47: Chapter 47: Discovery of the Miner Race, the Gray Race! Cruelly Oppressed!

The golden countdown for the mothership's second upgrade ticked quietly above the main control center of Dawn No. 1 Colonial Planet—12 hours remaining.

The entire colonial planet was on high alert. The Main Fleet cruised in orbit, the Shadow Fleet was fully cloaked and lurking, and the Research Center maintained a stable energy supply; everything was safeguarding the rebirth of this high-dimensional civilization mothership. At this solemn and tense moment, the emergency detection signal from the unexplored star sector on the western border, mentioned at the end of Chapter 46, was like a giant rock thrown into a calm lake, instantly drawing the command's attention to that mining zone shrouded in blood and darkness deep in the universe.

Emperor Chen Fan stood before the holographic star map, lightly tapping his finger to project real-time images of the distant mining star onto the giant screen.

The next second, the expressions of all the high-ranking officials in the command room darkened in unison.

The screen showed a desolate, Scarlet Mining Star. Its surface was pockmarked with massive pits, filled with thick dust and an extremely harsh environment. Thousands of short figures crawled with difficulty in the pits. They were less than 1.5 meters tall, with stone-gray skin, broad and thick palms, and hard knuckles—bodies naturally born for mining. Now, however, they were covered in whip marks, wounds, and festering sores.

They carried ore baskets heavier than themselves, moving through high temperatures and rubble, looking as if they would collapse with every step.

Beside them was a group of thugs clad in black armored suits, wielding electromagnetic batons and energy rifles. These men belonged to the notorious Iron Bone Mining Group of the border star sector, a bloody organization that rose to power through plundering mining stars, enslaving alien races, and black-market ore trading. They had occupied the western sector for years, ruthless and full of evil.

"Faster! You pariahs! If you don't want to die, put all your strength into it!"

"If this batch of energy crystals isn't enough, you'll all be thrown to feed the Starry Sky Beasts tonight!"

"You dare to stop? You're looking for death!"

Shouts, the sound of whipping, and painful groans intertwined. An elderly member of the Grey Race collapsed in the mine shaft due to exhaustion and was immediately kicked in the chest by an armed leader. The elder spat out a mouthful of gray blood, curling up on the ground and trembling, only to receive an even more vicious beating.

Near the edge of the pit, over a dozen corpses of the Grey Race had been discarded haphazardly. Some had worked themselves to death, some were beaten to death, and some were executed outright for mining too slowly. Their remains dried up quickly in the high heat, abandoned like trash.

This was blatant racial slavery, bloody exploitation, and cruel massacre.

Adjutant Qin Shuang watched with clenched fists, her voice carrying suppressed anger. "Commander, the Iron Bone Mining Group occupies seventeen mining stars in the western sector. The Grey Race isn't the only one they've enslaved. They engage in human trafficking, illegal mining, and shady deals, their hands stained with the blood of innocents. Because of their significant influence, neighboring powers are reluctant to provoke them."

Commander Lei Meng's eyes bulged with rage. "Those bastards! Even when I was in the pirate fleet, I disdained bullying the weak like this! Commander, let me take the fleet there and blast this wretched mining star to pieces!"

Emperor Chen Fan raised a hand to suppress Commander Lei Meng's impulse. His gaze remained on the suffering figures in the footage, his eyes calm yet carrying an inviolable majesty.

He had already obtained a complete evaluation of this race from the system database.

[Race Name: Grey Race]

[Talents: Mineral Perception, Ultra-high-speed Mining, Resource Intuition, Natural Refining, Ore Affinity]

[Personality: Docile, Industrious, United, Loyal, Non-aggressive]

[Value Rating: SS-grade]

[Note: A top-tier mining race in the universe, possessing natural mineral purification abilities. Their efficiency is three times that of mechanical mining, and they increase resource conversion rates by 50%. They are an innate resource race that every interstellar power dreams of!]

This evaluation made Emperor Chen Fan even more certain.

The Grey Race must not fall into the hands of others, and they certainly cannot be slaughtered to extinction by the Iron Bone Mining Group.

They are a godsend resource race, a core aid for the Dawn Faction's future expansion into the universe and its infinite resource map!

Moreover, the rise of Dawn is not just for power, but for justice.

Watching a kind, industrious, and innocent race be so cruelly oppressed, Commander Lin Chen could not sit idly by.

In the footage, the tragedy continued.

On a high platform in the center of the mining pit stood a particularly striking Grey Race girl.

She was slightly taller than her kin, with a streak of pale silver crystal patterns on her head. She wore a tattered but clean cloth dress, and her eyes were stubborn and bright. Even in a desperate situation, she silently supported the clansmen beside her, giving her meager water to the young Grey Race children.

Every movement she made exuded an innate nobility and resilience.

