Chapter 180: You Are the Savior
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Karai
Zhou Pingbo sighed quietly as he spoke. “Fortunately, no lives were lost. The guards took care of that E-Class Zerg. Those people up there were pretty shaken. I still have a few B-Class Zerg in custody. They’re worried these live samples might threaten security on Capital Star and asked me to transfer them all out.”
“Where are you keeping them now?”
“I’m on Ares. The planet is undergoing reconstruction, and they allocated some land for me to set up a lab. Even during the transfer by spaceship, these Zerg kept banging in unison against their cages, all facing the same direction.”
“What direction?”
“Roughly towards the space between Endymion and Ares,” Zhou Pingbo explained. “There’s an old star over there. I don’t know if its magnetic field is affecting them. There was never any record before of a star’s state influencing Zerg behavior, but here at Ares, they keep ramming like that. I’ve only been able to sedate the more dangerous types.”
Heinrich spoke slowly, carefully choosing his words: “Endymion and Ares… that’s exactly the area near Haven.”
Zhou Pingbo froze.
“Do you think something is attracting the Zerg?”
“Maybe,” Heinrich replied noncommittally. “Or it could be an internal Zerg command.”
“No, Zerg don’t have that kind of long-distance command capability,” Zhou Pingbo said quickly. “Capital Star, the Ent Nebula, and Haven are tens of thousands of light-years apart… I’ll start experiments right away, see what’s drawing them.”
“Professor Zhou,” Lin Xu called out, catching Zhou Pingbo as he hurried to turn away. “I’m thinking maybe it’s not something that attracts the Zerg.”
“What do you mean?”
Lin Xu said, “Do you remember the Redleather Diary records of the Ark Fleet’s voyage? The first time humans encountered the Zerg was only after the Ark Fleet set sail.”
“That’s right. After the Ark Fleet left the Zerg hive, the Zerg launched their first attack on humanity.” Zhou Pingbo had studied those diary entries carefully.
“But we also know the Zerg were human-made test subjects. The lab was on the Moon. When the Ark Fleet left old Earth, they destroyed the Moon base, and some Zerg escaped. The Zerg aren’t tactical, yet they didn’t attack humans immediately. Instead, they wasted effort traveling through the Zerg hive before attacking.”
“At that time, the Ark Fleet was embroiled in political factionalism over modifying ABO genders,” Lin Xu continued. “I suspect…”
Zhou Pingbo furrowed his brow deeply. “You suspect Zerg behavior is actually controllable? The Imperial military did keep Zerg as both an enemy and a bargaining chip with the Parliament. But fully controlling their behavior… that—”
He didn’t know how to finish the sentence. If all this was a conspiracy, the mountain of corpses and spilled blood behind it could drown the entire Empire.
Humanity had thrown itself into the fight against the Zerg, countless lives, resources, and money poured into this grinding war machine running for over six centuries, turning billions of lives into shredded flesh drifting among the cold stars. Including Heinrich’s parents.
The Imperial often said this struggle was a testament to humanity’s courage and passion. But what if all this was just a power play?
“I hadn’t thought that way before, but given the Emperor’s situation…” Lin Xu’s gaze darkened. He knew Alfred was insane enough for that. “I have no choice but to seriously suspect it.”
“…I will consider that possibility,” Zhou Pingbo whispered.
During the waiting period for the experimental results, Heinrich received a message from Alonso: the Dionysus sector was also under Zerg attack. Among the Zerg kept by Zhou Pingbo on Ares, two had turned and were ramming their cages toward the Dionysus system. The Dawn Front’s original weapons were poorly equipped and lacked specialized arms against the Zerg, resulting in heavy casualties.
It was said that Capricciosa applied to the Supreme Military Council for deployment to fight the Zerg flooding the Dionysus border, but her proposal was rejected. She was furious and confronted the council, “If we don’t send troops to rescue now, when we take back the Dionysus sector into the Imperial map, how can the people here still trust the Imperial?”
The leader responded coldly, “This is the joint resolution of His Majesty the Emperor and us — the final decision, and it will not be changed.”
Capricciosa’s chest heaved violently, rage burning within her like a wildfire. She glared fiercely at the old men before her, her expression twisted. The council members’ faces were hidden in shadow, silent. After a moment, Capricciosa resolutely swept her sleeve and turned away. The medals on her pristine uniform clinked sharply, her armed belt and tall boots scraped loudly as she strode out. Her footsteps thundered on the floor, each step trembling like an earthquake. Her alpha aide was nearly crushed by her overwhelming aura and the surge of alphapheromones. “General…” the aide struggled to speak.
“Get lost!” Capricciosa spat.
The aide froze. “Ah?” He took a step back and crouched slightly, “You really want me to…”
“Tsk,” Capricciosa frowned, “I didn’t say get lost. Just go.”
The aide trembled but obediently followed behind her, leaving the military council.
When Zhou Pingbo contacted Capricciosa, he found her location approaching the Dionysus sector’s edge. Zhou Pingbo was silent for a moment. “I thought the Supreme Council didn’t approve your entering the Dionysus sector to fight the Zerg.”
