After conquering the Terminus Systems, there was actually one problem placed in front of Duanmu Huai, namely…
Whether or not to destroy the Collectors' mass relay.
In fact, destroying it or not destroying it both had their own advantages. If it were destroyed, that would cut off the Collectors' route into the Terminus Systems. Of course, they might still have other mass relays elsewhere, but at the very least, they would no longer be able to freely enter and leave the Terminus Systems.
If it were not destroyed, then although it would leave behind a hidden danger, it would also lock down one direction of the enemy's movements.
However…
After thinking it over, Duanmu Huai ultimately decided to blow up the mass relay anyway.
Leaving it there would only be a disaster waiting to happen. As for whether the other side had other mass relays—that could be discussed later. This one absolutely could not be kept.
This was also one of the reasons why Duanmu Huai's stance had always fallen somewhere between the Radical Inquisitors and the Puritan Inquisitors. Radical Inquisitors preferred the idea of "learning the enemy's strengths to control the enemy"—as long as something was useful in resisting evil gods, demons, or heresy, it could be used.
But the Puritan Inquisitors didn't accept that logic. They believed that once you used the technology of aliens and heretics, you risked being corrupted by them. Even if nothing went wrong now, something would definitely go wrong in the future!
On this matter, Duanmu Huai leaned more toward the Puritan Inquisitors' view. Therefore, when it came to things like mass relays, he neither researched them nor used them himself—
He already had star gates, such a good thing. Why bother with mass relays?
Blow it up and be done with it. At least it would bring peace of mind.
In the days that followed, Duanmu Huai relocated the entire Inquisition into the Terminus Systems, rapidly accelerating mining operations and further expanding the fleet. At the same time, he also kept an eye on how Zhen Jiling was doing among the Stellar Federation.
At first, Duanmu Huai was worried that Zhen Jiling might be streaming for too long. But later he discovered that she really knew how to handle things. Her streams weren't long at all—only two to three hours in the evening, ending around midnight—and the content was very fixed.
First, Zhen Jiling would greet everyone and chat a bit. Then she would sing and dance. Finally, she would select some private messages from viewers, help resolve their worries, and offer encouragement.
Hmm…
Rather than a livestream, it felt more like some kind of variety show.
This kind of variety show might just be ordinary entertainment for others, but Zhen Jiling's Superior Charm was no joke. Duanmu Huai had watched once himself—when she appeared on screen, every smile, every movement was captivating. Even without listening to what she was saying, just watching Zhen Jiling made those two or three hours pass in the blink of an eye.
What surprised Duanmu Huai even more was that nearly half of Zhen Jiling's fans were actually women!
This was extremely rare. After all, most female streamers weren't watched by other women at all—if not outright viewed as rivals.
Of course, this also had to do with Zhen Jiling's positioning. Unlike ordinary female streamers, she didn't follow a pure or sexy route. Instead, her core appeal was—
Cuteness!
Cuteness, combined with Zhen Jiling's youthful appearance, made her feel more like a little sister. As a result, even women didn't feel much hostility toward her. Not to mention that Zhen Jiling often set aside time to teach women makeup techniques and ways to present themselves. No wonder she was popular with men and women alike…
You could say she appealed to everyone.
During this period, Zhen Jiling was explosively popular. Not only was the Stellar Federation's internet filled with news about her, but the number of viewers watching her programs had already reached one-third of the Federation's total population…
She could truly be called the undisputed number-one streamer.
Of course, fame brought trouble. There were naturally many rumors about Zhen Jiling circulating online. This wasn't something Duanmu Huai needed to worry about—anything that crossed the line would be dealt with by the Stellar Federation. After all, Zhen Jiling was part of the Inquisition. Messing with her meant interfering with diplomatic relations between the two sides!
But regardless, because of Zhen Jiling, the horse-girl race was indeed becoming more and more popular among humans. After all, the only difference between horse-girls and humans was an extra pair of ears and a tail. To many people, that was even a cute attribute. So they were quite easy to accept. There were even many girls running to beauty salons, saying they wanted horse ears and tails added to themselves too…
Well, fortunately, the Stellar Federation didn't have that technology yet.
That way, when the Stellar Federation eventually joined the Citadel, they would at least have some resistance when facing the Asari.
However, before Duanmu Huai could relax, Maria came looking for him again.
The reason was simple.
The mining speed… was too slow!
Previously, the Inquisition's mining operations relied on dolls piloting mining machinery, extracting resources from asteroid belts or uninhabited planets, then transporting raw ore to the Void Dockyards, where it went through a series of automated processes to be cast, refined, and manufactured.
But earlier, Duanmu Huai had thrown Cyclone torpedoes around like basic attacks, completely emptying the Inquisition's stockpile. Now, with the need to build a massive number of warships, Maria simply didn't have enough resources on hand. And relying solely on small mining machines was far from sufficient. That was why Maria came to Duanmu Huai, hoping he could accelerate raw material extraction.
Otherwise…
There just wouldn't be enough!
Hmm…
And so Duanmu Huai thought of the planet-cracker ship he had never redeemed after completing that earlier mission.
According to the system description, that ship was perfectly suited for this task. It could use gravitational technology to crack an entire planet apart, extract the minerals within, refine them, and then process them further.
