I started by watching videos, and I chose 10,000 combat power.

Director Qin's voice came through the receiver: "Fifty particle cannons, one hundred laser cannons, and sixty energy shield generators. All equipment has been tested and inspected by Xiao Wan himself; the pass rate is one hundred percent."

"Xiao Wan provided the deployment coordinates, and we have already deployed some equipment throughout the planet, with each location having a defense range covering a radius of thousands of kilometers. However, we still need your help with the deployment in Earth's orbit and on the Moon. The remaining weapons are all inside the spaceship."

Luo Fei replied, "Okay," hung up the phone, got out of bed, changed his clothes, and went downstairs.

Li Xiulan was already busy in the kitchen. Xiao Bai was squatting at the kitchen door, its tail curled up in a circle, its icy blue eyes fixed on the steamer on the stove, its nose twitching.

Li Xiulan specially steamed a fish for it.

Luo Fei walked to the door and said, "Mom, I'm going out for a bit. I might not be back by noon."

Li Xiulan responded without turning her head, still stirring the porridge in her hands.

With a thought, he was standing outside the Kyoto warehouse the next second.

The stern hatch of the Wannian Falcon was open, and robots were moving in and out, carrying ore.

Director Qin stood beside the spaceship, wearing a dark blue cotton jacket over a military green down vest, the zipper pulled all the way up, the collar turned up to cover half of his neck.

In the early morning of December in Kyoto, the temperature had already dropped below zero. His breath rose in wisps of white mist in the morning light, like tiny clouds.

Luo Fei walked up to Director Qin, put his hand on his shoulder, and with a thought, they appeared in the cockpit of the Ten Thousand Year Falcon the next second.

Luo Fei said, "Xiao Wan, tell the robot to stop. We're going to the moon."

"Received, arrived on the moon."

The view outside the front window changed from Kyoto's warehouse district to the gray-white wasteland on the moon's surface.

Director Qin's hand was still holding the thermos, and the water inside sloshed slightly.

This was his first time boarding a spaceship, and his first time arriving on the moon from Earth in just a few seconds.

His mouth was slightly open, the cratered surface of the moon reflected in his glasses, and his breathing was a little more rapid than usual, but quickly calmed down. "This is... the moon?"

Luo Fei responded with an "Mm".

Director Qin took a deep breath, his hands unconsciously clenching the thermos in his hands.

Xiao Wan's voice came through the cockpit speakers: "Captain, Director Qin, the equipment to be deployed is as follows: thirty particle cannons, to be deployed in near-Earth orbit around Earth. Each cannon will cover a longitude range of approximately 120 degrees. Only three locations are needed to achieve full coverage of Earth. Place ten cannons at each location to form an all-around defense."

"Sixty laser cannons, deployed on the lunar surface, forming a crossfire network capable of intercepting incoming targets approaching Earth from any direction."

"Forty energy shield generators, deployed at the Earth-Moon Lagrange point, will form a spherical energy shield around Earth, strong enough to withstand attacks from a medium-strength alien fleet. The exact coordinates have been calculated; please confirm, Captain."

Luo Fei said, "Proceed as planned," and Xiao Wan replied, "Received."

The first stop is the moon.

The Wannian Falcon landed on a flat area on the lunar surface. The impact of the landing kicked up a thin layer of dust, which floated in the vacuum for a moment before slowly falling back to the ground.

Deploying the laser cannon on the lunar surface is simple and does not require precise positioning. Just place the laser cannon in the designated location, and Xiao Wan will adjust the angle and direction.

Luo Fei first went to the storage room and put all the weapons into his ring. Then he went to the location provided by Xiao Wan and took out the laser cannons, one after another, their silver-white cannon bodies standing on the gray-black lunar soil.

Sixty laser cannons are distributed across the lunar surface, from north to south and from east to west. Each cannon covers a fan-shaped area, and together they form a fire network with no blind spots.

If any alien spacecraft attempts to approach Earth from the direction of the Moon, they will be struck by dozens of laser beams simultaneously the moment they enter the firing range.

The second stop is the Earth-Moon Lagrange point.

The Wannian Falcon stopped at the gravitational equilibrium point between Earth and the Moon.

The energy shield generator is larger than both the particle cannon and the laser cannon. Its outer shell is dark gray and covered with diamond-shaped reinforcing ribs, making it look like a giant honeycomb.

Luo Fei deployed forty generators in sequence at different locations of the Lagrange point. They would activate simultaneously, forming a spherical energy shield around the Earth.

The shield is not a physical wall, but a barrier made of energy. Any object that tries to pass through it will be melted by the high temperature or bounced away.

Director Qin stood by the window, silent for a long time.

His lips moved slightly, his voice low, as if he were talking to himself: "Is this enough?"

Luo Fei replied, "It has to be enough, even if it's not enough."

The third stop is near Earth's orbit.

The Eternal Falcon hovered at an altitude of about 500 kilometers above the ground, with a blue planet below, oceans shimmering in the sunlight, and the outlines of continents clearly visible.

