Chapter 36 — The Gates of Taurus

The main jet thrusters of the [Orbit-breaker One] spewed pale blue tail flames into the pitch-black void. The massive riot-proof waste-lead hull glided steadily at a constant sub-light speed toward the gravity neutral zone between Aries and Taurus.

Outside the portholes, the 11th House Sky Sentinel fortress, which blotted out the sky like a stellar cluster, had gradually shrunk into a faint polarized light spot against the backdrop of the starry sky. The amplitude of the space-based polarized light sweeping cannons was left thoroughly behind. The [Orbit-breaking Blood Flag] on the bow radome absorbed the last strand of high-micro-particle residual radiation, returning to its deep, dead-silent dark lead texture. The micro-biased scattering amplitude decayed to its absolute minimum on the dashboard.

Inside the main command cabin, the red alarm lights of the explosion-proof gauges extinguished one after another, replaced by high-frequency green lights representing environmental safety.

The astrologer girl Lyra operated the miniature Orbit-breaking Astrolabe, confirming the polarized light backscatter data three times before letting out a long sigh of relief. She turned to Elias: "Supreme Commander, we have completely escaped the physical gravity well coverage of the Aries Sky Sentinel! Currently, the warship is in a neutral gravity flow field. The Aries scanning radars cannot lock onto us in this chaotic magnetic field."

Veteran Caleb wiped the cooling oil from his mechanical prosthetic eye with a dry rag, laughing and cursing loudly: "A seven-second dead corner! I've piloted ore transport ships all my life, and those were the most thrilling seven seconds! Those arrogant religious frauds of the Aries Lord probably still haven't come to their senses!"

Old craftsman Barnaby climbed up from the lower mechanics cabin, his gloves covered in black oil, holding a testing board and reporting: "The tensile cracks on the number three zirconium alloy pipe of the main thruster have been forcefully sealed with dark lead welding rods. The temperature of the Akashic main furnace has dropped below the safety line. However, the core of the main furnace won't last much longer; we must replace the high-purity crystal conduction rods at the Taurus black market ahead as soon as possible. The entire ship's gas and rations must also be restocked at the black market. The polarized light scorch marks on the outer hull riot-proof armor plates have been repaired, and all the silver-titanium-chromium short shields have been distributed to the vanguard company. The polarization filters on the inside of the shields are enough to block the high-frequency jets of the black market mercenaries! The mechanics company has prepared emergency reinforcement plans; the explosion-proof lead layers are ready for use at any time."

Elias stood before the main porthole, his pitch-black pupils facing the vast, expansive, and undeveloped sea of stars shimmering with brilliant nebulas ahead.

"The Aries Lord's arrogance doesn't mean the Divine Court is incompetent." Elias's tone was calm and steady. "This is only the first hurdle. We were able to chop off Gar's head in the Deadzone and penetrate the Sky Sentinel within seven seconds because we had been in the shadows the whole time. Once Aries discovers anomalies in the smuggling routes, the strangulation of the high-dimensional fleets will descend at any moment. The Taurus Black Market is the only safe haven we can currently port at to resupply and trade for materials."

Half a physical hour later, in the lower main preparation hall.

Over two hundred miner warriors and the mechanics squad stood uniformly on the central lifting platform. Above the platform fluttered the [Orbit-breaking Blood Flag], which had just undergone the baptism of the Sky Sentinel's polarized light.

Elias stood on the platform, his gaze sweeping over the faces in the entire cabin, his voice heavy and crisp:

"Brothers! Deep underground in the Tartarus blind spot, we used crude iron knives and mining explosives to strike the vengeful sparks of the [Mortal Vanguard]! But today, we have already broken out of the Deadzone and sailed into the vast, cruel cosmic sea of stars!"

"In the interstellar expeditions to come, we will no longer face a few scattered lower-realm divine envoys, but the Twelve Zodiac Lords and the Divine Court Chief Gods who control hundreds of thousands of high-dimensional warships! The rules of underground guerrilla warfare are no longer enough. The Mortal Vanguard must undergo a comprehensive establishment from an underground rebel army into a regular [Interstellar Expeditionary Force]!"

