Chapter 547: Chief Human Traitor

Year 2000.

These compatriots, whom the United Empire regarded as prisoners and were about to be sent to the reformation factories, do not know the exact details of what happened in 2000, but Dante, Zelin and others can confirm that everything originated from North America.

Early 2000.

Living in Eastern Europe, the compatriots began to learn from the news that in North America's Sonora Desert, various strange flashes and unidentified flying objects appeared frequently, and even reports of nuclear weapon detonations.

Mid 2000.

Space Gates of varying scales emerged across North America, linking to other dimensions and latitudes, and released various alien creatures.

Among them were the headcrabs that Dante, Zelin and others encountered, which can turn humans and intelligent beings into puppet zombies, as well as low‑tier insect‑antlion species.

Hundreds of millions, even tens of billions of alien beings poured in, causing the North American ecosystem to suffer severe shock.

Cities, towns and human settlements bore massive casualties; police stations could not contend with the alien creatures, and the military was exhausted.

Earth, which originally advocated cutting military spending, was forced by this sudden upheaval to launch conscription drives, and many nations friendly with North America also dispatched large reinforcements.

However, not all extraterrestrial species harbored strong hostility toward humanity.

One faction, possessing spatial manipulation abilities and even strong engineering skills, calling themselves the Fudeigang, a highly intelligent race, maintained a neutral and friendly attitude toward humans.

But due to information blockades by the great powers of North America, at that time each country knew little about the Fudeigang.

Fortunately, Space Gates were unstable and could not remain open indefinitely, giving humanity some breathing room.

Late 2003 to early 2004.

Space Gates were not limited to North America; they radiated worldwide, making the situation that was beginning to stabilize become increasingly severe and chaotic.

Some great powers had to employ nuclear weapons to resolve areas severely polluted ecologically.

At this time, civilian social media and news in various countries began reporting that a major power of North America had established a Black Mountain Base deep within the Sonora Desert.

Among the many experimental projects at the Black Mountain Base was the "Linked Resonance".

Earth fell into this predicament because the Linked Resonance experiment went awry, causing Space Gates to appear uncontrollably at random.

These reports instantly sparked humanity's hatred toward the North American great power.

It can be said that humanity was in an extremely extreme state then; any lack of restraint would trigger a full‑scale nuclear civil war.

Fortunately, governments and militaries of various nations detected that the organization feeding news to the media intended to incite humans to kill each other.

It was a trap.

Thus, official announcements were issued immediately, stating that dwelling on the past was useless and humanity should focus on how to eliminate and cleanse the invading alien species.

Just as nations worldwide were not only refraining from verbal attacks and civil war with the North American great power, but also preparing to strengthen United Nations authority and form an army without nationality or ethnicity, known only as "Human", when…

Above the capitals of the world, massive Space Gates spanning several kilometers in diameter suddenly appeared, releasing standardized soldiers, armor, and aerial units composed of half‑biological, half‑mechanical beings.

Their onslaught was fierce.

Moreover, because the world's nations were unprepared, the defeat of militaries and violent agencies was inevitable.

Even so, when confronting an absolute power gap, human warriors completely abandoned internal hatred, devoting all effort to battling the combined half‑biological, half‑mechanical army…

Even though every warrior knew their efforts were futile, they still chose to fight to the end for their homes and loved ones.

In the end.

After seven hours of resistance, global military forces were reduced by about 80%, possibly even more, and civilian casualties were not yet counted.

At that moment.

The former Black Mountain Base director Wallace Brin, with white sideburns and beard, appeared to be a kindly old man but was in fact an extremely selfish "Chief Human Traitor", who presented the world governments with a proposal that could perfectly resolve the war and negotiated with the United Empire.

His proposal was that, to avoid human extinction, all nations should voluntarily cease resistance and accept the United Empire's joint march toward a "prosperous" great rule.

Most importantly, the world's senior officials at that time had also lost nearly half of their experienced officers and politicians.

