Marshal, Please Calm Down (MARSHAL)
With just one day left before Wu Zimo and the others returned to the territory of the Federation, Rocard suddenly sent an urgent message to Scott through a top-secret channel.
At that moment, Scott was having a meal with Wu Zimo in their room.
And when he saw the document transmitted on his Light Brain, his entire demeanor changed immediately.
Wu Zimo, unaware of what had happened, put down his utensils and looked at Scott with concern when he noticed the sudden tension in his expression.
"What's going on?"
Wu Zimo had heard the sound of the incoming message, so he was worried that something unexpected had occurred. At the same time, he muttered to himself that he hoped he wasn’t being a jinx.
Scott turned his head and saw the anxiety in Wu Zimo's eyes. Suppressing the anger in his heart, he spoke, "The Zerg are attacking."
"What?!"
Relieved that it wasn’t an issue with the Mola Empire, Wu Zimo’s concern shifted to the fact that the Zerg, an even more dangerous enemy, had emerged.
"What’s going on? After they were repelled from the border last time, haven’t they been quiet?"
Since Scott’s last encounter with that Intelligent Insect, which he had killed, the frontlines between the Federation and the Zerg had been relatively calm, with only occasional skirmishes against some low-level Zerg.
Everyone had assumed that the Zerg had been intimidated by Scott, the Federation War God, and wouldn’t dare provoke the Federation again anytime soon.
And this seemed to be the case, as the last piece of intelligence Wu Zimo intercepted from the Zerg was a command to retreat.
They had thought the border would remain peaceful for a few years, but now, less than half a year later, those ferocious Zerg were making a comeback.
The fact that Scott was taking this so seriously indicated that the Zerg’s invasion this time was no trivial matter.
And Scott's next words confirmed Wu Zimo’s suspicions.
"The Federation has received the latest intelligence from the Gader civilization. The Mother Zerg, which has been hiding in the Dark Star Domain, has shown signs of movement."
"No way?!"
Wu Zimo had read about the Gader civilization in the Federation’s interstellar history.
It was located far from the Federation and possessed technology far more advanced than theirs.
When the Federation first engaged in battle with the Zerg, a common enemy of all intelligent life in the universe, they had received assistance from Gader. However, Gader was too distant to provide immediate help, and they had a more critical responsibility: monitoring the Mother Zerg in the Dark Star Domain.
Because this was the greatest threat to intelligent life in the universe.
The Mother Zerg was enormous, so it rarely moved.
Typically, the high-level Zerg it produced, such as the Intelligent Zerg, which was no less intelligent than humans, were the ones commanding the attacks.
Of course, it was the Federation that first discovered the existence of the Intelligent Zerg and reported it to the entire universe. Because of this, other advanced civilizations began to watch for the presence of a small, white Zerg during their battles with the Zerg.
Many civilizations in the universe were more advanced than the Federation. And with this warning, they quickly captured live Intelligent Zergs, and through research, gained a deeper understanding of the Zerg, these inter-dimensional enemies.
The Federation’s discovery significantly boosted its presence among the advanced civilizations and elevated the status of this nascent civilization in the cosmic community.
As soon as there was a new discovery on their side, they immediately sent the information to the Federation and ensured mutual exchange.
After listening to Scott's words, Wu Zimo's expression also darkened.
The Zerg were different from the disgusting tactics of the Mola Empire—while the latter was merely repulsive, the former was downright deadly.
"We need to hurry back."
"Mm."
Wu Zimo nodded.
This was not the time for them to leisurely wander around.
With the massive Zerg army pressing on the borders, it wasn’t just the Federation that was targeted; all fronts that had engaged with the Zerg would face their overwhelming forces.
The Mola Empire, for its part, was no longer focused on monitoring their group. Even the chaos within their own borders was ignored as the royal family directly issued a nationwide emergency mobilization order and deployed most of their soldiers to the borderlines.
The last battle with the Zerg had resulted in heavy losses due to the arrogance of some Mola generals and the royal family. This time, they dared not act recklessly and instead prepared their strongest forces to confront the Zerg army.
The Federation, too, was not idle. However, unlike the Mola Empire, which was hastily trying to divert domestic attention, the Federation was far more organized.
The Heaven Wrath Corps had never relaxed its vigilance against the Zerg. So, facing this massive Zerg invasion, not only was the entire Heaven Wrath Corps mobilized, but a significant portion of Bia’s Corps was also deployed to the frontlines.
The vacant positions left by the withdrawal of patrol forces along the Mola Empire's border were filled by soldiers from the Garrison Corps.
To counter the sheer numbers of the Zerg army, the Federation's three major corps underwent extensive reorganization and redeployment.
As the Zerg army approached, Xuanyuan Chengtian, the President, did not conceal the situation.
The entire Federation was immediately aware of the tension at the borders, especially after seeing the dense swarm of Zerg in videos. Those with weaker nerves were nearly brought to tears.
