When Yi Lian arrived at the designated coordinates with the Third Legion rescue forces, they did indeed discover a modified starship.

The location was precariously close to the border of the Shengya Empire, surrounded by uninhabited, derelict planets—a blind spot where military patrols were notoriously sparse. Both the setting and the timing were flawlessly calculated.

Once the legion surrounded the vessel, Yi Lian ordered a forced breach and personally led his men aboard.

“Sir, Area A is clear!”

“Area B is clear!”

“Area C is clear, but we found a prompt left in the system!”

Yi Lian hurried to Area C. Stepping into the bridge, he was greeted by a massive, tens-of-meters-high screen on the tactical console displaying an eight-hour countdown to a system lockout.

Typically, this indicated the crew had already fled, leaving the starship completely under AI autopilot.

Yi Lian kicked a metal chair aside and strode back out, barking, “Find the hostages, fast!”

“Yes, sir!”

Da Bei, Meng Tao, and the others had been confined for two days. Having transitioned from initial hope to absolute despair, they no longer even had the energy to bicker, sitting on the floor hugging their knees in grim silence.

Suddenly, faint, chaotic footsteps echoed from outside. The group stiffened, cold sweat breaking out across their foreheads.

“Are they coming to execute us?” someone whispered.

“Our families will find a way to save us!”

“I don’t want to die, waah…”

“Shut up!” Meng Tao hissed.

Before they could brace themselves, the metallic hatch was violently forced open from the outside. Fully armored soldiers clad in Danse military uniforms charged in, raising their weapons: “Don’t move!”

Recognizing the insignia on the armor, several students broke into tears. The imperial military had finally come for them!

Only Meng Tao’s expression twisted into a complex knot of relief and confusion. The military is here, so did the operation succeed or fail?

As the soldiers began taking a head count, Meng Tao rushed up to the squad leader, feigning frantic agitation to test the waters: “Li Xiao was taken by them! Hurry and save him!”

The officer patted his shoulder reassuringly. “We will execute a thorough sweep. For now, fall back with the transport team.”

Da Bei elbowed Meng Tao aside. “I want to help look for Li Xiao!”

“Do not disrupt our operations.” The officer gestured to his subordinates. “Escort them out!”

With that, the officer led the remaining squad toward the other sectors.

Not long after exiting the bridge, Yi Lian heard a subordinate shout over the comms: “Sir, we’ve located Li Xiao in Area F!”

“Dead or alive?! I’m heading over!” Yi Lian pivoted on his heel, discarding all officer decorum as he sprinted down the corridor like a centermeter dasher.

Subordinate: “Alive! Though he appears somewhat weak. He and another exchange student were bound hand and foot and locked in a small lounge.”

Inside the lounge, a Beta soldier unfastened the shackles and ropes binding Li Xiao and Jiang Hao. “Take it easy, don’t try to stand just yet. Did they assault you over the last two days? Where are you injured?”

Li Xiao coughed weakly, his voice raspy and frail: “They delivered a few kicks to my torso, but it shouldn’t be anything severe.”

“Which legion do you belong to? Will you take us home?” Jiang Hao asked, carefully rubbing his chafed wrists.

The Beta soldier responded straightforwardly, “We belong to the Third Legion Rescue Squad! Rest assured, with us here, we will guarantee your safe return home!”

Li Xiao quietly observed the Beta soldier’s gear, confirming it was authentic. The commander of the Third Legion was Yi Yongning’s youngest son, Yi Lian, who was currently in his early object-40s. In Li Xiao’s previous life, they had collaborated to counter the Meng family. While Yi Lian’s capabilities weren’t exceptionally outstanding, his moral integrity was beyond reproach.

Hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor, and Yi Lian burst into the room. The moment his eyes landed on Li Xiao, he let out a massive sigh of relief.

“Call a medic over!” Yi Lian panted, kneeling down before Li Xiao. “Are you alright?”

Li Xiao nodded. “Thank you for your hard work.”

Yi Lian waved it off, immediately firing a message to his father, Yi Yongning.

【Hostages secured.】

Yi Yongning replied instantly: 【Excellent. Keep it quiet and execute a withdrawal first.】

This was transparently a trap orchestrated by the Meng family, so why had his father received the starship’s exact coordinates? What was the Meng family still waiting for? More peculiarly, having captured Li Xiao, the Meng family hadn’t executed him.

