522: Begin the capture operation

Li Yang archived the approved documents, tapped his fingertip lightly on the light screen, and pulled up the communication interface with the Nineteenth Division's research department.

"Notify everyone that the operation is temporarily delayed. First, draft a biological research team to accompany the main force. This time, we are not just clearing them out; we also need to capture a batch of live specimens."

"Yes!"

...

In the Star Domain at the edge of the Huanlong Galaxy, a purple-black Subspace spatial rift was slowly tearing open. The energy ripples at its edges rose and fell like breathing, and the writhing shadows on the other side of the rift were vaguely visible.

Not far outside the rift, the Imperial Fleet had long been arrayed in formation, with dozens of silver-gray starships arranged in a half-moon shape.

"Report, Commander, the Subspace spatial rift has fully opened, and a large number of insectoid signals have been detected!"

The observer's voice came through the communicator.

In the flagship's Command Room, the captain in charge of this operation gazed at the light screen and tapped his fingertip lightly on the console.

"Proceed according to the predetermined plan. Deploy full defenses; do not let a single insect get close to the surrounding planets. Remember, leave them alive this time; prioritize capturing intact specimens."

"Understood!"

Dozens of starships activated their thrusters simultaneously, their engines spewing pale blue exhaust like unfurled wings, quickly surrounding the Subspace spatial rift.

Only one direction was left with a clear gap. The starships there retreated, seemingly giving the insectoids a chance to break through, but in reality, a trap had already been set.

From the rift, dense swarms of insectoids poured out like a black tide, followed by several insect ships that began attacking the fleet, clearly trying to break through the encirclement.

At that gap, a starship slowly moved into the predetermined coordinates. The hatch on its belly slid open silently, and a metal device several meters in size was gently deployed.

As soon as the device detached from the starship, it suddenly unfolded. Eight supports extended outward, and the energy patterns on its surface lit up instantly.

In an instant, with the device as the center, a layer of translucent ripples spread across the space within a kilometer, as if an invisible hand had molded an indestructible "air wall."

This was a specialized spatial capture device capable of instantly locking down the space in a designated area. It could only seal things without spatial abilities, but it was more than enough to deal with ordinary insectoids.

"Capture device deployed. The energy threshold is estimated to hold a maximum of one thousand ordinary insectoids; exceeding this may cause a Breakthrough of the capture device."

The technical officer's voice rang out clearly on the communication channel, carrying a hint of tense anticipation.

Following the order, the arrayed starships began to act. Turrets on both sides of the starships turned, and energy beams condensed into blinding spheres of light at the muzzles.

In an instant, a dense net of fire poured down like a rainstorm onto the insectoids emerging from the Subspace spatial rift. Laser beams cut through the darkness, and energy beams exploded into fireballs amidst the swarm. The insectoids' carapaces shattered under the violent impact, and green bodily fluids scattered in the starry sky like a nebula.

The sudden attack threw the insectoids into chaos. Instinctively, they fled in all directions, frantically searching for gaps to break through.

The fleet had already calculated their retreat path; the intentionally left gap was prepared just for them, and the firepower of the starships there was noticeably weaker.

It was unclear which insectoid cluster sent the signal, but the dense swarm, as if attracted by a magnet, rushed toward the gap, scrambling over each other with their chelicerae waving, knocking aside their companions.

In the starship's Command Room, the trajectory of the swarm on the observation screen converged into a black torrent. The crew suppressed their excitement and stared intently at the data panels, as the plan was proceeding perfectly.

The few insectoids at the very front had already rushed out of the fleet's firing range. Just as they thought they had escaped, they hit an invisible wall and stopped abruptly in the Void Realm.

Their chelicerae flailed in vain, and the compound eyes on their heads turned in confusion; they clearly could not understand why this empty starry sky had suddenly become solid.

The subsequent insectoids poured in continuously, piling up layer by layer in front of the "air wall," yet not one could cross that invisible boundary.

