"Sixteenth-level developmental potential, enough to completely tear apart Jingnan Star!"
Tear apart? Destroy a star? A shudder ran through Li Ming’s heart.
Feder turned pale, "Duke Bai Ye of Sela, a person from the Yitelan Civilization, once the capital of Blue Star is torn apart, it will incite uncontrollable panic throughout the Silver Star Cluster."
The Torch’s plan exceeded Li Ming’s expectations; he had thought the Torch merely wanted to cause a massive slaughter, but it turned out to be even bigger than he had imagined.
Directly destroying a star!
Wiping out every life form on a planet is utterly different from actually destroying the planet.
"This is impossible!" Feder tried to regain his composure, his voice firm, "Even Class A life forms can’t do it; the energy required is far too immense."
Good, well said, draw more words out of him, Li Ming silently cheered Feder on.
"Arrogant fools, the Yitelan Civilization is but dust in the vast universe, you have no idea, there are many things you have not seen." Caroline’s eyes held a scornful look.
"Superpower Istanbul, a life form famous even in subordinate dimensions, wherever it appears, let alone planets, it has even destroyed star systems."
Caroline’s eyes glowed with fervor as she related the great deeds of Istanbul.
"What it likes most is life forms with extremely high developmental potential; pleasing it could make it absorb the entire planet into its body."
"It is destined: the appearance of Li Ming, the change in situation, step by step pushing to this level." Caroline continued to speak:
"Originally, we just wanted to ignite the flames of war between two civilizations, but later, as more and more significant figures gathered, we realized this was a rare opportunity."
"Later, we even discovered Li Ming, this guy with sixteenth-level developmental potential."
"Um..." Li Ming tried to say, "I have a suggestion, why not use resources to develop me, once I have grown, I’ll be more valuable."
"Too risky." Caroline shook her head, "We did consider this, had your developmental potential been a bit lower, we might have actually done so, but unfortunately..."
Meanwhile, Feder was profusely cursing inside his mind, having long lost his initial calmness, filled with extreme regret.
"However, before completely destroying this planet, there are some tasks to attend to." Caroline shook her head, staring at the alloy walls in front of her.
This was the core area of Wu Yanqing’s domain, naturally using extremely strong alloy, and she wasn’t at her peak state; it would indeed take some time to break through.
"Li Ming, hurry up and kill yourself!" Feder suddenly spoke in a low voice.
Then, without any warning, bang!
Feder’s entire body slammed against the wall, his facial features squeezed together, coughing up large mouthfuls of blood.
"Quick!" He squeezed a few words from his throat, Caroline instructed someone to prop him up, Feder’s voice faltering: "Quick... hurry... this is the only... the only chance."
Li Ming looked at him like he was idiotic.
Caroline sneered, "Really a fool."
"His woman, his senior fellow, his friends are all in my hands; dare he kill himself?"
"When the planet is destroyed, everyone will die anyway," Feder said through gritted teeth, blood in his mouth, dragged like a dead dog.
"Since we are the planners, naturally we also have ways to evacuate." Caroline looked at Li Ming: "You will cooperate, right?"
"I’ll cooperate," Li Ming said calmly, then pointing at Feder, asked: "Aren’t you going to kill him?"
"You claim not to slaughter the innocent indiscriminately, destroying this planet will kill countless innocents," Li Ming said, "You really turned into a terrorist organization, you have always posed as rebels."
Li Ming’s words seemed to genuinely stump Caroline; she pondered for a long time, then said lightly, "It’s a necessary sacrifice."
"Understood." Li Ming nodded, his expression ambiguous: "Someone always has to sacrifice, slogans are just slogans."
"What do you know!" Caroline became furiously embarrassed, her hands attached to the wall, water flowing over, seemingly calm, yet the underground laboratory began to shake.
There was still a lot of preparation to be done, but the Thunder Hormuz sacrifice failed, and his whereabouts were also discovered, forcing a move directly to the last step.
