Two vice-captain positions remained open on the Grade 7 vehicle: one for warrior training and one for logistics management. Both were subordinate roles under Mu Zhong, who oversaw overall logistics.
Because of this, Mu Dehao—who was best suited for logistics—couldn't realistically join the crew. No matter how magnanimous a father is, being managed by his son on the same ship invites friction, especially given the taxing nature of administrative minutiae. This was the primary reason Mu Dehao stayed on his own vehicle, training his own crew.
Meanwhile, Alfonso, who had acquired the "Mage Tower" training ground, had mostly recovered. He had used the downtime to qualify as a Grade 5 Mage and break through to Sequence 5. He had applied to board Wei Huan's vehicle, as no one wanted to miss the chance to be near the center of power. However, his vetting process wasn't complete, so he remained on Xia Yu's vehicle for the time being.
As for General Josh, he had returned to Blue Star twenty days ago to treat his psychological trauma. Wei Huan hadn't met with him once. Even if Josh had inadvertently solved a major problem for Wei Huan, the fact remained that his decisions had cost many lives. As a commander, one must answer for every choice made.
---
Wei Huan held a high-level meeting in the conference room. Present were vice-captains Mu Zhong, Yake, and Klitov, along with senior management like Xu Qingqiang, Captain Xue, Brother Hammer, and Mu's cousin.
The main task was the selection and assignment of the new personnel. With thousands of people arriving, even with Daxia's pre-screening, they needed to be placed based on actual conditions. Some went to combat units, others to combat logistics, and others to the newly formed departments: Medical, Sanitation, Arts, and more. Without being registered in the system, these people were restricted to public areas and their private rooms, unable to even enter the cultivation zones.
Wei Huan spent half a day in the meeting. He wasn't exactly impatient, but he found it tedious. In this time, he could have recruited twenty more Twin-Headed Hidden Demons or scouted the neighboring Great Tomb.
'Should I crush another Dark Beast Royal before we plant the tree?' he wondered. 'With another "Mother" added, I could field three thousand-meter-tall Dharma Idols. The visual impact would be peak...'
"Captain?" Mu Zhong noticed Wei Huan drifting off and gave a knowing smile. "What do you think of this list? If it's acceptable, we'll pass it."
"It's fine, no problem," Wei Huan agreed, snapping back to reality. He realized that even if he recruited a second Dark Beast King, it would take ten days in the Pasture to reach combat readiness. With the planting scheduled for tomorrow, there wasn't enough time.
After the meeting, Wei Huan spoke privately with Yake and Klitov. He wasn't a politician who rose through schemes; he was a commander who led through absolute strength, but he knew the value of rapport.
Yake mentioned that several families in Aosam had reached out to Aglis to lead their pioneer legion. Wei Huan nodded: "She's welcome to it." By leading under his banner, her prospects would be far better than navigating the fractured politics of Blue Star alone.
Klitov provided intelligence from the Great Bear perspective, offering a different angle on the current global situation that Wei Huan found genuinely useful. By the time Wei Huan finished meeting with the core team, a full day had passed.
---
With four hours left before departure, Wei Huan finished his work. He saw Mu Zhong heading out for a final inspection of the departments. Instead of resting, Wei Huan caught up to him.
"I'll go with you," Wei Huan said. He didn't need to do Mu Zhong's job—Mu Zhong found joy and value in the management—but Wei Huan simply wanted to be by his side.
As they walked through the meticulously organized vehicle, Wei Huan recalled Old Ju's words: 'Mu Zhong is the most brilliant gem on the millennium-old tree of the Mu family.' He reached out and squeezed Mu Zhong's hand tightly. 'I am lucky to have found you in this rebirth.'
...
Deep in the vast ocean, a fleet of over a hundred vehicles descended in formation. At the lead was the white initial vehicle, moving faster than any propeller-driven ship. A massive bubble, ten kilometers in diameter, protected the fleet, while eighth-grade headlights turned the abyss into a bright, shallow sea.
Klitov stood on the balcony of his new office. He felt a surge of pride. Once, he had watched this white vehicle from afar with envy and awe; now, he was inside it, looking back at the others. He was 52, a decorated general, yet being a vice-captain here felt like a higher achievement than anything back home. He could almost imagine his old rivals grinding their teeth in jealousy.
The laughter died in his throat as the seabed came into view. Giant, black kelp—tangled like snakes—swayed in the dark. Fear from past battles flickered in his mind, but it was quickly cut short.
A ring of white light flashed from the lead vehicle, a Grade 8 weapon slicing through everything in its path with surgical precision. The following vehicles huddled closer like ducklings behind their mother.
The fleet landed on a massive "platform"—the back of the Burrow Beast Queen, Wei Huan's three-kilometer-long mount.
The hatches opened. A team of elite warriors emerged, led by Captain Xue and Xu Qingqiang. They were clad in blinding Diamond-grade gear. Even their subordinates wore Platinum. Compared to them, the "elite" teams from other nations looked like they were wearing rags.
---
Klitov then saw something small and fluffy—like a floating cloud or a puppy—hop off Captain Xue's shoulder and vanish into the sea.
Suddenly, a gargantuan eyeball swelled up from below, rising until it towered over them. It was the Dark Beast King Wei Huan had conquered: a Legendary Hero-class ''Eye Lord''. Its wings of muscle and vein blotted out the light.
"Swoosh!"
A pillar of black light erupted from the eye, vaporizing the kelp and carving a tunnel straight to the ocean floor.
Brother Hammer, who had been standing by the edge of the Queen's shell, opened a three-meter-long black box containing the ''World Tree'' and the ''Heart of Life''.
Klitov was stunned. He had been watching closely but had completely ignored Brother Hammer's presence. The man's talent for being "unnoticeable" was terrifying; he could assassinate someone and be gone before they realized they were dead. It was the perfect choice for carrying the most precious cargo.
Hammer pushed the items off the shell and jumped after them.
As they vanished, a strange phenomenon occurred. Klitov—and everyone else watching—suddenly felt their attention drift. They forgot what they were looking for. Even Wei Huan and Mu Zhong felt their focus waver.
Only the AI remained unaffected. Per Wei Huan's prior instructions, the AI forcefully magnified the feed on their screens to pull their attention back.
They watched Hammer plummeting through the dark tunnel. The "Plant Remnant" race—vines and roots—writhed at the edges of the passage, reacting to the intrusion.
Mu Zhong gripped his fist, his lip twitching in anxiety. "He's too deep... if they move now, he's trapped."
Wei Huan remained silent, eyes fixed on the screen, his throat moving as he swallowed. He was waiting for the perfect depth.
The darkness of the tunnel swallowed the camera's light. The rustling of the plants grew louder.
"Now," Wei Huan finally commanded.