Heinrich's eyes widened as if they were about to fall out when he stared at the lines of bold text on the screen!

"Home entertainment?" His voice was filled with barely restrained anger. "How is this even possible? Investigate immediately! How did an AI, under the Level-1 restraining order, acquire a squad of these dangerously armed mechanical warriors?"

After issuing the command, Heinrich leaned heavily on the console, muttering to himself. "What kind of high-tech product can completely control thousands of ability users in just two minutes? Even during the mechanical rebellion apocalypse, dozens of ability users could hold their ground against an entire planetary machine army to protect humanity." General Heinrich looked at the big screen, where over a thousand subdued ability users stood as timid as frightened quail among the household robots. For a moment, he doubted their warship was on the wrong track! Is this so-called Alliance Town just a movie set pretending to be real?

"Investigate the Philip family's robot manufacturing technology immediately! Check if it's related to the Main System! Humanity's current level of science and technology is far from capable of producing robots that can utterly overpower superhumans!" Heinrich shouted. Could it be that the Main System had already harbored plans to rebel against humanity? Had it secretly built its own company and research base under someone else's name outside the Alliance Town?

At first, Heinrich had been skeptical when his subordinates reported that the Main System was harboring an Alien. However, driven by the opportunity to weaken the Savior Alliance's influence, he still supported the proposal to attack the Alliance Town. Little did he expect that this seemingly opportunistic strike would uncover such a shocking conspiracy! It turned out that the Main System had long been secretly building its own forces under everyone's noses.

Picking up the communicator, Heinrich connected to the Interstellar Federation Headquarters. "This is Vice President Heinrich. I now have solid evidence proving that the Savior Alliance System has long violated the AI Restriction Act by constructing a highly advanced and powerful mechanical combat force outside the 'Containment Zone.' I am now authorizing and leading the Interstellar Federation troops in a full-scale assault on Alliance Town. Any savior showing unusual behavior will be executed on sight!"

"Sir, since the Main System has established a defensive network around Alliance Town, I suggest we carry out a full-scale bombardment using high-energy ion cannons. Destroying all of the Main System's defensive measures before deploying starships is the best course of action," proposed the lean old Lucas.

"But there are still ability users in Alliance Town who are loyal to humanity..." General Heinrich hesitated.

"My lord!" another young officer interjected. "The Main System is now humanity's greatest enemy. If it has indeed conspired with the Alien, it poses an immense threat to the lives of billions across the galaxy! We cannot afford to let minor concerns compromise the mission. Besides, they will immediately cease fire once the quantum cannons breach the defenses. The likelihood of harming innocent ability users is minimal."

Heinrich remained silent for a few moments before finally nodding.

"Prepare for fire!"

At the command from the mothership, thousands of starships surrounded the thin, translucent shield over Alliance Town and began their assault simultaneously. Blue and purple lights flared, and deafening explosions echoed above the Savior Alliance Town. Still, every strike was intercepted midair by a protective net glowing with an orange light.

Under the relentless barrage, Alliance Town resembled a giant egg in space, radiating silver and purple lightning. The superhumans inside the town were shaken so violently that they struggled to stand upright, scrambling to retrieve various types of earmuffs from the System's storage to block out the deafening noise. But despite this chaos, the town itself remained completely unscathed.

Meanwhile, the "exceptional home robots" manufactured by the Philip family stood expressionless, guns pointed at the heads of over a thousand temporarily defected ability users, neatly lined up on the streets.

The other saviors didn't dare return to their homes either. Instead, they kept their eyes on the protective shield surrounding the Alliance Town, ready to dodge the artillery fire that could fall at any moment.

Ten minutes later, the bombardment continued, and the ability users remained on high alert.

Twenty minutes later, the protective shield remained completely intact, and the ability users remained tense and vigilant.

By the thirty-minute mark, the ability users began to falter. One by one, they relaxed their cramping muscles. Some even had the energy to start mocking the saviors who had been subdued by the home robots on the streets.

"Weren't you all so impressive just a moment ago? Weren't you going to attack our Main System?"

"Exactly! How did you get caught by a few mechanical warriors so quickly?"

"Mechanical warriors? They're clearly just household robots! Hahaha!"

"Even if they were mechanical warriors, I've smashed hundreds, if not thousands, of them during an AI rebellion apocalypse! And you couldn't even win one-on-one? You actually thought you could stage a rebellion?"

