Chapter Summaries

Xi Xiu and her team left Gaia for Yuan Ri, where Qing Zhixun briefed them on the dangers posed by mechanized warriors. After Xi Xiu shared that she had trained them so they could all survive and defend the Alliance, her teammates vowed to face the future together.

• Xi Xiu left Gaia aboard a garrison starship with her team and bid farewell to the planet she considered her third hometown.
• Qing Zhixun explained Yuan Ri's crises, residents' hostility toward other Alliance systems, and the upcoming three months of closed training.
• Qing Zhixun showed footage of mechanized warriors defeating human fighters, and Xi Xiu estimated how difficult they would be to defeat without Wearable Mecha.
• A Xian explained that Xi Xiu had studied mechanized warriors and trained her team so they could return from war together.
• Xi Xiu told Su Jinbao and the others that she hoped they would become strong enough to protect themselves and the Alliance, and they bowed to her in gratitude.
• Su Jinbao and the others vowed to become true warriors and face the dangers ahead alongside Xi Xiu.

Xi Xiu and her companions discussed the growing mechanized threat in Yuanri as Qing Zhixun prepared to escort soldiers there. When the Minghuo Star Pirates intercepted his fleet, he ordered an attack and shared evidence of their century of atrocities, leaving Xi Xiu and A Xian confronting the scale of the Alliance’s unresolved crisis.

• Xi Xiu and A Xian reviewed battle footage with their teammates, while Qing Zhixun reported that mechanized populations in Yuanri had surged and that unregistered numbers remained unknown.
• Qing Zhixun learned from Li Yuanting that ten Minghuo Star Pirates ships were approaching and ordered the fleet onto combat alert.
• Xi Xiu told Feng Qiqi to follow the base ships in formation at level-five defense as Feng Qiqi and Bai Jungo prepared to observe the enemy.
• Qing Zhixun ordered Lin Changchang to unleash coordinated barrages against the pirates and sent Li Yuanting and A Xian records of Minghuo’s crimes.
• Xi Xiu asked A Xian whether the abuses could be stopped, and A Xian explained that the Alliance struggled to pursue star pirates who left no survivors.

Qing Zhixun’s force defeated the Minghuo Star Pirates’ attack and boarded a surviving warship to investigate why its crew had stopped fighting. Xi Xiu suspected the pirates had retreated after realizing their intelligence about the Alliance force was wrong.

• The Minghuo Star Pirates attacked the Alliance Starships, but Qing Zhixun’s coordinated artillery fire intercepted their barrage and destroyed nine enemy warships.
• After learning Qing Zhixun was leading the Alliance force, the pirate leader ordered his crew to enter docking pods and abandon their warships.
• Qing Zhixun left one enemy warship intact and organized a team, including Xi Xiu and her group, to board it and investigate.
• Lu Zong'an congratulated Su Jinbao on 626’s Combat Department results as the group prepared to move out.
• Qing Zhixun asked Xi Xiu what she thought had happened, and she concluded the pirates had retreated because their intelligence was inaccurate.

Xi Xiu and Qing Zhixun boarded a silent Minghuo Regiment warship and found its crew trapped in instruments after their consciousnesses had been extracted. They recovered data from one instrument and saved a soldier, but the destination of the other consciousnesses remained unknown.

• Qing Zhixun led Xi Xiu and a five-hundred-man team aboard the Minghuo Regiment warship, where they found no crew or active alarms.
• Xi Xiu and the others searched the cargo hold and discovered soldiers inside transparent instruments, their faces fixed in grotesque smiles.
• Qing Zhixun examined the soldiers, and Lu Zong'an intercepted data from an instrument before it disappeared.
• A soldier's expression returned to normal after the data was intercepted, and Qing Zhixun ordered medical soldiers to keep him alive.
• Xi Xiu and A Xian reasoned that the stolen consciousnesses had been sent to a container, and Qing Zhixun explained that they had been broken down into data and transmitted through a specially designed channel.

