A is in StarCraft, just disembarked from the Zerg Prince spaceship.

***********

......

Grand Palace of the Liernia Empire, Council Hall.

In preparation for the upcoming New Year celebrations, the entire Grand Palace was decorated in a magnificent and luxurious style.

The council hall, where ministers gather, is decorated with utmost care.

The enormous dome and crystal chandelier were spotless, and the walls were adorned with countless rare and precious bouquets. The air was filled with the scent of expensive incense and flowers.

When the Insect King summoned Orion, Orion went directly from the Hall of the Noble Council to the Royal Palace Council Hall to meet him.

The Insect King sat on the enormous throne atop the steps at the far end of the hall.

The Insect King dressed up in his finest attire for this celebration.

He wore a heavy royal robe adorned with various jewels and tassels, and a tall iris crown. His meticulously groomed appearance accentuated his refined features, making him appear as a divine youth seated on a cloud.

It's just that the clothes don't quite fill out.

The heavy formal attire made him appear even more frail, exuding an inescapable sense of weakness.

Orion entered and walked straight to the throne.

He placed one hand on his chest at the foot of the steps before the throne, bowed deeply, and performed a respectful greeting.

"Greetings, Your Majesty," Orion said in a charming tone, "It's so good to see that you are still in good health."

Whatever you're going to say, give them face first.

The Insect King was very satisfied.

Orion always speaks so sweetly.

He's just not like that little beast, the Crown Prince.

"Orien, with the celebration approaching and matters numerous, I summoned you here to inquire about the progress of the tasks you were previously in charge of."

How's the promotion of the "power-enhancing drug" going?

Have those weaker races decided to pledge allegiance to me?

Has my army of billions been assembled?

What's the status of restrictions on the princelings?

And how badly has the establishment of diplomatic relations with the Federation of Humans been disrupted?

Having mastered the art of persuasion, Orion reiterated the promises he had made to the nobleman, putting his mind at ease:

"Your Majesty, everything is going according to plan and progressing very smoothly."

"Firstly, regarding the Human Federation. Through various means, I have successfully amplified the contradictions among the Human Federation's high command regarding resource allocation. Internal strife among humans is now a foregone conclusion, and the establishment of diplomatic relations will sooner or later become merely a formality. It is not impossible to directly destroy the Human Federation as a result."

A hint of satisfaction flashed in the Insect King's eyes, and he nodded reservedly.

Orion continued, "The production of the enhancement drug is far exceeding expectations. The secret labs are operating at full capacity, and initial results are already visible."

"Through the guidance of the drug, we have proven the power of this force, which is sufficient to exert substantial pressure on the princelings."

"Just last night, I personally orchestrated a major strike against the Crown Prince's faction! The Crown Prince's most trusted henchman, the leader of the Crown Prince's faction, Bishenmantis, has been successfully captured by us."

"What?!" The Insect King suddenly straightened up, overjoyed. "You captured Bishenmantis?!"

If even Bishammantis can be captured, then who can't be captured?

The power-enhancing drug is indeed powerful!

The major problem that had been troubling him for so long was actually solved just like that.

"Absolutely true, Your Majesty." Orion bowed slightly and smiled. "At this moment, Bishenmantis is under strict guard. The Crown Prince's army is nothing to fear and cannot possibly contend with our strength."

Old man, have fun.

"Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!" The Insect King exclaimed excitedly, "Well done, Orion! You truly deserve to be the Second Prince of the Empire!"

"Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty."

The Insect King waved his hand with satisfaction, as if bestowing a favor: "Not bad, go and prepare for the celebration."

He doesn't even know how to win people's hearts.

"Yes, Your Majesty. I take my leave." Orion bowed respectfully once again.

Then he turned and walked out along the deep red carpet.

After turning his back to the Insect King, Orion's respectful expression vanished instantly.

He sneered.

This idiot still thinks this will be a peaceful celebration.

Such a stupid thing, no wonder everyone looks down on him.

He should just cling to his stolen throne and his fantasies and enjoy these last moments.

Yes, you are safe. Don't run away.

Just you wait, you old man.

Once that brat Crown Prince eliminates the nobles, he'll immediately come and take his dog's life.

......

As Orion stepped out of the palace corridor where the council hall was located, his personal computer suddenly lit up, receiving an encrypted communication request from the Federation of Humanity.

