Li Xiao had not run far with Yan Qing before he heard the sound of deflagration. It was much softer than an actual explosion, but in a night filled only with the whistling wind and the droning of insects, it was still exceptionally jarring.

Li Xiao turned his head. He only managed to catch a distant glimpse of Song Jin’s profile—that expression of absolute impatience and murderous intent framed by the roaring flames. It involuntarily made him recall the circumstances of their very first encounter back on Planet N2781.

Perhaps he had taken a liking to the brat at first sight, though he hadn’t realized it at the time.

Yan Qing gasped, snapping his head toward the medical wing. A massive blaze like this would undoubtedly draw everyone’s attention; they had to return immediately.

“Quick, this way.” Yan Qing gestured for Li Xiao to veer into a small alley up ahead on the right, intending to bypass the guards’ quarters from the outer edge of the medical wing.

“No rush.” Li Xiao guided him into the shadows of the alley. Soon, a chaotic flurry of footsteps echoed nearby.

As night fell, the insect population surged exponentially. Swarms converged frantically upon the burning building from all directions, only to be instantly scorched by the extreme external heat, raining down in smoking heaps.

A crowd of guards was forced to retreat from the alley to avoid the cascading shower of bugs, making it temporarily impossible to draw any closer to the scene.

“How did it catch fire? A circuit deflagration?”

“What did they call us over for anyway? To put out the fire?”

“The Captain suddenly ordered a deployment and headed out with Team One. I thought they ran into crawling pests, so I called you guys over to check it out.”

“I can’t reach the Captain. You guys try too!”

“All of Team One is completely off the grid! Prioritize extinguishing the fire first!”

Hearing this, Li Xiao patted Yan Qing’s arm, supporting him as they turned and departed soundlessly.

Yan Qing instinctively looked up at Li Xiao. Although Li Xiao hadn’t said a word, if that squad of guards had explicitly stated they were here to capture him, this young prince would likely have slaughtered them all without hesitation.

When the building caught fire, Jin Lin had not yet walked far.

Seeing the soaring flames pierce the night sky, his face darkened as he hurried back toward the medical wing. Simultaneously, he dialed Xiang Hong’s communication frequency, only for the system to prompt that there was no signal.

Xiang Hong was highly likely dead.

Recalling the disturbance he had sensed on the third floor, Jin Lin immediately pivoted to contact the security detail: “This is Jin Lin. Someone from the medical wing may have entered the fire zone. Please audit every single person in the medical wing immediately!”

There weren’t many guards stationed at the medical wing—it was primarily comprised of medical personnel and wounded soldiers. The medical zone itself remained brightly lit, with busy medical staff visible inside the vehicles from time to time, while the other areas were basically pitch black.

By the time Li Xiao guided Yan Qing around the outermost perimeter and back to the temporary residential quarters, quite a few people had already emerged from their tents to listen to the commotion.

“How did it catch fire?”

“I thought the Marine Corps had fought their way back here. Scared the life out of me!”

“To be fair, with this insect density, they probably will soon.”

“Too many bugs! Back to the tents!”

Gao Jia and his companions crawled out of their tent just as Li Xiao and Yan Qing passed by. Glancing at the distant fire before turning his gaze back to them, he asked, “What happened over there?”

Li Xiao nonchalantly withdrew his hand from supporting Yan Qing. “No idea. The security detail has already headed over.”

“Those buildings are row houses. If they don’t get it under control, the whole block will burn down,” Gao Jia noted, staring into the distance. “It might be a short-circuit deflagration from rats chewing through the wiring.”

Li Xiao casually agreed, his eyes inconspicuously sweeping the surroundings to pinpoint the locations of Song Jin and the others.

The fire spread from the third floor toward both ends of the structure, breaking through to the fifth floor shortly after. Yan Qing stared blankly at the spectacle, knowing that Xiang Hong must already be dead. For a moment, his emotions were incredibly complex.

As they spoke, several mutated moths swooped down. Li Xiao drew his military blade, dispatching them in a few swift strokes.

Regaining his composure, Yan Qing instructed the group, “It’s too dangerous out here. Return to your tents first. Wait for my notice regarding any further action.”

