The Commander was perfectly well-behaved

"Is there really no other way?"

In the study of the Fallen Star Palace, Shen Que asked the Mecha engineer with graying temples on the light screen one last time.

"I'm sorry, Commander."

Blue Crane sighed.

"Because of improper storage at the Royal Military Academy, some of Cold Glow's original blueprints were lost."

"Although redrawing the blueprints wouldn't be difficult for me, building a 3S Mecha requires more than blueprints."

"A Mecha engineer's condition and skill matter more than the blueprints. Even with identical plans, different engineers-or even the same engineer at different stages of their life-will produce different results."

"Even I probably couldn't build a second Cold Glow."

Shen Que lowered his eyes. After a moment of silence, he said calmly, "I understand."

The Mecha engineer sighed, his expression heavy. "Losing Cold Glow is a loss for the Empire. It was my finest work. I grieve just as you do."

The light screen vanished.

Shen Que moved his thumb, slowly stroking the round Mecha storage pendant in his palm.

The space that had once belonged to Cold Glow was now empty.

On an unnamed planet in Asteroid Belt 2317.

Hundreds of bullets fired in an instant, unleashing a massive shock wave.

The pitch-black Devour Heaven burst through the storm, its light blade cleaving straight through four or five alien Zerg that had closed in.

Foul yellow fluid splattered, and dismembered bodies tumbled from the air.

Pei Ji deftly piloted his Mecha, folding its sharp wings as he landed.

Broken Zerg carcasses littered the desolate plain.

Pei Ji opened his Terminal.

"How are things on your end?"

Luo Yuan's voice came through the Terminal.

"Ten left. Give me another three minutes, General!"

"Two minutes."

"Understood!"

The next second, Pei Ji looked up and saw a light silver Mecha emerge from the storm massing above the planet. It spread its wings like a hawk and fired more than a dozen homing missiles in succession.

Fresh chunks of flesh, still coated in slime, rolled to Devour Heaven's feet. A pair of golden compound eyes blinked hideously twice before Luo Yuan's Mecha crushed them underfoot.

"All hits!"

Luo Yuan's excited voice rang out through the Terminal.

"Awesome! A new record!"

A few minutes later, three more Mecha descended from the storm: two medium units and one heavy unit.

"General, the Insect Nest has been cleared. Confirmed no survivors."

"How many in total?" Pei Ji asked.

The battlefield recorder swiftly pulled up the log. "A B-class Insect Nest. A total of 1,238, including twenty S-class, five SS-class, and one queen."

Pei Ji clicked his tongue. "There are more and more of them."

His gaze drifted involuntarily above the storm.

A layer of swirling winds enveloped this unnamed planet. Beyond it lay the familiar white star.

And... they were getting closer and closer to White Sand Star.

The Fourth Fleet's patrol route had originally been near the Rose Nebula, close to the Zerg's home in the Eden Star System.

But the recent anomaly on White Sand Star had left Pei Ji uneasy, so he had dispatched an additional squad of Combat Soldiers to patrol the asteroid belt beyond their route.

Sure enough, they had discovered another Insect Nest.

Pei Ji's heart sank the moment he received the news.

The Seven Fleets' patrol routes were calculated and controlled centrally by the Brain Computer. Only the Empress, the Council's senior members, and the supreme Commander of the Seven Fleets had access to them.

Now that Shen Que had stepped down, only those few in the Imperial Court knew that information.

And both Insect Nests he had discovered had avoided their patrol routes with remarkable precision.

Was someone leaking information?

Two Insect Nests alone were not enough to draw that conclusion, but if his suspicion was true...

There was no telling what horrors lurked beneath the Empire's current peace.

With almost no hesitation, Pei Ji had left the main ship with only his five-person squad, following the trail of Insect Nests all the way here.

"How come we can never finish killing these things?"

One Combat Soldier kicked a chunk of Zerg carcass on the ground.

"Didn't that huge battle Shen Que commanded wipe out eighty percent of their queens?"

