the wormholes the Zergs were using to warp into the region.

 

The shuttle was equipped with a sufficient supply of proton torpedoes. As long as they could pinpoint the exact coordinates, they would destroy the warp passages.

 

However, as they traced the Zergs’ path back, they discovered that there wasn’t just one warp passage. The Zergs entering the Central Sector weren’t solely targeting B3024—they were dispersing in all directions. No one knew which planets they would eventually reach, nor whether some remote world, just like B3024, was currently under attack, isolated and without aid.

 

“These wormholes… they aren’t naturally formed, nor are they artificially constructed…” Dares stared at the twisted, anomalous wormhole before them, watching as more and more Zergs poured through. Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence.

 

Up to now, wormholes were categorized into two types: One was natural wormholes, formed by cosmic phenomena but highly unstable. The other was artificial wormholes, created using advanced technology.

 

However, the eerie, distorted wormholes before them clearly did not belong to either category.

 

Instead, they looked as if… the Zergs had created them themselves.

 

The idea that the Zergs could generate their own wormholes was too terrifying to comprehend. If it were true, then the entire frontline defense of the Central Sector would be rendered meaningless. The Galactic Empire’s star systems could be riddled with tunnels, turning the Empire into a sieve that the Zergs could infiltrate at will.

 

Rong Heng’s expression darkened. “Destroy every wormhole we can detect.”

 

Dares exhaled heavily, nodded, and began locking onto coordinates to deploy the proton torpedoes.

 

News of the wormholes had yet to reach B3024.

 

For now, the people remained focused on systematically clearing out the remaining Zergs, holding onto the hope that once the warp passages were destroyed, the Zerg threat would be eradicated for good.

 

Victory seemed within reach.

 

But on the fourth day, the Control Center in the inner city suddenly received an evacuation order.

 

The message was brief. It was addressed solely to mid-to-high-level personnel of the Energy Center:

 

To all mid and senior-level management of the Energy Center: Please evacuate B3024 via escape pods within twenty hours of receiving this message. All equipment and data in the Energy Center may be abandoned. The complete evacuation must be completed within ten days. Ten days from now, B3024 will undergo the ‘Purge Plan.’

 

This order was not issued by the government.

 

It came directly from Planck Energy Corporation.

 

The moment Ruan Shiqing saw the message, an ominous shadow loomed over his mind.

 

Evacuation of management personnel. A ‘Purge Plan.’

 

No matter how he looked at it, it sounded like B3024 was about to be abandoned.

 

He did not immediately make the news public. Instead, he privately contacted Hector, Merrell, and others to discuss the matter.

 

“‘Purge Plan’?” Merrell frowned. “That doesn’t align with Imperial law. B3024 may just be a garbage planet, but it’s not Planck Energy’s private property. Without a proper authorization order, Planck Energy has no right to take any action against this planet.”

 

“This wasn’t issued by Planck Energy,” Lansing interjected. He tapped his fingers against the table and pointed at the signature at the bottom of the message. “This is the signature of the Merfolk Clan Leader—my father. The Merfolk Clan has extensive collaborations with Planck Energy.”

 

“It’s not Planck Energy that wants to destroy B3024—it’s the Merfolk Clan.” His expression grew solemn. “If I recall correctly, the ‘Purge Plan’ means that the Merfolk Clan is preparing to activate the Dyson Sphere to obliterate B3024.”

 

A Dyson Sphere was a massive artificial structure built around a star, enveloping it entirely for energy extraction. It functioned as a vast nuclear fusion reactor, using a star’s energy to power entire military fortresses.

 

To Lansing’s knowledge, there was a Dyson Sphere near Sijialan Star—the energy core of Sijialan’s entire space-based military fortress.

 

The vast energy harvested from the Dyson Sphere was converted to fuel planet-destroying weapons, capable of shattering an entire planet in one strike.

 

“But why would the Merfolk Clan go through such an ordeal just to target a garbage planet?” Hector questioned. “That doesn’t make sense.”

 

Deploying a space military fortress burned through astronomical amounts of money every second. Using a Dyson Sphere just to wipe out a single garbage planet was like using a battleship to swat a fly—a ridiculous waste.

 

Hector didn’t believe for a second that the Merfolk Clan would do something so unprofitable.

 

“Because the Zerg swarm appearing in the Central Sector is very likely connected to the Merfolk Clan.” Lansing spread his hands. “The reason I came to B3024 in the first place was because my father received reports about the Zerg infestation and sent me to investigate.”

