A is in StarCraft, just disembarked from the Zerg Prince spaceship.

**************

......

Walking down the corridor, I was silently watched by the portraits of the past patriarchs.

Speaker Invika suddenly smiled.

If ghosts and gods truly exist in this world, and if retribution truly exists, then most of the empire's politicians and ruling class should be dead by now.

These things that have already passed away can only be watched in silence, unable to do anything about it.

The heavy study door closed silently behind Invika, completely shutting out the prying eyes of the servants.

Speaker Vika locked the door behind him.

Then he sat behind his desk and fell into deep thought.

To be honest, Orion is also a pit of fire, and he knows it very well.

So, do they have any other options?

In the current power struggle, only the Crown Prince remains at the center, while the Parliament, the Xiongbao Association, the Insect Emperor, and Orion occupy four small corners.

No one, taken out of the box, could rival the Crown Prince.

If the four of them join forces, they might still have a fighting chance.

Besides that, there is only one path left: annihilation.

Do you know what power is? The succession of power is so cruel; there is no peaceful coexistence among rulers.

As the council president remotely lowered the curtains, the heavy velvet curtains completely blocked out the daylight.

The room fell into darkness.

He leaned back, his body sinking completely into the soft back of the high-backed chair, only his slender fingers resting on the obsidian tabletop revealing a cold, pale color in the dim light.

It's too late to regret it now.

Invica's gaze was fixed on the corner of the table, devoid of any emotion, reflecting only the old communicator.

He raised his hand, placed his fingertips on the communicator switch, and pressed it gently without hesitation.

"Buzz—"

Invisible gravitational waves spread.

The communicator lit up, projecting a blue light. Then, countless tiny particles of light converged and recombined within it—

The light screen stabilized.

A clear holographic image dominates the space above the desktop.

The background in the video is a corner of the bridge made of cold metal, roughly welded, with exposed pipes.

Outside the enormous porthole lies the boundless universe, dotted with distant stars.

Outside the porthole, a huge, orange-red fireball was silently expanding and churning.

An unnamed planet, or at least part of it, is undergoing a devastating explosion.

Amidst the flames, the outlines of cities could be seen on the surface, suggesting it wasn't an uninhabited planet.

The flames of destruction became the only light source in the image, presenting themselves to Speaker Invika without warning, with a cruel beauty.

"..."

"Isn't it beautiful? Invika, you've arrived just in time. I'm so glad you didn't miss such a beautiful sight." A pleasant voice drifted over lazily.

Orion Skelway.

Or rather, Orion, currently the biggest space pirate leader in the local universe.

He leaned against a throne made of enormous skeletons and metal welded together from some unknown creature.

Her once iconic short silver hair has now grown long, and her former fierceness has been softened by a smiling gaze.

It looks almost exactly like the former Queen Beetle.

However, the first Nexus will not destroy a planet.

Orion did not transform into his half-insect form, but instead wore a dark, matte, form-fitting combat suit that accentuated his slender and powerful physique.

The combat uniform was covered with dried red and yellow spots of an unknown color.

...It looks a bit like dried blood and brain matter.

"Your Highness," Invika began, his voice deep and steady, each syllable clear and melodious, carrying the rhythm of an old aristocrat.

Orion was used to this tone and simply responded with a faint reply.

He didn't turn his head, but continued to watch the magnificent burst of fire outside the porthole with great interest, laughing contentedly like a madman.

Orion is cruel and tyrannical, and has a penchant for killing stars.

What would happen if he became the next Queen of the Zerg in Lyrnia?

It probably won't be good, but they really can't control that much.

"Your Highness, please move to the central star."

"Oh?" Orion turned around upon hearing this, his blue-gray eyes smiling as he looked at him. "How about it? All done?"

His tone was as relaxed as if he had just watched fireworks and was now talking about the weather with a friend.

Speaker Invika showed no emotion on his face.

He lowered his head slightly, with an impeccable, ingrained respect: "Yes."

"The Insect King is dissatisfied with the foreign Crown Princess and wants to use this as a pretext to delay the Crown Prince's ascension to the throne. The Insect King is corrupt and incompetent; if he wants to oppose the Crown Prince, he will definitely need to rely on external forces. The Crown Prince's absence from Liernia recently is the best time for you to return to the Empire."

His words were devoid of any emotional coloring, accurately describing the current state of the imperial family.

"That's really good."

Orion stopped playing with the plasma dagger, its pale blue light hovering steadily between his fingers.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, scrutinizing Invica's bowed and respectful posture, a hint of amusement in his voice: "It sounds like my loyal Speaker has paved a smooth path for me?"

"Your identity has always been that of the noble Second Prince of the Empire, Your Highness."

Invica's voice remained steady, and his respectful demeanor did not waver in the slightest.

"Your experiences over the years have been nothing more than a trial by hiding your identity and eliminating space pirates. Now that the pirates are gone, the trial is over. The Empire will not bury its heroes; you can spread your wings again and clear away the shadows."

As long as it is said to the outside world that Orion was ordered by the former Queen to infiltrate and eliminate the pirates, there will be no evidence to prove that he was not, because there is no way to verify the truth.

If that's still not safe, they can try to get in touch with the Insect King and have him give false testimony.

The Insect King claims to have proven that it was the former Insect Queen who secretly sent Orion to wipe out the space pirates. Who can refute that?

Unless the first insect can personally crawl out of the coffin, no insect can refute this claim.

Even Orion's achievement in eliminating pirates was real; he really did kill almost all the pirates except for himself.

During his years as a space pirate, he encountered very few intelligent beings who actually survived.

Even if a few survivors were to reveal that it was Orion who slaughtered their planet, he could feign tears and say that it was a small price to pay for infiltrating the pirates.

What crime could possibly jeopardize his return?

No, not at all.

"Sweeping away the gloom..." Orion chuckled softly.

His gaze returned to the porthole, where the destructive flames had gradually dimmed and cooled, leaving only a charred, dying star that was slowly extinguishing.

It's kind of funny, haha.

You see, under the influence of power, the cost of doing evil is so low.

An empire cannot exist without politicians. In the mouths of truly clever politicians, even black can be made to look white.

Laughter rolled out of his throat, carrying a complex meaning that mixed bloodlust, mockery, and the pleasure of complete control.

He lost thirty years ago, and Atticus is long dead thirty years later, but in the end, everything is his.

What exactly did Atticus win?

He's an idiot, he didn't win anything.