After destroying the Minghuo Regiment’s last warship, Xi Xiu and her team returned safely to Yuan Ri and arrived at their new base. They completed their entry procedures and collected uniforms as they settled in.

• Qing Zhixun ordered the base’s starship to destroy the Minghuo Regiment’s remaining warship, and Xi Xiu discussed the unknown beings’ threat with her team.
• A Xian sent information to Anvile, where Jing Xi and Qing Heming worried about Qing Zhixun and discussed his distance from his parents and lack of interest in finding a partner.
• The base’s starship reached Yuan Ri a day later without encountering further attacks, and Xi Xiu told Feng Qiqi to stay in contact.
• Xi Xiu and her team arrived at the Yuan Ri base, admired its green surroundings, and talked about exploring the nearby planet together.
• Xi Xiu and the others completed their enlistment procedures and received uniforms and other clothing from logistics.

Xi Xiu and her friends settled into the New Year's Day base and learned that Xi Xiu would lead the five-hundred-member H909 team, with Qiu Shaorong as vice-captain. After reviewing their new comrades’ records, Xi Xiu and her friends realized the team had considerable training ahead, while the recruits looked forward to learning under Xi Xiu.

• Xi Xiu, A Xian, Flora, and He Yinlei were assigned to the same dormitory, while Enweit and Su Jinbao roomed together and Tarasha shared with Qiu Shaorong.
• The warriors completed registration and learned that Xi Xiu would captain team H909, with Qiu Shaorong as vice-captain; Xi Xiu created a group chat for the five hundred members.
• Members from the other military academies reviewed Xi Xiu’s team records and were impressed by Xi Xiu’s master-level Martial Skill, her peak 3S Mental Power, and the team’s Anvile People.
• The recruits discussed Xi Xiu’s reputation and looked forward to training with her, while Xi Xiu, Su Jinbao, and Enweit noted that their new comrades’ abilities needed improvement.

Xi Xiu and the other new soldiers prepared for three months of intensive training as Qing Zhixun arranged instructors and Wearable Mecha to ready them for war. The chapter ended with Qing Zhixun examining evidence linking the Minghuo Regiment to the Eternal Robots and resolving to investigate the Alliance’s missing people.

• Su Jinbao, Tarasha, and Enweit discussed the risks of having weak teammates and waited to learn what the intensive training would involve.
• Xi Xiu studied the Yuanshi base map and learned that the eastern sector handled most outward missions while the other sectors served mainly as garrisons.
• Qing Zhixun assigned Hong Xixiu, Wu Jingxian, and other capable soldiers to instruct the new recruits and planned targeted training across the sectors.
• Qing Zhixun explained that the Alliance had equipped nearly every Yuanshi base soldier with a Wearable Mecha so recruits could fight mechanized enemies.
• Qing Zhixun reviewed evidence about the Minghuo Regiment and considered whether it had abducted children and soldiers to serve the Vast Sea and Musar or become Eternal Robots.
• Qing Zhixun decided to calculate the Alliance’s missing-person totals over the past century as he awaited Fang Jinyu.

Fang Jinyu gave Qing Zhixun the Fang Family’s records of disappearances, and the two learned that missing people’s consciousnesses may have been harvested to create Eternal Robot soldiers. Fang Jinyu prepared to return to Gaia with evidence while Qing Zhixun ordered investigations into suspicious families and the Alliance’s robot supply.

• Fang Jinyu delivered the Fang Family’s two centuries of missing-person records to Qing Zhixun and reported that unrecorded cases might exceed a third of the archived ones.
• Lu Zong'an explained that the consciousnesses taken from the equipment samples were all being sent to a shifting destination they called The Cradle.
• Qing Zhixun told Fang Jinyu that the harvested consciousnesses likely became Eternal Robot soldiers and that many missing Alliance citizens may have suffered the same fate.
• Fang Jinyu agreed to take the evidence to Gaia by wartime route and hand it to Chu Zekuan, where Qing Family members would join the investigation.
• Qing Zhixun instructed Fang Jinyu to investigate the Qin Family’s dealings with three families, as well as Alliance robot production and the fate of recalled robots.

