Chapter 1 The Exodus

The galaxy hung inverted, stardust like a waterfall. Somewhere in the Kundu Clan's forward zone, a surviving main fleet drifted slowly through the cosmos.

Not long ago, this fleet, codenamed "Sea Banner," had suffered a fierce battle, ambushed by an Imperial general. The command ship and escort fought desperately to break through, sacrificing the rear guard to escape.

Now, only twenty-odd escort warships remained beside the command ship. The other ships had either been annihilated or scattered.

The Sea Banner Fleet belonged to the Kundu Clan's Third Space Legion. The commander of this fleet was Olyerte, a famous general of the Third Legion, hailed as its rising star. A few years ago, the Third Legion's Marshal had reached retirement age, and Olyerte was considered the leading candidate to replace him.

However, after receiving information about a crashed spaceship several years ago, the higher-ups decided to mobilize for war, postponing the retirement of all officers and conscripting everyone. This delayed the promotion.

At this moment, the Sea Banner Fleet, having just suffered a defeat, was stealthily lurking while awaiting further instructions from command.

In the command ship's bridge, the atmosphere was silent and dejected, everyone immersed in the pain of defeat and the loss of comrades.

Olyerte stood silently before the forward porthole, showing only his back to all the operators and adjutants in the room. The color of his carapace was a mixture of sorrowful green and angry red.

In the previous battle, he had been led by the nose by the enemy commander. The defeat was partly his fault.

Everyone knew that the commander was under immense pressure, and no one dared to disturb him.

The adjutant hesitated for a long time before gathering the courage to walk up to Olyerte and say softly, "Commander, we..."

"No need to say anything."

Olyerte turned around, his body gradually returning to a calm blue. He said slowly, "This isn't my personal failure, but the failure of our civilization's foundation. I didn't lose to the opponent, but to the enemy's entire civilization."

Olyerte knew that his command skills couldn't compare to those of the Imperial general, but he believed that it wasn't just a matter of individual ability. The difference also came from the civilization's foundation.

During the engagement, he made the most meticulous maneuvers and decisions he had ever made. He believed that his performance could even be used as a case study in military academies. However, he was shocked by the enemy's incredibly fast reaction, which instantly saw through his arrangements, as if the two sides were playing chess and the enemy could see through the moves he had painstakingly planned ten steps ahead, as if they had memorized the entire game.

Encountering such an opponent was a heavy blow to a commander's confidence.

This didn't mean that Olyerte was incompetent. In fact, he was considered a famous general by Kundu Clan standards. The superficial reason for this situation was that the Imperial general's abilities far surpassed his own, but the deeper reason was the gap in civilization's foundation.

The rise of the three great civilizations was accompanied by the wails of countless races. They had risen step by step from the flames of war, and all war cases were written into the courses of military academies. Therefore, no matter what situation they encountered, officers could instantly come up with corresponding solutions, with more flexible thinking.

The Kundu Clan, on the other hand, had experienced too few interstellar wars. Their war cases were far fewer than the Empire's, and all the tactics used by their officers were outdated techniques that had been eliminated from the explored universe for many years. This was the difference in foundation.

After engaging in actual combat, Olyerte was pessimistic. He couldn't see the possibility of winning local battles at all. The step-by-step defeat of various fleets was the best evidence.

In fact, he wasn't the only one. Unlike the Kundu Clan's higher-ups, the soldiers fighting on the front lines were generally pessimistic about the war.

They were indignant that their home was coveted by the enemy, but didn't believe that sacrificing themselves in this war was necessary. However, military orders were like mountains, and the orders of the higher-ups were the will of the military.

Silently sighing, Olyerte put away his pessimistic emotions and looked at the adjutant, asking in a deep voice:

"Have the orders from command arrived?"

"Uh... they just arrived. They want us to stay here and recover the scattered fleets, then join up with the Third Legion's main fleet to plan an attack on the enemy's stargate."

Hearing this, Olyerte slammed his hand on the table and roared, "Nonsense! They're not retreating yet? Is command really crazy?!"

We've just been scattered and we're supposed to stay in this dangerous area to find our old units? Do they think the enemy won't chase us down!

And the main fleet has already been defeated like this, and they still want us to forcibly join up to attack the enemy's stargate? This is sending us to our deaths!

Many officers in the room felt that there was a problem with this tactical arrangement, but they didn't dare to speak out, all staring at Olyerte, waiting for the commander's decision.

