Chapter 132 War and Destruction Empty darkness, shattered…

Empty darkness, shattered meteorites, a gigantic creature with branches spreading out...

Pei Qian seemed to have a very long dream, so long that it felt like hundreds of millions of years had passed.

She rubbed her head, which ached so badly it felt like it was splitting open, and got out of bed. Her mind was hazy. Where was she? Pei Qing stumbled forward in the darkness.

"Ah!" Pei Qian stepped on a round object, which seemed to be a teacup. She waved her arms and legs in the air for a while, but in the end, she still couldn't avoid falling to the ground.

"Damn it! What kind of life do I have?!" Pei Qing complained loudly, rubbing her buttocks which were almost split in eight pieces as she got up from the ground, kicking the teacup that had caused her to fall away in a fit of anger.

"Hiss," as he spoke, Pei Qing's head throbbed again, as if a sharp blade was churning wildly in his mental sea, turning the entire mental sea upside down.

"What the hell, what the hell happened?" Pei Qing kicked aside all sorts of clutter and finally found a way out. With tears in her eyes, she opened the door and saw the light of day again.

Uh, no, something's completely wrong. Pei Qing stood trembling in the empty, unfamiliar corridor. She remembered being inside a room just moments ago, so why was she inexplicably here? Was she still dreaming, not fully awake yet?

She pinched herself hard, and tears welled up in her eyes instantly. It hurt; she wasn't dreaming.

She searched her entire body but couldn't find the personal terminal. Her immediate priority was to find someone to ask about her current situation. Pei Qing pursed her lips, looked at the pitch-black corridor, and gritted her teeth.

Walk!

The passage was much shorter than she had imagined; in less than half a minute, Pei Qing saw light and heard voices.

Pei Qing quickened her pace excitedly, completely unaware that the corridor behind her was gradually disappearing, and the place where she had been standing had turned into a wall.

Countless screens flashing red alerts appeared in front of her, and countless people shuttled back and forth on portable mobility devices.

"Report! Claire Planet has sent a distress call! Requesting weapons support!"

"Report! The Fifth Military District Commander requests backup! Connecting to federal communications now!"

"Beep beep beep! Commander of the Ninth Federal War Zone requests supplies!"

"..."

Boom! A huge explosion rang out! The ground shook violently beneath our feet, and the entire building swayed!

Pei Qian stared in horror at everything before her, her eyes wide with disbelief.

Someone was rushing by, and Pei Qing couldn't dodge in time, so they bumped into each other.

"Excuse me! I have an emergency... Assistant Pei Qing!" the man suddenly exclaimed, "When did you get here! The Marshal has been searching for you for a long time!"

"What do you mean? What do you mean you've been looking for me for a long time? I didn't just—ah!" Pei Qing suddenly clutched her head in pain. Whenever she tried to recall what happened before she fainted, her head would throb with unbearable pain.

"Beep—!" A communication request from Feng Lin appeared on a nearby screen, and the staff member immediately pressed "accept."

"Pei Qing?" With a buzzing sound, Feng Lin's holographic image was right in front of him.

"Yes, I... I don't understand what happened. The staff just said you ordered them to look for me for a long time, but I was only unconscious for a short while." Pei Qing described her situation incoherently.

"...I only remember someone asking me to do some kind of interview, and then I... ouch."

Feng Lin nodded, pondered for a moment, and said, "Wait for me here. I'll be there soon. There are some things we might need to discuss in person."

“Okay.” Pei Qing nodded. She noticed that the wrinkles on Feng Lin’s face had deepened, and his expression revealed his exhaustion.

Several staff members who had some free time arranged a resting place for her before quickly throwing themselves into their work. The screen flickered wildly, filled with red light, with only a few faint green lights stubbornly holding on. Pei Qing recognized the star map of the Federation's territories displayed on the screen. Had the alien insects expanded and invaded to this extent? How long had she been unconscious?

Pei Qing sat to one side, looking worried. The resting place was very simple, with only a folding chair.

This war came too suddenly. Just a few days ago... There must have been other decisive factors that were beyond our control. The answer to this question may only be known after Feng Lin arrives.

