Chapter 985
Los
The fact that an Imperial Executive had found them caused considerable alarm among many Blackrock people.
The Blackrock Clan captain said, "Executive, I am the captain of this Blackrock Clan fleet, named Shi Pan. May I ask what orders you have for us?"
Chen Feng calmly said, "Didn't you hear what I just said?"
Upon hearing this, Shi Pan was stunned. He then remembered Chen Feng's words earlier, saying that he would help them gain enough influence within the empire.
Shi Pan immediately became excited and quickly asked:
"Do you also support Lord Sano?"
Chen Feng didn't know who Sano was, as Shi Pan had mentioned, and instead of answering directly, he asked:
"You don't need to ask that. I'll just ask you, does your Blackrock Clan want to have enough say within the Empire?"
Shi Pan said without hesitation:
"Yes! As long as our Blackrock Clan can enter the Empire's central government, our clan can swear an oath of absolute and eternal loyalty to the Empire, just like rocks, eternally unyielding!"
Shi Pan never even considered that Chen Feng wasn't a member of the Crimson Cloud Empire.
In his view, the entire Orion Arm Crimson Cloud Empire was the heavens, and no one dared to impersonate the empire's executive officer.
Chen Feng showed no change in expression at Shi Pan's declaration of loyalty.
In the following time, he began to use his usual platitudes.
The Black Rock Clan wasn't very intelligent, and Chen Feng quickly learned the relevant information from Shi Pan.
He finally understood why the Crimson Cloud Empire had sent people to this region.
The Crimson Cloud Empire was there to investigate celestial anomalies in this region.
Shi Pan didn't know what this anomaly was.
The Crimson Cloud Empire simply told these affiliated civilizations to carefully search all star fields in this region and to report any anomalies immediately.
Chen Feng suddenly remembered.
When he previously condensed the Ninety-Six Star Array, he attempted to move dozens of planets using his new ability.
Furthermore, the fact that he refined planets from many surrounding star systems during this period is likely known to the Crimson Cloud Empire as well.
I underestimated the capabilities of technological civilization.
The methods of exploration possessed by technological civilizations are unmatched by those forces in the world of paintings.
Chen Feng came to his senses and looked at Shi Pan, saying:
"The Empire's mission this time is actually to have you investigate the abnormal celestial movements in this area."
Chen Feng told Shi Pan his guess.
According to his estimate, the Crimson Cloud Empire sent people to investigate this matter ninety percent of the time.
Upon hearing Chen Feng's words, Shi Pan's eyes lit up:
"So that's how it is! No wonder the Empire wanted us to search every star system carefully, not even letting go of barren planets."
Shi Pan was very excited; their Black Rock Civilization had learned information that other civilizations did not.
That alone is a huge advantage.
At this moment, Shi Pan was completely convinced of Chen Feng's identity.
Only the imperial high command could know such news.
Shi Pan immediately bowed and said:
"Thank you for informing me, Sir. Is there anything I can do for you?"
Chen Feng tapped his fingers on the table and said directly:
"I need you to do things for me in secret, and of course, I will also help you improve your status in the empire."
Upon hearing this, the Black Rock Clan members present became excited!
If they could gain the support of an Imperial Executive, their Blackrock Civilization would definitely rise to a higher position within the Empire.
Although the Imperial Executives do not have overt power, each one wields considerable influence within the Imperial military.
Shi Pan immediately took out a rock the size of a goose egg from his chest and handed it to Chen Feng. The rock was covered with a layer of black viscous liquid.
"Executor, thank you for valuing our Black Rock Clan. On behalf of the Black Rock Clan, I assure you that from now on, whatever the Executor commands, our Black Rock Clan will obey without hesitation, even at the cost of our lives."
Chen Feng frowned as he looked at the slimy stone that Shi Pan handed him.
But he still took the stone.
According to his estimation, this should be a special etiquette of the Black Rock tribe.
Upon seeing Chen Feng accept the stone, the Black Rock Clan members in the arena immediately changed their gaze towards him.
The Black Rock Clan has a tradition that if someone accepts a member's chest stone, it means that they have accepted the Black Rock Clan and will become their best friend.
Chen Feng coughed twice and said, "You can't reveal my identity to just anyone, not even the highest levels of the Empire, understand?"
Upon hearing this, Shi Pan immediately spoke up:
"Understood! Please rest assured, Officer, we will absolutely not reveal your identity to anyone!"
