Him and their stars.

Chapter 2122 Humanity Should Relinquish the Authority of the Universe
This is Yunmen City, an outer space city on the outskirts of the Imperial Capital, a space metropolis with a large trading starport, and the largest space city on the "Fifth Ring Road" of the Imperial Capital.

时间则共同历835年5月13日，标准时间的上午7点14分。距离余连舰队攻取宸宵堡刚刚才过去大半个星期。

Of course, since the Privy Council had already blocked the news, ordinary citizens of the capital would not know anything about the outer star sectors. They would only know that their brave, decisive, and invincible Imperial Army was advancing into the entire universe, had once again conquered Terra and Earth, taken the Dawn Sector and the Ring of Miracles into their possession, and was about to completely swallow up the entire Femor.

The Empire is currently moving from one victory to another; there is no crisis or turmoil whatsoever. All reports of enemy attacks on other star sectors are despicable rumors.

Under these circumstances, it was only natural for merchant ships and cruise ships to enter and leave the capital.

In this situation, how could armored grenadiers blockade the trading port and hinder the normal activities of the imperial citizens? Isn't that a crime?

That's why, even though the passengers in front of the pier blockade had 9mm electromagnetic rifles pointed at their heads, they erupted into a cacophony of noise after a brief silence.

"Blasphemy!" An old nobleman with white hair and beard tapped the ground with his ruby ​​cane: "This is Airport No. 1 in Yunmen City. The flight about to take off is full of noble gentlemen. Who gave you the right to bark and howl here?"

"Blasphemy! Blasphemy!" the nobles echoed. Although they didn't know exactly what was being blasphemed, it still sounded quite imposing.

Of course, being elite armored grenadiers, they wouldn't be easily swayed by such a commotion. They remained motionless, guns at rest, like emotionless steel statues.

The voice of the leading officer came from the loudspeaker behind his helmet, a cold and loud sound that echoed across the wide tarmac.

"The Privy Council has issued a martial law order for the capital! During the martial law period, no ship may leave port without a special permit! Otherwise, it will be considered a defection!"

"Martial law? Martial law?" The old nobleman, who should have been of considerable status, was furious, his face turning red. He brandished his overly ornate cane so forcefully that it looked as if he were about to smash a grenadier's sand canister with the ruby ​​tip of the cane. "I am an Imperial Viscount, a member of the Senate. How come I know nothing about this martial law decree?"

“Yes! And the Privy Council ordered… most of the Privy Council members are not in the capital? Who gave the order?” Some clear-headed people in the crowd also noticed the blind spot.

Indeed, the former Grand Duke Inota, the Privy Council's former Chief Seal Holder, has already returned to his hometown to take care of his children. The new Chief Seal Holder is His Highness Prince Brunhilde of Suliuka, who may not even have entered the borders of the Imperial Capital yet.

In addition, there are King Werrent, Duke Galebean, and Duke Barryan, among others, all of whom are highly prestigious and powerful figures in the Privy Council.
Oh, right, there's a rumor going around that Duke Bai seems to have run into some serious trouble, but that's not the point. The point is, how can he order martial law in the capital when not all the Privy Council members have arrived? Martial law? Martial law my foot!

Speaking of which, when was the last time martial law was declared in the capital? That's right, it was more than 500 years ago during the imperial civil war.

As for the Seventh Galactic War half a century ago, even the Void Realm Lords appeared in the Shengyuan Star Sector, and the main force of the Imperial Guard fleet of the Fist of Glory and Chenxiao Fortress were on high alert, but there was no mention of the Imperial Court declaring martial law or anything like that.

Needless to say, this is a chaotic fate!

The gentlemen present naturally chose to forget what their actions of leaving the capital with their families represented. Instead, some of them suddenly thought that since the princes had not returned, wouldn't the person in charge of the Privy Council become the Chancellor of Valpolis?

Under the Galactic Empire's system, the Chancellor is essentially a representative of the bureaucratic class, and cannot be considered an ally of the military aristocracy or the elder statesmen. The imperial nobles present may not understand the likes and dislikes arising from this class issue, but that doesn't stop them from disliking the Chancellor.

"That's it. It's Walpolis! He must be forging an imperial decree!"

"The Prime Minister's Office has taken control of the Privy Council and also of Lucheng."

