Chapter 103 – Disconnection

Chapter 103 - Disconnection

"Attention all examinees - an urgent announcement is about to be broadcast - attention all examinees,"

"The assessment zone's danger level has escalated - original level: C - upgraded level: A,"

"Special notice, butterfly spirit fragments might be present in the examination area - please exercise caution! -"

"If you encounter energy fragments, promptly report to the military department, do not approach them privately! Repeat -"

"..."

"Cheng Die?"

"....There's a Cheng Die here?!?"

"Holy cow, this is beyond our scope, this isn't something we're equipped to handle..."

The sudden notification caught most of the examinees off guard, sparking discussions within the starship.

The proctors were equally surprised. They became more vigilant of their surroundings but also switched screens frequently to observe the candidates' reactions to this new information.

"One who knows fear is at least capable of rational thought," the proctors noted as they scored, jesting with each other. "What we're afraid of is those who are ignorant and still cause trouble."

"… I suspect you're subtly referring to Hua Oulo's squad," another chuckled. "I've been watching them, and they seem to be behaving now. They've even stopped battling the Ice Butterflies and are heading for a resource planet instead. Perhaps they were discouraged by Rong Mi's battle just now."

"That kid has his ups and downs. He easily gets carried away by passion. It's high time he was disciplined properly," Zhang Mingda said helplessly.

Surveying the other candidates, he frowned. "Most of them haven't had much experience in war zones. Fear is understandable, but these few are so scared that they're considering turning back… They're not suited for military service."

"Indeed." The others nodded in agreement.

"The best handling was by Rong Mi."

The young man merely furrowed his brow before immediately contacting his scout.

Rong Mi: "Is there anything abnormal in the front area?"

He could guess that Lu Tianchen had awakened.

Rong Mi exhaled in relief and couldn't help but smile.

This was clearly a good thing.

Recalling the actions of the other party at the amusement park base and Cheng Wen's breakdown upon seeing Lu Tianchen's death... those memories weighed heavily on him.

However, the new warning from the military department shed light on the origin of the amusement park base: "It seems that the rare energy mine General Lu obtained back then was discovered in this star region."

Knowing the approximate location of the butterfly fragment was beneficial. But the possibility of it appearing in the examination grounds... seemed rather unfortunate.

"Everything around us is normal," Anna promptly reported through the communication channel. "Three hours away, at three o'clock position, there are numerous military warships blocking the edge of the area. According to the star map, it's the AE sector of the third combat zone."

That was where the first and third legions were searching for the butterfly spirit fragment.

"We're still five hours away from the resource planet. I can already see it. The energy field around us is normal."

"In a bit, it'll be time for shift change, Sister Anna," Chen Shu raised his voice. "Shift change time is coming up—"

"Let's switch after we land on the resource planet!" Anna said cheerfully. "It won't make a difference for a little while longer!"

Both of them had their Bunnies, and the reconnaissance results were highly reliable. The Gem Rabbits' lack of any unusual reaction indicated that there truly weren't any Butterfly Shards nearby. Rong Mi wasn't overly worried, but he didn't let his guard down either.

After some thought, he opened the public channel for the surrounding star region.

"At coordinates (01, 33), no Butterfly Spirit Shards have been detected within an hour's flight," Rong Mi shared Anna's report. "To all nearby candidate spacecraft, if you detect any abnormal energy fields, please share the information immediately. It's fine if you can't confirm if it's a Butterfly Spirit Shard."

At the very least, every spaceship would be on high alert and verify the information with caution.

The public channel covered a range of three hours' flight. As they approached the resource planet, there were more candidate spacecraft than along the way. Everyone had the same goal: that resource planet.

Several spacecraft received Rong Mi's communication. The candidates exchanged glances, and some hesitated for a moment.

After all, this was an exam, and speaking frankly... no one was willing to pave the way for others.

They checked the team number that had sent the message through the public channel.

