Chapter Summaries

Alba struggled to understand why the human fleet kept retreating while the Zerg poured out of the Bug Nest Channels. Li Cangqiong waited for the swarm to grow large enough for a devastating Zero-Point Missile strike, while Garcia volunteered to pursue the humans and Alba agreed, intending to use him to scout for danger.

• The human fleet retreated beyond the Tier 1 guard bugs’ range and stopped firing, leaving the bugs unable to retaliate.
• Alba ordered the Tier 1 guard bugs to remain inside the channels, then reconsidered when the humans continued retreating.
• The Zerg resumed pouring out of the channels, and Li Cangqiong ordered the fleet to keep retreating until the swarm was large enough for all 469 Zero-Point Missiles.
• Garcia offered to open another Bug Nest Channel behind the humans and surround them, and Alba agreed so Garcia could test the way ahead.

Li Cangqiong delayed launching the Zero-Point Missiles after Li Lizhi identified a possible higher-tier Queen Bug among the targets, then ordered the strike once he judged the risk of waiting too great. The missiles killed all nine Queen Bugs, including Garcia, and the fleet prepared to head for the Vita Defense Line garrison's main headquarters.

• Li Cangqiong halted the initial missile launch when the bridge detected nine Queen Bugs among the targets.
• Li Lizhi noticed that two Queen Bugs had more bioenergy than the Federation's known Queen Bug tiers and warned Li Cangqiong that Target One might be a Bug Emperor.
• Li Cangqiong ordered the revised strike plan executed rather than wait for another target to appear.
• Garcia emerged from the Bug Nest Channel and planned with Val to cut off the humans' retreat, but fled when he recognized the approaching attack.
• The Zero-Point Missiles destroyed all nine Queen Bugs, including Garcia, and Li Cangqiong ordered the legions to travel to the Vita Defense Line garrison's main headquarters.

Emil watched Garcia and the Queen Bugs die in a human weapon’s blast, then obeyed Alba’s order to establish a defensive perimeter while Alba searched in vain for the vanished energy. At the Vita Defense Line, Lin Fan weighed staying in the Mels Star Cluster to gain System Points and keep the bug race away from Federation territory against the unknown threat of the Bug Emperor, as humanity’s time ran short.

• Emil recognized the weapon that wiped out Garcia and his Queen Bugs, suspected Alba had knowingly sent them to their deaths, and concealed its anger.
• After the human fleet withdrew, Alba ordered Emil to command the remaining swarms and build a safe zone, using Emil as possible bait; Emil obeyed despite fearing Alba’s intentions.
• Emil established a defensive perimeter spanning 10 AU, allowing Alba to leave the Bug Nest Channel and search for the energy Lin Hong had left behind, but the energy had dissipated.
• Alba found nothing and blamed the humans for stealing the energy that might have let it evolve.
• Lin Fan considered remaining in the Mels Star Cluster to keep earning System Points and hold the bug race away from Federation territory, despite the unknown capabilities of the Bug Emperor and the risks of an all-out war.

Lin Fan revealed that humanity faced a threat from wars between universes and gave the Federation thousands of advanced technologies, easing concerns about its rushed development. He then urged the Federation to fight the insect race in the Mels Star Cluster and announced the deployment of the Dauntless Fleet to the Galactic System.

• Lin Zhen proposed abandoning the Federation’s century-long plan to consolidate its Level 6 technology before advancing, while Bai Zixuan objected that rushing ahead would weaken the Federation’s foundation.
• Lin Fan told Bai Zixuan to inspect the files he had sent, and Bai discovered 4,829 unfamiliar Level 5 and Level 6 technologies before leaving the meeting to study them.
• Lin Zhen declared Lin Fan’s source of the technology top secret and said the Federation had ways to rapidly acquire technologies, then asked Lin Fan to explain the insect race’s movements.
• Lin Fan explained that the insect race was gathering in the Mels Star Cluster and might invade the Federation’s home cluster if it took the Galactic System, whereupon the leaders recognized the danger of fighting on many fronts.
• Lin Zhen called for the Federation to hold the enemy outside its borders and wage a prolonged war or decisive battle in the Mels Star Cluster, then Lin Fan announced he would deploy the Dauntless Fleet to the Galactic System.

Lin Fan convinced Lin Zhen and the Federation’s leaders to deploy the secret Dauntless Fleet against the insect race, since the Federation could not afford heavy losses. At War Zone Zero, Lin Tian received orders to assemble the fleet at Losart and join the war in the Mels Star Cluster.

