"Do you know the top-tier fighters hidden among those guys who were sent to satellite No. 8 by the major powers? Many of them are capable of First-Order strength, and some can even spar with me, so how could a group symbolizing national wealth possibly risk exploring? This is nothing but unilateral slaughter."

Jiu Ling had never considered that such a cruel conspiracy lay behind the exploration. She tentatively asked, "Then, in the previous cooperation with the Federal Government, did you ever consider these things?"

"No need—more than that, I'm more concerned about the news released by Feng Yi. Is it a mere bluff, or is there more to come? It's truly something to look forward to..."

Jiu Ling was utterly speechless. "It seems you really care about that person."

"Haha, don't you think it's quite interesting to have an opponent in this world?"

The idea of an opponent was something Jiu Ling had never contemplated. In her early years, she had suffered at the hands of Revenge Shadow Rider and it had left her with psychological scars. All she hoped for was the early end of the chaotic pandemic. However, in Kexiao's reply, Jiu Ling heard only three words: unlikely, which could be the start of a human disaster. Within not one year, perhaps just half a year, the entire world could fall into an era of anarchic disarray—resource shortages, food supply disruptions, and public security chaos. The cascading consequences were so alarming that even he dared not think any further. Therefore, Saudi was also doing everything possible at the moment to prevent the virus from spreading further.

----

The morning sun had not yet risen, and at the 'Meteor' area of satellite No. 8, the various forces already in their places were ready to go. In this race against time, not only were they racing against the clock, they were also surreptitiously on guard against each other. Unfortunately, the smaller forces did not have First-Order fighters. Even for a populous country like the Federal Government, the number could be counted on one's fingers, let alone the smaller nations.

Regarding the insistence of various countries to explore, the Federal Government was helpless. The trust the Yate Federation had in Feng Yi depended on his merits and the countless pieces of evidence he had provided. However, the world did not trust the Yate Federation. It was hard to predict what might happen if one entered recklessly, especially since there had always been unstable huge energy fluctuations inside the warship, which, with current human technology, could not yet be measured. It was certain, though, that these fluctuations originated from within the ship's body. The strong vibrations were precisely why both Saudi and the Federal Government perceived it immediately, given that V583 was located between the borders of the two nations.

Outside the domain of satellite No. 8, the fleet disguised as merchant ships was constantly monitoring the satellite's messages. Through the satellites accompanying the fleet, intelligence personnel would transmit real-time updates every half minute, ready to respond at a moment's notice if any anomaly was detected.

John, with a cigarette in his mouth, was walking back and forth in front of the Command Room... now and then picking up the Heavenly Communication, now putting it down. To be frank, he was very reluctant to accept this command. Right now, he just wanted to have a good talk with Feng Yi—how come every time he was on leave, he was issued such a rotten order? Still, he held back, deciding to extort a nice treat out of him once the mission was over.

"Hugo, how's it going over there?"

From the other end of the Light Screen came Hugo's robust voice, "Everything is going smoothly, just waiting for the colonel to fire the first shot."

"Good, let's take this mission seriously. There's a new seven-star hotel not too far from the Legion. We'll get that guy to pick up the tab when we get back."

"I don't think so. That miser will at best let the cooking squad stir up a few unappetizing dishes."

"But we can extort."

"Haha, agreed."

Bad smiles of ill intent appeared on their faces. At the same time John ended the communication, he brought up another intelligence window, "How are things progressing? Report the current situation."

"Colonel, sir, as stated in the treaty, there's still half an hour left until the expected exploration time. No actions from the countries yet."

"Keep a constant watch; notify me immediately if the mysterious craft approaches," Feng Yi ordered.

"Understood," responded the Shadow Rider.

As the appointed time drew ever closer, Bergheide was the first to dispatch investigation personnel towards the target, followed by Weibang. Thud, thud, thud, thud... Thick dust clouds rolled across the ground and the roar of engines lingered in the air. One force after another hastened towards the craft's direction, some even aboard flying vehicles.

