Idea

The response came back quickly. It seemed the Epoch Clan's upper ranks were monitoring this war in real time as well. The message itself was simple. It did not say whether the Zerg Queen they had captured was real or fake; it merely ordered them to return to their own lines as quickly as possible, pass through the Star Gate, and transport the target to the designated star region.

Still, despite the lack of specifics, they seemed to have learned something.

The evacuation sped up considerably. Epoch Clan soldiers waiting for transport vehicles had already begun the cleanup. They needed to destroy all remaining equipment, including weapon debris.

"Move faster! We're out of time." The underground battlefield had covered an enormous area. Even after the combat zone was later contracted, a great many personnel remained stranded throughout it after the battle. Even with Hercules joining the rescue effort, they still could not extract everyone within a mere dozen-odd hours.

"We can't wait any longer. All personnel, withdraw. Anyone who hasn't made it out will be listed as missing in action!" As soon as the Epoch Clan commander gave the order, every unit still lingering on the surface began rushing back.

Thanks to the Epoch Clan's unusual personnel structure, soldiers had little attachment to anyone beyond their own squadmates. Thus, even though the commander had issued such a cold-blooded order, there were very few objections.

The Zerg Queen was escorted by a gunboat squadron to the near-orbit fleet. They encountered no accidents along the way, and the trip went so smoothly that it felt unreal.

However, the Zerg Queen's physical condition worried everyone. She had already been transferred to a more advanced medical ward, but the Epoch Clan's emergency personnel had no way to provide more effective treatment.

"How is the