Ever since the Interstellar Federation abolished capital punishment thirty years ago and designated Silver Talisman Star as a penal colony for exiles, prisoners have been sent here annually. Most of the arrivals are men, typically over the age of forty. By now, more inmates pass away each year than arrive, and many of the older residents have actually begun to dread witnessing these arrivals.

No one ever knew whose turn it would be next to die, and watching those around you perish proved far more agonizing than facing one's own demise. Opportunities to meet were always fleeting, yet the grief felt endless.

Among those present, besides Du Du, the oldest member was known as ‘The Pervert,’ and he was the only one who understood cloning technology. Du Du’s passing struck him the hardest; he couldn't bear a second glance, instead leaning against the wall as he stumbled out of the room.

If only they weren't stranded on Silver Talisman Star—any other remote planet would suffice. With the right equipment, he could have used his expertise to create a clone, implanting Du Du's living consciousness into the copy before his death, effectively granting him immortality.

But the isolated Silver Talisman Star offered no means to manufacture equipment; even genius skill couldn't conjure a clone from thin air. The Pervert cursed the Interstellar Federation's penal policy, but even more, he loathed his own helplessness!

Du Du had recorded his will. During the funeral preparations, a robot read the final wishes aloud: his property on Silver Talisman Star was to be managed by Planning Group 69, with just one request: "Upon my death, please cremate me. If, one day, the route off Silver Talisman Star is discovered, I hope someone will carry my ashes back to my home planet—Zephyr Star. My time on Silver Talisman was happy; I am grateful to all of you. Goodbye."

His voice near the end had been faint and fragmented, causing fresh tears to stream down the listeners' faces.

Humans possess emotion, an inseverable attachment to the land that nurtured them, the planet where they grew up—a yearning for their souls to return home. Nearly everyone on Silver Talisman shared this longing, which was why they spared no effort in searching for the interstellar trajectory leading away from their prison.

It could be said that this search was their only hope.

Zi Ye watched Du Du’s body consumed by the firelight, tears silently tracing new paths down her cheeks.

An Jun Lie stood beside her and suddenly placed his hand on her shoulder. His hand was large, thick, and strong. Zi Ye felt a wave of warmth spread from his palm; for a fleeting moment, she wanted to collapse into his embrace and weep without restraint.

Instead, she simply rose silently, wiped away her tears, and offered him a slight tug at the corner of her mouth in return.

Back at the Silver Talisman Hotel, the playful mood was entirely gone. Everyone threw themselves into the preparations with renewed vigor. They shared a single thought: this time, they must succeed!

All preparations were complete by June 8th. After double-checking every item, the group tacitly agreed to share a final meal together in the rooftop restaurant before retiring early.

At five o'clock the next morning, everyone donned their purple camouflage uniforms and divided their tasks. Zi Ye flew with the Grassland Team aboard an airship, landing at three designated locations. She tested each robot thoroughly; satisfied they were ready, she retreated to a concealed spot, opened Silver-Comm instant messaging, and sat down to watch the time.

About ten meters to her left, eight massive screens displayed surveillance feeds monitoring the coordinates where the interstellar warships were expected to dock.

The moment a warship appeared, it would be immediately detected.

Simultaneously, the Mountain Team split into two groups. One, led by Hong Fa, kept their holographic sights fixed on the sky, unblinking. The instant the starship deployed its first wave of prisoners, they were authorized to attack. The second group, led by Old Dog, positioned themselves on another peak three kilometers away to provide support.

Every aspect of the layout—the scheduled times, the designated locations—was underpinned by robust mathematics and science. On the roof of the Silver Talisman Hotel, five supercomputers hummed at maximum speed, incorporating every subtle shift in wind or temperature into their calculations before transmitting the fastest possible results to every optical computer.

The countdown was underway.

Five minutes left until the estimated arrival time!

Zi Ye held her breath.

Moments later, the voice of the surveillance coordinator crackled through her Silver-Comm earpiece: "Target sighted, target sighted! Distance 41,000 meters, speed 80 m/s. Estimated arrival at designated zone in nine minutes. All personnel, prepare!"

Zi Ye’s spirits lifted. She sprang up, verifying the data on Xiao Dou Ya's holographic screen. "Deviation from planned trajectory: 2,000 meters! Monitor the latest projected coordinates!"

Zi Ye patched Xiao Dou Ya into the supercomputer network atop the Silver Talisman Hotel, relaying new instructions to the robots based on the updated coordinates, ordering them to reach their assigned positions as quickly as possible.

Instantly, robots zipped across the plains.

Just as the robots settled into position, the starship visible on the screen halted.

Zi Ye lifted her binoculars to scan the sky. While the visual fidelity on the screens was far superior, she felt she needed to witness it with her own eyes to truly believe it.

The warship resembled a seabird, its head sharply angled with fierce lines, its rear section flared out—giving it a decidedly menacing appearance at first glance. As soon as it stopped, its underbelly bay opened, and an airship quietly slid out.

"First airship deployed! Attack authorized!" As the monitor’s voice concluded, the ten railguns commanded by Hong Fa fired in sequence, one after the other, piercing the sky toward the interstellar warship.

They only needed one airship. Since they didn't know how many prisoners would be dropped, they couldn't risk missing the optimal firing window, so regardless of how many followed, they would ignore them all!

That interstellar warship was precisely the Federation's standard Dada-class battleship, heavily armed and clad in thick armor, requiring at least seventy direct hits to destroy while absorbing fire. Therefore, every railgun round on the mountain was loaded with at least 300 rounds for sustained fire.

The first ten rounds struck true.

Zi Ye saw the battleship shudder, then it immediately pivoted, aiming directly at the Silver Talisman Hotel, and returned fire!

She wasn't overly concerned; they had anticipated a counterattack. Those on the mountain were fully prepared. As the enemy projectiles descended, the Silver Talisman Hotel instantly deployed its massive energy shield, and Old Dog’s cannon crews began their barrage.

Zi Ye was about to observe the battle further when the monitoring personnel reported: "Airship estimated to land in three minutes. Grassland Team, prepare."

Right, she was part of the Grassland Team. Zi Ye dropped her binoculars, fixing her gaze on the light screen projected by Xiao Dou Ya, tracking the airship’s descent in real-time, while Xiao Dou Ya continuously fine-tuned the robots’ precise positions based on the landing vector.

The airship’s landing sound was softer than that of a conventional aircraft. As soon as it touched down and began to slow its glide, the first robot, armed with dual blades held in both hands, sprang into action, slicing along the airship’s left and right flanks, carving away two segments of the outer metallic hull.

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