Chapter 72 Accident

Chapter 72: The Unexpected

The energy shield sealed mere seconds before the Zerg arrived. A dense barrage of attacks rained down, causing the luminous barrier to ripple gently. They prayed it would hold until rescue forces arrived.

They had eleven minutes left—eleven minutes they had to endure to stand any chance of salvation.

Chi Yan sat slumped in his conference room seat, legs trembling like jelly. He was genuinely terrified. Na An’an felt fear too, but as head of the medical department and eldest daughter of the military Na family, she could not afford to show it.

Suppressing her own panic, Na An’an forced herself to remain calm, comforting Chi Yan and urging him not to lose hope.

Weakness was humanity’s greatest fear—once revealed, surrender followed swiftly.

Anticipating unforeseen complications during the rescue window, Qi Yanshen, Li Zhi, and several others convened and decided that everyone should board their mechs immediately, prepared to abandon ship at a moment’s notice.

Qi Yanshen remained on the bridge. So did Ji Anzhi. Someone had to stay behind to trigger the mothership’s detonation—to buy time for the others.

Initially, third-year students volunteered for the perilous task. But Qi Yanshen’s possession of an Intelligent Mech silenced all objections. They departed without further argument.

Intelligent Mechs possessed self-awareness and could override pilot input to initiate emergency evasion protocols during crises—significantly boosting survival odds in certain scenarios.

After all, Qi Yanshen was Commander Qi’s son. No one doubted the commander had equipped his son with life-saving technology. Coupled with Qi Yanshen’s firm insistence, they merely reminded him not to act recklessly before heading to the hangar bay.

Qi Yanshen deployed Thor. The bridge was spacious—even with Thor fully deployed, it didn’t feel cramped. Turning to Ji Anzhi, Qi Yanshen said, “You go in first. I’ll board once the shield is about to collapse.”

Qi Yanshen fully understood Ji Anzhi’s concern. He had no intention of making a futile sacrifice. Twenty lives from the rescue team had already been lost protecting them. If they fell easily now, how could they ever face those heroes?

Still watching the command screen, Qi Yanshen spoke calmly: “Don’t worry—I know my limits.”

Ji Anzhi wasn’t sure whether Qi Yanshen truly internalized those words—but he couldn’t change anything, so he boarded the mech first.

Settling into the cockpit, Ji Anzhi drifted momentarily, sensing something was wrong—yet his thoughts hit a wall, unable to pinpoint exactly what.

“Anzhi, don’t be afraid. Xiao Yanshen’s mech piloting skills are more than adequate.”

Thor’s voice emanated from within the cabin. Ji Anzhi set aside the unease and replied, “Yeah—I trust him.”

What other choice did he have?

Their lives were bound together here. Disbelief wouldn’t save them—it would only feed the Zerg…

Thor’s tone remained casual: “It’ll be fine. If Xiao Yanshen really can’t handle those giant bugs, I can activate space-jump mode. Granted, I don’t know where we’d end up—but it’s still better than dying.”

Ji Anzhi recoiled inwardly. Mechs could perform space jumps? He recalled that being theoretically impossible. Was this the Federation’s latest breakthrough?

He voiced the question aloud. Thor realized Ji Anzhi wasn’t descended from high-ranking Federation officials and clarified: “It’s an experimental feature. It ensures the mech’s integrity during a jump—but unlike starships, it lacks targeting capability. The destination is random.”

Random jumps?

Ji Anzhi pondered. If Qi Yanshen failed to hold out, whether a random jump helped or harmed was anyone’s guess. He asked about jump distance. Thor admitted, “I don’t know.”

“You *don’t know*?” Ji Anzhi was stunned.

Thor explained, “It’s experimental, after all. Jump distance remains unquantified—it could be roughly one light-year… or billions.”

They were currently at the edge of human-controlled space. A random jump into uncharted territory offered little advantage over being torn apart by Zerg. And if they jumped straight into the heart of the swarm—wouldn’t that amount to delivering themselves on a silver platter?

Ji Anzhi fell silent, silently praying Qi Yanshen would give his all. Random space jumps were far too dangerous a gamble—he felt his nerves might snap at any moment.

Thor likely weighed the same grim possibilities and offered half-hearted reassurance: “Think positively. People always need hope.” Ji Anzhi said nothing more—he needed to brace himself mentally first.

“Anzhi… I’m scared… Wuwu…”

Suddenly, Ji Anjue’s voice echoed in his mind. That usually soft, endearing voice now thick with terror, punctuated by sobs.

Ji Anzhi finally grasped what had felt off. That was why it had been so quiet—Ji Anjue hadn’t been clamoring in his thoughts. Hearing those words, Ji Anzhi instantly demanded to know what was wrong.

Too frightened to form coherent thoughts, Ji Anjue’s mental presence dissolved into stammering sobs: “They… they seem… seem to be here to catch me… I’m scared…”

*They?*

A chill ran down Ji Anzhi’s spine. He pressed Ji Anjue mentally, demanding confirmation: *Who are “they”?*

“Wuwu… just… just those scary bugs… They said something about eating me… Mm… and then dragging me back to their nest… Waaah… I’m scared… I don’t want to be eaten…”

Quickly analyzing the message, Ji Anzhi reached a chilling conclusion—the swarm had come specifically for Ji Anjue.

