Xyrin Empire
Chapter 586 Reckless Strike

Chapter 586: Chapter 586 Reckless Strike

This is something that could never be accomplished.

Merging a human’s brain with a Xyrin Apostle’s body through biochemical technological means.

Even grafting technology has its limits, okay!

These are two entirely different life forms, one side being the fragile and inefficient carbon-based life, constantly relying on oxidation reactions to provide energy, glucose levels falling below the alarm line for over three minutes triggers critical illness alerts, and sixty percent of the energy is consumed just to maintain heat in the "paramecium"; on the other side are Xyrin Apostles, which simply cannot be classified as material life, part energy, part constructed body life. I spent two months just to understand the latter’s form of life, which is always in a state of energy-matter conversion, with their souls determining the nature of their bodies. Although Sandora and others have consciously made their bodies mimic the structure of humans, those individuals who could transform into warships, tanks, planes, planets, fortresses, who would simplify them as mere material life? And then there’s Alaya, the oddity formed purely of light, so the notion of Fina being joined with a Xyrin Apostle’s body is simply too incredible.

That could just kill off evolutionary theory and biology.

But then, science is meant to create miracles, and the body patchwork that Fina now inhabits is far from a complete form.

"Here," Fina pointed to her own head, her facial expression calm as a still well, "to be precise, I have not fully fused with this body. My brain is still working independently; a human’s brain and a Shepherd’s body utilize completely different forms of energy and modes of operation. The principles of the latter are incomprehensible to anyone. Ejven just getting her joints to move is already at the limit of what the highest technology in the universe can achieve. These tubes and cables are what provide energy separately to my brain and this body. Since we cannot replicate the energy used by the latter, efficiency is low and it requires an independent fusion reactor to function normally. Then, I control the physical movements through a very complex command conversion module, which is difficult."

"Given that, why don’t you just clone a body?" I shrugged, "If you have conquered the technology to control Shepherd bodies, don’t you master cloning technology too? Don’t tell me that this world also has a World Human Rights Organization."

"The human body is too fragile," Fina shook her head, the tubing behind her swaying slightly, "apart from the brain, there’s nothing commendable about the human body, and actually, if it wasn’t for carrying memories and a soul, even the brain should be discarded—calculation tells me it is worthwhile."

"I need to control the Queen’s Fleet, to confront powerful enemies from across the universe, which requires extremely high calculation capability, as well as a long life span, carrying capacity, and endless energy. The human body can’t handle these, but this body can. Although we cannot analyze the principles behind it, this body is miraculous; not only is its own strength astonishing, it can also enhance my brain. It has stopped my brain from aging and prevents fatigue. Through this body, my thoughts can extend across the entire fleet, achieving the ultimate fusion with the machinery, and I never need to rest. She is always operating on her own, handling my commands in a way I cannot comprehend, and converting them into efficient fleet commands. Other than Bieberu, no one knows this secret. Gotaque’s citizens would fear a ruler with a Shepherd’s body, but for me, this is valuable."

I silently watched the young queen in front of me reveal everything without reservation, yet with no hint of awareness that her actions were in any way abnormal. Perhaps she is truly now just a machine in contemplation; the real Fina had passed away hundreds of years ago in a skirmish with the Shepherds.

My fist then clenched slightly.

"Fina, sit back down, your complexion is worsening."

Queen Gotaque, this girl who had lost the hearts of her people, gave me a vacant glance before involuntarily walking back to her throne. The cables and tubes had retracted to the back of the seat, and when she sat down, I saw a spark of connection.

From start to finish, she hadn’t realized there was anything wrong with obeying the orders of a man who was almost a stranger to her.

"Friend, your complexion is quite odd," came the mechanical voice from around, "Don’t worry about me. That’s just the human part feeling a bit unadjusted after leaving the energy coordination device of the throne. This body has been rejecting the invasive carbon-based tissues, and the throne coordinates against the rejection effect between the two life forms. I’ve grown accustomed to it."