Elias drew his battle knife from his waist. The chilling blade exuded a cold, metallic gleam under the yellow lights:

"I announce that the Interstellar Expeditionary Force Articles of the Mortal Vanguard are officially in effect! The entire army will establish a Supreme Tactical Command and various functional battalions and companies:"

"I, Elias, will serve as the Supreme Commander of the Vanguard (Commander), coordinating the army's overall tactics and god-slaying expeditions!"

"Veteran Caleb will serve as First Mate & Assault Captain, commanding the entire ship's heavy armor warriors and ship-borne firepower positions!"

"Lyra will serve as Chief Astrologer, controlling the deductions of the Orbit-breaking Astrolabe, locating defense line dead corners, and establishing an intelligence network across the entire star zone!"

"Old craftsman Barnaby will serve as Heavy Equipment Master, commanding the mechanics company and the casting cabin, working overnight to mass-produce [Prototype Shells] and high-micro-particle polarized light coatings!"

"Simultaneously, the entire army officially promulgates the [Mortal Mutual Assistance, Equal Share, and Casualty Compensation Covenant]! Abolish all hierarchical exploitation of the Divine Court. All captured high-dimensional resources and micro-pressure gas rations will be divided equally per capita; the families of every fallen warrior will be jointly raised and subsidized by the army's public grain reserve! Disabled warriors have priority rights for equipment allocation and will receive monthly compensation!"

Veteran Caleb stood nearby to supplement the strict discipline: "Once we reach the black market port, everyone must strictly abide by the expeditionary force's secrecy discipline! No one is allowed to leave the ship alone! Leaking the source code of the [Orbit-breaker One]'s polarized light coating is strictly prohibited! Any smuggling transaction signals must be verified by Command! During black market transactions, if you encounter the tax-collecting informants of the God of Mercury's 'Libra Syndicate' or the private illegal miners of Taurus, remember never to expose the warship's true name! Violators will be dealt with by military law! All squads must strictly execute guard protocols! Patrol posts must maintain a two-person rotation system! The whole crew's combat readiness speed is increased by ten notches! Any disciplinary violation will strip you of your material rationing qualifications! Tactical probes must be on at all times! The entire ship enters a special stealth state! The mechanics company must be on standby for defensive overload blasts!"

The over two hundred warriors in the hall hammered their chests in salute, the clashing sounds of metal battle armor reverberating through the cabins like a massive bell! This was a milestone in the legion's transition from a local rebel army to a regular interstellar expeditionary force; the eyes of every warrior were filled with iron-blooded discipline and order. Under the leadership of their squad captains, the warriors quickly checked their rifle safeties and the tightness of their polarized short shields. The entire hall transformed into a tight, efficient barracks. Old craftsman Barnaby led men in the casting cabin to work overnight splicing heavy projector mounts, loading the polarized Prototype Shells plated with silver-titanium-chromium into position, ensuring the entire ship's firepower was ready.

Toward the rear of the platform, Elias's gaze fell on Vespera (Umbra) sitting in the back row.

"Refugee Vespera." Elias spoke. "You are familiar with Divine Court documents and star zone geography. You will assist in overseeing the vanguard's logistics and biological life-support materials, responsible for the precise calculation of the entire ship's biological gas and ration stocks."

Assigned the role of "Ship's Logistics Officer," the God of Darkness, Umbra, naturally pulled her trench coat hood down, a trace of playful ripple flashing through her charming violet eyes. She nodded plainly in response: "As commanded, Your Excellency the Supreme Commander."

Half a physical hour later, in the logistics material cabin.

Elias came alone to the logistics cabin to check the material storage. The logistics cabin was piled high with micro-pressure gas dry-cans and encapsulated high-energy slag peeled from the [Golden Saint]. Vespera was holding an electronic pad, inventorying the sealing data. Seeing Elias enter, Vespera slightly raised her eyes, her violet pupils flashing with a cold, profound light: "Elias, the Divine Court commands the Twelve Zodiac Legions and hundreds of high-dimensional star zones. The high-dimensional Chief Gods control absolute chains of laws. Relying solely on the over two hundred miners under your command and one explosion-proof ship, do you really think mortal physical iron knives can shake the supreme law astrolabe?"

