Traces

The Southern Martial Star Realm's intelligence network periodically transmitted data to the stealth ship through encrypted links, including complete records of Xu Wuyi's activities on the Northern Front, his travel patterns, his personal guard arrangements, and energy fluctuation readings from his cultivation sites.

These data were the core basis on which Yi Huainan judged when to strike.

Without them, he was like an eagle blind in one eye: he could see the target's general outline, but not the tiny openings in its defenses.

He leaped out of the meteor crater, his figure becoming a faint gray afterimage as he skimmed deeper along the fissure's rocky walls.

His perception-shielding rule enveloped his entire body, suppressing his silhouette, his energy fluctuations, and even the traces of airflow around him to a minimum.

Meteors flashed past him.

His footwork was light. Every step landed precisely in a depression on a meteor's surface, the rebound providing just enough force to maintain his speed without leaving any marks.

He traversed the fissure's several-hundred-kilometer passage in just fifteen minutes.

The stealth ship's outline appeared ahead. Its hull was long and slender, with no protruding antennas or weapon mounts. The entire vessel resembled a meticulously polished metal shuttle.

The hatch on one side remained closed, its sealing gasket completely intact.

As he approached, he habitually scanned the ship. The hull was undamaged, the hatch showed no signs of having been opened, and the onboard Smart Brain's encrypted link was still functioning normally.

He pressed his finger against the sensor beside the hatch.

Fingerprint, iris, and rule imprint verification passed in sequence, and the hatch slid silently open.

The bridge looked exactly as it had five days earlier. The floating platform hovered in the center, surrounded by communications consoles, data screens, and energy-core monitoring panels, all on standby