Chapter Seventy-Five: Seizing the Blissful Realm

“What’s going on? Why are there suddenly so many more people?” The President of Elysium Space asked in a panic as he watched the flood of soldiers from the Interdimensional Expeditionary Force.

“Insufficient data, unable to inform you, sir!” replied the robot escorting him in its mechanical monotone.

“Then deploy more armed robots, quickly!” the President ordered.

“All armed units are on their way, but there are large numbers of enemy heavy weapons outside. Our forces are having difficulty advancing!”

“Damn it, where did they get all that heavy weaponry?” he roared, then regained his composure. “Deploy heavy weapons immediately. I don’t care how you do it—just eliminate these invaders!”

“Yes, sir!”

Outside, the robots receiving the order launched a fiercer assault. Wave after wave of armed robots threw themselves at the temporary positions constructed by the Interdimensional Expeditionary Force, heedless of casualties.

From the rear, squads of robots shouldered rocket launchers and piloted armed helicopters, unleashing their entire payloads before being destroyed.

This frenzied offensive inflicted heavy casualties on the Expeditionary Force, especially with the guided rockets that posed a dire threat to both the Transformers and the improvised fortifications.

A few Transformers, unable to dodge in time, were hit by two rockets and collapsed instantly; if not for the cover from their comrades, they would have met their end right there.

The Expeditionary Force soldiers taking cover behind makeshift barricades fared little better. Although their powered exoskeleton armor provided significant protection, the armed robots soon adapted their tactics, switching to electromagnetic rifles whose powerful fire not only pierced the exoskeletons’ plates but also suppressed the soldiers so thoroughly they could barely lift their heads.

It was the most humiliating and devastating battle the Interdimensional Expeditionary Force had ever fought.

“Captain, the enemy’s firepower is too intense. What should we do?” one soldier asked his squad leader beside him.

“We need to buy time. If we can hold out for half an hour, victory is ours!” the captain replied from behind their makeshift defenses.

No sooner had he spoken than hundreds of rockets were fired from the roof of the control center, streaking toward the attacking robots.

Watching the white trails arc overhead, everyone sheltering behind the barricades felt a surge of relief.

A moment later, a chorus of explosions thundered through the air, the ground trembling beneath their feet.

When the explosions faded, a member of the Expeditionary Force poked his head out to survey the bombarded area. The ground was riddled with dense black craters and littered with robot parts; in some places, metal bases beneath the soil were exposed.

The peace lasted only a moment before fresh waves of armed robots drew all eyes back to the battlefield.

“Hit them hard! Give them no chance to catch their breath!” the Expeditionary Force’s battlefield commander shouted over the comms.

From then on, the Expeditionary Force suppressed Elysium Space’s armed units, denying them any opportunity to regroup.

Faced with this situation, the President of Elysium Space was both furious and anxious, but utterly powerless. He wanted to escape Elysium Space and return to Earth, but the people of Earth would rather see everyone from Elysium Space dead. Even if he made it back, there would be nowhere suitable for him to live.

“Our military—where is our military?” the President asked, trembling as he pointed at the battlefield footage.

“Mr. President, since Elysium Space was established, we no longer have a military. Most robots are on Earth; the number of robot units in Elysium Space is nearly depleted,” replied the robot.

“Then ship all the robots from Earth over here!” the President shouted.

“Yes, Mr. President. Calculating transport options now. All transport ships have been reassigned.”

“All armed robots, board the transports and head for the space station. Estimated arrival in twenty minutes!”

Seeing the defenses hold and enemy fire suppressed, Wang Jing made his way through the corridor to Elysium Space's central control hub.

With the Expeditionary Force dominating above, the control center had almost no enemies left.

He joined Alice and Ida Wang, nodded in greeting, and then brought over the Galactic Supercomputer Server, now transformed into a Transformer in the Terminator universe, from the primary dimension.

With the external server’s support, the speed at which MOOS conquered Elysium Space doubled.

Meanwhile, upon learning of the situation, the President’s mind went blank. By the time he recovered and tried to board a ship for Earth, the robots pinned him to the floor.

“Illegal function detected. Proceeding with forced arrest,” the robot announced mechanically.

Pinned to the ground, the President struggled and shouted, “Let me go! I’m the President! You useless machines!”

The robot responded with a merciless punch. “Zero tolerance policy applies to all citizens. This is your warning—please comply, citizen.”

The President, his arm broken, could only cry out in pain. The scene was deeply ironic: in an instant, the once lofty citizens of Elysium Space were reduced to the status of Earth citizens—whom they had once despised and felt disgusted upon seeing.

It was paradise one moment, hell the next. The robots cared nothing for the President’s feelings, dragging him forcefully toward the launch platform.

Twenty minutes later, a fleet of armed robots arrived at Elysium Space aboard the ships. Instead of charging the Expeditionary Force’s positions as ordered, they dispersed throughout Elysium Space, rounding up the former legal citizens and gathering them for transport to Earth.

Only those with true technical skills were spared; those whose status rested solely on wealth or power were herded onto the launch platform without hesitation.

Of course, there were always those who failed to understand, but all they received was a merciless blow from a robot and the same law as on Earth.

Cries and wails echoed through the entire Elysium Space station.

Wang Jing, meanwhile, returned to the surface and transported the long-awaited researchers and other equipment, along with large numbers of Expeditionary Force troops.

Everyone had clear roles: researchers copied all scientific data from Elysium Space and dismantled items worthy of study, while the Expeditionary Force replaced the robots in controlling the entire station.

The first two days were the busiest; Wang Jing had to handle the transport of numerous devices and supplies.

On the second day, just as the last items had been moved, Wang Jing was summoned by Song Guohua to attend an interdimensional conference.

This time, only the Wandering Earth universe and the primary universe were involved; the other universes did not participate, having played no part in the expedition.

The main topic of this conference was the future development of Elysium Space.