Chapter 575: Defying Robert

First comes the Insect Swarm Command.

Sui Bian completely plundered the toad, which serves as the head of the Tai Luo Insect Race, like a brain‑worm; this means that as long as he wishes, the Tai Luo Insect Race will regard him as a brain‑worm‑like being.

Of course, if he wants to control the swarm, he need not convey orders to every insect; he only needs to transmit the command and its brief content to the Tyrant, the Leader, and the Queen—those commander‑type insects possessing a certain degree of self‑awareness.

The Tyrant, Leader, and Queen will act according to the command; they may add a bit of their own interpretation, but overall they will not deviate from the policy.

Thus, not long ago, when Sui Bian ordered the Tai Luo Insect Swarm to retreat, he merely relayed the instruction "Return to the nest and await orders" to more than forty Tyrants, and they executed it perfectly.

However, the instruction involved no complexity; any creature that knows how to run could fulfill it.

If he wishes to achieve more, Sui Bian must continue to use them for further experiments.

In other words, since he has plundered and siphoned the toad, the Tai Luo Insect Race—originally an extreme threat to all intelligent life in the Zero‑Three Universe—will now obey only him personally.

That, then, is the Insect Swarm Command.

Next, and most crucially, is the "Insect Nest Will" that Shengjilesi is willing to deplete all his Spiritual Energy in one go to preserve.

In his prophetic vision, Shengjilesi learned that if the toad were eliminated singly, or if the toad voluntarily relinquished or self‑realized, the Insect Nest Will would collapse and overflow, causing the Tai Luo Insect Race to lose all control and become a Great Devourer that knows only to "eat".

Therefore, Shengjilesi must seize the right moment, allowing his father to arrive just in time and plunder everything the toad possesses.

The Insect Nest Will, like the toad's self‑assessment of Shengjilesi, is the ancient saint's condensation of their most advanced essence, sacrificed from the last remnants of their species, granting the Tai Luo Insect Race—after becoming such a reviled creature—their counter‑Spiritual Energy and counter‑alternate‑dimension stance.

If that stance devours enough souls, it can retaliate against the alternate dimension and even cause the alternate dimension to revert to its primordial absolute chaos.

Thus, unique sentient beings such as the evil deities and demons like Se Nie and Ke Nü—who possess self‑awareness—will perish together when the alternate dimension returns to chaos.

However, the exact number of souls required for such devouring is beyond even Sui Bian's calculation, because the alternate dimension continuously erodes more multiverses, causing the required soul count to keep rising.

According to the toad's earlier plan, it intended to consume everything in the Zero‑Three Universe except the galaxy; this would indeed inflict some damage on the alternate dimension, but only marginally.

One can only say the toad is still thinking as it did billions of years ago, assuming the alternate dimension remains the same size as before; it seems that even after becoming an insect race, they have not altered their 'arrogance'.

In comparison.

The Administrator civilization is far inferior to the ancient saints of the Zero‑Three Universe in Spiritual Energy, yet it absolutely dominates in the physical realm.

Although by the end, the rapid expansion and development of the alternate dimension spawned evil deities, pushing the species to the brink of extinction, accompanied by betrayal that bred hatred toward all life and prompted the insect race to launch retaliation.

Yet the Administrator civilization performed a 'brink‑of‑a‑cliff' halt, sacrificing itself to cleanse the galaxy and preserve the spark of life…

Of course, from Sui Bian's perspective, the Administrator civilization regards humanity as the heir of the mantle, so he naturally feels favorable toward them, and the ancient saints are also a great pinnacle race, but he can only view them objectively at most.

Moreover, their continuation is the Tyranid‑like Insect Race, which caused tens of millions of humans to perish (Tai Luo Ke Er's first invasion killed about 30 million), and also claimed many Astate and auxiliary troops; Sui Bian not having to whip the toad's corpse is already quite good.

At the same time.

Sui Bian also ordered Leon and Chahatai to tighten vigilance over the Zero‑Three Universe, dispatching elite battalions when necessary, alongside a task force formed by Leon and Laura to continue tomb exploration.

The incarnation of the ancient saint, the Tai Luo Insect Race with extremely strong counter‑Spiritual Energy, already constitutes a high‑level alien threat; according to Umbrella's rating, it is certainly above the Hera tier (third) and below the Isiphantus tier (fourth).

This was the ranking he originally assigned for anomalous phenomena, but at the cosmic and multiversal scale it may no longer be applied.

