Chapter Summaries

Wang Dong’s Dark Peng attacked the aging Pioneer War Star, whose Wangchong initially treated the warship as a minor threat and kept the War Star’s shield in energy-saving mode. When the War Star’s Gravity Capture Device failed to slow the Dark Peng, the battle remained tilted toward Wang Dong’s ship.

• Aboard the Pioneer War Star, its Wangchong received a warning about the Dark Peng and responded to its opening shot with only a level-three combat alert.
• The Dark Peng’s Scorpio Death Ray Cannon struck the War Star’s shield, and the crew determined that its energy-saving mode left it with one million durability.
• Wang Dong rejected an all-out opening attack and ordered the Dark Peng to keep firing while Wu Baiyi evaded the War Star’s counterattacks.
• The Dark Peng steadily wore down the shield as the Pioneer War Star added more High-Energy Beam Cannon arrays, but their volleys continued to miss.
• The Wangchong activated the Gravity Capture Device, which pulled nearby space rocks toward the War Star but had no effect on the Dark Peng.

The Dark Peng endured Pioneer War Star’s escalating attacks as Wu Baiyi evaded its volleys and Wang Dong assessed the enemy’s weapons. After the war star activated its Domain Field and Norman Burst Cannon Array, Wang Dong ordered a retreat and prepared to use the Purple Fluorescent Sky Crystal.

• Pioneer War Star raised its combat readiness, restored its shield, and fired successive volleys of High-Energy Beam Cannons at the Dark Peng, but Wu Baiyi evaded most of them.
• After thirty minutes of sustained fire failed to break the Dark Peng’s defenses, the Zerg monarch activated the Domain Field and prepared the Norman Burst Cannon Array.
• The Domain Field slowed the Dark Peng, but its Freedom Fighter property resisted most of the effect as the Norman Burst Cannon Array struck its shield and caused three percent hull structure damage.
• Paul estimated that he could repair the Dark Peng’s hull damage in three minutes, and Wang Dong ordered the crew to pull back and prepare the Purple Fluorescent Sky Crystal.
• Wu Baiyi turned the Dark Peng away from Pioneer War Star during a lull in its fire.

The Dark Peng overwhelmed the Pioneer War Star’s shield with long-range fire, but the King Bug let it collapse and relied on the War Star’s layered defenses and repair systems. Wang Dong’s crew recognized the enemy’s plan to endure their attacks and drain their energy, then prepared to test whether the Dark Peng could break through.

• The Dark Peng withdrew beyond most of the Pioneer War Star’s weapon range, turned back, and struck its shield with the Purple Fluorescent Sky Crystal beam.
• Wu Baiyi maneuvered the Dark Peng around the Pioneer War Star’s heavy weapons while repeated beams and crimson death rays reduced its shield durability to zero.
• The King Bug allowed the shield to overload, counting on the Pioneer War Star’s Alloy Armor Layer and self-sustaining defenses to withstand and repair damage.
• Xu Zhenzhi explained that a War Star’s defensive system included its energy shield, Alloy Armor Layer, liquid mantle, and damage control, while Liu Zhi and Shi Zunhou identified how it could repair its armor.
• Wu Baiyi warned that the Pioneer War Star intended to drain the Dark Peng’s energy, and Wang Dong said they would test whether they could break through its defenses.

Wang Dong’s crew discovered that the Purple Fluorescent Sky Crystal’s Flowing Sun Skyfire could damage the Pioneer War Star across a vast area, potentially overwhelming its self-repairing armor. The Zerg Lord expected the Dark Peng to waste its energy, but was surprised when its next attack appeared as a glowing mass rather than a beam.

