"It means to perish together with us. This space is collapsing! We must withdraw at once!" Zhao Chen said gravely.
Then Zhao Chen gave the order to every main fleet group.
"Everyone withdraw?" Xue Xiaoxiao was startled.
"Yes, right now, this instant! I already have people watching this abnormal spatial fluctuation. But we don't yet know how fast it will develop. Whatever happens, every fleet and every interstellar warship is to withdraw from this star system at top speed at once. The farther the better!" Zhao Chen said sharply.
His sixth sense told him this move the enemy meant to perish together with them by was surely no ordinary one.
"Understood. I'll give the order at once, the whole fleet withdraws." Chu Xuan nodded and at once gave the matter to her secretary officer.
The secretary officer had every department begin readying the withdrawal without a moment's pause.
It must be understood that a withdrawal is not a matter of a single word,
least of all a mass withdrawal of hundreds of thousands of interstellar warships like this.
How to withdraw, in which direction, which fleet first, in what manner, all of it was a problem!
The least carelessness, and ships might even collide in the course of the withdrawal.
"But for the whole fleet to withdraw out of this star system will take three hours at the quickest! Using warp travel. If we withdraw by order of priority, the T6 and T5 interstellar warships can be out within an hour. But the T4 and T3 interstellar warships will need at least three to five hours!" Chu Xuan looked to Zhao Chen, reporting the situation.
As the marshal commanding a fleet group, she carried a rough figure in her head for every important piece of data.
Zhao Chen frowned.
Three to five hours.
Would that be in time?
Just then an important piece of news came.
"Reporting to Your Majesty! After our observation department's study of the spatial data: this spatial collapse feeds on the life force of the entire Hive Nest as its raw material, setting off a collapse that spreads from one point through all the space around it. It will turn the whole star system from a three-dimensional state into a two-dimensional one! How this means was brought about, we cannot know. But the speed of the collapse will keep increasing. It will stop only when the 'source' — the Hive Nest's life force, which is its raw material — is utterly spent. We estimate that its reach will be at least a star system. And from its start to the end of a star system's reach, we expect no more than an hour to pass in all! So we must speed up the withdrawal. Otherwise, every interstellar warship here… will be lost to the last!" The petty officer in charge of the department reported to Zhao Chen face to face, in great haste.
From her anxious look, one could see how serious the situation was.
One hour!
Everyone present was stunned.
Even Chu Xuan, Xue Xiaoxiao and the others across the communication windows looked shaken.
There simply was not enough time!
Zhao Chen was silent for only three seconds.
He at once looked to Chu Xuan, Xue Xiaoxiao and the Panda-Girl commander.
"Order every T6- and T5-grade interstellar warship out at once, in warp mode, right now! The remaining T4- and T3-grade interstellar warships, prepare to withdraw by space jump, using the T4 Lucent-class Interstellar Jump Ships!" Zhao Chen said gravely.
"Yes!" The three commanders began making arrangements at once.
But then another piece of bad news came!
"Your Majesty, the T4 Lucent-class Interstellar Jump Ships cannot make a space jump!" Chu Xuan looked at Zhao Chen, her face tense.
She had only just had word of it herself from the T4 Lucent-class Interstellar Jump Ship squadron traveling with the fleet.
"What's the situation?" Zhao Chen asked with a frown.
"Because space in this star system is unstable right now, the T4 Lucent-class Interstellar Jump Ships simply cannot make a clean space jump. If we use the T4 Lucent-class Interstellar Jump Ships to jump under these conditions, it's very likely the whole jump squadron will be ground to pieces by the chaotic space!" Chu Xuan clenched her fists.
Zhao Chen took a deep breath.
"Go on carrying out the task I just gave you. I'll find a way around this problem." With that, Zhao Chen at once looked to Tao Beibei beside him.
"Get me the Owl Dragon Star System at once."
"Ah… yes!" Captain Tao Beibei was taken aback, not understanding why he would contact the Owl Dragon Star System at this moment.
But she did it all the same.
Fortunately, unstable as space was, long-range quantum communication still worked.
The connection was soon made.
But perhaps because Lilith was on her way to the northern hive line over Charlotte's delivery.
The one who took Zhao Chen's call.
Was Lilith's trusted deputy who had stayed behind in the Owl Dragon Star System.
The succubus secretary officer, Bessie.
"Your Majesty." Secretary Bessie looked in some surprise at His Majesty the Emperor, calling so suddenly, and said without thinking, "Lady Lilith is…"
"There's no time to reach Lilith now. Bessie. Get me Annie at once, this instant!" Zhao Chen's voice was plainly urgent.
"Yes!" Without another word, Secretary Bessie got in touch with Annie.
Chief Engineer Annie had a cap on and was wearing pajamas; by the look of it she had been woken from her sleep.
"Your Majesty… I was sleeping, you know. This is my personal time." Annie, bleary-eyed, looked at Zhao Chen across from her, all hurt.
But the next second, Annie was wide awake.
For on His Majesty's face across from her she saw an expression rarely seen.
Grave.
Unsmiling.
Before this, Annie had seldom seen it on His Majesty's face.
The reason she had dared to trade barbs with His Majesty now and then was that she knew His Majesty's nature, and that he would not stoop to squabble with her.
But now…
Annie at once took off her cap and sat up straight. "Your Majesty… is something the matter?"
"I heard earlier that the first batch of T6 Emerald-Dream-class Interstellar Jump Ships has been built and handed over, and is on trial runs now, is that right?" Zhao Chen asked.
Annie nodded.
"Yes. The first crews and our technicians are all aboard these T6 Emerald Dreams."
"Now! This instant, put this batch of T6 Emerald-Dream-class Interstellar Jump Ships on a combat footing. Have them try whether they can make a space jump to the coordinates where I am now!" Zhao Chen said gravely.
This time Annie dared not waste a moment.
Without a word she began making contact.
Soon every one of the T6 Emerald-Dream-class Interstellar Jump Ships had received the message.
This batch of T6 Emerald-Dream-class Interstellar Jump Ships was in fact a technology Zhao Chen had redeemed from the T6 shop's April refresh.
And had built and mass-produced in secret.
With the T4 Lucent-class Interstellar Jump Ship before it, Zhao Chen naturally knew very well how important such a ship was.
What was more, it could make a spatial jump to any point within a universe, and its delivery capacity was astonishing too.
A strategic-grade weapon, one might call it!
"Your Majesty. The first batch of thirty T6 Emerald-Dream-class Interstellar Jump Ships has gone to a combat footing and formed a provisional squadron. Two-star Major General Cao Yun[1] is serving for now as squadron commander. And by the coordinates you gave, though space in the target area is unstable, a spatial jump can still be made."
Annie's words set Zhao Chen's heart at ease a good deal all at once.
"Pass my order. All T6 Emerald-Dream-class Interstellar Jump Ships, make the spatial jump at once to the jump point I have set!" Zhao Chen gave the order without hesitation.
These T6 Emerald-Dream-class Interstellar Jump Ships would be the last straw to clutch at in this crisis!
Otherwise Zhao Chen would lose hundreds of thousands of Owl Dragon interstellar warships!