201: tank

As the deep blue holographic light curtain in the underground command room slowly dissipated, Lei Wen's figure returned to the slightly cold metallic space of Tianqiong City.

He sat in his chair, not in a hurry to leave, but closed his eyes to rest, his fingers gently rubbing his temples.

Although long-term communication did not place a burden on the physical body, the feeling of frequently switching between two civilizations, two modes of thinking, and two moral standards still left his mind feeling a trace of fatigue.

"Father, your heart rate has quickened slightly." The "white flower" considerately dimmed the room's lights and controlled a bionic robot to bring over a cup of warm coffee. "Is it because of the upcoming war?"

"No, it's not just the war." Lei Wen opened his eyes and took a sip of the coffee, its bitter taste spreading across his tongue. "I'm wondering where our push this time will lead the Angel people."

"Toward survival," the "white flower" analyzed rationally. "According to model simulations, if the Faleim Civilization does not intervene, based on the Iofer Federation's current recovery speed and Barlena's desire for expansion, the Angel Empire will be completely devoured within five hundred years, and its civilization will be reduced to slaves or exterminated."

"Yes, survival." Lei Wen gave a self-deprecating laugh. "For the sake of survival, they have to become a blade in our hands. Sometimes I wonder if this arranged fate is a blessing or a curse for them."

However, this hesitation lasted only a moment. Lei Wen knew very well that in his position, excessive sympathy was a redundant burden; only those who survived were qualified to talk about morality.

"Keep an eye on the progress of the Utopia experimental zone on Mana Star," Lei Wen changed the subject. "That is the hope for humanity's future; it cannot stagnate because of the war over here."

"Understood. Miss Renee has sent the latest report. The first batch of public-owned factories in the experimental zone has gone into production. Although their efficiency is temporarily not as high as the sweatshops of those former giant corporations, public satisfaction and creativity indices are steadily rising."

"Very good." Lei Wen stood up and put on his coat. "I'll leave this place to you. I'm going back to the surface. For the coming period, these stars will be very busy."

...Perseus Arm, the Angel Empire's home planet, [Cradle].

Since the Faleim engineering fleet repaired the atmospheric environment and infrastructure, the surface of this planet seemed to have regained its former tranquility. White building complexes glistened in the sunlight, and shuttles flew in an orderly fashion over the cities.

But deep within the imperial palace, the oppressive undercurrents had never subsided.

Amira Radiance sat in the Prime Minister's office, facing a mountain of documents that made her feel she wouldn't finish them in a lifetime.

These documents fell into only two categories: one was applications from governors in various regions crying poverty and asking for supplies, and the other was reports of mutual accusations and even armed friction between various star sectors due to territorial disputes.

"These idiots..." Amira slammed a report onto the desk. "The Iof People are watching us like tigers from the border, yet they're still fighting tooth and nail over the mining rights of a single asteroid belt!"

Just then, the office door slid open silently.

Major General Trier walked in.

Decades of time had not left any mark on this Faleim man's face. He still wore that silver-gray uniform, his expression as cold as a facial paralysis, just like a precision instrument with a pre-set program.

"General Trier?" Amira rubbed her brow, forcing herself to perk up. "If it's about the resource aid quota for this quarter, I've already signed it."

"No, Your Excellency Prime Minister." Trier walked to the desk. He did not sit down but looked down at the exhausted female regent. "I am here today on behalf of the Faleim Central Council to convey a supreme directive to you."

"Directive?" Amira keenly caught the word. It wasn't a "suggestion," nor a "request," but a "directive."

Although the Angel Empire had effectively become a vassal of Faleim over the past few decades, the other party had always maintained diplomatic etiquette of equality on the surface.

"Yes, a directive." Trier tapped his personal terminal, and a holographic Star Map unfolded between them. On the map, two giant red arrows extended from the Faleimland System, pointing directly at the heart of the Iofer Federation deep within the Orion Arm.

"The Faleim Scientific Conglomerate has decided to restart expansion procedures. We will launch an all-out war against the Iofer Federation, with the goal of completely disarming them and taking over their territory."

Amira stood up abruptly, shock and wild joy flashing in her golden pupils.

"You're finally going to take action?"

