The fleet underwent multiple rounds of inspections and scans upon reaching its destination.
They first passed the logistics planet situated at the very rear of the front. From space, looking through the artificially maintained atmosphere, one could see various factories neatly laid out across the small planet, to the point where its surface had been entirely remodeled into a shimmering silver-white.
Dense arrays of heat-dissipation and cooling machinery covered the entire celestial body; inside, it was likely a scene of bustling, fully automated assembly line production.
Fleets shuttled in and out of the planet like schools of fish or swarms of bees—some recovering resources from the front, some transporting materials from the rear, and others carrying finished products out of this massive integrated factory complex.
As the troop transport fleet brushed past it, the massive celestial body blocked out the entire field of vision for those on board. A subtle tug of gravity made Lei Ting realize the planet possessed its own pull, and that the atmosphere was being constrained within a suitable range by that very force.
This was not surprising, as the Academy headquarters was the same. In fact, almost every planet used by the Orion humans had an atmospheric system established on its surface suitable for their kind.
The kind where it didn't rain boiling water.
Once the starships passed through the wave-like array of planetary weapons, the fleet landed on the forward-most planet. Lei Ting did not disembark with the non-combatants. Instead, after parting ways with Ruo, he flew directly out of the shields and into the vacuum of space, his weapons on his back and his armor sealed.
To be honest, it hadn't been that obvious in the city, but once he reached the battlefield, it was as if he had toggled a console command—there was nothing within his sight that he could not control.
As long as it was metallic in nature, or fit the definition of "metal," it automatically became his subject the moment he arrived.
Lei Ting glanced at the assembly order on his optical brain’s eyepiece and vanished into the darkness of deep space along a predetermined route.
Five squads followed behind him. Including himself, there were twenty-six young superpowered warriors in total. Their silhouettes streaked across the deep void, bypassing the crossfire zones where stray ballistics flew wild, and landed at a designated location.
There were no other people there, nor any large starships—only six small spacecraft resting silently in space.
Lei Ting narrowed his eyes, identified the craft his navigation gave him authorization for, and instead of opening it remotely like the others, he flew straight inside.
It was like falling into a pool of pitch-black lake water.
This craft was entirely different from the other mission vessels. It had only one seat and one set of control panels, clearly designed for a solo operative.
Aside from that, it possessed every necessary function. There was even a small mechanical workbench set up next to the food and daily necessity storage lockers. The single bed, formed by unfolding the seat, looked quite comfortable, and a set of pillows and blankets was tucked underneath.
Lei Ting: "..."
Lei Ting: "?"
*Good grief, are they planning to have me nest here?*
The only thing missing was a washroom, but he didn't actually need a toilet these days—his digestive system’s efficiency was so high that it didn't matter if he ate heavy metals.
In that sense, this military spacecraft, which was about the size of a studio apartment, only lacked a shower compared to a real flat. He figured there was no need to do that in space anyway, nor was there any need to waste the ship's ammunition storage space; he could just take a wash whenever he went back to replenish his food and water.
Lei Ting looked around in surprise, then interfaced with the ship's main control system.
A ship this small naturally had no onboard AI, but the latest version of the system interface was very agile.
Upon opening the interface, he saw a pre-installed letter. It was from Legion Commander Valianna. She stated that she was currently busy "exchanging blows"—no, "exchanging fire"—with the enemy at a distance and couldn't return to welcome him. She was giving him this ship; since he had plenty of work ahead of him, he needed his own means of transport.
*Plenty of work...*
Indeed. Whether it was for the Academy’s cultivation of him, the high treatment and status granted by the Federation, the compatriots in the rear threatened by war, or the things that still bore the marks of the old Earth civilization... he carried a heavy responsibility.
Since the burden was already on his shoulders, he had to carry it and complete the tasks required of him, one by one.
Lei Ting smiled and closed the mission plan—one he had reviewed countless times over the past few days, specially adjusted for his solo combat requirements. He had the Calcium Cubes extract a thin tube of nutritional paste from the storage compartment.
They generally didn't serve much of a combat purpose for him now, usually following him around like a group of little pets.
—So, what was the person who gave him that first Calcium Cube doing now?
—He didn't know.
Lei Ting looked at the starry sky, taking a deep breath to briefly empty his mind, allowing himself to recall all the memorable figures he had met in this life so far.
Whether they were enemies or friends, or... a certain someone whose place in his heart was subtle and unique.
They gave him strength. And that was his greatest wealth, his greatest reliance, and his greatest responsibility.
Finally, a smile touched the handsome young man's face.
He input commands into the console and pulled a rather retro-looking valve.
That was one of the small details the Human Union had preserved since the era of the Origin System. It wasn't just a safety measure to prevent accidental activation; it represented the concept of "commencement."
*Clack-hiss...*
*Vroom—!!*
The ship's engines began to preheat. Lei Ting gripped the directional power controller—which resembled a large, omnidirectional joystick—and his thumb brushed the firing buttons on either side, though he did not actually press them.
In the dark void, faint blue lights flickered at the tails of the six black, non-reflective ships.
