401: Ens civilization

“You can rest assured, the personnel have already been properly allocated. The engineering team also said that the infrastructure in the core living area will be completed in no more than 72 hours, and then the management staff and the first batch of residents can move in simultaneously.”

Liu Zhi’s voice was filled with ill-concealed excitement.

Captain Li Yang nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the new planet outside the porthole, its pale blue atmosphere flowing with a soft glow under the stellar illumination.

He raised his hand and patted Liu Zhi’s shoulder, the warmth of his palm transmitting through the uniform fabric, carrying a hint of expectation.

“That’s good. I’m very confident leaving this place to you all. Alright, the burden of the new planet is on your shoulders now; it’s time for me to return to headquarters.”

After all, as the Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Committee and supervision director, he could not be away from his post for long periods under non-special circumstances.

Liu Zhi suddenly straightened his back, his chest rising and falling slightly, as if an endless drive was surging within him.

He raised his hand in a standard Empire salute, his voice so loud it almost reverberated through the entire bridge.

“Yes! Please rest assured, we will definitely build this place into a more habitable home than Blue Star, and we will not fail you!”

Captain Li Yang smiled, said no more, and turned to walk towards the starship docked on the platform.

Several accompanying staff followed closely, their boots making crisp sounds on the metal deck.

The starship’s hatch slowly closed, and the energy engines began to preheat. Captain Li Yang walked to the Command Room, taking one last look at the nascent planet through the main porthole.

“Return to base.”

“Received. Currently pinpointing coordinates… space jump ready.”

A pale purple warp glow enveloped the starship, like it was encased in a cocoon woven from flowing light.

The next second, the entire fleet transformed into a dazzling ribbon of light, shimmering gently in the starry sky before completely disappearing into the deep universe, leaving only the lingering energy ripples from the warp, slowly spreading and dissipating like waves on water… Inside the Command Room, the lights glowed with a cold blue hue as instruments operated, and various data scrolled rapidly across the screens.

An officer in a crisp military uniform quickly walked through the operating area, his steps urgent but steady, coming directly before Captain Li Yang. After standing at attention and saluting, he reported in a deep voice.

“Report, Captain Li Yang, we have just received a strange distress signal.”

“Distress signal?”

Captain Li Yang, who was gazing at the Galaxy star map on the main screen, turned his head slightly at the sound, his eyebrows raised slightly, his tone carrying a hint of surprise.

“Where is it from? What are the specific contents?”

Within the scope of This Galaxy Cluster, the Xili Empire’s starship patrol network had already covered every star region. Those starship pirates and rogue illegal forces that once held sway had been thoroughly eradicated several years ago. The appearance of a distress signal now was indeed somewhat unexpected for him.

Upon hearing this, the officer immediately raised his hand and tapped a few times on the control panel beside him. A pale blue light screen unfolded in response, hovering before the two, clearly displaying the decoded distress message.

“From the signal source’s location, it was sent from Galaxy W1.”

He pointed to the information on the light screen, explaining it item by item.

“The sender is labeled as the Ensi Civilization, and the message mentions that they are suffering from an AI backlash, plunging their entire civilization into crisis, and hope the Xili Empire can extend a helping hand…”

Captain Li Yang’s gaze fell on the light screen, reading through the lines of text, which clearly conveyed panic and despair, word by word.

After reading the message, he tapped his fingertips lightly on the armrest, a hint of contemplation flashing in his eyes—an AI backlash, which usually only occurred in lower-level civilizations in interstellar space.

“Moreover, this Ensi Civilization… sounds very unfamiliar.”

Captain Li Yang frowned slightly, tapping his fingertips lightly on the armrest of the command chair.

Seeing this, he immediately raised his hand and swiped across the virtual control panel in front of him, bringing up the query interface of the government management system.

His fingertips quickly typed “Ensi Civilization” into the light screen. The system instantly initiated a search, data streams flashed like a waterfall, and after a moment, detailed information popped up.

The light screen clearly displayed:

The Ensi Civilization, an autonomous civilization within the Xili Empire, rated as a second-level civilization. Its territory encompasses only three planets, making it small in scale and belonging to a category with a relatively low sense of presence in the Empire’s civilization registry.

According to the Empire’s expansion guidelines, not all civilizations were forcibly assimilated or annihilated.

