The three flagships formed a triangle as they ventured deeper into the asteroid belt. About half a day later, they arrived at the coordinates indicating the teleportation field within the asteroid belt. Surprisingly, it was an area with moving asteroids where the positions were not fixed.
Qiao Zhiya volunteered to help distinguish the exact location, but Qiao Yi held him back and offered assistance. Chu Rong frowned and halted them with a large gesture, directing the three flagships to surround the area. They used the flagship’s capabilities to handle the peculiar magnetic field of the region, physically pulling apart each of the moving asteroids and dragging them into the flagship. They forcibly cleared out a hollow area until more distant asteroids slowly filled the gap due to gravitational pull.
Everyone turned to look at Chu Rong—this method of finding the teleportation field was indeed straightforward and forceful.
Chu Rong caught their gazes, reached out to ruffle Qiao Zhiya’s hair, and explained, “We should try to avoid injuries to personnel. The asteroid belt is treacherous. It’s better not to send soldiers and officers down if the flagship can handle the problem.”
Everyone understood his gesture of ruffling Qiao Zhiya’s hair — it was clear that the Marshal was worried about his fiancé. After all, in finding the teleportation field, earth-type magic was likely the most effective, especially since Qiao Zhiya had recently gone missing. The Marshal didn’t want him to take unnecessary risks.
Because they couldn’t send soldiers or officers off the ships, all asteroid collection was handled by robotic arms, greatly increasing the difficulty of the task. Fortunately, the technical corps performed admirably under the guidance of Master Ren. Although it took some time, the mission was successfully completed.
After collecting the asteroids, they busied themselves with excavation and search operations. Several hours later, news finally came from Yuan Lie — the new teleportation field had been located.
The teleportation field schematics were quickly transmitted, and after studying them, Qiao Zhiya determined a new set of coordinates.
Thus, after clearing the asteroids from the ship’s compartments once more, the flagships set off again. By now, it was time for Qiao Zhiya to rest according to his usual schedule. After arranging for the shift change personnel, Chu Rong, with the tacit approval of Qiao Yi and Mi Lai, took Qiao Zhiya back to his room and ensured he went to sleep.
“I’ll be right next door. Call me if you need anything.”
Chu Rong helped Qiao Zhiya wash up quickly, settled him into bed, kissed his forehead, and pulled the blanket up.
Arranging for the two to sleep in adjacent rooms had been the most accommodating gesture Qiao Yi and Mi Lai had made before their official marriage. Though Qiao Zhiya understood his parents’ concerns, he still hesitated to let go of Chu Rong. He reached out, grabbing Chu Rong’s hand, and asked softly, “Will you really sleep? No staying up late secretly.”
“No staying up late.”
Chu Rong held his hand, seeing the reluctance in his eyes, feeling a surge of emotion, and couldn’t help but bend down to gently kiss him.
Qiao Zhiya’s eyelashes trembled, he lifted his arm to embrace Chu Rong’s neck, shyly responding.
The two exchanged a restrained kiss. Chu Rong released him, kissed his eyes, and whispered, “Sleep now. I’ll wake you in the morning.”
Qiao Zhiya closed his eyes, afraid of the abandoned, so he was especially obedient. After he sank his body into the quilt, he mumbled something.
Chu Rong felt helplessly fond. He kissed the youth’s forehead again, his hand gently cupped the blond’s face. He reached out to turn off the bedside lamp, and was about to get up and leave.
But then, the alarm suddenly blared, and Chu Rong’s communicator got a call request that got immediately connected. Fan Xiangnan sounded panicked, saying, “Sir, there’s a Zerg in the front! A whole horde of them! It seems someone is trapped in that horde!”
Someone was trapped?
Chu Rong frowned, while Qiao Zhiya immediately sat up on the bed.
The two looked at each other, and Chu Rong gave up the idea of forcing Qiao Zhiya to rest. He got up, picked up a coat and put it on the youth, saying, “I’ll go to the command room first. You can come later, don’t hurry.”
Qiao Zhiya nodded, lifting up the quilt and putting on his shoes. As Chu Rong strode on the corridor, he asked Fan Xiangnan about the details.
All the personnel on the flagship were also alarmed. The soldiers began to prepare themselves for a battle, while the high-level officials gathered in the command room and looked at the screen together.
The scanning equipment aboard the Chu family flagship had been upgraded, capable of withstanding the strange magnetic field effects within the asteroid belt and scanning far into the distance. On the screen now, at the far end of the sprawling asteroid field, a black mass was steadily approaching. At its edges, a gray-blue spaceship was struggling under the assault of the Zergs.
The spaceship was being clever, not engaging the Zergs head-on but attempting to escape while looking for an opportunity to break free from their encirclement. Unfortunately, the asteroid belt was too dense with obstacles, and the Zergs too numerous; they remained trapped.
“These Zergs are likely after us. We haven’t attacked them, but if this continues, they might wear down and overwhelm the spaceship,” said Fan Xiangnan, enlarging the image on screen to give everyone a clearer view.
As the image zoomed in, the patterns on the spaceship became clearer. Fan Xiangnan paused, then looked at Chu Rong in surprise, saying, “It’s a modified Yun family vessel.”
Chu Rong recalled the long-missing Ning Kongran and furrowed his brow. “Increase speed and move closer. Look for an opportunity to bring them aboard the flagship,” he ordered, then heard familiar footsteps approaching the door and quickly turned to meet them.
Inside the Yun family spaceship, Yun Huai looked serious. “We still can’t break free. What do these creatures want?”
“We’ve run out of the Zergs repellent we stole from Ning Tianxing,” replied Ning Kongran, staring at the screen where the spaceship was surrounded by countless black forms. His brow furrowed deeply.
