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

The captain watched intently as his adjutant led dozens of fully armed soldiers into the bridge, their heavy armor clattering against the metal floor.

The tension that had been building in his heart because of Luo Fei's intrusion finally eased slightly when he saw the superior strength of his own forces.

His lips moved slightly, ready to have these soldiers, equipped with the most advanced weapons of the Calda civilization, riddle this arrogant carbon-based creature with bullets in the next second.

The order was on the tip of his tongue, about to burst forth.

At this critical moment, the dark gray longsword that had just disappeared from Luo Fei's right hand reappeared out of thin air without warning.

Immediately afterwards, Luo Fei vanished from the captain's sight.

The captain's eyes didn't even have time to complete a full blink; his pupils hadn't yet contracted from the target's sudden disappearance. The next moment, Luo Fei reappeared.

He remained firmly in the same spot, even the direction of his shoes was exactly the same as before he disappeared, as if he had never moved.

His right hand still gripped the long sword tightly; the dark gray blade was spotless, without a trace of dirt.

His expression was exactly the same as before he disappeared: calm, with cold eyes, as if nothing had ever happened.

The captain's mouth opened uncontrollably, and the word "open" that was stuck in his throat was finally squeezed out with a hoarse breath.

But before the order could spread, it was completely drowned out by another, more intense sound—not the expected salvo of energy weapons, nor the deafening explosion, but the muffled thuds of dozens of heavy bodies falling to the ground simultaneously.

Soldiers clad in the most advanced individual armor of the Karda civilization crashed to the floor one after another like felled trees, making dull, resounding thuds.

Some soldiers' helmets rolled off their necks, bounced twice on the smooth floor, and then rolled to the corner before coming to a stop.

The dark red life indicator light on the goggles was still flashing in vain.

The adjutant's headless body lay at the front, just a few steps away from Lyle. His helmet rolled right to the captain's feet, the visors facing upwards, the flickering dark red light like a pair of dying eyes, staring at Lyle as if silently saying, "I did my best."

The cut on the adjutant's neck was clean, like a special steel plate cut by the most precise laser, with smooth and delicate edges, without a single burr. Dark red bodily fluid, unique to the Karda people, was slowly seeping from the cut, spreading across the floor like a dark red flower slowly blooming.

Not only inside the bridge, but also in the long corridor outside the bridge, the soldiers who were originally on high alert all fell at the same time, without exception.

They too had their necks severed with a single, precise stroke, the speed of which was so fast that no one was left alive.

In less than two seconds, Luo Fei moved from the bridge like a ghost, traversing the entire corridor at a speed beyond the limits of human vision.

His knife drew arcs in the air that were invisible to the naked eye, each arc like the scythe of death, precisely taking away one or even multiple lives.

His speed was so fast that even the advanced armor on those soldiers, which was supposed to have automatic defense, couldn't react in time. It was so fast that their eyes couldn't even catch the trajectory of the blade. It was so fast that their nerves didn't even have time to send pain signals to their brains before their lives came to an abrupt end.

Then, as if he had never left, he teleported back to the bridge, back to his original position, and back to the captain.

His breathing was steady and calm, without any disorder. His heartbeat did not accelerate due to the high-speed killing just now, and there was not a single bead of sweat on his forehead. It was as if the loss of hundreds of lives was nothing more than brushing off a speck of dust from his sleeve.

The captain's mouth remained open, the final syllable of the word "open" echoing faintly in the empty bridge.

His eyes were fixed on the adjutant's headless body lying on the ground, on the soldiers' helmets rolling on the floor, and on the dark red fluid spreading. His brain finally processed all this information in extreme shock and fear.

His proud elite soldiers, fully armed and wearing the most advanced individual armor of the Calda civilization, wielding energy weapons capable of destroying the Blue Star civilization, were all killed in less than two seconds by a Blue Star person with a knife.

That suit of armor is a cutting-edge technological product that can easily block standard bullets from the Interstellar Federation, effectively resist high-energy lasers, and even withstand several small particle cannon shots!

He once thought these soldiers were his strongest shield, capable of protecting him, protecting this massive mothership, and defending the glory of the Calda civilization.

But now he realizes he was wrong, terribly wrong.

Faced with Luo Fei's strength and that mysterious blade, the armor that they were so proud of was as fragile as paper and as delicate as tofu, utterly vulnerable.

Luo Fei expressionlessly sheathed the knife in the ring on his finger, then coldly ordered the stunned captain, "Give Xiao Wan control of the spaceship and the artificial intelligence."

The captain stood frozen in place, still wearing his heavy armor and the cold helmet on his head. His eyes, behind his goggles, were wide with fear, but had lost their usual sparkle.

His lips moved a few times, as if he wanted to ask "Why?", but he swallowed the words back down.

Because he already knew the answer—if he didn't hand it over, he would die, and die as miserably as the soldiers on the ground.

If I pay, I might live a few more minutes, even if it's just a few minutes.

"Zero, transfer all control of the mothership to the other side."

His voice was hoarse and filled with despair.

