That evening, another batch of exploration troops returned. Half an hour later, accompanied by a soft “hum” and footsteps, a Golden Sun Wheel soldier hurriedly passed through the automatic door. “Report…”
In the main command room of the Golden Sun Wheel space station, the Crown Prince sat in contemplation before the curved screen. The black-haired officer beside him had his eyes closed, leaning back in his chair with the heir’s coat draped over him, appearing to be asleep.
Hearing the movement, Ryann immediately turned around, raising his index finger. “Shh.”
However, Jiang Jianming had already been awakened.
He opened his eyes, a trace of undisguised fatigue flashing between his brows. He lifted the coat off himself and turned around, his voice somewhat hoarse. “What is it, speak.”
…In a place like the Crystal Nest, the longer things dragged on, the worse it became.
Even while staying in the space station, both crystal races’ mental state and non-crystal races’ physical condition would gradually weaken. A few days ago, several generals had already met to discuss whether troops should take turns returning home for treatment.
So now it was more of a gamble. Would the Crystal Nest gather enough “ultimate” power first and destroy humanity in one strike, or would the imperial army find the Crystal Nest’s mother nucleus first and eliminate the crystal particles in one go?
Or would the Crystal Nest, unable to withstand the imperial army’s attacks, decide to launch an offensive against humanity at the cost of revealing the mother nucleus’s location?
Or would the imperial army, unable to maintain this torturous war of attrition, retreat from the Crystal Nest and return home?
No one knew what would happen next.
“Yes, yes!”
The Golden Sun Wheel soldier looked worriedly at His Highness the Crown Princess, seeming to lower his voice, “According to the data fed back by today’s exploration army, the Crystal Nest’s attack intensity has increased slightly. Major General Xie asked us to bring the analysis charts for both Your Highnesses to see…”
Both men were moved – this could be considered great news. Ryann grabbed the coat that had fallen aside and draped it back over Jiang Jianming’s shoulders. “Send it through.”
Soon, their screen displayed dense charts, numbers, and explanatory text that caused headaches at first glance.
But after half a year, Jiang Jianming and Ryann were used to these things. The two exchanged glances after scanning for less than a minute.
Ryann said quietly, “No good, can’t make anything out of it.”
“Having movement is already good news. It shows our offensive is approaching the enemy’s limit of endurance.”
Jiang Jianming placed his hand reassuringly on His Highness’s hand, “Seems the Crystal Nest isn’t doing well either.”
He then leaned closer and whispered so the soldier couldn’t hear. “Now we need to stay steady, pretending to have strength until the very last second before we truly can’t hold on. If we waver even slightly, the Crystal Nest will sense it, and everything could be ruined.”
Ryann glanced at him and snorted. “You’re certainly skilled at pretending to be tough.”
The heir waved for the soldier to leave. But Jiang Jianming suddenly called him back. “Wait, you’re a stationed soldier at the Golden Sun Wheel space station, right?”
The soldier quickly replied. “Yes! I’ve served at the space station for over ten years.”
Jiang Jianming: “Then I want to ask, this ‘Pangu’s Axe’ of yours… can it be dismantled?”
The soldier: “Huh?”
Looking at Jiang Jianming’s serious expression, who had even leaned forward slightly, it was clear he wasn’t joking. “Is it possible to detach it from the space station and lower it to the Crystal Nest’s low-altitude area for firing?”
The soldier was caught off guard for a moment, “Uh, there’s never been such a precedent, you can ask the technical troops about its feasibility. But the giant cannon itself has no defensive equipment, so…”
So the idea of dismantling the cannon was a bit too outlandish, he swallowed the rest of his words. His Highness Jiang’s thinking was beyond what a simple soldier like him could comprehend.
After the soldier left, Ryann frowned at Jiang Jianming. “Lower the Pangu’s Axe into the Crystal Nest? The mother nucleus’s location hasn’t been confirmed yet, even if we shorten the attack distance…”
Jiang Jianming looked at him with a hint of a smile, slowly shaking his head.
“No, you…”
Ryann first inhaled sharply with a soft “hiss,” showing some surprise, “You’re planning to use the Pangu’s Axe as bait!?”
