The forward sections of two small warships bore the inscription: "Starlight City, please do not attack us! We are citizens of [Country Name], and we’ve just stolen an alien battleship. We are here to defect to you!"

Seeing the lettering emblazoned on the two small warships, Liu Hui let out a cold laugh inwardly.

How powerful were the alien battleships? Even his "Starlight City" was helpless against them. How could these people possibly have stolen one? Moreover, this was their first encounter with such alien vessels; the fact that they could even pilot them away was utterly unbelievable. Therefore, Liu Hui would never believe that these two small alien warships had actually been stolen.

Zhou Tengyun inquired, "Boss, regardless of whether these warships were truly stolen, what we know for certain is that there are Earthlings inside these small warships. What should we do now? Attack or not?"

Liu Hui chuckled, "It's obvious these aliens want to use humans as human shields to tie our hands so we dare not attack them. It’s a pity they’ve just arrived on Earth and don’t understand the complex ethnic landscape here. They clearly don't grasp the deep-seated conflicts between us and the [Nationality Name], yet they think they can use [Nationality Name] people as hostages to threaten us. That’s rather naive."

King Yue remarked, "Back when the [Nationality Name] invaded Huaxia, whenever a siege stalled, they frequently used Huaxia civilians as human shields to charge our defensive lines. I doubt those [Nationality Name] soldiers from back then ever imagined their descendants would be captured by aliens to be cannon fodder attacking our 'Starlight City,' did they?"

Liu Hui stated, "That’s what you call the cycle of karma—retribution is inevitable. Decades ago, those Huaxia troops suffered heavy losses because they hesitated when facing armies driving their own countrymen ahead. But now, facing these people, we feel no such reservations. Those aliens have clearly miscalculated."

In order to quickly breach "Starlight City" and capture Liu Hui, thereby securing the astounding treasure of the Dlande Empire, Sulfur Base, after heeding his staff officer's counsel, decided to use the surrendering individuals as human shields. This tactic was intended to make Liu Hui hesitate to attack his warships, allowing Sulfur Base's vessels to draw near "Starlight City" and completely destroy its protective shields. What they failed to account for was the historical connection between "Starlight City" and the [Nationality Name] people, leading them to make the fatal error of choosing them as shields, ensuring their human shield gambit was doomed to fail.

On the sea surface, the two small warships laden with some of the captives sped toward "Starlight City." When they were about five hundred kilometers out, Little Black burst forth from the water and unleashed a ferocious barrage of ice-cone attacks on one of the small warships.

Liu Hui instantly saw through the aliens’ ploy to use human shields to attack "Starlight City," and he resolved to snipe the alien small warships on the spot. He maneuvered Little Black to lurk along the small warship's predicted path, then suddenly erupted from the sea, blasting one vessel with ice magic.

Under Liu Hui's direct control, Little Black’s ice magic strike was exceptionally precise. Even though the small warship was prepared, it only took three successive ice-cone strikes for Little Black to shatter its outer energy shield. Little Black rapidly tore a massive gash in the warship's hull and moved to burrow inside for extensive sabotage.

Just then, the alien battleship in orbit locked onto Little Black's position. Its main cannon opened fire, sending a blindingly thick column of energy light down from the heavens, which struck Little Black’s massive body squarely. Struck by the energy beam, Little Black plummeted into the ocean, its fate unknown.

Sulfur Base, aboard the battleship, rejoiced. Seeing Little Black hit by the energy beam and fall into the sea, he assumed the beast was killed. However, to his astonishment, Little Black suddenly leaped out of the water. It bore no visible wounds and moved as if untouched, appearing completely unharmed by the battleship’s main cannon fire.

Little Black reappeared, and this time it hesitated for no reason, swiftly diving into the small warship whose defenses it had breached to commence its terrifying campaign of destruction. Sulfur Base, witnessing Little Black emerge unscathed from his main cannon blast and then burrow into the smaller craft, flew into a rage. "Increase the main cannon's energy output! Destroy that small warship along with it! I refuse to believe that beast can survive such a powerful assault..."

The staff officer beside him pleaded, "My Lord, absolutely not! While that small warship contains many Earthlings, it also carries over fifty thousand of our own troops—they are our people..."

Sulfur Base coldly replied, "If they are my army, they are prepared to die for me at any moment. Furthermore, their sacrifice holds value if it means eliminating this sea beast and achieving final victory."

