Ah, I forgot to mention, since I didn’t upload any chapters last week, I’ll upload 4 extra chapters this week – 2 chapters at Tuesday, 2 chapters (+the normal 2) at Wednesday
The Chu family army stationed at the border immediately rushed towards the coordinates provided by Chu Rong upon receiving his orders. There, they discovered an unusually large asteroid. After careful inspection, soldiers found it hollow inside, containing a teleportation field.
This discovery uplifted everyone’s spirits. The Chu family army promptly dragged out the asteroid, cleared the teleportation field after breaking it open, copied the patterns from it, and then violently destroyed both the teleportation field and the asteroid together.
Upon receiving the new patterns, Qiao Zhiya immediately analyzed and extracted the next designated coordinates. However, these were now deep within the asteroid belt, no longer suitable for soldiers and officers who only piloted small warships and military vessels to venture into.
“Send the flagship over.”
Chu Rong immediately decided, preparing to personally search for the next teleportation field and then follow the trail to the monster’s lair.
Qiao Zhiya immediately expressed his desire to accompany him. If the son went, then Qiao Yi and Mi Lai naturally wanted to go as well. Regarding the monster that wanted to harm their son, they couldn’t wait to personally crush them.
Chu Rong and the others who had only just returned home soon began preparing for their campaign. Chu Huai couldn’t join this time – as the Federation’s President, he had little freedom. Chu Yan was also not suitable to accompany them. This campaign would venture deep into the asteroid belt, and they didn’t know how long it would take. He still had to attend school and didn’t have time to follow along.
The final personnel chosen to accompany them on the expedition were Yuan Lie, who had recently replaced Elder You as one of the Federation’s four Marshals, and the Xiang family volunteered their flagship for Yuan Lie and his army to use.
On the Empire’s side, General Neitaxi and the Imperial High Advisor would also join the expedition as representatives of the Empire.
Everyone busied themselves with preparations. Gu Yan’an, who had just been in a cheerful mood, was once again occupied by worry. While helping to organize things, her brows were furrowed and she sighed from time to time, filled with reluctance.
“Here are the newly bought yellow jades. You have emerald and ink jade in your hands. Prepare some backups just in case.”
She handed Qiao Zhiya a spatial button containing jade, then picked up another box of medicines and a spatial button containing a large pile of herbs, and passed them over, saying, “I know you can make potions yourself, but once you’re inside the asteroid belt, there’ll be no signal and no supplies. If you’re short of anything, there’s no way to send a message back for someone to bring it. This box contains spiritual purification liquid. I heard that you and Xiao Rong are almost out. Your eldest brother, now that he’s president, finally brought back some perks for the family, especially this batch. These herbs are all fresh. Let me know what you need, and Dasao will have someone send it to you.”
Qiao Zhiya held the spatial button, feeling as if it still carried the warmth of Gu Yan’an’s palm. He felt a sour and swollen heart. He reached out and hugged her arm, then leaned over to rub her belly, saying, “We’ve got enough stuff. Logistics will double-check. Dasao, please rest for a while.”
The baby in her belly moved when Qiao Zhiya leaned over. Gu Yan’an was indeed a bit tired. Supporting her belly, she sat down on the sofa with Qiao Zhiya’s support. Looking at Qiao Zhiya’s slender figure, she couldn’t help but remind him again, “If you encounter danger, let Xiao Rong take the lead. Don’t get into trouble again, ah.”
Qiao Zhiya nodded obediently, poured a cup of hot milk and handed it to her, infused with a bit of magic power.
Mi Lai leaned against the railing on the second floor, watching Gu Yan’an and Qiao Zhiya talking together in the living room. Holding onto the railing, she whispered softly, “Our baby really likes the Chu family…”
Qiao Yi stood by her side, reaching out to pat her back gently, and replied warmly, “He loves you very much too.”
Mi Lai glanced back at her husband, suddenly stood up and adjusted her hair, saying, “So I’ve decided to like the Chu family a little more from now on… I heard these three brothers lost their parents early on, they are all pitiful children.”
Qiao Yi looked towards Chu Rong and Chu Yan, who had just stepped into the door, his eyes softened, and he quietly responded.
Three days later, after the final inspection of the flagship, Chu Rong, Qiao Zhiya, and the others set off towards the border, bidding farewell to their family’s gazes.
On the other side, the armies stationed at the border began to converge towards the asteroid belt. The highest alert was in effect, patrols were non-stop, ensuring that not even a fly could escape from within the asteroid belt.
Meanwhile, inside the asteroid belt…
The gray-blue flagship, adorned with cloud patterns, hovered amidst several huge asteroids, having lost its direction forward.
“Kongran, we must turn back.”
Yun Huai, Yun Xiaochu’s father, frowned and spoke, watching as the detection instrument began flashing a red alert, saying, “The Hermit has been deceased for many years. His original prophecy may have changed. We need the military’s assistance.”
