289: Chapter 289 Little Black

When Laila's figure appeared at the edge of the Mist, a patrol squad quickly spotted her. Once the scanner confirmed her identity, the soldiers' tense nerves relaxed slightly, and they lowered their rifles in a well-trained, tacit motion.

Seeing Laila carrying a wounded man, her clothes tattered and her body covered in blood, the officer leading the squad stepped forward and asked with a deep frown, "What happened? Didn't your Second Squad go to the front lines for reconnaissance?"

A soldier rushed forward to take Caleb from Laila's back; his breath was faint, and he would be dead if not treated immediately.

Laila was completely exhausted. Her body swayed, and if it weren't for two nearby soldiers quickly supporting her, she would have collapsed to the ground.

Laila's consciousness was as murky as the Mist before her. Only unconscious murmurs escaped her lips, repeating just two words: "Statue... statue..."

"What statue?" The officer's voice grew more urgent. "Where are your people? Where are the others from the Second Squad? What's the situation on the front lines?"

Looking at Laila's soul-crushing state, the officer felt a sense of foreboding.

Just then, a dull roar came from the sky above.

Seeing the commotion in the sky, a soldier gasped and said in shock, "Com... Commander, look... look up!"

Everyone's gaze was drawn upward. A massive metallic shadow slowly emerged from the Mist above, the hull appearing ferocious and majestic. Then came a second ship, a third...

Warship after warship appeared, the fleet overlapping as the low resonance of engines penetrated the clouds, bringing an overwhelming sense of pressure.

On the hull of every ship was the Verland Company emblem, a mark the soldiers knew all too well and took pride in.

"It's our fleet! The Second and Fifth Fleets are back!"

"Verland is invincible!"

No one knew who shouted those words first, but they instantly ignited the team's emotions, and some couldn't help but raise their arms and cheer.

The officer leading the squad breathed a long sigh of relief, his tense shoulders dropping. A proud smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, and his heart finally settled. It seemed the front lines had achieved a great victory, and the Verland fleet was returning in triumph.

Everyone was smiling, except for Laila.

When the massive fleet in the sky was reflected in her eyes, her chaotic consciousness was instantly seized by extreme terror.

Laila's eyes snapped wide open. She let out a few inhuman, strange cries from her throat, her head shaking like a rattle as she repeatedly muttered, "No... no..."

Finally, as if breaking free from the suffocation of drowning, Laila found her voice. She used every ounce of strength to scream in a breakdown:

"It's not them! That's not our fleet!!"

What was she saying? This was clearly a fleet marked with the Verland emblem; how could they be mistaken? The smiles on the soldiers' faces froze, and they looked at each other, some wondering if Laila had lost her mind.

No one noticed that besides fear, there was a bone-deep despair in Laila's eyes.

Before they could fully process Laila's words, the fleet in the sky suddenly moved. The dense battery of cannons turned downward, aiming at the forward base on the ground.

A flash of white light erupted.

Countless sparks rose from every corner of the base. The scene was absurdly brilliant, as if someone were determined to put on a magnificent performance in broad daylight.

The last thing these soldiers saw was a tungsten shell rapidly expanding in their vision, followed by a deafening explosion and a searing shockwave that consumed everything.

---

The world's greatest company, the Verland Company, had actually lost!

This shocking news swept across the entire Earth and several colonial planets with the speed of a plague.

From bars in bustling cities to dining tables on frontier colonial stars, from the circular chambers of national high councils to the narrow alleys of slums, people repeated only one sentence:

"Verland lost? How is that possible?"

This was the world's largest commercial and military conglomerate, a synonym for invincibility in the hearts of countless people. Their fleets had spanned the stars, their technology had led the era, and their badge had represented order and power.

Like the biggest joke of the century, in the first few hours after the news broke, countless people who viewed Verland as their faith broke down.

But the facts could not be changed. This company from another world had already occupied the Verland Company's Fourth Corps Base on Earth and had claimed Verland's Second and Fifth Fleets as its own.

On the day they moved into the Fourth Corps Base, this company also kindly invited local media for a full broadcast.

In the footage, the familiar Verland logos in the base were being removed one by one by workers and replaced with a planet-shaped logo.

Third-Party Biotechnology.

