by <unknown>
"Speaking of space gates, we must thank you!"
Li Yao smiled. "This was supposedly the riskiest part of the plan because I was not confident that my squad could successfully seize one or two space gates that were under your control. I had no doubt that the space gates and their ground control must've been heavily defended.
"However, thanks to your 'Massive Inculcation', all the defenders are now dizzy and half asleep, if not already collapsed. They are incapable of fighting now. How are they going to resist the assault of my elite squad? You are now the victim of your own scheme!"
"Humph!"
Wuying Qi sneered, "While my defenders are deranged, is your elite squad safe from the sweeping solar storm and the brainwashing waves?"
"Bingo, congratulations!"
Li Yao grinned with a brilliant smile. "Even if your brainwashing waves were boosted ten times more by the sun, it still wouldn't work on my squad. At this moment, they must've conquered a space gate and opened the entrance of the capital to the Seven Seas Space Zone!"
…
At the same time, in a heavily defended military base, which was the ground control of a massive space gate on the orbit…
The iron fortresses and the countless battle puppets in the base were standing by. Soldiers armed to teeth were deployed to every place that could be infiltrated without leaving the tiniest gap.
However…
When the solar storm tore apart the atmosphere and swept across the planet, the soldiers in the base, just like the Immortal Cultivators in the city, were fascinated by the sacredness and greatness of Wuying Qi first, dazzled by the unspeakable action videos that Li Yao played later, and confused by the debate between Li Yao and Wuying Qi in the end. They were all writhing on the ground holding their heads, if they were still conscious. They could not fight at all now.
Only the battle puppets that were controlled by crystal processors were still patrolling in the base on alert dutifully according to their preinstalled strategy.
On a high ground not far away from the base, two cute kids appeared.
They looked young, but inhuman indifference and wisdom emanated in their eyes. Covered in glittering anti-radiation suits, they were like dolls that just crawled out of a crystal processor.
They were none other than Xiaoming and Wenwen, a new generation of information life.
"This high-energy radiation is fun."
Xiaoming said, "I've sensed weird, malicious information in this special radiation. It's trying to change the data in my head by slithering into my brain and engraving it!"
"That's right. What a brilliant idea it is to plant something similar to a crystal processor virus into the human head with the star as an enhancer!"
Wenwen also bulged her eyes. "This is impressive. I can't find a way to resist this 'brain virus'. I can only watch it modify the data in my brain. What does it want? Ah, it's trying to implant a 'super user' in my brain. If it succeeds, a guy will be able to remotely control my brain and ask me to carry out his instruction unconditionally!"
"That's right. Also, there's a logic trap in it."
Xiaoming said, "This 'super user' is trying to hide itself and mislead us into thinking that it's part of our brains, and that all the instructions it receives are our own ideas.
"I've seen plenty of similar logic traps on crystal processors, but few in mental attacks. It's interesting and worth studying!"
"Let's study it later. Dad has given us a mission!"
Wenwen narrowed her eyes. Looking at the scorching sun in the sky, she said, "Our bodies and brains are too young to resist the brain virus. So, let's hibernate our bodies and seal the brain virus for future scanning and analysis!"
"Okay!"
Xiaoming nodded his head.
They immediately closed their eyes and fell backward.
Before they hit the ground, two spiritual puppets with the symbols of the reformists had supported them. Then, more and more spiritual puppets appeared behind them.
There were a hundred spiritual puppets in total, half controlled by Xiaoming and half by Wenwen.
"The soldiers in the military base seem to have been affected by the brain virus and is in some sort of… chaos."
The fifty spiritual puppets that were under Xiaoming's control uttered at the same time, "Including the soldiers who are responsible for the automatic defense system, everyone is crazy."
"Now, the only people who are fulfilling their duty in this military base are puppets."
Wenwen said with a smile, "Let's have a nice talk with them!"
Controlling the hundred spiritual puppets, the two of them strode to the military base openly.
