A blinding surge of light erupted from the Poison Fang, an expanding sphere radiating outward from its core.

Blade saw his radar screen suddenly warp and twist, while static screeched through the comms channel. His heart hammered against his ribs, and he instantly wrenched his fighter around, fleeing for his life.

That was the detonation from the moment the beam struck the nuclear missile, an event accompanied by an electromagnetic pulse that wreaked havoc on all nearby electronics.

On the bridge of No. 1 Ship, Yang Ying turned his gaze toward Blade’s last known position, a faint frown creasing his brow.

“What is it, Commander?” Howard, who was busy maneuvering the warship to evade the bombardment from the Gangdi fleet, immediately focused on Yang Ying’s expression.

“Nothing. Just a little concern for Blade. The nuclear missile has been destroyed by Master Yan, and the remaining Poison Fang won't last another minute, but things have gone too smoothly. It feels wrong,” Yang Ying said calmly.

When Blade engaged the power of a High-Tier Psionicist, Yang Ying’s main body was no different from an ordinary person, which meant the accuracy of the Uranium Scatter Cannons had dropped considerably. However, he didn't mind; on the battlefield, there was no shortage of firepower from four Level Five Drill Cannons among the many primary-class Battlecruisers and Heavy Cruisers.

“Commander, the Observer has detected some intelligence: an incredibly fast stealth fighter is rapidly approaching the Space City formation.”

A staff officer shouted out.

“Fast? Stealth?” Yang Ying slammed his hand on the console and demanded, “How fast?”

“It has an acceleration a hundred times that of a regular fighter! It will reach the vicinity of the Space Cities in nine seconds!” the staff officer yelled. “It’s still accelerating. It’s accelerating too quickly; how can the pilot’s body withstand that? They should have been reduced to paste by now.”

Yang Ying moved next to the officer and scrutinized the reconnaissance footage and parameters sent back by the Observer. He saw a single arrowhead shooting toward the Space City formation with the speed of a drawn arrow, while the scout image showed a standard fighter looking like an ant crawling along.

“The target is beginning to decelerate. Its deceleration is just as swift. Based on the new data, the estimated arrival time near the Space Cities is now twelve seconds, and it is now capable of launching nuclear missiles at its current speed,” the officer reported as the arrow on the reconnaissance image slowed.

Yang Ying frowned. “Where did it come from? How did we only discover it now that it’s arrived? What were you doing just now?”

The staff officer was equally baffled, hastily defending himself: “I’ve been watching the intelligence from the Observer constantly. There was no such fighter a moment ago. I am certain.” He scratched his head, and a sudden thought illuminated his face. “I know!”

He pointed to several small dots on the screen. “Here—among the fifty fighters that Colonel Blade and the Psionicist squadrons just annihilated—four Poison Fang fighters managed to escape. When I looked just now, there were four, but now there are only three. One is missing!”

“So, it’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing!” Yang Ying fixed his gaze on the screen. The fast stealth fighter had already reached the edge of the Space Cities. After spitting out two red lines targeting two separate Space Cities, it immediately turned and departed.

Amidst the Gangdi fleet, the Gangdi Emperor slammed his fist onto the control panel as the signal from the First Flight Wing sputtered and nearly vanished. “Despite the sacrifice of so many, we finally lured out that old fellow Yan Shouyi, allowing Lord Kordemi to launch the nuclear strike.”

Kordemi was another Ape Master and the First Deputy Commander of the Gangdi Fleet. The Gangdi Emperor sacrificed the entire First Flight Wing solely to cover Kordemi’s stealth fighter.

After the nuclear bomb detonated by the Wing Leader, it had effectively separated the Psionicist fighter group from the Space City formation. The explosion formed a barrier between the two sides, preventing the Psionicists from stopping Kordemi in time.

Of course, if the First Flight Wing could have detonated the nuclear missile directly above the Space Cities, the Emperor would have been even happier.

As soon as the staff officer discovered Kordemi’s stealth fighter, Blade had already shouted the intelligence over the public channel, simultaneously relaying the Observer’s transmitted imagery to all Psionicists.

“The force of the nuclear explosion has not yet subsided. If our fighters enter the blast radius, it’s a death sentence. But if we detour, we won’t be able to intercept that stealth fighter in time,” one Psionicist stated.

“My fighter can do it!” Master Yan Shouyi’s voice cut through the channel, his tone calmly terrifying.

“Mine too,” Saint Ladis’s voice immediately followed.

Blade glanced at the screen and saw the signals of both their fighters vanish from the radar.

At this moment, in the surrounding space, the only area capable of shielding their fighters from the Ghost fighter’s radar was within the nuclear blast zone.

“Master Yan!”

“Regimental Commander!”

A chorus of voices, laced with both excitement and sorrow, echoed over the communication channel.

