Chapter 332: Titanium Empire and the Second Expedition

"Whoa, these things are really fucking ugly, and each one is as weak as trash. I have no idea where they got the courage to invade our training planet."

The boisterous new recruits, upon seeing the alien's true form, couldn't help but keep heckling, and they even kicked a skull that rolled to their feet.

"Mm, they are indeed quite ugly."

"??!!"

A sudden voice of agreement rang out among them, prompting the three recruits and Sha La to instantly go on alert, pointing their weapons toward the speaker.

NuoWa, who had voluntarily deactivated the HES Optical Camouflage, was seen bending over to examine a relatively intact alien corpse.

"Who are you?" Sha La asked, her expression solemn.

After all, her Spiritual Perception had been unable to detect NuoWa's presence from start to finish; even with NuoWa standing right before her, she sensed not a trace of Spiritual Energy.

It was as if she were a Ghost.

"Don't be nervous, kids," NuoWa said, no longer staring at the corpse but pointing upward, smiling at everyone:

"Your trial was interrupted by these ugly aliens, but… I don't think it'll be long before you get a rare chance for real combat."

"And you…" NuoWa said, stepping slowly toward the still confused Sha La, extending her right hand:

"You're performing quite well, Sha La Kai Rui Gan, although the way we first met isn't exactly what I imagined, it doesn't matter; from now on, I will be your Spiritual Energy mentor."

"Um…"

Sha La was a bit puzzled, but still reached out her right hand to shake NuoWa's, and asked, "May I ask exactly who you are…?"

NuoWa withdrew her right hand, not replying immediately, and instead removed the human‑caliber explosive arrow pistol attached to her lower back. With a "ka—ta—" click of the bolt loading, she continued:

"NuoWa."

With that, NuoWa had already moved away from the crashed transport craft, heading toward the front‑line base.

"…"

Sha La and the three recruits exchanged glances, but soon they stopped hesitating and followed NuoWa away.

From high above, the whole jungle was filled with explosions and flames, terrified animals and dinosaurs fleeing in panicked chaos.

The self‑evacuating recruits had to dodge these rampaging beasts while also dealing with the alien fragments that had reached the ground.

And the base at the jungle's center, town‑sized, had its defense systems active, dense barrages lighting up the night sky.

"Ri—- whoosh!!"

The massive prism towers surrounding the base linked together to boost power, assisting the close‑range defense cannons in taking out enemy transport or attack craft.

"Boom!!"

Streaks of blinding beams could pierce or explode any alien aerial vehicle, and even those equipped with energy‑shield defenses could not withstand the linked beams of the prism towers.

The prism towers and technology wielded by Umbrella were among the "goods" Sui Bian had traded for, and unlike in Red Alert, they are not limited to ground‑unit attacks but have multiple functions.

At that moment.

Countless beams rained down, attempting a saturated bombardment of the base, but…

"Buzz!! Buzz!!"

A pale‑gold energy shield large enough to envelop the entire base and the surrounding jungle rose, nullifying all the beam bombardment.

Nowadays even individual soldiers' gear has energy shields; a large base like this, especially one linking Earth and the prehistoric planet's Space Gate, could not possibly lack a high‑power shield generator.

———————

…

Meanwhile.

On Earth, in the night‑time city of Raccoon City, inside the top‑floor office of the Ambrella Headquarters, Sui Bian, having removed his formal coat, stood by the floor‑to‑ceiling window.

He had originally approached with a relaxed, carefree mindset, to enjoy the long‑missed city nightscape and feel human sentiment.

After all, in this decade humanity's rare tranquility saw its territories expand steadily, even the elite race's home star system now fell within human dominion.

Excluding the friendly species that chose to join human society, the current total human population had surged to a near‑four‑hundred‑billion, 393.2 billion people.

If you go back a hundred and twenty years, that figure would be unimaginable, even absurdly exaggerated.

Nowadays people just consider it normal, not pondering the population figure, nor feeling "panic" over the sheer numbers, fearing resources might be hoarded by a few.

And demonic incidents within the territories have sharply declined; only a handful of clueless, soul‑craving newcomers dare cause trouble.