Fang Jinyu delivered Qing Zhixun’s instruments and data to the Alliance for investigation into the missing people and Eternal Robots, while an unknown figure plotted an attack on Anvile in three years. At the Yuanri base, Xi Xiu and A Xian began organizing emergency training and urged the soldiers to train seriously if they wanted to survive and achieve their dreams.

• Fang Jinyu handed Qing Yuhui the instrument and data backups Qing Zhixun had sent, and the Alliance assigned them to research teams for investigation.
• Qing Zhixun sent messages to his parents, and Qing Heming returned to Gaia while Jing Xi remained in Anvile to keep their relationship and child secret.
• An unknown figure learned about Qing Heming and Anvile, predicted Anvile would be weakened in three years, and prepared for an attack while lying in a tube-filled box.
• Qing Zhixun distributed the training plan at the Yuanri base, and Xi Xiu and A Xian took charge of leading teams.
• Xi Xiu told the soldiers to train seriously and stay alive so they could protect their comrades and pursue their dreams.

Xi Xiu and A Xian led intensive training and found that many of their teammates were not strong enough to face the Bio-constructs. After Yang Jiuqing warned the trainees that slackers could be sent back to their homeworlds, Xi Xiu and A Xian gathered their allies to discuss countermeasures.

• Xi Xiu and A Xian tested the team in sparring, demonstrated faster techniques, and taught them to probe opponents and analyze their combat data.
• Hu Yingyi defended the First Military Academy instructors’ guidance when teammates complained about the training, and Yang Jiuqing warned that refusing discipline could get them sent back to their homeworlds.
• Yang Jiuqing contacted Hu Yingyi privately after leaving the discussion.
• Xi Xiu and A Xian invited Su Jinbao, Enweit, Tarasha, Flora, and Qiu Shaorong to help devise countermeasures for their weak teammates.
• Su Jinbao judged the trainees only slightly stronger than he had been as a new student, while Qiu Shaorong said they mainly lacked guidance and self-discipline.

Xi Xiu and her team discussed why students at other military academies received less intensive training and concluded that they would focus on improving their teammates’ Wearable Mecha and weapons skills. After gathering advice on leading a team, Xi Xiu prepared to put her teammates through an exceptionally demanding training schedule.

• Qiu Shaorong explained that the First Military Academy received most of the Alliance’s resources and experienced instructors, while other academies relied more on civilian teachers and student self-discipline.
• Xi Xiu questioned the Alliance’s focus on elite students, but Su Jinbao said past attempts to improve students across all academies had achieved few results.
• Xi Xiu and the others created a training schedule centered on Mental Power, physical conditioning, Wearable Mechas, and weapons to prepare their group for its three-month assessment.
• A Xian asked Qing Zhixun how he had trained teammates from other academies, and he advised her to drill them relentlessly.
• Xi Xiu sought further training advice from Xu Fengxiang and the others, then decided to begin an intense training regimen the next day.
• A Xian suggested that Qing Zhixun might sense Xi Xiu’s unusual vitality because he was half Anvile, while Xi Xiu prepared to return to daredevil training.

Xi Xiu and A Xian began training their new team with a demanding plan, teaching them Wearable Mecha techniques and Mental Power. After seven days of steady progress, the recruits accepted Xi Xiu’s regimen and committed to the training ahead.

• Xi Xiu shared her detailed training plan with the team and gave them a week to decide whether to object or request a new captain.
• Xi Xiu and A Xian taught the recruits Wearable Mecha techniques and Mental Power, while Yang Jiuqing and Hu Yingyi recorded the lessons for review.
• The team members saw early progress as several learned to control a metal ball, and Xi Xiu demonstrated Mental Power that convinced even her doubters.
• After seven days, Xi Xiu asked whether anyone opposed the plan, and the recruits unanimously accepted it after seeing their strength improve.

