The number of survivors far exceeded Lin Feng's initial estimate. The vast majority of them, unlike Lin Feng, did not arrive in a "newbie village" with relatively abundant resources and a low monster density.

Many of them were trapped in the dead end.

Task Force "Shepherd Dog Two" discovered a survivor camp deep within a vast mushroom forest exuding highly poisonous spores.

The survivors there, having long breathed toxic air, did not die immediately due to some unknown adaptation, but everyone suffered from severe lung disease and their skin was covered with ugly spots.

They lingered on, barely clinging to life, more like waiting for death than truly living.

When the Kingdom's soldiers, clad in fully enclosed bio-chemical combat suits, descended like gods, injected them with potent purification serum, and carried them away from that hellish place, the survivors erupted in hoarse, grateful roars that couldn't even be uttered as tears.

The Shepherd Dog Nine task force even discovered a small shelter built on scorching rocks halfway up an active volcano.

The survivors there were members of a geological exploration team on Earth. They relied on their expertise to make a living by using geothermal energy for warmth.

But their food supply had long been exhausted, and they could only survive by gnawing on a type of moss that could survive in high temperatures.

When they saw the familiar mechanical structure on the tracks of the "Ripper" tank, these tough men hugged each other and cried like children.

Every discovery is a rescue.

Every act of salvation adds the most authentic and irrefutable footnote to Lin Feng's "divinity".

The accompanying propaganda video played a decisive role.

When those survivors struggling on the brink of death saw the prosperity of the capital, the strength of the kingdom's army, and the god-like king worshipped by all the people...

Beyond gratitude for being saved, a strong desire arose within them to find their community and return to civilization.

More than 150,000 survivors were "rescued" from every corner of despair and brought back to the Kingdom of Stars.

Among the countless lambs that have been successfully "shepherded," some "outliers" have also emerged.

Task Force "Shepherd Dog 4" discovers a completely different settlement of survivors in a secluded valley.

There are no ragged refugees here, nor are there any desperate cries.

In its place stands a meticulously structured and well-functioning research base.

The base was surrounded by an electromagnetic defense network that they had modified themselves; although not very powerful, it was quite sophisticated.

Inside the base, there is a small hydroponic farm and a simple but fully functional laboratory.

This is the entire staff of a high-energy physics research institute on Earth.

During the "Great Transfer," they were conducting a top-secret experiment. The powerful experimental energy field, by a twist of fate, protected their entire base from disintegration during the transfer.

The task force leader was no longer facing unarmed civilians, but a small group of scientists whose eyes were filled with rationality, vigilance, and even a hint of arrogance.

The leader was an elderly man with gray hair but a vigorous spirit, named Chen Jingtong, the chief scientist of the research institute and a leading figure in the field of physics on Earth.

Faced with the kingdom's army descending from the sky, Chen Jingtong showed no fear whatsoever.

He calmly adjusted his glasses and, through the base's public address system, spoke in a respectful yet assertive tone: "Friends outside, please state your identities and purpose. This is a private research area, and we do not welcome any form of armed intrusion."

Faced with this "civilized" resistance, the task force leader did not choose to launch a direct assault. He retreated one kilometer according to the pre-arranged plan, and then activated the holographic projection.

The magnificent capital of Chengtian, the powerful military parade, Lin Feng being worshipped by thousands of people...

However, the reaction within the base after the projection ended was beyond the expectations of the education specialists.

There was no gratitude or prostration.

A long silence fell over the base.

"absurd!"

After a long while, Chen Jingtong's voice rang out again, but this time, it was filled with undisguised doubt and criticism: "Feudal monarchy, theocracy... Is this progress of civilization or regression of history? You have used your powerful military force to build a seemingly prosperous cage and are trying to imprison everyone inside, making them the private property of the 'king'. Forgive my bluntness, but we refuse!"

This is the first time since the "Shepherd Project" began that it has encountered a challenge from the ideological level.

The news was relayed back to Chengtian Hall immediately.

Su Wanqing frowned slightly, while Qin Lan's face was filled with murderous intent: "A bunch of ungrateful bookworms! Give me a 'Ghost' squad, and in half an hour, I'll teach them what true respect is!"

"No." Lin Feng sat on the throne, a hint of interest on his face. "This is more interesting."

"Prepare my vehicle. I am going to meet Professor Chen in person."

Lin Feng's personal vehicle is not any known war machine or aircraft.

Named "Skywalker," it is a 50-meter-long aerial yacht with a perfectly streamlined body, made of "Imperial Black Gold" mixed with some unknown memory metal.

It has no obvious propulsion system; it relies solely on Lin Feng's telekinesis to perform silent, super-maneuverable flight that can instantly reach dozens of times the speed of sound.

When the Skywalker, like a black phantom, hovered silently above the research base, the oppressive feeling it brought, which belonged to no known technological category, was far more shocking than a hundred Ripper tanks.

Inside the base, all the scientists came out of their laboratories. They looked up at the aircraft hovering in the air, whose structure even the most sophisticated radar could not fully analyze, and their faces showed solemn and puzzled expressions.

