Qihe had been captured, and this news spread at lightning speed to the ears of Xingluo Marquis.
Xingluo Marquis appeared to be a handsome young man, but in reality, he had long surpassed the age of a hundred. For Powerhouses above the Small Galaxy level, life spans were extended significantly, and outward appearance was no longer a crucial factor in determining one's age.
"Qihe has been captured by the Red Alert Empire?"
Xingluo Marquis's voice was not loud, but to those below, it felt like an interrogation.
"Marquis, we don't have the specifics yet. Right now, all we know is that Lord Qihe and his fleet have lost contact, and the same goes for the Stonewrought Star forces."
The person delivering the news was sweating profusely, clearly frightened.
No one had expected the Red Alert Empire to possess such strength, not only occupying the mineral-rich Stonewrought Star but also defeating Qihe's fleet. It was simply incredible.
Xingluo Marquis waved his hand, dismissing his subordinate.
The thought of this possibility left Xingluo Marquis feeling uneasy.
"The situation on Imperial Star remains unclear, and there seems to be a force outside that appears to belong to another Empire. What is going on?"
Xingluo Marquis pounded his fist on the table in front of him, shattering it into pieces. He didn't spare it a glance as he stood up.
"We can't afford to wait passively. We must find a solution."
He paced back and forth, a trace of urgency on his face. Soon, he thought of a person, or rather, a being.
Xingluo Marquis hesitated. Collaborating with non-human races was a serious crime in the Empire, and even as a Marquis, he would face a grim fate.
Whether the Empire could continue to exist was a matter of debate, but for now, the most important thing was to preserve his own life.
With a decision in his heart, Xingluo Marquis retrieved a piece of Bamboo. When activated with energy, it emitted a faint glow, and a voice emanated from within: "Marquis, have you made up your mind?"
"State your conditions!"
Xingluo Marquis's tone was not friendly. Given a choice, who would willingly associate with these non-human races?
The other party didn't seem to mind Xingluo Marquis's attitude, laughing as they said, "Since the Marquis has this idea, it's quite simple. We have only one condition: fifty inhabited Planets!"
Xingluo Marquis's face twitched. Even as a Marquis, he controlled no more than two hundred inhabited Planets. Losing fifty at once would be a severe blow.
Despite the vastness of the Empire, the number of inhabited Planets was limited for each Marquis.
However, if he could exchange fifty inhabited Planets for his safety, Xingluo Marquis gritted his teeth and agreed.
"Very well, now, Marquis, what would you like us to do? As long as the opposing force is not an entire Empire, any faction is manageable. Shadow Hall will unquestionably meet the Marquis's demands."
Shadow Hall was a well-known organization across the Universe, specializing in assassination and accepting contracts from any race. However, their fees were quite high, and not everyone could afford their services.
Inside this organization were exclusively unique Universe races. What was peculiar was that there were no humans in this organization, yet they strangely preferred to conduct business within human-controlled territories.
Xingluo Marquis had received contact with Shadow Hall a long time ago but had never used it until now. With Qihe losing contact, he knew he had no other choice.
"It's a force that calls itself the Red Alert Empire, and I've never heard of this Empire anywhere near the Rota Empire. It's definitely a fake, and my mission is to make this force disappear!"
When mentioning the Red Alert Empire, Xingluo Marquis's face was filled with resentment. If it weren't for this mysteriously appearing Red Alert Empire, he would never have needed to spend fifty inhabited Planets to enlist the services of Shadow Hall.
Most people might not know about any Empires around Rota Empire, but as a Marquis, he was well aware that there was no Empire called the Red Alert Empire in the vicinity.
What caught Xingluo Marquis off guard was the surprised tone from the other side.
Xingluo Marquis frowned, "You know about it?"
"Of course, it's a prime focus of our Shadow Hall. The emergence of this Empire was sudden. By the time we discovered it, the Red Alert Empire had already taken control of a significant territory."
"Even so, it shouldn't pose much of a threat to you."
"Indeed, we've never failed before. Their strength can't even be considered an Empire; they're delusional to claim that title. Hehehe."
Xingluo Marquis didn't appreciate the other's laughter, "I know the rules of your Shadow Hall. I'll hand over five Planets to you, withdraw all the armies from them, and give you the rest after you've completed the mission."
"You truly are a Marquis with a sense of grandeur. Await my good news."
The call ended, and the Bamboo suddenly turned into powder and disappeared.
Su Chen, who was engrossed in playing games, was interrupted by Ju Ling's communication.
"Commander, there have been some individuals from other Planets sneaking into the Planets under our control. They were discovered by our troops, and after psychic interrogation, it was revealed that they are all spies from an organization called Shadow Hall."
"What is Shadow Hall?"
Ju Ling explained everything she knew, and Su Chen raised an eyebrow, "An organization established by non-human races, and they dare to be so audacious in human territories. Have those Empire Emperors lost their minds?"
However, Su Chen quickly remembered one thing: why did the Qiluo Civilization perish? Wasn't it because they discovered the presence of non-humans among high-ranking humans? It seemed that high-ranking humans truly were hard to trust.
The appearance of an organization like Shadow Hall didn't seem surprising upon closer examination.
"Are those spies all from non-human races?"
"No, they are all human, but they've been controlled by Shadow Hall and forced to do their bidding. We've detained them for now. How should we deal with them?"
"Use psychic control to inquire about their past actions and sentence them according to Imperial Law."
After a moment of thought, Su Chen added, "Also, ask them about the whereabouts of Shadow Hall."
He was particularly interested in this organization.
"Commander, they don't know the location of Shadow Hall. Even the Shadow Hall member who controlled them has never been seen by them."
"They are this cautious? It seems it's time to deploy my secret weapons." (To be continued...)
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