Chapter 115 The Great Panic

The Three Great Civilizations wouldn't deliberately publicize the failure of the interception perimeter, but secrets can't be kept forever. As the forces of various powers withdrew from the explored universe, the bad news quickly spread throughout the interstellar society, which was constantly paying attention to the war situation, immediately causing widespread panic.

For more than a year, the refugee population that had migrated from various places to the Central Star Sea had grown accustomed to the good news that the interception perimeter was successfully blocking the World Tree time and time again, which was comforting. This made many people feel that the forced refuge was worthwhile, and they had already regarded the interception perimeter as a "border" to block the enemy in their hearts.

As long as the interception perimeter was there, they would feel safe, believing that this barrier could always stop the World Tree and prevent the flames of war from affecting their homelands.

However, now that this barrier had been breached by the enemy, the people's confidence was taken away. The chain reaction was astonishing, not only causing panic and fear, but also causing the credibility of the Three Great Civilizations to plummet.

In the eyes of interstellar citizens, the Three Great Civilizations were almost omnipotent "kings". However, even such powerful rulers joining forces still suffered a defeat against the foreign enemy. Although there were many factors involved, in the eyes of ordinary people, it was like a mathematical equation where 3 is less than 1, symbolizing that the Three Great Civilizations were no match for the foreign enemy!

Many people were willing to accept forced migration for refuge because they believed that the Three Great Civilizations could eventually defeat the foreign enemy. But if the Three Great Civilizations couldn't beat the invaders, was it really safe for them to stay in the Central Star Sea for refuge? Was it just waiting for death?

This idea spread rapidly in the hearts of interstellar citizens like a virus, nourishing emotions such as unease, panic, and fear. Even if the public opinion control departments of the Three Great Civilizations continued to work, the overflowing emotions were like a flood that had burst its banks, and it was not so easy to block it again.

Subsequently, turmoil broke out.

A large number of refugee planets frequently experienced cases of people seizing ships and fleeing. Some people were no longer willing to believe in the Three Great Civilizations, feeling that staying was waiting for death. They tried to "save themselves" before the foreign enemy attacked, wanting to take spaceships to escape the explored universe and become space refugees.

The refugees, who were originally docile and accepted the control of the Three Great Civilizations, erupted with a collective resistance consciousness in the face of life and death. The difficulty of management suddenly increased, and the Three Great Civilizations had to devote more energy to appease and suppress the refugee population.

For a time, chaos reigned.

In his previous life, the foreign enemies came fiercely, taking multiple measures at the same time, leaving the people with no choice and no way out. Now, the Three Great Civilizations had gained time to prepare for war, which also gave the people room to choose, with both advantages and disadvantages. At least it was impossible to easily achieve a state of national mobilization as in the previous life.

…

Super-A Association Headquarters, Feinn Star.

Due to the large-scale deployment of the armies of the Three Great Civilizations, many Super-A forces changed the location of the association headquarters. This planet, located in the middle of the Shattered Star Ring, had been moved into Black Star's territory.

Since a large number of Super-As had rushed to the front lines, the Super-A Association had entered a state of suspension. At this moment, Han Xiao and other participants returned to the association and held a general meeting again after about a year.

In the round table conference room, many members of the association gathered together. Compared with the full seats before the war, there were now many empty seats, each representing a casualty.

"...That's basically it. In at least eleven years, the World Tree will attack our home and reach the border of the Shattered Star Ring..."

Han Xiao said in a low voice, relaying the discussion results of the Three Great Civilizations' war meeting.

Listening to this information, all the Super-As present had stern faces and heavy hearts. The atmosphere was serious and solemn.

"Eleven years is too short..."

A Super-A couldn't help but speak, his tone worried.

This amount of time passed in the blink of an eye for Super-As. Even on a normal person's timescale, it wasn't even a generation.

The astonishing offensive of the World Tree breaking through the interception perimeter left a deep impression on the participants. At the thought that the endless green tide would soon invade their homeland, like a disaster that devoured everything, gradually covering the entire explored universe, everyone subconsciously tensed up, extremely fearful.

