Him and their stars.

Chapter 2190 Breaking Through Must Also Be a Triple Celebration
Just before the strange play at Universal Paradise opened, in the outermost void of the Sky Domain, inside the bridge of the Silent Ship, the atmosphere was as heavy as iron.

"That's the gist of it." Aside from some overly mysterious occult details, Fei Fei had already explained the situation to everyone: "His Excellency the Commander has decided to personally cover the rear and ensure everyone's evacuation."

Everyone looked at each other, unsure of what expression to make.

Logically speaking, when an army commander personally covers the retreat for his soldiers trapped in dire straits, it should be a heroic and tragic tale worthy of praise. These soldiers would either express their grief and fervor by vowing to live and die with their commander, never abandoning or giving up on him; or they would keep the will of the fallen deep in their hearts, carrying boundless fighting spirit and courage as they head towards the distance to create the future that the heroes longed for.

Yes, this is how normal emotions should be. However, Commander Yu and his loyal soldiers all felt that something seemed amiss.

"This, Commander, isn't this too much work for you? Why do this? Why do you have to do this? How are the soldiers supposed to cope? How am I supposed to cope?" Even the most loyal Captain Nemo had to compose himself for a long time before he could barely express his concern.

With such excellent acting skills, his current worries are quite exaggerated.

"So, this is the rearguard, is it? Since he is invincible and unconquerable, he should be in no danger now, right?" Eleanor Bonaparte said.

Her expressionless, monotone pronunciation only made it sound more exaggerated.

“If it’s him, he’ll always find a way to get away. Just like all of Professor Jones’ dangerous maneuvers, they’re essentially just for showing off,” Ina Shilica said very seriously.

That being said, using long-running TV dramas as an example just doesn't seem quite right.

"Since things have come to this, this is the only option we have." Gongsun Qing seemed to still have some lingering fear: "You all have no idea how dangerous the situation was just now."

"You really wanted to ambush Count Lamute just now, didn't you?" Fei Fei glanced at the Sword Saint, her expression carrying a hint of a headache.

The other party turned his head away slightly embarrassed: "Look at what you're saying, it's not that exaggerated. How could I act rashly without your and Commander Yu's orders? When the Heavenly Domain Array was set up just now, Chi Ji was almost teleported away with the dragon horde."

Those present witnessed the dragon herd being carried away by the spatial passage, and couldn't help but feel lingering fear. At that time, the Flamewing Dragon that Gongsun Qing was riding was also very restless, but because the rider decisively slammed it twice on the dragon's head, he finally made this intelligent beast recall the fear of being dominated by Earthlings.

Or perhaps, it reminded the giant dragon, Crimson Steed, of his pride as a rebel warrior!

In short, at the critical moment, Gongsun Qing finally returned riding a dazed dragon.

"What about the rest of the Star Dragons?" Fei Fei asked.

“There is indeed some restlessness, but we were prepared in advance and it is still under control,” Colonel Walter replied. Seeing that Fifi’s gaze had already drifted over, she quickly added, “It’s not a tranquilizer, nor is it the paralysis system of the Bifangs, but rather that the zookeepers were prepared in advance to calm them down.”

“The Empire’s mystical array will not affect the ship’s interior,” Gongsun Qing said.

"That's good. Since they're prisoners of war... no, since they've surrendered to the royal army, and since they're the commander-in-chief's mount, they must have backbone. Prisoners of war who aren't absolutely loyal are absolutely disloyal and should undergo complete purification." Fei Fei nodded in satisfaction.

She knew that Yu Lian had a plan to bring the dragons on the Ceremonial Ship back to the base camp to see if it was possible to establish Earth's own dragon nest.

Although the Spirit Research Association is also working on this, hoping to find suitable war beasts for Earthlings to raise in the virtual realm, it's only just begun. Since it's research, having more options is never a bad thing.

“But, Colonel Lee, isn’t this… uh, sorry, the officer has his own plans.” Horatio Wayne on the screen hesitated for a long time before finally deciding it was best to keep quiet.