“These grenadiers? Yes, they’re from the Chancellor’s Guard!” Someone pointed to the insignia on the grenadier mechs, as if they had finally discovered the most important clue, and then let out a sound that was almost a scream.

Even in a country like the empire where military merit is paramount, the prime minister is still the highest administrative official. Even if it's just for the sake of diplomatic face, the prime minister's office must still have the proper ceremonial guard and staff. Thus, there is a regiment of 1200 armored grenadiers.

Under normal circumstances, this number of troops would indeed only serve a ceremonial purpose in the capital. It's worth noting that the Privy Council's direct guard next door comprises an entire division.

However, in such a turbulent time, when the vast celestial realm seemed to be without any troops to defend, any abnormal military mobilization would arouse suspicion.

"Yes, His Majesty hasn't made a public appearance in a long time." And so, a clear-headed voice rang out again from the crowd.

The old nobleman who claimed to be an elder suddenly realized: "You are committing treason! Walpolis is committing treason!"

"Outrageous!" the passengers echoed.

"Make way! I'm going to impeach him!"

"Impeach him!" Although they didn't understand the connection between impeaching the prime minister and making way, everyone could only continue to agree. At this point, not agreeing would be seen as a defection from one's social class, resulting in being expelled from social circles, which would be tantamount to social death.

The grenadier officer retreated into the crowd, raising his voice another notch: "Repeat, leave the port immediately! No gathering! Disarm! Otherwise, we will take necessary measures!"

This refers to the numerous armed individuals in the crowd. Given that they are the martial and valiant nobles of Tireiro, their weaponry seems quite reasonable. Adding a few armed guards makes it even more logical.

However, the grenadiers didn't see it that way. Their gun barrels didn't waver at all; they even unlocked the safety locks.

This was a very dangerous sign, but after a brief silence, the unarmed crowd on the other side erupted in angry shouts again.

"Rebellion! Rebellion! How dare these lowly lackeys of the Prime Minister's mansion betray their master! My family has served the empire for ten centuries! Ten centuries!"

"My ticket was approved by the Heraldry! Who gave you the authority to block Royal Starliner flights? I want to speak directly with the Privy Council!"

"This is illegal detention! I also want to see the Privy Council—no, I want to see His Majesty! I want to see His Majesty!"

"Waaaaah, how could the empire have become like this?"

To be fair, the fact that the heavily armed grenadiers on the front lines are still so formidable shows that the Tirelo nobles truly deserve to be called the universe's number one fighting nation, brimming with martial spirit!
Moreover, they weren't completely unarmed. The first sound was a crisp vibration—the firing of an electromagnetic pistol. But before that, a bullet had already struck one of the grenadiers, leaving a clanging sound against his thick armor.

Well, most self-defense pistols can't penetrate a grenadier's armor.

However, this action was enough for the Prime Minister's guards to react. To be honest, they were just ordinary soldiers who were ordered by their superiors to block other officials. They were under a lot of pressure, and their mental state was not very stable.

At that moment, honed instincts from rigorous training replaced reason and fear.

With a shout of "Fire!", a barrage of rifle fire, like scorching whips, swept across the group of family guards. Ornate attire was meaningless before such highly effective weapons; severed limbs and boiling blood, accompanied by screams of agony, splattered throughout the starport.

The white-haired, self-proclaimed elder nobleman was the first to be attacked. His head was shattered into pieces by an electromagnetic bullet. His cane fell to the ground, the ruby ​​at its tip rolling to the feet of a grenadier, where it was carelessly crushed by the power-armored iron boots, lasting no longer than fragile glass.

This battle, or rather, this one-sided massacre, lasted only a dozen seconds. With the birth of the first victim, the passengers' courage melted away like ice under the scorching sun, and they all let out shrill screams and fled in panic.

As they screamed and fled, the alarms at Starport sounded, and the officer's order to cease fire reached the scene. Immediately afterward, three figures in black coats rushed over anxiously.

Or rather, they flew over rather than ran, moving as fast as wild boars with their rear ends on fire.

Needless to say, he's a psionicist.

Judging from their attire, they are naturally judges.

"Stop! Stop!" The middle-aged judge A, who was in charge, jumped up and down and shouted, while using his telekinesis to disarm the three grenadiers closest to him.

However, the grenadiers suddenly realized what was happening and ceased fire, and other security and medical units arrived one after another. More than a dozen medical robots even jumped down from the nearby pipes and immediately began emergency care.