 

Only, upon arrival, he had unexpectedly found 047—and even more unexpectedly, stumbled upon the supposedly dead former Crown Prince. That changed everything.

 

“This Zerg tide… is linked to Sijialan?” Hector’s voice sharpened. Then, with a heavy scoff, he sneered, “I knew those Sijialan seafood weren’t up to any good. What the hell did you people do to bring those damn bugs here? What’s your scheme?”

 

“Brigadier Hector, please watch your words.”

 

Despite the accusations, Lansing remained unruffled, his tone calm as ever. “I wasn’t involved in any of this. They never wanted me interfering in these matters. But from what I do know, my father once had several ships full of Zerg corpses transported back from the Melches Grand Sector under the guise of laboratory research. But in reality, those Zergs weren’t dead—they were simply in a dormant state, which allowed them to bypass inspection. I don’t know what kind of deal my father made with those creatures, but he was clearly deceived by the very Zergs he considered mindless. Not long ago, the ones he brought back vanished overnight. They were nowhere to be found anywhere near Sijialan Star. My father secretly deployed large search teams to track them down, but they turned up with nothing.”

 

That was why, upon hearing about the Zerg infestation on B3024, his father had immediately sent him and Wright to investigate.

 

“So now the Merfolk Clan is acting under Planck Energy’s name to target B3024,” Mo Li analyzed. “They must have received the distress signals from the inner city and realized B3024 was facing a Zerg tide. Now, by initiating the Purge Plan, they’re trying to wipe out all evidence?”

 

“That does sound like something those damn fish would do,” Hector scoffed.

 

As the conversation veered further off track, Ruan Shiqing rapped his fingers against the table, drawing everyone’s attention back. “For now, let’s set aside the Merfolk Clan’s motives. Based on what Lansing said, the immediate problem is that in at most ten days, Sijialan Star will activate the Purge Plan and obliterate B3024.”

 

His expression was grim. “And given B3024’s current state, we have no means to withstand a planetary-scale weapon strike.”

 

Merrell casually ran a hand over the plasma rifle at her side. “We could get ahead of them—go straight to Sijialan Star’s military fortress and blow it up. That’ll keep them too busy to carry out their plan. Cut the problem off at the source.”

 

“Sijialan Star’s space military fortress is far more heavily defended than you can imagine,” Lansing countered. “And the Dyson Sphere itself is equipped with a weapons system. Even if you destroy the fortress, it may not necessarily halt the Purge Plan.”

 

“If we can’t destroy the source, then our only option is to intercept the attack with a weapon of equal power,” Ruan Shiqing said. “But B3024 has no such planetary-scale weapons.”

 

They lacked the ability to prevent the attack at its origin. They also lacked the firepower to counter it directly.

 

Ruan Shiqing’s brows furrowed tightly. He had already started preparing for the worst. “If we really have no other choice, we’ll have to start evacuating B3024’s residents immediately.”

 

But to his surprise, Merrell waved a hand dismissively, looking completely at ease. “Oh, that’s an easy fix. We don’t have one, so we’ll just borrow one from somewhere else.”

 

?????

 

You can just… borrow a planetary-class weapon?

 

Ruan Shiqing stared at her, utterly baffled, unsure if he should even ask.

 

Yet it seemed like he was the only one who found this absurd. Hector and Mo Li both nodded in agreement.

 

Hector even added, “Balham Star definitely has planetary-class weapons. Once Rong Heng returns, we can discuss the details.”

 

The others all agreed, and with that, the meeting ended.

 

Ruan Shiqing was left alone in the conference room, feeling like he was the only one in the room actually taking this seriously.

 

*

 

Rong Heng and Dares returned two days later.

 

After having come to terms with the fact that the Zergs had likely turned the entire Empire’s star systems into Swiss cheese, hearing that Sijialan Star planned to use a Dyson Sphere to blow up B3024 barely fazed them.

 

Dares even echoed Hector’s earlier sentiment. “Yeah, that does sound like something those damn fish would do.”

 

Among the Four Great Races, the Merfolk and the Nine-Tailed Foxes were the most obsessed with bloodlines. To them, ordinary Beastkin, Evolvers, and ancient humans were inferior beings.