While a barrage of questions swirled in Yi Lian’s mind, now was clearly not the time to investigate.

When the medics attempted to lift him onto a stretcher, Li Xiao indicated he could walk, but the soldiers insisted he lie down.

Amid the dispute, an urgent report crackled over Yi Lian’s comms: “Sir, the Meng family forces have arrived! They are executing a pincer movement to surround us!”

Yi Lian’s face shifted. Whoever rescued Li Xiao would secure administrative jurisdiction over the Tianjiang sector for the next eight years. The Meng family’s intentions in rushing over now were glaringly obvious. In today’s standoff, he would rather die than surrender Li Xiao to them.

“Move!” Yi Lian pushed the stretcher aside, hauling Li Xiao up to rush outward as he barked into the general comms frequency, “All personnel on the starship return immediately! Vanguard units execute a counter-flank from the exterior—if they want a fight, we’ll give them a fight!”

Li Xiao’s hand clamped down on Yi Lian’s arm like a vice, forcing him to a halt.

Yi Lian stumbled, a jolt of shock piercing his mind. Li Xiao’s grip strength is immense. Assuming Li Xiao was simply too exhausted to move, Yi Lian turned and bent his back. “Hop on, I’ll carry you!”

Li Xiao stated calmly, “Before we depart, I wish to report my safety to my brother.”

“Once we board the cruiser, you will have ample time to report—” Yi Lian froze mid-sentence, a realization dawning on him. His tone flipped instantly: “Excellent! Report your safety first.”

Since the Meng family had already intercepted them, it was far better to make it public immediately and seize the narrative initiative.

Watching Yi Lian utilize the internal military network to establish a patch with the headquarters and the royal military priority frequency, Li Xiao mused that the officer wasn’t entirely dim-witted.

At that exact moment, both the Imperial Military Headquarters and the Danse Royal Palace received a red-alert emergency military prompt.

At Military Headquarters, four Generals—Yi Yongning, Zheng Kang’an, Meng Jian, and Qi Shoude—sat presiding over the rescue command center, surrounded by rows of high-ranking officers at a massive circular table.

A virtual projection flickered to life above the center of the table, revealing Yi Lian’s figure.

Yi Lian saluted the four Generals, reporting in a resonant voice: “Reporting to the command structure: the Third Legion rescue forces have successfully retrieved the hijacked exchange students!”

Meng Jian’s eyes grew frosty. His finger tapped subtly against the table surface. Instantly, the transmission interface warped into a blur of static and snow, and the audio cut out entirely.

Yi Yongning whirled toward the communications division: “What happened?!”

The operator responded frantically: “A sudden cosmic storm is severely disrupting transmissions. It’s projected to persist for roughly an hour.”

“A cosmic storm that doesn’t arrive early or late, but hits precisely at this exact second.” Yi Yongning cast a pointed glare at Meng Jian. “Isn’t that a bit too convenient?”

Meng Jian feigned ignorance. “As long as the hostages are located, other complications are trivial.”

Aboard the starship, Yi Lian watched his screen distort violently. Attempting to restore the network proved entirely futile. His adjutant’s frantic, enraged voice barked over the comms.

“The Meng family forces are completely disregarding our blockade, cutting directly through our formation! Are they trying to force us to open fire?!”

Yi Lian: “What is their proximity?!”

Adjutant: “At their current acceleration, they will execute a forced dock with our ship in five minutes!”

Yi Lian: “Issue a warning!”

Adjutant: “We did, it’s useless!”

Yi Lian grit his teeth. Over the years, the Meng family’s roots had expanded exponentially, eroding more than half of Danse’s power structure. Occupying a position second only to the Emperor, they had long stopped respecting any other authority.

“Major General Yi, please establish a connection with the royal priority frequency,” Li Xiao reminded calmly.

Yi Lian was on edge. “The signal has been tampered with. We need to evacuate first.”

Li Xiao: “Let me try?”

A nearby Beta soldier couldn’t resist chiming in: “The commander has tried multiple times to no avail. What difference will it make if you try? Let’s not squander precious time.”

“That’s not necessarily true,” Jiang Hao countered. “My big brother’s tech skills are phenomenal. He might actually fix it.”

