Chapter 25: Ambush (Combined)

Chapter 25: Ambush (Combined)

It was a pair of scarlet insect eyes, with black needle-like pupils and black larvae swaying within the crimson orbs.

The moment Rong Mi noticed them, those two red points split apart, transforming into a swift-moving band of mist that rushed towards him like a veil.

Simultaneously, the venom gland, initially entwined in purple flames, seemed to be activated by the insect's gaze, pulsating violently and wriggling erratically.

The purple flames leaped up, once again enveloping the gland, consuming it entirely.

However, the red mist formed from the insect's eyes was not so easily vanquished.

It intertwined stubbornly with the flames. Through the sections severed by the fire, faint ice-blue wings emerged, contrasting the vivid red. The dense red mist now resembled an icy butterfly's body, and at its core, the stacked black needle-like pupils reappeared.

Rong Mi: "..."

Unable to restrain himself, Rong Mi cursed under his breath.

This wasn't his first encounter with the remnants of insectoid mental energy within a Star Beast's mental domain, but it was certainly the first time he had encountered such an eerie situation!

Rong Mi: How could he feel that this Glorious Old Era was truly any safer or more peaceful!

Within the spirit domain of the Thundering Lion, there seemed to have emerged a living ice butterfly!

The wings of the ice butterfly stirred up even more red energy winds.

Spiritual energy clashed.

Purple flames danced, eventually engulfing the ice butterfly with a fierce explosion.

Yet, another ice butterfly rose from the remaining, yet-to-be-eradicated red mist.

The battle of spirits in the Thundering Lion's domain stirred up unusual energy currents.

The lion's lightning spirit sea grew increasingly turbulent.

Nonstop lightning bolts stirred the dark clouds, creating furious waves. The spirit sea trembled, energy surging back and forming vortex after vortex.

The Thundering Lion wasn't a star beast skilled in controlling its spirit domain to begin with.

It sought to expel the two intruding mental forces that were stirring up chaos within its own spirit domain, indiscriminately attacking the energy threads belonging to Rong Mi and Ice Butterfly. In turn, its mental sea grew turbulent, displaying signs of impending disorder.

"Roar!" ——

In the treatment room, Blazing Thunder Lion let out a pained and enraged roar.

It struggled violently, electric bolts of pale gold flickering through its fur, only to be absorbed and suppressed by the belly band.

The lion's tail lashed fiercely, its claws unsheathing with a crackling arc of electricity at their tips. The burst of energy was so potent that it caused the energy-absorbing mechanism of the girdle to emit a plume of smoke, suggesting it was on the verge of malfunctioning.

With a concerned expression, Ellen had never seen Sandor so restless during a healing process before.

He firmly pressed against the lion's back, preventing it from harming anyone with its claws or teeth.

The Silver Wolves also grew restless. Its fur stood on end, and an unconscious silver glow of spiritual energy swirled around its body.

It sensed a strong aura of an enemy on the Thundering Lion.

This was an ominous sign.

The Silver Wolves had seen many other battle pets or humans die, or lose their sanity and exhibit insectoid traits, attacking their former companions, shortly after displaying such an aura in the spirit domain.

It fixed its gaze on Thundering Lion, as small ice blossoms appeared beneath its paws.

At the same time, Lu Yi hurried toward the healing bed.

In Thundering Lion's spirit domain, the purple spirit flames clung tightly to the red mist. Devouring ice butterflies one after another, they also consumed the strange red fog.

Rong Mi confined her battle with the ice butterflies to a narrow area, simultaneously diverting her attention to soothe Thundering Lion's spirit sea.

As the flames burned, the seemingly endless emergence of ice butterflies gradually slowed down, and the red mist shrank under the flames.

Just as it was about to be completely eradicated, the last bit of mist suddenly condensed into a thin red line.

It climbed up Rong Mi's spirit flames, shrinking rapidly under the heat, but at the same time, it swiftly moved against the direction of her descending spirit energy.

It was consumed by the flames at an alarming rate.

But it rushed towards the interface of the spirit domain even faster.

Rong Mi was unable to pour his full mental strength into the lion's mental domain to resist, for fear of causing even greater upheaval in the recently calmed domain.