Ten minutes later, the two sat in the chairs in the marshal's office, and Feng Lin poured Pei Qing a cup of tea as usual.

But this time, Pei Qing had no appetite for tea. The rising steam blurred the faces and expressions of the two people.

Pei Qian looked anxious; this feeling of complete ignorance was unbearable. Her brows furrowed, and she twisted her hands back and forth. "So, can you tell me what happened? How could things have gotten so serious in just a few days?"

“Okay, listen, Pei Qing,” Feng Lin said wearily, but his eyes remained sharp. “Today is November 9th, 352nd year of the Federal New Calendar. You… have been missing for two whole weeks.”

"How could this be? I clearly remember that I was only unconscious for a while... Wait, you just said that I 'disappeared'?" Pei Qing suddenly realized the key point.

Feng Lin continued, "I know you may have many questions, but you did disappear from the parliament building for two whole weeks, right after the peace talks. I called you many times, but no one answered."

"You called me? I... I have no recollection of it at all. Hmm, I don't think I had my personal terminal with me at the time." Pei Qing tried hard to recall the scene. She remembered opening the door, then following a staff member out, and then where did she go?

"Do you remember what that staff member looked like?" Feng Lin opened the personnel system and looked at Pei Qing. "All the current employees of the Federal Capital Star government in recent years are here."

Pei Qing quickly scanned the list of people and finally found the staff member who had asked her to do the interview that day in the vast sea of ​​people. She excitedly pointed to the screen, "It's her! It's this person!"

"Are you sure it's this person?" Feng Lin asked cautiously.

"Yes, that's right! I'm sure!"

“I now think the problem lies with you personally. Your mental state isn’t good, and the issues with your mental sea might be more serious than I imagined.” After saying this, Feng Lin pulled up the person’s file, which was entirely in gray.

"What do you mean? You're calling me crazy?" Pei Qing belatedly realized what was happening.

"Wait, wait, don't rush to scold me. Take a closer look at this file." Feng Lin turned the screen around.

Upon hearing this, Pei Qing turned her gaze to the screen and slowly scrolled through the files. At first, she didn't pay much attention until she saw the employees' birth and death dates in the lower left corner of the files.

"This employee died on... July 13th, 351st year of the Gregorian calendar?" More than a year has passed since then. Pei Qing nervously swallowed. If there were no errors in this file, it meant that she had seen a dead person that day, a dead person who should have died months ago.

"So, what happened that day was actually my hallucination? I was bewitched by some substance, then fainted in some corner, and only woke up today?"

Pei Qian's voice was somewhat dry, and she felt as if her mind had been violently impacted, her vision blurring as if she were still dreaming. However, the irrefutable evidence was right in front of her, leaving her no choice but to believe it.

"But none of that matters anymore. What matters is that you're back." Feng Lin patted her shoulder.

"Now--"

"Marshal! Urgent message from the front!" An official rushed in, his face full of anxiety.

"!" Feng Lin's pupils dilated violently, quickly connecting to the light screen. A blood-soaked face appeared on the screen, its expression one of extreme pain.

"Report, ah, report to the Marshal, the Ninth Military Region has completely fallen! A virus has appeared within the army, with extremely high infectivity! Many of our compatriots have already—ahhh!" A scream suddenly came from the screen, followed by the sound of flesh being torn apart. The screen flickered a few times and then went completely black.

The room was completely silent; even the sound of breathing had become faint.

A red dot reappeared on the screen in front of Feng Lin. She silently tapped it, and a emotionless, mechanical voice began to announce: "Marshal, the Level 1 protection order for all major star sectors of the Federation has been lifted. Do you wish to conduct a second confirmation? Ten, nine, eight..."

"Eva, request rejected!" Feng Lin was shocked; someone had infiltrated the Federal military defense network!

"Beep! Beep! Beep!" The alarm sounded, and the voice of the artificial intelligence appeared again, "Instruction received, rejecting... rejected, rejected successfully—rejection failed, level one protection has been deactivated."

"How could the rejection fail! Someone has tampered with the highest order!" Feng Lin slammed his fist on the table, his eyes bloodshot.

A terrible silence fell over the room, as if the outcome was already decided.

A series of problems followed one after another, giving no one a moment to breathe, as if it had all been planned in advance.

