Her tone lacked its usual coolness, instead carrying a faint, almost comforting quality.
"Commander!"
"This outcome... might actually be good for you."
She paused, as if organizing her thoughts, her gaze drifting toward the fleet outside the window that belonged to them.
"Do you remember when you first took command?
Drinking, undisciplined, completely clueless about fleet affairs. Everyone thought you were just a privileged young master here to pad your resume."
The corner of her mouth even lifted ever so slightly, as if recalling something.
"But starting from the Elvira Star System, you changed.
Became... hard to understand, yet impossible not to respect."
"Leading us against Wells, against Obsidian, against Megalodon...
Every time was a desperate situation, every time we thought it was over, but you always managed to lead us out, achieving results no one could have imagined."
Her voice was soft, yet each word was clear.
"You are no ordinary commander.
You have something... something that can ignite desperation and create miracles.
That thing is more precious than a fleet."
"Given time, you will undoubtedly rise to greater heights.
Like Marshal Qin Qianfan, commanding a region, truly influencing the landscape of the Star Sea."
She withdrew her gaze, looking directly at Qin Bei Wang, her eyes clear and frank.
"To have a talent like you... go with us to fill a pit destined to be a bloody slaughter is too wasteful, too cruel."
"What Command is doing, though cold-blooded, from a higher perspective... is correct."
"You should survive. The Federation needs you to survive, to rise to a higher position."
Her words were rational, penetrating, even carrying a martyr-like calm.
She had accepted her own fate and was trying to make Qin Bei Wang accept the "path of survival" arranged for him.
Qin Bei Wang listened quietly.
He looked at Zhuang ZhiXuan, this always calm, reliable deputy.
Now, like a true soldier, she faced her known fate of death with composure, still comforting him, the one being protected.
The smoldering fire in his heart was not extinguished; instead, fueled by this composure and sacrifice, it burned fiercer, more painfully.
They saw him as a "strategic talent," as "hope," as a spark that needed protection.
But who had asked whether this "spark" was willing to leave the "kindling" that burned for him and was willing to be extinguished for him?
He slowly drew in a breath, then slowly exhaled.
All emotion vanished from his face, returning to his usual calm, even deeper than usual.
Qin Bei Wang slowly shook his head.
"No."
His voice was not loud, but like a rock thrown into an icy lake, it was clear, firm, leaving no room for doubt.
"I will not accept this order."
He looked at Zhuang ZhiXuan, his gaze devoid of anger or grievance, only an unwavering resolve.
"No one can separate me from my fleet.
Not before, not now, not ever."
Zhuang ZhiXuan's eyes widened slightly, as if she wanted to say something.
But looking into Qin Beiwang's unfathomable eyes, which burned with a flame she had never seen before, all her words of persuasion stuck in her throat.
She knew him well, and understood that when he spoke in this tone, everything was already decided.
"Initiate a fleet-wide broadcast."
Qin Beiwang commanded, his tone brooking no argument.
"All channels, mandatory reception."
"...Yes, Commander."
Zhuang Zhixuan took a deep breath and turned to execute the order.
Her heart trembled, yet she was also faintly stirred by this madness of going against the tide.
Soon, a low and familiar voice forcibly cut into every starship, every cabin, and every headset of the Pluto Fleet.
"All officers and soldiers, this is Qin Beiwang."
The moment the voice sounded, countless busy, anxious, or demoralized officers and soldiers instinctively halted their actions.
It was the Commander's voice!
"I know that you, like me, have seen the battle reports of the surrounding star systems continuously falling.
Blue Moon, Flowing Light, Vast Mansion, Myriad Forms... the Empire's fleet is pressing closer step by step."
The voice calmly stated the brutal facts, without concealment or embellishment.
This instead gave many bewildered soldiers a strange sense of steadiness.
"We may feel powerless, we may feel angry, we may doubt whether we can hold the starry sky beneath our feet."
He paused, his voice suddenly rising, carrying a sharp edge:
"But just now, a transfer order arrived here."
"They want to transfer your Commander away."
"To make me leave Pluto, leave all of you, and go to the rear—to become a safe and secure, turtle hiding in its shell."
These words exploded like thunder in the ears of all who listened!
Countless officers and soldiers abruptly looked up, their faces filled with disbelief.
In the command cabin, officers exchanged shocked glances.
In the hangar bay, ground crew members clenched the tools in their hands.
At the gun stations, soldiers' fingers hovered above the buttons.
"You tell me—"
Qin Beiwang's voice came through the broadcast, carrying a provocative, soul-piercing question.
"Can! I! Agree?!"
Silence.
A vast, fleet-wide silence.
Many soldiers instinctively looked at their comrades beside them, at the cabin walls, at their own tightly clenched hands.
Some newly replenished recruits showed hesitation and fear on their faces; they wanted to raise their hands in agreement but did not dare, ultimately just cautiously lowering them.
However—
Amidst this silence, from some corners, erupted hoarse yet resolute roars!
"We won't agree!!!"
"We won't agree!!!"
"We do not agree!!!"
Those were the veterans who had crawled out of the mountains of corpses and seas of blood with Qin Beiwang from Elvira!
The fierce soldiers who had fought their way out of the hellish encirclement of Savannah!
The backbone who had personally witnessed how this young commander led them to create miracles!
Their roars were scattered at first but quickly gathered and amplified, like a single spark igniting the entire silent wilderness!
More and more people reacted, something in their blood ignited.
Fear? Hesitation? In the stark contrast between "being abandoned" and "being chosen,"
They were swiftly replaced by another, more primitive, more fervent emotion—comradeship, the sense of belonging forged in life and death, and unreserved trust in the commander who had led them to win all their glory!
"We won't agree!"
"The Commander cannot leave!"
"We're with you!"
The roar surged like a tidal wave, reverberating through the open local communication channel, converging into a deafening soundwave. Even through the broadcast, one could feel its overwhelming force!
Over the broadcast, Qin Bei Wang seemed to wait a moment, allowing the roar to fully resonate.
Then, his voice rang out once more—this time, no longer questioning, but carrying a declaration so fervent it severed all paths of retreat.
"Excellent!"
"Then I'll tell you this—I, Qin Bei Wang, am not leaving!"
"Not only am I not leaving, but I will also lead you all to pull off something even bigger!"
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