Chapter Summaries

Carter’s three Planet-class Warships confronted Woston’s Federation fleet, but Woston’s ships escaped through hyperspace and left a Zero-Point Bomb behind. Carter’s deployed Blazing Fire Empire fleet was annihilated, while Phase Shields protected his three warships from the blast.

• Carter used a Warp Interference Device to try to prevent Woston’s fleet from escaping, unaware that the Federation ships had Hyperspace Engines.
• Woston recognized the deployed ships as Blazing Fire Empire warships equipped with Spatial Shields and ordered his fleet to leave a device behind and retreat through hyperspace.
• Carter and his soldiers were astonished when the Federation fleet opened Hyperspace Windows and vanished.
• Woston’s unidentified device detonated as a Zero-Point Bomb, destroying the deployed Blazing Fire Empire warships and nearby planets and asteroids.
• The Phase Shields around Carter’s three Planet-class Warships shifted them into another phase and left them unharmed by the spatial destruction.

Woston tested a miniature Zero-Point Bomb against the Dark Star’s Phase Shield and found it could not cause damage, then reported his discovery to Lin Yu. He also revealed a suspected Neutron Battle Star base and warned that he had found something even worse.

• Woston observed the Zero-Point Bomb’s effects from more than ten light-years away and saw that it had failed to damage the Dark Star’s shield.
• Li Lizhi told Lin Yu that her Neutron Degenerate Mass Sphere could defeat a Neutron Battle Star only if it remained still, and that its Super Gravity Counteraction System could likely counter the method on a second attempt.
• Woston showed Lin Yu and Li Lizhi footage of a space base containing a barrier-shrouded object that Li Lizhi identified as likely being a Neutron Battle Star.
• Woston began reporting that he had found something even worse than the Neutron Battle Star.

After the Federation lost three warships to phase-shielded Dark Star-class vessels, Lin Yu learned that a Neutron Battle Star might provide a way to defeat them. He began planning to steal one by drawing the Blazing Fire Empire’s ships away, and ordered Jiang Sen to launch a feint against the empire’s capital.

• Woston reported the loss of three warships, and Li Lizhi explained that phase shields shifted ships into a different phase of space, making ordinary attacks ineffective.
• Li Lizhi said the Dark Star’s weapons could not pierce the phase shields, but acquiring a Neutron Battle Star would let her find a way to break them.
• Lin Yu realized the Neutron Battle Star might be stolen from its outpost and told Woston to keep monitoring the three enemy warships.
• Lin Yu ordered Major General Jiang Sen to lead a fleet in a feint attack on the Blazing Fire Empire’s Capital Sphere, warning him not to hit it too hard.

Lin Yu finalized the operation to lure away the Blazing Fire Empire’s three Dark Star-class Warships, reluctantly agreeing to let Li Lizhi join the mission with guards assigned to remove her if necessary. Ten days later, Jiang Sen began the first phase by sending a million-warship fleet toward the Blazing Fire Empire’s Capital Sphere, where Lan Wei’s ten-million-warship Guard Fleet moved to intercept them.

• Lin Yu and Li Lizhi argued over her joining the operation, and he agreed on the condition that guards could withdraw her if the mission became too dangerous.
• Li Lizhi accepted Lin Yu’s condition, and he reminded her to return safely and fulfill their childhood promise.
• Ten days later, Lin Yu ordered Jiang Sen to attack the Blazing Fire Empire’s Capital Sphere to force its forces to return and defend it.
• Jiang Sen led one million warships out of hyperspace at the edge of the Capital Sphere and advanced openly toward the imperial star.
• Carter dismissed the invading fleet as no threat after learning Lan Wei had taken ten million warships to intercept it.
• Lan Wei’s fleet warned Jiang Sen’s fleet to stop, and Jiang Sen ordered his forces to send the enemy a greeting attack.

Lan Wei's fleet confronted an unidentified force approaching the Blazing Fire Empire's Capital Sphere, while Carter recognized the attackers as humanity and ordered an immediate retreat. Humanity destroyed Lan Wei's fleet before it could escape, and Carter summoned Silver Fox and three Planet-class Warships to reinforce the Capital Sphere.