Ning Kongran also looked at the blinking red lights on the detection instrument. Knowing that continuing further would not yield any results, he reluctantly clenched his hands, closed his eyes forcefully, and murmured, “Let’s return. I will contact Chu Rong.”
Originally, he wanted to seek revenge with his own abilities, but his abilities were ultimately limited.
Seeing his reluctance, Yun Huai sighed inwardly, walked up to him, and patted his shoulder, saying, “Our trip this time is not entirely fruitless. Besides, after being away for so long, Chu Rong should have investigated something new. After we consolidate our information with him, perhaps new clues will emerge. Don’t be too impatient.”
At Yun Huai’s words, Ning Kongran recalled what he had found this time and also remembered the cipher book he entrusted Yun Xiaochu to pass on to Qiao Zhiya. Slowly relaxing his clenched fist, he let out a long sigh and said, “I hope so. Sorry, Uncle Yun, for making you worry.”
Yun Huai smiled reassuringly at him and patted his shoulder again, without saying anything.
Just as the heavy atmosphere eased slightly, on the other side, the captain who was staring at the ship’s data suddenly exclaimed, his fingers swiftly zooming in on the image ahead, then recoiled in shock, “Not good! There’s a massive swarm of Zergs approaching! My God, how can Zergs appear in the asteroid belt, and there are so many!”
Ning Kongran and Yun Huai were stunned upon hearing this, quickly turning to look at the enlarged image ahead. They saw a dense black mass advancing towards them like a tide, aggressive and incredibly fast.
“Activate the protective barrier, change course, evade quickly!” Yun Huai’s expression changed drastically as he quickly issued orders.
Ning Kongran’s eyes lit up suddenly after a brief moment of daze. He said, “The Hermit’s prophecy was right. The greatest danger indeed lies where humans cannot reach! Zergs coming out from the asteroid belt… the mastermind behind the scenes must be here too!”
Yun Huai frowned at his words, his gaze still fixed on the horde of Zergs, his eyes tinged with worry.
The two federal flagships and the imperial flagship rendezvoused at the border. After a brief respite, they set course towards the coordinates within the asteroid belt.
Inside the Chu family flagship, in the training arena, Mi Lai once again sparred with Chu Rong.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!”
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
The two spared no quarter, engaging in a relentless exchange. After a long bout, Mi Lai managed to halt her massive hammer just half a meter from Chu Rong, while Chu Rong’s short dagger was aimed straight at Mi Lai’s abdomen, ready to strike.
It ended in a draw—an unexpectedly even outcome.
Qiao Zhiya clapped excitedly from the sidelines, jotting down a few notes on his electronic tablet. He grinned, saying, “Mom, well done! Now we can go back to repairing [Rong Tian]!”
[Rong Tian] was too damaged – repairing it would require a complete overhaul. After considering it for a while, he decided to rebuild [Rong Tian] entirely, transforming it into a versatile mech like Chu Yan’s [Knight].
Moreover, with Chu Rong’s enhanced spiritual strength and newfound understanding of the metal-element magic under his father’s guidance, he decided to thoroughly review Chu Rong’s current strength and attack patterns to draft a new design for [Rong Tian].
Upon learning of his plan, Mi Lai volunteered to help him understand Chu Rong’s current capabilities. That was why she was currently sparring with Chu Rong.
Hearing his son’s call, Mi Lai casually brushed aside her sweat-dampened bangs, casually shouldered her massive hammer, and ran towards Qiao Zhiya on the sidelines. Her aura of aggression and bloodlust subsided, replaced once again by the cheerful demeanor of a “young woman,” leaving those watching on the sidelines with stiff expressions.
Chu Rong also put away his weapon. After wiping the sweat from his forehead, he looked towards the mother and son talking on the sidelines, his gaze lingering briefly on Mi Lai, his eyes showing a slight movement.
Unlike their previous skirmish, Mi Lai’s attacks in this fight, while fierce, were no longer aimed at causing harm. Instead, they carried a hint of guidance.
He sensed this subtle change in attitude, and what it represented was clear to him.
Qiao Zhiya’s mother had truly accepted him and included him in her circle, beginning to offer him help to the best of her ability.
A long-forgotten warmth of being cared for by elders welled up from deep within him. He glanced down at his own hands, a faint smile appearing on his face.
Unlike Qiao Zhiya’s wild yet still immature attack style, Mi Lai’s attacks were cunning and ruthless. Setting aside the factors of magic and mental strength levels, he realized there was still much for him to learn.
Strength had no limits, and this bout had been a fruitful learning experience for him.
Suddenly, he felt a strong urge to spar with Qiao Yi again, even if it meant getting knocked down and sent back to the repair chamber for further repairs.