【9】 Not to mention the Space Death Spirit that killed the ancient saint; its threat level is unquestionably high.

Not to mention, actually killing the Space Death Spirit of an ancient sage—its threat level is definitely not low, only high.

At that moment.

The metal sliding doors of the reception room opened, and the sons' footsteps on the floor produced faint sounds, interrupting Sui Bian's contemplation of the Administrator, the ancient saint, and the Space Death Spirit.

Rog, Shengjilesi, and Sui Meng shed their OriginalBody armor and donned uniforms primarily black, each bearing their legion's representative color and insignia as accents.

They entered the reception room.

The three OriginalBodies each walked toward opposite sides of the sofa; the senior Rog and Shengjilesi approached the side on Sui Bian's left, while the junior Sui Meng instinctively took the right side.

"Father." The eldest of the three brothers, Rog, spoke first:

"All divisions have returned to Ark 002; after accounting, the fleet's warship count suffered about a 17% loss, Astate lost over three thousand personnel, auxiliary forces about forty‑three thousand, and the specific numbers for armor and aerial vehicles have been uploaded by Julia to the Red Queen."

He finished.

The three OriginalBodies were all slightly downcast.

Julia did not calculate precisely how many insects their expedition eradicated—tens of billions?

Hundreds of billions certainly existed, but whether chief or warrior insects, they are consumables to the Tai Luo Insect Race; in contrast, they lost nearly fifty thousand 'super soldiers'…

When they dealt with the Zero‑Five Universe (Marvel movie), the shark‑eaters and the auxiliary forces of the White Governor's battalion completely crushed the so‑called 'superheroes'; there were no casualties, except they nearly annihilated a squad of the White Governor's Death Goddess Hera.

However, Hera was counter‑killed due to a mistake (actually Sui Bian intervened).

Thus, if the Tai Luo Insect Race completes the devouring of the Zero‑Three Universe and breaks into the multiverse, it will inevitably become a catastrophic overflow.

In the material reality, there are warrior insects comparable to Astate and auxiliary troops; the alternate dimension and dark dimensions, opposed by the Insect Nest Will, would inevitably evolve into a universe‑scale disaster.

Although the OriginalBodies know that fallen warriors are guided by their father's cold sun to rest on Hero Island, as OriginalBodies they have long regarded the G‑gland‑linked, blood‑related Astate as younger brothers or offspring.

Dying in the material universe means they can no longer pursue honor, which for Astate is indeed another form of 'torture'.

Especially Sui Meng.

His 'trap‑formation' troops were a newly formed legion, few in number, and this battle cost a thousand lives, equivalent to losing the main forces of two battalions…

Yet the trap‑formation troops still cannot muster forty battalions.

"I will have the White Queen compile the list of items to be delivered from the Forge Star District by the end of this year," at this moment Sui Bian did not respond to Rog's report, but continued speaking to himself:

"Take a look and pick out whatever you fancy; when the year ends, the Forge Star District will deliver them to you immediately."

Understanding the words, Rog immediately said, "Thank you, Father."

And Shengjilesi and Sui Meng also voiced the same together with their elder brother.

Acquiring new equipment and warships allows the legion to advance further, finally lifting the three's, or rather Sui Meng's, spirits a bit.

At this moment.

Sui Bian stood up, walked slowly toward the floor‑to‑ceiling window not far ahead, hands clasped behind his back as usual, gazing down at the core world.

Then, to the three OriginalBodies who had also gathered near the window, standing slightly behind his left and right, he said: "The Tai Luo Insect Race is no longer a threat; I will use the Insect Nest Will to keep them confined beyond the Zero‑Three Galaxy, ensuring the Zero‑Three Galaxy will not be invaded by extragalactic forces.

At the same time, the Tai Luo Insect Race will adopt a continuous devouring strategy against the Zero‑Three Universe, annihilating all alien species except those in the Zero‑Three Galaxy; should any exceptionally special, friendly species appear, they will be negotiated with, ensuring all resources of the Zero‑Three Universe belong to our Human Empire."

Speaking, Sui Bian turned his head slightly, glanced sideways at the three OriginalBodies, and continued: "Shengjilesi and his twenty battalions will return to the primary universe to recuperate.

After a short wait… perhaps about ten years, I will reopen a Space Gate; then, Shengjilesi, you and your holy‑blood angels can pass through the Space Gate to bring the opposite universe under your Angelia Star District's rule."

