I chose the safe house, and the Human Alliance regretted it.

"What do you want to do?" Qi asked.

Wang Wei pondered for a moment: "Forget it, let the Empire make the decision. After all, they are their people."

Wang Wei first used his domain to trap all the dark red air currents on the mining planet, and then contacted the eighteen empires through communication equipment.

His voice echoed simultaneously deep within the capitals of various countries:

"Before chaos descends, you have another choice."

He truthfully explained the effects of the chaotic aura—it could transform a person into an emperor, but at the cost of losing their sense of self.

Killing the mutants would benefit him, but this required someone to be willingly corrupted by the dark red aura.

One person becoming a mutant emperor is equivalent to one hundred billion energy liquids.

He hung up the phone after he finished speaking.

"What do you think they'll do?" Wang Wei asked.

Qi glanced at him: "Don't you already know the answer?"

Wang Wei remained silent.

By giving the choice to these empires, he was essentially making a choice.

The only difference is that he doesn't have to be the "bad guy".

Wang Wei guessed correctly.

But he underestimated the speed at which these empires could execute their plans.

Just moments later, the First Empire's virtual space network released an official announcement, displayed in red at the very top of all information nodes.

——【Emperor-level Trial】.

The announcement was written with great passion and fervor:

The Empire discovered a special trial ground deep in the starry sky. Anyone who passes the trial can become an Emperor.

The trial is of the highest level of danger, with a nine-out-of-ten chance of death.

Volunteers can register now, with a limited number of 100 million participants for the first batch of trial participants.

The virtual network instantly crashed.

"Holy crap, he's directly become an Emperor-level being?"

"This kind of good thing has happened to us?"

"Only a limited number of spots are available, with no other conditions?"

"This is amazing! There are so many restrictions when looking for a job these days..."

The moment the registration channel opened, the number of applicants across the entire empire skyrocketed!

Everyone felt that they were about to be the "lucky one".

Although it's a near-death experience, what if we succeed?

Why can't I be one in ten thousand?

The empire used a trial to disguise a death sentence as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

One hundred million people, lining up to die.

They didn't know what they were signing up for; all they knew was that the words "Emperor-level" were incredibly tempting.

The numbers are still rising.

Sure enough... anything you have the opportunity to participate in is definitely not a good thing.

Be especially cautious when using the word "voluntary" at the beginning!

Meanwhile, deep within the starry sky, that wandering planet had completely disappeared from everyone's sight.

The planet's surface was plunged into eternal night; darkness covered all the ruins and glaciers.

Only a thousand meters underground was illuminated by the warm yellow light of a simulated sunlight system.

More than a million people live in that honeycomb-like underground world, relying on geothermal energy to maintain the temperature and on crops produced in the planting area to sustain their food supply.

Everything was going according to plan—until three days ago, when the planet's speed suddenly began to decrease.

Initially, it was just the "slowing down" curve in the monitoring system that caught the attention of higher management.

Later, even ordinary residents could feel the slight "deceleration" under their feet, like a large vehicle being gently braked.

The inhabitants of the underground world emerged from their rooms and stood in the circular passageway of the Hive Corridor, looking up at the starry sky projected by the simulation system.

The stars have stopped moving. For the past month or so, they could see the stars slowly moving backward in the sky every day they looked up.

But today, those points of light remain fixed in place, like a painting whose edges have been pressed down.

The six speakers stood in the control room, a shocking line of data flashing on the holographic panel in front of them: "Current speed: zero."

"What happened?" The Speaker of Jiangnan City's voice was strained. "The engine is fine, the track is fine. Why did it stop?"

"The engine is operating at 100% power, but the planet itself isn't moving," the chief engineer pointed to the data panel. "It's like something's blocking it."

The Speaker of the Upper Capital Council stared at the "zero speed" reading on the panel for a while: "Is it stopped?"

"It's as if some force in the void is holding it down."

The control room was deathly silent.

"Should we send an SSS-level ability user to explore the surface?" someone suggested. "Or is there any other way we can contact Wang Wei?"

The chief engineer shook his head helplessly.

We've tried every available long-distance communication method, but the signals we sent out disappeared without a trace, like a stone sinking into the sea.

The Speaker of the Capital City Council frowned: "Impossible, there's no resistance in the space... why did it stop...?"

Before he could finish speaking,

"Buzz—"

The ground beneath their feet trembled.

Under the starry sky, the entire planet trembled.

Glaciers on the ground have slid down.

It was like a colossal creature about to awaken, shaking its body.