Chapter 804: The End of the Xiuluo Holy War (4)

Ninth Defense Zone new crop Planting Zone.

Soft sunlight sprinkled down evenly, illuminating rows of neatly arranged planting troughs.

Inside the troughs was a gel substrate of soil mixed with Zerg Energy Crystal fragments.

The young technician Xiaolin was wearing data goggles, carefully adjusting the energy ratio of a certain planting trough.

Behind him, Professor Sun, with graying hair and thick glasses, stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze focused on inspecting every seedling.

Several staff members were quietly operating the environmental control system in the distance.

Suddenly, Angron's iconic announcement voice faintly transmitted in through the greenhouse's external broadcast system.

"... The war—is over."

Xiaolin's movements froze instantly.

He turned his face, still wearing the goggles, slowly toward the direction of the sound, his body remaining in a half-squatting posture as he adjusted the equipment, motionless.

On the lenses of the data goggles, the green light flow representing the seedlings' health status was still flickering steadily, reflecting the instantly frozen, incredulous expression on his face.

Professor Sun's hands, clasped behind his back, clenched tightly, his knuckles emitting a faint "crack" sound.

His body, which had been slightly leaning forward in focused observation, straightened up inch by inch.

He slowly raised his head, his wrinkled face turning toward the direction of the broadcast speaker, his eyes behind the thick lenses wide open, his lips opening and closing silently a few times to confirm if he was hallucinating.

Time stretched out in the silence of the greenhouse.

"Pro... Professor?"

Xiaolin's trembling voice broke the silence.

He took off his goggles, revealing a pale and young face, and looked at Professor Sun.

"Just now... did the broadcast say... over?"

Professor Sun did not answer immediately.

He took a deep breath, turned around, and stopped looking at the broadcast, instead casting his gaze once again toward those vibrant young seedlings.

"Xiaolin,"

Professor Sun's voice sounded, unusually calm.

"I heard it. It's over."

He reached out his hand and touched a tender leaf closest to him extremely gently.

"Those Alien Races... will never come again."

His fingers lingered for a moment on that tender leaf symbolizing the future, feeling the pulse of life.

"These seedlings... from now on, will only grow, head, and bear fruit safely under the sun and rain.

For us, for the Ninth Defense Zone, for everyone... who can finally live on in peace."

Xiaolin looked at the professor's slightly trembling fingers, looking at that tender leaf bearing an endless weight.

Xiaolin blinked hard, not letting tears blur his vision, and just nodded heavily.

"Yes! Grow up safely!"

With a heavy nasal tone, Xiaolin squatted back down to calibrate the equipment.

Residential Area Square.

Night had fallen, but the residential area square in the Ninth Defense Zone Outer City was brighter and livelier than ever before.

In the center of the square, there was no grand official celebration, only the spontaneous gathering of residents.

Several families brought out small tables and simple homemade food, sharing it with one another.

Children chased and played under the lights, emitting carefree laughter, with no mothers nervously scolding them to stay away from the shadows.

In the distance, a squad of Modian soldiers patrolled past, their steps still uniform, but the tense atmosphere had vanished; they were more like a part of this peaceful night scene.

When the residents saw them, they would nod in greeting naturally, their eyes filled with trust.

On the highest building platform at the edge of the square, a giant figure stood silently.

Angron scanned the vibrant scene below: the laughter of sharing food, the running of children, the hammering sounds of repairing houses, and the mechanical roar coming from the factory area in the distance.

The clouds of war that had long shrouded the Ninth Defense Zone had completely dissipated.

What the people were celebrating was that they could finally cast off the shackles named "imminent destruction," and under the order and protection brought by the Emperor, embrace every ordinary night and tomorrow full of hope with peace of mind.

Angron's gaze lingered for a moment on the lights and laughter, his jaw seemed to move slightly, and then his massive body left the platform.

Outside the Giant Weapon Factory in the First Defense Zone Inner City.

