Chapter Summaries

Viers chose to advance toward Hilsay and planned to split his forces afterward to break through the Io Federation’s defenses. Joanna’s Fifth Legion reached the Star Path to Hilsay first, and Liang Xingchen assigned the fleet’s next moves as Viers’s vanguard followed.

• Aierfei ordered Joanna to withdraw the Fifth Legion from the Star Path defensive line and retreat to Hilsay.
• Joanna evacuated the fleet and starport logistics personnel, then led the Fifth Legion through the Star Path toward Hilsay.
• Viers concluded that the Io Federation was using successive defensive lines to wear down his isolated legion, and chose to advance toward Hilsay rather than Mihorton.
• Viers ordered his vanguard and follow-up fleets to head for Hilsay, planning to divide his forces after taking the node.
• Joanna reported that Viers’s legion was following half an hour behind, and Liang Xingchen ordered Ailena to bring her fleet to Hilsay while Joanna repeated the Serbia defense and then withdrew along the shortest Star Path.

Joanna’s Fifth Legion withdrew from Hilsay after inflicting heavy losses on the Viers Legion, whose commander then split his forces to advance through separate Star Paths. Liang Xingchen and Ailena joined forces at Hilsay and divided their commanders between Lenser and Poole to pursue the enemy.

• Joanna’s Fifth Legion held a defensive line at Hilsay, trading losses with the Viers Legion until Joanna ordered a retreat toward Feren.
• Viers chose not to pursue Joanna and ordered the Kindling Plan, splitting his forces across the Io Federation’s Star Paths.
• Viers divided his final 360,000 warships and their support vessels between the routes to Lenser and Poole.
• Liang Xingchen arrived at Hilsay with three Second Legion fleets and ten fleets commanded by Li Cangqiong, then Ailena joined him with 20,000 warships.
• Ailena reported that the Viers Legion was heading toward Lenser and Poole, and Liang Xingchen assigned Ailena, Sophia, and Li Cangqiong to Lenser while he and Jiang Hai went to Poole.

A 50,000-warship United Fleet gathered at the Star Path exit, where Sophia teased Li Cangqiong and announced she would seek a transfer to the First Legion. When Viers's first 2,000 warships emerged, the fleet destroyed nearly all of them in a single barrage, leaving Viers shocked and awaiting the scan results.

• A 50,000-warship fleet under Sophia's command formed a defensive line around the Star Path exit to intercept the Oakes Empire fleet.
• Sophia repeatedly invited Li Cangqiong to join her fleet, but he refused and reaffirmed his loyalty to Lin Fan.
• Sophia told Marshal Saunders she would apply to transfer to the First Legion after the campaign, then teased Li Cangqiong that he would not escape her.
• Sophia ordered the fleet to destroy each wave of Viers Legion ships as it emerged from the Star Path.
• The United Fleet's opening barrage hit 2,000 Viers Legion warships and left only twenty-eight survivors.
• Viers received the survivors' report and ordered them to identify the enemy fleet immediately.

Viers’s fleet was trapped in the Star Path and destroyed by the shielded forces of the Io Federation and humanity. After the battle, Sophia tried to recruit Li Cangqiong, then revealed she planned to transfer to the First Legion.

• Viers learned that 50,000 enemy warships, including 30,000 human battlecruisers, were waiting at the Star Path exit and ordered his ships to fire as soon as they emerged.
• Viers discovered that the Io Federation’s Energy Shields could withstand the attackers’ salvos, and he rejected his adjutant’s suggestion to use fighters.
• The enemy destroyed Viers’s fleet as it exited the Star Path, leaving the region silent after the last industrial ship was eliminated.
• Sophia, Li Cangqiong, and Ailena reviewed the destruction of the Viers Legion in the Virtual Meeting Room, and Sophia complained that the battle had been too easy.
• Sophia asked Li Cangqiong to join her fleet, but he refused; she then told him she had arranged to transfer to the First Legion.

After the Battle of Lenser, Liang Xingchen learned that Sophia Duncan and the Third Fleet were being permanently transferred to Lin Fan’s First Legion. Lin Fan discovered that Sophia had arranged the transfer to pursue Li Cangqiong, and the chapter ended with the transfer confirmed and Li promoted to acting commander of the Fourth Fleet.

