A strange feeling washed over Zhong Yun; this intelligent woman seemed to have already seen right through him. Reaching this position at such a young age meant she was far from simple, despite her outward appearance.

In the face of her unparalleled beauty, men easily let down their guard, allowing themselves to be led by her, a combination that, paired with her celestial singing voice, proved more effective than any form of hypnosis.

Moreover, even knowing they were about to be taken advantage of, the men willingly complied. Just like Zhong Yun now, who accepted the inevitability of being fleeced, yet strangely, felt no anger whatsoever.

"I want to ask you for some people," Zhong Yun stated.

Ming Yunyu bit her lip, unconsciously twisting the edge of her sleeve. "Who do you want?"

"The six outside," Zhong Yun looked directly at her.

"Done." Ming Yunyu agreed without hesitation. "I promise you."

Zhong Yun waited for a moment, but she remained silent, merely lowering her head to fiddle with her cuff.

The atmosphere grew awkward. After a few minutes, Zhong Yun’s heart tightened. This woman was indeed not simple. She didn't proactively state her conditions because she knew making demands might be futile. So, she simply remained silent.

Now that everything about her, including her life, was in his hands, her refusal to relinquish the last six bodyguards by his side wouldn't change that reality. Thus, she agreed without a second thought.

And since he needed to win the loyalty of those six men, he naturally couldn't treat her poorly. Having spent so long with the group, Ming Yunyu must know their characters well—that they were deeply emotional people. If he wanted them to genuinely follow him, he couldn't neglect their employer and benefactor. Wouldn't that chill their hearts?

It seemed she had anticipated this day all along but never revealed it. This level of calculation made Zhong Yun extremely wary.

Despite a slight sense of reluctance, Zhong Yun had to play along with her script. "I know this request is difficult. Miss Ming's retainers were all lost in the battle with the pirates; only these six remain. But don't worry, I will ensure your safe transport to the Yanbin Empire."

Ming Yunyu smiled faintly. "That will be a bother, Brother Zhong. With your protection, I feel much more at ease."

"I need to go see the captain of the Pearl. You are free to do as you wish." Zhong Yun opened the door and left the room. Although he felt slightly manipulated by the woman, he was genuinely happy to secure the six men, forming his initial core team.

Though the six could be a bit quirky, their strength was considerable, and their minds were sharp. Most importantly, because of Yu Daoqing and his status as the Savior, they would never easily betray him; they were trustworthy people. In the future, for tasks he found inconvenient to handle personally, he could dispatch them, allowing him to focus on more crucial matters.

The captain of the Pearl was a tall Caucasian man with curly brown hair, a high nose, and deep-set eyes. He was speaking gravely with Twenty-One.

Twenty-One had lived up to expectations, handling the pleasantries with the Pearl's captain perfectly, maintaining a serious demeanor while speaking in official jargon.

Zhong Yun’s entry went unnoticed. He casually found a spot and sat down, watching Twenty-One and the Pearl's captain, named George, engage in their political dance.

After listening for a while, Zhong Yun gathered that George—and by extension, perhaps all eight thousand survivors—had one central concern. Put plainly, he wanted to know who owned this spaceship, which nation it belonged to, where they currently were, and when they could reach the nearest Free Star.

"Captain George," Zhong Yun suddenly interrupted them.

George turned around, a look of inquiry on his face. He spoke in standard Universal, the essential language for anyone making a living navigating the cosmos.

Zhong Yun walked straight toward him. "I wonder if you’ve heard of the Dead Zone?" He, too, spoke fluent Universal. Learning an extra language was never a bad thing. After his entire family moved to Qiyun Star, he mandated that everyone master this language, just in case.

"You mean the Dead Zone?" George couldn't help but react. As a capable captain, how could he not have heard of the Ten Great Fiends?

Zhong Yun nodded solemnly. "Precisely. The Dead Zone, rumored to be one of the universe's ten deadliest perils."

George indeed proved himself a captain accustomed to great dangers; despite the shock, he maintained his composure. "You mean to say we are currently trapped in the Dead Zone?"

