Chapter Summaries

Basia reconsidered his plans for Hong Xixiu after the Wang Family revealed that Ye Yunhan had tried to kill her, and General Wang warned him not to underestimate Qing Zhixun or the Qing Family. The Wang Family also discovered that its plans on Gaia kept being disrupted by an unknown person.

• Basia reviewed Hong Xixiu’s records and judged her for refusing to return to or acknowledge the Ye Family.
• The Wang Family sent Basia a top-secret file documenting Ye Yunhan and Tang Yongyu’s attempts to kill Hong Xixiu and Tang Yongyu’s destruction of the laboratory.
• After confirming the file was accurate, Basia abandoned his plan to expose Hong Xixiu’s refusal to acknowledge her father and asked General Wang for advice.
• General Wang told Basia to stay still and guard against Qing Zhixun, warning that the Qing Family had hidden influence and followers.
• General Wang learned that the Wang Family’s plans on Gaia had repeatedly been thwarted by an unidentified person.

General Wang worried that Wang Guanyu’s actions had put the Wang Family on a collision course with Qing Zhixun, while regretting his daughter’s role in the family’s marriage alliance. After Xi Xiu and the others reached Liuning Fortress, Qing Zhixun confronted Basia for delaying their entry, and the Starship was finally cleared to land.

• General Wang concluded that Qing Zhixun might have sabotaged the Wang Family’s efforts and feared the families would become enemies if Qing Zhixun took over the Qing Family.
• General Wang reflected on his daughter’s marriage alliance with the Xiwen Family and regretted being unable to keep her out of the Wang Family’s political plans.
• After thirty-six hours of travel, Xi Xiu and the others arrived near Liuning Fortress, where Qing Zhixun requested an access code from ground control.
• Basia deliberately delayed sending the code, so Qing Zhixun hacked into his terminal and confronted him with records showing when he had made the request.
• Basia claimed he had only just seen the messages and had ground control send the access code, allowing the Starship to enter Liuning Fortress.
• Xi Xiu realized Basia had deliberately stalled their arrival and suspected their assignment to investigate the Huovian people had already offended him.

Fan Zhengan and Wang Zichun discussed why the Alliance had sent Yuanri personnel to Liuning Fortress and the political struggle surrounding the mission. After Xi Xiu warned her team to stay alert, the group arrived and faced a hostile reception from Luther.

• Fan Zhengan and Wang Zichun concluded that the Alliance had sent them to disrupt Liuning Fortress's Xiwen Family influence and ensure the Huovian investigation succeeded.
• Xi Xiu warned the Yuanri team that an unknown force was operating behind the Liuning garrison and told them to report any trouble to her.
• Luther arrived late to receive the Yuanri personnel and failed to greet Qing Zhixun properly.
• Luther assigned the officers and Xi Xiu's team to separate districts, prompting Buhete to accuse him of disrespecting their ranks.
• Luther explained that he had assumed only rank-and-file soldiers were arriving because he had not been given their information or ranks.

Xi Xiu and Qing Zhixun arrived in Liuning’s unruly West District, where Xi Xiu was assigned to manage its defiant troops. The district’s leader, Arivik, recognized Xi Xiu’s reputation and Qing Zhixun’s strength as their first confrontation began.

• Qing Zhixun ordered Luther to take them to the West District before the East District, and Xi Xiu discussed the difficult assignment with him during the ride.
• Xi Xiu and Qing Zhixun arrived with their soldiers at the West District training field, while Luther and his subordinates stayed inside their Hovercar.
• Arivik and his men greeted the arrivals with mockery, treating them as easy targets.
• Xi Xiu identified Arivik and recited details of his service, silencing his men.
• Arivik recalled intelligence about Xi Xiu’s transfer and assessed her abilities, while recognizing Qing Zhixun and the Anvile People behind them.

Hong Xixiu arrived at the Western District of Liuning Fortress and established her position with Alivik and his soldiers. The Western District welcomed her as a potential ally, while Luther remained wary and unwilling to leave his Hovercar.

• Alivik introduced himself to Hong Xixiu with a military salute, then taunted Luther, who stayed inside his Hovercar.
• Alivik explained that outsiders rarely visited the Western District, and Hong Xixiu praised the camp’s lively, orderly appearance.
• Hong Xixiu introduced herself and promised to stand with the soldiers when defending the Alliance and its citizens.
• Alivik and the Western District soldiers answered her with cries of loyalty to the Alliance, renewing their hopes for the district.
• Hong Xixiu offered cooperation, and Alivik welcomed her and led her onward.

Qing Zhixun traveled to Liuning’s Eastern District while learning about its timid troops and the unexplained failure of Leisiren’s latest mission. He concluded that taking control of Liuning would bring him into conflict with Basia and Leisiren, and began planning how to weaken Basia’s influence.