Just as Yi Lian was about to decline, the adjutant’s voice roared in his ear: “Sir, they’ve initiated a forced dock!”

Yi Lian made a snap decision, tossing his terminal to Li Xiao while ordering over the comms: “All personnel still on the ship, regroup with me!”

Li Xiao followed him into a nearby, spacious conference room, inquiring internally: 09, can you resolve this?

09: 【No problem! The communication satellites were manually shut down. A forced reboot requires ten minutes, but I’m currently activating a backup satellite. Give me about two minutes!】

In the starship’s main concourse, Meng Zai led a combat unit, disregarding the Third Legion’s blockades as they forced their way inside.

The Third Legion adjutant led a squad to block the corridor, demanding sharply, “Lieutenant General Meng, what is the meaning of this?!”

Meng Zai sneered: “We harbor suspicions that the Third Legion is colluding with star pirates to unlawfully detain the Second Prince of Danse and the exchange students. Disarm immediately and submit to investigation!”

The adjutant was struck with disbelief: “What utter nonsense are you spouting?! Do not invert black and white!”

“Any resistance will be deemed a direct provocation against the Danse Military, and you will bear the consequences.” Meng Zai gestured to his subordinates.

The armored unit lunged forward with weapons drawn, and a violent physical clash erupted between the two sides.

Meng Zai ordered coldly: “Fire!”

Amid a volley of gunfire, bright crimson blood splattered across the metallic corridor.

Shot through the shoulder, the adjutant clutched his wound and retreated hastily, reporting to Yi Lian: “The Meng family forces have opened fire!”

Yi Lian roared: “Sever their docking corridors! Divert reinforcements! Protect His Second Highness at all costs!”

The adjutant grit his teeth: “Understood!”

Inside the conference room, several virtual screens materialized in Li Xiao’s field of vision, displaying the starship’s internal surveillance.

Yi Lian’s initial tactical assessment had failed; he had ordered a quiet retreat hoping to slip away before the Meng family could react, never anticipating that the Meng family would initiate a direct, armed confrontation. With few personnel left aboard, the Meng family forces were driving straight through the corridors, and calling back reinforcements was already a step too late.

With a swipe of Li Xiao’s finger, layers of virtual interfaces unfurled, virtually occupying the entire conference room space.

Yi Lian, who was frantic with worry, gasped as he realized what was displaying on the screens. It was the starship’s entire core command matrix—Li Xiao had practically relocated the entire cockpit interface right here!

Li Xiao swiped to a command console. Just as Meng Zai and his unit were about to board an elevator, he overridden and locked it down, snapping shut the heavy bulkheads across various corridors.

Seeing Meng Zai’s advance halted, Yi Lian whirled to look at Li Xiao in shock: “Wasn’t the starship’s system locked down?”

Li Xiao replied casually, “They asked me to lock it before they fled.”

Yi Lian: “?”

Noticing Yi Lian’s deep skepticism, Jiang Hao chimed in to explain: “Those thugs’ tech skills weren’t a patch on my big brother’s. They held the exchange students at gunpoint, so my brother had no choice but to comply.”

Yi Lian: “…” Could the coordinates sent to my father have come from this kid?

Li Xiao stated calmly, “Tell your men to stay put. There’s no need to make senseless sacrifices.”

Snapping back to reality, Yi Lian quickly issued corresponding strategic adjustments based on Li Xiao’s manual controls, preventing his remaining men from clashing head-on with the Meng family forces.

09: 【Network connection established!】

Li Xiao: 【Link to Military Headquarters and the Royal Court.】

09: 【Patching through now—】

Deep within the metallic corridors, Meng Zai and his combat unit found themselves trapped at every turn, their progress brought to a grinding halt.

The Beta officer turned to the technical division over the comms, bellowing, “What is going on?! Didn’t we already seize control of the ship’s mainframe?!”

The technician on the other end sounded utterly bewildered: “We are in control, the link hasn’t been severed!”

The officer roared: “Then why are you locking us in?! Open the bulkheads immediately!”

The technician’s voice turned frantic: “It wasn’t our command! We are troubleshooting the anomaly now!”

After relaying the situation to Meng Zai, the officer spat venomously, “Li Xiao’s luck is infuriatingly resilient! Unexpected anomalies crop up every single time!”