Chen Feng nodded, then said:
"I will help you make a name for yourselves in this mission. After that, just follow my instructions."
Shi Pan was startled and quickly asked, "Sir, do you have any other relevant information?"
Chen Feng calmly said, "Just do as I say..."
After that, Chen Feng began to explain his plan to Shi Pan.
The Black Rock tribesmen in the arena listened attentively.
Chen Feng left an hour later.
Before leaving, Chen Feng took a communicator from the Black Rock Civilization to use for communication between them.
Standing in the starry sky, Chen Feng gazed at the Black Rock Civilization warship in the distance and fell into deep thought.
His thinking was simple: as long as the solar system remained within the Orion Arm, it was inevitable that it would clash with the Crimson Cloud Empire sooner or later.
Since that's the case, he should start making arrangements sooner rather than later.
To defeat the enemy, one must first understand the enemy; currently, his understanding of the Crimson Cloud Empire is still too limited.
The Black Rock Civilization is a perfect example to exploit.
He planned to visit the Blackrock Civilization after everything was over.
The Black Rock Civilization must have more detailed information about the Crimson Cloud Empire.
We might even get some technical information.
Three days later, inside a Crimson Cloud Empire warship.
Zaton and his team continued their investigation of the area, and with the help of their affiliated civilization, the search area had been significantly expanded.
"Are there any more clues?" Zaton asked someone next to him.
The man was a captain of an imperial fleet. The captain shook his head:
"No, we've investigated twenty star systems in the past few days, but we still haven't found anything."
Zaton frowned deeply. It had been so long, and there was still not a single clue.
The deadline given by the imperial central government is fast approaching. If the cause cannot be found, he will definitely be held accountable.
Just then, a staff member said:
"Report, the captain of the Blackrock Civilization requests communication."
"Black Rock Civilization?" Everyone in the room was taken aback when they heard the name of this civilization.
They naturally knew about the Blackrock Civilization, which was considered relatively loyal among the various subordinate civilizations of the Crimson Cloud Empire.
But it can only be considered loyalty; the people of this civilization are inherently intellectually deficient.
Although there are people from the Blackrock Civilization serving in the Empire's military, they are all in charge of the simplest combat positions, and they are simply incapable of handling other matters.
“Connected!” Zaton said.
He had no expectations of being contacted by this civilized person.
Soon, a holographic projection appeared not far away, showing Shi Pan, who bowed to Zhadun.
"Shi Pan greets Lord Zha Dun!"
Zaton asked calmly, "What is it?"
Shi Pan immediately said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, when our clan was searching the nearby star systems, we discovered an anomaly in one of them. The celestial bodies there have been inexplicably moving." Upon hearing this, the expressions of Zadun and the other people from the Crimson Cloud Empire changed drastically.
Zaton immediately said, "Quick, send the image over!"
Without delay, Shi Pan immediately transmitted back the images captured by the warship.
In the image, more than a dozen planets are seen moving irregularly in the sky.
Zaton's eyes lit up immediately: "Good, good, good! Your Blackrock Civilization is quite impressive. I will report this matter to the Imperial Central Government and award you a great merit!"
Upon hearing this, a smile appeared on Shi Pan's face:
"Serving the Empire is the mission of our Blackrock civilization!"
"Okay, you guys keep watch there, we're coming right away!" Zaton instructed, then hung up the phone.
He looked at the others in the room and said, "Notify the other warships to proceed to the target area immediately. Also, notify Lord Los and ask him to come over as well."
This sudden celestial movement is very likely related to Chen Feng.
Zaton naturally had to notify the eighth-tier expert to come over, just in case.
With Zaton's orders issued,
Imperial warships and warships from some affiliated civilizations in the vicinity were all heading towards the Blackrock Civilization's fleet.
In less than a day, these warships arrived near the Black Rock Civilization fleet.
Zaton and the other high-ranking officers of the Imperial Fleet also saw the scene in the distant starry sky.
The planets were moving erratically, sometimes to the left, sometimes to the right, which looked extremely strange.
The changes in these celestial bodies are clearly not caused by gravity.
"Analyze the data of these celestial bodies immediately, and also investigate the surrounding area!" Zaton ordered immediately.
The crew on the warship didn't dare to delay and immediately began to monitor the starry sky in this area.
A moment later, the staff member's voice came out:
"Report: Spatiotemporal fluctuations and spatial fluctuations are both normal!"
