Lin Xiaohe made it very clear: going to the Nanyu Temple was extremely dangerous.
Whether to go or not—the choice rested entirely in the hands of each candidate.
Lin Xiaohe lowered her eyes. She held no expectations for their decision.
They were still too young. When faced with immense pressure, their instinct would be to run and hide.
But she was different. She had a body forged of iron and a brilliant soul from Huaxia on the Blue Star. Carrying an entire Federation on her shoulders was a piece of cake!
Lin Xiaohe brushed back a stray lock of hair, and a familiar BGM played in her mind: “Unparalleled, how lonely it is. Unparalleled, how empty it feels…”
Without a moment’s hesitation, You An raised his hand. “Boss, I’m coming with you!”
Lin Yeyan hurriedly raised his hand as well.
Meeting You An’s surprised gaze, he snapped, “What are you looking at? I might be scared of dying, but I’m not stupid. If the boss fails, we’re dead even if we hide in the safest bunker.”
“Boss, we’re all with you!”
“Boss, even though I applied for Command Academy, I know a thing or two about fighting. I won’t hold you back.”
Among the 700-plus candidates, not a single one chose to retreat.
Their eyes burned with a fierce heat, like moths flying into a flame—fully aware of what awaited them, yet unwavering in their choice.
Lin Xiaohe froze for a moment, then a wide, sincere smile curved her lips. “Alright! Who hasn’t faced death since ancient times? Some deaths are lighter than a feather, others heavier than Mount Tai.”
She had someone bring out tubes of wine-flavored nutrient solution, distributing one to each candidate.
“Our Federation is like a train derailed, hurtling at top speed toward the abyss of chaos. Only we can stop this train!”
“Our sacrifice may go unknown. But this star field will remember us, and the people of the Federation will live on in our place!”
“Down this nutrient solution! Charge with me!” Lin Xiaohe downed the tube in one gulp and smashed it fiercely against the ground.
“Charge!”
“Kill these giant sonic whales!”
“You bastards, I’m not afraid of you! Bring it on!”
Amid the cacophony of shattering glass, Lin Xiaohe piloted her gaudily painted mech, charging at the very front.
Johansson stood before the massive floor-to-ceiling window, watching the candidates depart for the battlefield.
Lin Xiaohe and her group soon reached the outskirts of the Nanyu Temple.
Intense fighting was already underway here. Explosions echoed one after another, the flames painting the sky a deep, throbbing red.
Lin Xiaohe ordered the candidates to activate stealth mode.
They needed to locate the hidden forward command post within this area and carry out a decapitation strike.
The enemy was cunning, having set up numerous decoy command posts in the vicinity.
Finding the real one among so many fakes was undoubtedly a daunting task.
Hundreds of mechs stepped onto the mountain ridge, moving silently. In the distance, massive explosions rumbled intermittently. The central battlefield was now a blaze of fire reaching for the heavens.
Night fell. A light drizzle began to fall from the sky, growing heavier until it became a torrential downpour.
Rain hammered against the metal hulls of the mechs—pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat—like a somber musical score.
Lin Xiaohe had narrowed down the location to two possibilities: one in the southeast, one in the southwest.
She stopped walking, her thoughts sharpened to an unprecedented calm.
Which of these two command posts was the real one?
“Where is the giant sonic whale’s heart located?”
A candidate born on Song Sea Star, raised on legends of the giant sonic whales, immediately answered, “The left side!”
Based on the troop movement map that roughly formed the shape of a giant sonic whale, Lin Xiaohe determined that the southeast direction, where the heart would be, was likely the location of the forward command post.
“We’re heading here!”
In the pouring rain, Lin Xiaohe’s group had advanced to within 15 kilometers of the southeast command post when she halted.
The good news: the command post was probably genuine.
The bad news: the giant sonic whale had no sense of fair play. It had blocked Xin Bao’s skills but restored the Empire’s electronic equipment.
