Chapter 62 — ILK Chapter 62

Alpha Star Fortress

One by one, the warships of the Tide Sea Base took flight. Everyone abandoned their speedboats, evacuating the area in the fastest way possible. The Tide Sea merfolk migrated toward the waters closest to the main base, diving into the deepest trenches.

Sayin tightly gripped her younger daughter as she boarded her private warship. With reddened eyes, she watched Matthews, Lilibet, and Sireno wave goodbye before they turned and dove into the deep sea. If the Tide Sea were destroyed, the Tide Sea Clan would vanish from the universe.

Sayin sent out pleas for help to Lin Shuangxu and Wu Jinyue. The other two S-rank Guides were far away in other galaxies; even if they returned immediately, it would be too late.

Before anyone else could react, Sang Ye and Du Yuan were shoved into Rong Cheng’s warship by Rong Cheng herself, setting flight for the main base. Sang Ye looked back; the Tide Sea was peaceful, making their frantic escape seem like an overreaction.

Half an hour into the flight, a massive roar erupted from above—a low, thunderous growl like the approach of some colossal titan. Rong Cheng didn't look up, but her expression was grim.

"What is that?" Du Yuan looked up. The sky had suddenly darkened, a heavy, oppressive black.

"A Space Fortress." Rong Cheng lowered their flight altitude. "A Space Fortress has arrived."

As she spoke, a sharp, silver-gray fortress pierced through the planet's atmosphere, moving slowly yet with unstoppable momentum. Its massive body was like a continuous range of snowy mountains, blotting out the sun and dominating everyone's field of vision. Behind them, the air pressure from another Space Fortress forcibly crushed a giant crater into the ocean surface below.

The Sentinels' single-pilot warships looked like bees next to the main carriers, but the main carriers looked like larvae next to the Space Fortress. Tiny and vulnerable.

Rong Cheng’s communication channel hissed twice before a prompt sounded, thumping against their hearts like a death knell.

"Pick it up," Sang Ye nodded.

Rong Cheng pressed the bright red comm button. As if she could see everything inside the cockpit, Lin Shuangxu’s voice rang out—calm, gentle, yet leaving no room for refusal: "Colonel Sang Ye, please board the Alpha Fortress."

A small platform descended from the belly of the metal titan, the red indicator lights pulsing incessantly.

"Go," Sang Ye said, looking at the metal giant. She cut the communication. "Rong Cheng, take Master and the Golden Crow and fly back to the base. Then have your parents take you both off Black Tower."

Rong Cheng’s face was pale. Before she could speak, Sang Ye opened the ship's belly hatch and dragged her from the pilot's seat.

"Sangsang!" Du Yuan screamed, but was pushed out by Sang Ye, followed closely by a tumbling Rong Cheng.

The giant remained unmoved. Its target was not insignificant people. As the hatch slowly sealed shut, Sang Ye stood alone in the cockpit. She looked at the communication she had just "cut." The indicator light showed green, blinking—a silent mockery. The connection had never been severed; from the moment the conversation began, control of this small warship had been seized by Eve.

Rong Cheng’s ship was base property.

"Coordinates set. Colonel Sang Ye, please be seated," Eve’s sweet mechanical voice chirped. Sang Ye looked out at the golden shimmer on the horizon—the Golden Crow trailing its long tail feathers, illuminating that tiny corner of the world.

…

It hadn't been long since Sang Ye last saw Lin Shuangxu—less than half a year. Inside the bridge, the few people present were all the Empress's closest confidants. They looked solemnly at Sang Ye as she was brought in. She was still dressed for a vacation, wearing only a knee-length shirt over her swimsuit.

Beside Lin Shuangxu stood two high ministers. By chance, Sang Ye knew both. Sayin kept her eyes downcast, her lips pressed tight. Wu Jinyue stood tall and straight, her dark hair pinned back; she had already changed into combat gear, a snow-white fox tail embroidered on her cuff and chest, her expression blank.

In the center of the bridge, Lin Shuangxu was dressed in black and gold, exuding imperial majesty. Two giant saber-toothed tigers lay by her side. She patted Sayin’s shoulder comfortingly. When she saw Sang Ye, she showed neither blame nor anger.

"Your Majesty, we cannot locate the Prince’s position. The tracker appears to be severely damaged," a technician reported.

Lin Shuangxu nodded, unruffled. She signaled Sang Ye to come to her side. The tigers, reflecting their master's heart, were perfectly calm, their whiskers not even twitching. Together, they looked out at the Tide Sea through the massive porthole.

