148: Free United States

At the same time Chen Jun was meeting his Hometown fellow, Lin Fan, at the Pillar of Leaders and lamenting how "struggling is inferior to winning by doing nothing."

On the other end of the distant Sagittarius Arm lay the core of a Star Domain marked as the territory of the "Free United States," a Level 2.4 civilization.

Here, there was none of the brilliant draconic majesty or ancient desolation of the Dragonborn Empire; in its place was an extreme, cold order filled with mechanical beauty.

Countless sharp-edged steel star cities, hive-like space stations, and interstellar shipyards that split nebulae like giant axes formed the main theme of this Star Domain.

The capital of the Free United States was not a planet, but a super artificial celestial structure comparable to a giant star—the "Heart of the United States."

Its entire body was cast from an unknown dark alloy, shaped like a slowly rotating sixteen-sided crystal. Every facet was covered with trillions of energy vents and hideous gun barrels.

The cold metallic luster reflected the distant starlight, emitting a suffocating sense of oppression.

This was the brain and heart of the Free United States, the core of a nation that had etched "efficiency" and "power" into its civilizational genes.

At this moment, in the deepest part of the "Heart of the United States," inside a super hall devoid of any decoration and containing only pure data streams.

The highest authority of the Free United States—the "Presidential Council."

Millions of the strongest among Stellar Level Peak experts, and dozens of Star Arm Level powerhouses, were gathered together!

Standing at the head was a figure with a solid form, surrounded by an unending stream of Laws.

He wore an extremely minimalist black uniform, and his epaulettes featured a star insignia of nine stars surrounding a sharp sword.

He was the current President of the Free United States—Don Edgar.

Just a short while ago, he had finally broken through that natural chasm that had troubled the United States for a billion years, becoming the second Star Arm Level Peak powerhouse in the nation's history since the founding fathers!

At this moment, Edgar slowly raised his hand and pointed at the star map hovering in the center of the crowd.

On the star map, the territory of the Dragonborn Empire was highlighted. The golden dragon energy phantom surrounding the ancestral planet appeared particularly eyesore-inducing in the United States' detection models.

"Gentlemen, ladies."

Edgar's voice was calm, yet it seemed to carry the weight of billions of stars, each syllable triggering a low hum of surrounding energy.

"A billion years... it has been a full billion years!"

He looked around at the other councilors. When they heard the phrase "a billion years," their virtual images all fluctuated slightly in unison.

Those were memories of "hatred" and "humiliation" etched into the deepest part of their civilizational genes, surging up.

"A billion years ago, our ancestors, the predecessor of the great Free United States—the 'Skypierce Federation'—were the undisputed overlords of this Sagittarius Arm! A Level 2.5 civilization! With territory spanning ten thousand light-years! And Star Arm Level experts numbering in the tens of thousands!"

Edgar's tone carried the passion of reminiscing about past glory, but then it became bone-chillingly cold.

"However, the Dragonborn Empire rose! Relying on the abnormal potential of the Innate Sun Body and that Galaxy Level ancestor, they launched a war of national extermination against us!"

His voice suddenly rose, filled with endless hatred:

"In that battle... the heavens wept blood, and the star rivers shattered! Our ancestral planet was incinerated by dragon flame, and countless compatriots were turned into cosmic dust! Numerous ancestors spilled their blood in the starry sky. Even the President at the time, a Star Arm Level Peak powerhouse, died in battle, and his star core was extracted and made into their decoration!"

"The ancestors who were lucky enough to survive were like stray dogs, like lowly insects, fleeing their homeland and hiding in the corners of the Star Domain, not even daring to use their names anymore!"

Edgar's hands clenched tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force, and the surrounding space emitted slight cracking sounds.

"We hid our identities, changing the 'Skypierce Federation' to the 'Free United States'! We studied our enemies, researched our enemies, and imitated all their strengths! Like the most patient hunters, we crouched in the darkness, licking our wounds and accumulating strength!"

"We endured for a billion years! Waited for a billion years! Planned for a billion years!"

He suddenly spread his arms, as if to embrace the entire star map.

"Why? It was for today! For this very moment!"

"The Dragonborn Empire is no longer as brave as they were back then! The Founding Emperor has disappeared, and their foundation has been consumed in one catastrophe after another. They shrink within the Ancestral Dragon Court, relying on their old capital to maintain the face of a Level 2.4 civilization. Not a single new Star Arm Level Peak has been born in a hundred million years! They... are old! Decadent!"

"And us!" Edgar's gaze was like two swords of revenge tempered for a billion years as it swept across every councilor. "We discarded pleasure, discarded art, and discarded all unnecessary consumption! Our entire civilization, for a billion years, has had only one goal—revenge!"

"We poured all the output of our civilization, except for what was required for minimum survival, into the accumulation of 'source marrow' and the cultivation of the strong!"

He raised his hand, and a light screen unfolded, displaying a suffocating number—[source marrow Reserves: 1,187,654,321].