Facing a genocidal crisis, they could only temporarily trust this Wallace Brin, who had previously dealt with alien races and swore solemnly.

The outcome of the negotiations was predictable.

The United Empire indeed agreed to humanity's surrender, but there was no such "joint prosperity"; it was merely Wallace Brin exploiting the world and all humanity to secure more benefits for himself on Earth after the apocalypse.

Subsequently, as the Chief Human Traitor wished.

The current headquarters of the Earth United Government, also located in inland Eastern Europe's City 17, is led by Wallace Brin.

Moreover, immediately after completing the negotiations and returning to Earth, Wallace Brin gave the world a false target for its final military force.

Wallace claimed that during his talks with the United Empire, he "accidentally" learned that the United Empire's leader and most of its high command had arrived on Earth.

If a surprise attack were launched and they were captured, humanity might be able to dismantle the United Empire's central system in one stroke.

Upon hearing this intelligence, many surviving colonels and generals were half‑doubtful, half‑believing.

After all, due to North America's cultural export (invasion) through television, movies and games, humanity subconsciously still believed there was a chance to turn the tables on a higher alien civilization whose technology was several levels ahead.

Furthermore, at that time most military leaders had already become blood‑shot, belonging to the hawkish camp, and revenge and hope occupied their hearts for the fallen comrades and compatriots.

Thus, after Wallace Brin's spin and the encouragement of many traitors, the military leaders finally were moved, no longer wavering as before.

Before the handover between the nations and the United Empire was completed, without authorization, the military swiftly gathered elite troops and formed a special task force of 200,000 personnel.

At the same time, this task force also possessed humanity's last aerial formations and ground armor.

However…

True to the name Chief Human Traitor, the target given by Wallace Brin and his accomplices was actually a trap they offered to the United Empire, laying heavy forces to await the human army's arrival.

Whether intentional or not, despite the task force's extreme caution and vigilance, they guessed the target was heavily defended and possibly a trap.

But when the task force reached deep within the African desert and engaged in fierce combat with the United forces protecting the target, the military leaders did not expect the United Empire to directly fire the remaining nuclear weapons of the various nations.

Under the nuclear blast, the task force and the bait‑drawing United forces, numbering up to a million, were completely annihilated, none survived.

For the United Empire, however, this was hardly any loss.

A million United forces?

They were merely a group of puppet troops, half‑biological half‑mechanical, created using biotechnology combined with genetic samples from races already possessed by the United Empire, with no self‑awareness.

But for humanity, it meant a one‑time loss of 200,000 elite troops…

Even an individual's military prowess can make use of terrain, environment, and several—indeed over a dozen—puppet forces of the United Army to maneuver.

After all, these 200,000 soldiers were the elite of militaries worldwide, having survived the seven‑hour war; they truly are of "Soldier King" caliber.

Unfortunately, due to the scheming of the chief human traitor and his fellow traitors, humanity has completely lost the means to resist the United Empire.

To reward Wallace Bryn's achievements and to show all humanity that anyone willing to betray their own species and side with the empire will be rewarded, the United Empire not only made Wallace Bryn and his fellow traitors the leaders of City 17, but also appointed them as spokespersons for the Earth United Government.

In other words, aside from a few necessary resource‑gathering tasks, the United Empire effectively handed over control of the entire Earth to Wallace Bryn.

Moreover, this chief traitor has indeed rendered great service in the eyes of the United Empire.

You should know that if those 200,000 elite troops had not gathered together and instead chosen to engage in guerrilla hit‑and‑run tactics, playing hide‑and‑seek with the United Empire…

…or, by infiltrating the United Empire's main territories through a space gate, the situation would become considerably more troublesome.

Although humanity is not the toughest opponent the United Empire has faced, their "even if I die, I'll drag you down with me" fighting style genuinely shocks the empire.

It seems that across the multiverse and dimensions, a race as martial‑virtue‑rich as humans is relatively rare.

Furthermore, beings bred and altered from human genes and bodies—augmented humans—are even better suited for team combat and riot suppression.