"Colonel Sang Ye," Lin Shuangxu began, as if reminiscing with a friend. "All active Imperial Legions are named with 'G'. Because I was the seventh child, 'G' is my sequence and my legion. After I won the war for the throne, other sequences vanished or merged. But this fortress is not named with 'G'."

Sang Ye remembered she had called it "Alpha."

"Initially, my sisters and I had equal military strength," Lin Shuangxu continued. "Until Changli was born. Even as a child, he displayed power that crushed every S-rank Sentinel in existence. He led my legions to defeat one opponent after another. I occupied planets and stabilized the interior, but he was always the one on the front lines for me. Until finally, we won. I firmly believed the future would belong to his era."

Lin Shuangxu’s brow furrowed slightly. The two tigers stood up, pacing uneasily. "This might be the first time you’re hearing this, because you aren't from our world."

She spoke of it casually. Sang Ye knew she couldn't hide it; her total transformation in personality could be explained by nothing else. She lowered her head, avoiding the Empress's gaze.

"It doesn't matter. The universe is full of strange things. I didn't bring the Space Fortress here for you."

The instruments on the bridge whirred, still trying to triangulate. A Space Fortress was built for only one purpose: to crush and destroy.

"I prepared myself to lose him long ago," Lin Shuangxu said, her voice gentle yet powerful. "Once a mental riot starts, the trigger for the final Bestialization is uncontrollable. If not today, something else would have caused it eventually. I don't blame any of you. I bear great responsibility for Changli becoming like this. As a mother, I don't want him to die. So I will do everything in my power to save him."

She turned to Sang Ye. "Changli rejects everyone’s mental power, especially during a riot. We cannot enter his mental domain. But he has never rejected yours. Now, only you can reawaken him. I know it is dangerous—your mental power is not his equal—but I also know you are special. You are different from all our Guides."

Sang Ye was stunned. After a long silence, she heard her own voice: "And if I am unwilling, Your Majesty?"

Lin Shuangxu was not offended. "Cooperation has its benefits. Non-cooperation has its... methods."

Sang Ye fell silent.

"If you go, regardless of the outcome, I will wipe your criminal record clean. You will be allowed to enter and leave Black Tower freely, and I will grant you a military rank."Provided I come back alive. It was an immense temptation. If Black Tower were destroyed, where would a life-row prisoner like her be sent? What would happen to Rong Cheng and her Master? She had no reason to refuse.

"It’s alright if you fail," Lin Shuangxu said, pointing to the fortress. "This is Alpha, one of the three fortresses Changli once commanded. It is the only legion with a unique name. It was his honor. But today, I cannot let him escape. I will use this planet and his Alpha to be buried with him. He is a Marshal, and he will die gloriously on the battlefield like a Marshal.""Beep—Beep—BEEP!!!" A sharp alarm rang through the bridge.

"Your Majesty, we have a location."

"Where?"

"On the artificial island."

Lin Shuangxu froze visibly.

"The island you built for him," Sang Ye whispered. She had heard Lin Changli mention it.

For the first time, Lin Shuangxu looked truly pained. But she could go no closer. "Colonel, I wish you success."

…

The air near the artificial island was scorching, thick with the heat of a furnace. Rampant mental power tore through the space. The seawater boiled and surged, the resulting steam blurring everything. Occasional flames streaked across the sky—the Phoenix was sounding a warning.

Sang Ye did not enter from the air; she chose to dive into the deep sea. Like all constructions in the Tide Sea, the artificial island had a pool leading to the ocean. What was a traditional design choice now provided her with a perfect entry point.

Lin Changli’s Bestialization hadn't reached the point of no return yet; otherwise, he would have boiled the entire ocean. The temperature was still bearable. With her improved diving skills, Sang Ye reached the bottom of the pool in no time.

…

In the Alpha Fortress, technicians noted that the temperature around the island had dropped slightly, even though Sang Ye was still in the water. Lin Shuangxu suddenly laughed.

"Jinyue, you have more children than I do," Lin Shuangxu smiled. "What do you think this means?"

"I think," Wu Jinyue replied, watching the temperature trend, "that the Alpha Fortress and Black Tower will remain intact today."

…

Before surfacing, Sang Ye gave herself a long pep talk. She was terrified—she had never handled anything like this. She didn't know if Lin Changli had a shred of reason left.

When her head poked out of the water, she noticed something strange: the pool water was only lukewarm. A massive shadow loomed over her. She looked up.

The Phoenix was looking down, its eyes locked onto hers.