Bai Zhongqi stood alongside Xiao Yu in front of the system equipment of the Virtual Universe. He wasn't truly afraid that Xiao Yu would conspire to kill him and steal treasures. Within the Elder Race, there had never been an incidence of fratricide, and the Golden Great Sail Ship couldn't be taken by anyone else but could only be maneuvered by Bai Zhongqi himself.
Xiao Yu's method was very straightforward—he asked Bai Zhongqi to throw Earth into the Virtual Universe, initiate the flow of time but slow it down by tenfold, which was the slowest Bai Zhongqi could manage. The purpose of initiating the flow of time was to locate the device node that caused the explosion.
Xiao Yu lived up to expectations and quickly found the location, then initiated his time rewind.
Then Earth calmed down.
To Bai Zhongqi, this ability seemed truly miraculous, although often Xiao Yu himself couldn't use this power for anything too useful, like reversing a shattered teacup to its original state. Something like saving a planet was indeed unprecedented.
Xiao Yu himself was quite proud; his time rewind capability was often mocked due to its minimal effect. After all, in the Elder Race, there were those capable of apocalyptic feats and he really didn't rank among them.
Bai Zhongqi handed him a box of glass beads, smiling broadly—not more not less, exactly a hundred beads.
Xiao Yu sighed and said, "I did such a fabulous job, and you still won't give me a few extra beads."
Bai Zhongqi beamed and said, "A hundred means a hundred. I am a man of my word."
Xiao Yu looked at him and huffed, "Even though we have the same face, I really feel like spitting thick phlegm on your face."
Bai Zhongqi laughed heartily and left, gripping the box while Xiao Yu was still holding onto his arm. He pointed his toes in the void and disappeared to nowhere in particular.
Bai Zhongqi didn't delay and immediately entered Earth.
Thankfully, he acted promptly. Although there was some damage on Earth, the vast majority of the population was safe.
Zero also arrived at his side, bringing countless Swarm Enslaved Beasts and a large number of Swarm troop ships.
"There are more bionic human soldiers from the Golden Wu Army on Earth than usual. It's a bit of a hassle to deal with them, but I estimate they should be mostly cleared out within a week," Zero assured Bai Zhongqi.
Bai Zhongqi nodded and began broadcasting his synchronized voice and image globally.
"…My fellow Earthlings, many of you might still remember me. I am Bai Zhongqi, the Chancellor of Iridium Star, the founder of the Star Alliance, and I am delighted to have returned to the beautiful planet of my birth. Eighteen years ago, the despicable usurper Xiao Yu framed me, transforming the Star Alliance into a realm of his tyranny, and even at the moment of my return, he attempted to destroy the Earth to hold me back. The shameless Xiao Yu set up geological weapons in the Earth's mantle and core, attempting to completely annihilate it, causing massive casualties and property damage. However, fortune stood on my side, and on the side of all Earthlings, as the crisis on Earth has now been averted. You might have noticed by now that Earth is no longer in its original Second Universe. I have relocated Earth to a new tiny universe as a measure to better protect Earth and its people from further scheming by Xiao Yu. But this is a temporary fix and won't last very long. Xiao Yu will eventually be defeated by me, and he will pay a great price and suffer the punishment he deserves."
Bai Zhongqi only made a brief speech, yet many who witnessed this scene were deeply moved.
Standing on Spratly Island, Kentarou swung his fist vigorously and said laughingly over the communicator to his companion Lupica, "It might be time for us to make our grand return to the battlefield."
Lupica replied, "Yeah, back then we were just kids, but now we must be awesome."
At this moment, in an inconspicuous courtyard in Country C, a middle-aged couple hugged each other and wept with joy.
"Our son has come back!"
"You were right, old man, keeping alive is more important than anything."
"Ah, you've suffered over these years, being confined here by those bastards, without setting foot outside for so many years."
"You too, old man, enduring disdain and mockery from those bionic humans who aren't even human."
The gate of the courtyard was pushed open, and Bai Zhongqi ran in.
For a long time, Bai Zhongqi had not shed tears like he did today.
The family embraced each other, unable to speak, only to cry.
Ling stood at the entrance of the courtyard, watching Bai Zhongqi cry, feeling somewhat heartbroken.
"Damn Xiao Yu, it's only because the Chancellor is too kind-hearted, unable to devise ways to torture you. If he really catches you, he would wish to flay you and dismember your bones, thinking even that would be too lenient."
Bai Zhongqi weighed the Homeland Stone in his hands, and after many years, the Crimson Gemstone had fallen into his hands again. He had fully separated the surface of Spratly Island, then casually took a piece of land from a subspace inside the Golden Great Sail Ship and placed it on Earth. From now on, Spratly Island and Homeland Titan were truly separate.
He did not visit Wuyai Palace, not because he lacked courage, but because he was in no mood to pay respects or reminisce. Moreover, his original residence had been completely altered by the usurper.
Ling was in a good mood, "Having eliminated Earth's bionic human army, Earth's human army surrendered without much resistance. Those loyal to Xiao Yu and with unclean backsides have received post-autumn settling from the Rebel Army, who had records on them, and it was best to let them handle this matter."
Bai Zhongqi nodded, he indeed was not afraid of the Rebel Army's people taking the opportunity for revenge. Many of Earth's elites had blood on their hands from the Silver Feather Army and the loyals of the Universe Army, and they deserved to die.
"Earth's industrial and technological capabilities are preserved because, after all, Earth is the Capital Star of the Star Alliance, and a significant portion of the scientific research capabilities are here. Without the Supreme Command, all the equipment is now completely operated by humans, just like any ordinary mechanical civilization. It might take some time for these people to completely come around, but we have already mastered much of the Star Alliance military's technological intelligence, which will be very helpful for us when confronting them later. Moreover, by using the Star Alliance's technology combined with the technology we have, it's possible to build a new fleet on Earth, and it's not difficult to select a fleet loyal to you from a population of ten billion."
The same situation occurred on other planets that Bai Zhongqi had taken over, although the degree of submission varied from planet to planet. Bai Zhongqi created a loyalty parameter using a set of variables, treating it like a game. After disclosing Xiao Yu's plot to blow up Earth and the evidence, along with his own Earth origin and past contributions, Earth's loyalty was now among the highest, reaching around 77. Emerald Sea Star had the highest, at 82. Of the dozens of planets taken from the Star Alliance, not one reached 90, which did not surprise Bai Zhongqi.
On the other hand, the loyalty was very low on some of the new colonies established by Xiao Yu. The lowest was Qin Feng Star, with a loyalty of only 12, and this planet itself was also not very submissive to Xiao Yu. After Bai Zhongqi took Qin Feng Star, the indigenous people even launched a judgement and conducted self-governance. Bai Zhongqi had no interest in reasoning or discussing terms, and flattened the newly established government within a few hours, restoring Qin Feng Star's colonial status. Naturally, the loyalty could not rise.