734: Chapter 734 One Minute

Meanwhile, in the cosmic starry sky, the three starships sent by Li Yang were sailing steadily along their established route. After traveling for a period of time, they finally successfully arrived at the outer space region of several connected planets belonging to an unknown civilization.

But before the diplomats on the starship could open the communication channel and send a signal for peaceful exchange, dozens of starship light shadows suddenly emerged from the dark starry sky ahead.

These starships had strange shapes, their bodies were dark gray, carrying the technological style of an unknown civilization, and they were extremely fast. They quietly sailed out from all directions, and before long, they had set up a tight encirclement formation, surrounding the several Imperial Starships sent by Li Yang right in the center, leaving no gap for a breakthrough; the atmosphere instantly became incredibly tense.

Inside the flagship Command Center, Li Yang quietly watched his own fleet being surrounded in the starry sky through the giant light screen. His brows furrowed slightly, his eyes were calm and without waves, and he spoke silently in a low tone.

“Are they trying to take the initiative, or do they simply want to give us a show of strength?”

The atmosphere in the command cabin instantly became heavy. Pal and He Dong on the side also stared at the light screen with serious expressions, keeping a constant eye on the movements of the opposing starships, ready to respond to any sudden outbreak of war at any time.

After all, in this vast and cold Universe, strength has always been paramount, and the Law of the jungle is the eternal and unchanging Law of survival.

When encountering an unknown foreign fleet that has rashly entered one's own Star Domain, any civilization with even a bit of confidence would first react by taking the initiative to seize the upper hand and eliminate all potential threats; this is a survival instinct etched into the very bones of interstellar civilizations.

But this approach also hides fatal risks. One careless move, and you might kick a steel plate, offending a high-level civilization with deep foundations. The scene before them was the best proof of this.

If their fleet truly dared to act rashly, with their meager strength as a third-level civilization, it would be impossible for them to cause even a shred of substantial damage to the Imperial Starships.

Even if Li Yang had only sent reconnaissance ships, they were all top-tier galaxy-class models. The hulls were equipped with the Empire's galaxy-class defense shields and self-defense weapons, far beyond what these crude starships could contend with.

Furthermore, once the other party dared to fire the first shot, Li Yang would never show any leniency, nor would he care for any sentiment. He would directly order the entire army to press forward and completely wipe out this civilization that didn't know the heights of the heavens, taking over the Star Domain's resources in the process—this was the most straightforward rule in interstellar pioneering.

At this moment, inside the surrounded reconnaissance ships, various equipment operated steadily. The crew members looked calm, showing no panic at being surrounded. After all, their main fleet was right behind them; this small amount of the enemy's military strength was not worth fearing at all.

An intelligence operator stared intently at the light screen in front of him, suddenly turned his head, and reported loudly to the captain.

“Captain, the enemy's flagship has sent us a call request, asking to establish a communication link!”

The captain sat in the command seat with a steady expression. His sharp gaze swept across the alien fleet surrounding them outside the window, and he ordered calmly.

“Approve their request. Let's see what tricks they're trying to play.”

“Yes!”

The operator immediately responded, his fingertips moving quickly on the light screen to accept the communication request.

In just a short while, the giant light screen in the center of the ship automatically unfolded. After a slight wave, an alien figure clearly appeared on the light screen. It was the Six-legged creature that had previously stopped the Jellyfish-type Being in the dim meeting room.

It stood before its own ship's command console, its six long legs standing steadily. Its eyes carried a bit of vigilance and wariness as it looked toward the camera and spoke first, its tone carrying a cautious probe.

“Foreign friends, I wonder which interstellar civilization you belong to? What is your purpose for rashly sailing into the Star Domain of our Lianxing Civilization?”

To the slight surprise of everyone on the ship, the unfamiliar language spoken by the other party did not cause any communication barriers. The Imperial AI database had already recorded this civilization's language; there was no need for on-site analysis or recording, and real-time translation was completed directly, clearly reaching everyone's ears.

It seemed that although this Lianxing Civilization had not been discovered by the Empire before, their language had similarities to other recorded civilizations.

Hearing this, the captain exuded an unquestionable majesty. He suddenly stood up, pressed both hands on the command console, and his voice spread throughout the starship via the light screen, carrying the iron-blooded and indisputable nature of an Imperial soldier as he loudly declared.

“Listen well, we are the reconnaissance detachment of the 13th Battalion, 3rd Regiment, 7th Division of the Pioneer Army of the Lipugong Supercluster Independent Military Region of the Xili Empire! By the supreme order of the Imperial Military Department, as of now, your Lianxing Civilization is officially incorporated into the territory of the Xili Empire and will be under Imperial jurisdiction! If there is any form of resistance, defiance, or refusal to cooperate, it will directly trigger the comprehensive cleanup plan, at which time your entire civilization will cease to exist!”

This declaration, carrying absolute pressure, was clearly transmitted to the Lianxing Civilization's flagship through the communication channel.

On the other side of the light screen, the Six-legged creature, which had originally maintained a somewhat calm posture, now completely froze. Its compound eyes bulged, and it instantly fell into a daze, its breathing seemingly coming to a halt.

Xili Empire? This name was unheard of, completely absent from any civilization archives it knew.

But it had an extremely clear understanding of the words “Lipugong Supercluster Independent Military Region.”

In the hierarchy of interstellar civilizations, a Supercluster is a massive celestial structure far exceeding ordinary Galaxy Clusters. A civilization that controls a Supercluster is definitely not an existence that a third-level civilization huddled in a peripheral Star Domain could hope to contend with.

This foreign fleet before them not only controlled a Supercluster, but its organizational structure was so complete and its hierarchy so clear, which nakedly displayed the vast foundation of its civilization.

This was definitely a high-level civilization of at least level five or above!

A bone-chilling cold instantly surged from the Six-legged creature's spine through its entire body. Its originally tense nerves completely collapsed, and it hurriedly retracted all its probing and hostility. Its tone became incredibly respectful, even carrying a hint of pleading, as it said urgently.

“This... this distinguished Captain, I wonder if you could give us a little bit of time to discuss internally for a moment? Just a moment, just a moment!”

“Discuss?”

The captain's voice suddenly turned cold and hard, leaving no room for negotiation. He stared at the light screen and threw out the final ultimatum word by word.

“There is no room for discussion. I will only give you one minute. This is already the greatest mercy and tolerance the Empire can provide. In one minute, if you still haven't given a clear answer of submission, the Empire's main fleet will arrive immediately and implement an indiscriminate comprehensive cleanup of your Lianxing Civilization, taking all the resources of your entire civilization for the Empire!”

The Six-legged creature wanted to speak again to explain or delay, but the light screen had already disconnected.

The captain directly cut off the call, giving it no further opportunity for communication.