Olyerte paced back and forth twice, suppressing his anger as he said, "Get me the Marshal, I want to personally ask him what's going on with this decision!"

The adjutant nodded and immediately operated the controls. A communication interface popped up on the virtual screen. After waiting for a few seconds, the call connected, and the figure of the Third Legion's Marshal appeared on the screen.

"Olyerte, I heard you were attacked. I'm glad you're still alive."

"There was some luck involved." Olyerte calmed down. "I received an order from command that we're planning to attack the enemy's stargate?"

"Yes, that's the command's instruction."

"Don't you think there's a problem? The situation has deviated from the original plan. We shouldn't continue to fight, that will only sacrifice more troops for nothing."

"I know, I also think it's time to retreat. I'm negotiating with the higher-ups, but until then, let's follow orders."

Hearing this, Olyerte fell silent and hung up the communication.

The adjutant asked cautiously, "Commander, what should we do now?"

Olyerte glanced at him and suddenly asked, "How many warships do we have left?"

"Uh, twenty-four."

"Gather all the captains and put them on the communication channel."

Hearing this, everyone immediately took action. Olyerte stood with his hands behind his back and waited for a while. One by one, portraits appeared on the screen, the remaining captains.

Then, Olyerte made a gesture and slowly began to speak:

"Remember, I'm only going to say this once..."

He gave a series of pointless encouragements and repeated the command's orders. During this process, he kept making various gestures. All the captains stared at him intently.

"Okay, that's all I have to say. Everyone, take action."

Finally, Olyerte lowered his hand and ended his speech.

One by one, the captains' portraits on the screen went dark.

Just then, the adjutant glanced at another command screen and exclaimed, "Commander, all the captains have turned off their intelligent cores and are shielding all external information. We can't contact them!"

Olyerte had expected this and nodded calmly. "Very good. Go turn off our ship's intelligent core as well."

Everyone was shocked and suddenly understood something, a little disbelieving.

This meant... they were going to desert?!

"Th-this..."

The adjutant was stunned.

"Aren't you going yet?!" Olyerte glared, his tone suddenly stern.

The adjutant hesitated, but still ran off to make arrangements, quickly having the command ship's intelligent core turned off.

In this way, the remnants of the Sea Banner Fleet became a ghost fleet, out of contact with the outside world.

Olyerte slowly exhaled and looked at the puzzled crowd beside him, explaining, "Sorry, all of this is to proceed with caution. If I'm not mistaken, our quantum network has been completely infiltrated by the enemy."

As soon as these words came out, everyone was shocked.

Looking around, Olyerte slowly said, "I know the Marshal very well. He's a rigid soldier who never questions the orders of the higher-ups. Although this is a very difficult time, and everyone might change, we can't let go of any doubts. I suspect that wasn't the Marshal just now.

The enemy has likely infiltrated our command system. You all understand what that means, so I won't say more. The war is already over, and I can't follow their orders anymore. We can only save ourselves now. My gestures just now were a set of special codes that only a few people know. I told all the captains to cut off the connection. From now on, we can only rely on ourselves."

Everyone was stunned by these words, unable to accept such a large amount of information, their minds blank.

The adjutant gritted his teeth and mustered his courage to say, "Commander, this is desertion!"

Olyerte didn't get angry, but glanced at him indifferently.

"This is a battle we're destined to lose. No matter what you think, I won't send the remaining troops to sacrifice themselves on the battlefield. Desertion? No, maybe we're the Kundu Clan's... last survivors."

"Then where should we go now?"

"As far away from here as possible."

Olyerte looked out of the porthole, his gaze reaching into the depths of the starry sky.

...

"I think there might be a problem with the route."

In a narrow and cramped spaceship room, several ordinary-looking Kundu Clan people were huddled together in a circle.

This was one of the immigrant fleet's ships, carrying civilians. Most of the people on board were uneasy and confused about the future, and the atmosphere was low.

Because of the large population, each ship had a group of civilians crammed into a room, and the people in this room were all brothers born from the same clutch, related by blood.

"Big brother, what did you find?" a short brother asked.

The eldest brother of this clutch of brothers was a burly mantis shrimp, who said in a deep voice:

"I have a friend who's a crew member on the leading ship. He told me an inside secret: according to the plan, the fleet should have arrived at a planet yesterday for a short rest, but we didn't encounter a planet yesterday. The fleet has been moving continuously."