• The Scorpio Death Ray Cannon barely damaged the Pioneer War Star, whose rotating armor shifted plates to repair each impact.
• The Purple Fluorescent Sky Crystal carved deep craters, but the Pioneer War Star quickly replaced damaged armor while irregular rotation hindered repeated hits.
• Wang Dong’s crew considered exhausting the Pioneer War Star’s armor before Shi Zunhou realized they could activate the cannon’s Flowing Sun Skyfire property.
• The crew prepared to use Flowing Sun Skyfire to strike the entire Pioneer War Star and deplete its reserve armor plates.
• The Zerg Lord believed the Dark Peng was wasting energy and planned to ambush it later, but noticed its next Purple Fluorescent Sky Crystal attack was a glowing mass instead of a beam.

Shi Zunhou repeatedly used Flowing Sun Skyfire to strip away the Pioneer War Star’s Alloy Armor Layer, forcing the King Bug to mobilize its forces before the war star restored its shield. The Dark Peng then prepared to break the Pioneer War Star’s strengthened shield, which was projected to take 191 minutes to overload.

• Shi Zunhou fired Flowing Sun Skyfire, and its pillars of light annihilated about five percent of the Pioneer War Star’s Alloy Armor Layer in each attack.
• The King Bug watched repeated strikes reduce the Pioneer War Star’s remaining armor to 35 percent by the fifteenth glow, then ordered the Ouhuang Civilization into full mobilization.
• Liu Zhi detected a high-energy reaction, and the Pioneer War Star restarted its azure shield despite its recent overload.
• Wang Dong ordered Wu Baiyi to move the Dark Peng within range of the Scorpio Death Ray Cannon while Shi Zunhou switched off Flowing Sun Skyfire.
• Mada reported that the Pioneer War Star’s shield had reached a maximum durability of twenty million points and would take an estimated 191 minutes to overload.

The Dark Peng outmaneuvered the Pioneer War Star and steadily threatened its defenses, but the Zerg King began charging a spatial jump to escape. Wang Dong used two Three-ring Space Anchors to stop it, but they proved ineffective, and the Pioneer War Star vanished from the region.

• Wang Dong activated the Chapter of Gale as the Pioneer War Star transformed its surface and unleashed a massive barrage, damaging the Dark Peng’s shields.
• Wu Baiyi used the Dark Peng’s speed and erratic movements to evade the Pioneer War Star’s attacks while the crew continued firing back.
• After its tactics failed, the Zerg King began charging the Pioneer War Star’s spatial jump device, and Liu Zhi detected the abnormal spatial reaction.
• Wang Dong activated a Three-ring Space Anchor and marked the Pioneer War Star with the Star Hunter’s Crown, but the spatial reaction kept rising.
• Xu Zhenzhi activated a second Three-ring Space Anchor, which also failed to slow the Pioneer War Star’s spatial jump charge.
• The Pioneer War Star completed its jump and disappeared, leaving the Dark Peng’s crew frustrated at its escape.

Wang Dong extended the Otherworldly Space battlefield and boosted Source Point gains before the Dark Peng pursued the Pioneer War Star. The Dark Peng caught up and stripped away the War Star’s armor and weapons, leaving its king bug scrambling as the attack continued.

• Wang Dong upgraded the battlefield duration to 72 hours and told the crew they had gained another 24 hours to pursue the Pioneer War Star.
• While the Steel Bullet Warp Device charged, Wang Dong upgraded Double Source Point Acquisition to LV.4, raising Source Point gains to five times the usual amount.
• After eleven hours of charging and eight hours in faster-than-light warp, the Dark Peng followed the Tracking Beacon to the Pioneer War Star, which had a disabled shield and was undergoing repairs.
• Wang Dong ordered a direct attack, and the Dark Peng used the Purple Fluorescent Sky Crystal and Corrosion Charm to devastate the Pioneer War Star’s armor and destroy its escorting butterfly-shaped warships.
• The Dark Peng’s seventh strike destroyed the War Star’s remaining armor and surface weapons, while the king bug sent its warships on suicidal attacks to buy itself five minutes.

Wang Dong and the Dark Peng dismantled the Pioneer War Star and pressured its queen bug for a star map, but received only a simplified chart before resuming their attack. After stripping away the war star’s outer layers, they destroyed its core, earning more than five million Source Points.