After more than a month of intensive training, Xi Xiu and the others showed strong progress as the base prepared for an approaching war in the Yuanri Star System. Hai Suomiao’s delivery of enormous seafood left Xi Xiu and A Xian wondering how to prepare it, while A Xian celebrated by plucking Wu Mu’s leaves.

• Lin Changchang and Li Yuanting visited the training grounds, where Xi Xiu’s group and the other teams trained diligently.
• Xi Xiu and A Xian invited Lin Changchang to join them for an outing after intensive training ended, and Li Yuanting checked the recruits’ progress.
• Li Yuanting warned Qiu Shaorong to report training difficulties or disobedient recruits as H909 continued to improve.
• Lin Changchang told Xi Xiu and A Xian about developments around Yuanri, while Qing Zhixun ordered team captains to accelerate training for the coming war.
• Hai Suomiao’s delivery arrived with enormous seafood, and Xi Xiu and A Xian struggled to figure out how to prepare it.
• A Xian excitedly plucked Wu Mu’s leaves until Xi Xiu intervened, then soothed him with Mental Power.

Xi Xiu and Qiu Shaorong led 909 through intensive training and virtual battle simulations, preparing the team for its first mission. After the team passed training, it received orders to go to Yuanri’s main planet and stop the Mech Soldiers’ campaign to secede from the Jingsu Alliance.

• A Xian looked forward to cooking Hai Suomiao’s gifted ingredients, but Xi Xiu told her they would have to wait until after training and the upcoming mission.
• Xi Xiu adjusted 909’s training and arranged coordinated virtual battles, while the team members continued practicing and improving on their own.
• Xi Xiu and Qiu Shaorong sent each member a detailed assessment of their strengths and weaknesses after reviewing the simulated battles.
• After three months, 909 passed intensive training, while teams that failed were ordered into another three months of closed training.
• Qing Zhixun and the Alliance assigned the teams that passed to Yuanri’s main planet to stop the Mech Soldiers’ secession movement.

Xi Xiu and her team traveled with the Yuanyi garrison to investigate unregistered mechs, but Yuanyi Prime blocked their entry and disabled the restriction seals on its mechanical citizens. Qing Zhixun decided the garrison would force its way in to learn what was happening inside.

• Xi Xiu checked her team's supplies, reminded the five hundred soldiers to follow orders, and led them aboard the Starship bound for Yuanyi Prime.
• Qing Zhixun assigned the new teams and veteran leaders to their positions, while warning the new soldiers to wear their mechas and protective suits.
• Yuanyi's warships blocked the Starship from docking, and its highest official issued a document barring Alliance personnel from entering the planet.
• Qing Zhixun contacted Chen Huan, who explained that the Alliance's operatives in Yuanyi had vanished and promised to seek instructions from the Elder Council.
• A Xian received Wu Jingyang's warning that Yuanyi had broken the Central Brain's restriction seals, making its mechanical citizens unrestricted genuine mechs.
• Qing Zhixun chose to enter Yuanyi Prime despite the danger so the garrison could obtain intelligence from inside.

Qing Zhixun and Xi Xiu led a covert team onto Yuan Ri’s main planet to investigate its severed communications and unusual transformation. They blended into Central City, where they discovered that the metal buildings interfered with communications, and were confronted by eleven Yuan Ri mechs.

• Qing Zhixun sent Li Yuanting’s Starship to cover the infiltration while he, Xi Xiu, Gerhe, and other warriors boarded a Stealth Fighter and approached Yuan Ri’s warships.
• Yuan Ri’s commander ordered an attack, and Li Yuanting’s forces damaged several warships, destroyed three, and withdrew to wait 0.1 light-years away.
• Qing Zhixun’s team followed Yuan Ri’s warships to the surface, disguised themselves, and reached the outskirts of Central City.
• Xi Xiu, A Xian, and Qing Zhixun sensed an abnormal, decaying atmosphere and suspected that Yuan Ri had hidden its true condition from the Central Brain.
• The team split into four groups and entered Central City disguised as mechanical citizens, where a specialist detected that the building metal interfered with communications.
• Qing Zhixun decided to collect a piece of the unusual metal, but eleven vigilant Yuan Ri mechs appeared around his group.

