Tonight was destined to be a sleepless one.

Jing Xi was awakened by the vibration of his terminal. He checked the time; it was just past 8:30.

The request for reinforcements sent to headquarters had been approved. A strategy meeting was to be held in half an hour.

He rolled over, sat up, and quickly put on his military jacket, heading to the temporary command post.

As soon as he entered, Yan Kai ran over, saying happily, “Boss, the north is under control!”

Jing Xi immediately looked up at the surveillance data on the virtual screen, his military boots stepping up to the command platform.

After Chi Yao took over, the front line had been pushed out by 20 kilometers.

With Jin Ze responsible for assisting with rear rescue efforts, Chi Yao could focus on dealing with the mutated beasts, thus reducing the pressure on the front line.

“That—that guy is so amazing!” Yan Kai couldn’t hide his excitement. “Does that mean Chief Jin can now go take charge of the rescue in the northern archipelago?”

Jing Xi shook his head. “That person is not suitable for rescue.”

It was fine to let Chi Yao kill beasts, but to have him save people? He might think those people weren’t worthy.

“How’s Lu Meng’s side?” Jing Xi asked.

Yan Kai quickly reported several sets of data.

“Chief Lu has already made deployments to deal with tonight’s beast tide.”

Jing Xi switched to the eastern front to check the data changes over the past two hours.

Due to the geographical location, for the beast hordes from the south to completely invade the populated areas, they had to pass through here. And the beast hordes from the southern seas might also stop in this coastal area during their northward movement.

A video call came in from headquarters. Jing Xi accepted it.

The screen expanded horizontally, revealing a huge conference hall.

Generals Pei Zhenyue, Zhao Hongyi, and Bai Yi sat in the upper seats, flanked by the lieutenant generals responsible for overall war strategy and deployment.

Jing Xi’s gaze swept across, lingering for an extra moment on Bai Yi without showing it.

He had rarely seen this person since he joined the military. Why was he here today?

Pei Zhenyue looked over, his expression stern. “What’s the situation?”

Jing Xi gave a brief report on the overall situation, but concealed the suspicious object in the southern cave.

“Currently, the beast tide is still fierce, with a total number exceeding one million. Level-five mutated beasts account for over 2% of the total. The corps is short on manpower and equipment. Supplies have been dispatched from nearby planets but are still in short supply.”

A beast tide with a total number exceeding one million had already reached the difficulty of an A-level mission. If the number of level-five mutated beasts exceeded two thousand, accounting for more than 0.1% of the total, it would be considered an S-level mission. The current scale had far surpassed this standard.

Under these circumstances, sending reinforcements was very reasonable.

Pei Zhenyue quickly scanned the battle report sent by Jing Xi, feeling very satisfied.

Jing Xi had always been meticulous in his work. To achieve such results under limited conditions was already quite astonishing.

Pei Zhenyue looked left and right. “I have no objection. What about you two?”

Ever since seeing the battle report, Zhao Hongyi’s face had been grim.

“Since it has already reached this level, it’s natural to send more corps. What objection could I have?”

Such a passive-aggressive old man.

Pei Zhenyue secretly rolled his eyes at him and looked at Bai Yi. “Old Bai, what about you?”

Bai Yi was about the same age as Pei Zhenyue. He had a kind and benevolent face, and compared to Pei Zhenyue’s “King of Hell” face, he was like a neighborhood grandpa and was very approachable in the military.

“I have no objection.”

Pei Zhenyue had just asked out of courtesy.

Bai Yi had never been one to stir up trouble. Moreover, he had been recuperating at home for a long time and was already in a semi-retired state. If it weren’t for the recent change of command elections, he would be nowhere to be seen.

“Good.” Pei Zhenyue looked at the crowd. “Then let’s now select the supporting corps—”

“I think the Cygnus Corps is quite suitable.”

Before Pei Zhenyue could finish, Zhao Hongyi interrupted him. “For a beast tide of this scale, an ordinary corps won’t be of much use as support.”

Jing Xi lowered his eyes slightly, concealing the expression in them.

The Cygnus Corps belonged to Li Bo.

But Li Bo was still locked up in 0520 and couldn’t possibly go on a campaign.

“Li Bo is still in Extreme Shadow’s hands. Who are you going to send?” Pei Zhenyue’s face was full of disapproval. “I think we should send the Vultures. Huang Hao has rich combat experience and has been Jing Xi’s comrade-in-arms for many years. They can coordinate well.”

