With the mechs and fighters belonging to all nearby enemies swept clean, Zhong Yun turned his gaze back to the initial battle zone, noticing that the two heavily damaged warships had neither exploded nor fled.

The flagship, which had been pierced nearly end-to-end by a main cannon blast, drifted there, utterly devoid of any sign of life or death, resembling a ghost ship adrift for ages untold.

The other unfortunate vessel, struck by a stray projectile that had overloaded its main cannon, bore a gaping hole where the muzzle should have been. Zhong Yun speculated the resulting explosion had reached the ship's power core or engines, as it sputtered and then fell silent after several weak attempts to restart.

“What’s all the commotion about,” bellowed Zhang Haokun from the bridge of the Dawu warship. “The enemy isn't completely wiped out yet.”

The commanding officer and his staff reacted instantly, shifting the view of the original battlefield onto the main screen. Seeing the two crippled enemy ships still present brought a collective sigh of relief.

“Let’s go claim our spoils,” Zhang Haokun declared, waving a dismissive hand.

“Commander, what about—what about over there?” the Chief of Staff asked, standing up.

Zhang Haokun glanced at the egg-shaped vessel and shook his head. “Clear out the rest of the enemy first, then we’ll pay our respects.”

Watching the Dawu warship glide toward the original battle site, Zhong Yun understood their intention, but he had no desire to compete for the wreckage. Although those few warships possessed decent performance specs, he didn’t actually want them.

For one thing, his own funds were severely depleted, leaving him with no means to pay for repairs; given the extent of their damage, the repair bills would undoubtedly be astronomical. Secondly, he had no one to pilot them. The youngsters on Qiyun Star—the lolis and shota—would take at least two decades to mature into competent astronauts.

Zhong Yun actually debated whether he should sneak away quietly. However, considering the other side had already witnessed his true appearance, escaping was pointless. With panoramic photographs in hand, tracing his identity would be child’s play.

Truly careless of me. He had been so focused on saving them that he completely forgot the critical matter of concealing his identity. Now he was utterly flummoxed. There was no way the Mars could remain secret.

How could he possibly explain it? A high school student actually commanding such an advanced vessel? He could already foresee the barrage of intensely probing questions that awaited him.

Zhong Yun felt a headache splitting his skull.

Perhaps I should just silence them all?

This sudden thought made him chuckle dryly. If he intended to kill them, why would he have gone to such great lengths to save them in the first place? He needed to focus on something constructive.

After much deliberation, Zhong Yun decided fabrication was the best route. After all, this wasn't the first time he’d spun a lie. Too many flies won’t bite. He would hoist the banner of a high-level civilization. Though there was a risk of being exposed, it would likely bring substantial benefits.

He thought of Yu Daoqing’s standing. He had long been puzzled how Zhao Tingjian, starting from a grassroots background, could, in just a few decades, transform a small, obscure company into the nation's number-one super-conglomerate, capable of standing toe-to-toe with the Yang family's Mega-Machinery Group without faltering. No matter how capable one was, achieving that without sufficiently powerful backing was impossible.

It was only after learning of Yu Daoqing’s true identity that he understood. To the ruling class of Dawu, she was an unofficial yet irreplaceable diplomatic asset. Vincent from the Shatar Empire had revealed that Yu Daoqing single-handedly secured the bid for the International Flower Exhibition. This demonstrated the sheer scale of her influence.

Zhong Yun reckoned her status within Dawu was likely not far below that of Old Marshal Yang Tianlie; it was just that she maintained a low public profile, and the government intentionally downplayed her civilian impact, which is why the media never reported on her achievements.

If he possessed the background of a high-level civilization, he figured few would dare provoke him. Even his parents’ status would rise significantly, and blatant conspiracies to seize his family’s company, like those in the past, would likely cease.

Viewed from this angle, perhaps this wasn't such a bad turn of events after all.

Thus, a complete narrative began to take shape in his mind. He meditated on it, constantly refining this elaborate fabrication.

By the time the Dawu fleet approached to secure the two half-dead enemy ships, Zhong Yun had nearly finalized how he would sell his lie.

Five hundred kilometers away from the Mars, the Dawu fleet halted its advance, sending a signal indicating they meant no hostility. Shortly after, Zhong Yun received a message requesting a secure channel connection. “Connect the call,” Zhong Yun commanded, seated rigidly in the captain’s chair. The lines of his face were taut, his posture perfectly upright; he held profound respect for these soldiers protecting their nation.

“Greetings, Your Excellency,” the moment the connection stabilized, he saw Zhang Haokun, flanked by all his staff and officers, standing perfectly aligned in several rows, offering a synchronized bow.

Zhang Haokun spoke with grave seriousness, “First, on behalf of every soldier in the Dawu Northeast Army Group’s First Fleet, I express our deepest gratitude for your timely aid.”

Zhong Yun’s shoulders twitched involuntarily, as if contemplating rising, but he remained seated, enduring their grand gesture.

Only after they straightened did Zhong Yun slightly incline his head. “Captain, you are too kind. I believe any capable citizen of Dawu would not stand idly by when faced with such a situation.”

“You are a Dawu national?” Despite holding a certain expectation, Zhang Haokun was visibly startled by Zhong Yun’s words. If Zhong Yun had been a strikingly beautiful, young woman, he wouldn't have found it strange.

Besides that legendary woman, who else could possess a vessel of such advanced capability? And he was a mere youth. Zhang Haokun had no idea such a person existed within Dawu.

“Authentic, through and through,” Zhong Yun smiled. Technically speaking, if one were to nitpick, he was only half a Dawu citizen—his body was a genuine Dawu product, but his soul originated from distant Earth.

Everyone in the First Fleet’s command center exchanged bewildered glances, staring at the young man who claimed to be a son of Dawu, finding the situation utterly bizarre.

Seeing their strange expressions, Zhong Yun decided against explaining the nuances. “I have been away from Dawu for some time. What has happened recently at home? Why is the Hongxian Federation fleet appearing within our national borders?”

Hearing this question, most of the First Fleet personnel displayed expressions of righteous fury. Zhang Haokun stated heavily, “The treacherous Hongxian Federation abruptly tore up the peace treaty half a month ago and brazenly invaded our nation. Ten of our resource planets have already fallen into enemy hands.”

Zhang Haokun’s voice was burdened with weight, clearly indicating his deep concern for Dawu’s current predicament.

“Furthermore, the enemy has broken through the Republic’s eastern frontier defenses. The Eastern Army Group stationed there reported two days ago that our First Fleet received orders from the High Command to reinforce them, only to be ambushed here. We were nearly annihilated.”

Zhang Haokun’s account laid out the entire context of the situation.

“How is Wal doing now?” Upon hearing news of the war, Zhong Yun was extremely anxious about the safety of his family and friends.

P: Worked overtime for a full day again today; my back is broken from exhaustion. Got home, took a cold shower, wolfed down a couple of bites of food, and rushed to write two thousand words to post. Why is my life so miserable? Next chapter won’t be up until midnight. Only one day left; brothers who still have votes, hurry and cast them! If I get overtaken now, I swear I’ll die of heartbreak.