That was Bai Lanxue’s voice!
Bai Lanxue had actually followed her here like a persistent ghost.
She had been wondering why that legion possessed such a formidable fleet; it turned out to be the Interstellar Federation.
Ziye counted herself lucky to have escaped with her life, yet at the same time, she knew that Bai Lanxue pursuing her here was certainly not as simple as helping her drive off pirates.
Perhaps Bai Lanxue had only come to delay her death by a few minutes.
Bai Lanxue’s cruelty surpassed that of Illya's, if not exceeded it. Illya was vicious, but her methods lacked the dark precision; Bai Lanxue operated high within the Interstellar Federation, and the power and means at her disposal were not something Illya could match.
Ziye had the nature of an ostrich, feeling that her own strength hadn't yet reached parity with her opponent, making her hesitant to provoke anyone.
Right now, she wanted to flee.
But this massive fleet encirclement was not something she could escape simply by wishing it.
She might be torn limb from limb by seven-colored laser beams and reduced to space debris before she could even initiate a warp jump.
The saying that the more beautiful something is, the more vicious it is, was truly not false.
Laser beams were the most magnificent and visually stunning weapon system in space, yet simultaneously the most venomous, ruthless, and fastest weapon, bar none.
Ziye reluctantly halted the Predator Ship, signaling Douzai to scramble to a safe location.
Even with death looming, she would never bow her head.
Douzai was usually thickheaded to a fault, but for some reason today, it seemed to understand Ziye’s command, clutching its metal teething ring and quietly rolling towards the safe zone.
Watching its chubby body tumble forward, Ziye sighed inwardly, resolving that if she survived, she would definitely take it out for more walks to lose weight.
“Student Ziye, I saved your life out of kindness, and you won’t even offer a word of thanks? It seems Tang Wen is not a competent teacher,” Bai Lanxue’s mocking tone echoed again through the voice modulation system.
Ziye adjusted the angle of the optical display and finally saw Bai Lanxue.
That woman was as fierce as ever.
Several thoughts flashed through Ziye’s mind: the minor betrayal, the recent expert attention, and the potential danger Red Hair might be in—all of it could very well be this woman’s doing.
The frustration in her heart intensified, and a growing wave of fury brewed in her gaze, making her want to roar, “What exactly do you want? If you have an issue, take it out on me! Why drag my friends into this?!”
However, she did not do so.
She simply inhaled, inhaled again, and inhaled once more, swallowing back every word she wished to utter. She believed she was not yet significant enough to warrant Bai Lanxue personally descending and going to such lengths to hunt her down.
The underlying conspiracy, if not involving Tang Wen, must involve the Wolf Den Legion!
When she was at such a severe disadvantage, there was only one course of action: if the enemy does not move, neither do I.
Ziye stood motionless on the Predator Ship, staring at Bai Lanxue without speaking a word.
Receiving no response, Bai Lanxue gave a cold laugh. “Fainted from fear? Is that all Tang Wen’s student amounts to?” She turned her head and ordered someone beside her, “Drag the Predator Ship back.”
The person beside her bowed in assent. “Yes!” A vessel towing beam was deployed, attempting to latch onto the Shadow-type Predator Ship.
Ziye prepared to resist until death, ordering an attack. Two robots aimed their turrets at the source of the towing beam. Bang, bang, two sets of turrets fired eight heavy missiles simultaneously.
Boom—
The pure white, severe towing beam was severed, vanishing instantly in the vacuum of space. The vessel that launched the beam caught fire on one side, burning fiercely.
Bai Lanxue snarled in cold fury, “Violate, take her back!”
Violate was a common term in space combat, meaning to forcefully seize.
Ziye raised a hand to wipe away a bead of cold sweat, knowing her immediate life was saved, but also knowing that without a rescuer, she had virtually no chance of escaping the encirclement.
Her eyes swept across the nearby star chart on the control panel. There was no one familiar nearby, no potential reinforcements she could call upon. Did she really have to don a spacesuit and jump into the void?
The odds of surviving that way were infinitesimally small.
This could arguably be the trickiest dilemma Ziye had ever faced.
If she didn't jump, she would inevitably be taken back to the Interstellar Federation by Bai Lanxue, leading to threats against Tang Wen, the Wolf Den, or even An Junlie—three parties she absolutely did not want to drag down.
If she jumped, her chance of survival was only...
The data hadn't finished calculating when Little Sprout’s sprout shot up: “Survival rate 0.01.”
Ziye instantly felt the urge to vomit blood three liters.
She hadn't had the courage to jump in the first place; must they completely destroy her shaky resolve now!
She thought this was the worst possible scenario, but reality was a hundred times worse than she had imagined.
Suddenly, the screen associated with the Wolf Den lit up. A muscle jumped in her temple, and her entire heart sank into the abyss.
What she feared most had happened!
The screen displayed the Wolf Den's territory.
The current Wolf Den comprised two star systems; one was under construction. To meet the Sovereign Legion basic requirements set by the Command before the Legion Assembly, Iron Hand had been leading the construction team to rush the completion of a five-star space station recently.
At this very moment, the space station under construction on the screen suddenly blared a series of urgent alarms: “Space station under heavy attack, evacuate immediately! Space station under heavy attack, evacuate immediately!”
Ziye jumped the distance further away, widening her visible range considerably, allowing her to see clearly: the almost-finished space station of the Wolf Den was surrounded by a throng of ships of all sizes, all raining down ordnance upon it.