Ji Anjue immediately retorted: “That’s not all! They also exploited a loophole… Their… whatever command ordered them to attack *all* the students here. It’s not *all* my fault… Wuwu…”

Ji Anzhi realized he’d spoken carelessly—and quickly soothed Ji Anjue. A beloved child knows no fear. And Ji Anjue—now that cherished child—brazenly screamed inside Ji Anzhi’s mind about its terror and disgust toward those bugs.

Ji Anzhi patiently comforted it until Ji Anjue vented its fear and gradually calmed, releasing only small, intermittent sobs.

Once Ji Anjue settled, Ji Anzhi turned his attention to his own peril. He couldn’t abandon Ji Anjue. Even though doing so would drastically improve his own chances of survival, he refused—absolutely refused.

But taking Ji Anjue meant that once the energy shield collapsed, the main Zerg force would almost certainly pursue *his* mech. That wouldn’t be fair to Qi Yanshen. And if his path coincided with the rest of the squad, he’d endanger them all.

For a moment, Ji Anzhi hesitated—uncertain how to choose. In the past, he’d always prioritized self-preservation, staying with the group to maximize collective survival odds. Now, he wavered. The Federation had sacrificed lives to protect them; Ji Anzhi couldn’t bring himself to drag everyone down with him.

Amid that hesitation, the Guardian shield finally neared its breaking point. Cracks spiderwebbed across the blue-white luminous barrier—like fragile glass poised to shatter into the starry void at any second.

Qi Yanshen checked the countdown, activated the self-destruct sequence using first-level authority, set the timer, and initiated a ship-wide broadcast.

“The Guardian will vanish in ten seconds. Escape beyond the mothership’s blast radius within one minute—if you can.”

He leapt into the mech in three strides, engaged the neural link, and charged the Energy Cannon. The instant the Guardian disappeared, he’d shatter the viewport and charge outward.

“Five…”

“Four…”

“Three…”

“Two…”

“One!”

*Boom! Boom! Boom!*

The Guardian vanished precisely on schedule. The Zerg staggered—disoriented by the sudden disappearance of the barrier. Seizing those precious seconds, Qi Yanshen shattered the viewport and burst from the mothership. Others followed in rapid succession, accelerating away at maximum speed to maximize distance from the vessel.

One minute later, the mothership exploded. Qi Yanshen and the others simultaneously activated their protective shields. Unshielded Zerg in the immediate vicinity were obliterated across a wide radius—granting the survivors a few critical seconds to catch their breath and regroup.

Ji Anzhi instructed Thor to open a small auxiliary screen relaying real-time battle footage. Seeing Qi Yanshen prepare to break through the encirclement alongside the main force, Ji Anzhi hesitated—then made his decision.

“Qi Yanshen—go the opposite direction. *Don’t* follow them.”

Qi Yanshen heard it crystal clear—but he didn’t understand *why*. Breaking away from the main force would only hasten his death. He couldn’t possibly be unaware of that.

Before he could refuse, Ji Anzhi snapped, agitated: “Go the opposite direction! We *can’t* go with them! Listen to me!” Qi Yanshen was startled by Ji Anzhi’s uncharacteristic intensity—nearly committing a critical operational error. Ji Anzhi’s emotional volatility had never been this extreme. Something was deeply wrong. Yet Qi Yanshen hesitated only briefly—and chose to trust him. Adjusting course instantly, he veered sharply away from Lu Yan and the others.

Ji Anzhi has always been level-headed and highly intelligent. Combined with his identity, there might be some unspeakable difficulties he couldn't articulate clearly, only able to give vague reminders—such situations are not uncommon among high-ranking officials.

Besides, he was currently playing the part of an admirer, so he should show some trust and rely on him more.

Lu Yan was already worried about Qi Yanshen, who was at the back, but due to the Bug Swarm, he couldn't keep an eye on him at all times. So, he asked Sai Ren to monitor Qi Yanshen's situation. Initially, Sai Ren thought Lu Yan was making a fuss, but when he turned around and saw Little Yanshen running in the opposite direction after breaking through the encirclement, he was so startled that he immediately informed Little Yan.

"Little Yan, Little Yan! Little Yanshen is running in the opposite direction! Hurry and contact him—has he lost his mind?! Does he think he's lived too long? If he's got a death wish, he shouldn't take Thor down with him! Thor recently promised to watch a movie with me... Little Yan, hurry up! I told you to train properly, but you never listened. See? Weakling! I should've changed my pilot long ago!..."

Lu Yan, who was in the middle of connecting the channel, couldn't take it anymore and roared, "Shut up! Do you believe I'll revoke your permissions?"

Sai Ren reluctantly quieted down but continued muttering under his breath, annoying Lu Yan to no end.

As soon as the channel connected, before Lu Yan could question him, Qi Yanshen cut in first, "I'll handle it."

