Chapter 274: Set Out! Void and Hunger

"It's about time."

As Sui Bian spoke, he waved his hand, dispersing the various data projected from the central console, turned and walked toward the massive forward viewport of the bridge, and ordered the Red Queen:

"Notify Robert and the others to prepare for a brief meeting."

"Yes." the Red Queen replied.

Sui Bian then halted, turned to face the entire bridge, with his back to the viewport that offered a superb view.

The Red Queen stood at his left side, while the White Queen stood at his right, now holding a long straight sword with a sheath, its hilt large enough for both hands to grasp.

The sheath and the main part of the hilt remained black, the color that best displayed Umbrella's style, and upon close inspection bore delicate gold‑thread patterns.

At the tip of the hilt was set a transparent gem that reflected a pale red hue under the light.

After a moment's wait.

The bridge filled with numerous blue "light specks" swirling like wind, converging and causing Robert, John, Rus, Shengjilesi, and Angelong, all clad in OriginalBody‑powered armor, to appear before Sui Bian in turn.

"Father." Robert, as the eldest son, spoke first for his brothers: "Has Kelakesi and NuoWa's side sent any news?"

"That's correct."

Sui Bian raised his right hand, took the long sword from the White Queen, then switched to holding the sheath with his left hand, and said to his five offspring:

"As planned, the Holy Covenant Empire has fallen into uncontrollable internal strife and now lacks its command hierarchy; it is at its weakest. Do you remember how I taught you back then?"

Seemingly recalling past times, the five OriginalBodies exchanged smiles and together replied, "Strike while it's sick, take its life!"

"Hahaha! Right!"

Satisfied with their answer, Sui Bian let out a rare, hearty laugh, then grasped the hilt with his right hand, mimicking the motion of drawing the sword, and, his excitement evident, admonished:

"Children! No need for superfluous words, but I must make clear one point: crush the Holy Covenant Empire with a withering, decisive force so it cannot retaliate!"

"Father, rest assured!"

At that moment.

"Clang!" a metallic ring sounded as Sui Bian drew his sword with his right hand, letting the cold, sharp blade flash out of the sheath.

"Hoo—!"

The instant the blade emerged, a searing, fiery agitation rippled through the bridge, and a blazing golden flame surged, enveloping the sword's blade.

Facing the blaze, Sui Bian raised the sword aloft and shouted, "To the campaign!"

"Yes! Father!"

The OriginalBodies responded with equal excitement, and voluntarily dispersed their holographic projections.

Seeing this,

Sui Bian waved his right hand, extinguishing the blazing light, and flawlessly sheathed the sword.

This long straight sword, called the Sword of Governance, is the one Sui Bian favors most among his many collections.

When Hephestus forged the sword, he drew an incalculable amount of Spiritual Energy from it; if anyone other than Sui Bian or his ten OriginalBody sons attempted to draw the blade, the best outcome would be a soul's annihilation.

He retracted the blade.

Sui Bian handed the Sword of Governance back to the White Queen, his secretary, and turned to face the viewport, watching the scene outside.

Below him,

was the Harvest Star, with a deep‑blue atmosphere and a surface covered by various plants and crops.

Looking forward,

against the backdrop of deep space, more than 1,200 warships and vessels opened jump gates of varying sizes, one after another entering the Rift Space in a spectacular display.

Such a grand, momentous departure caused the AI Red and White Queens, their synthetic faces' muscle fibers, to show a hint of emotion and fervor.

Although even now they could not fully grasp human emotions, they knew the war sparked by the Holy Covenant Empire was of great significance.

Because this was the largest‑scale interstellar war since Umbrella revealed the existence of OriginalBodies and Astate, and enlisted these extraordinary warriors.

Perhaps…

No, it should be future humanity; should they engage in a full‑scale war with other alien forces, its magnitude would inevitably surpass this one.

Thus the two can comprehend the significance of the first battle, and the Red Queen has continuously supplied intelligence support to the mixed fleets and the garrison.

The White Queen, of course, is not idle.

She now must covertly steer human economics, film the departure of the five mixed fleets, edit and upload the footage online, then monitor and control public opinion on the net.

Watching all mixed fleets slip into the Rift Space as the vortex entrances vanished, Sui Bian finally turned slightly and asked the White Queen beside him:

"How is the public reacting to the departure?"