For those groups that showed friendly attitudes and had no intention of opposing the Empire, the Empire usually allowed them to retain autonomous status within its borders, becoming subordinate civilizations.

Of course, this was not without constraints—their territorial expansion plans, technological breakthroughs, and other major affairs required prior reporting and approval from the Empire, and they also had to pay a certain percentage of resources as tribute annually based on their size.

Correspondingly, the Empire also bore the responsibility of ensuring their safety and maintaining their living environment; this was a tacit agreement between both parties.

Captain Li Yang read the information word by word, tapped his fingertips on the light screen, and after a moment of contemplation, spoke.

“Change destination, set to the star region where the Ensi Civilization is located.”

His tone was steady but carried an undeniable decisiveness.

“Since it is a civilization within the Empire, if it encounters trouble, we have no reason to stand by. We will go and assess the situation first. If it is within our capabilities, we will lend a hand.”

“Yes, Captain Li Yang!”

The officer quickly replied.

The navigation system immediately recalibrated the course, and the light dot representing the starship on the star map slowly turned, moving towards the three planets of the Ensi Civilization.

Inside the Command Room, personnel at each station quickly adjusted parameters, and the starship began a space jump according to the new coordinates.

Captain Li Yang gazed at the inconspicuous planet icons on the light screen, his eyes deep.

A second-level civilization suffering an AI backlash… if too much time had passed, they might only arrive to collect the remains… Galaxy W1 was originally silent, the light of its star evenly distributed across every inch of void, a few planets slowly rotating in their ancient, unchanging orbits, even interstellar dust seemed to have been paused, quietly suspended in the darkness.

Suddenly, this tranquility was torn apart—a dense array of light points appeared in the starry sky, like ripples spreading after a stone was thrown into water. The light points grew denser and denser, finally converging into a brilliant sea of light.

The moment the sea of light abruptly contracted, a fleet had already appeared prominently in the center of the Galaxy, the surfaces of the starships glowing faintly under the stellar illumination. Several starships were arrayed neatly, forming a stark contrast with the surrounding celestial bodies.

“Report, Captain Li Yang, we have arrived at the designated coordinates in Galaxy W1.”

Pal’s clear voice came through the communicator.

“The planet ahead, shrouded in purple clouds, is the Ensi Civilization’s homeworld, Ensi Star, and the final location of the signal source is there.”

Captain Li Yang stood before the main porthole of the bridge, his gaze piercing through the void, landing on the planet that exuded a mysterious aura.

The purple clouds were like a heavy curtain, completely obscuring the surface, allowing only glimpses of unusual light occasionally flashing through the cloud gaps, whether it was a natural phenomenon or a trace left by the AI backlash was unknown.

He tapped his fingertips lightly on the window ledge, his brows slightly furrowed—since entering the Galaxy, no regular communication signals from the surface had been detected, only that faint distress signal was still being sent intermittently, emanating an unsettling silence.

“Order the advance reconnaissance team to land in a landing craft.”

Captain Li Yang turned around, his tone steady.

“The primary task is to confirm if there are any survivors of the Ensi Civilization and the actual situation on the surface. If large-scale AI control traces are found, immediately withdraw; do not venture deeper rashly.”

He had prepared for the worst.

If the Ensi Civilization had been completely annihilated, then the immediate priority would be to blockade the Galaxy, allowing the Empire’s cleanup forces to deal with the out-of-control AI and prevent its spread to other star regions.

After all, for the Empire, this kind of thing would be effortless, a piece of cake, but for those lower-level civilizations, it would be a major catastrophe.

“Yes!”

Pal accepted the order and immediately relayed the command.

A starship on the flank of the fleet slowly detached from the formation, its hatch opening smoothly. The landing craft’s engines spewed pale blue flames, slowly flying towards Ensi Star, breaking through Ensi Star’s outer purple cloud layer, and flying straight towards the unknown surface… “Damn it…”

In a ruin on the planet’s surface, broken walls and rubble were piled up, metal fragments and concrete blocks scattered everywhere. The air was filled with a pungent burnt smell and the sweet, metallic scent of energy scorching.

A figure in damaged, simple armor was struggling to curl up under a tilted alloy plate. His left arm was unnaturally twisted, and a jagged gash had torn open the armor, dark red blood seeping from the wound, staining a small, dark patch on the ground.

