Tang Wen and Red Hair reached an understanding, and the two stood up, shaking hands with genuine warmth. Tang Wen smiled faintly, "The details will be discussed with the Combat Director of the Tang Clan."

Red Hair nodded. "That's not the main point." She paused, her eyes locking onto Tang Wen's expression, "Now, can you finally tell me that Ziye is actually staying with you, and doing quite well?"

Tang Wen’s expression remained unreadable. "How could you possibly think she's with me?"

Red Hair countered, "What else would motivate you to offer me battleships?"

Tang Wen's gaze was steady and chillingly calm. "If she were by my side, do you think I would bother meeting you for a partnership? She is the strategic weapons director for Wolf's Den. Shouldn't I just talk to her directly?"

Red Hair couldn't quite gauge the truth in his words, so she pressed, "Then is she in the Integration Command?"

Tang Wen leaned back in his chair, clearly losing interest. "I thought you were an intelligent woman, but today you disappoint me slightly. Instead of using your intellect trying to guess if she’s with me or hidden somewhere by me, you’d be better off searching for which planet she went missing on."

Red Hair shrugged, disappointment evident. "Very well. I can only regret that she is not with you. Since the cooperation is settled, I will return now to prepare for battle. No more idle chat for the time being."

Lan Li was enraged all over again.

Since boarding the battleship, Red Hair hadn't given him a proper glance, and now, after concluding her talk with Tang Wen, she was leaving without even a single greeting for him?

Lan Li felt his very presence fading. He cleared his throat. "Perhaps you don't need to rush off. Wolf's Den borders the Angelic Domain. Since we are sitting together today, we could discuss countermeasures against the Interstellar Federation."

Red Hair glanced sideways at him. Seizing the opportunity, he immediately shot her a look drenched in wounded innocence.

Red Hair pondered for a moment. "That could work. I'll wait until you two are done talking."

Tang Wen registered the expressions and actions of both individuals, suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to flop onto the piano and roll around in anguish.

—He hadn't rolled around in ages, because there was no one for him to act spoiled for. His mother had left Tang Wen to reclaim her former career as the CEO of Dragon Arts Group; Ziye had vanished without a trace; Brann was becoming more like an assistant and less like his nanny; as for his father, he never once felt the desire to seek comfort from him.

In the end, Tang Wen did not roll. He merely lowered his eyelids slightly, concealing every flicker of emotion.

Lan Li finally secured Red Hair's attention, feeling somewhat uplifted. He beamed at Tang Wen. "Is it our turn to discuss our partnership?"

Tang Wen lifted his eyelids again, his eyes restored to their icy composure. "Indeed. The Angelic Domain is vast and rich in resources—battleships and munitions abound. The Tang Clan is clearly not needed in that aspect."

Lan Li chuckled. "No, we need battleships too." His peripheral vision caught the brewing anger in Red Hair’s gaze, so he quickly added, "However, Wolf's Den needs them more than we do right now. We can postpone that aspect."

Tang Wen suddenly found Lan Li's smile irritatingly sharp. He stood up. "Yes, let's discuss it later. Please instruct your battleships to dock at the nearest five-star space station."

Lan Li: ... Could he just call Tang Wen petty? They hadn't even negotiated the cooperation, yet he became inexplicably annoyed and shelved the plan. What an emotional person! He looked towards Red Hair, but she was deep in thought and didn't receive his silent plea for help.

And so, the battleship docked at the nearest five-star station, and Tang Wen left the vessel with Brann.

As soon as they were gone, Lan Li exploded, grabbing Red Hair’s arm and complaining, "Damn it, Tang Wen is too self-centered! I hadn't said anything, and he just postponed our cooperation out of nowhere. He was the one who wanted to cooperate initially, and now he's the one postponing it—" Before he could finish, the cabin door hissed open, revealing Brann’s resolute, merciless face. "The Young Master just forgot to mention: it’s not too late to talk cooperation after Lord An Junlie finds Ziye."

Lan Li stood frozen in the posture of holding Red Hair’s arm, his face turning crimson. He’d made a total fool of himself!

Brann calmly closed the hatch, left the battleship, and headed for the dockside lounge.

In the lounge, Tang Wen sat with one hand cupping his chin, radiating the melancholy aura of a young prince.

Brann shook his head, deciding to tell him about Lan Li's embarrassing moment just now. Upon hearing it, Tang Wen blinked his eyes wide and asked, "Did you record it?"

Brann: ...Damn, this is the ruthless one!

Tang Wen clutched the edge of Brann's uniform, whimpering pitifully. "Little Brann, let's go back to Kacher Planet. Space is too dangerous."

Brann nearly yielded to the impulse to tousle his hair. "Fine, I'll go back with you."

Brann sent a priority transmission, summoning a Raider-class vessel to take him and Tang Wen back to Kacher Planet. This Raider was no ordinary vessel; besides its combat capabilities, it boasted extensive life-support functions. Everything inside was customized to Tang Wen's preferences, even featuring a magnificent concert-grade white grand piano.

The 'Piano Prince of Destruction' sat at the keyboard, angrily striking the keys in frustration.