The battle puppets and the automatic artillery in the base detected the hundred weird intruders instantly. They aimed their weapons at the intruders.
However, before they carried out the instruction of "shoot at will", two streams of information had hacked the mainframe crystal processor of the base and given them a new order.
Shua! Shua! Shua! Shua!
The indicators on the aggressive battle puppets turned from red to green. Silently, they joined Xiaoming and Wenwen's team and became part of them.
"Chi—"
Air currents spurted out as the alloy gate of the base that weighed a hundred tons was slowly opened to the kids.
…
In the space battlefield, there was a space gate on the orbit of the capital planet that was still in hibernation.
When the iron giant arrived, the soldiers who were stationed near the space gate had also been confused and collapsed.
Just like on the ground, only the puppets and the unmanned space shuttles could support the shaking defense line under the rampage of the solar storm.
The iron giant stared at the space gate from the void. The ten Cosmos Rings on his fist glittered under the sunlight.
Shua! Shua! Shua! Shua!
Space ripples spread out from his fists like swirls. Battle puppets were retrieved one after another. They floated behind him in silence and gathered into an iron army named Fist King.
The Fist King and his hundred bodies strutted at the space gate unstoppably.
After each step forward, the invisible ripples would spread out further and infiltrate the battle puppets and the drones, turning them into his subordinates.
By the time the Fist King finally stepped into the space gate, he had already controlled a thousand puppets and drones of various kinds.
Most soldiers were still too deranged by the mental attack to resist the Fist King.
Even though some of them were still clear, there was nothing they could do to stop the most powerful battle universe in the universe as his army pressed forward!
"Xiaoming, Wenwen."
Five minutes later, the Fist King sent a secret signal to the ground of the capital planet. "I've occupied the No. 2 space gate on the orbit. How's it going on your end?"
"Uncle Fist King—"
Xiaoming and Wenwen's sweet voice replied, "We've also occupied the ground control of the No. 2 space gate. We have hacked the mainframe crystal processor and have the clearance to open the space gate now!"
"Very good."
Staring at the mess that was the ace fleet of the four families millions of kilometers away, the Fist King said calmly, "Then let's begin. It's time for the Arsonist Fleet to appear!"
…
In the meantime, in the Seven Seas Space Zone at the border of the Imperium…
The Astounding Thunder Fleet and the Arsonist Fleet had been fortified multiple times after they captured five Adamantine-level Super Arsenal Warships and countless other warships. The saber and the hammer couldn't have looked more intimidating!
Despite the coordination problems due to the rapid expansion, they needed enough men to clear the mess in the capital. Without enough warships, they wouldn't be able to control the ace fleet of the four families and the Deep Sea Fleet that had fallen into chaos.
Standing on the bridge, Lei Che
nghu was receiving the live stream from the capital through the super remote channel and gazing at the countless warships around him.
His face was grim. His hands and his mechanical arms were shivering. He didn't know whether he should be happy or angry.
"Li Yao…"
Lei Chenghu chewed on the cockroach's name, not expecting that he would go so far. It was true that he unveiled Wuying Qi, but in the meantime, he had also desecrated the honor and glory of the Immortal Cultivators, the Imperium, and Blackstar the Great!
The videos that smeared the ancestor of the Immortal Cultivators were played over the whole capital again and again. Wouldn't the Immortal Cultivators be too ashamed to meet other people in the future?!
He had known that Li Yao was nothing good. Such a shameless and sordid tactic had struck both Wuying Qi's belief and the faith of the people in the true path of immortality. There was no telling how many Immortal Cultivators would be frustrated and change their minds after this battle!
He wondered if his brain had been barraged by the main guns of a super arsenal warship. Why else would he have cooperated with a scumbag like Li Yao?
For a moment, Lei Chenghu burst into such rage that he almost wanted to kill both Li Yao and Wuying Qi who were equally shameless.
However, when he glanced at the Arsonist Fleet, which was no weaker than the Astounding Thunder Fleet, his remaining rationality was restored.