Xi Xiu and Qing Zhixun’s group gathered evidence and entered Yuanri’s Underground City to investigate, while discovering that someone had reported their arrival. Yuanri’s highest-ranking official was told not to interfere, leaving the group to find out what information they could.

• Xi Xiu’s group evaded a scan by Yuanri Mechs, collected a sample of building metal, and planned to return to their Starship before sunrise.
• Xi Xiu admired Wei Lanshan’s extensive intelligence archives and shared the map of the area with Qing Zhixun.
• The group bought Nutrient Paste from a shopkeeper who directed them toward the Underground City and then informed someone of their arrival for payment.
• Wu Mu alerted Xi Xiu and A Xian that the shopkeeper had betrayed them, while Qing Zhixun noticed Yuanri’s streetlamp surveillance was playing prerecorded footage.
• Yuanri’s highest-ranking official asked for instructions and was told not to interfere with the group’s investigation.

Xi Xiu and her companions explored Yuan Ri Star’s Underground City, where she used an innocent persona to learn about mechanical modifications and the locals’ plans. They left with information about an upcoming gathering to prepare for battle at the Jingsu Alliance base.

• A sinister figure reviewed a file on Yuan Ri’s officers and singled out the commander of the eastern district, a member of the Qing Family.
• Xi Xiu, A Xian, Qing Zhixun, Enweit, and Su Jinbao entered the Underground City disguised as Yuan Ri locals and investigated its mechanical-parts marketplace.
• Xi Xiu charmed local Mechs by pretending to seek lung modifications, earning their trust and learning about changes on Yuan Ri Star, their networks, and the Central Brain’s restrictions.
• A Mech told Xi Xiu that a gathering would take place in less than eight hours to prepare for battle at the Jingsu Alliance base, and that attendees had to register first.
• The five left the Underground City after gathering information, including contact details for Puxien of Anyuanda, and continued their investigation.

Xi Xiu and her companions gathered intelligence in Yuanri’s Underground City, then Xi Xiu and Qing Zhixun entered a Mech gathering ground to seek its leader. They were forced to fight at the entrance, where Xi Xiu caught an opponent’s spring-loaded mechanical punch.

• Xi Xiu convinced the Underground City Mechs that she and her companions shared their beliefs, lifting suspicion and the alarm.
• Xi Xiu learned about a guarded Mech gathering ground near Central City, where outsiders had to defeat its warriors to enter.
• Qing Zhixun decided that he and Xi Xiu would enter while Wu Jingxian, Su Jinbao, and Enweit waited outside for support.
• A Xian arranged for Wu Jingxian to stay in contact with Xi Xiu through Night Soul Grass, then took Su Jinbao and Enweit into hiding.
• At the gathering ground’s entrance, Xi Xiu claimed she and Qing Zhixun could sweep through an army, provoking a fight with its warriors.
• Xi Xiu dodged an attack, then caught the punch of an opponent whose arm had been fitted with spring components.

Xi Xiu and Qing Zhixun infiltrated a Yuan Ri gathering place, pretending to be naive recruits while defeating its fighters and leaders. After leading them into a metal building, Spring Arm began the required Genetic Verification, but Xi Xiu stopped someone from taking her arm.

• Xi Xiu and Qing Zhixun passed the entrance trials and six challengers, while leaders of the gathering place found no record of them in their database.
• The leaders confronted the pair over Yuan Ri's odd-number rule, and Xi Xiu pretended not to know the rules while agreeing to fight.
• Xi Xiu and Qing Zhixun attacked the three leaders and defeated them in under ten minutes.
• The leaders escorted Xi Xiu and Qing Zhixun into a metal building, where Xi Xiu recognized the transparent metal as material from the Endless Sea.
• Spring Arm opened the database and ordered Genetic Verification, but Xi Xiu struck out before anyone could pin down her arm.