"It's quite a significant revision, isn't it? My mind truly is something else."
Huh?
The sudden reversal caught Ou Zhanpeng completely off guard, nearly causing him to buckle his knees. He was at a loss for words.
The others wore similarly strained expressions, utterly bewildered. What in the world was going on?
"Who are you trying to fool?" Ling Xiao gritted his teeth, not believing a single word.
The elder seemed to sense their thoughts and his voice suddenly deepened, "We are all humans. No one can change that. We are natural allies."
Ou Zhanpeng's brow was furrowed. It wasn't the elder's words that were so shocking, but rather his aging back was starting to ache. "Do you know what we're here to do?"
The elder smiled, "I am eager to hear."
Captain Ou cut to the chase, "We have only one objective: to let you know we have the capability to destroy your planet. If there is no peace, then we will all go to hell together."
The elder's smile remained, "I believe you can do it."
Ou Zhanpeng felt as if he had punched into thin air. "You don't doubt it?"
If the elder had dodged the question, equivocated, or tried to change the subject, Captain Ou would have no hesitation in demonstrating the power of a nuclear missile. But the elder's smiling, condescending demeanor was deeply unsettling.
"There is no reason for me to doubt," the elder said, taking a sip from his cup, appearing to hold all the cards.
"Is this old man alright?" Ling Xiao whispered, his voice low.
He had a nagging feeling that something was off, as if this elder saw through them.
"Lord Neo, do you require me to demonstrate the power of the nuclear missile?" Ou Zhanpeng wasn't faring any better. Despite the elder speaking only a few words, he felt like he was being led by the nose.
"There is no need. Hmm, I hope you can return to the solar system quickly and personally attend the alliance negotiations," the elder's expression gradually turned serious. "I believe we still have some time. If you have any needs, or anything you wish to understand, feel free to ask me."
"For example?" Ou Zhanpeng didn't want to lose control of the situation, but he didn't know how to regain the initiative.
Perhaps contacting Qianyun Planet from the start was a mistake.
"For example, we are the only human force in this region of space, surrounded by powerful enemies. We must stick together for warmth." The elder's expression shifted from serious to grave, and even through the screen, a stifling oppression could be felt.
"Only four administrative planets?" Ou Zhanpeng inquired.
"Yes, only four. You are the fifth," the elder replied.
"How can you be so sure we will join this so-called alliance?" Ou Zhanpeng was extremely curious about the source of the elder's confidence.
The elder leaned back, his body sinking into the large chair. "You can refuse, but I believe you will agree sooner rather than later."
He directly provided the answer, "Because of the space pirates. Many space pirates are supported by forces hostile to humanity. If I'm not mistaken, you've already encountered space pirates, haven't you?"
Supported by hostile forces?
Ou Zhanpeng's heart skipped a beat. "Which forces?"
"That would be too complicated to explain in a short time. If you're interested, I can give you a document later."
Ou Zhanpeng directly showed him the Black Horn people's warships. "Is this one of them?"
The elder's face suddenly changed. "You encountered the Black Horn people? How did you escape?"
Hearing the elder say this, Captain Ou realized the elder wasn't referring to Starship accidentally stumbling upon them, but rather space pirates appearing in the solar system.
He countered, "Are the Black Horn people very powerful?"
"The Black Horn people possess extremely advanced spatial technology, capable of sealing off space within a certain range. Even their own ships cannot open wormholes."
Ou Zhanpeng pursed his lips and finally told the truth, "We destroyed the Black Horn people's warship..."
He briefly explained the situation but omitted the part about Sahan Huang constructing an intelligence network.
The elder claimed humanity needed to band together, but the actual situation was still uncertain. It was best not to jump to conclusions.
The elder's expression shifted, and he stood up abruptly. "You've obtained the Phantom Cloud Nebula?"
Ou Zhanpeng was startled. "You know about the Phantom Cloud Nebula?"
"Of course! We are descendants of the Prophet. How could we not know about the Phantom Cloud Nebula? Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!" The elder's face flushed with excitement.
Ou Zhanpeng immediately became wary. Ling Xiao also reminded him from the side, "This is bad. This old man definitely has ulterior motives. You shouldn't have told him!"
Captain Ou felt a pang of bitterness. "If I don't tell him, will he not know?"