Capricciosa sneered coldly. “I command the troops. Why should I listen to a bunch of decrepit old men? Director Zhou, just say it — if you’re reporting my whereabouts to the Imperial, don’t bother with formalities.”
“No, no,” Zhou Pingbo said quickly, “I want to ask you a favor: please, return to the Florence defense line.”
“You still want to persuade me? Don’t worry. I’ve left enough troops at the Florence line — I won’t let Zerg sneak through and chew you up.”
“Wait, please let me finish. I have an idea and want your help with an experiment concerning the Zerg.”
“…What kind of experiment would make the famous Director Zhou, favored by both Parliament and military, bypass protocol and come straight to me?” Capricciosa stretched out her legs and leaned back, letting out a faint snort.
“An experiment that, if anyone else knew, could condemn me for crimes against humanity,” Zhou Pingbo said. “I want the legion commander to open the Florence defense line and let Zerg into Imperial airspace, all the way to Crescent District.”
Capricciosa was shocked, sitting up straight. “You really are insane. Do you know what you’re saying?!”
“I know,” Zhou Pingbo smiled tiredly, “but I suspect Zerg behavior can be artificially controlled. I need to run a test.”
“If you can control Zerg, then there’s no need to risk Crescent District.”
“It’s not me,” Zhou Pingbo said.
After days of intense research, comparing data from Heinrich’s side and his own experiments, he confirmed that Zerg entered a behavioral freeze state under highly chaotic electromagnetic wave frequency environments. He repeatedly tested and compared different wave frequencies, ultimately finding the specific frequency band—called ‘Zeta’—that influences Zerg behavior.
However, Zhou Pingbo couldn’t effectively modulate the Zeta frequency to control the Zerg; unknown technologies might be involved that he could not yet unravel. Yet, tracing the source of this special frequency led him to locate the emitter near Capital Star—close to the Imperial Palace. This answer chilled all who knew it. He had to further verify the accuracy.
Lin Xu told him, “If the Imperial royal family possesses means to control the Zerg, they would certainly have the courage and reliance to set the capital right on the frontline facing the Zerg.”
The so-called ‘Emperor Defending the Land’ turned into a dark comedy in the face of truth. Lin Xu added, “If the Zerg approach the Crescent District and prepare to attack, the royal family would naturally control the Zerg’s retreat to protect the Crescent District and the Capital Star.”
So Zhou Pingbo decided to gamble. He selectively explained everything to Capricciosa. Her expression changed rapidly, dark and unreadable. Looking at Zhou Pingbo on the screen, she asked, “Do I look like a fool, or a joke?” She was asking herself: Should she deny Zhou Pingbo’s conclusion and be a fool who refused the truth, or accept it, deny all she’d fought for, admit she was a puppet of the royal family, and that all the bloodshed was a farce?
“You are the savior,” Zhou Pingbo said. The bloodthirsty vortex of Zerg and power was a pit swallowing lives and flesh. The commander of the First Legion and guardian of the Florence defense line held the sword here. Though her eyes were blindfolded by the mist, the sword had saved countless lives from the abyss. Now the mist was lifted. Zhou Pingbo asked if Capricciosa was willing to point that sword at the real monster.
She rose and walked to the panoramic window of her flagship’s command room. The starry sky was dark; every flickering star was separated by millions of light years. The coldness of the universe seeped through the window into the air aboard the starship. After a long pause, she asked, “Do you have a detailed plan?”
– –
Three days later, the people of Imperial were shaken by a piece of news. The commander of the First Legion, Capricciosa, had led the forces of the Florence defense line in a direct assault on the Zerg stronghold, engaging in a bloody battle within the Ent Nebula.
Rumors spread quickly within Imperial. Some believed the attack was meant to relieve pressure on the Long Whale Region and the Dionysus District, while others thought Imperial had been utterly enraged by the Zerg’s harassment and was determined to exterminate every last one of them.
Only the Supreme Council knew the full story. They had sent twelve top-level military orders to the First Legion, commanding Capricciosa to halt the assault—but she had ignored every single one.
Another three days passed before the thirteenth order arrived in the Ent Nebula. Capricciosa finally ceased the bombardment against the Zerg, began withdrawing her forces, and retreated all the way back, nearly reaching the Crescent District.
The citizens of Imperial assumed the First Legion’s attack had failed and that the Zerg were now in pursuit. Fear and panic spread like wildfire, and the criticism of Capricciosa’s command skills became rampant.
At that moment, Capricciosa revealed the thirteenth order, showing everyone she was only following commands. The tide of insults quickly shifted. The Supreme Council, overwhelmed by Capricciosa’s unexpected move, had no choice but to order her to swiftly sweep the Zerg away.
Upon receiving the order, Capricciosa resumed her offensive, launching a pincer attack on both sides of the Zerg flight corridor. She indeed wiped out many Zerg, but when the Supreme Council reviewed the battle footage, they realized that the Zerg trapped in the middle had flown down the corridor straight toward the Crescent District at lightning speed.
It seemed as though the Crescent District and the Capital Star were on the verge of falling in the next moment. By the seventh day, however, the Zerg’s advance suddenly halted, and they retreated along the route back into the Ent Nebula.
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