"Could it be that they adjusted the plan? Why don't you ask your friend again?"

"I can't get in touch with my friend. I can't ask anyone." The eldest brother said in a deep voice, "I think there might be something fishy."

"Brother, maybe you're being too sensitive. If there's a problem, the higher-ups will definitely notify us."

"I have a bad feeling, I can't explain it." The eldest brother shook his head.

"Hey, what's the point of thinking so much? It won't help. We'll just follow the fleet's arrangements." One of the brothers said casually.

Just then, the youngest brother next to him suddenly said, "Big brother is right. There's a problem with the fleet's route. We're going back the way we came."

Hearing this, everyone looked at him.

"Don't talk nonsense, how did you find out?"

The youngest brother pointed to the porthole. Everyone looked over and saw a crude graffiti on the porthole, drawing a series of circles, with diameters from small to large. At this moment, there was a planet outside the window that perfectly fit into the middle circle.

Seeing this, everyone's faces changed.

Living in the same room, everyone had no secrets. Some time ago, a planet appeared in the fleet's view, and the youngest brother used a paintbrush to outline the planet's silhouette on the porthole every day. The circles changed from small to large, and then from large to small, changing every day, representing the distance.

And at this moment, this planet actually coincided with the outline from several days ago. Everyone understood what this meant.

"I'm going to ask!"

Seeing this, the eldest brother couldn't sit still. Everyone hurriedly followed behind him.

The group hurriedly passed through the crowded rear cabins, which were like refugee camps, and came to the middle cabin passage, where they found several escorting soldiers and reported the situation.

"You said there's a problem with the route?" A soldier picked at his ear and said impatiently, "This isn't something you should be worrying about. Don't be nosy."

"It's true, I can show you the evidence, I..."

"Alright, alright." The soldier waved his hand. "The leading ship has a star map. If we really deviate from the route, we'll adjust it immediately. Just go back and wait patiently."

The eldest brother was helpless and had to take his brothers back to wait.

However, for three consecutive days, they stared at the graffiti on the porthole every day and found that the fleet was still returning the way it had come and hadn't adjusted at all.

The eldest brother contacted the friend who had revealed the inside information every day. On the third day, he finally got in touch with him, but the other party's answer chilled him to the bone.

"You said we deviated from the route? No, no, no, our star map shows that the route is completely correct... You didn't encounter the supply planet I mentioned? Oh, oh, that's a long-distance observation error. The star map isn't very accurate. We've reported it to the higher-ups, and they've updated our star map. It's not a problem now... What graffiti record? Hmm, you might have made a mistake. That's a new planet marked on the updated star map, not the one you saw before. Anyway, the navigation device on my end shows that the route is always moving forward."

Coldly hanging up the communicator, the eldest brother was silent for a long time.

Suddenly, as if he had made up his mind, he said, "Do you believe me, or do you believe the people above?"

Many brothers exchanged glances, a little hesitant.

"What do you want to do?" the youngest brother couldn't help asking.

"My intuition is getting stronger and stronger. There must be a problem. Maybe the people above are sending us into a fire pit." The eldest brother lowered his voice. "I don't want to stay on the ship anymore. I'm going to steal supplies and a lifeboat. We'll escape on our own."

"Are you crazy?!"

Someone was stunned. "This is suicide. The fleet will definitely catch us and bring us back. Even if we succeed, the stolen supplies will run out sooner or later. What will we do without food or fuel? And do you have a star map? How can we run without a star map?"

"I can get the star map and lifeboat access from my friend. As for supplies... a medium-sized lifeboat has complete facilities. As long as we reach that planet, we can use the built-in harvester to replenish the fuel reserves, which will be enough for us for many years. Solving the food problem requires a greenhouse incubator, crop seeds, and a nutrient paste maker. We can get these things on the ship, and while we're cultivating crops, we can hibernate in the cryogenic pods." The eldest brother said in a low voice, "I've been thinking about a way out for three days. This isn't a decision I made on a whim."

Everyone still shook their heads.

Leaving the main force of their race to establish a new home, a few people running off to survive in the unknown universe?

Just thinking about it felt like a crazy plan!

"I'll go with you." At this moment, the youngest brother stood up and shrugged. "You know me, big brother. I don't like being bound by rules. Since I've left my home, I don't plan to continue living that kind of stable life of following the crowd. The universe is so big, I want to see it for myself. You can say I like adventure or pursue excitement, but count me in anyway."

