Red Eyes scanned the starship wreckage surrounding the entire interstellar space station and immediately said, "The number of starship wrecks here is wrong!
The starships I left behind at the Headquarters Base weren't this few!
This is only about two-thirds of them. The rest must have escaped!"
Red Eyes turned to look at Zhao Chen and pleaded, "Commander, may I borrow your starship's electronic communication equipment?"
"Go ahead," Zhao Chen permitted.
Red Eyes immediately began operating the equipment. After a series of actions, the starship's electronic communication devices captured a hidden signal.
Within this signal was a piece of information, along with a coordinate location.
"There is a traitor... ******"
Zhao Chen looked at this message, then back at Red Eyes.
Red Eyes said with pleasant surprise, "This is an internal secret code we established. In the event of an attack on the Headquarters Base, we are to evacuate immediately.
We pre-designated several evacuation points. Those who escape would leave a hidden communication code in this area. Through certain means, this communication code would remain here for one week to a month!
Only by using the corresponding frequency can one receive these communication codes."
"Could it have been left by the traitor?" Zhao Chen asked.
Red Eyes shook her head. "No. See this symbol at the end of the message? It represents the deputy corps leader of my Mercenary Corps, the person I trust the most.
Anyone else might betray me, but not her.
Besides, those bastards wouldn't have any reason to deceive me. Before this, they must have believed their operation was foolproof.
In fact, without your rescue, Commander, we wouldn't have escaped alive either.
So they had no reason to go through the trouble of leaving this message."
After speaking, Red Eyes looked at Zhao Chen with eager eyes.
"Since we've come this far, we must find them, alive or dead, right?" Zhao Chen immediately gave the order to set off again, heading toward the coordinate location mentioned in the communication.
Before departure, Red Eyes kept staring at the ruins of the interstellar space station, her expression grave, as if saying something to those who had sacrificed themselves.
Several dozen minutes later, the T3 Blizzard-class Light Interstellar Battlecruiser arrived at the second coordinate location.
Surprisingly, there was an asteroid here.
Although interstellar border space is vast and empty, occasionally one or two such asteroids can be encountered.
On the asteroid, several parked starships could be seen, their hulls bearing marks from recent battles.
These starships immediately entered combat readiness upon the sudden appearance of the T3 Blizzard-class Light Interstellar Battlecruiser.
With Zhao Chen's permission, Red Eyes immediately used public communication to inform them of her identity.
The starships on the other side quickly lowered their hostility and established a video communication link with Red Eyes.
On the other end was a female of the Human Race, appearing slightly older than Red Eyes.
"Red Eyes... I'm sorry, I... failed to protect our base!" the deputy corps leader said with a look of guilt.
"Pei Jie! First, tell me the current situation!" Red Eyes remained calm instead.
Although many things had happened along the way, and Red Eyes had experienced anger and despair, she always managed to quickly adjust her emotions.
This was an excellent quality!
Especially in commanding interstellar fleet combat.
"One day ago, our headquarters was suddenly attacked by an interstellar fleet.
At the same time, traitors emerged within our headquarters. They collaborated with the enemy fleet from the inside, causing destruction that led to our almost instantaneous collapse.
At that time, I could only lead the few remaining starships and escape with a small number of people.
Fortunately, we managed to escape successfully and have been hiding here." After finishing her account, Deputy Corps Leader Pei Jie looked somewhat puzzled at Zhao Chen beside Red Eyes.
The appearance of Red Eyes on an unfamiliar starship here was also a matter of confusion for her.
Red Eyes then proceeded to tell Deputy Corps Leader Pei Jie about what had happened to her and how Zhao Chen had come to her rescue.
"Commander, thank you very much for your assistance!" Deputy Corps Leader Pei Jie first expressed great surprise upon hearing that Red Eyes had also been attacked, then immediately spoke with gratitude upon learning that Zhao Chen had saved her.
Zhao Chen said, "For now, let's focus on evacuating quickly. This isn't a place to stay for long.
If you don't mind, you can take temporary refuge in my stellar territory.
Because my stellar territory doesn't have a Stargate, outsiders generally don't visit."
Red Eyes and Deputy Corps Leader Pei Jie exchanged glances and both agreed to the proposal.
Afterward, Red Eyes also learned some detailed information about the losses from Deputy Corps Leader Pei Jie.
Originally, the headquarters base had nearly over five thousand people, of which five hundred were combat personnel, and the rest were logistics personnel, slaves rescued by Red Eyes, and others.
From this attack, only about a thousand people managed to escape out of the over five thousand.
Those few starships were now completely packed with people!
The next step was to prepare for the journey back to Fierce Dragon Territory.
However, because Red Eyes and Deputy Corps Leader Pei Jie suggested returning to the headquarters base to search for any valuable items that could still be taken,
after all, that place was once their home.
Zhao Chen agreed.
The T3 Blizzard and these starships returned to the interstellar space station.
Zhao Chen and Red Eyes stood on the bridge, watching the shuttles searching through the ruins of the interstellar space station on the screen. They would also collect the bodies of their fallen comrades.
They didn't want to see their companions drifting like lost souls in the vast universe after death.
"Let's go, we'll head to the starship dining hall to get something to eat," Zhao Chen said to Red Eyes.
"I'm not very hungry," Red Eyes whispered.
Zhao Chen placed a hand on Red Eyes' shoulder. "I know you're feeling terrible right now, but a person needs food to stay strong. At a time like this, you must take good care of yourself. That's the greatest tribute to your fallen comrades!"
Hearing Zhao Chen's words, Red Eyes ultimately followed him to the starship dining hall.
Because they had to wait for some time, part of the T3 Blizzard's crew was able to take rotating breaks.
Red Eyes was somewhat surprised by the clean and spacious starship dining hall, especially when she saw the abundant food in front of the demi-human crew members.
She couldn't help but ask, "Is this the food your crew eats?"
"That's right," Zhao Chen nodded, using his authority to order a meal for Red Eyes.
When Red Eyes saw the delicious-smelling food before her, she was astonished. "Is all this food made from natural crops?"
"Mmm, the taste is quite good," Zhao Chen said.
Red Eyes took a bite, her expression shifting slightly. This was truly nothing like those nutrition meals.
"Are you curious about their identities?" Zhao Chen asked while eating, looking at Red Eyes.
Red Eyes hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
Zhao Chen had noticed earlier that Red Eyes kept glancing at the necks, ankles, and wrists of the female crew members eating nearby. Those areas bore marks from long-term wear of foot shackles, hand shackles, and neck collars.
"You guessed correctly. They were all slaves once, bought by me and now serving as my starship crew. From the perspective that 'without buying, there would be no harm,' perhaps I am also one of those you 'hate,'" Zhao Chen said proactively.
Red Eyes was taken aback, momentarily at a loss for words.
"If you can enjoy this kind of treatment, being a slave under the commander isn't so bad!" a half-beast female starship crew member from the neighboring seat chimed in.
Then, looking at Zhao Chen, she stuck out her tongue playfully. "Sorry, I wasn't eavesdropping on the commander. If the commander is angry, you can punish me!"
The other half-beast female crew members nearby, who had been secretly watching the commander, cursed inwardly. This little minx was trying to get ahead!
But she was bold enough to flirt with the commander right in front of everyone!