To be honest, Duanmu Huai didn't have much confidence in Rebecca and Shirley's research plan.
If things were really as they said—if the source truly was the Im Energy from deep underground—then it meant the planet's entire subterranean layer was filled with that stuff. If Rebecca and Shirley couldn't find a method to completely eliminate it, then Duanmu Huai would have no choice but to authorize an Exterminatus.
As for the remaining population… he could negotiate with that Rogue Trader and have him transport the survivors to the Guardians' Star System. The Guardians' Star System was short on population anyway. If they could replenish with people from this planet, that would be a decent choice.
Of course, no one would willingly live under someone else's roof. If those people were shipped to a planet in the Guardians' system, they might start fighting again for all sorts of reasons—but that wouldn't be the Inquisition's problem.
Unless some heretic stirred things up.
Still, Duanmu Huai had his own principles. Just like a doctor couldn't give up on a patient until the final moment, he wouldn't give up on this planet unless it was beyond saving. Rebecca and Shirley were its "last resort." If even they declared it hopeless, then he would simply pull the plug.
Forget it, that wasn't important.
What was important was Duanmu Huai's main goal—training the troops.
According to the Night Sentinels' report, after fighting the Beastmen, the Astral Soldiers' proficiency in combat and tactics had clearly improved and reached acceptable levels. All they needed now was a final major test.
A large-scale operation to determine if they were truly ready.
Unfortunately, in this underground environment, staging a battle involving tens of thousands was unrealistic.
But still, the harsh subterranean conditions had thoroughly trained the Astral Soldiers' squad-level combat abilities.
That was enough. In fact, Duanmu Huai had already chosen the next training ground for the Astral Soldiers. Fighting Beastmen underground was, at best, rookie training. It didn't count for anything impressive. Its only purpose was to help them acclimate to real combat—but this wasn't what space warfare was truly about. Or more precisely, most space warfare didn't work like this.
Unless every alien species enjoyed digging underground like the Beastmen, the majority of interstellar conflicts were fleet engagements, torpedo boarding assaults, and orbital bombardment.
Training underground against Beastmen was perfect for sharpening the Astral Soldiers' ability to fight in cramped environments. During future boarding operations, most battles would take place inside narrow warship corridors. They needed to learn how to deal with enemies and traps popping out from every direction.
On the surface, they wouldn't need to worry too much—warships controlled the orbital airspace. If you lost air superiority, the battle was basically over. Of course, they still needed experience in large-scale warfare, not just these small skirmishes.
But that would come later. Not now.
"Beep-beep-beep… beep-beep-beep…"
At that moment, a communications alert sounded by Duanmu Huai's ear, interrupting his thoughts. Soon, Mia's lazy voice drifted through the channel.
"Ahh, Master… hello… just now, the outpost sent a message. The Vyan Government Alliance has dispatched a representative who wants to meet with you…"
"Oh?"
Duanmu Huai frowned lightly.
"I see. Open the full-hologram communication."
"Understood~~"
The screen flickered, and a sharp-featured middle-aged man appeared. The moment he saw Duanmu Huai, his face turned pale at a speed visible to the naked eye. He even stepped back instinctively, bumping into the guard behind him before snapping back to his senses and forcing an awkward smile.
"Greetings, Honorable Inquisitor. I am the representative from the Vyan Government Alliance…"
"If you have something to say, say it."
Duanmu Huai cut him off without hesitation. He had no interest in pointless small talk. The representative trembled slightly before continuing.
"It's like this… our Vyan Government Alliance is planning a large-scale underground operation. We intend to completely eliminate the Beastmen in one strike… and we learned the Inquisition excels in such operations. Therefore, we hope to invite you to cooperate with us in this Deep Valley Storm Strike. The details are in the file."
He handed over a document while speaking. Duanmu Huai frowned again. He originally thought the Vyan Government Alliance wouldn't come begging—they clearly saw the Inquisition's overwhelming strength, and approaching them now would be equivalent to shamelessly admitting inferiority. Had something happened recently that forced them to change plans?
In fact, his guess wasn't wrong.
After the photon bombardment operation, the Vyan Government Alliance had enjoyed a brief period of glory. But their luck didn't last. The plague's outbreak consumed most of their hard-won advantage. And to make things worse, before they even found a cure, a new crisis struck—several abandoned cities nearby disappeared overnight. Confused, they sent troops to investigate and received shocking news.