Before he left, he left a gravitational wave communicator for the Alliance Director.

Orion didn't stop, and found a secluded corner in a spacious courtyard corridor.

He answered the call, held the screen to his ear, and turned the volume down to the lowest setting: "Feed?"

That was indeed the Alliance Director over there.

The Alliance Director said, "Your Highness Orion, breaking news: the Crown Prince has returned to Liernia, but the Crown Princess did not accompany him; he remained on Earth!"

Orion's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

He slowly raised his head and said with great interest, "Oh?"

The Alliance Director continued, "We also thought this was a great opportunity, but the Crown Prince left his adjutant, Bambo, as well as two fully-equipped female guard legions—the Crown Prince's Guard and the Crown Princess's Guard—to protect the Crown Princess on Earth."

"The female army is too powerful; our men can't handle them. What should we do now? Your Highness, do you have a plan? Could you send two more troops over?"

Orion stood still as the sun rose, casting shadows from the high dome of the palace corridors.

He stood in the shadows, like a cluster of will-o'-the-wisps suddenly ignited.

A few seconds later.

"snort."

A low laugh suddenly broke the silence of the corridor.

He slowly raised his head and looked out into the corridor at the vast palace shrouded in a celebratory atmosphere.

Ah, isn't this a golden opportunity?

No need to fight the legion anymore, we can directly subdue the Crown Prince.

......

*********

......

When the Crown Prince passed through the wormhole, he met with the commander of the Third Army Corps, who was guarding the wormhole, and made some arrangements.

Carlo entered, and the Crown Prince greeted him: "Carlo."

"Your Highness!" Chief of Staff Carlo immediately straightened his back and gave a standard military salute.

"The situation has changed." The Crown Prince cut to the chase. "The Crown Princess is staying in the Human Federation, and her safety is being handled by two Royal Guard units from Bambo. Your mission remains the same: keep watch on this door."

He drew a circle on the star map of the wormhole portal: "Effective immediately, double the perimeter of the alert zone, triple the patrol density on the outer perimeter, and activate the highest level of scanning and identification protocol."

"The Crown Princess has stayed with the humans, protected by two guards. As long as the nobles' private armies can't get through, the Crown Princess is safe."

"Carlo, the task of intercepting the noble army here is entrusted to you. Declare martial law and say that the wormhole is unstable these days and needs to be inspected. During this period, no worms from Liernia are allowed to pass through."

Carlo stood at attention and answered loudly, "Understood, Your Highness!"

"The Third Legion vows to defend the passage to the death! Martial law must be declared immediately! The Third Legion is here; there is no gap before the wormhole's entrance!"

Upon receiving the order, the Dragonfly Legion was like a war machine being activated, instantly unleashing even greater energy.

More warships spewed eerie blue flames from their engines and sailed toward more distant warning coordinates.

Dense scanning beams intertwined to form a net, completely enveloping the stargate and its surrounding airspace.

All approaching civilian or non-military vessels were forcefully sent back.

The absolute barrier constructed by the Air Force's Dragonfly Army crashed down in front of the wormhole!

Blue trusted the Dragonfly Army and left the wormhole without lingering.

The Prince's ship transformed into a silver meteor, tearing through the deep sky as it sped toward the heart of the empire, the central star.

......

At dawn, the Crown Prince returned to the central star.

The Prince-class destroyer has just docked at the airport.

The Crown Prince stepped off the gangway and onto the ground of the central star.

A communications officer suddenly rushed to him, his face ashen, and handed him a communicator with both hands: "Your Highness! Urgent message! From Chief of Staff Bishen's adjutant!"

Lan's heart sank. She grabbed the communicator and pressed answer.

"Carbein".

"Your Highness..." The almost suffocating gasps of Lieutenant Bishen came from the other end of the communication line. There was the sound of wind in the background, indicating that they were outdoors, and the creaking sound of some kind of metal door being blown by the wind.

The Crown Prince immediately recognized the name as the outermost wrought iron flower gate of the Bishen Manor and had a bad feeling: "What happened?"

The adjutant seemed unable to speak, his voice choked with emotion: "Mantis Manor..."

"What happened at Mantis Manor?! Speak up!"

The adjutant stood before the Mantis Manor, surveying the devastated courtyard: "The protective shield is deactivated, the main gate is open, and the courtyard... there are numerous trampling marks. The main gate is broken, and mantis corpses are everywhere. So many of our brothers, not a single one survived..."

