Cataclysm: Undead Dragons and Zero Empire

Chapter 99 The Heart of Surrender

As this promise was made in the future, the vast will that enveloped the main hall shifted slightly and landed on Karen, who was almost unconscious.

Karen felt the burning sensation in his soul intensify suddenly. Without the Thinker Array, he was unable to communicate directly with the Undead Dragon and could only look to Terence for help.

Terence knew what had happened behind the scenes, and he took the initiative to say, "Lord, this sinner begs your forgiveness."

Terence relayed to the Lord in full what Cullen had previously said, including Cullen’s rebellion to overthrow the Board’s rule and his willingness to give back to human civilization to redeem them for their past sins of attacking the Lord, and pleaded with the Lord to accept his surrender.

"I know you and I know your will. Since you have helped others, the sins of others should not be blamed on you."

"If you can destroy your board of directors and wipe out the pirate alliance as promised, I will accept your surrender and forgive your past transgressions."

Terence's simple two sentences brought tears to Karen's eyes instantly. Like a drowning man finally grasping at a straw, he used his last strength to kneel down deeply, unable to communicate any further.

He desperately wished he could address the undead dragon as "Lord" like the most ordinary believers among humans, but he knew he was not yet qualified.

The vast will that enveloped the temple returned to the heavens, and the flames in the statue's eye sockets returned to their original state, thus concluding this audience.

Karen collapsed to the ground, and after a long while, he struggled to sit up. Then, he knelt deeply once again before the statue, which had lost its divine power, to express his piety.

On the way out of the temple, Karen said, "Lord Terence, thank you for your help. It is my incompetence that I was able to hear the divine message this time, thanks to your relay."

"No need to thank me, it's all the will of the Lord," Terence said calmly. "You just need to remember that the promise the Lord has given you is also a mission you must fulfill."

"Understood, I will return to my civilization immediately," Karen nodded emphatically, paused, and bowed again. "Lord Terence, I hope you will speak well of me and my civilization in the future. I will be eternally grateful."

Terence nodded slightly, said nothing more, and waved his hand, telling Karen to leave this sacred place on the moon as soon as possible.

After the alien left, Terence knelt alone before the statue, praying silently, his gaze fixed on the starry sky above, as if he could see the future of human civilization setting sail in the sea of ​​stars.

The diplomatic flagship sped through the faster-than-light jump tunnel. Karen leaned back in his chair with his eyes closed, the scene of his audience with the Supreme Father replaying in his mind. The oppressive force that had nearly killed him still lingered in his consciousness.

Having witnessed firsthand the immense power of the Undead Dragon, he became even more convinced that his choice was correct, and that he would lead the entire civilization onto a truly glorious path.

"Commander, we are about to exit the faster-than-light jump state and arrive at command headquarters," the navigator's voice interrupted Karen's thoughts.

Karen slowly opened his eyes, his paleness and anxiety completely gone. He sat up straight and said, "Notify headquarters that I'm back. Have Leah come to the bridge to see me immediately."

"Yes, Commander!"

The shuttle-shaped ship smoothly exited its faster-than-light mode and slowly entered the starport. Countless warships were shuttling back and forth on the channel, and the atmosphere of war permeated every corner.

As Karen stepped off the ship, his personal secretary, Leah, was already waiting with her guards. She quickly went to greet him and saluted, "Commander, welcome back."

"How's the situation?" Karen asked directly, without any pleasantries, as she walked towards headquarters.

His time away had been considerable, and the situation on the front lines was his primary concern. He needed to win this civil war before he could even discuss anything else in the face of human civilization.

Lia followed closely beside Karen, reporting in a grave tone, "Commander, the situation at the front—is far from optimistic."

"Our legion made good progress in the early stages, breaking through the outer defenses of the board of directors one after another and penetrating deeper into the core star system."

"But—the board may have put an end to its internal divisions," Leah, as Karen's confidante, knew the board's inner workings well. "After you left, the private armies of the various families on the board began to appear on the battlefield, and the battle became increasingly protracted."

Karen's worst fears have come true: if those families, who have long harbored resentment and mutual distrust, were to unite, the situation would be completely reversed.

The private armies of the various board member families of the foundation are the true elite force of this global behemoth. These private armies are equipped with the foundation's most advanced warships and weapons, and the soldiers are all veterans who have undergone the most advanced genetic modifications. Their combat power is far superior to that of other legions.

"How many troops did they commit?" Karen asked, wanting to know the extent of the board's cooperation.

"Twelve legions, with over two million genetically modified warriors at full strength," Leah quickly reported. "Commanding this allied force is Marshal Vickers, who was asked by the board to end his retirement and join this war."

"Our legions launched several general offensives in succession but failed to achieve a major breakthrough. Marshal Vickers was familiar with our tactics and set up layers of defense. Every step we took forward came at a heavy cost."

Karen witnessed the state of the war from the conference room, with the attacking front repeatedly crashing into the defensive lines and being bounced back time and time again.

All the core members who were busy coordinating the frontline troops and rear supplies immediately saluted when Karen walked in, and said in unison, "Commander!"

Karen waved her hand, walked to the star map, and scanned the entire battlefield. "Where is our secret legion? Why haven't the more than one million gene warriors deployed to the battlefield made any progress?"

"In the early stages of the Legion's deployment, it managed to break through the enemy's defenses, but Marshal Vickers immediately mobilized the Board of Directors' private army. The enemy soldiers' genetic optimization surgery was more advanced than ours, and their casualty ratio was getting higher and higher, so our charge was repelled."

"We are now at a stalemate with the enemy, and neither side can make any further progress."

Karen was well aware that his momentum for a full-scale offensive had been thwarted, and that a protracted war was extremely disadvantageous for the rebels; the longer it dragged on, the more dangerous the situation would become.

Karen tapped the table lightly with his fingertips, making a rhythmic sound, and all his subordinates awaited his decision.

"All frontline legions will shift to strategic defense, relying on the star systems they have already occupied to build defensive lines, stabilize their positions, and cease any futile offensives. Vickers wants to wage a war of attrition, and we cannot fall into his trap."

He raised his hand and entered a series of highest-level commands, unlocking all the hidden data in the biometric database and bringing up an encrypted file.

It was a research and development plan for gene cloning technology, which included optimization strategies for racial gene templates and mass production designs for cloning chambers. Each step had detailed plans and technical support, but judging from the revision date at the end, it was a rather old document.

The members in the conference room wore expressions of disbelief.

"This is... a cloning project?"

They recalled a rebellion from long ago in history, the enactment of which still binds the genetic researchers in the Foundation. Now, the Commander seems to want to bring up the past, making them uneasy.