Chapter 262: with translation of chapter title

Starting from the excavation of an unknown-meaning and unknown-purpose Metal Relic from Meisi Ruiyin's colony, Sui Bian realized that the race that built this relic was likely the Forerunners.

Not only is the architectural style similar, but the team led by Lao La Kelaofu, while conducting research, also had certain access permissions and did not need to use blasting to delve deep into the relic's interior.

Umbrella has just begun its research on the Meisi Ruiyin relic.

Afterwards, Shirley discovered a second relic on Harvest Star, and combined with the Punishment Ship "Cooking" of the Star Alliance scouting fleet…

Especially that Longneck Jellyfish captured by Gabriel and his team, Sui Bian could finally confirm that this universe also harbors a Forerunner race.

Or rather, they once existed.

Because that Longneck Jellyfish is not a conventional organism; it is a half‑machine, half‑lifeform created by the Forerunners, named Huragok.

This gentle, tranquility‑loving, peace‑seeking race was granted by the Forerunners a talent for mastering machinery.

Skilled in maintenance, retrieval, upkeep, cartography, modification, and various other engineering‑related tasks.

Thus, they can be directly called Engineers.

The prophets who first discovered the Engineer Clan treated them as slaves, exploiting their mechanical aptitude as much as possible to further expand the Star Alliance's military strength.

And the Forerunners…

If Sui Bian's past‑life memory is not mistaken, the Forerunners should have become the masters of the galaxy fifteen to sixty thousand years ago.

However, the galaxy he now inhabits differs greatly from the Halo he knows.

First, what is the relationship between this universe's Ancient Humans and Forerunners and the Precursors, who are infinitely close to a god‑level civilization, and do the Precursors even exist?

Second, the superweapon constructed by the Forerunners and named Halo, and the terrifying insectoid species it targets——

Flood.

In Halo, the Precursors Clan walked the galaxy in flesh and blood, spreading the seeds of life and creating peoples such as the Ancient Humans, Forerunners, and prophets.

The relationship between the Forerunners and the Ancient Humans is like that of an elder brother and a younger brother, and they even waged a clan war measured in tens of thousands of years.

During the war, each side had its victories and losses.

But the final result was a Forerunner victory, reducing Ancient Human technology to the Stone Age and confining them to Earth.

However, not long after the Forerunners became galactic overlords, they faced a full‑scale invasion by the Flood, a biological weapon likewise created by the Precursors.

Before the outbreak of the ten‑thousand‑year war.

The arrogant and overconfident Forerunners, dissatisfied that the Precursors intended to groom Ancient Humans as their heirs, carried out a "filial piety" maneuver, successfully ambushing the Precursors and then launching a war against the Ancient Humans.

But what the Forerunners destroyed was only the Precursors' physical bodies.

To teach the "elder son" a lesson and test whether the "younger son" was capable of inheriting the mantle, the Precursors seeded the galaxy with enough Flood to devour all sentient life.

If a single infectious spore appears on a planet and is not promptly detected and eradicated, that planet can essentially be declared hopeless.

The Flood's consumption includes the bodies, memories, intellect, and thought of sentient life.

The more it consumes, the smarter the Flood becomes, eventually forming a supreme commander‑like "Cerebral Corpse".

One wanes as the other waxes.

Fighting the Flood with conventional means only continually feeds them, allowing them to evolve without cease.

Thus the Forerunners developed a superweapon capable of One‑Click Erase.

Its pulse speed can even defy physical laws, achieving instantaneous eradication of all life in the galaxy, including the Forerunners' own Halo.

Ignite the Halo.

Everything returns to zero.

But the Forerunners' left‑behind artificial intelligence begins work, redistributing across the galaxy all life samples that had been backed up in advance.

Among the samples are humans who can be either friend or foe, yet there are no Forerunners of their own.

It might be atonement, or it might be internal factional strife; Sui Bian's past self never delved into the specific details.

His galaxy now teems with all kinds of monsters and demons, not to mention interdimensional demons that covet the physical universe, making the environment far more complex and perilous than that of Halo.

The Forerunners indeed exist.

But their relationship with humanity and the Precursors could be completely different, just as this world's hellish plane differs from the hell of Doom.

That "man" is not the "hot guy" who likes rabbits, but Zigler's father waiting to come home.