He tried his best to explain the situation clearly, but he couldn't help but choke up: "The Mantis Manor is wide open, and our patriarch is missing. Your Highness, please be prepared. We fear that our patriarch has been captured or murdered."

The phrase "the gates were wide open" is enough to describe just how bad the situation was.

Mantis Manor is a no-entry zone and its protective shield is never turned off.

The Crown Prince gripped the communicator so tightly that it trembled slightly.

The communicator cracked with a snap.

Calm down, calm down, sort this out, sort this out.

The Mantis family's defenses were breached silently and inexplicably.

The Mantis Manor was in complete disarray, with numerous signs of trespassing... Bishen was missing, his fate unknown, and Lu Jianan was presumably with him...

Who can do that?

It must be the nobles who have made a move against Mantis Manor.

Although we don't know how they did it, with so many signs of invasion, it must have been a large army.

Besides his legions, Lyrnia's army consisted only of the private armies of nobles.

......

The Crown Prince made a decisive decision.

These damned bastards.

What celebration? What New Year?

Nobody can get away with this.

If Bishen dies, he'll dig up their ancestral graves for eight generations.

"Pass on the order!" Lan abruptly raised her head and gave the command, her words as decisive and forceful as a drawn sword:

"Objective changed! Operation Dawn Break, the final battle, launched ahead of schedule! All legions to move simultaneously! Depart immediately!"

"Arrest all noble council members and their core family members involved in the rebellion! Expand outwards until the entire country is covered! Thoroughly eliminate the noble council rebellion group. Act immediately, and if resistance is encountered, behead them on the spot!"

Before the celebration even began.

The council of nobles is now usually held in the Grand Chamber of the Royal Palace.

If you want to flip the table, then flip it; let's see who can flip it the best.

"Central Star's army, follow me! Fully armed! We're going to raze the council hall!"

He took a step forward, boarded the hovercar, and personally directed the troops to wipe out the parliamentary hall, the core of aristocratic power.

......

As soon as the Crown Prince issued the order, the entire territory of Liernia was instantly set ablaze!

"Charge them—!"

On this day, countless legions prepared and deployed throughout the territory of Liernia pounced on the territories of the nearest council nobles like wolves smelling blood.

The Crown Prince's army, catching everyone off guard, descended upon the hearts of the nobles with the most ferocious force.

......

***********

......

Central Star, the Grand Auditorium of the Noble Council.

On the enormous circular tiered seating, the empire's most distinguished nobles celebrated with ease.

They raised their crystal glasses, filled with amber-colored liquor, and clinked them together.

Surviving a disaster is something to celebrate, but finding a powerful backer is something to celebrate even more.

The Crown Prince can no longer do anything to them.

Laughter, clinking glasses, and praises of His Highness Orion's wisdom and prowess echoed like a fervent tide in the vast hall.

"For His Highness Orion, for the dawn."

"Cheers. Hahaha, even that bastard Bishenmantis has met his match."

"For the sake of Your Majesty's wisdom."

"Cheers."

"My old friends, I want to recite a poem for you: The glory of yesterday, it will never change."

......

Just as they were basking in the glow of Orion's promise and celebrating—

Boom-! ! ! !

A deafening roar erupted, and the entire council hall shook violently as if it had been struck by a starship's main cannon.

The crystal chandelier hanging from the dome swayed wildly and crashed down.

Half of the nobles were sprawled on the ground, spilling expensive wine and soaking their magnificent gowns.

"What's going on?!"

"An earthquake?!"

"Enemy attack?!"

Ecstasy freezes.

They were stunned and frightened; the wine glass slipped from their hands and shattered on the carpet with a sharp crack.

They didn't even have time to react.

Immediately following was a second, even more terrifying, loud bang!

boom--!!!

This time, everyone saw clearly the source of the loud noise!

The massive alloy doors of the council hall looked as if they had been smashed down from the outside by a giant hammer!

The center suddenly caved inward and twisted, revealing a terrifying, intensely red light. A wave of scorching heat surged into the hall.

boom--!!!

The third loud bang.

The gate was completely gone, leaving only a huge hole with molten red metal flowing along its edge.

Acrid smoke instantly rushed in.

Through the huge hole and billowing smoke, countless gun barrels, gleaming with a ghostly blue energy, were aimed at the hall.

"Legion Enforcement!"

