Him and their stars.

Chapter 2004 The youngsters really defeated the enemy.
When Yu Lian opened his eyes, it took him a full five or six seconds to regain his senses and vision of the real world. However, it took him just as long to recover from the disorienting, surreal feeling. Only then did the sense of mental control over the body return to his consciousness.

"Hmm, the familiar ceiling... Hey, isn't this a transparent dome? So, it's the familiar starry sky." Yu Lian then let out a full sigh.

The ceiling of the Silent Star Observatory could not possibly be a transparent dome, but it could still provide a similar function.

Ordinary people cannot distinguish the changes in different star systems, but a navigator with a little experience can, let alone a psionicist like Yu Lian.

This time, he was certain that he had truly returned. Everything he had experienced after opening that "treasure chest" in the spiritual world felt like a lifetime ago.

Of course, the important thing is that I survived.

As long as you survive, you will become stronger.

He turned his head and looked at Little Gray, who was floating in the sky in a lying position, with his face (made of nanocells) less than half a meter away from him, and asked seriously, "How much time has passed again?"

"Not long. I've been gone for ten years. Waaaaah, I've turned into this shape. Waaaaah, why didn't you show me your true form sooner?" As she sobbed pitifully, her prison clothes transformed into a jewel-encrusted imperial palace dress.

Even when Brunhilde occasionally dressed in women's clothing for grand ceremonies, it wasn't as grand as this.

Yu Lian responded with deadpan eyes: "Isn't your function to prevent you from lying?"

Little Grey fluttered her long eyelashes, her bright, sparkling eyes lifting slightly, making no attempt to hide her disappointment at someone's lack of understanding: "Little brother, let me tell you a fact based on fundamental mathematical logic: so-called lies are actually relative concepts, not absolute ones. If they don't have the effect of deception, then they're just jokes."

What kind of mathematical logic is this?
Yu Lian firmly believes that these days, even physics, when studied to its deepest level, will inevitably become metaphysics, but mathematics is the only thing that will never change. It is the only true god in this real world full of frivolous and cheap imitations.

So he stretched lazily on the recliner made of Bifang, and looked up at the familiar ceiling and starry sky. Without even giving any commands, two more round Bifang leaped up and transformed and combined in front of him to form a complete screen.

"Hey, hey, hey, which side are you on?" Little Gray shouted.

Bifang and the others probably didn't hear it, and Yu Lian probably pretended he didn't hear it either. His attention was, of course, drawn to the burning hull of the Imperial Flame Dragon-class Dreadnought on the screen.

She stood before the silver stargate, unyielding against the barrage of gunfire from all directions. Like a brave warrior charging forward through a hail of enemy arrows.

Of course, if the image is reversed, it will probably look something like this.

In reality, the Imperial warship, engulfed in flames, barely managed to retreat behind the stargate under heavy fire. The moment its bow was enveloped by the strange spatial ripples of the Gate of Glory, the right-hand cannons flickered briefly, but then went out without firing a single shot.

Even Yu Lian wasn't sure whether the warship had been sunk or escaped; he just felt that the scene felt somewhat stolen.

For a moment, he actually felt a little sentimental.

It's important to know that the Flame Dragon-class is the most widely equipped dreadnought in the Empire, achieving a near-perfect balance in terms of firepower, protection, range, carrying capacity, command capabilities, and even cost-effectiveness.

For nearly a century, these warships have been the symbol of the Galactic Empire's dominance across half the universe. The mere sighting of them in near-Earth orbit around any planet instantly shatters any will to fight against the Empire's tyranny.

However, when the war broke out, it was always the Flame Dragon that was injured, with a casualty rate even higher than that of the older model Corona.

Now, the Flame Dragon-class Fearless, resembling a great demon king, was trembling and fleeing in a sorry state, covered in flames. It was as if it had been filled with shockwaves and could only run away while clutching its groin. From beginning to end, all that remained was vicissitude and desolation.

The saying goes that heroes are as beautiful as beauties. It is certainly a tragedy that a former warrior has grown so old that he can no longer even lift a sword. But perhaps even more tragic is that a warrior in his prime has been reduced to a clown being forced to eat cream puffs.

Even if they are enemies, shouldn't we at least express our feelings politely in this situation?

So, Yu Lian couldn't help but cast a deep gaze at the Flame Dragon-class creature that had completely disappeared into the Star Gate, and then clapped his hands and burst into laughter, almost laughing until tears streamed down his face.

Little Gray said, "What a pitiful warship... Why is it this model again?"