• Lin Fan argued that the Federation should deploy the Dauntless Fleet because the insect race’s peak combat power was unknown and Federation casualties had to be minimized.
• Saunders supported Lin Fan’s recommendation, and Lin Zhen agreed to deploy the fleet.
• The chapter revealed War Zone Zero, a hidden region built around Losart where the Dauntless Fleet trained with advanced warships.
• Bilodis delivered a Level One Priority order to Lin Tian at the fleet’s flagship.
• Lin Tian ordered all sub-fleets to assemble at Losart within three days and prepare to fight the insect race in the Mels Star Cluster.

Li Cangqiong and Fujiwara Ayako watched the secret Dauntless Fleet arrive at the Vita Defense Line and learned that Lin Tian commanded it. Lin Fan explained the fleet’s advanced spatial technology and set its rotation with the other forces for ten days later.

• Alba kept sending ordinary bug swarms against the Federal Fleet while her Imperial Guard remained unfinished and Aliya had yet to arrive.
• Li Cangqiong and Fujiwara Ayako awaited the Dauntless Fleet, which Lin Fan had described as the Federation’s strongest and most secret fleet.
• The Dauntless Fleet emerged from Hyperspace Windows, and Li Cangqiong and Fujiwara Ayako were astonished by its elegant but unusually small warships.
• Lin Fan revealed that Lin Tian commanded the Dauntless Fleet and had only appeared retired because the fleet was a Federation secret.
• Lin Fan explained that the fleet’s warships used advanced spatial technology and surpassed conventional ships in firepower and defense.
• Lin Fan set the rotation between the Dauntless Fleet and the other forces for ten days later.

The Dauntless Fleet arrived at the Vita Defense Line and used its Space Compression Cannon to wipe out the nearby insect forces, forcing the Federal and Three-Eyed fleets to withdraw. Seeing the weapon’s resemblance to one used by the Holy Victory Empire, Emil began considering whether humanity’s technology could enable a plan he had been waiting to enact.

• Carol, Dennis, and Shangguan Yunting watched the Dauntless Fleet arrive, surprised to find it consisted mostly of frigates and destroyers with only one battleship.
• The Dauntless Fleet ordered the other forces to withdraw before it took over the Vita Defense Line.
• The Dauntless Fleet fired its Space Compression Cannon, and the hostile markers vanished from Shangguan Yunting’s tactical display within seconds.
• Shangguan Yunting ordered the Federal and Three-Eyed fleets to evacuate, while Lin Tian directed the Dauntless Fleet to rebuild the defense line.
• Emil recognized the weapon as similar to one used by the Holy Victory Empire and wondered whether humanity’s advanced technology would let him put his plan into action.

Emil decided that Alba’s treatment of Garcia had made obedience too dangerous, while Lin Tian planned a secret strike on a suspected Emperor Bug and a vast population of insect cocoons. The chapter ended with Lin Kexin accepting command of the Vita Defense Line as Lin Tian prepared to depart.

• Emil realized Alba might eventually discard him after Alba’s actions caused Garcia’s death.
• Lin Tian calculated that the Vita Defense Line could remain defended while a billion warships joined his sortie.
• Lin Tian told Bilodis he planned to attack the Number One Target, which might be an Emperor Bug guarding trillions of insect cocoons.
• Lin Tian ordered Bilodis to assemble the fleet within a day and summoned Lin Kexin to command the Vita Defense Line.
• Lin Kexin accepted the assignment after Lin Tian threatened to take away her 101 Special Fleet.

Lin Tian led the fleet toward the Verner Starfield to destroy the new Zerg cocoons and, if possible, kill Target One. The advance force began clearing a safe arrival zone with Zero-Point Missiles as more than a million Hyperspace Windows opened.

• Lin Tian warned Lin Kexin to defend the Vita Defense Line before departing with the fleet.
• Lin Tian told Bilodis that the advance force would secure the main fleet’s arrival zone, and said destroying the new Zerg cocoons mattered more than killing Target One.
• The fleet reached the Verner Starfield, where war bugs filled the void in numbers greater than those at the Vita Defense Line.
• A Hyperspace Window swallowed nearby war bugs, then launched a Zero-Point Missile that erased every Zerg within a five-AU radius.
• More than a million Hyperspace Windows opened beneath the starry sky.

Lin Tian ordered the vanguard fleet to carve out a safe zone while searching for Alba, and the Dauntless-class warships began destroying the converging Zerg with powerful spatial attacks. Alba watched from a Bug Nest Channel and was stunned by the fleet’s strength.