Every move Lin Xiaohe’s group made was under their surveillance.
The despicable Empire had laid an inescapable trap around the command post, just waiting for Lin Xiaohe and her team to walk into it.
The area around the command post was lit up bright as day. Ten warships hovered in the air above.
Down in the valley, countless artillery muzzles were packed densely together, all aimed directly at Lin Xiaohe.
Lin Xiaohe’s expression was grim. Without blinking, she stared fixedly at the robot standing opposite her.
The robot wore an Imperial military uniform; its skin was a pale shade of blue. “So, you are the human Johansson favors?”
Lin Xiaohe raised her weapon and fired a volley of shots—pew pew—blasting the robot into a pile of scrap metal.
Regrettably, the robot could still produce sound. “What a bad-tempered little girl. No manners at all, tut tut.”
Lin Xiaohe replied, “This isn’t your real body, is it?”
“Hahaha, little one. Human technology is so advanced; surely you’d expect us to utilize technology as well? I have many more robots just like this one. Feel free to destroy them.”
Underestimated again. How irritating.
Lin Xiaohe lowered her weapon. “Johansson said the battlefield would be fair. You’re cheating.”
The robot, now just a disembodied head, its mouth opening and closing, retorted, “Those were his words. I never agreed to them. For his sake, I’ve already granted humanity one opportunity.”
Blue light glowed from the robot’s eyes. “Our Prophet approached you with goodwill, proposing we coexist on Song Sea Star. But humanity responded with cannon fire, teaching us that might makes right.”
The warships’ weapons were charging, their artillery ports flickering with ominous red light.
The robot’s voice mingled with the sound of the rain, making it difficult to hear clearly. “Since humanity never offered us fairness, why should we bother with fairness toward you? Even if you are a Stardust Plant Manipulator, so what? Your energy will eventually run dry, while ours is inexhaustible.”
Over the candidates’ communication channel, You An asked, “Boss, did you find it?”
“Yes. It’s in the temple.”
Silence hung over the comm channel for ten long seconds.
You An let out a laugh. “Boss, in your eyes… am I a pretty arrogant guy?”
Lin Xiaohe felt a lump form in her throat. “What youngster doesn’t have a bit of wildness? That wasn’t arrogance; it was the spirit of youth.”
Lin Ye chimed in, “Hehe, the boss really knows how to put things nicely.”
Susie added, “Boss, the flight system and boosters I installed on your mech… they’re extremely powerful. When you take off, make sure you control the trajectory carefully.”
The rain fell harder.
Sitting inside her mech cockpit, Lin Xiaohe felt as if the rain was blurring her own vision.
You An urged her, “Boss, it’s time for you to go. Leave this place to us.”
Victor’s gruff voice came through. “Whether it’s giant sonic whales or Imperial soldiers, my mech’s fists will teach them a lesson! Boss, everything is going according to your plan. We will win!”
“Boss, just go! This is our rare moment of glory—don’t steal our spotlight!”
“Boss… make sure you live on for us!”
Lin Xiaohe wiped her face roughly, swore under her breath, and pushed the boosters to maximum output.
With a deafening BOOM, the garishly painted mech launched straight up from the spot, rocketing toward the temple.
Imperial soldiers moved to intercept, but were met with the candidates’ all-out, desperate resistance.
The candidates were willing to trade their lives one-for-one, just to delay the Empire’s pursuit!
…
Over half of the cities on Song Sea Star had fallen. The AI, Nuwa, had completely severed its connection with the planet.
At the Fourth Star Ring Military District, General Song Wen watched the examination feed with intense anxiety.
The number representing the candidate count flickered continuously.
700… 600… 500… 400…
Simultaneously, Song Sea Star appeared as if it were a planet experiencing a massive blackout. More and more cities plunged into darkness.
“General Song, over four-fifths of Song Sea Star is now occupied territory.”
It was time to execute the order.
