The security personnel following Kirin had grown accustomed to this kind of situation—constantly bracing for a rescue while their people almost always managed to get themselves out of trouble on their own.
The hatch of the aircraft ultimately never opened. Weng Lin returned to his seat, and before long, he was back to commenting in fine detail on Huang Yan and Jian Jingyu, who had both fallen fast asleep on the screen.
No one knew that among the hundreds of thousands of bullet comments, there were actual security personnel right there on the scene!
Kes had a pouch of nutrient fluid tucked between his lips, his gaze never leaving Wang Tianwei's live stream. The "little bee" drone only captured people, not the blueprints they were sketching, but from how focused she looked, this kid was someone the Zerg were determined to claim.
The avalanche hadn't caused much trouble on their side. The Zerg, being innately more sensitive to danger, had already made their escape the moment they sensed disaster approaching.
Most of his subordinates had already completed their parasitism. The "great net" over Blizza was nearly fully woven—all that remained was to await the Emperor's order to set the plan in motion.
He casually glanced at the laughing and chatting security "colleagues" beside him. Keep smiling away. You won't be around much longer.
Li Qin, through his neural-link device, watched the finals on the live stream.
Since the Zerg were first discovered by humanity, he still hadn't received any notification from the military high command. But the two scans per day that had been as reliable as clockwork came down to just one this morning without any explanation. He wondered if there would even be another one tonight. Jiang Ya, that woman, hadn't offered any explanation either...
But from what he knew, not just the isolation control center, but the Federal Academy of Sciences and the Medical Institute had all been placed on high alert—even the once completely exposed sky now bore an arcing energy dome.
Thinking that would stop them? A little naïve.
What surprised him, though, was that Meng Chongyun still hadn't come down to the basement to negotiate with him.
Why? Could it be that he intended to turn the tide all by himself? A 3S-class commander in his sixties?
At the very thought, Li Qin couldn't help but laugh.
If that was actually the case, then this old General really was quite the "adorable" person!
Going through everyone one by one was bound to take considerable time. By the time all the arrangements were in place, he'd give the Federal people a grand surprise!
Shi Zhixin never expected that the General would come to him specifically to have him build an "illegal" containment vessel—one that could lock away and store the General's own mental energy?
"Absolutely not, General. This goes against all humanitarian principles!"
Using one's mental energy freely was no easy feat. Every citizen of the Federation had to learn it from childhood and practice for years to master it.
To forcibly extract a person's mental energy and seal it inside a container—for the person being extracted, that would be sheer torture!
The current technology simply couldn't perform extraction that was painless or controlled. Every attempt would squeeze the subject's mental energy dry.
So the Federation did have similar projects before—after all, mental energy was a form of fuel—but the proposals never passed review because, according to test subjects, the experience was like enduring brutal torment!
The method was permanently banned ever since. Anyone who dared to secretly extract another person's mental energy now would be committing a crime no different from cutting out someone's kidneys, punishable with extreme severity!
Meng Chongyun's voice was as calm as ever.
"If that's how it is, then what cannot be done must be done anyway."
"...General!"
Shi Zhixin was at his wit's end. He didn't even know who to ask for help! He was just an engineer who built mechs—why was he being made to bear such an unthinkable burden?
Meng Chongyun gave Shi Zhixin a deep look, raised the mechanical finger of his right hand, and pointed upward.
"Xiao Shi, right now it's not just the isolation control center. Every Academy in the Federation has already been completely overrun. We really need you."
Shi Zhixin froze for a moment, then said in disbelief, "I don't understand... what do you mean 'completely overrun'?"
"The Zerg have broken through their old limitations and chosen to parasitize small animals like sparrows. Do you know what that means?"
Sparrows? Animals? That would be the entire Federation!?
Meeting the eyes of the young man, which were growing wider by the second, Meng Chongyun knew he understood what was being said.
"I've already vetted a number of people to assist and to keep the Federation's most basic functions running.
But you have to understand—I am only one man. I can't stay in the same place forever. The Zerg making such blatant moves means they've already declared war on the Federation.
As the highest-ranking commander of the Federation's military, I still have my duty to fulfill."
Shi Zhixin felt his mind descending into chaos.
If the Zerg had declared war, the military would have to counter. The General might not necessarily go to the front lines, but the work in the rear would be relentless.
Especially with Tianshu Star—no, with the entire Federation—being infiltrated by the Zerg in such a deplorable state... This was destined to be a brutal battle, fought on all sides,
"So what you're saying is... you want to leave your mental energy behind..."
Meng Chongyun stared directly at the best mech engineer stationed at headquarters.
"Only Mental abilities at ultra-high levels can precisely identify parasitized humans or animals and strike at them.
We need stronger scanners for screening. But at present, I am the only 3S-mental-tu warrior in the entire Federation, and I cannot be in multiple places at once.
Also, on Alpha Gold Crown's side, we need to figure something out. The Gold Crown Zerg's mental energy differs from human's—it has an infectious, invasive nature..."
Shi Zhixin bit down hard on the inside of his cheek. Meng Chongyun paused for a moment before continuing.
"I know this project used to be managed by the mech engineers, with the Medical Institute and the Mental Divisions as support.
You handle the containment vessel as you see fit. As for the scanner, ideally it should be able to mimic the judgment patterns of my brain."
"What about the Super-S Class Warrior Training Program—"
"It takes time. So far, besides Elizabeth and Huang Yan, no one else has succeeded in making a breakthrough.
The two of them are still students. Elizabeth is only S+, and Huang Yan, though a double-S, hasn't got the stamina to match. You know what happens when one forcefully uses Mental ability beyond what the body can handle.
And we certainly can't put all our hopes on two young people who've just come of age."
"..."
Shi Zhixin had never faced such a hopeless situation.
The Zerg had launched a full-scale invasion. The Federation needed ultra-high-level Mental power to drive the precision scanners, and the next generation hadn't yet come into their own...
"...Dean Xue won't agree to this."
Meng Chongyun gave a wry smile.
"She will.
After the previous Chief Engineer retired, no one has truly filled that role. Xiao Shi, I've watched you grow. Right now, you are the only one we can trust."
"..."
"Get the equipment ready as soon as you can. If at all possible, I want to have the first extraction tonight. At the latest, tomorrow. We are running out of time."
