Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!-Chapter 998 - 692: Reunion

This statement was vague, but the meaning was clear:

The Dark Elves were originally hired by hostile forces within the Peak Alliance to deal with Bai E and the Mine Star.

However, due to Yue Ying's intervention, they temporarily changed sides and decided to help the Mine Star fight against the Bug Race.

"Who are these people from the Peak Alliance?" Bai E asked in a deep voice. This was crucial.

Prince Shadow Blade shook his head and showed a helpless expression.

"Unfortunately, the one we contacted was just a middleman, a broker navigating the gray areas. They are very cautious and have not exposed the true identity of the employer. However... based on the flow of the 'reward' and some clues, it points to one or more factions within the Peak Alliance that are extremely uneasy about your and the 'Bauhinia's' rise. They might be stakeholders worried about you unsettling the current order, or simply cowards fearful of your personal power."

This answer was not unexpected.

Bai E had made too many enemies, from refusing the recruitment by the three titans, forcibly reclaiming the mining area, to the rise in reputation after the Karian incident, it had already touched the nerves of countless people.

It was just unexpected that they would be so despicable, daring to collude with the notorious Dark Elves, regarded as "alien races," and even resorting to using the Bug Race to attack, attempting to kill with a borrowed knife.

"Thank you for the information provided," Bai E said to Prince Shadow Blade in a calm tone, with no hint of emotions.

"You're welcome." Prince Shadow Blade nodded gracefully, "Well, that concludes my explanation. The rest is your internal matter. Sir..."

He looked at the always silent Yue Ying, "You seem to have more to say?"

Only then did Yue Ying lift his head, his gaze from under his hood seemingly falling on Bai E, and in a cool voice said, "I'll stay for now."

No reason was given, as if it were a matter of course.

Prince Shadow Blade was not surprised at all, even showing a "just as I thought" smile.

He stood up, "In that case, I'll head back to the ship first. Looking forward to our next meeting."

After speaking, his figure merged into the shadows, silently disappearing at the conference room door, coming and going like a ghost.

Only after Prince Shadow Blade left did the atmosphere in the conference room slightly relax.

But immediately came the heavy post-battle summary.

Catherine reported the preliminary statistics with a grave expression:

"Sir, our losses from this Bug Race attack are... very severe. The Seventh Legion's three main battleships, two were heavily damaged, and can't be deployed in the short term, requiring a great deal of time and resources for repairs; one light frigate was destroyed. Of the two newly built orbital defense platforms, one was structurally severely damaged and is basically a write-off; the other has lost over half its function. The Planet Defense Army's space fighters suffered over sixty percent losses. As for the Mecha unit... except for your Mecha and those of a few core members, the deployed auxiliary Mecha squad was nearly wiped out, and the personnel casualties... are still being tallied, but are expected to be significant."

She paused, her voice somewhat dry, "On the ground, the Sky Dome shield prototype of 'New Jing City' severely overloaded and was damaged while resisting orbital bombardment from the Bug Race, some buildings in the city were affected, with a few civilian casualties. Fortunately, due to timely evacuation, most people are safe. But panic is severe, and the progress of basic infrastructure will surely be impacted. Overall, nearly seventy percent of the defenses we built up over half a year were lost in this battle."

The series of figures weighed heavily on everyone's hearts.

Although the Bug Race was successfully repelled, the cost was severe, and the development momentum of the Mine Star suffered a heavy blow.

Bai E nodded, his gaze sweeping over everyone, "The losses are great, but we are still alive, and our homeland is intact, that is a victory. Repair and reconstruction will take time, but we still have the aid promise from the Karian Federation, trade channels from the Golden Swallow Company, and perhaps... intelligence support from a newly secured ally."

He glanced at Yue Ying.

"The key is," Bai E changed his tone, his voice turning cold, "the enemy hidden in the shadows. They failed this time, but they will never give up. Colluding with the Dark Elves, bringing in the Bug Race... these methods have crossed the line. We must find them and eliminate them. At the same time, we must guard against them using official forces within the Peak Alliance to suppress and sanction us."

"As for the Star Alliance over there..." Catherine looked towards the corner of the conference room.

Sitting there were several individuals who had been silently observing, wearing uniforms of the Star Alliance, members of the delegation that had come for the assessment, led by the scholar Elorin.

When the Bug Race attacked, their spaceship was forced to land back on the ground, allowing them to witness the entire battle.

Elorin stood up at this moment, his expression more solemn than before, mixed with a trace of barely concealed shock.

He first bowed slightly to Bai E, "Mr. Bai Er, please allow me on behalf of myself and my team, to express the highest respect to you and the 'New Bauhinia' for the courage, resilience, and... astonishing strength demonstrated during this crisis. Your personal combat power, even among the top strong ones I know of in the center of the Milky Way, is definitely in the first echelon. Although there is no direct battle record to make precise comparisons, the strength you demonstrated is undeniable."

He paused and continued, "As for the accusations made by the Dark Elves regarding factions within the Peak Alliance colluding with foreign races to attempt to destroy you, the nature of this matter is extremely serious, not only violating the fundamental Star Alliance charter that prohibits members from bringing in high-threat alien races in internal disputes but also endangering regional stability and the continuation of civilization. Although our delegation's main duty is civilization assessment, as Star Alliance personnel, we are obligated to report such a major security incident. Upon our return, we will submit this matter along with our battle observation report to the Star Alliance Security Council and relevant investigative bodies. The Star Alliance has the responsibility to investigate this thoroughly and ensure the fairness of the investigation."