The First Fleet immediately reported the battle's progress to the temporary Operations Center, which in turn issued orders for them to return to the frontline combat base.

The command was urgent; not only were they strictly ordered to bring Zhong Yun back to the base, but they also had to transport the two captured ships immediately.

However, Zhong Yun had no intention of accompanying them back to the frontline base. It was a joke; despite holding the title of the Yang family's prospective son-in-law, he commanded such a powerful spacecraft. In wartime, no one would care about a mere "prospective son-in-law." With a banner of righteous duty raised, he wouldn't even be able to refuse an order to sneak-attack the enemy's main base.

Zhong Yun was certainly not foolish enough to be used as a pawn. Saving the nation was one thing, but entrusting his own life to others was something he absolutely would not do. He had no intention of letting his own blood dye the medals of others.

He had many other avenues to save the nation.

The frontline combat base was situated on Pintu Star, east of Davao. In the universe, there is technically no east, west, south, or north; these directions are designated purely by custom, using the capital star as the origin point, with Pintu—Davao’s first colonized world—serving as the reference for "due east," thereby artificially defining the other cardinal directions.

After accompanying them nearly to the designated route, Zhong Yun sent a brief farewell message and swiftly slipped away, cutting off his communicator.

"What now?" The Chief of Staff looked distressed. Reading the message containing just three characters—"I'm off"—he felt a flicker of humor, but the inability to fulfill the Operations Center's orders left him feeling as if he'd swallowed bitter herbs, the bitterness spreading from his mouth straight to his heart. "Should we pursue?"

"Pursue with what?" Zhang Haokun scoffed, shaking his head. He understood perfectly well what those people at the frontline Operations Center were thinking.

Regardless of whether Zhong Yun was truly the fiancé of the Yang family's princess as he claimed, the sheer possession of such an advanced spacecraft indicated his identity was far from ordinary.

Moreover, though Zhong Yun was young, he was not easily fooled like an ordinary naive youth. He had observed the entire annihilation battle from start to finish. The initial ambush that took out four warships—though benefiting from the element of surprise—was one thing.

When the main cannon finished cooling down, he feigned retreat, exploiting the enemy's eagerness for revenge to lure them into a chase, deliberately reducing the ship’s speed to make the enemy believe they would quickly catch up. This not only bought precious time but also delivered the enemy right into his firing line.

This stratagem, frankly, was simple. Any rookie graduate fresh out of the military academy could devise a more complex or brilliant scheme.

But strategy is not measured by its brilliance or complexity; it is measured by its effectiveness. A plan that works is a good plan.

To use a stratagem so simple that even a child would understand it to trick a formidable enemy—that marked a true master strategist.

Whether Zhong Yun was a master strategist was debatable, but he had flawlessly annihilated seven powerful warships, almost without suffering any cost.

What Zhang Haokun valued more highly was Zhong Yun's composure when facing a superior enemy. Barring a naturally reckless disposition, which person, facing a warship as massive as a planet and the dark, death-exuding muzzles of colossal cannons for the first time, wouldn't feel tense and terrified?

Even the virtual reality simulations at the academy could immerse people in the atmosphere of war beforehand, but that was ultimately false. Even if one performed excellently within it, the actual battlefield presented an entirely different sensation: the threat of immediate death.

Zhang Haokun remembered his own experience in the War of Defense. He was about Zhong Yun's age then. Before stepping onto the battlefield, he considered himself someone who feared nothing.

Once in the fray, facing the warships, he felt as minuscule as an ant beneath an elephant's foot, a profound sense of dread rising from his core, causing his body to tremble uncontrollably.

In that war, he couldn't muster even five-tenths of his full strength. He fought like a sleepwalker, mechanically following the orders of his squad leader. In retrospect after the battle, he had no idea how he survived, as two-thirds of his squadmates had fallen there.

Only after participating in more battles did this fear gradually dissipate, transforming into a strange sort of exhilaration.

Zhong Yun either had prior combat experience or possessed an inherently ironclad mental fortitude; otherwise, even commanding the most advanced vessel, he wouldn't have dared provoke a fleet boasting seven warships. "Return to the Operations Center and report the facts," Zhang Haokun concluded, waving his hand. "Don't waste any more time, let's go."

Due to his status, the Mars could not utilize the wormholes within Davao territory, especially during wartime. Any unknown vessel approaching would be riddled with holes immediately.

However, the resourceful Xiao Ling would always find a solution; he had never disappointed Zhong Yun.

In certain forgotten corners of the universe, there existed clandestine wormholes, incredibly difficult to detect. Even more remarkably, these hidden wormholes were interconnected, allowing for spatial jumps.

No one knew how these secret wormholes came to be; they had simply always existed, and even Xiao Ling’s databases offered no explanation. Like many other mysteries of the cosmos, they remained unsolved.

On Xiao Ling's star chart, there were thirteen such wormholes, one of which was only a hundred million kilometers from (Wol Star).

Evidently, the government of Davao was unaware of these wormholes, otherwise, they wouldn't lack garrisoned guards.

