One careless move and all is lost!

She was entangled with Tang Wen again!

Every time Tang Wen opened his mouth, he made one acutely want to flatten his three-dimensional features, and this time was no exception. His calm and collected demeanor instantly put the entire fleet to shame.

A flicker of distortion crossed Bai Lanxue's face before it instantly hardened back into an icy mask.

—Though she hated the manner of his arrival, he was the objective of her design. Now that he was here, she could sweep them all up in one net!

In this sector of the galaxy, the only people happy to see Tang Wen were probably Ziye, oh, wait, there was one more: Little Sprout.

Little Sprout bounced off the ground like a rubber ball in sheer delight, hitting the floor and bouncing up again. “Tang the Great Bastard is here to save us! Oh yeah, Dummy, we’re saved!”

Ziye: …

The corners of her mouth involuntarily lifted.

She couldn't contain the joy.

Tang Wen’s timing was absolutely perfect.

Every young woman once dreamt of a prince on a white horse arriving to rescue her from distress when she was helpless.

When Ziye was first tossed into the Silver Talisman sector years ago, she was too young to entertain such fantasies. By the time she reached an age capable of yearning, she had become too rational.

Even in the direst moments just now, all she could think about was how to escape. She hadn't expected Tang Wen to deliver such a massive surprise.

Any young woman would be overjoyed to see a helper descend like a celestial deity, and Ziye was no exception.

She mused quietly, If only it were An Junlie.

However, Tang Wen didn't diminish her joy in the slightest.

Tang Wen, thirty-two thumbs up!

Facing Tang Wen’s direct interrogation, Bai Lanxue forced a smile that didn't reach her eyes. “I merely wished to invite her to the Federation headquarters for tea. It’s not safe for a girl to be running around alone on such a fine day.”

Tang Wen returned a half-smile. “Indeed, it’s not safe. Thank you for protecting her for so long; you’ve worked hard. I will take over her protection now. I'll treat you to tea another day.”

Bai Lanxue sneered. “No, I insist you join me for tea as well!”

Tang Wen raised an eyebrow, leisurely. “Shall we perhaps invite a few students from Tang Shan along? They are already renowned designers and rarely have time to meet. Secretary Bai has such excellent abilities; how about arranging a reunion for us to catch up?”

Bai Lanxue played dumb. “What do you mean?”

Tang Wen grinned sweetly. “Aren’t there two designers in the Tang Clan? Tang En, whose designs account for 37% of the Tang Clan’s strategic equipment. Tang Nada, who accounts for 23%. Both are disciples of Tang Shan, having received his true teachings. Shall we call them over together?” As he finished speaking, he suddenly turned his head to glance at the fleet stirring restlessly nearby, and his tone shifted. “Your fleet had best not rush into action, or I cannot guarantee they will ever see the space station again.”

This was not a negotiation; it was outright blackmail!

Bai Lanxue’s face twisted in fury, yet she had to signal the fleet to halt, while simultaneously instructing nearby personnel to scan exactly how many forces Tang Wen had brought.

Visually, they were not fewer than hers.

In less than a minute, the staff returned the count: over forty vessels, five fleets.

The staff member reported, “Only the fleet he arrived in belongs to the Tang Clan. Of the remaining four fleets, one belongs to a mercenary group, one to an assassin syndicate, one to a nearby pirate band, and the affiliation of the last one is unknown.”

Bai Lanxue’s expression froze; she couldn't utter a word.

Ruthless and absolute, he actually brought a band of desperate outlaws. No matter how superior her fleet was, she couldn't compete against these reckless fellows.

Whether Tang Wen noticed her apprehension or not, he continued to lounge casually on the communication screen. “Tang Nada is yours, isn't he? Hiding in the Tang Clan for so long—truly impressive, capable of bending and stretching. To thank you for taking care of me during my time at the Interstellar Federation Research Institute, I’ve fired Tang En and put Tang Nada in charge of the Tang Clan’s strategic weaponry. Are you satisfied with this gift? With Tang En removed, he’s bound to be disgruntled, making it easier for you to woo him.”

Bai Lanxue’s face turned ashen.

Just how much did Tang Wen know about her machinations?

The Tang Clan wasn't famous for mystery, but for its high-end weapons manufacturing.

Every few generations, the Tang Clan produced one or two weapons geniuses, passing down the knowledge through the generations, alongside widely accepting disciples. Their weapons designers were talent resources fought over across the entire galaxy.

Bai Lanxue had long coveted this resource. After tremendous effort, she finally found a breakthrough and successfully secured Tang Nada.

A while ago, when she heard the news of Tang En’s dismissal, her spirits lifted considerably. Without Tang En, Tang Nada would quickly master the Tang Clan’s core secrets, making the takeover of the Clan a trivial matter! Taking advantage of Tang En’s disappointment, she had even extended an olive branch to him...

She never imagined that all her calculations were already known to Tang Wen.

This man, whose smile resembled gentle spring rain, had a heart black as pitch!

Ziye, aboard the Plunderer vessel, noticed the Interstellar Federation fleet had stopped, but she couldn't see what was happening. She wasn't one to sit idly by. She manually scanned the situation ahead and was stunned to see the Federation fleet intercepted by several other fleets, preventing any forward movement.