“I’ll escort you over. There are too many insects,” Li Xiao said, bidding farewell to Gao Jia as he continued forward with Yan Qing.

Behind them, Gao Jia stared at Li Xiao’s departing back, lost in thought. This massive fire tonight was highly unlikely to be as simple as it seemed.

When they reached the tent where they had slept earlier, Song Jin and the other three had already returned ahead of them, casually squatting outside to spectate the blaze as if nothing had happened.

The three injured students sharing the tent were somewhat at a loss. Seeing Yan Qing approach, they swarmed forward to ask about the situation.

“Rest assured and stay inside the tent. If an evacuation is required, you will be notified—hiss!” Yan Qing clutched his bruised flank, sucking in a sharp breath of cold air.

Hearing the noise, Song Jin and the other three looked up.

An injured second-year student asked, “Are you alright, Dean?”

Yan Qing shook his head. “I was walking too fast just now and got clipped by a flying insect.”

Being closest to him, Li Xiao noticed the cold sweat drenching Yan Qing’s forehead. He guided him toward the military tent reserved for faculty, instructing Song Jin and the others, “The wind is strong outside. Head indoors first. I’ll be back once I drop the teacher off.”

Song Jin stepped up to Yan Qing’s side. “I’ll accompany you.”

Yan Qing was originally sharing a tent with three Omega doctors, but all three were on duty tonight, leaving the tent completely vacant.

Assisting Yan Qing into a seat, Li Xiao had Song Jin awaken 07 to administer treatment. Squatting by the edge of the cot, he asked in a low voice, “Did he do anything to you?”

With no outsiders present, Yan Qing no longer needed to maintain his facade. He doubled over in pain, his voice trembling slightly. “A punch to the stomach and a kick to the leg. It shouldn’t be a major issue.”

Once he finished speaking, the tent fell into silence, save for the mechanical whirring of 07 transforming.

Song Jin glanced at Li Xiao, who seemed hesitant to speak, and noted flatly, “What Xiao means is: did he force himself on you?”

Having one’s nominal father assaulted by an Alpha of mysterious origins was truly bizarre. The longer he stayed in Danas, the more preposterous the nonsense he encountered.

Hearing this, Yan Qing looked at Li Xiao. Seeing the young man silently awaiting his answer, he was suddenly reminded of the child in his memories from years ago—the one who always listened to his stories with absolute earnestness.

“No.” Yan Qing gently rested a hand on Li Xiao’s head. “Thank you for coming to save me.”

Li Xiao organized his thoughts and spoke hesitantly, “It isn’t worth feeling dejected over that kind of person. Don’t be sad.”

Yan Qing: ...

Yan Qing: “He and I were merely colleagues. There was nothing else between us.”

Song Jin intentionally feigned a sigh of relief, interjecting dryly, “And here we thought you had picked out a piece of human trash to be our stepdad. You had us anxious the entire night.”

Yan Qing: ...

Rapid footsteps echoed outside as several guards burst into the tent, their gazes sweeping over Li Xiao and Song Jin. “What are you two doing here so late?”

07 vanished instantly, concealing itself behind Yan Qing.

Yan Qing looked down in bewilderment for a fraction of a second, but with the guards present, he could only suppress his questions and take over the conversation. “I went out earlier to check on the students’ condition. There are too many insects outside, so they escorted me back. Have you determined the cause of the fire?”

The guards didn’t entirely buy the explanation, but they logged the entries first, offering a casual dismissal: “The security detail is handling it. Don’t wander around blindly.” With that, they turned and led their men away.

Li Xiao walked to the entrance, observing the security detail systematically searching every military tent and medical vehicle. It appeared Jin Lin had indeed said something to them. Turning back to Yan Qing, he asked, “Did Jin Lin spot you?”

Yan Qing recalled the encounter. “I was hiding inside the stairwell. It was impossible for them to see me.”

Li Xiao nodded. As long as there were no eyewitnesses, it didn’t matter.

Before long, Yan Qing’s terminal vibrated. People within the work group chat were continuously pinging Xiang Hong, and several video call requests flooded in shortly after, all seeking him out.

