Chapter 22: The Final Radiance

"These officers are doing just fine now. I've arranged an excellent place for them, and they certainly won't be disappointed," Lei Bin said with a grin.

"Is that so? That's good then. Let's set sail now." Torres looked at Lei Bin’s smile, sensing something was off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Yes, let's get underway. However, I’ll take the helm of this ship for now; you can go and get some rest." Lei Bin’s smile grew even wider.

"What? You... what do you mean?" Torres looked at Lei Bin and his companions, his face turning pale.

"Nothing much, Major Torres. This is a transport ship for prisoners of war, and we find ourselves a bit short on captives. If you wouldn't mind, please act as one of our prisoners."

As Lei Bin said this, he gave a look to Loulan beside him. Loulan understood immediately, stepped forward, and with a swift grappling maneuver, subdued Torres.

Torres was actually quite skilled, but unfortunately, his mastery of ancient martial arts was far inferior to Loulan’s, and he was neutralized in an instant.

"What... what is the meaning of this? Major Lei Bin, are you planning to abuse your power and claim all these prisoners for your own gain?"

At this moment, Torres still assumed that Lei Bin was merely trying to seize the prisoners for personal profit; he never imagined they were Federation soldiers.

Lei Bin stretched his back toward the sky and said, "I’m sorry, Major Torres, there is one thing I forgot to tell you. We are not Imperial soldiers; we are Federation soldiers. As of now, you are our prisoner."

Torres’s face drained of color, his eyes widened, and he stood there completely stunned, unable to comprehend how such a thing could happen.

But by then, it was already too late.

Ten minutes later, the entire ship was under the control of Lei Bin and his team. The Imperial soldiers on board were either killed or captured.

Lei Bin, Loulan, and Long Teng stood in the forward cockpit, ordering their men to start the transport ship. Although the Imperial transport had system protections, under the guidance of Xing Meng, these were like open doors.

Just as the transport ship took off, the two escorting warships sent a message, arriving to provide escort within a minute. Lei Bin and his team immediately provided confirmation.

"Alright, it's time for us to prepare," Long Teng said calmly.

Hearing this, Lei Bin and Loulan felt a pang of sorrow. If there were any other way, they truly would not want Long Teng and his men to carry out such a suicidal attack.

However, since the enemy warships would not land, it was difficult to destroy two warships with a single transport ship using other methods. Although Xing Meng was incredibly powerful, she was not omnipotent.

The other methods calculated by Xing Meng had success rates that were too low. The lives of tens of thousands of people could not be left to such slim chances.

Xing Meng had told Lei Bin that this approach by Long Teng was the best option. Trading the lives of over a hundred men for those of tens of thousands was, from a computational perspective, the optimal choice, but from a human emotional standpoint, it was difficult to accept.

"Get them back safely. Since you were able to bring them all the way here, you cannot give up halfway," Long Teng said, glancing at Lei Bin before turning away with his men.

Watching their departing figures, Lei Bin snapped into a perfectly precise military salute. It was the most solemn and heartfelt salute he had given since joining the army.

Such men were worthy of being called the soul of the Federation’s military, worthy of the Federation’s most glorious unit, the Golden Eagle Corps.

Lei Bin knew that for a long time to come, the image of Long Teng and his men would deeply influence him.

Long Teng led his team to the armory, where they donned their flight armor and gathered their explosives. He looked at the brothers who had followed him this far, his expression stern.

"Brothers, it has been an honor to serve with you. Each of you is an elite among elites, the pride of the Federation. Because we are the Golden Eagle Corps—the supreme glory of the Federation, the soul of the Federation’s military, the one and only Golden Eagle Corps. I believe that when each of you joined this unit, you realized we would defend its glory with our lives. This time, we failed our mission to protect the generals of the Lei family and were eventually captured. We are the Golden Eagle Corps; how could we be captured? This is a great disgrace. There is only one way to wash away such shame: death. Originally, I thought we wouldn't have the chance to prove our honor, but thank heaven, we now have such an opportunity—not only to wash away our disgrace but to prove our glory. So, brothers, let us launch our final strike, blow up these damned Imperial warships, and defend our honor. Glory is my life!"

"Glory is my life!" the others shouted in unison.

"Good! Now, follow me. For the glory of the Federation, for the glory of the Golden Eagle Corps, blow up those warships!"

"Roar..."

Everyone let out a roar, their eyes filled with determination, without a hint of hesitation.

"Attention, T358 transport ship. We are cruisers ZT87 and ZT89, here to provide escort," the voices of the two warships crackled over the cockpit comms.

Lei Bin and his team sat expressionless, waiting for the arrival of the two warships.

"Tell them to close in," Lei Bin ordered the communications officer below.

"Yes," the communications officer replied loudly.

Soon, the two massive warships appeared in their view. Each was over four hundred meters long, bristling with hundreds of cannons of various calibers.

Judging by their scale, Lei Bin and his team knew these were D-class cruisers.

Warship classifications range from S, A, B, C, D, E, F, to G. D-class ships represent mid-to-high-tier strength and are the most commonly deployed type for both the Empire and the Federation.

The external shields of such warships are extremely robust, capable of withstanding several hits from 105mm main cannons. It was precisely for this reason that the possibility of Lei Bin suddenly firing the transport ship's main guns to destroy them was zero.

