Chapter 746: I'll wear them all to death!

Star Sea Hall, main hall.

A massive light curtain formed from quantum communication unfurled before the bridge; on the other side of the curtain, ten high-level projections appeared one after another.

Each overseeing a star sector, separated by countless light-years, they now gather here.

This is a formal meeting of the highest standard of the Hall.

Zhang Jie stood before the light curtain, adjusting his collar.

Zhang Jie had already communicated with the Hall several times before; this time, it was further negotiation on the whole matter.

"Alliance Leader, I hope you've been well."

The leading projection spoke, his tone polite.

"The Hall has received the Alliance's letter and also confirmed the matter of the pollution's contraction."

"But regarding the specifics, we still don't know much."

"At today's formal meeting, we hope the Alliance can provide an explanation that will let the Hall answer to all civilizations."

"The Hall's point is clear: you Alliance claim the crisis is resolved, so it's resolved? Then you need to show what evidence you have."

"Otherwise, how can the Hall answer to the Star Sea civilizations? We need some explanation."

"That's natural."

Zhang Jie spoke; he also needed to conduct a full negotiation with the other side, as this was a hidden danger that must be eliminated.

If something goes wrong and the Alliance's reputation is ruined, that would be no fun, especially since there are still many who envy the Alliance; better to prevent trouble before it happens.

"The pollution is indeed contracting, and something is indeed absorbing it."

"Its source, the Alliance has also found: it's a mess left behind by some reclusive civilization, which played itself to death."

The projections exchanged glances with each other, and no one spoke up to interrupt.

"That thing absorbing the pollution is to clean up the mess, not to expand, right?"

"On this point, the Hall can rest assured."

Zhang Jie paused, then added a sentence.

"As for who it is and where it comes from, I can't say for sure right now."

"But at least for now, we have already reached an agreement with the other party; we can be certain that she is cleaning up the pollution in the Star Sea, not causing trouble."

The main hall fell silent for a few seconds.

The leading projection slowly spoke.

"Does the Alliance Leader mean the Hall doesn't need to intervene?"

"Yes, same as before: what the Hall needs to do is observe, set up outer defenses, to prevent the pollution from spreading to other civilizations."

"And also relief for the disaster-stricken areas."

Zhang Jie spoke word by word, as if he had thought it through countless times, with no hesitation or stutter.

"The later cleanup work can be mostly handled by the Alliance."

"This is the Alliance's reply."

On the other side of the light curtain, the ten projections fell silent for a moment, then nodded in turn.

"The Hall has noted the Alliance Leader's reply."

"If the pollution shows any abnormality, the Hall will notify the Alliance immediately."

"Thank you."

Zhang Jie nodded, and the formal meeting was thus settled.

He stood there with his usual expression, waiting for the light curtain to go completely dark before letting out a breath without a trace.

He had managed to get through it.

He slowly turned his head, looking toward the other end of the room.

He saw Lin Ran and Xiao Jiu squatting behind him, their heads together, sharing snacks bite by bite, with two bottles of drink rolling nearby, one of which had already been half finished.

"Yo, done talking?"

Lin Ran didn't lift her head, her mouth full of food, she asked indistinctly.

"Done talking."

Zhang Jie raised his eyebrows.

"You two didn't hear a thing just now, right?"

"Hear what?"

Lin Ran lifted her head, looking innocent.

"You weren't in a meeting with that Hall, were you?"

"It's got nothing to do with us, so we didn't butt in."

"Exactly, exactly!"

Xiao Jiu nodded repeatedly beside him, milk tea foam still on the corner of her mouth.

"Driver Mister, you looked cool just now when you spoke!"

Zhang Jie: ……

"You two are really something."

"That's for sure!"

Lin Ran proudly lifted her chin, revealing her stubborn nature completely; Zhang Jie shook his head helplessly.

"Ah, this mess is finally settled."

Elsewhere.

At this moment, the entire star sector was like a chessboard being moved by countless hands at once.

On the outer defense line of the Star Sea Hall, hundreds of giant space stations lit up with azure warning lights, and warships belonging to various civilizations were deployed according to set coordinates, forming a steel ring encircling the polluted zone.

Within the ring, Alliance warships were moored at the edge of the polluted zone, their hulls bristling with dense construction beams, like a crouching giant beast, continually stitching the wounds of this chaotic star field.

On the stricken planet, rescue ships landed one after another, taking batches of surviving civilians away.

Broadcasts from the Star Port rose and fell, some wept, some shouted, some numbly were pushed onto the ships, turning back to gaze at the home they had lived half their lives in, as a layer of black fog slowly swallowed it up.

And farther away.

Yunxiao's troop production line never stopped.

Her intelligent machine army spread like a tide, the mechanized assembly line in the asteroid belt ran day and night, every second a new intelligent machine came off the line, joining that steel torrent.

She stood on the flagship's bridge, gazing at the fleet spread across the entire star map, stroking her chin in thought.

Enough?

The Intelligent Machine Empress asked beside her.

Not enough.

Yunxiao said calmly.

Such things, you can never have too many; they're useful on the battlefield, in logistics, and especially lacking in disaster relief.

I'll build, build, build, build, build!!!!

And at the Alliance Research Institute.

Yuan sat before the instruments, her spirit was terrifying!

Since joining the Alliance, she has received the Alliance's latest drug injection, with noticeable effect; at least now her spirits are a bit.

Now Yuan, before her lay a large row of test tubes containing various components separated from the polluted samples, their labels covered in dense annotations.

"Taste parameters……chewiness……swallowing smoothness……"

She muttered to herself, then crossed out a line.

"No, that would be too astringent."

Beside her, Blue Gem squatted on the chair, gazing longingly at the test tube in her hand.

"Mom Yuan, is it tasty?"

"..... Are you here to help or to get a snack?"

"Both are fine!"

Yuan: ……

She rubbed her temples, deciding not to quarrel with that stupid cat.

Past the whole battlefield, past that steel ring, past countless busy figures.

At the very center of the polluted zone.

There, it was the sole quiet place in the entire star field.

The massive mother worm's body lay entrenched in the core of the pollution tide, its wings slowly unfurling behind it, blotting out the sky.

She had her mouth open, swallowing mouthfuls of that churning black fluid.

Those few gulps of blood could be considered a treat for Qi Yu; now she just wants to quickly resolve everything before her, then properly experience life.

After all....

Beautiful times are always fleeting; she has lived so long, she knows nothing in this world is eternal.

Zhang Jie will surely die someday, she too, just a matter of time; when will their next meeting be?

Will the next Zhang Jie still remember her?

All of this is unknown.

So she must cherish the present all the more, although now, it's said there are still many by the Master's side, but!

She will not admit defeat! For she has confidence she can outlast everyone else!!!

Cough, what Qi Yu doesn't know is, actually, among those fellows, there really aren't many she can outlast.

Qi Yu's little scheme ultimately came to nothing.