He had already prepared himself for Adette's mental energy to invade his own domain.

The intruding Adette's mental energy was relatively easy to dispel, as long as it didn't slip away and lurk...

Just as Rong Mi had anticipated, in the last second before it was about to be completely eradicated, a thin red thread breached the interface and entered the young man's mental domain.

In the central lawn of the Starry Travel Park within the Entertainment District of the Capital Star, a virtual dream-like stage had been erected, situated amidst the stars that were tens of thousands of light-years away.

On the music festival rehearsal grounds, the young singer with chestnut brown hair and donning light blue colored contact lenses momentarily paused in his actions.

"Seiko?" the staff member below called out, "This line is yours to sing — don't daydream —"

Seiko blinked softly, regaining focus, and picked up the microphone.

"Is everything alright, Captain?" the teammate whispered after the song ended, "Did you not sleep well last night?"

Seiko, captain of the interstellar boy band "Phantom Harmonics," was known for his dedication and responsibility; it was a first for him to make mistakes due to distraction during rehearsals.

"No, I just suddenly thought of Rong Mi..." Seiko smiled. "He's the one who wrote this song."

"Hey, what can you do? His family had an unexpected incident, and then he got entangled with some big shots in the industry. They forced him to quit the group and went into hiding," a teammate recounted the latest gossip. "Ah, but I heard he's gaining some popularity again recently. It's something about a mecha competition show. Have you heard about it? My mecha-obsessed cousin mentioned it to me..."

Seiko hummed in response, his mind wandering.

His vision was no longer focused on the central lawn before him.

Instead, it was filled with an infinitely vast mental domain, resembling an ocean.

A sea far vaster than the mental realm of the Thunderclap Lion stretched out before him.

Purple mist floated everywhere, creating an ethereal landscape as if it were a realm of dreams.

He dove deep into the dense fog. His aim was to hide within the vast expanse of this mental sea, making it difficult for its owner to detect his presence.

It was much like a virus lurking within the body, secretly surviving, multiplying, and biding its time for an outbreak.

Yet, in the sky above the purple sea, a crescent moon's illusory shadow suddenly ascended.

Silver radiance pierced the ocean's surface, precisely seizing that solitary crimson anomaly.

In the next instant, the crescent moon dissolved into a myriad of radiant beams, instantly plunging into the purplish foggy sea.

With an unstoppable might, it enclosed and eradicated all the insectoid's crimson spirit energy!

On the capital planet, Seiko sat beneath the rehearsal stage, his body momentarily stiffening. After a while, he let out a barely audible sigh of regret.

"He was right, that Cecil," he muttered to himself. "To the entire Ice Butterfly clan, Lu Yi is like our harbinger of doom... How could he have entered Rong Mi's mental domain?"

Closing his eyes gently, he pushed away the last image his energy had 'seen' before being extinguished.

The silver light fragmented into countless points of luminescence.

Slowly sinking in the seawater.

Until it was ultimately snuffed out.

Rong Mi: "..."

A foreign, chilling, and tingling force of spirit...

It was Lu Yi.

Rong Mi opened his eyes.

He felt Lu Yi's palm pressing against his shoulder, their foreheads touching as the general leaned down.

The commander's breath was warm against his ear.

Rong Mi: "..."

This gesture was too intimate, causing Rong Mi to instinctively straighten his back.

The scent of Lu Yi still lingered within his mental domain.

Rong Mi: "You..."

The young man seemed dazed, making an effort to disregard Lu Yi's touch. He asked in confusion, "You can enter someone else's mental domain?!"

"Only you."

Due to their near-perfect compatibility in mental power.

Lu Yi took a step back and furrowed his brow.

The Thundering Lion's reaction during the treatment, the fluctuations in Rong Mi's mental domain, and the Silver Wolves' detection of insectoid mental energy all pointed to something highly unusual.

Lu Yi hypothesized that his compatibility with Rong Mi's mental power was almost at one hundred percent, and he ventured into Rong Mi's mental domain to investigate, despite the risk.

This was indeed a perilous endeavor. If Rong Mi's mental domain rejected his intrusion and instinctively counterattacked, Lu Yi would be in grave danger.

Rong Mi: "...Mental power compatibility?"