In the end, all were dealt with by the Regulatory Department and the Gray Knights; unless the evil gods stir another interdimensional storm, such fragments lack the strength to shake human society.

Although various factions beyond the Orion Arm were stirring, the most radical were the Vilin pirates who still willingly fell into depravity, reveling in ultimate pleasure; yet due to many factors, especially Sui Bian's presence, these alien forces only dared to harass and clash on the borders in small skirmishes.

Nevertheless, it's already good that humanity can enjoy a period of tranquility.

Only this peace was shattered by a horde of alien fragments that poured massive forces into attacking the prehistoric planet!

The relaxed, pleasant mood vanished entirely.

Anger and frustration rose to the top.

"…"

Sui Bian stared at the holographic screen beside him, his brows involuntarily furrowing.

The base has already collected a large number of alien corpses, and local technicians and researchers are now dissecting and analyzing them; the related data have naturally been uploaded to Sui Bian, including full images of the alien bodies.

Titan?

Seeing the alien forms attacking the prehistoric planet, combined with seemingly advanced, distinctly human‑styled power armor and vehicles, Sui Bian first thought of the Titan race.

He hadn't expected the young race from Warhammer 40k to actually inhabit the fringe of this galaxy.

However, this "Titan" is not that "Titan".

The race invading the prehistoric planet, though very similar to the Titans, lacks the Titans' distinctive "I" face—a vertical slit between the eyes.

And they appear bulkier than Titans, but only to a degree, far less than adult humans.

"Chairman…" the Red Queen reported at that moment, "According to the latest intel, there are a total of 414 alien vessels, and our space station has already fallen. If we take no action, in four hours the enemy will fully seize control of the prehistoric planet."

The Red Queen continued, while another holographic screen appeared to Sui Bian's left, showing close‑up footage of enemy warships captured by the space station before its total collapse.

Its length, width, and sense of bulk are completely different from human warships; calling it a warship is less accurate than calling it an enormous flat "toy tank", painted in bright yellow and blue as if afraid that no one would see them in the deep void of space.

Its specifications and size can be matched against the human Paris-class escort ship.

Immediately after, Hong Hou zoomed in on the ship's starboard side, allowing Sui Bian to see more directly an "O"-shaped mark and a string of incomprehensible characters.

Then she said, "Chairman, the White Queen and I tried to translate this passage; the general meaning appears to be the ship's unit affiliation, designation, and unique name, with the most notable term being 'Ti'opu'."

"Ti'opu?" Sui Bian glanced sideways at Hong Hou.

"Yes." Hong Hou nodded lightly and continued, "According to the White Queen's and my understanding, this warship belongs to the Ti'opu Empire, so Ti'opu may also be the self‑designation of their race."

"Hmm…" Sui Bian turned his head back, refocused on the night view of Raccoon City, relaxed his furrowed brows, and in a low voice said, "If we take no action, Ti'opu is indeed a problem."

He pondered for a moment.

"White Queen, you are in charge of dispatching supplies to the Space Gate base, and also sending enough unpainted ceramic‑steel armor to that base so that the children whose trials were forced to halt can serve as part of the main force this time; nothing trains more effectively than actual combat."

By the way, since NuoWa has already made contact with Sarah Kerrygan, also prepare a set of Ghost operative gear for that child.

"Understood, Chairman, I am already handling it."

After briefing the White Queen, Sui Bian added, "Hong Hou, connect me to Rog."

"Yes." Hong Hou replied.

After a brief wait.

Not far behind Sui Bian, numerous blue light specks appeared, gradually coalescing into Rog, dressed in a custom uniform with a cropped haircut.

As soon as the image formed, Rog hurriedly asked, "Father, what urgent matter is there?"

"Select the elite of your legion…" Sui Bian turned toward Rog, his tone sharp, "Immediately head to the Prehistoric Planet and wipe out those vermin completely; you shouldn't need my reminder on how to kill them, child."

"My legion?"

Rog was stunned, seemingly unable to believe the order's reality, after all he and his Glory Iron Fist have been 'holed up' in the Solar System for over a hundred years!

One hundred years…

A century has passed; aside from taking part in Harvest Star's pre‑war declaration, Rog and Glory Iron Fist have never left the Solar System, constantly occupied with various defenses.