"Lay down your weapons, surrender, or be killed on sight!"

A chilling voice boomed in the ears of the nobles!

Countless legion soldiers poured in through the breached gates and emergency access routes on the flanks, instantly taking control of the entire council hall.

The nobles were in complete chaos.

Some insects hissed, some squeaked, some tried to scurry into a corner, and some instinctively tried to spread their wings and fly.

"A legion! It's the Crown Prince's legion!!"

"How did they get here?!"

"Where are our guards?! Where are our private soldiers?! Didn't His Highness Orion say he went to deal with the Legion?!"

Many more insects were stunned, staring blankly at the dark gun barrels and cold masks, their minds completely blank.

The insects that tried to escape were all shot down.

The soldiers showed no mercy in restraining these pampered nobles. No matter how much they struggled, cursed, or begged for mercy, the cold shackles snapped shut, locking their wrists and pinning them to the seats that once represented glory.

"Let me go! What right do you have to arrest me!"

"You can't do this! I'm a member of parliament! I have immunity!"

"I want to see the Insect King! I want to see the Insect King!"

However, all they received in response was the tightening of their shackles.

The Crown Prince entered with Bishen's adjutant.

He swept his gaze across the chaotic state of the noble council hall.

Everywhere you looked, the nobles who were being held down, dragged along, or had guns pointed at them seemed to have their throats grabbed, instantly falling silent, leaving only heavy, fearful gasps.

The Crown Prince's eyes were devoid of any warmth; he truly intended to kill them all.

The communicator rang, and the Crown Prince answered it.

Reports from the frontline corps commanders:

"Your Highness, the suppression operation is complete. All noble territories involved in the rebellion have been brought under control. Strangely enough, our casualties were negligible, and we encountered almost no effective resistance. The list of prisoners is being compiled and uploaded. Repeat, the operation is complete. All family territories have been breached, and key members have been captured. There were no casualties; the operation went smoothly."

In the deathly silent hall, this report was as clear as a thunderclap, reaching the ears of every nobleman pinned to the ground!

Their house was raided!

Their private guard...

Their private guard...

"No...impossible! Your Highness Orion! He..."

He took their private army with him.

After a moment of silence, it was like a fuse had been lit!

"Our guards! Where are our guards?!"

"It's Orion! Where did he take our troops?!"

Despair and collapse erupted in an instant.

Orion took their private guard with him and did not go to fight the Legion.

"He lied to us! He didn't even bother with the Legion! He somehow opened the gates of Mantis Manor! He took all our troops! He never intended for us to live!!"

At this point, they finally realized just how wicked Orion really was.

The dawn he promised was nothing but empty promises; he had no intention of ever doing it.

He exploited their fear of the Crown Prince, took away the military force they depended on for survival, and then, at their most triumphant and unguarded moment, exposed them completely to the swords of the Crown Prince's army.

The Crown Prince's army remained strong and well-equipped, while they were utterly vulnerable.

"Orion—!!! You liar!! You deserve to die a horrible death!!!"

The entire parliament hall was completely transformed into an ocean of despair and curses.

All the praise and all the expectations turned into the most vicious curse.

They finally realized that they were just pawns Orion would discard once he had used them.

"Speaker of the Council—"

The Speaker of Parliament, Invika, and his brother, Sevisma, were also among them.

Speaker Invika remained calm, as if he had foreseen all of this.

Their hands were bound, and they were temporarily detained in their respective positions.

Sevisma was terrified. He leaned on his brother and wept bitterly.

Speaker Invika offered him his shoulder to lean on, comforting him: "Sevisma, don't be afraid, I'm always with you."

Sevisma leaned on his shoulder and sobbed, "Brother...brother, why did this happen?"

Speaker Invika did not answer him, but simply stared calmly into the void.

He is tired.

There was no way out no matter which way he went; he was truly exhausted.

The Crown Prince raised his hand: "Take a headcount, drag them all out for interrogation, and find the whereabouts of Chief of Staff Bishen and Orion!"

......

*********

......

Orion didn't attend the celebration at all.

Now that there are other ways to deal with the Crown Prince, only a fool would confront him head-on.

He returned to his pirate lair.

On the edge of the territory of the Liernia Empire, in a desolate star field with unknown coordinates.

A desolate planet covered entirely in seawater.

