The black-haired youth froze for a moment upon hearing the amount.

“Wait, let me do the math!” Xiao Yi exclaimed. “Alliance Town is 10 kilometers wide and 20 kilometers long, making it 200 million square meters. Add in a thickness of 30 meters, and that’s 6 billion cubic meters! With astral stones being four times the density of water, that means, Main System, you’ve got over 24 billion tons of astral stones!”

“You haven’t included the buildings in Salvation Alliance Town,” the Main System kindly reminded.

The black-haired youth buried his face in his hands, mumbling, “Such pure astral stone… Each ton is worth at least 40 billion star credits. That’s 9.6 quintillion star credits. Wow! That’s insanely rich…”

Huo Li, who had been left ignored, felt a sudden pang of annoyance as he listened to the Main System’s boasting and Xiao Yi’s envious tone. Wasn’t he supposed to be Xiao Yi’s main sponsor? Now he was being overshadowed by a system—what was that about?!

Huo Li flapped his wings energetically behind the youth, trying to assert his presence while steering the conversation back on track. “This is why the Interstellar Federation has failed to suppress the Salvation Alliance despite trying for thousands of years. The Main System holds over 95% of the galaxy’s starship energy supply. No matter how much the Interstellar Federation restricts the Salvation Alliance’s economic transactions, it’s useless.”

But the black-haired youth had already tuned him out, still lost in his fantasies of wealth. “If I ever go bankrupt, I’m going back to Alliance Town to pry off a wall panel to take with me…”

Huo Li: “…” Was his role as Xiao Yi’s main benefactor destined to be irrelevant now? He had a growing suspicion that the system was trying to steal Xiao Yi away from him!

.

At the same time, C2001 and his group of saviors were actively preparing to return to Alliance Town by starship. Egged on by Xu Yun Cheng and his faction of rebels, many felt that staying on Earth while the Main System was under attack was nothing short of disgraceful. These 2,500 saviors, considered the backbone of the Salvation Alliance, had to return to the main battlefield as soon as possible!

“So Xu Yun Cheng is just trying to run away!” The black-haired youth declared on the way to the 'Return Plan Discussion Meeting.' “The Main System went through so much effort to set up this elaborate trap and imprison all the Alliance’s rebel factions on this planet. We can’t just let them escape now!”

The youth entered a government building and made his way to the second-floor meeting room. By this point, the salvation mission on Earth was mostly complete, with only tasks like dismantling domes and ecological restoration left—none of which required the saviors’ direct involvement.

While the Earthlings were busy rebuilding their homes, C2001 was focused on gathering the top 200 taskers from the Salvation Alliance for a meeting to discuss their return plan.

When the boy entered the room, the ability users who arrived early were already engaged in a heated discussion.

“I’ve got two small starships and one medium-sized one in my system space, enough to carry about 1,500 people,” C2001 announced. True to his reputation as an engineer, he even had three starships stashed away.

The youth leaned casually against the doorframe, watching as most of the attendees had already taken their seats. He decided to stay where he was, quietly listening to the ongoing discussion.

Aliena, who had one small starship in her system space, stayed silent. Next to her, Long Tai’s eyes darted about, clearly plotting. He also remained quiet, obviously unwilling to share any transportation tools he might have. In the end, it was Xu Yun Cheng who stepped forward again, revealing that he also had a medium-sized starship, which finally solidified the group’s return plan.

C2001 announced, “So it’s decided. The Main System sent plenty of leftover astral stone; we can set aside some to fuel our return. After we attend the farewell ceremony hosted by Earth’s nations tonight, we’ll teleport to the desert I’ve chosen as a suitable launch site…”

"Wait a minute!"

All the ability users turned to see the black-haired youth, still leaning against the doorframe, interrupting C2001.

“Alliance Town is currently surrounded by nearly ten thousand starships, and you’re planning to charge back in with four measly little ships?” the youth asked with a mocking smile. “Even if we miraculously make it to the battlefield, then what? Are we going to attack the Interstellar Federation fleet and start a war with all of humanity?”

“Xiao Yi’s right!” Aliena, emboldened by her recent display of water-controlling prowess on Earth, chimed in. “Every move we make represents the Salvation Alliance. We can’t just recklessly rush to the battlefield!”

With Xiao Yi and Aliena voicing their opposition, Xu Yun Cheng discreetly shot a glare at both Long Tai and Programmer, silently urging them to step in. If he had to be the one speaking up every time, it would draw too much attention.

To his surprise, Langtai glanced around but ultimately stayed silent. On the other hand, Programmer, whose intelligence and social skills seemed inversely proportional, spoke up bluntly, "I support returning immediately."