The staff officer murmured quietly, "My Lord, won't attacking our own troops demoralize the rest? Although the beast has already entered the small warship and those inside are doomed, acting like this..."

Sulfur Base considered this, then stated, "This beast moves like the wind and can somehow evade our radar scans. If it escapes, we won't be able to track it. Therefore, for a swift resolution, sacrifice is necessary..."

Seeing Sulfur Base's resolve, the staff officer fell silent, feeling a chill run down his spine. Under Sulfur Base's insistence, the battleship’s main cannon energy output was increased, targeting the small warship on the sea. An energy attack even more powerful than the previous beam slammed into the small warship.

This vessel, already being torn apart by Little Black inside, disintegrated into fragments in less than two seconds under the energy beam. Sulfur Base commanded, "Increase the energy output again! Lock onto the sea beast's signature, and strike it with destructive force the moment it is sighted..."

The orbital battleship immediately locked onto Little Black's last known area. To Sulfur Base's disappointment, the moment the lower warship was destroyed, a thick mist suddenly billowed across the sea surface. This fog was strange; it seemed imbued with some mysterious energy, dense enough that even their large-scale reconnaissance radar could not penetrate it to reveal what lay beneath.

The mist expanded rapidly, soon engulfing a fifty-kilometer radius of the sea. Sulfur Base could not only tell if Little Black was alive or dead, or where it was, but he also lost all radar contact with the other small warship.

"This... how is this possible? Our radar can penetrate planetary interiors, yet it cannot see through this patch of fog?" the staff officer exclaimed in shock.

The aliens’ radar systems were usually formidable, but upon engaging Little Black on Earth, they found their scans rendered useless.

What the aliens did not know was that after Little Black evolved into a Divine-rank Water-elemental magical beast, its control over water magic reached its zenith. In the ocean, it was Little Black’s home turf, granting it access to numerous miraculous powers. This was why, once it submerged, the battleship’s radar could no longer detect it.

Although Little Black had been struck by the battleship’s main cannon earlier, thanks to the dual modification and effect of the Zerg gene serum and water magic, the main cannon could not inflict serious harm in the short term unless Little Black remained perfectly still to allow Sulfur Base to fire freely. Nevertheless, even though the main cannon couldn't destroy Little Black, the attack did inflict a pain it hadn't felt in a long time.

Therefore, when Liu Hui controlled Little Black to cause havoc inside the breached small warship, it served two purposes: destroying the vessel and using the interior as cover from the battleship’s main cannon fire. Liu Hui hadn't anticipated that Sulfur Base would be as ruthless as he was, callously using the main cannon on his own ship simply to eliminate Little Black.

Little Black sustained no serious injuries when the small warship was annihilated, merely feeling residual soreness. Thus, as soon as Little Black reappeared in the air, it immediately unleashed its water magic, conjuring a vast expanse of thick fog. This mist was saturated with water-elemental magic, spreading rapidly and using natural magical oscillation to absorb the radar waves emitted by the battleship, rendering everything under the fog invisible to the enemy.

The entire sequence—from Little Black's sudden appearance attacking the small warship, to being targeted and severely attacked by the battleship, to flying out of the sea and burrowing back into the small warship, to the battleship striking its own vessel to flush Little Black out, and finally Little Black conjuring the obscuring fog—took less than a minute.

The other small warship, still reeling from the violent events unfolding nearby, suddenly found itself enveloped in the whiteout. Nothing was visible around the vessel, and contact with the main battleship was lost. As panic began to set in, Little Black suddenly materialized beside them, shattering the warship's energy shield with a few swift ice-cone attacks. Little Black then plunged inside, beginning a terrifying slaughter; every being it encountered, whether Earthling or alien, was completely wiped out.

Unable to track Little Black's movements or make contact with the other small warship, the battleship crew could only wait anxiously above. Five minutes later, the sea fog began to dissipate. They immediately saw nothing but wreckage on the water, with only a few struggling Earthlings and aliens left swimming. The small warships and Little Black were gone, as if they had never existed.

On "Starlight City," everyone had been ecstatic when Little Black suddenly appeared and attacked the small warships. However, their hearts lurched into their throats when they saw it struck by the battleship’s energy beam and fall into the sea. Next, Little Black flew up again, entered the small warship, and then both Little Black and the small warship were hit by the battleship’s main cannon, blowing the vessel to pieces. Subsequently, an unusual thick fog appeared over the water, and when it cleared, both Little Black and the second small warship had vanished. In those brief few minutes, the occupants had endured a full spectrum of extreme emotions, from elation to despair.

