Chapter 504: Militant Fanatics' Revelry

??

Their boss actually agreed to establish an empire so easily??

The cybernetic faces of the Red Queen and White Queen showed astonished expressions, clearly not expecting Sui Bian to answer that way, causing their thoughts to become somewhat stuck.

Seeing the two AI secretaries a little dazed, Sui Bian couldn't help but smile lightly and say, "Of course, founding an empire needs a catalyst; you always have to give the people and society an explanation."

As he spoke, Sui Bian raised his left hand and waved, and in the center of the office a Spiritual Energy portal appeared, its edges emitting a faint golden glow, about four meters in diameter.

Watching the boss's figure disappear through the portal, the two AIs stopped "lagging" and continued to follow the boss through the portal, completing an instantaneous transfer together.

As for the other side of the portal…

"Father?!"

Robert, dressed in a custom‑tailored oversized uniform and seated behind a solid‑wood desk, habitually used an older‑style stylus that looked like a fountain pen to sign all kinds of documents and files, never expecting his father to visit suddenly.

It turned out that the colony on the other side of the portal was about fifteen hundred light‑years in a straight line from the Solar System, also the capital planet of the Extreme Star Zone—

Makurag.

The portal Sui Bian opened, however, was in Makurag's Metropolitan Zone 01, on the top floor of the Extreme Warrior Office Building, inside Robert's private office.

This OriginalBody could be said to handle countless affairs daily, constantly contemplating development and planning, for once a large‑scale war erupts, his Extreme Legion would need a continuous supply of troops to ensure total control of occupied zones.

In other words, Robert hasn't been able to reunite with his father and brothers for decades, nor can he enjoy a hearty drink with Rog, Leon, Rus and the others.

Moreover, although the lifespans of OriginalBodies and Astate are incalculable, time has still left marks on Robert's face; he no longer exudes the vigor of two hundred years ago, but appears steady and profound.

However, when Robert saw a portal materialize before his eyes, and then his father, along with the Red Queen and White Queen who had raised him and his brothers, use the portal to appear instantly in his office, his previously unchanging demeanor finally showed joy and disbelief.

Robert quickly set down the stylus, rose, walked around the desk, and hurried to the center of the office, exclaiming:

"Father, you should have notified me before coming, so I could have Makurag prepare in advance to hold a grand welcoming ceremony for you,"

"Hehe, no need to be so elaborate," Sui Bian waved his hand lightly, dispersing the portal, and continued, "Also, you are my eldest son, the senior brother among all OriginalBodies, and my most trusted child.

Therefore, I have something I want to ask for your perspective or opinion; remember, answer according to your true heart."

?!

Hearing his father's words, Robert immediately composed himself, his expression shifting from joy to seriousness, because his father rarely poses questions to him or the other OriginalBodies.

"Relax," Sui Bian said, seeing Robert poised for battle, shaking his head, "It's not a monumental dilemma. If I were to found a Human Empire so that different alien species across universes understand our absolute supremacy, would you support it or not?"

To be honest, Sui Bian doesn't need to discuss founding an empire with Robert or any OriginalBody, but out of respect for his sons, he first talks to his eldest son so that no trace of resentment lingers in their hearts.

???

Conversely, Robert for a moment could not accept his father's sudden statement about founding an empire.

However, being an OriginalBody and adept at emotional regulation, Robert regained composure in an instant and immediately began weighing the pros and cons of the political shift.

After only a few seconds, Robert replied, "Father, the benefits of founding an empire are enormous; it would raise societal cohesion, especially since your deterrence far exceeds that of the so‑called 'Speaker Sui' by many times.

Moreover, the propaganda impact of 'Human Truth' has already exceeded expectations, so even if you assume the imperial throne, you won't be overly mythologized.

Of course, the drawbacks are also clear: once we discard the former United Earth Government (UEG) and establish a Human Empire…

Just the name 'Human Empire' would make it harder for us to integrate non‑human species when conquering the multiverse, and would render our society extremely xenophobic.

"Hmm, well analyzed," Sui Bian nodded lightly.

Robert is correct.

