Section 606: The Situation Solidifies
The storms and troubles outside had no impact on life inside the Dunkern. For people like Ambiroche, the He Yue Star Domain was a completely unfamiliar place. How could they possibly care about the situation in such an alien land? As long as they completed the task assigned by their superior, that was all that mattered.
Unlike Ye Zhong's leisurely and carefree state, the entire Xue Lai Clan was now so busy that they hardly had a moment to catch their breath.
There were just too many people!
The Xue Lai Clan was swamped with reception duties. Many young people who hadn't received specialized training were pushed to the front lines because they were severely short-handed.
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The Sang Clan's Impact Corps was the first to arrive. Their first action upon reaching Xue Hui Star was to see Ye Zhong.
"Young Master!" Sang Tie was very excited when he saw Ye Zhong, but he quickly restrained his emotions. However, one could still hear the unsteadiness in his voice: "Are... are you alright?"
Many members of the Impact Corps behind him were too excited to speak. Most of them were from the first group who had followed Ye Zhong out of Sang Family Village. Some of them had even been personally taught by Ye Zhong how to pilot Impact Mechs. Their worship and trust in Ye Zhong were deeply ingrained in their bones.
The Sang Tie before him was quite different from the one in Ye Zhong's memory. It seems everyone has been growing up, Ye Zhong thought with emotion. Aside from Mu Shang and Rui Bing, the Sang Clan were the people Ye Zhong trusted the most. So, seeing Sang Tie and the others' growth made Ye Zhong quite happy.
Words like "unprecedented grand occasion" and "historic" were most frequently used to describe this great gathering. Historians' evaluations of this gathering were filled with excessive praise. But only people of this era truly understood how profoundly excited people were at the time.
Ye Zhong didn't realize just how far-reaching the impact of his current actions would be.
After a moment of silence, he asked, "Have you managed to contact Mu Shang?" The existence of Mu Shang was known to the more core members of the Sang Clan.
Sang Tie shook his head: "No. Wasn't it with you?"
Ye Zhong didn't speak. He understood clearly that Mu Shang must still be in the Gray Valley.
Mu Shang, how are you all? Ye Zhong thought, lost in a daze.
Nowadays, Xue Hui Star was probably the place with the most journalists in the entire He Yue Star Domain. These reporters, coming from all directions, spared no effort in reporting on this event. Of course, this was also thanks to the support various powers provided for their work. This isn't just lip service. On Xue Hui Star, the Xue Lai Clan provided special accommodation for these journalists. And the various powers were very cooperative with the reporters' interview work.
It was the fifth day for these journalists on Xue Hui Star, and many of them were already growing restless. Although everyone was very cooperative with their work, no one had been able to catch a glimpse of the legendary mysterious figure.
Actually, they all knew where this mysterious figure was. In the entire He Yue Star Domain, the only place still maintaining strict security was a single cosmic cruiser – the Dunkern.
This warship, which they had never heard of before, was so massive that even from a distance, one could feel its overwhelming oppressive force. Through their indirect probing of the Xue Lai Clan, they managed to obtain some precious information.
For instance, this warship's combat power was extremely astonishing; for instance, the legendary mysterious figure was on this warship; for instance, this mysterious figure had a unique connection with the Xue Lai Clan and the Ye Family; for instance, this warship housed countless Sniper Mech Pilots...
Images of the Dunkern were transmitted to every corner of the He Yue Star Domain. Some famous weapon commentators began studying it. And when an engineer accidentally discovered the material composition of this warship, people were astonished to realize that even if every component of this warship were disassembled and sold as raw materials, its value would still be immeasurably high.
Mysterious figure, mysterious warship, Sniper Mech Pilots...
In an extremely short time, the Dunkern became the most dazzling star in the entire He Yue Star Domain. Yet, this tightly sealed warship was like a turtle retracted into its shell, leaving these reporters with no way to approach.
However, the alliance process in the He Yue Star Domain was unaffected. Guided by the tacit understanding already established among the Three Great Families and the Sang Clan, the progress of the alliance proceeded very rapidly.