• Saunders told Liang Xingchen that Sophia and the Third Fleet would permanently transfer to Lin Fan’s First Legion, leaving Liang suspicious and confused.
• Lin Fan told Liang that he had not requested Sophia’s transfer and was unaware that Saunders had a granddaughter named Sophia.
• Li Cangqiong explained that Sophia had repeatedly invited him to join her fleet and had said she would transfer to his legion after he refused.
• Liang described Sophia as a capable commander who became more formidable against strong enemies, and warned that Li was the target of her attention.
• Three days later, Saunders officially transferred Sophia and the Third Fleet to Lin Fan’s First Legion as its Fifth Fleet.
• Lin Fan received approval to appoint Li Cangqiong acting commander of the Fourth Fleet, and Li was promoted to colonel for his performance in the Battle of the Seris Corridor.

After the Oakes Empire’s defeat, the Io Federation and Human Federation divided the reclaimed territory, and the First Legion welcomed Sophia and promoted Li Cangqiong. The chapter ended with Sophia asking Li Cangqiong to help her prepare for a simulated battle, leaving the other commanders scandalized by her suggestive remark about their previous session.

• The Io Federation reclaimed Serbia and Seris, while the Human Federation added Kerfi and eight other Star Systems to its territory.
• Lin Fan introduced Sophia Duncan as the First Legion’s new Fifth Fleet commander during a remote conference.
• Lin Fan announced Li Cangqiong’s early promotion to colonel and appointment as acting commander of the Fourth Fleet.
• Li Cangqiong chose Emma for the required simulated battle, and Lin Fan scheduled it for the following morning.
• Sophia chose Lin Fan as her simulated-battle opponent, and Lin Fan agreed to face her after Li Cangqiong’s match.
• Sophia asked Li Cangqiong to visit her room and help her warm up, prompting the commanders to gossip after she mentioned that their last session had lasted only half an hour.

Lin Fan and Liang Xue visited Bai Zixuan to test the new Orca-class Battleship’s weapons. Its Plasma Cannon devastated a target ship’s shield, and the chapter ended as the Positron Cannon test began.

• Lin Fan and Liang Xue discussed Sophia’s challenge and then set out to test the new weapons with Bai Zixuan.
• Bai Zixuan introduced the Orca-class Battleship, whose specifications surpassed those of Lin Fan’s Uranus in several areas and required far fewer crew members.
• The Orca fired one Plasma Cannon shot at a shielded Snow Leopard-class Battlecruiser, reducing its shield integrity by 70 percent.
• After the target ship’s shield fully recharged, Bai Zixuan ordered the Orca to fire a single shot from its secondary cannon.

After testing a new Positron Cannon, Lin Fan proposed outsourcing the construction of Orca-class Battleship hulls to the Io Federation so humanity could rearm its two legions in three years. Lin Zhen and his advisers approved the plan and assigned Ed to negotiate with Queen Aierfei.

• Bai Zixuan tested a Positron Cannon and found it comparable to the main guns on a Snow Leopard-class Battlecruiser, then criticized Lin Fan for wanting to upgrade Uranus.
• Bai Zixuan suggested that Lin Fan commission an eight-million-ton flagship hull from the Io Federation and install human-made equipment later.
• Lin Fan realized the Io Federation could also contract-build Orca-class Battleship hulls, allowing humanity to produce 432,000 ships for its two legions within three years.
• Lin Fan submitted his proposal to Interstellar Fleet Headquarters, and Saunders forwarded it to President Lin Zhen.
• Lin Zhen and his advisers unanimously approved the proposal, then assigned Ed to negotiate with Queen Aierfei.

Li Cangqiong endured a grueling night with Sophia before arriving exhausted for a fleet-command simulation against Emma. He cautiously faced Emma’s apparent bait, while Lin Fan predicted that Emma would win.

• Sophia knocked Li Cangqiong down during their late-night sparring session, then made him stay in her room.
• Sophia used Li Cangqiong as a body pillow, leaving him sleepless and with dark circles the next morning.
• At First Legion headquarters, Li Cangqiong entered a fleet-command simulation against Emma.
• Emma hid her fleet in an asteroid belt and sent out numerous detached fleets, while Li Cangqiong suspected she was setting a trap.
• Lin Fan told Chris that Emma would win, and Li Cangqiong considered whether to exploit how thin Emma’s main base might be.

Lin Fan and Sophia fought a simulated void battle, where Lin Fan’s predictive and computational abilities gave him a decisive advantage. Sophia recognized that she would lose the artillery duel, but the battle had not yet ended.

• Emma defeated Li Cangqiong in a simulated battle, losing 7,000 warships while destroying 20,000 of his.
• Sophia challenged Lin Fan to a direct void battle, and they entered the simulation pods ten minutes later.
• Lin Fan and Sophia’s fleets closed to three million kilometers and began firing, with Lin Fan’s side achieving a battlecruiser exchange ratio of one to three.
• Sophia tested Lin Fan’s response to her orders and discovered that his ships evaded attacks in advance and fired on areas where her fleet was about to move.
• Sophia realized Lin Fan’s predictive and computational abilities would make her lose the artillery duel, and she resented being suppressed.

