Cataclysm: Undead Dragons and Zero Empire

The remote communication connection was successful, and images of the board members appeared in front of Karen.

They all wore a lingering weariness; clearly, the destruction of Thousand Star City was a huge shock to the board members who had been pampered for countless years.

The City of a Thousand Stars is the Foundation's flagship city and its core. It is a symbol of the Foundation's strength and status in this galaxy. Its destruction not only means that the Foundation has suffered huge economic losses, but also that it has lost face and its status in interstellar society will be severely affected.

"Karen, how is the situation in Thousand Star City?" The rotating director's voice was slightly hoarse, filled with urgency and unease. Clearly, he had already received preliminary information and was filled with anxiety.

Karen bowed slightly and began to report the situation to the board of directors. However, no matter how he tried to be tactful, he could not hide the fact that the City of a Thousand Stars had been so thoroughly destroyed. The metal here could no longer be recycled and was as good as dead after being swept away by the unknown energy.

Karen focused on the Pirate Alliance's infiltration of the Foundation. "We retrieved data from the City of a Thousand Stars. The cause of this incident must be that the Pirate Alliance knew in advance that we were going to hand over the ancient historical information we had collected to the Undead Dragon. So, as soon as we invited the Undead Dragon, they launched a surprise attack, which is tantamount to framing our Foundation."

"Fellow directors, please calm down." This evidence, proving that they had been thoroughly infiltrated, was clearly embarrassing for the directors, and Karen could only try to calm them down.

"This incident not only exposed the Pirate King's ambition, but also their hidden secret weapons. According to data analysis and on-site investigation, the weapons used by the Pirate King this time are far more powerful than our technological level, including the parts we know and the more advanced parts of the future. It is suspected that ancient technology has been brought to light again."

At this point, Karen's tone became more serious, "What deserves our attention even more is the true strength revealed by the Undead Dragon, which exceeded our expectations of this 'Leviathan'-level being."

"I hereby request the Board to raise the level of concern for the Undead Dragon to the highest priority," Karen proposed. The destruction of the City of a Thousand Stars was a done deal, but they would still have to face the Undead Dragon in the future. Whether it was the previous ability to control psionic energy like a psionic emperor, or the unknown energy that it was showing now that could destroy everything, it all exceeded the Foundation's imagination of a higher civilization.

The board members remained silent, always filled with concerns, especially after stepping outside the bounds of empiricism. Like slow-witted old men, they were unable to make timely judgments, and the longer their lives went on, the more the accumulated memories became a constraint.

One of the directors spoke up, "Karen, there's no need to say more. The board has received the latest news. Just now, the Undead Dragon appeared in the star field occupied by the Pirate Alliance."

"He is utterly destroying those areas—trading ports, fleets, star fortresses, and colonies—without exception, military or civilian, with no survivors."

The transmitted images were projected, now showing a black and red dragon shadow soaring in the starry sky, flames burning fiercely, leaving everything in its wake as desolation, with no matter or life able to survive, revealing a pure apocalyptic scene.

Karen stared at the images with a hint of understanding. He knew very well that the Undead Dragon would not give up easily, and the pirate alliance's surprise attack had undoubtedly angered it.

In his view, the destruction of those wicked pirate forces was not incomprehensible, but entirely reasonable. Those pirates had committed numerous atrocities and severely damaged the Foundation's trade network. Now, being retaliated against by the Undead Dragon was simply their own fault.

"Distinguished directors," the rotating director began, "After deliberation, the Foundation has decided to name this event 'Doomsday' and has already reported all relevant information to the Hamborghini Convention."

"What is the opinion of the Humborian Consortium?" Karen asked. As a diplomatic envoy who had dealt with countless civilizations, he was a seasoned veteran and now desperately hoped that the superior civilization could remain rational, but his professional ethics constantly told him that this was wishful thinking.

The rotating director said with a hint of helplessness, "The Humborian Covenant's response has arrived. After discussion, they have decided to characterize this newly emerged 'Leviathan'-class being, namely the Undead Dragon, as a destructive entity and a common enemy of the entire galaxy."

"They believe that the power of the Undead Dragon is too great and extremely destructive. Its existence threatens the peace of the entire galaxy and the survival of all interstellar civilizations that are willing to coexist peacefully. It must be contained and eliminated."

"This..." Upon hearing this news, even the usually calm and composed Karen almost couldn't help but speak up in rebuttal. With a hint of urgency, he had expected the higher civilization to react negatively, but he had never imagined it would be so resolute.

