Chapter 209

Chapter 209

Bai Xiaoyu looked at the abruptly ended call, furrowed his brows, and returned to the cubs.

The other party didn’t respond and hung up immediately—what did that mean?

He had a sinking feeling. His attention returned to the stream, and he continued to observe the viewers' reactions.

Due to trending on the hot search, more and more viewers were joining the stream, including people from various factions. The barrage and direct comments were chaotic, with viewers even arguing with each other.

As he looked through them, he found that most people weren’t entirely heartless or fully in favor of exterminating the cubs. Their main concern was whether these cubs were truly human at their core, whether their current temperament would remain in the future, and if there was a risk of them siding with the Bug race or even attacking the star system.

Of course, another critical point was the survival of these cubs. After all, they came from across the star system, and many people wouldn’t want to live with them if they were sent back.

At that moment, the parents stood up and brought forward videos and photos of their interactions with the cubs, posting them on their social circles and various trending topics.

"I initially thought the cubs had inseparable ties with the Bug race, and I didn’t even hold my cub for a long time after birth. But after spending time with them, I realized they are just like ordinary cubs in the star system—they cry, laugh, and even sulk because of my previous attitude. We’ve received news that the cubs will be dealt with soon. Please help me and save these adorable cubs."

The parents had taken action, and since Bai Xiaoyu had taken the lead, they naturally followed and fought alongside him. He had already helped them a lot, and they couldn’t let him fight alone.

They also entered the stream and started communicating with the viewers.

Viewers who usually watched the caretaker section of the stream were generally soft-hearted, and under the desperate pleas of the parents, the group of viewers who agreed to keep the cubs slowly grew, catching up with those who were against it.

At this point, someone in the stream asked, "These cubs are appearing across the star system. Is this something temporary with recently hatched eggs, or will it continue in the future? After observing for these past few days, I noticed that some planets, like D36 and its surrounding ones, haven’t had such cubs. If it’s only these batches of cubs with issues, then it makes sense to eliminate them for the sake of the entire star system. But if these cubs continue to appear in the future, meaning our descendants might face this risk, would we be exterminating cubs every day? What if there are more and more in the future?"

The number of newborn eggs in the star system had been decreasing year by year due to the influence of dark matter, with many couples having to wait decades or even centuries to have an egg. Now, with this situation, who could handle the risk if their cub was affected?

Someone answered, "I’m on one of those planets. Because the streamer and the interns helped remove the dark matter from the problematic eggs, these planets haven’t had cubs with Bug race genetic traits."

Everyone looked at Bai Xiaoyu, and hope rose again.

"Streamer, can the cubs on the surrounding planets be prevented in advance? Is there a method to control it, and when can it be popularized?"

Bai Xiaoyu replied, "There is a way, but it’s difficult to popularize currently. Only a few individuals can detect newborn eggs that haven’t started cultivation, different from the previous dark matter. After cultivation begins, with the use of relevant medications, trained interns can detect and cultivate normal cubs."

With so many newborn eggs across various planets, he could use his mental energy to check, but there was a limit. He couldn’t be everywhere at once, and it was impossible to check every egg on every planet.

It was impractical to put all eggs into hibernation to avoid this situation. Hibernation itself carried risks, not to mention the vast human resources and materials required. There weren’t enough facilities or professionals, and it was even less possible to allow an entire generation to be discontinued.

During his time at the caretaker association, Bai Xiaoyu had been busy taking care of the cubs and checking the newly delivered eggs. Almost every batch had a few eggs with highly active dark matter, and the overall quantity had increased somewhat.

This indicated that these active dark matter in the eggs might gradually replace the original dark matter in the future. For caretakers across the star system to learn how to remove dark matter, based on the current progress of students, it would take three years to form a basic framework, and conservatively estimated, ten years to be popularized across the star system.

Bai Xiaoyu shared this with the viewers in the stream.

The viewers fell silent. This made them worried as well. If this continued for ten years, there would be more and more such cubs. Who could guarantee that their cubs wouldn’t be affected within the next ten years?

At that moment, someone shouted, "The star network has initiated a vote on whether to keep these cubs!"

Everyone clicked to see, and indeed, a vote had been initiated on the hot search.