Thanks to the efforts of various Imperial units, the fleeing crowd was finally calmed down, preventing a second stampede. However, the initial tragedy was already unavoidable.

At the scene in Starport, limbs and severed bodies lay scattered everywhere. Survivors either broke down in tears, burying their faces in their hands, or trembled in despair, unable to speak. Before bullets, all are equal. Even the upper class of the capital city didn't outlast the commoners and servants; their blood was red, and their internal organs stank just as much.

"Why did you use live ammunition?" a slightly younger judge B asked in a deep voice, his voice as cold as frozen dry ice.

Grenadiers' electromagnetic rifles have a stun mode. As elite grenadiers, they should know when to go all out and when to intimidate.

"I, we..." the officer stammered, unable to speak. He had already thought about his own structure, but his mind was completely blank.

"At least 200 people died and over 300 were seriously injured in twelve seconds of firing." The only female judge in the trio, C, glanced at the horrific scene and immediately produced a report comparable to computer statistics. She sighed, her voice trembling with tears, "Waaah... This happened in our patrol area. We can't escape responsibility. Will we be sent to cover up the truth?"

The young judge B's face turned deathly pale, and he whispered, "There must be something fishy going on, but I don't see anything. I can't sense anything at all!"

Judge C began to sound utterly devastated: "Yes, yes, then the problem is even bigger. We'll definitely be sent to fill in the gaps. Can the empire even afford a million in compensation these days?"

They were judges, psionicists, yet they appeared even more miserable and fearful than the terrified passengers.

Of course, the middle-aged judge A, who was in charge, was a seasoned veteran. Although he was alarmed, he did not lose his composure and still remembered to observe his surroundings.

He couldn't help but look up at the passageway that ran directly above the starport and across the entire tarmac. Actually, his intuition hadn't detected anything; his current action was merely a subconscious reaction of a seasoned detective.

The judge, of course, saw nothing.

In fact, the moment the grenadier fired and confirmed that the steel spike bullet propelled by the magnetic rail had torn one of the "innocent passengers" and the puppet worm in his brain to pieces, Shirley retreated with an air of utter indifference.

This "innocent passenger" was also the one who remained "sober" amidst the crowd, and the one who ultimately fired the shot, but none of that matters anymore.

As for the person who started all this, she had already left the scene long ago. To her, it was just a minor incident. Even without her intervention, a similar situation would have definitely occurred.

"How...ugly!" she murmured to herself.

"Internal strife, suspicion, greed and fear for power... Even the Tyrellians, even these beings who consider themselves the pinnacle of human civilization, react ugly to external pressure. Since the dawn of space exploration, they have never faced a true existential crisis. Unity, mutual support, and sacrificing everything for the development and continuation of the race—this should be the duty of civilized races to survive in the cold universe. Yet humanity has forgotten this, seemingly more adept at finding enemies within and venting their fears. This isn't bestiality, but the inherent weakness of herbivores!"

She turned and strolled leisurely through the equally panicked crowd running through the corridor, continuing her commentary: "See? How ugly, how despicable. Shouldn't these human creatures relinquish their dominion over the universe? Oh ho ho ho, let this storm rage on! I'll record everything. All of this is valuable data on the evolution of the Zerg swarm."

She slowly smiled, radiating an aloof and independent brilliance, as if walking at the center of the universe: "I am the swarm. My words..."

"Lord 9527 reports: His Majesty's fleet has crossed the Frostglaze system. The Frostglaze Fortress garrison offered no resistance and fled in advance." Suddenly, a thought once again traversed the galaxy and blossomed within the insectoid swarm's mental network.

"This... I'm sorry, I got too carried away. I meant no harm to humans, absolutely no harm!" Shirley shivered instinctively and immediately apologized. She then realized that she no longer had that physiological function and subconsciously stomped her foot.

Armed guards and combat robots continued to pass by the girl along the way, but they remained oblivious to her rich inner monologues and expressive body language.

"Ju, you actually came to Shuangliu? That's too slow! How can there be such a dawdling man! If I were to take over the capital myself, I'd laugh at you!" She gritted her teeth for half a minute before reluctantly suppressing her temper.

Shirley's gaze swept over the Fist of Glory fortress, suspended beyond the dome on the horizon. Only then did a cold glint finally cross her vision.

This was her true goal. The dignified young lady of the ruler was truly prepared to seize the capital through her own abilities.