"That is the Princess of the Grey Race, Aila," the system automatically provided an identity prompt. "The daughter of the Grey Race patriarch and the spiritual pillar of the entire race. To control the Grey Race, Iron Bone Mining specifically keeps her by their side to threaten the entire group at any time."

The armed leader who had beaten the elder soon fixed his gaze on Aila. With a sinister and greedy smile, he walked toward her step by step, clutching his electromagnetic baton.

"Little beauty, you're quite the caregiver, aren't you?" The leader grinned hideously. "Since today's quota wasn't met, shouldn't you, the princess, take some punishment on behalf of your people?"

Aila's face was pale, but she still straightened her thin back and stood before her clansmen. With a trembling but firm voice, she said, "We dug the ore. If you want to punish someone, punish me, but let my people go."

"Punish you? Fine." The leader grabbed Aila's wrist and pulled hard. "Come back to the camp with me and serve me well. Maybe if I'm happy, I'll let these useless wastes go!"

Aila struggled with all her might, tears in her eyes, but she still refused to yield. "Let me go! You monster!"

"Monster? On this planet, I am heaven!"

The leader roared, raising the electromagnetic baton to strike Aila's head with force!

Below the platform, all the Grey Race clansmen let out desperate and indignant roars, but they were pinned down by the surrounding armed thugs, forced to watch their princess about to suffer at his hands.

In the main control center, everyone's hearts were in their throats.

Commander Lei Meng slammed the console. "Dammit! When exactly will Commander Ling Ye's Shadow Fleet arrive?!"

Adjutant Qin Shuang quickly checked the coordinates. "Seven minutes until the target mining star. They are in cloaked navigation and cannot speed up, or they'll expose their position!"

Seven minutes.

To Aila at this moment, a single second felt as long as a lifetime.

Seeing the electromagnetic baton about to fall, Emperor Chen Fan's eyes turned cold. He was about to order the Shadow Fleet to force a drop-out and attack, but at that moment, the system's voice rang out, stating that the System Power could temporarily lend strength to the host to resolve this incident. Emperor Chen Fan immediately agreed. As the System Power surged into his body, he felt as if he had merged with the entire universe, and the air in the command center seemed to freeze for an instant.

Borrowing power meant using the mothership's strength, which was also the system's most secret trump card. Its power was unfathomable; it rarely intervened, but every time it did, it could settle the situation at the most critical moment.

With an alien race suffering and their princess in danger, the System Power manifested once again.

"Ling Ye, there's no need for the Shadow Fleet to expose themselves early." Emperor Chen Fan's voice was soft, yet it carried a power that pierced through time and space. "The distance is too great, and the fleet won't arrive in time. For these few pieces of trash, it's enough for me to go alone."

Emperor Chen Fan's eyes flickered slightly.

He knew the system's strength very well—it was power beyond the current level of the universe, a Guardian's authority granted by the system, a terrifying combat capability that even the mothership couldn't fully evaluate.

"I will save Princess Aila and all the Grey Race; I will leave no one alive," Emperor Chen Fan said calmly.

With a flicker of his body, Emperor Chen Fan vanished into thin air directly from the command center.

No warship, no warp, no energy fluctuations—he simply disappeared as if he had never existed.

Adjutant Qin Shuang, Commander Lei Meng, Commander Su Qingyue, and the others all widened their eyes, their faces full of shock.

This kind of ability had completely exceeded their understanding of cosmic technology!

Only Emperor Chen Fan knew that this was the Spatial Traversal ability of the System Guardian—ignoring distance, arriving with a single thought.

...

At the same time, on the surface of the Scarlet Mining Star.

The electromagnetic baton, carrying a blinding blue arc, was only an inch away from Aila's head!

All the Grey Race closed their eyes, letting out a wail of despair.

The hideous grin on the leader's face grew even more frenzied.

And in that 0.01 second!

Boom—!!!

An invisible, terrifying force suddenly descended!

Centering on Aila, a spatial ripple invisible to the naked eye erupted outward. The armed leader felt as if he had been struck head-on by an invisible star. He froze instantly, and in the next second, he exploded into a cloud of blood mist without even being able to scream!

Silence.

A deathly silence.

All the armed thugs beating the Grey Race froze in place, their whips, batons, and rifles suspended in mid-air as they stared dumbfoundedly at this utterly bizarre scene.

Aila slowly opened her eyes, looking blankly at the empty space before her.

A black-clad figure, like a god walking out of the void, stood quietly in front of her.

His black clothes fluttered without wind, his face was calm, and his eyes were indifferent, as if he had merely stepped on an ant.

It was Emperor Chen Fan.

"Who... who are you?!"

On the high platform, the on-site commander of Iron Bone Mining was scared out of his wits. He pointed at Emperor Chen Fan and shrieked, "Shoot! Shoot him dead!!"

The surrounding hundred or so armed thugs instantly snapped back to their senses, raising their energy rifles in unison and pouring a dense barrage of light beams toward Emperor Chen Fan!