"Horaceau, are you trying to say he's meeting up with an old flame?" Fifi asked directly.

A moment of complete silence fell over both the screen and the audience, creating an extremely awkward atmosphere. Fortunately, Fei Fei, the most important person involved, maintained her magnanimous, composed, and calmly healing smile: "We can't rule out that possibility. However, we all know that in this diverse era, the highest form of politics is nothing more than bedroom politics."

Of course, marriage politics exists, but aren't all the parties involved kings?
Is it appropriate for you, the (unofficial) Minister of Organization of the Pioneer Party, to say such a thing?

Fortunately, there weren't really any particularly steadfast Pioneer Party members present. Feifei knew, of course, that after this expedition straight to the capital, the entire fleet was simply that guy's loyalists. They were loyal to him personally, not to the nation.

They trusted their commander completely and were willing to accept all his orders, even those that sounded utterly absurd.

At least in the current context, this is a good thing.

Feifei then concluded, "Our superior knows everything. As long as we do our jobs well, that's the greatest support we can give him."

“Then let’s proceed according to the initial plan. During the previous battles, our commander instructed us to plan our marching route in advance based on the current real-time movements of the Imperial fleet,” Michael Kent, a staff officer, interjected.

Deng Zhengqing had already opened the star map: "This is the real-time star map we obtained from the Imperial Army's intranet a minute ago."

Suddenly, a dense and orderly cluster of lights appeared above, resembling stars, naturally representing the imperial fleets heading to the Celestial Realm from all directions. The brightest triangle icon among them represented a Titan.

It is immediately apparent that three triangles have already appeared within a star field spanning a thousand light-years in the Celestial Domain. Four more have also entered the Imperial Central Star Field from various star sectors.

Just looking at the star map, it gives the feeling of a massive army pressing in and a storm brewing, making people's hearts tremble with fear.

“We cannot rule out the possibility that the Imperial Army is forcing its way here. You know, under normal circumstances, the Sobaik fleet should have just arrived in Laksola by now. But here they are!” Captain Nemo added.

These are truly wise and prudent words!
While the triangles and other points of light surging across the star map were certainly daunting, the greatest source of pressure was clearly the main fleet under Vice Admiral Jaeger Sobyk within this star system.

More than ten battlecruisers and armored aircraft carriers, nearly thirty heavy cruisers and light carriers, plus a gleaming dragon ship—the number may seem small, but each one resembles a majestic steel fortress.

Putting aside the Enlightened Ancient Ship, which is outside the standard specifications, it looks much more magnificent and powerful than the Earth fleet, which is about the same size.

They hovered on the effective tactical edge, 1500 million kilometers away from the main fleet, neither approaching nor moving away, maintaining a highly oppressive synchronized maneuver.

Like a pack of wolves waiting for their chance to strike!
Considering that they had also arrived by forced march, it's hard not to let the people of Earth have all sorts of wild speculations.

Indeed, the Sobyk fleet played a crucial role in the previous operation to kill the Void Realm Beast, cooperating seamlessly with the Earth fleet. However, we also know that the most trusted allies often become the most formidable enemies.

After all, she was an "arch-rival" acknowledged by their own commander-in-chief. After all, she was the "Wolf of Dawn," the "Flower of Famous Generals."

Despite this, the Earth command remained generally calm.

Eleanor said, "So far, the Sobyk fleet has not made any obviously hostile maneuvers, nor has it detected any signs of the enemy's main weapons charging or launch bays opening. During the rendezvous just now, the Imperial fighter group has also maintained a relatively safe distance of 1000 million kilometers from us."

Wayne's expression was somewhat strange, a mixture of surprise, admiration, and wariness: "A large number of their support high-mobility warships, including work ships and medical ships, are participating in the rescue of the space city in the rear. If you switch to the Sobyk fleet's communication channels now, you'll find that most of them are reports on the rescue situation."

