Zi Ye couldn't directly command Tang Jing; she could only use this subtle approach to persuade him into acceptance.

Tang Jing spared Zi Ye a look of gratitude. Instead of immediately ordering his soldiers to break out or anything else, he opened the general voice channel to deliver a rallying speech: "What kind of retaliation do you think would be best?"

Tang Jing opened the general voice channel: "Blow up a few of the Coalition fleet's warships? Or charge headlong into the enemy camp to take them down with us? No, those aren't the crucial points. The most critical thing is to crush them utterly when the enemy believes they are on the verge of victory! The process isn't important; the result is what determines everything!"

Impatience and recklessness were suppressed, and zeal and confidence flooded back into the soldiers' hearts. Their expressions hardened, fists clenched, and they roared their unified sentiment with powerful conviction: "Victory belongs to us!"

Tang Jing cast a thankful glance toward Zi Ye.

Seeing her words take effect, a great weight lifted from Zi Ye’s heart. She said, "I'll have the main battlefront forces intensify their attack. Jiu Shou, do you have any more personnel you can mobilize?"

Jiu Shou replied, "It'll be a bit difficult, but I'll do my best."

The three divided the responsibilities.

The rear fleet, scattered into disarray by the Coalition forces, began to conduct guerrilla warfare while simultaneously regrouping toward the main body.

Soon, Tang Jing noticed the firing accuracy of his demoralized soldiers steadily improving. By the time they reassembled, the anger and anxiety on their faces had vanished.

They had regained the composure of seasoned battlefield veterans!

Tang Jing walked up to Zi Ye. The face of the man, well past fifty, was filled with deep gratitude.

Having navigated the battlefields for so many years, he had always believed he hadn't changed.

Yet, this time, he suddenly realized he had lost many precious things.

To Zi Ye, all he could think was: The younger generation is truly formidable!

As his soldiers performed with renewed calm, coordination among all parties gradually reached an optimal state. The battlefield was less dire, but still perilous; if even one more fleet ran into trouble, they could easily fall back into a deadlock.

Zi Ye momentarily diverted her gaze from the fleet's tactical display screen.

The adjacent screen was the Current Affairs monitor, occasionally displaying videos or statements from war correspondents that could destabilize morale—and morale was paramount to the army, thus warranting a dedicated screen to track the overall situation.

At this moment, the screen was showing coverage of the lockdown at the Kolai Hotel.

The anchor reported: "The Iron Curtain has been drawn around the Kolai Hotel for ten full hours. Over seventy legion leaders are trapped inside—it’s the most severe incident in history. Rumors suggest a distress signal was received from the Vice-Commander of the Angel Domain, claiming the Vice-Commander accidentally ingested a toxic agent in the hotel and is currently undergoing emergency treatment."

Zi Ye squinted and spat out two words: "Nonsense!"

No one truly knew what was happening inside the hotel.

Yet, they were speculating wildly and dragging the Angel Domain into it.

It didn't take much thought for Zi Ye to surmise that someone powerful was orchestrating this behind the scenes.

The anchor continued: "The Unification Headquarters wishes to deploy measures to pry open the Iron Curtain, but the various legions massed outside the entrance are divided in opinion. Notably, over a thousand nuns from the Phea Legion’s convent have arrived at the hotel entrance, staging a silent sit-in protest. They assert that the marriage of Phea heir, Ilia, is sacred and should not be compromised."

Zi Ye couldn't bear to watch any longer. She switched off the screen and headed toward the galley to find something to eat, simultaneously contemplating what method could be used to repel these relentless Coalition forces.

Lao Gou sent her a Silver-Link message.

This past month, the thing Zi Ye dreaded most was receiving a Silver-Link ping.

Every time one chimed, it brought bad news, causing her heart to sink whenever she saw one light up.

What was most frustrating was that she couldn't ignore them.

She took a deep breath and answered immediately, only for Lao Gou's voice to rush in, "Dog Sister, things have escalated!"

Before Zi Ye could swallow the breath she’d inhaled, her heart nearly leaped out of her chest: "What happened? Tell me."

Lao Gou blurted out: "The military channel just broke the news: the Hope Legion Commander has died. More than a dozen legions are currently taking advantage of the Hope Legion being headless to move in and seize control of their star systems!"

Zi Ye frowned, about to speak, when Lao Gou added, "These are all rumors; I've already dispatched the PR department to handle it, but it won't be instantaneous. Your rear lines are close to the periphery, making them vulnerable to attack. I'm seeing if we can dispatch more fleet support."

Zi Ye felt completely drained of the will to speak.

This world was forcing them toward their doom!

They had barely stabilized the situation to prevent the Hope Legion from collapsing. Now, with this sudden news, the Hope Legion was surely descending into chaos. How could they possibly resolve this mess?

Zi Ye wished the day had forty-eight hours, wished she had three heads and six arms; even then, it probably wouldn't be enough.

During wartime, people are the most agitated and quick to anger.

Wartime zealots are plentiful; any provocation sends them rushing to stir up trouble.

Taking advantage of the lockdown, the young members of various legions began launching incessant critiques against this cold and decaying space era. Coupled with the push from unseen forces, there was daily poison being spread through public opinion, muddying the waters of space politics.

Furthermore, nearby covetous legions, eyeing the wealth of the Hope Legion, tried to benefit from the Coalition and the Wolf’s Den Angel Domain being locked in a desperate fight, sending unexpected stabs in the back against them.

Suddenly, what had been a bitter stalemate had devolved into a multi-sided melee.

On the battlefield, anyone who wasn't an ally was the enemy!

The Wolf's Den forces, originally spread across the main front and the rear areas, were now causing inexplicable attacks in the rear, forcing Zi Ye's fleet to maintain heightened vigilance at all times, lest they become wreckage in an instant.

The war had become more than ten times crueler than before.

Zi Ye was nearly pushed to the breaking point. Late one night, she Silver-Linked Hong Fa to ask: "Is the Hope Legion Commander still alive?"

Hong Fa knitted her brow, thinking for a moment, "I haven't seen him these past few days. What's wrong?"

Zi Ye urgently insisted, "He must be alive; it’s critically important!"

Hong Fa agreed, but Zi Ye felt no relief whatsoever. Rubbing her temples, she tossed and turned on her bunk, unable to sleep.

The war raged on relentlessly through the night.

The gunners worked in three shifts, robots delivered ordnance to the front lines like a continuous flow, and when gunners were insufficient, robots were substituted. Drones roared twenty-four hours a day.

She, Tang Jing, and Jiu Shou also began rotating shifts, ensuring at least two people were always present: one commanding, the other supervising fleet maneuvers.

The bombardment never ceased, illuminating space like a city that never slept.

When Zi Ye lay down, she felt suffocated and climbed out of bed, only to be struck by a splitting headache, forcing her back down.

This war had made it impossible for her to manage her own basic life.

Just as her mind drifted into quietude, a sudden explosion of cannon fire erupted violently near her ear.

BOOM—

Zi Ye bolted upright in bed, terrified, "Where did we get hit?"

There was no one beside her; the robots had all been reassigned to gunnery duty, so naturally, no one could answer her query.

She wiped a bead of cold sweat from her brow and walked to the viewport. What she saw stunned her—the view outside was densely packed with warships!

Enemy attack? -RS