"I apologize for dragging you into this charade with me," Zhong Yun smiled at his close friends, the fury he'd shown in the conference room completely gone.

Tian Hai chuckled, "I've been wanting to teach those brats a lesson for a long time; they’ve gotten far too arrogant."

"I fully support using this opportunity to curb their arrogance," Chen Wen chimed in.

Zhang Xiao remained silent as usual, merely nodding to indicate his agreement.

"Mm," Zhong Yun nodded. "I'll have to trouble you two with the military matters." Suddenly, his smile softened with warmth. "Xiao Wen, I heard you had a son last month. I haven't congratulated you yet."

"What's there to celebrate? I've just gained another burden," Chen Wen replied with a straight face.

Tian Hai burst into laughter, pointing a finger at him mockingly. "This guy only knows how to be tough on the outside. Your wife already spilled your secrets to mine. She said when you're home, you dote on that boy so much you can't even sleep soundly without kissing him a dozen or twenty times a day."

Having his secrets exposed, Elder Chen’s face flushed red, and he struck back, "And what about you? Who knows what kind of spoiled brat you’ve raised! A dignified Lieutenant General, acting as a horse for his own son—hmpf, what an accomplishment."

"I enjoy it, everyone knows my son is my lifeblood. Not like you, dare to make one but not claim him," Tian Hai boasted, triumphant.

They had bickered like this for ages. It was rare for Tian Hai to get the upper hand, and he felt immensely satisfied.

Watching his two friends trade barbs, Zhong Yun felt a wave of nostalgia for the old days, stirring deep emotion within him.

A day later, Zhong Yun returned victoriously to Base Two with a contingent of his subordinates. First, a grand memorial ceremony was held to honor the brave souls lost in the war. Following this, the victory of the great War to Protect the Nation was formally announced.

This conflict was etched into history books, officially known as the "First War to Protect the Nation."

Zhong Yun designated this day as "Heroes' Memorial Day," making it the second legal holiday after National Day.

A few days later, he traveled via spaceship to Canglan Star. After more than a year of development, Canglan Star was largely completed and prepared for the immigration of one billion people—a figure Zhong Yun personally set, as he didn't want the planet to become overcrowded.

Thanks to Zhong Yun's numerous pro-natalist policies, the Galactic Empire had experienced several population booms in recent years, swelling its population to over three billion.

His imperial palace, magnificent yet imposing and solemn, had also been built on Canglan Star. Everyone except Zhong Pingjiang, who remained in the "Imperial Capital," had moved here. Though the "Imperial Capital" was fine, it wasn't a natural star, and ultimately, humanity preferred the environment of natural worlds.

After staying in the palace for only two days, Zhong Yun received news that struck him with dread: Yun Qi was in trouble.

His face changed drastically upon hearing the news. Without even changing his clothes, he burst upward, tearing through the palace roof as a streak of purple light, rocketing toward the Intelligence Department.

Exuding a bone-chilling coldness, Yun strode into the Intelligence Department, his voice seeming to echo from the deepest pits of hell. "What exactly happened?"

Through the stuttered explanations of the intelligence chief, Zhong Yun learned the sequence of events.

Without a word, he shot skyward, smashing through the one-hundred-and-nine-story intelligence building and soaring into the atmosphere. Mid-air, he summoned the "Azure Shadow," plunging into the cockpit like a phantom and accelerating to escape the atmosphere at maximum speed.

"Yun Qi, you absolutely cannot be harmed."

At Base Three of the "Golden Ruins," Zhong Yun’s face was grim as he emerged from a spatial jump point. He immediately confronted the base commander who had come to meet him, demanding, "Tell me exactly what happened! Explain every detail!"

Feeling a chill run down his spine at the coldness in the Emperor's eyes, the base commander stammered out a description of the events.

A few days prior, several members of the base had vanished without a trace in a location to the south. Two more teams were subsequently sent to investigate but also disappeared without contact. Liu Yunqi heard about the situation and felt it was highly suspicious. Knowing the critical importance of Base Three to the Empire, she decided to investigate personally.

The base commander couldn't dissuade her and could only dispatch the most elite troops to accompany her. But the worst outcome materialized: Her Majesty the Empress also vanished mysteriously.

This development terrified the base commander to the point of losing his wits. He immediately sent a message back home while dispatching wave after wave of search parties, desperately hoping to find a clue.

Empress Liu Yunqi had been missing for ten hours already.

Zhong Yun listened expressionlessly. "Coordinates."

The base commander instantly relayed the coordinates. Zhong Yun’s figure flickered, transforming into a purple streak of light, vanishing into the distance.

"Your Majesty—" The base commander reacted instantly, but how could he stop Zhong Yun? He was nearly paralyzed with fear. If the Empress had just disappeared here, he couldn't even fathom the consequences if His Majesty the Emperor were to vanish too.

