Chapter Summaries

Lin Fan withdrew the Federation fleet to its second defensive line after inflicting heavy losses on the Babawi Empire. With 2.628 million enemy warships assembled and advancing, Lin Fan prepared the defensive installations to open fire.

• Lin Fan ordered the defenders to retreat slowly while maintaining fire, and Babarot held his fleet back until reinforcements assembled.
• The Federation withdrew beyond the Babawi Empire's firing range after losing 3,600 warships, while the Babawi Empire lost 372,000.
• Lin Fan led four legions back to the second defensive line as the last Babawi warships emerged from the Star Path and joined a fleet of 2.6 million ships.
• Babarot ordered his fleet to advance and attack the Federation's defensive installations head-on.
• Lin Fan ordered Railgun Arrays One through Three to fire ten volleys at Area X3175 and Arrays Four through Six to fire ten volleys at Area X1123.

The Babawi Empire attacked the Federation’s Fixed Defense Platforms while Lin Fan prepared a trap with near-light-speed Railgun projectiles. The projectiles devastated the empire’s flank formations, leaving Babarot to realize the Federation’s saturation fire had weakened ships for a follow-up attack.

• Babarot ordered his fleets to target the Federation’s Fixed Defense Platforms once they came within four million kilometers.
• Both sides opened fire, and the Babawi Empire struck the stationary platforms while the platforms and Federal fleets attacked its warships.
• Lin Fan ordered the fleets and Defense Platforms to switch to area saturation fire against the Babawi Empire’s flank formations.
• Babarot ordered an evasive maneuver after learning that near-light-speed objects were approaching, but they reached the flanks before the fleet could react.
• Railgun projectiles destroyed thirty thousand Babawi Empire warships and damaged the shields of many others, then a second volley destroyed nearly twenty thousand more.
• Babarot realized the saturation fire had weakened the flank formations for a finishing attack, and his adjutant identified the projectiles as Railgun rounds.

Lin Fan used successive Railgun strikes to drive Babarot’s larger fleet into an assault formation, then lured it through an apparently weak Federal defensive line. As the Babawi Empire fleet broke through, Lin Fan prepared to fire the Star Cannon at its center.

• Babarot learned that the Railgun projectiles struck in groups of ten and could only be detected within three million kilometers, while repeated flank strikes destroyed more than a hundred thousand warships.
• Babarot realized the Federation had ambushed his fleet beyond 10 AU and ordered it to charge through the Railgun fire in an assault formation.
• Lin Fan revealed that the Railgun attacks were meant to force Babarot into an assault and ordered the Federal commanders to follow their planned tactics convincingly.
• After ten waves of attacks cost Babarot more than four hundred thousand warships, his fleet reached the Federal line with over 2.1 million ships remaining.
• Babarot’s fleet broke through the central Federal line, destroying at least fifty thousand ships, while the Federation’s flanks appeared to flee.
• Lin Fan confirmed that the Federal warships had cleared the Star Cannon’s firing path, locked onto the enemy formation’s center, and began the firing sequence.

The Babawi Empire fleet broke through the Federation’s central line, only to discover that its apparent weakness had lured them into the Star Cannon’s firing path. The Star Cannon devastated the fleet, and Lin Fan’s Federation forces began destroying the survivors.

• Babarot ordered his fleet to sweep aside the collapsing Federation defenses after breaking through the central formation.
• Babarot recognized the massive energy device ahead as a potential weapon and ordered his fleet to scatter, but the Star Cannon fired Gamma Rays toward them.
• Babarot ordered the fleet to channel its energy into its Energy Shields, but the Gamma Ray stream destroyed roughly seventy percent of the Babawi Empire ships and severely damaged the rest.
• The Star Cannon killed Babarot and left the surviving Babawi Empire warships stunned and unable to organize an effective defense.
• Lin Fan’s Federation fleet and the Defense Platforms attacked the battered Babawi Empire remnants, beginning a new slaughter.

Marshal Babania realized something had gone wrong at Virallas after losing contact with Babarot and his commanders, while Lin Fan’s forces finished destroying the trapped Babawi fleet at Shanhai Pass. The Federation won the battle at a heavy cost, and Lin Fan expected a much larger Babawi attack within five to ten years.

• Babania suspected the Federation had retreated from the Star Path defense line too early and ordered his adjutant to contact Babarot.
• After failing to reach Babarot or his Legion Commanders, Babania spoke with a Fleet Commander whose transmission ended in an explosion before he could explain what had happened at Virallas.
• Lin Fan’s forces surrounded and destroyed the fewer than thirty thousand remaining Babawi Empire warships at Shanhai Pass.
• Liang Xue reported that the Federation had lost 72,388 warships, suffered damage to 112,917 more, and lost 1,379,280 Defense Platforms.
• Lin Fan estimated that Federation military casualties would exceed fifty million and warned that a much larger Babawi attack could arrive within five to ten years.