As Sophia forced the fleets into close combat, Lin Fan unveiled his Floating Cannon Tactics, splitting his remaining warships into 190 squads and directing them with extraordinary precision. Sophia and the observers watched in disbelief as the battle turned into a chaotic assault controlled entirely by Lin Fan.

• Sophia abandoned long-range combat and drove her fleet into a full-speed assault against Lin Fan's formation.
• Lin Fan divided his 19,000 remaining warships into 190 squads as the fleets made contact.
• Sophia's charge tore open Lin Fan's central formation, but Lin Fan announced his Floating Cannon Tactics and sent his squads maneuvering independently.
• Lin Fan issued rapid commands that coordinated the squads' movements, attacks, and evasions without collisions.
• Sophia and the observers were stunned by Lin Fan's control, while he knew he could command up to 300 squads at once.

Lin Fan defeated Sophia in a simulation, earning her recognition as her commander and explaining his Floating Cannon Tactics to the First Legion. Meanwhile, Ed arranged the Orca-class Battleship production with the Io Federation and advanced plans for customized command ships.

• Lin Fan defeated Sophia's 20,000 warships with 2,700 losses, and the simulation system declared him the victor.
• Lin Fan welcomed Sophia to the First Legion, and Sophia accepted him as her superior after recognizing his strength.
• Chris asked Lin Fan about the Floating Cannon Tactics, and Lin Fan explained how he could command up to 300 small fleets at once.
• Ed completed the Orca-class Battleship construction plan and secured Aierfei's agreement for the Io Federation to build 300,000 hulls.
• Ed arranged for customized heavy battleships for the Legion and Fleet Commanders, and Bai Zixuan completed their blueprints despite their unusual requests.

Lin Fan worried that the First Legion could not find capable commanders for seven new fleets in time, so he proposed selecting acting commanders from all field-grade officers regardless of rank. Saunders considered the political backlash but decided the Federation’s future justified Lin Fan’s plan.

• Lin Fan realized the Io Federation would finish the warships in two years and worried about finding commanders for the First Legion’s seven new fleets.
• Lin Fan proposed a selection trial open to field-grade officers, including generals at Interstellar Fleet Headquarters, to choose seven acting fleet commanders.
• Lin Fan sent his proposal to Marshal Saunders, who quickly contacted him and warned that it would offend many people.
• Lin Fan argued that capable officers should rise past rank restrictions and that the First Legion could not tolerate deadweight.
• Saunders agreed that internal corruption threatened the Federation and decided to support Lin Fan’s plan.

Lin Zhen and Sanders backed Lin Fan’s plan to select Fleet Commanders through competition, using the officer shortage to challenge the Establishment Faction. Richard reluctantly agreed to the selection, leaving his faction facing a test that could strip it of influence in the Federal Interstellar Fleet.

• Sanders decided to use Lin Fan’s proposal to purge entrenched corruption and discussed the plan with Lin Zhen for two hours.
• Lin Zhen convened a Presidential Palace meeting with Sanders, Richard, and his advisors to address the shortage of commanders for the two expanding legions.
• Richard claimed Interstellar Fleet Headquarters had enough capable generals, but Lin Zhen challenged their competence and proposed competitive selection for Fleet Commander positions.
• Lin Zhen expanded the selection to include Headquarters officers and proposed that all generals of brigadier general rank and above compete.
• After Lin Zhen warned that he would not let anyone endanger the Federation, Richard reluctantly agreed to the selection.

Lin Zhen and Saunders suppressed an Establishment Faction protest and held a selection to fill the First Legion’s command ranks. After the first round exposed overlooked military talents, Lin Fan learned that standout candidate Fujiwara Ayako had been labeled an Establishment Faction member because of her parents, though she hoped the selection would let her escape her family’s control.

• Two full generals organized a protest against the selection, but Lin Zhen and Saunders had armed personnel arrest them and the other gathered generals.
• Two months later, more than 1,200 officers assembled at Horton for the simulated-combat selection, where over 400 Establishment Faction officers were eliminated in the first round.
• Lin Fan discovered that Elio Reed and Xia Yu, along with several Star Military Academy officers, had shown exceptional command talent.
• Lin Fan reviewed Fujiwara Ayako’s file after she defeated a strong candidate and found that her parents’ faction ties had caused others to label her an Establishment Faction member.
• Fujiwara Ayako hoped to enter the First Legion so she could break free of her family and form her own views.

