Venal Galaxy, the Panhuman Alliance’s former capital. It was now the command center of the insectoid invasion force led by General Tanini.
Planet Venal 113 was very far from the star, and the air was cold and dry. Normally, the temperature would drop to around negative eighty degrees, and the surface was covered in a thin layer of dry ice.
When it was controlled by the Panhuman Alliance, this distant and remote planet had never been the focus of much attention, but things had changed once the insectoids had taken control.
General Tanini was leading an excavation team, which worked here night and day. They had dug out a pit of more than 150 kilometers deep on the surface, exposing the insides of the planet in search of something.
*Pa! Pa! Pa!
Tanini’s malahide boots fitted with metal nails crisply clinked against the ground. He had been pacing back and forth in front of the screen for six hours now, not resting for one moment. He seemed overcome with anxiety and unease.
“Sir General, the exploration team is ready to bring out that object!” excitedly reported a messenger soldier.
Tanini’s body froze, and then he quickly walked up to the screen, took up and the microphone, and commanded his subordinates, “Everyone, get serious! If anything happens to that object, I’ll have your heads!”
The messenger soldier at his side stuck out his tongue. He knew that the general was not joking, but he really did not understand what it could be that they were going at such great lengths to search for and that could make Tanini so nervous. It must be understood that even in the most nervous few days of the attack on the Panhuman Alliance, he had not been like this. It was as if what was underground was his most precious treasure.
An object covered in black cloth was cautiously raised from its location near the core, slowly rising along the tractor beam. The cloth around it made it impossible to see what the object actually looked like, but from its shape, it appeared to be a rectangular object about three meters long.
“Slowly… Slowly bring it up…” Tanini stared at the image on the screen as he talked to himself. It was as if he was the one being carried up, not the object.
“Right, just like that. Don’t drop your guard! Don’t let it suffer any damage. Right! Good… Very good…”
Several months ago, Chief of Staff Pine Williams proposed that the insectoids had chosen to launch a surprise assault on Venal Galaxy rather than slowly encircling it because they were searching for something in the capital ring.
Everyone thought that this idea was too absurd. Even Tai, who trusted him the most, found the idea inconceivable, and in the end, the matter had been left undecided.
If the military were able to see today’s sight, they would definitely feel regret for failing to strengthen their investigation of the capital ring. No one could have imagined that Tanini really had been entrusted with a mission to search for something in the Panhuman Alliance’s capital ring.
What had the insectoid come to find in this innermost region of humanity? This matter was far too bizarre no matter how one looked at it! It stirred up many questions.
Tanini continued to stare nervously at the screen. As this object drew closer and closer to the warship, his heart beat faster and faster. The gloves of the engineer controlling the tractor beam were already drenched in sweat. He was well aware of what would happen to him if he made even the smallest mistake.
Every second felt as long as an epoch. Finally, that object wrapped in black cloth entered the warship. When the storage compartment closed, Tanini had his heart on his chest, afraid that it would jump right out.
“Safe,” reported the trembling operator through the communication system.
Tanini raised his fist, so excited that it seemed like he had just won the most difficult campaign of his life.
“The warriors supervising the ground are requesting to board. Please give your instructions.”
Tanini smiled and moved a finger across his neck, giving the kill order.
The messenger soldier was taken aback; after which, he sent out orders to the other warships. He considered himself fortunate that he had not taken part in the work on the ground. Tanini’s meaning was clear. Anyone who had laid eyes on that object must die!
*Bang bang bang!*
Several dozen insectoid battleships, which had been waiting for a long time, began opening fire, and the surface was immediately turned into a sea of fire! The several thousand soldiers supervising the operations on ground were instantly turned to ashes!
“Set off! The special dispatch fleet must return at the fastest speed to the imperial capital! Connect to the encrypted line, too! I want to report personally the good news to Brother Uti!” Tanini loudly ordered.
…
“Did that god have any instructions?” Back on the Black Peak Ridge, Qingliu cautiously asked as large beads of sweat trickled down his forehead.
Xia Fei replied, “The God of Night first informed me that I only passed the Primal Chaos Assessment through a fluke, then he asked with relative concern about the insectoids, so I told the venerable god everything I know about the current situation, including how Uti is set on waging a war against humans.
“The God of Night seemed somewhat unhappy about the insectoids attacking the Panhuman Alliance and asked how the insectoids have developed so far. I told the god that the insectoids are evolving on a large scale, but their lives are basically the same as they were in the past, their culture backward with a veneration for martial arts strength, believing that they can rely on force to conquer the universe.”
“What did the God of Night say to that?” Halleh nervously asked.
Xia Fei sternly said, “The god said that it’s very bad. An insectoid race with only might and no culture will always be a backward race, and that they should not continue down on this path.