Liu Hui, who had controlled Little Black throughout the battle, was naturally the person who knew the full story. "Everyone, don't worry," he announced. "The Huaxia Divine Dragon has taken care of those two small warships. It wasn't harmed itself and is currently in hiding."

Zhou Tengyun stared at Liu Hui with bewilderment. "Boss, even the Huaxia Divine Dragon is out here helping you. What exactly is your identity? Are you a god?"

Zhou Tengyun’s question was instantly echoed by the others, who all looked at Liu Hui with the same strange expression, as if he truly were a deity. Liu Hui smiled wryly in his heart. He was just an ordinary man; he was no god, though he certainly didn't bow to gods, having just refused an excellent opportunity to become a God of Light.

Liu Hui said, "Alright, stop guessing wildly. Remember this: do not believe rumors, and do not spread them. The most important thing right now is to focus on performing your assigned duties well."

Looking at the results of the engagement, Sulfur Base was consumed by rage. This time, they had lost two small warships and one hundred thousand troops, yet they didn't even know if Little Black was alive or dead. In that sense, their strategy had failed once again.

To date, four of the ten small warships dispatched to Earth by the battleship had been lost, meaning Sulfur Base had sacrificed at least three hundred thousand of his most elite soldiers. This formidable military force, encountering any other native planet, would have subjugated it completely. Instead, they had suffered a crushing defeat on Earth, inflicted by attacks they couldn't comprehend.

In previous engagements with other cosmic powers, Sulfur Base’s strategy involved battering enemy ships with their main cannons until their energy reserves were depleted before they could be damaged. Then, landing craft would board the crippled vessels to capture them and their personnel for victory. He rarely encountered opponents like "Starlight City," whose defenses were as hard as a turtle shell, making them incredibly difficult to deal with.

If the conflict with "Starlight City" occurred within Sulfur Base's sphere of influence, he could simply summon more battleships for reinforcement and breach the tough energy shield with sustained main cannon fire. However, this location was extremely far from their territory. Not only could they not expect reinforcements from the rear, but continuous main cannon usage might drain their energy reserves before the shield was breached. At that point, "Starlight City's" own Level Five main cannons could damage his battleship.

Moreover, there was the variable of whether his presence had been exposed. He didn't know if his rival brothers were trailing him, meaning the more impatient he became, the less effective his solutions would be against "Starlight City."

On this seemingly primitive planet, Sulfur Base had finally encountered a monumental problem. His ambition to conquer "Starlight City" quickly was becoming increasingly unrealistic.

Sulfur Base’s staff officer began strategizing. "My Lord, I just learned that another inhabited planet in this star system is Mars. Mars was also developed by 'Starlight City,' which even constructed three large human habitation centers there. All the people residing in those centers belong to 'Starlight City.' While 'Starlight City' may not care about the lives of citizens from other Earth nations, they cannot ignore the lives of their own people, can they?"

Sulfur Base’s eyes lit up. "Are you suggesting that while threatening them with people from other Earth nations is useless, capturing people belonging to 'Starlight City' from those other locations could force them to surrender? Is that correct?"

The staff officer smiled. "Yes, that is precisely what I mean. 'Starlight City's' defense is tough as a turtle shell; we cannot breach it quickly. But I doubt the other human settlements of 'Starlight City' possess such formidable energy shields. Furthermore, we spotted several transport and mining ships in space laden with mineral resources; the markings indicate they also belong to 'Starlight City.' If we gain control of these people, we will have the leverage to compel 'Starlight City' to surrender."

Sulfur Base laughed heartily, repeating, "Excellent, excellent. Even if we are stuck here, it doesn't mean we can't break the deadlock elsewhere. I refuse to believe that 'Starlight City' has no weak points whatsoever... I am growing increasingly curious: just how advanced is the Dlande Empire’s technology? It grants a primitive planet, barely capable of interstellar flight, the strength to challenge our powerful warships?"

The staff officer grinned. "The Dlande Empire's technology is indeed formidable, but it is wasted on these natives. Once Your Lordship takes control of 'Starlight City,' all that powerful technology will be yours. Besides, compared to this technology, there is the immeasurably vast treasure of the Dlande Empire awaiting you..."

