In the year 3877 AD, this was the first millennium of humanity living away from their home planet, Blue Star. This year also marked the first time humanity collectively defeated the Zerg.
Whether it was the Empire, the Federation, or those unknown small pirate groups, they all celebrated this momentous occasion without exception.
"We have finally won," a wounded citizen shouted loudly, holding a little girl beside him.
"We don't have to hide anymore."
"We are free."
"Long live the Empire!"
"Long live the Federation!!"
"Long live the Red Star!"
In the squares and streets, strangers and acquaintances alike embraced.
At this moment, the giant screens in the commercial districts and the televisions in every home were broadcasting this live event. Everyone, in their excitement, fell silent.
They were all watching the figure on the big screen. He sat upright in a chair, his expressionless face reciting from a manuscript in his hand, his cold voice reaching everyone's ears. He wore a dark green military uniform and had silver-white hair, appearing stern and cold-blooded, as if nothing could disturb his composure.
"We have finally achieved victory. This would not have been possible without our collective efforts. The subsequent city construction still requires our joint completion. Furthermore, our Empire will properly settle the families of those who bravely sacrificed their lives." When the man spoke his last sentence, a flicker of emotion finally appeared in his eyes, but it vanished in an instant, as if he were mourning something or missing someone.
After speaking, the man left the camera and walked towards the door. He exited the magnificent palace without letting anyone follow him. He then drove alone to the sea and gazed at the boundless blue expanse. His lips parted, and he softly whispered, "Did you truly leave?"
[Child, wake up.]
"Who is calling me?"
[You have been asleep for a long time. It is time to awaken. I will not be able to accompany you through the days ahead. They will be with you. I hope you protect yourself and our entire race.] The voice grew increasingly ethereal, eventually fading away.
"Hey, explain yourself. Don't just stop mid-sentence." Lin Hao suddenly opened his eyes and realized that the place he was in seemed different from before. It was white and small, as if he could touch the ceiling with a stretch.
Upon realizing this, Lin Hao reached out and found that he could indeed touch the ceiling. Lin Hao tapped the white surface with his finger.
Lin Hao had drifted in the chaos for an unknown amount of time. After he died, no one told him where to go. There was no one, no thing, only endless darkness and solitude.
The empty sound was exceptionally clear in the cave, and then many black objects moved towards the source of the sound, surrounding the egg completely.
Through Lin Hao's persistent efforts, he finally managed to create a hole in the white object. He gradually enlarged the hole with his finger. When the opening was large enough, Lin Hao slowly poked his head out.
He looked around and found himself in a dark place. Finding it uninteresting, he pulled his head back in. He hugged his knees, curling himself into a ball within the spherical container, recalling the female voice that had appeared in his mind earlier.
Logically, he should have died, and in a gruesome manner at that. Even if there were remains, someone would have scattered his ashes. Why could he still hear someone speaking now, and a girl at that? Could it be that some young girl had a crush on him? Oh, how embarrassing.
"Chirp chirp chirp."
Hearing this sound, Lin Hao immediately snapped back to attention. Every cell in his body was ready for combat. As an Imperial soldier, he had undergone professional training and was extremely sensitive to such sounds. It was the call of a segmented, composite insect. This was strange. This kind of creature…
Back then, he had attached a bomb and annihilated the Queen's nest. When the Queen died, the entire species should have faced annihilation. Why could he still hear the calls of these insects here? Could it be that someone had provided him with false intelligence…
"Baby, why don't you come out?"
"Could it be that you're too ugly?"
"Nonsense, I am the most handsome Zerg."
"The most handsome Zerg should be me."
"Baby, come out for a bit, let us see you."
"Don't scare the baby."
"This is our first newborn in over a decade. Don't tell me you've scared it."
"Impossible, it's definitely not me. I'm so handsome."
"Then it wasn't me, it wasn't me, it wasn't me. I'm not ugly."
"Quiet down, all of you." A clear and cold voice reached the ears of every Zerg.
All the Zergs stopped and looked at the silver-white figure by the cave entrance.
Erfa approached the egg surrounded by black bugs step by step. All the tall Zergs made way for the human who was less than two meters tall.
As he drew closer, the ripples of emotion slowly spread across his originally calm heart.
While Lin Hao was still on guard inside the egg, so many voices that didn't belong to him suddenly flooded his mind. It was like a group chat exploding, and the chat was filled with pointless questions. It gave him a headache. He never realized the Zergs could be so chatty and vain.
Just as Lin Hao's headache became unbearable, someone suddenly said something, and the group chat immediately fell silent, like an administrator had imposed a full mute.
Wait, why could I hear these Zergs in my mind? This doesn't make sense. It's completely illogical.
Lin Hao slowly sat up and poked his head out again, only to find several pairs of scarlet eyes staring at him.
This must be the wrong way to peek. Let me try again.
Lin Hao then retracted his head.
The Zergs, seeing that Lin Hao had seen them after the mute was lifted, quickly started typing, "Baby, why did you shrink back after seeing us?"
"Don't know."
"Don't know +1"
"+1"
"+2"
Strange conversations started swirling in Lin Hao's mind again.
Overwhelmed by the pain in his head, Lin Hao mentally said, "Stop chattering." If you keep chattering, I'll kick you all out of the group chat.
With Lin Hao's words, the minds instantly fell silent. He also realized that after saying this, he felt an overwhelming urge to sleep, his eyelids fighting to stay open.
At this moment, a small voice in his mind reminded him not to sleep, that there were Zergs outside and he would die.
Then another small voice chimed in, saying, "If I die, I die. It's not like I haven't died before."
The two little voices began to argue.
In the end, he could no longer resist the physical response and slowly leaned against his arm, falling asleep.
Only the muted Zergs were left standing at attention.
Lin Hao did not know that because of his one sentence, all the surviving Zergs in the universe were standing at attention, not daring to breathe.
In his dream, Lin Hao found himself becoming the King of the Zergs. It was hilarious. How could this be possible? How could he possibly become the King of the Zergs?
But reality struck faster than he expected. In his dream, Lin Hao suddenly gained access to all the information about the Zerg race, more detailed than the Imperial Library. He also learned about their habits and hierarchy. For instance, the Zerg had three generals, each commanding the sea, land, and air forces, with each general possessing a mental rank of SSS+.
He also learned about the Zerg's unique communication method, which used mental power, much like the group chat he had just experienced in his mind. He had become the group's owner, and Zergs of all sizes were in this chat.
The Zergs in the cave watched the silver Zerg next to the white egg – Erfa – their eyes filled with whether they should speak. But they wanted to see the baby. Their King was still a baby, and they really wanted to see him, but they didn't dare to speak because the group owner had imposed a full mute. If they spoke, the King would surely be displeased. And the administrator, why were you just standing there looking like a door god? Say something.
Erfa knew what the Zergs were thinking, but he ignored them. Instead, he lowered his head and looked at the black-haired boy inside the white egg.
Small and fluffy, so cute.