For these forty years, she had dreamed of counterattacking the Orion Arm, reclaiming lost territory, and avenging her dead kin. But the Faleim People had remained inactive, leaving her to vent her hatred only in her dreams.

"Yes," Trier said indifferently. "the guide believes the time is ripe."

"Wonderful!" Amira's hands trembled with excitement. "As long as your fleet moves out, the Iof People won't stand a chance! We can finally..."

"Don't be too quick to celebrate, Your Highness," Trier interrupted her. "This war is not just our business."

He extended a finger and drew a line on the Star Map; it was the border between the Angel Empire and the Iofer Federation.

"the guide requires the Angel Empire to fulfill its obligations as an ally. You need to assemble all available fleets to launch an attack on the Iofer Federation from the flank, pinning down their forces and dispersing their defensive lines."

Hearing this request, Amira's originally excited expression cooled instantly, replaced by deep bitterness.

"General Trier, you know our situation best." Amira spread her hands helplessly. "Although my Royal Fleet has been repaired and upgraded, its numbers are too few. And those regional governors... each one treats their troops as their own and won't follow my orders to go die on the front lines. The Empire right now cannot muster a decent expeditionary force."

"We know." Trier's expression didn't change at all, as if he had anticipated this answer long ago.

"Therefore, The Guide has prepared a plan for you."

Trier leaned in closer, his voice low.

"This is an opportunity to reshuffle the deck, Princess Amira."

"You can issue a [Sacred Vengeance Decree] to the entire Empire in the name of the Imperial Regent and Supreme Commander, requiring all sector governors to send no less than 80% of their private military forces to the war."

"Tell them that those who participate will not only share in the territory and wealth of the Iof People but also receive the latest generation of shield generators and weapon authorizations provided by the Faleim Civilization."

"And those who refuse the call..." A cold light flashed in Trier's eyes, "will be regarded as traitors and heretics."

"We will dispatch an enforcement fleet to assist you in clearing out these black sheep."

Amira was stunned.

She looked at Trier and quickly understood the Faleim People's approach.

The Faleim People not only wanted to use the Angel people to deplete the Iof People's ammunition but also wanted to use this war to help her send all those disobedient domestic forces to the battlefield as cannon fodder.

Those who survived would be the screened elites and submissive citizens; those who died would conveniently reduce the power of regional separatism.

Regardless of the outcome, it was a good thing for centralization, but it also meant that countless Angel soldiers would die in foreign stars for the Faleim People's strategic goals.

"This is a gamble, and also a purge," Trier spoke bluntly. "If you want to revive imperial power and reunify the Empire, this is the only shortcut."

Amira was silent for a long time. She turned her head to look out the window, at the city that had just been rebuilt but still appeared empty.

If she didn't do this, the Empire would continue to die slowly in internal friction.

If she did, she would carry the blood of countless compatriots and become a true iron-fisted dictator.

"For the Empire..."

Amira hesitated for a moment, but it quickly turned into determination.

"I accept."

"I will issue the mobilization decree. Anyone who dares to defy it will face the dual wrath of the Imperial Family and Faleim."

"Very good." Trier nodded with satisfaction. "Prepare yourself, Princess. In one month, the war begins."

...Faleimland System.

The light of the star 'Sacred Fire' was obscured by countless giant metallic creations.

This was the first time in nearly a century of silence that the Faleim Civilization displayed its partially restored fangs to the universe.

The 3rd Interstellar Expeditionary Fleet and the Seventeenth Interstellar Expeditionary Fleet had completed their final assembly.

In space, dense phalanxes of warships stretched for tens of thousands of kilometers, like a silver sea of metal.

Two hundred Titan flagships were like moving mountain ranges, their main guns, the [Annihilation Beam generators], emitting heart-palpitating energy fluctuations. Thousands of battleships and tens of thousands of cruisers and destroyers were neatly arranged, the deep blue glow of their engines converging into a dazzling river of stars.

But in the center of it all, those two most massive behemoths were the true focus.

Dominator Combat Platforms.

The [Galaxy Weaver] and the [End of All Things].

These two super-carriers, exceeding two thousand kilometers in length, were the pinnacle of Faleim war engineering. They didn't look like ships; they looked more like planets forged from metal.

Their surfaces were covered with countless docks, factories, and turrets. Inside their ventral bays, each carried several complete warship production lines, allowing them to 'print' new frigates and destroyers on the spot by collecting space resources while sailing during wartime.

