Morton Star System
Although it had suffered attacks from the Interstellar Zerg, order had been restored here thanks to timely intervention.
Only a few planets had been invaded by the Interstellar Zerg, but fortunately, the situation was handled properly. The ground-based interstellar zergs had not spread and remained within controllable limits.
Count Morton was leading a small patrol fleet, inspecting his territory.
"Count, up to now, all Zerg Nest Starships in our Morton Star System have been completely eliminated. All mining zones are operating normally," a subordinate reported, standing before Count Morton.
Count Morton breathed a sigh of relief. "It's good that our mining zones were unaffected. If they had been damaged by the Interstellar Zerg, it would have posed a great threat to both our Morton Star System and the North Wind Star Domain."
"Indeed. Who would have thought that so many Cosmic Zerg Nests would suddenly appear in the North Wind Star Domain this time? I heard the number exceeded three hundred, with over ten Level 2 Cosmic Zerg Nests alone! Just thinking about it sends shivers down my spine," the subordinate said.
Count Morton replied, "Although the Zerg Plague has passed, we must not let our guard down. The ground-based interstellar zergs on those planets must be cleared as soon as possible. At the same time, have the Patrol Starships conduct high-frequency patrols across all areas of the star system. We cannot allow any to slip through the net!"
"Understood!"
Zzzzt... Zzzzt...
At that moment, all the electronic equipment on the bridge of Count Morton's Flagship malfunctioned.
"What's going on?" Count Morton asked, frowning.
"We seem to have encountered intense Spatial Magnetic Field Fluctuations... which are affecting our Starship's equipment. But we should recover shortly!" a Starship Crew member reported.
"Report! We've detected an unidentified Energy Reaction!" A somewhat blurry video window popped up, transmitted by the Captain of another Starship.
"Unidentified Energy Reaction? Share the coordinate location!" Count Morton immediately demanded.
Soon, the coordinate location was obtained, and the Starship's performance recovered. Count Morton immediately mobilized a deep-space telescope to observe the situation at that coordinate location.
An image appeared before Count Morton's eyes.
It was an ordinary interstellar scene, with distant stars visible. Nothing seemed unusual...
Just as Count Morton thought this, his pupils dilated, and his breath caught.
He saw the cosmos in the image as if it had been torn open by a rift out of thin air. The rift resembled a black hole, pitch-black and all-consuming.
This rift was continuously expanding, absorbing all surrounding matter.
Nearby, there happened to be an asteroid.
Count Morton watched as the asteroid was pulled, torn apart, and absorbed by the rift... until it vanished completely.
"Report! Based on spatial magnetic field analysis, this is a Cosmic Zerg Nest!" a Starship Crew member urgently reported.
Another Cosmic Zerg Nest had appeared!
Count Morton showed no panic, perhaps because he had already faced the Interstellar Zerg before. He decisively ordered, "All fleets, prepare for battle! Simultaneously, withdraw to a safe area."
"And request support from all starships within the star system."
If it were just a Level 1 or Level 2 Cosmic Zerg Nest, they could handle it themselves.
The rift continued to expand.
"Spatial magnetic field fluctuations have reached Level 2 Cosmic Zerg Nest intensity! And they're still rising!" The starship crew member swallowed hard.
Count Morton immediately ordered, "Contact Governor of the North Wind and report that we have a Level 3 Cosmic Zerg Nest here! Request immediate support!"
As Count Morton spoke, the rift expanded nearly twice its previous size.
"Spatial magnetic field fluctuations have reached Level 3 Cosmic Zerg Nest intensity! Still rising!" The crew member's eyes were filled with terror.
At that moment, a sense of dread gripped their hearts.
A Level 3 Cosmic Zerg Nest... and still rising?
Could it be... impossible!
Absolutely impossible!
The bridge fell so silent that everyone's heartbeat seemed audible.
Count Morton rose from his captain's chair, fists clenched, staring intently at the cosmic rift on the screen.
It was as if he were gazing into an abyss.
Finally, the cosmic rift reached an unprecedented size!
"Report! The intensity of this Cosmic Zerg Nest... is... is Level 4!" the crew member stammered.
"Could the detection equipment be malfunctioning?" the adjutant's subordinate couldn't help but ask again.
The crew member shook his head. "The data is correct... it's definitely... a Level 4 Cosmic Zerg Nest."
"Report! Detecting a massive number of energy units emerging from the Level 4 Cosmic Zerg Nest!" the crew member warned.
In truth, there was no need for the report. Count Morton could already see countless Hive Motherships swarming out of the cosmic rift.
Hundreds... thousands...
T1 Hive Motherships... T2 Hive Motherships... T3 Hive Motherships...
"Retreat! Retreat! Retreat immediately!" Count Morton frantically issued the retreat order.
Just the number of T3 Hive Motherships he could see had already exceeded ten!
"Immediately report the situation here to Governor of the North Wind! Request support! Request support!
No! Contact the Empire directly for support!
We need the Imperial Legion Fleet! We have a Level 4 Cosmic Zerg Nest here!"
Count Morton's interstellar fleet sent out distress signals while hastily retreating.
However, as everyone knew,
Starships of the same level could never outrun the Hive Motherships of the Interstellar Zerg!
The moment these Hive Motherships appeared, they spotted the prey delivered right to their doorstep and naturally had no intention of letting it escape.
They surged forward like a sandstorm, their speed far surpassing the retreating pace of Count Morton's interstellar fleet.
Soon, the slower T2 Starships began to be overtaken and enveloped by the pursuing Zerg units. Despite firing with all their might, the sheer number of Zerg units was overwhelming.
From the screen, Count Morton watched as his T2 Starships were entangled and devoured one by one, as if swallowed by monstrous "black tentacles."
They quickly vanished from sight and lost contact.
The fate of these starships consumed by the Swarm was all too predictable.
Gradually, the hundred starships Count Morton had brought out for patrol were reduced to a mere few dozen!
Even Count Morton's flagship began to be entangled by Zerg units.
Though he was on the bridge, Count Morton could still hear the crackling sounds coming from the starship armor... as if something was gnawing at it.
"No! No! Stop..." Count Morton felt unprecedented fear.
In his final moments, he saw a terrifying figure emerge from the cosmic rift in the distance.
A giant biological starship, a full fifty kilometers long!
Tier-4... Hive Mothership!
At that moment, only one thought remained in Count Morton's mind.
The Morton Star System... was finished.