The ground battle continued for a full day and night without ceasing.

Li Ze had already drunk three bottles of nutrient solution. Every time he drank, the two children opposite him would stare at him and swallow hard.

When Li Ze drank the nutrient solution for the fourth time, he looked up at Chen Kaiyang and Wang Duan and asked, "Why aren't you drinking?"

"That's all," Chen Kaiyang replied honestly.

“We are strong and healthy, we will be fine even if we go hungry for a few days.” Wang Duan was worried that Li Ze’s health would be affected if he ran out of food.

Li Ze raised an eyebrow. He was quite surprised that these two people would sacrifice themselves for him.

"Don't worry, the battle outside will be over in less than two hours," Li Ze said confidently.

When he said this, everyone present looked surprised, especially the grandfather and grandson and the family of three, whose faces showed disbelief, yet they couldn't help but want to believe it.

"Boss, are you telling the truth?" Chen Kaiyang asked first.

Li Ze glanced at him, then closed his eyes again.

“Brother Chen, you shouldn’t doubt the boss. When has the boss ever lied?” Wang Duan accused Chen Kaiyang.

Chen Kaiyang hurriedly explained, "It's not that I don't believe it, it's just that we're underground and can't see what's happening on the surface. I'm just curious how the big boss knows."

Wang Duan fell silent; he was also curious.

"Mom, that boy said it will be over in less than two hours. Quickly check the time and start the countdown!" the child said, shaking his mother's arm.

The woman wanted to refute what the older brother said as untrue, but because of the tall and strong Chen Kaiyang and Wang Duan, she didn't dare to say it out loud. She could only turn on the personal terminal and set a timer in front of the child.

The grandfather and grandson across from each other exchanged a glance and clasped each other's hands tightly.

Perhaps it will be over in two hours?

Time ticked by, each second feeling incredibly long. After an hour and a half, Li Ze opened his eyes, sat up abruptly, and said to Chen Kaiyang and Wang Duan, "It's over, let's go."

Chen Kaiyang and Wang Duan were taken aback, then strained their ears, but sure enough, they didn't hear any movement from the ground.

"Should we wait a little longer?" Chen Kaiyang suggested.

"No, I won't wait. The smell here is too awful." Li Ze refused; without the murderous aura, his fondness for this place had vanished.

Chen Kaiyang and Wang Duan exchanged a glance, seeing the helplessness in each other's eyes. They both stood up simultaneously, protecting Li Ze as they walked towards the gate.

After the three of them left, the grandmother and grandson and the family of three thought for a moment, gritted their teeth, and followed.

The ground was a scene of utter chaos. Els emerged from his mech, his golden hair soaked with sweat and hanging limply over his head. He spat out a mouthful of blood, "Damn it, when will these Void Beasts ever stop?!"

"Chief, this time it wasn't just our Star 1 that was attacked; Stars 2 and 3 were also attacked, and the casualties this time were far greater than any before," the subordinate stammered. "If this happens a few more times, I'm afraid the population of the Death Starfield will be less than a third of what it was before."

"Damn it!" Els cursed again.

"Ells, you're angry again!" Bakhun walked over from not far away.

"Our base is about to fall, how can I not be furious!" Els glared at Bakun. "You keep contacting the Empire and the Federation. My bottom line is that we have two satellites, and each of those two countries has seven. If they still don't agree, I'll personally sail my warship north and blow up all those Void Beasts and all the energy planets!"

Meanwhile, He Xingjue had already led the Snow Wolf Legion back to Vermilion Bird Star.

"It seems the space pirates haven't made any moves these past few days," Chen Qian said.

"Could it be that they've partnered with the Federation?" another officer asked with some concern.

"We received a message from the military instructing us to lower our demands next time the space pirates contact us," Chen Qian said, looking directly at He Xingjue.

He Xingjue looked up from the document. "Perhaps the space pirates are too busy with their own problems to contact us?"

Chen Qian seemed thoughtful. "You mean they've been attacked by Void Beasts again?"

Upon hearing this, the others' eyes lit up immediately. "This is to our advantage!"

He Xingjue's lips curled up slightly. "I've already spoken with the Federation. Our two countries will compromise. Each country will take seven energy source stars, and we'll leave two for the space pirates."

"Just two? Can they accept that?" Chen Qian expressed his doubts.

"They have no choice but to accept it." He Xing was determined to succeed.

Just then, the space pirates sent them a communication request.

“Tell them I’m not here,” He Xingjue said.

Chen Qian took the personal terminal and pressed the connection button. Before he could say anything, Els's furious voice came from the other end, "Here are seven energy stars for you. See you in the north of the Death Starfield in three days. If you don't come, I'll blow up those energy stars!"

Chen Qian replied calmly, "Okay, see you in three days."

After the communication ended, everyone looked surprised and exclaimed, "Commander, you were incredibly insightful!"

He Xingjue remained unfazed, his expression still cold and aloof. "The bottom line of space pirates is not hard to guess."

"Judging from Els's tone, it seems they really have suffered another wave of attacks these past few days," Chen Qian said, his admiration for He Xingjue deepening even further.

They were all anxious, but he remained as calm as a mountain. This composure and this precognitive ability were beyond their reach.

“Go ask the military for more men, and also more equipment,” He Xingjue sneered. “Take this opportunity to extort a lot of money from them.”

Upon hearing this, the subordinates' faces lit up with sly smiles. "Yes, sir!"

He Xingjue waved to them, "Time is of the essence, let's set off now."

"Yes," the subordinates replied loudly, and left with high spirits.

Everyone else had left, leaving only He Xingjue and Chen Qian in the meeting room.

"Is there anything else?" He Xingjue asked without looking up.

"I want to help you soothe your mental energy," Chen Qian said. He hadn't helped He Xingjue with his mental energy since He Xingjue was injured and woke up.

“No need,” He Xingjue refused. “My quantum beast has not appeared.”

Chen Qian was taken aback. "You... I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"It's nothing," He Xingjue said calmly. "Go on with your work."

Chen Qian looked at He Xingjue, who had his head down, hesitated, and finally said nothing, striding outside.

After Li Ze and his two companions emerged from the underground boxing ring, they looked at the ruins everywhere and were momentarily at a loss as to where to go.

"Should we find a place to stay first?" Chen Kaiyang asked.

“This city is almost completely destroyed; I’m afraid it will be difficult to find.” Wang Duanyou looked around.

“We still have to find someone. We can endure wind and rain, but not big shots,” Chen Kaiyang said firmly.

Li Ze, who had been silent all along, spoke up, "Let's leave here first."

As Li Ze spoke, he chose a direction and walked forward.

However, they had only gone a few steps when they encountered several space pirates.

"Oh ho, the sickly beauty is still alive, she's got a long life!"