At that moment.
In Jiang Jianming’s field of vision, the communication window on the screen in front of him and the changing blue battle map… suddenly became blurry.
A faint buzzing sound reached his ears, and his five senses began to distort strangely.
“…?”
Jiang Jianming pressed his chest with a pale face. His first reaction was: Is it that the body finally couldn’t hold on, or is it the side effect of drug abuse?
But in the next instant, a violent headache struck.
As if crushed by a high-voltage electric current throughout his body, Jiang Jianming couldn’t even cry out before his whole body stiffened and slammed into the driver’s seat. His thin body convulsed weakly twice, and his pupils directly dilated and scattered!
In the depths of consciousness, it seemed as if thunder had exploded.
Boom…!
An invisible mental consciousness pierced in directly from the outside. Like a cold dagger, it cut into the depths of the brain nerves.
In the chaos, Jiang Jianming “saw” a face.
It was Archbishop Gauis in white robes. His eyes were like rotating dark deep seas, reaching out his five fingers towards him, pressing down from above.
“Dawn…” The Archbishop’s voice also reverberated in his mind, “Dawn Aslan…”
The half-second of time was stretched infinitely long. In the realm between life and death in a single thought, that originally gentle and quiet consciousness was angered by the invader’s blade.
Jiang Jianming’s dilated and scattered pupils suddenly contracted. Deep in his eyes, it seemed as if a black storm was swirling, the storm colliding with the deep sea, shattering ten thousand fathoms of waves.
His lips moved, letting out a silent roar.
–Get–out!!
Boom…!
Another thunderclap.
If there were appropriate instruments at this time, they would have detected a mental wave as vast as a great flood erupting, spreading out from Alpha Alien Star as the center, gradually disappearing into the far reaches of the universe.
In the cosmic domain thousands of kilometers away from the Crown of Golden Dawn, inside the flagship of the Crystal Cult.
“Pfft!!”
White-robed Gauis spat out a large mouthful of fresh blood and fell headlong to the ground!
“Your Excellency the Archbishop!?”
Su turned back in horror, almost unable to believe his own eyes.
“Your Excellency the Archbishop!?”
On the bridge, countless Crystal Cult members had originally been rushing back and forth, with projections repeatedly flashing, anxiously reporting the worsening battle situation.
And now, the cult members were also stunned with fright.
Gauis was seen sprawled on the starship deck in a spread-eagle position. He began to convulse like a malfunctioning machine, with crimson liquid continuously oozing from his seven orifices, splattering everywhere with the convulsions.
–This was the result of suffering severe mental trauma!
His Excellency the Archbishop had released his mental power intending to kill Jiang Jianming, and then was…was countered!?
In extreme shock, Su even forgot to go and support him, with only one thought in his mind: How is this possible!
Gaius’s chest heaved unsteadily. He stared at the ceiling with bulging eyeballs, muttering through blood-stained teeth. “Mutated mental power…Jiang Jianming…So he is also… He is also someone who has encountered the ‘time wormhole’…”
The Bishop of Destruction was thunderstruck.
He knew that His Excellency the Archbishop had brought many technologies from before the technological fall to the Crystal Cult, and had long guessed whether the Archbishop had any connection to the era of the old empire.
But the phrase “time wormhole” still shocked him to the point of losing the ability to think.
“Let’s retreat.”
Gauis slowly rose from the ground, his expression returning to one of neither joy nor sorrow. “I cannot kill Jiang Jianming, and you cannot defeat the imperial army.”
“Withdraw from Alpha Alien Star, temporarily abandon the ‘alms giving’ to the empire. We need to…shift our target.”
****
Omega Alien Star, Silver Big Dipper Third Fortress.
At the starship port, warships were fully equipped and ready to depart. However, the soldiers’ faces were filled with unease, and the sound of whispers rose in a chorus.
“Make way, make way!”
“His Excellency Jiang Sheng is here!”
The middle-aged man who rushed over wore a dusty technician’s work uniform. His face was upright and broad, with fine lines at the corners of his eyes. He ran stumblingly, looking like a kindly uncle who repaired civilian mechas on the street.
He was respectfully surrounded by soldiers as he ran towards a valiant female general with high-pinned golden hair.
The blonde female general – the commander of the Third Fortress, Emma Lin turned her head and said urgently, “Your Excellency Jiang, has the cause of the sudden mecha rampage been determined?”
“It has been determined, Major General,” Jiang Sheng nodded, wiping his sweat. The middle-aged man’s voice was low, deep and steady. “Just now, an extremely powerful aggressive mental force erupted. The tech soldiers deduced it came from the Alpha Alien Star battlefield.”
“At that time, our mechas were conducting drills with the mental control system on. Due to the huge gap between the soldiers’ mental control power and that force, the mechas were interfered with and lost control. I have urgently reset the external firewall of the mental control system, and now there’s no problem.”
The blonde female general breathed a sigh of relief and said in a low voice. “So… the problem has been solved at its root, so quickly? As expected of you.”
