740: Chapter 740 The Fate of Civilizations

The officer in charge of reconnaissance deployment immediately responded in a clear voice, turning toward the control console to quickly relay the instructions.

Before long, within the fleet formation, three pitch-black reconnaissance ships slowly pulled away from the main fleet. Their hulls activated cloaking mode, instantly blending into the cosmic starry sky as they sped silently toward the distant Star Domain where a civilization cluster was suspected to exist.

A full day slowly passed. In the vast Universe, the Imperial pioneering main fleet led by Li Yang remained in a state of silent navigation, waiting patiently at the predetermined coordinates. Inside the flagship's Command Center, the officers performed their duties, occasionally glancing at the light screen, waiting for news of the reconnaissance team's return.

Finally, three signals appeared on the detection light screen. The three pitch-black reconnaissance ships slowly shed their cloaking mode, their engine speeds slowing down as they smoothly returned toward the main fleet's parking position, slowly entering the fleet formation to complete docking.

Almost as soon as the reconnaissance ships finished docking, an Intelligence Officer dressed in an Imperial Military Officer uniform walked quickly toward Li Yang. Clutching an intelligence data disk, he reported with a solemn expression and a hint of urgency in his tone.

"Reporting to the Chief! All three reconnaissance ships sent to investigate have returned safely. This is the complete Star Domain intelligence and civilization data collected secretly by the reconnaissance team throughout the mission!"

As his voice fell, the Intelligence Officer immediately raised his hand to operate his portable terminal, opening a dedicated intelligence interface on the giant light screen in the center of the Command Center. The light screen instantly lit up, clearly displaying dense civilization markers, Star Domain distribution maps, and detailed annotations of various civilization forms and technological levels. The diagrams and text were complex yet organized, revealing the full picture of the civilization cluster ahead.

Li Yang stepped up to the light screen, his sharp gaze sweeping over the content. The officers beside him also gathered around, quietly waiting for the intelligence interpretation.

Pointing at the annotations on the light screen, the Intelligence Officer continued his detailed report.

"Chief, based on the signals intercepted and field observations obtained through our secret investigation, it is confirmed that the Star Domain ahead is indeed a stable civilization cluster. There are a total of twelve independent civilizations with very clear hierarchy divisions. Among them, there are four third-level civilizations, and the remaining eight are all second-level civilizations."

"second-level civilizations?"

Hearing this hierarchical division, a hint of surprise flickered in Li Yang's originally indifferent eyes, followed by a surge of deep interest. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly; he was clearly quite intrigued by this.

One must know that in the universal classification system of cosmic civilizations, a second-level civilization is still in the Early Stage of interstellar exploration. Their technological level is weak, their interstellar navigation capabilities are limited, and their resource reserves are not abundant; they are like defenseless, weak entities in the Universe.

They have always been targets that higher civilizations could easily annex. Any time they encountered a civilization with even a modicum of strength, they would be directly devoured and plundered, leaving them no room to establish a foothold.

Under normal circumstances, within the same Star Domain, a third-level civilization facing a second-level civilization right on its doorstep would never allow its existence to continue. They would inevitably dispatch troops immediately to annex it, absorbing its resources and territory to strengthen themselves.

Yet, in this civilization cluster before them, the four civilizations that had already stepped across the threshold of the third level had actually not laid a hand on the eight second-level civilizations. Instead, they coexisted. In the cruel Universe, this was truly a rare and strange occurrence, and it was no wonder Li Yang felt interested.

After thinking for a moment, Li Yang withdrew his gaze and looked back at the intelligence light screen. He quickly browsed through the information regarding the civilization races, then looked up at the Intelligence Officer and asked in a low voice.

"Is there race information noted in the intelligence? Are there any human races among them?"

Upon hearing this, the Intelligence Officer hurriedly re-checked the data in his hand, looking through it carefully. He then shook his head slightly and responded truthfully.

"Reporting to the Chief, from all the intelligence we have secretly gathered and collected so far, there are no human races within this civilization cluster. Even humanoid races with appearances and physical characteristics similar to humans are extremely rare. Most are alien civilizations in the form of exotic beasts or crustacean types, differing greatly from the humanoid forms we know."

Learning that there were not only no traces of humans in this civilization cluster but also very few similar humanoid races, the spark of interest in Li Yang's eyes instantly vanished. He had already quietly decided on the final disposal plan in his heart.

Cosmic pioneering was inherently a cold-blooded and ruthless affair. Without fellow kinsmen or any value worth winning over, these low-level civilizations held only the meaning of resources in his eyes; there was no need for further negotiation.

Seeing this, He Dong quickly stepped forward. Standing straight with a respectful expression, he asked.

"Commander, how do you plan to handle this civilization cluster of twelve civilizations? Shall we follow the precedent of the Lianxing Civilization and first send an elite team to deliver an ultimatum, giving them a chance to submit and surrender?"

As He Dong's voice fell, the other officers in the Command Center also turned their gazes toward Li Yang, waiting for his orders. In their view, the Empire's pioneering efforts naturally followed Li Yang's lead; whatever Li Yang said was Law.

But Li Yang did not hesitate, directly uttering a single word in a deep voice.

"No!"

The tone of this word was resolute, leaving no room for negotiation, causing everyone present to be momentarily stunned.

Li Yang's gaze swept over the map of the civilization cluster on the giant light screen. His eyes were indifferent as he pondered silently.

Previously, when dealing with the Lianxing Civilization, he was willing to send a team to offer a chance of surrender because, firstly, the journey through that Star Domain was lonely, and encountering the first established civilization left him in a relatively peaceful mood, willing to give a low-level civilization a slim chance of survival. Secondly, the Lianxing Civilization's territory was tiny and its scale was thin, requiring very little energy to pacify and take over.

After all, a single battalion's strength could resolve it later.

But the civilization cluster before him was entirely different. Twelve civilizations were entrenched and connected, with a territory almost comparable to an average Galaxy Cluster. The span was extremely wide, with diverse civilization forms and intersecting forces.

If they were to issue ultimatums and pacify them one by one, it would inevitably consume a vast amount of time and energy, delaying the progress of the entire pioneering fleet. For the military region, it would be a completely fruitless effort where the losses outweighed the gains.

Instead of painstakingly taking over these worthless low-level civilizations, it was better to directly purge them with thunderous means. This would leave the mineral, energy, and planetary resources of the entire Star Domain intact. Afterward, they would only need to wait for the people from the Lipugong Supercluster to come and take over—efficient and clean.

His mind made up, Li Yang no longer hesitated. With a cold and decisive tone, he issued the final command to all the officers present.

"There is no need for extra trouble. Directly clear them all out. Pass down the order: during the purging process, try your best to preserve the minerals, energy stars, and other usable resources within the Star Domain. Do not cause unnecessary resource loss."

"Understood!"

He Dong instantly grasped Li Yang's intent. He immediately stood at attention and saluted, responding loudly before turning to relay the combat instructions.

Hearing this purging order, the other officers in the Command Center did not show the slightest hint of surprise, shock, or pity. All of them remained calm, performing their duties as if this were merely the most ordinary of daily instructions.

This was the pioneering standard of the Xili Empire, and even more so, the eternal and unchanging Law of survival in the vast Universe.

The Law of the jungle, the survival of the fittest.

In the face of higher civilizations, low-level civilizations simply had no capital to resist. Once targeted, they either bowed in submission or turned to dust. Being left for resource utilization was already the most direct of outcomes.

To these Imperial soldiers, purging worthless low-level civilizations was already commonplace. They did not feel it was cruel at all; this was simply the most authentic form of the Universe.

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