Once again silently docking the Mars on the far side of the Moon (Note), Zhong Yun bid farewell to Yu Daoqing and took the Chongfeng III back to Davao.

It happened to be nighttime in Mingzhou City. Zhong Yun landed in his own courtyard, undetected by anyone. Watching the Chongfeng III vanish into the sky, he couldn't help but force a wry smile. Every time he returned, he had to sneak in. When would he ever be able to land openly at Mingzhou Port?

Shoving that unrealistic thought from his mind, Zhong Yun opened the back garden gate. If the government discovered the Mars, it would either be confiscated or seized for research, perhaps even dismantled. At this moment, he lacked the standing to refuse the government.

No one was home; it seemed his parents were never around when he returned.

Summoning "YY" to inquire about recent events.

"Little Master, you're finally back! Master and Mistress must be overjoyed," the voice of the intelligent butler YY lacked the rigidity of Xiao Ling, brimming instead with vitality and warmth, making it impossible to believe she was merely an artificial intelligence.

"They're at the company again?" After undergoing another near-death journey, hearing YY's familiar voice and tone back home felt incredibly wonderful.

"Yes, Master and Mistress have been extremely busy lately, even more so than when the company first opened. They haven't been home for a week."

Zhong Yun paused slightly, then recalled that his father ran a machinery company. With the war raging, the military desperately needed all kinds of war materials. Presumably, every machinery company had received massive orders, especially for manufacturing components for spacecraft, mechs, and other equipment.

Thinking of this, Zhong Yun suddenly felt a stirring thought. Perhaps, leveraging this war, the Zhong family could truly rise to prominence.

With this realization, he couldn't sit still. Setting down his belongings, he immediately rushed toward his father's company. On the road, there were far fewer people and vehicles than usual, and their faces were heavy, devoid of the usual ease.

The shadow of war enveloped the entire nation.

After much effort, he managed to hail a taxi shuttle and arrived at the headquarters of Zhong’s Machinery. The Zhong enterprise was no longer what it once was. They were no longer renting office buildings; they had erected their own—Zhong Tower.

Damn, Dad is a bit too extravagant.

Looking up at the magnificent, modern skyscraper, hundreds of meters tall, covering a hundred acres, Zhong Yun felt speechless. Putting aside the construction cost, which rivaled that of many large corporations, simply acquiring such a large plot of land in this prime, high-value district represented an astonishing figure.

No wonder others envied Zhong’s Machinery—no, now called the Zhong Group. How long had the company been established before it built its own headquarters? He couldn't even guess how much money the company had truly made.

The speed of the Zhong Group's ascent probably rivaled only that of the Yi Dao Group in its heyday.

Two epoch-making products were enough to forge a supergroup. Zhong Yun couldn't help but marvel at the power of technology.

Hearing that Zhong Yun wished to see the CEO, the beautiful receptionist at the main entrance asked him to wait. Her kind smile reminded Zhong Yun of Dong Wan, that outwardly strong yet fragile woman.

Soon, a sharp young man around thirty hurried over. Seeing Zhong Yun, his eyes lit up. "Hello, I am the CEO's secretary, Park Zheng-nian. The CEO is waiting upstairs for you; please follow me."

Seeing even the high-ranking secretary treat the young man with such deference, the receptionist who greeted Zhong Yun grew curious about the ordinary-looking youth’s identity.

After whispering to her colleague at the counter, the colleague was also surprised. They began to discuss the youth's background, speculating everything from a young president of a major corporation to the scion of an established noble family, but never guessing he was the CEO's son, as they bore no resemblance.

In reality, Zhong Yun's mouth and forehead resembled his father's, while his eyes took after his mother's; only the shape of his face was different from both, making a close comparison necessary to notice the resemblance.

"Xiao Yun, you're finally back." In the CEO's office, Yun Rong hurried forward upon seeing her son, inspecting him here and pinching him there, as if afraid a piece of him might be missing.

Zhong Yun was left between laughter and tears. "Mom, what are you doing?"

Seeing her son completely unharmed, Yun Rong finally relaxed.

"Your mother heard the Hongxian Federation army was attacking and hasn't slept properly in days worrying about you," Zhong Pingjiang said, his tone carrying a hint of reproach.

When Zhong Yun left, he had only said he was going for an internship at a major company and would be traveling on a spacecraft to an outer world for inspection. Though they didn't understand why an Arts student needed to join an inspection trip on a spaceship, Zhong Pingjiang had given his full support to let his son see more of the world.

Space travel had developed to a mature state; incidents of spacecraft loss were rare.

It was only after the war broke out that they began to worry about their son who was out in space. Yun Rong grew so anxious she could barely eat, constantly fretting, "What if Xiao Yun runs into a Hongxian Federation warship?"

"The universe is vast; how easily could that happen? Look, I'm perfectly fine now," Zhong Yun comforted them.

(Note: Calling it a satellite is too awkward; let’s just call it the Moon.)

P: Last twelve hours, hold steady. Asking for monthly votes.