• The Dark Peng destroyed the Pioneer War Star’s surface weapons and kept firing from beyond the range of its self-destruct attack.
• Liu Zhi demanded a star map over communications, and the queen bug provided a simplified chart but refused to reveal more.
• Liu Zhi requested a complete mineral-resource map, but the queen bug offered charts and storage devices in a scheme the crew recognized, so he cut off communications.
• The Dark Peng bombarded the Pioneer War Star for hours, stripping its crust and magma until it shrank to an asteroid around its core.
• Wang Dong ordered the final attack, and Shi Zunhou pierced and shattered the Pioneer War Star’s core.
• The Pioneer War Star fell silent, and the Dark Peng received 5,621,590 Source Points.

Wang Dong’s crew destroyed the Pioneer War Star, gained nearly ten million Source Points, and acquired a device that could create another war star. After leaving a tracked relic to lure the Ouhuang Civilization into investigating the wreckage, the Dark Peng returned to Black Stone Territory with Lin Xiaogui, whose health had greatly improved.

• Wang Dong’s crew collected more than seven million Source Points from the Pioneer War Star and discovered the gold-quality Primary War Star Modification Device among its remains.
• Wang Dong and Xu Zhenzhi devised a plan to leave the tracked Miser Scepter at the wreck site so the Ouhuang Civilization might recover it and reveal its movements.
• The Dark Peng returned to the home universe, and Xu Zhenzhi explained that the crew could revisit the Ouhuang battlefield when they had a way to reach the beacon.
• On November 20, the Dark Peng returned to the Capital Star System, where Lin Xiaogui awoke with her health and hidden injuries greatly improved; Wang Dong took her north despite her protests.
• On November 21, the Dark Peng returned to Black Stone Territory, where residents celebrated Wang Dong’s victory and the Purple Thorn Kingdom’s royal family had publicized Lin Xiaogui’s rescue.

After returning to Black Stone Territory, Wang Dong settled in Silver Castle, helped plan where to build a War Star, and strengthened the Dark Peng’s shipboard flame. Meanwhile, the Golden Snapdragon Federation fleet advanced to the Purple Thorn Kingdom’s capital defense line, where Wang Dong discussed the war and military mobilization with the three little ones.

• Wang Dong and Lin Xiaogui moved into Silver Castle with the Marquis’s family, and Wang Guanbei and Wang Jujun eagerly spent time with Lin Xiaogui.
• Wang Dong and the Marquis accepted the core think tank’s advice to modify a rocky planet in a remote Golden Snapdragon Federation star system, where they could buy the required metal ores and put the War Star to use immediately.
• Wang Dong spent 5.7 million Source Points and 20 Intermediate Energy Crystals to raise the Dark Peng’s shipboard flame from LV.35 to LV.55, increasing its all-attribute bonus to 260%.
• Prince Lin Rongxiang held the eastern defense line for three days, then retreated through temporary defenses as Dicimov’s fleet pursued and eventually forced him to abandon the Hubbei Star System.
• On December 5, Dicimov’s fleet began attacking the Purple Thorn Kingdom’s capital defense line with Wheel Assault tactics, while Prince Lin Rongxiang used reserves to shore up threatened sectors.
• Wang Dong taught the three little ones about the Golden Snapdragon Federation’s rapid fleet mobilization, and Wang Guannan and Wang Jujun debated the strengths and weaknesses of hastily assembled forces.

Wang Dong explained the Purple Thorn Kingdom’s growing military disadvantage and the Seaton Duchy’s reluctance to intervene, then received news of a devastating defeat in the Double Twelve Battle. The kingdom’s capital defenses settled into attrition as a Caruleon Republic buildup threatened to delay promised Seaton reinforcements, leaving the Purple Thorn Kingdom in a worsening position.