"Perhaps it's because I have a connection with them." Yu Lian shrugged.

Of course, the main reason is probably because the Empire equipped the most of these Dreadnoughts, as they were so cost-effective in asymmetric warfare and patrolling and suppressing vast territories.

“So, I just slept for at least 10 hours again,” Yu Lian added.

At this moment, another screen rose up beside him, displaying a string of Imperial warship wreckage floating in space. It included destroyers and battlecruisers, at least ten in total. They lay as corpses between the stargate and Fortress No. 1, a pitiful sight of unfinished death.

Automated engineering vessels and robots from Fortress 1 roam this sizable graveyard of warships. Out of humanitarian concern, they are naturally responsible for plundering survivors, as well as collecting all available supplies and spare parts.

If the engineering ships that were supplying Eleanor earlier were a group of diligent worker bees, then those now hovering over the "piles of corpses" are like a swarm of equally dutiful swarms of gnats...

Uh, that seems a bit insulting.

"So, the battle is over!" Yu Lian sighed.

“Yes. Your men did indeed achieve a complete victory. The Imperial fleet that emerged from the stargate was dealt a heavy blow. As you saw, the flagship, Flame Dragon, was severely wounded and fled. As for the rest of the enemy forces that followed her out of the stargate, half of them are still there.” Little Grey pointed to the pile of warship wreckage.

"As for your nemesis, the Sobyk fleet, it did try to coordinate a pincer attack, but it was forced to stay a unit away by the enemy's arc cannons and was unable to coordinate."

Yu Lian's gaze swept across the porthole, fixed on the distant horizon.

With his perception, he could even detect man-made objects two or three astronomical units away with the naked eye.

However, at the original point in space where the Sobyk fleet was located, only a dozen or so light warships remained.

"Your new group of subordinates initiated the pursuit. The two sides fought for several hours in the range limit of the main arc gun of this ship, without either side inflicting much damage on the other. He has abandoned his original position and retreated to the orbit of the Gate of Glory-5 planet."

It was the only Earth-like planet in this star system, a reddish-brown planet with a thin atmosphere, almost no water on the surface, and no native life found. However, it did have relatively abundant mineral resources.

The Imperial Army built orbital refineries, shipping consumables processing plants, and maintenance platforms on this planet.

It's important to understand that the Imperial space facilities in this star system are mainly divided into two large groups. One group is naturally the fortress complex and turrets near the stargate, and the other group is right here.

...Most of the space stations on Planet 5 are "civilian," but there are still some turrets. Brother So probably feels very safe here.

No, no, we can't judge people with old eyes. Brother Suo is already a "flower of a famous general," who knows, he might be pursuing other schemes?

Yu Lian nodded with satisfaction: "Not bad, not bad, the results are gratifying, but there is still a tiny bit of room for improvement. If I had been in command personally, I could at least have kept that Flame Dragon ship. Comrades, we shouldn't be complacent, we can start preparing for the debriefing meeting."

"Yes, yes, it was indeed a remarkable operation." Little Grey praised twice with a blank, monotone tone: "So, you've actually slept for a full 20 hours."

Yu Lian was slightly taken aback, and quickly looked down to open his personal terminal.

In the dreamlike corridor formed by the intersection of time and space, he had long lost his subjective perception of time in the outside world, and for a moment he really couldn't determine what year it was.

The clock face clearly showed that it was already the afternoon of January 2nd. If we disregard the possibility that Little Gray had tampered with it, 20 hours had indeed passed since his next deep sleep.

Just as Yu Lian was about to say something, Xiao Hui yawned affectionately, blew Yu Lian a kiss, and then turned and disappeared.

Immediately afterward, a clear communication notification sounded on the terminal, and then Fei Fei, smiling sweetly, appeared in Yu Lian's sight.

"I think I've arrived at the right time?" she said with a smile.

“You’ve always come at the right time,” Yu Lian said with a smile.

This wasn't just a coincidence of Fei Fei's call. The Silent Ship was currently hovering near Fortress 1. With Fei Fei's abilities, sensing Yu Lian's mental fluctuations was quite easy. She could certainly ascertain her commander's (her lover's) real-time status.

Yu Lian added, "I have gained a lot."

Behind the screen, Fei Fei stared at Yu Lian, her eyes seemingly seeing through all the pretense: "Indeed, you have gained a lot. This realm should soon be too much for you to handle."

She then gave a reserved smile: "And so do other people."

She wiped away tears that might not even exist, and said in a trembling voice, "I've been waiting for you for so long."