Chapter 674: Fleet Assembly

The Hermetic Order disciples before him were examining the "Angel Catalyst," each one both guarded and barely able to contain their excitement.

In his earpiece, Luo kept rambling on about her stolen technologies, interspersed with various incomprehensible theoretical explanations.

Through the mental link, Erin was chattering about how comfortable the storage compartment under the seat was—narrow but cozy, the little puppet sounding like a cat.

Yu Sheng, feigning nervousness over the "Angel Catalyst," quietly moved to a corner at the edge of the landing platform. The Hermetic Order soldiers kept an eye on him, but most of their attention quickly returned to the Catalyst.

A cloned pilot sent to deliver cargo, without even a sidearm for self-defense, with negligible psychic energy readings… how much trouble could such a person cause on a massive starship like this?

Yu Sheng pricked his finger lightly with a bloodletting knife hidden in his sleeve. A few drops of blood fell onto the platform floor, instantly absorbed by the cold steel.

That was enough—just leave a mark.

He still needed this ship to return safely to the star region under the Hermetic Order's control, to deliver that "stone" to their planet safely, without causing too much of a stir beforehand.

"All parameters match the characteristics of the 'Zorda Black Stone,'" a Hermetic Order technician fiddling with a handheld device near the force-field box said, looking up. "Unstable, minute spatial distortions have been detected inside the containment vessel, also consistent with the 'Black Stone's' properties."

A white-robed priest nearby gave a slight nod, then pressed the communicator at his ear, reporting the hangar situation to a superior—likely the ship's commander—in rapid-fire speech.

Yu Sheng waited patiently. He saw the priest's expression relax, a faint smile appearing on his face.

The other Hermetic Order disciples around him also visibly relaxed, many smiling as well.

Standing among them, Yu Sheng smiled even more brightly.

In fact, if he hadn't been wearing his helmet, the priests present might have suspected he was a true devout follower of the Sacred Path—the joy on his face was just that heartfelt. And if these Hermetic Order disciples had shot him on the spot, that grin of his could have stretched even wider; he might even have laughed out loud as he died.

Unfortunately, after waiting beside them for a long time, none of them showed any intention of turning on him. Unable to find a reason to die on the spot, he could only nod and exchange pleasantries with the cultists through his helmet, thanking each other for their hard work. In the end, they even came over for a hearty handshake…

"You can go back now," the lead white-robed priest said with a nod, his tone surprisingly polite. "Tell Old Joe that the Hermetic Order will abide by the agreement. The final payment will be transferred to the previous secret account today. Do not contact us again for a while, unless it involves another Zorda Black Stone or other Blasphemous Angel matters."

Yu Sheng nodded repeatedly, then, under the cultists' watchful eyes, boarded the shuttle.

The platform unlocked, the stasis field disengaged, and the silver-gray shuttle rose slowly, heading toward the hangar exit not far away.

Yu Sheng let out a soft breath as he handed control over to the autopilot. Then he turned his head and saw a pair of crimson eyes staring at him from the gap between the co-pilot's seat and the console.

He rubbed his chin. "…What do you think? Should I pretend to be a terrible pilot and crash into their hangar corridor?"

"Are you even human?" the little puppet spoke up. "I'd advise against it. We barely bluffed our way through this. Don't go pulling some stunt and triggering those religious nuts—it'll delay the real plan. They're crazy, not stupid."

"Just kidding, just kidding," Yu Sheng quickly waved a hand, but he couldn't help glancing back at the ship now receding through the window. "But seriously, that ship is gorgeous…"

Erin: "Listen to yourself. Do you sound like a good person?"

Yu Sheng chuckled, casually pulled the little puppet out from under the seat, and let out a long breath. "…Infiltrating an enemy ship alone, delivering a lethal bait, then walking away without a care. I think I've got an idea for my New Folder (8). And seriously, this is pretty thrilling."

The little puppet nimbly climbed onto his shoulder. "And you didn't look nervous at all. Also, listen to yourself—why don't you write the first one first?"

Yu Sheng just smiled, saying nothing. He leaned back in the shuttle's cockpit, relaxed, bathed in the starlight distorted by the gravitational faults. Outside the window, the massive "Dark Star" cruiser was slowly accelerating toward some deep space near the gravitational collapse point. A warp barrier snapped open, and the starship's silhouette elongated abruptly before disappearing in a flash of FTL transit.

Yu Sheng waited there for a while longer before leaving the dangerous gravitational fault zone under Luo's remote navigation guidance. Only after clearing the cluster of broken planetoids—the "space mountain range"—and confirming there were no surveillance eyes nearby did he teleport the shuttle back to the high orbit of Old Silence.