“Feng Lin,” Pei Qing broke the silence, “who else besides you has the highest military command authority?”

"Also, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, but I remember I already stripped him of his authority a long time ago."

“Ministry of Foreign Affairs? Hmm, why does this sound so familiar? Pei… Pei Yu?” Pei Qing felt a sharp pain in his mind, and suddenly a pale face with a beauty mark and a name flashed before his eyes.

"How do you know his name? You've never met him, have you?" Feng Lin frowned.

"No, hiss, if I'm not mistaken, it's him, he's the one who's been hiding all this time... my kin." Pei Qing remembered, as if her mental sea had broken free of its restraints, all the memories that had been deliberately erased surfaced, some fragmented, but enough to deduce the passage of time.

“Feng Lin, your memory is deceiving you. You have never revoked his supreme authority. Perhaps this is his purpose. He has been lying in wait for this moment.” Pei Qing turned his gaze to the window.

"Now that things have come to this, whatever his purpose may be, we can only regroup the Federation army to jointly resist the alien horde. At the very least, we must get through this crisis before we talk about the future." Feng Lin sighed, his once vigorous face suddenly looking old.

Pei Qing repeatedly played the data sent back from the front lines at great risk, carefully choosing her words before speaking, "This virus should be the alien insect virus, but a mutated strain. The first soldiers to be infected were those who had direct contact with the alien insects. The symptoms of these infected individuals are very similar to what Youdu once described to me..."

“But even if we knew, what could we do? We couldn’t protect all our troops in a short time, and the Zerg wouldn’t give us time to regroup.” Feng Lin pursed his lips.

“No, that’s not right,” Pei Qing said gravely. “We must have overlooked some crucial factor. Everything that’s happening now has nothing to do with my ‘disappearance,’ seemingly nothing at all. But if it really has nothing to do with me, why is that person so determined to make me disappear? Perhaps I should have disappeared forever, but he didn’t expect that I would wake up in the end.”

“I have to go to the research institute.” Pei Qing felt a flash of inspiration. Since the silver-gray powder could aggravate the alien virus, and she came from the same source, perhaps there was still a chance to reverse it.

"Okay, I'll send someone to escort you."

Pei Qing boarded the hovercar, which carried only one driver. The driver was tall and slender with a broad back and a narrow waist, and had silver hair.

"Owner."

Nolan's usually serious face broke into a smile. "I... I didn't expect you to appear again. It's so nice."

Pei Qian smiled too; at this moment, she had to admit that she felt a rare sense of peace.

Let's go.

"yes."

"Eva, begin navigation. Destination: Federal Capital Star Research Institute." Nolan activated the car's artificial intelligence.

"Beep, navigation has started." A mechanical female voice sounded, and the hovercar shot off like an arrow.

Sizzle...! Bang!

Pei Qing was nearly thrown out of the car by the sudden, enormous recoil. She gripped the armrest tightly and shouted, "What happened?!"

"Master, a convoy is blocking our way! We may need to change our route!" The hovercar's autopilot system burned out due to the violent reaction, so Nolan had to switch to manual driving and struggle to adjust the direction.

Crash! Crash! Crash! Before they could even leave the track, several hovercars that were originally traveling on another track went berserk and began to crash into the hovercar driven by Pei Qing and his companion one after another.

"They're deliberately wasting time!" Pei Qing's heart sank. This meant that the virus was evolving much faster than they had anticipated. If they couldn't reach the research institute today, they would be doomed! This also indirectly proved that Pei Qing's previous guess about the 'reversal effect' was very likely correct; otherwise, the person behind the scenes wouldn't be in such a hurry.

This can't go on... Yes, 'assimilation'! Since the other side can use 'assimilation' to control, then I can too! Pei Qing closed her eyes, and a surge of powerful spiritual energy erupted forth, instantly silencing the surrounding vehicles.

"Nolan! Let's go!"

A surge of violent emotion suddenly welled up in Pei Qian's heart. She opened her fingers and then clenched them tightly, gripping the armrest firmly. "Ugh!"

Boom! Boom! Explosions rang out one after another, smoke filled the air, and clouds of brilliant blood mist exploded in mid-air as a black hovercar veered off at an off-center speed!