...What was so significant about mental domain compatibility? What level of compatibility allowed Lu Yi to enter and exit his mental domain effortlessly?

Given how easily Lu Yi had entered his mental space... With some skill, another person could potentially soothe him within his own domain.

But his mental domain had never before welcomed another's mental energy!

Given that synthetic therapists possess strong self-healing abilities within their mental domains, combined with Lu Yi's high level of mental strength, absorbing the energy of other therapists is no simple task. Hence, whenever he was uncomfortable in the past, he would simply endure until his mental power stabilized on its own. He had never been in such a severe state that required a mental domain soothing treatment.

Rong Mi's mind was filled with question marks, but Lu Yi had already moved on to the next topic.

"The energy attempting to infiltrate Rong Mi's mental domain from Sandel's mental space," the Admiral said tersely, casting a glance at Ellen.

Ellen froze for a second, and then his face paled abruptly.

Ellen: "W-What? How could this be?!"

"But we all underwent scans for mental energy waves after battling Ayade..."

This was to prevent Ayade from potentially leaving any imprints in their mental domains during combat.

It was an incredibly perilous ability.

For it could silently manipulate the actions of the marked individual, causing significant harm to humans at crucial moments.

Ellen's chest rose and fell as he gazed at the Thunder Lion on the treatment bed.

The lion had quieted, no longer struggling. The electric sparks between its fur had faded, and it even stretched its legs and rolled onto its side with a sense of ease.

The beast was innocent. Sandel clearly had no idea what deadly element lurked within his mental domain.

Rong Mi reached out to untie the restraints around the lion's body.

In response, Sandel turned his fluffy head and rubbed against Rong Mi's arm affectionately.

The young man took advantage of the situation to massage the lion's fluffy mane without drawing attention.

Rong Mi: "Feels amazing!"

It lifted the weight on his heart after witnessing the spirit imprint.

He said to Ellen, "The lion is fine now. If you're still worried, you can have a healer from the legion check it again." He then continued, "Aside from Yadi's imprint, there were remnants of the Ice Butterfly's venom glands in Sandel's mental domain. But I've taken care of them just now."

Ellen: "…Thank you. I…" He sincerely thanked Rong Mi, falling silent for a moment before looking at Lu Yi.

"It was my fault," Ellen said gravely.

"I accept the penalty for dereliction of duty and can submit to a military investigation immediately. But I assure you, I have not made any private contact with the insectoids."

The presence of the Frost Butterfly's imprint in a War Pet's mental domain was no trifling matter.

The exact time, method, direct contact with the Frost Butterfly, and whether Ellen, as the War Pet's owner, had secretly communicated with the insectoids all needed to be thoroughly investigated.

Lu Yi nodded and turned to Rong Mi. "You mentioned two ice butterfly imprints in Sandel's mental domain. Can you determine the sequence in which they entered?"

"One venom gland is recent, likely belonging to a high-ranking Frost Butterfly," Rong Mi replied. "It's embedded at the bottom of Sandel's mental domain, causing the insectoid contamination in his domain these past few months. As for the Frost Butterfly's imprint... it's deeply buried and appeared quite early, probably around a year or two ago."

"The chances of detecting an imprint through routine mental scans decrease over time. At this depth, it would be difficult to notice unless using an advanced imprint scan."

Such deep scans could only be conducted by experienced therapists, a time-consuming process usually required only after a mecha pilot had engaged with a Frost Butterfly in combat.

Rong Mi continued, "Neither of the two Frost Butterflies that left the venom glands and imprints are dead."

"The high-ranking Frost Butterfly's venom gland was left during the battle three months ago," Ellen said softly, his expression solemn.

In the battle where Sandel was injured, Lion had only fought against one high-ranking Frost Butterfly.

That battle was too chaotic, with the Wasp Clan, Armor Wasp Clan, and Shell Clan joining in. They had indeed cut off the Insectoids' retreat. However, amidst the chaos, that high-ranking Ice Butterfly who attacked Sander managed to escape the battlefield despite its injuries, likely fleeing to safety.

But the Adelphid...

His last, and only, encounter with one should have been in a battlefield operation half a year ago, not two years prior!

A chill ran down Ellen's spine as he looked at Lu Yi.