Jiang Sheng shook his head and said seriously. “Major General, I request that the reinforcement troops depart immediately.”
Emma: “Immediately?”
Jiang Sheng: “Yes, I don’t know what that mental force originated from, perhaps it was His Highness Ryann’s will. But even for the Crown Prince, to be forced into such a mental eruption, the situation must have reached a critical point.”
Major General Emma nodded. “I understand. But is it okay? Didn’t you have an appointment with that young lady from the Black Shark Base?”
Jiang Sheng rubbed his nose, but still shook his head and said, “Hm, the overall situation takes priority. Miss Diana will understand.”
****
“Diana, Base Body 000’s condition has deteriorated. The Chief wants you to come over immediately!”
In the Black Shark Base, Diana, who was sitting in the reception room, was shocked to hear this and shouted at her wrist communicator. “Is it His Highness Ryann!? What happened?”
“The Chief will brief you on the details. In any case, it’s very urgent, please come quickly.”
She hurriedly stood up, “Alright, I’m coming right away… Oh! If His Excellency Jiang Sheng comes to visit, could you please apologize for me, and then tell him…”
At this point, Diana’s face showed an indescribable expression.
A few days ago, following the chief’s suggestion, she visited Jiang Sheng, intending to get closer using the connection of Jiang Jianming.
Unexpectedly, this Excellency Jiang Sheng, goodness, had an 800-meter thick filter for his son. No matter what topic they started with, the conversation would always end up on “You don’t know how cute my Mingming is” or “You don’t know how excellent my Mingming is”.
Even more suffocating was that Jiang Sheng firmly believed his precious son was still in the imperial capital. When this uncle mentioned this, he would start wailing and crying, tears streaming down.
He clutched at her, sobbing, “Think about it, a disabled human civilian child in his teens, studying alone in the imperial capital, how difficult it must be… That child is so stubborn, how much hardship he must endure, dad is sorry, Mingming…” and so on.
Poor Miss Diana was already socially anxious and soft-hearted. Being startled like this, how could she possibly say, “I’m sorry, your excellency, your Mingming has already gone to the front lines suffering from chronic crystal disorder”?
She had tried to hint at it, but Jiang Sheng, wearing his 800-meter filter, simply couldn’t receive the message.
For example, Diana had once smiled timidly and said, “Do you know, Your Excellency Jiang, that our Crown Prince Ryann has established a Crown Princess? A very young disabled human military officer, um, I think their surname is also Jiang.”
Jiang Sheng: “Is that so? I’m not very familiar with current affairs, but my Mingming is also at the age where he should start thinking about love. Ah, you don’t know, that child has such high standards.”
Diana: “Uh… well…”
Jiang Sheng: “But you say the new Crown Princess is a disabled human military officer? My, it’s incredible for a disabled human to join the military. Mingming would probably admire them too, but since the Crown Prince got there first, there’s nothing to be done, haha, can’t compete with that.”
Diana: “…”
But now, seeing the urgency at the Alpha Alien Star battlefield, Old Marshal Chen was dispatching troops to assist, including new mechas using mental control.
Of course, Jiang Sheng had to accompany the army. Diana was very anxious, fearing that if the father and son met on the battlefield, Jiang Sheng might faint from the shock.
So…
Originally, she had prepared to confess the truth today.
Diana sighed. “Just tell him, the disabled human military officer I mentioned, the name of the new Crown Princess – is Jiang Jianming.”
Unfortunately, she didn’t know that at this moment, Jiang Sheng had already boarded a starship with the army, heading towards the snow and wind of Alpha Alien Star.
****
In the snow and wind, a loud shout rang out on the communication channel.
“Reporting to His Highness Jiang, reporting to Major General Xie, the enemy forces have begun to scatter and retreat!!”
The First Fortress had been completely illuminated by the dawn, and that light also illuminated the Tianshuhao, illuminating the projection of the Silver Big Dipper officer in the command room.
That face was filled with excitement, all emotions of great joy and sorrow condensed into it.
This battle had been too bitter, too bitter.
How many times had they fought from despair to hope, only to be beaten back into despair again and again.
The Crystal Cult tried to capture their fortress, so they broke through space and snow to take it back; the Bishop of Death mutated and went berserk, but was eliminated by the two highnesses at the cost of their lives; the Crystal Cult then began suicide attacks, so they also fought with their lives.
When L-Crown of Golden Dawn rose from the flames, the officer thought with tears in his eyes, it’s just the whole army dying for the country, what’s there to fear?
However, the dawn of victory finally arrived with the daybreak, and they actually didn’t lose their lives. The long-term, happy future changed from fantasy to reality.
Can we return to the country now? Can we go home?
Can we still return to our wives, children, and parents, dusty and travel-worn, lift our children high and say, your dad has come back from being a great hero protecting humanity?
But still, so many comrades could never return home.