Starship had already revealed its secrets to a group of space pirates, otherwise, the Black Horn people wouldn't have targeted Starship. The space pirates who had participated in the auction had already dispersed, and the news had likely spread far and wide.
This elder, or rather, the Bai Kingdom, wouldn't be foolish enough to just take a beating without retaliating. The best way to deal with space pirates was undoubtedly to muddy the waters and sow discord, by dispatching warships disguised as space pirates to infiltrate the enemy.
Therefore, it wouldn't be long before the Bai Kingdom learned the accurate information about Starship. Whether it was concealed or not made little difference.
Ling Xiao wasn't thinking that far ahead, but he understood Ou Zhanpeng and knew he had his reasons for saying this.
The elder quickly regained his composure, a radiant smile on his face. "We are all descendants of the Prophet; we should unite even more!"
Ou Zhanpeng thought, "I'd have to be a fool to believe you. How can this old scoundrel be so shameless?"
The Prophet had cultivated four generations of civilizations. The first three generations had betrayed him. From a certain perspective, only humanity were the true inheritors of the Prophet.
He wasn't in the mood to exchange pleasantries with this elder, so he directly retorted, "Which generation do you belong to?"
The elder paused, then immediately realized Ou Zhanpeng knew more than he expected. "We are the first generation."
Ou Zhanpeng's expression was one of disdain. "Having actively betrayed the Prophet, what right do you have to call yourselves his descendants?"
The elder's expression darkened. After a moment of silence, he asked, "You know quite a bit, but do you know why the Prophet cultivated us?"
"No," Ou Zhanpeng answered truthfully and swiftly. "And I don't want to know."
"You must know," the elder refused to give him a chance to refuse. "From my understanding, the Prophet comes from a very distant place. They belong to a very ancient religion. The sole purpose of continuously cultivating humanity is to revive their sect."
Ou Zhanpeng desperately wanted to scold him for talking nonsense, but recalling the contents of the Prophet's diary, he found himself utterly unable to refute it. "Ridiculous! Is that a reason for betrayal?"
The elder shook his head. "Too much time has passed. Those ancient records are fragmented, and I don't know exactly what happened back then. I only know that our ancestors and the Prophet had differing ideologies, which forced us to leave our homeworld."
"Not long after, the temporal anomaly covered our homeworld again, until the second civilization appeared… Believe it or not, it was our ideological differences with the Prophet that forced us to leave our homeworld."
Ou Zhanpeng's eyes widened in surprise. "You know where the second civilization is?"
Despite his surprised exclamations, his mind was racing, trying to figure out whether the Prophet's records were the truth or if this elder was telling the truth.
What heinous deeds did the Prophet want the previous generations of civilizations to commit that caused such widespread rejection?
"Of course, I know," the elder said. "Of the four administrative planets, two belong to our first-generation civilization, and the other two belong to the second and third generations. However, although the environments of these planets are good, they are far inferior to our homeworld."
At this point, his expression became exceptionally wistful. "Over the years, we have been patrolling the vicinity of our homeworld, eliminating countless bandits who coveted it. The reason for the misunderstanding with you was that our fleet discovered the temporal anomaly dissipating and intended to reclaim our homeworld."
What?
Ou Zhanpeng recalled the actions of the Bai fleet when they appeared near Earth. They seemed to align with the elder's statement. However, he had always sided with the Prophet from the beginning. Hearing an alternative explanation now shattered his worldview.
Seemingly noticing the wariness on Ou Zhanpeng's face, the elder smiled. "Don't be nervous. I just want to tell you what caused the misunderstanding, and I don't intend to re-occupy Earth... We have been gone for too long. Earth is our root, but this is our home."
Ou Zhanpeng was unsure whether to believe his story or to continue harboring doubts. He decided to cut to the chase. "What do you need?"
The elder was old and shrewd, like a seasoned ghost. In terms of playing mind games, he was certainly no match for this elder. It was better to be direct.
Neo did not conceal anything. "We need the Prophet's technology, we need the precious resources on Earth, and we need your vast population."
Ou Zhanpeng continued, "Then what can you give us?"
"First, equal status; second, comprehensive technological support; third, comprehensive military support; fourth, the establishment of a new space fleet; fifth..."