• Xi Xiu and more than six hundred people followed Arivik to the Western District headquarters, while Qing Zhixun sent her information about Liuning’s positions and headed east.
• During the ride, Qing Zhixun’s companions questioned Luther about the Eastern District and Leisiren, but Luther’s fear of offending his superiors made him clam up.
• Qing Zhixun reviewed Leisiren’s record and noticed evasive gaps in the report on the team’s unsuccessful search for the Huovian people.
• Qing Zhixun realized the Elder Council had sent him to take control of Liuning and began calculating how to dismantle Basia’s power.

Qing Zhixun settled his five hundred troops into the eastern district, organized them, and ordered them to retaliate against anyone who provoked them. Basia investigated the arrivals and discovered that someone with Qing Zhixun had blocked surveillance, prompting him to ask who handled their network communications.

• Qing Zhixun registered his people, had them clean and settle into the eastern district dormitories, and noted the poor support Luther had provided.
• Qing Zhixun briefed his troops on Liuning’s situation and told them to hit back hard against provocations and dirty tricks.
• Basia questioned Luther about the western district and learned that Arivik had not obstructed Hong Xixiu or her people.
• Basia reviewed surveillance footage from both districts but found only static and busy signals, then asked his adjutant to identify Qing Zhixun’s communications specialist.

Basia sent Runell and several Liuning officers to Qing Zhixun’s dormitory, assigning them and their forces to Qing Zhixun while attempting to undermine him. Qing Zhixun saw through the maneuver and planned to report to Basia the next day, while Li Yuanting questioned how the newly assigned officers could serve the team from so far away.

• Basia decided to drive a wedge between Qing Zhixun and his subordinates, then instructed Runell to carry out his plan.
• Runell arrived at Qing Zhixun’s dormitory with several Liuning officers and was admitted after Lu Zong’an opened the Protective Shield.
• Runell introduced Major General Bilich, Colonel Lisa Larson, Colonel Philia, Lieutenant Colonel Penniman, and Lieutenant Colonel Chen Jinggang as officers assigned to Qing Zhixun’s team.
• Bilich mocked Qing Zhixun, but Qing Zhixun remained composed as his people recognized the insult and held back their response.
• Qing Zhixun told Runell he would report to Basia the next day, then Li Yuanting asked why the assigned officers were stationed so far away.

Runell reported Qing Zhixun’s response to General Basia, while Xi Xiu arrived in Liuning’s western district and challenged Arivik’s assumptions about her mission. The story left Xi Xiu and A Xian ready to confront anyone who tried to keep them from searching for the Huovian people.

• Runell and his team discussed Qing Zhixun’s caution and influence in Liuning, and Runell warned that he could quickly gain control as he had in Yuani.
• Runell reported back to Basia, who told him to wait until after she met Qing Zhixun the next day.
• Arivik arranged temporary lodging for Xi Xiu and Yuani’s warriors after learning that the western district had received no advance notice of their transfer.
• Xi Xiu told Arivik that the Alliance had assigned her to lead the western district’s warriors in finding the Huovian people.
• A Xian declared that they would beat up anyone who blocked their mission, even General Basia, and Xi Xiu said that matched the western district’s usual style.

Xi Xiu reviewed the western district’s warrior roster and revealed that Arivik’s strength exceeded Basia’s, prompting Arivik to test her Mental Power. The spar left Arivik unable to detect Xi Xiu’s Mental Power, exposing the vast gap between them.

• Xi Xiu examined the western district roster and noticed the warriors’ strength ratings had not been updated.
• Xi Xiu told Arivik that his strength surpassed Basia’s, and Arivik realized she had seen through his concealed level.
• Arivik’s people sealed the meeting room while Yi Mingda, Qiu Shaorong, and the others contained Mental Power inside the building.
• Arivik attacked Xi Xiu with his Mental Power, but she remained unaffected as he released it all.
• Xi Xiu struck with fine Mental Power threads that cut Arivik’s wrist, while he failed to detect her power.

Xi Xiu defeated Arivik in a spar and confirmed that he and the West District’s elite were the hidden Dark Department connected to Nine Stars. She left her identity undisclosed for now, agreed to coordinate their teams after meeting General Basia, and prepared to pursue the Huovian investigation mission.

• Xi Xiu defeated Arivik after a fifteen-minute fight, and he accepted the loss and introduced his nine trusted West District subordinates.
• Xi Xiu recognized that the nine warriors used Li Zhengfeng’s distinctive Mental Power cultivation method, confirming her suspicion that they belonged to the Dark Department.
• Arivik offered to cooperate on reorganizing the teams, but Xi Xiu deferred changes until after meeting General Basia and said she would avoid major adjustments.
• Xi Xiu assured Arivik that the West District would take the Huovian investigation mission, even if Basia resisted approving it.
• After Su Jinbao and A Ye sent updates, Xi Xiu arranged accommodations for the warriors and went to her suite with A Xian.

