Chapter 441: Chapter 441: Kepulu’s Great Escape

After the message of the imminent catastrophe was broadcast, the reactions of the different Races were varied.

The Protos survivors from Shakuras were the first to respond; deep in their souls, they had an inexplicable, mystical connection with the universe and had sensed the unrest spreading across the Star Zone long ago. With the message we sent out and the strong corroborating evidence provided by Zeratul, the Protos natives took immediate action.

Orderly and dignified — these eight characters epitomized the ancient and rational Race’s attitude toward the major disaster.

Newborns, young adults, technicians, and scientists were first on the evacuation list. They were the essential conditions for the propagation and rejuvenation of a Race while warriors, spiritual leaders, and sages were scheduled for the second batch. The former served as a robust barrier protecting their kin in the treacherous outer space, and the latter bore the heavy responsibility of the Race’s spiritual pillar. The obliteration of their homeland and wandering among the stars typically triggered tremendous psychological turmoil. A slight repression multiplied by the size of the entire Race could become a catalyst for a second disaster. Those wise and strong spiritual leaders had to guide their people through the darkest period, which could last just a few months or perhaps even decades.

While the outcome was anticipated to be positive, only heaven knew if the Kepulu Star Zone could be reconstructed soon. The World Arbitration Agency had slumbered for too long, and now that they had just completed their refurbishment, they had to undertake such a high-tech task, the chance of unforeseen incidents was too high, forcing us to prepare for the worst.

These chosen Protos spiritual leaders met with me following an introduction by Zeratul. Despite our Race differences, I could still see what I was looking for in their eyes: determination, wisdom, and concealed robust acumen.

As I had already explained in the Star Zone broadcast, although the Kepulu Star Zone was ruined by being completely contaminated with “Demon Energy,” the Xyrin Apostles were the real executors of this death penalty; in other words, the ultimate destruction of their homeland should have been our doing. Faced with this reality, these Protos leaders exhibited a remarkably calm and understanding attitude; particularly when they saw the harm caused by the Abyss Energy as affected stars went crazed, exploding, and even crashing into the Galaxy Core. Being contaminated by such power and turning into accomplices of universal destruction was absolutely unacceptable to these justice-seeking Protos natives, perhaps one reason they could understand our actions.

In any case, although the atmosphere during this meeting was heavy, the matters were smoothly resolved: The entire Protos Race would begin a large exodus in three days, and their escape destination was a few Constant Star Systems designated by the Empire. Though the environments were harsh, they could at least survive, and relying on their advanced technology, they should be able to establish themselves there.

Moreover, a portion of the “Divine Race” was left behind, including some irreparably wounded warriors and elderly who were too weak. It was impossible for the Protos to evacuate their entire Race from Kepulu within a month. Thus, those who could no longer contribute to the Race had to stay and step into death with their homeland. Another fraction chose to stay out of attachment to their homeland. On the eve of the homeland’s ruin, such scenarios invariably occur, even within a highly rational society like the Protos. The quantity of those wishing to stay made up less than one percent; the spots they vacated were not wasted, allowing some renowned but disabled veterans and artists, who had voluntarily chosen to face doomsday, a chance to survive.

Overall, the vast majority of the Protos “Divine Race” organized the evacuation with remarkable order. The calm and unity they exhibited during this endeavor was surprising, as if selfishness had never intersected with this Race. Everyone silently chose the path most beneficial for the entire Race; even if it meant being driven off a spaceship to save space, they would remain wordless. These aliens, who initially appeared strange to me, possessed qualities even commendable by Sandora; they gazed at their homeland with sincerity and attachment, but their steps when turning to leave bore no hesitation, and they never looked back.

Maybe in the refuge, this Race would silently lick its wounds, but at least for now, their unity and order had earned the respect of the Xyrin Apostles.

The departing Protos also included a small portion of Taldarim Members. When the power of “Revelation” completely dissipated, some of these zealots regained their composure. Faced with the impending doom of the entire Star Zone, even the crazed members had a clear-headed faction. Less than one-third of the Taldarim Members broke away from their group, and they naturally procured passage from the Empire’s blockade forces. The remaining two-thirds gathered on El, now scorched earth from past wars, hoping to reminisce about the glory of their old homeland in the last month.

As for the humans, exactly as we expected, they clearly divided into two factions.

