"I see," Wang Jingze uttered. Before the final syllable had fully left his lips, Zhong Yun sensed grave danger. Acting on pure instinct, he lunged, tackling Yu Daoqing to the floor beside him just as a thunderous boom ripped through the air.

The metal floor where Zhong Yun had stood moments before was blasted open into a gaping maw. A violent gust of air slammed over Zhong Yun, stinging his back raw. As the immediate shockwave subsided, Zhong Yun hauled Yu Daoqing down with him, leaping into the meter-wide hole and vanishing into the darkness below.

Scarcely had they dropped clear when two nets of brilliant blue laser light snapped into existence in the room above. Had they hesitated a single second longer, they would have been trapped like turtles in a jar.

"Zhong Yun..." Wang Jingze was staggered by the sudden turn of events. He roared in fury, his hatred for Zhong Yun—who invariably ruined his plans—reaching a searing peak.

"You won't escape," his voice was utterly sinister.

Beneath Yu Daoqing's room lay a vast storage bay. Emerging from that perilous enclosure, Yu Daoqing was overwhelmed by a mix of shock and elation. "How did you manage that?"

She knew that starships were constructed from the sturdiest metals. Even though this floor wasn't part of the outer hull, its thickness approached a full meter. Yu Daoqing hadn't detected Zhong Yun planting the explosive charge, and she was certain Wang Jingze hadn't either, otherwise, he wouldn't have wasted time talking to them.

"We'll discuss that later," Zhong Yun said, his eyes scanning the neatly stacked crates of supplies, instantly recognizing their location. A mischievous grin spread across his face. The warehouse was enormous; here, a Level Ten powerhouse like Yu Daoqing could truly utilize her strengths, unlike the confined room above where a locked door nearly spelled their doom.

"What are you doing?" Yu Daoqing asked, watching Zhong Yun rummage through crates and cabinets, curiosity warring with anxiety. If she hadn't known him incapable of pointless actions, she would have cursed him in this emergency.

"Since Vice-Captain Wang has been so hospitable, how can we possibly leave without returning the favor?" Zhong Yun replied.

The warehouse held mostly foodstuffs and energy blocks, alongside countless spare parts—provisions stocked for inevitable malfunctions aboard the vessel.

Zhong Yun overturned these components, selected a few items, and picked up a toolbox to begin dismantling them.

"Are they still inside the warehouse?" In the main control room, Wang Jingze's face was grim beyond measure.

"Yes, sir. They haven't emerged yet," a crewman confirmed.

The warehouse lacked internal video surveillance; only the exits were monitored. This fact only deepened Wang Jingze's foul mood.

"Keep the laser cage in that room active," Wang Jingze commanded. Zhong Yun was too cunning; if he tried a feigned retreat, the regret would be unending.

The most worrisome factor was that Zhong Yun possessed powerful explosives capable of breaching the ship’s bulkheads. How many more did he have on him? "Seal the main warehouse door. Have armed personnel secure all surrounding rooms. Remember, do not harm the woman."

"Also, disable the escape pod systems."

"But—" Hearing this order, his second-in-command started to object.

Wang Jingze waved a hand dismissively. "Do exactly as I say."

"Yes, sir."

Wang Jingze fixed his gaze on the security monitor showing the warehouse entrance. Once they returned to his base, Yu Daoqing would be securely within his grasp.

The tables had turned. On this ship, no single individual could match Yu Daoqing's strength. They could only rely on superior numbers and the ship's resources to defend, making holding ground feasible. But any offensive action would be suicide; in a space that large, relying on sheer numbers to overwhelm a Level Ten powerhouse was a pipe dream.

Though he possessed the black metal rods capable of dealing with Level Ten experts, Wang Jingze was inherently cautious and would never risk exposing himself personally. Attacking the Captain had only been a desperate choice when he had no other option.

Since the warehouse contained no direct weaponry, Wang Jingze wasn't overly concerned about Yu Daoqing and Zhong Yun remaining inside. His only unease stemmed from that anomalous signal—if he wasn't mistaken, it was a distress beacon.

With this thought, he issued another order: "My command: Full speed ahead."

"Full speed ahead," his deputy repeated.

The ship lurched into acceleration so suddenly that Zhong Yun, caught completely unaware, tumbled backward, slamming his head hard against a nearby metal crate and cursing profusely.

In contrast, Yu Daoqing fared much better. She had been leaning against a crate, feeling only a heavy pressure against her back and a momentary shortness of breath.

"What is this ship's maximum velocity?" Zhong Yun asked, rubbing his injured head, a crucial thought suddenly striking him.

"Since the base isn't too far from Planet Vol, this is only a short transit. The ship's top speed is sub-light," Yu Daoqing replied.