Before Meng Zai could respond, a cheerful, boyish AI voice chimed from the corridor’s intercom system.

【Smoke detected in Corridor N-PF22-7. Activating fire suppression protocol!】

The moment the words fell, rows of overhead nozzles clicked open, unleashing a torrential downpour of high-pressure mist.

Trapped within the sealed corridor, Meng Zai and his men had nowhere to hide, left entirely drenched.

“Sir!” The Beta officer hastily ripped off his cap, attempting to shield Meng Zai from the spray.

Meng Zai batted it away with a snarling expression: “Force a breach! Locate Li Xiao immediately—I want him found, dead or alive!”

“Yes, sir!”

The unit opened fire on the metallic bulkheads, the heavy gunfire quickly denting and warping the structure.

Trudging through the accumulating water, Meng Zai heard an urgent report over his earpiece.

“Sir, the docking mechanism has been disengaged!”

Meng Zai halted. “You’re reporting a triviality like this to me? You can’t even manage a docking interface?”

The technician answered in a panic: “We are trying to override it! It appears to be a systemic collapse of the ship’s infrastructure. For your safety, perhaps you should withdraw first?”

Meng Zai’s expression was murderous. “Execute your assignment.”

“Yes, sir.”

Outside the starship, the Third Legion deployed their mecha units in an attempt to sever the Meng family’s docking conduits, but they were intercepted by the Meng family’s own mecha forces. The two factions fell into a chaotic dogfight encircling the starship.

A mecha pilot noticed the Meng family’s docking conduit snap and eagerly reported to Yi Lian: “Sir, their docking interface has severed!”

Yi Lian: “I see it. Execute an immediate withdrawal.”

Mecha Pilot: “? Understood.” Where exactly is the Commander seeing this from?

Inside the conference room, Li Xiao noted the activated water mist and knew instantly it was 09’s doing.

09: 【Who told them to speak ill of you? Not deploying the drone defense array against them is already being merciful.】

Li Xiao: 【No need to be polite. Have as much fun as you like.】

09: 【Really?!】

Li Xiao: 【Yes. I’ve tolerated them for a long time.】

These individuals who disregarded national interests, pledging allegiance exclusively to the Meng family and opening fire on their own compatriots without hesitation, had long ceased to be soldiers of Danse.

09: 【Then I’ll vent your frustrations for you!】

Seeing the communication display flicker, Li Xiao gestured to sweep all the operational interfaces away, centering the camera feed on Yi Lian. He stated calmly, “Resume your report.”

The transmission had actually been restored. Suppressing his swirling emotions, Yi Lian nodded: “Understood.”

At Military Headquarters, Yi Yongning was pacing like an animal in a cage. Meng Jian had deliberately severed the communications, clearly intent on seizing the hostage by force. For the sake of the Tianjiang sector’s jurisdiction, the Meng family would stop at nothing to get their hands on Li Xiao.

The Southern Cross sector was the Meng family’s absolute stronghold. If a full-scale armed conflict erupted, even a coalition of the other families’ forces wouldn’t stand a chance, let alone the fact that the Qi and Zheng families were notorious sycophants to the Mengs. This rescue mission was fraught with grim prospects.

If worst came to worst, he might have no choice but to yield and surrender the prince to the Meng family.

Yi Yongning gripped his thighs so hard his knuckles turned white, his lowered gaze brimming with bitter anguish. In the end, he still lacked the spine to stand firm.

Suddenly, the darkened virtual screen flashed back to life, and Yi Lian’s resonant voice reverberated through the command center: “Apologies, our signal encountered severe interference moments ago! Resuming report now!”

Yi Yongning snapped his head up, a look of profound astonishment and uncontainable joy flashing in his eyes.

Meng Jian, who had been leaning back in smug anticipation of victory, flinched. He straightened up, his fingers tapping sharply against the table, but this time, the connection remained unyielding.

Yi Lian: “The Third Legion has successfully retrieved all exchange students, including His Second Highness! Everyone is safe and accounted for!”

Yi Yongning roared: “Excellent!”

Yi Lian: “Rescue operation concluded. Requesting permission to return!”

Yi Yongning: “Permission granted!”

Yi Lian: “Sir!”

