521: Subjugation and control?

Li Yang's gaze fell upon that set of coordinates, his fingertips tapping lightly against the desk.

He understood the weight of this "reverse positioning" too well. Subspace existed within an unstable dimensional rift; even a coordinate error of one in a hundred billion could lead to catastrophic consequences if a rift were forced open.

The troops would either fall into spatial turbulence and be torn into nothingness, or be randomly cast into an unknown Subspace, lost forever.

"How is the stability of the parameters?"

Li Yang asked, looking up, his tone remaining steady.

"Three consecutive simulation runs, and there were no error values!"

He Dong's voice carried certainty.

"Moreover, they have already opened a small Subspace rift from the other side. After probing, we have indeed discovered traces of the Zerg."

Li Yang watched the coordinates flickering on the light screen, a sharp glint flashing in the depths of his eyes.

Over a month of strict defense and dozens of engagement records—he had finally waited for this day.

He raised his hand to close the report and stood up.

"Look, the Zerg invasions have been becoming increasingly frequent lately..."

Li Yang pointed his fingertip at the dense clusters of red dots on the star map.

Those were the coordinates where all Subspace rifts had appeared over the last month.

"There is only one reason behind this: in their Subspace, I fear there are no new resources left to plunder."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the energy fluctuation chart of the Zerg hive in the simulation, the lines sliding downward at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Civilizations born in Subspace are trapped from the very beginning in a dimensional rift devoid of resources. To struggle and develop to the point of being able to tear through the spatial wall requires Heaven-Defying luck. Not only must they force out cross-dimensional technology using limited resources, but they must also hope that the opening rift appears in exactly the right place, allowing them to find new soil for survival."

"But this time, they have clearly lost the gamble."

Li Yang's fingertip landed heavily on the mark for the "Huanlong Galaxy".

"The rift just had to open within the Empire's territory, where every inch of space is under our control. They have neither managed to seize enough resources nor have they been able to escape, as we have pinned them firmly to this Star Domain, exhausting their strength to even open new rifts."

Otherwise, why would the Zerg continue to fight tooth and nail after suffering so many defeats in the Huanlong Galaxy?

It wasn't that they didn't want to leave, but that they couldn't. Their Subspace resources were exhausted, and their breakout attempts in the main space were sealed off by the Empire; they had no other choice but to keep crashing against the same rift over and over again.

"Division Commander, are you trying to say..."

"Although we can now open a Subspace rift in reverse, don't be in a rush. We aren't in a hurry, but the other side certainly is. Let's exhaust their vital forces first, then dispatch troops to enter the Subspace in reverse."

After all, no matter how you put it, that is their home base. Who knows what else might be there besides these Zerg? It's always right to be cautious.

"As expected, you are thorough, Division Commander. But there is one more thing—about these Zerg... do you intend to completely exterminate them, or..."

He Dong hesitated for a moment before asking the second half of his sentence, his eyes carrying a hint of probing.

Li Yang looked up at him, and from that hesitant expression, he instantly understood his thoughts.

It was nothing more than the thought that instead of wiping out this massive Zerg swarm, it might be better to try and domesticate them for use, just like the civilizations in the database. Although these creatures had limited individual combat power, they excelled in their sheer numbers, rapid reproduction, and lack of fear. If they could be controlled and used to suppress rebellions in low-level civilizations or to fill gaps in battlefield attrition, it would be perfectly suitable.

Most importantly, there was a high probability they could be incorporated into the Nineteenth Division; simply put, they would become another new force under Li Yang's command.

"I understand what you mean."

Li Yang leaned back slowly into his chair, his fingertips tapping lightly against the desk.

"But this matter isn't something I can decide on my own."

He looked toward the starry sky outside the window, his tone becoming more solemn.

"Don't forget, they are invaders. When a civilization invasion occurs within the Empire's territory, the authority to handle it never lies with local officials. Let alone the fact that I am only the Chairman of the Longlan Star Cluster, even a higher-ranking Commander cannot unilaterally decide how to dispose of an entire invading civilization."

He paused, then added.

"Proposals involving the domestication of civilizations and their use as biological weapons must be reported to the Empire for review and must undergo the Empire's risk assessment. After all, no one can say for sure whether such creatures with collective consciousness might one day break free from control and turn against their masters."

He Dong nodded upon hearing this, the expectation on his face gradually fading, replaced by a bit of understanding.

"I considered it too simply."

"It's always good to be cautious."

Li Yang stood up and walked to the light screen to pull up an encrypted communication request.

"I will first organize this idea into a report and submit it. As for the final result, that depends on the decisions from above. Before that, proceed according to the original plan; we must not be lax in the extermination."

Regardless, there are so many Zerg that even if the higher-ups really approve it, it's impossible to wipe them all out before then.

...

After He Dong left, Li Yang sat before his desk, his fingertips hovering over the light screen for a moment; ultimately, he was intrigued by the proposal.

He pulled up the relevant data on the Zerg again, from their reproductive cycle to their energy conversion efficiency, annotating and analyzing them one by one. Just as He Dong had thought, the characteristics of these creatures were indeed suitable as low-cost battlefield consumables, especially when dealing with low-intensity conflicts, which could greatly reduce the attrition of the Empire's regular troops.

After much deliberation, he decided to draft a report.

From the Zerg's biological characteristics and controllability analysis to their potential uses after domestication, and then to risk mitigation schemes, he wrote dozens of pages, with rigorous considerations permeating every line.

The moment he finished, he sent the report to the Imperial Military Department via an encrypted channel.

He had expected a long and tedious approval process, as the disposal of alien civilizations has always required multi-level review.

Unexpectedly, the Military Department's response was exceptionally swift; just three days later, an approval stamped with a gilded seal appeared on his terminal.

The content of the approval was concise and clear.

"The proposal regarding the domestication and utilization of the Zerg by Li Yang, Chairman of the Longlan Star Cluster and Division Commander of the Longlan Star Cluster border garrison troops, is approved. He is authorized to lead the related research. Required resources shall be allocated from the Nineteenth Division's military equipment budget, and the results shall belong to the Military Department and the Nineteenth Division."

Li Yang looked at the text on the screen, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes, followed by realization.

To the Military Department, a biological civilization that only reached a maximum of Level 5 could not really be considered a threat worthy of serious attention.

Moreover, he had some standing with the Emperor, so this delegation of authority was only logical.

Furthermore, there was no shortage of exceptions within the Empire; some nobles kept low-level civilizations as ornamental species, and some research institutions modified alien creatures into test subjects. By comparison, domesticating the Zerg into biological weapons was really not considered out of the ordinary.

"Since the higher-ups have agreed, then it will be easy to handle..."