"Your Majesty! I am very sorry to interrupt your audience, but the Shepherd’s supervision team has appeared! They’re stationed right above the Jetas gravity balance point!"

The sudden interruption in the room was the voice of Jie En, the old handsome man bringing very troubling news.

"I didn’t expect it to come so soon," Fina said in a low voice, "it seems we’ll soon receive orders on whom to wage war against."

"This time, we truly can’t even think of leaving," I stretched lazily, "do you want to engage in an all-out war with the Shepherd?"

"My friend, you still don’t understand, the Shepherd’s Supervision Team isn’t necessarily an attack force. As long as we comply with them, this colonization star won’t be in danger. I have already activated the Queen’s Fleet. According to custom, once I return to Gotaque Primordial Star, the Shepherd will issue their commands..."

I ignored Fina’s voice and, in her presence, connected to the communication with the Imperial Admiral: "Flagship, how many of the rebel army have entered Jetas’ airspace? Do they have any follow-up forces?"

"One Eternal-class mother ship, twenty Expedition-class destroyers, and an unknown number of escort ships and single soldier fighter jets. No signs of subsequent space jumps detected."

"Super Space-Time Fire Strike, wipe them out."

A mere fleet of over twenty warships daring to threaten a planet stationed with a vast interstellar fleet, especially after their two hundred mother ships had just been defeated by this fleet, a true Imperial Soldier would never make such a rash mistake. A single command was all that was needed to deal with them.

"My friend, who are you talking to?"

Fina’s voice rang out, puzzled. Of course, there might not have been any real sense of confusion, just her logic circuits making her feel the need to gather intelligence on the current situation. But that didn’t matter. I was already running out of patience with the Imperial Rebels of this world.

War machines daring to defy orders should bear the responsibility that disobedient tools should bear.

A spectacular explosion at the gravitational balance point might seem magnificent, but there was just a moment of silence in the Throne Hall. Fina was quietly thinking without my prompting, surrounded by the faint buzz of electric currents and contacts, as orderly and logical as a maiden’s thoughts—quiet and structured.

Until they were disrupted by an utterly illogical piece of intelligence.

"Queen... Your Majesty... Your Majesty!!" Jie En’s voice, which had just quieted down a few minutes ago, suddenly resounded, sounding somewhat comical, "The Shepherd’s... the Shepherd’s Supervision Team has exploded! They’ve been destroyed! Ten seconds ago, at the gravitational balance point, an enormous beam from an unknown source struck the Shepherd’s Supervision Team, obliteration complete!"

"I know why you don’t resist them, it’s not because of cowardice," I exhaled lightly and felt much more refreshed, "Initially, I wanted to resolve this matter as peacefully as possible, but those rebels chose to challenge my patience in the way of starting a ’Big Cosmic War’. I need to settle everything before they cause more trouble."

Indeed, I had thought I could control the situation more gently. After all, those were Imperial Army troops, and they hadn’t been corrupted by the Abyss. If there was a way to regain control over them, it would be a substantial reinforcement for us during this period of rejuvenation. But no one expected those illogical rebels to plunge the entire universe into war. All my long-term plans were rendered unachievable in an instant. The only measure that could now be taken was a full-scale assault, no matter what, innocent civilizations in this world couldn’t be allowed to be wiped out due to a bunch of insane integrated circuits. This decision had been brewing since Jie En came to find us in the morning, but after seeing Fina just now, I had finally made up my mind.

"It’s rare for you to be so decisive," a particularly prominent voice suddenly came through the spiritual connection. Miss Lin was indeed like a persistent spirit, always popping up so abruptly, "Alright, my decisive Great Emperor, I have some not so good news for you— the rebel forces of that universe are quite strong."

"Did you see it again?"