Seeing this number, the breathing of all the councilors became heavy.

source marrow!

The supreme essence that a Star Arm Level primary expert could only condense one of from their own Law Origin in a year!

It was the hardest currency among Star Arm Level experts, an absolute strategic resource for breaking through Bottlenecks, forging divine weapons, and casting forbidden techniques!

For an ordinary Level 2.4 civilization, exhausting the entire civilization's power to accumulate ten thousand source marrows in ten thousand years would already be the limit.

Star Arm Level experts simply couldn't afford to waste time condensing source marrow!

Pursuing the evolution of life was their instinct!

Yet the Free United States had saved for a billion years!

What a crazy, what a desperate number!

Behind this was a billion years of dark, hidden endurance, and the sacrifice and dedication of countless generations of the United States' strongest!

"Just yesterday," Edgar's voice was like the bell of final judgment, "the last among us successfully broke through and stepped into the Star Arm Level Peak!"

"The eleven of us, who were Star Arm Level intermediate and Advanced, exhausted all the source marrow stored in the national treasury for a billion years! Yes, all of it! Not a single one left!"

His words were like a thunderclap, exploding in the silent space.

"The eleven of us are now all Star Arm Level Peak!"

Eleven vast and boundless Star Arm Level Peak auras were released without reservation!

That gathered power seemed to make the entire "Heart of the United States" tremble!

It could make the distant stars dim in comparison!

Eleven Star Arm Level Peaks!

What kind of concept was that?

In the current Dragonborn Empire, there was only one Star Arm Level Advanced expert—Dragon Emperor Yan Wuhuo!

But the Free United States possessed eleven!

And they were eleven who had exhausted a billion years of accumulation and were at their absolute Peak state!

This was absolute power crushing!

It was a terrifying strength sufficient to overturn the power structure of the entire Sagittarius Arm!

"A billion years of accumulation, a billion years of waiting, all for this thunderous strike!"

President Edgar's voice was categorical, carrying a determination to shatter everything.

"The Dragonborn Empire shall be destroyed!"

"The blood debt of a billion years shall be repaid with the royal blood and national fate of the Dragonborn!"

"A gentleman's revenge is not too late after ten years! A civilization's revenge..."

"...is not too late even after a billion years!!!"

"The moment of revenge is today!"

After a brief, extreme silence, there was a response like a volcanic eruption!

"Revenge!"

"Revenge!!"

"Revenge!!!"

...All the Stellar Level Peak and Star Arm Level councilors simultaneously let out roars that had been suppressed for a billion years!

The sound waves converged, as if to thoroughly pour out a billion years of humiliation, pain, and hatred!

Edgar pressed his hands down to suppress the surging emotions, restoring his cold, absolute rationality.

"Strategic Planning Department, report the final plan."

A Star Arm Level Peak councilor codenamed "Strategist" stepped forward. Dense military deployments, power comparisons, and offensive route maps instantly appeared on the light screen.

"Mr. President, fellow councilors. According to the final confirmed intelligence sent back by our highest-level 'mole' lurking inside the Dragonborn Empire, as well as the 'Eye of Deep Space' long-range scanning analysis, the Dragonborn Empire's current overt and estimated hidden Star Arm Level combat power is as follows:

Dragon Emperor Yan Wuhuo, Star Arm Level Advanced, wielding the national treasure 'Founding Emperor Dragon Seal,' estimated combat power: Star Arm Level Peak.

Great Commander of the Shadow Dragon Guard, codename 'Shadow,' Star Arm Level intermediate, proficient in assassination, estimated combat power: Star Arm Level intermediate-high.

Crown Princess Yan Ji, Star Arm Level intermediate, known as the 'Light of the Dragonborn,' wielding the national treasure 'Founding Emperor Phoenix Crown,' estimated combat power: Star Arm Level Advanced... The other nearly one hundred Star Arm Level primary experts are not worth mentioning."

..."Comprehensive assessment: the Dragonborn Empire's Peak combat power is at most equivalent to 1.5 to 2 Star Arm Level Peaks."

"And our side possesses eleven Star Arm Level Peaks in perfect condition!"

"The power ratio exceeds five to one! Those below Star Arm Level Peak will not be calculated as they do not affect the battle! Top-tier combat power is the key! This is an utter crushing!"

The Strategist's voice was devoid of emotion, containing only cold calculations:

"Final operational plan—'Cleansing Moment'!"

"Core tactic: Decapitation! With absolute power, strike directly at the heart of the Dragonborn Empire—the Ancestral Dragon Court! Before the Dragonborn Empire can fully activate its Galaxy Level foundations, kill Dragon Emperor Yan Wuhuo with thunderous force and destroy their command core and civilizational symbol!"

"Specific deployment:

Phase One: Your Excellency the President will personally lead five Star Arm Level Peaks, a total of six, to launch a frontal assault on the Ancestral Dragon Court, attracting and pinning down the Dragon Emperor and his main high-end combat forces.