Daring to intercept head-on, Tang Wen had great audacity!

Ziye gave Tang Wen her 33rd thumbs up and instructed Little Dou to install a virus on both parties' communications, displaying everything on her own screen.

Bai Lanxue VS Tang Wen—Tang Wen held a slight advantage.

Ziye’s heart settled a bit. She ran into the safe zone and scooped up Douzai, telling Little Sprout, “Quick, before they start fighting, let’s run.”

Little Sprout grumbled, “Aren't you waiting for Big Bastard Tang?”

Ziye didn't look back. “Wait for what? Let’s get far away before they start shooting. Once the battle begins, we won't even be left with dust.”

Thousands of missiles and torpedoes would turn the Plunderer vessel into scrap or at best, a crippled wreck.

Little Sprout really wanted to watch Big Bastard Tang blast that vicious woman Bai Lanxue into smithereens, but since Ziye was leaving, it had no choice but to follow.

Ziye was slightly conflicted: Should I take the Plunderer or the escape pod?

The escape pod could slip out stealthily from beneath the Plunderer and jump immediately downward, allowing her to flee the scene in half a minute. Moreover, the pod was tiny, virtually invisible amidst the massive vessel.

However, the escape pod had one major weakness: she couldn’t return to the Wolf’s Den.

Its energy and fuel were only sufficient to reach a nearby area for refueling or switching ships. The escape pod had no offensive capabilities; if she encountered pirates en route, bang, it would all be over.

Ever since her capture, she had activated the Plunderer’s self-repair function and deployed two nano-repair robots to fix the hull. By now, repairs were nearly complete, and normal operation was feasible. With the Plunderer, she could return to the Wolf’s Den in one go.

But the Plunderer had a fatal flaw: it was too large.

The moment she started it, everyone would see, and all eyes would turn to her. Bai Lanxue would relentlessly pursue her again...

Ziye, carrying Douzai, was nearly at the escape pod docking bay when she suddenly turned back, placed Douzai down, took the Captain’s seat, signaled all robots and Little Sprout to their stations, and activated the anti-towing system. Instantly, faint electrical waves swept across the Plunderer’s hull, and all tractor beams snapped simultaneously. Ziye slammed her fist onto the activation key.

Countdown: Five, four, three, two, one!

In five seconds, the jump drive engaged. Up, down, front, back, left, and right—all routes were open. The rear and sides were blocked by the Interstellar Federation; the front was blocked by both the Federation and Tang Wen’s fleet. Unable to go forward, she abruptly shifted direction and jumped upward.

In the instant before the jump, she caught a glimpse of Bai Lanxue’s look of disbelief and Tang Wen’s slight surprise on the screen.

The two parties had been chatting so "cheerfully" that they completely overlooked the kidnapped young woman, who then "stormed off" and escaped!

Tang Wen reacted swiftly. His thin lips parted, and he uttered a single word: “Block!”

Not Ziye, but Bai Lanxue.

Blan, standing behind Tang Wen, immediately relayed the order. The moment Ziye initiated the jump, he commanded five vessels to move upward simultaneously, forming a line to intercept the Interstellar Federation fleet, denying them any chance of pursuit.

Bai Lanxue choked back blood in fury. “Those who block me shall die!”

The magnificent laser cannons tore through the deep expanse of space once more. Both fleets opened fire simultaneously, weaving intricate yet terrifyingly gorgeous nets across the void. From afar, the ships appeared like tiny birds caught in countless multicolored light nets, rising and falling.

The direction Ziye chose was astute.

In a space battle, the front and rear are the easiest directions to escape, but if there is no path, the only option left is upward.

Going downward was extremely perilous.

—Nearly all warships possessed a basic function: descent. If Ziye’s Plunderer descended and wasn't fast enough, it could easily be caught.

Moreover, weapon turrets were mostly positioned on the sides of the vessel, capable of rotating ninety degrees to fire directly. Being hit by fire from several fleets would result in serious injury at best.

Not every ship had the capability to instantly initiate a jump to the upper sectors.

While the Interstellar Federation fleet vessels were certainly good, how could they compare to the Plunderer meticulously crafted by Tang Wen?!

Coupled with Tang Wen’s timely interdiction, Ziye successfully escaped.

Ziye was not one to wait passively. While being escorted by Bai Lanxue, she had already ordered Little Sprout to thoroughly map out the nearby routes. As soon as she broke free from the encirclement, she sped toward her chosen path.

Jump, pass through a Stargate, jump again, pass through another Stargate... again and again, Ziye kept her nerves taut until she left the pirate sector before daring to take a breath.

By then, sweat had soaked her uniform.

She pulled at her collar, let out a breath, and just as she was about to speak, several red names flashed on the control panel.

Ziye didn't finish her breath and almost bit her tongue.

Damn it, why does what I fear always happen?!

When traversing the galaxy, one often encounters hostile legions. To safeguard the captain’s security, the control panels of nearly every legion’s warship were set to display information on hostile legions. If the system detected the passage of an enemy vessel, the control panel would automatically issue an alert.

Holy cow, a new wave of enemies!