AN: I will take a day off tomorrow. If not tomorrow, then the day after. Happy reading.

"Why the fuck would he come here with half a team?" cursed Li Jun, who had arrived an hour earlier, using a shortcut in the desert. He looked through the scope with a humph.

Yan Jia opened the case in the back. Inside was a massive plasma cannon. "Maybe he has backup coming?" she replied while assembling the parts at breakneck speed.

"Do you see anyone else coming? How the fuck did he become a general in the first place?" He was asking that, but he knew what Yu Wen was capable of. He was the most qualified for that position, and he was ruthless in battle.

But right now, he was not acting responsibly. It was a stupid idea to come here like this. Li Jun tapped the device in his ear and spoke through the comms. "Be ready to act when I tell you to."

"Yes, Your Highness," replied a sweet yet domineering voice from the comms. The only reason Draco felt a sense of ease was because Li Jun had taken his elite team, one of the best in Blue Sapphire, with him.

They were providing him with air support, and right now, they were in a stealth spacecraft up in the sky awaiting his orders. "Wen-ge, what the hell are you thinking?" he said, looking at the convoy driving into the town.

When the convoy stopped, he turned the muzzle of the sniper rifle towards the front of the convoy. There was a young woman standing in the middle of the road, looking pitiful. "Monte, check her for me," he said, and the sweet voice from before spoke through the comms saying,

"Yes, sir... she is an operative of Helion. From the intel we have been gathering, she is part of the death squad."

Li Jun made it a point to know his enemies. His father had made sure that from the day he could speak, he would learn everything about Helion. Every day of his life was filled with endless files about their enemy.

If asked in his sleep, he could tell you all the prestigious families in the ruling class and their purpose. So, he knew what the death squad was. They were trained from a young age, and when push came to shove, they would strap themselves with explosives and attack.

Yu Wen seemed to realize the same thing, but he was much slower. The commander in front of the convoy said, "Sir, how do we proceed?"

Just then, a low, vibrating whoosh that was audible but soft shot through the air. The young woman was shot in the head. The plasma bolt pierced the flesh, searing through tissue, leaving a clean, almost surgical hole.

Yu Wen issued a command ordering them to back up. The convoy reversed in a hurry. The young woman’s body tumbled to the ground, and a loud explosion followed. The once peaceful town descended into chaos.

Plasma bolts began to rain down on their convoy. Good thing, their armored cars were bulletproof. Yu Wen issued orders in rapid succession. The plasma rifles were the least of their worries.

As expected, they received warnings that there was an imminent threat. A plasma cannon was aimed in their direction. The commander aimed the plasma gun on top of the armored car towards the building. With a loud bang, they shot a hole in the building, eliminating the threat.

But with one threat gone, several others popped up. Yu Wen could deal with this. This attack was nothing, but as he issued orders, something unexpected happened. The threats were suddenly eliminated from the sky simultaneously.

For what seemed like an eternity, the center of the town was torn to shreds. When the attack finally stopped, the town fell into silence. Alex asked, "Was that us?" Yu Wen’s lips curled, but he didn’t say anything.

"Scan for more hostiles," he said, and Alex did as told.

On the other hand, Li Jun got off the top of the car and said, "Let’s go. It’s time for me to claim credit." Yan Jia packed away the plasma cannon and got into the driver’s seat. She stepped on the gas, and the car tore through the desert.

Meanwhile, Yu Wen was standing outside near the rubble as his men searched the town. When he received a proximity warning, he glanced at the headlights coming towards him. Alex and the other two got into formation, but Yu Wen pressed the barrel of Alexi’s rifle down.

He said, "No need to be hostile to our saviors now, do we?" Alex was confused. Why would anyone respond this fast and be their backup unless they were following them? The car came to a halt, but no one came out of the car.

Yan Jia looked at Li Jun and said, "Your Highness, we can go back." She glanced down at his hand, and he was doing that thing he did when he was nervous. He was rubbing his fingers with his thumb, his gaze fixed on Yu Wen.

"Your Highness," she whispered when she saw Yu Wen walk towards them. Li Jun followed Yu Wen’s figure as he came around to his side and knocked on the window. It was only then that he snapped out of it. He met Yu Wen’s gaze, and his gut twisted.

He knew that Yu Wen couldn’t see him, but he couldn’t help but feel nervous. He glanced at Yan Jia, and she said, "Last chance." She was planning on reversing out of here and making a run for it. All he needed was Li Jun to give her the order.

But when she looked back in the rearview mirror, she saw Alex standing at the back, blocking their path. "Shit," she swore internally while clutching the steering wheel tightly.

Li Jun said, "It’s fine." He opened the car door, and Yu Wen took a couple of steps back. When their eyes met, Yu Wen felt a jolt in his heart like he had been electrocuted. It was like his soul instantly recognized Li Jun. He took a step forward, his Adam’s apple bobbing, and Li Jun, as though in a trance, didn’t move.

"Zi Rui!" Yan Jia called out before walking around the car, but one of the commanders stepped in front of her, blocking her path.