The entire planet was completely enveloped by cold, black seawater. The only land above the water was a barren black rock island, devoid of vegetation, soil, life, or any sign of life.

On Black Rock Island stands a tall Black Rock Mountain, which resembles a broken sword, standing straight and upright.

There is a laboratory on the cliff face, embedded in the mountainside, with the boundless sea outside.

The Mountain Laboratory is a single-story building with one wall facing the sea that has been hollowed out and replaced with a single piece of high-strength glass.

Outside the window, the ceaseless black sea surges and rolls, whipping up towering waves that crash against the black rocks below, shattering into clean white foam that slowly slides off.

This place is vast and desolate, devoid of any life, whether in the water or on land. The Black Rock Sea is pure and magnificent, possessing a cinematic quality.

Orion had always loved this feeling and built a new rock palace by the sea here.

The laboratory was built inside the mountain below the Rock Palace, where the pharmacists who were developing the medicine for him conducted their experiments.

Orion never mistreats his capable subordinates; he has always treated the apothecaries well, but he restricts their freedom.

—That's normal, isn't it? Who would let their subordinates, who are responsible for this kind of confidential work, run around everywhere?

Orion thought without a shred of guilt.

The heavy, airtight alloy door to the laboratory slid open, and Orion stepped inside.

The laboratory conditions are excellent: constant temperature and humidity, spotless, comfortable environment, and huge floor-to-ceiling windows offering ocean views.

All kinds of precision instruments are available here; whatever instruments the pharmacist wants, he can provide.

At the central workbench in the laboratory, a pharmacist is intently conducting an experiment.

His size seemed a bit too small for the female insects.

He was wearing a large sterile lab coat, a tight protective hood over his head, and a full-coverage breathing filter mask over his face, completely covering him except for his eyes, which were visible behind his goggles.

Orion didn't disturb him immediately. He leaned against the door frame and watched with interest as the short figure busied himself for a few minutes.

After a few minutes, seeing that the pharmacist still ignored him, he finally spoke up and greeted the pharmacist in an eager tone:

"Busy?"

The short pharmacist didn't even look up; his gaze behind his goggles remained fixed on the workbench. Through the hood and mask, a dismissive, synthesized electronic voice said, "Hmm, if there's nothing else, you can go now. I'm busy."

Orion didn't leave; instead, he strolled in slowly.

His gaze swept over the complex instruments and flashing data streams, then settled on the pharmacist. He said in a friendly tone, "Speaking of which, you're always holed up here, completely out of touch with the world. I don't know if you've heard, but our Empire has now established diplomatic relations with the Human Federation."

The pharmacist paused for a moment as he adjusted the parameters of the molecular manipulator.

Orion's smile deepened. "I just returned from a trip to the capital planet of the Human Federation. It was quite interesting. I saw a lot of new things."

The pharmacist remained silent.

Orion's smile grew even brighter.

He walked slowly to the control panel, stopping beside the apothecary, looking down at the small, heavily bundled-up figure: "I saw some female Omegas over there. You know, while Zerg females also have pheromones, our physical structure is quite different from that of human female Omegas. Right?"

The air inside the laboratory froze.

The pharmacist's work came to a complete stop; he remained motionless.

The filtered electronic voice rang out, devoid of emotion, offering only a formulaic response: "What exactly are you trying to say?"

Orion suddenly stopped laughing.

Without warning, he reached out and roughly grabbed the pharmacist's protective hood and a clump of hair underneath it with his hand, like an iron clamp, and pulled it upwards forcefully.

"Ah!" A short, suppressed cry of pain came from under the hood.

A soft tone.

The short pharmacist's neck was forced to tilt backward.

The masked face was forced upwards, facing Orion's devilish face.

Orion's grey pupils, like unfathomable icy seas, stared at the suddenly widened black eyes behind the mask and goggles.

"Normally when I talk to you, you can't understand me. But now that I'm wearing a human translator, you can understand me. What? A stunted female insect, using something for human society, suddenly has suddenly developed good hearing?"

His fingers tightened, almost pulling the hood and the hair inside off together.

The pharmacist let out a painful whimper, struggling beneath the oversized lab coat.

Orion leaned down, getting close to the apothecary's masked face: "You and your brother don't seem like female insects to me; you're more like Omegas from human society."

The pharmacist's struggling movements froze.

"Especially you. It's quite easy to tell a female Omega from a female insect. Don't you think so, Qinqin?"