These weren't just warships; they were mobile frontline bases, inexhaustible sources of war.

"Warp engines preheated."

"Dark matter reactor power output stable."

"Higgs field cancellation devices fully activated."

Inside the command center of the [Galaxy Weaver], Talon stood on the high platform overlooking the entire fleet. Looking at this force capable of sweeping across the entire galaxy, a long-lost pride surged in his heart.

Once, he had led a far more massive fleet, heading without hesitation to the front lines to confront the [Chauvinist Resurgents].

That war was fought even more arduously than the fight against the dimensional demons, but the Faleim Civilization had ultimately triumphed.

"Targets: Iofer Federation sectors E-244, E-254, and E-273."

"All fleet, enter Quantum Slingshot delivery range!"

Talon swept his arm down.

"Let those demons see what a true natural disaster looks like."

...Deep in the Orion Arm, the [Eye of the Abyss] system.

This was the new capital of the Iofer Federation, an industrial planet transformed into a super fortress.

Federation Speaker Barlena was sitting in her bedchamber, playing with a chess piece carved from high-purity psionic crystal.

As a powerful psionicist, she suddenly felt a strong sense of heart palpitations this morning.

That feeling was like being stared at by some giant beast from deep space; the hair all over her body stood on end.

"Something... is coming."

Barlena put down the chess piece and walked to the giant floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the dark red sky.

These forty years had not been easy for her.

Although she had successfully suppressed domestic opposition and barely maintained the unity of the Federation through iron-fisted means and resources plundered from the Angel front, the shadow of the destruction of the [Gate of Hell] always hung over her head like a sword of Damocles.

She had been secretly investigating that civilization named Faleim, trying to find its weaknesses, or at least figure out where they actually were.

But she had found nothing. They were like a ghost that didn't exist in this dimension, visible only when they wanted to be seen.

"Reporting, Speaker!"

A Red Demon Clan general rushed into the bedchamber in a panic, forgetting even to knock.

"What is it? Rushing in such a panic, where are your manners!" Barlena frowned and scolded.

"The border... the border detection station sent an emergency telegram!" The general's voice was trembling as he projected a holographic image into the air.

It was the final footage sent back from an outpost on the Federation's northeast border.

"They... they're here!" the general shouted in despair. "The scale is uncalculable! At least a hundred times that of the fleet back then! No, a thousand times!"

"And the Angel people have moved too! Our intelligence network shows that woman Amira issued a general mobilization order, assembling all her forces and advancing toward our flank defenses!"

Barlena looked at that silver sea, her body swaying slightly; she held onto the window frame to keep from falling.

Her greatest fear had come true.

The Faleim People had not forgotten them. Now the Faleim People had freed their hands and begun to press down with their massive army.

"A hundred times..." Barlena murmured to herself.

She had seen the video footage released at the time; thirty-six ships had destroyed the capital back then.

Now there were tens of thousands? Even super-carriers larger than asteroids?

How could they fight this?

Fear spread in her heart, but it was quickly replaced by the madness inherent in this succubus's bones.

She knew that begging for mercy was useless; for a civilization of this level, even breathing was a mistake for the weak.

"Pass my command!"

Barlena turned around, a final trace of madness burning in her purple eyes.

"Order all border fleets to abandon their defense and retreat entirely to the core star sectors!"

"Detonate all mass relays and FTL beacons in the border systems! Create artificial hyperspace storms in this area to delay their footsteps!"

"Notify all warlords: if they don't want to die, bring their private armies to the [Eye of the Abyss] to protect the throne!"

"And..."

She looked at the general, a flash of ruthlessness in her eyes.

"Release that thing... the one we encountered at the Kateshiloke Black Hole."

"That thing?" The general turned pale with fright. "Speaker, that is a taboo! If it goes out of control, it will devour everything!"

"Who cares about control now?" Barlena sneered. "If we don't release it, we're all going to die."

"Since they want to destroy us, then let's drag this entire starscape down with us!"

"Go execute it!"

With Barlena's command, the massive Iofer Federation began its final operation.

And at the distant border, the Faleim People's first wave of offense had already arrived.

This was no longer a special military operation.

This was total war.