"Shen Tingchuan! Where are those things that Youdu sent over before?!" As soon as they got out of the car, Pei Qing started running like crazy, and Shen Tingchuan took the two of them to the third basement level.

“They’re all here.” Shen Tingchuan was still wearing his white lab coat, seemingly unaffected by anything outside. “Based on your guess, I may need to retest the blood sample.”

“Okay,” Pei Qingli rolled up his sleeves without hesitation.

Five minutes later, Shen Tingchuan re-entered the laboratory.

"The test results are in. Your genes have undergone reconstruction." Shen Tingchuan pushed up his glasses, the lenses gleaming coldly. "Your current physical condition and gene sequence are more inclined towards the Zerg."

"The Zerg..." Pei Qing murmured to herself. If that were true, then many questions would be answered.

“But there are still big differences between you. Your basic sequence is similar to that of the Zerg, but the sequence code for the operation of fixed genes is completely different, or rather, it is more ancient and more inclusive,” Shen Tingchuan continued.

“Your gene sequence encompasses all the origins of the existing Zerg, but these sequences only account for a small portion. There are some that are much more advanced, and I cannot decipher them based on the Federation’s existing technological data.”

“Also,” Shen Tingchuan glanced at Nolan, who was standing quietly behind Pei Qing, “I sensed an aura on him similar to that of the male insect.”

"This shouldn't be related to what we're researching," Pei Qing asked suspiciously.

“I said before that I suspected your mental strength had a resistance to the virus, and now it seems that it is indeed true.”

Pei Qing stared at the lab table. "So, you have solid research evidence."

"On the very day the Zerg swarm arrived, several Zerg bypassed the heavy defenses and infiltrated the research institute. I don't know how they did it, since the Federation had always believed that Zerg were creatures without any reason." Shen Tingchuan pulled out an experimental box. The glass container inside the box contained gray-black powder particles that were emitting a faint glow.

“But they did it, and that was their goal.” Shen Tingchuan pointed to the glass container. “This substance seems to have a great attraction for the alien insects, giving them reason.”

“But these special energy sources don’t seem to have disappeared,” Pei Qing said.

“Yes, your male insect stopped them. I thought that male insect would share the same goal as them, or mutate again, but he didn’t,” Shen Tingchuan continued. “The only variable in this is you. You once infused that male insect with a lot of spiritual power.”

"Ahem," Pei Qing coughed awkwardly twice, this high-tech talent always spoke elegantly, "Yes."

"So your previous guess is correct. Reversing the reaction is possible, but it requires a lot of mental strength." Shen Tingchuan was about to put away the experimental kit when Pei Qing stopped him.

"Do you think I can use this special energy? If I have enough energy to use, can I obtain enough mental power?" Pei Qing asked, pointing to the glass container.

After pondering for a moment, Shen Tingchuan said, "Theoretically, it's feasible."

"But the alien virus spreads and evolves too quickly, making it impossible to collect that energy. My research focuses more on biological experimental techniques, and I am not familiar with energy exploration."

This is a bit tricky. Pei Qing thought for a moment and decided to ask Feng Lin if there were any similar people who could be transferred over to help.

"Boom!!!" The exterior of the research institute was suddenly hit by a violent impact, and the building collapsed instantly.

Pei Qing quickly activated the light screen, where countless alien insects were launching a fierce attack on the research institute.

"Let's go! Let's find Feng Lin and meet up!" Nolan forcefully shoved open the malfunctioning security door, and Pei Qing grabbed Shen Tingchuan's arm, ready to run outside.

"No, I can't leave." Shen Tingchuan shook off Pei Qing's hand, picked up the experimental kit, and looked serious and earnest.

"What time is it! If we don't leave now, it will be too late!" Pei Qian shouted.

"I need to validate the new idea immediately. If your plan fails, I must develop a prototype that can inhibit the evolution of the alien virus!" Shen Tingchuan was extremely stubborn. "If I leave now, all the samples will be wasted!"

"So annoying!" Pei Qing slammed her eyes shut. She admitted that Shen Tingchuan was right. This matter was too risky, and if it failed, there had to be a backup plan.