After the Battle of Shanhai Pass, the Federation announced that 50 million people had died and began distributing compensation payments. Lin Zhen discovered that every payment had gone to an immediate family member, and Ed later confirmed his suspicion of widespread fraud.

• Lin Zhen and the officials judged that Lin Fan had performed well despite the Federation's heavy losses, and Lin Zhen told Saunders to oversee the compensation payments carefully.
• At a press conference, Lin Zhen announced the 50 million casualties, and Lin Fan said compensation payments would begin in three days and urged citizens to supervise them.
• After a month of oversight uncovered no evidence of tampering, Lin Zhen noticed that none of the 50 million payments had gone to secondary heirs, unlike in previous rounds.
• Lin Zhen shared the anomaly with Ed, and the two discussed it privately for two hours.
• Three days later, Ed returned and told Lin Zhen that his suspicion had been confirmed.

Lin Zhen uncovered a vast conspiracy to steal compensation from fallen soldiers and ordered mass arrests across the Federation. As anger and disorder spread among the troops at Shanhai Pass, Lin Fan persuaded Lin Zhen to hold Haorwen’s execution there.

• Ed reported that Federation officials had falsified records to divert compensation meant for 1.6 million fallen soldiers, and identified Deputy Minister Haorwen as the organizer.
• Lin Zhen ordered Ed to close the investigation within three days and have the Federal Central Guard cooperate.
• The Central Guard arrested more than 3,000 people on the first day and 1.6 million more on the second, prompting Lin Zhen to explain the scandal at a press conference.
• Soldiers at Shanhai Pass grew enraged over their fallen comrades’ stolen compensation, and Lin Fan saw reports that disorder was spreading.
• Lin Fan asked Lin Zhen to hand Haorwen’s execution over to the Shanhai Pass War Zone, and Lin Zhen agreed.

Half a year after the compensation case was exposed, the thirty-two principal offenders were brought to Shanhai Pass for execution. Lin Fan ordered the prisoners to be executed by being thrown into space, leaving the soldiers and Federation citizens watching the livestream.

• The Federation sentenced Haorwen, thirty-one other principal offenders, and their accomplices for stealing compensation meant for fallen soldiers.
• Lin Zhen asked the chief justice to send the thirty-two death row prisoners to Shanhai Pass for execution, and the request was approved.
• A prison transport ship arrived at Virallas Star, and Lin Fan and Liang Xue took custody of the thirty-two prisoners.
• Lin Fan and Liang Xue led the prisoners into an empty chamber, where the Shanhai Pass soldiers and Federation citizens watched through a livestream.
• Lin Fan checked the time and ordered the prisoners executed.

The Federation strengthened its forces and continued its campaign to unify the Minor Arm, while Lin Fan and Liang Xingchen prepared for a future advance into the main arm. Babania, unable to learn what happened to Babarot's fleet, was ordered by Emperor Babareya to continue toward Taylor, leaving six years until the Second Battle of Shanhai Pass.

• The Federation graduated more than 600 million military academy students and planned to establish the Sixth and Seventh Fleets at Shanhai Pass.
• The subordinate civilizations' allied forces grew to 15 million warships, bringing the total force in Liang Xingchen's Minor Arm campaign to nearly 22 million warships.
• Liang Xingchen projected that the campaign to unify the Minor Arm would finish within two years, after which his forces could meet Lin Fan at Shanhai Pass.
• Babania concluded that Babarot's ten corps had likely been destroyed but remained unable to determine how the enemy had defeated them or blocked communications.
• Emperor Babareya rejected Babania's concerns and ordered him to proceed to Taylor and then seize Virallas through the Star Path.
• Babania's army remained three years from Taylor, with another three years of travel through the Star Path, leaving six years until the Second Battle of Shanhai Pass.

With the Vera Alliance’s defenses against the Freedom Alliance nearing collapse and its forces locked against the Zola Alliance, Xis offered Verto a plan to lure both enemies to the Satchers Defense Line and destroy their main forces. Verto saw the plan’s potential for a major comeback, but the chapter ended before he accepted or acted on it.

• The Zola Alliance and Vera Alliance amassed roughly 90 billion and 100 billion warships, respectively, at the Satchers Defense Line, while the Vera Alliance’s defenses against the Freedom Alliance dwindled to fewer than 50 billion ships against 100 billion.
• Verto received a communication from Xis and angrily blamed him for allowing the Zola Alliance to advance.
• Xis said the Freedom and Zola Alliances would likely join forces against the Xio Alliance after defeating Vera, so he wanted to help Verto.
• Xis proposed that Verto withdraw his remaining Galactic Core forces to lure the Freedom Alliance to the Satchers Defense Line, where 100 billion Xio Alliance warships could trap the enemy between them and Vera’s forces.
• Verto calculated that the plan could bring 250 billion warships against 190 billion and considered that the Vera Alliance might stage a major comeback.

