The moment Zhong Yun heard the news, he dropped everything in his hands and rushed to the scene immediately. The Elite Mecha Squadron comprised three main battalions, housing not only highly skilled mech pilots and the most advanced mechas but also numerous scions of established families.

Zhong Yun hadn't known about this initially; it was the President himself who had personally instructed him before he boarded the mecha, cautioning him against assigning overly dangerous missions to these three elite squadrons.

At the time, he hadn't understood why the President felt the need to specifically remind him of this, but he knew the President wouldn't speak of meaningless trifles. He pondered for a moment, thinking there must be some important figures within the Elite Mecha Squadron.

Yet, if they truly were important figures, why would they be sent along with the "Rescue Team," a mission that spelled certain doom?

It was later, upon questioning Chen Wen, that he learned the composition of the Elite Mecha Squadron: it consisted of one direct heir sent by each family, accompanied by master mech warriors specifically tasked with protecting them.

Knowing this, Zhong Yun felt a genuine headache coming on. In the end, he simply carved out a separate designated area for them, issuing any commands directly to them, figuring the missions wouldn't be dangerous anyway.

But things had gone wrong in the end.

When Zhong Yun reached the vicinity of the site, the entire Elite Mecha Squadron of two hundred mechas had already been annihilated.

Zhong Yun was consumed by both rage and shock. The rage stemmed from the Elite Mecha Squadron disobeying his orders and rushing toward their doom. The shock was due to the death of so many heirs of powerful families, effectively meaning he had antagonized a large faction.

Even if the fault wasn't his, the bereaved families wouldn't listen to reason; he was destined to bear the brunt of the blame for this disaster.

With the war nearing a successful conclusion, such an incident had cast a shadow over his otherwise joyous mood.

"There is one more thing…" The Colonel responsible for the report stammered, clearly reluctant, as if harboring a difficult secret.

Zhong Yun's brow furrowed slightly. "What is it? Speak."

"Yang… Yang Yunlong was also… in that mecha squadron… here…" The Colonel's voice grew fainter and fainter, unable to meet Zhong Yun's chilling gaze.

A layer of frost instantly coated Zhong Yun's face. A surging killing intent erupted uncontrollably from him.

Yang Yunlong: the eldest son of Yang Bingchang, the current head of the Yang family, and the first in line for succession. More importantly, he was Liu Yunqi’s elder brother—Zhong Yun’s future brother-in-law.

"Level this entire area. Leave not a single enemy alive," Zhong Yun squeezed the words out between gritted teeth. He stared fixedly at the residential area, the boundless killing intent radiating from him causing the Colonel beside him to tremble.

"At any cost."

"Yes." The Colonel looked relieved as if granted a pardon, swiftly departing to issue the orders.

With Zhong Yun’s command, the fate of those fifty mechas was sealed. These fifty machines possessed astonishing combat prowess; they were, at the very least, Four-Star level mechas.

If these mechas had attempted to flee before the Forty-Fifth Fleet discovered them, they might have stood a chance. But now, they had none. To break through an encirclement of hundreds of thousands of mechas? What level of machine would be required to achieve that feat?

Soon, Zhong Yun noticed something peculiar. Those fifty mechas showed no intention of fleeing; they seemed to be holding their ground against the Forty-Fifth Fleet. He found this puzzling. No matter how formidable they were, so many enemy mechas here could crush them through sheer numbers alone.

Then he saw it: they were shielding a single building.

Over forty mechas formed a tight circle, encircling the structure and preventing any threat from approaching it.

Zhong Yun became curious. Who could possibly be inside to command such powerful and fiercely loyal bodyguards? Several of the fifty mechas had been destroyed precisely while trying to protect that house.

"Concentrate fire. Target the building," Zhong Yun certainly wasn't going to ignore such a glaring weakness.

If the fifty mechas had been mobile, engaging in guerrilla warfare, they could have inflicted significant losses on Zhong Yun's forces. But in a static defense, protecting a vulnerable structure, they were no longer a major threat.

As expected, when the bombardment focused on the house, the forty-plus mechas began sustaining heavy damage as they moved to shield it. The relentless shelling destroyed them one by one. Although their defensive capabilities were astonishingly strong, they could not withstand the constant barrage, and having no room to maneuver while protecting their master, they were systematically destroyed.

When the final mecha was vaporized by a light cannon blast while trying to shield the already half-ruined house, Zhong Yun ordered the shelling to cease.

"Bring the person inside out. I want them alive," Zhong Yun commanded.

A squad of soldiers clad in compact combat suits stormed inside. Moments later, they emerged dragging a woman.

"￥#…" The woman's hands were tightly bound behind her back, and she was sputtering incomprehensible phrases in a language unfamiliar to Zhong Yun’s translator. However, judging by her tone, what she was saying was far from polite.