• Wang Dong told Wang Jujun, Wang Guannan, and Wang Guanbei that the Golden Snapdragon Federation had inflicted far greater losses on the Purple Thorn Kingdom and that the Seaton Duchy was likely to wait before intervening.
• Wang Jujun reasoned that Grand Duke Seaton would benefit from letting the two rival powers weaken each other, and Wang Dong said the Purple Thorn Kingdom still faced no immediate danger of destruction.
• Mada reported that on December 12, the Southern Border Knight Order was annihilated, the Oak Knight Order suffered nine-tenths casualties, and both sides lost thousands of warships in the Double Twelve Battle.
• Wang Dong concluded that the Golden Snapdragon Federation had won the battle and warned Lin Xiaogui against returning to the front, assuring her that the kingdom was not yet facing annihilation.
• By December 20, the fleets had returned to a war of attrition, and the Purple Thorn Kingdom secured a promise of Seaton reinforcements within a month.
• The Caruleon Republic massed troops on the Seaton Duchy’s border the day after the reinforcement departure was announced, forcing the duchy to focus on the threat and leaving its aid to the Purple Thorn Kingdom delayed.

After the Golden Snapdragon Federation fractured in a Revolutionary Army coup, Wang Dong prepared Black Stone Territory to exploit the coming civil war. The Revolutionary Army began expanding with a devastating strike against the Federation’s remaining government, leaving Wang Dong and Lin Xiaogui confronting its ruthless methods.

• The Golden Snapdragon Federation’s fleet and the Purple Thorn Kingdom’s defenders suffered heavy losses before Zhong Shenxiu announced that the Civilization Party had become the Revolutionary Army and seized the Kyoto Star System with help from the Zhao family.
• Dicimov agreed to a ceasefire with the Purple Thorn Kingdom, returned its occupied territory, and later established himself independently in the Federation’s border star regions as the country divided among four factions.
• Wang Dong’s strategists prepared Black Stone Territory’s forces and supply lines for an invasion, while the Marquis reminded Wang Dong that Black Stone Territory was his home.
• The Revolutionary Army used artificial micro-wormholes to bypass the Federation authorities’ defenses and orbital-bomb their new administrative center, killing its leaders.
• Lin Xiaogui questioned the Revolutionary Army’s attack on civilians, and Wang Dong acknowledged that its ruthless strike had crossed a line.

Wang Dong learned that the Golden Snapdragon Federation’s conflict had shifted to a three-way struggle and prepared Black Stone Territory to intervene. He arrived aboard the Dark Peng at the heavily fortified Zhenyuan Star System, where the Xi Qin Family welcomed him but refused to submit, and he gave them an hour before launching an attack.

• Wang Dong told Lin Xiaogui that the Revolutionary Army had swiftly defeated the government remnants while the Family Alliance attacked Dicimov, leaving his fleet as the weakest of the three powers.
• Wang Dong told Lin Xiaogui that Black Stone Territory would send out its forces in two days, and they spent the night together in silence.
• The Dark Peng arrived at the heavily defended Zhenyuan Star System, where the Xi Qin Family detected it and then cleared its route as a show of welcome.
• Qin Huang, head of the Xi Qin Family, greeted Wang Dong with a welcoming fleet and praised the Dark Peng but refused to surrender the star system.
• Wang Dong gave the Xi Qin Family an hour to prepare before the Dark Peng attacked, while allowing them to call off the battle at any time.
• The Xi Qin Family’s analysis concluded that the Dark Peng could single-handedly destroy the Golden Snapdragon Federation’s main fleet.

The Xi Qin Family refused Wang Dong’s demand to surrender and prepared to defend the Zhenyuan Star System. The Dark Peng began dismantling its defenses without revealing the Purple Fluorescent Sky Crystal, while Wang Dong planned to use the show of force to prepare the system for Black Stone Territory’s rule.

