Chapter 2254 Ning Luo's Troubles

If someone truly possessed a godlike perspective, they would be astonished to discover that the immense upheaval caused by the three races of humans, insects, and demons had somehow created a delicate yet tense triangular situation across the entire operational area. This triangle, formed by the Hope Galaxy, the Xuan Bird Galaxy, and the Chestnut Clan Galaxy, resembled the perfect backdrop for a breathtaking drama unfolding on the stage of the universe.

Countless massive fleets of Zerg and Demon races swarmed across humanity's territory—the Hope System—like locusts in flight. The scene was particularly astonishing in the region east of the Hope System's central axis, within the vast starfield under Chinese rule. Almost every star belonging to China was tightly surrounded by dozens of interstellar warships of varying sizes. The most striking of these was the dazzling Morning Star, now resembling a fortified city trapped in a dense encirclement, its surroundings impenetrable.

However, faced with such a dire situation, China's interstellar fleet did not panic. They stood firmly and resolutely in a stalemate with the approaching Zerg and Demon warships, maintaining a strange balance between the two sides—neither engaging in fierce conflict nor showing any intention of retreating. Meanwhile, the United States, which had always held itself in high regard, while not sending a large fleet to directly participate in the war, quietly amassed a powerful military force within its own sphere of influence, like a beast lurking in the shadows, waiting for the opportune moment to strike.

It's worth noting that the Chestnut Clan system has indeed taken some action recently, but not directly into the fierce war between the humans, insects, and demons. Instead, they dispatched a large number of interstellar warships, sailing in a grand procession towards the mysterious "no man's land," where they have established a tight defense, resembling a well-prepared army. It seems they are quite worried that if these three powerful races start fighting, things will spiral out of control, and the flames of war might spread to themselves.

It should be understood that if the human, insect, and demon races were to actually fight, it would be an earth-shattering war, and they would probably only be able to suffer the consequences... Having humans, who live on a planet with a seemingly innate sense of sarcasm, as neighbors undoubtedly puts enormous pressure on the Chestnut Clan.

However, on the surface, the current situation is relatively stable, with no obvious signs of conflict.

But in reality, undercurrents were turbulent and unpredictable. Small-scale skirmishes frequently occurred. For example, on one occasion, Cui Yingying actually broke into the core base where the demon race's interstellar fleet was gathered all by herself! She almost managed to kill the insectoid commander in front of numerous demons and insectoids.

However, that was before the signing of the betting agreement. Now, both sides have become exceptionally obedient, focusing their attention on the distant Xuan Niao star system, quietly awaiting the final outcome of that crucial betting agreement.

At this critical juncture, Ning Luo found herself in an unprecedented predicament, her mind a tangled mess of anxiety and unbearable suffering.

It's important to know that the Ning family has been operating in China for many years, and the sheer size of their family's influence is astonishing! As for weapons and equipment like starships, which represent the highest level of technology in the universe and have strategic significance, the Ning family has invested a great deal of effort in their research and development.

Over the years, the Ning family not only actively recruited various professional talents but also scoured for precious mineral resources and invested heavily in building a series of supporting facilities—from starship docking ports to shipyards, everything was in place. It was precisely because of this deep-rooted wealth and strong financial resources that the Ning family was able to assemble several fleets with formidable combat capabilities. Faced with this situation, the high-ranking leaders of China were helpless; even if they wanted to intervene, they didn't know where to begin. This was because the place known as "Second Subsidiary Star" was the exclusive source of key mineral materials needed to manufacture starships and warp drive cores, but this lucrative resource had always been firmly in the hands of the Ning family. If they didn't want their lifeline to be held by the other side, then it seemed they had no other choice but to acquiesce.

Ning Luo, this name has extraordinary significance for the Ning family - he is an outstanding figure that the family has cultivated with a lot of effort and resources over many years!

Moreover, he was hailed as the most gifted commander of the Ning family's fleet in nearly a century. Within the Ning family, Ning Luo enjoyed immense prestige and a revered status; all this stemmed from his illustrious military achievements over the years: countless arduous missions were successfully accomplished by him! Time flies, and the long years of accumulation have made Ning Luo seasoned, mature, and experienced, earning the Ning family's unwavering trust. Therefore, as time passed, Ning Luo's position within the Ning family became increasingly prominent and important… However, at this moment, Ning Luo suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of crisis—perhaps, he was about to encounter a major setback in his career…

At this very moment, on the distant edge of the Chestnut Star System, a massive, well-organized, and imposing fleet is slowly advancing. A closer look reveals that the fleet comprises approximately thirty starships of various types. Aside from a few tasked with reconnaissance missions, all the remaining warships are equipped with incredibly powerful heavy main guns and destructive weapon systems capable of destroying planetary targets. Even more striking is the fact that this fleet also conceals a colossal super-mothership, over 70,000 meters long!

"Boss Ning, what are we doing here...? Isn't this a combat mission?..."

In the mothership's cockpit, Ning Luo frowned deeply, his eyes fixed on the faintly glowing personal terminal in his hand. The first mate, sitting beside him, could no longer contain his curiosity and finally mustered the courage to break the silence and ask Ning Luo a question. Since embarking on this expedition, they had passed by the Zerg and Demon fleets several times. Everyone had initially been full of anticipation, believing that this sudden expedition must mean an incredibly fierce battle was about to unfold—either a life-or-death struggle with the Zerg or Demons, or the implementation of some ingenious tactical strategy, such as a diversionary tactic to draw the enemy's attention and relieve the immense pressure on the Morning Star.