The hatch opened.

Lin Feng, dressed in black, walked out slowly, accompanied by Qian Xiaoxiao.

Without the aid of any equipment, he floated in mid-air, as if walking down an invisible staircase from a height of 100 meters.

This scene completely shattered the scientists' ingrained common sense about physics.

“Anti-gravity…no, that’s not right, there’s no energy field reaction…this…this is impossible!” a young physicist exclaimed incoherently.

Chen Jingtong's pupils shrank to the size of pinpoints.

He stared intently at the leisurely young man, his heart churning with turbulent emotions.

Lin Feng finally landed in front of the base, his gaze calmly sweeping over the top scientists of Earth before him.

“Professor Chen,” he began, his voice gentle yet possessing a penetrating insight, “I’ve heard that you have some different views on my kingdom.”

Chen Jingtong took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

He knew that the person before him was beyond his comprehension. But his dignity as a scientist prevented him from kneeling down as easily as those ordinary survivors.

“What we pursue is truth, freedom, and the scientific spirit of equality for all,” Chen Jingtong said in a deep voice. “But your kingdom is built on a personal myth. This runs counter to our ideals.”

“Ideology?” Lin Feng laughed, a hint of pity in his voice. “Your ideology has allowed you to eke out a living in this forest, relying on small hydroponic farms and energy resources that could run out at any moment. My ‘myth’ allows nearly 400,000 people to enjoy peace, prosperity, and dignity in a city you can’t even imagine.”

He raised his hand and gently squeezed a several-ton boulder next to him.

"Snap!"

Before everyone's horrified eyes, the hard boulder, like a cookie crushed by an invisible hand, instantly turned into dust and scattered in the wind.

Lin Feng took a step forward, and the invisible pressure caused all the scientists to involuntarily retreat.

"I'm not here to debate ideas with you. I'm just here to tell you a fact."

"On this planet, I am the only truth. My will is the highest law of physics."

He looked at Chen Jingtong, whose face was deathly pale, and spoke again: "I need your knowledge, and the kingdom needs it too. You have a choice: take your 'ideas' and your base with you, and let me wipe you off this planet."

"Or, become my subjects and use your 'knowledge' to serve my 'myth'. I will grant you an unprecedented research environment, the equipment and resources you have always dreamed of."

After saying that, he stopped looking at the people.

He turned and walked toward Skywalker.

“Show them some ‘real miracles’,” Lin Feng said with a sneer.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" someone immediately shouted.

The next second, the space above the research base rippled like water.

A massive holographic projection covered the entire sky.

But this time, it wasn't the military parade that was being broadcast.

The image shows Wang Dachui's enormous industrial furnace.

But the protagonist is Lin Feng.

In the scene, Lin Feng is suspended in mid-air, his eyes gleaming with golden light.

Before him, countless metal atoms and rare earth elements converged from the void, and under his telekinetic control with precision down to the atomic level, they began to automatically weave and combine.

Circuits, transistors, complex mechanical structures...

A lithography machine, which would take the most advanced industrial nations and countless resources to build, was "created" from scratch in just a few minutes.

Next comes the more complex bioengineering.

Lin Feng took a gene chain from an alien creature, scattered it out of thin air, and then, like God weaving a book of life, removed the harmful parts, optimized the beneficial parts, and then perfectly fused it with the genes of Earth's crops.

A single seed, born out of thin air.

Once planted, the seed, catalyzed by special energy, took root and sprouted within minutes, growing into a crop laden with enormous fruit.

This is a power that only gods can possess!

Inside the base, all the scientists were stunned.

They watched as the miraculous scene unfolded in the sky, and their proud scientific edifice was utterly, mercilessly, and completely destroyed from its very foundation.

"thump."

A young biologist was the first to kneel down. He watched the perfect gene-editing process on the screen, his eyes filled with unprecedented fervor.

“God…this is…this is the ultimate mystery of the universe…the end of life sciences…”

"Thump! Thump!"

More and more scientists knelt down. Not out of fear, but because they saw a "science" of a higher dimension than they had imagined.

They offered their highest and most thorough respect as top intellectuals to the backs of the man who had already boarded the "Skywalker" and to the man who had shown them the "realm of the gods."

Chen Jingtong did not kneel.

He just stood there, his body trembling violently with emotion, tears streaming down his face.

He lost.

They lost convincingly.

He realized that this was not a clash of ideas, but a crushing defeat of one dimension.

"I...we...are willing to join your kingdom, Your Majesty!" He shouted with all his might toward the sky, "We are willing to dedicate all our knowledge to you, to this great miracle!"

Lin Feng stood by the porthole of the "Skywalker," looking down at the group of enthusiastic scientists, a satisfied smile playing on his lips.

With the addition of Chen Jingtong and his team, the Kingdom of Stars has finally filled the last and most important gap.

The kingdom's technology tree is about to be forcibly lit up at an unbelievable speed by this group of top brains!