Kesuye knocked on the table and encouraged, "Think on the bright side, we at least have eleven years to prepare. In the past year, we have fought against the World Tree and discovered many of our own shortcomings, so we can take this opportunity to improve."

Because he knew the truth about the Sanctuary and Iteration, he had always been a firm advocate of war and was the other backbone besides Han Xiao.

But after he finished speaking, many participants did not respond as they had in the past, but remained silent. Naturally, the avoidance faction association members who already had differences of opinion would not have any approving reactions.

Dirloon rested his elbows on the table, taking in everyone's expressions, and sneered.

"Tch, I said it a long time ago. Your attitudes will change after you experience war. Now you know I was right, right? Look at you guys, how high-spirited you were when you set off. And now? Aren't you all beaten back with battered faces! So many association members gave their lives, but in the end, they still couldn't stop the enemy from advancing. Tell me, what's the use of these people sacrificing themselves? It's just wasting their only chance of revival."

Hearing this, most of the participants clenched their fists or claws, obviously provoked, but no one spoke to refute him.

In fact, Dirloon's words touched their hearts. In the interstellar battlefield with trillions of participants, many people felt their own insignificance. Seeing those Super-A big shots who usually held sway in interstellar society die tragically one after another, the belief in participation of others wavered even more.

Seeing this, Han Xiao frowned and said in a deep voice:

"Alright, shut up. At least we cooperated with the Three Great Civilizations to delay the World Tree's invasion of our home by a year."

"Heh, a mere year..."

Dirloon curled his lips, unimpressed, but he didn't dare to say more under Han Xiao's gaze.

Han Xiao stopped looking at him, scanned the crowd, and said slowly: "In any case, these eleven years are the final preparation period and cannot be wasted. I will unconditionally borrow evolutionary blocks and a series of other universe treasures to improve everyone's strength. Others who possess similar universe treasures should do the same. All of you have been in the position of 'Interstellar Big Shot' for too long. Some people have been stagnant for a long time and have wasted their training. I suggest everyone undergo special training. It's better to be a little stronger. "

"How to train? Who will train us?" Kele asked curiously.

Han Xiao pondered:

"The peak Super-As of each system will serve as mentors, imparting experience and guiding directions, and I will serve as the general instructor, coordinating all special training plans. On the one hand, we must improve individual strength, and on the other hand, we must practice joint combat tactics and coordination.

"Furthermore, everyone will be doing practical combat training, so don't worry about getting injured. Aurora is responsible for healing. During peacetime, we, as representatives of individual power, don't have frequent opportunities to fight, but now is not the time to worry about face or prestige. We must try our best to improve our combat power. Practical combat is the best way. Winning or losing is not important, improving one's own abilities is the key."

He really wanted to improve the average combat power of the Super-A group, but on the other hand, he also felt that this was a good excuse to find people for frequent sparring, maybe he could get more abilities.

Hearing this, everyone hesitated for a moment, but did not object.

At this time, Mi Zhu said in a deep voice:

"What if the Three Great Civilizations lose in the end?"

Han Xiao lowered his eyes and said slowly:

"...I promise everyone that if things cannot be done, I will not ask for anything else. I will definitely take everyone out of the explored universe and go to the endless sea of stars. Therefore, these eleven years are also the time for us to transfer the resources of our Super-A forces and prepare for the future."

Han Xiao didn't believe that the Three Great Civilizations could definitely defeat the World Tree. The timeline was different now. Whether he could find the World Tree's main body was a complete mystery, the probability was unknown. If he couldn't find it, the Three Great Civilizations would have almost no chance of winning. He also made the worst plan and prepared to arrange a way out for the association in advance.

If the Three Great Civilizations were really finished, he would abandon this place without hesitation. The universe was so big, there was nowhere he couldn't go.

The meeting went on for a while before everyone dispersed with their own thoughts.

After everyone had left, Han Xiao let out a breath, took out his communicator, and contacted the Oathkeeper to inquire about the collection progress of the Sanctuary Key. The highest priority was naturally the First Sanctuary, which had the most similar time flow rate.

However, the Oathkeeper's reply was that he had not yet collected all the materials and needed to wait for some time.

"I hope to open the second round of revival as soon as possible. The fighting spirit of the association members has already wavered."