****
The next day, Jiang Jianming presented his proposal at the military conference.
All the generals were shocked. For a moment, whispers filled the conference room.
The Pangu’s Axe was the imperial military’s most powerful weapon, now specially modified into a crystal particle annihilation cannon specifically targeting the Crystal Nest. For the Crystal Nest, it represented the greatest threat.
Jiang Jianming’s idea was simple – dismantle the Pangu’s Axe and lower it into the Crystal Nest. Under such deterrence and temptation, the Crystal Nest would likely unleash stronger attacks in an attempt to destroy the giant cannon.
As long as they forced the Crystal Nest to use the mother nucleus’s power, they would have a chance to decode that crucial coordinate point.
“But…”
Senior Colonel Lin Zhi couldn’t help speaking up, “If we actually lose the Pangu’s Axe, it would be unbearable for our army.”
“Therefore, we won’t completely sink the Pangu’s Axe deep into the Crystal Nest.”
Jiang Jianming swept his gaze across the generals below, the huge light blue screen reflected in his deep black pupils, “Once the battle begins, immediately cover the heavy artillery’s withdrawal from the battlefield; for that final distance, we’ll need the army to test it out.”
He said in a deep voice. “The casualties will be severe. The soldiers going into this battle must be mentally prepared to not return.”
Now, his status and prestige were different from before, and with the return of the commander’s memories, his mindset had also changed. Rather than presenting a proposal, it was more like giving instructions.
But this was better – now with many generals gathered at the imperial space station and Old Marshal Chen guarding the rear, in terms of status, only the two royal highnesses were qualified to coordinate.
There was a light sound beside him as a tall figure stood up. Jiang Jianming glanced sideways to see Ryann pressing one hand on the table in front of him, “Who’s coming with me?”
He reached out and ruthlessly pushed Ryann back into his seat. “Your Highness cannot go.”
The heir said angrily. “What are you doing?”
Jiang Jianming frowned, moving closer and lowering his voice. “Are you asking me? The soldiers can at least be equipped with Base Bodies, but your situation is different. Didn’t the Chief mention this before?”
“…Tch.”
Ryann turned away in frustration. Previously, Sylph had indeed warned multiple times that if this Base Body died again, the original body’s mental state might not be able to hold on.
But the Crown Prince was used to charging forward personally, and only Jiang Jianming would dare to push His Highness back down in front of everyone.
“…”
The generals didn’t know what Jiang Jianming was saying to Ryann, and they didn’t dare to listen. They all either glanced away or lowered their heads as appropriate.
Hmm, we can’t hear anything, we can’t see anything.
Xie Yuduo was particularly silent, thinking to himself that this must be how those rumors about the Commander Aslan disrespecting the monarch started back then…
“We don’t know what will happen after the Crystal Nest’s mother nucleus coordinates are exposed. If the Pangu’s Axe can’t completely destroy it, what then?”
Jiang Jianming did manage to comfort Ryann somewhat, softening his voice. “Your Highness wouldn’t be content letting a lifeless artillery platform be our final trump card, right? Please stay back as our last line of defense.”
Ryann said quietly, “Then what about you?”
Jiang Jianming immediately replied. “I’ll naturally stay back as well.”
“The Little Excellency is right, neither of Your Highnesses can risk it.”
Xie Yuduo spoke up, the Major General’s slender eyes tilting upward as he smiled and looked around the conference room, legs crossed and swaying.
“This is a chance to go down in history – it’s only right that I should take the vanguard position. None of you try to fight me for it.”
“Xiao Xie!” Jin Min grew anxious, speaking harshly. “You are the future of the Silver Big Dipper, you’re not allowed to go either!”
Celine stood up almost simultaneously, “The Silver Big Dipper should be preserved as a vital force for the final assault. For the path-breaking mission, please allow this officer to lead the Golden Sun Wheel forward.”
The next day at the space station’s open-air starship port.
Armed warships lined the port as Base Body soldiers in crystal-resistant armor boarded in sequence.
Occasionally, someone would look up and see the Crystal Nest like an enormous snowball, hanging quietly at the horizon lined with alloy steel, the dark starry sky embracing it like silent waves.