They had been entangled with the Zergs for a day, thinking the repellent would allow them to evade pursuit. However, they hadn’t anticipated such numbers; no matter where they turned, they were met with a swarm of Zergs. The only silver lining was that these Zergs were solely focused on their journey and had not attacked them directly. Yet, as the repellent gradually wore off, this fragile harmony was bound to collapse.
To make matters worse, they had lost their sense of direction in the asteroid belt, making their situation extremely precarious.
Suddenly, the captain’s expression changed. “The Zergs around us are starting to gnaw at the spaceship’s protective shell. They’ve identified us as ‘different.'”
“Spray the Zerg mucus. Coat the spaceship in it. We’ll stay at the edge of the swarm and try to hold out a little longer to break free from their encirclement,” Yun Huai said reluctantly, resorting to this unfavorable tactic.
Zerg mucus had camouflaging and numbing effects on the Zergs’ senses. However, both genuine and fake Zerg mucus possessed a certain corrosive quality, which could irreversibly damage the spaceship’s protective shell if applied extensively.
But now, they had no choice. Their lives were at stake, and any delay was better than none.
The captain quickly complied, and soon the screen was covered with the nauseating mucus of the Zergs. The attack alarms ceased, but the situation worsened as the Zergs sensed the concentrated mucus, mistaking it for the presence of a powerful ally. They began attempting to push the spaceship towards the center of the swarm.
Yun Huai’s face darkened, his usually maintained composure finally breaking.
“These mindless creatures!” he cursed softly, then instructed urgently, “Hold on! Don’t let them push us to the center. Remove some of the mucus quickly!”
The captain, caught off guard by the unexpected turn, scrambled to follow the orders.
Ning Kongran, who had been watching the screen closely, suddenly saw something different amidst the sea of Zergs. Just as he was about to discern it carefully, a burst of interference noise crackled through, followed by Qiao Zhiya’s anxious voice.
“Kongran, accelerate forward! Directly into the flagship. We’ll assist you!”
At this critical moment, the voice from his good friend was nothing short of heavenly. Ning Kongran hesitated for a moment, then his eyes softened uncontrollably, a smile even spreading across his face as he replied, “Alright!”
Without further ado, he pushed past the captain, fingers swiftly moving over the controls. He piloted the spaceship towards that different black mass ahead.
The Zerg swarm, sensing the movement of the “powerful ally,” eagerly followed him forward.
A streak of gray-blue, accompanied by a vast expanse of black, surged towards the flagship. Chu Rong instructed, “Send someone to the airlock, open the largest D-section door. When the Yun family spaceship approaches, use the net…”
“Use Qiuqiu!” Qiao Zhiya stepped forward, interrupting him, meeting his gaze squarely. “Qiuqiu is more agile and can adjust in size. Besides, Mom and Dad can help me draw a protective magic circle at the airlock to prevent the Zergs from rushing into the flagship.”
Chu Rong paused briefly, then reached up to tousle his hair, changed his approach, and ordered, “Send someone to the airlock. Follow Qiao Zhiya’s command.”
Lin Zhen acknowledged and turned towards the D-section airlock, making the arrangements ahead of time.
Qiao Zhiya bid farewell to Chu Rong and, accompanied by his parents, arrived at the D-section airlock. He swiftly began drawing the protective magic circle.
The gray-blue spaceship accelerated rapidly and finally, after dodging another passing asteroid, spotted the massive silhouette of the Chu family flagship with its open side door. It hastened towards the airlock.
The Zergs also sensed the enemy’s presence and rushed after Ning Kongran.
Once the gray-blue spaceship approached, countless thick vines suddenly shot out from the D-section airlock, swiftly extending to wrap around the spaceship. They forcefully pulled it towards the airlock, then a flash of golden light appeared. The surrounding Zergs were all blasted away by this power.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!”
Immediately, countless rocks wrapped in brown flames shot out from the airlock, followed closely by small vines. With coordinated efforts, the Zerg army was intercepted, allowing the gray-blue spaceship to be smoothly pulled into the airlock by the vines. Then, with a thunderous sound, the D-section airlock closed, sealing out all the oncoming Zergs.
“Bang!”
Qiuqiu, expanded to its limit, dropped the gray-blue spaceship onto the ground before shriveling and wilting. The vines twitched faintly. Qiao Zhiya hurried forward to retrieve the shrunken Qiuqiu, feeding it a bit of magical energy with concern.
Qiao Yi and Mi Lai ceased their attacks, looking at the spaceship now fully revealed after the vines were removed, frowning.
Elves and dwarves were both races with heightened senses, and the mucus and foul odor emanating from the spaceship were too stimulating. It wasn’t surprising that Ball Ball reacted that way.
Outside the flagship, in the blink of an eye, the rushing Zerg mass had enveloped three flagships. In the command room, Chu Rong immediately ordered the flagship to start bombarding the Zergs to relieve pressure once he confirmed the airlock was closed.
At the D-section airlock, Lin Zhen led the team in dispatching the few Zergs that had rushed in during the chaos. He then turned to see the sorry state of the gray-blue spaceship covered in mucus. He fell silent for a moment, then ordered soldiers to prepare a cleaning procedure.
Zerg mucus was not something pleasant – it was better to wash it off sooner rather than later.
The soldiers waiting in the corner gradually snapped out of their shock upon hearing the order. Their gazes discreetly swept over Qiao Yi and Mi Lai, then to the still glowing magic circle on the ground. A sense of admiration rose in their hearts as they tacitly avoided Qiao Zhiya’s family, moving quietly to clean up the Zerg corpses inside the airlock.