"I wish that weren't the case," Zhong Yun sighed. "Let me explain the situation in detail..."

After hearing Zhong Yun's account, George's face became exceedingly grim. "Where is your captain? I need to see him."

"Our captain he..." Zhong Yun's eyes darted around, searching for a plausible excuse to cover up the truth.

Zeng Xiaosan jumped in quickly. "Our captain is standing right in front of you."

"Please don't joke," George’s expression was very serious, clearly displeased by Zeng Xiaosan’s flippancy. He raised his voice. "This concerns the lives of tens of thousands aboard this entire vessel."

"Who’s joking with you?" Zeng Xiaosan shot him a look. "He is the captain of this ship." He pointed at Zhong Yun.

Zhong Yun glared at him; he had exposed his secret so easily.

George looked at Zhong Yun in astonishment, then glanced at the others, his mind seeming to short-circuit slightly.

"Captain George, he truly is the captain of this vessel." At this moment, Ming Yunyu emerged from the room, stepping forward to vouch for Zhong Yun.

"This... this..." George, who had always appeared composed, was momentarily flustered. He shot up from his seat, bowed deeply to Zhong Yun, and said, "I apologize, I didn't know... this is truly inexcusably rude."

As a captain who had worked his way up through the established system, George possessed an almost rigid adherence to the proper etiquette expected of his rank. On a spaceship, the captain’s position was supreme. Thus, upon learning Zhong Yun was this ship's captain, his attitude shifted to one of extreme respect, even though Zhong Yun appeared far too young.

Truthfully, while Zhong Yun respected men like George—because such captains were reliable—he disliked dealing with them; they were too formal.

"Captain George, how much do you know about the Dead Zone?" Zhong Yun asked directly, which was the very reason he sought out George. George’s vast sailing experience should offer valuable suggestions.

George sat back down, concentrating. "I don't know much about the Dead Zone; it’s all hearsay. Because no one has ever been known to emerge from it, no one knows what it’s like inside, and its exact location remains a mystery."

"If no one has seen it firsthand, nor knows its location, how did the name 'Dead Zone' come about?" Twenty-One posed the question.

"No one knows when the rumors about the Dead Zone started, and in fact, no one can even confirm if the Ten Great Fiends of legend truly exist. They have always circulated as myths," George shook his head.

Everyone exchanged glances; this was too bizarre.

"In the legends, the Dead Zone is filled with dangers. Once trapped inside, star charts become useless, and all contact with the outside world is lost. One can only drift aimlessly through space until the power runs out," George's voice echoed in the quiet hall.

This description matched almost exactly what Xiao Ling had recorded, which was why Xiao Ling had concluded they were caught in the Dead Zone.

"Someone must have escaped the Dead Zone," Zhong Yun suddenly announced loudly, sensing the atmosphere growing cold. "Otherwise, the rumors couldn't accurately describe the conditions inside. Only those who have survived within the Dead Zone would know these things. If others could leave, so can we."

"That's right," Ming Yunyu affirmed. "Captain Zhong Yun will certainly lead us out of here. I believe in him."

"If there is anything we can do, please ask," Chu Tiange added. Zeng Xiaosan nodded vigorously beside him.

"Captain Zhong Yun, I've been a captain for forty years; perhaps I can offer some assistance. If you require anything, please do tell me," George also pledged his support.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony." Looking at them, Zhong Yun suddenly felt having a few helpers wouldn't be bad, even though he usually preferred working alone.

"George, please go and calm the emotions of the others first," Zhong Yun addressed George first.

"Yes," George stood up, responding loudly like an ordinary crew member. "Should I tell them the truth?"

"No, the truth might be too much for them to bear right now. Tell them the ship has a minor malfunction and is undergoing repairs. Have them stay put and rest assured."

"I'll go right away." George departed.

Zhong Yun turned and saw Chu Tiange and the others watching him, awaiting orders. "You four, go familiarize yourselves with the new mechas. Await my command at all times."