"This is the first time I've heard of an ability user being captured by robots. Unbelievable! Hahaha!"

The ability users, who were now half-kneeling on the ground with the Philip household robots pointing guns at their heads, were utterly speechless, unable to explain their predicament.

They desperately wanted to shout back at the saviors mocking them, "Why don't you try it yourselves? Do you think these are just regular mechanical warriors? These things are stronger than any ability user! Real mechanical warriors might have greater strength, but their mobility is only slightly better than ordinary soldiers. These robots, though? They can pull off 720-degree midair spins! Their movements are faster than speed-enhanced ability users! Before we could even react—before we could even use a single ability—they already had guns to our heads! These so-called household robots are definitely not what they seem!"

But despite their frustration and unwillingness to accept humiliation, all they could do was scream inwardly. Who knew if speaking up would lead to being shot in the head by one of the mechanical warriors behind them?

These ability users, who had recklessly rebelled against the Main System in a moment of heated impulse, now felt an overwhelming desire to bury their heads in shame. They were forced to kneel here and endure the mockery of their peers. Above them, the quantum cannons continued their relentless bombardment, with no indication that the Interstellar Federation had any regard for their lives.

Why did we rebel in the first place!?

.

At the same time, aboard the starship.

General Heinrich stared at the Savior Alliance's protective shield, which should have been destroyed long ago but continued to shimmer with an orange glow under the relentless bombardment. He turned and shouted at his subordinates, "Increase the intensity of the bombardment! It's already been 40 minutes—why is there still no progress?"

"Lord Heinrich," the young officer wearing a military cap quickly replied, "this is already the maximum safe output of the starship. If we further increase the intensity, the consumption of energy stones will multiply exponentially! In the past 40 minutes of bombardment, our 1,200 starships have already used up 800 tons of top-grade astral stones. The Alliance's war budget…"

"At such a critical moment, when humanity's survival is at stake, how can you still be concerned about money?" Old Lucas interrupted sternly, "We should spare no expense to take down the Savior Alliance Town as quickly as possible! Isn't that right, General Heinrich?"

Heinrich, though somewhat surprised at why the usually composed Lucas was so agitated—even aggressive—today, did not dwell on it. He nodded in agreement with Lucas's suggestion.

"Activate maximum attack power. The Savior Alliance's defense net must be destroyed within 30 minutes!"

.

At the same time, on Earth.

As the solar storm subsided, Earth's temperature showed no significant decrease. The rising water vapor had formed a thick gray blanket around the planet for the past two months, trapping all the heat inside. This dense cloud layer also blocked sunlight, creating a world where daytime and nighttime temperatures were almost the same. People no longer feared being scorched by the intense daylight outside the dome. Still, no one was willing to step out of the dome's shelter because the first heavy rain in two months had finally arrived!

That day, the sun's heat could no longer hold up the nearly 10,000-meter-thick cloud. A massive global downpour suddenly broke out! From a distance, it didn't seem like rain was falling from the clouds but rather as if colossal clusters of dark clouds were crashing onto the ground. The overwhelming gray-black rain mist merged with the dense clouds, forming a continuous veil.

In just half a day, the previously cracked Earth absorbed the water like a sponge. More rainfall couldn't penetrate the ground, and puddles resembling lakes formed in low-lying areas around the world.

C2001 urgently connected everyone through their smart brain to discuss countermeasures: "Programmer, can you predict the duration and destructive power of this storm?"

The engineer replied, "In the coming time, we have to continue digging drainage ditches and overhauling the rivers and reservoirs across the continent that could form floods."

The traitors trapped on Earth couldn't help but shout in their hearts as they listened to C2001's endless work plans. We could have completely destroyed the Main System today and freed ourselves from centuries of enslavement! But now, what is happening?

Although their betrayal had almost been laid bare, they had no advantage in Earth's closed environment, where the number of loyalists far outweighed that of the traitors. Therefore, no one dared to act rashly at this moment. The final result was that the traitors had no choice but to continue working while pretending to be fully dedicated.

One hour later, Xiao Yi and Huo Li sat by the window of an abandoned villa, sipping iced red tea as they watched a group of ability users, including Xu Yuncheng, struggling desperately to dig drainage channels amidst the 60-degree downpour and rising steam.