By now, most people had grown accustomed to it, though in the first few months, people would frequently develop megalophobia from seeing this thing.
“Son, your old man’s leaving.”
Under the starship, Old Black Sheep patted Gao Long’s shoulder. This inarticulate Space Bandit struggled to say anything emotional, only managing, “You’re still young, follow the little colonel and do well.”
Gao Long’s eyes reddened, and he punched Old Black Sheep’s shoulder, “After this battle, if you’re not dead, let’s go back to Maz Star to see mom.”
He sniffled, his gruff voice turning hoarse, “Mom said before she passed that she didn’t blame you, she just missed you.”
“Tch…”
In the distance, Xie Yuduo frowned, arms crossed, “Come on, kid, even if you die in the Crystal Nest, the Empire won’t remember your heroic sacrifice.”
Red Dragon tied his messy hair into a ponytail at the back. Without looking at Xie Yuduo, he turned to Jiang Jianming and said quietly, “Thanks.”
Jiang Jianming replied coolly, “This was your own decision, I won’t interfere.”
In the end, the Lava Space Bandits decided to burn out their lives here.
While imperial soldiers’ Base Bodies could return to their original bodies after death, these space bandits’ original bodies had been drained of crystal particles and couldn’t withstand the shock of Base Body death – if they died on the battlefield, that was it.
Old Black Sheep turned to board the ship. His back was initially hunched but grew straighter with each step.
Finally, standing at the highest point of the starship’s entrance, he waved to Gao Long one last time against the backlight.
Gao Long cupped his hands into a tube and shouted from afar. “Dad—! It’s okay if you die! I’ll bring your remains back to Maz, let dad and mom lie together!”
Inside the Lava starship, a group of space bandits gathered unceremoniously, some standing, some sitting. When they saw Old Black Sheep come up, they surrounded him, cursing.
“Old Black Sheep, who told you to come along, you imperial dog!”
“Our boss doesn’t even want you! Why don’t you go enjoy life with that precious son of yours!”
Old Black Sheep remained silent with his head down. Soon Red Dragon also boarded the ship. The youth gave him a complex look, snorted, and turned away.
He called out “Boss” and followed behind the youth, just like during every battle over these years.
At the port, Jiang Jianming was still giving final instructions to several high-ranking military officers heading into battle.
“The Base Body plan isn’t some immortality technique. If soldiers grow careless because of it, problems will definitely arise.”
A hint of heaviness flashed in his eyes, “There’s still too much unknown about the Crystal Nest. Please, please proceed with utmost caution.”
Xie Yuduo replied seriously. “Please rest assured, Little Excellency. Regarding this point, I have already given instructions. Once we sense the situation is getting out of control, we will immediately end ourselves to let our consciousness return.”
Jiang Jianming nodded slightly, suddenly frowning as he began to cough. Two guard soldiers beside him quickly reached out to support him, “The crystal particle concentration is too high here, Your Highness should…”
Jiang Jianming instinctively wanted to say “it’s fine,” but then remembered that such words from him would only have the opposite effect on those around him now, so he had to close his mouth.
However, he had no other instructions to give anyway. Soon Ryann came personally to fetch him. Jiang Jianming returned to the space station’s main command room, and had just taken two pills when he saw the starships leaving port through the porthole.
Those tiny black shadows formed a line against the snow-white Crystal Nest, like a black crow soaring beneath the moon.
Jiang Jianming didn’t even bother finishing his medicine, immediately pushing aside the medicine bottle and raising his hand to open all the large screens.
Instantly, square virtual screen blocks popped up, filling the space around the seat as their center.
“Jiang,” Ryann approached him from behind, forcefully stuffing one last inhalable medicine into his mouth, “It’ll just take three to five seconds.”
Jiang Jianming helplessly opened his mouth, biting the medicine spray nozzle and mumbling. “But Your Highness, if we succeed this time, there’s hope of destroying the Crystal Nest’s mother nucleus in one strike. When victory comes then, I won’t need to take medicine anymore.”
“And if we don’t succeed… the army will probably have to temporarily withdraw from the Crystal Nest and return home, and I won’t need to take medicine then either.”