Seeing the anxious parents and recalling Bai Xiaoyu’s words, the viewers hesitated before casting their votes.

Bai Xiaoyu watched as the lopsided vote began to shift. While there was still a gap, the new votes on both sides were closely matched.

Meanwhile, due to Bai Xiaoyu’s sudden move, the high-ranking officials of the empire had just finished a meeting. They had left their seats, only to return shortly after. When they sat back in their previous positions, the tea on the table was still warm.

The expressions of many people looked rather unpleasant as they watched the voting across the star system.

Was the decision made at the last meeting going to be overturned now?

This was an unprecedented event—at least not since they had taken office.

So it’s impossible.

But with the situation now being known across the entire star system and escalating to a full network vote, there had never been anyone in the entire history of the star system who could mobilize so many people to participate in a vote.

Watching the initially supportive and dominant option slowly change, it seemed that this time, they couldn’t afford to ignore the will of the common people. This kind of situation was truly unprecedented and demanded attention.

The various factions watched the voting numbers while also observing Bai Xiaoyu in the live stream. From a mere underachiever just a year ago, he had now become a caretaker with such strong influence. Such a person was extremely dangerous.

Especially since he had now become a strong contender.

As time went on, the votes on the star network to agree to keep these cubs actually reached a tie and gradually began to take the lead!

As a result, their meeting officially resumed.

However, many factions felt that it was a loss of face, and more importantly, they felt their authority had been challenged. To preserve the highest powers from the first meeting’s decision, they did not retract the execution order. The order to dispose of the first batch of cubs was still in effect.

The subsequent cubs would be relocated according to the results of the second meeting.

The surge in votes thrilled the parents of these cubs.

At this point, after the live stream ended, Bai Xiaoyu naturally felt pleased seeing the voting results, but he wasn’t sure if the empire’s leadership would take the vote results into account and reconsider their decision.

Shortly after, he received two pieces of news, and his brow furrowed in concern.

The good news was that the subsequent human-insect cubs would not be immediately dealt with; instead, their humanity would be confirmed, and then they would be allocated a planet for survival.

The bad news was that the order to dispose of the first batch of cubs remained in effect.

At this moment, the cubs had come out of the containers and were becoming more and more excited, their chubby faces full of smiles, clearly not wanting to go back into the containers. Fortunately, after he ended the call with Bai Qing, the people in charge of the cubs didn’t come over to force them back into the containers. Since that was the case, he naturally let the cubs stay outside.

And yet, these lively cubs were still going to be disposed of.

Bai Xiaoyu watched them, taking a deep breath.

The intelligence also contained the attitude of the imperial leadership, and Bai Kan had advised him to be careful, to handle things here well and return quickly.

This was also the first time he had directly faced the empire’s leadership, and at the same time, the first time he had despised them. It wasn’t because of what they might do to him, but because of these cubs.

This suddenly reminded him of the higher-ups from the base back then, especially the one who had harmed his little nephew.

His expression hardened, and a cold glint appeared in his eyes. However, this mood didn’t last long. Soon, a cub crawled over and hugged his leg with both hands, looking up at him, its chubby, silkworm-like lower body wiggling as it cheerfully called out to him. It was as if it was saying, don’t be upset alone, come and play with us!

Bai Xiaoyu’s expression softened, and he didn’t refuse the cub’s invitation. As he played, he couldn’t stop thinking about how to save the cubs.

Looking at the intelligence, the only breakthrough point was that the other side decided not to act directly but to stage an "accident."

As for how the other side would proceed, Bai Kan’s side had no information on that, and their family wasn’t involved in this matter.

Bai Xiaoyu perked up and thought of a plan. Soon after, President Luo, buoyed by the voting results on the star network, hurried over. Seeing Bai Xiaoyu, he opened his mouth, “Let me tell you some good news…”

"President Luo, who had just heard the good and bad news from Bai Xiaoyu, couldn’t keep his smile. 'Are you really serious?'

Bai Xiaoyu replied expressionlessly, 'Of course. That's why I'm thinking about how to hijack the Royal Guard's aircraft to send the cubs away.'

President Luo nodded. 'Good idea.'

The next second, he reacted. 'Are you kidding?'