Two weeks later, the He Yue Star Domain Alliance was formally established. From the published list of key personnel, no unfamiliar names could be seen. The Sang Clan held the most positions within the alliance, approximately twenty percent. The Three Great Families each held fifteen percent, and the remaining positions were held by leaders of other forces. This also demonstrated the Sang Clan's strength; at the very least, in people's minds, the current Sang Clan was more powerful than any single one of the Three Great Families.
But people strangely discovered that this mysterious figure did not appear on the entire list. It seemed this mysterious figure had never participated in the alliance formation meetings from start to finish, and the hatches of the Dunkern had never opened.
This alliance military force, whether in scale or combat power, was unprecedentedly powerful, comprising three-quarters of all military forces in the He Yue Star Domain. Its commander-in-chief, of course, needed to be a renowned general who could command universal respect. For this purpose, Sang Pu specially came over from Yi Ju Star.
Everyone's attention was drawn to this super army. People hoped it could swiftly eradicate the Red-Tailed Beasts from the He Yue Star Domain. All eyes converged on this newly formed super army. Everyone understood that this army would determine the future fate of the He Yue Star Domain.
And at that very moment, the Darkness silently took off. Accompanying it were ten Sang clan warships, each carrying four hundred shi-shi.
"Whew, finally broke through," Sang Kan let out a sigh of relief, glancing at Sang Fan standing nearby but not daring to be as unrestrained as before. Sang Fan had come with Sang Pu to command the four thousand impact mechs. After learning that Lord Mu Shang might be trapped in the Gray Valley, Sang Pu and the others had initially planned to send more people for support, but Ye Zhong refused. In Ye Zhong's view, these people were sufficient.
Moreover, if there was anyone in this world Ye Zhong had the most confidence in, it was only Mu Shang.
At times, Ye Zhong had even more confidence in Mu Shang than in himself. Even though their opponents were the Red-Tailed Beasts, Ye Zhong believed that as long as Mu Shang was given the slightest breathing room, he could definitely beat them so badly they wouldn't know which way was north.
Ye Zhong had already obtained first-hand information about Mu Shang from the Shirley tribe. Compared to twenty years ago, Mu Shang had become far more powerful. In Ye Zhong's view, even Fan Yun, the new generation ace of the Shirley tribe, was not just a little behind Mu Shang. Of course, in a one-on-one battle, Fan Yun had a very high probability of winning, but in terms of overall strength, Fan Yun was far inferior to Mu Shang.
In recent days, reports of victory had been continuous. The Allied forces, led by Sang Pu, had won battle after battle, successively clearing out several soft nests of the Red-Tailed Beasts.
Ye Zhong had already told Sang Pu in great detail how to deal with the Red-Tailed Beasts.
After this period of respite, the Shirley tribe had finally begun large-scale production of their new weapon, Red Smoke-3. The foundations of the Three Great Families were too solid; as long as they were given a chance to catch their breath, they could exert considerable power.
The soft nests had become the most fatal weakness of the Red-Tailed Beasts. They were extremely fragile in the face of high-explosive shells. However, humans were still at a disadvantage when facing the Red-Tailed Beasts head-on.
The Red-Tailed Beasts, now without their soft nests, fled in all directions, and the Allied forces were utterly unable to stop them. Nevertheless, such results were still exhilarating for everyone. The Red-Tailed Beasts, deprived of their soft nests, became like trees without roots. Facing the relentless extermination by humans, their fate was predictable.
But it was equally foreseeable that for a considerable period, humans would have to deal with scattered Red-Tailed Beasts. The peaceful life they once had was likely impossible to regain.
However, no one would make any further excessive demands of Sang Pu and the others. In everyone's eyes, such results were already immensely glorious!
Ye Zhong did not involve himself in the battles of the He Yue star domain; all his attention was focused on the battles he himself had to face. Along the way, combat was very frequent, but fortunately, the Darkness's firepower was sufficiently powerful, and with the protection of four thousand impact mechs, the fleet's advance was quite rapid.
Ye Zhong felt that the density of Red-Tailed Beasts in this passage was not as high as he had imagined.
What was going on?
Just as Ye Zhong cleared the passage to the Gray Valley and the Allied forces were achieving great victories, a Sang clan fleet remained behind. Led by the Shirley tribe, they arrived at the entrance of the passage to the Free Star Zone.