However, things didn't go as planned. After Ning Luo told everyone the precise coordinates of their destination, they arrived at the place like headless flies and waited there foolishly, as if they were frozen in place. Faced with the first mate's questioning, Ning Luo took a deep breath, calmed himself down a bit, and then slowly said.

"That's right, this is indeed a combat mission, but the specific circumstances are quite complex and rather unique..."

Ning Luo frowned deeply and spoke in an unusually serious tone. The first mate standing beside him felt a sudden chill run down his spine upon hearing this. He knew this mission would be anything but easy, but his intense curiosity still compelled him to press for an answer.

"What exactly is the situation? What actions do we need to take? We've been here for so long, and such a large fleet has been brought to a standstill, which is extremely costly!"

However, faced with the first mate's barrage of questions, Ning Luo simply glared at him fiercely and then responded irritably.

"In short, just be patient with me! Why are there so many endless questions? When the time is right, someone will inform you of everything and instruct you on how to proceed. Right now, the most important thing is to take the time to rest well and do your best to maintain good physical and mental condition."

Before she finished speaking, Ning Luo turned around and strode straight into the distance, leaving the first mate standing there alone, completely flustered and looking utterly helpless. The first mate scratched his hair and muttered to himself.

"This mission is really puzzling and mysterious. But then again, our Boss Ning always likes to be mysterious and keep things in suspense... Oh well, this saves us a lot of trouble. At least we don't have to rack our brains to figure out those complicated and chaotic things."

With that in mind, he stopped worrying about the details of the mission and found a place to sit down to relax.

However, Ning Luo had only taken two or three steps when he heard a sudden, urgent notification sound from his wrist. He instinctively looked down at the faintly glowing smart display screen, where a line of unread messages was flashing. Filled with doubt and confusion, Ning Luo gently touched the small icon button in the center of the screen. With a soft click, the mysterious message appeared before his eyes…

In an instant, Ning Luo froze, as if time had stood still. His eyes widened, staring intently at the text on the screen, unable to believe that this was actually happening. Because the message appearing before him was actually from within his own family! In other words, it was a secret letter sent personally by a member of the Ning family!

Ning Luo dared not delay for a moment, and hurriedly clicked to enter the message details page to browse the specific content. As his gaze moved and he scanned the words line by line, his expression also underwent subtle changes: the initially calm and gentle expression gradually disappeared without a trace, replaced by an increasingly heavy and complex strange look; the helplessness that had been faintly visible at the corner of his mouth also receded like the tide, turning into endless silence! Until finally, Ning Luo could no longer suppress the surging emotions deep within his heart, and couldn't help but slowly shake his head and let out a long sigh.

So that's how it is! Only now did Ning Luo realize why the first mate had insisted on keeping this important mission a closely guarded secret. The reason was simple: the mission he had received was far too absurd and bizarre, far exceeding the limits of his understanding and acceptance!

Ning Luo never imagined that their mission this time wasn't some dangerous and arduous combat mission, but a protection mission, which had now turned into a rescue mission. What surprised him even more was that this so-called "important person" had an extremely special identity and an unfathomable background.

Recalling the moment he received this mission at the Ning family mansion, Ning Luo fell into deep thought. The scene was as vivid as if it were right before his eyes: he stood in the center of the spacious and magnificent living room, surrounded by a solemn and dignified atmosphere; sitting in front of him was the eldest daughter of the Ning family, who handed him a document and told him that the mission contained in the document was of utmost importance and could not be delayed.

Ning Luo took the document and quickly opened it to read, but after only a few lines, he was stunned—it turned out to be a protection mission that required his personal involvement! With his battle-hardened body and exceptional strength, handling such a small task should have been a piece of cake! However, the series of events that followed left him increasingly astonished… Why was this? The reason lay in the fact that the fleet responsible for this escort mission was far too powerful and luxurious!

Within the entire Ning family, there are probably only a handful of people who can mobilize such a large fleet for protection. One of them is the highly respected and beloved eldest daughter of the Ning family, and the other is none other than Ning Ba, the venerable and powerful patriarch of the Ning family!

But who would have thought that when Ning Luo finally understood that the people he was supposed to protect were just two ordinary students who were about to go to the China Starship Academy to take the freshman entrance exam, even his battle-hardened heart couldn't help but tremble. His mind went blank for a moment, and he couldn't understand what was going on at all.

After carefully studying the detailed information on the two individuals, Ning Luo was utterly astonished and speechless! He could somewhat accept and understand Ning Dan's situation. After all, she was, in any case, a member of the Ning family! As a large family, it was perfectly normal for them not to want any mishaps or unexpected situations to occur to their members during this important assessment! Even if the so-called "protection team" was excessively luxurious and large, considering the Ning family's immense wealth and resources, perhaps they simply didn't care about such expenses…

However, at this moment, what truly puzzled and even bewildered Ning Luo was another guy named Ye Ye: Just who was this guy? Especially when Ning Luo was surprised to discover that the starship Ye Ye was traveling on to participate in the assessment was actually a super-luxury battleship-class giant cruiser that was specially designed and built for the highly regarded young lady of the Ning family, he was completely dumbfounded!