Although the Protoss was monitoring the movements of the Fallen Apostles, it wasn't easy to carry out long-range surveillance in the void. Also, the Chaos Abyss wasn't connected to the Star Zone. So, the first to find out about the Fallen Apostles' movements was the Empire, just like now.
Father saw the change in my expression and immediately guessed what was going on. "What's wrong? Did something happen at home? "
"There seems to be movement from the Fallen Apostles. This time, they're coming for the Empire." I stood up and floated towards the exit. "It seems that I have to return early this time."
Father God and I soon left the "base" of the God Realm. After that, we met Bryndis in the central plaza of the Divine Hall of Glory, who had rushed over after hearing the news. Lina, who seemed to have just woken up and was strolling outside, and Dingdang, who had just come out of the Goddess of Life's highest temple. Of course, Father Bing and Mother Bing were together with their daughter.
The moment Icetis saw me, she pounced on me like a hungry tiger. She grabbed my arm and shook it vigorously. "Chen! Hurry up and take me away! "
I had been panicking, but Sister Bing's huge commotion scared me to the point that I forgot to panic. I looked at Father Bing and Mother Bing behind her, then at the pitiful female pervert. A thin layer of sweat appeared on my face. "You don't have to be so dramatic. They are your biological parents …"
"I would rather they bought me furniture as a gift …" Icetis's expression was extremely tragic. "They nagged me for the entire night."
Father Bing and Mother Bing were still laughing at their daughter's reaction. The old couple's faces were filled with gratification. Mother Bing even poked Father Bing's arm and muttered, "I told you there's a chance. Look at that girl. She's showing her true feelings under pressure …"
Father Bing nodded in agreement. Icetis was stunned for a moment before she finally jumped up in rage. "I can't live like this anymore! Father, Mother, you are using the mentality of a spy to deal with your daughter. Did you really buy me furniture as a gift? "
I put Icetis to the side and let her continue messing around with her clown parents. Then, I turned and walked towards Liliana. This black loli was purely here as a vacation paid for by the government. Ever since yesterday, she had been wandering around the various Holy Temples of the Divine Church of Glory. Since God Father had tacitly allowed her to do so, nobody had stopped her. However, I hadn't seen her for the entire night, nor did I know where she had spent the night.
"We have to head back in advance." I patted Liliana's head. "The Fallen Apostle has made a move again. This time, his target seems to be the Empire District. Are these guys holding some kind of death-seeking contest or something? Are they afraid that the Empire and the Protoss won't join forces to deal with them … Right, where did you go last night? "
Liliana rubbed her eyes and then wiped her face on my pants. "It wasn't easy for me to come out for a tour. I went to the Darkness Shrine."
I pinched her ear and said, "You, a member of the Life God System, went to the Dark Shrine for an inspection. Who would believe you? You might as well say that you went to the Light Shrine. At the very least, I can believe that you went there to learn photosynthesis. "
Liliana jumped up and down as I pinched her ear. "Boss, you are wise! Boss, you are wise! I went there to learn how to cook. I heard that the Darkness Gods are all good at cooking … "
I replied, "… You might as well say that you went there to join in the fun!"
Fortunately, I had important matters to attend to, so I didn't have the time to suppress this fake loli. Otherwise, just the fact that she had followed me here without doing anything proper would have been enough to ground her in the basket for half a day. I pinched Liliana's cheeks and caught Jingle, who was flying towards me, before stuffing her into my pocket. Then, I raised my head and looked in the direction of the Father Temple. "We are still missing one person. Why isn't Little Lamp coming out? I've been calling for her for a long time. "
Speak of the devil. Just as I said that, the little girl ran out from the entrance of the temple … It didn't seem like she ran out, but she came out riding a little black cat. That girl was still riding on Cyndia's back. Her usually cold face now had a rare look of excitement. Cyndia, who had transformed into a black cat, was carrying the little doll on her back as she ran. The two brats could be considered a combination. However, this combination was still a little uncoordinated. No matter how small the little doll was, she was still more than 90 centimeters tall. Even when she sat down, she was still bigger than the little black cat that Cyndia had transformed into. She was riding on the black cat, and her gothic dress was almost covering Cyndia completely. Only the little cat's head was exposed. So, at first glance, I almost thought that the little doll was sliding on the ground with her legs crossed, and there was a cat plushie hanging from her dress …
In the blink of an eye, the combination formed by the two brats was already in front of me. I went forward and grabbed the little doll's collar, lifting her into my arms. "Didn't you say that you can't bully big sisters?"