"All data, including gravity, within the region are normal."
"."
Reports were submitted one after another, but still no anomalies were detected.
Just then, a streak of light appeared in the distant starry sky.
This man was none other than Los, the empire's executive officer.
The aura of an eighth-tier expert emanated from him, causing the surrounding starry sky to tremble.
Many of the affiliated civilizations that came here were surprised when they saw Los.
"It's Lord Los! I didn't expect him to be here too!"
"Wasn't it said that Lord Los was dispatched to a peripheral star system? Why is he here?"
"It seems the Empire is taking this unusual event very seriously; even Lord Los has come."
As one of the Empire's executives, Los was considered a strong figure even among all the executives.
He once single-handedly destroyed multiple civilizations.
His achievements are renowned even in the outer reaches of the galaxy.
Inside the Blackrock Civilization warship, Shi Pan and the other powerful members of the Blackrock Civilization also showed surprise when they saw Los.
At this moment, a high-ranking member of the Blackrock Civilization said:
"Could he be the Painter?"
"Painting" was the code name left behind by the mysterious executive before he left.
They rarely saw the Imperial Executives, but now that two Imperial Executives had appeared in this area, many Blackrock Clan members immediately associated the painting with Los.
Shi Pan retorted:
"Impossible. Lord Los is a member of the Imperial hawks. He would never seek cooperation with our Blackrock Civilization."
Within the empire, although executives only obey the orders of the imperial central government and the head of state, there are also factions.
The hawks are a faction within the empire.
People in this faction are quite radical; they either destroy or enslave other civilizations, and they only recruit those with potential and ability.
Their Blackrock civilization had tried to join the Hawks multiple times, but had been rejected each time.
Therefore, Shi Pan is certain that the painting is definitely not by Los.
The other Blackrock tribesmen nodded in understanding upon hearing this.
"The captain's analysis is indeed very insightful!"
"If the captain hadn't said it, I really wouldn't have thought of it."
Many Blackrock tribesmen began to flatter him.
Shi Pan's face immediately lit up with a smug look: "Good to know, there's still a lot for you to learn."
In the starry sky, Los looked at the distant moving planet and reached out with his right hand to grab it.
With this grab, the surrounding spacetime instantly distorted, and then a planet flew uncontrollably toward Los.
The planet stopped a few meters away from Los.
Los observed carefully for a moment, then spoke:
"The energy inside these planets is being controlled by humans; if I'm not mistaken, it should be stellar energy."
Upon hearing Los's words, Zaton and the others inside the warship were all taken aback.
Stellar energy is not unfamiliar to the Crimson Cloud Empire.
This is a special kind of energy in the universe. Some of the technologies of their Crimson Cloud Empire also use this energy, but the level of development is not very high.
Because stellar energy is very unstable, sometimes if it is not controlled properly, it can cause enormous damage.
The Empire's research institute conducted in-depth studies on this matter.
Ultimately, they came to a conclusion.
Stellar energy is an energy substance that was formed at the beginning of the universe. It is this characteristic that makes stellar energy impossible to stabilize using instruments.
Furthermore, using stellar energy can bring about certain special changes.
Therefore, the Crimson Cloud Empire abandoned this research.
Currently, stellar energy is only used in some special fields.
Now, Los actually said that the stellar energy of these planets was being controlled, which surprised Zaton and the others.
“Loss, are you sure you’re not mistaken?” Zaton asked.
Los didn't answer Zaton, but simply waved his hand.
The planet in front of them instantly dissolved like a bubble, leaving only a ball of extremely pure stellar energy in the starry sky.
This stellar energy did not dissipate, but continued to condense.
Upon witnessing this scene, the entire group of subordinate civilizations were utterly shocked!
What shocked them was Los's methods; a planet was like a toy in Los's eyes, destroyed with a casual wave of his hand.
This is terrifying strength.
What Zaton and the others were focused on was the cluster of stellar energy left after the planet's destruction.
Logically speaking, the stellar energy of a planet should immediately dissipate into the universe after the planet is destroyed; this is the law governing the universe.
And now, this cluster of stellar energy has not disappeared, which indirectly proves what Los said before.
"I understand! No wonder we couldn't detect anything unusual before. Those moving planets must be controlled by stellar energy. This kind of movement doesn't affect the nearby spacetime at all, because the power source of the moving planets is the planets themselves!"
The speaker was an Imperial researcher. (End of Chapter)