"Ah, it took a lot of effort, but thankfully Sakura helped weaken your information barrier," Lin Xue’s voice sounded a bit tired, "There’s some very ancient stuff on your side, you know, related to lost civilizations like the Xyrin Empire. The older the artifacts, the more lethal they tend to be. The Shadow Fortress is trying its best to transport the recently produced warships to your Red Giant Base, but you’ll still need to be extra careful. Don’t be overly confident in your own power. After all, true strength is never just about individual power— except for those godkin rich kids."

I fell silent for a moment, then asked seriously, "Girl Lin, have you stirred up trouble again?"

"...can’t you just gratefully and honestly accept it when Miss here shows concern for you for once, you blockhead?!"

In the end, she added softly, "Also, I messed up two information networks in the Macro World."

Of course, there’s no way this girl would come to check on me unless she had made some blunders.

Having disconnected from the spiritual connection, I noticed Fina staring straight over here, though she might as well have been staring at something in front of her; you can’t discuss eye contact with a sculpture.

"What’s wrong?"

"Was that attack earlier your doing?"

"Clearly," I admitted cheerfully, "And then?"

"The Jetas Star Ring just set off an alarm, detecting a massive outbreak of ’Shepherd’ weaponry. This is the second time it’s alerted us. The first time was when you helped Jie En retake this colonization star."

That must have been the detection of the Pandora Sisters’ energy fluctuations. Apart from those two little girls, all the purebred Xyrin combatants have already entered the Red Giant.

"All the logic units have calculated the same result, friend, you are Shepherds."

I feel like Fina’s way of speaking is filled with dissonance right now.

Just now, I’d contacted the flagship in front of our adversary and forgotten about a radar system on this planet capable of identifying advanced Ghost Energy—I thought using a Super Space-Time Strike would solve everything. Now it looks like there’s no need to hide our identities.

"Pretty much, we are Shepherds, and now, I might just destroy your planet at any moment, especially after learning you’ve been eyeing our technology."

I suddenly felt a mischievous urge to make a threatening, vicious face to scare this ultimately expressionless Queen, but her response quelled my enthusiasm: "That’s a bizarre expression, what are you doing?"

Great, I was born with a face that’s too nice for its own good.

Fina honestly said, "Calculations tell me that my current situation is extremely dangerous, and any resistance is futile, but the logic units cannot make sense of your previous actions in helping us. It doesn’t align with any past behavior of the Shepherds, and so, I am very confused."

"Well, the truth is exactly that, a very melodramatic tale of betrayal..."

I’ve always believed I have a talent beyond the reach of ordinary people — the gift of spinning yarns. I can tell stories without a script, bluffs without limits, and could weave a saga of revenge and vendettas from just a couple of beer bottles. I feel that only Qianqian’s constantly racing brain nerves could match this talent. In a flash, I spun a magnificent tale of an Imperial Rebel Army from the Ancient Era that fled into a different universe, and the Imperial Leader, in the name of justice and once the Empire recovered, set out to eradicate any enemy. This leader personally led the charge into the desolate universe, discovered the traces of the rebels, and planned to join forces with the locals to annihilate the enemy. A story consisting of a million words or so, and Fina was bamboozled—she couldn’t handle that many logical fallacies all at once.

Cough, cough, as for logic flaws and such, just pretend you didn’t hear anything, okay?

Talking about secrets in front of others might normally be cause for concern about leaks, but telling Fina—after finding out her body belonged to a fallen Xyrin Warrior—I proudly announced that I had gained another sister—

As if!

The main thing is that she is absolutely reliable. I believe in the hierarchical loyalty ingrained in the Xyrin Apostles; a higher-ranking Angel Envoy’s soul holds undisputed authority over those of a lower rank, even if the latter has been dead for hundreds or thousands of years, even if her body is now a decrepit machine used for transportation. That’s the terrifying nature of a Race imprint. So, in terms of loyalty, an ideal maid isn’t Shi Liu Ye Sakuya with her throwing knife frenzy, nor Anwina with her eye beams, nor Du Dao Kazuko with her masterful katana skills—but a Xyrin Sister whose rank is below yours—if you can stomach her high-energy Cooking and demolition crew-like cleaning skills, that is.

