The Empire begins with the Fourth Scourge.

Chapter 2644 Palpatine Strikes
2644, Palpatine strikes.

“Using tools… Indeed, some accounts indicate that the Kilik swarm did create and use tools. They did not rely solely on their own bodies and evolution,” a biologist nearby remarked.

"An inefficient method," Abathur said calmly. "Tools are a product that humans cannot choose. Pure Zerg swarms need no tools. The Kylik, however, used the tools of the gods, and thus evolved in this way."

The cataclysm 10 years ago has always been one of Tang Xiao's research focuses, and the Kilik swarm experienced that time. Therefore, Tang Xiao also told Abathur what he knew about the Celestial and Taiyi.

However, Severance Tann had no interest in dwelling on this topic of biological evolution. She asked, "What can we get out of this now? I need to find their nests and wipe them out completely. You want the essence of the Kilik swarm, well, now is your chance."

"The essence is incomplete. The swarm has revived, but not entirely. On Jorib, there are multiple mother broods. Find the mother broods, devour them, analyze them, receive signals from the mainframe, and locate the core lair," Abathur said.

"Is there more than one mother hive in this galaxy?" Severance Tann frowned. "But our scanning system can't find them."

"The mother nest is underground on the satellite. Ordinary scans cannot detect it," Abathur said. "Dig out the burrowing worm, extract its signal-receiving organs, create a receiver, and locate the mother nest."

Severance Tann nodded, then turned to the T-series tactical robots that were waiting nearby and said, "Did you hear that? Immediately devise a plan to dig out that giant monster under the wreckage of the warship!"

"Roger!" the T-series tactical robot immediately relayed the command.

At this moment, Ye Chuan and his team had already retreated from the satellite. Of the 500 Marines, only slightly over 220 were able to return; the rest had been killed by the Kilik swarm, most of them disappearing after the warship wreckage was dragged into the quicksand. The casualties exceeded half, a devastating loss.

Moreover, it's important to know that all of these people were equipped with CMC-300 power armor! If they had been wearing ordinary combat uniforms like before, then probably none of them would have made it back!
Currently, on the Nogu satellite, some engineering and transport ships are carrying out mopping-up work. The Scorpion Annihilator robot, which got stuck in quicksand during the previous battle, is now being lifted by a transport ship and prepared to be sent back to the warship's engineering department for repairs.

The Scorpion Annihilator robots are precious; Severance Tann's entire fleet only has three. Losing any of these would be incredibly painful.

In addition, some engineering robots and SCVs are digging through quicksand. Now that SCVs are completely unmanned, it doesn't matter if they work in such dangerous environments.

One after another, the bodies of Marines were dug out from under the quicksand. The bodies were all mutilated, and even their power armor was damaged, which showed how devastating the Kilik swarm was.

Many kilik bug corpses were also dug up and piled up to form a small mountain; these were important experimental materials. Currently, Severance-Tann and her team know very little about the kilik swarm and must find enough samples to study in order to find the swarm's weaknesses.

However, with the order from Supreme Commander Severance Tann, this meticulous excavation work immediately ceased. An orbital mining vessel, manufactured by the United Mining Corporation and urgently transferred from the planet Hissla, had arrived.

The orbital mining vessel descended to an altitude of approximately 1000 meters, then activated four powerful mass acceleration devices on its belly, violently launching four magnetic field generators. The four generators landed at the four corners of the wreckage's stern, burying themselves hundreds of meters into the ground.

Immediately afterwards, an energy beam was emitted from between the magnetic field generator and the mining ship. After receiving the energy supply, the generator immediately fired laser beams deeper into the ground, continuously penetrating deeper and deeper.

Just then, the ground suddenly trembled, and the quicksand rippled like waves.

At this moment, the magnetic field generator was activated, and the incredibly powerful magnetic fields were immediately connected to form an enormous four-cornered cage!

In that instant, a terrifying roar came from beneath the ground! Then, countless enormous tentacles burst forth from the earth and shot straight toward the mining ship in the sky!
However, the Viking warplanes that were on standby nearby reacted immediately, launching a large number of high-explosive missiles at the tentacles.

Boom! Boom! Boom!! The missile bombardment blasted countless large holes in those tentacles, leaving them bloody and mangled, with green slime splattering everywhere.

The two Victory II-class Star Destroyers beside them also turned their guns around and began charging. If the Viking fighters' attack failed, the two Star Destroyers would not hesitate to launch a bombardment. Although this would damage the magnetic field generator, it didn't matter; they could just try again.

The mining ship did not stop working; the operators of the United Mining Corporation began to recover the magnetic field. The engine section of the crashed Victory-class Star Destroyer was seen being gripped by the magnetic field and slowly lifted from the ground.

The magnetic field was incredibly powerful; even though the nearly 400-meter-long Star Destroyer wreckage was almost completely sunk into the ground, it was still lifted up. It even included countless pieces of sand and soil!
However, at that moment, a terrifying scene unfolded!

The lower half of the wreckage was contorted with countless tentacles, resembling a squid with a carapace. And in the center of the tentacles was an enormous worm!

This worm is at least 100 meters long, resembling a giant caterpillar, with a terrifying abyssal maw at the top, where countless sharp teeth rotate.

It struggled violently, but its body was covered in wounds, seemingly from being bombarded by Star Destroyers in the previous battle. After struggling for a while, it finally slumped down helplessly.

The prepared engineering vessel immediately launched hundreds of harpoons, connected to thick steel cables, which pierced the giant worm and hoisted it up.

After the mining ship was finished, it did the same thing, using a magnetic field to lift up the other half of the wreckage, where there was another giant worm.

After the insect was hoisted into the air, two huge caves were revealed below, with interconnected passages leading deep into the earth.