• Qin Huang declared that the Xi Qin Family was never afraid to fight, and the Dark Peng withdrew beyond the system while the family mobilized its defenses.
• Wang Dong and his crew assessed the Xi Qin Family’s Space Fortresses and LV.80 battleship, then decided to keep the Purple Fluorescent Sky Crystal hidden.
• After the Xi Qin Family’s fleets stayed with the Space Fortresses, Mada ordered the Dark Peng to attack a small fortress using guerrilla tactics.
• The Dark Peng shattered the fortress’s shields with the Scorpio Death Ray Cannon, then destroyed it with the Supernova Burst Cannon and damaged nearby destroyers.
• Qin Huang ordered all destroyers to withdraw, while Wang Dong told Wang Guannan that the attack would demonstrate the Dark Peng’s superiority and ease Black Stone Territory’s later rule over the system.

The Dark Peng crushed the Xi Qin Family’s defenses, forcing its surrender and allowing Black Stone Territory to seize nine Administrative Galaxies. Wang Dong returned to North Wind Fortress after Prince Lin Rongxiang’s coup killed the king, leaving Lin Xiaogui devastated as Mada reported that the Oda Shogunate was likely involved.

• The Dark Peng destroyed several Space Fortresses, captured the Xi Qin Family’s battleship Changfeng Wanli, and forced the Xi Qin Family to surrender.
• Wang Dong accepted the Xi Qin Family’s submission, and Black Stone Territory reorganized its forces and took control of the Zhenyuan Star System.
• The Black Stone Territory fleet and the Dark Peng conquered eight more star systems, bringing nine Administrative Galaxies under Black Stone Territory’s control.
• Wang Dong returned to North Wind Fortress with Lin Xiaogui after the Marquis urgently summoned him.
• Mada reported that Prince Lin Rongxiang had used a miniature artificial wormhole to bypass the Capital Star System’s defenses and kill the king in a coup.
• Lin Xiaogui broke down in grief, and Mada told Wang Dong that he believed the Oda Shogunate had been involved.

Wang Dong and the Black Stone Territory backed Lin Xiaogui’s campaign against the newly crowned Lin Rongxiang, seeking both vengeance for the former king and independence from the Purple Thorn Kingdom. After Black Stone Territory deployed a fleet under the Dark Peng, dozens of noble territories joined the campaign, including Marquis Qingmu’s powerful forces.

• Ouyang Yongshu explained that Lin Rongxiang had used the Oda Shogunate’s support and his wartime prestige to kill the former king and seize the throne before the Black Stone Territory could intervene.
• Philip argued that the Black Stone Territory should exploit Lin Rongxiang’s uncertain legitimacy, and Lin Xiaogui asked it to support her campaign in exchange for backing its elevation to a duchy.
• The Marquis pledged the Black Stone Territory’s support, and Wang Dong silently held Lin Xiaogui’s hand as she declared the alliance would benefit them both.
• On February 20, Lin Xiaogui issued a proclamation accusing Lin Rongxiang of murdering the former king and calling for his capture; the Black Stone Territory publicly declared its support for her campaign.
• On February 21, the Black Stone Territory dispatched three hundred Kindling Warships under the Dark Peng, prompting at least thirty noble territories to join the campaign.
• Marquis Qingmu’s territory, led by Ye Hao, assembled more than two hundred Kindling Warships in response.

Wang Dong sent the Dark Peng to bypass the Stargate defenses and secretly strike the garrison near the Purple Thorn Kingdom’s capital system. After a day of surveillance, the Dark Peng attacked, and the garrison sent a suspicious rescue ship toward it as the battle began.

• Wang Dong sent the Dark Peng alone through superluminal space instead of leading Black Stone Territory’s fleet into the Stargate trap.
• Liu Zhi identified magnetic traction devices, a concealed subspace trap, and a dangerous one-use module hidden aboard a rescue ship near the Stargate exit.
• Wang Dong ordered the Dark Peng to observe the area for 24 hours, then gave the order to attack after Liu Zhi found no further anomalies.
• The Dark Peng struck the garrison fleet with its Supernova Burst Cannon and Scorpio Death Ray, badly damaging destroyers and a Space Fortress.
• The garrison commander sent the destroyers to charge the Dark Peng, including the disguised rescue ship, and ordered the fleet to open fire.
• Shi Zunhou fired another Supernova Burst at the charging destroyers, shattering the shields of half of them.