“What are you talking about? Who in the military isn’t a comrade-in-arms?” Zhao Hongyi retorted coldly. “The Vultures have just completed a land-clearing mission and haven’t even returned. They’re also far from the Cetus constellation. Are you sure that’s suitable?”

Pei Zhenyue: “Then the Iron Wolves—”

“The Iron Wolves are no match for the Cygnuss in any aspect,” Zhao Hongyi said with an air of composure. “Besides, the Cygnuss were previously the garrison corps of the Cetus constellation, so they are more familiar with the situation there. And with Li Bo being captured, they have been resting for a long time and are just right for this mission.”

Seeing them arguing endlessly, Bai Yi, who was on the side, spoke up.

“But with the commander absent, it might not be easy to go on a campaign—”

Pei Zhenyue agreed. “The most important thing for the Cygnuss right now is to rescue Li Bo. This is when their morale is at its most scattered. And you want them to go on a campaign?”

Zhao Hongyi: “Are they just going to be on standby forever if Li Bo isn’t found? Can’t a temporary commander be appointed in Li Bo’s absence?”

As he spoke, his gaze intentionally or unintentionally shifted to Chen Bingfeng.

Pei Zhenyue’s heart skipped a beat. Just as he was about to assign another corps, Chen Bingfeng stood up.

“Li Bo is my subordinate. In his absence, I can lead the campaign in his place.”

Jing Xi looked at his screen, his gaze meeting Chen Bingfeng’s.

Seeing the determination in the other’s eyes, Jing Xi’s gaze darkened.

“No,” Pei Zhenyue refused. “You have your own work. We haven’t reached the point where we need to deploy a lieutenant general to lead a team yet.”

Chen Bingfeng said respectfully, “I guarantee that the relevant work will proceed smoothly during the campaign. Please approve.”

Pei Zhenyue frowned, wanting to refuse again, when he heard a very low sneer beside him.

“With Chen Bingfeng’s ability, let alone commanding the Cygnuss, even adding another Flying Dragon would be no problem,” Zhao Hongyi said with his arms crossed, his words pointed. “Old Pei, you can’t let your personal opinions interfere with official business, can you?”

Pei Zhenyue’s face darkened. “I have no objection to any of my outstanding subordinates. I don’t know what you mean by that?”

Zhao Hongyi wanted to retort but was stopped by Bai Yi on the other side.

“Alright, stop arguing. The most important thing now is to quickly decide on the supporting corps. The front line can’t wait. Since he is willing to lead the team, let him go.”

Two against one, the matter was settled.

Seeing the triumphant look in Zhao Hongyi’s eyes, Pei Zhenyue was so angry he almost coughed up blood.

It was a completely reasonable deployment. Jing Xi had no legitimate reason to refuse.

After the meeting ended, Pei Zhenyue left in a huff.

Bai Yi privately asked Zhao Hongyi in a low voice, “You two are over a hundred years old combined. How come you’re fighting more fiercely than when you were young?”

Zhao Hongyi, with his hands behind his back, said smugly, “I just can’t stand the sight of him.”

Bai Yi shook his head. “You, really—”

After disconnecting from the video conference, Jing Xi pondered for a moment, then sent a video call to Chi Yao.

“You’re awake?”

Chi Yao, sitting in the cockpit, turned his head to look at the screen and smiled. “Why do you look so pale? Didn’t sleep well?”

“The matter of the reinforcements has been settled.” Jing Xi looked up at him. “The person coming is Chen Bingfeng.”

Chi Yao’s brow twitched.

“Why that bastard? Is the military out of people?”

He had beaten up Chen Bingfeng several times before, and they had completely fallen out.

Moreover, he was Li Bo’s superior, and Li Bo had close contact with the Ghosts. If he was the “mole,” then let alone support, Flying Dragon would face even greater danger.

Jing Xi frowned. “We can only take it one step at a time.”

There were too many people in the temporary command post, so he couldn’t say much more.

“With me here, what are you afraid of?” Chi Yao smiled, casually chopping down several centipedes. “As long as you can afford the reward, what can’t I do?”

Jing Xi’s words were pointed. “I’m not afraid you can’t do it, I’m afraid you’ll do too much.”

Chi Yao: “…”

Maybe I should put him in a sack before I beat him up this time?

Just past ten o’clock, Chi Yao clearly felt the intensity of the beast tide increase dramatically.