• Lan Wei ordered the Imperial Guard Legion to prepare for battle after his warnings went unanswered and the unknown fleet drew closer.
• Carter recognized the enemy ships in the projected images as humanity's and ordered Lan Wei to retreat immediately.
• Humanity's Spatial Rift attacks cut through Lan Wei's fleet, and Warp Interruption Devices prevented the ships from escaping.
• A Space Cut attack destroyed Lan Wei's flagship, and the Empire lost contact with his entire fleet of ten million warships.
• Carter ordered Silver Fox to bring three Planet-class Warships to defend the Capital Sphere, and Silver Fox immediately set out.

Su Yan’s assault force used an unmanned warship to cut a safe breach into the outpost holding the Neutron Battle Star, then rushed in before the enemy fleet could return. Bai Yu recognized the attack and hurried toward the battle star passage, intending to protect the Neutron Battle Star by entering it.

• Lin Yu ordered Su Yan to begin the second phase and reminded her that the assault had less than 385 seconds.
• Zero Ship opened a Hyperspace Window into the outpost, cutting away part of Sector E61 without damaging the central Gravity Barrier.
• After confirming the breach was safe, Su Yan ordered the other nine warships to advance and launch the assault.
• Bai Yu saw the damaged sector and learned that nine enemy warships were deploying Combat Vehicles toward the breach.
• Bai Yu ordered the outpost guards to engage and ran toward the Neutron Battle Star passage to rendezvous with its command group.

Silver Fox devised a three-ship pursuit plan after Jiang Sen's fleet escaped, unaware that Federation Hyperspace Engines charged faster than his ships could. At the outpost, the Federation overwhelmed the guards and advanced toward key objectives, with Su Yan assigning Dyson Squad to protect the VIP mech.

• Jiang Sen ordered his fleet to withdraw as Silver Fox's three Planet-class Warships arrived at the Capital Sphere.
• Silver Fox learned the enemy fleet had escaped and planned to pursue it with his ships in sequence, but his plan relied on an incorrect estimate of Federation engine charge times.
• The Federation's mech squads defeated the outpost guards and split up to search likely locations for important facilities.
• Su Yan ordered Dyson Squad to protect the VIP mech and evacuate it immediately if danger arose as the squads approached the Neutron Battle Star's docking port.

Bai Yu’s group rushed to enter the Neutron Battle Star, but enemy mechs broke through before they could open a safe passage. Li Lizhi killed Bai Yu as he tried to overload the Gravity Barrier, and the Federation forces secured the outpost’s key areas, leaving Su Yan to deal with the captured Blazing Fire Empire personnel.

• Bai Yu arrived at the docking port and ordered his personnel to enter the Neutron Battle Star as the enemy blasted through the sealed passage.
• Bai Yu ordered the Gravity Barrier generator overloaded when the mechs threatened to reach his group before the entry passage was ready.
• Li Lizhi shot Bai Yu before he could operate the console, then warned Su Yan to keep enemy personnel away from it.
• Su Yan ordered his forces to guard the console, and the intimidated Blazing Fire Empire command group surrendered without further incident.
• Su Yan’s First Squadron secured the docking port while reports confirmed that the Third Squadron had taken the control room and the Seventh Squadron the energy storage.
• Li Lizhi began studying the control console as Su Yan gave the captured Blazing Fire Empire personnel a sinister smile.

Li Lizhi learned to operate the Neutron Battle Star’s controls and entered its command room with Su Yan and several captured Blazing Fire Empire natives. While reading the startup instructions and operating the console, she activated the outpost’s barrier and revealed the Neutron Battle Star.

• Li Lizhi learned how to use the control console and opened a protected passage into the Neutron Battle Star.
• Su Yan led the group inside and questioned six captured members of the battle star’s command crew about how to operate it.
• The crew pointed out a massive operations manual, which Li Lizhi read rapidly in the Blazing Fire Empire’s script.
• Li Lizhi read the startup section and began activating the Neutron Battle Star while continuing through the manual.
• Li Lizhi activated the barrier around the outpost and removed the Gravity Barrier concealing the Neutron Battle Star.

Silver Fox received a Crimson-class order to reinforce ST Outpost after it lost contact, while Su Yan and Li Lizhi activated the Neutron Battle Star and discovered its gravity field disabled conventional communications. Li Lizhi used a Phase Communicator to reach Lin Yu, but she remained troubled by the operations manual’s unexplained origins.

