The alarm continued to echo through the conference room and the entire city. Felix stood up, appearing to have composed himself.
The secretary took a tentative, hopeful step forward. “Well? Have you figured out a plan?”
“Cancel the aid request and report the specifics to the Alliance. Seal off the sector. Go on.”
The secretary frowned. “But if we were to go and occupy the port now…”
Back then, some motherships were able to leave Planet 46, including a few that had been docked at its port. Though insignificant compared to the population of the entire planet, there had been some survivors. If they acted quickly, they might be able to evacuate some people.
Felix interrupted him, “No buts. Have you forgotten? Containment mode is active.”
Once on, containment mode could not be deactivated for at least three days or until energy sources were depleted.
The secretary paused. He couldn’t help but curse, “Those damned galactic pirates…”
Felix stared intently at the screen in front of him. He didn’t even spare the secretary a glance as his fingers flew across the interface. “I believe I have given you enough time to compose yourself. If you haven’t forgotten what I just said, then hurry up and go!”
The secretary turned and left with large strides, “Right away, sir.”
Meanwhile, with the Alliance.
The operator calmly opened the message that just came in. He shot to his feet the moment his brain processed the contents and rushed off without even bothering to pick up the chair he had knocked over.
His colleagues looked over. Someone nearby helped pick up the chair. “Why the rush?”
His response echoed back from the distance, “I have to meet with the Alliance Chairman!”
The other operators glanced at each other. “Seems pretty urgent.”
They generally had the authority to handle matters themselves without needing to report to their superiors, let alone bother the Chairman. Only in urgent situations where every second counted could they bypass procedures and go straight to the person in charge.
“I wonder what happened. Hopefully we’re not going to be reprimanded.”
They got their answer a few minutes later. The entire Alliance began to mobilize to deal with the developing situation.
The Alliance’s reaction was swift, immediately convening a meeting, starting evacuations of personnel from surrounding planets, and sealing off the sector.
Such a large-scale operation couldn’t be kept completely under wraps. Discussions soon began on the galactic network.
[Aw man…I was planning to go home. I even bought a ticket and was about to board the mothership when I was notified that all routes were suspended.]
[I’m nearby and I can confirm it’s true. Currently, only Alliance-deployed troops from neighbouring countries can enter or exit. We’ve been instructed to pack our belongings and leave as soon as possible.]
[…Are they trying to seal off the sector?]
[Why though? It’s just one planet being invaded by galactic pirates. Talk about overreacting.]
……
Lakely was still watching the livestream. The camera was now capturing the troops retreating to the city.
The alarms were still going off everywhere. Motherships circled overhead. The galactic pirates’ forces were also hovering in the sky above, maintaining a distance just outside of the city limits.
[LOL, this is so awkward. It’s the first time I’ve seen galactic pirates and the military peacefully coexisting on camera.]
[The city still has weapons, which is why the galactic pirates are still keeping their distance. The military is probably too busy dealing with the insects to bother with them. Speaking of, the shrill alarm is really getting on my nerves. Why doesn’t the governor call for a stop to it?]
Mandatory alarms like this one required an official announcement to be turned off.
The feed occasionally switched to the fleet above, but they remained stationary. Finally, the livestream focused on the soldiers and civilians below. The sounds also became clearer.
[I heard they’re going to seal off the sector, so I came over to take a look.]
[? What’s going on? How did we fast-forward to the sector being sealed off?]
Soon, the alarm stopped.
A voice rang out: [I am Governor Felix. This is an announcement regarding the alarm–]
Everyone, whether watching online or physically in the city, fell silent.
They listened as the voice continued: [Parasitic insects were discovered on the planet surface at 11:26. At 11:30, it was confirmed that the swarm is mature and in an expansion phase. The surrounding sector is currently being sealed off. Everyone, we have reached a critical juncture that will determine if any of us will live to see another day.]
Lakely’s eyes widened. The term ‘parasitic insects’ was familiar to everyone. They were the cause of Planet 46’s destruction.
“The current situation is not optimistic. We are still actively responding, but I urge you all to prepare for the worst. However, no matter what happens, all government agents will stand with you through this crisis.”
The camera continued to sweep over the crowd below. They were panicking, with many people rushing to the soldiers standing on either side of the street for confirmation.
Felix cut off the feed. “Ready?”
The secretary nodded. “Security in the city has been strengthened to prevent unrest. The galactic pirates are also being monitored, though I doubt they have the will to continue.”
Then, the secretary sighed, “What should we do next? It seems like all we can really do is write our final words and wait to die.”
Felix activated the holographic screen again. “Not exactly. We still have one last chance.”
Felix then connected to the communication network of the mothership fleet he had previously deployed. Before the other side could speak, he said, “Assemble all soldiers with Level B psychic power or above at the city entrance. Prepare to eliminate the king insect!”