"Distinguished board members, the Undead Dragon has been proven to be communicable. He accepted our invitation, and all previous contact procedures have proven that although he is powerful, he is not bloodthirsty. He has his own judgment and is not driven by instinct."

"This incident was a surprise attack launched by the Pirate Alliance. It is only natural that they were retaliated against by the Undead Dragon. It has nothing to do with our Foundation, let alone the entire galaxy."

Karen's tone was firm: "Why should we be enemies with the Undead Dragons? Why should we push someone who could be a friend, someone who could be our ally, into the opposing camp?"

"Fellow directors, let's consider this from a different perspective," Karen said, taking a deep breath and softening her tone. "The strength of the Undead Dragon is undeniable. If we can establish a good cooperative relationship with Him and gain His guidance and support, then our Foundation has a real chance to dominate the entire galaxy, and even become the overlord of the entire star cluster. Why should we listen to the demands of the Homborian Consortium?"

"Although the City of a Thousand Stars has been destroyed, it is only a city. We can rebuild it, and rebuild a City of Ten Thousand Stars that is more prosperous, more solid, and more magnificent than the City of a Thousand Stars. The loss of the City of a Thousand Stars is completely acceptable. Compared with the future of the Foundation, this loss is insignificant."

As the Foundation's diplomatic envoy, Karen, born into a board member family, dedicated his life to diplomatic checks and balances and to securing the greatest possible benefit for the Foundation. In his view, opposing the Undead Dragon was the most foolish and unwise choice. He firmly believed that the Undead Dragon was not uncommunicable, nor was it a natural enemy; rather, it could become the Foundation's most powerful ally.

However, the board members did not agree with Karen's point of view. The rotating director shook his head, his tone tinged with helplessness and disappointment: "Karen, you have served as the Foundation's special envoy for so long. We are all well aware of your contributions and we all recognize your abilities. However, your way of thinking has been limited to the diplomatic field. You only see the benefits brought by cooperation, but you have ignored the risks involved and the Foundation's position."

"We do not want to be enemies with the Undead Dragons," the rotating director said in a heavy tone, "but rather the Humborian Consortium wants to be enemies with the Undead Dragons. The Humborian Consortium is our superior civilization, and our Foundation cannot make decisions on its own."

"Moreover," another director said, his tone tinged with anger. His family had suffered the most in this disaster. "The Undead Dragon caused the destruction of the City of a Thousand Stars! What is the City of a Thousand Stars? It is the symbol of our foundation's status in this galaxy! It holds so much capital and so much financial trade, but now it has been completely destroyed by the Undead Dragon and turned into ruins. We cannot remain indifferent to this."

Karen was well aware of the reasons the board members insisted on, the pressure from the Humboldt Convention, and the foundation's status and reputation—issues they could not avoid.

If we don't attribute this negative incident to the Undead Dragons, are we supposed to say that the City of a Thousand Stars, despite being heavily protected by the Foundation, was infiltrated and then destroyed by pirates?

Karen wanted to suggest that even if the Foundation were to declare war on the Undead Dragons, it should outwardly comply with the Humborian Consortium but inwardly defy it, letting other civilizations take the lead. However, when he opened his mouth, he found that he didn't know what to say. He couldn't change the board's decision, nor could he change the Foundation's position.

The rotating director looked at Karen and comforted her, "Karen, this is the board's decision. From now on, you no longer need to focus on communicating with the Undead Dragon. Your responsibility has shifted to researching how to deal with the Undead Dragon."

Karen remained silent, his gaze fixed on the darkness deep within the galaxy, as if he could see the black and red dragon shadow recklessly unleashing the flames of death.

"Yes, ma'am," Karen said in a low, hoarse voice, bowing slightly as she respectfully addressed the directors in the holographic projection.

The board members showed a hint of relief when they saw that Karen had obeyed the order. "Very good, Karen. We believe in your abilities and that you can complete this task. The board will provide you with all the necessary support."

"Yes," Karen said, without adding another word.

The remote communication was cut off, and the holographic projection slowly went out. Karen remained standing in the same spot, knowing that he had no choice but to accept this new appointment.

Looking around at the City of a Thousand Stars, now a graveyard, he knew very well that the destruction of the City of a Thousand Stars was not the end.

This disaster has already begun, and only time will tell where it will ultimately lead.