And not a single one had noticed the boarding.
Back on the cruiser, Xu Jian watched the feed come in live.
He gave a small nod.
"Secure them. Stabilize vitals. Bring them aboard for holding. Don't question them yet."
"And the rest of the ship?" one aide asked.
"Clear it. Then log every data file, system readout, and navigation route you can find. I want to know exactly how they got here."
Xu Qianghua sat alone in the lower wing of his cultivation estate, eyes closed as faint spiritual light drifted around him. The room was quiet. Even the wind outside had stilled.
Then the transmission alert chimed.
It wasn't loud. Just a quiet pulse from the panel mounted near the corner of the wall. Still, his eyes opened instantly.
He stood, walked over, and tapped the screen.
The message came in clean. No distortion. No delays.
It was from Admiral Xu Jian.
"Report complete. Boarding successfully. No resistance met. Ship logs have been partially recovered and are being forwarded."