• Lin Tian ordered the vanguard fleet to create a safe zone ten AU across within an hour and told radar crews to keep searching for Alba.
• Alba hid inside a Bug Nest Channel, wary of humanity’s Zero-Point Particle weapons, and watched the vanguard fleet spread out.
• The vanguard fleet’s Dauntless-class warships opened fire with Spatial Collapse attacks that reached the converging Zerg beyond the cleared zone.
• Ten-ship squads devastated the Zerg faster than reinforcements could replace them, making the swarms appear to retreat.
• Alba stared in shock at the Dauntless-class warships’ power.

Emil considered secretly cooperating with humanity as the Zerg faced a disastrous second holy war, while Lin Tian ordered the vanguard fleet to abandon long-range tactics and engage the swarm at close quarters. Alba saw the fleet’s approach and accepted the chance to fight back.

• Emil feared Aliya’s ambition would destroy the Zerg and considered adjusting his plan to cooperate with humanity.
• The vanguard fleet pushed the Zerg encirclement outward, but its advance stalled after securing a safe zone six AU across.
• Lin Tian ordered the fleet to press forward and use every weapon, then directed it to unlock its untested Assault Ships.
• Bilodis questioned the close-combat order and the Assault Ships, but Lin Tian insisted and she complied.
• Alba saw the human fleet closing in and decided the Zerg would meet it in close-quarters combat.

The vanguard fleet deployed Assault Ships against the Zerg swarm, using their near-light-speed charges and immense gravity to tear deadly paths through the enemy. Bilodis saw the fleet steadily push the swarm back and expected it to clear enough space for the main force to arrive on time.

• A Level 3 Civilization frigate released twenty-four Assault Ships and sent them toward the Zerg swarm at 0.99 times the speed of light.
• The frigate’s captain used spatial attacks to herd battle bugs into the Assault Ships’ flight paths.
• The Assault Ships pierced through the swarm, vaporizing bugs in their paths and tearing nearby ones apart with their gravitational effects.
• The vanguard fleet repeatedly sent Assault Ships through the swarm, more than doubling its firepower and forcing the Zerg back.
• Bilodis reported that the fleet was on track to secure an arrival area in time and reconsidered the Assault Ships’ usefulness against swarms.

Alba discovered that the Assault Ships’ near-light-speed strikes could be evaded because they traveled in straight lines, allowing the Zerg to open empty passages through their swarm. With the Zerg advancing, the human captain chose to close the distance rather than retreat and ordered the fleet to attack under Phase Shields.

• Emil watched the battle through the Zerg Mental Network and wondered how humanity had brought its weapons so close to light speed.
• Alba realized the Assault Ships could not maneuver during a strike and ordered the War Bugs to evade their attack paths.
• The Zerg opened empty passages through their swarm, causing a strike by twenty-four Assault Ships to have no effect.
• As the Zerg advanced, the captain refused to retreat and ordered the warship to activate its Phase Shield and approach the swarm at seventh combat speed.

The Federation’s Dauntless-class Warship withstood a Zerg barrage using its Phase Shield, revealing that humanity possessed a key technology of a Level 7 Civilization. As the United’s fleet advanced, it received an unknown message through void communication technology.

• The Dauntless-class Warship accelerated toward the Zerg and prepared its mechs and Assault Ships to provide close-range support under the Phase Shield’s coverage.
• Alba watched the Warship Bugs’ concentrated beam attack pass harmlessly through the Dauntless-class Warship and considered retreating until Aliya arrived.
• Emil recognized the Phase Shield and concluded that humanity was a genuine Level 7 Civilization, then considered using an item from the Holy Victory Empire to contact them.
• Bilodis reported to Lin Tian that the Zerg had discovered the Assault Ships’ weakness and that the Phase Shield’s defense against Zerg attacks had been confirmed.
• The Communications Officer told Lin Tian and Bilodis that the fleet had received a message through void communication technology from an unknown source.

Lin Tian decided to lure the Bug Emperor into an attempt to capture him alive, ordering the vanguard to weaken its fire and withdraw as the main fleet arrived. Alba mistook the apparent retreat for a human energy shortage and prepared to exploit it by drawing out the swarm.

• Lin Tian read a message from a traitorous bug offering to guide the humans to the Bug Emperor, and Bilodis agreed that they should investigate.
• Lin Tian ordered Lin Kexin to bring the 101 Special Fleet and planned to capture the Bug Emperor alive.
• Lin Tian told the vanguard to recover its Assault Ships and reduce firepower, while the arriving fleet was to show only half its strength.
• Alba saw the vanguard retreat and concluded that human warships could sustain high-intensity combat for only an hour.
• A billion Dauntless-class Warships emerged from Hyperspace Windows, and Alba ordered the swarm to withdraw before renewing the battle across a wider front.