"Spatial capture device fully triggered!"

Inside the starship's command cabin, technicians stared intently at the jumping green data streams on the light screen, their fingers operating rapidly on the consoles, calling out numbers clearly and steadily.

"97%... 98%... 99%... 100%! The spatial capture device's load rate has reached its limit. Requesting to initiate the cleanup procedure!"

The moment the order was given, the arrayed starships, like a pack of wolves receiving a command, suddenly tightened the encirclement.

The fleet formation, originally spread out in a fan shape, quickly closed in. The light from the main cannons at the bows of the starships suddenly flared intensely, and energy readings on the screens skyrocketed.

This time, the firepower was no longer deliberately held back. Dense laser beams wove into a scorching net of light, and energy projectiles trailing long tails carved arcs through the starry sky. They not only poured down onto the trapped swarm but also precisely locked onto the Subspace spatial rift that was still spewing out insectoids.

"Boom—boom—"

The space at the edge of the rift was torn by the fleet's firepower, creating ripples. The insectoids rushing toward the gap were instantly engulfed by energy, and even the remains of the insectoid corpses were cleared away by the dense firepower.

The surviving insectoids finally realized they were in a desperate situation. Unable to break the invisible barrier in front and with the surrounding firepower pressing in like a death warrant, they panicked and turned around, trying to retreat back into the rift to escape.

But just as they turned, a transparent energy barrier rose up behind them as well.

"Bang! Bang!"

Successive sounds of impact rang out as the insectoids' chelicerae and heads slammed hard against the "wall," but they couldn't even shake it in the slightest.

What made them even more desperate was that the Subspace spatial rift behind them seemed to completely ignore these "abandoned pawns." The halo at its edge gradually dimmed, slowly closing like a weary eye.

Finally, with a slight tremor in space, the rift disappeared completely, leaving behind an empty expanse of the starry sky.

At this moment, only thousands of trapped insectoids and the Imperial Fleet remained in the entire Star Domain.

Thousands of insectoids were firmly locked within a spherical energy barrier, like insects trapped in a transparent glass jar; no matter how they rammed or bit, they could not escape this invisible cage.

Their compound eyes reflected the cold light of the starships, becoming the most distinct trophies of this hunting operation.

"According to the capture device's calculations, a total of 1,648 insectoids were captured. This hunting plan can be called perfect."

The Commander's voice echoed in the bridge, carrying uncontrollable satisfaction.

Just by scanning with the naked eye, there were no less than 10 different types, including crawling species with serrated chelicerae, flying insects with phosphorescent membranous wings, and heavy-duty types with long tails and spike-covered carapaces. Basically, all those ordinary insectoid types were included.

"Notify the transport fleet; the coordinates have been sent. Tell them to arrive as soon as possible to prepare for containment and control."

Before the transport ships arrived, these insectoids obviously could not be allowed to remain active.

A side hatch of the starship slid open slowly, and a silver-white cylindrical missile body was pushed to the launch port.

With a low hum, the missile shot toward the dense area of the swarm, trailing a faint blue flame.

There was no violent explosion as expected; the missile quietly burst in the center of the swarm, releasing a spatial wave that spread like ripples from the center of the swarm.

Any insectoid touched by this spatial wave first struggled violently, waving their chelicerae and flapping their membranous wings frantically, but a moment later, their movements gradually slowed. Their limbs stopped paddling, their wings drooped, and one by one, as if their strength had been drained, they slowly lost consciousness, their bodies floating rigidly in the starry sky like withered leaves that had lost their vitality.

But they only looked dead; in reality, their consciousness had just been temporarily disconnected and would recover before long.

Half an hour later, the transport fleet arrived on schedule.

The huge containment bays opened, and the unconscious insectoids were carefully captured in batches and loaded into specially designed chambers.

The inner walls of the chambers emitted a soft white light, capable of continuously releasing a calming field to ensure they would not wake up during transport.