With the strategy set, the Alliance, a war machine that was once rusty and creaky, began to operate with unprecedented efficiency, powered by the injection of Mark's mighty engine and Ruijia's full push.
An information sharing network was established first.
Although signals were still intermittent, encryption methods varied, and communication often required guesswork, even supplemented by numerous gestures, a fragile but real communication network connecting dozens of scattered resistance strongholds finally took shape.
Every day, a large amount of information about The Old Ones' Tide movements, minion characteristics, resource locations, and even lists of exiled scientists flowed into the Alliance's database like streams.
Though messy, it provided an unprecedented breadth of intelligence.
The news of Mark's Alliance with the Alliance was like dropping a bombshell into the deep, desperate ocean of the universe, and the ripples it caused far exceeded expectations.
Especially for those weaker civilizations with relatively low technological levels, who were suffering or about to face the Old Ones' erosion, they might not be able to provide powerful warriors or advanced technology, but they yearned for survival and protection.
The Earth behind Mark, willing to open its arms and provide support, and the Starfire Alliance's strategy of banding together for warmth, became the only faint light they could see in the darkness.
Thus, a spontaneous great migration began.
Countless dilapidated, severely overloaded refugee ships, with their last hope, arduously sailed along the relatively safe routes marked on the star map, heading towards the meteorite base where the Starfire Alliance was originally located.
They brought population, unique skills and knowledge from their respective civilizations, and also the most bitter hatred for the Old Ones and the strongest will to survive.
In just three months, the Starfire Alliance's scale expanded rapidly like a snowball, with its population soaring from tens of thousands to millions!
The huge hollow meteorite that originally served as the base was already overwhelmed; every cave and every crevice was packed with people and equipment, and problems of noise, pollution, and resource shortages became increasingly prominent.
Migration was imperative.
After multiple reconnaissance and evaluations, Ruijia and Mark finally selected a terrestrial planet located in a remote star system, with a relatively harsh environment, not-so-abundant resources, but excellent hidden location and a complex asteroid belt as a natural barrier.
Lishi Star.
The entire Alliance began a massive and arduous migration project.
Countless spaceships shuttled back and forth like worker bees, transferring personnel, equipment, and reserve supplies little by little to the new home. Mark and White Lion became the busiest interstellar movers and escorts.
Mark, relying on his terrifying strength and speed, repeatedly directly pushed or pulled large equipment and even small planetary fragments for rapid deployment.
And White Lion led the newly formed rapid response team, composed of elites from various races, to clear out occasional Old Ones' patrol teams and space pirates near the migration route.
On Lishi Star, a crude but fully functional new base rose at an astonishing speed.
Utilizing the brought technology and local materials, factories began to operate, producing standardized weapons, armor, and spaceship parts.
Agricultural zones cultivated high-yield synthetic food under artificial light.
On the training grounds, warriors from different races honed tactics and learned skills to fight the Old Ones' minions amidst the shouts of instructors.
A giant industrial chain connecting Earth, the rescued planets along the way, and Lishi Star was initially established.
Earth provided relatively stable logistics and some of the GDA's cutting-edge technology; under Allen's remote guidance, the planets along the way provided unique minerals and manpower, while Lishi Star served as the front-line base and integration center.
Although this chain was still very fragile and its efficiency could not compare with the former Alliance, it symbolized a new, resilient model of cooperation.
More importantly, the Alliance's reputation, accompanied by successful rescue operations, harassment campaigns, and Mark's legend as a god of war, began to spread to the deeper, more brutal central regions of the universe.
Those fragments of civilization struggling in the main attack direction of The Old Ones' Tide, almost giving up hope, those last survivors whose homelands had long been swallowed and who wandered alone in the universe, saw a faint glimmer of a distant lighthouse in a stormy night.
They might not know how long the Starfire Alliance could last, but they knew that someone was fighting there, and a strong man named Mark Grayson was carrying the flag there.
That was enough.
Thus, a more difficult and dangerous migration began; they traversed star systems controlled by the Old Ones, paying a heavy price, just to rush towards that faint glimmer of hope.
The Alliance entered its most prosperous period since its establishment.
Above Lishi Star, spaceships took off and landed day and night, and although the base interior was still noisy and chaotic, it was filled with a vibrant, upward vitality.
