"Well, well, the esteemed Demon Lord himself, my dear friend, we meet again. It's been over half a year since we last crossed paths. I've been dying to see you!" Feng Mo sneered.
Lying on the floor, Lawrence struggled against the intense pain coursing through his body, forcing his head up to glare at Feng Mo, his gaze searing, as if trying to etch Feng Mo's face into his memory.
"Let me guess, Lord Lawrence's grand scheme—if you had managed to take me down today, the next step would be to join forces with the Qiao family, take over the Storm Star System, and establish a Demon Kingdom spanning two star systems. Am I right?"
"What a pity, though, that my skills proved superior. We have the same goal after all. Once I take over the Demon Star System, I'll establish a kingdom too. I'll call it the Storm Kingdom. Hahaha!"
Lawrence didn't argue against Feng Mo's taunts; he knew his fate was sealed. There was no escape from Feng Mo, and he had no delusions about what lay ahead—only death awaited him. While he had feared death before, now that it was here, he found himself strangely at peace. With a hint of his old wisdom, he looked up at Feng Mo and said,
"You'll never conquer the Demon Star System. This is the prophecy of the great Lawrence: the Demon Star System will always belong to the Demon Clan!"
"Oh really? Then let's wait and see. Not that you'll be around to witness it. Ai Er, he's all yours. Take care of him. Don't let hatred consume you—there's a brighter future ahead, and the path forward is vast and open."
Feng Mo said this while idly playing with Ai Er's dark hair. Ai Er's gaze was bloodthirsty as she looked down at Lawrence. Without a word, she drew two short blades from her waist and, with an expressionless face, drove them into his shoulder blades, then dragged him out of the command room with brute force.
Watching the bloodstains left behind, Feng Mo turned to Feng Tianyi. "Have this area cleaned up. And get the mecha squad to assist the logistics team in clearing the battlefield—let's make it quick."
"Yes, sir!" Feng Tianyi answered, then exited. Soon, two maintenance robots came to scrub the floor spotless.
In a secluded chamber, Ai Er stared coldly at Lawrence, her voice icy as she spoke. "You won't get to die so easily. You deserve every ounce of pain. You forced tens of thousands of my people into exile, reduced them to mere playthings in the eyes of others. You'll go through every torture method used in interrogations, and then your bones will be scattered across the void."
As Lawrence's agonizing screams echoed through the chamber, Feng Mo, meanwhile, observed the waning battlefield, turning to Chu Yunjian and Hua Yucheng on the comms.
"We can let the logistics fleet begin clearing up the field. But the three of us need a quick meeting. Our next target is the Demon Star System. We've captured Lawrence, and before his final moments, he claimed that taking the Demon Star System wouldn't be easy. There might be a reason for that."
"I suspect he may have set up significant defenses before his capture, perhaps calling on support from a federal power or a nearby star system lord, or even transferring control of the Demon Star System to another party," Feng Mo analyzed.
On the other end of the video, Chu Yunjian nodded thoughtfully. "Lawrence was indeed a cunning fox. The Demon Star System is his home base, so he wouldn't relinquish it easily. It's likely we'll face complications in this conquest."
Feng Mo nodded in agreement. "Once we finish clearing the battlefield and restock supplies, we'll move on to the Demon Star System. I'll need a territory, and for this, both the Chu and Hua families will claim 40% of the spoils. Once we've conquered the Demon Star System, each of your families will receive 10% of the annual profits from the resource planets."
"When this is done, I'll move toward establishing a kingdom. It'll be a kingdom under the Starsea Federation, but two star systems should be sufficient territory," Feng Mo concluded. On the screen, Hua Yucheng replied,
"My lord, establishing a kingdom is easy, but keeping it is another matter. Federation law dictates that the Federation will only intervene to aid a subsidiary kingdom if it's on the brink of annihilation. So your territory will be directly tied to the strength of your fleet."
"A kingdom without a T5 starship for defense is a prime target for alien attacks. Also, kingdoms are required to pay a tax to the Federation, around 5% of total profits, as a form of 'protection fee'—essentially, the cost for the Federation to preserve a last stronghold in dire times."
Feng Mo nodded; he agreed with Hua Yucheng's assessment. Having a T5-class starship as a safeguard was indeed essential for founding a kingdom. And even after securing the Demon Star System, absorbing the territory and transferring population would take time.
In the vast universe, the Starsea Federation was a relatively isolated power, controlling only two regions alongside various alien threats and the chaotic Sea of Stars. Star systems were divided into four levels, above which lay superclusters known as star domains.
Thus, Feng Mo knew he had to tread carefully, advancing step by step without overextending himself.
The three fleets finished the battle in about three hours, followed by another two hours of cleanup by the logistics team. With their holds fully stocked, the fleet resupplied from the interstellar supply ships, preparing to set off once more. Their destination: the Demon Star System.
"Coordinates locked, destination Demon Star System. Initiating synchronized warp travel mode. All Tier-1 genetic warriors, please enter deep-sea mode," the ship's system announced. The joint fleet entered warp mode, but Feng Mo, Chu Yunjian, and Hua Yucheng continued their video call, using this time to anticipate potential issues and mentally prepare.
Feng Mo had guessed correctly—before his capture, Lawrence had indeed sent out several messages. However, no matter how severe Ai Er's interrogation became, Lawrence refused to divulge their contents. This time, despite his usual fear of death, he faced his end defiantly.
Feng Mo decided not to waste further efforts; he sent Lawrence to his death, confident that whatever secrets the Demon Star System held would reveal themselves once they arrived.
At that moment, the Demon Star System was on full alert. Lawrence's loyal subordinate, Drali, had mobilized the last of the system's forces, assembling 24 T4-class ships and over 400 T3-class ships.
But it wasn't enough. Based on Lawrence's final message, the incoming fleet likely boasted at least 300 T4-class ships.
Drali glanced at the young man beside him with relief. Fortunately, his lord had shown foresight in calling in such powerful reinforcements. Drali could still look forward to a life of prosperity under their new leader.
The young man's surname was Qiao. In fact, Lawrence hadn't called him; he had arrived in response to a distress message Qiao Lao had sent to the Qiao family before his death. The Qiao family's fleet had crossed a star gate to reach the Demon Star System and assumed command of its defenses. Lawrence had also sent a message to the Qiao family just before he was captured.
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