The moment they detected the ship had lost control, they would switch to automatic mode, completely isolating all automated equipment.

And it was unrealistic to try to force them to lower their shields, as, for security against electronic intrusion, the lowering of a warship's shields was an automated operation. To do so manually would take at least a minute—by which time the enemy would have long detected the anomaly.

The Federation’s flight armor, however, could attach to the surface of these warships and use high-powered lasers to burn through the hull.

As long as they could penetrate the ship’s critical sections and detonate, the warship would surely be doomed. Internally, the ship had no shields, and a high-intensity explosion would be fatal.

Soon, the two warships moved into position, one on each side, escorting the transport ship. Lei Bin and his team looked solemn; success or failure rested on this single act.

If they could destroy these two warships, Lei Bin and his team could easily return to Base 2 and be completely safe.

"Golden Eagle Corps ready. Please open the airlocks," Lei Bin received the message from Long Teng.

Lei Bin felt no emotion. He waved his hand and said coldly, "Open the airlocks."

He didn't know why he could be so cold and utterly calm at this moment, without a shred of emotional fluctuation. Every thought was focused on sinking these two warships and flying the transport back to Base 2.

*Is it possible that I have a cold-blooded nature in my bones?* Lei Bin couldn't help but wonder.

"Yes, opening airlocks," the operations soldier below shouted the order.

*Whoosh...*

The airlocks opened on both sides. Without a moment's hesitation, the soldiers of the Golden Eagle Corps flew toward the two warships, one after another.

The massive warships were like steel fortresses, and these soldiers in flight armor looked as small as ants trying to shake an elephant.

Yet, with the strength of mere ants, they were going to burn their lifeblood to trade for a chance at survival for their fellow comrades and compatriots.

*Boom, boom, boom...*

One by one, they attached themselves to the shields, their laser beams beginning to cut through.

"What’s going on? What is attached to our shields?" Both warships immediately detected the anomaly and began a rapid investigation.

Images soon appeared on their screens, clearly showing Federation soldiers in flight armor. The golden eagle emblem confirmed they were the Federation’s renowned Golden Eagle Corps.

"T358 transport, what is the meaning of this? Why are there Federation Golden Eagle soldiers? What are they trying to do?" The warships immediately sent a stern inquiry.

Lei Bin quickly patched through the comms, feigning extreme shock, and shouted, "What is going on? Where did these Federation soldiers come from? You bunch of idiots, how did you not see them hiding on our transport? Start searching immediately—find where the rest of the Federation stragglers are!"

Hearing this, the enemy assumed the Golden Eagle soldiers had been hiding on the transport ship and had launched a surprise attack; they had no idea that the entire transport ship had already been compromised.

Because of this, they didn't immediately open fire.

If they could just hold out for a few minutes, Long Teng and his team could destroy both warships.

"Attention, T358 transport, assist us in clearing these Federation soldiers immediately. We suspect they may be carrying explosives for a suicide attack," the warships messaged back.

"Understood, engaging these soldiers immediately," Lei Bin bellowed the order.

His subordinates, hearing the command, began firing their laser cannons—but they deliberately missed the Golden Eagle soldiers, hitting the space right next to them, which instead helped tear through the enemy's shields.

*Zhu, zhu, zhu...*

The two warships began their own firing, attempting to clear the soldiers. The Golden Eagle troops dodged using their flight armor, but inevitably, some were hit, turning into bursts of sparks that vanished into the vast sky.

*Whoosh...*

Finally, one of the Golden Eagle soldiers breached the shield and slipped inside. One after another, the rest followed.

*Boom...*

One of the soldiers who had made it inside did not hesitate; he plastered his flight armor against an airlock door and detonated his explosives.

The door was blown open, creating a massive jagged hole. The other soldiers seized the opportunity and flew inside, pushing toward the ship's interior.

*Boom, boom, boom...*

Explosions echoed continuously. Segments of the ship’s interior collapsed, leaving the vessel in ruins.

Whenever these Golden Eagle soldiers found an opening, they would detonate their charges without hesitation, using their own bodies to cripple the Imperial warships, wash away their shame, defend their glory, and protect their compatriots.

From start to finish, Lei Bin and his team watched everything through the screens, silently witnessing each brilliant spark—the burning blood of a soldier.

"Ah... damn it, they’ve blown through the third section. If they blow one more, we’re going down!"

"Send men to kill them! Now! Kill them before they can detonate!"

The two enemy warships were in total chaos, attempting every measure to stop the suicide attacks. But caught off guard, they were powerless against the sheer power of the explosives.

*Boom, boom, boom...*

Finally, several violent explosions rocked the ships. Clearly, the enemy’s weapon or power storage had detonated. Both warships suffered catastrophic damage, exposing gaping holes, and their shields had long since failed.

By then, signal scans showed that the Golden Eagle soldiers had all been killed in action.

"Target the two enemy warships. Main battery, fire," Lei Bin commanded without hesitation.

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

The soldiers below executed the order immediately. The transport ship’s main guns locked onto the weakened points of the two ships. With several deafening roars, the beams delivered the final, decisive blow to the already crippled vessels.

The two warships erupted in continuous explosions, lost all power, and finally transformed into two massive fireballs that fell from the sky.

Watching the two falling ships, Lei Bin stood up abruptly and gave a standard military salute toward the wreckage. Seeing this, the others stood up as well, saluting in solemn silence.