The elder spoke volubly, but Ou Zhanpeng's brow furrowed deeper with each word. Finally, he couldn't help but interrupt. "Let me clarify first, I am just a captain, not a high-ranking official. Talking about these things with me is useless!"
The elder was unfazed. "Whoever can make the decision, pass the message on to them!"
Ou Zhanpeng sighed, thinking, "How could you know how complex the situation on Blue Star is now?"
You talk about inviting humanity to join an alliance, about negotiating with humanity, but with whom are you allying, and with whom are you negotiating?
Blue Star's allies are still scattered!
However, it was not appropriate to reveal too much. Otherwise, this elder would surely seize the opportunity, and with a push and pull, quickly dismantle the already disunited allies into several mutually hostile factions, potentially leading to the fragmentation of Blue Star.
With this thought, Ou Zhanpeng suddenly felt a sense of urgency. He had to return to Earth as soon as possible, convey the information he had learned to those in charge, and thus firmly grasp the initiative.
He couldn't control what happened in the past, but at this moment, he was fully capable of influencing the future of Blue Star!
He believed that from now on, Blue Star could only have one voice, not a cacophony of chattering allies.
Well, might makes right. At this time, apart from Yan Jing, the other allies did not possess any true starships. From any angle, Yan Jing representing Blue Star was the most suitable.
Furthermore, if Starship Base was firmly in their hands, and Qianyun Star were to negotiate with other allies, at most they could obtain some resources produced on Earth. They would have no access to technologies and equipment related to the Prophet, and would ultimately have to turn to Yan Jing.
It could be said that they were already in an invincible position!
With this thought, Ou Zhanpeng's confidence soared. "I will relay your message. When will your envoy arrive?"
"They have already departed some time ago, likely very soon," Neo replied.
Ou Zhanpeng's heart tightened, but he maintained his composure. "In that case, I will not disturb you further."
The elder gave a smile of appreciation. "Then I shall not keep you either. I hope when we meet next time, we can be true allies."
"I hope so too," Ou Zhanpeng said insincerely.
Starship opened a wormhole and flew away. However, Ou Zhanpeng remained cautious, not returning directly to the solar system, but taking a detour, making five consecutive jumps before returning to the solar system.
When Starship appeared near the base, the entire base erupted in excitement. Gong Yiding immediately contacted the warship. "Why did you return so quickly? Was the mission completed?"
Ou Zhanpeng gave a wry smile. "Completed, and yet not completed."
"What does that mean?" Gong Yiding was baffled, thinking, "Who is this unlucky child, and why can't he speak properly?"
Captain Ou explained, "We found the planet of the 4-meter beings and managed to communicate with them. However, we didn't have an opportunity to deploy the nuclear missiles. They said they have already sent an envoy and intend to form an alliance with Earth!"
He briefly recounted the situation, and Gong Yiding's processor nearly overloaded. "What is this all about? Completely unrelated, and they're already claiming kinship?"
"Have any alien ships appeared recently?" Ou Zhanpeng asked curiously.
"No!" Gong Yiding's answer was extremely firm.
"Ah, they should have arrived by now!" Ou Zhanpeng couldn't help but feel a sense of curiosity. Had they been delayed on the way, or was there no such thing at all?
"Stop talking nonsense and report the situation immediately!" Gong Yiding urged rationally. "With so much information, it will take quite some time for them to even discuss it. They'll need to standardize their statements, plan countermeasures, and perhaps even try to win over other allies. There's a lot to do."
"Understood. Let's unload the spoils first, and then I'll return to Earth."
Starship was carrying a large quantity of items from the Black Horn warship. Who knew if any of them contained enemy tracking devices?
Starship Base was protected by quantum interference, so there was no need to worry about being discovered by the Black Horn people while staying there.
Returning directly to Earth was different. If Earth's location were to be exposed, wouldn't he, Ou Zhanpeng, become a sinner for all eternity?
"What are you unloading anything for!" Gong Yiding impatiently urged. "Just throw it all out! I'll arrange for ships to transport it back. Hurry, hurry, hurry!"
Fine, since Gong Yiding insisted, what else could Ou Zhanpeng say?
He discarded everything related to the Black Horn people outside the ship. Starship opened a wormhole and appeared in Earth's outer space.