The explosive information overwhelmed Fina’s logic unit. Was it seven thousand or seventy thousand units? In any case, I estimated they were all about to crash. After a long while, just as I started to worry if I should call someone to help perform a Ctrl+Alt+Del on their Queen, she finally spoke with a voice that still sounded unfazed.

"The logic calculation tells me that the credibility of this information is between eighty and eighty-five percent," she said, "This is surprising intelligence, and it contains a lot of potential value that needs to be seriously analyzed."

XP lady, you win.

But she wasn’t finished, "However, please do not reveal your identities for the time being, and do not let other forces see your Imperial Regular Army. This would cause immense panic, and may even lead to a chaotic battle among the powers that even the Shepherds would not be able to control, with a ninety-nine percent likelihood of this occurring. There is one thing I need to confirm."

"Ah, go ahead." I was reflecting on Fina’s reminder; indeed, I had only been thinking about how to quickly exterminate the Rebel Army and had forgotten about the reaction of ordinary civilizations, especially those made up of numerous Races, to such immense changes. In the midst of a universe-wide war order that’s just been issued, a chaotic battle among the Shepherds could lead these extremely tense nerves to begin a cosmic war beyond anyone’s control. Worse yet, countless powers might band together and consider us the enemy—a nauseating thought that we had enough of with Kepulu, and the inhabitants of this universe are even more ferocious.

But the attack had already been sent; there was no retracting an arrow once it was shot. The confrontation with the Rebel Army must begin now. We just needed to be more secretive in our actions, avoiding a full-blown showdown with the Imperial Rebel Army right under other factions’ noses. This was an important consideration.

"You’re not really going to kill me?"

Fina’s question snapped my train of thought abruptly.

"What? Are you crazy?" That was my rather impolite retort, especially to a girl, and I immediately felt uneasy about it, though she seemed unfazed and seriously said, "It’s just an issue that needs to be confirmed. Shepherds... correction, Imperial People are synonymous with panic and slaughter in this universe. The logic unit tells me that if you were Shepherds, there would be a twenty percent chance you’d kill me. Memory tells me that I should clarify the situation in such a case."

Holding my forehead, I was nearly driven mad by this Queen who couldn’t think normally, "Fina, how long has it been since you’ve had a normal conversation with someone? I’m not counting the times you give orders to your subordinates as the Queen."

"One hundred and twenty-three years. I have been in a state of pure rational thinking. Frequent exchanges with rational thought decrease my computing accuracy and objectivity, and my ministers also avoid having too much conversation with me. I only need to think, then I come up with plans beneficial to the Kingdom, and they are responsible for executing them completely. This is the way to survive in this universe; many civilizations have established similar ruling bodies. The logic unit told me it’s valuable to establish friendly relations with you, which is why I am talking to you."

Though she held the title and honor of Queen, she was actually being used as a decision-making machine by the real powers within her Kingdom... sigh.

"Well, now you have someone new to talk to, even if I can’t guarantee that makes you happy," I gestured as if to leave, showing I was about to walk away, "I need to go back. Just like you said, we’ll keep our identities secret, and I’ll leave the main force to help you guard your territory. As for the Eastern Nebula, I still need to make a trip there."

"Yes, friend, I am pleased," Fina answered my questions systematically, "It is necessary for the moment not to cause panic among the various powers. At least with a few important ones, I will help notify you, and it will be better to declare war against the Shepherds later on. Thank you for your main force; they give me a lot of peace of mind. The Eastern Nebula is very dangerous; if you go without your main forces, please be very careful."

...In the future, I should try to avoid throwing too much information at Fina all at once; it’s weird how she answers in such a segmented way. (To be continued. For the subsequent story, please visit www.qidian.com. More Chapters are available there to support the author and for legitimate reading!)