Katerina listened to Yang Ying’s words, her heart filling with sweetness, and she laughed, "I know, I know, you will definitely protect me well."

Landon seemed hesitant, as if wanting to say something. He opened his mouth, but swallowed his words. Yang Ying didn't notice and said, "It's getting late; the Behemoth departs in ten minutes. You should take Baibai back now."

Landon nodded, gently patted Baibai’s shoulder, and led her inside, holding her small hand. Baibai was well-behaved; though her eyes were wide with unshed tears, she didn't resist being led away, going obediently with Landon. She only glanced back a few steps, her reluctance plain on her face.

However, Yang Ying wasn't worried about not seeing Baibai again. Although Blade accompanied him, he had left other avatars behind. After all, the Solar System was his first base, a crucial one, and he wouldn't leave it undefended!

Once they rounded a corner and were out of sight, Yang Ying turned to Katerina. "Let's board. The Research Institute just developed a few new weapons; it’s a perfect chance to test them out—starting with this medical transport."

Parked at the docking bay was a purely white vehicle, marked with a red cross on its hull—a medical transport.

Yang Ying and Katerina entered the cabin, and the hatch closed. The gangway connecting to the hatch automatically retracted. The medical transport detached from the port, pivoted, and flew toward the Behemoth.

The interior of the medical transport was spotlessly clean, uniformly white. Along the sides were two rows of seats, each equipped with restraints to secure the body. Upon landing on a planet with an atmosphere, the friction with the air caused turbulence. Without a fixed point, one would tumble about; not everyone could stand steady as if treading waves.

Katerina gave a demonstration. She pressed a button on the bulkhead, and the ceiling slid open, lowering a rudimentary operating table. Katerina laughed, "With a mechanism like this table, it becomes much more convenient to perform emergency treatment if a soldier is wounded on the front lines. Bring the soldier straight to the medical transport, and we can handle external trauma. Combined with the Light of Healing and the Liquid of Treatment, virtually any wound can recover swiftly."

She turned back to face Yang Ying and asked softly, "Would you like to try it out?" As she spoke, she picked up a sharp scalpel from the table, intending to slice her own finger.

"Hey! Wait a minute!" Yang Ying instantly used his psychic power to halt her self-harm, "Don't I trust you? To cut your own finger over such a small thing—isn't that too much?"

Katerina, immobilized by the psychic restraint, couldn't move her hands and could only repeatedly beg for mercy, promising not to do it again. Only then did Yang Ying release his power.

Katerina placed the scalpel back on the table and continued explaining the various settings in the cabin to Yang Ying. He had seen all these things in the blueprints for the medical transport; recalling them, the data sprang to his mind with perfect clarity, even more detailed than Katerina’s explanations. Still, since she wanted to talk, Yang Ying was happy to listen. Naturally, personal demonstrations were strictly forbidden.

Once aboard the Behemoth and in the bridge, Yang Ying confirmed with Howard that all warships were ready. Just as he was about to issue the command to depart, a contact signal arrived aboard the Behemoth.

Yang Ying ordered a staff officer to connect the call. On the light screen appeared a dashing figure: silver-white skin, tightly bound long hair, and an impeccably neat appearance—it was Xinnidi, the direct disciple of the Star Guardian Goddess, Yifei. She appeared to be inside the cockpit of a fighter jet.

"Master Yang Ying, long time no see," Xinnidi greeted him.

"Master Xinnidi, may I ask why you are contacting me now?" Yang Ying inquired.

"It's like this," Xinnidi smiled. "I heard you are heading to Finis. Could you give me a lift? I’m arriving momentarily and request permission to board."

Yang Ying found it strange. He was about to depart, yet she was only now asking for a ride? And why was she going to Finis? He asked, "You're going to Finis too? What about your assignment supervising the Solar System defense system?"

Xinnidi stated matter-of-factly, "I'm leaving that to Jiaiyouna. Supervising an engineering project isn't a job only I can do."

"Since that's the case," Yang Ying considered for a moment and nodded, "Very well then."

Simultaneously, the staff officer reported, "A fighter jet is approaching rapidly! Speed is thirty thousand kilometers per second—a peak Master-level fighter engaging its Meteor Halo system."

"That's me. Don't mistake me for a target. We can discuss the rest once I’m aboard." With that, Xinnidi cut the connection.

Not long after, Xinnidi’s fighter reached Yang Ying’s fleet, its speed dropping to match the fleet's pace. The Behemoth fired a tractor beam, guiding Xinnidi’s fighter into the hangar bay.

Yang Ying instructed Howard to set a course, told Katerina to wait, and then proceeded to the ship’s conference room, dispatching someone to fetch Xinnidi as well.