“I also heard the God of Night expressing dissatisfaction toward Uti, so I boldly brought up how all of you are planning to assassinate him then improve relations with the Panhuman Alliance and develop culture vigorously.
“After a long period of thought, the god said that he’s long gone and can’t ask many things about the insectoid race, but he does believe that cultural development will always be the correct course and that it can never be changed. As for martial arts might, he said that there exists in the universe immense might that we, common folks, will never understand. The firepower of warships alone isn’t enough.”
After saying all that, Xia Fei lit a cigarette and gauged everyone’s reactions. The story he had fabricated was for the sake of the future. If these insectoids really did manage to seize authority, there was no guarantee that they would not create a second or third Uti.
Thus, Xia Fei seized this chance to reinforce their resolve in developing their culture and ceasing invasion of other races. The thought of all these bugs holding musical instruments and playing songs made Xia Fei mentally laugh, though.
“This made-up story of yours isn’t very good. It doesn’t look like they believe it much,” Phantom frowned and said.
Xia Fei smiled. “I wouldn’t believe it, either.”
“Then, why didn’t you say it? A story that no one believes isn’t a good story.”
Xia Fei indifferently said, “Don’t panic; I still have another move.”
After a few moments of thought, Qingliu doubtfully asked, “Did the God of Night really say that to you? His venerable self really supported our plan to kill Uti and lead the Insectoids on the path of cultural revitalization?”
Xia Fei solemnly nodded. “Not a single word was a lie!”
Phantom said to himself, ‘Not a single word was a lie? You clearly didn’t speak even one word of truth. None of these fellows believe you, so let’s see you handle this.’
Qingliu was one of the insectoid intellectuals, and he was very suspicious of Xia Fei’s lies. This was because the god in Xia Fei’s story was too humanized, creating many flaws. Devoted believers were more willing to believe that their god was a transcendent being. A god with a human personality would truthfully be a little lacking.
“Was there anything else?”
Xia Fei thought it over, then he replied with a start, “Right! The God of Night also asked a few very strange questions.”
“What questions?”
“He asked me how the Tulons have been faring and if they are living in harmony with the insectoids.”
Shock!
Extreme shock!
In ancient times, the insectoids had not lived in their territory alone. They shared it with the Tulons.
This was a matter from a very, very long time ago, and the vast majority of the insectoids had no idea about it. Only those intellectuals who studied insectoid history could possibly know.
Xia Fei was just a young human. How could he know this secret about the Tulons?!
There was no other conclusion except that Xia Fei had really met the God of Night!
Qingliu paled as he hastily asked, “How did you reply?”
“I said that the insectoids are insectoids, and there are no Tulons, so perhaps he remembered wrongly. The God of Night was unwilling to let the matter go and asked me several more questions about the Tulons. I swore that I was telling nothing the truth and that I had no idea what Tulons are.
“To my shock, the God of Night began thundering and raging, mumbling about some oathbreakers or something, even calling the insectoids complete fools who refused to heed his instructions and how, if this continues, you guys will certainly go down the wrong path.
“After he was done ranting, the God of Night angrily waved his sleeve and sent me back, mumbling to himself that it’s the last straw, or something. I was already in the darkness at the time, so I couldn’t hear him too clearly.”
At this point in the story, no one dared to suspect the veracity of Xia Fei’s words. All of them had dark expressions, seemingly having lost their family. Meanwhile, Xia Fei put on a very helpless expression.
Lying was something that required skill, and the best lies were not spun out of thin air; instead, it was a combination of seventy percent lies and thirty percent truth. If that thirty percent truth was a secret that only a few individuals knew, then the lie would basically be very believable. Such was the story Xia Fei had told.
These insectoids were all extremely intelligent members of their race, and they were masters at analyzing the moods of others.
The God of Night was clearly enraged at the insectoids, and the proof was in how Black Peak Ridge had been split in half. Was there anyone except a god capable of this world-shaking feat?
However, the god had also expressed support for the insectoids’ cultural development. This made Qingliu and the others more confident in their plan to seize the throne, believing that they were following the will of their god. If they did well, they might even make their god happy and have him reemerge. At worst, at least they would not make him unhappy.
Those among them who had initially not indecisive now made up their minds, and they became willing to give up everything they had to support this sacred endeavor.
Everyone looked at Xia Fei with much more polite gazes. After all, he had met with the God of Night. To believers like them, this was an incredible thing.
Phantom gave Xia Fei a thumbs-up. “Incredible! That lie of yours has got them all fooled. With the decree of a god, they probably resolve to devote themselves into opposing Uti even if they don’t actually want to.”
At this moment, someone walked up to Qingliu and whispered in his ear. Qingliu nodded as he listened, then his face suddenly paled!
“Everyone, I have bad news!” Qingliu darkly said. “The object that Uti ordered General Tanini to search for in the capital of the Panhuman Alliance had been found. It’s currently on its way back to the capital!”