Under the lock of Sky Eye, not a single detail was missed in the holographic view projected in the center of the Light Screen. John stood ready at all times to issue the strike command, and with a fierce swipe of his hand, he bellowed, "Fire, hit them hard, but try to avoid the crowd to prevent casualties—I do not wish to be complained at by the Legionnaire."

Zzzzzt, zzzzzt, zzzzzt, boom, boom, boom...

Space suddenly burst into brilliant light as high-energy beams rained down upon the ground, stirring up endless dust. The shockwaves instantly lifted nearby off-road vehicles into the air, and amidst the successive explosions, mushroom clouds materialized out of thin air like fireworks that had unexpectedly burst into bloom. This sudden shift caught every nation off guard. The aircraft still approaching the target were blown away by the shockwaves, forced to change direction and hastily flee.

From a greater distance, missiles streaked across the sky, their erratic trajectories swirling overhead before thunderously crashing down. It was precisely these unpredictable patterns that were most terrifying, and the exploration personnel from various powers scattered like birds and beasts in an instant.

"Damn it, who dares to interrupt the exploration of the nations at such a moment? They are practically opposing all of humanity!"

Suddenly, all the powers redirected their attention towards outer space. A small fleet, evidently equipped with cloaking devices, would have gone unnoticed if not for their sudden assault. Fortunately, the Federal Government was the first to react, or to be precise, due to the recent spacecraft cooling plan, satellite number 8 had already been garrisoned by Federal forces. It didn't take long for Hugo's fleet to soar into the sky in direct pursuit.

The mysterious assailants were well aware that being caught by the Yate Federation would mean becoming the world's enemy. Without hesitation, they turned around and vanished into the depths of space. Shortly afterward, Hugo reported back, saying, "I declare that our new destroyers cannot catch up with the mysterious fleet. In only a few minutes, the fleet's continual acceleration brought them to 70 mach per hour. Presumably, this fleet belongs to some nation's military force."

The last sentence of Hugo's report was suggestive, and in addition, he claimed that during the pursuit, another fleet was spotted hurriedly scattering in a different direction. An unexpected encounter occurred, and due to the distance, he refrained from pursuit, opting instead to keep a tight chase on the mystery fleet, never expecting their speed to be so high.

Two fleets? An ambush, and the news rocked the world.

In this brief skirmish, the Flaming Legion even lost 20 comrades and two fast-attack craft, who had been Hugo's best brothers from times of war. Hugo nearly squeezed tears from his eyes as he delivered this report. Its dramatic ups and downs, combined with his moving demeanor, made the story heart-wrenchingly vivid to the point of causing sadness, grief, and unbearable pain to its listeners. To achieve such a flawless performance, the Flaming Legion also suffered the loss of two near-scrap destroyer cruisers.

With such speed, even the main force of the Flaming Legion couldn't keep up, clearly demonstrating that the stealthy power was a technologically advanced superpower not to be underestimated. Rekart immediately fixed his sharp gaze upon Bergheide.

Bergheide also considered Rekart as the prime suspect, but they also encountered a second team. As the saying goes, "The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the Yellow Sparrow behind." Could this imply that, aside from the first mysterious power, there was another party coveting this global exploration initiative?

Instantly, the atmosphere, which had been relatively harmonious, became tensely fraught with blame and anger.

Mingfei was in tears, her heart aching. Having just recovered from an injury, she and Mengdie had returned to satellite number 8 through a costly light transmission. She had no idea that upon starting the mission, an accident would occur. The shock further aggravated her not-yet-healed wounds, causing her blood to churn and almost spewing blood from her mouth.

That's why she loathed getting involved in external disputes. Despite her formidable strength, deep down she and Mengdie were merely pawns in the hands of powerful figures. If they had been closer, their lives would have been forfeit as not even Mengdie's speed could have dodged the laser falling from the sky.

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