The cave was filled with countless mucus and cuticles; it was this biological-like structure that supported the enormous cavern. Clearly, this was a trap set up by the Kilik swarm long ago.

They are extremely intelligent!
After dealing with the two giant insects, Severance Tann once again dispatched ground troops. This time, combat droids led the charge, with thousands of B-1 combat droids at the forefront, venturing deep into the cave for a thorough exploration.

A day later, Abathur arrived on the planet Jorib in a specially designed spaceship. Originally a Whale-class passenger ship, it had been transformed by Abathur into a mobile hive, with the interior serving as a massive swarm incubation chamber.

He also has a large number of gene samples stored here, and he can conduct his gene experiments at any time in an experimental space that is entirely grown from biomass.

The tentacles of the two giant insects had been completely blown off, leaving only two caterpillar-like pieces of flesh. These were sent directly into Abathur's hive ship, where he would personally conduct experiments to extract the signal-receiving organ. According to him, these two giant insects also served as relay stations for the mother hive's signals, allowing them to receive signals across planetary distances. Once this organ could be extracted, the location of the Kilik swarm could be pinpointed.

While awaiting the results of his experiment, Severance Tann began to redeploy defenses along the borders of the Chiss Territory.

Because the Kilik swarm's attacks never ceased, countless rudimentary hyperspace capsules carrying Kilik swarm warriors flew towards the various planets of the Qis territory throughout outer space.

Such harassment is extremely annoying.

But just as the Kilik swarm is displaying its intelligence at this moment, it is clear that what they are doing is a pre-planned strategy!
So here's the question... how did the Kilik swarm, which had degenerated into primitive insects, regain its intelligence?
……

While the Kylik swarm was invading, the battle raging in the northern border of the Galactic Empire was still in full swing.

Darth Masaiel was currently piloting the Red Comet fighter, circling the Lyra superstar destroyer. He already knew that the Supreme Inquisitor and Arden Lynn were on the Lyra, but he wasn't in a hurry.

He understood that these two dared not fight him now. The Supreme Judge, being of that rank, was certainly aware of Palpatine's previous defeat at his hands.

Darth Masaiel was simply waiting for an opportunity, waiting for Palpatine to arrive. If he didn't come, he would stay there and stall the Lyra superstar destroyer, and when Bilborin fell, a breach would be opened in the Galactic Empire's northern defenses.

Only then will he return to his fleet.

The Red Comet fighter jet flew through space like a ghost. The fighter jet activated its stealth system, and apart from the barely perceptible spatial distortion, it was impossible to see where it was!

Darth Malthael is looking for his next target—he has already used the Death Force to destroy Imperial military bases on more than a dozen planets, causing great chaos to the Imperial defenses.

However, they dared not send out their fleet to defend, because those warships without Force users on board could easily be approached by the Red Comet, and then the Death Force would spread, and the warships would be immediately taken over!
Darth Malthael now seems like an angel of death, literally bringing equal death to every planet he passes through!

On May 21, Darth Malthael was on a planet called Doku, surrounded by hundreds of undead transformed from Imperial Stormtroopers.

At that moment, he received a communication that Admiral Trench was about to launch an attack on the planet Bilbrin. The date was three days later, on May 24th.

However, at this moment, Darth Masair frowned and looked up at the sky.

As usual, when news of the attack on Doku spreads, the Lila super star destroyer will arrive within two hours and then launch an orbital bombardment.

Of course, as always, Darth Masaiel would pilot the Red Comet fighter, using its stealth system to outmaneuver the Lyra, and then quickly leave to find the next target.

However, this time, Darth Masaiel sensed a dangerous aura through the Force's premonition!

Without hesitation, he immediately turned and jumped into the fighter jet, activating the sensors. Almost simultaneously, a piercing alarm sounded! According to the sensors, the hyperspace fluctuations instantly reached their peak!
This is definitely more than just the Lyra super star destroyer!

The Red Comet soared into the sky, its stealth device activated, and the fighter jet vanished into thin air with a burst of electricity.

Meanwhile, in outer space, white light flashed continuously as warships emerged from their hyperspace orbits and arrived at this location!

Within minutes, more than 50 Imperial-class Star Destroyers arrived on Doku! Then, after a dazzling flash of light, the massive body of the Lila super Star Destroyer appeared in the middle of the fleet!

The Galactic Empire has actually dispatched a fleet!
In the past, Darth Masaiel would have thought the enemy commander was crazy, and would have immediately moved closer and used the Death Force to turn all the crew members of the enemy warship into undead.

But now, he sensed danger...

Extreme danger!
……

At this moment, on the bridge of the super star destroyer Lyra, a figure in a black cloak let out a twisted and sickening laugh, "Hehehehe... Angel of Death... Do you really think that just because you obtained the corpse of one of the 'Trinity,' you can be invincible in the galaxy? Hehehehe."

As the figure spoke, he walked to the throne on the bridge, slowly sat down, and lifted his hood.

This person was none other than Palpatine, the Emperor of the Galactic Empire! He was also Darth Sidious, the Sith Lord!

However, on the screen next to him, Palpatine's speech at the center of the Empire was being broadcast live!

Clearly, Palpatine had pulled off a clever escape, bypassing the Kingdom of Dawn's intelligence network and secretly arriving in the North! Then, he led a fleet to surround Darth Malthael!

The movement of this fleet was also conducted in absolute secrecy. Even the captains didn't know their operational targets until the very last moment. Navigation data was only provided at the last minute.

Arden-Lin and the Supreme Court Justice immediately knelt down on one knee and bowed respectfully upon Palpatine's arrival.

However, Arden-Lin's gaze swept over Palpatine, and then glanced at the Supreme Judge kneeling beside him. He then withdrew his gaze, maintaining a respectful posture to welcome His Majesty the Emperor's arrival.