Phase Two: I will lead four Star Arm Level Peaks, a total of five, to simultaneously raid five other forbidden Star Domains within the Dragonborn Empire's territory suspected of housing Galaxy Level foundations, preventing them from reinforcing or activating.

Phase Three: Once the Dragon Emperor is executed or the Ancestral Dragon Court is breached, the entire army will press forward to sweep away the remnants, thoroughly destroying all administrative, military, and research nodes of the Dragonborn civilization, implementing... civilizational-level extinction!!!"

"Estimated campaign duration: no more than three standard days."

"Victory probability assessment: based on existing intelligence, 99.98%."

"Only variable: whether the Dragonborn Empire possesses unknown Galaxy Level trump cards that can be activated instantly."

After hearing the report, a cold light flashed in Edgar's eyes.

"Galaxy Level trump cards? It's been a billion years. If they had any, they would have mostly used them up in previous catastrophes! Even if there are remnants, they must carry a huge cost or require specific conditions to trigger. Before the absolute power of our eleven Peaks, any trump card is nothing more than a deathbed struggle!"

He looked at everyone, his voice like a final sentence:

"Gentlemen, let us vote. Shall we immediately activate the 'Cleansing Moment' operational plan?"

"Agreed!"

"Agreed!"

"Agreed!"

...Unanimously passed!

There was no cheering, no excitement, only a bone-chilling killing intent that had settled for a billion years, permeating the silent space.

"Very well."

President Edgar nodded.

"Order the entire army!"

"All 'Blade of Freedom' fleets, enter maximum combat readiness!"

"All 'Adjudicator' mecha legions, complete final tuning!"

"All 'Doomsday' class weapons, release safety locks!"

"Wait for the final attack command!"

His gaze once again cast upon the Dragonborn Empire's territory on the star map. That look seemed to already see the Ancestral Dragon Court collapsing in flames and the Dragonborn flags burning to ashes in the sea of stars.

"A billion years of waiting ends here."

"Let the will of freedom incinerate the ancient imperial power!"

"Long live the Free United States for billions of years!"

"Long live for billions of years!!"

"Long live for billions of years!!!"

...The command spread through the entire territory of the Free United States like invisible ripples at faster-than-light speed.

Countless steel star cities lit up with piercing red lights. War machines that had slept for unknown ages were awakened, their cold muzzles adjusting direction and aiming at the distant Dragonborn Empire.

A terrifying cloud of war, enough to make even a Star Arm tremble, began to condense in this Star Domain.

Meanwhile, at the Pillar of Leaders, Chen Jun Manor.

Princess Yan Ji and Dragon Emperor Yan Wuhuo, who were on a friendly visit with Chen Jun, both vaguely felt an indescribable palpitation.

Was that... a premonition of impending disaster?

Yan Wuhuo furrowed his brows and looked in the direction of the Free United States. In his dragon eyes, a flicker of uncertain gloom appeared for the first time.

"Shadow Dragon, increase the monitoring level of all border Star Domains... I have a bad feeling."

However, his command might have already been too late.

The Free United States, this massive war machine born for revenge, had been fully activated... carrying a billion years of accumulated fury and power, it was baring its sharpest fangs toward the Dragonborn Empire at an unimaginable speed!

This corner of the star sea was destined to be painted anew with blood and fire.

The twilight of the old overlord and the dawn of the new avenger were about to stage an ultimate collision that would decide the life and death of civilizations under this sky!

As the operation was about to begin... a huge virtual screen appeared before President Edgar, displaying clips from the "Eternal Spark" promotional video, especially the "unpretentious" shots of Chen Jun.

"Human Federation... Ancestor Chen..." Edgar whispered these two names, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by determination.

"Four Innate Sun Bodies? Hmph, the Dragonborn must be laying a smokescreen. Even in the Peak period of our ancestor United States' history of over a billion years, only one Founding Emperor was recorded! Truly laughable! How could such a trick possibly stop our path of revenge?!!!"

He turned to look at the ten Star Arm Level Peak councilors behind him, all ready to go, and the boundless United States fleet in the projection, flickering with cold metallic light.

His voice spread through the entire Free United States via the amplification System, reaching every warship and every soldier's ears:

"Warriors of the Free United States!"

"A billion years of humiliation shall be washed away by our hands!"

"A billion years of blood debt shall be repaid under our swords!"

"Target—Ancestral Dragon Court!"

"Set out!!"

In an instant, billions of engines roared!

Like a vengeful Vicious Beast that had been dormant for a billion years, it opened its blood-red eyes and let out a roar that shook the sea of stars!

Eleven Star Arm Level Peaks led the vast steel torrent, tearing through space and embarking on a journey of destruction toward the Dragonborn Empire!

Dormant for a billion years, a sudden clap of thunder arises!

In the hegemony of the star sea, who shall decide the rise and fall?