"...It's Rong Mi," someone whispered. "He's so powerful... he probably wouldn't broadcast false information."

"When it comes to Butterfly Spirit Shards, we should indeed share information," said another.

"Haha! Rong Mi!" After a brief silence, Hua Oulo's voice echoed through the public communication channel, "This time, we're ahead of you!"

"There's nothing special up ahead. We're about to enter the inner orbital route of the resource planet!"

After several hours of travel, the frustration that had risen within him when he was ignored by Rong Mi after unilaterally initiating a race and then witnessing her impressive feats had mostly subsided.

Hua Oulo, after some self-reflection, realized that he had underestimated the situation!

The Ice Butterfly Traps had already been handed over to Zhang Mingda. When his subordinates, who had assisted Rong Mi in the ambush on the examiner's warship, returned and excitedly recounted their experience to Hua Oulo, their eyes gleamed with admiration.

Deep down, Hua Oulo acknowledged that Rong Mi was far more capable than himself.

But... he wasn't that bad either!

Hua Oulo quickly regained his confidence!

"You just wait and see! This time, we'll take the lead!" He rallied himself, speaking loudly, "I'll scout the way! I'll definitely reach the resource planet before you do and send back intelligence!"

Rong Mi: "..."

He thought of the honey badger.

That animal would charge into a beehive to eat larvae... only to be stung to death by the bees.

Although comparing Hua Oulo to a cute, fluffy creature was somewhat unfair to the latter, Hua Oulo's behavior was indeed quite unreliable.

But seeing Rong Mi looking so excited and full of wonder, he didn't want to dampen his spirits. Thus, he could only say, "Alright then."

In any case, the score for the Resource Planet Module mainly relied on the completeness of information gathered and the amount of resources transported. Whoever landed on the resource planet first wouldn't make any difference to the competition results.

"I'll be watching," Rong Mi couldn't help but remind him. "Be careful when landing. Don't act recklessly."

Hua Oulo was brimming with enthusiasm. "I don't need you to tell me that!"

Their starship accelerated, passing through the final nebula before the resource planet and entering its inner orbit.

Rong Mi's starship also moved steadily forward, following its course.

"Following Brother Rong really fills me with a sense of security," Gu Ming mused in the cockpit. "Jade Rabbit can detect the presence of Ice Butterflies, and Brother Rong has even had a proper fight with one! He thinks things through so meticulously! And he's even brought along several proctors on the starship..."

"True as that may be, we're deep within a war zone," Phil, the more experienced pilot, rationally pointed out. "We're lacking resources and energy. If anything were to happen here—like the ship crashing or getting stranded—and we don't receive timely rescue... having all the gods here won't make a difference."

"Blah, blah, bah!" Gu Ming shuddered and promptly countered. "Think positive!"

Rong Mi didn't join in their banter.

He gazed in the direction of the AE sector, vaguely spotting a few flickers of light in the dark expanse of space. It seemed like the First Legion was engaged in some sort of battle there.

Ice Butterflies were a common sight in the war zone, so Rong Mi didn't pay them much attention. In the back lounge, Lu Yi furrowed his brow.

The condition of the roots of his mental tree wasn't optimal. Having been pinned down by Rong Mi and Wolf, he didn't know when he had drifted off to sleep. Upon waking up, he realized that Rong Mi had indeed withdrawn the purple mental energy.

The ropes formed from flames weren't tightly bound; they wouldn't cause discomfort as long as he didn't struggle against them.

Instead, the aura they emitted made Lu Yi's slumber deeper than usual.

The admiral sat up, rubbing his forehead, emerging from a rare deep sleep. Catching a glimpse of the distant glow outside the window with his peripheral vision, he became aware of his surroundings.

That was the distress signal specifically set by the First Legion.

The location was secluded, naturally not intended for Rong Mi or the inspection warship to notice.

It was a form of communication between the squadrons within the AE sector.

Given the involvement of the Chrysalis Fragment, Lu Yi naturally took it seriously.

