A torrent of mechs and starfighters surged out from every hatch of the Mars, dense as ants swarming from a disturbed hill.

Soon, everyone aboard had evacuated. On the vast Mars, only Zhong Yun, manning the main control, and Liu Yunqi, resting in the lounge, remained, along with an imperiled princess of the Gaean Empire, clinging to life sustained only by a medical pod.

When the last shuttle pulled away, Zhong Yun habitually initiated a system self-check, ensuring no one else lingered on the ship.

He then opened communications with the other five fleets. When the five captains saw him, their gazes flickered, their expressions etched with apprehension.

"We expected a triumphant return, the reception fit for heroes. Who knew in the blink of an eye, we’d all become fugitives," Zhong Yun’s face showed a mixture of regret and self-reproach, before dissolving into a long sigh. "I’ve failed you all."

"Commander, you must leave quickly," the captain of the Second Ship blurted out, causing the other four to change color. "The Gaean Empire's pursuit fleet is already rushing towards this location."

Zhong Yun gave him a deep look. "The warriors outside, I leave them in your care. Take care." With that, he cut the communication. The screen froze on five different expressions, yet beneath the variety, all five faces conveyed profound complexity.

He let out a long breath, his own heart heavy with conflicting emotions. Evading the Gaean Empire’s pursuit was not difficult for him, but ensuring the safety of this entire fleet during the escape was impossible. Since it was impossible, he chose to take no one.

What fate awaited them upon returning home was beyond his control. However, he was certain that Tianhai and the others would not be implicated; otherwise, they wouldn't have been left behind.

He had acted on impulse, leading this fleet to raid the capital of the Hongxian Federation. While it seemed perilous, Zhong Yun knew his own life was never truly in danger.

His life came first—that was his unwavering conviction.

As for your fates, that will depend on your own fortune, Zhong Yun thought.

The Mars began to move. The warriors abandoned in the void were utterly bewildered. They could not begin to fathom why their Commander-in-Chief had driven them off the vessel only to depart alone.

Moments later, they received orders from the other fleets: board the five battleships in staggered groups.

"Unidentified presence detected..." Zhong Yun was jolted from his reverie. He felt a degree of surprise. How could someone still be on the ship?

Bringing up the visual feed, he saw the person was in the expansive storage bay. He reasoned they must have become lost in the depths of the warehouse, unable to find their way out.

There had been several instances before of soldiers losing their bearings in the storage areas. The spoils Zhong Yun had acquired from the Hongxian Federation’s capital were enough to make him grin uncontrollably. The priceless artworks alone, originally housed in the capital museum, filled storage space spanning tens of thousands of square meters.

This did not even account for the various treasures plundered from the national treasury. Zhong Yun had stripped the Hongxian Federation bare of accumulated wealth spanning millennia.

The bottom two decks of the Mars had been converted entirely into warehouses. Zhong Yun had assigned a detail to assist in cataloging and sorting the loot, organizing it according to sequence. Even after several days, the work remained unfinished.

This reinforced Zhong Yun’s belief that the individual was simply lost in the storage areas.

But when Zhong Yun magnified the image and clearly discerned the person’s features, his entire being froze.

Flanked by bodyguards dispatched by her family, Chen Wen ascended into the Number Three shuttle in her mech. Before boarding, the mech paused, gazing in the direction the Mars had departed for a full three seconds, before finally stepping onto the ship.

This parting—who knew when they would meet again.

"How are you here?" Zhong Yun found the situation utterly absurd. No matter how wildly his imagination soared, he never would have conceived of seeing her aboard the Mars.

In the control room, Xiao Ruo stood there, pressing her lips together, her large eyes already veiled with a thin mist of moisture.

Yes, the person Zhong Yun had spotted in the warehouse was Xiao Ruo—someone he would never have anticipated finding here.

Xiao Ruo offered no reply. With a movement like a young swallow returning to the forest, she rushed into his arms, trailing a faint fragrance. Zhong Yun held her, instinctively glancing toward the door of Liu Yunqi’s quarters. It remained firmly shut.

Feeling the warm body in his embrace tremble ever so slightly, a wave of profound tenderness washed over Zhong Yun. Though he had no idea how she had boarded the ship, she was a young girl who had endured so many harrowing battles alongside them; she must have been terrified.

He gently patted her back, soothing her agitated emotions.

"I thought I would never see you again," Xiao Ruo finally burst out crying, letting loose a wail that shook the heavens and earth, as if trying to vent all the terror and grievance she had suffered over the preceding days in one explosive torrent.

Zhong Yun merely murmured soft reassurances, letting her weep until she was completely spent.

Once she finally quieted, she choked out the entire story. It turned out Xiao Ruo’s background was far from simple; she belonged to one of the prominent aristocratic houses of Dawo, and as the sole heir, she had been forced to participate in the "Rescue Team."

Fortunately, being a girl spared her the direct combat that others faced; she was assigned to logistics support. Her personal guards, however, were not so lucky and were directly integrated into the elite mech squadrons.

