Chapter 57: Shadows Over the Asteroid Belt

“Hmph, it’s just a woman.”

“If we let her succeed, she’ll end up lording it over all of us!”

“Go check that area and see if any trackers were installed.”

Somewhere deep in the Asteroid Belt, within the territory controlled by the Klein clan, right at the outermost edge.

Over a hundred warships are stationed here, patrolling the area and sending out small fleets to hunt down and attack human mining ships.

Many of the Klein fleets that Lin Yu and the others encountered before set out from this very place.

But just now, the order Shivana sent down left them all annoyed.

“What’s with ‘don’t approach that area’?”

“And what does ‘don’t act rashly’ even mean?”

“Why do we have to wait for her before doing anything?”

“Yeah, you’re the chief’s daughter, but since when did women get to call the shots?”

“Sure, the patriarch said we couldn’t hinder your actions.”

“But he never said we had to just sit and wait for you to deal with human mining fleets when we spot them.”

So a few commanders put their heads together…

And quickly decided to strike before Shivana arrived.

Snatching the credit wasn’t the point—the real goal was to make sure Shivana got nothing.

“Lord Tak, we do have some trackers deployed in that area. One of them is moving in a way that doesn’t match the original orbit.”

“Really? That woman’s luck’s unreal…”

“Lucky or not, she can’t get here in less than six days anyway!”

“Exactly. And sabotaging human mining—that’s what we’re here for.”

The report caught the commanders off guard.

But then they all burst out laughing.

They had no intention of following Shivana’s recent orders.

One hour later, a fleet slipped out from the outpost.

To make sure everything went perfectly, they deployed eighty-plus warships—two-thirds of the station’s garrison.

——

A day passed.

Where the special operations unit was stationed, the scene stayed as busy as ever.

Small space rocks—anything under ten meters—just needed a quick scan to check their composition.

Once a good one was found, they’d send it straight to the mining ship’s hold.

But the big ones, especially those dozens or even hundreds of meters across, were a hassle.

You had to drill into them, deep.

Then sample and analyze.

Even after finding the right one, dragging it behind a mining ship took hours to complete.

So far, they’d only mined about 32% of the total haul. Finishing everything…

Would take a long, long time.

“Report! Enemy fleet spotted at E3! It’s the Klein—eighty-seven ships, including two large, fifteen medium, and seventy small. They’re heading our way!”

The sudden report on the bridge hung heavy in the air.

E3 sector?

Lin Yu glanced at the three tactical star charts, instantly locating the area.

Five hundred thousand kilometers!

Even out here, warships usually can’t go top speed in the Asteroid Belt. It’s just too unpredictable.

But five hundred thousand kilometers…

In two hours, they’d be within range.

“George, tell Captain Chu to halt all operations—any asteroids not yet secured are to be abandoned immediately!”

“Yes, I’ll see to it right away!”

George nodded and relayed the order to the mining fleet leader, Captain Chu Wei.

But…

Moments later, George came back with a sour look.

“Lin Yu, Chu Wei wants us to hold out—just long enough for him to finish securing two asteroids he’s working on.”

“How long does he need?”

“Three… hours!”

“Comms, get me Captain Chu Wei of the mining fleet.”

Lin Yu didn’t look angry or anything else after hearing that time—he just had comms patch him through.

He simply waited, giving the order in a calm voice.

Seconds later…

Chu Wei’s figure appeared in the projection.

“Commander Lin, we still—”

“Chu Wei, what did you promise me before coming here? Didn’t you say you’d follow my orders to the letter, no hesitation at all?”

“Yes, but…”

“No ‘buts.’ Either you follow my orders now, or you stay here—my team won’t stick around with you!”

“Lin Yu, if you really do this, you’ll end up in a court martial!”

“You’re confused, Chu Wei. You’re the one refusing to follow orders. And don’t forget—you’re a soldier, too, Major Chu.”

Yes, Chu Wei was also with the Federation Fleet.

For work this risky, anyone mining deep in the belt was overseen by Federation Fleet officers.

Court martial?

Unless the president and all three fleet admirals gave the nod,

No one would dare put Lin Yu on trial.

Joke’s on them—military tribunals didn’t even have clearance to access Lin Yu’s file.

Besides, the problem wasn’t Lin Yu. It was Chu Wei refusing a direct order.

Stick around because this guy won’t retreat? That’d mean a whole fleet staying behind to die.

No way anyone’s signing off on that.

Not that Lin Yu would ever be scared off by a Klein fleet. Actually…

He never planned to just run back to Mars.

Still, he had to admit, this area, while packed with high-value resources…

Was a terrible place for any real showdown.

Way too open.

If they had to fight, they needed a better battleground—

This place definitely wasn’t it.

No way.

After Lin Yu’s speech, Chu Wei fell quiet, but he still had that stubborn streak.

He remembered how, before leaving home, the old man in his family had insisted he team up with Lin Yu to get into the belt—

And stressed that he follow Lin Yu’s lead at every turn, no matter what.

Chu Wei once asked the old man who Lin Yu really was. The answer…

He didn’t know either.

He’d only hinted that even he didn’t have the authority to check Lin Yu’s file.

Even the old man had to admit defeat.

And this ‘old man’—he’d just retired as commander of the Federation’s Third Fleet.

So if even he didn’t know, then who could?

Thinking of that brought Chu Wei back to his senses.

He knew those resources had to be brought back at all costs.

Even if the whole special operations unit was lost here, it’d be worth it.

And he wasn’t refusing to leave—he just needed the team to buy him three hours.

No, with the enemy still en route, he only really needed one hour.

Is that so unreasonable?

Not at all!

He still bristled inside.

But Lin Yu didn’t bother arguing with him anymore.

“Fleet departs in five minutes. Head to sector E9-3, seven hundred and eighty thousand kilometers out.”

“Once there, all mining ships will abandon their loads, then proceed to sector F2 and wait for further orders.”

Lin Yu sat calmly in the captain’s chair, issuing orders one by one.

But when Chu Wei heard that…

He panicked.

“No way! I refuse!!”