A few minutes later, Xinnidi arrived. Upon seeing Yang Ying, she—

After brief pleasantries, both took their seats. Yang Ying said, "Master Xinnidi, if you needed passage, informing me a few days in advance wouldn't have required such urgency, would it?"

Xinnidi replied, "I sincerely apologize for delaying your departure. The order for me to go to Finis came quite suddenly. Furthermore, my personal craft is designed strictly for combat. While it can perform spatial jumps, its endurance is low, making a direct trip to Finis impossible. If I had to stop at a supply star for refueling along the way, it would involve significant detours. I figured it would be less trouble than relying on a Star Singer vessel to ferry me, so I took the liberty of asking for a ride with Master Yang Ying. I hope you don't mind."

Yang Ying smiled. "It’s only a few minutes late, well within the margin of error. There's nothing to apologize for. However, Master Xinnidi, what is the reason for your visit to Planet Finis? Though if it's inconvenient to discuss..."

"It’s actually not inconvenient at all," Xinnidi stated. "The rebels’ assassination attempts against the Flin Royal Family are not over. Since Princess Hafin was targeted on Veda Star, similar incidents have been occurring frequently. Just yesterday, another attempt took place. The attackers were two Master-level assassins who nearly killed Hafin’s older sister, the Second Princess. Two royal guards were killed at the scene, and several others were injured, including one Master-level bodyguard who sustained severe injuries."

"Although the two assassins were repelled after a struggle, the Second Princess suffered a psychic shock from the attack, plunging her into a state of cerebral suspended animation. While Song of Healing can theoretically mend such mental trauma, since the attacker was a Master-level expert, unlocking it requires at least a Master-level expert. Considering the brain is an extremely intricate organ, the precise procedure can only be handled by a Peak Master, ideally one of us disciples of the Matriarch. My other sisters under the Matriarch all have their own commitments, leaving me the most available. Thus, I was sent to Finis, and I will stay there for a period to guard against further attacks by the assassins."

"I see, poor Second Princess."

Yang Ying understood internally that those two Master-level assassins were most likely sent by Shadow Blade before they submitted. The time when his avatars completely took control of the Shadow Blade organization was exactly yesterday; he hadn't had time to cancel their existing missions. Shadow Blade had ten-plus Rank Three assassins besides Taryn, who was Rank Three Peak. Taryn had lost contact, but the business continued, so they kept sending assassins to target the Flin Royal Family.

Concurrently, many light-years away in a secret Shadow Blade sanctuary, an avatar of Yang Ying issued an order: Cease all assassination activities against the Flin Royal Family.

Back in the conference room, Yang Ying arranged for quarters to be prepared for Xinnidi. As Xinnidi was about to leave the room after thanking him, Yang Ying suddenly asked, "By the way, Master Xinnidi, when you suggested I register a mercenary group with the Mercenary Guild, was that for today’s purpose?"

Xinnidi paused, turned back with a smile, and said, "Master Yang Ying, what do you think?" Then, she walked out without looking back.

Yang Ying watched Xinnidi's receding figure as the conference room door closed, muttering to himself, "Yes, that's obvious. Why did I even ask?"

The next few days were spent in hyperspace, but the Behemoth enjoyed a treat. Xinnidi spent her time practicing singing in the quarters assigned to her. Her voice shifted between high and clear, then mellow and subtle, just like the ancient saying—the lingering sound circling the rafters for days. The entire warship felt like it was hosting a daily concert.

It was a pity that most of the crew consisted of single-minded combat clones. They could drone on endlessly about strategy and tactics and were superb in combat skills, yet they possessed zero appreciation for beautiful music and singing. Only the medics were a bit more sentimental, often gathering outside Xinnidi’s room to listen to her sing. Even Katerina praised Xinnidi's singing to Yang Ying.

The melodious singing accompanied the entire warship through the monotonous hyperspace journey spanning over ten days.

On the final day, the destination was finally reached.

Yang Ying had arranged with Princess Hafin to arrive at Planet Finis within fifteen standard days. Only halfway through the fifteenth standard day, a flash of light erupted outside Planet Finis, and a formation of three hundred and twenty Behemoth-class battlecruisers burst out of hyperspace, slowly approaching the planet.

"Sir, a contact signal," the staff officer reported.

"Connect it," Yang Ying said.

On the bridge at this moment were Yang Ying, Katerina, and Xinnidi. Since they were nearing their destination, Yang Ying had specifically asked her to come out and observe.

The signal came from the military base on Planet Finis, inquiring about the identity of Yang Ying's fleet. The planet's defense system was fully activated, with all cannons aimed at them. If the response did not satisfy the planetary garrison, a barrage of fire would erupt immediately. To be continued...