"Bang!!!" A large hole was broken in the outer wall. Pei Qing's eyes sharpened, and she assumed a defensive stance.

A starship burst in! The hatch opened, and several fully armed Federation soldiers ran towards them.

"Pei Qing!" shouted one of the soldiers in the lead.

Hmm? That voice… “Feng Qi!” Pei Qing’s eyes lit up, her expression excited.

The soldier removed his mask, revealing a familiar face with a hideous scar across his nose. Feng Qi smiled at Pei Qing, "Great, thankfully we weren't too late!"

"Is it Feng? Hmm, Marshal sent you to meet us?" Pei Qing put on her protective suit.

A hint of unease flashed across Feng Qi's face, but he still chose to tell the truth, "Yes."

This awkward mother and child are just as peculiar as ever.

"Haha, well, anyway, I'm really happy to see you again," Pei Qing said earnestly.

"What's going on with that guy?" Feng Qi frowned as he looked at Shen Tingchuan, who was still stubbornly refusing to leave.

“His situation is rather complicated. In short, he needs to stay here to do some necessary research…” Pei Qing sighed.

"Let me remind you, the number of alien insects gathering this way is gradually increasing. If we delay any longer, I cannot guarantee our safety," Feng Qi said seriously.

"Then why not just take away some necessary research data and samples? As for research equipment, my starship has most of those." A clear female voice suddenly came from behind.

"Lina, why did you come down?" Feng Qi turned around, and Pei Qing looked in the direction of the voice.

A thin woman stepped off the starship, wearing a lab coat. Her demeanor was very similar to Shen Tingchuan's, and they were clearly both high-tech talents.

"If we delay any longer, none of us will be able to leave," Lina said calmly.

Shen Tingchuan was slightly taken aback when he heard her words, then nodded, "Okay, I'll go get the sample now."

With the matter perfectly resolved, Pei Qing finally felt relieved. She followed Feng Qi onto the starship, which roared and rose into the air.

Inside the starship, Pei Qing sat by the controller chatting with Feng Qi. "I never imagined so much had happened to you all. It's truly astonishing," she remarked with great emotion.

"Yes, I didn't expect it either, but thankfully we were able to meet again in the end." Feng Qi smiled slightly.

“I was just wondering why Ms. Lina looked so familiar. Turns out she was my former assistant,” Pei Qing said.

Feng Qi nodded and said, "That's right. Lina provided great help in establishing our defense base. Her gene serum greatly increased the soldiers' antiviral capabilities, which prevented the Eighth Star District's border defense line from being breached and allowed the residents to evacuate in an orderly manner."

"That's wonderful. With Lina's help, I believe the two of them will be able to quickly develop a way to suppress the virus's evolution." Pei Qing nodded in agreement.

"By the way, Feng Qi, did the Marshal mention to you that we currently need a high-tech expert in energy exploration? Do you have one here—"

"Do you think I'm qualified?" A voice interrupted Pei Qing's question. A tall girl leaned against the wall, arms crossed, smiling.

"Turansen?" Pei Qing asked in surprise.

“That’s right, I rushed over from another starship as soon as I heard about you. So, do you think my detection technology is up to par?” Turansen smiled and raised his head.

“Enough, of course it’s enough.” Pei Qing smiled sincerely.

Turansen sat in front of the screen and fiddled with it for a while, during which several miniature optical computers worked together, and finally the results were detected.

She turned the screen around and circled the location with the cursor. "It's roughly here. This is where the energy concentration is highest. Any more precise locations would have too much signal clutter to pinpoint."

"So fast, you're amazing!" Pei Qing gave a thumbs up.

"That's right, don't you know who I am!" Turansen's invisible tail was practically wagging in the air.

"Feng Qi, can you take me to this place?"

"certainly."

Pei Qing stared at the screen and slowly clenched her fist.

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Author's Note: [Go for it!][Go for it!][Go for it!] The ending is coming soon! Let's bring back some old friends from the prison arc! [Facepalm peeking][Facepalm peeking][Facepalm peeking] The next chapter is the final chapter! [Go for it!][Go for it!][Heart][Heart] Remember to leave a comment and I'll send you little red envelopes! Thank you for your support, my darlings!