Star Iron: I, who forged my own armor by hand, ascended to the cycle of reincarnation.

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He wasn't that domineering and unreasonable; on the contrary, what Number 37 said basically received unanimous approval from everyone in the base.

Their initial intention in creating genetically modified androids and Molten Knights was simply to protect their homeland. Under this premise, using genetically modified humans as tools is not surprising.

Because when it comes to protecting our homes, there's no right or wrong, only humanity versus inhumanity.

Taking a deep breath, Chen Jie returned to his laboratory, silently waiting for the materials to be delivered.

A short while later, the laboratory door was opened. Within this experimental facility, any laboratory door could be opened by anyone, as locks were not permitted.

However, the individual rest rooms within the laboratory can be locked.

"Put it in the corner, thank you for your hard work."

After thanking the two researchers who were operating the transport robots, everything seemed to be returning to normal.

Dust was living a comfortable life in the laboratory, with Li Lei continuing to impart his knowledge generously, and the rest of the laboratory staff were also busy in an orderly manner.

This continued for three years. During those three years, Chen Jie never saw Liu Ying again. It wasn't that he didn't want to see her, but that Liu Ying never came back.

That's why he occasionally inquires about the damage suffered by the original group of cyborgs, and that's also why Researcher No. 37 just said what he did.

He knew that after the Firefly training, she would be immediately sent to the battlefield, but three years at a time seemed a bit strange.

This peace was shattered three years later.

"Lord Dust Calamity, the Molten Knights on the front lines have suffered heavy casualties. I urge you and everyone to expedite the production of a new batch of Molten Knights."

Chapter 9 Entrustment

Over the past three years, Chen Jie's appearance has remained virtually unchanged; the only difference is that he has grown a mustache.

"Heavy losses, has the Zerg swarm launched a full-scale attack or something else?"

The two exchanged a glance, making no attempt to conceal their emotions. In that instant, the complex emotions in their eyes were taken in by Chen Jie, transformed into a mass of data, and then reassembled.

Since their emergence, the swarm has launched a second major offensive, comparable in scale to or even exceeding the first, or something to that effect.

Chen Jie adjusted his glasses, his eyes filled with seriousness.

He had seen the PV for "Firefly," and he knew very well what the ending was.

According to the information he received, the Zerg swarm launched a massive attack, and Grammer did not reduce its defensive lines but instead launched a similarly large-scale offensive.

What follows is not a war of attrition, but a war of attrition.

"This is enough to show that Grammer's population and land have begun to collapse completely, and the lost territories are completely irretrievable. Therefore, the desperate struggle has yielded a turning point towards victory."

"Large numbers of normal people either died maintaining logistics or were killed by the true swarms of insects that had escaped to the front lines. Vast amounts of territory were lost, and even the idea of ​​rebuilding was abandoned. This is what is known as scorched earth warfare."

He had also learned something about why Grammer and the Queen perished before the Fireflies, something that Liray had intentionally brought him into contact with.

In the past three years, he hadn't stayed away from this experimental base. On the contrary, under Lire's deliberate tutelage, he had become second only to the leader and above thousands of others within the base.

Lire had taken him out a year ago, and he hadn't gone out much in the past year, but every time he inquired about the battle reports from the front, they were all about great victories.

Even if some remaining True Hibernation Insects managed to break through into the city, the situation would remain the same. It wouldn't take many more dust tribulations to confirm that the frontline situation was completely locked down—at least not something he could know at the moment.

Lirei took him out of the experimental base so that he could take over his position, and this position wouldn't just be the leader of the experimental base.

In the Republic of Grammer, the Empress is nominally in control, with ten councilors as advisors, one of whom, Lire, holds considerable influence.

However, the reality is quite the opposite: the Queen is merely a tool, the senators are the ones who wield power, and even the Queen herself was created by Lire.

The reason why Grammer and the Queen died first, leaving only Firefly, and thus prompting her to become the genetically modified Queen, is most likely because the senator saw victory in the war against the Zerg in sight.

The insect plague is a crisis, but those guys also see it as an opportunity. Those power-hungry individuals will inevitably start infighting, ultimately leading to assassinations.

And Leary, the genius who created the Grammer cavalry and genetically modified humans, his mentor, would certainly be the first to be assassinated.

Lillard represents the biggest destabilizing factor. No one knows if he might be hiding extremely dangerous scientific research results, so if an assassination attempt were to occur, Lillard might not be the first to die, but he would definitely be the first to be targeted.

Finally, Lire's death ignited the civil war, determining who, or even just one person, would ultimately control the Empress to achieve their insatiable greed for power.

"Power, it seems, is something that can lead people astray in any world."

"Those councilors are a bunch of lunatics! The population and land are collapsing completely, and they still want to fight for power?! Are they planning to use the Molten Knights as an invasion force after victory?!"

Dust Calamity frowned, shook off his thoughts, and began to operate the control panel. He couldn't control these things; from the moment the genetically modified humans and the Molten Knights appeared, the fate of this planet was basically sealed.

Soon, the robotic arm began to scoop up the dead true stinging insects that had been placed on the ground.

Among these corpses, some were relatively intact, such as those whose heads had been twisted off in one fell swoop, or those who died from penetrating wounds; these were relatively well-preserved.

Most of them looked like they had been dismembered, broken and tattered, oozing a green liquid that was disgusting and smelly. Fortunately, Chen Jie had gotten used to the smell.

The robotic arm operated rhythmically, and Chen Jie, with an unwavering expression, controlled it to extract usable parts. These usable parts would be used to create and repair the Molten Knight.

The unusable part, to put it simply, is the DNA extracted from the juice for use in genetically modified humans.

