Chapter 142 Chapter 142
However, false hopes will eventually be shattered. What really happens in this world is far more cruel than what is captured from Soma's perspective.
Soma was put on show by the tycoons, and after a brief period of stability, the war in the turbulent empire intensified.
First, the number of Zerg increased dramatically. Large numbers of Zerg poured into the Empire from all directions and almost occupied a quarter of the Empire's planets. Although the remaining planets have not yet been occupied, they are under threat at all times.
However, the new ruling government centered on Soma did not save the people of the empire from the dire straits as the people of the empire had expected.
At first, the four big tycoons wanted to put on a show and let Soma lead the army to several surrounding planets to fight against the Zerg. However, as the number of Zerg increased and their strength became stronger, these selfish capitalists retreated.
The costs and risks of fighting the insect swarm are far greater than expected, and everything is beginning to get out of control.
Not only are the Zerg rampant, but there are also organizations and churches that have sprung up while taking advantage of the people's panic. After being eliminated like pigs, the remaining two or three organizations have grown larger and larger, with an inestimable number of people joining them. They have become large enough to establish a new regime.
The royal family's control over the empire was repeatedly weakened, and the emerging organizations, led by the Holy Legion, divided the star regions and established new regimes, no longer obeying the control of the Galactic Empire.
However, the ambitious Zerg did not stop plundering because of the internal strife of the Empire. Instead, the internal division of the Empire and the independent governance of several political powers made the plundering easier. Under the command of those intelligent anthropomorphic Zerg, within just one year, another quarter of the Empire's star field was swallowed up.
The empire was reduced to half its former size.
At this time, facing the overwhelming and endless Zerg swarm, everyone began to feel fear from the bottom of their hearts.
The people of the Empire no longer expect the army and soldiers to drive out the Zerg, but only hope to keep their current homeland.
When everyone started to passively resist and watched the Zerg grow bigger, only Rong Heng and his group had not given up. After a year of getting along and running-in, the five of them have developed an extraordinary tacit understanding and become companions who can fight side by side and trust each other.
The interstellar pirate fleet led by the Black Ghost has been expanding again and again, and many wanderers whose homes have been destroyed have joined them, becoming a considerable mobile force.
They had no fixed base, and their fleets would rush to wherever the Zerg attacked. They provided support everywhere regardless of losses, trying to save the precarious empire.
But it was all in vain.
The Empire's star domain has been shrinking again and again. Whether it is the financial cliques and the ruling party that controls Sikkim, or the several anti-government forces that attempt to split the empire, they all chose to give up their strategy and retreat, and only defend their own base camps.
And those abandoned planets, having lost all support, could only resist in despair, and were inevitably swallowed up in the end.
The situation is getting worse.
At first, the interstellar pirate fleet worked together to fight against the Zerg and rescue people everywhere, but after nearly two years, people's morale began to fade.
Only Rong Heng and the other four remained steadfast.
Some people secretly accepted the invitation of other forces with their fleets in order to seek temporary stability; others, under the temptation of interests, became traitors and betrayed their teammates.
During a rescue operation, Rong Heng and his group's whereabouts were leaked by their companions and they were intercepted by the Royal Fleet.
Just like the attack Rong Heng encountered in the Baghdad area many years ago, the enemy had carefully planned the attack and gained the advantage with absolute firepower.
The warships around it kept falling, and the Black Ghost became shattered while holding on.
Finally, Heli ignored the obstruction of others and transformed into a huge black dragon. With bat wings spreading out that covered the sky and the sun, he took the initiative to face the enemy's fierce artillery fire, delaying the fleet's attack and buying the Black Ghost a moment to breathe.
The gigantic black dragon perished along with the royal fleet. Gunfire flew throughout the dark universe, and everything, whether steel or flesh, turned into stardust in an instant.
The Black Ghost escaped from the encirclement, and before it even had time to remember its lost teammates, it encountered the Ark of Revelation on the way.
The huge ark was like a space fortress, with countless battleships and fighter planes neatly arranged around it.
The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.
Even though Rong Heng and his companions tried their best, they were still unable to break out. In the end, the four remaining people were "invited" into the Ark.
