Jiang Lijin pushed aside the arm wrapped around her waist and swung out of bed.
The moment her feet touched the floor, her knees buckled, and she nearly fell.
Last night’s energy channeling had repaired her mental sea, but the fatigue in her body was real.
Still, she gritted her teeth, pulled a black combat suit from the wardrobe, and zipped it up. From start to finish, it took less than three minutes.
The two people on the bed stirred as well.
Tianque sat up, grabbed the short knife beside him, and strapped it to his waist, his bare upper torso still marked with a few scratches.
Tianyan tugged on his jacket while tapping away on his optical brain.
Once dressed, Tianyan couldn’t help but crack a joke: “Boss, heartless as always. Last night you were calling us ‘my little Tian,’ and today you’re cold-shouldering us for another man.”
Jiang Lijin shot him a glance. “Shut it. Check the intel.”
Tianyan quickly wiped the grin off his face.
“Specific coordinates,” Jiang Lijin said, tying her long hair into a high ponytail as she headed for the door.
Xiao Yi rolled along at her feet, its wheels spinning, projecting a frontline star map in holographic form.
On the full-image display, the red dots representing the bug swarm were numerous.
The swarm had abandoned its mindless charge, forming an inverted-triangle pocket formation that pinned the blue dot of Baal’s battleship in a gravity turbulence zone.
“Since when did the bugs learn to deploy formations?” Tianque stared at the star map, a hint of confusion in his voice.
This defied the logic of the bugs fighting purely on instinct.
Tianyan glanced at the fluctuating data stream on his terminal. “There’s a mole. The black market’s dark web intercepted internal communications from the Federal Military Command. The distress signal was suppressed at the first defense line. Baal’s been too arrogant—the old heads in the military want him dead at the bugs’ claws.”
Jiang Lijin tightened her combat boots’ laces and stood up. “My people don’t get to be pawns for others.”
She opened her comm channel and quickly briefed Chiron and Tinia on the situation.
Before long, Tinia appeared on screen, eyes red, with the background audio a steady stream of successful transaction alerts. He knew there was no point trying to stop Jiang Lijin from rescuing someone in danger, so he didn’t plead.
“Sister,” Tinia said. “I’ve bought off all eighteen star gates along the route. Anyone who tries to block your ship, I’ll drown them in cash. I’ve also cut the military’s logistics funding—those old geezers are up to their necks in chaos now. That guy Baal, getting himself into trouble and dragging you into saving him.”
Jiang Lijin cut him off, softening her tone. “Let’s bring him back first. Consider the money a loan from me.”
“My money is your money, Sister. The financial system of Cloudfall Group has already been linked to yours.”
Chiron’s holographic screen lit up next.
Chiron, dressed in an Empire high-ranking uniform, was signing a diplomatic note. “The Empire’s border fleet has pushed to the Federal controlled line. Without Baal, they can’t mobilize the troops. The Federation is too busy with their own mess to bother with you. Lijin, stay safe.”
“Good. Wait for my return.” Jiang Lijin cut the call and turned to Xiao Yi. “Open primary brain authority. Send a broadcast to all Federal garrisons near the Death Nebula: move to support.”
Xiao Yi’s light flashed green. “Broadcast sent!”
Footsteps sounded outside the door. Seth pushed open a metal crate half as tall as a man and walked in.
He had just woken up and still looked a bit pale. He patted the crate’s lid.
“Heard from Tianyan you’re off to fight bugs,” Seth said, opening the crate to reveal twelve silver missiles lined up inside. “Anti-bug genetic disruption rounds. I made them from refined source core waste. They’ll drive those disgusting creatures neurotic, make them turn on each other. Take them.”
Jiang Lijin nodded and accepted. “Thanks, Uncle Seth.”
In the underground hangar of the Guiyu, a black starship sat docked. This was the Guiyu, the highest industrial achievement the Senluo Pavilion had assembled over ten years.
Jiang Lijin walked onto the bridge and settled into the command chair.
Tianyan and Tianque took their places on either side, taking over the weapons and navigation systems.
“Ignite main engines. Target: Death Nebula.”
The starship burst through Blue Star’s atmosphere, its tail flame carving a bright streak across the cosmos.
A jump channel opened, and space warped before their eyes.
With the ship’s advanced tech and Tinia’s bribe-paved green channel, they reached the vicinity of the Death Star within hours.
Jiang Lijin closed her eyes. After last night’s synchronous channeling, her mental sea had expanded.
Her psychic energy spread out, following the quantum network built by Xiao Yi, forcefully connecting to the fleet garrisons still en route.
Several light-years away, in the navigation rooms of those fleets, a female voice rang out simultaneously.
“Left-wing fleet, adjust heading fifteen degrees. Avoid the asteroid belt.”
“Heavy ships to the front. Max shield charge.”
“Follow my command. Synchronized jump.”
No one questioned it. The 3S-level female’s psychic energy carried properties of calm and obedience. The fleets, originally thrown into chaos by forced conscription, fell under this power’s guidance and completed tactical formation.
At the center of the Death Nebula.
Baal’s command ship had lost its left shield, the energy barrier’s hum grating on the ears.
The communications officer at the console had blacked out, half his body corroded by acid. Deputy Gary dragged the officer to a safe zone and took the post himself.
Gary wiped the blood from his face, staring at the bugs on the screen. “Chief, the left flank armor is corroded through! These bugs have gone mad—they’re actually coordinating! Some are spraying acid from the back, others tanking damage upfront. Is this what bugs are supposed to do?”
Baal leaned back in his command chair, a deep wound in his abdomen seeping blood.
“Those idiots in the Federal Council—always squabbling among themselves. I’m out here on the front lines, and they’re cutting supplies from behind.”
Baal glanced at the radar. All surrounding comm channels were static. The distress signal had gone out three hours ago without a single reply.
“Energy reserves only at five percent. Main cannon can’t charge,” Gary said.
Baal looked out at the swarm outside the window. The arthropods were chewing on the ship’s hull, their scraping sounds audible.
“Divert all remaining energy to the reactor,” Baal ordered.
Gary asked, “Chief, you want to blow the reactor?”
“What, leave it for the bugs as a snack?” Baal straightened up, drawing his military knife. “Gary, take the men and get in the escape pods. I’ll stay to hold them off.”
“Bullshit!” Gary shot back. “If I, Gary, abandon my commander and run, how am I supposed to show my face in the military again?”
Baal kicked the command console. “That’s an order! I’m 3S-level—even if I have to blow my mental sea, I’m taking these bugs down with me.”
The words had barely left his mouth when space ahead folded.
A spatial rift tore open.
The black starship burst through, followed by over a hundred ships jumping in with tactical formation, reversing the encirclement of the bug swarm.
Over a hundred ships opened fire simultaneously, energy beams lighting up the Death Nebula, punching a hole through the swarm’s perimeter.
Jiang Lijin’s voice came through the comm channel.
“Baal, report your casualties.”
Baal heard that voice and looked up in disbelief at the black starship on the screen.
“Jiang Lijin?” Baal’s voice was hoarse.
“If you’re not dead, answer me.” Jiang Lijin sat in her command chair.
“Won’t die.” Baal wiped the blood from his face.
On the bridge of the starship, Jiang Lijin looked down at the battlefield below.
The swarm sensed the threat and began to turn.
Lijin raised her hand, ready to order the launch of the genetic interference warheads.
Then came a piercing sting behind her retina—the mainframe’s system interface had forcibly popped up without authorization.
A line of red text appeared dead center in her field of vision:
[Warning. The Insectoid Hive Mother is an old acquaintance of yours.]