The Royal Guard, backed by the empire and one of the top three legions handling critical missions, was not to be trifled with. No one in their right mind would hijack their ship. If they wanted to target someone or a family, they could easily do so using their authority. Hijacking their aircraft wouldn't just slap the face of the top three legions, but also directly challenge the royal family.

As a royal family member, Bai Xiaoyu was now slapping his own family's face?

Bai Xiaoyu said, 'I'm not joking. Only their aircraft has the most comfortable equipment, suitable for the cubs' long journey, and it's large enough to take hundreds of cubs and their parents.'

President Luo was taken aback by Bai Xiaoyu’s seriousness, but he had to admit the logic behind it.

Before Bai Xiaoyu could act, the Royal Guard unexpectedly arrived to take the cubs, allowing all the parents to come and collect them. As long as the parents held the cubs, they wouldn’t have to return to the previous cramped containers.

Bai Xiaoyu watched silently as all the parents and cubs boarded the aircraft. He then asked the captain standing next to him, 'Are you saying this is to take them to a new planet?'

They must think I’m an idiot. No decision had been made about a new planet yet.

The captain nodded. 'That’s correct.'

Bai Xiaoyu took Big Black and headed towards the aircraft. He didn’t have to hijack it; it was conveniently handed to him with the cubs and parents arranged. It was perfect.

The Royal Guard members panicked. The plan was to destroy the ship mid-flight, eliminating the cubs and parents in a black hole or asteroid field. But now Bai Xiaoyu was on board, how could they carry out their mission? The real destination wasn’t the promised planet but a point of no return. After resolving the dark matter issue, Bai Xiaoyu planned to establish a school, something the royal family considered crucial. They couldn’t let him go with them.

Despite their attempts to stop him, even trying to intercept, they were quickly subdued by a few of Bai Xiaoyu's companions.

After boarding, Bai Qing contacted Bai Xiaoyu. Seeing Bai Xiaoyu playing with the cubs on the aircraft, Bai Qing, having controlled his emotions from the previous incident, said, 'Return immediately.'

Bai Xiaoyu refused directly. 'I'll see the cubs to their destination planet, then I'll come back.'

Bai Qing was livid. 'Fine, go if you must.'

Little Hundred was the product of his love with Shuang'er. After the breakthrough with the interstellar dark substance and the upcoming school, he couldn’t allow any mishaps. Before reaching the asteroid field, the Royal Guard was to knock everyone out and bring them back. Previously, Bai Xiaoyu wasn’t worth the effort, but now his abilities were too significant to ignore.

Bai Xiaoyu said, 'I need to know the destination of this trip.'

Bai Qing paused. By now, the empire’s higher-ups had learned that Bai Xiaoyu was on the aircraft. Most of them had no reservations. After Bai Xiaoyu’s breakthrough with dark matter, their family’s advantages would fade within a few centuries. The ordinary people’s cubs Bai Xiaoyu nurtured had excellent potential.

Now that the novice interns had mastered these techniques, they would serve the empire’s elite, gradually expanding to others. For ordinary people’s eggs, they would only dispel part of the dark matter.

As for Bai Xiaoyu, since he cared so much for these cubs, they might as well join them.

Their plans were well-laid. After much delay, a planet was quickly submitted as a residence for these cubs.

Bai Qing looked at the planet's number and sneered. This planet needed to pass through the previously arranged black hole and asteroid belt, reclaimed by Bai Chen and the Sixteenth Legion. Situated at the border between human and Bug territories, it was extremely dangerous and remained uninhabited.

Their intentions were clear, but Bai Qing wouldn’t allow Bai Xiaoyu to reach there. These human-bug cubs wouldn’t appear in the star system, and the natural barriers would prevent any potential harm.

He agreed but made sure to note these families' actions.

He sent the planet's coordinates to Bai Xiaoyu, who was surprised they had arranged it. But soon, he learned about the planet’s situation—a post-war reconstruction by the Sixteenth Legion, long uninhabited and nearly becoming a desolate star.

Bai Xiaoyu asked, 'Has a governor been appointed for this planet yet?'"

Bai Qing: "Aren't you fond of helping these cubs? If you can arrive there safely this time, I'll put you in full charge of that planet. The governor will be you, and the planet will be yours, how about it?"

