"Thanks." Lucien smiled at Marcus. Marcus slumped in the chair. He closed his eyes and ignored him. He felt tired. He wanted to sleep. Lucien did not mind. He ate his noodles in silence. It was probably Edric's work. Edric liked stronger flavors. He always added more salt. Lucien had just finished the noodles when his communicator rang. "Report to Your Highness. At the edge of the outer battlefield, we detected a Chitinid warship." Lucien stood up at once. His whole presence turned cold. "Send the coordinates and the warship class to me right now." "Yes!" The coordinates arrived soon after. "Coordinates: Z-829. It was fifteen point seven astronomical units off the main route. It was behind the meteor belt."The scout therian swallowed hard. Fear filled his voice. "Warship class analysis failed. The database could not match it." The scout's voice shook. "Your Highness, this was a super-class warship we have never seen before. Its energy output was far above every Chitinid warship we know." Lucien heard the report. His expression turned serious at once. When did the Chitinid develop a new warship? Next to him, the half-asleep Marcus opened his eyes and sat up. He looked at the image sent to Lucien's device and frowned. "When did the Chitinid get someone this skilled? They actually beat Corvin at making a new model?" Chitinid warships had always been weaker than the Empire's. They always copied the warships that Corvin designed. Seeing the Chitinid show up with a warship so strong caught both Marcus and Lucien off guard.At almost the same time, a priority call came in. The full-body projection of the Empire's First Marshal Calum Jenkins appeared in the command room. His expression looked strict. Marcus saw Calum. His gaze sharpened. Everyone said the man had died. Calum acted like he did not see Marcus. He spoke to Lucien with a stern tone. "Lucien, headquarters intercepted a distress signal. It came from inside that warship. There are Empire females in that ship. I order you to head there at once. Bring every female back safely." Lucien pressed his lips into a thin line. He did not hesitate. "Yes." He ended the call and gave his orders at once. "All therians leave the battlefield and return to the warship. We launch in three minutes. We go full speed toward the target coordinates." Marcus watched Calum's projection fade. His brow twisted into a deep frown. He asked Lucien, "Didn't they say Calum died? How is he alive?"Lucien looked at him and explained. "I don't know the details. I learned he was alive only when I got this mission." Marcus let out a sigh of frustration. "Great. That psycho is still alive." If he had known, he would have asked Silas to bring Drake. Lucien did not know what had happened between Marcus and Calum. But from Marcus' face, he seemed to hate Calum a lot. Lucien said to him, "Don't worry. Calum is at Central Planet. He will not show up here." Three minutes later, all warships left Z-829 and turned into streaks of light. They moved at full speed toward the new coordinates. One hour later, the fleet reached the assigned area. The mysterious Chitinid super-class warship appeared on every main screen, clear and whole. The massive warship floated in the dark space. It looked like a metal beast lying in wait. Dark red lines of energy flickered on its rough body. Everyone stared at the energy readings on the screen. A wave of shock filled the room. The air felt heavy. This warship could produce energy that matched two Rank 11 powerhouses. "Your Highness, the scan is done." The deputy pointed at several bright red spots on the screen. He said, "The enemy warship holds four Level 11 insect cores. We detected two Rank 11 Chitinid and at least eight Rank 10 Chitinid." Two Rank 11. Eight Rank 10. The entire command room felt crushed by the weight of the pressure. Not long ago, during the fight that caused Lucien and Silas to disappear, the Chitinid only deployed five Rank 11 fighters. How many Empire females are locked inside this ship? The Chitinid even sent this insane lineup to guard them. At some point, Marcus had walked to Lucien's side. He kept his eyes half closed and stared at the huge warship on the screen. His voice sounded lazy and dull."Do we attack now?" Lucien looked at the warship on the screen. His voice held no warmth at all.