Moreover, among his company's employees there is one who, counting her dormant period, has lived nearly thirty thousand years as a hunting goddess.

Artemis told Sui Bian about the past of Olympus and the Titan Tribe; reckoning it up, the Greek divine clan has survived on Earth for at least a hundred thousand years.

During that time, they have never encountered a Halo Pulse that erases all life, nor have they encountered the Forerunners' artificial intelligence reconstructing life systems on Earth.

As for why humans still possess access permission to Forerunner relics, that can only be investigated further after he reaches Harvest Star.

He pondered for a moment.

Sui Bian lightly waved his left hand, moving the holographic screen before him to the central console, then turned and walked toward the center of the bridge.

The red and white queens followed left and right.

Moreover, the White Queen, whose appearance almost matches that of the Red Queen and whose eyes flicker with a faint blue light, reported to her boss:

"Chairman, we will arrive at Harvest Star in three hours; the Lao La Kelaofu team that set out earlier will reach there before us."

"I am also trying to understand the enemy's language; based on the commander's tone and my own comprehension, I have preliminarily translated the video message sent by the enemy commander to the Punishment Ship."

Speaking, they have already arrived at the side of the central console.

Sui Bian crossed his hands in front of him, gazing at the somewhat dazzling star chart and data, and said: "What are you saying?"

Upon hearing that,

The White Queen's expression showed a hint of solemnity, her voice slightly heavy as she said: "The enemy commander calls himself Muerlinmiir."

It says that Harvest Star holds a divine legacy, and humanity's presence desecrates that legacy, desecrating the deities they revere.

To uphold the Holy Covenant Scripture, it and its forces will carry out the extermination order issued by the Empire, burning to ashes all heretics on Harvest Star.

The White Queen added: "Although the content is mostly translated according to my understanding, it's not hard to guess that they are a religiously inclined Multi‑race United Empire, and they have formally declared war on us."

"War? Ha, couldn't be better." Leon, standing opposite the central console, chimed in.

Leon, wearing knight-type OriginalBody powered armor, maintained the same stance as his father, speaking with a tone of contempt:

"Losing even when outnumbered three to one, what right do you have to be arrogant? It's perfect to take their empire as a stepping stone, the start of the great crusade, and let the trash see what a true extermination order is."

"Heh." Sui Bian gave a light laugh.

This time, he did not teach his son as usual, saying things like "don't be careless" and "stay vigilant".

At this stage, humanity is fully qualified to regard the Star Alliance as trash.

When John conveyed through Hong Hou that the Second Legion was present and Harvest Star would surely be safe, Sui Bian felt not the slightest worry.

Because his second son, and the Sparta Corps he leads, are "professionally matched" in dealing with the Star Alliance.

Thirty newly adult reservists could stroll leisurely through the Star Alliance's battle carriers.

Moreover, within the Sparta Corps, there are over seven thousand seasoned adults equipped with Thunder Hammers and Terminators, the Astartes.

If the Star Alliance really dared to gather multiple main fleets and invade Harvest Star again, John would simply wipe them out, saving the trouble of a time-consuming journey into unknown space to seek them.

But Sui Bian still corrected his third son, saying:

"This is not a great crusade, Leon; this is merely a routine "counteroffensive war," after all, they were the ones who declared war on us first."

Furthermore, judging solely by the enemy's displayed technology and military strength, their territory should not extend beyond the Orion Arm, so it cannot be called a great crusade.

But this is an excellent opportunity to formally announce to the outside world the existence of you and your brothers; it's time for humanity as a whole to learn more of the truth.

"I will follow father's arrangements." Leon replied respectfully, then fell silent with a cold expression.

Sui Bian, meanwhile, glanced to his right and asked: "How does society view this incident?"

"Although the public only knows that Harvest Star lost contact, we don't need to release details; the internet and various media have already concluded it was an alien species invasion." White Queen replied.

"Hmm, we should get used to it." Sui Bian muttered, nodding, and then ordered the White Queen:

"Notify UEG and UNSC to appropriately disclose details of this invasion incident, and be sure to promote that Harvest Star suffered extremely low casualties while defeating the enemy fleet."

"Okay."

"Furthermore..." Sui Bian continued to order:

"On various websites, forums, and social media apps, using the company's official accounts, post image data of the First Legion's fleet."

