Chapter 248

Chapter 248

Deenlie stood on the warship.

He had recently been rotated off the front lines and, instead of returning to Grath, came directly to the Wandering Star Region. His luck was poor—right after arriving, Herli pushed him into overseeing the screening of outsiders. Previously, they had close ties with the Spiders, and now there were still many lingering ties from that relationship, so the screening process wasn't progressing quickly.

Deenlie was growing impatient with this kind of work, but he forced himself to remain, extending his psychic power across the screening area to prevent anyone from slipping through.

His adjutant's voice rang in his ears: "The screening area has been successfully blockaded. The defensive line is temporarily moving forward, with the Graths taking over. All personnel are to cooperate with the screening."

Deenlie replied directly in the channel: "I'm going to the front."

With that, he steered the warship toward the defensive line, much like a young person riding a hoverboard along an urban sky rail—except his feet were on a fully armed warship, and a hoverboard couldn't withstand the impact of a Grath's landing.

Ahead lay the front line of the Insect Tide. The adjutant had anticipated this response.

For Deenlie, there was almost no choice between waiting for the screening to end and going to the front to kill insects. The latter at least killed time and let him collect some King Insect crystals for Cyril.

…

"The two Star Alliance members in this area have sent us a welcome signal and voluntarily offered to take care of reception duties."

The Star Alliance staffer was unfazed.

No member nation would damage relations with the Star Alliance. Most would extend courtesies when they met, especially the lesser-known ones.

The young man lounging on the sofa, staring out at the view, didn't even turn his head.

"That'll save us a lot of trouble. Reply and thank them for their kindness. We accept the reception. Exchange information and let them set up our camp."

"Yes, sir. They also offered to provide the general defensive layout here and planned a route for us, suggesting we change course."

The young man finally looked up. "Change course? They're overstepping a bit too much. Alright, don't look at me like that. I understand. How?"

"A detour around the rear would set us back about forty-two percent of the original travel time."

"We won't change course for now. We've got enough firepower and loaded the latest anti-insect weapons."

The short-haired woman sitting straight beside him glanced at him but said nothing.

Wandering Star Region.

Carter sat in the command room, across from Lance, who had just returned from the frontlines with his legion.

"Lance, I expect you to at least show some respect for your superiors. Don't question or drag your feet on my orders."

Lance looked up with a defiant look. "I didn't disobey—"

"Yes, you didn't. You just stalled."

Carter's voice grew stern. "Let me make it clear: though we are both empires, we are not Grath, and neither are you."

The command room went dead silent.

After a long moment, Lance finally lowered his head. "I understand."

The adjutant beside him cautiously broke the silence. "Admiral Carter, the Star Alliance representatives accepted the reception but refused to change course. They're asking for a camp location."

He hesitated, looking uncertain. "Based on their original route, they'll probably hit a pre-set battlefield."

Carter rubbed his temples.

"Give them coordinates and get the camp ready. Leave the rest alone."

On the other side, the Star Alliance convoy.

The mother ship lurched violently.

The young man turned. "What's going on?"

"We've run into a large King Insect."

"Bad luck. Let's detour around it. Our firepower can handle it."

"No, scans show a swarm up ahead. The number of King Insects is concerning. We could take them, but... it'd be dicey."

The young man's expression turned serious. He checked the display, then looked at the woman beside him. They were both in charge of this mission.

The woman, who'd been stone-faced the whole time, now frowned. "There's still some distance. Detour."

The young man nodded and turned back. "Contact that... what's-his-name?"

A teammate prompted, "Keller."

"Anyway, you know who I mean. Those Star Alliance folks here. Ask them for a different route."

The young man rubbed his nose, a bit embarrassed. He had just refused their reception. If only he'd known the insect tide wasn't over, he would have hung back on the outskirts a bit longer.

Soon, a staff member reported, "They answered. They gave us a new route, but it goes through one of their defense lines and a base. The base is locked down—can't pass. They suggest we wait here."

"What for?"

"Sounds like they're running some kind of inspection."

The mother ship was jolted again, less violently this time, but taking down a large insect would take time. Only the flagship can take its hits, and every fight with a big King Insect wrecks at least one mother ship. Hanging around risked drawing more bugs.

He made a quick decision. "We've got no time. I don't want to lose a mother ship. We'll push through and talk afterward."

The woman frowned but remained silent.

…

Deenlie stood on the warship, flicking his sword. He suddenly let go of a King Insect below, looked up, and raised the warship slightly.

The King Insect, frustrated by his toying, sensed his pause and lunged back.

