For the Stellar Federation's appeasement faction, everything that happened next was nothing short of a nightmare.
They had schemed carefully, colluding with alien forces in an attempt to eliminate Li Longcheng, their greatest thorn in the eye. What they never expected, however, was that not only did Li Longcheng survive—he even captured several Batarians!
Immediately afterward, public opinion exploded. Very quickly, broadcasts throughout the entire Stellar Federation were filled with reports that alien forces had attempted to assassinate the next presidential candidate of the Federation. Many experts carried out analyses, and some information sources even directly stated that the reason the alien forces had sent assassins after Li Longcheng was because they feared that once Li Longcheng came to power, he would act against them.
And it was very possible that the appeasement faction had also been involved in this!
In short, once the news broke, the populace was in uproar. Li Longcheng stepped forward personally and delivered a public speech, declaring that no matter how these alien forces acted, he would never bow to their threats. Even death would not make him lower his head!
Previously, within the Stellar Federation, support for the hardline faction versus the appeasement faction had been roughly a 60–40 split. However, once the news of Li Longcheng being targeted for assassination by the Batarians spread, support for the hardline faction immediately rose to over 80 percent. Not only Li Longcheng's main power base, the Asian Alliance—even within NATO, many citizens expressed support for Li Longcheng's stance.
After all, alien forces sending assassins to kill their presidential candidate was something basically no one could tolerate. And thinking about it from the opposite angle—if Li Longcheng was formidable enough that alien forces felt compelled to assassinate him, then that meant if this man became president of the Stellar Federation, he certainly wouldn't sell out humanity's interests for the sake of aliens!
After all, what could be more convincing than recognition from one's enemies?
Thus, in the subsequent election, Li Longcheng naturally became the first president of the Stellar Federation. After taking office, he immediately announced that he would not accept mediation from the Citadel Council, and furthermore demanded that the Citadel Council hand over the real culprits behind the assassination attempt. Otherwise, humanity would absolutely not let the matter rest!
Li Longcheng's demands gave the Citadel Council a massive headache. They had indeed tacitly approved the assassination attempt on Li Longcheng, but they also knew very well that such matters could never see the light of day. The only fortunate thing was that they hadn't left behind any concrete evidence, so… the Citadel Council merely stated that they would investigate the matter—and then promptly dumped the blame on the Batarians.
The Batarians, however, were even tougher than the Citadel Council. They directly declared that there had been no assassination attempt at all, and that it was these despicable, shameless humans who had kidnapped their compatriots. Immediately afterward, the Batarians sent a fleet to press the border, attacked another human colony world, and issued a public statement demanding that the Stellar Federation immediately and unconditionally release the kidnapped Batarian citizens—or else they would launch a full-scale war against humanity!
Naturally, Li Longcheng paid no attention to the Batarians' nonsense. In fact, when the Batarian message arrived, Li Longcheng actually breathed a sigh of relief.
At last, the prelude to this whole play is finally complete.
Next, it was time for the main act to take the stage.
For Admiral Kislev of the Stellar Federation Navy, today was not a good day.
The reason was simple: the newly appointed president of the Stellar Federation, Li Longcheng, along with senior officials from the Supreme Council, were currently aboard his warship. This made Admiral Kislev extremely nervous. If anything were to happen to this ship, the entire top leadership of the Stellar Federation would be wiped out in one fell swoop.
This made Kislev deeply dissatisfied. With so many warships in the Federation, why did they have to choose his ship of all things?
Was his luck really that bad?
At that moment, Li Longcheng's voice sounded from behind Kislev.
"Well? Captain? Have we arrived at our destination?"
"Of course, Mr. President."
Kislev hurriedly turned around and raised his hand in salute to Li Longcheng.
"But I still don't understand—why are we here?"
"You seem nervous."
"Of course, sir. After all, the entire top leadership of the Federation is here. If anything were to happen… at the very least, I think we should mobilize an entire fleet, not just act with a single warship."
"No need to be so tense, my old friend."
Seeing Kislev like this, Li Longcheng smiled and reached out to pat his shoulder.
"We're currently in the safest place imaginable. No alien fleet would dare come looking for trouble here."
"Of course, sir, but… what exactly are we here to do?"
Kislev simply couldn't figure it out, while Li Longcheng shrugged.