Yan Qing answered, his tone laced with anxiety: “I even held a meeting with him past 9:00 PM… I can’t reach him either. I’ve searched the entire area and haven’t seen him anywhere…”

Song Jin walked to Li Xiao’s side, watching the bustling guards outside. His gaze involuntarily locked onto the medical zone. The Ferryagent’s tools were not yet in their possession, but stealing them directly would be far too blatant.

Suddenly, a massive rat lunged out from the darkness, rapidly sprinting across the entire medical zone before darting into an unlocked tent. The next instant, screams and sounds of a struggle echoed from within.

Li Xiao opened the door to head out, telling Song Jin, “Keep an eye on him for me.”

Midway across the clearing, three more giant rats surged from the gaps between the tents, leaping straight toward personnel. Li Xiao strode toward them, drawing his blade with a reverse grip and slashing outward. A deep laceration was carved into a rat’s neck, and it collapsed to the ground, twitching violently.

Just as he was about to open the tent, a Beta wearing a white coat burst out in a panic. Li Xiao grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him behind his back, bringing his blade down the moment a dark silhouette lunged forward. A giant rat nearly a meter long dropped dead at his feet. The Beta rapidly took a step back.

Li Xiao surveyed the surroundings and told the Beta, “Get onto a medical vehicle.”

“Right, thank you!” The Beta answered frantically, clutching a wound on his hand as he turned and fled.

Across the clearing, Song Jin observed the external conditions, his face darkening. Something wasn’t right.

Qian Can’t raucous voice came through their private frequency group chat.

Qian Can: Boss, we’re seeing an insane number of rats out on the streets over here!

Qin Le: A dense swarm of insects is approaching from the southeast.

Song Jin clicked his tongue in sheer annoyance. “The front line has receded completely.”

This area was supposed to be the deep rear of Sector 22. For the insect swarms to manifest here meant they were merely one step away from total collapse. That old man was truly unreliable.

Outside the tent, the flying insects experienced another massive surge. Under the illumination of the firelight, active hordes of giant rats could be seen everywhere.

Li Xiao grabbed a passing guard. “Notify the person in charge to evacuate immediately!”

The guard yanked his hand away. “The high command will issue instructions when necessary. Please remain calm.”

Li Xiao watched him leave, then strode toward the office he had visited that afternoon. The Beta doctor was preparing bandaging tools when he looked up, visibly startled by the intrusion. “Your Highness?”

“That Beta Captain who was assaulted this afternoon—can you look up his communication frequency through your system?” Li Xiao demanded.

Seeing the grim expression on Li Xiao’s face, the Beta doctor nodded rapidly, pulling up the system backend. “Yes, I have it!”

Li Xiao: “Patch me through to him.”

The Beta doctor placed the call using the office terminal. The line rang continuously without an answer. It was only on the third attempt that the connection went through.

“Captain Liu, the Second Prince is looking for you!”

Li Xiao stepped into the camera frame. Seeing the haggard face of the Beta Captain on the screen—the injuries from his assault still left completely untreated—he asked in a deep voice, “Has there been any adjustment to the operational deployment of Sector 22?”

Captain Liu pressed his lips together, lowering his head. “A few adjustments were made.”

Li Xiao pressed further, “Temporary Medical Department Two is about to be overrun. What exactly did you adjust?”

The Beta Captain looked completely dismayed. Gritting his teeth, he pleaded, “Please, Your Highness, report this to the high command for us! I… I truly cannot hold out any longer!”

Li Xiao stared at him expressionlessly. “No adjustments were made at all, correct?”

The Beta Captain remained silent, which served as silent confirmation.

Although he had anticipated as much, the reality of the situation still left Li Xiao feeling somewhat helpless. He swiped open his own terminal and initiated a direct video call to Yi Yongning.

At that exact moment, it was past 4:00 PM on Imperial Capital Planet. Yi Yongning had pulled a morning shift at the Combat Command Center and had returned to his private office for the afternoon to handle his personal affairs.