Some were led by Monsk, the stubborn faction. Even though the power of the “Revelation” had dissipated, human nature’s suspicion and conspiracy theories still dominated their minds. They found it hard to believe that the Imperial Army, which had planned a massacre of the Kepulu natives two days ago, could suddenly transform into a radiant savior. Moreover, Monsk was manipulating public opinion to cast us as conspirators. He claimed it was another sinister plan by the Xyrin invaders, a plan designed to confuse the public with a sensational disaster, even shaking the foundation of human civilization. According to him, we simply became imperialists desperate to conquer this star zone (well, there indeed is such a girl by my side), causing the Xyrin Empire’s iron hooves to trample every planet in Kepulu and seize humanity’s “beautiful and glorious homeland.” Honestly, his claims were full of holes, speculative from start to finish. The war was initially provoked by humans, yet in that old man’s narrative, it was twisted into an unprovoked attack by a Xyrin Apostle on a human colonization star. But humans are easily swayed, and Monsk’s followers gullibly believed these absurd claims. The stubborn faction decisively refused to evacuate and announced they would fight the despicable invaders to the end…

Pandora had applied six times for me to sign an Extermination Order, damn it!

But it didn’t matter; the stubborn faction made this choice themselves. I am a nice guy indeed, but if someone is eager for death, I am quite willing to help realize their dream. Just by standing by indifferently, these annoying folks would soon be formatted and evaporated without a trace.

Meanwhile, many of the warships we had originally prepared to help evacuate humans were now available. Rather than wasting effort in thankless rescue, it was better to evacuate more innocent victims–the Protos’s migration ships were already scarce.

Contrasting the stubborn faction were those we called the wise faction, who were inclined to evacuate. Most were civilians within Reynolds’ sphere of influence, who suffered greatly under Monsk’s authoritarianism and had immense trust in Reynolds. I must admit, I initially underestimated Uncle Reynolds’ influence. Originally just a terrorist leader in the “plot,” Uncle Reynolds actually possessed significant clout in the real interstellar community. The number of people he inspired was quite substantial. Moreover, because of their inconsequential power, they were the least affected by the “Revelation” process. They were the first to recognize the absurdity of the war and more readily believed the warnings issued by the Xyrin Empire.

Yet, this part of humanity was still too small compared to the overall human population in the Kepulu Star Zone. And although they were more influenced by Reynolds, when someone suddenly announced the impending doomsday, ordinary people still had their doubts. Additionally, these marginalized poor didn’t have many interstellar migration ships. With local governments under Monsk’s control, it was unlikely that the authorities would let these “rebels” flee and disrupt the normal social order. Organizing human escapes was extremely challenging, especially when compared to the highly rational and more trusting Protos…

Really, we distant relatives are quite disgraceful…

We could help solve the lack of migration ships. After all, this part of humanity constituted less than one-fifth of the Independent Federation. The warships we urgently refitted could still handle the transportation of these populations. But we couldn’t assist with the human spirit; that depended wholly on the extent of Uncle Reynolds’ appeal. As for the local governments, those stubborn and aggressively defensive groups were troublesome. I simply deployed a couple of Scorpions to each planet, which quieted things down considerably.

Ah, furthermore, my initial vision finally came into sight: we really dismantled the main cannons of a large number of Eternal Level warships and transformed them into residential quarters. Qianqian, that girl, has now boldly become the top real estate head in the Kepulu Star Zone.

Let us shift our focus from the soon-to-be wandering Kepulu natives back to the Imperial Army.

Here, in a desolate and remote asteroid belt at the edge of a destroyed constant star system–actually, it’s the star system where the Black Sun was previously located–we’ve established a temporary base. Using these asteroids, we created a series of space anchors and Xyrin barriers and set up space beacons. The Space-Time Management Center started constructing the space rift according to these beacons; it’s now nearly 90% complete. From the top platform of the Imperial Admiral, looking out, one can clearly see the cosmos split into two: a giant circular body among the normal stars. The surface of this circular body is densely packed with starlight, as if the density of stars suddenly increased within a circular zone, creating a spectacle. This ring is the rapidly expanding space rift, its mirroring effect folding the nearby space like a bizarre mirror, continuously refracting the images of surrounding starry sky multiple times, forming that brilliant halo of stars. Qianqian, with nothing else to do these days, kept holding a holographic recorder on the platform, filming a documentary-style long movie that she says will reflect the vastness of the universe. Currently, Big Sister and I are secretly betting whether Qianqian’s enthusiasm will last three days or four…

This base is less than fifty astronomical units from the Black Sun–trivial for an impending Abyss Core explosion. But we had no choice but to transport the Mother Star here, Gaia. According to Alaya, she is now in a state of “fusion” with the Mother Star; even as the Glory Starship, she must operate as a satellite of the Mother Star. This meant that my unfortunate Mother Star had to be fixed where the World Arbitration Agency was activated, right at the center of the Kepulu Star Zone.