"You'll find out very soon… hmm, the timing should be about right."
"Huh?"
Just as Kislev was taken aback, a sharp alarm suddenly rang out in his ears. He turned his head to look forward—and an unimaginable scene unfolded before his eyes.
In the pitch-black depths of space ahead of their warship, it was as if a Gap had torn open. A ripple-like distortion appeared, and in the next instant, a resplendent, magnificent, colossal warship appeared before them without any warning at all!
"T-this is…?!"
Staring at the enormous warship before him, Kislev's face turned deathly pale. His hands clenched tightly, cold sweat pouring out. Leaving aside everything else, the sheer size of the warship alone far exceeded his expectations.
Kislev's own vessel was the flagship of the First Fleet—the Kilimanjaro-class dreadnought, a full 1,000 meters long, already one of the largest warships in the Federation. Yet the warship before them was several times larger still. It was like the difference between an elephant and a kitten!
Not only that, but unlike the gun layout of Federation warships, this vessel's weapon configuration was closer to old naval battleships from seafaring eras. Both broadsides were densely packed with massive, pitch-black gun turrets. Just looking at those dark, gaping muzzles gave Kislev an overwhelming urge to flee in panic.
"Mr. President!"
"Oh, don't be nervous."
Although he said that, even Li Longcheng's face was taut with tension at this moment. He knew the Inquisition had its own fleet, but this was the first time he had ever seen an Inquisition warship in person… and regardless of anything else, the oppressive presence was absolutely overwhelming.
"Report! We're receiving a communication request from an unknown warship!"
The operator quickly delivered the report. Kislev glanced at Li Longcheng, who nodded in response, and Kislev spoke.
"Open communications."
The screen flickered—and the next moment, Duanmu Huai's face appeared on it.
"Ah—!"
"Waaaah!!"
The instant that face appeared, the soldiers in the command room turned pale in terror. Several screamed and fell straight out of their chairs. As for the senior Federation officials behind Li Longcheng, they were in no better shape—some even rolled their eyes back and fainted on the spot, plunging the area into total chaos.
Even Kislev instinctively reached for the weapon at his waist. He quickly realized his reaction was too panicked, his old face flushing red as he forced himself to shout sternly.
"Calm down! All of you, calm down!"
Fortunately, this was only a communications projection, so the soldiers quickly regained their composure. Duanmu Huai watched the scene with evident amusement and chuckled.
"Looks like your soldiers aren't very good under pressure."
"Or perhaps you're still just as… unforgettable as ever, Mr. Inquisitor."
Li Longcheng had already met Duanmu Huai once before, so he adapted rather quickly.
"Mr. President, what exactly is going on? Who is he?"
By now, Kislev had reacted. Li Longcheng's personal appearance here was clearly for this warship—and this man.
"This is Mr. Duanmu Huai. As for his identity… I'll give you all a detailed explanation later."
After a brief explanation, Li Longcheng looked back at the screen.
"Mr. Inquisitor, I assume you're already aware of the Batarians' response."
"Of course. Those xenos are only capable of this much—exactly as expected."
Duanmu Huai chuckled.
"Fortunately, this works out well. At least now, we can let them truly experience the might of humanity."
Listening to the exchange between the two, Kislev and the Federation leadership finally understood—this meeting was about the Batarians' ultimatum. In truth, although Li Longcheng had been very hardline, there were still many among the Federation's leadership who believed that fighting both the Batarians and the Turians simultaneously was too reckless. They had raised this concern with Li Longcheng more than once, yet he had always appeared supremely confident…
Now it was clear—this was Li Longcheng's trump card.
"I trust you won't disappoint me, Mr. Inquisitor."
"Of course. All right—everyone, please fasten your seatbelts and secure your furniture. We're about to depart…"
As Duanmu Huai spoke, Kislev suddenly realized that his warship was actually moving slowly toward the massive vessel ahead!
"Wait—what are you doing?"
"Taking you to see a good show. You'll understand when we arrive."
Facing Kislev's question, Duanmu Huai merely chuckled. In the next instant, Kislev saw space itself appear to be torn open by an invisible hand. In the blink of an eye, everything before him became chaotic—starlight twisted, warped, and stretched into endless lines of light. The entire warship shook violently, forcing Kislev and his crew to raise their arms to shield their faces from the blinding radiance.