Yingzhou stood beside the wreckage of a destroyed Cyberk Assault Titan.

The golden psychic energy flowing around him had receded, and Selina stood quietly by his side.

Sanguinius was not far away, his white wings folded, whispering something to Valantis.

Corax walked up to Yingzhou.

His black Power Armor barely reflected any light, and the dust and oil stains on it made the boundary between him and the environment even more blurred.

"Father,"

Corax said to Yingzhou in a sincere voice.

"Let me stay."

He pointed to the massive and silent Giant Weapon Factory behind him.

"This place needs to be thoroughly cleaned, assessed, and ensured to be safe. Sanguinius still has to return to the Fourth Defense Zone to handle affairs later.

Leave this to me, it will be no problem."

Yingzhou's gaze shifted from the damaged gate of the Giant Weapon Factory to Corax.

He was silent for a few seconds, a hint of scrutiny flashing in his deep eyes, and then he nodded slowly.

"Hmm... alright then, I'll leave this place to you."

Yingzhou paused, a faint arc suddenly appearing at the corner of his mouth as he looked at Corax and spoke in a relaxed tone.

"However... Corax, you wouldn't have come to the First Defense Zone with me with such a purpose from the very beginning, would you?"

Corax's expression did not change in the slightest; those exceptionally bright eyes met Yingzhou's gaze calmly as he spoke.

"How could that be? Father, am I that kind of person?"

Hearing Corax's response, Yingzhou understood in his heart.

"Very well."

He turned to the dozen or so Tech-Priests standing by nearby who had just been summoned.

"You are to remain here and assist Corax in taking over the First Defense Zone.

Clear out internal hidden dangers, protect key equipment, and collect all valuable data.

In all actions, follow Corax's command!"

"Yes!"

The dozen Tech-Priests responded in unison, then turned toward Corax and saluted by placing one hand over their chests.

Yet at that moment, Yingzhou caught the expression on Corax's face as it quickly returned to calm; for a split second, he felt as if he had seen the corners of his mouth lift, but that was not important.

Yingzhou took one last look at this land, ravaged by the flames of war and now being brought back under the control of Human Civilization.

He then looked up as the Transport Aircraft sent by the Ninth Defense Zone appeared, its engines emitting a low roar as it slowly approached the designated temporary landing site.

"Sanguinius,"

Yingzhou called out.

Sanguinius walked over upon hearing the voice, his wings stirring slightly.

"It is time for us to return."

Yingzhou's voice was steady, but his gaze was cast toward the more distant starry sky.

"The battle here has ended, but a greater storm is brewing in the depths of the universe. They… or something else, will come sooner or later."

A trace of gravity flashed in Sanguinius's blue eyes.

"Understood, Father. The homeland needs to be rebuilt, and strength needs to be accumulated. We have already taken the first step into the sea of stars."

Yingzhou nodded, saying no more. He took Selina and, together with Sanguinius, strode toward the slowly landing Transport Aircraft.

The heavy cabin door opened, revealing the bright lights inside.

Corax stood where he was, watching his father and brother board the Transport Aircraft.

His black silhouette appeared small against the backdrop of the massive factory ruins as he turned to the remaining troops and issued an order.

"Task: Full control, thorough clearing, information extraction, rescue survivors. Operation begins."

Following his command, the remaining warriors and soldiers began to disperse in an orderly fashion.

Inside the cabin, Yingzhou leaned against the metal bulkhead, watching the scene of the First Defense Zone shrinking outside the window.

He closed his eyes and began to outline in his mind the blueprint for after returning to the Ninth Defense Zone: reconstruction plans, the prototype of a fleet, technological integration, intelligence analysis… and, how to deal with the true challenge from the depths of the sea of stars that could descend at any moment.

The crisis of Xiuluosheng was temporarily resolved, but the journey of Human Civilization had only just set sail.

The true storm was gathering in the unseen deep space.

And he had to make full preparations to welcome that storm.