The word 'Union' in UEG indeed lowers the guard of other alien races, whereas 'Human Empire' immediately evokes an extreme xenophobic mindset, which will inevitably make it difficult to absorb more alien species.

But…

"What I want is exactly that extreme xenophobic mindset," Sui Bian said bluntly. "Recent events have shown me that some alien species are hopelessly unruly; rather than outwardly feigning respect while secretly hating us, it's better to lay it out on the table from the start—I have completely lost patience with them.

And Robert, you still haven't answered whether you support the founding of the Human Empire."

Hearing that,

Robert took a deep breath, then solemnly said, "Naturally I support it, Father."

"Very good," Sui Bian finally showed a satisfied expression, then turned and walked out of the office, "I don't really care for ceremony, but in a moment I'll transport your brothers and all the senior staff to Makurag, so be ready."

"Understood, rest assured."

Robert, outwardly calm, left the office together with Sui Bian and the Red and White Queens, while inside he was thrilled.

Putting aside his father's swift decision to found an empire and scheduling the imperial council outside Makurag, what excited this OriginalBody even more was that his father would open a multiversal portal, instantly gathering all his brothers on Makurag.

In an instant, childhood memories surged to the surface.

But excitement aside, Robert would not be careless in preparing the 'meeting'—or rather, interpreting his father's true intent—and the 'banquet.'

So after escorting his father and the two AI mentors to the building's private reception hall, he set Makurag into immediate 'battle‑ready' mode.

———————

…

"Tap! Tap tap!"

A pleasant, crisp tapping sound echoed throughout the room.

Scanning the surroundings, one can see the room—or rather the bedroom—filled with model and game display cases, and on the wall opposite the door, a dazzling array of pneumatic and electric metal 'toy' firearms.

To the right of the single bed hangs a half‑finished homemade Mechanical exoskeleton, essentially a small armory.

No need to guess; this must be a hardcore military enthusiast's bedroom.

The original tapping came from a hardcore fan seated by the window at the desk, operating an antique mechanical keyboard and an equally vintage mouse, producing the "tap tap" sounds.

The fan, wearing headphones, was immersed in the holographic screen, lost in the game world.

Looking at the screen, it appeared to be a traditional competitive shooter with a five‑vs‑five explosive mode.

Although this young fan, sporting a black middle‑parted haircut and appearing around twenty, used very old‑fashioned keyboard, mouse, and even headphones, the in‑game weapon skins, melee daggers, and gloves were numerous and likely pricey.

Soon, the headphones emitted a faint "Counter‑Strike Victory" announcement.

Immediately after glancing at the victory screen, the young fan exited the game and returned to the desktop wallpaper featuring the Extreme Legion.

When he later removed his headphones and brushed his somewhat messy hair, one couldn't help but notice a resemblance between this young fan and Umbrella legend operative Leon.

The scenery outside the window of Arcadia's metropolitan area showed that he was Claude Kennedy, the eldest son of Leon and Ada.

Influenced by his parents, Claude had been interested in firearms and military matters since childhood, participating in various field war games in middle and high school, and often receiving some physical training from his parents.

Having just entered Arcadia's local university, Claude's military proficiency was already on par with that of a UNSC recruit, and since today was Saturday, he could reasonably play games at home.

After finishing a game, Claude, having nothing to do, opened the military forum he often browsed, preparing to see what recent conflicts or battles there were.

Before he could browse a few pages, he discovered a post with considerable heat, already having sixty thousand people participating in the discussion.

However, when Claude saw the post's title—"You call Chairman Sui the Master of Humanity, the Father of the OriginalBody; then does he actually possess OriginalBody-level strength, or not? Speaking of which, is he really fit to continue ruling humanity? He's already been in office for over a hundred years—it's time for a change."—he instantly showed a hint of anger and muttered to himself:

"The person who posted this is definitely trying to provoke a fight."

Saying that, Claude operated the mouse and clicked the post to enter it.

As he expected, the poster of this post had an IP address showing "Zero Five Universe/Triangular Star System/Cedino Star", and beneath the post a fierce debate over prophecy had erupted.