(Angelica Star Region, located in the upper right of the main universe galaxy)

"Yes, Father." Shengjilesi nodded lightly.

"Rog, Sui Meng, maintain the structure of your elite expeditionary force; Ark 002 will be temporarily used by your expeditionary force, but I will transfer all major equipment to the forging star region of the main universe."

"Yes." Rog and Sui Meng also nodded lightly.

"Moreover..." Sui Bian stopped looking down at the world outside the window, turned around, glanced at his three offspring, and said, "Through the Tai Luo Insect Race we can confirm that the fear of death... that is, the Space Death Spirit, is indeed spread throughout the 03 Galaxy."

"Most importantly, they also possess extremely strong anti-spiritual energy and stealth/concealment technology, which prevents me and Magnus from using spiritual energy to lock onto them, and the task force led by Kennedy will surely find clues soon."

"Rog." Sui Bian directed his gaze at his four sons, "Mobilize the Glory Iron Fist Elite Battalion, excluding the black and white temples responsible for Earth's defense, and immediately incorporate it into your expeditionary force; cooperate with the Dark Angel, White Scar, and Assaulters to strengthen defenses in the 03 Galaxy and be ready to engage the Space Death Spirit at a moment's notice."

"Yes!" Rog's expression grew much more solemn.

"." The silent Sui Meng also.

"Regarding information on the Space Death Spirit, I will have Bai Hou organize and send it to you; the actual situation may differ, but having something is better than nothing."

"Well, then..." Sui Bian's tone shifted as he said this, no longer heavy or stern; instead, as a father, he casually asked his three sons:

"If I were to ascend or elevate dimensions without notifying you or leaving any instructions for the Red Empress and White Empress, would you choose to assist Robert or to hold onto your forces for self-preservation?"

"Father... what... does this mean?" Rog froze, not knowing what to do.

"I could never just hold onto my forces for self-preservation." Shengjilesi's stance was firm.

"." Sui Meng slightly opened his mouth, wanting to speak but stopping himself.

"Don't worry." Sui Bian chuckled, then looked again at his three sons present and said, "You should know I always like to keep a backup plan, but you three rashly entered Expedition-072 not long ago, cutting off communications and spiritual energy with the outside world..."

"This makes me wonder: if one day I were to disappear due to some sudden event, or be forced to ascend or elevate dimensions, how would you manage such a vast empire?"

"Don't worry, today's discussion will remain among just us four; no outsider will know, and we will speak frankly."

"..."

"Upon hearing that, Rog first fell silent, but soon replied, 'Father, although I don't particularly like Robert's attitude of always being right, for the empire's stability I will choose to assist Robert, welcome him back to Earth and the Solar System, and serve as regent.'"

"Me too, after all he's our eldest brother." Shengjilesi echoed.

"Father recently had Bai Hou convey that the Ultimate Lord's order is to serve as regent; since that's the case, I will definitely obey this command." Sui Meng and Robert aren't very close, but regarding Father's order, I will see it through to the end.

"The sons' answers almost matched Sui Bian's expectations."

"After all, a father knows his children best; even without spiritual perception, he has figured out their personalities and temperaments completely."

"The three before him, no matter what situation arises, will choose to follow his orders and assist Regent Robert, but..."

"Just from Rog's answer and tone, you can tell this chatterbox Original Body is not very convinced."

"There's no helping it; among the first ten Original Bodies, even if there are small cliques, overall personal relations are good—they can fight and quarrel."

"But when it comes to politics, military, and similar fields, they have extremely serious disagreements."

"Hehe." Sui Bian chuckled again, somewhat wistfully: "Sometimes I really wish I could go back over two hundred years, when you were all just kids, and take you on a beach vacation; you could be excited for months..."

"." The three Original Bodies fell into silence.

"Rog's and Shengjilesi's eyes also showed recollection; likewise, Sui Meng, whom Sui Bian personally raised, recalled Father taking him to kill aliens in another world, tearing apart alien debris in that 'pleasant' scene."

"If..." At this moment, Sui Bian said with deep meaning: "If you had an additional naturally born brother who didn't need a G gland implanted, how would you act?"

"Natural conception."

"No need to implant a G gland?"

"The Original Bodies were first stunned, but Rog's eyebrows shot up instantly, his demeanor no longer as before, and he bluntly said: 'If there were such a brother, I would definitely not obey Robert's orders! Hahaha!'"

"(End of chapter)"