Eagle arrived on the bridge just as everyone else was present. Captain Howard immediately addressed him. "Sir, the evacuation is complete. We are now beginning the return journey, so I request your..."
According to pre-mission projections, the journey back would inevitably be fraught with peril. The presence of the space-city necessitated the Joint Fleet to act with extreme caution, restricting the use of many tactical maneuvers. If the Ancient Legion were to pass up such a golden opportunity, they wouldn't be the Ancient Legion at all.
The Ape-men were not primitives; their intellect was in no way inferior to humanity's. Those at the apex of their hierarchy were all Master-level figures. Anyone who could reach the Master level, be they human or Ape-man, could not be underestimated.
"Are the Observers still trailing the Gangdi Fleet?" Yang Ying inquired.
When the Gangdi Fleet retreated, a squadron of Observers had positioned themselves around them, subjecting them to comprehensive reconnaissance.
"They are. The Gangdi Fleet cannot escape our surveillance," replied a staff officer.
"Good. Then we simply wait and watch the show," Yang Ying settled back into his gunner's seat, stretching his limbs, preparing for the danger that lay ahead.
Soon, the final transport ships carried the last batch of civilians to the space-cities. The evacuation of all ten colonies was now complete.
Admiral Alexander issued the order: the entire fleet was to alter formation and shield the space-cities during their withdrawal.
Instantly, the major warships of the Joint Fleet began to change direction, adjusting their positions to envelop the space-cities layer upon layer, forming a defense several times tighter than when they arrived.
The ten space-cities ignited their thrusters and set off, flying toward the Asteroid Belt.
Blade had returned to the Number One before the final wave of civilians boarded the space-cities, but his work was not yet done. He was a member of the Joint Fleet Arbitration Council. While at Narcissus City, he had worked remotely via communicator in his spare time, and upon returning to the warship, the routine continued.
Within the Arbitration Council, the representative for the Caesar Mercenary Group was the commander, Royd, himself. Blade had learned this from the assassin. Royd was the architect of the assassination attempt. However, when the two met face-to-face, Royd never displayed the slightest change in demeanor.
Yang Ying knew that Royd must be aware of the failed assassination and the disappearance of the assassin, yet Royd acted as if it didn't matter. His profound composure earned Yang Ying a measure of admiration.
However, since Yang Ying had confirmed that the Caesar Mercenary Group still harbored ill intentions toward his own mercenary group, he could not simply let the matter slide as if nothing had happened.
Yang Ying had already decided: upon their return, he would ensure the Caesar family received a lesson they would never forget. He was quite confident in this.
Caesar Mercenary Group, Laurel class vessel, Captain's Quarters.
Royd sat in his chair, his brow deeply furrowed over the light-screen before him. The screen displayed the report on the evacuation of Narcissus City, a significant portion of which detailed Blade's contributions. If Blade hadn't single-handedly destroyed the Viper fighter piloted by a High-Grade Ape-man in a duel, the withdrawal from Narcissus City might have been severely jeopardized.
It had now been confirmed: that Ape-man was subordinate to the Gangdi Fleet, specifically the commander of the Second Flight Wing.
In reality, a single Ape-man of that caliber could have shot down all twenty-odd military fighters within Narcissus City; the sheer power of a High-Grade Ape-man was beyond comparison for those elite pilots.
"But even this Ape-man fell to Blade's hand? According to several Psionic Masters, Blade is still only a Low-Grade Psionicist. How is this possible?" Royd felt a deep sense of miscalculation. The disappearance of Alva’s brother had already sounded an alarm; his role in that incident might very well have been exposed.
He rose and began pacing—a habit he fell into when deep in thought. After a short while, he returned to the screen, his fingers flying across the virtual keyboard. He quickly composed a report.
"Must remind the family internally to be wary of retaliation from the Terran Mercenary Group." After checking it over, he encrypted the report and sent it back to Caesar Group Headquarters via email.
With these matters concluded, Royd leaned back in his chair, falling into silence.
The Caesar Group's covetous gaze upon the Terran Corporation had never ceased. The Terran Corporation possessed numerous astonishing technological achievements, and new breakthroughs continued to emerge steadily.
Ever since the two Laurel fleets had been annihilated without a sound, the Caesar Group had mobilized all its resources to study the Terran Corporation, and the results were astonishing.
The foundation of the Terran Corporation was negligible; just six months prior, it had been a small company within a Saturn colony. Yet, in the span of half a year, the progress they achieved was utterly unbelievable.
The Caesar Group's research institute was already world-class, yet its annual output of new research findings did not rival that of the Terran Corporation in either quantity or impact.
Where there is an anomaly, there is often danger. This reality had instilled a profound alarm in the Caesar Group.