The eldest brother nodded and looked at the other brothers. "I know everyone has concerns. The universe is too big, and if it's just a few of us, it will be the deepest loneliness and fear in our hearts. Maybe it will prove that I'm wrong in the end, but I'm not willing to wait passively. I'm not forcing everyone to come with me."

The second oldest brother hesitated for a while, then steeled his heart and said, "Big brother, I'll go with you too. You're the person I trust the most. I believe your judgment."

Hearing this, more people wavered.

Someone shook his head helplessly. "Sigh, forget it, let's go. From the moment I left my home, I considered this life dead. What's the point of being a little more adventurous? We're brothers, we can't be separated."

These brothers had grown up together since childhood and were used to sticking together. After some entanglement, everyone finally agreed to the eldest brother's plan. The amazing thing was that after making up their minds, the previous hesitation and unease disappeared and turned into unparalleled excitement and anticipation.

"Big brother, I have a suggestion. We should at least bring a woman with us, right?"

As soon as these words came out, everyone burst into laughter. The tense atmosphere disappeared, and the room was filled with cheerful air.

"That's right, not just one, we should bring a few more."

"Haha, maybe we'll become a wandering civilization in the future."

...

In the following days, this group of brothers acted separately, using their respective connections to prepare quietly. Since the immigrant ships carried a large number of daily supplies, the things they needed could be found on the ship. The only problem was how to get them.

Courage, money, connections, plus a little bit of luck, the group collected most of the necessary supplies in various ways and completed their reconnaissance.

Soon the day of action arrived. The progress was smoother than expected. According to the information obtained from the reconnaissance, the group sneaked into the lifeboat launch bay, boarded a medium-sized lifeboat, turned off the intelligent core, and switched to manual control mode.

The eldest brother's palm hovered above the launch button, hesitating to press it.

"Have you thought it through? Once you press this button, there's no turning back. If we're caught, we'll be treated as prisoners."

"It's not much different from being a prisoner now. The people above look at us more like they're looking at a group of coolies." The youngest brother smiled freely. "But with a different name, called human resources. I've wanted to get rid of this identity for a long time."

"Nonsense." The eldest brother shook his head and smiled, forcefully pressing the button.

*Chi-*

The lifeboat suddenly fell and shot into space.

After leaving the ship, everyone instinctively turned their heads to look out of the porthole, but suddenly froze.

They saw that the other ships in the immigrant fleet were also launching lifeboats sporadically, like scattered sparks, flying in all directions.

...

More than half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

On another border of the Kundu Clan's territory, the core fleet of the Kundu Clan's command jumped out of the stargate, then turned around and retrieved the stargate used for retreat.

"Okay, we've reached the target area. According to the last secret code order issued, all surviving fleets will gather in this area."

In the command center, the Kundu Clan's higher-ups gathered together to check the messages sent back by other troops before the last network link was severed.

"The Scorched Earth Unit sent a report that the local psionic energy has been successfully detonated and the plan has been implemented... Other fleets outside sent reports that they are retreating towards the designated locations. Whew, the situation is still okay."

The Kundu Clan's leader breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing this, everyone's spirits improved slightly.

The situation was finally gradually returning to normal.

Because they were worried about information being leaked, the command didn't dare to maintain a long-term link, so they abandoned real-time communication. At the same time, they didn't dare to transmit orders normally, fearing that they would be intercepted by the enemy, so they changed to special codes.

However, before everyone could take a breath, the radar suddenly sounded an alarm!

"Attention, attention, an unknown large fleet has been detected ahead!"

Everyone was suddenly shocked.

"Why would there be a fleet here! Is there an ambush?!"

"Quick, see if it's the enemy?!"

Many higher-ups hurriedly relayed orders. Just a few seconds later, the captain sent a report.

"Leaders, we've confirmed that the other party is not the enemy, but our own fleet."

Hearing this, many higher-ups breathed a sigh of relief, feeling like they had almost been scared to death.

"That scared me. It turned out to be our own people."

"It should be the troops who received the order to gather and arrived early. They're even faster than us."

Just then, the captain spoke again, his tone becoming extremely strange:

"Everyone misunderstood. The other party isn't our armed fleet, but the immigrant fleets that were sent out long ago. For some reason, they've all come back!"

As soon as the voice fell, the whole place fell silent.

All the higher-ups present were stunned for a second, then suddenly their minds were in chaos!