Just as Zhong Yun was about to reply, a sudden upheaval occurred. A violent burst of energy erupted from Yang Tianlie’s body, sending the unprepared Zhong Yun tumbling over several times. He slammed against the wooden wall of the room with a muffled thud.

The abrupt turn of events caught Zhong Yun completely off guard. The instant his head struck the wooden plank, he braced himself on the ground, used the momentum to roll, and sprang toward the doorway. His face was a mask of shock and confusion—how could a pleasant conversation suddenly devolve into violence?

He had initially assumed Yang Tianlie was merely testing his strength.

Instead, he watched as a milky-white light pulsed and swelled around Yang Tianlie. Under the immense pressure, the surrounding furniture, tables and chairs alike, disintegrated with sharp cracking sounds.

The powerful surge of air whistled past Zhong Yun’s ears. He quickly adopted a defensive posture, thinking to himself that this old man was proving exceedingly difficult to deal with.

Yang Tianlie kept his head raised, his face a mixture of sternness and fury. He stamped his foot once, and his body shot forward like a cannonball, blasting straight through the roof and vanishing into the sky.

The entire roof was utterly shredded by Yang Tianlie’s exit. Broken planks and debris rained down, leaving Zhong Yun covered in dust and grime. He hastily retreated from the now precarious wooden structure.

Rushing outside, Yang Tianlie was nowhere in sight, having vanished long ago. Only Yang Bingchang and his son remained standing beneath the distant trees, their heads tilted back, staring fixedly in one direction in the sky.

Zhong Yun ran over. "Uncle, what just happened?"

Yang Bingchang’s expression was extremely grave. Hearing Zhong Yun’s question, he didn't turn his head. "Father seems to have detected an enemy... an enemy?" Zhong Yun froze, not having time to process precisely who this enemy might be, when Yang Bingchang cut in, "This place is no longer safe. Move."

With that, he turned and headed east, toward a dense stretch of forest. Zhong Yun and Yang Yunrong quickly followed.

They had barely stepped into the woods when a colossal roar ripped across the heavens. The ground shook violently beneath their feet. Zhong Yun looked toward the source of the sound. Through the towering evergreens, he saw a massive cloud of smoke and dust billowing into the sky not far away, obscuring the sun and moon, resembling the ash spewed forth by a volcanic eruption.

Zhong Yun vaguely recalled that the location of that devastation seemed to be where they had landed their aircraft. Thinking of the dozen bodyguards left behind, he offered a silent tribute in his heart.

Noticing that Zhong Yun had lagged behind, Yang Yunrong looked back. Seeing him standing there in a daze, she quickly grabbed his arm, pulling him along as they followed Yang Bingchang into the forest.

This was a tract of wilderness untouched by human passage. The ground beneath was slick, frozen earth, easy to slip on if one wasn't careful. However, none of the three were ordinary people, traversing the uneven, rutted terrain as if it were level ground.

After walking for about ten minutes, Yang Bingchang stopped before a cliff face. Here, the needle-leaf trees were sparser, allowing them to see glimpses of the sky through the canopy gaps.

Suddenly, a blue-and-white mecha flashed across the sky. Zhong Yun, who was looking up at the lingering dust cloud, spotted it and gasped in alarm.

That mecha bore no Davo insignia, and private ownership of mechas was strictly forbidden by Davo. In other words, this was a ‘black mecha,’ one unregistered with the military.

The enemy dared to be so brazen, deploying a mecha in broad daylight to assassinate Davo’s Grand Marshal Emeritus, the head of the Yang family, and his heir.

Who could they be?

But this was clearly not the time for speculation. Every mecha was equipped with sophisticated reconnaissance capabilities. Even though this forest was complex with dense trees, if their concealment was insufficient, being discovered was only a matter of time.

"I just saw a mecha flying overhead," Zhong Yun warned. "I wonder if it's heading for us."

"Not one. Three," Yang Yunrong stated, her expression heavier than ever before. Her face was rigidly set, the usual playful swagger completely gone.

"Three?" Zhong Yun swallowed hard, feeling a pounding headache. He had never fought a mecha before. He only knew one thing: he absolutely could not defeat a ten-meter-tall steel killing machine.

"Zhong Yun, remember: absolutely do not use your abilities. Every reconnaissance mecha is equipped with an ability detector. Any fluctuation within five hundred meters will be detected."

Zhong Yun nodded, then quickly contacted Xiao Ling, calling for help. To facilitate secret communication when others were present, his dedicated communicator with Xiao Ling transmitted sound through the bone—tiny vibrations passing through the skin caused resonance in the bones, achieving vocal transmission. This way, even with others around, he wouldn't be discovered when speaking with Xiao Ling.

Xiao Ling, already having heard their conversation on the other end, replied a few seconds later. "You have only one choice: don the stealth suit and conceal yourselves."

Zhong Yun clenched his fists tightly. This was the first time he felt such a profound helplessness against reality, a feeling he intensely disliked.

Even Xiao Ling had no solution; this was unprecedented.

With their current strength, they had no effective means to counter a mecha. Given a mecha's high mobility, immense firepower, and diversity of attack methods, it was nearly invincible within a planet’s boundaries. Especially outside of declared war, the destruction a single mecha could inflict was unparalleled.