However, a bizarre scene occurred once more.

As all the energy beams came within three meters of Emperor Chen Fan's body, they all stopped in mid-air as if time had been frozen. Then, they fell to the ground like raindrops, unable to even touch the corner of his clothes!

With one hand behind his back, Emperor Chen Fan's indifferent gaze swept over all the armed thugs present. He softly uttered a single word:

"Filthy."

As the word fell.

Boom—!!!

Invisible mental pressure and spatial force erupted!

Every single armed thug from Iron Bone Mining, regardless of distance or where they were hiding, exploded in the same instant. Blood mist dyed the entire Scarlet Mining Star's ground red.

No artillery, no warships, no fighting.

One second.

Over a hundred notorious executioners were completely wiped out!

Below, all the Grey Race clansmen stood dazed in the mining pit. Looking up at the god-like black figure, they all knelt on the ground, trembling, their eyes filled with ultimate awe and worship.

Aila stared blankly at Emperor Chen Fan, tears falling silently as she bowed deeply to him. "Thank... thank you for saving us, My Lord..."

Emperor Chen Fan did not look at her but simply gazed toward the direction of Dawn, speaking calmly:

"I come from Dawn."

"Your suffering ends here."

As he finished speaking, he waved his hand, and a gentle energy enveloped the area. The wounds on all the Grey Race members healed at a visible rate, and their exhaustion and pain vanished instantly.

Immediately after, the spatial force expanded again, enveloping every member of the Grey Race on the planet—the elderly, the weak, women, children, and the young and strong, totaling 13,742 people.

The next second.

A flash of light.

All the Grey Race, along with Princess Aila, vanished from the Scarlet Mining Star.

Only the ground full of blood and corpses remained, witnessing the overwhelming display of power that had just occurred.

...

Dawn Main Control Center.

Everyone watched the battle that ended in an instant on the large screen, seeing the footage of Emperor Chen Fan single-handedly annihilating the enemy and saving all the Grey Race. They fell into a complete silence.

After a long while, Commander Lei Meng swallowed hard, his voice trembling. "Is... is this Emperor Chen Fan's true strength? It's too terrifying..."

Adjutant Qin Shuang covered her mouth, her eyes full of shock. "Killing an entire armed squad alone, Spatial Traversal, instant rescue... this is no longer a level a warship can achieve!"

Commander Su Qingyue's eyes were even brighter. "This is... the source power of the Mothership Guardian! The individual combat power of a high-dimensional civilization is too frightening!"

Everyone watched the screen as Emperor Chen Fan returned through the spatial tunnel with the Grey Race.

When the Emperor acts, he never fails.

He neither exposed the Shadow Fleet nor affected the mothership's upgrade. He perfectly deterred the thugs of Iron Bone Mining, saved the entire Grey Race, and even kept Princess Aila unharmed.

A few minutes later.

Above the ecological plaza of Dawn No. 1 Colonial Planet, space tore open, and Emperor Chen Fan's figure slowly emerged. Behind him, over 13,000 Grey Race clansmen looked blankly at this new world of lush greenery, fresh air, warm sunlight, and orderly life.

No whipping, no mining pits, no death, no fear.

Only warmth, safety, the aroma of food, and the breath of peace.

Aila stood at the front of her people, looking at this massive and civilized planet, at the Dawn Banner hanging high in the distance, and at the high-ranking officials of Dawn walking toward them. her eyes were filled with gratitude and bewilderment.

She walked up to Emperor Chen Fan and, following the Grey Race's highest etiquette, knelt on one knee and lowered her head:

"Princess Aila of the Grey Race, on behalf of our entire race, thanks the Dawn Faction for saving our lives."

"From this day forward, the Grey Race... wishes to be the people of Dawn, loyal for generations, and never to betray!"

Thirteen thousand Grey Race members knelt simultaneously, their voices uniform and devout:

"We pledge loyalty to Dawn! Loyalty to the Commander!"

Emperor Chen Fan stepped forward and gently helped Aila up, his voice gentle yet powerful:

"From today on, you are no longer slaves, no longer miners. You are citizens of Dawn."

"There is no oppression here, no slaughter. Only safety, a home, and respect."

Just then, above the main control center, the countdown for the mothership's upgrade jumped suddenly.

[Mothership Second Upgrade Countdown: 00:05:59]

The final six minutes!

Emperor Chen Fan's feat of saving the Grey Race and deterring the evil forces happened to coincide with the final moments of the mothership's rebirth.

And what no one knew was that with the addition of the Grey Race, Dawn's resource talents, civilization foundation, and racial territory would undergo a brand-new leap.

What everyone looked forward to even more was—

The world-shaking strength Emperor Chen Fan just displayed was merely the tip of the iceberg of his power.

In the next chapter, he will truly stand before everyone, with an absolutely invincible posture, completely establishing Dawn's untouchable status in the universe!