With a command through the earpieces, the small assault team began to fly forward, rapidly accelerating to the appropriate speed before disappearing among the stars.
—No matter what the people he had met, the people who had met him, the people he loved, the people who loved him, the people he loathed, or the people who hated him were doing now...
As long as he and those facing the flames of war alongside him could achieve more victories, everything in the rear worth protecting would enjoy a more lasting peace.
He understood this truth.
And he had to remember it forever.
***
**[Target Confirmed: 'Hataan 25']**
**[Plan A: Park the ship in the adjacent asteroid belt and infiltrate in armored state... Pros: Low chance of detection. Cons: Insufficient defense... Applicable: Smooth infiltration in space environment.]**
**[Plan B: Directly break through scanning and fire blockades to land on the target's surface, then scuttle the ship and begin frontal combat...]**
**[Plan C: Build a signal base station near the target to divert their manpower...]**
"This one is too stupid," a cold female voice rang out over the channel. "Plan C is too stupid."
"Agreed." The person serving as the current First Pathfinder and Commander-in-Chief crossed out Plan C with a *shink*. Consequently, the original 'Plan D' automatically moved up one slot, and the subsequent dozen plans followed suit.
**[Plan C: Park the ship in the adjacent asteroid belt, infiltrate a potential Hataan vessel in armored state, and land on the target's surface with it... Pros: As long as one can avoid the enemy's eyes, one can bypass their alert systems. Cons: Difficult to avoid the enemy's eyes...]**
The ships were still flying forward. In the communication system, the four squad leaders and the Commander-in-Chief discussed the mission plans. Lei Ting listened in silence, comparing the pros and cons of each plan in his mind.
Of course, these plans were merely templates; the specifics of execution depended on the operatives themselves.
As he listened, the star map projection beside him suddenly blurred, displaying a line of text: **[Star Map Calibrating...]**
A moment later, the text flashed into a concise **[Calibration Complete]** before quietly vanishing, leaving a massive star map with altered details floating at the side of the cockpit.
—The stars were constantly moving, and even black holes were no exception. Interstellar navigation required constant calibration of these dynamic maps in a dynamic environment; otherwise, if the flight distance was even slightly long, the final result could be poles apart from the original destination.
Therefore, every navigation system in the world came with an automatic external observation and calibration function that triggered periodically. The Orion Human Union's military navigation system calibrated once every fifteen minutes, which suited the habits of the Union's members.
To be honest, it was fortunate that the planetary weapon serving as the enemy's war base wasn't too far from the battlefield. Otherwise, the mission squad might have had to perform a "do-your-best-and-leave-the-rest-to-fate" unguided jump to get close... and that would have made quite a racket.
Once the list of plans was sorted, the channel fell into silence. Lei Ting did not turn on the lights. He watched the starry sky through the projection window in the darkness. The star-like metallic calcium drifted throughout the ship, transforming from silver-bright cubes into various geometric shapes, then into lifelike birds or fish, or other alien flora and fauna...
After a long time, the metallic calcium suddenly burst apart, turning into sharp flying spikes that shot out in all directions, only to stop abruptly before damaging anything. They turned into nail-sized droplets floating throughout the ship, as if a rain made of steel was falling in this space that was neither too cramped nor too wide.
Lei Ting reached out to catch a drop of "rain." He watched it land in his gloved hand, melting into a soft, pearlescent bead that traveled up his arm—over the bracer, sleeve, tactical straps, and fabric—before flying softly into the air to merge with the rest of the metal rain, returning to the familiar Calcium Cube form.
And on the path that seemingly soft "water drop" had traveled, a grain-sized piece was now missing from the edge of the seat's backrest.
**[Exiting danger zone, please be advised,]** the Galactic Complex's war zone alert stated.
Lei Ting sat up, looking at the lonely planet floating amidst layers of asteroid belts in the distance—there had certainly been a planet here once, but it had been blasted into its current state, serving the dual purpose of resource supply and a space defense belt.
"Attention," the Commander said in a low voice over the channel. "We've arrived."
Indeed, they had arrived.
Lei Ting pulled the controller, dispersing from the others to park his ship within the asteroid belt. After completely shutting down all engines and major systems, he secured the hull to a small asteroid. Then he stood up and, along with the "Black Box" he had placed on the floor beside him, flew out of the ship and into space.
In the distant darkness, the brightly lit planet hung silently.
Doomsday weapons stood tall upon it, and occasionally, ships or starships descended from all directions.
Lei Ting soared upward, weaving through the asteroid belt toward the nearest lucky vessel.
—The operation had begun.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 瓦利安娜 | Valianna | A Legion Commander of the Human Union. |
| 哈塔恩25 | Hataan 25 | The target planetary weapon/base. |
| 第一先行者 | First Pathfinder | A military rank or title, likely the leader of the vanguard. |
| 始源星系 | Origin System | Likely referring to the Solar System/Earth's original system. |
| 黑箱 | Black Box | Lei Ting's specialized weapon container/equipment. |
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