Chapter 217: The Command Room

Words : 1578 Updated : Sep 29th, 2025

At this point, the fall of the flagship was already irreversible. Unless, by some miracle, the Molian Civilization’s reinforcements arrived immediately, there was no chance of turning the tide or driving Xiao Yu’s forces back out. But the Molian reinforcements had not arrived. Only five hundred ships had emerged from the inner star system, and even they were pinned down by Xiao Yu’s reserve fleet, unable to break free. Inside the ship, in the crisscrossing, far-reaching corridors, the figures of robots bustled back and forth. Under Xiao Yu’s control, they carried out raids, advances, and occupations with methodical precision. And so, the red zone that represented territory already seized by Xiao Yu spread steadily from the outer layers toward the core, like a sea of blood slowly devouring the surrounding darkness. In the process, Xiao Yu had discovered at least three thousand Molian Civilization lifeforms. These beings had been herded by his robotic army into various open sectors, where they were tightly guarded by robot detachments assigned by Xiao Yu. All of these Molian lifeforms crouched trembling on the ground. Any that showed the slightest sign of resistance were instantly met with force sufficient to render them incapable of moving. In sectors where resistance was more frequent, Xiao Yu even orchestrated several bloody crackdowns, using brutal means to crush defiance. Ultimately, after realizing that passive compliance at least ensured their temporary survival, the captives finally calmed down. Xiao Yu was now occupying the flagship through two simultaneous approaches. By this stage, nearly every control access that could be obtained through the data layer had been seized by Xiao Yu. Only the highest-level permissions remained in the hands of the Molian Civilization. These included control over the ship itself, its external weapons systems, and the internal control of combat robots. In truth, Xiao Yu could already choose to disable these by force, destroying critical areas like the external weapon arrays and engines. After all, those systems were located near the ship’s exterior, and those areas were now under his full control. But Xiao Yu had no intention of doing that. With just a little more time, he could seize the entire ship intact, at that point, those systems would fall under his control anyway. If he destroyed them now, it would only create repair work later, which was hardly worth the effort. And so, the flagship’s engines and external weapon systems remained untouched and fully operational. Outside, Xiao Yu’s fleet, led by four Province-Class ships, continued to suppress the vessel. At this stage, the purpose of the continued external bombardment was not destruction, it was suppression. After all, the ship would soon belong to him. If they damaged it, Xiao Yu himself would regret it. Under these conditions, the robot army pushed deeper into the ship. The closer they drew to the core, the stronger the resistance became. But Xiao Yu never slowed down. Against any opposition, he used one consistent method: overwhelming numbers, with no regard for losses. Only when facing truly insurmountable obstacles would he consider other approaches. Just like now, a solid barrier blocked the path of one robot unit, and Xiao Yu was finally forced to try something different. All standard methods had already been attempted, even the elemental decay grenade tactic that had worked flawlessly before. Nothing had any effect on this door. After thinking for a moment, Xiao Yu commanded the robots to attack the surrounding walls instead, dismantling the entire wall structure. Once the walls were gone, the door naturally toppled. Using this crude and completely untechnical method of pure brute force, Xiao Yu broke through the barrier and continued his advance. Beyond the fallen door lay a vast command hall. The hall was filled with equipment, and no fewer than a hundred Molians were busy moving about. At the sound of the door crashing down, every one of them froze in place. They turned to stare at the entrance with eyes full of despair. “Get down, all of you! Don’t move! Any resistance will be met with immediate execution!” Xiao Yu shouted, using the robot’s external audio device to issue a thunderous warning. The evolution of intelligent lifeforms often followed a certain pattern. Xiao Yu had discovered that most of the civilizations he encountered originated from planets with atmospheres. And in environments filled with air regardless of its composition, intelligent beings generally chose sound as their primary means of communication. Now, Xiao Yu had already mastered the Molian Civilization’s spoken and written language, so communicating with them posed no difficulty. After his thunderous command, several Molians who were exceptionally tall and clearly of a military bearing roared and charged at