Receiving a sudden video call request from Li Xiao, Yi Yongning hesitated for a fraction of a second before choosing to connect. “Second Prince.”

“You aren’t at the command center?” Li Xiao scanned the background on the screen before stating directly, “The front line has receded, and Sector 22 is on the verge of falling. Formulate a new operational strategy as quickly as possible, and notify the four adjacent sectors to prepare for combat.”

“Falling?” Yi Yongning thought he had misheard. But seeing that Li Xiao’s expression bore no hint of a joke—nor was the prince someone who would initiate a call specifically to play a prank—he immediately stood up and headed for the door. “I’m heading to the command center right now!”

Reaching the exit, he ran into an assistant arriving to deliver documents. Yi Yongning issued orders on the move: “Pull up all data regarding South Sector 22 immediately. Move!”

The assistant’s face drained of color, and he hurriedly kept pace. “Understood!”

While Yi Yongning was rushing over, Li Xiao turned back to the Beta doctor. “Notify everyone in your medical wing to pack up immediately and evacuate 100 kilometers north. Tell them it’s an order from me.”

The Beta was entirely dumbfounded by the sheer gravity of the situation. “I’ll notify everyone right away!”

Li Xiao sprinted out of the office, speaking into the private group chat: “Get back to the vehicle first. Jin, help me look after Teacher Yan.”

Song Jin: Already on our way.

Song Jin guided Yan Qing through the sea of flying insects and scurrying rats. Jiang Hao and the other two arrived with a crowd of injured students to regroup, moving toward the designated parking location of the rescue vehicle. With the front line collapsing, the pests would only multiply. If they didn’t leave now, they would likely be pinned down here.

Qian Can continuously sliced through the rats lunging at him, cursing under his breath, “To think I’d run into this kind of nonsense. Coming to Danas really offers a masterclass in survival.”

Qin Le: ... The words were crude, but the logic was flawless.

Jiang Hao: “Since you’ve travelled all this way, we must ensure your trip is worthwhile.”

Qian Can: ...

Song Jin opened the vehicle door to let Yan Qing climb inside first, then spun around to slide into the driver’s seat. Before he could close the door, a mutated moth half the height of a human lunged directly at him.

Recalling Qin Le’s comment about “bug droppings,” Song Jin’s face soured completely. He drove his boot forward, kicking the insect away with immense force before slamming the door shut violently. The moth crashed heavily against the adjacent rescue vehicle, fluttering weakly a couple of times before sliding to the ground, motionless.

Qin Le, who happened to witness the entire sequence: ... What a brutal kick. There was definitely a personal vendetta behind that one.

The engine roared to life, and Song Jin spun the steering wheel to head toward the temporary residential quarters. His gaze swept across the sector housing the physicians before looking up at the sky thick with insects. A sudden idea flashed through his mind.

Li Xiao stood outside the medical vehicles, monitoring the overall evacuation progress. Some personnel were lingering by their tents, visibly hesitating over whether to retreat. On a battlefield, executing an unauthorized retreat without orders from a superior was a severe offense. But at this point, the chain of command could no longer be relied upon.

Catching a glimpse of a specific area out of the corner of his eye, Li Xiao pondered for a moment before projecting his thoughts to 09: Do something for me.

09: What is it?

Li Xiao: Go snatch Jin Lin’s medical kit.

09: On it!

On the other side of the transmission, Yi Yongning had arrived at the command center. Qi Shoude happened to be the officer on duty at this hour.

“What is the status of Sector 22?” Yi Yongning stormed over to demand.

Qi Shoude was completely bewildered by the sudden interrogation, assuming Yi Yongning had arrived simply to find fault. “What do you mean, what status?”

Yi Yongning: “The insect swarms have already overrun Temporary Medical Department Two! Are you still asleep at the wheel?!”

Qi Shoude immediately ordered personnel to project the status of Sector 22 onto the monitoring console. Across the hundred-odd screens that deployed sequentially, everything from strategic layouts to rescue progression and logistical operations appeared perfectly normal.

“The real-time battlefield data is fabricated,” Li Xiao’s voice resonated. It was only then that Qi Shoude noticed Yi Yongning was holding an active video call.