The Beastmen were attempting to hollow out the underground area around Jaxintu!
The reason the Vyan Government Alliance had been able to resist the Beastmen wasn't that they were powerful—it was simply because a thick layer of granite beneath the Jaxintu Plateau prevented the Beastmen from tunneling through. Now, the Beastmen had a new strategy:
If we can't break through the granite layer, we'll dig out everything around it! Once the surroundings collapse, even your granite-protected plateau is doomed!
Upon learning this, the Vyan Government Alliance panicked. They had to find a solution immediately. If the Beastmen hollowed out the entire area, the plateau would collapse and be done for.
In such circumstances, even if they didn't want to, they had no choice but to seek the Inquisition's help and initiate the Deep Valley Storm Operation—an assault directly into the Beastmen's main nest.
Put simply, it was the classic tactic of saving one target by attacking another.
If you dig into my base, then I'll dig into yours. Let's see if you dare continue once your nest is under attack.
Tactical flexibility, huh?
After reading the plan, Duanmu Huai rolled his eyes. No wonder they came begging. The only way to make the Beastmen recall the units tunneling outside was to threaten the main nest. But with their current forces, the Vyan Government Alliance couldn't generate enough pressure. Only the Inquisition could.
However…
"How did you know the Beastmen's nest location?"
Duanmu Huai stared at the map's marked coordinates, frowning. He had long thought about wiping the Beastmen out entirely—especially after discovering the plague. If they got infected, it'd be like fighting the same enemy twice.
Better to kill them all now and eliminate future trouble.
So the Astral Soldiers had been searching for the Beastmen's nest—but the tunnels were damn near impenetrable. Until now, they'd found nothing.
Yet the Vyan Government Alliance had the exact location?
Where did they get it?
"Th-this… I don't know either. It's top-level classified information, declassified personally by the Joint Chairman…"
"Heh."
Duanmu Huai let out a cold chuckle. Earlier, Rebecca and Shirley had already reported finding numerous records on biological modification at the lab they took over. Naturally, most biological equipment was universal—it all depended on whether you used it for the betterment of humanity or for creating abominations.
The records weren't complete, but one glance told Duanmu Huai the truth:
These Beastmen were most likely man-made—created by humans.
Not surprising. He'd seen this kind of thing plenty of times before.
Now the Vyan Government Alliance magically had the exact location of their "enemy"?
This was the very definition of guilty behavior. Duanmu Huai wouldn't believe they had no connection to the Beastmen even if beaten to death.
Still, this wasn't the main issue right now.
"I understand. The Inquisition will take action."
"Th-that's wonderful…!!"
The representative looked as relieved as if he'd received a royal pardon.
"This is excellent news! With the Inquisition joining us, humanity's future will surely shine brightly! My apologies, I must return immediately and report this to the Joint Chairman. He will be delighted…"
Before he finished speaking, he already bowed repeatedly and backed out of the screen, then grabbed his two guards and ran off like the wind.
What are you so afraid of? It's not like I'm going to eat you.
Watching the representative flee as if chased by ghosts, Duanmu Huai snorted. He really didn't understand why so many people acted like delicate beauties before him—as if they were afraid this man-eating demon would ravage them.
Please. Even if he was an ogre, he only ate good meat cuts—he wouldn't touch ugly fatty scraps like them!
Just look at yourselves, you skeletal, ugly weirdos. Do you really think you're something special?
Ugly people really loved making trouble.
"Master!!!"
At that moment, with a sharp cry, a small figure flashed through the air and threw herself at him.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm having a meeting. I have things to do."
"You're going to fight again?"
Hearing his reply, Bambi pouted unhappily.
"Bambi thinks fighting isn't fun at all."
"But that's the Inquisition's work."
Duanmu Huai patted her head, but Bambi still looked displeased. It wasn't that she disliked playing around—it was just that she wasn't enthusiastic about fighting. Considering she was a little vampire, that contradiction was rather amusing.
"Thump."
And then Duanmu Huai felt a light impact from behind. Turning around, he saw Olgis imitating Bambi—clinging to his back and wrapping her arms around his neck.
She frowned slightly, glancing curiously at Bambi.
"Is this position comfortable?"
"...??"
Hearing Olgis' question, Bambi blinked, then giggled.
"Bambi can fly!"
Seeing this, Duanmu Huai was completely speechless.
(End of chapter)