Lin Zhen ordered the remaining Establishment Faction officers eliminated from the commander selection, then arranged a powerless think tank for the 532 who were removed. The selection advanced to its final sixteen, including Fujiwara Ayako, Elio Reed, Xia Yu, and thirteen candidates favored by Lin Fan, who would compete for fleet command posts.

• After reviewing the first-round results, Lin Zhen decided to eliminate every Establishment Faction member except Fujiwara Ayako in the second round, and Saunders and Ed prepared plans for the aftermath.
• Lin Zhen told Lin Fan to arrange non-Establishment-Faction opponents for the remaining members, and three days later the second round eliminated them all except Fujiwara Ayako.
• The Federal Presidential Palace announced a new think tank with 532 officers from Interstellar Fleet Headquarters, which was recognized as a powerless retirement post for the eliminated Establishment Faction members.
• The commander selection continued, and by the end of the seventh round only sixteen participants remained, including Fujiwara Ayako, Elio Reed, Xia Yu, and thirteen candidates Lin Fan had favored.
• Lin Fan planned a half-month points competition among the sixteen, with the top seven appointed as commanders and the remaining nine assigned deputy and staff roles.

The Kabart Empire destroyed the Oakes Empire’s last fleet at Russell, then ordered 50,000 Energy Shield activation devices from the Human Federation. In Horton, Lin Fan’s commander selection concluded with seven new fleet commanders appointed and other candidates assigned to their fleets.

• Kabart warships attacked Russell from all four Star Paths and destroyed the Oakes Empire’s 1.2 million warships, losing 800,000 ships in the battle.
• Emperor Farhale and Hamid chose not to invade the Human Federation’s territory and ordered 50,000 Energy Shield activation devices from the humans.
• The points-ranking tournament ended in Horton, where Fujiwara Ayako, Carol Taylor, Dennis Linden, Elio Reed, Shangguan Yunting, Xia Yu, and Qin Tian were appointed commanders of the First Legion’s Sixth through Twelfth Fleets.
• Lin Fan assigned the nine finalists who had lost, along with other capable candidates, to executive and staff roles in the new fleets.
• Lin Fan said the new fleet commanders could select sub-fleet commanders and bridge teams from Star Military Academy and submit their choices for approval.

By Federation Year 70, Brain Development Potions had driven rapid growth in the Federation’s civilian technology, while its fleets standardized around Orca-class Battleships and retained mechs for ground operations. Genetic enhancement potions and high salaries let the Federation fully staff its two legions, and the chapter left it with enough recruits to potentially field four.

• The Federation’s ordinary technology advanced to levels comparable to a mid-to-late Level 3 Civilization, while key technologies remained closer to those of an early Level 4 Civilization.
• The Federation phased carrier warships out of its main fleets, distributed 300 mechs among each Orca-class Battleship, and increased planned Orca-class production to 480,000.
• The Federation used genetic enhancement potions to bring retired veterans back into service and gained enough personnel to staff its two major legions, with more recruits available.
• An interview about Angel girls preferring brave men sparked a surge of recruitment across Federation planets.

With the Kabart Empire’s delivery date approaching, the Federation prepared to use its vast resources and newly completed fleet to destroy the empire and open a route for expansion. Lin Fan briefed his commanders aboard the new Uranus and began outlining Operation Dawn.

• The Federation exchanged Energy Shield units for the Kabart Empire’s resources, using the resulting wealth to develop every planet in its territory.
• Lin Zhen arranged for the Federation to deliver the Kabart Empire’s fifty thousand Energy Shield units after three years, while the Federation secretly prepared 240,000 Orca-class Battleships.
• Lin Fan’s former Uranus was placed in the Federation Museum, and his new flagship retained its predecessor’s distinctive design.
• Lin Fan told his eleven Fleet Commanders that their fleet had completed a year of adaptation training and was ready for combat.
• Lin Fan explained that the Federation would attack the Kabart Empire, its only viable target for outward expansion, and named the operation Dawn.

Lin Fan launched the First Legion’s surprise campaign against the Kabart Empire, sending its fleets to attack targets across the former Oakes territory. The Kabart main force remained gathered at Vite, unaware that the assault had begun.

• Lin Fan briefed the commanders on the battle plan using detailed intelligence on the Kabart Empire, and Sophia objected to the unexciting sneak attack before agreeing to join.
• The First Legion prepared to depart from Horton, where 240,000 Orca-class Battleships assembled for combat.
• At Vite, Hamid rested his 3.8 million warships and began preparing fifty thousand battleships for Energy Shield installations expected to arrive in twelve days.
• Lin Fan confirmed the Kabart main force was concentrated at Vite and declared the first phase of Operation Dawn underway.
• The First Legion’s fleets warped out in sequence to strike targets across the former Oakes territory, leaving Vite untouched.