The apocalypse that was waiting for them was completely different from before. He seemed to have changed his body again, no longer in human form, but a complete war machine. He was three meters tall, and from his head to his limbs, he was equipped with powerful weapons.
The only thing that remains unchanged is its polite attitude, and elegance seems to be engraved in its program.
He did not take action against Rong Heng and his men, but simply ordered his assistant robot to politely detain them.
The huge ark was heading towards an unknown place in the universe until a blue planet appeared in the window. Then the ark slowed down and slowly entered the atmosphere.
Unlike Rong Heng and others whose movements were restricted, Ruan Shiqing could move freely on the Ark. Naturally, he also saw the blue planet - Blue Star.
This planet no longer has the dead silence in memory. After countless years, the former buildings have turned into wasteland, and all traces of human activities have been wiped out again. The sea has returned to its blue color, the land has become fertile again, the mountains are continuous, the plains are vast, the forests are in full bloom, and animals and plants grow wildly.
Everything is full of life.
There is only one canyon where a group of low buildings are hidden.
The Ark landed in the building complex, and Rong Heng and his party were also transferred into the building.
During the transfer, Ruan Jiao seemed to realize something. He turned his head and looked around, his forehead tentacles swaying slowly. It was not until the robot soldiers sent them into a closed house that he spoke softly: "This is Blue Star."
He has been on this planet for many years, and even if he has never gone out, he is familiar with the scent of the plants and trees here.
Rong Heng and his group were guessing why Tianqi had imprisoned them here, but Tianqi did not give them a chance to explore. On the second day after arriving at Blue Star, he ordered the robot to inject relaxants into the four people and sent them into a special hibernation chamber.
Rong Heng tried hard to resist the effects of the drugs and questioned his purpose.
Tianqi just said it was a deal.
Before Rong Heng could think clearly, he fell into a deep sleep.
Ruan Shiqing watched Tianqi copy and store his core program. Then he ordered the robots left behind to take care of the four dormant pods. He seemed to have vaguely glimpsed the tip of the iceberg.
He thought of Si Yan, who was silently carrying out his revenge in his own world.
In this world, Si Yan seems to be completely unnoticeable except for the title of "Mad King". Even though the empire has fallen to its current state, he has not taken any action.
But in the world he lives in, Si Yan already knew that Queen Farah was murdered and had been secretly plotting revenge for years; in this world, there was no reason for him to do nothing.
He immediately thought of the deal that Tianqi had mentioned.
At this time, there are not many people who can do business with Tianqi. Besides, apart from Si Yan, who else will go out of his way to protect Rong Heng and his party?
Ruan Shiqing had a guess in his mind, so he no longer stayed beside the hibernation capsule, but followed Tianqi to the underground.
Under Rong Heng's feet, there is a huge underground laboratory. Countless glass columns contain specimens of humans, animals, and even insects. In addition, there is a central computer that controls the entire laboratory. Countless data are drawn on the quantum computer. Ruan Shiqing quickly captures the information and finds that the entire laboratory is actually a huge artificial ovary, which stores the embryos of countless creatures.
After checking step by step, Tianqi dialed a number.
Si Yan's holographic image appeared in the laboratory. Compared with the other world, he had changed a lot. His overly long hair covered his face. His temperament was cold and his eyes were full of obsession and madness. "Are you all settled?"
Tianqi said, “Hmm,” “When they wake up, it should be a different world.”
Si Yan frowned, still questioning: "Is the dosage of the medicine enough? They are different from ordinary people. If they wake up early, it will be very troublesome."
"I used three times the dosage." After hearing him say this, Tianqi's tone became hesitant: "This is the maximum amount, no more."
Si Yan had no choice but to give up after hearing this: "Let your people guard that place."
After ending the communication, Tianqi drove the Ark and left the Blue Planet.
Ruan Shiqing followed him, and only then gradually understood the meaning of his brief conversation with Si Yan.
They seemed to have reached a consensus and completely abandoned the Empire. Instead, they began to focus on dealing with the Zerg - not directly against the Zerg, but secretly mixed other things into the "Sky Stone" that the Zerg relied on to evolve...
Their actions were very covert and no one noticed.
As the years passed, only Sikkim, Tutar, and a few scattered planets in the empire's star field were still stubbornly holding on.