The more Sulfur Base listened, the more pleased he became. He gazed at "Starlight City" on the sea surface, his eyes flashing with greed, wishing he could seize it immediately.

"Boss, the aliens stationed on Earth haven't made any significant moves for the moment," reported an intelligence officer.

Liu Hui examined the distribution map of alien small warships across the Western Hemisphere displayed on the main screen. The closest vessel to "Starlight City" was over eight thousand kilometers away. This meant these aliens couldn't launch an attack on "Starlight City" anytime soon. As long as Little Black’s threat remained unresolved, even the dimmest alien wouldn't rush forward to commit suicide.

Seeing the situation favor him, Liu Hui immediately began calculating whether he should utilize Little Black’s offensive power to eliminate the small alien warships scattered across the globe. Since acquiring "Starlight City," Liu Hui had favored proactive strikes; passive defense was never his style, even against a powerful alien civilization.

It was at this moment that an intelligence analyst suddenly stated, "Boss, the orbital battleship is changing course. Its trajectory is set for Mars. Moreover, it has deployed five more small warships, and their apparent targets are our transport and mining vessels flying in space."

Liu Hui frowned. He confirmed the latest movements of the battleship and the five small warships on the screen. After a moment's thought, he understood the aliens' intention. They must have learned about the relationship between "Starlight City" and the Martian base and intended to use the captured personnel there to coerce him. Fortunately, Liu Hui was prepared; this endeavor by the aliens was likely to be in vain.

However, one aspect caused Liu Hui concern: the "Starlight City's" interstellar transport and mining ships in space. These vessels, lacking any real defenses, were no match for the small warships. But the situation was beyond his immediate control, and he had no easy solution for this problem.

Liu Hui's only hope was to capture the aliens currently on Earth, perhaps allowing for a prisoner exchange later. Once Liu Hui made up his mind, Little Black in the sea reacted swiftly. Enveloped in a massive cloud of dense fog, it shot out of the water and sped toward its next target. Hidden by the enveloping mist, no one besides Liu Hui could track Little Black’s movements. Traveling at ten times the speed of sound, Little Black reached North American airspace within an hour, where two alien small warships were stationed.

Under the cover of the dense fog surrounding it, Xiao Hei stealthily closed in on the two small warships, destroying them with its ice-cone attack before they could react. After eliminating those two targets, Xiao Hei turned south, and an hour later, it wiped out another small warship above Brazil.

By this time, the three remaining alien small warships on Earth finally realized something was terribly wrong. Fearing this silent kind of attack, they abandoned the ground troops and launched into space for safety.

The three small warships sped into space, but in their haste and panic, they forgot about the greatest threat: the "Star City." As soon as they entered the void, they were subjected to a fierce barrage from the four super-laser cannons of the "Star City." While the super-laser cannons couldn't truly harm a massive interstellar battleship, they were more than sufficient against small warships. Thus, one minute later, the last three alien small warships were inevitably destroyed entirely.

With that, the entire complement of ten small warships sent by the interstellar battleship fleet to Earth was annihilated, leaving behind only hundreds of thousands of alien troops on the planet. At this moment, the massive interstellar battleship had only just arrived at Mars. Because it was flying within a star system, the interstellar battleship had significantly reduced its speed for safety reasons, foregoing the use of space-folding technology. When they discovered their small warships on Earth were in danger, they couldn't immediately return to rescue them, forced to watch helplessly as the "Star City" eliminated every single one.

Seeing all its small warships obliterated by the "Star City," Liu Ji was filled with incandescent rage. In that moment, he loathed the "Star City" with burning intensity. He resolved that the moment he acquired the technology and treasures of the Land Empire, he would utterly demolish the "Star City" and leave not a single soul alive aboard it.

Liu Ji had now reached Mars, and he commanded the battleship’s main cannon to fire upon a human settlement on the planet. What Liu Ji could never have anticipated was that this human settlement was protected by an incredibly potent Grand Defensive Formation, energized by a concentration array powered by a God-level Magical Beast crystal core. After several probing attempts, Liu Ji regretfully realized that they stood no chance of breaching the human settlement in the short term.