Lei Chenghu sighed and rubbed his face with his iron hand until he was calm, solemn, and determined again. He turned on a public channel and spoke to all the soldiers before they marched on to the capital.
Chapter 2642: Collapse of the Mental Battlefield |
"Warriors of the Imperium, whether you belonged to the Astounding Thunder Fleet, or the four Kurfürst families, or the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors, or the local troop at the border, you should have all realized that our common home is at the most dangerous moment!"
Lei Chenghu's voice echoed among thousands of starships and in the blood of every soldier. "The Imperium is now caught in unprecedented chaos and indescribable evil. Once the capital collapses, the Imperium will collapse, our home will collapse, and even mankind will collapse as a whole!
"Nobody except us can prevent our home from sinking into the abyss. For the honor of the Imperium, for our home, for our future and the future of our families, and for the future of the true path of immortality that we've sworn to protect, we have to fight until the end!
"The fate of the Imperium lies in our hands! Ours!
"Besides…
"The shameless scoundrel who has stolen the capital brazenly pretends to be Blackstar the Great. That is too outrageous!
"The real Blackstar the Great is the greatest, purest, and noblest Immortal Cultivator, who devoted everything for his beloved Imperium and mankind a thousand years ago and passed away! His impostor in the Imperium is nothing more than an evil and filthy extraterritorial devil. We will never admit that it is Blackstar the Great!
"Summon your courage, grab your saber, march into the capital, and cut the extraterritorial devil who dares to impersonate our great emperor into pieces so that they will know the consequences of messing with Immortal Cultivators!"
Emotionally, Lei Chenghu slashed his iron arm, as if he were slashing a gap in the vacuum that led to the capital.
Roars echoed on countless starships. Marching into the capital and defending the Imperium was the greatest dream of every soldier of the Imperium.
"The future of the Imperium lies in our hands."
"We will be the master of the Imperium after we win this war!"
Such a realization was enough to motivate every ambitious Immortal Cultivator to fight anything in the whole universe!
Lei Chenghu finished the battle mobilization quickly. He looked back at Yun Xuefeng and Song Yushi, the commanders of the coalition fleet of the four families, who had complicated feelings.
In order to unite all the forces that could be united, Lei Chenghu and Boss Bai did not execute the two renowned persons of the four families after their fleets were crushed. Instead, he kept them alive.
After figuring out Wuying Qi's scheme in the capital through the live stream, Yun Xuefeng and Song Yushi were dumbfounded and intimidated.
Wuying Qi's primary target was the ace fleets of the four families. Naturally, they would do anything to stop that.
What choices did they have except to work with Lei Chenghu?
The havoc in the Seven Seas Space Zone was settled down so quickly exactly because the two commanders had surrendered.
Of course, Lei Chenghu did not really trust them. He did not let them go back to their fleets but kept them on Iron Torrent as hostages. They sent Lei Chenghu's orders to their fleets from here.
"The true face of the extraterritorial devil who impersonates His Majesty has been exposed."
Staring at Yun Xuefeng and Song Yushi, Lei Chenghu said coldly, "The evidence is right before our eyes. Do you have anything to say?"
Yun Xuefeng and Song Yushi looked at each other and shook their heads like roosters that had just lost a fight.
"Very good. Issue commands to your fleet!"
Lei Chenghu said, "Focus 70% of the spiritual energy on the shield and ask all the crew to stay in the protective gem and be prepared for the severest radiation and interference. The capital is probably still under the scourge of the solar storm. We need to pay more attention to the sun than to the enemy troops."
Yun Xuefeng and Song Yushi left to give the orders under the watch of several soldiers.
After they left, Boss Bai's unremarkable face appeared on the light beam.
"Navigation signals are being sent from the capital increasingly. The space gate is open. It's possible for the starships to jump over in half an hour!"
Boss Bai grimaced and said, "My troop has made anti-radiation and anti-interference preparations and is ready to jump. What about you, General Lei?"