Lin Tian lured Alba into misjudging the human fleet’s strength while arranging for the 101 Special Fleet to seal the Bug Nest Channel with Spatial Oscillators. Alba realized a human fleet had arrived at the channel, but it began installing devices at the entrance instead of attacking the Imperial Guard cocoons.

• Lin Tian ordered the main fleet to keep reducing its firepower, and Alba mistook the deliberate restraint for signs that the humans were weakening.
• Lin Tian ordered the 101 Special Fleet to seal the Bug Nest Channel and deploy Spatial Oscillators, explaining that the threat would help persuade the Bug Emperor to surrender alive.
• Lin Tian said the bug traitor could be contacted through Void communication technology and would have to help deliver the threat to the Bug Emperor.
• The 101 Special Fleet arrived at the channel, cleared the combat bugs, and established a defensive line around its entrance.
• The 101 Special Fleet left the nearby Imperial Guard cocoons alone and began deploying unknown devices around the channel entrance.

Humanity sealed Alba inside the Bug Nest Channel with Spatial Shock Devices while Lin Tian pressured Emil to betray him. Emil agreed in exchange for protection and an escape after Empress Aliya’s death, and Alba received Emil’s request for a psychic connection as humanity finished its preparations.

• The 101 Special Fleet surrounded the Bug Nest Channel, blocked Alba’s escape, and deployed Spatial Shock Devices while his swarms attacked.
• Lin Tian ordered Emil to warn Alba that the devices could destroy the channel and demand his surrender.
• Emil hesitated, then agreed to help on the condition that humanity protect him until Empress Aliya died and let him leave afterward.
• Lin Tian accepted Emil’s demands and concluded that a newly evolved Bug Emperor named Alba was still raising powerful bug species.
• Humanity completed the deployment of all Spatial Shock Devices, and Alba realized the fleet was about to act.
• Alba received a psychic network connection request from Emil.

Emil told Alba that humans had threatened to collapse the Bug Nest Channel with a Spatial Oscillator unless Alba surrendered, and revealed that he had betrayed the Zerg. When Alba failed to emerge, Lin Tian ordered the fleet to lift its firepower restrictions, overwhelming the Zerg forces on the battlefield.

• Emil contacted Alba, addressed him by name, and warned that humans had set up a Spatial Oscillator capable of collapsing the Bug Nest Channel.
• Emil revealed that he had betrayed Alba and explained that resentment over Queen Bugs being used as cannon fodder, including Garcia's death, had driven him to it.
• Emil gave Alba ten minutes to surrender to the humans or be trapped when they activated the Spatial Oscillator.
• Alba remained inside the channel as fear and despair overtook him, leaving the Zerg swarms on the battlefield without his direct command.
• After three minutes passed without Alba emerging, Lin Tian ordered the fleets to lift their firepower restrictions.
• The fleets unleashed their full strength, and the Zerg began suffering losses faster than they could be reinforced.

Emil’s fleet overwhelmed Alba’s forces, prompting Aliya to order Alba to surrender so she could preserve him until she arrived. As the bugs halted their advance, the humans learned that Target One had emerged from the Bug Nest Channel and surrendered.

• Emil watched the Dauntless Fleet crush the battle bugs and realized his decision to side with humanity had been right.
• Alba showed Aliya what had happened, and she raged when she discovered Emil had betrayed him.
• Aliya told Alba that he was vital to their species and ordered him to surrender until she could reach him.
• Alba agreed to surrender because he had no other way out.
• The Dauntless Fleet expanded its controlled area while the bug swarms stopped moving, and Bilodis reported that Target One had surrendered.

Lin Tian captured the Zerg Emperor Alba alive but had no way to transport or contain it, so he asked Lin Fan for help. After searching the System’s options, Lin Fan found the Phase Prison, a powerful containment technology, but its enormous price left him facing a difficult decision.

• Lin Tian contacted Lin Fan and explained that he had captured Alba alive but did not know how to contain it afterward.
• Lin Fan searched the System for technologies capable of restraining planet-scale void creatures and rejected options that could not safely transport Alba.
• Lin Fan discovered the Phase Prison, which could isolate Alba in an independent phase space and safely expose only selected parts of its body for research.
• Lin Fan saw that the Phase Prison cost 500 billion System Points, despite having recently earned more than a trillion points.