The only problem was…
According to the description, that thing was haunted…
Hmm… haunted…
Well, who cared whether it was haunted or not anymore? Just redeem it and use it first!
So very quickly, Duanmu Huai redeemed the planet-cracker ship.
He had to say—when he saw the ship, he was startled.
The appearance of the planet-cracker ship was extremely eerie. Like all Imperial warships, it had three towering golden cathedrals built along its rear. On its lower left and right sides, there were four scaffold-like structures resembling fins.
None of that was too outrageous.
What was outrageous was…
The upper hull of the planet-cracker ship was wrapped in rings of structures that looked just like ribs! From a distance, the warship resembled the upper body of a corpse whose flesh had completely rotted away, leaving only a skeletal frame!
Is this really something a human could design?!
Even back when he first read the system description, Duanmu Huai felt that this ship wasn't normal. But after redeeming it, he realized that it wasn't just abnormal—it looked abnormal!
Holy shit. Horror movies at least look normal on the outside and hide the danger within. This thing doesn't even look like a place humans should be anywhere near!
Anyway, better go take a look first.
Although he felt uneasy inside, Duanmu Huai believed the system probably wouldn't screw him over. Of course, to be safe, he didn't go alone. He brought along Aegis, Grea, Anne, and Lani…
If it really was haunted, magic would probably be more effective than technology.
In addition, Philin followed them as well, controlling a drone that wobbled along behind them.
Anyway, she absolutely wasn't going out the door herself—especially not to a haunted place like this.
Thus, Duanmu Huai piloted a Night Raven Blackstar and slowly approached the warship.
"Ugh…"
As they drew closer and closer, staring at the eerie, pitch-black, corpse-like warship before them, Anne couldn't help but shiver.
"Sir Knight, this warship looks kind of… scary."
"It really does have that vibe. I don't know who designed this thing… Wasn't the designer purified by the Inquisition?"
Looking at the warship, Duanmu Huai couldn't help complaining. And just then, suddenly, a voice sounded in his ear.
"Inquisitor…"
Hearing this voice, Duanmu Huai raised his head and looked over, only to see a ghostly young girl quietly floating beside him.
"Oh, it's you. What's up?"
Duanmu Huai naturally remembered this ghost girl he had subdued before. She had been a citizen from the Imperial era. Normally, she stayed in one place and rarely moved—it was unusual for her to come out like this.
"I think… I have an impression of this ship…"
The ghost girl stared at the planet-cracker ship and spoke timidly.
"An impression? You worked on it before?"
"No. I think I once saw it mentioned in Imperial news… It seemed like something happened to it…"
"Something happened?"
Hearing this, Duanmu Huai immediately frowned. That statement was far too vague, and at the same time, his heart sank.
From Duanmu Huai's experience, if this ship had been attacked by heretics, aliens, or demons, there would have been no news reports. Likewise, if the Empire had investigated and found a problem with it, that information would not have been released either.
Yet since the ghost girl said she had seen it mentioned in Imperial news during her lifetime, that meant the ship had at least not been purified, nor had it been involved in such incidents.
But…
The system had clearly stated that this ship was haunted…
"Bzzzt… bzzzt…"
Just as Duanmu Huai was thinking, suddenly the communication lights around them flared on, followed by a burst of crackling static.
"What's going on?"
Duanmu Huai's expression changed slightly. He hadn't connected any communications—where was this coming from?
Thinking this, he hurriedly reached out to shut it off, but no matter what he pressed, there was no response. Then…
From the speakers, a voice emerged.
"…Twinkle, twinkle, little star, filling up the sky so far…"
"Huh?"
"What's going on?"
"Who's singing?"
The sudden singing startled everyone present. Duanmu Huai's face darkened even further.
Holy shit. It really is haunted.
"Inquisitor!"
At this moment, the ghost girl screamed.
"I can sense a powerful psychic fluctuation—right ahead…!"
"Psychic fluctuation? Wait, could it be that there's—"
"Bang!"
However, at that very moment, Duanmu Huai's Night Raven Blackstar suddenly lost control, violently breaking free from his command and ramming straight toward the planet-cracker ship!
"Tch! No choice then."
Seeing this, Duanmu Huai gritted his teeth.
"Soul Resonance!"
In the next instant, accompanied by Duanmu Huai's roar, a massive breach suddenly opened at the front of the previously pitch-black planet-cracker ship. Gripping the control stick tightly, Duanmu Huai guided the Night Raven Blackstar straight toward the opening!
"——————!"
In the next moment, they plunged into the breach. The Night Raven Blackstar, which had lost control, immediately stabilized and returned to normal. And at that very moment, suddenly, the communications console lit up again with a voice.
"This is the USS Planet Cracker Iron Hammer. Identify yourselves immediately and report your designation and names!"
Duanmu Huai looked up—and saw that the warship before him, which had been shrouded in darkness, was now brightly illuminated.
"Phew…"
Staring at the brilliantly lit warship, Duanmu Huai let out a breath, then opened the channel.
"This is Duanmu Huai, Grand Inquisitor of the Inquisition. I demand immediate boarding permission."
(End of Chapter)