Without even looking, Deenlie arced in a wide curve and delivered a sharp slash. The King Insect crashed heavily to the ground beside him.

From afar, he sensed the approaching group of large mother ships.

The screening wasn't over; the area was still under lockdown.

"Stop them."

The adjutant quickly replied, "Issuing a first warning."

"No response to the first warning."

Deenlie looked at the fleet of mother ships still advancing and moved to meet them. "Then I'll begin."

Inside the mother ship.

"There's no insectoid activity ahead. It should be safe. Also,"

The staff member hesitated. "We've received unknown signals several times. Should we reply?"

"They don't follow the Star Alliance's signal protocol—they must be locals."

"No time. Head to the surface and try to lose the King Insect behind us. If that doesn't work, we'll have to let the mother ship block it for a while and kill it."

The young man winced, looking somewhat pained. Even if the mother ship didn't get scrapped after its rotation, the repair costs from such a large King Insect's rampage would be a considerable expense.

His companion's eyes went wide and he tapped him on the shoulder. The young man turned.

Deenlie's fleet was heading straight toward them.

The young man couldn't help but say, "Why are there still small starships like this nowadays?"

Small starships had long been phased out. Only large mother ships could withstand attacks from large King Insects.

A woman beside him frowned. "There's a person on top of the warship."

"Is this some kind of attack from a backwater nation? That's enough for the news."

The young man moved closer for a better look. "Alright, it's pretty flashy, but aside from looking cool, what's the point? An entertainment company could hire him for a movie—this would definitely be a high-difficulty stunt."

The woman kept frowning. "Can we tell them to back off? There's still a large King Insect behind us. If their observation methods are more conventional, with our mother ships blocking their view, they might not have detected it."

Before they could react, several warships spread out and launched claws from different directions at the lead mother ship, that sank deep into its hull.

The inspecting staff member didn't attack until receiving orders, nor was he particularly tense. It was common sense that small warships could hardly shake a large mother ship. No matter how special the weapon, could it match the destructive power of a large King Insect?

The mother ship could break free from such immobilization at any time, but without orders, the command center stopped temporarily.

The staff member quickly reported, "No significant damage, but the King Insect is closing in. No room to turn around. This area is likely to take a direct hit—evacuate into the mother ship's interior."

At the same moment, Deenlie controlled his warship to dash forward.

Deenlie and the King Insect came into view.

The distance was terrifyingly close. Without that transparent, high-strength material, no one would doubt they'd feel the airflow stirred by the King Insect's movements.

Still a great distance away, Deenlie leaped, landing lightly on the King Insect's body, repeatedly jumping up and down, eventually pinpointing its vital point. He drove his sword deep, infusing it with mental power. Then he jumped again, his warship exactly meeting his landing point under his control.

He looked down.

The massive King Insect fell, crashing against a mother ship.

Those inside couldn't help but step back. The King Insect struck the transparent section, the command center shook violently, and the lights inside flickered a couple of times.

Then Deenlie controlled his warship forward, like a hunting big cat, striking again, just as he had when hunting the King Insect.

Deenlie disabled part of the mother ship's propulsion system, returned to his warship, and flew a half-circle in the air.

He commented, "More cumbersome than a King Insect."

"Tow it back."

Deenlie stood on his warship, looking up at the other mother ships not far away.

It was a somewhat comical scene—a tiny warship blocking a fleet of mother ships many times its size.

The warship moved forward, and the massive mother ships retreated.

Until they had moved a distance away, far from the blockade zone.

Only then did Deenlie steer his warship to turn back.

...

That evening, Baide sent a congratulatory message.

"I heard today that Deenlie captured a mother ship?"

Baide heaved a sigh hypocritically in the channel.

"Be friendly, Deenlie. At least say a few words before you act. It's Dad's fault for not teaching you well—you still need to say hello before attacking."

Deenlie clicked his tongue impatiently and didn't show up in the channel.

With Baide there, Arnold immediately spoke up, even putting aside his past grievances with Deenlie, "Deenlie did nothing wrong."

As the one involved, Deenlie clicked his tongue again, not the least bit moved by his little brother's gesture.

No matter what it was, Arnold always took the opposite side from Baide. And as this little brother grew up, he became less and less adorable. Now he only obediently calls Norton "Big Brother."

Elia mediated, quietly steering the topic away, "How have you been lately, Arnold?"

"Fine, Sister Elia. I'll be home soon. I really miss Cyril, and I haven't had a chance to ask Big Brother about what happened before."

Baide started egging Arnold on, also wanting to know the details, "Go ask him."

"I don't dare. Why don't you?"

Author's note:

Baide: Me neither.