Suddenly realizing something, he leaped up, roaring, "Assemble everyone in Base One on the main field immediately! Sound the level-one alert, now—"

"Everyone?" his deputy stammered, stunned.

"I said now!" The commander kicked him furiously, sending him tumbling away.

Which was more important: an entire base, or the safety of His Majesty the Emperor? He knew the answer.

When Zhong Yun heard the report, he instantly understood what had happened.

At that moment, he wished he could smash his own head in. It had to be that Trial Space, the one capable of causing random disappearances. It was the first thing that came to mind, the same space that had trapped him for three years. He had assumed there was only one entrance, so he hadn't mentioned it, but this single oversight had led to this agonizing situation. If Yun Qi had truly met with misfortune...

He dared not imagine it.

"Yun Qi, you must not have been harmed. If you are harmed..."

Zhong Yun’s flight speed increased relentlessly. After a dozen minutes, he finally reached the designated coordinates. As soon as he approached, he felt the instability of the spatial energy.

He stopped and slowly walked toward the most turbulent area. As he drew closer, a small black speck began to solidify, as if an invisible force was steadily forcing it larger.

An irresistible suction force suddenly erupted. Zhong Yun offered no resistance, merely erecting a protective shield and letting it draw him in.

With a dizzying tumble, he managed to steady himself. He scanned the surroundings with his senses and felt a slight relief—it was indeed the Trial Space.

Having confirmed his location, his heart eased somewhat. He had left this place before, and his current strength was incomparable to his previous state. If he could leave then, he could certainly leave now.

He released the "Azure Shadow," settled into the cockpit, and flew in a familiar direction. With his prior experience, his speed was much greater; it took approximately five hundred hours to reach the end of the passage, cutting the time in half from his last journey.

He had flown without rest, constantly searching, hoping to find Yun Qi. He was only ten hours behind her when he entered, and by his speed, he should have caught up long ago. But even flying to the very end, he found no trace of her.

She must have gone in a different direction, which caused a flicker of frustration in Zhong Yun.

However, he was somewhat relieved that this passage was likely safe. During his last entry, everyone who traveled with him had entered the Trial Space, meaning both directions would converge on the same endpoint.

He would surely meet her in the Trial Space. Thinking this, Zhong Yun managed to suppress the anxiety in his heart.

The door opened slowly.

"Trial Space activated. Please enter," the voice echoed again, sending an involuntary shiver down Zhong Yun's spine.

He took a deep breath and flew inside without hesitation.

After flying for about ten minutes, his vision brightened; he was now inside a massive, brightly lit chamber.

The "Azure Shadow's" detector displayed over a thousand light points—each point representing a mech. There were thousands of mechs here.

Almost immediately, Zhong Yun received an unidentifiable transmission. This unrecognized signal was the security protocol used by Base Three to distinguish friend from foe.

Zhong Yun quickly sent back a coded reply.

Soon, a slightly deferential voice responded in the Galactic Empire's language: "General Your Excellency, Special Operations Commander Lin Hong, awaiting your orders."

"Mm." Zhong Yun’s eyelid twitched. He couldn't find Yun Qi's mech among the nearly one thousand present, which sparked an ominous premonition. "Where is the Empress? Have you seen her?"

"Reporting to General Your Excellency, I came here with Her Majesty the Empress. After entering this space, I have not seen Her Majesty's trace," Lin Hong replied.

Zhong Yun felt as if a heavy blow had struck his chest, and his vision darkened. "What did you say?"

A surging pressure instantly enveloped the nearly one thousand mechs. That boundless might pinned everyone down, rendering even these elite soldiers, selected from the army, unable to resist the pressure generated by absolute power. They could only rely on the sheer toughness of nerves honed by rigorous training to endure it.

After mere seconds, the pressure subsided. Yet, those brief moments left even the strongest, Lin Hong, completely drained. He was horrified. This General's power was terrifyingly absolute.

Lin Hong was among the first batch to advance to the Second Level, on par with Tian Hai and the others, which is why he was promoted to Special Operations Commander. Yet, he couldn't withstand the mere pressure emanating from the General.

It was only when Zhong Yun suddenly snapped back to reality that the pressure ceased; had it lingered another few seconds, everyone present would have been crushed to death by his residual absolute force.

Exerting the full force of his peak Sixth Level strength, the mere pressure alone was enough to crush nearby First and Second Level individuals.

"Yun Qi..." Zhong Yun felt a wave of profound emptiness wash over him, followed by an uncontrollable agony that surged like a tidal wave, drowning him completely.

At that precise moment, a dark fissure tore open behind the "Azure Shadow," silently swallowing it whole. The others didn't even have time to warn him; they could only watch helplessly as he vanished into the spatial rift.