The emotionless, synthesized electronic voice of the mothership's artificial intelligence "Zero" emanated from the various speakers on the bridge.

"Permission transfer in progress. Transfer target: Wan Nian Jun AI 'Xiao Wan'. Transfer progress: 10%... 30%... 100%. Transfer complete."

"Control of the mothership has been transferred. Former Captain Lyle, your clearance has been adjusted to 'ordinary passenger'. Thank you for your long service. Have a pleasant journey."

The last two sentences, "Thank you for your long-term guidance" and "Have a pleasant journey," would normally sound like nothing more than routine, polite phrases.

But at this moment, to Lyle's ears, it sounded like a cold epitaph, like his last words, or even a huge joke, a merciless mockery of all his pride and efforts.

The captain's fingers twitched unconsciously, trying to clench his fist and grasp at the last shred of dignity, but his hands, inside the heavy armor gloves, were like two boneless strips of flesh, limp and weak, even bending them seemed extremely difficult, and they could only hang helplessly at his sides.

Suddenly, the voice of the mothership's AI, "Zero," rang out again without warning, breaking the suffocating silence on the bridge: "Former Captain Lyle, an urgent encrypted communication has been sent from the high command of the homeworld empire. The designated recipient is you. Do you wish to connect?"

Lyle suddenly raised his head, his gaze instinctively falling on Luo Fei standing in front of him.

His helmet visor clearly reflected Luo Fei's figure—the young man from the Dragon Kingdom, wearing a dark jacket, expressionless, who had just wiped out all his soldiers in two seconds, was now calmly looking at him.

Luo Fei nodded at him, his eyes devoid of any emotion, yet carrying an undeniable air of authority.

Lyle's Adam's apple bobbed awkwardly inside the collar of his armor.

His lips trembled as he spoke, his voice quivering as it came through the helmet's built-in microphone: "Connect. Connect."

As soon as he finished speaking, the holographic projection equipment in the bridge suddenly started, and a soft light was projected down from the ceiling, directly creating a huge and clear image of the room in the air.

In the very center of the room was a huge, curved table, shaped like an elongated "C". In the empty space in the middle stood an unusually tall Kardaman.

He was a head taller than Captain Lyle, more robust, with longer and thicker horns, and darker skin with an almost inky sheen.

His horns were pure black, like two carefully polished obsidian stones, gleaming with a dim light under the room's lamplight.

He wasn't wearing any armor, but rather a dark uniform of unknown material that looked unusually crisp, with a high collar that almost covered half of his neck, giving him a very serious and mysterious appearance.

The uniform features an exquisitely embroidered badge on the chest, in Kalda, which translates to "Imperial Marshal" in Common.

Several other people stood behind him, dressed in similar uniforms, but with badges on their chests that were a size smaller than his; they were clearly his subordinates.

The Imperial Marshal spoke first, his voice loud and clear, filled with unquestionable authority, echoing throughout the bridge via holographic communication: "Lyle! We've received the data on Earth you sent back. This is fantastic! Do you know what we found in it?"

His tone was filled with barely concealed excitement, as if he had discovered the most precious treasure in the universe: "On Blue Star lies a special substance that our Karda civilization has been searching for for hundreds of thousands of years. That is the key we are exploring together with a more advanced civilization—immortality!"

"The primitive organisms on that primitive planet actually contain a 'life-saving substance' that we have never seen before. According to the preliminary analysis of our top scientists, it exists in the diseased tissues that the Earthlings call 'cancer cells'."

"Although Earth's humans are so weak and primitive, unable to fully control their own planet, let alone properly utilize this powerful substance, it truly exists within their bodies! It is truly a gift the universe has bestowed upon our Karda civilization!"

"Once we can completely control Earth and obtain enough samples for research, we will unlock the ultimate secret of immortality. At that time, our Calda civilization will be completely free from the shackles of aging and death, becoming the masters of the entire universe!"

"Think of it, Lyle, eternal life, endless power!"

His voice echoed wildly in the bridge, relentlessly assaulting the ears of the captain and Luo Fei, carrying a heart-pounding fervor.

His expression was so excited it was almost distorted, the dark red light in his eyes was astonishingly bright, and his vertical pupils contracted into thin black lines due to extreme excitement.

His lips trembled slightly, his mouth twitched uncontrollably, and his sharp, dark yellow teeth were exposed, with thin strands of saliva even pulling out between them. He was like a wild dog that had been starving for days and had suddenly smelled a rich aroma of meat, greedy and frantic.

"I have ordered the deployment of almost the entire Imperial fleet. All warships, all supply ships, all transport ships—everything available—has set sail!"

He waved his hand sharply, his tone resolute.

"Their only goal is Earth. You must defend that system at all costs before our main fleet arrives, and never let any other civilization discover Earth's secrets!"

"Especially those civilizations more advanced than us; once they detect the existence of immortal matter, we'll have no chance left!"

"Do you understand, Lyle? Hold that place, at all costs! Even if it costs you your last drop of blood, hold it!"