The ruler of the Crystal Sea System, although not personally known to Long Yun, was at least familiar from the portraits displayed everywhere; the cult of personality here had reached an appalling degree.
What truly impressed Long Yun, however, was Lei, the commander who always stood upright, as if ready to rush into battle at any moment. The reputation of the Third Column of Outer Meng was also widely known. Among the many forces resisting the Galactic Empire, the Third Column led by Lei had endured the longest and achieved the most remarkable victories. Though called a column, it commanded countless rebel fleets disguised as merchant ships. The Third Column of Outer Meng was famous for ambushing imperial fleets and merchant convoys, serving as one of the key barriers preventing the Galactic Empire from breaking through the Outer Meng System and expanding deeper into the cosmos.
Lei was tall, almost matching Long Yun’s height. His originally pale, scholarly appearance was marred by a deep scar running across his face, distorting his entire facial structure. The massive gun slung across his back made him look like he had just stepped off the battlefield.
“Where’s Yang Hao?” Maya wasn’t as polite as the others. As the princess of Saintess Star, she had gained a physical form after fusing with Yang Hao’s sword spirit, becoming one of his most loyal supporters ever since. But since the battle at Saint Bear Star, she hadn’t seen Yang Hao again, and her anxiety had grown to an unbearable level.
“Yang Hao is still undergoing trials in the Divine Realm,” Steve interjected, sensing the shame on Ming Empress and Elder Hade’s faces. “As the leader of the Anti-Empire Alliance, he still has much to learn. I believe he’ll return to us soon.”
Long Yun frowned deeply. As Yang Hao’s closest friend, he found it hard to imagine how someone as reluctant to shoulder responsibility as Yang Hao could have accepted such a leadership role, let alone voluntarily ventured into the unknown depths of the Divine Realm for trials.
“If he’s not back, why did you call us here?” Maya turned her body, discontented. She had never worn clothes for hundreds of years, but now that she had a physical form, she insisted on wearing a dress, even though it still exposed a lot of skin. Still, it felt uncomfortable. “We’re here just to wait for Yang Hao—we don’t have time to entertain you.”
Steve, ever composed, didn’t change expression despite Maya’s rudeness. “There’s a favor we need you to do.”
“No time!” Maya scoffed.
Steve’s gaze shifted to Ming Empress.
Ming Empress sighed and said to Long Yun, “We’re in trouble. Big trouble.”
“Did something happen to Yang Hao?” Long Yun’s heart tightened.
“It’s the cause Yang Hao leads that’s in trouble,” Steve seized the opening and continued. “The Anti-Empire Alliance led by Yang Hao is facing an unprecedented crisis—it might collapse just before achieving victory.”
Seeing the confusion on Long Yun’s face, Steve quickly continued, “Under Yang Hao’s leadership, the Anti-Empire Alliance has been preparing for war. The Three Crystal Seas System, as the alliance’s technological and manufacturing center, has been producing warships day after day, preparing to expand our forces and wage an all-out war against the Galactic Empire.”
“So what?” Maya still didn’t care.
“But we’ve been discovered by the Empire,” Steve said bitterly. “We had originally planned to confront the Empire after completing our preparations, but a few days ago, an imperial fleet arrived, and they’ve detected everything we’ve been doing.”
Long Yun’s eyes widened. He knew that the recent military buildup in the Three Crystal Seas had been hard to conceal, but he couldn’t understand why Steve hadn’t taken precautions. “Did the Sunset Fleet report back to the Empire? Does the Emperor already know everything happening here?”
“Not yet,” Steve replied. “Since preparations began, we’ve blocked all communications within a hundred light-years of the Empire. They can’t contact the imperial capital unless they travel beyond a hundred light-years.”
“Then isn’t that good?” Long Yun relaxed a bit. “That broken fleet was defeated badly at Saint Bear Star and fled here—wasn’t it just walking into the tiger’s den? With so many warships in the Three Crystal Seas, we could easily surround them and prevent them from going anywhere.”
“That’s what we thought,” Steve’s expression darkened. “But there was a slight complication.”
“A complication?”
“The Sunset Fleet was originally docked at the Sixth Inner Harbor of the Three Crystal Seas System. We had set up three layers of encirclement around it, which should have been airtight.” Steve’s voice was filled with frustration. “But an hour ago, the entire fleet vanished.”
“Vanished?!” Long Yun and the others from Hao Sword Group were stunned. They couldn’t even begin to imagine how such a massive fleet—hundreds of various warships, including a Titan-class flagship—could disappear right under their noses.