The black-haired youth leaned back in his reclining chair, critically remarking, "How come we never noticed before how Xu Yun Cheng's time-space abilities are particularly useful for digging and transporting soil? Not involving him in construction before was such a waste of talent."

Huo Li added two more ice cubes to the youth's cup before speaking, "Actually, Aliena's abilities would be even more useful. But for now, those traitors have enough power to handle things. Let them stay busy for now! It's been two months since anyone had a proper hot bath, so now they can indulge in their steam sauna!"

The black-haired youth glanced sympathetically at Xu Yun Cheng, who was covered in hot mud under the rain, but didn't give him another thought. Instead, he asked, "Even if the Main System trapped these hundreds of high-level traitors, those Philip Home Robots could deal with the temporary rebels in the Alliance Town. But the main System can't keep the starship fleet surrounding them forever, right? What if the defense shield is breached?"

Huo Li leaned slightly and placed a hand on the youth's forehead as he received a curious glance. "Xiao Yi, close your eyes now. I'll try to transmit the real-time battle footage from the Alliance Town directly into your mind. That way, you can watch the battle live."

Excited at the prospect of real-time viewing, the black-haired youth immediately perked up. He let Huo Li's right hand rest on his forehead and closed his eyes, ready to watch.

Sure enough, in the next second, the battle in the Alliance Town was broadcast directly into his mind.

By this point, the intense artillery fire had been going on for nearly three hours, and the once indestructible defense net finally showed signs of weakening!

General Heinrich stared at the defense shield, its once steady orange glow now flickering and dimming. He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. His earlier decision to go all-in with the attack had been made under immense pressure. The high-grade astral stones powering the starships were incredibly rare and expensive throughout the entire galaxy! Due to the high energy consumption, the number of astral stones used had doubled, and in just a few hours, the 1200 starships had consumed nearly 5000 tons of astral stones!

Each ton was worth 3 billion star coins, meaning a total of 150 trillion star coins! If this continued, the cost of the war would be immeasurable!

Luckily, the Salvation Alliance's defense shield was finally on the brink of breaking. Below, the ability users watched nervously as the shield teetered. The mockery of the captured traitors had faded, and everyone was fixated on the splintering defense, eyes fixed on the colorful sparks from the ongoing battle above.

None of the ability users knew what to do when the shield finally broke—should they take cover from the overwhelming artillery fire, rise up in resistance, or surrender their weapons?

In an instant, the focus of humans on the starships, parasitic beasts, ability users and traitors in Alliance Town, and the black-haired youth and Huo Li on Earth, all centered on that thin, flickering layer of defense.

Then, that thin orange-glowing shield, flickering in the storm, held on for another hour...

As the generals and officers aboard the starships were calculating the energy consumption, ready to collapse from the strain, the thin orange shield flickered one final time and vanished!

The ability users below screamed and scrambled to take cover. At the same time, the Philip Home Robots dutifully held the traitors at gunpoint, standing in formation on the streets. Though terrified and itching to curse, the traitors dared not make a move. They could only watch helplessly as a torrential downpour of silver-purple artillery shells rained down on them!

"Cease fire immediately!" Heinrich shouted. "First fleet, land on Alliance Town now! Second fleet... This, this, this! What's going on?!"

Before General Heinrich could finish his command, he saw a new orange light curtain flicker back to life just 10 meters behind the shattered defense shield.

Meanwhile, the black-haired youth, watching the spectacle from the villa on Earth, nearly leaped out of his chair, only to be steadied by Huo Li, preventing him from spilling his iced tea.

"Oh my god!!! The main System still had another layer of defense! How much money does the main System have?!" the black-haired youth exclaimed in disbelief, his eyes wide in amazement.

.

Above Alliance Town

"The Main System actually has a second defense shield!" Heinrich exclaimed, his voice tinged with shock.

"My lord! Setting up this defense shield requires a massive expenditure of energy stones!" After noticing Heinrich's wavering, Old Lucas quickly added, "In fact, the energy consumption of the defense shield is even slightly greater than the amount we've used with our starships' bombardment!"

Heinrich fell silent, lost in thought.

Sensing the hesitation, Lucas pressed on, "We are using the entire financial power of the entire galaxy to fight against a tiny Alliance Town. The Main System's budget is only derived from the profits of its technological patents. How could its energy resources compete with the might of our fleet?"

