Leaving Yu Daoqing’s room, he then went to check on Zhang Xiao; although he hadn't woken up yet, his condition was much better than before.

Returning to the main control room, Zhong Yun immediately plunged into the "Combat Simulation Training."

Upon first sight of Liberty Star, Zhong Yun was stunned by the sheer density of starships, which covered almost the entire planet. In this small stellar system where stars were forming, the concentration of spacecraft was terrifyingly high. There must have been millions upon millions of ships, large and small, entering and exiting the space lanes.

The Mars was docked at the outermost planet, and from there, Zhong Yun and Yu Daoqing took a specialized small shuttle on Liberty Star to fly directly to the main planet.

As soon as they landed on Liberty Star, Yu Daoqing departed alone.

Liberty Star was highly automated. Zhong Yun, with a transport robot carrying Zhang Xiao on its frame, boarded a shuttle that automatically stopped in front of him. He simply said, "To the hospital," and a myriad of options immediately popped up before him. He casually selected the first one, and the shuttle zipped away.

After settling Zhang Xiao into the hospital, Zhong Yun left behind sufficient funds and an automatic translator before departing. Following the address Little Zero had provided, Zhong Yun took the shuttle to a building resembling a castle. He remained inside for several hours, emerging later with a box in his hands.

Returning to the Mars via a small spacecraft, the now-recharged Mars immediately set course, departing Liberty Star.

"What exactly is inside this box?" In the main control room, Zhong Yun held the head-sized box, turning it over and over, examining it with fascination.

He possessed more than twelve thousand percent curiosity about this small container. During his first trip to Qiyun Star, Little Zero had made him play a game in virtual space: opening this very box.

Despite its diminutive size, opening this box required successfully navigating three thousand eight hundred and sixty steps, all within a strict five-minute timeframe. ^^Novel 520 "You'll know when you open it," ZER remained tight-lipped.

Zhong Yun desperately wanted to pry it open immediately to see what was inside—something supposedly critical to advancing his physical techniques to the tenth level.

"My success rate is only fifty percent. Didn't you say before that I needed a success rate above ninety percent to open it?" Zhong Yun recalled Little Zero's previous statement.

"With the manual assist device, your success rate should approach ninety percent," ZER clarified.

"Sigh. While there’s still time, I should practice a bit more. It's been over five months since I last trained; my hands are a bit stiff," Zhong Yun said, tucking the small box into a cabinet before reclining on the captain's chair.

When Zhang Xiao awoke, he stared blankly at the empty ceiling for a long time, utterly confused about his situation. He only felt that his entire body was submerged in liquid, as if he had returned to the warmth of his mother’s womb.

It was only when a doctor entered the room and observed him through the transparent glass that he truly realized he was still alive.

The doctor checked the instruments beside him, noted his complete recovery, and then released him from the recovery tank.

The moment Zhang Xiao’s feet touched the ground, he lunged forward, grabbing the doctor’s collar, and asked with a menacing glare, "Where are my comrades... Where is he?"

The doctor muttered something under his breath, shook off Zhang Xiao’s hand, and pushed him toward the washing area before shaking his head and leaving.

The warm liquid cleansed his body, but Zhang Xiao’s mind was burning with anxiety. He recalled the moments before he lost consciousness, but he had absolutely no memory of what happened afterward.

From the current setup, they must have been rescued, but what about Zhong Yun? Where was he now? The thought intensified his urgency.

When the Tongguang Star incident occurred, during the moment Zhong Yun had turned back to pull him into the escape pod, Zhang Xiao had already accepted Zhong Yun as a brother with whom he would share life and death.

After a hasty wash, Zhang Xiao walked out of the washing area and saw a clean set of clothes, an automatic translator, and a card lying on the floor.

Picking up the card activated a panoramic video. Zhong Yun's ordinary face sprang to life: "Zhang Xiao, you’re awake, right? Wake up quickly and return to Davo. I still have some matters to attend to and won't be back for a while. Oh, there's some money on the card; it should be enough for you to get a ship back. Remember to send word to my parents that you are safe."

This short, few-second video finally eased the tension in Zhang Xiao’s heart. As long as Zhong Yun was safe.

Only then did Zhang Xiao truly experience the joy of surviving a brush with death.

The sensation Zhang Xiao caused upon returning to Davo was far greater than even he had anticipated. At first, he wanted no fanfare, only to return home quietly and reunite with his parents.

However, the ship that transported him only took him as far as the border of Davo. Upon learning he was a survivor of the Tongguang Star incident, the officer assigned to receive him turned ashen-faced with shock and urgently notified his superiors.

The superior who received the report was equally astounded. The Tongguang Star incident had been a massive upheaval months ago, famous even to him, someone stationed on the frontier.

The Tongguang Star affair was arguably the biggest political event domestically in over a decade; five ministerial-level officials had been forced to resign, and the sitting President himself had nearly been compelled by the furious populace to step down.

Just as this storm began to subside, a self-proclaimed survivor of the Tongguang Star suddenly appeared.

The highest-ranking commander at the garrison made an immediate decision, dispatching an urgent report back to the Military Department. The Military Department, in turn, forwarded this report to the Presidential Palace.

During this process, many relevant individuals learned of the news.

Yang Yunrong was among the first to know. He was in a meeting at the time, but upon receiving the information, he immediately adjourned the session and boarded his private jet bound for Wolv City.

As soon as he disembarked, Yang Yunrong rushed non-stop to the Military Department. Given his special status—not only as a core member of the Yang family but also due to his position in the Giant Machinery Group—his unrestricted access to the Military Department was unsurprising. In a sense, it wasn't inaccurate to say that the Giant Machinery Group functioned as a subsidiary of the Military Department; ninety percent of the military’s weaponry and equipment was purchased from the group.

Furthermore, the current Minister of the Military Department was his direct maternal uncle.

Yang Yunrong proceeded straight into the Minister's office. Several high-ranking generals were already present. Seeing him enter, no one seemed surprised; Yang Yunrong was a frequent visitor, serving as the highest liaison between the Giant Machinery Group and the Military Department.

"Minister, has the identity of the Tongguang Star survivor been confirmed?" With only trusted personnel present, Yang Yunrong asked directly.

The middle-aged man with a fair complexion seated centrally smiled and nodded at Yang Yunrong upon his arrival. "This is the data just delivered; please review it."

A panoramic image of a young man materialized in the center of the office.

Yang Yunrong felt a slight disappointment, but he still inquired, "Is that him? What is his name?"

"You certainly won't guess," chirped a slightly younger Major General with a smile. "He’s a member of the Zhang family."

"The Zhang family? Which Zhang family?" Yang Yunrong, preoccupied with his thoughts, didn't immediately register the implication.

"Which other Zhang family could it be?"