Inside the bridge of No. 1 Ship, Yang Ying watched the reconnaissance screen. He saw the signals representing the two fighters burst out from the nuclear blast radius, surge past the Space City formation, and position themselves directly in the path of the two incoming nuclear warheads.

Immediately following, two more light spheres expanded, growing larger and larger in the reconnaissance images.

“Did they block it? They must have blocked it,” Yang observed.

Old Lian, his mind reeling, slowly returned to his seat and sat down.

Both nuclear missiles were detonated before they could strike the Space Cities. This was not the asteroid belt; there were no stray meteors or other obstacles present. There was no possibility other than the two fighters intercepting them.

What about the pilots of those two fighters? They were two Master-level experts, whose power was sufficient to dominate any battlefield; they could only be eliminated by a nuclear weapon.

But how could they have encountered a nuclear missile head-on?

At this point, the high command of the Joint Fleet received the news, causing a massive shockwave.

“Master Yan Shouyi and Holy Knight Saint Ladis piloted their fighters to ram the nuclear missiles—is this actually true?”

“The value of a Master-level expert on the battlefield far exceeds that of civilians in one or two cities. To trade the lives of Masters for the safety of Space Cities is truly a losing bargain.”

Bang! A sound of a table being struck echoed.

“Silence! We are soldiers, not merchants! Protecting civilians is our duty! Do you view ordinary people as nothing more than mere numbers?”

“Alright, alright, stop arguing. Quickly devise a countermeasure. The Gangdi Emperor has not retreated yet; our mission is not over. We still have ten Space Cities to escort back to the Inner Solar System!”

A sigh followed. “If only the two Master-level experts hadn't made such a choice. We could have withstood the loss of one or two Space Cities.”

“You say that again.”

“Withstood it? How do you know we could withstand it? The losses at the forward bases have already led the public to call us fools. If the Space Cities cannot be safely returned to the Inner Solar System, most of us will likely be forced to resign to appease the public anger.”

“That’s right. If the Space Cities are destroyed by nuclear weapons, even if we don't resign, the President will force us out to quell the civil unrest.”

“What time is it for you to still be considering these political matters? The immediate problem is that the two Master-level experts are missing on their mission—it’s safe to assume they are dead. What needs to be resolved?”

“Resolved? What needs resolving? Master Yan Shouyi and Saint Knight Saint Ladis have already resolved it for us. The civilians of two cities have been saved, and two Master-level experts sacrificed themselves to save them. Isn't that an exemplary case? We could even use it for recruitment propaganda to showcase the positive image of the war. I don’t know what you mean by ‘resolve.’”

“I mean resolving the issue of how we failed to handle this nuclear attack properly, forcing two Master-level experts to use their lives to cover up our lapse!”

“Are you suggesting we need a scapegoat to take responsibility for causing the deaths of two Master-level experts?”

Silence descended.

Admiral Alexander stood up and spoke. “Our mission was to protect the populace, and we failed to do so, allowing two Masters to pay the price for our negligence. As the Commander of the Joint Fleet, I bear unavoidable responsibility. If anyone seeks blame for this failure, let it fall on me. However, the Gangdi Emperor is still at large, and we are not yet out of danger. I only ask that you temporarily set aside your personal concerns and political calculations, and focus all your energy on safely returning the ten Space Cities to the Inner Solar System.”

He paused. “This meeting is adjourned!”

The virtual conference room vanished, replaced by a small office surrounding Alexander. He stood up, trembling, looking as if he had aged ten years overnight. Already silver-haired, he now seemed frail, like a candle about to flicker out.

His Deputy Commander asked with concern, “Commander, please don't worry too much. After the nuclear fallout dissipates, we will immediately organize a search for the two Master-level experts. They are transcendent figures; they won't die so easily. Furthermore, the Holy Light of the Holy Light Knights is one of the rarest healing powers in existence. At the very least, it’s possible Saint Knight Saint Ladis could survive the nuclear blast.”

He walked to the water dispenser in the corner, poured a cup of hot water, turned, and offered it to Alexander. “Commander, please take a moment to rest.”

Alexander took the cup, took a sip, and sighed. “How can I rest now? There will be plenty of time to rest once we return to the Inner Solar System.”

He retrieved a bottle of capsules from his desk, shook one out, popped it into his mouth, washed it down with the hot water, then shook off his weariness and told the Deputy Commander, “Let’s go, back to the bridge.”

The Psionicists, the Holy Light Knights, and Blade, piloting their respective fighters, circled around the nuclear blast zone, flying toward the last known location of Master Yan Shouyi’s and Saint Ladis’s fighters. As they passed the ten Space Cities, Blade let out a silent, heavy sigh, unsure if he should say anything.

The civilians inside the Space Cities remained hidden in their shelters, unaware if they knew that two Master-level experts were fighting for their survival, their fate unknown. If they knew, would they offer a prayer for them?