After all, the pollution of the virtual realm had already affected a considerable number of civilian space cities. Even though the various virtual realm monsters had been defeated or expelled from the main universe, the damage they left behind still existed objectively, some of which was even structural damage.

Without professional rescue efforts, some space cities could collapse and disintegrate within an hour or two. The number of civilian casualties would then reach hundreds of thousands. "The only forces currently confronting us are all the aircraft carriers, battlecruisers, and that dragon ship," Wayne said. "For General Sobek, the safety of the capital's civilians is more important than monitoring us."

Fifi sighed with admiration, giving it extremely high praise: "Indeed, within this galaxy, if anyone truly possesses the highest chivalry, besides Count Lamut, it must be General Sobek. The latter is even purer; he is a pure model of 'Knight of the People,' a unique individual in the Galactic Empire. This is His Excellency the Commander's assessment. Horatio, these words can serve as parting words to the other side."

Everyone looked at each other, feeling a sense of malicious instigation, but in truth, it was a classic case of heroes respecting heroes, a truly legendary tale!

Then, the technical department adjusted the star map again, and more than a dozen dotted lines of different colors appeared on the navigation network.

“We did consider the possibility of the Imperial fleet making a forced march, so we recalculated all the possibilities using the Silent Ship’s terminal. Time is limited, and the General Staff has devised six breakout routes. But no matter which one we choose, we cannot avoid encountering the superior Imperial fleet.” Michael Kent’s report was calm, but ultimately carried a hint of tension.

Eleanor glanced at the bright spots and colorful dotted lines on the star map, took a deep breath, and said, "Plan C, which goes through Gravity Well No. 1 and turns towards Cloud Tower from Toristan, is probably the safest option. We are very likely to encounter the King's fleet before we leave the Imperial Central Sector."

Feifei laughed: "King Wei is not a kind person. That's also your commander's assessment."

Mihir Kent also laughed: "Yes, judging from the current situation, the possibility of the King of the Guard intercepting us... is at least the lowest among all the Imperial fleets right now."

A soldier who doesn't understand political calculations will always remain a pure soldier, and among this group of valiant warriors, Kent is indeed the one with the most potential to become a general or prime minister.

Fish has a good eye for people. Fifi's gaze swept across Kent's face, and she asked, "So, what about the direction of Gravity Well No. 3, towards the Far Frontier? That's your Plan D?"

There was another brief pause at the scene.

Kent turned the red dotted line to its brightest setting: "Going in this direction, we might encounter the King of the Guards' interception, but at least we won't run into Marshal Betaway and Duke Barryen's fleet. If we proceed smoothly towards the Far Frontier, we might be able to reach the edge of the Abyss Nebula from the two planets."

"Plan D is to enter the Abyss from the Far Frontier. At that time, whether we follow the Marauders' original expedition route, cross the New World through the Gate of Glory, or return to the Far Shore along the route we came from, we can adapt flexibly." Deng Zhengqing added, "The Empire can no longer deploy a large force to surround us like it did half a year ago. The Silent Ship's special capabilities can ensure the condition of all warships to the greatest extent, and everything will be much easier than when we came. Considering that we have already mastered a large number of secret routes within the Nebula, which should be regarded as open roads rather than forbidden zones, we should be able to break free from the Empire's encirclement more quickly."

Wayne added, "The ultimate goal is of course the new Shenzhou, but depending on the situation, we might even be able to infiltrate the direction of Femo and give the alliance a little help."

“Indeed, that’s a good thing. If we could let them fight all at once, that would be even better,” Fei Fei said.

Of course, she knew this was impossible. The more the alliance made a big show of it, the more likely it was just staging an armed parade. In any case, the Empire had already withdrawn its troops from the Canchuan line, gaining the necessary depth, and the alliance's strategic objectives had been achieved.

She also remembered Yu Liantong saying that with the Colossus in hand, the possibility of the two sides fighting each other would become increasingly lower.

...Perhaps, we could think about it. Fei Fei began to conjure up some mischievous ideas, the kind that thrive on chaos.