Yi Yongning simply projected the call display into mid-air. “What is the exact situation over there right now?”

Li Xiao panned the camera a full 360 degrees. “Twenty minutes ago, mutated rats chewed through the wiring, triggering a short-circuit deflagration. Ten minutes ago, the density of flying insects and crawling pests surged to Level Two Alert thresholds. The situation is continuously deteriorating.”

“How is that possible?” Qi Shoude looked up at the official front-line feed. The listed defensive line for Sector 22 was supposed to be 200 kilometers away.

“The Marine Corps commander for Sector 22 suffered a sudden psychological collapse. Operational commands were not being executed properly, and no one stepped in to manage it,” Li Xiao explained, looking directly at Qi Shoude. “Six hours ago, I communicated directly with the Marine Corps’ Commander-in-Chief. He clearly didn’t take the matter seriously at all.”

Yi Yongning’s temper flared instantly. He bypassed standard protocol to have the communications desk patch him through directly to the Marine Corps’ Commander-in-Chief. “I want to see exactly who is sabotaging operations! If this war drags out any longer, let alone how much the financial losses will mount, the military will become an absolute laughingstock!”

With five General-rank officers commanding the overall operation, allowing a secured front line to collapse backward—and even face total ruin—would turn all five of them into objects of ridicule, not just the Fifth Legion. Realizing this, Qi Shoude’s expression grew exceptionally grim.

The face of an elderly Alpha appeared on the communication screen—the Commander-in-Chief of the Fifth Legion’s Marine Corps.

Yi Yongning slammed his palm against the table, demanding, “What is going on with Sector 22?!”

Hearing Sector 22 mentioned, the Commander-in-Chief instinctively looked toward Qi Shoude, only to find the man staring back at him in ominous silence, clearly awaiting an explanation. His heart began to pound frantically. “I’ll have my men look into it.”

Yi Yongning: “Sync all operational intelligence directly with headquarters immediately!”

The Commander-in-Chief was forced to comply. Soon after, the data displayed on the monitoring console updated. Upon seeing the true reality of the battlefield, even Qi Shoude stood up abruptly. “Bastard! What on earth do you think you are doing?!”

The Commander-in-Chief’s throat went dry, completely incredulous. He had assumed Li Xiao was merely inflating a minor issue to deliberately find fault, so he had dismissed the matter entirely after hanging up. He had never anticipated the tactical situation deteriorating at such an astronomical velocity.

“I assumed everything was fine on that end, so I didn’t pay close attention…” The Commander-in-Chief lowered his head. “I will adjust deployments immediately.”

“You just need to execute according to headquarters’ strategic layouts! Are you incapable of eating even when the food is brought directly to your mouth?!” Yi Yongning roared, breaking into profanity. “The Second Prince explicitly warned you, yet you refused to make corrections. What kind of entity do you think you are to put on such massive airs?!”

The Commander-in-Chief kept his head bowed low. “My deepest apologies.”

Seeing this unfold, the General-rank officers at the various command desks couldn’t help but throw extra glances at Li Xiao through the projection. Possessing no access to the military’s global data network, yet capable of making precise tactical assessments based purely on localized observations—this was a feat not just anyone could pull off.

On the other side of the video call, Li Xiao had no time left to listen to their bickering. Having secured their commitment to intervene, he terminated the connection. The insects were multiplying rapidly; if they didn’t leave now, escape would become impossible.

Taking a few strides forward, his terminal vibrated. It was a communication request from Gao Jia.

Gao Jia: “What is your plan?”

Li Xiao: “Evacuate alongside the medical wing first.”

Gao Jia: “Understood. We have three vehicles here capable of transporting roughly 300 people. We await your orders.”

Li Xiao: “Move toward the western perimeter of the residential quarters.”

Not far away, Song Jin picked up the remaining personnel. Spotting Li Xiao from afar—completely surrounded by a swarm of rats surging from the streets—he slammed his foot onto the accelerator, opening the passenger door simultaneously.

“Too slow.”