In short, whether or not Wallace Bryn is present, the United Empire intends to annihilate humanity's armies, and with the chief traitor's assistance this process is accelerated.

Afterward.

To continue experimenting on humans, and to fracture human solidarity while suppressing their vigor, the United Empire issued a series of policies.

These include establishing the National Guard, banning human reproductive rights, implementing memory‑decline measures, and so on.

The National Guard is a gathering place for traitors; of course, at first the vast majority of humans had no desire to join.

However, as food and drinking water dwindled, and with the living environments outside the cities overrun by alien creatures such as head‑hunting crabs and antlions, people were forced to relocate into the numbered cities.

Even the right to housing had to be assigned; a single misstep could see it taken away, leaving people hungry and homeless on the streets…

Compared with the National Guard's ample food, freely chosen lodging, and even the provision of sexual services, the situation is indeed full of endless temptation.

Thus, an increasing number of people with weak resolve chose to become traitors.

Nowadays, ordinary people who want to join the National Guard must undergo multiple layers of screening and evaluation!

As for banning human reproductive rights, it is not merely a warning; it involves physical‑level measures, with the United Empire installing reproductive suppression fields in every city.

The prisoners in City 13 know this because, since the United Empire's rule began, not a single woman has successfully become pregnant.

Moreover, when the resistance and remaining military personnel accepted the prisoners' help, they also informed them that suppressive fields exist in all cities.

As for memory decline, it is relatively simple: just add the appropriate drug to drinking water, and humans become easier to control.

Not long ago, the youth who had his chains removed by Dante, and who had aided the resistance and remaining forces, is now trying to figure out how to solve this problem.

Although at present most people's memories are still largely intact, over time the humans living in the cities will inevitably become unable to think normally, reduced to slaves who only know obedience and mere survival.

Thus, humanity has lived under this rule that grants no self‑interest for nearly a year.

Anyone who disobeys discipline, breaks order, or provokes the National Guard is sent to a re‑education factory for alteration and experimentation, thereby continuing to work for the United Empire in another form and extracting their remaining value.

Moreover, the assembly‑line factory that produces the United Army was built long ago, to aid Wallace Bryn's rule and suppress Earth.

In fact, the National Guard leans more toward being an organ of the Earth United Government that maintains order and stability, lacking independent thought; the true military consists of the artificial, augmented humans of the United Army.

As for how many billions of humans remain…

This exceeds what the fellow prisoners can know, given that their living conditions make it impossible to have the kind of advanced network communications found in the main universe.

———————

…

Inside the carriage.

"Damn alien scum!!!"

After hearing the prisoners' accounts and piecing together Earth's past, the hot‑tempered Finnis of the Holy Angel rookie squad immediately raised his plasma cannon and unleashed a tirade of curses.

Even Dante and Ze Lin, standing together in the carriage, wore expressions as grim as could be.

Chief traitor?

Ban reproduction?

Erase vigor?

Excellent!

Wallace Bryn has become their primary target, the Holy Blood Angel squad.

Moreover, the prisoners surrounding them, overwhelmed by the anger aura (psionic wave) emanating from the three giants, dare not say anything further.

"Shhh—!"

Fortunately, the screech of the brakes and the noise from the slowing train finally broke Dante and company out of their continued rage.

Soon, the speeding razor train came to a stop.

And Dante, Ze Lin, and Finnis immediately composed themselves and turned to open both side doors.

"Huu—!!"

A gust of air swirled into the carriage as the doors opened.

「…」

The bright sunshine outside was somewhat glaring, causing the prisoners to squint in unison.

After adjusting, the prisoners could see in the distance to the right of the carriage an abandoned town overrun by head‑hunting crabs and zombies.

But Dante and his comrades hardly gave the zombie threat a second thought.

Their concern was how to administer and rebuild the town after clearing it.

"Boom—!"

Suddenly, a silent golden lightning bolt struck the center of the town.

(End of Chapter)