443: Plan Start

“The most important thing now is to race against time.

While those civilizations are gathering their personnel, we need to calculate the spread of the infected area an hour from now, and find a planet large enough to serve as the plan's execution point, capable of accommodating the subsequent transfer of personnel and equipment.”

The Command Center immediately became bustling.

Various officers quickly retrieved Galaxy databases, filtering planet parameters that met the conditions, and according to the infection spread rate formula, simulated the infection boundary an hour later on the star map.

The red infected area advanced outwards at a steady rate, like a spreading bloodstain.

“Here’s a ‘Gray Rock Star’ with a radius of 85,800 kilometers.

Its surface is mostly hard rock strata, perfectly capable of supporting trillions of intelligent beings.

Although the environment is harsh, it is still survivable and does not require modification.”

An officer said, pulling up a gray-black planet model.

Li Yang zoomed in on the detailed map of Gray Rock Star, observing the terrain data.

“It is indeed suitable for the activities of intelligent beings, and its location is roughly within the predicted range.

Let’s go with it.”

After all, it’s impossible to directly use a planet where life cannot survive; otherwise, intelligent beings, once dropped, would all die before even being infected…

At the same time, the 85 surviving civilizations within Gongjing No. 48 Galaxy almost simultaneously received the encrypted directive issued by Oliver.

When the requirement to “gather at least trillions of intelligent beings within the specified time” popped up on the light screens of each civilization’s command core, many Decision Makers of lower-level civilizations immediately changed their expressions.

“Trillions?

And intelligent beings?”

A third-level civilization’s Decision Maker stared at the numbers on the screen, his fingers unconsciously tapping the armrest of his alloy seat, his tone filled with disbelief.

“Our entire civilization combined only has a hundred billion people.

This is simply asking the impossible!”

His advisors also started discussing, the flickering population data on the light screen forming a stark contrast with the directive’s requirements.

But soon, the supplementary explanation attached to the directive made them slightly relieved—the total of trillions would be jointly shared by all participating civilizations, and clones, genetic replicants, and other individuals meeting the definition of intelligent beings were all accepted.

Once this loophole was opened, all civilizations immediately sprang into action.

The fifth-level civilizations’ gene banks operated at high speed, the indicator lights of their clone pods forming a sea of stars, and assembly-line replicants rapidly formed in nutrient pods.

fourth-level civilizations activated their reserved biological templates, activating all idle cloning facilities, and the air was filled with the mixed scent of nutrient solution and ozone.

Even third-level civilizations exerted all their strength, repurposing all medical pods into temporary simple cloning devices; even if the replicants’ survival period was only a few days, they couldn’t afford to care.

In just half an hour, Oliver’s command terminal successively received confirmation signals from various civilizations.

The aggregated data on the light screen continuously climbed, finally settling steadily on the number “1.2 trillion.”

More than 70% of this share was borne by 6 fifth-level civilizations and 32 fourth-level civilizations, and among these so-called “intelligent beings,” 99% were replicants just awakened from cloning pods.

They possessed basic self-awareness and could complete simple commands; although they lacked independent social memories, they precisely met the red line of the “intelligent being” definition.

“The number is met,” Li Yang said silently, the flickering numbers on the light screen conveying a sense of rushed efficiency.

“It’s just that the state of these clones… I’m afraid they won’t last too long.”

He Dong was a little worried.

Li Yang scanned the notes accompanying the data, his eyes showing no fluctuation.

“It doesn’t matter, we only need them to last through the initial observation period.”

At this moment, the transport ships of various civilizations had already ascended, fully loaded with clones.

The dense fleet of ships, like migrating swarms of bees, gathered towards the designated Gray Rock Star.

These mass-produced “intelligent beings” did not yet know that they were about to become key pawns in this experiment, merely waiting for an unknown fate in a dormant state within the transport pods…

On the vast continent of Gray Rock Star, countless intelligent beings were neatly arranged, stretching from one end of the horizon to the other, like a gray ocean composed of living organisms.

Most of them were replicants just awakened from cloning pods, their eyes hollow as they gazed at the sky, wearing uniform simple protective suits.

Imperial Soldiers were scattered around them, their heavy battle armor gleaming with cold, hard metallic luster under the starlight, their purification weapons calibrated and ready, awaiting the command.

A tense silence permeated the air; even the wind seemed to hold its breath.

All preparatory work was complete, and the indicator lights of the monitoring equipment flickered regularly, transmitting real-time images of this continent to the Command Center—now, all they could do was wait, wait for the invisible rule of infection to descend.

Inside the Command Center, Li Yang’s gaze was fixed on the holographic star map.

The red edge representing the infected area was approaching Gray Rock Star at a steady speed; each tiny movement felt like a heavy hammer striking everyone’s heart.

He clenched his fists, his fingernails almost digging into his palms, silently praying within.

It must succeed, absolutely no mistakes.

This was not only to slow the spread of the infection but also to prove their ability to defend this Galaxy.

Once they failed, they would only be able to execute Army Commander Cang’s order, abandon the mission and evacuate, leaving the mess to the higher-ups.

But in that case, wouldn’t the test from above have failed?

Just then, the real-time image of Gray Rock Star suddenly fluctuated violently.

On the target planet, among the previously quietly standing intelligent beings, the first to show abnormalities were the clones near the edge of the continent.

They swayed without warning, as if an invisible force had gripped their throats.

The next second, their eyes suddenly snapped open—those pupils held no clarity belonging to intelligent beings, only murky crimson.

Immediately after, their skin rapidly festered at a visible rate, light green viscous fluid dripped between their fingers, their originally normal bodies began to twist and swell, and bloodied gashes tore open on their backs, from which several dark purple spikes abruptly emerged.

Their fingertips mutated into half-foot-long bone claws, emanating a chilling cold light.

The infection, like a spark thrown into boiling oil, instantly ignited the entire continent.

In just a few breaths, more than half of the trillions of intelligent beings had completed their mutation, and piercing roars rose and fell, converging into a sound wave powerful enough to tear through the atmosphere.