This was the first time people in this world had encountered this company, and the impression was unforgettable. During the live broadcast, the company also high-profiled its next goal:

Acquiring Verland for one dollar.

Seeing the black-haired youth in casual clothes on the screen saying those words nonchalantly, everyone felt he had gone mad.

But the company was clearly not joking. After a brief period of reorganization, the company's fleet set out for the Verland Company's headquarters on Mars, Verland Mars City.

Now, the eyes of the whole world were focused on Mars. This war would very likely determine the future direction of this world.

"This company cannot succeed."

On the ground, an emergency roundtable meeting of high-level officials from various countries was being held. Politicians gathered, their faces filled with gravity.

The speaker was a middle-aged man with a square face. He tapped the table heavily and said in a deep voice:

"The defense system of Verland Mars City has been under construction for decades. Its orbital cannon arrays are enough to destroy a small planet. Plus, Verland's other three fleets remain intact."

"Third-Party Technology can't possibly breach Verland Mars City with just two hijacked fleets."

Another person countered, "Do you think a company that could defeat Verland is stupid? Perhaps they have means we don't know about."

"Then what do we do? Should we support Verland? After all, that company is an outsider?"

"Support them with what? Do we have interstellar warships? Or do we use those few mining ships? They're fine for digging, but for war? Aren't you afraid they'll fall apart halfway there?"

"..."

In the meeting room, as these national politicians argued, bitterness gradually appeared on their faces.

Perhaps only they knew that in the face of these interstellar super-corporations, they were actually no different from ordinary people.

---

"Acquiring Verland for one dollar..."

Verland Mars City was located next to the Olympus Mons on Mars. A massive circular array of over a thousand giant atmospheric processors stood like a ring of silent steel giants, firmly protecting the entire city in the center.

These 1,200-meter-tall gray towers, like chimneys, were constantly spewing white gas, transforming the thin atmosphere of the Martian surface layer by layer.

Under deliberate guidance, they formed a perfect circle fifty kilometers in diameter. The modified oxygen-rich air was locked within the ring, even condensing artificial clouds above the city.

Over 2 million permanent residents lived in this city, twenty percent of whom were Verland Company employees and their families, or people associated with the company. The Verland Company headquarters, the Verland Mars Building, was located in this city.

On the plaza at the base of the building, giant screens often played the company's glorious achievements. Every resident walking through the plaza had a face filled with unmistakable pride and superiority.

Most people in this city had been injected with the L-Vax Vaccine, a longevity vaccine. They had thought they could live here peacefully, enjoying the long life and affluent lifestyle brought by Verland technology.

But today, that peace was shattered.

Someone had broadcast Third-Party Technology's declaration of "Acquiring Verland for one dollar" on the giant screen. Everyone who saw it turned pale. They had also learned of Verland's defeat on Earth, and that the company's fleet was on its way here.

In the footage, the black-haired youth in casual clothes leaned back in his command chair, the aggressive look in his eyes making people uneasy.

"What do they think they're doing? We still have Verland's fleets on Mars, and we have the Orbital Defense System. Why do they think they can take this place so easily?"

Amidst the silence, a man wearing gold-rimmed glasses shouted loudly, his tone full of conviction:

"Don't worry, everyone! The Orbital Defense System of Verland Mars City is an ultimate line of defense built over decades of hard work. It's enough to destroy any incoming enemy. My brother's cousin's father's uncle's great-aunt's son is a high-level executive at Verland Company."

"I've received word that Verland's fleets are currently stationed in Martian orbit and will never let these outsiders set foot in our home!"

These words made the crowd boil with excitement.

"Right! We still have the fleet! And the orbital defense!"

"Haha, this guy is as ugly as his dreams are beautiful."

"..."

In the vacuum of space 30,000 meters above the Martian surface, Verland's three fleets were waiting in battle formation. Inside the command deck of the flagship 'Shield of Olympus', Laimon Duvick was staring intently at the star map. He was the commander-in-chief of this defense operation.

No sign of the enemy fleet had appeared on the star map yet, but Laimon didn't dare relax in the slightest. In fact, he had been quite shocked when he learned of his company's defeat on Earth.

As a high-level executive of Verland Company, he knew exactly how much military force his company had invested in that war. It included most of the company's elite forces, enough to ensure any offending enemy would never return.