Verto ordered the Vera Alliance to launch a full counterattack after the Xio Alliance secretly positioned 100 billion warships behind the Freedom and Zola Alliances. As the Vera fleet advanced and the Xio forces appeared, the enemy commander realized the two movements might be part of an encirclement.

• The Vera Alliance's 50 billion retreating warships reached the Satchers Defense Line, where they joined 100 billion defenders as the Freedom and Zola Alliances arrived with 190 billion warships.
• During the third month of battle, Verto received Xis's message that everything was in position and ordered a counterattack across the line.
• Angus and General Alfred learned that the Xio Alliance had positioned 100 billion warships behind the enemy and prepared to join the counterattack.
• One hour later, the Vera Alliance's 150 billion warships surged out from the Satchers Defense Line in fifteen groups.
• The Freedom and Zola commander learned that 100 billion Xio Alliance warships had appeared behind his forces and suspected the Vera and Xio movements were coordinated.

The Xio Alliance launched a surprise attack on a Zola Alliance supply fleet and then joined the battle at the Satchers Defense Line, turning the conflict into a full-scale galactic war. As the two alliances suffered heavier losses and fell behind in numbers, their commanders began considering retreat.

• The Xio Alliance commander ordered the destruction of a Zola Alliance supply fleet, and five billion warships ambushed and wiped out its one hundred million transports and thirty million escorts.
• The two alliances deployed fifty billion warships to guard against the approaching Xio Alliance fleet, weakening their forces facing the Vera Alliance.
• The Xio Alliance opened fire on the fifty billion warships, overwhelming them with its one hundred billion ships in open space.
• The battle split between the Xio Alliance and the two alliances' rear force, and the Vera Alliance and the two alliances' main forces at the Satchers Defense Line.
• The two alliances lost their numerical advantage and struggled on both fronts, prompting their commanders to consider retreating.

With the Freedom Alliance and Zola Alliance fleets trapped, Hussein negotiated with Xis and Verto to secure their surrender and return. After Hussein left, Xis revealed to Verto that he intended to exploit the surrender and gestured toward his next move.

• Moros warned Hussein that more than 180 billion Freedom Alliance and Zola Alliance warships faced encirclement and destruction.
• Hussein, Xis, and Verto met, and Xis explained that he had intervened to prevent the Freedom Alliance and Zola Alliance from destroying the Vera Alliance and threatening the Xio Alliance afterward.
• Hussein agreed to stop attacking the Vera Alliance in exchange for letting his trapped fleet return, and Xis demanded that the fleet surrender first.
• Verto reluctantly agreed to accept the surrender after Xis warned that the Xio Alliance would withdraw if he refused.
• After Hussein left, Xis told Verto to surround the surrendered fleets and order them to shut down their systems, then made a sinister gesture that stunned Viers.

After Zora and Freedom's fleets surrendered and disarmed, Verto's hidden order led Alfred to launch a surprise attack that massacred their forces. The news reached Hussein, who learned that the combined fleet had been wiped out.

• Zora and Freedom's 160 billion warships ceased fire, shut down their systems, and surrendered to Vera and Xio's forces.
• Alfred received Verto's secret order and learned that the surrender was a ruse to disarm the enemy before destroying it.
• Alfred ordered the surrounded fleet attacked, and more than 100 billion warships were destroyed immediately.
• The Vera and Xio fleets continued firing until no one survived from Zora and Freedom's combined fleet.
• A guard told Hussein that the surrendered fleet had been slaughtered, and Hussein dropped his cup.

After the Xio and Vera Alliances destroyed the Zola and Freedom Alliances’ main forces at the Satchers Defense Line, Xis and Verto prepared to advance into the Fourth Main Arm. News of the victory stirred the Xio Alliance, while Lin Zhen and Ed reacted with shock to the report.

• General Alfred reported that the combined Zola and Freedom Alliance forces had been wiped out at the Satchers Defense Line.
• Xis and Verto agreed to send their fleets toward the Fourth Main Arm and attack the weakened Freedom Alliance, while Xis kept 80 billion warships in the Galactic Core Channel to deter Hussein.
• The Xio Alliance announced that 187.5 billion enemy warships had been destroyed, with losses of 14.8 billion for the Vera Alliance and 2.3 billion for the Xio Alliance.
• Xio Alliance members discussed the Freedom Alliance’s collapse and the possibility that the Milky Way’s four-alliance order would become a three- or two-alliance order.
• Lin Zhen and Ed read the report at Earth’s Presidential Palace and looked shocked.