“I was waiting for you to pick me up.” Li Xiao dodged and retreated through the swarm, leaping up to catch the door frame before cleanly flipping himself into the passenger seat.

The moment the door sealed shut, seven or eight mutated rats slammed heavily against the exterior plating before tumbling down. Song Jin slid the control stick forward, and the rescue vehicle shot up into the air.

At that exact moment, 09 had transformed into a half-meter-wide moth. Utilizing acoustic waves to assume control over a flock of its biological brethren, it prepared to conduct a highway robbery. Midway through its flight path, its sensors detected another metal moth leading a swarm of smaller constructs heading in the same direction.

07: Great-Grandpa, why are you here?

09: I am here to commit a robbery.

07: I am also here to commit a robbery.

09: The target has appeared. Move out!

Jin Lin emerged from a tent carrying his medical kit, navigating toward the nearest medical vehicle under the protection of his guards.

“Too many flying pests! Watch out!” A guard stepped in front of Jin Lin, deploying an acoustic weapon to disperse the swarm.

However, the acoustic frequencies were perfectly neutralized by the opposing constructs. The flock of moths lost their sense of direction and began fluttering chaotically, trapping Jin Lin and the two guards entirely within their ranks.

Seizing the precise window of opportunity, 09 zipped through a gap in the formation, clamped its talons around Jin Lin’s medical kit, and bolted.

“The case!” The handle slipped from his grip, and Jin Lin instinctively lunged to reclaim it, but it was already too late. “Quickly retrieve my case!”

But by the time the two guards whipped their heads around, 09 had already vanished without a trace. 07 smoothly rallied a massive wave of mutated moths to obstruct the pursuing vehicles, happily giving chase to Song Jin’s flight path alongside 09.

Down in the encampment, the medical vehicles wrapped up operations one after another, preparing to pull out. The dense swarms of rats resembled an oncoming tidal wave, surging from every conceivable direction. The final two medical vehicles were half a beat late, nearly becoming entirely submerged by the rodent horde.

By the time all the vehicles reached mid-air, the temporary medical zone below had been thoroughly overrun by the rat population. The rodents forced their way into every opening, causing the heavy military tents to collapse haphazardly. Everyone let out a collective gasp of cold air. If they had delayed even a fraction longer, they truly wouldn’t have been able to leave.

A Beta doctor heard a notification chime from his system backend. Swiping it open, he realized the official evacuation notice had only just arrived now. Had Li Xiao not issued instructions ahead of schedule, casualties would have been entirely unavoidable tonight.

Several physicians huddled together, reviewing the notice while discussing in hushed tones.

“There was definitely an issue with the chain of command this time.”

“Haven’t you seen the uproar online lately? The internal management of the Fifth Legion is truly chaotic.”

“The next time there is an expeditionary mission, I am absolutely refusing to sign up with the Fifth Legion, even if it kills me.”

“For the front line to collapse backward this drastically… fortunately, the Second Prince reacted in time.”

“It’s normal for a battlefield to have some bugs and rats; it’s very difficult to deduce a total failure from just that.”

Listening to their conversation, the Beta doctor interjected, “The Second Prince addressed the Major’s condition the moment he arrived. He isn’t here to play games.”

The other physicians nodded in unison upon hearing this. Let alone royalty, even the children of prominent noble families came to the front line simply to secure easy military merits—others did the heavy lifting while they reaped the rewards. Ordinary personnel usually swallowed their resentment in silence.

The Second Prince’s performance this time was truly unexpected. It felt as though faith in the royal family was being restored once more.

Up in mid-air, Song Jin spun the steering wheel, joining the fleet of medical vehicles evacuating northward.

Yan Qing contacted the military command. After confirming the details, he spoke to Song Jin in the driver’s seat: “I’ve transmitted a set of coordinates to you. There is a transport aircraft waiting over there; we will head straight back to the warship.”

Li Xiao: “What about tomorrow’s assignments?”

“Xiang Hong is dead. The clinical internship framework for the military cadets will undergo major structural revisions.” Yan Qing looked through the vehicle window at the dark silhouettes fluttering outside. “With the way things are going, we might very well be returning to the academy ahead of schedule.”