Him and their stars.

Chapter 2123 Our master is gone, what are we going to do?
"Lord 47 remains on standby in the Toristan system. In the previous 72 hours, 72 transport ships and 17 military ships departed from this system to the capital, but no passenger ships. The frequency of departures is the lowest known."

"Lord 003 rejected the idea of ​​establishing reconnaissance points in all star systems surrounding the capital. Without the biological characteristics of the Lord's Port to stir things up, absolute concealment is impossible."

"Lord 005 seconded the motion. As long as we can guarantee an approximate value, that will suffice. The Emperor's fleet is scheduled to enter the Imperial Capital from Toristan, and Lord 47 should ensure a smooth passage."

"Lord 47 is carrying out His Majesty's will. Clan 47 will develop discreetly, not provoke enemies, only gather intelligence, and maintain its existence. Existence is everything, and everything is existence."

"Lord 9527, please occupy the Sugar Star Agricultural Laboratory in the Frost Liu System to acquire new resources and research data. Lord 1314 is about to develop the special Hydralisk that sprays sweet milk and needs the latest information."

"Lord 9527 understands. Under the cover of the Lord's fighter jets, his dragon worms have already deployed springtails and worker bees to the Sugar Star Laboratory. So far, everything is going smoothly."

"All actions shall be based on His Majesty's operational needs."

"Lord 787 has confirmed that the specialized Type 25 springtail is more efficient than the Alliance's latest T1001 mining robot in mining operations in low-gravity and airless environments. At the same time, it can also maintain the livestock massage and reclamation capabilities of the first three types of springtails. Should we decide on this model?"

"003 Agreed."

"005 Agreed."

"Lord 1234 seconded. Special Type 25 Zerglings and Sweet Milk Type 7 Hydralisks, 50 of each are needed in New China. I'll come and haul them over once I've finished my current work."

"I second that, but the new Shenzhou also needs to pay an equivalent price."

"1234 Understood. Mr. Qi and General Yang of New Shenzhou have agreed in principle to our extraction of some of the shell fragments of the Tian Shu Star Insect."

"Very good business."

"I second that. Any business that can expand the gene pool of an ethnic group is a good business."

"Especially since it's based on the genes of the ancient Leviathan."

"The will of the ruler!"

"The will of the ruler!"

Such a productive swarm is definitely not the kind of swarm I know! And it's certainly not an ordinary swarm! The Yulian people in the Frost Liu system listened to the information exchange in the swarm network, and for a moment they didn't know what expression to wear.

Because of the vast difference between his understanding of his previous life and his current understanding, even someone as quick-witted and adaptable as him found it difficult to calm himself down in a short period of time.

Of course, considering that even the mighty ruler has that kind of art style, it would seem pretentious to be surprised at this point.

To be fair, seeing the Zerg lords becoming more proactive and down-to-earth, and even starting to take a positive stance on productivity, Yu Lian felt gratified.

If this style of art continues, even after the war ends and we enter a peaceful era, the Zerg swarm will surely find a way to coexist with mainstream civilizations, right?
If we add Shirley to this person's list, it would be a great deed.

The lords within the Zerg network, sensing someone's smugness, cleverly added, "The will of His Majesty!"

"His Majesty's will!"

To be honest, even for someone as shameless as Yu Lian, this title gave him goosebumps.

"Lord 003 reports that we are preparing to conduct a reconnaissance mission against the Fist of Glory fortress under the wise leadership of the Overlord. If all goes well, we can set up an ambush in advance."

Yu Lian was silent for a few seconds before finally replying, "Approved."

"His Majesty's will!"

"His Majesty's will!"

So, when did this name start?

In short, as an exceptional Zerg leader, Yu Lian naturally possessed all the permissions of the entire Zerg network. However, perhaps because he was (subjectively) still human, connecting his mind to the Zerg network became a subjective act. His observation of the Zerg network now resembled spying, unlike Xia Li's natural and instinctive approach.

However, even so, he still had full access to the swarm, so he naturally knew that Shirley had actually entered the capital alone.

That's incredibly fast!

The Leviathan hive ships have acquired the ability to "construct" their own paths. They utilize specific small celestial bodies and various interstellar dust belts as information relays and cover, and are far more adept at concealing themselves than any steel-built warship. Furthermore, the hive ships' unique biological characteristics also allow them to neutralize warp gravity.

