Chapter 101: A Marriage Promise Amidst Starfire

The nineteen warships of the Sixth Experimental Fleet were all busy at this moment.

On one end, they rushed to rescue the six remaining warships, while at the same time, six Zhulong-class warships worked together to tow the Qiongxiao Warstar.

As for the other warships, at worst, they’d just evacuate the crew and detonate the ships directly.

But the Warstar was a rare human asset—it was always best to tow it away if there was enough time.

Sure, the engine was a beast to haul—even with six Zhulong-class warships at once, their speed definitely took a hit.

Still, after crunching the numbers, they’d be able to keep their speed close to 200 kilometers per second. After all, the Zhulong-class was built for power.

Maybe that meant the Klein Fleet would slowly start catching up.

But honestly, losing a few kilometers per second only meant Klein might catch up in several days—not exactly imminent danger.

Besides, this was exactly what Lin Yu wanted—to have the enemy snapping at their heels like rabid dogs, never letting up.

Wasn’t that just perfect?

If Lin Yu really wanted, he could’ve set seven, maybe eight ships on the tow job and cranked the speed past 200 kilometers per second easily.

Meanwhile, inside the Qiongxiao.

The team that followed Lin Yu over was a heavy assault squad, but they moved slower than him and got left behind.

By the time they made it there, everything was already over.

At that point, they were busy sweeping the entire Warstar to make sure no enemies had slipped through the cracks.

And just in case there were any Klein soldiers just pretending to be dead, any corpse they found got a full hail of bullets.

They only stopped once the bodies were nothing but bloody pulp.

As for Mu Qingxue, though she’d been rescued, she was seriously hurt—she’d already been placed in a medical capsule, and the Zhulong had even sent over a medical team.

Since all the medics on the Qiongxiao had been transferred before the battle, none remained onboard.

Outside the medical bay.

Ye Lingwei fixed Lin Yu with a hard stare.

“Uh… Deputy Ye, why are you looking at me like that?”

“You really need to ask? Did you already forget what you just did?”

“Wait, that was just to save her!”

“Save her? I was right next to you. If she needed mouth-to-mouth, why didn’t you let me do it? Did you really have to do it yourself?”

“Uh… I was in too much of a hurry, I didn’t even notice you.”

“In a hurry? Please. Looks to me like you just wanted to take advantage of Qingxue. Be honest: were you already thinking about her before this happened?”

No, absolutely not…

How did things turn into this?

Lin Yu felt totally wronged.

Sure, Mu Qingxue was his superior officer, and no matter how beautiful she was, he—

But then again, she really was beautiful. Actually, she might be the most gorgeous woman he’d ever met.

Wait, what am I even thinking about?

Lin Yu shook his head hard, desperate to knock these thoughts out of his mind.

Of course, Ye Lingwei saw the whole thing.

“What are you thinking about?”

“I knew it. You’ve had your eyes on Qingxue for ages—so, what are you going to do now?”

Lin Yu was at a loss for words.

He honestly had nothing going on with Mu Qingxue…

Well, maybe a little something.

Okay, maybe more than a little.

I mean, look at her—she’s so stunning. Who wouldn’t have a bit of a crush? If he said he didn’t, he’d be lying as a man.

“I was wrong!”

Although Lin Yu had no clue what exactly he was guilty of.

But seeing the fierce look in Ye Lingwei’s eyes, he was starting to feel like maybe he really had done something wrong.

The words just slipped out before he could stop himself.

Ye Lingwei looked quite satisfied. She nodded.

“You should know, Qingxue is pretty traditional. Even if it was just mouth-to-mouth, you actually went for it—and you really kissed her, didn’t you? It’s only fair, right?”

“Fair enough!”

Lin Yu nodded earnestly.

What else could he say?

“Alright, that settles it. I’ll play matchmaker for you two. Once this battle’s over, you and Qingxue will go get your marriage license!”

“Lucky you, brat!”

Before Lin Yu could even protest, Ye Lingwei turned on her heel and marched into the medical bay, shutting the door behind her.

She left him standing there, completely stunned.

……

……

Get married, to Mu Qingxue?

Was this for real?

Would Mu Qingxue even agree?

And what about…

Would Commander Mu actually beat him to death?

Lin Yu felt like his brain was scrambled.

——

Two hours later.

The towing of the Qiongxiao was complete.

Nineteen Zhulong-class heavy cruisers, along with a modified one, set out once again.

As for the six completely wrecked warships—they were detonated without hesitation.

According to Lin Yu, this was the highest honor a warship could receive for a farewell.

Five hours later.

The first Klein fleet arrived.

Eight hours later.

All remaining Klein fleets arrived as well.

Twenty-one fleets in total, with over eighty ships regrouped, gave Tumelo nearly 500 main warships, more than 1,100 stripped-down ships, and close to 3,000 assault corvettes under his command.

Their fighting strength was still formidable.

“Useless fools, they actually dared to run!”

“Patriarch, I know you’re upset, but executing them now would be bad for morale…”

“So we just let this slide? Wouldn’t everyone follow their example in the future?”

“No, it’s not about letting them off the hook. I’m saying, even if you punish them, we should get some use out of them first. Things aren’t as easy for us as they were.”

Standing below the throne, an elderly Klein elder shook his head and spoke up.

“Then tell me, what do you suggest we do?”

“Simple. In every battle from now on, have them take the lead until they’re all dead. That way, they’ll pay for betraying the clan, but at least they’ll contribute one last time.”

“Tara, you really—never mind, we’ll do as you say!”

“Understood, Patriarch!”

Tara nodded, indicating he understood.

“Patriarch, even though the human high-ranking officer got rescued, Nitak and the others still achieved something. The humans suffered heavy losses, and their super warship is badly damaged—it needs towing to escape.”

“And since they’re hauling that ship, their speed has dropped. They’re only a bit slower than us, and even if it takes time, if we start chasing now, we can catch them in five days.”

Tara gave his report with a serious expression.

Tumelo nodded in agreement.

“Humans are idiots to cling to that super warship in this situation. We’ll wipe them out—but I want that human officer alive.”

“If nothing else, he’s the one who slaughtered millions of our people on Europa.”

“I want to torture him, make him beg for death every single day, but never let him die.”

On the throne, Tumelo’s eyes glinted with killing intent.

Tara gave a respectful bow.

“Yes, Patriarch!”