With one hand supporting his head, he dialed the communication line to the Deputy Legion Commander Robert: "Report the situation in the AE sector."

"General?" Robert, aware that Lu Yi was in the assessment zone, was momentarily taken aback upon receiving the communication. He promptly grasped the situation. "…Are you in the vicinity of the AE sector?"

"We've deployed devices around the AE sector that emit the Ice Butterfly Hypnosis Waves."

This hypnotic wave was something Rong Mi had employed during the Ice and Fire Tournament. After some time of research, the military, inspired by Rong Mi's demonstration, had finally developed equipment with a similar effect.

"The edge of the AE sector shows no signs of spatial wormhole activity, and we've established a spatial lockdown on the periphery," he stated gravely, speaking rapidly. "However… the second team dispatched into the AE sector has gone completely silent, and contact with the reinforcing third team was lost just now."

"There seems to be intense energy activity within the AE sector… They only managed to send out a distress signal."

"Contact Sun Ming for a secondary lockdown. Send me the energy readings from AE sector."

He didn't immediately intervene in Robert's command to deploy extra resources for the situation. Nevertheless, Lu Yi leaned back against the headboard of his bed and started going through the files.

Seeing him resume his work, the wolf pushed open the compartment door and confidently strolled around the spaceship, eventually making its way to the cockpit to find Rong Mi.

The silver wolf was quite a spectacle within the spaceship. As it passed by the docking bay, the other proctors couldn't resist stealing glances at it before exchanging looks with one another.

"One of the Silver Wolves is looking for Rong Mi," whispered one proctor. "Do you think... have Lu and Rong gotten married?"

"Bets are off! For General Lu Yi to find a partner with that temperament, I'd have found mine ages ago!"

"One can only wish they're married! I'll bet ten bucks they haven't even confessed their feelings! Otherwise, how would Rong Mi have reacted when she saw Lu Yi boarding the ship? If my wife found out I secretly followed her into a warzone... she'd probably hit me... while kissing me at the same time!"

"Eww..." The other single examiner groaned in unison, "Here comes another dose of relationship goals!"

Ayin: "...?"

Ayin had already passed the docking bay and was nearing the command room entrance. Still, its keen hearing allowed it to catch the hushed conversation coming from inside the bay.

There were some words that the wolf found difficult to comprehend.

Ayin was skilled in combat and obedient to Lu Yi and Rong Mi's commands, but conversations with intricate human nuances surpassed its understanding.

Much of its knowledge about non-combat matters came from Lu Yi's subconscious inclinations. Thus, the wolf recognized the terms "wife" and "kiss."

Ayin: "..."

The wolf's ears twitched, its head tilted thoughtfully as it entered the command cabin.

It was not an ordinary Ice Plain Silver Wolf.

Connected to Lu Yi's mental domain and influenced by the Admiral's subconscious, the wolf knew things that other Star Beasts did not.

For instance, a 'kiss' meant licking lips.

Both the wolf and Lu Yi desired to do so.

Rong Mi was reviewing Anna's investigation report. Hearing the silver wolf enter, he raised his arm quite naturally.

The wolf instantly understood and approached Rong Mi, resting its head in the palm of his hand. After a moment of silence, it leaned forward even more proactively.

Ayin: "Awooo!"

It opened its mouth, pushing forward slightly, revealing a hint of its pink tongue.

Ayin was hesitant yet excited. Its heightened emotions were transmitted to Lu Yi's mental domain, causing the general's fingers flipping through the light screen to tremble.

Lu Yi's body jolted, his gaze instantly lifting from the data as he sternly called out, "Ayin!"

Ayin: "…!"

The sharp rebuke in the mental domain made the wolf freeze in its tracks.

Rong Mi was very close to the wolf and sensed its rapid breathing, so he turned to look at it just as Ayin nudged its face close, panting like a big puppy.

Rong Mi: "…?"

"What's wrong?" Rong Mi asked, concerned.