At this moment, only a mecha could counter a mecha.

"When will rescue arrive?" Zhong Yun's voice was suppressed.

"At the earliest, one hour," Yang Yunrong replied gravely. Despite the dire situation, she maintained her composure.

"Follow me," Yang Bingchang finally spoke, leading the way toward the left.

Zhong Yun and Yang Yunrong ceased their conversation and followed silently behind him. None of the three spoke; the atmosphere was taut and heavy.

Zhong Yun seemed to feel the three approaching mechas drawing nearer and nearer. A massive stone felt lodged upon his heart, making his breathing labored.

After walking for about two more minutes, a gleam appeared in Yang Bingchang’s eyes, and he quickened his pace.

Zhong Yun, following behind, instantly understood what he was searching for: a cave. He intended to hide inside one.

Arriving at the mouth of a cave, Yang Bingchang’s expression shifted subtly. Yang Yunrong, walking in the middle, took a look, her pupils instantly contracting, and her cheek muscles twitched.

Zhong Yun sensed trouble immediately. He stepped forward to look, and his heart sank as well.

It could hardly be called a cave; it was too shallow and small, barely able to shelter two people.

Yet, there were three of them here.

The atmosphere instantly grew bizarre.

It felt as if time had reversed, and Zhong Yun was back at the moment the Tongguang Star crashed—three people again, all fighting for survival; one moment it was an escape pod, this time it was a shallow cave...

Yang Bingchang narrowed his eyes, his face as placid as still water.

Although Yang Yunrong tried desperately to maintain her composure, subtle changes flickered across her features from time to time.

The air seemed to freeze in that moment.

Then, Yang Bingchang spoke, "You two go in."

Zhong Yun stared intently at him, unable to discern a single emotion on his handsome, mature face.

"No," Yang Yunrong snarled, like a wounded beast, a raw sound erupting from her throat.

"You are the heir to the next generation of the Yang family, and Zhong Yun is the key to winning this war. You are more important than I am," Yang Bingchang stated. "No," Yang Yunrong shook her head stubbornly, a look of grim resolve hardening her features. "Without Father, the Yang family will fall into chaos immediately. If someone must stay, I will stay..."

Smack. A sharp slap cut off her words.

"Nonsense. As the future master of the Yang family, to say such a thing—how have I educated you? If I am gone, Father will step in; the Yang family will never descend into chaos."

A trace of anger flashed in Yang Bingchang's eyes. When he had made the decision to leave moments ago, he had seemed accepting. Seeing his son's reaction, he felt disappointment and fury at his lack of mettle.

"If you are gone, there is still Elder Brother," Yang Yunrong insisted stubbornly, staring at her father, the red handprint already swelling on her cheek. Normally, she would obey her father in everything, but not now.

"You..." Yang Bingchang felt fury rush to his chest. "Do you want your father to become the greatest sinner of the Yang family?"

"Stop arguing, both of you," Zhong Yun finally couldn't bear it, breaking in with a sharp interjection, halting their dispute. "You two go in."

Yang Bingchang glanced at Zhong Yun. "You don't need to thank me. The reason I insist you stay in the cave is because the nation needs you more at this time."

Zhong Yun felt something constrict in his chest. His scalp tightened, then relaxed, tightened again, and relaxed once more. He took a deep breath. "You don't need to thank me either. The reason I make this decision is because I have a better way to survive."

Yang Bingchang looked deeply into him for a few seconds, then nodded. He turned and walked to the mouth of the cave, stopping with his back to Zhong Yun. "Don't think that just because you do this, I will agree to marry Yunqi to you..."

Zhong Yun laughed up at the sky. "I, Zhong Yun, am not the sort to leverage a favor for a reward. I will make you willingly offer her hand in marriage to me." With that, he strode forward with unrestrained confidence.

"Wait," Yang Bingchang called out, tossing something toward him.

Zhong Yun caught it—a thumb-sized, rhombic, dark-gray crystal. "What is this?"

Yang Yunrong, seeing the dark-gray crystal at the side, instantly turned pale.

"This is a Mecha Key. It contains a mecha. To use it, grasp both ends, pull upward, and twist to the right," Yang Bingchang explained.

"This is a Mecha Key?" Zhong Yun examined the tiny object closely. The gray crystal glittered dazzlingly in the sunlight.

Inside the Mecha Key was a small spatial pocket capable of storing a massive mecha, making it incredibly convenient for portable carrying. It was one of the essential pieces of equipment for space explorers.

Such Mecha Keys were extremely expensive because they involved spatial technology, producible only by advanced civilizations. Therefore, Mecha Keys were generally used only to house mechas of three-star level or higher.

Did the Yang family actually possess a three-star mecha? Zhong Yun couldn't help but marvel at the profound strength of the Yang family—truly worthy of being called the 'Marshal Lineage.'

According to the classification of mecha levels, all current mainstream mechas in Davo were one-star; only nations in the third stage of intermediate civilization possessed the capability to produce three-star mechas.

Yang Bingchang walked into the cave without looking back, his voice drifting out. "Remember, you must survive. The nation needs you."

P: The next chapter will be rather late.