Meng Jian slammed his palms onto the table and stood up, glaring frostily at Yi Lian through the screen: “The intelligence I received stated that the Second Legion located them first. What exactly is going on?!”

Yi Lian didn’t bother engaging with him, pivoting the camera feed directly onto Li Xiao: “Your Highness, what is your assessment?”

The moment Li Xiao’s face materialized on the screen, every officer in the command center subconsciously held their breath. From the moment the Emperor decreed that whoever rescued the prince would assume control of the Tianjiang sector, this rescue had transformed into a blood sport between the Yi and Meng families. Li Xiao’s upcoming words would dictate the ultimate victor.

Li Xiao gazed calmly at the four Generals presiding at the high table, his tone unhurried: “I was unaware that the Second Legion had arrived, but it was indeed Major General Yi Lian who rescued me.”

Meng Jian grit his teeth, pronouncing each word with venomous deliberation: “The Second Legion discovered the starship first.”

Li Xiao displayed a look of mild confusion: “Is that so? Then where exactly are they?”

Standing nearby, Jiang Hao chimed in: “I only witnessed personnel from the Third Legion as well.”

Meng Jian hissed: “They were barred from entering the vessel by the Third Legion!”

Yi Yongning slammed the table as he surged to his feet, snarling at Meng Jian: “Sophistry should have its limits! Produce evidence if you have it; otherwise, stop spouting nonsense in this chamber!”

“I don’t need to present a damn thing to you! What sort of entity do you think you are?!” Meng Jian pointed a trembling finger directly at Yi Yongning’s face, barking furiously.

In a fit of rage, Yi Yongning lunged forward and grabbed a fistful of Meng Jian’s hair: “We hold identical ranks! What sort of entity do you think you are?!”

Never anticipating that Yi Yongning would resort to hair-pulling, Meng Jian lashed out in a fury, clawing at his face: “You coward, let go!”

“You think I’ll let go just because you say so?!” Yi Yongning threw himself over the table, hammering his fists into Meng Jian.

Caught directly between the two, Zheng Kang’an was nearly jolted off his seat, scrambling frantically out of the line of fire. The surrounding general-rank officers stood frozen in absolute disbelief. Who could have imagined that the supreme command structure would resort to a primitive brawl when pushed to the edge?

The guards stood sweating profusely, entirely at a loss. If an external adversary breached the perimeter, or if a General drew a weapon, they could execute an immediate suppression. But this was a physical altercation between two senior citizens—if they intervened carelessly and fractured a bone, who would bear the responsibility?

Ultimately, several mid-ranking generals from the front row rushed forward to intervene, pulling apart Yi Yongning and Meng Jian, both of whom had sustained claw marks and disheveled hair.

Meng Jian stood with his hair completely wild, glaring at Yi Yongning while panting heavily with rage: “You—!” In all his decades of life, he had never been reduced to such an undignified state.

“What are you staring at?!” Yi Yongning’s fury remained unappeased. He whipped off his shoe and hurled it across the space, striking Meng Jian squarely in the face with a resounding slap.

The entire command center plunged into a dead, suffocating silence. Everyone watched in stunned awe as the shoe clattered to the floor, leaving a distinct dusty imprint across Meng Jian’s cheek.

Meng Jian’s eyes turned blood-shot with absolute humiliation. Disregarding any semblance of decorum, he ripped off his own shoe, hurled it back with vicious force, and lunged forward to deliver a barrage of kicks, breaking past those trying to hold him back.

“You senile fool, come here!”

Shielded by a flock of younger officers, Yi Yongning ducked the projectile, raising his leg to trade kicks with Meng Jian. “You think I’m intimidated by an old fossil like you?!”

With Li Xiao having publicly declared his rescuer, the tactical advantage was no longer so passive. No matter how arrogant Meng Jian was, he wouldn’t dare openly contest a direct statement from the imperial bloodline.

Inside the starship’s conference room, Li Xiao massaged his temples, entirely unable to look.

Jiang Hao’s eyes were wide: “…This is a high-level military strategic council?”

Yi Lian watched his senior father engaging in a primitive brawl on screen, falling into an awkward silence.

Li Xiao remarked dryly, “Sophisticated summits frequently utilize the most primal methods of debate.”