Their mission this time was to salvage a starship sunk at the bottom of the water. Old Man Poche and Fei Si came to guide them.
Blue Platinum was the essential material needed to repair Mu Shang.
"How is it? Any signals?" Ye Zhong asked Sang Fan.
The Sang clan warships were far inferior to the Darkness, but they had one thing the Darkness could not match: the high-frequency communication system produced by the Calculation Core Laboratory. Their ability to capture signals was extremely strong, far surpassing the communication system of the Darkness. This was the first product of the Calculation Core Laboratory, and it was this product that made everyone understand the capabilities of the laboratory and Little Stone.
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Yang Ming was on his way to Vinson Star. He was no longer the young apprentice of the past. Having studied under Master Harrell and through his own unremitting efforts, he had now become an outstanding mechanical maintenance technician. This time, he was leading a maintenance team to Vinson Star, which was now the front line and urgently needed additional maintenance shi-shi.
Although Lord Jay's sudden disappearance had nearly plunged the fleet into困境, in recent years, under Lord Mu Shang's leadership, they had created one miracle after another.
They continuously accumulated strength, and the abundant resources within Ghost Star significantly boosted the fleet's power. Ghost Star became the main base of Jay's Fleet. Thanks to Lord Mu Shang's series of incredibly precise judgments and the continuous improvement of internal systems, their strength grew day by day.
An accidental battle allowed Lord Mu Shang to discover the fatal weakness of the Red-Tailed Beasts: the soft nests.
Through their efforts, all the Red-Tailed Beast soft nests in the Gray Valley had been destroyed, and the number of Red-Tailed Beasts had drastically decreased to only thirty percent of the original. Red-Tailed Beasts without soft nests were much less threatening. Now, in the Gray Valley, hunting down scattered Red-Tailed Beasts had become the primary way for shi-shi to earn contribution points.
In the face of Lord Mu Shang's stunning performance, Alva, known as a tactical genius, paled in comparison. The name Jay's Fleet resounded throughout the Gray Valley.
They now controlled most of the Gray Valley, and almost no organized Red-Tailed Beast forces remained there. They only needed to clear the passage to the He Yue star domain to achieve complete victory in this campaign.
However, no matter what advantages they gained, Lord Mu Shang refused to leave Ghost Star. Everyone knew Lord Mu Shang was waiting for Lord Jay. Compared to Lord Jay, Lord Mu Shang was even more mysterious. Even among the core members of the fleet, only a handful like Lord Xi Qing and Lord Xiu had ever seen Lord Mu Shang. But one thing was very consistent: none of them ever revealed any information about Lord Mu Shang.
Suddenly, a crew member reported, "Sir, we've detected an unknown signal."
"Unknown signal?" Yang Ming frowned, muttering to himself, "Impossible. This area is completely under our control. How could there be an unknown signal?"
"I don't know either, sir," the crew member replied honestly, having heard Yang Ming's muttering.
After pondering for a moment, Yang Ming immediately made a decision: "Report this discovery to the Vinson Star base immediately. Then attempt to connect to this unknown signal. Have combat personnel maintain high alert." His starship was not a warship; although there were shi-shi escorts, the majority on board were maintenance technicians.
The crew immediately carried out the orders.
Ye Zhong hadn’t expected to encounter a cosmic vessel here. It was just an ordinary cosmic vessel, nothing out of the ordinary, except for the bold characters on its hull—"Jie Fleet G-044"—which left Ye Zhong momentarily stunned.
Cosmic vessels with serial numbers starting with "G" were maintenance ships. The name "Jie Fleet" made Ye Zhong smile wryly, yet it also lifted his spirits. It seemed Mu Shang was doing well.
Sang Pu adopted a strategy of frontal enticement with small surprise attacks, achieving significant results. They often sent large fleets to press toward the Purple Mist, luring out the main forces of the Red-Tailed Beasts. Meanwhile, smaller fleets equipped with large quantities of high-explosive shells executed wide-ranging maneuvers, bypassing the main forces of the Red-Tailed Beasts to attack their vulnerable soft nests in the rear.
