This sentence was like the key that opened Pandora's box, making the Xianzhou Alliance become the shadow hanging over countless planets in the future.
The subordinates went wild with joy.
The Marshal finally had use for them.
In the past, they didn't need to use their brains. They felt guilty, thinking they were just taking money without actually working.
The Marshal stayed up all night and day working, even unwilling to eat meals, and what about them? They were just emotionless tools.
But now it was different, the Marshal needed them.
Except for Luofu and Zhuming, who were specifically named, the rest of the Xianzhou all moved into action.
They simultaneously mobilized resources, urging the research departments to speed up progress.
Once the colossi were completed, they gathered fleets and searched everywhere for planets ravaged by the Swarm or mechanical life.
One after another, cold-faced generals who normally acted all domineering and aloof on their own turf, when it came to fighting over planets, suddenly showed the same posture as people in a supermarket rushing to grab discounted groceries.
What? Scan shows only the Swarm on this planet? Hit it!
What? Scan shows only 10% of humanity left?
No need to send aid. Deploying troops would just be a drop in the bucket, throwing lives away for nothing.
They were here to grab territory, not to do charity. Saving people wasn't worth it, better to wait until it all resets.
Other forces in the universe looked on and felt utterly baffled.
What's wrong with you Xianzhou people?
Everyone else avoids the "Propagation" Aeon and Rubert, who started the war of the "Emperor," like the plague, and yet you're chasing them down?
The generals knew nothing of outsiders' opinions, and even if they knew, they wouldn't care at all.
What they cared about was, how much territory they could seize for the Marshal and the Xianzhou Alliance. No, correction, how many Swarm infestations and rogue machines they could clean up.
But unfortunately, the star systems infested by the Swarm and Rubert's forces were right next to each other. So a bunch of martial-arts-full-to-the-brim Xianzhou, piloting colossi, chased the Swarm and the machines like chasing after runaway chicks.
As they fought and fought, the six Xianzhou eventually ran into each other.
Thus began a war where only the Swarm and machines got hurt, and no smoke of gunpowder was raised.
The six generals wished they could personally pilot their colossi, just to fight with the other Xianzhou for turf.
Generals, 'Dare to steal my achievements? Die!'
And when a planet they had their eye on got snatched by someone else, they almost rolled up their sleeves, ready to go challenge the rival offline directly…
At the critical moment when the Xianzhou nearly had an internal civil war, Zero stepped forward.
At first, Zero hadn't noticed any problem.
He thought of himself as a superior who didn't crave power. After all, if he were power-hungry, he wouldn't constantly push Lan to take his place.
After he got each Xianzhou's satisfaction rating up to passing level, he decisively let go of authority.
This included usage rights for the colossi.
He gave his subordinates plenty of space to play. Most matters he let them decide for themselves, without reporting to him for every little thing.
But he absolutely never imagined, his subordinates were all kings of competition.
Before Zero could even rest for a few days, the system prompted him that the Xianzhou had gained over a dozen planets.
What could he do? The loot his pets brought back, of course he had to treat it carefully.
Zero patiently marked these planets, wrote them into his memo, and left reminders for his future self to deal with them.
After all, since the subordinates had wiped out the mobs with neutron annihilation, those planets weren't currently habitable, they had to wait for natural recovery.
Once they recovered, then he would decide how to use them.
But the subordinates were too competitive. Just after Zero finished processing a dozen planets, the subordinates used the colossi to seize dozens more.
It was like cooking a bowl of noodles, you slurp down dozens of mouthfuls, but the noodles keep reproducing in the bowl, and even if you keep eating dozens more, it still looks the same.
The noodles are eaten, but also not eaten.
Or like before exams, you take a day off and bring home dozens of test papers to write, and then when you return to school, the teachers have handed out dozens more.
The tests are done, but also not done.
Zero, '…I thought working day and night with no rest was already competitive enough, but you're even more competitive than me.'
Looking at the system showing over a hundred planets waiting to be processed, his scalp tingled.
No, even if you conquer the whole universe, he simply didn't have the capacity to handle it. Even the landlord's family has no surplus grain. There were no resources to build with.
Then looking again at the letters from subordinates, full of insinuations and squabbles with their colleagues, Zero let out a deep sigh.
'This can't go on!' He had to stop them.
The subordinates outwardly agreed obediently, but secretly went against him, no longer using "neutron annihilation," instead switching to the research department's newly developed "Planetary Devastation."
Planetary Devastation could directly blow a planet to bits.
Forget whether it was Swarm or machines on top, even the planet itself turned into ore.
The subordinates were smug, proud of finding such a win-win solution.
They ran to the Marshal to show off.
"Look, Marshal, isn't this ready-made mineral resources? You no longer need to worry about those planets, or about resources."
Zero, "…"
'So that's how you solve it? Too powerful.'
But on this, the Chief Strategist disagreed, bluntly saying, "They'll cause trouble sooner or later."
Zero still brushed it off, but unexpectedly, the words came true.
One subordinate was captured by the mobs.
When Zero learned the news, he was full of question marks. Too lazy to mess around himself, he directly had the Chief Strategist contact the relatively neutral Interastral Peace Corporation, to have them act as intermediaries.
Zero couldn't help asking the Chief Strategist, "Don't they know we have colossi? How dare they?"
The Chief Strategist had just hung up the call when he heard this question. Slowly, he turned his head, "Isn't there a possibility that when the colossi appear, all organic and inorganic matter dies?"
Zero thought it over. That made sense.
His subordinates loved to grind mobs on remote uninhabited planets. If news didn't spread out, that was normal.
"In any case, no matter the cost, we have to bring our man back in one piece."
Through the Peace Corporation passing messages back and forth, both sides negotiated fiercely, finally reaching agreement, fixing a date, and choosing Peace Corporation's territory for the meeting.
Zero, who had never left Yaoqing before, was full of excitement, planning to go together with the members of the Astral Express Bureau responsible for external negotiations.
The subordinates, hearing of this, immediately slipped him clothes and accessories, carrying their little schemes.
It was a round-collared robe, with different colors on each side, gold on one, black on the other.
On the chest was double-sided embroidery, a ship sailing through the starry sea.
When worn, as the hem swayed, one could faintly see dragon-shaped dark patterns blending with the fabric's color.
The subordinates knew their superior only ever spent time on work, so for accessories, they kept it as simple as possible.
They chose only five items, a jade hairpin, dragon-shaped ear cuff, leather belt, dragon-shaped jade pendant, and golden thread wristguards.
As subordinates, they already felt aggrieved that they couldn't conquer the universe for the Marshal.
After all, the Marshal had said he'd only ascend the throne after dominating the universe.
They couldn't yet see their Marshal enthroned, so couldn't they at least see him in a dragon robe to satisfy themselves for now?
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