In this way, these space flight zones, resembling giant pupae, can roam freely through the galaxy, much like the colossal Leviathan creatures that have lived in the heavens since time immemorial, without triggering alarms from the Imperial Deep Space Surveillance Network.

In short, having absorbed the last Zerg Leviathan, Shirley has achieved "great mastery," and her mobility and stealth capabilities now surpass those of the most advanced spaceships in this civilization.

While Yu Lian was still playing hide-and-seek with the Imperial Fleet, Xia Li was advancing steadily and cautiously.

While Yu was busy blasting through the arsenal and shipyard in the Shengyuan Star Region, Xia Li was still advancing with a clear objective.

While Yu Lian was engaged in a fierce battle with the Prince of Wei at Chenxiao Fortress, Xia Li was still making rapid progress, even turning her No. 1 pupa into a whirlwind.

Now, Mother Nest No. 1, which has followed Xia Li the longest, is hiding in an ice cave on a frozen satellite in the Torlistan system, carefully recuperating. Since the capital city is now defenseless, this gateway system next to the Tianyu is also suddenly empty, making it a perfect place to hide and observe in secret.

As for Xia Li herself, she arrived in the capital ahead of everyone else, traveling with minimal entourage.

She certainly seemed very energetic; she had only just arrived in the capital and was already preparing to take action against the Fist of Glory.

This fortress, located in the "seventh ring" of the capital, is the largest military base in the Heavenly Domain and the garrison of the Imperial Guard Fleet protecting the capital.

I remember back when I was a military attaché stationed there, I personally witnessed the massive Imperial dreadnoughts swaggering in and out of the starport, like a pack of well-trained, fat sheepdogs. And I did seriously consider how to conquer such a military base.

At the time, based on basic rationality and the common sense of military strategy of anticipating the enemy's moves, I believed that I would need at least 1000 warships.

But now, the vast capital city has very few garrison troops left. According to Xia Li's report, she spent most of the day guarding the neighboring starport and even caused a massacre, but she didn't see many warships coming or going from the Fist of Glory.

Of course, even if there aren't many warships left, it's still a Sky Tower, so there's no shortage of garrison troops, and there are definitely well-trained psionicists.

Furthermore, the tragedy that occurred at Starport was certainly not the result of the Sovereign's malice—although she did have that intention subjectively, it was objectively a test of the Empire's upper echelons. As it turned out, they seemed remarkably oblivious. Oblivious as if they were already on the verge of national collapse.

In short, Xia Li's situation in the capital is currently very good. Not just good, but excellent.

Yu Lian only hoped that Xia Li would be more cautious and not act rashly.

To be fair, compared to Xia Li's smooth progress, the Yu Lian fleet's occupation of the Frost Liu star system was not actually very smooth.

This galaxy is less than 500 light-years away from the sky.

The reason for passing through here is twofold: firstly, this prosperous agricultural star system is one of the empire's most important agricultural bases, the granary of the Heavenly Domain, and of course, a necessary route to the capital; secondly, it was at the request of a certain robot lady.

According to her, it was just that she had a connection with a certain relic of the Enlightened One there, and since she was already there, why not stay for another half a day?

Yu Lian certainly wouldn't object to this. He had plenty of time to waste, and besides, it wasn't a detour; it would allow the soldiers to rest a bit.

During this process, Zerg Lord 9527, who had been following its lead, successfully captured the famous agricultural laboratory with the support of its own fighters. If the Zerg swarm can indeed develop Hydralisks that spray sweet milk as a result, the scene, though too beautiful to behold, would still benefit the universe.

Yu Lian was still looking forward to it: "In short, the swarm has taken over the agricultural laboratory, and Little Gray is digging up graves, so of course we all have a bright future."

"The little bugs are indeed very proactive. They've found a way to coexist with all civilizations, which is a good start." The robot lady rarely gave a positive assessment of the swarm: "And they're not digging up graves; they're just guiding civilization onto the right track."

She said the same thing when she was convincing herself to dig up the silent account. However, considering that her side had been consistently gaining an advantage, she couldn't very well pretend otherwise.

Since I'm already here, I might as well take care of the mess left over from this agricultural planet.

When the Empire first discovered this planet, it was an icy world that appeared as frozen crystals in space, hence its name.

However, Emperor Kachimo, nicknamed "The Reclaimer," operated here for over fifty years. After the ice field thawed, he gained fertile irrigated plains and reclaimed millions of farmlands, thus acquiring the empire's most important granary.