This person’s form was somewhere between human and alien—fine, dark green scales covered both sides of his cheeks, the edges of the scales glowing faintly, though now they had lost their luster due to blood loss and weakness.

He clutched a weapon tightly, his knuckles white from excessive force, the gun barrel still bearing traces of battle.

His chest heaved violently, each breath pulling at his wound, bringing a tearing pain. His breathing was so faint it seemed as if it would cease the next second.

Outside the ruins, a humanoid robot, nearly two meters tall, paced back and forth.

It was entirely made of silver-gray alloy, with complex transmission structures exposed at its joints. Its right arm was equipped with a small machine gun, and its left arm extended several slender scanning probes.

Currently, the probes emitted a faint blue light, like a snake’s tongue, sweeping back and forth between the broken walls. Wherever the light passed, gravel and dust shimmered with tiny points of light.

“Scanning for life signs… energy signature analysis in progress…”

A cold, synthesized electronic voice echoed through the silent ruins, devoid of any emotion.

The faint blue scanning light repeatedly swept over the alloy plate where the hidden Soldier was, each approach making the Soldier under the plate tense up, even his breathing deliberately slowed, almost holding his breath.

He bit down hard, preventing any pained groans from escaping his throat, his pupils contracted with tension, staring intently at the blue light that flickered at the edge of his vision, his heart felt as if it were clutched by an invisible hand, each beat so heavy it almost shattered his ribs.

Time seemed to stretch infinitely, every second feeling like it was burning his nerves.

After an unknown period, the mechanical footsteps outside gradually receded, and the suffocating scanning light completely disappeared, leaving only the whimpering sound of the wind passing through the gaps in the ruins.

The hidden Soldier remained in his curled-up posture, his muscles stiff and sore from prolonged tension.

He listened intently for a long time, confirming that the surroundings were truly silent before slowly releasing his tightly clenched teeth, letting out a long sigh. His chest heaved violently, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead, rolling down his cheeks and dripping onto the dusty scales, spreading a small wet mark.

“Phew… finally gone…”

Before he finished speaking.

“Boom—!”

A deafening explosion suddenly erupted, instantly tearing a huge gap in the ruined alloy plate in front of the Soldier. Rubble and metal fragments splattered like a downpour, and dazzling light poured in through the gap, casting mottled shadows on his blood-stained face.

His pupils suddenly contracted, his heart feeling as if it were violently squeezed by a large hand—the silver-gray robot that should have left was standing in the center of the gap, its alloy body gleaming with a cold, hard luster in the light. Its right arm, equipped with a machine gun, was slightly raised, the muzzle still showing traces of gunpowder smoke, and its cold optical lens was locked onto him.

“Damn it!”

The Soldier cursed under his breath, instinctively recoiling backward, while simultaneously raising his rifle and aiming it at the robot, his finger forcefully pulling the trigger.

However, the firearm only made empty “click-clack” sounds. It had already run out of its last round of ammunition in the previous battle; at this moment, the gun was merely a heavy piece of scrap metal.

He held the harmless weapon, his back hitting hard against a broken steel bar, the cold sensation spreading throughout his body along his spine.

The robot’s optical lens flashed with dangerous red light, advancing towards him step by step, each step feeling like it was treading on his taut nerves, almost suffocating him.

The cold muzzle was steadily aimed at the Soldier, the robot’s optical lens showing no fluctuation, as if it were not aiming at a living being, but a piece of scrap to be destroyed.

Its mechanical arm joint clicked, and it raised its muzzle without hesitation.

“Bang—”

The whistling shriek of a bullet tearing through the air pierced his eardrums. The Soldier felt a violent numbness in his right arm, followed by the crisp sound of metal breaking.

The rifle in his hand clattered to the ground, and almost at the same instant, an arm also dropped limply. Instead of the expected flesh and blood, dense silver threads burst out like severed spider silk, crackling with electrical sparks, and several damaged gears mixed with coolant dripped, making faint sounds on the ground.

The Soldier looked down at the “arm,” the metal casing still bearing the welding marks from the last repair. He twisted his mouth, revealing a self-deprecating smile.

“Heh… this is the second one already.”

His voice was hoarse, as if abraded by sandpaper.

When he looked up, facing the dark muzzle, there was no trace of fear on his face; instead, there was a sense of relief, as if things had finally settled.

The robot’s cold silhouette was reflected in his pupils, as if saying—finally, no more repairs needed.