“However, we are very likely to encounter the fleet led by the Dawn Angel in the Yaro system, which is right here…” Deng Zhengqing opened a certain area of ​​the star map and pointed to the glowing triangle: “We will encounter the fleet led by the Dawn Angel. Considering that King Suliuka and Countess Lamute have already arrived in the Celestial Realm, this fleet should be jointly commanded by Vice Admiral Ostana Bar and Vice Admiral Wofna Memida.”

"Heh, the orange cat's chief strategist and henchman A! Double happiness!" Fei Fei's smile carried a hint of bloodlust.

After a few seconds of silence, Kent, with a faint headache in his eyes, continued, "If you can break through Yaro and enter the Extreme Frontier, the next large-scale fleet you'll encounter is this one. It consists of the Extreme Frontier's garrison fleet and the fleets of the feudal lords, and the commanders should be Lieutenant General Olivia Rowentour and Major General Gong Xiao."

“Oh, the orange cat’s henchman B, and the commander’s nephew!” Fei Fei couldn’t help but clap her hands. “This is double the joy, and now there’s another layer of joy. This is simply a dreamlike and happy time.”

The content of this statement was too exaggerated, and no one could respond to it.

“Speaking of which, wasn’t Miss Olivia Rowentour seriously injured and admitted to the treatment ward? She’s been discharged so quickly; she’s quite the heroine who never leaves the front lines,” Fei Fei praised again.

Everyone looked at her, awaiting orders.

Colonel Fina Lee paused for a few seconds, then, mimicking Yu Lian's gesture, straightened her flat cap. She then naturally ordered the senior officers present: "Full fleet, maintain defensive formation, lock onto the direction of Gravity Well No. 3, and gradually accelerate to tactical cruising speed. Note that your attitude must remain stable; ignore the movements of the Sobyk fleet."

"understand!"

As the commander's adjutant, she naturally issued orders in the capacity of the commander's acting officer, and no one present seemed to object.

Her orders were carried out swiftly.

With the Silent One at its core, the Earth formation began to emerge steadily and orderly from the complex and broken mechanical wreckage area, like the receding tide, heading towards the jump channel formed by interwoven gravity on the outer edge of the galaxy.

The ship's silhouette, propelled by sub-light-speed engines, left long, solemn, and silent trails in the dark depths of space.

On their flanks and behind them, the Imperial fleet watched everything with cold eyes, like a silent pack of wolves.

They maintained their distance, doing their best to keep their side away from that invisible "red line." The cannons of the Imperial warships remained menacing, and the energy readings were kept at the alert level, but there was no trace of the deadly anticipation of battle.

They were seeing each other off as if they were politely seeing each other off at the border.

On the Imperial Rabbit, the Imperial crew members watched the Earth fleet moving away from their own side, their emotions far more complex than those of the Earthlings on the other side.

"You...you just let them go like that?"

"I always feel that Earthlings are too carefree, as if they look down on us!"

"So what? Do we really want to go to war?"

"Even with an overwhelming numerical advantage, how many men would it take to take down that ghost ship?"

"Yes, the reason why the Sobyk fleet is invincible is that it only fights battles it can win! This is the teaching of His Excellency the Commander!"

"Did Your Excellency, Commander, really teach such a thing?"

"Well, maybe we are? But are we invincible? When we encounter the Demon Dragon, uh, the Dawn Dragon, can we only barely manage to hold on?"

"It's already quite good that you can barely maintain this state. Commander, you are that nemesis that even he acknowledges. Speaking of which, is it the Demon Dragon or the Dragon of Dawn? You two are really divided!"

"A split? Wasn't it the old men at the top who started the split first?"

Compared to his subordinates, whose emotions were indeed complex and somewhat divided, Jaeger Sobek's reaction was quite straightforward.

He gazed at the Earth fleet disappearing into the distance, then let out a long sigh, as if he were a survivor of a bloody battle: "Ahhh! They're finally gone! We don't have to fight anymore! We're saved!"

(End of this chapter)