Cataclysm: Undead Dragons and Zero Empire

Psionic communication spread gently through the starry sky, like a breeze across a calm lake, carrying messages.

Lin Ziming watched the slowly approaching fleet, which was anchored outside the orbit of another planet, maintaining a proper distance from him and not crossing the line.

The fleet was not large in size; among the dozens of frigates was an elegantly shaped shuttle-shaped ship with no trace of weapons, and all its design elements were geared towards gentleness and friendliness.

The escort ships maintained a low-power operation mode, obviously to avoid causing unnecessary misunderstandings. As they gradually approached, Lin Ziming could clearly sense the spiritual energy fluctuations emanating from the ship's hull.

"Dear 'Celestial Dragon,' we come with the purest goodwill and have absolutely no hostile intentions," the psionic communication came again. "In order to maintain unambiguous communication with you, we have formed the Thinker Array, and we wish to use it as a bridge to listen to your will."

In the face of psionic energy, this diplomatic fleet was as transparent as a mirror. Lin Ziming's gaze pierced through the hull and looked into the cabin. Seventy-two semi-transparent cylindrical objects were inserted into the pool, each containing a creature dressed in a light blue bodysuit.

They must be psionicists trained by the Boros Universal Foundation. Their yellowish-green skin had a moist sheen, and pale purple crystals were embedded in the horns that merged at the back of their heads. Their eyes were closed, and their bodies were suspended in a viscous, transparent liquid that was constantly bubbling.

This place is like a water-cooled server, with psionic fluctuations transmitted through the transparent liquid. The psionicists are nodes, forming what they call the Thinker Array.

This foundation has clearly dealt with and studied civilizations that follow the psionic path, and even knows that ordinary psionicists are completely unable to withstand the will of an existence like Lin Zimo.

"I am Karen, the diplomatic ambassador of the Boros Global Foundation," a gentle thought came through the psionic communication. Lin Zimo looked over and saw a creature of the same race as the psionicists talking to him.

The ambassador, who identified himself as Karen, seemed to know that "Tianlong" had lowered his gaze to him. He maintained a respectful tone, saying, "On behalf of the Foundation, we would like to express our sincerest respect to you."

"The starport you destroyed was not a legitimate facility of any civilization, but a stronghold of a pirate alliance that roamed this galaxy."

Karen spoke slowly and gently, pausing slightly after each sentence, her hands clasped together, her gaze lowered as she stared at the empty space in the cabin—every detail conveying a desire for peace.

"Those pirates have long lurked in the shadows of interstellar routes, engaging in atrocities such as the slave trade and resource plunder. Our foundation has made many attempts to eradicate them, but has failed due to their incompatibility with other galactic civilizations."

"Blessed by your power, our foundation will do everything in its power to eradicate these villains and bring peace and stability to the galaxy."

Lin Ziming did not respond, but simply stared at the shuttle-shaped ship. He could sense the psionic protection surrounding the ambassador. Clearly, the Foundation was still wary of his actions in killing the Star Eater and easily destroying a starport. They were worried that he could not communicate and feared his destructive potential.

"Since entering interstellar space, the Boros Space Foundation has adhered to a pro-foreign policy. We have always believed that in the vast universe, different civilizations and different forms of existence can coexist."

Since Lin Ziming showed no signs of hostility, Karen continued, her tone becoming increasingly humble and respectful, "You are a great being. The Boros Universal Foundation respects and reveres your wishes. Based on this, we hope to reach an agreement with you to provide you with all the assistance and offerings we can in the years to come, and to maintain peace with you."

The fleet slowly revealed its storage compartments, which were filled with various exotic resources. These were gifts prepared by the Boros Global Foundation. They did not know the preferences of "Tianlong," so they listed and displayed the kinds they considered valuable, without any intention of actively delivering them, so as not to be seen as disrespectful or provocative.

Lin Ziming's gaze swept over the gifts. He didn't need these valuable resources. His will spread along his spiritual energy, conveying his desire: "I need the star map."

The simple meaning was like a meteorite crashing into the ocean, instantly triggering a chain reaction in the ranks of thinkers. The transparent liquid churned violently, almost boiling, and the crystals above the heads of the psionicists burst into dazzling light and cracks appeared.

Karen showed her first emotional fluctuation since they started communicating, and she frantically operated the console: "Of course, we will provide you with the latest version of the star map."

The data stream was transmitted through the psionic network of the Thinker Array. A detailed star map was received by Lin Ziming. Countless star systems were marked with dots of different colors, and the intersecting lines clearly showed information such as the territory of civilizations, interstellar routes, and even the distribution of resources.

"This star map covers most of our star cluster," Karen said, clearly also affected by the psionic shock and somewhat flustered, but quickly regained her characteristic calm. "Information about other star clusters is relatively simpler due to the limitations of their spheres of influence, including known territories and shipping lanes."

Lin Ziming quickly read through all the information in the star map, which even marked some undeveloped resource planets and abandoned ancient ruins hidden deep in the nebula, which greatly helped him understand the universe today.

He noticed that the Boros Global Foundation's sphere of influence occupied a major spiral arm of the galaxy, which included a large number of affiliated civilizations. The starport he had just destroyed was located at the border between the Foundation and another dominant civilization, which indeed fit the characteristics of a pirate stronghold.

After processing the information from the star map, Lin Ziming transmitted his thoughts again through psionic energy: "The Zerg," he paused, then added, "a genocidal race that aims to devour and evolve, does it exist?"

This question silenced Karen. The ambassador, accessing the foundation's database, spoke with a hint of uncertainty: "To answer your question, based on our current information, among the known extinct civilizations, the closest to your description is the 'Killing Swarm.'"

As he spoke, a new stream of information flowed in, displaying data about the Killer Swarm: "As far as we know, the Killer Swarm is a purely predatory civilization with the ability to rapidly adapt to its environment and does not accept any diplomatic contact."

"They will occupy habitable planets to establish breeding grounds, feed on any form of organic matter, and currently one group is declaring war on all civilizations in the galaxy, and some star systems have already become their nests."

Lin Ziming examined the so-called swarm-devouring habits, breeding patterns, and combat characteristics of the bees in the data, which listed a considerable number of differentiated military units, demonstrating the aggressive nature of this civilization.

They exhibited attributes similar to the "Zerg" in Lin Ziming's memory, but these attributes could all be attributed to ordinary hive thinking, and no characteristics that would cause him to experience post-traumatic stress disorder could be found.

Perhaps in this universe, the shadow of past natural disasters no longer exists, leaving only some clumsy imitators.