514: Dragon Galaxy

The other person nodded, his gaze sweeping over the clean and tidy streets, the orderly queues of people, and the clear administrative procedures on the public notice board in the distance, his tone filled with relief.

“Hmm, at least the effort wasn’t in vain.”

“Councilor Li Yang, it seems your new policies have indeed been remarkably effective; the atmosphere on Bianlong Star has been completely revitalized.”

Pal turned to look at Li Yang beside him, his voice filled with genuine admiration.

These two were none other than Li Yang and his adjutant, Pal, on an incognito inspection.

Months later, Li Yang still worried about this land that had once been deeply mired in difficulties, so he deliberately avoided official receptions, wanting to see with his own eyes the true state of Bianlong Star under the nourishment of the new policies.

He slowly walked forward, his gaze sweeping over the public display screen at the street corner, which continuously broadcast the latest entry quotas and approval procedures, each clause clear and understandable.

In front of the management office windows not far away, people were queuing in an orderly fashion, and the Staff members' attitudes were patient and calm, with no trace of the arrogance and obstruction from the past.

A long-lost sense of stability permeated the air, an aura of order and fairness, quietly seeping into every corner of Bianlong Star.

“Hmm, it’s more reassuring than expected.”

Li Yang's voice held a hint of relief, his eyes reflecting the bustling yet orderly crowd on the street.

“At least, those deeply entrenched dark forces have been uprooted; what remains is to let the sunlight truly shine in.”

Pal followed his gaze, seeing several patrol Team Members in new uniforms helping an elder carry luggage, while children at the street corner chased and played, their faces alight with carefree smiles.

This ordinary scene of everyday life, on Bianlong Star just a few months ago, was an unattainable luxury... A year had passed since Li Yang assumed the position of Chairman of the Longlan Star Cluster.

In this year, he not only steadily handled the various affairs of the Star Cluster but also, in his free time, arranged for his capable subordinates. Xia Quan and others had risen two ranks within This Galaxy Cluster and were already fully independent.

Qi Yu, on the other hand, was transferred by him to the Galactic Administrative Center, where she held an important office position in a core department, with a promising future.

Even his current Nineteenth Division had expanded by two regiments, its military strength formidable enough to deter all directions.

It could be said that if he wished, the entire Longlan Star Cluster would be Li Yang's own territory; he would be the local emperor here.

But at this moment, Li Yang, though holding the core power of the Longlan Star Cluster, had never shown the slightest arrogance of a “local emperor.”

In his office, a Galaxy map projected on the wall slowly rotated, his desk was piled with pending civilian reports, and the air was filled with a faint scent of aromatherapy and Galaxy dust.

“Beep—”

An urgent communication alert interrupted his work.

Li Yang raised his hand to answer, his voice as steady as ever.

“Hello, this is Li Yang, Chairman of the Longlan Star Cluster.”

From the other end of the communication came an urgent male voice, mixed with static, carrying clear panic.

“Councilor Li! I am the Chairman of the Huanlong Galaxy! Something has happened here... something has happened here! A Subspace rift suddenly appeared at the edge of the Galaxy, and many unknown creatures are pouring out of it, wreaking havoc in the Galaxy! Our defense system is about to collapse!”

“Subspace rift?”

Li Yang abruptly stood up from his chair, his brows instantly furrowed, his normally calm expression now grave.

The invasion of unknown creatures was no small matter; a slight misstep could affect surrounding Galaxys and even threaten the security of the Longlan Star Cluster.

“What are your current casualties? Is there any sign of the rift expanding?”

“Casualties are still relatively low, but the rift is still expanding.”

As a core subordinate Galaxy of the Longlan Star Cluster, Huanlong Galaxy had always been the cluster's transportation hub and economic focal point, but now it had become the eye of an unknown crisis's storm.

Li Yang stared at the flashing red light on the Galaxy map, his fingertips tapping lightly on the desk. He knew all too well about Subspace rifts; they could hide interstellar gifts or catastrophic disasters, and what was pouring out of the rift in Huanlong Galaxy was clearly the latter.

The panting from the other end of the communication had not yet subsided when Li Yang said in a deep voice.

“Where is your Galaxy's Guard Division? Didn't they activate emergency defenses?”

“They did! They've been on full alert for a long time!”

“But those things are like mad, swarming over in a black mass, and the Guard Division's firepower net is almost overwhelmed! We really can't hold on, we beg Councilor Li to deploy border garrison troops for support! Any later... any later and we might not be able to hold out at all!”

“Alright, I understand.”

Li Yang hung up the communication, his face as grim as iron.

He turned and walked to the command console, his fingers rapidly sweeping across the light screen, directly connecting to He Dong's encrypted channel for the border garrison.

“He Dong.”

His voice was devoid of any emotion, yet conveyed an undeniable sense of command.

“Immediately assemble ten regiments of troops, complete mobilization within five minutes, target Huanlong Galaxy, where Subspace creatures are invading, full speed ahead for support!”

“Understood!”

He Dong's response was crisp and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

“Pal, prepare the starship, we are heading to Huanlong Galaxy.”

“Yes!”

...In the core Galaxy region of Huanlong Galaxy, a grotesque spatial rift hung in the inky blue Galaxy, its edges glowing with a distorted purplish-black halo, like a monstrous maw ready to devour.

Countless mysterious creatures, resembling a hybrid of insects and beasts, were frantically spewing out of the rift, densely packed and obscuring the sky, the buzzing of their flapping wings and the sharp scraping of their claws intertwining into an ear-splitting noise, sweeping towards the surrounding planets like a black tide.

The few habitable planets closest to the rift had already become a hellscape.

Their surfaces were completely covered by these creatures, their eerie green compound eyes glinting in the ruins of cities, and once-lush forests and plains had been gnawed down to bare rock.

They seemed to possess an instinct to devour everything, from metal structures to organic vegetation, from liquid water to solid soil, even greedily absorbing trace elements in the air. The entire planet was visibly withering and dying at a rapid pace, as if to be completely drained of its last trace of vitality.

On the planet's defensive positions, the Soldiers of the Huanlong Galaxy Guard Division were stubbornly resisting, relying on hastily constructed fortifications.

Laser beams and pulse bombs carved fiery trajectories across the night sky, constantly tearing through the formations of creatures, but the fallen gaps were quickly filled by the monsters pouring in from behind.

The Soldiers' breathing grew more rapid, the glow of their shields gradually dimmed under continuous impact, and some yelled for energy cell replacements.

“We cannot use planet-destroying weapons!”

A hoarse roar came through the command channel.

“These planets are all habitable; if the ecosystem is destroyed, nearly half of the population here will be homeless! We must hold the line and buy time for reinforcements!”

And so, in this Galaxy shrouded in despair, the Soldiers formed the last barrier with their flesh and blood, as the rift continued to spew forth new threats.