"Hooray!" The four cheered simultaneously. Even Chu Tiange, usually reserved in showing emotion, was visibly excited and slightly beside himself. They rushed out, led by the robots to view their new mechas.

"What about me?" Only Ming Yunyu remained in the hall.

"You?" Zhong Yun looked at her, slightly vexed. "I'm a bit tired. Come here and help me with my shoulders."

"Certainly." It was just a casual jest, but to his surprise, Ming Yunyu readily agreed and genuinely moved behind him to start massaging his shoulders.

After lingering near that celestial body for a full day, the collection vessel finally resumed its journey. Hearing this news, Zhong Yun was immensely excited, dispatching the six-man team and "Insect Drone Number Three." He issued strict orders: follow the target closely, under no circumstances lose them. Upon reaching the enemy's main base, they were to send a report immediately.

Zhong Yun desperately wanted to go himself, but he had to remain behind. He couldn't abandon Xiao Ling and the Mars. Furthermore, if the Mercury followed, it risked detection. Such a massive vessel was hard to conceal even when traveling at high speed.

He could only wait patiently here, entrusting everything to the six of them. This act of placing all hope in others was a first for him.

Days passed. If it weren't for the status reports coming from "Insect Drone Number Three" indicating everything was normal, he would have become unable to contain himself. The two-year deadline was drawing near, and now he yearned for home with an urgency that made him wish for a spatial jump directly back to Qiyun Star.

Xiao Ling remained silent, and all of this made Zhong Yun feel terrible. He trained relentlessly every day, refusing to allow himself idle time, using the activity to ease the immense pressure building inside him.

On the tenth day after the six departed, Chu Tiange finally sent a message: they had arrived.

Zhong Yun didn't hesitate. He detached Xiao Ling from the Mars, moved the Mars to a hidden location, and then flew toward the direction the six had indicated. When the time came to cut losses, one had to possess the courage of a warrior severing a limb.

Zhong Yun's prior instruction had been for the six to drop a small signal sphere every hundred thousand kilometers they traveled. Now, he only needed to follow these markers to find them, eliminating any worry about getting lost.

As he flew, Zhong Yun simultaneously recorded the surrounding star charts. Although anxious, he knew the enemy must possess large-scale detection equipment capable of spotting high-speed objects. Therefore, he dared not fly too fast, arriving to link up with the six after about ten days.

The six returned to the Mercury and reported their safety to Zhong Yun.

"It’s good that you're back," Zhong Yun felt a wave of relief seeing them. "You’ve worked hard."

"It was no trouble at all," Zeng Xiaosan's excitement hadn't faded, and he exclaimed loudly. Being able to pilot the dreamlike Five-Star Mecha had energized every cell in his body; he wished he could stay in the cockpit forever, so how could he be tired?

Scanning their faces, Zhong Yun saw no trace of fatigue. He nodded and moved to the main topic. "Have you gathered clear intelligence on that planet?"

"Their defenses are extremely tight. Xiao Er and I both managed to infiltrate, but we were discovered quickly," Chu Tiange reported.

"Hmm. Then tell me the specifics of the situation there," Zhong Yun prompted.

Chu Tiange thought for a moment and said, "This place is very strange. Their settlement isn't on a natural planet, but on a common world unsuitable for human habitation. Although it has an atmosphere, the oxygen content is too low, and the temperature consistently hovers above several hundred degrees—the environment is harsh."

"They all live in artificially constructed oxygen chambers, just like the base we used to occupy. The entire planet is like this."

"There are many ships patrolling the skies above the planet; the alert level is so tight it’s as if they are in a state of war. Xiao Er and I were discovered less than two hours after breaking in. Within a minute, ten mechas appeared; their strength was considerable. If we hadn't run fast enough, we would have been left behind."

After hearing his report, Zhong Yun fell into deep contemplation. Who would expend such massive manpower and resources to build an oxygen chamber covering an entire planet? The energy consumption required daily must be astronomical. Who exactly were they, and what was their objective here? Zhong Yun could not fathom it.

P: Only one chapter today. .