After hanging up, Lu Yan almost cursed Qi Yanshen's mother out loud. Before he could even scheme about telling on him, Sai Ren blurted out in a panic, "L-Little Yan! The Bug Swarm is chasing Little Yanshen and the others!"

Lu Yan jerked back to attention and immediately looked at the detection screen. The Bug Swarm had actually split off two-thirds of its forces to head in Qi Yanshen's direction, with most of them being mid-to-high-level Bugs. What on earth had Qi Yanshen done?

The separation of the main Bug Swarm forces significantly reduced the pressure on the others. The odd turn of events drew their attention to the Bug Swarm moving in the opposite direction. At first, they thought the Bugs had given up on them as targets, but they soon realized something was wrong.

One mech was missing.

Ye Qiming opened the squad channel and demanded sharply if anyone was missing. Lu Yan stammered in reply that the Bug Swarm was chasing Qi Yanshen and the others...

Everyone was in disbelief. First, they couldn't believe Qi Yanshen had dared to break away from the main group and leave alone. Second, they were shocked that most of the Bug Swarm had gone after Qi Yanshen. While relieved, they were also puzzled: What had Qi Yanshen done to make the Bugs abandon more plentiful targets and focus their attack on just his single mech?

The moment Chi Yan heard the news, he panicked. Chief Ji was still on that stone-faced guy's mech!

But he knew it was impossible to call for help to rescue Qi Yanshen and Ji Anzhi at this moment. Even facing just one-third of the Bug Swarm, they were in a fight for their lives. Distracting themselves to save others would only jeopardize their own chances of survival. Being able to hold out until rescue arrived was already a miracle.

Once again, Chi Yan hated being an omega. He lacked the physical prowess of an alpha, couldn't pilot a mech, and was powerless when Chief Ji was in danger. Even his own safety relied on others to protect...

Qi Yanshen, of course, also noticed the Bug Swarm's movements. The pressure instantly skyrocketed. He had no time to ask Ji Anzhi what was going on and was fighting with everything he had to block the Bugs' relentless attacks.

Feeling the violent jolting of the mech, Ji Anzhi said softly, "Sorry," to Qi Yanshen. He could say he had done right by Lu Yan and Li Zhi, but he felt guilty for dragging Qi Yanshen into this mess. He hoped Qi Yanshen could hold on until the military support arrived.

Due to attacks beyond the limits of what he could handle, Qi Yanshen had to devote all his attention to blocking them, leaving no room for further thought. However, the others, whose pressure had suddenly eased, were different. Even though they were also in dire straits, they managed to squeeze out moments to speculate.

Ji Anzhi checked the time. One minute left. He hoped the military district's support would arrive on time...

As time ticked by, Ji Anzhi's heart grew tense and uneasy. He was afraid, uncertain, yet also thrilled and hopeful.

Ji Anzhi kept glancing anxiously at the time, mentally chanting "faster, faster" over and over.

With only ten seconds left, Ji Anzhi was so tense that he started counting down second by second.

Ten... nine... eight... seven... six... five... four... three...

Just as he counted down to the last three seconds, Thor exclaimed excitedly, "The rescue is here!"

Ji Anzhi quickly looked at the small screen's live broadcast. It still showed Qi Yanshen battling the Bugs, with no sign of the reinforcements. But Ji Anzhi believed Thor wouldn't joke about something like this and felt a wave of genuine relief.

Just as Thor said, the military support had arrived. However, to prevent the starships from jumping directly into the center of the Bug Swarm, the fleet collectively anchored at a point two light-years away from the swarm. After arriving, they headed straight for the students.

Qi Yanshen's squad was the first rescue target—not due to privilege, but because they were directly facing the main Bug Swarm forces, making them the most dangerous location.

However, the first to arrive and rescue Qi Yanshen's squad was Levin. Levin was using a warship specially built for him by his parents. Its jump time was 10% shorter than the military's best space-jump equipment. So, even though Levin set out last, he was the first to arrive.

The moment Sai Ren saw Levin's white warship, he cried out, "The Moon Goddess!"

When Lu Yan saw the white warship, he knew the reinforcements had arrived and almost jumped for joy. But when Sai Ren mentioned "Moon Goddess," he was puzzled and curious, "Moon God?"

If Sai Ren had eyes, they would likely be filled with stars of admiration. He explained kindly, "The Moon Goddess is the forerunner to us Intelligent Mechs! It's also the only Intelligent Warship! Only one person can pilot it! As for you... tsk."

Lu Yan told himself repeatedly not to argue with a mech. He was magnanimous and wouldn't stoop to arguing with an idiot...

The Moon Goddess was incredibly strong. Within just over ten seconds of its arrival, the Bugs around Lu Yan and the others had suffered heavy casualties. Then, the arrival of the military district's forces made the students breathe a sigh of relief.

Lu Yan quickly tried to connect to the Moon Goddess's channel, and it was connected almost instantly.

Lu Yan said urgently, "There's one more person! On the other side, being attacked by the main Bug Swarm forces!"

The pilot didn't respond, cutting the channel. The Moon Goddess headed in the opposite direction to rescue Qi Yanshen's mech.