He rarely saw the wolf exhibit such behavior, and the temperature inside the starship was constant, not excessively hot to warrant panting for cooling.

"Woof." The wolf closed its mouth and nudged Rong Mi's cheek with its nose, looking inexplicably aggrieved.

"..."

Flipping another page on the holographic screen, Lu Yi deliberately decreased their empathic connection and focused his attention on the situation in the AE sector.

"Who's been bullying our Ayin?" Rong Mi wrapped his arms around the wolf's neck and rubbed it affectionately. "Was it Lu Yi?"

Teasingly, he added, "Admiral, you're bad. Did you chase Ayin out of the room?"

"Woof." The wolf's ears drooped, and it took a step back in denial. Lu Yi ignored it; the wolf had come to find Rong Mi on its own accord.

Ayin sat down beside Rong Mi, resuming its usual demeanor.

Seeing that the wolf was indeed fine, Rong Mi scratched its chin and refocused on the holographic screen.

"In thirty minutes, we'll enter the outer orbit of the resource planet, and in an hour, the inner orbit. Anna, can you land on the resource planet? If you're not proficient, let Chen Shu take over."

"No problem. Sister Hong has taken me through it before." Anna's voice came through. "I'm in the Inner Orbital Channel, descending now...

"Entering the planet's gravitational field, deceleration retro-rockets activated—"

"As the data suggests, the air density increases the deeper we go. Visibility is dropping rapidly, external pressure's on the rise, and the mecha is about to enter the liquid zone... Huh?"

Suddenly, Anna's voice paused in the communication channel.

"I think I just saw a distress signal?"

"But there's no message on the public channel... Zzz—Zzzz—"

The communication signal began to fluctuate. Rong Mi held onto the communicator, speaking hastily, "Anna! Report your coordinates!"

"Zzz—Bottom of the liquid zone—I can already see the luminous energy mines in the mining area below... Can you hear me?"

She frowned, recognizing the green glow that was flashing deep within the resource planet as an emergency distress signal.

"Rong Mi! I'll go down and check it out!" The voice on the other end of the communicator was intermittent, and Anna couldn't make out Rong Mi's words. She saw the continuous distress signals flashing below, understanding that the situation must be dire. Thus, she raised her voice, "Current location sent! My mecha still has ample energy! Descending further!"

"The energy field distribution here differs from the records! —— The central mining area is intricate! Advised to halt the descent of the starship temporarily! We haven't detected... wait!"

"Chirp! ——"

"Zzzt..."

The chaotic cacophony of sharp noises drowned out Anna's voice.

Communication was severed, and Rong Mi's brows knitted tightly. He could vaguely discern that Anna had mentioned a distress signal, indicating that the data provided by the military might not be precise. She was continuing her descent for further investigation. However, beyond that, the rest of her words were lost in the noise, making it difficult for Rong Mi to comprehend.

Phil: "Bro Rong, I've got Sister Anna's coordinates!"

The starship proceeded forward, and everyone could now see the resource planet through the viewports.

In space, the entire resource planet was shrouded by a veil of orange, red, and white gases, obscuring what lay beneath.

Switching to the public channel, Rong Mi called out, "Hua Oulo? Can you hear me?"

Silence filled the channel. Rong Mi paused for a moment before asking, "Has anyone established contact with the starships inside the resource planet?"

"..." The channel fell silent for a moment.

After a brief pause, someone spoke up, "Brother Hua and his team have gone off the grid."

It was one of Hua Oulo's minions who had been commandeered by Rong Mi to attack Lu Yi's starship a few hours ago. Impressed by Rong Mi, he momentarily deliberated before spilling the beans about Hua Oulo's team's situation.

"They went off the radar shortly after descending into the mining area. Before losing contact, it seemed they stumbled upon something... Brother Hua was cursing."

Rong Mi: "..."

Rong Mi stood up.

"Let's hold off on getting any closer," he tapped Phil on the shoulder, "I'll go take a look."