“You’re being utterly unreasonable. This is an insult to our dignity.”
“I advise you not to push your luck. Everything you say and do will be recorded in history. Do you want to be remembered with infamy for generations?”
“Can you even bear the weight of us kneeling before you?”
Lin Xiaohe’s request was like poking a hornet’s nest, drawing a barrage of criticism.
But Lin Xiaohe just looked puzzled: “You’re willing to kneel to others for all sorts of gain. Why can’t you kneel to me for the sake of humanity’s fate? Is the safety of all humankind really worth less than your precious knees?”
How ridiculous.
With a single phrase—”for all of humanity”—they expected someone else to risk life and limb.
Yet they themselves weren’t willing to bend their own knees for all of humanity.
All they had to do was move their lips, sell someone else’s generosity, and profit from it.
Lin Xiaohe wouldn’t mind getting in on that kind of deal herself.
The mockery on Lin Xiaohe’s face was so glaring.
For the first time, everyone found her utterly detestable—so much so that they never wanted to see her again!
Bang!
Everyone turned toward the sound. There was Chu Huaizhi, both knees on the ground, posture straight, voice clear and firm: “I beg you—save the Federation! Save the surviving humans!”
Then Kaelin Reynolds knelt as well: “Lin Xiaohe, I beg you to be magnanimous and forgive past wrongs. Help the Federation get through this crisis!”
With the top leaders kneeling, everyone else—however reluctantly—had no choice but to follow suit.
Lin Xiaohe’s heart was a whirlwind of emotions.
Chu Huaizhi knelt because he genuinely cared about humanity. But what about the rest of them?
“Oh, I’ve thought it over. I can’t help you with this. I’m afraid you’d stab me in the back—or worse, let me do all the work while you swoop in to reap the rewards.”
With that, Lin Xiaohe cut the connection, not caring whether chaos erupted on the other end or whether they were all hopping mad and cursing her name.
“Party Leader, the steamed eight-legged bug is ready!” Wesley brought over a basin full of shelled crab legs and roe.
Lin Xiaohe scooped up a spoonful of crab roe—sweet, fresh, and delicious. The tiny granules of roe popped in her mouth like little bursts of flavor, carrying a hint of saltiness. The meat was similar to sea crab—slightly salty, tender, firm, and bouncy.
One bite and she felt energy surging through her. Her constitution and mental strength received a massive boost.
Wesley could barely finish one crab leg. Xiao Shi was a bit stronger, managing two. As for the other Stardust Humans, some could only eat a bite or two, while others managed four or five.
This planet was overrun with eight-legged bugs—enough to keep them fed for quite a while.
“Party Leader, are you really not going to help?” Wesley asked uneasily.
The Party Leader had such a soft heart—he was genuinely worried she might be fooled by those shameless Federation types.
“I said no, and that’s final! If you have time, head to the First Star Ring and pick up your mother, along with any Xinghe Party members scattered across the other planets.”
“Got it.”
Traveling for Stardust Humans was far simpler than for ordinary humans. One person and one Giant Whisperer was all it took for a spontaneous trip.
If they got hungry, they could just grab a Black Armor Beetle to tide them over for days.
Wesley, thinking of Melina, grabbed a whole steamed crab and set off.
Lin Xiaohe stayed behind on the Ark, which still housed around ten to twenty thousand ordinary survivors. Food, water, and basic necessities were all pressing issues.
She sent Lin Ye with a live eight-legged bug to trade with the Fifth Star Ring authorities for some nutrient fluid.
Inside the Ark, the survivors’ morale was relatively decent.
With Xinbao around, they could access the Federation’s interstellar network for free.
Unfortunately, half of the Federation’s network was down. [Nuwa] had allocated the vast majority of its computing power to the Federation military and government.
Right now, the most-watched official news broadcast was showing Federation Marshal Chu Huaizhi’s rallying address.
“Soldiers! Look to the stars—there are no imaginary allies out there, only hungry mouthparts that devour worlds!”
“They crush our homes, turning the songs of civilization into silent screams in the void. They think humanity will kneel before the Zerg hive mind and become fertilizer for the universe!”
“But our ancestors taught us through blood and tears—when facing an enemy, you do not retreat! You answer with overwhelming firepower!”
“From tonight onward, we will not take a single step back! We will not surrender a single star!”
Chu Huaizhi’s eyes burned with unwavering resolve, as solid as a towering mountain: “Every warship is a tombstone for civilization. Every plasma stream is a defiant roar! Behind us are the last sparks of humanity. In our veins flows the fighting spirit of tens of thousands of generations!”
“No retreat. No compromise. Only total war! Let the Zerg remember—humanity may be small, but we dare to punch back at the abyss!”
“All troops, hear my order! For survival—for every name that has ever existed—move out!”
With that single command, millions of battle-ready soldiers boarded their warships in orderly fashion.
Lin Xiaohe recognized familiar faces among those who looked death in the eye without flinching.
Bastid, Nick, Li Hao, and Cassius had all been assigned to the Federation First Star Ring’s 4th Division.
Onboard a reconnaissance ship, Li Hao made a round and came back grinning: “Heh, every regiment has our alumni.”
Cassius leaned back in his seat, relaxing his body: “We’re from the Federation’s First Central Military Academy—the backbone of the Federation military! When it counts, of course we’re the ones stepping up.”
Nick nodded in agreement: “It’s not just students—even the teachers have all been sent to the front lines. I even saw our admissions director, Nova, in the logistics department.”
Bastid explained: “Nova used to be the logistics director for the Second Star Ring’s Third Military District. He resigned and was recruited by Cassian to our school.”
Li Hao sighed: “Where the hell did these Zerg come from? They’re strong, heavily armored, and a nightmare to kill. How does Lin Xiaohe do it—killing bugs like they’re chickens?”
“Who knows? I heard the teachers speculating that she must have integrated some Zerg genes.”
“But isn’t the Empire doing the same thing? Word is, out of a hundred million subjects, only two or three succeed. And even when they do, they end up as low-tier Zerg—practically useless. Except for one guy who made it to the Void Devourer level.”
A few of them snuck a glance at Bastid.
Bastid closed his eyes, though his mind was far from calm.
The person they were talking about was his brother, Bayard.
Inside the Empire, two factions had emerged. The King firmly believed that pure-blooded humans should never bow to the Zerg! The other camp argued for survival of the fittest—that the Zerg were simply more adapted to the cosmos than humans.
With the Empire divided and in disarray, the Federation naturally couldn’t trust them enough to cooperate.
Bastid changed the subject: “What’s our school’s casualty rate now?”
Nick opened his contact list—half the names had gone dim: “Student casualties are at 49%. Including teachers and staff, it’s 49.8%.”
The students of Central Military Academy enjoyed the best benefits. And when duty called, they were the first to charge forward.
“Hey, I’m Zhou Fei from the Command Academy.” Zhou Fei, unshaven and weary, greeted the group.
Li Hao shook his hand: “We’ll be counting on your support in the battles ahead.”
Zhou Fei gave a bitter smile: “Support? What support? The Zerg use tactics against Lin Xiaohe, but against everyone else, they just crush with sheer force.”
All a commander could do was try to minimize their own side’s casualties.
They didn’t say it out loud, but despair gnawed at their hearts. The more they analyzed, the more they realized—this war was unwinnable!
Cassius patted Zhou Fei on the shoulder, encouraging him: “Even if we’re going to lose, we’ve got to fight to buy time for humanity to evacuate!”