The Admiral frowned but remained composed.

"Your duties are suspended," he said to Ellen. "The Legion will investigate your actions. Your access to key areas of the warship will be temporarily revoked until the investigation concludes. Your other privileges remain unchanged."

"Notify the entire Legion to conduct a thorough screening for Adelphid mental imprints."

Ellen replied, "Yes, sir."

He saluted Lu Yi before hurrying to the testing room.

As the treatment room door closed, Lu Yi didn't say another word.

With a slight frown, Rong Mi opened the light screen and issued a notice within the legion to re-conduct the mental power imprint scans. At the same time, he reported the matter to the military headquarters and issued a warning to all legions.

Recalling one of the hypothetical scenarios of a possible insectoid ambush from history, Rong Mi pondered for a moment before saying, "Actually, the Arachne's mental power imprint scanning system might not be fully perfected at this moment."

Lu Yi sent out the announcement and turned to Rong Mi, his expression unruffled as he said, "Indeed."

"The scanning system could potentially misidentify images within mental domains. The tech department has been working tirelessly on overcoming this challenge. In cases of uncertainty, the assistance of therapists is also required."

Rong Mi nodded thoughtfully. "Have you heard of Gem Rabbits? A type of pet star beast."

Lu Yi shook his head.

Rong Mi commented, "The fact that Gem Rabbits can keenly sense both the Zerg's mental energy and the Subtle Butterfly's mental imprints has indeed not been discovered yet."

Rong Mi didn't elaborate further. For a piece of information to go from unknown to widely accepted, it required a series of data to support it, not just a couple of words from Rong Mi or Lu Yi.

The Admiral, unaware of Rong Mi's motive for mentioning the Gem Rabbits, asked casually, "Want to keep one?"

Silver Wolves, seemingly indifferent, perked up its ears and swiftly turned its attention towards Rong Mi.

Ayin was disbelief personified: ... Rong Mi had just touched a lion and now he wanted to raise rabbits?

"No. Just curious," Rong Mi smiled. "Rabbits are quite cute..." As soon as he said that, he realized something and quickly added, "Of course! Not as cute as wolves!"

Lu Yi: "..."

Silver Wolves: "..."

Rong Mi leaned back on the treatment bed, swiftly steering away from the potentially hazardous topic. He turned serious and said, "Admiral, I have a request."

"Could you grant me temporary membership in your First Team, allowing me to participate in combat as an Armored Mecha Pilot?" He blinked. "I have a feeling you're about to engage in a battle."

Rong Mi continued, "That high-level Ice Butterfly which left its venom sac behind in Sandel's mental domain should be somewhere near us."

"It's very close by. When I burned its mental energy sac earlier, I got a faint sense of its presence."

"There must be a spatial wormhole connecting this area of the star sea and the war zone. It retreated there after being injured." Rong Mi regretfully added, "Unfortunately, I didn't spot the exact location of the wormhole."

Lu Yi's brows knitted together tightly. After a moment, he lifted his arm and activated his communication bracelet.

Rong Mi looked at him. "Should we address the threat of the spirit imprint on Aydie first or deal with this high-level Ice Butterfly?"

"High-level Ice Butterfly," Lu Yi replied tersely. "Deputy Captain Sun Tong, hand over the piloting authority to the First Assistant Pilot. The Second Assistant Pilot and all backup pilots will step up in sequence."

"Sun Tong, Mecha Team Captain Linda, Deputy Captain Silan, and Information Team Captain Erwin, assemble in the conference room."

"All hands on deck. Everyone, prepare for combat mode."

A shrill alarm sounded throughout the starship as it activated its combat readiness status.

Rong Mi sat on the treatment bed, watching Lu Yi eagerly.

Lu Yi met his gaze.

"I follow orders, I know how to cooperate, and I have a high sensitivity to mental energy. I can join the reconnaissance team or the assault team," Rong Mi raised his hand, continuing their previous conversation. "Moreover, I won't hold back your team when cooperation is required..."

Rong Mi had been itching to get back into a mecha for just a few days.

"You're one of us," Lu Yi interrupted him.

"But you want to join the First Team without being part of the First Legion," he said coolly. "Think about what you're asking."

Rong Mi: "..."