Elias walked to the hatch, looking at the boundless, dark sea of stars outside, his tone unshakeable as an iceberg:

"The order established by the high-dimensional Divine Court is a false utopia maintained by extreme pressure and exploitation. The gods think high-dimensional laws can lock down all things, but the essence of the universe is entropy increase. The more airtight the blockade the gods establish, the more violent the accumulated entropy increase and resistance will be. The laws of mortals are not god-given; they are earned through bone and blood and entropy increase. As long as the flames of war are not extinguished, as long as we tear open the Divine Court's first line of defense, the millions upon millions of oppressed lower-realm mortals will draw their swords one after another. No matter how massive the Divine Court's astrolabe is, it cannot stop the entropic tide of the entire universe."

Hearing the words "entropic tide" and "false utopia," Vespera felt a faint tremor deep within her high-dimensional divine core. The boy's cold-blooded calculations and profound logic had actually, on some level, struck the fundamental contradiction of alternating light and dark and collapsing order within the high-dimensional divine realm. She watched the boy's firm back as he turned and left. Her slender, pale hand rested on the gas can seal handle, the corners of her mouth pursing into a cold ripple. The warriors of the logistics company were also stepping up their double-checks on the gas can valves.

Inside the main control cabin, Lyra lit up the star map projection ahead again:

"Supreme Commander, the warship has entered the [Free Star Zone Black Market Route] at the border of Aries and Taurus! That is a chaotic place where all kinds of smugglers, mortal fugitives, mercenaries, and wasteland black markets from across the universe gather. It is also our only destination to replenish high-purity crystals and heavy weapons!"

"In the Taurus Star Zone, although the Lord of Taurus (Taurea Lord) sits on a massive national treasury and mineral wealth, the black market ports under his jurisdiction are a mixed bag. The commercial informants of the God of Mercury, the 'Libra Syndicate', and the tech buyers of the God of Uranus frequently appear here. I have already corrected the warship's physical signal to that of a common smuggling mining ship, bypassing the Libra Syndicate's automated tax-collection probes. The astrolabe has locked onto the third trading well of the black market, and the gravity friction coefficient is normal."

Outside the porthole, a black market port composed of countless abandoned asteroid celestial bodies, brightly lit smuggling space stations, and massive trading cargo ships unfolded before everyone. Multicolored electromagnetic neon lights flashed in deep space, filled with chaotic yet vibrant vitality. A massive rotating gravity trading ring swallowed and spat out smuggling cargo ships from various star zones. The sounds of metal clashing and the static of various species' electromagnetic dialects surged in the radio frequency bands. The massive "Libra Suspended Port" looked like an iron-blooded city floating in deep space, with countless spaceships intersecting here.

Veteran Caleb and several assault team members were in the main hall, locking the clasps of three thick, heavy explosion-proof dark lead chests. Inside the chests lay the silver-titanium-chromium holy alloys cut from the [Golden Saint], the broken law circuits of Divine Envoy Gar's gravity gun, and a dozen high-purity crystals.

"Captain Elias, the trading chips have been boxed." Caleb patted the iron chest, speaking in a deep voice. "These high-micro-particle alloys are hot commodities on the black market, enough for us to exchange for the zirconium alloy conduction rods for the Akashic main furnace and three months of micro-pressure gas reserves for the entire ship. As long as we don't run into the God of Mercury's direct investigation teams, the trade is foolproof. I've already arranged for the assault team to set up a stealth extraction point at the black market exit. Once we're down there, if anyone dares to play tricks, I'll blow them away directly with an electromagnetic rifle! The logistics company will also closely monitor the retreat beam; the signal response codes have been verified! The assault company is on standby! The explosion-proof dark lead chests are well-sealed."

Elias adjusted his combat suit, his hand gripping the battle knife at his waist dead tight, his eyes cold and resolute:

"Rest assured! Everyone bring sufficient equipment! Caleb, pick five elite warriors to accompany me off the ship to contact the black market smugglers! Lyra, guard the warship's active alarms and retreat beam! The entire ship enters docking state! [Orbit-breaker One], move in at full speed!"

Stealth alarms sounded across all posts on the entire ship. The warship, like a pitch-black deep-space ghost, docked steadily onto the suction pipes of the black market's third trading well! All sealed mechanical fasteners locked dead tight! The main airlock mechanical valves clamped completely shut! The entire ship's reverse thrusters instantly fired for a smooth stabilization! The tactical radar absorbing and blocking layer fully deployed! The pitch-black warship accelerated with a boom into the boundless sea of stars, its battle flag flying high, its wildfire spreading!