While many were worried, even more were filled with fighting spirit, particularly the veterans who inquired if there were any shortages in military manpower.
They were ready to take up arms at any moment to defend the Federation and their homeland.
Some even organized voluntary donations of funds and supplies, and was eager to contribute to the Federation's efforts.
The Federation's public response greatly satisfied Xuanyuan Chengtian and his team.
A nationwide speech was held to reassure the citizens that the frontline soldiers would protect the Federation.
On Scott's side, after deciding not to delay any further, he immediately ordered the Alman Battleship to initiate Warp Speed Travel.
The Alman Battleship was already the fastest in the Federation, and with the latest system developed by Wu Zimo, it became even swifter.
What originally would have taken a day to rendezvous with Bokal now took less than four hours. As they exited the Subspace of Warp Speed Travel, Wu Zimo saw the Federation insignia emblazoned on the hulls of a large fleet of warships ahead.
"We're back."
Setting foot in their homeland again, Wu Zimo felt a slight sense of relief. However, as he looked at the massive fleet ahead, his heart couldn’t help but tense up once more because he know that the battles to come would be even more perilous.
As soon as the Alman Battleship exited Subspace and reestablished external communications, a communication request immediately appeared on the bridge's main screen.
"Marshal, it's a communication request from General Bokal."
"Patch it through."
"Yes."
Bokal was originally a major general and spent most of his time training newcomers in the rear.
He would only come out to execute missions if there were special orders, such as the last time he rescued Scott.
After his awakening, Bokal had a conversation with Marshal Moutri of Bia's Corps, which finally ignited his fighting spirit. In a short period, he was promoted from Major General to Lieutenant General.
To be honest, Bokal's abilities are not bad at all; it's just that his mind sometimes gets stuck.
The communication was quickly established.
On the screen, Bokal, now in his Lieutenant General's uniform, stood tall and serious, a far cry from the frivolous and casual demeanor Wu Zimo remembered.
His tone with Scott was also very formal, which made Wu Zimo take notice.
This guy has really changed a lot.
However, this version of Bokal finally showed a glimpse of what it means to be the highest commander of a corps. Even if Bokal remained the same in private, at least he could put on a show in front of others.
"At the early hours of Federation time today, the low-level Zerg patrolling the border suddenly retreated. And before the front-line monitoring soldiers could detect any issues, a massive number of low-level Zerg were spotted in the remote monitoring."
As Bokal reported, the images that were brought up made Wu Zimo gasp.
The number of low-level Zerg in the images was overwhelming as they were densely packed in large swathes. Even without a fear of clusters, Wu Zimo felt goosebumps rising.
"Moreover, not just in the D1 region, but in the C12, G3, and W14 regions, the number of Zerg gathered at these critical points is even more massive."
Wu Zimo didn't know what these regions Bokal mentioned were, but Scott was very clear.
These regions were the most important gateways on the Federation's front line.
If these regions were breached, the Federation's homeland would be in great danger.
At that moment, three communication requests came in simultaneously on the bridge.
"Marshal, it's the Old Marshal, Marshal Moutri, and Marshal Xuanyuan's communication requests."
"Connect."
"Yes!"
Bokal on the other end of the communication also heard the communicator's words from Scott's side and paused as his expression tightened even more.
Soon, the large screen on the bridge was divided into four sections, and the communication switched to a conference mode to allow all five individuals to see each other.
Three current corps marshals, one retired old marshal, and the next marshal heir—this meeting would undoubtedly shock some people.
But now, everyone's mood was heavy, and there was no time wasted on pleasantries.
Old Marshal Alman spoke directly, "I will lead the troops to defend the C12 region."
With Old Marshal Alman taking the lead, the other two marshals were not to be outdone.
Although Marshal Xuanyuan was the marshal of the Garrison Corps, it didn't mean her abilities were inferior to the other two.
"Then I'll take charge of the D1 and G3 regions."
These two regions were the closest to the Federation's homeland.
Although there were two regions, the number of Zerg appearing there was the least among these critical points, and the Garrison Corps could handle it.
"Haha, then I'll go and defend the W14 region. The front line will be left to you, Scott and Bokal." Marshal Moutri had no objections to taking on the last critical point.
As Marshal Moutri had mentioned, Scott and his team were burdened with heavy responsibilities.
The Zerg forces on the front lines were at least several times larger than those at the four key passes. It was impossible for him to command the front lines while also keeping an eye on the other four regions.
Upon learning of the massive Zerg presence at the four passes, the three of them instinctively knew what needed to be done without prior discussion.
After quickly assigning tasks, it was clear that this battle must succeed, for behind them were countless citizens of the Federation.
Once the tasks were allocated, Wu Zimo, who had been quiet all along, timidly raised his hand and spoke up.
"Um..."
Wu Zimo's voice was soft, but everyone immediately turned to look at him.
"Ahem."
Being stared at by these individuals, whose mere footsteps could shake the entire Federation, was indeed overwhelming.
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