Chapter 68

【"The highly efficient performance of nanomachines in purging aliens has aroused our interest."】

On the light screen, the Calamity Empire's plain yet cold evaluation rang out.

As if to verify the Calamity Empire's words, the scene on the light screen changed accordingly.

One could see on the light screen that intense subspace fluctuations were bursting out from L-Gates across the stars.

Fluorescent green light flickered, and monotonous gray ships cut through the stars, mighty and vast like a storm.

Different civilizations that mastered L-Gates noticed the appearance of the Gray Tempest and dispatched fleets to attempt interception.

Engines roared, scorching like blazing flames.

Frigates were swift as the wind, battleships were massive as mountains, surging from all directions to intercept the expanding Gray Tempest fleet.

The alien fleets fired scorching particle light spears, shooting toward the ships of the Gray Tempest.

Heat currents splashed in the Void, and one after another, large holes were torn into the ships of the Gray Tempest, with gray dust filling the space.

This scene made all living beings across the universe pause in surprise.

How could the ships of the Gray Tempest be so fragile?

They suffered damage from just the first wave of particle light spear fire.

But before the living beings across the universe could react, the scene on the light screen changed.

【"What is that thing?!"】

The aliens in the ships exclaimed, pointing at the ships of the Gray Tempest.

From the holes torn in the Gray Tempest ships, countless gray quicksand flowed out.

It formed waves of gray sandstorms, surging toward the alien fleet that was intercepting it.

The aliens ignited their particle light spears again, countless heat rays splashing in the Void.

However, this sand was surprisingly flexible.

It would scatter at times and condense at others, easily slipping through the gaps between the light spears.

In the blink of an eye, this gray quicksand drifted near the alien ships.

Like silk gauze, it wrapped around the ships, crazily gnawing at the ships' metal armor, drilling into the ships through the gaps in the material.

Before long, the ships were filled with the ravaging nano-swarm.

The aliens fled from the cabins in terrified wails.

【"Don't come over!!!"】

【"What are these things??"】

【"It's caught up to me!!!"】

The aliens wailed as they were entangled by the nanobots and dragged into mid-air.

The gray storm pierced into their flesh, but before the blood could even flow out, it was decomposed and digested by the nanobots.

Their skin, flesh, bones, and nerves dissolved in the gray storm, disappearing bit by bit into mid-air.

This scene made all living beings across the universe widen their eyes in terror.

"Too terrifying; the Gray Tempest is dismantling flesh from the nanoscale, even more painful than being sliced by a thousand cuts."

"These nanobots are simply pervasive, even able to drill in through the gaps in matter..."

"A single nanobot is a terrifying weapon, let alone so many."

"Nanobots, truly terrifying weapons." In the Enterprise ship, Aventurine watched the scene on the light screen and couldn't help but sigh.

Every nanobot is an independent individual; even if the ship they form is severely damaged, it won't affect normal operation.

And when they separate, their tiny size allows them to dodge almost all weapons, drilling into enemy ships and slaughtering the crew with ease.

"Ratio, what do you think of nanobots as a research direction?" Aventurine rested his face on his hand and looked curiously toward Dr. Ratio.

"Manufacturing nanobots in small batches is not difficult; although not as powerful as the Gray Tempest, they can achieve similar effects."

Dr. Ratio watched the scene on the light screen and shook his head, saying:

"But what is truly terrifying is that these nanobots can replicate themselves."

"They can decompose matter, continuously replicate themselves, and increase exponentially."

As if to verify Dr. Ratio's words,

the nanobots on the light screen began to crazily gnaw on the alien ships.

They decomposed the steel into tiny particles, using this matter to continuously replicate and increase, becoming larger and larger.

In an instant, the ships invaded by the Gray Tempest fell apart, turning into even larger gray quicksand that rolled toward nearby ships.

Seeing this terrifying scene, the aliens either ignited their engines in terror to flee or fired light spears in futile resistance.

The Gray Tempest, continuously dismantling alien ships and replicating itself, seemed like a gray giant standing in the Void.

It waved its arms composed of quicksand, grabbed the ships resisting in vain, and threw them away heavily.

The ships that hadn't had time to flee were hit by the ships it threw and were paralyzed in space.

This scene made all living beings across the universe feel absurd.

It was simply like playing; it was like a crazed, angry child throwing a milk bottle from the cradle.

Except now, the one angry and crazed was the Gray Tempest, and what was being thrown were ships as massive as small mountains.

Topaz watched the scene on the light screen and couldn't help but swallow her saliva.

One could see the Gray Tempest on the light screen, after completely dismantling the ships attempting to intercept it, beginning to expand toward the surrounding star systems.

Either condensing into ships to pierce through the universe, or dispersing into a storm to swallow everything along the way.

The Gray Tempest shuttled between star systems; it landed on a planet with life, twisting its body to form a massive gray vortex, stirring the planet's atmosphere and causing itself to flow into it.

The living beings on the ground raised their heads in panic, watching the Gray Tempest invading the planet like dark clouds pressing down on the city.

The dark clouds stirred, turning the sky into ink, covering the mountains on the horizon.

Dust-like rain fell from the dark clouds, turning into a hurricane that swept through every corner of the planet.

Everything touched by this wind, whether living or non-living, organic or inorganic, vanished into it in the blink of an eye.

In just a few moments, the traces of the original inhabitants disappeared without a trace.

On the entire planet, only a thick layer of gray sand remained.

Such a scene made Topaz feel her heart jump with fear.

It wasn't that she hadn't seen planet-destroying weapons before.

But to decompose and utilize everything on the surface of a planet in a few moments, using it to replicate and synthesize itself—

Topaz had never heard of such an efficient and quick way to destroy a planet.

No wonder even the Calamity Empire praised the Gray Tempest for its efficiency in eliminating aliens.

"Truly hair-raising."

Topaz shook her head, then slapped her cheeks hard:

"Don't think about these things, we'll be at Jarilo-VI soon..."

"... At that time, collecting debts will be a tough battle..."

Topaz didn't notice that while she was muttering to herself,

outside her ecological ship, a tiny stream of gray quicksand followed the gaps between the matter and drilled into her ecological ship.

Now, that gray quicksand was silently lurking behind her, quietly watching this scene.

"Ahhhhhhhh!!!"

Gray Wind let out a sharp shriek; she watched the scene on the light screen, clutching her head in a breakdown:

"My dark history! My dark history is going to be seen by everyone!!!"

"Ahhhhhhhh!!! What world-swallowing Gray Tempest, it's not me, I didn't do it!!"

Watching her dark history from her 'chunibyo' manic period being broadcast live on the light screen, Gray Wind couldn't help but have a breakdown.

"According to the timeline, the next part should be..."

Pao Pao, lying on the sofa behind Gray Wind, rested her chin on her hand and recalled:

"It's Xiao Hui's cosplay!"

"Hey! I remember too! It's the galaxy's famous cosplayer, Xiao Hui!"

Nephiana, to the side, raised her hand high:

"I saw Xiao Hui's cosplay not long after I was hatched."

"I was really startled at the time! She cosplayed so realistically!"

"I even thought it was a real Aether Dragon!"