Without the support of their soft nests, the Red-Tailed Beasts immediately fell into chaos. The main fleet did not attack at this point but instead clung closely to the enemy while maintaining a safe distance, like a persistent shadow. Once the Red-Tailed Beasts showed signs of fatigue, they would launch their assault.
This method proved repeatedly effective and yielded remarkable results.
On April 14, 2455 of the He Yue Calendar, Lord Mu Shang officially resigned from his position as captain of the Jie Fleet. Xi Qing and Xiu assumed joint governance, with all policies remaining unchanged.
In June 2455 of the He Yue Calendar, the last Red-Tailed Beast soft nest in the He Yue Star Domain was destroyed by the Sang Clan's assault fleet.
In 2456 of the He Yue Calendar, the Sang Clan allied with the three great families, combining their forces to enter the Five Great Star Domains. Together with Marshal Xi Ding of the Chebixini Star Domain, they launched an attack against the Red-Tailed Beasts.
By 2457 of the He Yue Calendar, the situation in the Five Great Star Domains gradually stabilized.
The Red-Tailed Beast disaster inflicted immense damage on both the He Yue Star Domain and the Five Great Star Domains. According to statistics, the population of the He Yue Star Domain after the disaster was only 30% of what it had been before. In the Gray Valley, the post-disaster population was merely 25% of its previous size.
The Five Great Star Domains fared even worse, with their post-disaster population reduced to just 12% of its pre-disaster level. Countless planets were left desolate.
Both the He Yue Star Domain and the Five Great Star Domains faced a complete reshuffling of the established order.
It wasn't until three years later that people truly began to lead peaceful lives. Encouraged by policies, people started flocking to the desolate planets in large numbers. However, to deal with the sporadic Red-Tailed Beasts, they not only had to travel in groups but also needed the strength to protect themselves.
The era of Masters had ushered in a new golden age.
Although the disaster had long passed, Blue Ocean Star was still overrun with weeds and wild beasts. Once a commercial planet, Blue Ocean Star's resources had long been exhausted. Such planets no longer attracted people's attention. Apart from some of its original inhabitants who returned without hesitation, few willingly came to Blue Ocean Star.
However, in the past two years, as society gradually recovered, Blue Ocean Star's unique geographical location began to show its value. The population of Blue Ocean Star steadily increased, and small commercial trade centers even emerged in some areas.
A small shop stood by the street.
A cold-faced young man, wearing a white apron, deftly kneaded dough. Beside him, a woman with long, jet-black hair and an ethereal aura, dressed in snow-white training clothes, swiftly sliced marinated beef. Her knife gleamed like snow, and the slices of beef were as thin as paper. In the corner, an old man reclined in a rattan chair, contentedly watching the two, completely at ease.
Ye Zhong and Rui Bing chatted earnestly.
"I want a daughter too," Rui Bing bit her lip and couldn't help saying.
Ye Zhong's hands, still kneading the dough, remained full of strength. Without looking up, he replied, "Alright, I'll keep working hard!"
In the backyard, a blue-and-white mecha held a vacuum cleaner in its left hand, its blue electronic eyes flashing: "Cleanliness level 7, air humidity 3, dust index 2. Executing Plan B."
Up in the loft, a row of rocking cradles stood neatly. Suddenly, one of the children began to cry, waking the others. It was like a spark falling into a powder keg—instantly, all the children started wailing. Sha Ya, who had been sitting cross-legged with her eyes closed, opened them and glanced at the cradles. In an instant, the children floated into the air. Clearly, this was not the first time they had played this game. They immediately stopped crying, their small hands excitedly grasping at the air.
The four children slowly floated toward Sha Ya, their curious eyes wide open, babbling happily.
As their nanny, Sha Ya knew it was time for the magic show.
For the 1,520th time, she couldn't help but think how much better it would have been if she had joined Jin Weidong and the others as a mercenary.
Glancing at the front yard again, Sha Ya sighed for the 1,520th time: "These two are truly masters of combat—they really know how to have children!"
Seeing Sha Ya hesitate, the four little demons were not having it. They waved their chubby little hands vigorously, babbling in protest.
Helpless, Sha Ya began her now well-rehearsed magic performance...
(The End)