For example, they frequently cooperate with the Engineering Department to build all kinds of orbital and ground electromagnetic and plasma cannons, or excavate massive defensive structures beneath major cities on Earth, Mars, and Venus.

It can be said that under Rog's meticulous management, the Solar System is virtually impregnable.

As for Magnus, who also stations in the Solar System with Rog…

He basically never leaves Mars, spending almost all his time researching Rift Space and "magic", truly a recluse.

And as the smallest legion, Tutmos naturally shares the same reclusive trait, preferring to study and discuss academic issues.

But…

Magnus and Tutmos have already participated in several wars, while Rog and Glory Iron Fist have been 'holed up' at home.

Although handing the Solar System to him signifies the father's confidence in his ability, Rog has been cooped up at home for far too long.

Just thinking about it feels painful.

Regaining his composure, Rog immediately performed a textbook military salute, his face solemn, "Father, rest assured! I will definitely kill those vermin cleanly!"

"Very well, go prepare."

"Yes!"

Communication terminated.

Sui Bian slightly turned his head, looked at Hong Hou and asked, "Which star sector is closest to the domain where the Prehistoric Planet resides?"

"The Extreme Sector overseen by OriginalBody Robert," Hong Hou replied, and Sui Bian's question prompted her to proactively make a suggestion:

"Chairman, using the Space Gate to mass‑transfer legions without attracting attention is unrealistic; if the Extreme Legion from the Extreme Sector departs immediately, it will reach the destination in just six Earth days."

In fact, even without Hong Hou mentioning it, Sui Bian had the same intention; otherwise he wouldn't have asked which new sector was nearest.

Given the current situation inside and outside the territory, even if a sector temporarily lacks an OriginalBody and stationed legion, no problem will arise, especially since he is present.

What Sui Bian wants is not merely to eliminate the Ti'opu fleet attacking the Prehistoric Planet; he wants to dispatch a legion to eradicate the Ti'opu Empire and destroy any alien forces in that domain.

Seeing the garrison on the Prehistoric Planet thin, does he think humans are easy to bully?

And if the Ti'opu Empire sends troops to seize and colonize, it means the Prehistoric Planet is already exposed; even if this attack is repelled, a second, third, or even other forces will eventually strike.

Doing nothing is not an option; directly occupying the entire domain aligns with Sui Bian's modus operandi, and it's a perfect chance to teach the restless factions in the galaxy a lesson.

After Hong Hou finished her proposal, he "helped" her add, ordering, "One legion may not suffice, Hong Hou, inform Robert and have him begin preparations for the expedition."

While ensuring the Extreme Sector retains sufficient defensive strength, lead the Extreme Legion and the UNSC fleet through Rift Space to the Prehistoric Planet immediately; as for supplies and ammunition, he need not worry, as those will be delivered via the Space Gate.

Expedition?

Both Hong Hou and the White Queen, as well as the barely noticeable Leon standing silently by the gate, were startled, as if they hadn't heard that term in ages.

Hong Hou then replied, "Yes, Chairman."

Sui Bian looked at Leon standing by the gate and said, "Leon, you too, lead all Dark Angels to the Prehistoric Planet and let the fringe residents of the galaxy witness humanity's strength."

"Understood, father."

Leon obeyed without hesitation, turned, and walked out of the office.

Among all the brothers, only Leon remains by Sui Bian's side as a "bodyguard", though in reality neither he nor the brothers' father actually need any protection.

Therefore Leon would have no hesitation like "Father, what should we do?"

After the office's automatic doors closed and his son's figure disappeared completely, Sui Bian finally shifted his gaze to the holographic screen.

"Chairman." The White Queen asked, "Should this expedition be made public to society?"

"Of course." Sui Bian replied without hesitation, "Openly deploying two legions and the UNSC fleet, how could we possibly keep it hidden?"

Straightforwardly inform the public that the Ti'opu Empire in the galaxy's fringe poses hostility and threat to humanity and has attacked our 'exploration fleet' beyond our borders; you need not need further instruction from me on those details.

"Hmm, I will handle the public opinion, Chairman."

(End of chapter)