"Fantastic!"
Lei Chenghu said, "My troop will be ready for the space jump in twenty minutes!"
"That's good."
Boss Bai thought for a moment and coughed. "However, have you prepared your soldiers for brainwashing?"
Lei Chenghu asked, "How did you do that?"
Boss Bai replied, "By playing the movies for them, of course!"
Lei Chenghu was puzzled. "What movies?"
Boss Bai asked, "You really don't know?"
Lei Chenghu: "…"
Boss Bai said, "General Lei, don't burst into rage. Really, there's no need to be so angry. It has nothing to do with me. I really did not know that Li Yao would adopt such an unscrupulous strategy. Of course, I knew that Li Yao was unscrupulous, but I did not know that he could be so unscrupulous.
"Actually, I'm not very familiar with Li Yao. We're barely friends. Many people on our side despise him too, and we are only working with him under his threat. So, we wouldn't care if you want to settle the score with him after the war is over. We might even cheer for you!
"However, the environment at the capital is still super complicated. Many places are still plagued by Wuying Qi's brainwashing waves. So, for safety reasons, I suggest you play the movies that Li Yao sent to us for all your soldiers before we set off. It's going to be a vaccine!
"My men have watched it anyway. It's up to you whether or not to play it for your men. However, I need to remind you that the movies have also been boosted by the sun and are wandering in the Empyreal Terminus Sector as information streams. If your men receive the clips of the information streams when they are unprepared, it might be overwhelming and lead to dire consequences!
"This is really for your own sake. I'm not laughing at the Immortal Cultivators at all. Hahahahahahaha… Sorry. All in all, if you have better anti-brainwashing methods, that's fine, but if you don't have any for the time being, I think Li Yao's shameless trick might be worth trying!"
Boss Bai's shoulders moved up and down as he tried to hold back his laugh. He
cut the communication in time before he laughed out aloud.
Lei Chenghu's face that was about to burst into a rage was reflected on the light beam.
He clenched his fists and loosened them, before he clenched them again. He considered for a long time, and finally, when hundreds of his cerebral vessels were broken because he thought too deeply, he roared, "F*ck!"
In the end, he couldn't help but turn on the communication channel again.
"All… All soldiers…"
Stammering, Lei Chenghu began the most difficult speech in his two hundred years of life as a general.
…
In the mental battlefield in the Gold Crystal Pyramid underneath the capital planet…
"You're screwed! Wuying Qi, you're doomed!"
Li Yao raged, "Your Next Sun Plan is now over! Too many people have been woken up from your brainwashing and realized your evil nature. Also, our fleet and Lei Chenghu's are jumping over. We can clear the mess and change the fate of the New Imperium!"
His confident thoughts swept across the whole mental network like surging tides, trying to reach the depths of everyone's head.
The first people to take the hit were the imperial soldiers and the Deep Sea Fleet that were right around the capital planet.
"Did you hear me? You idiots, why are you still not waking up? Are you really going to fight for this devil until you kill all your family members and destroy your home in person?"
Li Yao roared desperately, this time not to attack Wuying Qi's soul but to awaken more Immortal Cultivators, "Just think about what you've been doing! You're destroying the capital and killing billions of people including your family and yourself! Is this really your way to renew the Imperium?
"No, you've been fooled, hypnotized, and enchanted by this devil!
"He is not Wuying Qi. The real Blackstar the Great died a thousand years ago. This is a devil, one that has been contaminated by the Mad Armageddon. It has absorbed some of Wuying Qi's memories and is tricking you under Wuying Qi's appearance!
"If you remember that you're Immortal Cultivators, soldiers of the Imperium, and reformists who are determined to renew the Immortal Cultivator, it's time to wake up and resist this devil! You might not trust me, but you should at least trust the God of War! Lei Chenghu's fleet has arrived at the capital. He's the real pillar of the reformists. He's the one who deserves your loyalty!"