But the reality was, the company lost...

Not only that, two aerospace fleets were captured by the enemy. This immediately put the company in a passive position, and there were even rumors that this failed war marked the beginning of Verland Company's decline.

Laimon's gaze sharpened.

He would never let such a thing happen. The name Verland was already etched into his blood and bones. He had joined Verland in its early days, participated in the foundation of the first atmospheric processor in Mars City, and personally brought the Verland emblem to several colonial planets. He was also one of Peter Verland's most trusted people.

With such a monument about to fall, how could Laimon let it collapse?

Besides, the opponent's ships were structures he was very familiar with, and they were fighting on their home turf. If the opponent really dared to come...

Laimon was confident he could bury them in this starry sky!

Thinking of this, Laimon took a deep breath and said solemnly to the personnel behind him, "Everyone, behind us is Verland Mars City, the foundation of Verland. Today, we have no way back. We have only one choice, and that is to let the glory of Verland continue to shine in this starry sky!"

"Pass on my command! All fleets enter the highest state of combat readiness. Once the enemy fleet is detected within range, open fire with everything we've got immediately."

"Understood, sir!"

"..."

The Verland fleet formed an indestructible triangular formation, quietly waiting for their prey to arrive.

Seeing this, Laimon nodded with satisfaction.

Behind these fleets was the global Orbital Defense System Verland had spent decades building. In Mars' middle and high orbits, over three hundred mobile platforms the size of medium space stations were deployed.

On each platform were several 10-meter-wide cannon muzzles. They utilized superconducting electromagnetic principles to accelerate 10-meter caliber tungsten-core armor-piercing shells to a terrifying muzzle velocity of 500 kilometers per second.

At this speed, kinetic energy alone could pierce through a warship's armor. The three hundred-plus mobile platforms were arranged in three even layers, forming a fire net that could cover 5,000 kilometers of airspace around Mars. Any force entering the range could not escape the lethal strike of the electromagnetic cannons.

Everything was ready, just waiting for the enemy to appear.

But after waiting for a long time, let alone the enemy, not even the shadow of an escort ship appeared. The deep-space radar remained completely empty.

"Have they given up?"

Laimon pondered. According to the timeline, the opponent should have arrived near Mars by now, but they hadn't appeared.

What did this company want to do?

Laimon frowned. He understood one principle: never underestimate any enemy. Various thoughts flashed through his mind, but he had no clue.

At that moment, the emergency communication light on the main control console began to flash. The rapid frequency startled everyone.

"Sir! It's... it's a call from the company's Mars headquarters," the operator said, looking at Laimon.

"Patch it through." For some reason, an ill feeling arose in Laimon's heart.

Once connected, the screen showed the company's senior administrative manager, the right-hand woman of his boss, Peter Verland.

But now, this usually dignified and polite lady's face was full of terror, and her exquisite professional suit was torn.

"Commander Laimon, where are you? The enemy... the enemy is already above our heads!"

The screen switched to show the scene outside the Verland Mars Building.

High above,

A massive fleet had already torn through the clouds and arrived above the company's headquarters, the Verland Mars Building.

The entire city was in chaos.

"Ah—!" Something happened, and after the female manager let out a scream, the communication was instantly cut off.

"How is that possible?!" a crew member shouted. "Our deep-space radar covers tens of thousands of kilometers of airspace, and the sensors of the orbital defense platforms have no blind spots. How did they bypass us?"

"All fleets, return at maximum speed!!"

Laimon's eyes were bloodshot, and he nearly lost his mind.

But just as the three fleets turned around to head back, the Orbital Defense System in front of them moved.

Inside the fleet, everyone watched in utter horror as the three hundred-plus mobile platforms that had guarded Mars like a steel fortress gradually adjusted their muzzles and locked onto the three returning fleets.

Those muzzles were like cold eyes, staring chillingly at their former teammates...

---

At this moment, above the Verland Mars Building, next to Lin Fang's position, sat a device that looked like a gray-white printer.

It was Xiao Hei's true form, the 550W Quantum Computer.

[Boss, these fleets are yours now too. I am currently hacking into this world.]

Lin Fang smiled. "Well done, Xiao Hei. You truly are an important member of our company."

---

Can't finish writing, will try for three chapters tomorrow or the day after...