On the Black Space Station, inside the ecological ring's lounge area, Mo Mo's ears perked up with a tiny "ding" as an illusory door materialized in the air.

Yu Sheng stepped through, carrying Erin over his shoulder.

Hu Li, who had been dozing on the sofa, immediately sprang up and charged into Yu Sheng with the force of an assassination attempt, her head butting into him while her tail flailed like a five-speed electric fan. "Benefactor, you're back! Everything go smoothly? No one caught you? You handed over the goods?"

"Smooth, smooth, handed it over… Hey, stop shaking, I'm getting dizzy," Yu Sheng said, fumbling to peel the great fox spirit off his body. Then he turned to see the blonde elf standing nearby. "So, when do you think those cultists will deliver that 'Angel Catalyst' to their homeworld?"

Luo spread her hands. "How should I know? If it were me, I'd first thoroughly inspect the entire container to make sure there are no tracking devices or spy equipment, then isolate the Catalyst in a secure location for a month or two to confirm it won't suddenly explode. I've got serious PTSD from that thing."

Yu Sheng rubbed his chin. "We don't know if those fanatics will be that cautious. But that 'Gate of Eden' might not be so patient."

"So I said that's my case. For those cultists… I wouldn't be surprised if that ship is already flying straight to their homeworld," Luo said as she picked up a data terminal and began operating it rapidly. "They should have an illegal star gate on the border that lets that 'Dark Star' cruiser skip the vast empty space between their territory and the Morona Fault. I tracked the final acceleration signal before their ship entered warp. From the bearing, I can roughly determine its jump direction. Adding to the coordinates I cracked from their communication array earlier… I should be able to locate that star gate soon."

Erin blinked, then turned to Yu Sheng. "Hey, didn't you leave a mark on their ship? And that 'Angel Catalyst' has your bloodstains on it too. Why not just open a door and chase after them directly? Why all this fuss?"

"Those marks are meant for the very end," Yu Sheng shook his head. "The Hermetic Order will definitely keep someone watching the Catalyst around the clock. The ship transporting it is bound to be under heavy surveillance. If we open a door now, we'll expose ourselves. We have to wait until the Catalyst is delivered to the Sanctum—that's where it's going."

He paused, a faint smile spreading across his face. "Either we don't open the door, or we open it and directly infiltrate their homeworld. We're an elite squad."

"Yeah, I guess…" Erin scratched her head, looking as if she understood, but then she turned back to Luo. "So pinpointing the star gate is for…"

Luo looked up. "To light the coordinates for the fleet."

Erin: "Fleet? What fleet?"

…

Far away in deep space, in a planetary system bordering the ancient Terra star region, a thriving, vibrant planet basked in the endless radiance of its star.

Mella-IX—one of the colony worlds under the control of the Borderlands.

On this highly developed planet, colossal industrial complexes were clearly visible even from space. Transportation networks spanning continents traced faint, glowing lines through the atmosphere. Protected forests and mountains flourished, gleaming green and blue under the star's light. Beyond the thick atmosphere lay layers upon layers of countless orbital facilities ringing the planet.

Dense armed satellites, vast zero-gravity factories, orbital maneuvering cannons protecting space elevators and cities, and at high orbit: starports, FTL acceleration bridges, shipyards, and the commanding, massive homeworld defense fortress overseeing all facilities.

The homeworld defense fortress, shaped like a giant obelisk, hung high above Mella-IX. A massive fleet had already assembled, moored in a matrix formation near the fortress, awaiting orders.

A girl stood on the observation deck atop the fortress. She wore a thin white dress, her jet-black hair flowing down to her ankles, her figure thin and her face pale.

Her eyes were tightly shut, yet she seemed to be "looking" at the fleet waiting in space.

Bai Liqing stood beside her.

"This fleet should be enough to suppress the Hermetic Order's border forces—unless they somehow foresaw everything and blockaded the star gate with their entire fleet," the black-haired girl said. She tilted her head slightly. "But are you sure you want to come along? Accompanying a fleet on campaign isn't exactly the duty of the Special Operations Bureau director."

Bai Liqing raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly. "I need a vacation too."

"You consider going to war with a fleet a vacation?"

"I don't have to fight. Besides, if I don't get out of the office soon, I'll die of boredom."

The black-haired girl with closed eyes seemed to give a faint smile. She tilted her head slightly. "Fine, suit yourself. Just don't do what you did last time—jumping off the deck and plunging into the atmosphere in person…"