Chapter 1804: Chapter 568: The Awakening Insect Swarm

Imperial Mother Star of the Carli Empire, Capital

The Emperor of Carli stood alone in his office, standing before his desk, with his hands pressing against the tabletop, staring intensely at the data on the virtual screen.

His hands were trembling, perhaps because he had been supporting himself for too long.

After a long time, it seemed as if he suddenly lost his strength, falling backward, causing the floating magic chair to move back several centimeters.

His eyes tightly closed, he reached up to remove the crown from his head and placed it on the desk, as if only by doing so could he feel somewhat relieved.

"Half the fleet...

Always dreaming of invading the civilizations under my command, dreaming of destroying their fleets, and never expected in the end, I would be the one experiencing the complete destruction of combat power..."

The Emperor let out a bitter laugh, his hands resting on the armrests of the floating chair, naturally drooping down.

Usually, he would face neighboring civilizations and the low-level civilizations within his territory with a provocative stance, priding himself on the strength of his civilization.

But now, confronted with absolute strength, he immediately recognized reality, knowing it was an enemy he could never face.

Even his own 7th Rank Mage took action, yet this was the result.

And this was with the opponent’s high-level believer merely showing their presence (only one person, in a rush), without actually making a move (if they did, the magic cube would lose its power of faith).

However, he was, after all, the Emperor of the Carli Empire, although it was a hereditary system, he still had some capability.

No one knows how long it took before the Emperor of Che Li reopened his eyes and sat up straight.

"I can’t remain despondent here, no matter which path I choose, preparations must be made in advance..."

Taking a deep breath, the Emperor of Che Li’s eyes regained their clarity.

"Now that half of the fleet has been wiped out, the combat power I possess is rapidly shrinking.

With the State Preceptor’s intimidation, surrounding civilizations won’t have special ideas so quickly, but the loss of the fleet must not be revealed!"

He hammered his fist on the desk to solve the most immediate threat to himself. The crux of the problem was once again laid out before him.

This war, according to plan, did destroy the Roes Civilization’s fleet, but the sacrifice was too great.

Moreover, because he had diverted the entire fleet, other devastated colonies had no sufficient resistance, making this loss much more severe than before.

Especially those planets that had already been cleansed, as many as a dozen planets’ defensive forces were completely wiped out.

The only consolation is that the Insect Swarm seemed intent on breeding food and did not harm civilians.

Although this also led to a resurgence of those Insect Swarm worshippers’ organizations among the people recently...

If this continues, even if neighboring civilizations do not act against the Carli Civilization, if the Insect Swarms attack again next time, they will struggle to resist.

After just a few more large-scale Insect Swarm attacks, their civilization might collapse internally.

"Although I might be overthinking it..." The Emperor of Che Li sighed deeply, "I must find a way out for myself."

He could bond with General Ximu, not solely because of military etiquette, but due to their shared inclinations.

In some matters, the two men were quite similar.

This country never had a prince’s position, and in the previous Emperor’s surveillance, those who truly managed to survive the royal wars never held back from leaving an escape route for themselves.

After all, if we cannot defeat the enemy, no matter how much we speak of "courage to resist" and "national bonds," it will not change reality.

"But what exactly do those Church believers intend to do...

Specifically taking out half of my civilization’s fleet, it can’t be for nothing, could it be... invasion?

Should I perhaps prepare to surrender?"

The Emperor placed one hand across the desk, his fingers rhythmically tapping, creating a consistent pattern of knocks.

As the Emperor of the Carli Empire, he, like the Roes Civilization’s President, could foresee the idea of occupying a civilization and surviving in hiding as a rational choice.

"We also cannot rule out the possibility that they’re simply trying to disrupt the starry sky, forcing the Three Great Civilizations to retreat and assist... I must prepare for both eventualities..."

His eyes glimmered, lost in thought.

In reality, these preparations, for all intents and purposes, were the same thing.

No matter what the Insect Swarm’s plans are, the fleet’s combat strength has already been tested and is incapable of genuine resistance. The difference lies in that if it’s the former, he might be able to surrender to those Churches and perhaps retain his position as Emperor.

If it’s the latter...

He might have no choice but to pursue political asylum, to turn to advanced civilizations, and request their protection...

Of course, these two routes are the final last-ditch options; if there is truly an opportunity, he would still struggle.

"In the name of the Emperor of the Carli Empire, I declare the nation to enter a state of war readiness, with each region striving to enhance their level of preparedness.

Moreover, all personnel related to cultural management, except necessary ones, are to be transferred to the military and government agencies on various planets..."

After a chain of commands was issued, the Emperor of Che Li slumped back in his seat again.

"That should do it, full war preparations to buy time, and ease up monitoring the Insect Swarm cults...

The rest will depend on the next moves of those Church believers."

.........

Underground, Insect Swarm Hive

Indeed, beneath the Imperial Mother Star of the Carli Empire, there is an Insect Swarm Hive.

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