The little black cat on the ground rolled on the ground and transformed into its human form. Its face was actually as excited as the little doll's. "It's not bullying, it's not bullying. I think it's quite fun. Gatti always sleeps late in the morning, so there's always no one to play with me at this time. "
The little doll nimbly climbed onto my shoulder. Then, she realized that Uncle Kowain was not far away from her. She quickly moved to the shoulder that was slightly further away. Finally, she hugged my head and shook it vigorously. "Idiot, you're leaving so soon? We've only been here for two days! "
I was slightly surprised as I patted the little girl's leg. "Aren't you usually uninterested in anything? Why did you change your mind this time? "
The little doll pointed at Cyndia awkwardly. "This fellow is quite interesting. Why didn't I realize it in the past …"
"Usually, there aren't many people who can play with Cyndia." Father God smiled warmly at the side. "Other than Gatti, there aren't any other children like Cyndia in the Divine Court of Glory. I really didn't expect these two fellows to have such similar temperaments."
I shrugged as if I was in the late stages of Parkinson's (The little doll was sitting on my other shoulder, so I didn't dare to move). "Usually, there aren't many people who can play with this little girl. Her temper is full of thorns. I didn't expect her to finally find a playmate today." Then, I tilted my head slightly and asked the little girl on my shoulder, "Why don't you stay behind? Since the God Realm and the Shadow Realm are directly connected, it will only take an hour or so to recharge the dimensional door. You can just go home by yourself when the time comes. "
The little doll seriously thought about it for a while. Then, she tugged on my hair and shook her head. "No."
I noticed that she said 'no' instead of 'unwilling'. I knew that this little girl was actually very meticulous. I instantly became curious. "What's wrong with that?"
"This dimensional door connects the capital and the God Realm. It's a special passageway used for official business. You can't just open it just to play," the little doll said seriously. "I heard from Xiaoxue that she will build a more convenient public passageway in the future. I will use it when that time comes."
I instantly turned my head with all my might to look at the little girl on my shoulder. "… When did you become so sensible?!"
The moment I said that, I felt like I was going to be in trouble. As expected, the little girl on my shoulder instantly flew into a rage. She grabbed my head and pulled with all her might. Her voice was so loud that the entire square could hear her. "How am I not sensible?! How am I not sensible?! So what if I'm not sensible?! "
As I grabbed the little doll's arm, I shouted, "The meaning of your last sentence has completely changed."
The little doll adjusted her last sentence and continued to pull my head. "Why do you care about the grammar?! Why do you care about the grammar?! Why do you care about the grammar?! "
This little girl's sarcasm was really getting better and better.
After a long while, I finally managed to calm the little girl on my shoulder. I thought to myself, Everyone is really growing up these past few years. The willful and bad-tempered doll from back then has now become more sensible. Then, I raised my head and smiled awkwardly at Father God. "I'm sorry for making a fool of myself."
Father God chuckled as he watched us fooling around. He nodded with an expression that said 'I understand'. "It's okay. I remember when Carrie was young … That's it then. You go back and deal with your own matters first. If the situation becomes serious, immediately inform us. If the Fallen Apostle really intends to fight us head-on … I'm afraid that we will have to take action even if we have to risk our losses. "
I glanced at Father God. "Logically speaking, they shouldn't be courting death like that … Anyway, you should prepare first. I know that the expedition cannot be delayed. But if the situation really worsens, you should be mentally prepared. Those lunatics never act logically."
