The appearance of the giant void grave triggered an absolute earthquake of a crisis in both the Federation and the Empire.
The representatives from the Ministry of Security raised its danger level to the highest ever recorded!
The Federation’s Central Parliament launched an impeachment against the Ministry of Security and the Federal Government.
Kailyn Reno’s pretty face was tense, and her eyes were practically spitting flames of anger: “So this is your so-called Leviathan Plan?! The bugs have moved their nest all the way to the Sixth Star Ring, and your people are still just standing guard at the Holy Gate! They need to be removed from office! Removed, I say!”
The Ministry of Security representative had a ring of angry blisters around his mouth and simply had no time to see a doctor.
He could barely contain his inner agitation, and his tone was very sharp: “Stop pretending to be some innocent flower here. The Leviathan Plan was passed unanimously back then—did you vote against it? You just sit there flapping your lips, pointing fingers at the people doing the actual work. Since when has the world been so easy?”
Kailyn Reno sneered, “If you don’t have the diamond, don’t try to do the porcelain work. Whether it’s resources or talent, your Ministry of Security always gets first pick. And now, because your work has such a huge hole in it, you won’t let anyone point it out?”
The Ministry of Security representative leaned back in his chair, a mocking smile curling at the corner of his mouth: “Go on, talk all you want! If you’ve got the guts, talk that bug nest right back where it came from—that would be real skill.”
Under immense pressure, everyone started shifting blame, squabbling like eight hundred ducks quacking at once.
“Enough!” Chu Huaizhi’s expression was stern, his lips pressed tightly together.
His highly oppressive gaze swept across the virtual meeting room, and even through the network, everyone seemed to feel his authority.
For a moment, the room fell silent again.
Chu Huaizhi took a deep breath and began assigning tasks with a firm, steady pace: “Everyone here knows just how dangerous that bug nest is. No matter what your interests are, everything is built on the foundation that the Federation still exists.”
“Without the Federation, humanity in this vast universe is just a flock of sheep waiting to be slaughtered. Right now, we need to unite as one and get through this crisis together. The bugs’ large-scale offensive is both a crisis and an opportunity.”
He paused, then decided to speak plainly: “We all know that if we can’t manage another technological revolution, humanity’s exploration of the universe will stop right here. The six Star Rings we have, along with the Empire—that’s the limit. The resources of the universe are finite. Given our current rate of consumption, how much longer can we last?”
“Whether it’s the Leviathan Plan or the secret experiments on Starlight Life, they’re all based on this reality—self-rescue measures.”
“The bugs… they are extraterrestrial life. If we can defeat them, maybe we can study them and figure out how to step beyond our domain! If there’s a bug civilization out there, then there must be abundant material resources as well. Humanity could not only escape the current crisis but also climb to a whole new level!”
After boosting morale, Chu Huaizhi, in his capacity as Marshal of the Federation, laid out the next phase of tasks: “We will build five defensive lines along the Star Ring boundaries. Construction on both the Fifth Star Ring defensive line and the First Star Ring defensive line will begin simultaneously!”
“All fallen zones will trigger their self-destruct systems. We cannot leave a single resource for the bugs.”
“All schools will be completely closed. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors from military academies across all Star Rings will be urgently conscripted into service.”
“Production license controls for nutrient fluid will be lifted to ensure the well-being of the people.”
“Nuwa, publish detailed information about the bugs and the bug nest on the StarNet and all regional networks. Strengthen civilian self-rescue training.”
“Notify the Institute of Life Sciences to accelerate genetic storage and preserve the spark of human civilization.”
One by one, the orders were issued. The entire Federation knew that the toughest test was yet to come!
At the very end of the meeting, Chu Huaizhi was silent for a long time.
Between the index and middle fingers of his right hand was an electronic cigarette. His fingers trembled slightly, and a trace of reluctance appeared on his usually resolute face.
Everyone was waiting for him to say the words.
He put the electronic cigarette to his lips and took a deep, hard drag: “Nuwa, what’s the situation in the Sixth Star Ring?”
[Nuwa]: “After the bug nest appeared, the Imperial Army evacuated the area urgently. All 72 habitable planets have lost contact.”
The electronic cigarette wasn’t like a real one—there was no glowing ember—but to Chu Huaizhi, it felt unbearably hot.
The Sixth Star Ring had a total of 54 billion humans. Maybe fewer than 10 billion were still alive now.
Chu Huaizhi closed his eyes. Scenes flashed through his mind of bugs slaughtering wildly among the crowds.
The scales in his heart wavered back and forth.
Then he suddenly remembered a story Lin Xiaohe had once casually told him.
“If you were a god, and a high-speed train’s brakes failed, and ahead of it there were two diverging tracks. One track had one person tied to it, the other track had a thousand people tied to it. Which track would you let the train take?”
Chu Huaizhi’s gaze turned cold and hard. He was not a god, just a human. So he had to make a choice.
“I request, in my capacity as Marshal of the Federation, to activate the Sixth Star Ring Dead Hand System.”
[Nuwa]: “After confirmation, the Federation is in a major crisis. The prerequisites for activating the Dead Hand System have been met. In ten seconds, the voting process will begin.”
The Federation had only two Dead Hand Systems—one in the First Star Ring and one in the Sixth Star Ring.
The Dead Hand System wasn’t developed by humans; they had found it.
According to years of research by scientists, it was speculated that this system was a superweapon designed by a Level 5 civilization or higher.
To this day, humans still haven’t figured out how the Dead Hand System was built. All they know is that the weapon’s design principle is: [If dark energy, especially P-energy, is strong enough, it might be able to tear apart galaxies, stars, planets, and even space-time itself.]
Both dark energy and P-energy here exist only in human theories.
Scientists believe that the darkness of the universe is not empty but rather filled with a form of energy that accelerates the expansion of the universe.
This energy is named D-element.
Additionally, within the theoretical models of dark energy, there is a dynamic form of dark energy that may change over time, named Q-element.
Also within this theoretical framework, there is a form of energy whose density increases over time and could potentially cause a ‘Big Rip’ in the universe. This is called P-energy.
When the Dead Hand System is activated, the planet that serves as the weapon first absorbs the immense energy of the star in its own stellar system. That energy is then used to collect dark energy from the universe, compressing and storing it in a container deep within the planet’s core, forming Q-element.
When the weapon is fired, Q-element is converted into P-energy and released through a special space-time rift.
Through that rift, the P-energy crosses vast interstellar distances almost instantly, hitting the target stellar system with precision.
Of course, that’s the complete operational procedure. Humans do not have control over the Dead Hand System, but they do know how to activate its counterattack self-destruct.
[Nuwa] counted down: “Ten, nine, eight…”
“Vote passed unanimously! The Sixth Star Ring Dead Hand System is activated. Countdown: fifteen days!”
Chu Huaizhi’s face was like a layer of ice, so cold and grim it was frightening.
Would the Dead Hand System defeat the bug nest? Unknown.
If the Sixth Star Ring was destroyed, would it affect the Fifth Star Ring? Unknown.
On the bright side, the Sixth Star Ring had three star systems. The Dead Hand System would only affect the star system where the bug nest was located. That still left two star systems!