In order to ensure sufficient population, these planets that only seek to protect themselves finally stopped shrinking and began to send out rescue ships to rescue the survivors scattered everywhere, but even so, the population is still declining sharply. Under the high pressure of the Zerg, the class system on the surviving planets has become more stringent, and everyone is allocated survival supplies according to their contributions. There are riots and repressions happening all the time.
In contrast, the number of Zerg is constantly increasing, and the number of lower-level Zerg is almost exponentially increasing. They are wreaking havoc throughout the universe, but there are no more highly intelligent anthropomorphic Zerg.
Humans and higher insect species seemed to be dying together, but no one noticed at this time.
In the first decade, the four great tycoons were replaced by the Holy Legion, a group of aliens. The remaining survivors began to believe in the Creator in despair and prayed to the gods to bring them peace.
In the second decade, the leader of the Holy Legion, the Creator Alfonso, was killed and dismembered by angry believers because he could no longer perform miracles. Sikkim was in chaos due to frequent violence and riots.
In the third decade, after the turmoil, the population of Sikkim dropped sharply. The four ancient clans, the royal family, the four tycoons, and the Holy Legion all became a thing of the past and gradually faded into history. Especially the bloodlines of the four ancient clans, the mermaid clan and the nine-tailed fox clan were completely cut off. Only the dragon clan, which did not insist on bloodline, continued. After a long period of silence, it regained the right to speak and tried to lead the survivors to establish a new order and country.
At this time, the higher insects finally realized that there was a problem with the evolution of their group.
However, after several decades, the danger has spread, and over time, even the anthropomorphic Zerg have been affected, and their power has begun to decline. At this time, Si Yan and Tian Qi brought countless robots to slaughter all these high-level Zerg that were in decline.
The only ones left were the lower insects that had evolved in an unhealthy way. They had no wisdom and acted only on instinct. Without the command and restraint of the higher species, they multiplied rapidly in a short period of time and became a disaster.
In the fourth decade, low-level Zerg are almost everywhere, Sikkim has been breached, and the surviving humans have fled in panic, wandering in the universe, trying to find a new home.
At this time, Si Yan, who was approaching the end of his life, returned to the Blue Star with Tian Qi.
This planet is far away from the Milky Way Empire star region, and because Si Yan and Tian Qi deliberately arranged to hide it, it has never been discovered by the Zerg.
The Ark landed in the canyon, and the surrounding cabin walls stretched out and were supported on the canyon walls. The entire canyon instantly turned into an airtight fortress, properly protecting the buildings underneath.
Before his death, Si Yan went to see the well-guarded hibernation capsule. He did not leave a single word for the sleeping Rong Heng. Finally, holding his wedding ring with Farah, he walked to the end of his life with a smile on his face.
Tianqi scattered his ashes into the river according to his will, and the ashes, along with the necklace with the two rings, sank to the bottom of the water.
He once advised Si Yan to leave his genes in the artificial ovary so that when everything started over again, he could also be reborn, but he refused and stubbornly chose death.
Even though Tianqi claims to understand humans, he still cannot see through Si Yan.
According to their plan, after hundreds of years, the surviving humans will eventually become extinct, and the rampant Zerg will also eventually perish.
And they only need to wait here quietly, waiting for all the dust to settle, the artificial ovary will start up, and cultivate new life. And he, and all the robots left in hibernation, will start up again, creating a new world where humans and robots live together - this is the promise Si Yan made to him.
Si Yan used the laboratory left behind by the Zerg to design and build this huge artificial ovary system, which stores the embryos of countless creatures, and he is responsible for taking care of these new humans.
Since he had control over the new human race, he could naturally formulate new systems and rules.
Tianqi checked the entire system and made sure there were no omissions, then cut off the power supply and went into hibernation.
The entire fortress fell into darkness, with only a very small amount of energy supplying the ovarian system to protect the sleeping creatures.
Ruan Shiqing stood in the darkness, feeling vaguely uneasy.
Si Yan's arrangements seemed to be flawless, but he knew from time that the world eventually fell into destruction.
He waited anxiously, not knowing how much time had passed, when suddenly there was movement in the storage room where the hibernation capsule was placed—Rong Heng woke up.
After waking up from a long sleep, Rong Heng felt a little weak, but he still violently dismantled the hibernation capsule.