"Of course, I understand." Father God nodded. At the same time, the teleportation gate in the plaza was completed. It opened up a path that led directly to the Shadow City. I brought along Icetis, who had just been reprimanded by her parents. Her face was filled with bitterness and hatred. I also picked up Liliana and tucked her under my armpit. We walked through the teleportation gate like a human-shaped coat hanger.
As expected, Sandora was already waiting in the plaza outside the Basilica of the World Tree with her people. The moment I came out, I saw her and Sives standing not far away. Behind her were my elder sister and many high-ranking officers from the command. Of course, there were also the rest of the family. I removed the two little girls from my body and placed them on the ground. Then, I quickly walked in front of Sandora. "What's the situation?"
"We still can't confirm if it's an enemy attack. The movements of the Fallen Apostle are very, very strange." I had never seen an expression on Sandora's face before. It was a little solemn, a little confused, but more than that, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "They seem to be … having a seizure."
"A seizure?" This was the first time that I had seen Sandora having an expression that didn't know whether to laugh or cry when talking about such a serious topic. "How is it a seizure? Are they dancing a figure-eight to attack us? "
"This is such a serious matter. Can't you just hold it in and not complain?" Lin Xue walked over from the side and gave me a small punch. "The Fallen Apostle is having a seizure. Some of the future scenes that I saw are also having a seizure. The situation this time seems to be related to something that spans a long time. In short, there's no way to accurately predict it. Are you tired? If you aren't, let's head straight to the command. You'll know what's going on when you see for yourself. "
Before I could say anything, Icetis, who was beside me, stretched out her arms and shouted, "I'm tired, I'm tired. I'm tired from the long journey. It's a long journey from the God Realm to here. Can you first …"
"Tired my ass." I turned to glare at Icetis. "The teleportation took a total of three and a half seconds. Three seconds were wasted because you insisted on tidying up your hair at the entrance. Hurry up and come over. Don't forget that you're also a nominal officer of the Imperial Army. "
"I've really sold myself to the Empire just because I have the title of clan leader." Icetis mumbled, but she still obediently followed the main group.
Anveena brought the puppet home first, while the group quickly arrived at the command.
In the largest war conference room, everything was ready. The senior staff officers and officers who were on standby in the City of Shadows and above were all present. Bubble, as the main server of the war conference, personally provided data support online. There were small holographic devices prepared in front of every seat in the multi-layered round conference table, displaying complicated diagrams and visualized Void Color Maps. When everyone was in position, Sandora nodded at Sives who was standing in the middle of the room. "Tell me the general situation first."
Sives activated the holographic device in the middle of the room, and a large image that looked like floating color blocks appeared in midair. It was a diagram of the Void Pattern. I had seen it many times, and although it couldn't truly describe the appearance of the Void (because the Void doesn't have a shape), it was still very convenient to use it to visualize the Void Pattern.
"This is the Empire Zone." Sives pointed at the light blue region on the diagram, before pointing at the large dark red spots outside the light blue region and the light gold region a little further away. "This is the Abyss Zone. Lastly, this is the God Realm. This diagram was drawn based on the most recent Void Scan. Other than some slight deviations in certain universes, it's basically very accurate. "
The image on the holographic screen flashed, and the area closest to the Empire Zone and the Abyss Zone was enlarged, with many footnotes and small color labels. Sives pointed at the area in the Abyss Zone. "This is the first unusual gathering that the Abyss Independent Regiment's frontline troops have risked their lives to scan. About four to six armies of fallen apostles have suddenly gathered at the border."
I leaned forward and said, "They're heavily stationed at the border. Isn't this preparation for war?"
"That's what I thought at the start." Sandora shook her head. "But just as I was about to mobilize the troops to prepare for war, the enemy suddenly ran elsewhere."
