For this journey, Zhong Yun harbored few worries. Before leaving, he had already instructed Xiao Ling to pilot her own ship and follow his vessel once it began its voyage.

The vast, boundless cosmos concealed countless unknown perils, and Zhong Yun placed more trust in the mysteriously sourced Xiao Ling than in Dawo's ship.

According to Xiao Ling, with the detection capabilities of the Mars, the name Zhong Yun had given his own ship, following the main vessel without being discovered would not be difficult.

The trouble lay at the jump points. The Mars stood no chance of passing through the heavily guarded jump points. The Mars would have to seek out an alternative jump point. Although he had managed to purchase the route map from Dawo to the Shata Empire the day before yesterday, a period of lost communication was unavoidable.

After flying through space for several hours, the ship arrived at the jump point. Just before the jump, all personnel were required to enter the protective cabins to guard against any accidents.

After the spatial jump, it would take ten days of flight to reach the next jump point. Within those ten days, the Mars would catch up.

Thinking this, Zhong Yun relaxed somewhat and stepped outside. Being confined to his room all day had made him restless. As soon as he stepped out, he bumped into a crew member. "You've come out at the perfect time. The drill is about to start; hurry to the main cabin."

"Drill? What drill?" Zhong Yun sounded rather puzzled.

"The emergency escape drill," the person said, hurrying away.

"Escape drill?" A jolt went through Zhong Yun's heart. Could this voyage be dangerous?

With a sense of unease, he headed toward the main command module. He had already memorized the ship's layout map a few days prior, so he didn't need an escort. As he passed through a corridor, he heard the alarm blare: "All non-essential personnel, please report immediately to the main cabin. Repeating: All non-essential personnel, report immediately to the main cabin for drill training..."

"Zhong Yun!"

Just as he was about to run toward the main cabin, Zhong Yun suddenly heard someone call his name. He was profoundly surprised. Someone on this ship actually knew him?

Turning toward the source of the voice, Zhong Yun gasped. "Zhang... Zhang Xiao?"

Not far behind him, a member he had met on his first day at the base—Zhang Xiao—was running toward him, a look of warm familiarity on his face. "Finally found you."

"How are you here?" Zhong Yun’s face was a mask of confusion. He never imagined he would run into him on this ship. Hadn't Yang Siqing said the base only had one slot?

Seeming to anticipate Zhong Yun's expression, Zhang Xiao chuckled. "Surprised to see me here?"

"Didn't Chief Instructor Yang say there was only one slot?" Zhong Yun playfully thumped his chest. He was surprised and overjoyed; among the more than a hundred people at the base, Zhang Xiao was the one he got along with best, and their relationship was quite good.

He had expected this journey to be solitary, and running into an acquaintance filled Zhong Yun with indescribable happiness.

"I wasn't as lucky as you, having such a highly regarded Chief Instructor watching over you," Zhang Xiao said with a smile. "Luckily, my family has some connections, and they managed to secure a slot for me."

"Sigh," Zhong Yun sighed. "If I had known you wanted to come this badly, I would have just given you my slot."

"Give it to me?" Zhang Xiao scoffed. "Can you even beat Chief Instructor Yang in a fight?"

"Beating you is good enough," Zhong Yun laughed heartily.

As they walked and talked, Zhong Yun scrutinized him from head to toe, clicking his tongue in wonder.

"What are you looking at?" Zhang Xiao looked somewhat bewildered.

"I couldn't tell," Zhong Yun shook his head, his expression full of realization. "I never realized you were from an established family."

Zhang Xiao smiled but said nothing, seemingly acquiescing. Since he didn't wish to elaborate, Zhong Yun wisely changed the subject. "I heard the broadcast about some drill; does this voyage carry danger?"

"No matter how advanced spaceship technology becomes, complete safety is impossible in the mysterious, unpredictable universe. The cosmos is endless; even those advanced civilizations haven't claimed to have fully explored the entire universe. So, theoretically, every space voyage carries some degree of risk," Zhang Xiao explained.

"That's as good as saying nothing," Zhong Yun shot him a dismissive glance.

"This is your first time on a spaceship, isn't it?" Zhang Xiao asked with a smile.

Strictly speaking... "Yes."

Zhang Xiao adopted an 'I knew it' expression. "Although the current flight paths have been established through countless trials, no one can guarantee a hundred percent safety. To prevent the unforeseen, the captain of every ship conducts several drills during a voyage, precisely for..."

Before Zhang Xiao could finish speaking, the entire ship shuddered slightly. Before they could process what happened, a shrill alarm suddenly blared through the corridor, accompanied by flashing red lights.

Zhang Xiao's face changed drastically, and he exclaimed, "That's the highest-level emergency alert!"

"What?" A dark premonition rose in Zhong Yun's mind.

"Attention passengers, attention! The vessel has been struck by an unknown electromagnetic wave attack. Ship functions are disabled. Please prepare for evacuation. This is not a drill. Repeating: This is not a drill..."

Zhang Xiao's face instantly turned whiter than paper. What did ship failure mean? Any person with a rational mind could imagine.

Conversely, Zhong Yun sprang up like a startled rabbit, grabbing Zhang Xiao's arm. "What are you waiting for? Let's get out of here!"

Zhang Xiao snapped back to reality, urgently calling out, "Quick, the escape pods!"

Zhong Yun gritted his teeth and ran toward the escape pods at top speed. His memory served him well; he recalled the staff telling him on the first day aboard that there were nineteen lifeboats in total on the ship.

Nineteen pods for one hundred cadets and over three hundred crew members—not nearly enough to go around. To be a step slower meant consequences too terrible to contemplate.

At this moment, only one thing occupied Zhong Yun's mind: survival. Anyone with rudimentary common sense knew the dangers lurking in the immense universe. This was undoubtedly the most perilous moment of Zhong Yun's life. A moment's hesitation, and before long, he would be nothing but cosmic dust.

Zhong Yun did not want to die. He had parents who adored him, brothers loyal to the bone, a lover whose heart belonged to him... and Earth, the place that haunted his dreams.

I cannot die.

Zhong Yun sprinted down the corridor with unprecedented speed. Even while pulling someone along, it had no effect on him.

There was a lifeboat near his cabin; he had seen it when leaving his quarters. That was his target.

As they neared the spot, the entire ship shook again. Both Zhong Yun and Zhang Xiao felt their bodies lighten, momentarily floating upward.

The broadcast chimed in precisely on cue: "Gravity systems have failed. Gravity systems have failed..."

Zhong Yun and Zhang Xiao had surged forward too violently and were suddenly weightless, causing them to slam into the opposite wall. Both reacted swiftly, pressing their hands against the wall to kill their momentum, then pushing off with their feet to "swim" forward.

There it was—a metal barrier marked with indicators in several languages: "Escape Pod."

Simultaneously, Zhong Yun and Zhang Xiao spotted another person, approaching from another direction. Judging by their attire and age, it was one of the companions who had traveled with Zhong Yun.

That person saw them too. Their face was contorted in fear. Seeing Zhong Yun and Zhang Xiao, they gritted their teeth and accelerated their glide forward even more fiercely.

Three people, one escape pod. The alarm grew more urgent, and the warning red lights flashed faster and faster.

P: Tomorrow marks the official release date; I've decided on a major update—two chapters totaling eight thousand characters. If you have any monthly passes, please save some for me; it's tough for newcomers. The first chapter will be updated tomorrow at 8:30 AM. Please stay tuned.