Lin Zhen and Ed planned to expand humanity’s power beyond the Orion Arm by taking advantage of the galactic war and targeting the Milky Way’s satellite galaxies. A breakthrough in spatial teleportation technology made the plan possible, while Lin Fan and Liang Xue arrived to witness Bai Zixuan test a Spatial Teleportation Gate.

• Lin Zhen told Ed that humanity could not rival the Four Major Spiral Arms by conquering the Orion Arm alone, so he proposed a strategy of expanding into smaller, neglected regions.
• Lin Zhen revealed that he also intended to target more than a dozen Milky Way satellite galaxies, and Ed pointed out the enormous distances involved.
• Lin Zhen showed Ed a document about Bai Zixuan’s spatial teleportation technology, which could be tested on a warship scale within ten years.
• Ed agreed that humanity could secretly develop in the satellite galaxies while maintaining its apparent position as a Level 4 Civilization and the Orion Arm’s new overlord.
• Lin Fan and Liang Xue arrived at Bai Zixuan’s laboratory in Shanhai Pass as the first Spatial Teleportation Gate test was about to begin.

Lin Fan watched Bai Zixuan test the Gate of Space, a teleportation device that could connect to a receiving gate up to 380,000 light-years away in seven minutes. The first human test succeeded when the tester emerged safely at the secondary gate on Virallas Star.

• Bai Zixuan showed Lin Fan the Gate of Space and began preparations for its first human test.
• The team powered up both gates, locked onto the secondary gate on Virallas Star, and established a stable spatial passage.
• Bai Zixuan explained the device's seven-minute transmission time, limited range, and high energy costs.
• The tester entered the Gate of Space as the team monitored the passage and prepared emergency rescue procedures.
• The tester emerged from the secondary gate on Virallas Star, and the observation room erupted in cheers.

The Federation’s Star Gate Network transformed interstellar travel and drove growth in tourism and immigration. Meanwhile, Vera and Xio broke through the Freedom Alliance’s defensive line, but Moros’s forces withdrew to a second line after a rearguard delayed pursuit.

• Lin Zhen proposed the Star Gate System, and the Federation deployed Interstellar Gates across its territory, reducing travel from Earth to Shanhai Pass to seven minutes.
• Star Gates made remote planets accessible, spurring interstellar tourism and encouraging people to immigrate to distant star regions.
• Moros mobilized the Freedom Alliance and assembled 100 billion warships to defend the Galactic Core Channel against Vera and Xio’s 230 billion-strong joint fleet.
• After half a year of fighting and losing more than 20 billion warships, the Freedom Alliance’s defenses began to falter.
• Vera and Xio’s fleet broke through the defensive line, and the Freedom Alliance commander ordered a retreat to the second line.
• The commander stayed behind with 5 billion warships to cover the retreat; after three days of fighting, Vera and Xio destroyed the rearguard, but 70 billion Freedom Alliance warships escaped.

The Zola Alliance attacked the Xio Alliance to draw its forces away from the First Main Arm while the Freedom Alliance struggled to replace its losses. In the Lasor Federation's Deo system, an undetectable crack appeared in space and began releasing asteroids, leaving Baltra's fleet facing an ominous anomaly.

• Hussein ordered the Zola Alliance to attack the Xio Alliance with 100 billion warships, while Xis relied on its defenses to hold until the First Main Arm battle ended.
• The Freedom Alliance began full mobilization and built warships at a rapid pace, but remained outmatched by the 230 billion enemy ships advancing on it.
• A vast, invisible crack opened near Deo VII in the Lasor Federation and began releasing asteroids.
• Wayne showed Governor Cruz scans revealing asteroids appearing where none had been detected, and Cruz ordered Baltra to investigate.
• Baltra led the 50,000-warship Deo Special Fleet toward the anomaly and saw a massive crack with more than a thousand asteroids gathered around it.

Baltra discovered that the asteroids emerging from a rift were packed with billions of spacefaring insects and ordered the Deo Special Fleet to attack. The swarm overwhelmed the fleet’s firepower and began tearing into its warships, leaving the battle underway as insects breached a vessel.

• Baltra sent two fighters to investigate the asteroid cluster, and a life-sign scan revealed at least one billion creatures inside a single asteroid.
• A swarm of enormous insects attacked the fighters and killed both pilots before they could retreat.
• Baltra ordered the 50,000-ship fleet to destroy the asteroids, but the attacks failed to stop the insects from pouring out in overwhelming numbers.
• The swarm crossed the fleet’s engagement zone, and Baltra ordered all warships to use their anti-air systems against the insects.
• More than a dozen insects slashed through a warship’s armor, and several crawled through the breach into its interior.