I couldn't help but raise my voice. "They ran elsewhere?"
"The specifics have yet to be ascertained," Sives explained. "Our intelligence troops can't get too close to the Abyss, so even with the assistance of the Otherworld Garden System, they can't see everything that's happening in the Abyss. Right now, we can only confirm that the enemy troops gathered at the border have suddenly … moved in many different directions of information deviation. At first, we were still sure that they were retreating to the center of the Abyss, but soon, the signals of these fleets scattered in all directions. It's a mess. "
Movement in the Void is measured by 'information deviation'. Changing one's own information index, and increasing the similarity of information characteristics between oneself and the destination to get closer to other targets of Order. This is the only way to 'move' in the Void. The amount of information offset could be regarded as "distance traveled", but the direction of information offset was a little more complicated. It actually had nothing to do with the real "direction". It was just a figurative statement, and it could only be established under the premise of having a frame of reference. If the target's warping in the Void is a group behavior (in other words, it and all other warping units are moving towards the same target), then it doesn't have any 'information deviation direction'.
These concepts are just to make it easier to understand what Sives meant. Of course, I reckon that many people would be even more confused after seeing them.
The fleet of the Fallen Apostles gathered for no apparent reason, and then scattered in all directions. Such an unusual action would naturally make people immediately think of their fierce attack on the Protoss's territory a few days ago. The common point is that they are not in their right mind.
"Could it be that they changed their plan right before the start of the battle, and realized that it's too much of a suicide mission, so they retreated?" The big sister tried to voice her thoughts, but Sandora didn't agree. "That's unlikely. Putting aside the fact that a battle plan of this scale can't be taken lightly, even if they really retreated, they shouldn't have made it so messy. Halland, you have experience. Tell us your opinion. What's going on with this sudden gathering and retreating? "
Halland was one of the three working emperors of the Empire (there's no need to mention who the incompetent and incompetent ones are, right?). He was now taking on more and more important tasks. Apart from leading the Abyssal Empire's troops, building the Abyssal Independent Regiment, and assisting in all research projects related to the Abyss and the Fallen Apostles, he was also in charge of being the most senior advisor to the Fallen Apostles, as well as the highest advisor to the various military operations in the Abyss. If the Fallen Apostles were to make any strange moves, it would definitely be wise to consult Halland.
But this time, even Halland's expression was unusually confused. "To be honest, I really don't understand this time … I can't tell what they're trying to do, and I can't think of any emperor in the Abyssal Empire who would do something so out of line. First of all, I can confirm that this is definitely not a normal military deployment. The initial gathering of the troops was not a problem, but when the troops retreated later on, it was obviously messy. Several large units retreated in different directions, and some units may have even mixed up in the process of retreating inland. Not to mention the Shiring Apostles, even a commander of a normal race would not make such a mess, right? And according to the telemetry sent back by the frontline scouts, there were two small units running back and forth in the border area several times. They were not patrolling, nor did they have any military purpose. They were completely headless flies. "
Xiaoxue, who was also sitting in the military seat in the name of "a future high-ranking commander", muttered at this time, "Just looking at this scene, if the person in charge of the deployment is put in the military court, he will be executed for two weeks."
I glanced at Xiaoxue, who was sitting in the military seat. She stuck her tongue out at me from afar. I then glanced at Lin Xue, who was sitting a seat away from me, and asked softly, "Can't you see what's going on with these troops?"
"The interference is too strong. Don't count on it." Lin Xue spread her hands. "Why don't you look at the void? If I can see it, then what's the use of the Garden of the Departed?"
"Other than this gathering and retreat, did the Fallen Apostles do anything strange?" I raised my head to look at Xi Wei.
"Yes." Xi Wei nodded vigorously. "They repeated the process thirty minutes later …"
I was instantly stunned, and it took me a while before I cursed, "F * ck! Do they think we're celebrating the Spring Festival? "
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