Then, just as they raised their hands, the dazzling white light vanished abruptly. Everything returned to normal.
The only difference was that now, a gigantic planet had appeared out of nowhere before them.
"T-this is…?"
Staring at the planet, everyone stood dumbfounded. At that moment, Duanmu Huai's voice rang out once more.
"Oh, this is the Batarian homeworld."
"The Batarian homeworld?! How is that possible!"
Hearing Duanmu Huai's answer, Kislev nearly jumped out of his skin. The Stellar Federation was long past the days of being a civilization trapped on a single planet—they fully understood how brutal interstellar warfare could be. In fact, even the Federation's own homeworld was heavily defended, layered with security to prevent enemy attacks, like a capital city under ironclad protection, never allowing unknown fleets to approach.
And yet now—within just a few seconds—they had arrived at the Batarian homeworld?!
Although Kislev felt this was utterly absurd, the information returned by the ship's sensors clearly indicated that this was indeed the Batarian planet.
"I see now!"
At this realization, Kislev felt suddenly enlightened. If this truly was the Batarian homeworld, then their sudden, unannounced appearance would undoubtedly throw the Batarians into panic. In that case, they would seize the initiative!
"Mr. President, is this your plan?"
"Th-this…"
Faced with Kislev's question, Li Longcheng didn't quite know what to say. But at that moment, Duanmu Huai spoke again.
"Of course not. This is only the beginning… next comes our part."
"What are you planning to do?"
From the killing intent in Duanmu Huai's tone, Kislev sensed something ominous and shuddered, while Duanmu Huai answered calmly.
"For the Inquisition, no xenos who dare provoke humanity are ever allowed to walk away unscathed. Therefore, I intend to give them a lesson they will never forget. Thus, next, in the name of the Inquisition, I will issue an Extermination Order."
"...…"
Hearing that term, everyone trembled involuntarily. Kislev's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Wait—do you mean…?"
"I will completely destroy this planet, stripping the Batarians of their home forever, as punishment for daring to provoke humanity."
"T-this is too extreme!"
At this point, a Federation official could no longer hold back and shouted.
"We don't need to do this—we only need to threaten them…"
"This is the Inquisition's way. It is also the law of the universe."
Duanmu Huai coldly cut him off.
"Remember this well: there is no room here for the weak-willed or the hesitant. Only through resolute action and unwavering belief can humanity survive. There is no sacrifice too great to be unacceptable, and no betrayal small enough to be tolerated. Some may say I have no right to condemn tens of billions to death… but those who understand the truth know even more clearly that I have no right to let them live."
"...…"
Duanmu Huai's voice was not loud, yet an incomparable pressure and weight descended upon the entire command room, making it hard for everyone to breathe. Even Li Longcheng clenched his fists tightly, staring fixedly at the screen.
And yet Duanmu Huai continued speaking.
"Thus… in the name of loyalty and honor to humanity, I, as an Inquisitor, hereby declare the issuance of an Extermination Order upon the Batarian homeworld—planet Kharoges. I sign here the death certificate of an entire world, consigning tens of billions of souls to oblivion… may judgment bring balance."
As he spoke, Duanmu Huai took out a seal and silently pressed it onto the parchment.
Immediately afterward, everyone saw a torpedo launch from the front of the colossal warship beside them. It pierced the atmosphere in complete silence and plunged into the Batarian homeworld.
Then, an unforgettable scene unfolded before their eyes.
At the point where the torpedo fell, a gigantic ring of flame erupted instantly, expanding outward at terrifying speed. In mere seconds, it completely engulfed the entire planet.
Moments later, the world that had just been lush and vibrant, brimming with life, had become a thoroughly dead planet.
"...…"
No one spoke. Everyone simply stood there in a daze, staring at the scene—some even felt they couldn't breathe.
The Stellar Federation did not yet possess such technology. They could scarcely imagine how terrifying a power capable of effortlessly erasing all life on an entire planet truly was.
But now, they had witnessed it with their own eyes.
In less than five seconds, an entire planet was utterly annihilated—and the tens of billions of Batarians who lived on it were reduced to ash.
"This is the warning."
Duanmu Huai's voice sounded once more.
"Those xenos must understand that everything they do will only become ashes beneath the wrath of the Inquisition."
(End of chapter)