Dark Wizard: Rise! My undead army!

Morning meetings are not always filled with joyous occasions.

A plump goblin stepped forward, dressed in a magnificent silk robe; he was clearly in charge of money and provisions.

"Your Majesty, mineral resource reserves report."

It unfolded the booklet in its hand and began to read.

"Iron ore reserves remain for approximately 47 years, copper ore for 53 years, and coal for 92 years..."

"Enough," the emperor interrupted. "I don't want to hear how many more years we can hold out. I just want to know, at the current rate of attrition, how long can we last?"

The fat goblin wiped the sweat from his brow and whispered, "Your Majesty, all the mines are depleted. If the status quo continues... at most fifty years later, the main resources will be completely cut off."

The main hall fell silent.

The emperor leaned back on his throne and remained silent for a long time.

"Fifty years..." he murmured. "I am already one hundred and twenty years old this year. Fifty years from now, I may not even be around anymore, but what about my descendants? What about the future of the goblin race?"

No one answered.

The emperor sat bolt upright, his voice rising: "Therefore, I order you to accelerate the development of interstellar spaceships!"

"Our home planet is doomed! Resources are dwindling, pollution is worsening, and catastrophe is imminent! We must find a habitable planet, or we will all perish here!"

The ministers responded in unison, "We obey!"

The emperor took a few breaths to calm himself, then asked, "Did the data transmitted back by the Explorer discover any suitable planets?"

The old goblin in gray robes stepped forward and shook his head: "Your Majesty, the Explorer's detection range is limited, and its fuel is insufficient to travel very far. We have not yet discovered anything."

"But according to observations from the observatory, there is a planet in the habitable zone of a galaxy about 3.2 light-years away from us, however..."

"Just what?"

"With our current technology, we cannot determine the specific situation of that planet. We need more advanced detection equipment, or... to launch a manned spacecraft directly there."

The emperor pondered for a moment, then waved his hand: "Let's collect data first, and talk about it when the technology is mature."

Next came the Minister of Resources, the Minister of Industry, the Minister of Agriculture... one by one they came forward to report.

Lynn listened quietly, gradually sketching out the whole picture of this world in his mind.

Advanced technology, depleted resources, severe pollution, and... apocalyptic catastrophe?

After all the ministers had finished their reports, the emperor remained silent for a long time.

He leaned back on his throne, his voice hoarse: "The world-ending crisis...is there still no solution?"

The main hall fell into a deathly silence.

The ministers lowered their heads, and none of them dared to speak.

The emperor's gaze swept across the faces of each minister.

Those ministers who were usually eloquent and persuasive were now all like mute people.

"All of you may leave," the emperor waved his hand. "The core ministers shall remain."

The ministers filed out, leaving only the emperor and five goblins dressed in special robes in the hall.

Lynn didn't leave; he remained standing in the corner, his heart filled with extreme curiosity about the so-called "apocalyptic catastrophe."

This planet is severely polluted and depleted of resources, but it is far from being doomed.

Moreover, the Goblin Empire is a stable state with no hostile forces or civil wars, and there is no such thing as randomly throwing "fat people," "skinny people," or "little boys."

The world's will is also very stable, with no sign of the apocalyptic scene that should be present in a "catastrophe".

What exactly is this so-called "catastrophe that will destroy the world"?

Soon, Lynn understood the situation.

Once the gates closed, the emperor slumped onto his throne, looking as if he had aged ten years in an instant.

"Minister of Astronomy, tell me, how much longer?"

An old goblin wearing thick glasses stepped forward, his voice trembling.

"Your Majesty... According to the latest observations, the trajectory of the world-destroying meteorite has been confirmed, with an error margin of no more than three days. It is expected to... to impact Gruul in five years and two months."

"Five years." The Emperor closed his eyes. "Minister of Science and Technology, how many spaceships can we build in five years?"

The Minister of Science and Technology, sweat beading on his forehead, said, "Your Majesty, with current resources... we can only build a spaceship capable of carrying a thousand people at most, and we'll still need to find a habitable planet and ensure we can reach it..."

"A thousand men." The emperor smiled wryly. "Our goblin race has a population of over ten billion. What can a thousand men do?"

The Minister of Resources bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, the remaining resources are barely enough to build a spaceship for a thousand people. Iron ore, copper ore, oil... are all rapidly depleting."

After hearing this, the emperor decisively issued an order.

"If there are no iron or copper mines, melt down all existing facilities and weapons. If there is no oil, suspend the consumption of other non-critical facilities and vehicles, and prioritize the construction of spaceships!"

"In the face of life and death, everything else must give way!"

The other ministers bowed and accepted the order.

The king stood up, walked to the huge French windows, and looked out at the gray sky.

"Only five years left..."

"We goblins have developed for thousands of years, from barbarism to where we are today, creating steam engines, magic crystal cannons, magic-powered mechs, and even spaceships that can fly into space..."

"But in the end, he still couldn't escape death!"

"Is this... the fate of the goblin race?"

No one speaks.

The emperor turned around, looking at the ministers with a complex expression: "Do you know why I didn't want this news to be made public?"

"Because panic solves nothing," the old Minister of Astronomy said in a low voice.

"Yes." The emperor nodded. "The people are still basking in the joy of technological advancements, believing tomorrow will be better. Let them continue to believe it. As for us..."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Continue research and development, continue exploration. As long as there is a glimmer of hope, we cannot give up."

"Yes!" The five ministers bowed in unison.

"Step down."

The ministers left, leaving only the emperor in the hall.

He stood by the window, gazing outside, motionless for a long time.

Lynn glanced at him, then turned and left.

The information gathering is almost complete, and my mission is accomplished.

He found a secluded cave and took out the Soul Crystal Plaque.

This nameplate not only serves as proof of identity but also has recording and communication functions.

He had just recorded the conversation between the emperor and all the ministers, the detailed information about the meteorite, and the resource situation of this world in the main hall.

He closed his eyes, probed the nameplate with his mental energy, and began to organize this information.

First, a world overview: Gruul, a goblin civilization, with a technological level equivalent to the mid-to-late 20th century of his previous world, possessing nuclear energy, aerospace, and genetic engineering.

The population is approximately 12 billion, mainly concentrated in six main cities and thousands of small and medium-sized towns.

Resource status: Iron ore...

The land is severely polluted, large areas are barren, and the air quality is poor.

Cataclysmic Crisis: A meteorite with a diameter of approximately 30,000 kilometers is approaching and is expected to collide with the planet in five years and two months. With the current technology of the goblins, there is no way to intercept or change the meteorite's trajectory.