Jiang Jianming’s voice remained calm. “Very good, now send a team to the central area and open the main cannon. The crystal particle concentration should have decreased somewhat. Wherever their starships try to escape, shoot there.”
“The remaining main force doesn’t need to change. Switch the kill targets from alien creatures to Crystal Cult members. The alien creatures can be allowed to escape, the people must be thoroughly eliminated.”
L-Crown of Golden Dawn was flying right next to the Tianshuhao. Although he had already joined up with Xie Yuduo, Jiang Jianming still hadn’t entered the starship, continuing to control the overall situation through channel communications.
The Major General was still the Major General. After Jiang Jianming cut off communication once, Xie Yuduo immediately sensed something and stopped asking questions, focusing entirely on executing orders and assisting in command.
“Bob, Cao, take your own troops to the central area, nearby medics follow with tranquilizers; Salman squad, provide long-range fire support!”
“For the rest of the units, you’ve all heard our Little Excellency Jiang’s orders, right? We want total annihilation, we want to eliminate them completely and thoroughly!”
“If anyone is still thinking about saving their own skin at this time, hmph… we’ll see you at our military tribunal. I, Xie, always keep my word.”
In fact, there was no need for Xie Yuduo to motivate them anymore.
Roars shook the sky on the aerial battlefield, with shouts like those from ancient times erupting throughout the army, a scene extremely rare in interstellar warfare.
“Kill!!”
“Charge—!!”
After repeated bitter struggles, the anger and passion accumulated by the imperial army were fully released at this moment.
The central area was breached in just ten minutes. The main cannon fired with a thunderous boom, turning the sky into a sea of fire. Countless alloy debris burned fiercely, falling like a meteor shower.
Adding wings to a tiger, dozens of anti-aircraft guns in the eastern area of the fortress also activated at this time!
It was Tang Zhen. He guessed that Jiang Jianming had calculated everything and immediately judged that the danger level of the fortress battlefield wouldn’t be high.
So he gathered a group of soldiers who still had strength left, each controlling fortress weapons to support the aerial battlefield.
The Crystal Cult continued to lose members, with no hope of turning the tide.
Of course, while they spoke of total annihilation, it wasn’t that easy in reality.
Especially for the starship fleet. Originally, under Jiang Jianming’s orders, the imperial fleet had descended, already losing control of the space domain. If the Crystal Cult wanted to leave, it was really difficult to stop them.
Jiang Jianming was about to relent, not wanting the imperial army to pursue further. He feared that some overzealous units might truly try to complete the annihilation mission, causing unnecessary sacrifices.
But in the next second, Xie Yuduo’s voice gave him an unexpected pleasant surprise.
“Little Excellency, our reinforcements are about to arrive! It’s the support promised by Grand Marshal Chen. The Silver Big Dipper army from the Third Fortress is preparing to jump, they’ll arrive immediately.”
“Excellent!”
Light burst from the depths of Jiang Jianming’s eyes. “Align the jump coordinates with them. If we’re lucky, we might even be able to set up an ambush and encirclement on the other side.”
“Encirclement?”
“Yes, I left a squad of forces in the space domain before I set out,” Jiang Jianming smiled slightly, “Originally it was prepared to defend against the Lava Space Bandits.”
“Now that our army has achieved a great victory and has reinforcements, the space bandits definitely won’t dare to move their troops. We might as well call them over to completely crush the Crystal Cult.”
Xie Yuduo was so pleasantly surprised he didn’t know what to say.
A great victory, this would be the most brilliant victory possible. Even though the process had many twists and turns, even though there were considerable casualties, this fortress recapture battle could be called amazingly marvelous, destined to go down in history.
“Major General Xie.”
Jiang Jianming now opened a private communication channel with Xie Yuduo. “I’m returning command to you. His Highness Ryann is seriously injured, I left him at the Stele of Heroes. Now that the overall situation is settled, I need to go find him.”
“The Golden Dawn is too conspicuous, it can’t come with me. I’ll have Seth pilot the mecha into the ship, please have the Tianshuhao prepare to receive it. You command the entire army to continue fighting, expand our advantage as much as possible, don’t wait for me to come back.”
Xie Yuduo: “Oh, understood. Should we send medical troops to follow?”
Jiang Jianming: “His Highness’s injury is crystal particle backlash, we can’t perform surgery on the battlefield now, medical troops won’t be of much use. It’s better to give more medication…I’ll take a medical mecha.”
Xie Yuduo said “Alright,” and also reminded Jiang Jianming to bring more tranquilizers. The latter quickly changed mechas and left after saying goodbye to the Major General.
From beginning to end, Jiang Jianming’s demeanor and actions were so natural, so calm and composed.
His voice was indeed abnormally weak, but…he had been speaking in such a sickly tone from the very beginning, and after listening to his commands all this time, they had gotten used to it.
Moreover, with the tense battle situation, Xie Yuduo’s full attention was on the war developments.
So the Major General didn’t carefully consider why the little excellency had to add a sentence at the end…
“Don’t wait for me to come back.”