Given that over a thousand friendly mechas had been destroyed in front of that building, the soldiers of Davor showed no restraint toward the culprit, even though she was a woman.

The woman was brought before Zhong Yun, who looked down at her. She wrenched her hands free from the grip of the restraining soldiers.

She first adjusted her attire, then fixed Zhong Yun, who stood at the forefront, with a look of utter disdain, as if she were the victor and he the captive.

Her gaze stirred some memories in Zhong Yun; the first time he met Fei Yingming, his eyes held the exact same expression.

Beyond arrogance, the most striking impression this woman gave Zhong Yun was her beauty.

"Who are you?" Zhong Yun activated his universal translator, converting his words into the Galactic Common Tongue.

The woman turned her face away, refusing to even glance at Zhong Yun, acting as if speaking to him would tarnish her status.

Zhong Yun maintained a neutral expression. "If you do not state your identity, I will treat you as an ordinary prisoner."

"You base savage! How dare you speak to me like that?" The woman glared at Zhong Yun coldly, her eyes full of revulsion and contempt.

This retort caused Zhong Yun’s face to harden. "Have her taken away to the secondary holding cells."

A group of guards moved in and restrained her. As her hands were bound again, she glared back at Zhong Yun with eyes full of fury and venom: "You base, uncivilized brute! You dare treat me this way, you are finished…"

The woman's shrieks gradually faded into the distance.

Zhong Yun sat down in a chair, lost in thought.

Behind him stood nearly twenty military officers, all holding the rank of Major General, their expressions blank. They were the personal security detail assigned by the Military Command, shadowing his every move since he disembarked from the Mars.

The oldest among them, standing closest to Zhong Yun, hesitated before speaking. "Commander-in-Chief, this woman’s background must be significant. Treating her this way might be imprudent."

"Mm," Zhong Yun replied faintly, without lifting his head. Seeing his reaction, the elder officer refrained from saying more.

Zhong Yun was well aware of the issue. The strength of this woman's protectors—a complete contingent of Four-Star mechas—was not something an ordinary faction could assemble. More terrifying was the fact that these Four-Star mechas would die without hesitation to shield her.

To command so many powerful beings to trade their lives for her proved that this woman's status was far from simple.

However, some actions, despite knowing the severe consequences, had to be taken. He didn't care if the heirs of the other families were completely wiped out.

But Yang Yunlong was his future brother-in-law; he couldn't let him die in vain. He hadn't considered the ramifications initially, and by the time his anger subsided and he assessed the entire situation, it was too late.

He had already completely offended them; there was no turning back by simply apologizing. Since he had already made enemies, he might as well see the confrontation through to the end.

At this moment, Zhong Yun was deliberating how to manage the aftermath. The woman could not be killed yet; otherwise, he would face endless pursuit later.

Nor could he release her, lest the pursuer become this very woman, who called him a "base savage" and hated him to the core.

It was truly a hot potato—too dangerous to kill, too dangerous to release.

He would first try to ascertain her origins, Zhong Yun decided. The only thing he was certain of was that this woman was definitely not affiliated with the Hongxian Federation.

She likely possessed an extraordinary background, much like Yu Daoqing.

Shaking his head, he decided to wait until her identity was clear. For now, he needed to send the good news back. On Planet Mandes, they must be nearing the point where they could no longer maintain the deception.

Following the Marshal's orders, he was supposed to receive updates every half hour. To ensure the success of the covert operation, Zhong Yun had entrusted this task to the personnel left behind on Mandes.

Based on the timing, if the Hongxian Federation wished to avoid sanctions from the Interstellar Dispute Resolution Council, the Hongxian forces on Planet Lanling should have already ceased fire.

Having lost the mood for looting the Hongxian Federation’s treasury, Zhong Yun returned directly to the Mars. His soldiers stationed there would handle transferring everything from the treasury onto the Mars anyway.

This blatant act of robbery later incited tremendous fury among the Hongxian Federation authorities. The Davor soldiers effectively stripped the capital bare; the final tally of losses afterward was immeasurable.

Especially devastating were the looting of the museums and auction houses, where many irreplaceable artistic treasures were snatched away. This caused the greatest distress among the citizens of the Hongxian Federation.

But they could only fume; what choice did they have, to file a complaint? They were forced to swallow this bitter loss.

Zhong Yun returned to the Mars and looked at the gentle and affectionate Liu Yunqi, his heart heavy with the burden of how to deliver this news to her.

The truth was, he had never known Yang Yunlong was part of the "Rescue Team"; no one had informed him. If he had known beforehand, he would never have allowed his future brother-in-law to enter the war, which resulted in this tragedy.

The thought of how heartbroken Liu Yunqi would be upon hearing the news intensified his hatred for that woman.

How could he tell her?

P: Next chapter around 9 o’clock.

For more novels, visit storyread.net.