“We underestimated Lorden,” Steve sighed, speaking of the fleet’s commander. “Lorden, the youngest fleet commander in the Empire’s history and one of its most promising generals, isn’t famous without reason. Though he suffered a crushing defeat at Bear Star, he’s a man of deep cunning and capable of launching unexpected attacks. Even among the many generals of the Imperial Privy Council, he stands out as an exceptional talent. Such a person cannot be underestimated.”
“He’s just a defeated enemy,” Long Yun remained dismissive.
“Defeat itself isn’t可怕的—it’s可怕的 when someone remains calm and composed after defeat. In just a few days, Lorden has revived the Sunset Fleet from just ten percent of its former strength and managed to escape our trap under the watchful eyes of so many. Such a leader must never be underestimated.”
Translation:
“Defeat itself isn’t可怕—it’s可怕的 when someone remains calm and composed after defeat. In just a few days, Lorden has revived the Sunset Fleet from merely ten percent of its former strength and skillfully escaped our trap despite being under the watchful eyes of so many. Such a leader must never be underestimated.”
(Note: The word “可怕” seems to be a mix of English and Chinese. Assuming the intended meaning is “scary” or “terrifying,” here is the corrected version:)
“Defeat itself isn’t terrifying—it’s terrifying when someone remains calm and composed after defeat. In just a few days, Lorden has revived the Sunset Fleet from merely ten percent of its former strength and skillfully escaped our trap despite being under the watchful eyes of so many. Such a leader must never be underestimated.”
Long Yun stared at Steve, sensing something odd. “Why do you know him so well?”
Steve’s gaze didn’t waver. “Because Lorden was once engaged to my daughter. He nearly became my son-in-law.”
This revelation shocked everyone, even Ming Empress and Elder Hade, who had no prior knowledge of it. But once the initial shock passed, everyone understood.
Indeed, political marriages were crucial in the Empire. As the Three Crystal Seas System grew increasingly powerful, it was only a matter of time before it became a rival to the Galactic Empire. Without powerful backing, the Empire would have sent a stronger figure to take control long ago. To secure his family’s position, Steve had no choice but to marry his daughter to the most promising imperial general. An alliance with Lorden meant powerful support from the Imperial Privy Council.
“Lorden not only escaped with his fleet but also took my daughter with him,” Steve’s voice burned with intensity. “Mr. Long Yun, I need your help. I need the Hao Sword Group and the battleship *Doomsday*.”
“Why do we need to help you? The Three Crystal Seas have a powerful fleet—can’t you handle it yourselves?” With Yang Hao gone, Long Yun naturally became the one in charge.
Steve shook his head. “The Three Crystal Seas do have formidable military power, but size brings slowness. We need to refuel, mobilize troops—it will take at least a few days. By then, the Sunset Fleet could be a hundred light-years away. We don’t have time—plenty of time.”
“You want to use the speed of the *Doomsday*?” Long Yun began to understand. While the *Doomsday* wasn’t the most powerful warship in the galaxy, it was the most balanced, excelling in both firepower and speed. “You want us to chase the Sunset Fleet with our battleship? You want a single battleship to chase an entire fleet? Are you crazy or did I hear wrong?”
“You won’t be alone,” Lei said simply. “The Third Column of Outer Meng will be with you.”
“And what good will that do?” Long Yun waved his hand in frustration. “Your column is full of small, lightly armed ships—fine for ambushing merchant convoys, but going up against an elite imperial fleet? That’s like moths flying into a flame.”
“Just one day and night,” Steve pleaded. “If you can hold off the Sunset Fleet for just twenty-four hours, I guarantee the main forces of the Three Crystal Seas will arrive in time. By then, even if the Sunset Fleet is powerful, they won’t escape our encirclement. And besides, the *Doomsday* has a secret weapon no one knows about—not even the Empire.”
This time, Steve was truly revealing his most valuable asset. The *Doomsday* was built in the Three Crystal Seas System, and at the time, the emperor of Remon Star had secretly agreed with Steve to install a newly developed mysterious weapon on board. Due to its immense cost, the *Doomsday* was the only ship in the universe equipped with it. However, after the emperor of Remon Star was assassinated, the secret of this weapon was buried, even unknown to Ming Empress.
“The *Doomsday* carries a weapon called the ‘Kiss of Doomsday,’” Steve held up a data chip. “Once activated, it can annihilate everything within a million square kilometers. Its power is nearly equivalent to that of a Light-Hunting Weapon. If you agree to intercept the Sunset Fleet, I’ll upload this chip into XII’s system, allowing you to use the Kiss of Doomsday freely.”
A great temptation, enough to shock anyone.
Long Yun hesitated. From his perspective, he might be willing to go to war for the Anti-Empire Alliance, but he wasn’t the real captain—he had to think of others. “Give me one more reason,” Long Yun faced Steve directly. “One reason why we should risk Yang Hao’s ship. Would he do this if he were here?”
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