As C2001 began to waver, Xu Yuncheng sighed inwardly and reluctantly took over the conversation again. "We're not suggesting we return to the Alliance Town to engage the star fleet head-on," Xu Yuncheng explained, his tone calm but persuasive. "We are ability users. Those on the other side are mere ordinary people. With our abilities, we can teleport directly to their flagship, seize their leaders, and force the Interstellar Federation to cease their attack!"

Xu Yun Cheng's words immediately garnered nods of agreement from the gathered saviors. There seemed to be an innate sense of superiority among the ability users, a belief that their powers made them invincible and capable of achieving whatever they desired.

“Oh, really?” The black-haired youth’s smile didn’t reach his eyes as he stared at Xu Yunsheng. “If you do end up on the Interstellar Federation’s warships, who will fight whom? When parasites, ordinary humans, and ability users meet, it’s never that simple.”

Xu Yun Cheng faltered for a moment, but his composure quickly returned. Feigning ignorance of the youth’s implied meaning, he continued, “This plan might be challenging, but as the most capable ability users in the Salvation Alliance, we can’t just stand by and do nothing while the Main System is under attack!”

Those words managed to sway C2001, who was about to finalize the decision when Xiao Yi interrupted him again:

“Right now, the Main System is only under siege, not offline. Did you even get its permission to leave the mission planet like this?”

C2001 frowned. “The Main System is surrounded by nearly ten thousand starships. How could it possibly…”

Before he could finish, the gentle voice of the Main System resonated in the minds of all 200 ability users present: “All saviors, do not leave the mission planet until the Star Alliance’s attack is resolved. Please remain on standby~”

C2001: “…” Ever since meeting 2d14, even the Main System—which used to remain silent even during saviors' deaths—had become unexpectedly lively.

The saviors present began hesitating again.

“This is just an excuse from the Main System to keep us from getting involved!” Xu Yun Cheng’s authoritative voice echoed through the meeting room. “Our headquarters is under attack, and as the only force capable of resistance, how can we cower in fear of conflict and casualties on a planet where the mission is already complete? We’re 2,500 elite ability users! If the Main System isn’t enabling the transport function, it’s likely because its core has been damaged or it’s running low on energy after the continuous attacks!”

Programmer finally seized the opportunity to support returning: “Based on my analysis, the likelihood of system damage is very high.”

Xu Yun Cheng nodded and continued, “That’s why we can’t use the Main System’s words, supposedly for our benefit, as an excuse to back down! What we should do is…”

The black-haired youth listened to Xu Yun Cheng’s seemingly convincing speech and yawned internally. As Xu Yun Cheng’s endless monologue droned on, the youth reached out to Huo Li with his mental powers and asked, “Ready?”

Huo Li responded confidently, “Everything’s in place!”

Afterward, the black-haired youth relaxed, unconcerned about whatever Xu Yun Cheng had just been rambling about. He casually threw in a few equally impassioned yet half-hearted rebuttals, clearly not putting much thought into it.

An hour later, the meeting finally concluded, with the return faction emerging victorious.

The rebels finally felt relieved. As long as they boarded the starships, they would be able to escape smoothly and return to the safe zones controlled by the Parasites.

That evening, a grand farewell ceremony was held in Country Z. Leaders and survivor representatives from over 30 nations and regions worldwide attended the event, and the 2,500 ability users were awarded Earth’s Lifetime Honorary Medal!

Humanity around the world was overcome with emotion, celebrating Earth’s rebirth with tears of joy. However, the saviors, preoccupied with their own plans, attended for only 20 minutes before hurriedly excusing themselves. They left the jubilant Earthlings to their songs and dances while they used a long-distance teleportation talisman to arrive at the desert launch site.

Programmer and his group busied themselves around the five massive starships that stood like buildings, preparing for departure. Meanwhile, the black-haired youth stood silently, holding the floating Huo Li Guardian by his side.

As soon as the ships left Earth, the Main System’s carefully laid trap would completely fall apart.

The five ships were almost ready for launch, but for some reason, Xu Yun Cheng couldn’t shake the unease creeping over him as he watched the youth, who had been staunchly opposing him earlier that afternoon, now exuding an air of calm detachment.

Still, the ships were moments away from takeoff. What could this alien and his Guardian possibly do to stop him now?

“The ships are ready. Everyone, board within the next five minutes,” Programmer announced to all the taskers through his smart brain.

Just as the ability users cheered, relieved to finally leave this wretched place, and began filing into the ships, the sky suddenly darkened.