Xi Xiu learned that Arivik and the West District warriors belonged to the Nine Stars’ Dark Department and planned to reveal her connection to them after completing the Huovian mission. The next morning, she headed to a meeting with General Basia while A Xian prepared to take on several challenges.

• Xi Xiu and A Xian ate a generous welcome dinner and discussed the West District’s strength and self-sufficiency.
• Xi Xiu told A Xian that Arivik and his people were the Nine Stars’ Dark Department and explained that she would wait until the Huovian mission was complete before revealing her ties to them.
• A Xian shared information about Jing Xi’s poisoning, and she and Xi Xiu analyzed the evidence about The Untrustworthy before going to sleep.
• Xi Xiu received a schedule that included a meeting with General Basia, a tour, and a video conference, but the conference agenda was blank.
• Xi Xiu sent her arrangements to Wang Zichun, Fan Zhengan, and the others, then left for the meeting while A Xian prepared to fight challengers.

Xi Xiu and Arivik discussed staffing and preparations for a mission to locate Huovian infiltrators, then exchanged intelligence about the growing threat facing Jingsu. The chapter left Arivik wondering where Xi Xiu’s extensive intelligence came from as they prepared for the operation.

• Arivik asked Xi Xiu about her Mental Power after sensing it exceeded her recorded peak of 3S, and she admitted nothing beyond a brief acknowledgment.
• Xi Xiu planned to send fifty West District soldiers to each of ten suspected locations and told Arivik they had two days to study infiltration techniques.
• Arivik explained that Huovian people were infiltrating the Alliance to steal information, with Ningkui Star believed to hold the largest number of them.
• Xi Xiu shared information about unknown creatures and said more powerful ones would appear, explaining that she had inferred the danger from the Moda Star Lord’s words.
• Arivik suspected Xi Xiu had a powerful intelligence network and wondered who had leaked information about the West District.

Xi Xiu, Arivik, and Qing Zhixun arrived at Basia’s office for the mission briefing, while Basia monitored their journey and Xi Xiu noticed signs of his control and corruption. Arivik confronted Basia at his desk, and Basia turned his attention to Qing Zhixun.

• Xi Xiu and Arivik traveled with Qing Zhixun to Basia’s office, where Qing Zhixun inferred that Xi Xiu had subdued Arivik.
• The group noticed Basia watching them through the Teleportation Device’s live surveillance feed.
• Runell escorted the group through Basia’s office, and Xi Xiu and Arivik noticed the large number of soldiers stationed there and suspected Basia was diverting funds to pay them.
• Qing Zhixun recalled evidence that Basia’s soldiers received unexplained money and planned to expose his financial wrongdoing.
• Arivik slammed his hands on Basia’s desk and claimed he was testing the general’s courage, prompting Basia to dismiss Runell and look toward Qing Zhixun.

Xi Xiu and Qing Zhixun met Basia, who ignored Xi Xiu’s mission and discussed Liuning’s weapons allocation with Qing Zhixun. After a welcome ceremony, Xi Xiu returned to the West District to prepare for her mission, while Qing Zhixun stayed behind to handle matters at the fortress.

• Basia welcomed Qing Zhixun but treated Xi Xiu as a formality, and neither Xi Xiu nor Qing Zhixun told him that the Elder Council had ordered her to go on a mission in three days.
• Xi Xiu grew suspicious of Basia’s account of Leisiren’s failed mission because Leisiren had found no trace of the Huovian people despite Alliance reports confirming their presence on Ningkui Star.
• Qing Zhixun told Basia that Liuning’s weapons application should soon be approved, while Xi Xiu privately knew he had secured preferential weapons for whichever district she served.
• Basia arranged a tour and welcome ceremony, then advised Xi Xiu to be patient with the West District soldiers and introduced her to Arivik.
• Qing Zhixun told Xi Xiu to think carefully during her mission and said he would handle matters at the fortress before they returned to their respective districts.

Xi Xiu encountered resistance from Lieutenant General Leisiren while requisitioning equipment for her confidential mission, then compared his video call with older footage and discovered signs that something was wrong. She asked Qing Zhixun to investigate Leisiren and went to inspect the mission team, where she found Arivik checking the soldiers’ Space Lockets.

