Chapter 1063: They Have Arrived, Without Demanding Negotiations

As Suolin walked past Aiersa, he did not dare to look into the eyes of Mentor Aiersa, only lowering his head and hurrying past.

Aiersa did not blame him.

Survival is the primary instinct, especially after experiencing such a terrifying arrival.

A Luna Wolves Space Marine walked to the side of Weierke and asked in a low voice.

"Company Commander, how should those Psionics be handled?"

Jiaweier watched Aiersa and the apprentices being led away.

"According to the Emperor's orders, the nobles and the Psionic core must be purged. Send them to the ship, and after the Techmarine finishes the necessary research sample extraction... dispose of them."

"What about those at the bottom?"

Weierke looked toward those ordinary Saikeshan who were busy in the ruins.

"Monitor them, ensure they work. If they perform well, in three to five years, perhaps they can be granted slightly better living conditions.

The Emperor is right, a living labor force is more valuable than a dead Alien."

Weierke turned and left the shattered main hall; behind him, Suolin and the other low-level Saikeshan were working in Silence.

They were hauling shattered Ice Crystal Statues and collecting scattered ancient Scrolls.

Occasionally, a Saikeshan would secretly glance at those Psionics being taken away, their eyes complex, filled with sympathy and guilt, but more so with a hidden thought.

"At least... we are still alive."

"Those nobles and Psionics, they enjoyed all the glory and privileges but never shared them with us. Now that they have fallen, we... we at least still have a chance."

When the first pile of Lianneng Dianji was ignited in the plaza and pale purple flames shot toward the sky, Suolin stood in the crowd, watching the flames swallow the ancient knowledge he had once not even been qualified to touch.

He felt a strange calm.

The old era had ended, forcibly terminated by Steel and fire.

The new era had begun, built upon fear, labor, and humble survival.

Ninghuaxing.

For the Saikeshan nobles, Ninghuaxing was paradise, a source of inexhaustible wealth.

For the low-level miners and Crystal Core cultivators, it was a gilded hell.

When news of the fall of Yongshuang Star and the severing of the Spirit Veins on Shuangyuxing reached Ninghuaxing, the planetary Governor Kalamuosi was hosting a grand banquet at his "Jingguang Zhuangyuan."

The estate was built atop the largest open-pit crystal mine; the entire structure was carved from translucent golden Crystal Cores, and when the interior was brightly lit, it looked from afar like a small star that had fallen onto the mountain peak.

In the banquet hall, more than thirty of the most powerful nobles of Ninghuaxing were clinking glasses beside a long crystal table.

The Crystal Cores on their foreheads were all larger and purer than those of ordinary Saikeshan, inlaid with precious metal decorations, symbolizing their status and wealth.

"Yongshuang Star is finished?"

A young noble, the Governor's son Tal, held a crystal wine glass that trembled slightly.

"Father, then we..."

Governor Kalamuosi was already four hundred years old, having experienced three extortionate negotiations with the Fengqi Star Alliance, and considered himself accustomed to storms.

Kalamuosi put down the golden Crystal Core pipe in his hand and said in a low tone.

"Calm down, my child.

Yongshuang Star is where the Royal Court resides; a tall tree attracts the wind.

We on Ninghuaxing are different; we are merely producers, providers of wealth.

Any conqueror needs resources, and we have the highest quality Condensed Essence Crystal Cores in the entire sector."

The military Commander Gelakesi, sitting to his right, was not so optimistic.

The Crystal Core on this old general's forehead had a crack left by battle, and he said in a deep voice.

"Governor, the Luna Wolves are not Fengqi. According to fragmented intelligence, they... they leave no survivors.

The Psionics of Shuangyuxing were purged entirely, and the nobles of Bingsuixing were slaughtered to the last."

"That is because the sorcerers of Shuangyuxing tried to resist! The fools of Bingsuixing chose to fight!"

Kalamuosi raised his voice.

"But we are different. We surrender voluntarily, offering our wealth, our technology, our Loyalty..."

Kalamuosi's words were interrupted by a shrill whistle.

"What is that?"

Tal rushed to the balcony, looking through the crystal window toward the sky.

Then Tal saw dozens of fiery trails piercing the pale golden sky, falling toward the various noble residential areas of Ninghuaxing.

"Landing Pods..."

General Gelakesi's face turned pale.

"They have arrived, and they did not even ask for negotiations."

The first Landing Pod smashed directly through the central courtyard of Jingguang Zhuangyuan, shattering the fountain carved from a single piece of purple Crystal Core.

Crystal shards cut the noble guests who were too slow to dodge.

"Guards! Assemble the guards!"

General Gelakesi roared, drawing the energy sword at his waist; the blade, composed of concentrated Crystal Core energy, emitted a humming sound.

But the estate's guards, those well-equipped Crystal Core armored sentries, were as fragile as ice sculptures before the Luna Wolves.

The second wave of Landing Pods landed, the hatches opened, and eight Luna Wolves Space Marines charged out.

"For Horus and the Emperor! Purge all noble targets!"

The banquet hall turned into a slaughterhouse.

Crystal tableware, ice-silk tapestries, and Crystal Core artworks turned into fragments amidst the explosions of bolters.

The nobles screamed and fled in all directions, but the exits had long since been sealed.

Tal watched with his own eyes as his best friend, a young noble who had just inherited the title of Count, was struck in the chest by a bolter round.

The young man's upper body was torn open, the entire upper torso exploding into a cloud of blue blood mist and crystal shards.

"No!"

Tal collapsed to the ground, unable to muster any strength.

Administrator Kalamuosi was being carried by two personal guards in an attempt to escape through a secret passage, but at the exit of the secret passage, two Luna Wolves Space Marines were already waiting.

"Surrender! We surrender!"

Kalamuosi abandoned all dignity, fell to his knees, and raised his hands high.

"Ninghuaxing is willing to surrender unconditionally! All the Crystal Core mines! All the cultivation technologies! Everything is offered to the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance! We only ask that you spare our lives!"

General Gelakesi was still putting up a final resistance.

He activated his power sword to maximum power, the blade extending to three meters, trailing cold blue arcs of light as he swung it.

"Administrator! Stand up! Fight!"

Gelakesi roared.

"We still have a chance! There are tens of millions of miners in the lower mines! We can mobilize them..."

His words came to an abrupt halt.

A Luna Wolves Sergeant appeared behind and to the side of Gelakesi, swinging a Power Fist. Gelakesi's power sword was directly blocked by the gauntlet, and the broken hilt pierced back into Gelakesi's chest.

Immediately after, the gauntlet gripped General Gelakesi's head.

Crack!

The sound of the neck bone shattering was terrifyingly clear in the suddenly quiet banquet hall.

Gelakesi's headless corpse slowly fell, blue blood soaking the carpet covered in crystal shards.