The Fourth Fleet suddenly vanished from the star chart! A chill crept up Bai Lanxue's spine for no discernible reason.

The fleet's signal was gone, the warships' signals too.

Had they been annihilated in a single second? No, that was impossible! Bai Lanxue tapped the spot on the star chart where the fleet had disappeared, enlarging the view.

She frowned.

Could they have run into a Void Storm? She hadn't forgotten everything that had happened in the Tuba Star System.

The Galactic Federation's rescue team had vanished in an instant, becoming an eternal mystery.

The Wolf's Den… Bai Lanxue's eyes hardened further.

If the Wolf's Den wasn't brought down, she could never rest easy! She looked up, watching the Third Fleet's warships, pursuing the Wolf's Den's vessels as they shot like meteors out of the breached shield of the space station toward the outer star fields.

That direction again.

Bai Lanxue instantly understood.

The Wolf's Den clearly intended to lure them into that unknown sector with premeditation, but she wasn't afraid in the least.

Since the Wolf's Den dared to enter, it implied a certain degree of safety.

The loss of contact with the Fourth Fleet didn't necessarily mean they had encountered danger.

Her heart settled slightly, and she immediately issued an order to the Third Fleet: "Third Fleet, maintain pursuit of the Wolf's Den fleet during their warp jump; do not lose sight of them under any circumstances.

Additionally, dispatch five light escort frigates to rendezvous with the Fourth Fleet.

The expert team will follow the main force to probe the unknown star sector, but do not advance rashly if danger is encountered." The commander of the Third Fleet was somewhat surprised.

Do not advance rashly if danger is encountered? When had Bai Lanxue become so cautious? Was the situation not right? The commander harbored doubts, but until the facts were clear, he could not allow panic to spread among the troops.

He simply instructed his adjutant to contact the Fourth Fleet to ascertain if there was any danger ahead.

The adjutant had just received the order and stepped out of the command room when he saw a large warship sweep past the viewport.

In the moment of relative stillness, he clearly saw the vividly rendered Wolf's Den insignia emblazoned on the enemy vessel.

It was so brazen it made him want to blast it to smithereens! "Pursue immediately!" The adjutant blurted out.

Many others besides the adjutant had seen the sight.

However, the target lock system couldn't engage in time.

The enemy slipped away like an eel, vanishing into the dense nebula.

The adjutant hurriedly opened an internal line to the Captain's quarters: "That was a Wolf's Den warship that just passed.

Why didn't you stop it?" The Captain wore an expression of strained constipation. "I saw it too! But I had no idea when it got alongside us.

The system didn't issue any warning." If that Wolf's Den warship had collided with them just then, the entire crew would have been tumbled end over end, if not killed outright.

The adjutant frowned. "The system didn't issue a warning?" The Captain replied, "Yes, that's what I was about to report.

All signals at the control console have failed; we are currently limited to manual piloting.

Please assign an additional Vice-Captain to assist me." The adjutant felt a measure of disbelief regarding the Captain's words, picking up the intercom to find someone to check on the situation in the Captain's quarters.

Opening the optical screen, he froze.

There truly was no signal.

The adjutant realized something was seriously wrong.

He turned and rushed back to the command room to report to the Fleet Commander.

The Fleet Commander was hunched over the optical screens in the command room.

They had all simultaneously and inexplicably lost signal, turning into static snow.

Seeing him enter, the Commander waved him over. "Come take a look at these screens; they've suddenly broken down." The Adjutant: "…The screens aren't broken.

The signal is down." The Commander straightened up, understanding dawning on his face. "I see." The Adjutant, growing anxious: "What?" The Commander: "Nothing.

Head to the Captain's quarters." In the Captain's quarters, the Captain and two Vice-Captains were fully engaged in manually piloting the warship to execute a proper warp jump, their faces grim.

The Commander glanced at the holographic projection screen above, then at the control panel—it was identical to the one in the command room.

He understood immediately. "Did you lose the Wolf's Den warship?" The Captain was drenched in sweat. "Yes." The Commander asked, "Do you still have knowledge of the route we entered by? We'll return the way we came." The Adjutant exclaimed, "We're not pursuing?" The Commander stated, "We have no chance of winning." "But…" the Captain muttered to himself.

He might not be able to find the way back.

Space was just that treacherous; the scenery was perpetually monotonous, and one couldn't navigate by sight alone, relying entirely on the system.

If the system failed, a person was virtually paralyzed.

However, as the captain of Bai Lanxue's most elite fleet, he possessed the experience required to chart a course in an unknown star sector.

The Captain, the Vice-Captains, the experts, and the technicians moved to their stations, coordinating their efforts.

They dared not initiate the warp jump carelessly.

They proceeded cautiously, cruising while probing their surroundings, searching for a route home.

The Commander did not participate in the immediate efforts.

He stood in the Captain's quarters, ostensibly waiting for results, but in reality, grappling with a larger issue: Bai Lanxue's order to search for the Fourth Fleet.

He had obeyed and sent out the frigates, only to lose them instead of finding the Fourth Fleet.

Just then, a voice shouted, "What is that?" Everyone simultaneously looked up.

Upon seeing the planet engulfed in raging fire in the distance, they involuntarily held their breath.

The planet's surface was encircled by fire, blazing a deep crimson, glowing through and through.

From a distance, it resembled a ruby in intense heat—dazzling, yet carrying a terrifying sense of suffocation.

They gazed at the planet from afar, unable to pull their eyes away.

They had never witnessed such a sight.

The scenery of space never ceased to astonish.

As the flames raged, the planet grew larger and redder, and they were drawing closer to it.

The Captain, lost in the spectacle, instinctively placed his hand on the control panel, accidentally hitting the emergency alert key.

A shrill alarm pierced the air, snapping the Captain back from the mesmerizing planet.

He looked at the console and suddenly gasped, shouting, "We must leave here immediately! Everyone to your stations, activate the warp engines!" The personnel not directly involved quickly braced themselves nearby.

However, the warp engines failed to pull them away; instead, their warship accelerated toward the fiery planet.

The Fleet Commander's usually calm face showed an unprecedented seriousness. "What is happening?" The Captain broke out in a cold sweat. "That planet is pulling us in…" Bai Lanxue waited in the space station for the Fourth Fleet, receiving no sign, and heard no reply from the Third Fleet.

She inwardly cursed them as useless; they couldn't even handle a few small frigates, a complete waste of the time she had spent leading them.

The Second Fleet successfully broke free from the docking bay and exited the space station.

She glanced at the star chart and ordered, "First Fleet, remain on station.

If the Third or Fourth Fleets return, you must provide support.

Second Fleet, follow me." By the time the Third and Fourth Fleets entered the star chart, Bai Lanxue had already instructed the experts to map out a trajectory.

Upon reaching the edge of the system, she ordered the star chart and all systems shut down.

Forming a battle array in an exploratory manner, they plunged fully into the unknown star sector.

As soon as they entered, Red Hair noticed them.

It was Red Hair who had been steering the warships to lure them into the unknown sector.

At this moment, she was hiding behind the dense nebula.