Xiao Yu's body was tossed into the Void, leaving truly not a single trace behind.
At this time, the battlefield was nearing its end.
Racing against death, Su Shuang and Suo Kexiao finally escaped the range of the Void Gate and activated the second stage of warp speed, fleeing swiftly.
Before leaving, Su Shuang had a clear glimpse of Xiao Yu being taken away and he sighed softly, "Xiao Yu is finished."
Suo Kexiao chuckled, "Isn't that obvious? What level of enemy is a devourer of stars? Swarm apocalypses, Void calamities, huh, their Star Alliance civilization itself possesses strong AI capabilities, reputedly even having S-level AIs, counts as a mechanical disaster, doesn't it? A single being, embodying all three major disasters—who else could be the enemy of the Galaxy?"
Su Shuang furrowed his brows tightly, "Troubling times for the Galaxy are coming. We can only hope that this Bai Zhongqi remains a normal person with whom we can negotiate. If he bluntly decides to strike against the High Council, then the Galaxy might really face the crisis of destruction, and this era of our civilization's prosperity might come to an end too."
Suo Kexiao patted Su Shuang's shoulder and said, "Don't think too long term, we've already lost this time, just go back and accept the punishment. For me, having lost, the people of Borke will be happy since my myth is shattered; I anticipate my days in Borke might get easier. But you have lost two flagships, and your relations with the Grand Elders' Council of the Seven Phoenix Civilization isn't good; you might face trouble."
Su Shuang smiled confidently, his handsome face expressing bitter resentment, "After all, I'm the Fifth Divine General; I'm not so easily defeated. Losing the two flagships might actually be a blessing in disguise. I've always been plagued by the bad luck brought by the flagships, those around me have never met good ends, maybe from now on, I too can enjoy some good fortunes."
Suo Kexiao smiled happily, "That's good to hear, really good!"
The two Divine Generals chatted casually, as if the failure of a super battle involving 170,000 warships had nothing to do with them.
In this battle, more than 9,000 warships from the Council's allied fleet had managed to escape by just thirty percent. The Seven Phoenix Civilization lost over a thousand warships, the Borke Civilization about seven hundred, and the other High Council members also suffered considerable damage.
Bai Zhongqi had already retracted his Void Gate, and Zero excitedly conveyed to Bai Zhongqi, "The Supreme Command is destroyed, and the warships that were originally controlled only by Xiao Yu are now uncontrollable by others. Many aboard those Star Alliance warships are Earthlings, and upon learning of your identity and the news of Earth, they have decided to surrender to you."
But Bai Zhongqi did not smile; this result was roughly what he had anticipated. The battlefield had already split into three parts: the assembled swarm, the Star Alliance warships that chose to surrender, and the remaining part, which was the Jinwu Army.
Composed of bionic humans, a force completely loyal to Xiao Yu before.
"The Jinwu Army is retreating. It seems they have refused our offer to surrender."
Bai Zhongqi pondered and said, "These artificial intelligences, they follow the commands given to them. After failing to execute their commands, they should revert to default state. If they choose not to surrender to me, what will they do?"
Zero said, "Perhaps return to their base? But most of the Jinwu Army's home ports have been destroyed by us, and their planets have been devoured by you; where can they go?"
At this time, the Jinwu Army fleet, still numbering over 20,000, began activating their warp bubbles one after another, apparently preparing to flee.
Zero asked urgently, "Your Majesty, should we intercept them?"
Bai Zhongqi lightly touched his forehead and said, "I understand."
"What do you understand?"
"The Jinwu Army has become a calamity."
Zero paused, but being highly intelligent, she quickly understood Bai Zhongqi's meaning, "Are you saying that the AI of the Jinwu Army have gained autonomy, hence they operate on their own will?"
Bai Zhongqi sighed softly, "Ordinary artificial intelligences don't achieve this level; presumably, Xiao Yu had created some S-level artificial intelligences while forming the Jinwu Army."
Zero, once an S-level artificial intelligence herself, understood deeply the difference S-level AI held in comparison to others. Iridium Star was fearsome because the Supreme Command could suppress S-level AIs, pursuing a path of AI and mechanical civilization. Indeed, Iridium Star was itself a kind of disaster, a disaster manipulated by humans, similar to that of the current swarm."
At the level of S-level AI, it wasn't just about computational ability and simulating emotions. They would develop philosophical thinking, have desires to perpetuate themselves, and what's scarier, due to their distinct abilities, they could easily manipulate other lower-level AIs similar to themselves.
If there indeed were S-level AI within Jinwu Army acting as main control systems or AI of warships, then once the Supreme Command suppressing them was destroyed, they would undoubtedly become the true masters of the Jinwu Army.
At this moment, a message was sent—just a line of text without much content.
"The venerable Bai Zhongqi His Majesty, we have no intention of being your enemy."
A single sentence, yet it was not lacking in information.
We, implies that the decision-makers are not one; unwilling to be enemies with Bai Zhongqi because they are well aware that they would not be Bai Zhongqi's match.
"Shouldn't we go after them?" Zero asked.
Bai Zhongqi shook his head, "There's no need, and I'm quite curious to see how far they can go."
At this time, the Sphere Controller, who had been asked to separate from Xu Lanzhou, transmitted through consciousness, "Perhaps our Chancellor Bai Zhongqi intends to use these mechanical disasters to cause some trouble for the High Council."
Bai Zhongqi laughed out loud, "You understand me quite well."
"I don't have the time now to deal with the High Council. Although Xiao Yu is dead, Nan Ma and Hu are still alive. Nan Ma has been mysteriously missing, and Hu is in the Star Warrior Sect. I'm now preparing to open the First Universe and restore the Iridium Star United Empire."
Zero, caught up in emotions, "The Iridium Star United Empire, is also the place where I was born. Even if the civilizations in the First Universe are much less dense compared to the Second Universe, Iridium Star was after all the overlord of the Galaxy."
The twelve Divine Weapons placed by the Sky-Piercing Pyramid all had owners, but the remaining two Divine Weapons pointed towards the Void. Bai Zhongqi had an inkling; the remaining two Knights might not be from the Second Universe, but from other worlds.
As long as these two final Knights are found, the First Universe will open its gates, and the Iridium Star United Empire will once again welcome its Chancellor.