Luo Fei took out the first particle cannon from the ring; it had a silver-white metal casing.

The gun barrel extends from one end of the box. It has a small caliber but a complex internal structure.

Director Qin watched as Luo Fei took the particle cannon out of the ring, watched it float in space, and watched Xiao Wan control the mechanical arm on the spaceship to push it to the designated position.

The joints of the robotic arm rotated silently in the vacuum, like a giant hand manipulating building blocks.

Once the particle cannon was in place, it automatically started a self-testing program.

Luo Fei took out one particle cannon after another from the ring, and Xiao Wan deployed them one by one into their designated orbits.

Thirty particle cannons formed a triangular grid around the outer edge of Blue Star, each aimed in its own direction.

Director Qin stood there gazing out the window.

He didn't speak, because he didn't know what to say.

Watching those silvery-white weapons being deployed one by one in space, forming an impenetrable defense network, is a completely different experience from watching a live broadcast.

It wasn't shocking, but reassuring.

-

At this moment, hundreds of light-years away in space, a fleet has just finished charging and is preparing to make a space jump.

The bridge of the alien fleet's flagship was lit with a dark red light.

This is not a lighting malfunction, but rather because the visual spectrum of the Karda civilization is different from that of humans, and dark red is the most comfortable brightness for them.

The bridge is spacious, with a ceiling height of at least ten meters. The walls are made of dark gray metal with a fine texture, like snakeskin.

In the very center is a huge holographic projection platform, displaying a three-dimensional star map of the solar system.

The captain stood in front of the projection table.

He was nearly three meters tall, standing there like a small mountain. His skin was grayish-black, rough like sandpaper, and covered with fine wrinkles, similar to the skin of an elephant.

Two curved horns grew from the top of his head, extending backward from both sides of his forehead, with sharp ends. They were darker than his skin, almost pure black, and had ring-like patterns on their surface. His eyes were large and round, with vertical pupils that were dark red, except for a darker black spot in the center of the pupil that slowly contracted and expanded.

He was wearing a dark uniform. There were no buttons or zippers; it clung tightly to every muscle on his body.

The adjutant stood two steps behind him, a head shorter than him, but equally strong.

He held a data tablet in his hand, on which scrolled dense symbols—the script of the Karda civilization.

The adjutant spoke, his voice low: "Captain, we are ten caldays away from the target system. All systems are functioning normally, energy reserves are sufficient, and the fleet formation remains intact."

The captain didn't turn around; his eyes were fixed on the blue planet on the holographic projection platform.

His mouth slowly parted to reveal two rows of sharp teeth. The teeth weren't white, but a dark yellow, like old bone, with bits of flesh still stuck between them. It wasn't a smile, but the instinctive reaction of a predator seeing its prey.

"The resources of the previous level-two civilization were too scarce, so scarce that they weren't even enough to cover the fuel costs of the fleet. Last time, after spending so much time and paying such a high price, all we got were some scrap metal."

His voice carried a condescending disdain.

"But this time is different. This galaxy's resources are untapped, ranking among the top three of all the targets we've conquered."

"That blue planet has water covering most of its surface, an oxygen-rich atmosphere, and a suitable temperature, making it usable directly without any modification. The hydrogen and helium resources of those gas giants are enough to support our civilization for hundreds of years."

"And then there are the natives of that blue planet, a civilization below level one, as fragile as newly hatched larvae. Their physical structure is simple, their intelligence is low, they lack the ability to travel between stars, and they haven't even fully explored their own star system. But they are numerous, reproduce quickly, and are very suitable as both labor and food."

The adjutant's mouth also broke into a grin, revealing equally sharp teeth, though fewer in number than the captain's, and some of them were chipped.

"Captain, upon arrival, should we conduct an orbital bombardment first? Destroying their military forces, demonstrating our deterrent power, and forcing them to submit in fear is the most effective approach."

The captain shook his head. His horns gleamed in the dim red light, the rings of their surface shifting in the shadows. "No. Give them a taste of their own medicine first. Then, in their language, tell them—surrender, or perish. Let them choose. If they choose to surrender, we'll save ourselves the trouble of bombing and can immediately begin resource extraction and labor conscription. If they choose to resist, then let them know the price of resistance."

He stretched out his right hand, his fingers spread wide, revealing four thick, black fingernails that were thick and hard, like animal claws.

He placed his hand on the holographic projection platform, casting a massive shadow over Blue Star that obscured the entire planet: "Give them some time. Let them feel fear and despair. They are the best weapons, more effective than any energy cannon."

The adjutant lowered his head, holding the data panel to his chest: "Understood. Once we reach the target star system, I will arrange to send an ultimatum to Earth."

The captain withdrew his hand from the holographic projection table, turned around, and walked to the porthole on the bridge.

His reflection was on the porthole glass: gray-black skin, curved horns, and dark red vertical pupils, like a demon crawling up from the depths of hell.

His lips moved, revealing two rows of dark yellow fangs.

"Ten days. Let them enjoy their final moments of peace."

His voice echoed through the dark red bridge.