"I've already told you, I've offended your Legion Commander, and I don't want anything to do with him," he mumbled. "But I do enjoy dealing with you."

He blinked, revealing his newly contemplated decision.

Rong Mi: "How much influence do you have with your Legion Commander? If you can assure me that he'll let bygones be bygones, I'll join your legion."

Recalling the original owner's identity and background, Rong Mi adjusted his words slightly. "My dream is to become a main battleship mech pilot."

Whether it was to prevent the insectoid raids or to follow his inclination for diplomacy, he was destined for the military.

Rong Mi loved the feeling of piloting a mech.

And compared to civilian amateur mech pilots, being a mech pilot within a legion offered a more thrilling experience.

Though perilous, it was filled with passion, infusing his life with a unique purpose.

Lu Yi remained silent, seemingly awaiting further elaboration from Rong Mi.

Yet, Rong Mi had exhausted his reasons.

"General, we've cooperated before, and you're aware of my piloting skills," he countered. "Wouldn't my participation enhance your operational strength?"

"Indeed," Lu Yi replied firmly, maintaining a strictly professional tone.

"You haven't undergone the military's pilot assessment, and this is not an utmost emergency situation. I cannot grant you extra authorization to operate a standard military mecha."

"The legion will conduct its annual routine mecha pilot assessment next month. If you wish to join, fill out the special application form. I'll endorse it and arrange for a special entrance assessment during the evaluation period."

"But until you pass the assessment, the legion won't involve non-official personnel in combat recklessly," Lu Yi continued, his expression unperturbed.

Rong Mi clicked his tongue, looking slightly displeased but didn't refute. He then heard Lu Yi say, "Ayin will take you to the reserve mecha storage."

"The situation is urgent," the general said calmly, making a decision, "You'll be assigned to the same operation group as me."

"Ready to engage if necessary."

Lu Yi tapped a few buttons on the screen of his communication bracelet before extending his hand. "Communication bracelet."

Rong Mi mirrored his action, and their bracelets touched lightly. Instantly, Rong Mi's screen illuminated with the notification that he had been temporarily authorized by Lu Yi to become a mecha pilot in the First Legion's First Team.

At the same time, a wartime channel appeared on his screen.

"Choose your mecha and head to the meeting room," Lu Yi instructed before turning towards the elevator leading directly to the conference room.

Rong Mi gave him a thumbs up and stepped out of the healing pod, calling out to the Silver Wolves. "Come on, Ayin!" The young man grinned. "Show me the mechas!"

"Ao!" Ayin responded obediently.

It ran down the starship's corridor, brushing past Rong Mi's ankle as it led the way forward.

The First Team's reserve mecha bay occupied an entire room within the armory. Walls adorned with mecha storage panels divided the space. Rong Mi glanced at the zoning indicators by the door: innermost were the intra-stellar mechas, in the middle were the extra-stellar mechas, and outermost were the dual-model mechas capable of adapting their shape and function according to the environment.

Rong Mi walked straight into the section for extra-stellar mechas.

His gaze swept over the options and settled on a balanced model, equipped with both long-range and short-range weapons.

Before claiming the spatial button, he deliberately verified the amplification of his mental power.

"An amplification of one hundred percent... A 3A-class standard mecha. With such high amplification, its defense must be decent too... And it's only kept in the reserve storage," Rong Mi muttered to himself. "Is this how the old era showed off their wealth?"

Despite his inner musings, he didn't waste time. Placing the spatial button on the mecha inspection device, he confirmed the mecha's condition and energy levels before promptly following the starship's map to the next level's conference room.

When Rong Mi pushed the door open, Deputy Captain Sun Tong, the Mecha Team's Deputy Captain, the Information Team's Captain, and others were already assembled.

"The records of all civilian starships that have crashed or gone missing in the nearby sector within the last three months have been retrieved," the Information Team's Captain reported swiftly. Prompted by Lu Yi's explanation, he had swiftly accessed the interconnected military and security databases to pull up relevant cases...

Upon hearing Rong Mi's voice as he authenticated access to the conference room, he instinctively glanced towards the door.

Standing by the entrance was a handsome young man.

He wasn't dressed in military uniform but wore a standard mecha pilot training suit. By his feet stood the silver wolf that usually accompanied the Admiral.