Those who had yet to board the ships looked up in confusion. What they saw left them speechless—three colossal starships, surrounded by an overwhelming swarm of Zerg, were rapidly closing in from the distance!

“Enemy attack! Enemy attack!”

“Get out of the ships!”

The ability users who reacted first shouted warnings. At this point, the five starships, which were completely unarmed, stood no chance against three massive enemy starships. Worse still, the ships hadn’t even taken off yet, leaving their occupants trapped.

In an instant, the saviors used teleportation talismans to escape the ships and quickly launched attacks against the overwhelming Zerg forces. Each one unleashed their signature abilities, hurling them at the overwhelming swarm of Zergs. At the same time, a thought echoed in their minds: When did the Zerg learn to build starships?!

Caught off guard, their attacks were disorganized. The sky was a kaleidoscope of brightly colored abilities, but there was no semblance of strategy or cooperation among them.

Still, these 2,000-plus ability users were the strongest the Salvation Alliance had accumulated after years of careful selection. Despite their chaotic attacks, the damage to the Zerg was immense. The most formidable among them were the few SSS-level ability users, especially C2001, who could slice through hundreds of Zerg with just one sweep of his sand blades.

Meanwhile, Programmer struggled to utilize his abilities without the proper equipment. Long Tai, still unable to shake his stingy habits, only reluctantly unleashed bits of his powers when his nearby comrades were at risk of collapse, akin to a miser grudgingly parting with his wealth.

The elderly ability user who had previously clashed with Xiao Yi in the square proved to be quite powerful, summoning a massive fire dragon that tore through the Zerg swarm with ferocity. Unfortunately, it was “accidentally” extinguished halfway by a water pillar summoned by Aliena, the little fairy.

“If you don’t know how to fight, stay in the back!” the old man roared furiously at Aliena. “Why are you summoning water now?!”

“I-I just wanted to block the Zerg’s line of sight with the water pillar…” Aliena stammered, her expression pitifully apologetic. Her act immediately made the others feel that the old man was overreacting.

As for Xiao Yi, he casually summoned 4,000 of his fragile Guardian and sent them to their deaths against the Zerg. Everyone had witnessed the hilarious sight of the Guardian being flattened by a brick before, so seeing a giant insect tear through five of them at once didn’t seem out of the ordinary.

Meanwhile, Xu Yun Cheng, who should have been one of their greatest assets, had vanished the moment the Zerg appeared.

These 2,000 ability users truly were the cream of the crop among humans in the galaxy. As the fierce battle raged on, Zerg corpses littered the battlefield, but not a single member of the Salvation Alliance’s elite suffered any casualties.

Taking advantage of the chaos, the three massive starships managed to land safely. Anchors fired deep into the ground around them. In an instant, the ships transformed into an imposing steel military base.

The Zerg that had been guarding the starships swarmed toward the human-Zerg battlefield. Despite their bravery, the ability users, who could fight ten or even a hundred foes at once, couldn’t withstand the overwhelming numbers. Faced with an army of 400,000 Zerg employing a relentless 2,000-to-1 strategy, they began to falter, retreating step by step.

Hundreds of ability users, surrounded by the densely packed Zerg, either inhaled the mist sprayed by the insects or were struck by the stingers on their tails, falling unconscious. Those incapacitated were immediately dragged into the swarm by the Zerg warriors.

Just as the remaining ability users prepared to make a final stand against the hundreds of thousands of Zerg, the cargo bays of the three starships opened with a thunderous roar. Rows upon rows of mechanical soldiers marched out in an orderly line!

Each mechanical soldier carried a small laser cannon. They quickly surrounded the main battlefield and, in unison, issued a chilling command: “All humans, lay down your weapons and cease resistance! Otherwise, you will be executed immediately!"

The synchronized roar of 200,000 mechanical soldiers echoed through the desert, their icy electronic voices shaking the very ground.

“These are the D System’s elite mechanical soldiers,” Programmer squinted behind his glasses, scrutinizing the scene for a long moment before concluding. “They’re the most advanced robots created in the past century across all apocalyptic mechanical wars.”

If Xu Yunsheng hadn’t fled earlier, he probably would’ve wanted to slap Programmer to death.

As expected, Programmer’s words shattered the last remnants of morale among the ability users. Those who had been ready to fight to the death now quietly began retrieving teleportation charms from their system spaces, preparing to flee.

After all, Earth was vast, and hiding among billions of ordinary humans might provide a chance to rise again.

However…

“Ding! Due to the Main System’s efforts to counter the Interstellar Federation’s attacks, energy reserves are depleted. System spaces and the system store are temporarily disabled.”

The same notification echoed in the minds of every savior…