"It should include Robert, the Limitless Warriors' and auxiliary forces' daily lives, as well as regular joint training."

"Finally, announce the helmet camera footage of Gabriel Angelos leading the reservists as they execute boarding actions on enemy ships."

"Avoid excessive gore, cut out the scenes of the four‑jawed (elite) species being slaughtered by Angelos and his men, edit appropriately, keep the length under four minutes; you, White Queen, are personally responsible for this."

"Leave it to me." White Queen gladly replied.

But shortly after, she hesitated and said: "Then, Chairman, how should we respond to the public's inquiries?"

"Stay silent; when releasing information, there's no need to deliberately write any copy." Sui Bian briefly replied.

"Okay."

———————

…

Soon after.

Within the Solar System.

Orbiting the Third Orbit, the mother star of humanity, Earth, is more prosperous and powerful than ever before.

Around Earth, blue‑light‑emitting jump‑gate entrances flash frequently.

Indicating that countless cargo ships, cruise liners, and other vessels use the fault tunnels to travel back and forth between Earth and the various colonies.

In Earth's close orbit are deployed electromagnetic defense platforms several times more numerous than those on Zhi Yuan Star, plus dozens of orbital elevators larger than those on Harvest Star, and transportation hubs.

Originally produced in the mid‑late 20th century and early 21st century, space debris has long been cleaned up by human engineering ships, and no longer threatens civilian vessels, shuttles, or space stations.

At this moment.

A giant cruise liner, after leaving the fault tunnel, did not head for the nearest hub but adjusted its angle and entered the atmosphere directly.

Soon, it descended to an altitude of less than three kilometers above the ground.

The cruise liner began to decelerate, allowing passengers to still enjoy an excellent view before disembarking, taking in Earth's unique natural scenery.

After all, for the vast majority of tourists, this is their first visit to the mother planet since birth.

Beneath the cruise liner.

First a dense forest, then the outskirts of a city, the community made up of low‑rise houses of various designs.

Further ahead, tourists can overlook a high‑tech zone filled with factory buildings.

Looking far ahead, the city is lined with megastructures over a hundred meters tall.

Its scale is far less than the metropolises on Arcadia, Zhi Yuan Star, or other colonies that gather over a hundred million people.

But this is a unique urban form on Earth, where past, present, and future are intertwined.

The cruise liner slowly swept over the city.

Upon close observation, one can see that the city retains many buildings over a hundred years old, used as tourist check‑in and sightseeing spots.

However, the streets are crowded with large numbers of people wearing "armor" and "exotic costumes".

There are soldiers with a strong sci‑fi style, as well as sorcerers wielding staffs and draped in black robes.

Like characters stepped out of games, comics, and movies into reality, they directly raise the city's liveliness to its peak.

In fact, these people are precisely those portraying their favorite characters, traveling from thousands of miles away, even light‑years, to this city to attend the annual "Electronic Entertainment Expo".

Today is August 11 Atlantic Time, also the final day of the "Expo," making the city's sidewalks extremely crowded.

And the only Earth city that players regard as a "holy land" is Raccoon City.

Umbrella's headquarters building is located at the center of Raccoon City, surrounded by clock towers and churches full of historical charm.

Not far to the east of the headquarters building.

It is a university with a history of over half a century, renowned worldwide and throughout human territory——

Ambrella University.

The entire campus resembled a town, with all kinds of facilities complete; the most numerous buildings were the science and technology building and the laboratories.

In terms of funding, it was the least thing to worry about.

At this moment.

During summer vacation, the campus was relatively deserted; only students who had opted for summer classes were still moving between the various buildings.

Students whose hometowns were outside the Solar System, or were strolling by the campus's artificial lake, or participating in the 'exhibition,' but more were resting in the dormitory building.

Suddenly…

"Go online! Hurry up and go online!"

"They are real!!"

Suddenly, a few students' loud shouts broke the campus's tranquility.

In a male dormitory with four bunk beds, three students huddled close together, gathering on the bunk near the balcony.

The 'crystal' computer placed on the desk below the bunk was playing, on its holographic screen, a jump-assist battle video edited by the White Empress, Gabriel, and the reserve forces, for them.

(End of chapter)