"Let's just hope it's enough," Zhong Yun sighed, feeling utterly cursed. Twice now he had found himself on a Dawo vessel traveling through space, and twice he had run into disaster.

To add to his gloom, Xiao Ling had flown the Mars away again. This time, she was headed to the planet he had named "New Jupiter"—the desolate world where he and Yu Daoqing had been stranded before—to establish the initial infrastructure. The planet had been officially registered and management entrusted to the Omi National Management Company; their first shipment of supplies had arrived a month prior.

To prevent unexpected issues, Xiao Ling had left both the Bug Bee Two and Bug Bee Three behind.

An unexpected issue had occurred, but not a crash; the ship had been hijacked by traitors at the base. The two Bug Bees had been utterly useless, destroyed by a single ionic cannon blast.

Why did every misfortune seem to land on him? Zhong Yun felt truly depressed. His only prayer now was that the Mars could arrive in time before the hijackers reached their stronghold. If not, he and Yu Daoqing would be in dire straits.

If all else failed, it would be mutually assured destruction. Zhong Yun hardened his resolve; he was never one to wait passively for death.

Given the rudimentary conditions and incomplete parts, Zhong Yun’s options were limited. He turned his attention to the energy blocks.

Energy blocks contained immense power, but their structure was exceptionally stable, resisting rupture even under extreme heat and pressure. However, Zhong Yun knew a method to easily disrupt that stability and fashion them into potent explosives.

After his near-death experience during the Tongguang incident, Zhong Yun had undergone soul-searching, immersing himself in research on self-rescue measures for starship disasters, running numerous simulations in "Practical Scenario Modeling" until he acquired a wealth of survival knowledge.

The very charges Zhong Yun used to blast through the meter-thick metal floor were part of his personal survival kit, salvaged from the Mars—he only possessed five. Each was barely an inch in size, sewn into his sleeve for deployment in an emergency.

The reason these charges could perforate the meter-thick plating lay in their unique properties. Their core was hollow, filled with a rapidly corrosive metallic solution that worked silently, leaving no external trace. Thus, the resulting explosion could effortlessly carve a large hole in the floor.

It was a pity that the other four charges were sewn into different garments, left in his quarters. Otherwise, he could have blown the ship's drive system apart.

While bombs made from energy blocks would be powerful, destroying an entire starship remained a long shot.

The resilience of a starship surpassed common imagination. Space was riddled with countless dangers; even floating cosmic dust particles, when encountered at sub-light speeds, could shatter lesser metals. At near-light speeds, these dust motes became projectiles with sub-light velocities.

Therefore, damaging a starship was no easy feat. Even if a section of the hull was breached, the surrounding areas would instantly seal off, preventing a fatal impact. Only core areas like the power room or the main control center could deliver an irrecoverable blow.

"I'm sorry for dragging you into this," Yu Daoqing said, a wave of intense remorse washing over her as she watched the busy Zhong Yun.

"Oh? Feeling guilty?" Zhong Yun didn't stop working, retorting lightly, "Well then, repaying me would be enough. I wouldn't mind an offering of yourself."

"This is our destiny," Yu Daoqing murmured dreamily.

"Ah, what did you say?" Zhong Yun hadn't heard clearly.

"You are right, this is our destiny," Yu Daoqing whispered, her voice almost inaudible.

She recalled their first meeting—the surge of joy followed by disappointment; delighted to have found companions, yet disappointed that he couldn't even speak the standard universal greeting, rendering communication impossible. Who could have foreseen that a tiny misunderstanding would prevent three people from the same nation from recognizing each other on a distant primitive world?

Then, back on Dawo, seeing Zhang Xiao's familiar face on the television—the shock and subsequent delight; Oufeng telling her that a teenager had repaired the irreparable Jialan Zither; the excitement when she heard Zhong Yun's name; the wry amusement and realization upon seeing his photograph.

Then, the joy of meeting Zhong Yun again, the immense excitement and warmth that filled her when she learned he was a descendant of Jialan. From that moment on, she was no longer alone; her heart now held a deep connection. Having been orphaned since childhood, she had never experienced such a feeling.

This succession of coincidences made it impossible for her not to believe that everything was ordained by heaven. Now, they were plunged into an unprecedented crisis, trapped aboard an enemy starship filled with malevolent foes.

This situation was far more perilous than the starship disaster six years ago; it was practically a nine-out-of-ten chance of death. Though her martial arts had reached Level Ten, she had never received formal combat training; all her fighting skills were learned while serving as a tribal leader on that primitive world. Compared to these enemies, she held virtually no advantage.

Yet, she felt none of the despair and helplessness she had experienced during the last crash. Her composure was absolute. "If we die, we die together."