Jiang Hao: “…” Is this universe actually just a massive, amateur theatrical troupe?

At the Danse Royal Palace, Emperor Li Ji was pacing anxiously back and forth in his study, his mind dissecting the evening’s developments.

The entity executing the hijacking could only be the Meng family, yet the unit retrieving the hostage was the Yi family. Which specific link in the chain had fractured? Regardless, the current trajectory was favorable—at the very least, administrative jurisdiction over the Tianjiang sector had been temporarily preserved.

Chief Attendant Liu placed a bowl of rice before Li Ji: “Your Majesty, please take your meal first.”

Li Ji picked up his chopsticks and took a bite. Suddenly recalling his youngest brother’s comment about him looking gaunt, he slammed his chopsticks onto the table in an outburst of frustration: “Replace this with a larger bowl! How is this minuscule portion supposed to suffice?!”

Chief Attendant Liu: “…Understood.” Weren’t you always utilizing this exact portion size previously?

Back at the military command center, hearing Li Xiao’s voice resume over the main terminal, Yi Yongning and Meng Jian finally ceased their altercation, though everyone’s expressions remained grim.

Military armaments—from massive dreadnoughts down to standard-issue combat daggers—carried strict serial registrations. Distribution was cataloged with absolute rigor, and even compromised gear had to be accounted for to ensure zero black-market leakage. Yet, military-grade weapons had materialized within a star pirate stronghold. This wasn’t merely an issue of a few loose rifles; it exposed a catastrophic fissure within the military’s internal auditing structure.

Shortly after, a secondary broadcast window snapped open adjacent to Li Xiao’s feed, revealing Emperor Li Ji’s harsh, unyielding countenance.

“All rescue fleets are hereby ordered to execute a total purge of the Iron Tiger star pirate syndicate. Secure senior leadership alive; eliminate all remaining operational elements without exception,” Li Ji commanded icily. “Execute a comprehensive audit of the Iron Tiger armory. Forward subsequent analytical progress directly to me!”

Every general present snapped a rigid salute: “Yes, Your Majesty!”

Terminating the broadcast link, Li Xiao glanced at the surveillance feed before turning to Yi Lian: “I need to utilize the restroom.”

Yi Lian: “I’ll accompany you.”

Li Xiao: “No need. I’m fully aware of which sectors are secure.”

Reflecting on the boy’s combat prowess, Yi Lian assumed he was simply seeking privacy and didn’t press: “Keep your wits about you then.”

Li Xiao nodded, trading a swift look with Jiang Hao before stepping out into the corridor without looking back.

On the sixth deck, Meng Zai’s unit was facing an relentless onslaught from automated defense units. The defensive and offensive parameters of these AI units were extraordinarily high, completely on par with frontline military hardware, rendering their advance increasingly grueling.

As another wave of automated guards surged forward, Meng Zai ducked into a branching corridor under the covering fire of his subordinates.

Suddenly, a heavy metallic bulkhead slammed shut before him, severing him from his unit.

Meng Zai flinched. Hearing footsteps echoing behind him, he spun around. Through the fine, swirling water mist, a tall, imposing figure stepped forward unhurriedly over the wet deck.

Meng Zai snapped his sidearm up and squeezed the trigger.

But the adversary was faster, blurring through a sequence of evasive shifts to materialize before him in a heartbeat.

Instinctively stepping back to re-establish a firing line, Meng Zai’s heel struck the locked bulkhead. In that split second of hesitation, his vision swam as a precise kick struck his forearm, sending his sidearm clattering against the metallic wall to roll far into the darkness.

Up close, he finally recognized the features. “It’s you!”

Li Xiao remained entirely expressionless. Disregarding Meng Zai’s defensive posture, he drove a heavy fist squarely into his jaw.

“Ugh!”

The force of the blow sent Meng Zai’s head snapping aside, stumbling back a couple of steps. Before he could regain his footing, he lunged forward to counter Li Xiao’s next strike: “You chose the perfect moment to present yourself!”

“Seeking my execution?” Li Xiao parried Meng Zai’s incoming strike, clamping down on his collar to hurl him violently against the metal wall.

A sickening crunch echoed through the corridor as Meng Zai’s right shoulder dislocated. “Agh!”