After setting up the program, Chen Jie didn't keep a close eye on the robotic arm's operation. Instead, he leaned back in his recliner to rest, letting the robotic arm operate on its own.

Suddenly, a clanging sound...

"Something fell out? And it wasn't corroded by the gastric juices of the true stinging insect?"

Chen Jie became interested and stood up from his chair. When he could clearly see what it was through the projection, he froze, his pupils contracting rapidly.

The next moment, he shut down the device, put on the necklace, and left his laboratory, running straight towards his mentor Lire's office.

Along the way, Chen Jie quickened his pace without stopping, ignoring the strange looks from those around him, and headed straight for Li Lei's office.

The researchers around them glanced at Chen Jie with some surprise at his hurried pace, but it was only for a moment before they returned to their work.

As Chen Jie approached the familiar office door, it opened before he could even knock.

"Dust Calamity, come in."

A weary and aged voice rang out the instant the door opened. Chen Jie's eyes flickered slightly; it seemed his teacher already knew his purpose.

The office door closed automatically after entering, just like during the "interview" back then. Dust Calamity saw Li Lei.

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The old man's eyes had lost their former sharpness, replaced by weariness, confusion, and even a hint of bewilderment. His body slumped against the back of his chair, staring at the dust and calamity.

"Child, you are very smart. There are many things I don't need to say. For example, right now, you and I both know what the other is thinking."

"You must have pieced together a lot of ideas from those materials that were sent back, right? You're starting to worry about that cyborg? The first cyborg you created."

"Although you treated the cyborgs much better than others, and even gave them 'names,' I can see that your attitude towards them is different from your attitude towards that 'little girl' named Firefly."

"As a teacher, I have always been curious and even puzzled: how can a teacher who treats cyborgs as tools raise a student who has a kind heart even towards tools?"

Dust Calamity remained silent, placing the necklace on Lire's desk. The moment Lire saw the necklace, his pupils constricted sharply, and his body hunched over even more.

"I didn't expect you to have already made up your mind? Even if it means abandoning your home planet."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie's body trembled violently. "Teacher, you are not wrong in thinking about protecting our homeland."

"However, people are different. Some people's greed for power is unimaginable, while others scoff at it."

Lire suddenly chuckled, his voice hoarse and tinged with a hint of a sob.

"Have you thought of all this already? I'm getting old, I really am getting old, I'm almost at my breaking point, child."

"But thankfully, God sent you to me, giving me a glimmer of hope. My child, only someone with your character can lead Grammer to glory."

Chapter 10 Choice

At this moment, Lire's gaze was burning with fervor, for when the insect plague had struck Grammer when he was just over 20 years old.

At the age of 28, he developed the Molten Knight, but the Molten Knight had extremely low compatibility with humans; the DNA of those who wore the Molten Knight would collapse within a few days.

Then, at the age of thirty, he created genetically modified humans, creatures capable of almost perfect control over the Molten Knights. Although short-lived, they were mass-producible and more durable.

Thanks to the combined efforts of humans and the Molten Knights, the most difficult period was overcome. However, this resulted in massive human casualties and the loss of vast territories in Grammer. Even when reclaimed, these areas were scorched wastelands unfit for human habitation.

Now in his seventies, he has reached the end of his short lifespan, but as a pioneer in the field of DNA research, he is not without ways to extend his lifespan.

But that was something he couldn't accept at the time, because the words of the wise man that he couldn't save Grammer completely extinguished the vibrant spirit of that proud young man.

Now, whether or not his lifespan is extended is no longer important to him; things have long since deviated from his expectations.

The wise and learned refused to protect his home planet, Grammer.

The star god glanced at him because of his talent, and also rejected him because of his talent.

The probability of Grammer's demise, given the computational power of that great being, is 99.9%, which is tantamount to 100%.

Suddenly, the silent Li Lei looked at Chen Jie and said, "One in a hundred percent, child, I believe you are one in that one in a hundred percent probability. Judging from your performance, I have no doubt about it!"

"Your exterior is colder than anyone else's, but your heart is filled with kindness. You would never show kindness to those who are greedy for power! You would only raise the knife of the silent ones against them!"

"You are Grammer's hope, my choice! Grammer is also your homeworld!"

Lire's words struck like a giant bell, making Dustfall's head buzz.

A probability of 0.1 percent? What kind of probability is that? The probability of Grammer surviving? He knew very well that his teacher didn't have the ability to calculate this probability, so there was only one answer.

Based on the situation, did your teacher reject [intellectual knowledge]?

Suddenly, a sentence echoed in Chen Jie's mind, and that voice was none other than the voice of the original Flame Dragon Armor from several years ago.

As a warrior of light, protecting this land is your duty. Feel the spirit and vitality of this land, and then go and guard it.

Dust Calamity's pupils contracted, his heart trembling.

It all made sense now. Yanlong's attitude, words, and actions from a few years ago, combined with the voice that suddenly rang in my mind...

Yanlong already knew Grammer's fate, but he chose not to tell him, wanting to see his own choice.

Only when his heart begins to lean towards Grammer can he hear these words, and only then can he truly harness the power of the "Hokage Stone".

This is a test! A test of the heart by the light! Only when the heart is in the right state can the power of light be used perfectly.

After figuring it out, Chen Jie couldn't help but give a wry smile. "Teacher, do you also enjoy watching my choices?"

Lire remained silent, neither denying nor admitting it, but in Dust's eyes, this was tacit agreement.

Furthermore, Chen Jie understood this even better than Li Lei. After all, who chooses an heir arbitrarily? Especially one with such a heavy burden.

“Child, you could have used the laboratory's location tracking of the Molten Knight to confirm the location and physical condition of that ‘little girl,’ but you still chose to tell this old man. That’s why I made up my mind.”