him. They leapt nimbly through the hall cluttered with obstacles, moving with impressive agility, and fired their handheld weapons at Xiao Yu’s robot forces as they advanced. The power of their weapons was considerable. At least a few of the first robots to enter the hall were instantly destroyed, sparking violently before losing all functionality. But more robots were already flooding in through the entrance. “I need to make an example,” Xiao Yu thought, and ordered a merciless counterattack. Under overwhelming numerical pressure, Xiao Yu wiped out the attacking Molian soldiers at the cost of fifty robots. In an instant, silence fell upon the hall. “I have no interest in killing you,” Xiao Yu declared. “So if you want to live, stay put and don’t resist.” One Molian, who appeared to be of higher status, raised both hands and, after Xiao Yu gave permission, slowly walked forward and spoke in a slightly trembling voice: “According to the Alliance Accord, we request a safe living environment. In the future, our civilization will arrange our ransom.” “Alliance Accord?” A term flickered in Xiao Yu’s mind. He asked, “The Guardian Alliance?” “Yes! Are you also from a civilization that was once a member of the Guardian Alliance?” the Molian asked hopefully. “No,” Xiao Yu replied coldly. “The Guardian Alliance has long since vanished into some godforsaken corner of the universe. And you still want to talk to me about some Alliance Accord? Just sit tight and behave, or I won’t hesitate to make another example.” After this round of intimidation, the hall once again fell into obedient silence. Xiao Yu left several hundred robots there to keep watch while the rest continued with the operation to seize full control of the ship. Xiao Yu didn’t need the help of the Molians. At this stage, he had no interest in dividing or manipulating them, or choosing representatives. As long as they stayed quiet and didn’t cause trouble, that was enough. With simultaneous offensives in both the digital and physical worlds, Xiao Yu’s occupation advanced even faster. When he encountered obstacles, he broke through by force. If brute force failed, he tore down the walls. And if that didn’t work, he looked for methods in the digital world, using hacking and privilege escalation to dismantle defenses. Under this strategy, Xiao Yu’s progress was unstoppable. In the earlier stages of the operation, Xiao Yu had already brought several sections like the armory, entertainment zone, and living quarters, under his control and had captured a large number of Molian prisoners. Based on the intelligence he had gained through hacking, he now knew that the next area ahead was the most crucial of all: the control sector. Once he captured this area, he would obtain full control over the entire ship. The control sector was the most heavily fortified area of the vessel. And here, during the assault, Xiao Yu encountered organized Molian military units for the first time. These forces were composed entirely of living Molian soldiers, not machines. They were significantly more dangerous: on average, each soldier inflicted the equivalent damage of one hundred of Xiao Yu’s combat robots. But Xiao Yu pressed forward regardless. Here again, sheer numbers compensated for the disparity in individual power. After breaching the control sector, Xiao Yu also gained access to increasingly core hardware components. This allowed him to bypass many of the hardware-based barriers and further increase his system privileges. Externally, this increase in access was evident. A ship-mounted weapon that had just moments earlier been firing furiously, inflicting heavy casualties on Xiao Yu’s fleet, would suddenly cease fire. It wasn’t broken. It was still fully intact. But control had passed into Xiao Yu’s hands. Naturally, he wouldn’t allow it to keep causing him trouble. Thirty minutes after arriving in the control sector, Xiao Yu obtained control over the first heavy energy cannon. One hour later, all three main cannons were under his control. The fall of the three main guns meant Xiao Yu could now reallocate at least twenty thousand ships to support other fronts. Progress in the digital realm supported breakthroughs in the physical world, and vice versa. The two fronts reinforced one another in perfect synergy. Under this coordinated dual offensive, three hours after entering the control sector, Xiao Yu’s robots stood before a massive metal door. Etched on the door were several Molian characters, which translated into something Xiao Yu could understand: ‘Command Room.’ With the combined efforts of the digital assault and elemental decay grenades, the door was quickly forced open, revealing the scene within. A towering Molian was seated in a chair, head slumped to one side, motionless. From a wound on its head, some kind of fluid was steadily dripping.

Chapter 217: The Command Room

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