The wary silver wolf, who was cautious around most people, refused to enter the conference room and instead stayed at the entrance, as if guarding Lu Yi's escape route.

Yet, the Silver Wolves followed closely behind the young man to the entrance of the conference room. Its gaze held an innate trust when it looked at him.

Lu Yi lifted his eyes to glance at Rong Mi. "Come in."

Rong Mi stepped into the conference room, noticing the Silver Wolf crouching by the door. He bent down to pat its back soothingly.

Everyone in the conference room: "?!?"

... How did General Silver suddenly become so close to a stranger? It didn't even react to being patted on the back, showing no aversion to this young man's touch!

Some of them had seen Rong Mi on Lu Yi's starship before and began speculating about the reason for his appearance. Others, although they had heard of Rong Mi's identity as a therapist, couldn't match the name to the face and wore expressions of surprise upon seeing the unfamiliar figure.

"Rong Mi," Lu Yi introduced briefly. "He's Ayin and my therapist. He discovered the movement of high-level Ice Butterflies. He's now temporarily joining Team 1-A0."

"Team 1-A0" was the special operation team code for the First Legion's First Squad, usually consisting only of Lu Yi himself.

The room full of people had their attention on Rong Mi, but now their gazes became more complicated.

Curiosity, puzzlement, and subtle scrutiny...

Rong Mi discerned no trace of skepticism in anyone's gaze regarding the therapist's inclusion in the operation team.

It seemed that they all placed their trust in Lu Yi's judgment. Lu Yi's acceptance of Rong Mi indicated that his character and capabilities were undoubtedly reliable.

Rong Mi thought to himself, amused, as he offered a polite smile and waved at the others in greeting.

Lu Yi's finger lightly tapped the light screen, his voice cold as he said, "Carry on."

Information Captain regained his composure in an instant.

"The location nearest to the Desolate Star is thirty degrees to the left, a day's journey away. It's an unpredictable Storm Sea zone with frequent meteorological changes. In the past three months, there have been five reported shipwrecks there," he continued, elaborating on the data displayed on his screen.

"This region is known for its recurrent storms in the stellar sea, with hazardous conditions that deter official navigation routes. The Federation's Transport Department has long cautioned civilian vessels against approaching it. However, some civilian ships, due to tight schedules, still risk taking this shortcut as a 'shorter route'."

"Shipwrecks have often been reported in this area in previous years. Although the recent five incidents are slightly more frequent, they haven't surpassed the threshold for abnormal spikes."

Lu Yi lowered his gaze to study the star map sent by the Information Captain, recognizing the particular sector of the stellar sea.

"The gray-market transport cruisers might avoid regular starports and pass through this sector to evade inspections," he explained. "The actual number of crashed ships could be higher."

Lu Yi responded, "Change course. Head for the Stormy Sea."

"Received," Sun Tong promptly acted. "We'll reach the Stormy Sea in approximately five hours."

The communication officer swiftly checked the status of the sector and confirmed, "The Stormy Sea is currently calm. Should we proceed directly?"

"Not quite," the admiral glanced at the star map. "Dock at the space station one hour away from the Stormy Sea. We'll switch to another cruiser to enter."

"It's rather clever for this high-grade Ice Butterfly," Rong Mi observed the map as well. "There's a space station just an hour away, and it could have had a feast by attacking it, but it didn't."

"Even if it initially refrained due to its injuries, three months would be ample time for it to regain its combat strength. A possibility is that it fears drawing the military's attention and being ambushed again."

"If we use this cruiser, it's likely to hold back."

They couldn't locate the wormhole precisely, so they had to lure the Ice Butterfly into revealing itself.

Sun Tong shot Rong Mi a look that conveyed, 'You get it.'

"Spaceport facilities allow for the rental of civilian starships," he said. "The team's flagship will be docked at the upper military harbor, while the operation squad will use the lower civilian port... Civilian starships lack weaponry, and we don't have time for major modifications. At most, we can mount two gamma beam cannons below deck. The mech pilots' offensive power and speed will be crucial in this campaign."

"Generally," he ventured to ask, "Will you remain on the main flagship?"

