Up until the moment Asteroid 73259 disintegrated into cosmic dust in a violent explosion, at least a hundred people in the hall still thought Ren Zhong was just joking. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

There were many small settlements on planets, in space, and on asteroids throughout the Source Star System.

The farthest from Source Star, with the harshest conditions, was the settlement on Asteroid 73259.

73259 was eighty-seven kilometers long, not spherical, but shaped like an elongated bar.

The purpose of this settlement's existence was not mining, nor was it responsible for producing resources.

The nearly ten thousand people living here served as observers on the outer rim of the Star System, forming, together with several hundred other asteroid settlements in different sectors, the outermost "eyes" of the Source Star System, guarding against potential enemies from deep space.

They were responsible for maintaining equipment, replacing faulty parts, and from time to time flying out in small ships to repair space telescopes drifting in more distant orbits.

Although there had been no foreign attack on Source Star for the past thousand years, observation outposts on asteroids like 73259 had never been left unmanned.

Because of limited conditions and high logistics costs, no large space station had been built here. As a result, the living quarters were very cramped, the activity space extremely limited, and aside from getting online, there was almost no enjoyment in life to speak of.

Almost no one could endure more than five years here, especially after the "Net cut-off," when they could only use radio communication, which was far less convenient, making life even more difficult.

To maintain work efficiency, the Association had always kept to a rotation cycle of roughly five years.

To make matters worse, because of the importance of the duty, even the distrusted Wilders did not qualify to come here and suffer.

This was Citizens' work.

And yet, among the Citizen stratum on Source Star, there was a saying that circulated.

"Either end up a total failure, or whatever you do, don't lag in last place—otherwise you'll be sent to 73259 to count stars."

Lower-tier Citizen parents often used this line to urge their children to study—or to give up—so that the tiny asteroid observation post on 73259 enjoyed a notoriety wholly disproportionate to its size.

But now, with a single violent explosion, it was gone.

A mere ten million kilometers away, the people aboard the Trace Seeker saw a close-up from the large optical telescope some thirty-odd seconds later.

Those who had once fancied they understood Ren Zhong fell completely silent.

Even Ma Xiaoling covered her mouth, speechless, choking back tears.

In her understanding, Ren Zhong would never kill innocents.

Ren Zhong had once vowed to her that everyone who died by his hand had brought their own death upon themselves.

But now, Ren Zhong had brutally swallowed his own words.

There had been ten thousand people up there, all vaporized.

If Ren Zhong could kill ten thousand people without even blinking, then of course he could also kill another eighteen billion.

Once a person raises the butcher's knife and becomes something inhuman, there is no essential difference between killing ten thousand and killing ten trillion; either way, he is a Butcher.

Of everyone present, only Ren Zhong knew the truth.

As soon as Sun Ai had just reawakened, a completely unmanned cargo ship under Sun Ai's control arrived at 73259.

At the same time, another transport ship that had been docked there all along departed, carrying the nearly ten thousand people who had already worked here for four and a half years back to the 1717 Frontier Transport Ship.

These ten thousand people were implanted with a single belief: they had merely completed their rotation ahead of schedule.

Their work would be taken over by another ten thousand, and the replacements had already arrived at the outpost.

They could even use the restored "Net" to communicate with their successors and hand over their duties.

They also saw the personnel list of the incoming shift.

Of course, these ten thousand people did not actually exist, because the individuals listed on that roster were still living in Starfire Town.

They did not even know they had already been "sent" to Asteroid 73259.

Ren Zhong, who knew the truth, had no desire to clear his own name. With a casual wave of his hand, he added, "The 'Net' has finished the cleanup. This is a reconstructed projection, synthesized by the 'Net' from data captured by optical telescopes and cameras installed across different regions. After we leave, all related facilities will self-destruct. You can watch on your own. Meeting adjourned."

With that, Ren Zhong rose, stepped onto the conveyor behind and to the side of the throne, and rapidly vanished into the distance.

After Ren Zhong left, the hall fell into a brief silence.

Everyone kept their eyes on the figure gradually swallowed by darkness; that invisible pressure did not dissipate with his departure.