The Chairman of the Group, the patriarch of the Caesar family, Gaius Caesar XIII, firmly believed that the Terran Corporation held immense value and was vital to the future development of the Caesar family; it must be seized. If seizure proved impossible, it must be destroyed to prevent others from acquiring it.
However, given the severe damage inflicted upon their military strength, an inter-sector truce was unavoidable—hence the current armistice agreement.
As for when hostilities would resume, the agreement said nothing. The high command of the Caesar family clearly operated on their own timetable.
On the Number One, a staff officer’s gaze suddenly flickered away from the screen. He tapped a few keys on the console and called back to Yang Ying, "Sir, a confidential email has been transmitted from the Laurel; it was intercepted by an Observer!"
"Decrypt it and send it to my screen," Yang Ying said calmly.
About a minute later, an email appeared on Yang Ying's light-screen.
It was the warning email Royd had sent.
Yang Ying read the email from beginning to end, then sighed lightly: "This Royd, he's actually sending a warning to the Caesar Group. From this email, it appears dealing with us is the decision of the entire Caesar Group. That's good, that’s very good!"
The staff officers on the bridge exchanged glances, unsure why Yang Ying repeated "that's good" twice. They quickly returned to their duties.
After the Joint Fleet realigned, they began escorting the ten space-cities away from Jupiter's orbit, heading toward the Asteroid Belt.
Two hours passed without incident, with no sign of the enemy appearing.
"Where is the Gangdi Fleet now?" Admiral Alexander inquired in messages sent almost every five minutes.
Eventually, the Number One crew became accustomed to the routine, reporting the Gangdi Fleet’s position every five minutes: "Following us, one million kilometers behind."
The Gangdi Fleet trailed the Joint Fleet at a precise distance—not too close, not too far, exactly one million kilometers.
Because the Joint Fleet carried the space-cities, describing their speed as cumbersome was no exaggeration. Although the thrusters had been accelerating since leaving Jupiter, their velocity remained relatively low. Gangdi warships could easily close that gap if they advanced at full speed.
Less than a minute later.
"The Gangdi Fleet is accelerating!" the staff officer suddenly shouted.
"Report to Admiral Alexander immediately!" Howard commanded.
After the message was relayed, the entire fleet immediately entered Level One combat readiness. Although it would take nearly an hour for the Gangdi Fleet to catch up, a tense atmosphere had already swept through the whole armada, every nerve taut.
Under this intense pressure, the Gangdi Fleet slowly closed the distance, finally arriving within two hundred thousand kilometers of the fleet.
"Order: The Twelfth Fleet is to take the space-cities ten thousand kilometers away from us. All remaining forces, turn to engage the enemy!" Admiral Alexander issued the command.
The Second Fleet, the Eleventh Fleet, and all mercenary fleets simultaneously pivoted, spreading out their formations and aiming their cannons astern. At this moment, the enemy fleet's presence was clearly registering on the radar.
On the flagship of the Gangdi Fleet, the Ape-man Master Gangdi sat on his high command seat, shaking his head. "Ever since we retreated from Talos Star, I've felt someone watching me, but I couldn't pinpoint the source. This feeling is profoundly unsettling. To think the humans have developed reconnaissance technology like this—it explains why Lord Hras had such difficulty operating in the Asteroid Belt."
Information is power, especially on the battlefield. Having intelligence grants the initiative. A general, no matter how brilliant his strategy, will be at a massive disadvantage before the fighting even begins if all his tactics are known in advance.
Gangdi slammed his hand on the armrest. "Fortunately, the humans are weighed down by ten major burdens. Both sides have disadvantages—no, it seems the other side's disadvantage is slightly greater."
The Vice Commander asked, "Commander, shall we attack?"
"Of course!" Gangdi roared. "We will advance directly and openly. Since our tactics will be seen through anyway, we'll just play the game rough!"
"Yes!" the host of Ape-man staff officers roared in unison.
"Remember, we must delay their progress here until our reinforcements arrive. This is the perfect opportunity to crush them." Gangdi finished, then waved his hand: "Attack!"
The two fleets gradually approached, soon entering attack range.
"Lock onto an enemy vessel, a Tyrannosaurus class!" Yang Ying called out.
"Fire!" Howard said steadily.
Yang Ying pressed two launch buttons. Instantly, two light beams, ten meters in diameter, sliced through space, striking the hull of a Tyrannosaurus dead center!
"Hit confirmed," Yang Ying exclaimed excitedly.
After several successful shots, Yang Ying had developed a feel for it. Sometimes, just before firing, he could vaguely sense the outcome of that particular shot. This time, before firing, he knew there was a very high probability of hitting the enemy vessel.
"Good," Howard nodded. "From now on, once an enemy vessel is locked, fire immediately. We must avoid giving them more time to react."
"Understood."
Yang Ying acknowledged, and seeing the targeted Tyrannosaurus on his screen beginning to explode and break apart, he shifted his targeting reticle to search for the next small target.