Currently, the Frost Liu Star System is not an administrative planet managed by the Prime Minister's Office, but rather a "means of production" managed by the royal conglomerate. More than 90% of its 5 million residents are royal slaves. In a sense, everyone and everything in this star system is actually the emperor's private property.

The Yu Lian fleet disarmed the planet's defensive fortress almost without bloodshed, and before that, the former sheriff, tax collector, agricultural commissioner, and overseer had already fled.

The granaries, treasuries, and armories also fell into the hands of Earthlings.

And these slaves, whose ancestors lived on this galaxy, also obtained luxuries they had never imagined in their lives.

"You are now free."

The officer in charge of the presentation said this to the farmers who had been abandoned on these planets.

"The imperial nobles who oppressed you have been driven out, and you are all free. From now on, the farmland, the equipment, and all the crops here are yours. The city's high-rises, roads, and vehicles, and all the books in the library, are also yours. The armory is also open to you; you can take up arms and protect your own interests!"

However, what greeted them was not the enthusiastic cheers and applause they had imagined, nor the joyful embraces of rebirth; instead, there was only a frozen sense of bewilderment.

The farmer representative stared blankly at the Earthlings, utterly unmoved by the so-called "freedom," and cautiously asked, "Have our masters all left? Is no one forcing us to work anymore?"

"of course."

"So, what should we do starting tomorrow?"

"Of course, you can do whatever you want."

The peasant representatives did not answer. They stood there, silent, their eyes vacant, their expressions filled with fear.

Suddenly, the air was filled with a smell more difficult to dispel than gunpowder smoke. It was a sense of helplessness and bewilderment that came from suddenly losing all restraint and control.

"But without orders from our masters and overseers, we don't know what to do!" they expressed their confusion and panic. After confirming that the newcomers were also human, they asked expectantly, "So, are you our new masters? What should we do tomorrow?"

"Or, do you mean you want to select people to work on other planets? I'm quite good at handling cloud moss and snake fruit."

"So, we'll still go to work as usual tomorrow, right? We'll be on time. But, will you be providing all three meals a day? And will the bathhouse and residents' center remain open as usual?"

The officers in charge of the presentation were speechless, and Gongsun Qing, who had witnessed everything firsthand, felt a suffocating tightness in his chest. The joy of victory was instantly washed away by reality.

This turn of events was completely different from what I had imagined.

"This planet has 5 billion hectares of farmland, granaries piled with over 500 million tons of grain and compressed protein, and hundreds of billions of livestock of various kinds living on its pastures. Yet, these experienced old farmers are asking us for milk for tomorrow's breakfast," Gongsun Qing complained to Yu Lian.

King Slein carefully explained, "For a long time, the daily meals of the slaves... farmers and their families have been uniformly distributed by the central kitchen of the Royal Chamber of Commerce."

"It sounds like feeding pigs." Gongsun Qing's expression immediately turned unpleasant.

"The nutritional balance is very good. There are special nutritional meals for children, the elderly and patients, and they often have desserts and fruits."

"Got it, so it's refined pig feed?" The Sword Saint's eyes were already sizing up a class enemy.

Little King was speechless and looked like he was about to cry.

However, Fei Fei spoke up fairly: "After all, they are just slaves on the farm. As long as they can do their regular work, that's the most efficient approach. They really don't need cooking utensils, nor do they need to cook."

"Isn't this just like raising pigs?"

The Sword Saint, who had participated in the Frontier Star Sector Uprising, said that these guys from Frostfall were definitely the most spiritless slaves she had ever seen, her face full of disappointment and frustration.

Yu Lian, however, was not surprised: "Although they are slaves, they are slaves with status, slaves with blessings, and slaves with rank. Since they are His Majesty the Emperor's property, they will naturally receive the best 'use' and 'maintenance'. They work an average of only eight hours a day, have three balanced meals a day, and even have holidays. The farm has a free hospital, theater, cinema, and amusement park, as well as a free school. Although they do not receive wages, they are provided with free daily necessities and hobbies. In terms of quality of life, they belong to the top 50% in the universe."

The young King Slein immediately showed a proud expression: "It's so good that you understand. At least we definitely didn't mistreat them, and we gave them a stable life and jobs!"

"What are you so smug about?" Gongsun Qing roared in anger. "All you're doing is fattening up the pigs. What's so great about that?"

(End of this chapter)