The complete loss of contact isn't good news.

And for Mingmei and the others, it's devastating news!

They were all mentally prepared for the cruelty of the battlefield, but facing the possibility that people they knew and were familiar with might have sacrificed themselves on the battlefield, their expressions couldn't help but turn grim.

Now that Wang Wenfei's whereabouts were unknown, they dared not, and were unwilling to, conclude that they were all dead.

Mingmei stood in the assembled ranks, her mind wandering. Regaining her senses, she looked towards the commander on the platform.

At this moment, the commander was solemnly announcing the arrangements for the battle. The commander on the platform was no longer her "uncle." Mingmei realized that she hadn't seen her uncle since the meeting ended a while ago.

Had her uncle also left ahead of them, like her parents?

When the air raid siren went off just now, Mei Shi and Ming Yi had quickly slipped away, without anyone noticing. Who knew where they were now.

Even though the situation here was also extremely urgent, Mingmei and Mu Chen were still concerned about the battle on Hua Lan Star.

In the ranks in front of the commander, Mingmei also saw Sun Yunzhong, who looked equally distracted. They had all come from Hua Lan Star, and Sun Yunzhong should be even more worried than she and Mu Chen were.

Thinking that she hadn't gotten through to her brother earlier, Mingmei suspected that the situation on Hua Lan Star might be even more serious than here.

At least, things shouldn't be too bad here.

At least, if things really got difficult, there should be many people here to provide support.

Mingmei looked at the assembled ranks. There were still many personnel from other units who had come to support them earlier and were resting on Qi Lan Star. They hadn't left yet, and now they were going to have to fight side-by-side for several more rounds.

Because of their presence, the legions behind them would have to send people to support them.

As long as there was a chance of a successful rescue, Mingmei didn't think they would allow everyone to sacrifice themselves...

Thinking this, Mingmei mentally scolded herself.

They hadn't even started yet, and she was already setting them up with a super difficult Buff_(：3」∠)_

However, because of the arc-shaped insectoid incident, many people had indeed been delayed here.

Mingmei looked at the group of Federation representatives standing outside the assembled ranks.

Maybe it was just her imagination, but Mingmei felt that their faces were written all over with the word "unlucky."

They had come solely to bring Julian back to the Federation safely.

What was this all about?

They hadn't been able to leave, and judging from the current situation, Assistant Chen, who was standing beside Julian, looked refined behind his glasses, but when Mingmei saw him wiping the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief, the bulging veins on the back of his hand exposed his true character.

"Uncle Chen, are you alright?"

Julian had already sensed the anxiety of the person next to him.

Sure enough, after he asked this question, he received Chen An's calm yet slightly crazed gaze.

"I'm fine."

Julian: "..."

Seeing the slightly frightening yandere smile on his face, Julian really wanted to be brave enough to say, "Really? I'm not," in a mocking tone.

But he only thought about it; he didn't dare.

In the current situation, they were likely to be stuck here. They might even have to join the battle at a critical moment.

And Julian could tell from Assistant Chen's face just how dangerous this time was.

Don't let Chen An's gentle demeanor fool you. Julian knew that Chen's temper and looks were completely different from Secretary Qiong's.

Perhaps his temper was best only when he was representing his father and facing sharp questions from reporters. At other times, especially when someone tried to assassinate his father, Chen An's methods of subduing the person and taking them in for interrogation were unimaginable to ordinary people.

It was also because of Chen An's skills and methods that his father had sent Assistant Chen to pick him up.

"Don't worry. Even if something really goes wrong in the end, I will safely send you back." Chen An gritted his teeth and looked at the sky.

Although the information they had received indicated that the number of insectoids this time was much smaller than the previous wave, just seeing the word "Liuying" made Chen An's scalp tingle.

What he told Julian was like something straight out of a textbook—"The appearance of Liuying invariably represents a high mortality rate."

But even so, he would fulfill his promise to Louis to bring Julian back safely.

"Wait and see what happens first, and see what arrangements the Empire makes."

When he came this time, Louis had told him that the Sixth Legion's ambush was very strange, not because of the insectoids' elusive nature, but because of the Empire's attitude.

In his opinion, neither factional struggles nor the Emperor's suspicion could justify playing with the safety of an entire star system.

But he wasn't on the scene at the time, so he could talk about it lightly. Now that he was in the midst of it, his heart was also pounding.

The Empire shouldn't be like this, right?

"Don't rush in impulsively with a burst of enthusiasm. Love is precious, but life is more valuable." Chen An specifically glanced at Julian again, telling him not to let his youthful passions get the better of him.

Julian awkwardly twitched the corner of his mouth.

He still hadn't revealed the truth about what had happened before.

Although he had been afraid afterward, he didn't regret it or resent it.

He was lucky to have saved Lu Xiaoyao, and even Qi Lan Star.

He was lucky that he hadn't been injured in the process, or had to pay an even greater price to save them.

Thinking this, Julian looked again at the ranks where his friends and the person he liked were, and he couldn't help but worry.

"Uncle Chen, is there really no way to deal with Liuying?"

Julian asked Assistant Chen in a low voice.

"No." Chen An's words were particularly harsh. "You just have to fill the hole with lives."

In Chen An's memory, he had experienced Liuying's participation in battle once.

It was precisely because of the appearance of Liuying that the casualties that time were extremely high.

That time, he and the President had crawled out of a pile of dead bodies.

It was also that time that made Louis and him completely give up starting from the bottom in the military and turn to the darker world of politics.

So that there would be no more victories built on human lives.

"When facing Liuying, you have to be mentally prepared for many deaths." Chen An turned to look at Julian, who was full of worry, and said, word by word, "The only thing you can do is to make that number smaller."

...

After Mingmei and Mingyi, who had left early, instantly teleported away from Qi Lan Star, Mei Shi frowned the entire time during their rest stop.

She looked in the direction they had left and said, "I still don't feel right about leaving Meimei and the others there."

Mingyi could clearly see the anxiety in Mei Shi's eyes, but the situation with Mei Qiu was even more critical...