"If humans ever made reproduction their guiding principle like them, doing nothing but eating, sleeping, and mating, we'd be impossible to wipe out too," another Combat Soldier said. "Right, General?"

"General?"

Pei Ji drew his gaze back from White Sand Star and gave a derisive laugh.

Apparently noticing where Pei Ji had been looking, Luo Yuan teased, "What's wrong, General? Missing someone?"

"A married General is water down the drain. Our General's an Alpha with someone waiting at home now," the first Combat Soldier said. "He reeks of romance."

"That's not romance. That's clearly the melancholy of a long-distance relationship."

"Stop, stop. The day the General got married was the day my heart broke. Please don't bring it up."

"Hah, who do you think you are? Half our fleet got their hearts broken that day, okay?"

"Boohoo... my poor Commander... how did he end up in the clutches of a tyrant like this..."

"Are you done yet?!"

Pei Ji gave each of them a sharp rap on the head. One Combat Soldier clutched his head and howled, insisting Pei Ji had given him a brain hemorrhage.

"Is it a crime to miss my own wife?"

"Listen to that! Is that something a decent human being would say?" the heartbroken Combat Soldier protested. "That's outright slaughter of us singles!"

Luo Yuan, who had fallen silent, suddenly let out a long sigh. "I'm so jealous. I want a sweet romance too."

The other two Combat Soldiers looked horrified.

Luo Yuan, whose eyes lit up with excitement whenever he saw bugs, and a sweet romance...

That picture was far too much to imagine.

"What's your type, Major?" the recorder asked casually after finishing his scan of the carcasses.

"My type..." Luo Yuan smacked his lips. "Older than me, handsome, can cook, family-oriented, has a legitimate job."

A figure took shape in his mind unbidden.

"That's surprisingly normal!" the two Combat Soldiers exclaimed.

"Do I look that abnormal?!" Luo Yuan bared his sharp canine teeth fiercely.

"Enough." Pei Ji cut off their chatter. "Break's over. Where's the next Insect Nest?"

"There isn't one," the recorder said. "The queen's frequency trail ends here. We've cleared this whole cluster of nests."

He sent the records to Pei Ji and offered a tactful reminder:

"General, we've been away from the main ship for a while. I'm worried something might go wrong if we don't return soon."

Although no one in the Fourth Fleet would betray them, running into an inspector from the Seventh Fleet would be difficult to explain.

"You're right." After reading the report, Pei Ji told the other three, "All right, you little brats. Playtime's over. We're heading back."

Luo Yuan let out a disappointed groan. "Back to patrol already? It's so boring! We can't even drink. What's the point of living?"

Just as Pei Ji turned to leave, he glanced toward White Sand Star again.

His right eyelid suddenly twitched.

Pei Ji stopped in his tracks.

"General?"

Luo Yuan, who had been about to start his engine and follow Pei Ji, was surprised to see Devour Heaven power down.

"You head back first!"

Pei Ji suddenly turned in another direction.

For some reason... he had a terrible feeling.

He watched as Pei Ji started his engine again, heading toward White Sand Star.

Luo Yuan's eyes widened.

"Wait! General, you're not going home, are you?! Seriously? Seriously? You're abandoning us?! You-you-you..."

He abruptly stopped.

"Don't tell me you're afraid the Commander can't stand being lonely and will cheat on you, so you're going home to check up on him!"

"Shut up!" Pei Ji turned and snapped. "You think everyone's like you? My Shen Que is perfectly well-behaved. He goes to bed at eight sharp every night and even tells me before buying anything!"

Though he had no idea which little vixen those purchases were for, remembering Shen Que's obedient, restrained demeanor during their call made Pei Ji's heart itch again.

"If he ever cheated on me, the entire Icarus Galaxy would be full of cuckolds!"

As he spoke, Devour Heaven had already vanished into the storm.

Two hours later, having entered White Sand Star's territory and switched back to his everyday Terminal, Pei Ji roared at the other end of the light screen.

"Where did you say he went?!"

Demi and Phil exchanged nervous glances.

"Um... the underground Golden Casino?"