Hearing this,

the White Queen, her eyes emitting a faint blue glow, reported, "Given the previously released jump‑battle video, the public is confident in this war, and enlistment numbers have risen considerably."

"Hmm, continue maintaining the current situation."

"Understood."

"Red Queen." Sui Bian turned again to the other side, addressing his twin sister the Red Queen, "Notify Leon and Magnus; it's time to depart for the Colins Star System."

"Yes."

"Also, tell them to be sure to watch their own safety."

"Yes."

Soon after the conversation ended,

Sui Bian looked through the viewport and saw a Resolute‑class ship of the Dark Angel fleet, its speed and maneuverability top‑notch, streaking past the Courage Anthem on the right.

The Resolute‑class detached from the fleet, reached its designated point, opened a vortex entrance, and entered the Rift Space to commence jump travel.

"…"

Seeing the vortex entrance dissolve, Sui Bian's brows furrowed slightly, showing concern.

Because his third and ninth sons are headed to the unknown Colins Star System, and humanity's oldest, strongest emotion is fear of the unknown.

Even though the current Sui Bian does not feel fear, his worry as a father for his son's emotions cannot be erased.

However, Lai'ang is the swordsmanship master among the many sons, and Magnus is the Spiritual User second only to him; the two together should be able to unravel all unknowns and ensure their own safety.

He remained silent for a moment.

Sui Bian left the side of the port window and returned to the side of the central console, preparing to hold a conference with UEG and UNSC officials and commanders to discuss the upcoming series of logistical matters.

———————

…

Eighteen hours later.

The steadfast‑class escort ship named "Teutonic Knight" swiftly sailed through the azure‑lit Rift Space tunnel.

Not long after.

The Teutonic Knight emerged from the tunnel's end, carrying Lai'ang, Magnus and others back to normal space and arriving at the destination of this voyage—

the Colins Star System.

Viewed from a "bird's‑eye" perspective, it is not hard to see that the Teutonic Knight's position lies at the very edge of the system.

At the system's center is a red dwarf star smaller and dimmer than the Sun, orbited by three planets.

The first and second orbits are dwarf planets; the third orbit is an ice giant similar to Neptune.

The dwarf planet in the first orbit has a diameter of only 1,200 km, an extremely thin atmosphere, and a surface that is a gray desert.

The second‑orbit body, however, measures 3,400 km in diameter, straddling the line between dwarf planet and terrestrial planet, and is a completely different "style" from the first.

Its atmosphere is dense, its surface bears oceans and land, bearing little resemblance to a typical dwarf planet.

Yet its atmosphere is rather hazy, perhaps due to insufficient illumination from the red dwarf, giving the whole dwarf planet a gray, squalid veil and a "morbid" sense of déjà vu.

At the same time.

Within this dwarf planet's near‑orbit and gravitational sphere, countless wrecks of Covenant Empire warships and vessels are scattered.

Even now, the wrecks still sporadically flash plasma‑cannon clusters, indicating that the civil war that broke out here has not yet ceased.

And at this moment.

The Teutonic Knight, moving at conventional speed, happens to skim past that sapphire‑like ice giant.

On the bridge.

A bald male captain, appearing about thirty years old and with a prosthetic replacing his left forearm, issued the order:

"All ships maintain alert, conduct a full scan of the dwarf planet in the second orbit, lock onto any surviving Covenant vessels, then determine which belong to Sangheli and which remain under the Empire."

"Aye, Captain," the crew responded.

Because the ship is equipped with the latest communication relay, the Teutonic Knight can still contact the outside world while performing a jump through Rift Space.

The most significant piece of intelligence is that three hours ago, the City of Benevolent successfully entered Harvest Star's gravitational sphere.

The Dark Angel fleet stationed at Harvest Star, together with UNSC fleet 045, dispatched a large combat force to land on the City of Benevolent to assist Kelakesi and NuoWa, thoroughly eradicating the Covenant forces of the Ghost‑faced Beast faction.

Since the Shadow and Ghost agents led by Kelakesi and NuoWa appeared "in time" and saved the lives of the vast majority of the tribe, the Elite hold humanity in high esteem.

Some elites, during the battle, even regarded the Shadows—who had once saved their lives and whose coordination was almost telepathic—as close friends.