Brann stood behind him like a diligent teacher, his expression impassive. "You hit that note wrong, and your force is off. As a competent pianist, you must first pay attention to your posture..."

Before he could finish, Tang Wen unceremoniously buried his face into the piano.

Brann sighed, about to comment further, when he noticed a somewhat familiar figure flash across the forward screen. He walked over for a closer look and nearly went blind. "Interstellar Federation Commander Kalu and Elia, the future heir of the Fia lineage, have finally completed their sacred engagement ceremony! This feels like a breath of peace blowing into the midst of intense warfare. Their engagement signifies the collaboration of two major future legions, and this is believed to be a crucial turning point that will redefine the interstellar landscape..."

"Young Master, Kalu and Elia are engaged!"

Tang Wen lifted his head from the piano, his voice tight with suppressed emotion. "So what?"

Brann was anxious. "Their engagement means they are joining forces. Our failure to secure cooperation with the Angelic Domain is a major disadvantage for us."

Tang Wen remained non-committal. "It's practically impossible for those two legions to work together harmoniously."

Brann felt utterly defeated by Tang Wen. "Then securing cooperation with the Angelic Domain sooner, to establish a defensive line, would still be good."

Tang Wen gave a faint smile. "Lan Li will come begging me."

Brann shook his head again.

Soon, reality proved Tang Wen correct once more. Ten minutes later, Lan Li initiated a priority transmission. "Greetings, Young Master Tang. We sincerely value our partnership. Today, the Interstellar Federation and Fia reached a cooperation agreement, which poses a significant threat to both the Tang Clan and the Angelic Domain. Our collaboration is imperative. When might you have time to resume discussions?"

Tang Wen was in a poor mood, but he didn't indulge his tantrum this time. He stated, "The Angelic Domain and the Tang Clan are both legions with strong overall capabilities. In terms of airspace, strategic weapon systems and technology, pilots and captains, gun turrets and ammunition, and systems and electronic warfare—we can establish a comprehensive cooperation agreement. I will send you the contact information for our legionary diplomats shortly. Can both sides hold a brief meeting for in-depth talks?"

Lan Li expected to have to argue further, but seeing Tang Wen so agreeable, he immediately followed instructions, contacting the Tang Clan's diplomats while instructing the Angelic Domain's think tank to draft a cooperative mech proposal at top speed and arrange a time for detailed discussions.

Tang Wen flopped back onto the piano again, sighing wistfully. "Little Brann, they all have things to do, but what am I supposed to do?"

Brann considered it. "Shall we design some incredibly powerful battleships?"

Tang Wen puffed out his cheeks. "No inspiration lately."

Brann suggested, "Shall we go to the battlefield to kill enemies? Like last time—whoever dares block our path, we blast them in half with one shot!"

Tang Wen showed little interest. "Not interested in weaklings."

Brann racked his brain, unable to come up with a single suggestion that might bring him joy, feeling a deep, uncomfortable ache. "How about we go look for Ziye?"

Tang Wen sat up abruptly, pouting. "There are still two days left before the one-month deadline."

Brann soothed him. "Our starting the search for Ziye has no necessary connection to you killing An Junlie in two days. Right?"

Tang Wen collapsed back onto the piano keys. "Let me think about it."

Brann smiled and nodded, dropping his stern demeanor as a piano teacher. He headed to the Captain's quarters and instructed the captain to change course for the Tuba Star System. The Tuba Star System was the starting point of the catastrophe. Ziye disappeared at the beginning; ultimately, they had to return there to find her. On this point, Tang Wen and An Junlie shared the same line of thinking.

Upon reaching the Tuba Star System, Tang Wen's mood recovered significantly. He sent a transmission, summoning a reconnaissance vessel specialized in electronic warfare to conduct a comprehensive sweep. This vessel could scan for any human presence within several thousand kilometers. If it entered a planet, it could instantly determine the population count.

The battlefield had long moved away from the Tuba Star System. But since no one had yet undertaken the reconstruction of Tuba, the system appeared exceptionally desolate at the moment.

Tang Wen ordered the scout ship to execute a carpet search while he sat by the viewport, opening the star charts near the Tuba System to ponder the next issue. In truth, he knew Ziye was unlikely to still be in the Tuba Star System. Even if she was there initially, after a whole month, it was impossible for her to remain.

He did not believe Ziye was dead. He trusted his intuition more: Ziye must have fled before the incident occurred.

Tang Wen didn't search like ordinary people, tracing through Bobo or seeking clues from the Interstellar Federation. Instead, the moment he learned of the accident, he had already hacked into the internal surveillance system of Bobo's destroyer. Most of the Interstellar Federation personnel focused their attention on the colossal mecha that had decimated their entire fleet; few realized that the internal surveillance system was equally crucial.

Tang Wen copied the internal surveillance feed and saw the footage of Ziye being abducted internally, followed by her escape sequence. He was convinced that Ziye, having escaped with such composure, must have had a fallback plan. The only thing he needed to know was: under those perilous circumstances, which direction did she flee? -RS