During a briefing held before the raid on the Hongxian capital, Xiao Ruo had recognized Zhong Yun when he first appeared in public, but she had never found the right moment to reunite with him.

Hearing this, Zhong Yun felt a genuine pang of reflection. Why hadn't he ever realized Xiao Ruo held such an important status?

"Xiao Ruo, listen to me," Zhong Yun stroked her long, silken hair, the texture so fine he was reluctant to let go. "I have made an incredibly powerful enemy. Now, I must flee, and I cannot take you with me. Do you understand?"

Terror flooded Xiao Ruo's features, and the tears that had just subsided welled up again. "No, don't leave me..."

"Silly girl, this is for your own good," Zhong Yun murmured gently.

"I have no family left; you absolutely cannot abandon me," Xiao Ruo’s voice sounded like the desperate cry of a nightingale, something that would move even the most hardened heart.

Zhong Yun started, "What happened?"

"My parents are both gone," Xiao Ruo wept hysterically, as if the deepest wound in her heart had just been torn open.

Zhong Yun said nothing more, only held her tightly within his embrace.

Having endured two severe emotional upheavals in quick succession, Xiao Ruo was spiritually drained. She cried herself into a deep sleep in Zhong Yun’s arms.

When her body finally relaxed completely into slumber, Zhong Yun carried her to the room adjacent to Liu Yunqi’s.

Thus, the Mars gained an unexpected passenger. Initially, Zhong Yun felt anxious, fearing the meeting between Liu Xiaoruo and Liu Yunqi would spark an inferno. The reality proved otherwise; their meeting was remarkably calm. While they weren't as close as two sisters, there was none of the open hostility Zhong Yun had imagined.

It was only when his parents, Zhong Pingjiang and his wife, arrived aboard the Wasp-One that Zhong Yun’s family was finally reunited. He finally let out a sigh of relief.

He was grateful for his foresight in leaving the Wasp-One with his parents when he led the 45th Fleet out. His original intention was to use it to retrieve his parents only if the situation became utterly irredeemable. Ironically, although the war was won, he now had to run, and it proved perfectly useful.

Before agents from the State Security Bureau could reach the Zhong Corporation, Zhong Yun had already contacted his parents, steering them clear of danger.

"The Gaean Empire’s pursuit is closing in. Mars, commence official departure." With his parents and beloved by his side, Zhong Yun was reinvigorated, commencing their journey of escape.

During the voyage, Zhong Yun began promoting his own planet. "Dad, although Qi Yun Star is primitive, it is undeniably our planet. Managing a corporation is nothing; I can give you one planet. If that’s not enough, two. The other, New Jupiter, is farther from Qi Yun Star, but with the Mars, transit back and forth isn't an issue."

Hearing this, Yun Rong was astonished. "Xiao Yun, how do you possess your own planet?"

It wasn't just her; Liu Yunqi and Xiao Ruo were equally surprised. Habitable administrative planets were rarer than meteors; you could search through ten thousand star systems and still fail to find one suitable for human habitation.

To humanity, such administrative planets capable of sustaining life were the rarest resource imaginable, bar none.

Among the laws established by the Grand Universe Federation, the strictest forbade the use of weapons of mass destruction within any administrative planet; violators faced charges of crimes against humanity.

"I found them purely by accident," Zhong Yun scratched his head. This wasn't entirely untrue; hadn't he stumbled upon New Jupiter by sheer chance?

"My teacher has already helped me register them with the Grand Universe Federation, so both these planets officially belong to me now," Zhong Yun finished with a modest smile.

Yun Rong's expression became distant; their family owned two administrative planets?

"You said you registered them with the Grand Universe Federation, meaning your data is there. Will the Gaean Empire track that information back to you?" Zhong Pingjiang was more perceptive, voicing his worry.

"Don't worry," Zhong Yun sounded completely confident. "I used false credentials during the registration. They absolutely won't trace it back here."

"However, the environment on Qi Yun Star is quite primitive; I apologize for the hardship you’ll endure," Zhong Yun admitted sheepishly.

Zhong Pingjiang smiled faintly, stating generously, "We thought we’d be forced to flee across the cosmos with you. Having a safe foothold already exceeds our wildest expectations."

The Mars executed a wide detour, passing through several concealed jump points. Once certain they had shaken off any tail, it headed directly toward Qi Yun Star.

After landing at the base, Zhong Yun led his parents and the two girls onto the planet that was now theirs. From this day forward, they would forge their own glory here.

Gazing upon the base’s landmark—the World Tree, already towering two hundred meters high—the group gasped in wonder. Xiao Ruo asked excitedly, "What kind of tree is that?"

"The World Tree," Zhong Yun looked up at the giant tree whose branches stretched toward the heavens in every direction and declared with surging ambition, "That is the greatest pillar of our strength."

Just then, a mass of dark figures surged forward, instantly encircling Zhong Yun and the others.

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