Bai Xiaoyu originally had no such intention, but when Bai Qing said this, his eyes lit up. If someone from the Imperial higher-ups were appointed as the governor, he would indeed be very worried.

But if he took on the role, he could at least ensure the cubs' safety.

Seeing that Bai Qing was about to hang up, Bai Xiaoyu called out to him, "Wait, let's make this agreement official. But to prevent you from going back on your word, let's sign a contract first."

Bai Qing was furious: "You don't trust me? We'll talk about it when you get there."

Bai Xiaoyu didn't back down: "Let's sign the contract first."

In the end, Bai Xiaoyu watched as Bai Qing signed the contract on the star network with a black face, sealed it with a stamp, and saved three copies. Then he said to Bai Qing, "You're busy, so I won't keep you."

Bai Qing was fuming and hung up the call. He planned to have the guards knock everyone unconscious before bringing them back.

Bai Xiaoyu was fully focused on the cubs. After saying goodbye to President Luo, he ordered the flight to take off.

The cubs were excited to see the scenery below and happily shouted. They surrounded Bai Xiaoyu, seemingly asking where they were going.

Bai Xiaoyu playfully pinched each cub's cheek and said, "Where are we going? Of course, I'm taking you to a brand new home."

The parents were in disbelief. They never imagined they'd be able to leave this terrifying place with their cubs. For them, wherever their cubs were would be home.

As soon as Bai Xiaoyu's flight took off, various factions started moving along the same route. They intended to follow up discreetly after the Royal Guard left the flight, just in case.

But by then, Bai Xiaoyu would definitely be taken down. However, if there was a chance, they wouldn't mind trying to trap him there forever. Of course, they had hidden their identities and were pretending to be space raiders.

What they didn't know was that as soon as Bai Xiaoyu's flight took off, there were vessels guarding it from afar in six directions: front, back, left, right, up, and down.

The flight proceeded smoothly through the star domain.

In less than half a day, the Sixteenth Legion quickly dispatched the first wave of space raiders following them. After a while, the Twenty-ninth Legion on the right side also eliminated another group, and then the dragon clans below handled a dozen or so space raiders coming aggressively from below.

Bai Xiaoyu's journey remained calm, puzzling Bai Qing, who had secretly sent reinforcements to follow them.

It had been a peaceful day, and then they vaguely saw the distorted space and massive meteor stream ahead blocking their way.

The parents were frightened, and even though it was Bai Xiaoyu's first time seeing such a spectacular sight, he could feel the danger from far away.

Big Black tightened his grip on Bai Xiaoyu's hand, and Bai Xiaoyu turned around, "Scared?"

Big Black shook his head, "I'm afraid Bai Bai is scared."

Bai Xiaoyu: "I'm not scared, it's just the first time I've seen something like this, and it's quite awe-inspiring. But can we pass through it?"

At this moment, Bai Twelve and a few others clapped their hands and came over to report, "The restless guards have all been subdued. Should we hand them over to the guards coming to take over?"

Bai Xiaoyu was about to nod but then realized that aside from the parents, there was basically no workforce available, so he shook his head, "We don't have enough people, so why don't we just take the guards coming up with us as well."

The Royal Guard, who were supposed to pick up the group, found themselves being taken along instead: "???"

With the workforce secured, the flight was soon ready to go.

At this point, Bai Twelve came back and relayed a message to Bai Xiaoyu, "We've received word from the Sixteenth Legion, the Twenty-ninth Legion, and the dragon clans. They told you not to worry, they've mapped out the route ahead. Just follow the path, and they'll handle everything else."

Bai Xiaoyu was surprised, "Why are three legions involved?"

Bai Twelve: "They're here to protect and escort you. It's perfect timing for an escort."

In fact, even without the other two legions, the Sixteenth Legion could have safely delivered everyone. This star domain was under their jurisdiction, and they had reclaimed the destination, so they were familiar with the area. A squad from their legion had already gone ahead to guide them through the black hole and meteor zone.

Bai Xiaoyu didn't see them in any direction, but he nodded with a smile, "Then please thank them. Let's go."

When Bai Qing learned that Bai Xiaoyu had led everyone into the black hole and meteor zone, he stood up abruptly.

He suddenly felt aches all over and had a nagging feeling that he'd be in trouble again when he returned.