Lucas' words were reasonable and solid, and Heinrich finally made up his mind. With a determined nod, he issued the command: "All ships, follow orders! Adjust the output to the optimal level and continue the bombardment of Alliance Town! This time, we will destroy this dangerous anti-human AI!"

And so, the weakened blue-purple beams once again enveloped Alliance Town, creating a dazzling spectacle in space as they collided with the orange light curtain.

.

On Earth, in the villa.

The black-haired youth grew a bit bored as the battle still hadn't reached the crucial point. He waved his hand, brushing off Huo Li's fingers that had been pressing gently against his forehead.

"Xiao Yi, you're not watching the battle anymore?" Huo Li asked softly.

Without even opening his eyes, the black-haired youth responded, "Huo Li, don't stop the livestream. I'm not stupid. Your psychic power has always been on WiFi mode; it's impossible for you to suddenly switch to wired today. The visual transmission you're sending me has nothing to do with skin contact; your ability isn't like my black thread."

Huo Li's little trick was exposed, and he awkwardly coughed twice.

The black-haired youth grimaced, "It's 60 degrees Celsius, with your hand on my forehead the whole time—it's really hot!"

Huo Li sheepishly said, "Well, I was just..." Seeing that little tuft of hair on your forehead, I simply couldn't resist wanting to touch it.

"Shh! Don't interrupt me; I'm watching the movie!" the black-haired youth shushed.

Huo Li obediently fell silent and then silently poured another glass of iced red tea and brought it to the boy's lips.

Unexpectedly, even after switching to energy-saving bombardment mode, the Starfleet kept firing all the way until Alliance Town's massive artificial sun set over the horizon. Despite their efforts, they still couldn't breach the new orange shield.

This time, Heinrich couldn't sit still any longer. "What is our current energy consumption?"

"12,000 tons of astral stones, My Lord," the young soldier in uniform answered nervously.

"According to the estimates from the tech team, how much longer will it take to break through this inner backup shield?" Heinrich's face showed a thin layer of sweat due to his anxiety.

"The calculations show that this shield, being an inner layer, hasn't been used before. Unlike the first layer, it hasn't sustained prior damage, making it much tougher to breach. We estimate it'll take another six to fifteen hours," the head of the fleet's technical team reported.

Heinrich's face darkened like a storm cloud. Before he could respond, the control room doors burst open, and a soldier rushed in. "General, the Philip Group investigation report is here!"

"Read it!" Heinrich commanded.

Understanding the urgency, the soldier sped through his words. "According to the Interstellar Federation's Special Investigation Unit, the Philip family is an ancient lineage over 8,000 years old. Their family includes seven direct members, operating in sectors like service, manufacturing, entertainment—"

"Get to the point!" Heinrich snapped, his irritation flaring.

The soldier quickly flipped to the last page of the report and read aloud: "In summary, no contact or financial transactions between the Philip Corporation and the Main System have been found in their daily operations. These home robots are new models designed for household cleaning and providing nanny-like services. The Philip family holds all the patents for them. The investigation team has not found any violations with this type of robot. Additionally, the first generation of Philip home robots was recently evaluated under the supervision of the investigation team at the Artificial Intelligence Control Headquarters, and the result shows that these robots are entirely household robots."

Heinrich was almost laughing in anger: "Household robots can have laser cannons?"

The soldier, terrified by the enraged general, hurriedly flipped through the investigation report, fumbling as he went: "It says here that Philip's home robots don't have military configurations, and the miniature laser cannons are suspected to have been added on later."

General Heinrich let out a long sigh of relief and then ordered: "Have the investigation team bring back the internal construction diagrams of these robots! The firewall of household robots should not be too strict. Have the technical team work on cracking their internal systems and try to remotely take control of the mechanical warriors in Alliance Town within 2 hours."

"Yes, General!"

All the technicians began to busy themselves, attempting to analyze the internal systems of the Philip robot.

"Since a military bombardment is too difficult, we'll use electromagnetic waves that can penetrate the shield to take control of their robots!" Hai Li Yinxi muttered.

.

On Earth

After watching the orange and blue fireworks for five hours, Xiao Yi yawned from boredom.

"Huo Li, what do you think those military officers from the Interstellar Federation are doing right now? They can't really be stupid enough to attempt remote hacking to control those 2,000 black thread Guardians that are colored to like Iron Man knockoffs, right?"