Chapter 37: An Enemy Worthy of Respect

flagship command room

"Your Majesty, take advantage of his illness to kill him! The Independent Alliance's fleet is currently under overhaul! We can definitely take this opportunity to capture them!" Imperial Fleet Commander Liu Yi respectfully suggested to Li Mingze. Liu Yi is a slightly fat middle-aged man with a white face that always has a smile. If you think he is a kind-hearted good old man, you are wrong. He is famous for being cruel to his enemies.

"Well, that's a good idea, just what I want." Li Mingze was very satisfied with Liu's performance.

"This battle will be yours to command. Perform well and make arrangements quickly!"

"Yes! Your Majesty!" The commander's face turned red with excitement. He would die without regrets if he could get His Majesty's praise!

Well, although it’s great to be a charioteer and go on a personal expedition, I have to do everything personally, which is too tiring for the emperor. It's time to select a group of outstanding combat commanders from the war, and let them lead the army to charge for the empire. I, the emperor, can lead the overall situation.

With this thought, Li Mingze slowly walked out of the command room.

After reinstalling the hyperspace engine, the Imperial fleet jumped towards the new capital of the Independent Alliance.

Independent Alliance New Capital System

"Command, we have received information from the Imperial Fleet requesting supplies." A communications soldier reported to the command center on the Independent Alliance's New Capital Star Space Station.

The Imperial fleet that was allowed to enter the port came to the space station and fell silent.

"Well, why don't they enter the port?" the port connection staff asked doubtfully.

"Damn it! Their weapons are charging!" A dock worker nearby threw down the cart in his hand and ran towards the space station without looking back.

The other workers immediately cast their surprised eyes on the muzzles of these imperial fleets, and sure enough, these muzzles began to glow with a faint red light! And the originally low barrel was slowly raised and aimed at the port where the workers were!

The command center of the space station also noticed something was wrong and asked in a questioning tone: "This is the Independent Alliance Space Station! Why are you charging weapons! You are provoking a new war!"

Commander Liu smiled and replied coldly: "There are nearly a thousand beam cannons aimed at you now. I give you ten seconds to surrender, otherwise we will have no choice but to shoot you into a sieve!"

"10! 9! 8!"

"Don't fire! We surrender!" the managers of the space station shouted hurriedly. Between life and death, they chose life. Because the warships of the Alliance of Independence are being repaired, the space station does not have enough power to protect itself. At this time, risking resistance is like hitting a stone with an egg. Tens of seconds later, the originally closed port gates opened one after another, and the beam cannons originally aimed at the Imperial fleet slowly raised their muzzles and turned inwards.

The landing ship following the fleet flew into the port. After docking, groups of Marines rushed into the port with alternate cover.

It didn't take long for the entire space station to be captured, and the Empire had taken control of the space orbit of the capital of the Independent Alliance. Liu never expected that he would gain control of the space orbit so easily.

Liu set his sights on the new capital star of the Independent Alliance: "Strike all out against the planet's air defense facilities!"

Beams of red lasers from the imperial fleet were fired at the air defense facilities on the planet, and missiles flew out of the battleships from time to time.

Because this planet is home to the largest shipbuilding center and scientific research center of the Independent Alliance, Li Mingze banned the use of nuclear weapons in this war, and he must completely capture this planet no matter how great the losses are! These industrial facilities were vital to the expansion of the empire!

When the anti-aircraft firepower on the planet was almost destroyed by the imperial fleet, hundreds of orbital airborne troop transport ships were prepared and dropped assault landing bays filled with soldiers towards the surface of the planet.

But unexpectedly, the imperial army encountered no resistance on the ground. All the independent alliance soldiers threw away their weapons and sat together.

On the island in the middle of the equator of the new capital star, there is a huge manor.

The entire manor consists of hundreds of milky-white buildings. Lush vegetation covers the exterior walls of the manor buildings. In the middle of the manor is a huge square, and beside the square stands a huge arc-shaped building.

There was no sound in the originally noisy and bustling manor, and the maids and guards running around in the various buildings also disappeared.

As night fell, the entire manor was quiet, with no light except for the middle building. And this sleepy manor welcomed its last guest.

A huge spaceship sprayed blue flames from the bottom and fell from the sky. The huge air flow from the engine blew the plants in the manor square to and fro.

Rows of lights lit up around the spaceship, illuminating the entire manor like daylight.

As the spacecraft elevator descended, a young man wearing black and gold power armor and a black cloak stepped off the elevator.

There was no guard behind the man, and he walked into the huge white building alone.

Walking through the long, white corridor, the man came to an office. What he saw was a chair with his back to the door, and a huge star map hanging on the wall. The whole office seemed a little empty.

"You're here." An old voice came from behind the chair, his tone full of regret.

"Yes, you knew I would come." The young man said slowly.

"When I was young, I often looked up at the starry sky, hoping that one day I could fly in it, and hope that I could witness the growth of the alliance, but I never thought that there would be such a day!" The old voice answered irrelevantly.

Without waiting for the young man to speak, the old voice continued; "Until today, I still had the delusion that you would not come, but I didn't expect that you would come in the end." The seat with its back to the man slowly turned around, and it was Pal, the supreme leader of the Independence Alliance, who came into view.

"I have ordered the army not to resist anymore. I don't want to see my homeland destroyed by war and my soldiers make unnecessary sacrifices. I hope you can let my soldiers go and treat them well. In return, I will leave the hundreds of warships being repaired in the dock intact to you. But." Pal raised the gun in his hand and pointed it at the young man.

"Aren't you afraid?" Seeing that the young man showed no signs of cowardice, Pal asked in confusion.

"I believe you won't shoot. Just because you handed over the warship to me intact and asked me to let your soldiers go, you wouldn't shoot." The young man said with a mysterious smile on his face.

"Haha, you guessed wrong. I'm old and I don't have any family. This universe will eventually belong to the strong. You must remember not to indulge in the illusion of peace like the Alliance and eventually go to destruction!" After saying that, Pal pointed the gun in his hand at his head.

The young man turned his back and walked out slowly. The mirrors on both sides of the corridor reflected Li Mingze's resolute profile.

In a moment, a gunshot was heard behind him, and Pal's body slowly slid down from the chair.

The beauty is old and the hero is at the end of his road. It is the most helpless sorrow and the most regrettable.

"Burn down this manor and build a monument here." Li Mingze ordered the soldiers waiting in the elevator. The elevator slowly rose.

The huge spaceship sprayed tail flames and disappeared in the air. Soon after, a missile fell from the sky like a meteor to the huge manor. A flash of light flashed, and the originally gorgeous manor disappeared.

One after another, transport ships landed on the island and welded a huge monument with huge metal ingots.

On the stele:

July 23, 2024

The leader of the Independence Alliance, Pal, rests here

The Independence Alliance surrendered across the board.

From this moment on,

The Empire truly began to move towards the starry sky.

This stele witnessed the rise of the Empire.

This stele witnessed the end of the hero.

This stele witnessed the arrival of a new era!