Rong Mi replied, "In reality, a Space City might not necessarily be considered the rear."

Staring at the star chart, he seemed lost in thought before continuing his train of thought, "There's another hypothesis."

"All Yadae are believed to draw upon vast amounts of unique energy. Ordinary resources are insufficient to sustain their growth; what they crave most is human mental energy," Rong Mi mused aloud.

Thus, the appearance of Arachnids has always been a harbinger of great calamity. Their formidable combat strength and ability to create spatial rifts would bring even greater disaster to humanity.

"So, the second hypothesis is that this spatial wormhole was specifically created for the Level 5 Ice Butterfly on Barren Star," Rong Mi annotated the star map, pointing at the space city. "The city's resident guards were essentially a reserve food source for that Arachnid's growth."

"Therefore, the high-level Ice Butterfly in hiding can't simply consume them."

"The Level 5 Ice Butterfly on Barren Star would utilize the resources of both the Barren Star and the space city for its evolution. Even if it can't advance, it can still replenish a large amount of energy. Afterward, it could pass through this passage into the warzone and escape back to the insectoid domain."

"If that's the case, there might be more of their kin within the space city. Alternatively, more members of the Ice Butterfly Symbiosis Association, traitors to humanity."

A moment of silence settled in the conference room.

The origins and proliferation of the High Rank Ice Butterflies on the desolate planet were both enigmas.

If Rong Mi's speculative plan was true, it must have been in operation for a considerable time.

Such a massive operation could not have been executed by just a few individuals.

The military's vulnerabilities might be even more extensive than they initially assumed.

Despite the atmosphere of concern, Lu Yi remained composed.

He nodded at Rong Mi, indicating his agreement with her hypothesis, and spoke calmly, "We'll address the potential threat."

The admiral's words were concise yet compelling.

Lu Yi continued, "Send a warning to the Spatial City. Under the pretext of pursuing an A-class star pirate, request the city to raise its highest level of alert. Broadcast across all channels in the neighboring star domains, ordering all nearby starships to dock. Issue a star domain travel ban around the Spatial City and the Storm Sea of Stars."

These arrangements aimed to prevent anyone from detecting their actions and relaying information to the Ice Butterfly Clan.

"Acquiring a civilian spacecraft from the Space City Starport and renting a spacecraft modification chamber," the general addressed Sun Tong. "As the civilian spacecraft's commander, you, along with Captain Linda and thirty mecha pilots, will navigate the vessel into the Storm Sea of Stars."

"I'll remain on the main ship with Ayin, Rong Mi, and the remaining mecha pilots."

"In case of combat in the Space City, refrain from misuse of mental energy," Rong Mi reminded Lu Yi, looking at him as a healer. "Is there no mental energy suppressor bracelet on this ship?"

Lu Yi replied coolly, "No, I don't wear one." His answer was the same as before when Rong Mi had asked. "I can control my mental energy."

Rong Mi clicked his tongue, discreetly casting a glance at Silver Wolves.

With his mental domain stabilized, Silver Wolves often tried to claw off the mental energy collar Rong Mi had previously placed on him. Thus, Rong Mi had removed the collar from Ayin's neck a couple of days ago.

It was at that moment that he suddenly recalled the collar, for there were less conventional versions of mental energy inhibitors...

The young man's gaze swept over the general's neck, imagining the scene.

Rong Mi thought to himself, Lu Yi wearing something... unconventional like that...

Would definitely look... fantastic!

"Rong Mi," the general's voice echoed, pulling Rong Mi back from his reverie.

Rong Mi met Lu Yi's icy blue eyes and suddenly felt a twinge of guilt.

Assuming that Lu Yi had noticed his distraction, he quickly covered it up with a dry cough and replied, "…What?"

"Go to the Data Room for a mental strength and physical resilience assessment," said Lu Yi. "As a special non-commissioned member of the First Legion's First Squad, your information needs to be recorded."

The information the Rong family had provided about Rong Mi was clearly inconsistent with the young man's current abilities.

"Let Sun Tong escort you," Lu Yi instructed.

Rong Mi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay," he nodded, about to turn away when Lu Yi asked, "What were you just thinking about?"

The general looked him straight in the eye, asking calmly, "Your gaze at me was different from usual."