Their number was five times that of the Solitary Fleet, possessing superior technological prowess. The Solitary Fleet, under Kejili's leadership, fully surrendered to the Iridium Star Fleet after resisting for less than an hour.
"The disparity was too great." Kejili continuously shook his head, heart aching as he saw the remains of warships floating all around the battlefield.
His deputy, Sang Laipi, found this reality even harder to accept, "How could this be? Our Solitary Civilization is a high-level civilization with a mighty military strength. How could we have been defeated so easily?"
He had seen the Iridium Star warships take on the Solitary warships as if it were a mere game, but he still couldn't believe what he was experiencing.
Kejili comforted his deputy, saying, "Victory and defeat are common in military affairs; just accept it with equanimity. Sigh, in the beginning, when I saw the warships swarming like a swarm, I was very afraid that our surrender wouldn't be accepted, since the Insect Race is something that can't be communicated with. But it seems the Iridium Star people are still a standard universe civilization, with basic integrity."
His tone was very relieved, as if he also lamented that he had saved his own life today.
Hearing Kejili's words, Sang Laipi suddenly thought of something, and abruptly grabbed the communication device on the interface, connecting to a channel.
Kejili had never seen his deputy act so abruptly but didn't stop him, curious to see what he was going to do.
The communications party Sang Laipi connected to was the joint contingency room of the Galactic High Governance Council.
"Hello, Your Excellency, I am Sang Laipi, an officer of the Solitary Civilization affiliated with the High Council, currently reporting a potential catastrophe threatening. Just now, our fleet was defeated by the despicable extraterrestrial civilization suspected of collaborating with the swarm, the Iridium Star United Empire, which is the precursor to the Star Alliance. The head of the empire is none other than the Iridium Star Chancellor who eliminated the former chancellor of Star Alliance, Xiao Yu, and also the one who defeated the Seven Phoenix and Borke civilization fleets, Swallowed Star! Swallowed Star has now returned powerfully, its forces very strong, and it harbors vast ambitions for the unsettled galaxy. If no one organizes against the Iridium Stars, they will turn the entire galaxy into their backyard!"
"Do you have any proof of what you are claiming?" the voice from the other side sounded somewhat concerned.
Sang Laipi said, "The data from the recent battle, I will send to you. Please, after careful discussion, the High Council should take measures. The Solitary Civilization has already failed, and might even face the risk of enslavement and extinction, so I hope the High Council can lend a hand."
Kejili looked at Sang Laipi in surprise but still did not stop him until Sang Laipi ended the communication and wiped out his own communication records.
Kejili seriously said, "Do you know what you are doing?"
Sang Laipi cautiously replied, "I am doing what a member of the Galactic High Council should do. Commander, the Solitary Civilization has suffered a shameful defeat. Although the Iridium Star people might not annihilate us completely, what consequences will we face? Becoming vassals of the Iridium Stars, or even becoming a part of them, is unacceptable to any proud member of the Solitary Civilization. Moreover, the Iridium Stars indeed may have colluded with the swarm, and they could even be the culprits behind this galactic disaster sweeping across the galaxy. Letting the ten giants of the High Council deal with them is the most appropriate course of action."
"I understand your stance and I even somewhat agree. But do you know, at this critical juncture, even the ten giants cannot guarantee a unified stance. Due to the cosmic disaster, the ten giants are even now embroiled in a civil war; the Borke Civilization and the Jinxi Civilization have started fighting, and the Mengnu Civilization and the Lien Xi Empire have also come into conflict. The likelihood of them addressing this disaster is exceedingly slim."
Sang Laipi clenched his teeth and said, "At least we've sent out the message. Soon, the entire galaxy will know a disaster is taking shape, and if they don't want to be annihilated, they'll have to defeat the Iridium Star people. I don't believe the Iridium Stars can oppose the entire galaxy on their own."
Kejili shook his head, "The Galaxy is no longer the original Galaxy. What happens here is beyond our prediction. Let's leave it to fate."
"That group of Solitary people is shrinking their eggs a bit too quickly," Bai Zhongqi said, stroking his smooth chin.
Zang Xingyan, who had returned from the front lines, bowed slightly and said, "It is the Solitary people who fear His Majesty's divine might."
Bai Zhongqi rolled his eyes and said, "You know that even flattery is useless, right?"
Zang Xingyan smiled broadly, his handsome face somehow impossible to dislike, "As a subordinate, one major purpose is to constantly flatter the boss. Not only should I do this, but the entire United Empire does. On the cabinet side, the Prime Minister has already organized a celebratory event to celebrate the United Empire's defeat of the Solitary Civilization and the signing of the Sovereign Protocol."
Bai Zhongqi felt somewhat helpless, "Do I really have to attend?"
Zang Xingyan replied, "His Majesty rarely appears before the officials. Everyone should have an opportunity and occasion to flatter."
The war this time actually involved just one battle. The Solitary people were very rational; after Kejili's fleet was severely damaged and surrendered, the Solitary Civilization lost a third of their fleet. Although the Solitary Civilization still had the capacity to fight, they chose to surrender.
Bai Zhongqi would never tolerate others sleeping soundly beside his couch, so he directly threw out the Sovereign Protocol and demanded the Solitary Civilization become a tributary state to the United Empire. The United Empire set up consulates on various Administrative Stars of the Solitary Civilization and guided their related policies. Sixty percent of the Solitary Civilization's warships were fitted with special devices, essentially the Supreme Command.
Although the Solitary people resisted multiple times, Bai Zhongqi directly had ten Strategic Fleet groups surround them. Eventually, the Solitary people had to choose between complete annihilation and submitting as a tributary state.
Zang Xingyan, still interested, asked Bai Zhongqi, "Your Majesty, given the military strength of the United Empire, unless the entire Galaxy Alliance comes against us, there must be no power in the Galaxy that can threaten us now. Taking down the Solitary Civilization went unexpectedly smoothly; is your next action to conquer the entire Galaxy?"
Bai Zhongqi seemed surprised by his question. He looked up at Zang Xingyan and asked, "Your question, how many people does it represent?"
Bai Zhongqi knew that unlike most peace-loving people of Earth, the people of Iridium Star were ambitious, and keen on military exploits and territorial expansion. Especially since Bai Zhongqi's return to the United Empire, there was a strong voice pushing the entire empire to acquire more territory and glory.
"That, I do not know; the question I asked only represents myself."
Bai Zhongqi was silent for a moment and did not provide an answer, saying, "I need to think about it carefully."
Zang Xingyan nodded and, before leaving, said, "Your Majesty, it might be more beneficial for you to make a decision on this matter sooner rather than later; after all, you can't avoid it forever. Behind you stand the people of an entire empire watching."