Soon after, Ruan Jiao also woke up, and they woke up Nota and Ruan Yuebai.
The four wandered around the fortress and found the video footage left by Tianqi. They learned that sixty years had passed since they fell into a coma, and also learned about Tianqi and Si Yan's plan.
But instead of hibernating again, they decided to go out and see what was going on outside.
They drove the repaired Black Ghost away from the Blue Star and headed towards the Imperial Star Territory.
The star field that was once familiar to him had already changed beyond all recognition. Many planets on the star map had disappeared, and only swarms of Zerg were nibbling everywhere. These Zerg had changed a lot from before. They had become even bigger, and their reactions had become slower, as if they only had the instinct to devour.
The Black Ghost reacted quickly, dodging swarms of Zerg and wandering around the universe for a long time before it accidentally encountered a surviving human being.
These survivors took root on a planet with a harsh environment. Their spaceships and battleships had no energy, and they lacked food and clothing. In order to survive, they returned to the most primitive way of life.
Only the battleships and spaceships covered with dust and used as residences still retain the memory of the once prosperous and glorious Galactic Empire.
There were not many of these surviving humans, only a few thousand in total.
They gather together to not only deal with the harsh environment, but also fight against the Zerg that occasionally discover this planet.
Most people had forgotten the once notorious Black Ghost. They looked at the landing spaceship as if they had seen a savior.
Rong Heng and his party stayed on this planet.
Under the pressure of cruel enemies and harsh environment, these survivors finally learned to unite as one and survive together. Due to the extremely sparse population, the remaining people cherish every compatriot very much.
Therefore, Rong Heng and his party received a friendly reception.
They stayed on this planet for two years before deciding to bring the survivors back to the Blue Planet.
The environment on Blue Planet is much better than here and more suitable for human reproduction.
On the day when the Black Ghost set sail again, this remote planet became unusually lively. The survivors packed their luggage excitedly and boarded the Black Ghost with hope.
The silent Black Ghost suddenly became lively.
However, Ruan Shiqing felt increasingly heavy in his heart.
Wherever the Black Ghost passed, he saw countless planets exploding, collapsing, and shattering, along with those huge and terrifying Zerg, which disappeared into the universe.
This change is like a wave, sweeping in from far away; although it is slow, it is inevitable.
In the tenth year since the Black Ghost led the survivors to the Blue Planet, a huge explosion swept across the Blue Planet.
In fact, the explosion had already begun. At first, there was only one planet, and then it spread to a small star field. Later, the scope of the star field expanded... The chain reaction spread out like ripples, and the scope became larger and larger.
The blue planet in this universe is also inevitable.
But in just a moment, the dazzling light swept across the blue star and swept away.
Everything returns to stardust.
This explosion may last for many years before it ends. After millions of years, the explosion subsides and the free stardust may meet again and condense into new planets.
But as time goes by, this is a new world again.
It has nothing to do with Rong Heng, Ruan Yuebai, Nuo Ta, He Li, Ruan Jiao, and everyone who has ever lived in this universe. Maybe it will give birth to new life again, but the people from the past will never come back.
Ruan Shiqing felt a chill in his chest. He suddenly opened his eyes and withdrew his mental power from the crystal ball.
He sat up, holding his chest, and noticed that the light of the crystal ball on the bedside table was gradually dimming.
There was a faint light leaking in through the gaps in the drawn curtains. The voices of the Xiong brothers and the sounds of the machines running came one after another, which gradually calmed his anxious heart.
There were thumping sounds on the stairs. The little golden robot walked briskly up the stairs and poked its head in from the door. "Sir, Mr. Garland sent a message. He asked me to tell you to go to the lab when you wake up."
The little robot was clinging to the door frame, with an exquisite bow tie on its protruding neck. On the display screen of its eyes, two red dots were flashing regularly, indicating that he was in a very happy mood at the moment.
It is a liveliness and simplicity that is completely different from the revelation in the previous world.
"Got it." Ruan Shiqing smiled at him: "I'll be there in a minute."
The little robot responded and trotted down the stairs, humming a lively and cheerful tune.
The falling star vines in the yard have grown taller again. He recently conceived a new shape and plans to trim the falling star vines beautifully before the cubs come back to welcome them home.