The beasts that were active at night were mostly highly aggressive and more difficult to deal with.

“Captain Yao, a swarm of swimming crabs has appeared on the coast of Zone B. They have already come ashore and are moving towards Zone C!”

“The swimming crab swarm has entered the eastern part of Zone C!”

“An owl swarm has appeared in Zone D, and the fighter jets are severely disrupted!”

Anxious voices came from all directions through the headset. Xiao Hei automatically enlarged the surveillance footage of all key points in front of Chi Yao.

Chi Yao glanced at the marked points on the virtual screen and said unhurriedly, “Activate the strong electrical protocol. Level-one and level-two mutated crabs can be towed back to the warship.”

There was a moment of silence in the headset, then someone asked, “What for?”

Chi Yao: “To eat, of course.”

Level-one and level-two mutated crabs had no other skills, just their large size and lots of meat.

The others: “…”

What time is it to be thinking about eating?

“As for the owls, that’s even easier to solve,” Chi Yao smiled. “Lure them into the centipede swarm. The more they eat, the sooner we can wrap things up.”

The others were infected by his relaxed tone and laughed along.

“That’s really devious.”

“Wrapping up early is impossible. I’d be satisfied with an extra hour of sleep.”

“Forget an hour, even ten minutes would be great!”

“Captain, if you’re tired, go rest for a while. You can’t last the whole day.”

“I’m not tired,” Chi Yao muttered to himself. “I just miss him.”

The others: “…”

Speak properly, don’t just start dishing out public displays of affection.

Hundreds of fighter jets and warships deployed a soft metal net across the entire front line, flashing with electricity in the dark night.

The battlefield was soon filled with the aroma of grilled crab.

Grumble grumble—

The soldiers who smelled it: “…”

Maybe we should tow a few up?

In just one hour, the small peak of the beast tide was completely controlled and gradually showed signs of receding.

Chi Yao enlarged the overall movement map and connected with Lu Meng.

The video call took a long time to connect.

“What the f—!”

As soon as it connected, Lu Meng cursed under his breath. “Why is it you?”

Chi Yao: “Why can’t it be me?”

Lu Meng looked at the military uniform he was wearing, and it looked more and more awkward.

The pirate leader was actually wearing a military uniform? And he wore it even better than a real soldier like him.

Lu Meng flew his fighter jet through a pack of wolves.

“I don’t have time for idle chat with you right now.”

Chi Yao: “Can you handle it?”

Lu Meng really wanted to say of course he could, but reality didn’t allow it.

Hearing the piercing warning sound from his fighter jet, he gritted his teeth and made a turn in the air.

“There are too damn many level-five mutated beasts. They can even wreck a warship!”

Chi Yao: “Stall them. I’m on my way now.”

Lu Meng was taken aback. “You’re coming over?”

What was this pirate leader coming over for?

But Chi Yao had already cut off the video call.

The north was the rear. As long as one wave was controlled, there wouldn’t be a sudden outbreak later.

But if the front line fell, the rear would also suffer.

On the way to the east, Chi Yao considered for a long time, then sent a message to the mysterious number small group.

[Who’s near Cetus 333?]

A reply came quickly below.

[B45: I am.]

Chi Yao: [Come and provide support.]

[B45: What if I’m discovered?]

Chi Yao: [Use my wife’s name. He’ll handle it.]

The group was silent for a moment, then a large number of people suddenly popped up.

[B33: What the f—! Who’s the wife?!]

[C64: Aaaahhhhhhh wife?!]

[L50: Boss, wake up! Where did you get a wife?]

Chi Yao casually sent a work photo of Jing Xi.

[Him. My new wife.]

The crowd: [What the f—!!!]

[D: What the f—!!! You’ve really grown some balls, kid!]

[B45: You even brought out the old man.]

[L50: Even the old man doesn’t know, this must be fake news.]

[B33: The boss might be dreaming.]

[C64: That flower on a high mountain can’t be conquered by ordinary people, let alone a destined-to-be-single type like the boss. (whispering)]

Chi Yao: “…”

Did he have any image left in the eyes of his subordinates?

[D: Has 333 erupted?]

Chi Yao: [Found something interesting too. We’ll talk in detail later.]

[D: Don’t just focus on fighting, your wife will run away.]

The crowd: [Don’t just focus on fighting, your wife will run away.]

Chi Yao: “…………”

Was he too good to this group of people?

My wife is so clingy, how could he possibly run away?