I am the Emperor of Humanity across the Multiverse

Not long after, inside the control room of Shield World 0459:

The space here was also vast and grand, with a bottomless abyss at its center that couldn't be seen with the naked eye.

Suspended above the abyss was a circular platform connected by a solid bridge, and a holographic projection of Shield World 0459 hovered between the rings.

The hologram showed five purple triangular "△" symbols, representing Covenant ships, marked in the core area.

Swish—swish!

At that moment, several flashes of cyan light appeared, and Vulcan, Lehman, and their group were instantly teleported to the circular platform within the control room.

The AI that had brought them here, identifying itself as "Serene Shore," was a floating metal orb emitting a faint orange glow. It drifted over to Lehman and said:

"Honorable Reclaimer, I have followed your request and pulled the Covenant fleet into the core of Shield World 0459, locking down their slipspace travel and external communications. Is there anything else I can assist you with?"

"Thank you very much for your help. As for anything else… hmm, let me think…" Lehman fell into deep thought.

Serene Shore had initiated contact with Lehman first because, when it had introduced itself and asked if assistance was needed, Lehman had casually replied, "Help? If you want to help, how about trapping the Covenant fleet in the core of the world? Can you do that?"

To Lehman's surprise, his half-joking suggestion was taken as a command by Serene Shore, which promptly dragged the entire Covenant fleet into the core and sealed it off.

"I can't think of anything," Lehman sighed deliberately, then looked at Vulcan beside him and said, "Why don't you ask him? He knows more than I do, and besides, he's my elder brother."

"Understood."

Hearing this, Serene Shore floated over to Vulcan, awaiting further instructions.

Vulcan did not hesitate and immediately said, "Can you share all the data you have stored, especially information on Forerunner technology, and help us learn, understand, and apply it?"

"I'm sorry, Honorable Reclaimer, but according to the protocol, I cannot fulfill that request," Serene Shore replied in its usual calm tone, though it added:

"I am not designated as a guide for imparting knowledge and technology. However, I can offer verbal assistance to help you break through your current limitations.

"That said, I must have a face-to-face discussion with your human leader to comply with the protocol."

The human leader? Vulcan knew that no such singular leader existed among humanity, especially considering how fragmented their governments were.

Whether in this universe or others, humanity had never achieved true unity. Even in the face of external threats, internal conflicts and rebellions were inevitable.

But…

Father could be considered the "sole leader."

After all, under their father's leadership, Atlas had unified many Earths and human societies across various universes.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Vulcan nodded and said, "Alright. Also, I need you to provide a full report on the current status of Shield World 0459, including any Forerunner ships, weapons, or equipment left behind."

"I have uploaded the relevant data to your armor system. Please check."

As Serene Shore finished speaking, Vulcan noticed the right side of his helmet display was now filled with thumbnails of various documents.

"…"

However, Vulcan did not show any sign of joy. Instead, he furrowed his brows.

This move from Serene Shore indicated that it could easily hack into Atlas' military equipment and network systems.

Moreover, Ap had previously warned him that UNSC smart AIs tend to descend into madness after seven years of service. This made Vulcan even more cautious.

Who knew if this floating orb was truly functioning properly? It could very well be cooperating only for some hidden agenda.

Otherwise, why hadn't it been able to completely eliminate the Flood threat by now?

From the battles on the surface, Vulcan had observed that if the Sentinels were fully activated, they could undoubtedly eradicate all forms of the Flood, including the elusive Proto-Gravemind, in a short time.

Thinking of this, Vulcan decided to continue observing Serene Shore's actions. He slightly turned and looked at Ap, giving the command:

"Notify the fleet that we have achieved our initial strategic objective and that Shield World 0459's near-Earth orbit is now open for slipspace travel."

"Yes, sir."

Ap quickly uploaded the information to the Beacon of Fire, still docked on the dark side of the planet, which then acted as a relay station to communicate with the corporate fleet in the outer system.

Meanwhile, Vulcan turned back to Serene Shore and asked again:

"Can you assist us in dismantling the Covenant fleet trapped in the core?"

"I'm afraid I cannot." Serene Shore's monitor flashed a few times before replying:

"According to the protocol, I cannot initiate an attack against any intelligent civilization unless they cause severe damage to my domain. Only then would I implement various defensive measures.

"Dragging the Covenant fleet into the core world was already the extent of my authority. I apologize.

"Moreover, due to protocol limitations, I am also unable to completely eradicate the Flood currently ravaging Shield World 0459, which is why I require your assistance."

"That's only natural. Once we've dealt with the Covenant, we'll address the Flood issue," Vulcan immediately agreed and added:

"Since we are now partners, I would like you to transport my brother and the Thunder Warriors to the vicinity of the Covenant fleet. That should be within your capabilities, correct?"

"No problem," Serene Shore agreed.

Seeing this, Vulcan turned to Lehman, who had remained silent, and said, "Brother, I need you and the Thunder Warriors to go to the Covenant fleet and make contact with them.

"In simple terms, I need you to test their attitude.

"If you can resolve this without bloodshed and convince them to see through the lies of their leadership, that would be ideal."

"Uh, how are they supposed to understand what I'm saying?" Lehman asked, confused.

"I believe in you, brother. You can do it," Vulcan said, raising his hand to gently pat Lehman on the shoulder.

"I don't even believe in myself… but fine, since you're the commander of this mission. If words don't work, I'll resort to fists."

Lehman resigned himself to the task.

"Hahaha, I appreciate it, brother. Once father arrives, I'll personally make sure you're credited for this," Vulcan laughed, then pointed to the Thunder Warriors standing by and said to Serene Shore:

"Begin the transport."

"Understood."

As soon as the words were spoken, a cyan circle enveloped Lehman and the Thunder Warriors, and in the next moment, a bright light filled the entire control room.

_________________________

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