"Go! Get as far away as possible—we absolutely cannot approach within five thousand light-years."
Upon confirming the discovery of several life planets in the Third Spiral Arm, Liu Hai's first reaction was to flee—the best strategy among the thirty-six stratagems.
Under Liu Hai's urging, Li Yali led the fleet in a frantic series of jumps, racing toward their destination without a single glance back or any thought of competing for a life planet.
Liu Hai understood all too well that once the military intervened, they would conscript all civilian fleets within five thousand light-years to perform tasks like intelligence gathering and radar deployment—even sending them to the battlefield if necessary.
For the sake of his own survival, Liu Hai adamantly refused to touch anything related to life planets, the ultimate prize in military contention. Besides, the handling of life planets was governed by federal laws, leaving no room for his concern.
According to Star River Federation regulations, when Pioneers or explorers discovered or occupied a life planet, the federal military held priority control rights until the explorer or Pioneer became a Lord, at which point the star system would be returned to them—for a price.
This priority control wasn't the Federation trying to take advantage. Pioneers and explorers often lacked the absolute strength to control a life planet. A single surprise attack could wipe out their fleet—and themselves along with it.
Priority control was a benefit provided by the Federation. The military's first priority was ensuring the life planet remained in Federation hands. During this period, the discoverer would be given an opportunity: if they could defend and develop the planet without requiring federal fleet intervention, they would gain absolute autonomy.
Conversely, if they failed to hold it, the military would inevitably step in. By the time the discoverer became a Lord, the Federation would return threefold whatever had been invested—then reclaim all rights. Alternatively, the discoverer could simply sell the life planet to the Federation.
Many chose this path, as early-stage Pioneers rarely possessed significant strength. Few would venture into unknown star regions with an entire army in tow.
Thus, upon discovering a life planet, receiving compensation based on its classification, building one's own forces, and establishing more Pioneer Fleets became the mainstream approach in the Federation.
This time, however, was different. The first to discover the life planet was the exploration fleet backed by Xue Jiye's family.
After the discovery, the fleet immediately reported to the family, leading to Xue Jiye assembling a Pioneer Fleet to head there.
To hold the life planet on their own, Xue Jiye and his family scrambled to recruit external support. Xue Jiye personally pulled together hundreds of warships at a banquet to serve as cannon fodder.
The Xue family of the Donglai Star Region even mobilized a mixed army, far exceeding the standard size of a military unit—though its combat effectiveness still fell short of the military's second-line forces.
Originally, the Xue family intended to establish their occupation of the life planet as a fait accompli. Once their fleet arrived and they reported to the Federation, the planet would be theirs.
What they didn't expect was that within the thousands of light-years they named the Stardust Star Region, there were as many as six life planets. The Katun Civilization's exploration fleet had also blundered into the area, clashing with the Xue family's fleet.
Their position was exposed, their intelligence leaked.
In a frantic rush, Xue Jiye arrived at the Stardust Star Region with his fleet of cannon fodder—only to be caught red-handed by the Katun mixed fleet, which had also rushed to the scene.
The two sides engaged in a fierce battle outside Life Planet No. 3 in the Stardust Star Region, which lasted two full days. After leaving behind hundreds of wrecked warships, both sides withdrew their forces—much like two predators locked in combat, retreating to lick their wounds while awaiting the next deadly confrontation.
After another month of Liu Hai's frantic escape, they had already traveled over six thousand light-years from the Stardust Star Region. Yet Liu Hai remained uneasy—who knew if there were more life planets within a thousand light-years of that area? So he chose to keep moving, albeit at a reduced speed.
Frequent jumps had caused issues across the fleet's warships. Normally, they would need maintenance after three to five jumps to inspect wear and tear before continuing. But during this period, Liu Hai had stretched the interval to fifteen jumps.
The entire mixed fleet was exhausted. Prioritizing safety, Liu Hai had no choice but to slow their pace, giving the crew time to rest and recover.
This also became an opportunity for the fleet's leadership to discuss developments in the Stardust Star Region. Over the past months, rumors had proliferated wildly, mingled with official military reports, leaving many Pioneers thoroughly confused.
The information was simply too chaotic—even military intelligence couldn't be fully trusted. Of course, neither Irina nor Liu Hai were analyzing the Stardust situation to seek profit; they simply wanted clarity to avoid potential dangers.
With survival as their primary concern, Irina and Liu Hai found themselves getting along remarkably well, developing a mutual appreciation that bordered on finding kindred spirits.
While Liu Hai's group monitored the distant Stardust situation, major events were unfolding locally.
The factions led by the Xue and Li families had confronted each other, with fleets deployed and ready—only the timely intervention of military representatives prevented open conflict.
Aboard the command ship of the Third Fleet under the Hera Star System Strategic Command, representatives from both families glared across the conference table, looking ready to roll up their sleeves and brawl.
"Enough! Look at yourselves—supposedly influential figures from respectable families. Have some decorum! This is a federal command ship, not some civilian arbitration office. Who do you think you're intimidating with this behavior?"
The Third Fleet's chief of staff, temporarily assigned to mediate, finally lost patience. Slamming the table, he roared at both parties until tempers cooled.
Seeing them regain composure, the chief of staff sipped his tea and adopted a milder tone: "I've reviewed the records. Both your claims are technically valid—your exploration fleets simply failed to detect each other during surveys."
"However, our analysis shows the Xue family discovered Life Planets One, Two, and Three before Li family probes reached those coordinates. Chronologically, Xue's fleet holds first discovery rights."
"Meanwhile, the Li family located Planets Four and Five. Any objections to this conclusion?"
Though phrased as a question, both families recognized this as the military's final allocation of exploration rights. Despite their dissatisfaction, neither dared contradict the federal military's authority, reluctantly accepting the verdict.
However, conclusions are just conclusions, and no formal agreement was signed between the two parties. If they were to be driven out by the Ka
ton Fleet in the future and later reclaimed by us, then this conclusion would have to be revised once again.