• Silver Fox canceled his combat plans and ordered Ship Two and Ship Three to accompany him to ST Outpost, where the Neutron Battle Star was located.
• The Neutron Battle Star activated its Super Gravity Field, destroying an unmanned warship outside the outpost while the Gravity Barrier protected the outpost.
• Su Yan realized the activated battle star had disabled conventional communications, leaving the team unable to coordinate the operation with Lin Yu.
• Li Lizhi used a Phase Communicator to contact Lin Yu and handed the device to Su Yan so he could report the situation.
• Li Lizhi studied the operations manual and wondered how it could describe the Neutron Battle Star so thoroughly while being written in the Blazing Fire Empire’s language.

Li Lizhi learned how to operate the Neutron Battle Star and discovered she could cripple the three Dark Star-class Warships, so Lin Yu abandoned the original ambush plan in favor of capturing them. Silver Fox’s ships exited hyperspace and began searching for the missing Neutron Battle Star, which suddenly emerged from a rift above them.

• Li Lizhi finished studying the operating manual and told Lin Yu she could cripple the three Dark Star-class Warships for at least half an hour.
• Lin Yu changed the plan to capture the warships instead of destroying them.
• Silver Fox’s three warships exited hyperspace three AU from the outpost and activated their Phase Shields.
• Silver Fox discovered the outpost had been breached and the Neutron Battle Star was missing, then ordered a search using observation equipment.
• The Neutron Battle Star burst through a rift above Silver Fox’s warships.

Li Lizhi used the Neutron Battle Star to send a Full-Phase Super Electromagnetic Pulse against the three Dark Star-class Warships, disabling their systems and forcing them back into the original phase. Lin Yu’s fleet emerged from hyperspace and charged at the vulnerable warships.

• The Neutron Battle Star tore through dimensional barriers and appeared at the center of the three warships’ formation.
• Li Lizhi synchronized multidimensional gravity and prepared a Full-Phase Super Electromagnetic Pulse, telling Lin Yu it could paralyze the warships.
• Silver Fox detected the Neutron Battle Star but hesitated to move as a lingering rift and his unease suggested danger.
• Li Lizhi released the pulse, disabling the three warships’ engines, life support, weapons, and Phase Shields.
• The three warships returned to their original phase, and Silver Fox realized too late that the Neutron Battle Star had disappeared.
• Countless warships emerged from hyperspace and charged at the three paralyzed Dark Star-class Warships.

Silver Fox learned that Li Lizhi’s electromagnetic pulse had disabled the Dark Star-class Warships’ Mainframes, leaving his three Planet-class Warships unable to operate as enemy forces closed in. He sent the technical team leader to overload a warship’s core energy, but learned that enemy units had also entered the ship and were heading for the energy bay.

• Silver Fox learned that the Mainframe circuits were destroyed and the warship’s major systems could not operate without them.
• Silver Fox ordered the technical team leader to manually overload the core energy, and the team leader set out for the energy bay with a security unit.
• Silver Fox learned that enemy mechs and Cosmic Knights had breached the ports and ordered his forces to hold out for the Empire.
• Silver Fox discovered that the command center was only a secondary objective and that the energy bay was the Federation’s primary target.
• Silver Fox ordered every fleet unit to intercept the enemy group heading toward the energy bay at all costs.

Wang Jun led a mech squadron toward City No. 3 aboard the Planet-class Warship and met a Blazing Fire Empire interception force. His artillery squads exchanged heavy fire with the enemy, leaving their own condition obscured by dust and smoke.

• Wang Jun advanced with his mech squadron while Lei Li rode on his mech and complained about the flight.
• Wang Jun learned that 3,000 Imperial Walkers were blocking the route to City No. 3 and ordered his force to prepare for battle.
• Wang Jun sent the Ninth and Tenth Squads into artillery mode while the other squads formed an assault force.
• The Ninth and Tenth Squads fired eighteen Plasma Cannon shells, destroying or crippling at least fifty Walkers and throwing the defensive line into chaos.
• The Blazing Fire Empire commander ordered saturation fire against the artillery squads, but they fired a second barrage at the same time.
• Both sides’ attacks struck through the smoke, leaving the fate of the Ninth and Tenth Squads unclear.

Wang Jun’s mech force used Joint Shields to break through the Blazing Fire Empire’s interception line and advance toward City No. 2. Lan Feng’s convoy reached the energy storage facility, where he prepared to enter and operate it.