The most-liked reply was: "Anyone who can raise such a question here must have a bit of a brain problem; really, buddy, I advise you to study some history."

Moreover, the number of likes for this reply was more than ten times the number of likes the post itself received.

There were also many harsh words, such as: "You're spoiled; if it weren't for Chairman Sui's mercy, the expeditionary army would have burned your tiny place to ashes—where would you get the chance to blabber here?"

There were also serious replies, like: "Brother, if you have the financial means, you can buy a ninth-edition or later high school history textbook, and you'll know why Chairman Sui is the Master of Humanity."

Of course, whether serious or extreme, the replies would be attacked by the poster and by those from IP addresses in the later universes such as Zero Five and Zero Seven; however, the Zero Six universe managed by Loga rarely saw such occurrences.

While Claude browsed the Q&A of the post, he felt an urge to fight but had no way to vent, and even though the post's heat was skyrocketing, attracting the forum moderators' attention, and they judged it a provocation and deleted it, Claude still could not feel relieved.

He could understand that the Zero Five and Zero Seven universes had only recently been incorporated into the rule, but he could not understand why, despite enjoying the technological benefits of the main universe and undergoing drastic changes in life, there were still many 'black fans' clinging to trivial matters.

What made him feel even more ridiculous was that, unable to find any negative information about Chairman Sui, they began to suggest that his strength did not match his title as Master of Humanity, or that his long tenure meant he should delegate power, and such talk to mess with people's minds was utterly disgusting.

"Buzz…buzz…~!"

Suddenly, the crystal phone that Claude had placed next to his mouse began to vibrate violently, interrupting his enthusiasm for continuing to browse the forum.

He reached out, picked up the phone, glanced at the caller ID, pressed the green answer button, and upon putting it to his ear said, "Hey? What's up, idiot?"

"You idiot!! Quick! Quick! Look at the official website news! Quick!" shouted the friend whom Claude called an idiot, speaking urgently from the other end of the line.

"Official website?"

Claude blinked, but following his friend's words, he supported the phone with his left hand and used his right hand to operate the mouse to enter the Arcadia official website.

Opened.

The first news headline that caught his eye was: "Marculag simultaneously opens multiple Spiritual Energy portals, with all OriginalBodies and senior commanders and officials gathering together!"

?!

Upon seeing this headline, Claude still couldn't believe it; after clicking to open the news page and briefly scanning the live footage and video, he couldn't help but exclaim:

"Holy crap! What the hell is going on?!"

"Hahaha!" the friend on the other end laughed heartily, "All the OriginalBodies are gathering! And only our Master of Humanity could open a portal of this scale! I think something big is definitely going to happen soon!"

"A big thing..." Claude tried to guess, "An expedition? But that shouldn't be—aren't the Tai Luo Insect Race already handled by three legions?"

"Calling you an idiot and you still don't believe it! Think about it—the internet and social climate over the past ten years have been too restless; the newcomers to our society aren't exactly obedient, so maybe they're about to launch a large-scale rectification!" his friend explained excitedly.

After hearing the explanation and recalling the just-deleted post, Claude said dubiously, "Maybe; why don't we meet up later and talk?"

"Sure, I'll be waiting at the old place; perfect for a stroll, right?"

"Alright, I'll be there soon."

"Okay."

End of conversation.

Claude then left his computer chair, opened the wardrobe, changed into casual clothes, and prepared to head to the mall where he and his friend usually met.

Meanwhile, at this very moment.

While Claude and his friend, along with hundreds of millions of military enthusiasts across the net, were reveling and imagining what major event might be about to happen…

The Marculag Metropolitan Area 01 Zone, an exclusive starport used only for military transport ships and shuttles to dock.

This side of the first-floor waiting hall.

"Hahaha! Old brother, long time no see!" rang out with Rus's unique, bright laughter.

Seeing Rus, having taken off his powered armor, stride out of the elevator first, spread his arms, and directly embrace Robert who had come to greet him, continuing to laugh as he said:

"What does Father want us to come over for?"

"Found an empire."

"Oh… found an em… found what the heck?!"

(End of chapter)