• Xi Xiu contacted the armory and learned that Liuning had not received her weapons request, so she challenged Leisiren for delaying the mission’s supplies.
• Leisiren demanded the mission roster and plan, but Xi Xiu insisted that Alliance rules required him to provide equipment according to her list and warned that he would be responsible if the mission was delayed.
• After consulting his adjutant, Leisiren gave Xi Xiu the authorization code, and she sent Fan Zhengan and Wang Zichun to collect and inspect the supplies.
• Xi Xiu and A Xian compared Leisiren’s video call with older footage and noticed that his behavior and his adjutant’s reaction suggested he was unfamiliar with Liuning’s rules.
• Xi Xiu sent her evidence and suspicions to Qing Zhixun, who asked Zong An to analyze it and investigate Leisiren’s movements.
• Xi Xiu reviewed Arivik’s mission roster and went to meet the soldiers, where she found Arivik checking their Space Lockets against her list.

Xi Xiu inspected the Western District soldiers and arranged virtual mission training before their deployment to Ningkui Star. She planned to investigate the suspicious food deliveries there and then move against the Huovian infiltration on Liuzhao Star, while anticipating changes in Liuning Fortress.

• Xi Xiu checked the soldiers’ mission equipment and supplies as Arivik prepared them for deployment.
• A Xian reported that the Western District soldiers were skilled but lacked mission experience, so Xi Xiu asked Liang Jingxian and the Central Brain to create a virtual training scenario.
• Xi Xiu told Arivik that Ningkui Star was the mission location on the surface and explained that Vivian had reported suspicious factory delays and changes to the orphanage’s food.
• Xi Xiu revealed that she intended to resolve the situation on Ningkui Star before diverting to Liuzhao Star, and Arivik warned that Basia might retaliate.
• Xi Xiu returned to the dormitory with A Xian and received Qing Zhixun’s information about Leisiren’s movements after his mission.

Xi Xiu led the Liuning mission force toward Ningkui Star after Qing Zhixun intercepted a message exposing Leisiren’s suspicious identity and warning her that their whereabouts had been discovered. As Xi Xiu prepared to investigate the Huovian people’s infiltration, Vivian anticipated their reunion without knowing Xi Xiu was coming.

• Xi Xiu and A Xian saw the western district’s warriors training after Buhete tested their strength, and they prepared to carry out their mission.
• Xi Xiu took eight thousand warriors and logistics personnel aboard a Starship, while Leisiren secretly sent information about the mission to the Huovian people.
• Qing Zhixun intercepted Leisiren’s message, and Lu Zong’an decoded it and uncovered earlier transmissions from the same channel.
• Qing Zhixun warned Xi Xiu that her whereabouts had been discovered, and she told Wang Zichun, Fan Zhengan, and Arivik as they considered how the Huovian people had replaced Leisiren.
• Xi Xiu planned to use the Central Brain’s identification program and investigate suspicious locations after entering Ningkui Star through a nearby Administrative Star.
• Vivian, who knew Xi Xiu’s true identity and the truth about Wei Lanshan’s past, mentally prepared to meet Xi Xiu.

Xi Xiu brought the teams to Ningkui Star under concealed identities and began setting up their covert mission near the food factory. After the group reached their separate locations, they examined the factory’s layout.

• Xi Xiu finalized the plan, had the warriors adopt civilian identities, and split the ten teams between two commercial Starships to Ningkui Star.
• Xi Xiu gave A Xian the cover of a sheltered aristocratic young woman traveling with guards, while she posed as the Guard Team captain.
• A spaceport employee photographed Arivik and Kong Lingxue and sent their information onward, but Xi Xiu spotted the photographer and uploaded his image to the Central Brain for identification.
• Xi Xiu, A Xian, and their companions traveled to a hotel near the food factory while the other teams reached their assigned locations.
• Su Jinbao and Gu Peidong shielded the hotel surveillance equipment, and Aona and Jiang Li'an connected to the network so Liang Jingxian could access the factory’s layout.

Xi Xiu investigated four people connected to Leisiren’s disappearance and found suspicious patterns in their movements. When Liang Jingxian accessed surveillance footage, someone intercepted the approval signal, revealing that the team was being watched; he traced the interceptors to a likely decoy location.

• Xi Xiu traced possible Huovian ancestry through Aileen and Julie’s families, making the women and their retired-soldier partners suspects in Leisiren’s disappearance.
• Xi Xiu found that Degu and Teli followed the same route at different times, and sent their paths to Liang Jingxian to investigate.
• Liang Jingxian, Arivik, and Kong Lingxue accessed surveillance footage along the routes, and someone intercepted the approval signal.
• Arivik and Kong Lingxue concluded the team had been watched since arriving, while Qiu Shaorong suspected an expert had infiltrated the group.
• Liang Jingxian traced the interceptors to a location and warned Xi Xiu that it was probably bait.