About ten minutes later, Caroline took a deep breath, coughed a few times, and a hole was broken into the underground laboratory.
"Act according to plan." Members of the Torch Organization quickly entered through the hole.
They also entered the underground laboratory, where Torch members were downloading experiment data while searching for various items.
Li Ming’s gaze swept over the items placed on the wall.
Someone was etching a special pattern on the ground, tangled yet following some kind of rule. From Li Ming’s experience, this was probably something like a "sacrificial array."
Feder was dragged to the side and was slapped several times, and in front of the camera, Torch seemed to want him to say something, then record it.
But Feder stubbornly refused to comply, and he was beaten quite miserably.
"Messenger..." someone came forward to report, "We’ve retrieved Wu Yanqing’s experiment data, but found nothing on the research of sublimation particles."
"Nothing?" Caroline’s brow furrowed, "Are you sure there are no omissions?"
"There are no omissions." The other shook their head.
Caroline thought for a moment, glanced at Li Ming, and ordered quietly, "Pack up all the downloaded data, and after the sacrifice begins, I will lift the signal block and send out the data."
"Understood." The people from Torch were busy.
The speed of etching the sacrificial array on the ground was very slow; it had to be done by hand, without any instruments or equipment.
"Can this sacrifice fail?" Li Ming kept pondering, and although he roughly had a plan, he needed to confirm one thing.
"It cannot fail," Caroline said firmly.
"About the previous sacrifice of that Thunder Hormuz..." His words were cut off by Caroline’s harsh interruption, "That was an accident!"
That part of the body, turned into char, subtly had red electrical arcs surging.
"I was just curious," Li Ming explained.
Caroline regained her composure, "You seem very calm. You think someone will come to save you? Don’t fantasize about stalling for time."
"If the sacrifice fails, will Superpower Istanbul be extremely angry, then likewise destroy this planet?" Li Ming said again.
"You still want to live?" Caroline laughed, as if mocking Li Ming’s ignorance, "Do not try to guess the intentions of dimensional life forms with those of ordinary life forms."
"For us, the destruction of this planet is devastation, but for Superpower Istanbul, it is a blessing, a privilege."
"Dimensional life forms need to expend a great amount of energy to affect the real universe from a lower-dimensional power."
Li Ming pondered, "That is to say, even if it fails, it won’t do anything because that would be the greatest punishment for us."
It matched what he had guessed. If the sacrifice were to fail and still cause great destruction, then such a ritual might as well be a pinpoint nuclear bomb, one that goes undetected.
"The red light column from last time, does it mean that Thunder Hormuz was very angry?" Li Ming brought up the old matter.
"Don’t mention that incident again." Caroline’s green vertical pupils rested on Li Ming, ominously cold.
"Won’t mention it, won’t mention it..." Li Ming stepped back, but he continued scheming in his mind.
Since the failure of the sacrifice won’t have any serious consequences, he was relieved.
His so-called potential, boosted by the speed of the development of Controlled Objects, was nothing once removed; he would just be a mere mortal.
Superpower Istanbul definitely wouldn’t be interested in him.
Li Ming looked around, estimating the distances in each direction.
"I, the son of Prince Bai Jiang, Baron of Yitelan Civilization, will never submit to you!" Feder shouted, his face covered in blood.
He turned out to be tough, which quite surprised Li Ming.
"Execute him," Caroline frowned slightly, "If he is unwilling to cooperate, execute him. And remember to record the process, send it out together later."
"Ha ha..." Feder looked almost deranged, "So what? If you dare destroy this planet, you are seeking your own death. Sooner or later, you will be completely eradicated, just like your race."
Initially unresponsive, Caroline’s pupils suddenly dilated, coldly watching Feder.
"Kill him slowly, make sure he suffers properly; I want let him watch Superpower Istanbul tear apart this planet in agony and despair!"
Li Ming kept silent, Caroline did not mind, after all this person was under her control and couldn’t cause any disturbance, probably resigned to his fate now.