• The Blazing Fire Empire’s bombardment failed to damage the mechs protected by the Federation’s Joint Shield, and their counterattack inflicted heavy casualties on the defenders.
• Wang Jun ordered his squads to activate Joint Shields and drive through the gap in the interception formation while the bombardment group attacked the defenders’ flanks.
• The Blazing Fire Empire commander redirected the Imperial Walkers toward the distant bombardment group, leaving Wang Jun’s mechs a clear path through the defensive line.
• Lan Feng’s convoy raced toward the city’s central energy storage facility, and Lan Feng told his escort to guard the entrance while he went inside to operate it.

Wang Jun’s squad raced to the central energy depot and found that its mechs could not enter the building, so he asked Lei Li to secure it on foot. The mechs reached the entrance under fire and prepared to cover the Cosmic Knights’ advance.

• Wang Jun learned that Fujiwara Squadron had already secured City One’s energy depot and rallied his squad to avoid losing to their rivals, Karl Squadron.
• Wang Jun’s squad and Lei Li reached the central energy depot, where more than a hundred hover tanks guarded the entrance.
• Wang Jun realized that the mechs were too large to reach the depot’s core and asked Lei Li to go inside and secure it.
• The two mech squads charged through the tank fire and reached the entrance.
• Wang Jun ordered Second Squad to secure the perimeter and First Squad to deploy a Joint Shield while the Cosmic Knights entered.

Lei Li’s squad reached the Zero-Point Energy device after Lan Feng triggered its overload sequence, leaving them less than a minute to stop it. A Federation-issued device drained the Energy Crystal and halted the overload, leaving Lei Li confident in the Federation’s understanding of Zero-Point Energy.

• Lei Li’s squad fought through Blazing Fire Empire infantry and reached the energy bay’s third level.
• Lan Feng activated the Zero-Point Energy device’s overload sequence, and it began counting down toward the Critical Point.
• Wang Jun told Lei Li to place a previously issued device on the Energy Crystal, despite the squad’s confusion and the short time remaining.
• Lei Li placed the device on the crystal, which dimmed and depleted, stopping the overload sequence.
• Lei Li declared that below a Level 7 Civilization, no one understood Zero-Point Energy better than the Federation.

As the Purple Cloud Empire’s defeat left Farn unimpressed, he turned his attention to the Three-Eyed Empire, which was on the brink of extinction under the insectoid invasion. In Gadila, Wei revealed that her team had reproduced the Queen Bug’s ability to open a Bug Nest Channel, offering the Empire a possible way forward.

• Farn mocked the Purple Cloud Empire’s poor performance and considered helping humanity for his own amusement.
• The Three-Eyed Empire lost territory to the insectoids until only its final territory remained.
• Mew summoned Wei, hoping her research could preserve the Three-Eyed civilization.
• Wei reported that her team had failed to extend Spatial Teleportation Technology beyond ten million light-years but had developed an alternative.
• Wei revealed that the Science Department had reproduced the Queen Bug’s process for opening a Bug Nest Channel, shocking Mew and the ministers.

Wei revealed that her Space Migration Technology could evacuate the Three-Eyed Empire up to 200 million light-years away, while Alba prepared to conquer the Milky Way after defeating the Empire. Farn appeared before Alba’s swarm and demonstrated overwhelming power by destroying two Level 3 Queen Bugs.

• Wei told Mew that her Space Migration Technology could travel up to 200 million light-years, and Mew redirected the Empire’s resources toward completing the evacuation plan.
• Alba learned that the war against the Three-Eyed Empire was progressing smoothly and declared that the Milky Way would be his next target.
• Farn appeared before Alba and the Queen Bugs, warned them not to attack, and made Alba unable to respond.
• Two Level 3 Queen Bugs attacked Farn, but their beams vanished and Farn crushed them with a gesture.

Farn offered Alba a way to evolve beyond the insect race’s species ceiling in exchange for wiping out the Human Federation. He revealed that the Federation ruled a unified galaxy cluster and was a Peak Level 6 Civilization, leaving Alba to decide whether to accept the dangerous bargain.

• Farn effortlessly killed two Level 3 Queen Bugs, frightening Alba into staying still and listening.
• Farn explained that the insect race had an innate species ceiling and asked Alba whether he wanted to evolve beyond it.
• Alba asked what Farn wanted in return, and Farn demanded that he destroy the Human Federation in the Milky Way.
• Farn revealed that the Human Federation ruled a unified galaxy cluster and was a Peak Level 6 Civilization nearing Level 7.
• Farn promised to evolve Alba to his species’ limit first and offered to help him break the ceiling if he completed the task, then asked for his choice.