The Dark Peng destroyed the Star Gate Defense Fleet, captured its surrendered fortresses, and recovered a one-use shield-neutralizing module before advancing toward the Capital Star System. There, Wang Dong’s fleet began its assault on False King Lin Rongxiang’s defenses, and the Dark Peng demonstrated its overwhelming resilience and firepower against the royal forces.

• The Dark Peng broke the Star Gate Defense Fleet’s shields, sank nearly all its cruisers, crippled its flagship, and forced the fleet’s five medium Space Fortresses to surrender.
• Liu Zhi reported that the subspace entrance near the Star Gate had disappeared after the flagship lost power, and the Black Stone Territory fleet took control of the Star Gate and the surrendered fortresses.
• The crew recovered a Top-tier Energy Field Neutralizer from the disabled rescue ship, while the flagship scuttled itself before they could inspect its other modules.
• Lin Xiaogui remained in the North to coordinate noble territories for the anti-rebellion alliance, and Wang Dong kept her there because she was pregnant.
• On February 26, the Black Stone Territory fleet reached the Capital Star System and routed Lin Rongxiang’s personal guard destroyers with four shots from the Supernova Burst Cannon.
• The Dark Peng fought ten battleships, a massive Space Fortress, and asteroid bastions, keeping its shields above ninety percent as its Scorpio Death Ray Cannon and Longinus Source Cannon battered the enemy battleships.

Wang Dong’s Dark Peng destroyed Lin Rongxiang and helped restore order in the Purple Thorn Kingdom, while Black Stone Territory rapidly occupied territory in the Golden Snapdragon Federation. The Dark Peng’s power and the growing number of nobles seeking allegiance forced Wang Dong to reconsider his expansion plans as the Revolutionary Army and Noble Alliance watched closely.

• The Dark Peng defeated the Capital Star System’s defenses, and Wang Dong cut off negotiations with Lin Rongxiang before sinking his flagship on February 26.
• Lin Xiaogui became Regent Eldest Princess on March 6, beginning the Purple Thorn Kingdom’s decade-long Regency Era.
• Black Stone Territory occupied 31 administrative galaxies by March 25 and reached the limit of its capacity to expand and govern them.
• Wang Dong and Mada agreed to secretly reassure noble families seeking allegiance while publicly refusing them until Black Stone Territory could expand again.
• Mada reported that the campaign had yielded 1,659 titanium crystals, 11 High-grade Energy Crystals, 365 Intermediate Energy Crystals, and 2,890 Low-grade Energy Crystals.
• Mada reported that the Revolutionary Army and Noble Alliance had temporarily eased their conflict and were both watching Black Stone Territory.

Wang Dong brought the Dark Peng back to the Micius Civilization’s Otherworldly Space to search suspected titanium crystal deposits, beginning with the nearest site. The crew reached a barren system whose native civilization appeared to have vanished as its star became a red giant, but they had not yet determined whether the target held titanium crystals.

• Wang Dong rejected a proposal to strike first, expecting the Revolutionary Army and family alliance to avoid attacking Black Stone Territory while neither could act without risking the other’s advantage.
• After the Dark Peng’s Flame buffer period ended on March 26, Wang Dong used the recorded coordinates to reenter the Micius Civilization’s Otherworldly Space battlefield.
• The crew saw Engineering Ships restoring Eden Star, and Wang Dong chose to investigate the suspected titanium crystal sites from nearest to farthest.
• The Dark Peng warped to the nearest suspected site, a barren star system where a red giant had swallowed the three innermost planets.
• Gao Luanqin noted that the system’s former intelligent civilization had likely perished when its star expanded, and the crew saw ruins on several planets.