Unfortunately, the Black Sun is also at this location…

Black Sun eruption countdown, day five, Imperial Admiral Bridge.

The communication with Gaia had been firmly established, and even Sandora couldn’t help but marvel at the incredible distance between my mother star and this universe. Perhaps distance isn’t the right word–instead, the astonishing intensity between the barriers of the two worlds. I truly don’t know how my initial spiritual connection made contact with such a far-off world.

No wonder why Gaia, even with the full force of Mother Star-level teleportation, could only manage a one-way transfer to Pandora+300…

“Emperor, I’m delighted to be in conversation with you again,” Gaia’s voice sounded cheerful through the spiritual connection, “the Mother Star has begun to detach from the original barrier system and is ready to start the transfer at any time.”

“How is the space rift doing?” I asked this to the Twin Sisters managing the teleportation guidance as the space beacons.

“The rift condition is stable–we can teleport anytime.”

Sandora and I exchanged looks, both revealing satisfied smiles.

“Prepare to teleport, all gravity-stabilizing ships, energy at full blast!”

Following that order, a deep humming sound began to emanate from all around, and the air started to fill with an uncomfortable sensation, almost like a slight electrocution. I knew the teleportation had begun.

The gravitational turbulence caused by a mass as large as a planet passing through a rift was astonishing, enough to tear the planet itself apart. However, our stabilizing ships suppressed this turbulence to a very low extent, instead producing these low-frequency vibrations enveloping the asteroid belt. As long as these vibrations remained stable, it indicated the teleportation was progressing normally. But I still had to say–so itchy! Every single hair on my body is trembling, damn it!

“Ah Jun, look dignified,” Sandora said with a tone of helplessness looking at my scratching. I pointed at my feet right then: Qianqian here is rolling all over the floor, why don’t you tell her off!

“These unruly Imperial Leaders…” Lilina sighed exasperatedly, desperately rubbing against the handrail of the bridge.

I mean, doesn’t the Imperial Admiral Bridge, such an awesome place, have some kind of isolation device, damn it!

The ring that had been floating above the Imperial Fleet was now shaking violently. The starscape it reflected became a blurred light strip due to the disturbance, and in the center of this halo, a pale blue dot just appeared and began to gradually expand.

Mother Star! The teleportation had begun!

Of course, what we were seeing right now was still just a blue small sphere–its radius being only about one meter, like an infinitely precise model recreating the Mother Star’s structure atom by atom. This is because, under the mirroring effect of the space rift, the Mother Star being transported had formed a diminutive projection in the current material plane, while its real body was still inside the passage.

This tiny projection floated quietly within the vast ring of stars, almost unchanged to the naked eye. Yet, a few seconds later, the toy-like, crystal-clear sphere suddenly expanded to fill the entire sky!

Words could hardly describe the shock of that moment. In just three seconds, a verdant terrain beneath a thick atmosphere suddenly appeared above us! I had always thought the teleportation of the Mother Star would be a slow process, a massive celestial body slowly emerging from that wide space rift–this was the image of planet teleportation I had in my mind. But it seems that human imagination is still too impoverished. The Mother Star, from a projection less than one meter in radius, had ballooned into a huge planet in just three seconds!!

This momentary scene was displayed in front of us through the holographic projection on the bridge, even startling Qianqian a bit!

“Teleportation successful, it’s a pleasure to meet you, great Emperor.”

A gentle female voice suddenly sounded on the bridge, snapping me out of shock–it was Gaia’s voice.

In an instant, I felt quite surreal. Just a few seconds ago, Gaia, who was separated from us by the Endless Void and even had distortions in her voice, was now so close that the Imperial Fleet could even touch the atmosphere of the Mother Star!

A light blue glow gradually floated on the bridge as these energy clouds slowly gathered, then gradually formed a fuzzy humanoid shape. Soon after, this humanoid shape became clear.

Gaia, whom I had previously met only in dreams and spiritual illusions, finally met in reality.

With a warm and respectful smile, shoulder-length hair, a dignified and beautiful appearance, and a posture graceful and full of etiquette–Gaia left a clear impression on me in that moment: a well-cultured, knowledgeable housekeeper–no way around it, Gaia, who had always been taking care of the Mother Star, really resembled a housekeeper…

“Uh… Gaia, long time no see.”

“Still the same awkward way of greeting, huh.”

As soon as I finished speaking, Lilina, beside me, murmured with a hand to her forehead in resignation.

I guess that’s my mortal-level social skills, sorry Lady Priestess! (To be continued. For more information, please visit www.wuxiaworld.site. More chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)