[Yessir!]
“Additionally, I need to have a word with the galactic pirates. Use the military mothership’s signal to contact them. At times like this, they too can be considered a force to rely on.”
[I’ll try, but it’s galactic pirates we’re talking about. They might not accept such a request…]
“Tell them that if they don’t cooperate, we’ll shut them outside of the city’s defences.” Felix quickly said, “There’s no need to keep them around if they won’t pull their weight.”
[Understood.]
Felix turned to the secretary.
“Compile a list of all individuals within the city with Level B psychic power or above, including their backgrounds and whether they’re a local or a traveller. Prioritise those with higher level psychic power. Gather as many as you can.”
“Understood!”
The secretary hurriedly off.
……
Soon, news of a certain planet being infested by parasitic insects spread throughout the entire galactic network, even overshadowing the recently concluded resource tournament.
Lakely stared at the screen, subconsciously furrowing his brows. More and more viewers poured into the livestream, causing occasional fluctuations in the signal.
The drones continued to film according to their preset programming.
The narrator suddenly spoke up, “Sorry, but I need to step away for a moment to say goodbye to my family. The camera will stay on for you guys. There are also a few other drones our boss has released in hopes of preserving some useful data. There are too many viewers here, so try checking out some of the other perspectives.”
He muttered, “You won’t believe how expensive this setup was. Our boss just bought it not long ago and usually doesn’t even want to use it. Alright, that’s it. My wife and two children are in the military. I need to go find them ASAP. Be back in a bit.”
[Damn, I can’t watch this any longer. Footage of Planet 46 was never this clear. And if I remember correctly, this planet is under containment mode, right? Planet 46 was able to send out some motherships early on, but no one can leave here.]
[If your family is in the military, things probably won’t end well for them. It was the military holding down the like after Planet 46’s city defenses exhausted their energy reserves. It’ll probably be the same this time.]
[You’ve forgotten the fact that most of the elite forces had already been fed to the meat grinder before the city’s defences were depleted. They died in the insect hive. To put it bluntly, this was a losing battle from the start. Everyone’s going to die eventually– does it really matter whether it’s sooner or later?]
[That’s not necessarily true. If they have enough strength to kill the king insect, they could suppress the expansion of the swarm until containment mode lifts and the Alliance can render aid, right?]
[While that is a possibility, it’s so unlikely that you might as well forget about it. The swarm has already formed. Once you go into their hive, you’ll be devoured before you even get close. Some of the top contestants in the resource tournament might have a shot, but there’s not enough time here. That’s before taking the lockdown into account.
Secondly, no nation in their right mind would risk sending such talents into the hive. Assembling a force capable of storming the hive and eliminating the king insect would require an unimaginable amount of resources and luck. Such individuals aren’t exactly a dime a dozen. They’re just prolonging the inevitable at this point.]
[But what if? What if there happened to be a genius on this planet right now?]
[The probability is infinitesimal. Of all the planets belonging to Kernan, only one Ressa was produced after so many years. It would take a miracle. Anyone strong enough, brave enough to step up would become a hero revered by the entire Alliance!]
Lakely averted his gaze. He too was hoping for a miracle to happen, but he understood that miracles are called miracles because they rarely occur.
He was still lost in thought when his gaze suddenly fixated on a point.
The camera was still focused on the crowd below. In the frame, two figures could clearly be seen moving steadily against the current of the chaotic crowd.
They seemed familiar for some reason. The drone automatically adjusted to track the movement of the people below.
Others soon took notice as well.
[Those two seem so calm. Are they travellers?]
[They’re wearing cloaks, so probably. How unlucky. The one in front doesn’t even seem old enough to be an adult yet.]
Lakely instinctively stared at them. The one in front stopped first, followed by his companion. Neither made any moved. His full attention was focused on the person in front.
Said person moved slightly, lifting his head and looking towards the camera.
The hood of his cloak shifted back slightly, revealing his face and the hair framing it.
Lakely’s eyes widened. He couldn’t help but exclaim, “That’s Xavier!”
The others quickly noticed as well.
[Xavier?!]
[How is Xavier here?? And who’s that behind him?]
[I have a bold idea. If Xavier is here, then we can try to kill the king insect, right? Someone should let the local governor know right away!]
[Xavier isn’t old enough to officially participate in this kind of activity, right? The Alliance requires participants to be at least 30 years old. Letting him take part seems like a moral dilemma…]
[It’s not exactly the time to worry about that.]
Ye Muo stopped looking when he saw that it was a drone. He muttered to himself as he continued walking, “I wonder if we can leave the city now.”
The exit was just ahead, but the passage was already closed. The surrounding was spacious but sparsely populated. Many soldiers were stationed there, equipped with heavy firepower. There were also many small warships parked in the clearing, causing most people to instinctively keep their distance.