Han Xiao thought to himself.

Many revivers felt that they had consumed their only chance of revival and would no longer need him in the future, so they were disobedient. Now, he urgently needed to use the truth to correct these people's thoughts. Only by demonstrating his own indispensability could he infinitely amplify his right to speak and make the Super-A group more dependent on him, pointing them wherever he wanted them to go.

At the same time, the two sisters walked out of the venue one after another.

Suddenly, Hela stopped, and Aurora, who was looking down, didn't seem to notice, and bumped into her back. Only then did she come back to her senses and raise her head blankly.

"What's wrong with you lately? Ever since the thought seal was lifted, your condition hasn't been right. You're often distracted and in a daze. You were like that during the meeting just now."

Hela turned her head, frowning as she looked at Aurora with a dazed expression.

"I..." Aurora clenched her small fists, buried her head deeply, and hesitated, "I was just thinking, if I were much stronger than I am now, would these things still happen?"

"Oh?" Hela raised an eyebrow, but didn't answer.

Aurora pursed her lips and said to herself:

"Black Star said that my current level is far from being able to unleash the true potential of this ability. If I become stronger, I can summon more Netherworld Heroes at any time. If I become stronger, I can resist this thought seal. If I become stronger, so many comrades won't have to die in battle..."

As she spoke, her voice became more and more lost, with a strong sense of self-blame.

"All of this is because I'm not strong enough!"

Hela quietly watched her. After she vented her emotions, she said expressionlessly:

"Yes, it's because you're not strong enough! They're all comforting you, saying it's not your fault, but in my eyes, it's your problem. If you had the level of a peak Super-A, the losses in this battle could have been avoided!"

Hearing this, Aurora twisted her fingers, becoming even more ashamed.

After becoming a Super-A a few years ago, no longer needing to be managed by Black Star and Hela, her heart went wild, and she felt like she was finally free to soar.

Her own ability could guarantee survival, and she had inherited powerful Netherworld Heroes. She had also obtained a lot of support from association members, and even had life-saving equipment given by Black Star. She had various trump cards from the start, so she relaxed and no longer did targeted training.

It wasn't until she suffered a setback this time that Aurora regretted not training hard in the past few years.

Aurora raised her head to look directly into Hela's eyes, bit her lip, and made up her mind:

"Sister, can you help me with special training?"

Hela's mouth curled into an imperceptible arc of relief, then she put on a straight face and said lightly:

"Then you should be mentally prepared. I won't go easy on you."

…

Sub-Dimension World.

This was a space filled with black liquid matter, like a bottomless deep sea.

A fleet was slowly advancing, like a group of submarines sailing.

This was one of the detachments of the Sub-Dimension Expedition Force that the Three Great Civilizations had sent out the earliest. After a year of trekking, it had already penetrated deep into the sub-dimension, far away from the shallow layers controlled by the Three Great Civilizations.

At this moment, in the simple single room inside the living compartment of one of the battleships, Harrison was pacing back and forth anxiously, muttering to himself:

"In the main universe, the World Tree has already broken through the interception perimeter of the Three Great Civilizations. If we don't speed up our progress here, the enemy will be able to attack our home in no time... How can we find the thing that Black Star mentioned?"

Due to the poor communication in the sub-dimension, the expedition force could not maintain stable communication with home, and could only report the situation occasionally. In the last exchange of information, the expedition force that Harrison was in learned that the interception perimeter had been broken, which made him anxious.

In more than a year of searching, the expedition force had gained nothing, and had not even seen the shadow of the World Tree troops.

The sub-dimension was endless. New dimensions were born and old dimensions were destroyed every moment. The positional relationship between the sub-dimensions was difficult to fathom and constantly changing. Without specified coordinates, finding something was much more difficult than in the main universe.

"The probability of trying our luck like this is too low. When will we be able to find clues..."

Harrison clenched his fists. He couldn't calm down at the thought that his hometown was being threatened by invaders.

But Harrison, who was immersed in his emotions, did not notice that in the dark sea outside the porthole, a huge shadow faintly swam past. It was almost impossible to distinguish in the darkness. What was strange was that even the multi-function radar alarm of the fleet had not detected it.