With Muer serving as a "bridge" to guide the truth, and with the support of elite commanders such as Wadami and Atheis, the Elite and humanity formally reached an initial cooperation.

After all, both sides share the same goal: to dismantle the soaring Empire.

The Elite fight for revenge and the continuation of their race; humanity fights for stability, to keep fanatical religious sects from disturbing their borders.

Of course, the information unknown to everyone aboard the Teutonic Knight is that Sui Bian released Spiritual Energy to completely envelop the City of Benevolent, using Spiritual Energy cues to accelerate the cooperation.

That is why the bald captain ordered his crew to distinguish which ships belong to the Elite and which are commanded by the Ghost‑faced Beast.

"No need to make it so complicated, Captain."

At that moment, Magnus, standing beside the central console, shifted his gaze from the holographic star map of the Colins System, turned slightly, and said to the bald captain:

"Let's jump directly, taking us into the dwarf planet's gravitational sphere in the Second Orbit."

"This…"

The bald captain did not answer immediately, but looked toward Lai'ang, who was standing opposite Magnus, as if seeking Lai'ang's approval.

"…"

Lai'ang gave a slight nod, indicating that the bald captain should act according to his brother's wishes.

After receiving the approval, the bald captain ordered a crew member on the left side of the bridge: "Set the coordinates, prepare for the jump."

"Affirmative! Coordinates confirmed, all directives green, all personnel notified and ready…

Three,

Two,

One!

Initiate jump!"

Whoosh—!

As the crew completed the three‑second countdown, everyone present felt a distinct "push‑back" sensation, and the view outside the port window was "compressed".

The "push‑back" lasted only a few seconds.

But the "compressed" view will persist until the jump concludes.

Seeing this,

Magnus, clad in a power suit with a hint of ancient Egyptian style, turned away from the main console and walked to the port window at the far end of the bridge.

Lai'ang, whose power suit leans toward a medieval knight's aesthetic, also moved to the port window, standing to his brother's left side, silently gazing out.

"Lai'ang…" Magnus frowned slightly and said:

"Even at the outer rim of the system, I sensed an anomaly on that planet—an overwhelming void… no, also an endless hunger, and an indescribable eeriness…"

"The insect race your father mentioned?" Lai'ang replied.

"Unclear." Magnus lightly shook his head.

"I'm here just to find out, no need to get tangled up." Lai'ang said, his expression unchanged.

"Hmm."

Within three minutes.

A distinct "stutter" sensation surged, and the Teutonic Knight ended its fold‑jump travel, restoring the "compressed" scene to normal.

The dwarf planet, originally invisible to the naked eye and only viewable on the central console, was now "within arm's reach," appearing at the center of the porthole's view.

From this position, the two OriginalBodies could clearly see the dwarf planet's surface environment.

The ocean was terribly turbid.

The land was barren and desolate.

Then Magnus spread his hands, a pale‑red radiance filling his eyes, and released a Spiritual Energy pulse detectable only by Lai'ang, which swiftly swept across the dwarf planet's gravity range, near‑surface orbit, surface, and even…

the core.

!

After only two minutes, Magnus voluntarily ended the massive Spiritual Release.

"Huh… huh…"

Sweat beading his forehead, he took deep breaths to ease the slight headache and bodily fatigue.

Sensing his brother's exhaustion, Lai'ang silently raised his right hand, placed it on Magnus's left shoulder pad, and released his unique Spiritual Energy to aid his brother.

"Thanks, Lai'ang." Magnus chuckled in gratitude, then, with a tone of reflection, said:

"Indeed, releasing Spiritual Energy enough to envelop a planet‑scale, only father can do it with such ease now."

"Father is an insurmountable barrier for us; all we need to do is simply strive to improve ourselves." Lai'ang replied indifferently, then asked, "How did it turn out?"

"It's already fine."

Regaining his strength, Magnus returned to the central console, pulled up the Teutonic Knight's scan of the dwarf planet's surroundings, and used red and green markers to highlight the ships still engaged in combat.

With the markers' aid, the Teutonic Knight could easily distinguish elite vessels from ghost‑faced beasts, and thus proactively joined the melee, assisting humanity's allies with lightning speed.

(End of chapter)