 

And since B3024 was home to a large population of undocumented citizens, they obviously held no value in their eyes. If not for the potential backlash of sacrificing the Energy Center’s mid-to-high-ranking personnel, they might not have even bothered sending an evacuation order before executing the Purge Plan.

 

“I recall that Balham Star has planetary-class weapons,” Rong Heng said, narrowing his eyes slightly. “We still have eight days. If we borrow one now, we can make it in time.”

 

Hearing even Mr. Rong say the same thing, Ruan Shiqing started to wonder if he was the one who lacked proper perspective.

 

Maybe the relationships between different star systems in the Galactic Empire are more cooperative than I thought… Maybe these large-scale military weapons are actually available for loan in times of need?

 

So he nodded. “Then I’ll leave it to you. As long as they’re willing to grant B3024 control over the weapon system, we’ll be able to intercept Sijialan Star’s attack in time.”

 

Balham Star was positioned directly between Sijialan Star and B3024, forming a triangle.

 

As long as Sijialan Star launched an attack, they would have ample time to intercept it from Balham Star.

 

Rong Heng’s lips curled into a meaningful smile. “They won’t refuse.”

 

*

Since they were heading to Balham Star, Ruan Shiqing and his team worked tirelessly to repair Rong Heng’s preferred azure flagship.

 

Fortunately, the warship was built for durability. Despite having crashed headfirst into the ground, its actual damage was not severe. After repairs, it was quickly put back into operation.

 

Rong Heng, Hector, and Merrell, along with a squad of elite soldiers, boarded the flagship and set off for Balham Star.

 

The rest of the team remained on B3024, continuing the battle against the Zergs.

 

Before departing, Rong Heng glanced at the little cubs, who were peeking out eagerly, then turned to Ruan Shiqing. “You probably won’t have time to look after them for the next few days, right? Why don’t I bring them along? They can gain some experience along the way.”

 

“This… would it be too much trouble?” Ruan Shiqing hesitated.

 

But he and 09 were indeed too busy to properly accompany the cubs lately. Most of the time, the little ones were stuck inside the armory.

 

“It’s no trouble at all.” Rong Heng looked at the cubs, whose eyes were shining with excitement. “Do you want to come along?”

 

The cubs looked at their dad, then at Rong Heng, barely able to contain their enthusiasm as they nodded eagerly.

 

They were reluctant to leave their father, of course, but—they really wanted to fly a fighter jet again!

 

Seeing their excitement, Ruan Shiqing didn’t refuse Rong Heng’s offer. He ruffled their heads and reminded them, “Make sure you don’t cause trouble for Mr. Rong, understood?”

 

The cubs nodded obediently, then took turns saying goodbye to their dad.

 

Only Ruan Jiao, standing at the back, remained a bit dazed. He didn’t quite understand why the other cubs were so excited.

 

He wiggled his antennae and reluctantly said goodbye to his dad.

 

After watching the warship disappear into the sky, Ruan Shiqing returned to the armory to continue his work.

 

Beside him, the golden little robot trotted along. After a few steps, it couldn’t help but complain sourly, “The cubs seem to be getting closer and closer to Mr. Rong.”

 

In the past, they wouldn’t have been so affectionate with him. But now, when they were together, there was hardly any difference between how they treated Mr. Rong and Mr. Shiqing.

 

“Well, he is Snowball’s big brother,” Ruan Shiqing said with a chuckle. “It’s only natural that their feelings extend to him too. And it’s not a bad thing—Mr. Rong takes good care of them.”

 

He patted the little robot’s shoulder. “The cubs won’t always have just the two of us in their lives. One day, they’ll grow up and build their own relationships. But that doesn’t mean they care about us any less.”

 

The little robot tilted its head, thinking it over. After a moment, it accepted this reasoning, and even its steps became noticeably lighter.

 

*

 

Meanwhile, aboard the warship, Rong Heng picked up Ruan Jiao, rubbing his forehead tentacles lightly before whispering, “Just like last time, let the Zergs follow us.”

 

Unlike before, this time, he wasn’t just planning to retrieve some weapons.

 

This time, he was going to take over all of Balham Star.

 

And once they controlled Balham Star’s defense command, whether they were borrowing planetary-class weapons or keeping them, would no longer be a question.

 

 

---

 

Rong Heng you sly fox lmao

 

Also… the mermaid clan really is something huh… Planning to nuke a whole planet because you messed up while doing research on Zergs…

 

Thanks for reading!

For every three ko-fis, I will upload a bonus chapter~