The declaration of resistance against the Old Ones was no longer a desperate cry here, but transformed into the roar of factories, the shouts on the training grounds, and the sleepless discussions of scientists.
However, prosperity also brought new challenges.
The sharp increase in population meant an exponential rise in management complexity.
Cultural conflicts between different races, disputes over resource allocation, and inevitable rent-seeking and complacency began to breed.
Mark knew the internal reasons for the Alliance's collapse, and he would never let history repeat itself.
He discussed day and night with Ruijia and the core leadership, drawing on the legal systems of Earth and some advanced civilizations, combined with the special circumstances of the Starfire Alliance, and quickly introduced a series of simple but strict 'Lishi Star Codes'.
The principle of 'Survival First': all internal disputes must not affect overall defense and survival; violators will be severely punished.
The 'Contribution Distribution System': material allocation and living conditions are directly linked to contributions to the Alliance; more work, more gain; no form of privilege is allowed during wartime.
Military Integration: all combat personnel, regardless of race, must accept unified command and training; racial segregation must not be brought into the military.
Information Transparency and Supervision: resource usage and non-core secret parts of operational plans are regularly disclosed; a supervisory committee composed of representatives from various races is established.
Severe Punishment for Traitors and Waverers: any act of colluding with Old Ones' forces or spreading defeatist rhetoric is punishable by death.
The initial implementation of the Code encountered considerable resistance, but under the iron-fisted enforcement by Mark, Ruijia, and others, and the common fear of the Old Ones among the vast majority of members, its authority was quickly established, bringing the Alliance back onto a highly efficient operational track.
These past few months, Mark had almost no rest time.
He was either guiding new recruits on the training ground, or formulating strategies in the conference room, or leading rapid response units on assault missions, or coordinating material transportation at the spaceport.
His seemingly inexhaustible energy, his absolute focus when handling affairs, and his almost stubborn adherence to justice and principles were all seen by everyone.
Ruijia was no exception.
This rugged female leader, known for her valor, initially only regarded Mark as a powerful, respected ally and warrior.
But as time went on, she increasingly saw other qualities in Mark hidden beneath his great strength.
His patience when training new recruits, his foresight and meticulousness when formulating strategies, his absolute fairness when allocating resources, and even the subtle softness that occasionally flickered in his molten gold eyes when facing those weak exiles.
She found herself unconsciously looking for his figure in the crowd, feeling happy with a word of his approval, and worried about his overwork.
This unfamiliar, soft emotion made Ruijia feel a bit flustered, yet she couldn't suppress it.
She tried to cover it up with a more open attitude and more frequent sparring invitations, but the sparkle in her eyes became increasingly difficult to hide.
Unfortunately, our comrade Mark Grayson's sensitivity to emotions was approximately zero.
He just felt that this female leader had been inviting him to spar and discuss tactics a bit too frequently lately, and sometimes her gaze towards him was strange, a bit like… um… a prelude to an attack?
He even privately asked White Lion somewhat suspiciously.
"Old White, do you think Leader Ruijia is under too much pressure lately, or… accidentally eroded by the Old Ones' whispers?"
"I feel like the way she looks at me sometimes… it's not right."
White Lion, who was licking his wounds nearby, almost choked on his own saliva at the remark.
He raised his huge head, looked at Mark with the gaze of someone looking at an idiot, and let out a growl that was almost a sneer.
"Hmph… you idiot with muscles for brains!"
"That's a look of desire, you can't even tell that? She likes you! So stupid!"
Mark: "…???"
He frowned in confusion.
"Likes? What kind of likes? The appreciation and trust between comrades? That's normal."
He was completely unable to connect Ruijia's abnormal actions with romantic feelings.
White Lion rolled his huge eyes, too lazy to explain to this interstellar alloy straight man, buried his big head on his paws, and mumbled.
"Forget it, it's useless to tell you, you deserve to be single. At least in this aspect, I'm better than you."
Mark was even more confused, completely not understanding what White Lion was saying.
He just shook his head, cast this small interlude to the back of his mind, and continued to think about how to optimize the orbital defense cannon array on Lishi Star.
Ruijia's unspoken affection was destined to face a tough battle against this indestructible, super-straight alloy man.
And the development of the Alliance, in this subtle atmosphere, continued to advance at high speed, heading towards an unknown and challenging future.
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