Torpedoes fell like raindrops onto the station, kicking up billowing smoke. Construction personnel scrambled into small shuttles to flee the station, and in the next second, Boom—!!!
A five-star space station, valued at over $100,000,000,000,003, exploded under the artillery fire. The mushroom cloud filled the entire screen, lingering long after.
The shockwave from the explosion scattered the surrounding small and large ships and shuttles in disarray, dispersing through space like pieces of paper!
In that instant, Ziye’s heart felt like it had exploded too; her emotion surpassed mere anger.
To become a Sovereign Legion as quickly as possible, no one in the Wolf Den had slacked off.
Constructing a five-star space station required a transport volume exceeding 50 million cubic meters. In that desolate region of space, under harassment and fire from countless petty thugs, pirates, and even various ill-intentioned individuals, they had worked day and night. The command team, combat teams, logistics, transport crews, and the support units from the Angel Domain had all given their utmost effort, securing all necessary supplies internally and dispatching the construction team. All their hard work had turned to ash under the enemy's cannon fire in less than a few hours.
She hated!
The Interstellar Federation—they had gone too far!!!
Ziye’s hair bristled, her eyes wide with rage. She lunged toward the robots, taking command of the turrets, aiming them squarely at Bai Lanxue. If she didn't kill this person, she wouldn't be Ziye!
Heavy missiles roared out, all aimed at the bridge of the command ship.
Bai Lanxue started, signaling the command ship to retreat while ordering the rest of the fleet to move forward and surround them.
Two fleets flanked them, and a row of seven turrets spat out seven distinct laser beams, holding off Ziye’s attack. The battleships in the rear moved up, unleashing towing beams that forcibly pinned the Shadow-type ship.
The Predator Ship lost its last chance to move, isolated in the fleet’s encirclement, like a helpless weed, for anyone to trample.
Ziye couldn't watch, hating fiercely in her heart: if she ever saw daylight again, she would reclaim every single debt Bai Lanxue owed her, absolutely!
Standing before the control panel, she swore an oath to the departed Tangshan!
There were no tears in Ziye’s eyes.
Reality did not believe in tears.
In a world governed by the law of the jungle, without strength, everything else was empty talk.
She harbored no grievance, only hatred—hatred for her own powerlessness, hatred for not thinking clearly sooner.
If she could do it all over again, she would never allow herself to fall into this situation, nor would she let the Wolf Den descend to this state!
This time, she had learned a profound lesson: an individual’s strength is not true strength; a strong team, a strong legion—that is true strength. She vowed to arm the legion with the most cutting-edge strategic weaponry, the most formidable technology, the strongest comrades, and the mightiest legion, to stomp the Interstellar Federation beneath her feet!
Then, she would personally end Bai Lanxue!
The Predator Ship completely shut down its engines and was towed forward by the fleet.
Because she refused to cooperate with a warp jump, if the fleet warped, the excessive speed would prevent the towing beam from functioning properly, leaving the Predator Ship behind. Therefore, the fleet could not jump; they could only proceed at cruising speed.
Bai Lanxue grew impatient and ordered two figures behind her, “You two, board forcibly, seize control, and we depart for the Interstellar Federation immediately.”
“Afraid of complications if things drag on?” A voice suddenly inquired, perfectly flat, devoid of ripple or emotion, carrying no feeling whatsoever.
Bai Lanxue snapped back irritably, “Nonsense! If she gets snatched away by someone else, all our efforts will be in vain.”
After speaking, she sensed something was wrong and sharply turned around. No one was behind her.
That familiar voice—who was it?
Bai Lanxue knitted her brow, suddenly realizing something, her expression shifting drastically. “Come out!”
A light chuckle sounded from directly above her head, and the voice was distinctly different now. “Secretary-General Bai, you’re so forgetful that you’ve forgotten me?”
The voice came through the voice modulation system.
Every corner of the command ship was equipped with a voice propagation system, ensuring the fleet wouldn't miss any broadcast. Now, however, Bai Lanxue suddenly felt fear regarding this ubiquitous sound.
It was like being submerged in the sea, surrounded by water in all directions, with no possibility of escape.
And it was the voice of the person she most wanted to capture yet feared the most—Tang Wen.
The voice just before that, without a doubt, belonged to Bran.
This pair of partners was even more maddening than the Black and White Impermanence guardians.
Bai Lanxue composed herself. “Chief Designer Tang, is that you?”
Tang Wen smiled faintly. “Indeed, it is me.”
Bai Lanxue’s vessel was a battlefield command ship; its main computer and optical displays utilized the latest technology. As soon as Tang Wen finished speaking, the command ship’s personnel pinpointed his exact location.
Before they could even attempt an intrusion, Tang Wen’s ultra-signal hit them.
Bai Lanxue motioned for her crew to connect the ultra-signal to the main screen. Then, Tang Wen’s tall, leisurely figure appeared on the large display. His styling today was particularly fresh and fashionable, possessing a dazzling quality, fit for both the runway and uniquely, him.
He stood there with such ease that he became an instant fashion guide for others.
The personnel aboard the command ship collectively gasped at Tang Wen’s appearance.
Tang Wen regarded the fleet within a 3000KM radius as nothing, smiling slightly. “What transgression has my little apprentice committed that requires your personal attention to discipline?”
-RS