Li Xiao seized his hair and slammed his skull into the metal bulkhead. Catching Meng Zai’s flailing arm, he twisted it back until another sharp fracture rang out. “With capabilities like yours?”

Meng Zai thrashed violently but found himself entirely pinned: “You won’t dare execute me.”

Li Xiao let out a low chuckle. “The distinguished Lieutenant General Meng met a heroic demise while combating star pirates—an atrocity committed entirely by the Iron Tigers, completely unrelated to me.”

Meng Zai’s pupils contracted. “You wouldn’t dare.”

Li Xiao laughed softly. “Why exactly do you think your unit was trapped aboard this ship?”

Meng Zai’s face shifted drastically, a sudden realization dawning on him as to why the starship’s system remained compromised despite their technical override. But how had Li Xiao hijacked the infrastructure without their fleet analysts detecting a trace?

Li Xiao threw the man onto the wet floor, grinding his boot onto the back of his neck.

Suffocating under the pressure, Meng Zai attempted a desperate surge to break free, nearly snapping his own cervical vertebrae in the process, his limbs twitching with agony. “Release me!”

Li Xiao looked down at him coldly. “This is your final warning. Inflict another underhanded ploy against me, and I won’t display this level of courtesy next time.”

Meng Zai grit his teeth through the pain. “If you execute me, will His Majesty concur?”

Li Xiao: “Don’t bother utilizing him to apply pressure. You understand perfectly well that within his calculations, both you and I are merely expendable pieces on a board. If the Meng family crumbles, a Zhao family, a Li family, or a Zhou family will step into the void. There’s no need to regard yourself so highly.”

Meng Zai spat through the blood: “Yet the Meng family’s leverage in his calculations remains far superior to a destitute prince like you!”

Li Xiao didn’t offer a response, his boot driving into Meng Zai’s face. Meng Zai’s head struck the deck, blood pooling into the water as he lost consciousness.

Without sparing another glance, Li Xiao turned and departed.

09: 【Not delivering a finishing blow? Saving him for the holidays?】

Li Xiao: 【He still serves a purpose.】

Shortly after, the metallic bulkhead slid back open. Spotting the state of their commander, Meng Zai’s subordinates turned deathly pale. “Sir!”

Returning to the conference room, Li Xiao accepted a towel handed over by Jiang Hao, turning to Yi Lian: “The Iron Tigers likely maintain more than two hidden armories. Instruct your units to execute an exhaustive search.”

Yi Lian: “How did you arrive at that conclusion?”

“A deduction.” Li Xiao glanced at the surveillance feed as Meng Zai’s unconscious form was carried away, adding softly, “Do not permit the Meng family to dominate the operational outcome.”

Yi Lian felt a subtle undertone to those words. However, he didn’t dare over-analyze the situation; his priority remained securing the operational objectives.

09: 【Master, an incoming transmission from Song Jin.】

At 09’s prompt, a virtual interface expanded in Li Xiao’s field of vision.

Song Jin: 【Did it proceed smoothly?】

Those few brief words brought an inexplicable lightness to Li Xiao’s mood. He transmitted back: 【Essentially concluded. Have you returned to the academy?】

The other side replied with a snapshot of a hand holding a small pastry.

【Almost entirely devoured. Ensure you bake a generous batch to forward to me upon your return.】

Li Xiao replied: 【What are you offering in exchange?】

Song Jin: 【Settle it using the spicy pastries you left behind.】

Li Xiao: “…” Wishful thinking.

Back at the Danse Royal Palace, as the dinner hour arrived, Li Ji sat at the dining table waiting for his meal, his mind dissecting the evening’s parameters.

The entity executing the stroke could only be the Meng family, yet the unit securing the objective was the Yi family. Which specific variable had deviated? Regardless, the current trajectory was developing favorably—at the very least, administrative jurisdiction over the Tianjiang sector was secured for now.

Chief Attendant Liu placed a bowl of rice before him. “Your Majesty, please dine.”

Li Ji took a mouthful of rice. Suddenly recalling his youngest brother’s remark about him losing weight, he slammed his chopsticks onto the table in a sudden huff: “Bring a larger bowl! How is this minuscule portion supposed to suffice?!”

Chief Attendant Liu: “…Understood.” Weren’t you always utilizing this exact portion size previously?