Liu Ji was furious, yet helpless. Following his chief strategist's advice, he immediately shifted targets, ordering the main cannon to attack another human settlement belonging to the "Star City." Predictably, Liu Ji and his forces met a solid wall here as well, for this settlement was also shielded by a Grand Defensive Formation. When the aliens arrived at the final "Star City" human settlement, they found the same Grand Defensive Formation in place. Realizing they were battering against the hard carapace of a tortoise that had drawn its head in, the repeatedly failing Liu Ji finally descended into madness.

Liu Ji, his eyes bloodshot, began issuing orders to slaughter every living creature visible on Mars to assuage the inferno in his heart. However, it was to his great misfortune that Liu Hui had prepared well in advance; the people on Mars had long since evacuated into the large human settlements. Only a tiny fraction of the populace remained outside these three major settlements.

After killing those who refused to enter the settlements, Liu Ji found no more targets for his rampage. Unable to vent his wrath, he commanded the interstellar battleship's main cannon to blast anything and everything visible on Mars.

Under Liu Ji’s frenzied command, Mars endured a devastating external assault. Much of the painstaking effort the "Star City" had poured into transforming the planet over the previous decade was ruined. When the interstellar battleship ceased its bombardment, Mars was scarred everywhere with intersecting deep trenches of varying sizes, countless plants withered, animals perished, and the carefully balanced ecosystem was violently disrupted once more. Towering waves battered coastal regions, sandstorms reappeared in the air, and the ozone layer in the atmosphere developed several massive holes. Most of the factories established by the "Star City" on Mars were also destroyed.

Aboard the "Star City," Liu Hui watched the interstellar battleship's full-scale destruction of Mars; it was like a knife twisting in his heart. Over ten years of the "Star City's" dedication lay in ruins under the aliens' savage rampage. He desperately wished to kill these aliens immediately, but for now, he could only endure. As long as the Six-Winged Angel returned safely, the aliens' doom was assured.

Just as Liu Hui was overcome with grief and indignation, Anqi, carrying a large case and escorted by several Star Guard personnel, arrived at his side.

Liu Hui started in surprise and rushed forward, exclaiming, "Anqi, why are you here?"

Anqi smiled faintly, pulled Liu Hui into a nearby side chamber, and handed him the large case, saying with visible exhaustion, "Liu Hui, here are the high-yield map bombs you needed. There are thirty Level Eight map bombs and ten God-level map bombs in total."

When Liu Hui opened the case, he saw forty strangely shaped bombs neatly arranged. Anqi explained, "Do you see the setting buttons on these bombs? Pressing them allows you to set the detonation time, and then these bombs will explode."

Liu Hui looked at Anqi’s face and noticed her complexion was growing alarmingly pale. He asked with worry, "Anqi, what's wrong with you? Your face is so white..."

Anqi managed a strained smile, about to speak, when she suddenly doubled over, clutching her stomach in pain, cold sweat beading on her forehead.

Liu Hui was greatly alarmed and quickly helped Anqi sit on a nearby chair, anxiously asking, "Anqi, what is it? Tell me quickly..."

Though pain wracked her, causing cold sweat to stream down her face, a look of sheer bliss appeared on Anqi's features. She managed, "Liu Hui, I... I think I'm going into labor..."

Liu Hui was first joyous, then startled. "Anqi, your due date isn't for another two months! Why is it happening now? Did you suffer some injury while making these bombs?"

Anqi forced a smile. "It's fine, Liu Hui. I'm smarter than most people, and my mental power is much stronger, so it’s understandable that my child is coming a bit early. Liu Hui, I am truly sorry, I can’t help you with this matter now."

Liu Hui tenderly grasped Anqi's hand and smiled, "Don't worry, Anqi! Focus on staying here and giving birth to our child in the hospital. I’ll take care of these aliens; I will eliminate every last one of them, and I promise to secure a bright future and a safe environment for our child to grow up in."

Hearing Liu Hui's words, Anqi closed her eyes with relief. Liu Hui immediately shouted and ordered people to rush Anqi to the hospital for delivery. However, because this was the most critical moment, Liu Hui could not leave the command center to witness the birth of his third child personally. He could only instruct his wives and parents to hurry to the hospital to care for Anqi and the baby in his stead. What he needed to do now was unleash his full power to fight for a bright future for his beloved, his children, and all the citizens of the "Star City"—a future free from alien destruction or subjugation.

～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～ Thanks to book friend: Dī Yǔn for your support! RO