The first to decloak and enter was the massive Titan-class Frigate, followed by six Phantom Shadow-class Corvettes. The Marines could track the incoming ships even while they were cloaked, thanks to the integrated technological connection between their combat suits and the divisional vessels.

The ship gates opened, and the remaining Marines disembarked, immediately lining up systematically, maintaining their stealth. The 150 new arrivals joined the other 1,030 Marines, who were nestled alongside the Stiletto, their accompanying ships, and the Minotaur logistical vessels.

With 1,180 Void Marines now packed into the Taurus Prime Hangar Bay, the full weight of Phase Two was ready to begin.

With the 1,180 Void Marines now packed into the Taurus Prime Hangar Bay, the full weight of Phase Two was finally about to start.

The forces were split into four equal groups—Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta—each containing 295 members. Each group was assigned a distinct, high-priority mission.

Captain David, having long since descended from the Stiletto, stood before them. The deployment had been pre-planned, and this final briefing was merely a formal overview for the squad leaders standing at the front: Lieutenant Jaxson(Alpha), Lieutenant Zena (Beta), Lieutenant Tim (Gamma), and First Lieutenant Kaelen (Delta).

David addressed the assembled forces with utter seriousness. “I will not get into detail, as you are already aware of what you need to do. So, without beating around the bush, I will start.”

David faced Jaxson. “Lieutenant, your squad is to deal with whatever hurdle may come your way until you secure and neutralize Minotaur control from external points, such as the command room and other crucial links, without damaging or interrupting the power generator function. After that, you will begin installing the teleportation module there. Am I clear, Lieutenant?”

“Yes, sir, that I am!” Jaxson stated formally, giving a sharp salute.

“Good! Then you may proceed with your mission! And remember: while you may neutralize any Minotaur you encounter on your way to the power generator room, you shall not interfere with anything that goes beyond your mission. Even if you have the opportunity to clear out a few more Minotaurs, that is not your primary objective. Do not prioritize it, with the sole exception being if others need backup, which should not happen in any case.”

“Alright, that’s all I have to say other than: remain cautious with every step you take here. Minotaurs may be weaker than us, but this is their home ground, so caution is a must. Now go. May you succeed!”

“Sir, yes, sir!” Jaxson saluted once again, looked back at his squad, and commanded, “Move!” They left toward the door leading into the internal areas of the Taurus Prime.

David looked briefly at the disappearing Alpha Squad before shifting his focus toward Lieutenant Zena (Beta Squad) and Lieutenant Tim (Gamma Squad).

“Lieutenant Zena and Lieutenant Tim, both your squads—Beta and Gamma—will focus on taking over the Command Bridge. Beta will take the main bridge, and Gamma will secure the secondary bridge, respectively.”

“I want you to take over and secure them well, with as minimal damage as possible to the controls system. As for the rest of the bridge crew, you can go berserk. Both your missions are just as crucial, if not more so, than the others. I want both of you and your teams to pay extra attention and achieve this in the least amount of time possible. Is that clear to both of you?” David asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Yes, sir, it is absolutely clear!” Zena and Tim replied in unison.

“Good! Then both of you should proceed! May the Imperial Commander bless both of you with strength! Go ahead!”

“Sir, yes, sir!” They both saluted formally, waved at their teams, and left together, splitting directions shortly thereafter. The main command bridge was located at the uppermost deck, while the secondary one was located at the middle deck. Before splitting, both squad leaders saluted each other and wished one another good luck as they left toward their own destinations.

David finally focused on the last group, Delta Squad, led by First Lieutenant Kaelen.

“Lieutenant Kaelen, I’ll leave the last but also crucial task to you and your squad. I want you to move to the lower and middle deck of the Taurus Prime and secure the shield generator as well as the propulsion system bay. Both are located not far from the power generator room and are side-by-side, so there should be no problem securing both.”

“If you somehow encounter any problem, the Alpha Team is located nearby and should be able to help you if needed. Are you okay with doing this mission, which is actually a combination of two objectives?” David asked with a serious face. If one looked closely, they could tell he was smiling slightly, showing his immense confidence in Kaelen.

“Sir, you jest!” Kaelen replied with a surge of confidence. “If the enemy were those we encountered in the Galactic Domain during my training, then it would have been somewhat troublesome, but it would still have been fulfilled by me, much less facing the Minotaurs, and that too when the main fleet has our back secured. I have no worries whatsoever.”

“Haha, I knew you would reply as such! Always confident in your words. Well, you have the strength to back your words, and indeed you are correct, but I’d rather have you more cautious than not. Now go ahead, and I wish you to complete this mission as soon as possible.”

“Yes, sir!” Kaelen said with a smile before saluting and turning to his squad, saying, “Move!” His helmet quickly manifested and covered his face, and they left toward their destination.

And just like that, the hangar bay was left standing alone. David, too, disappeared into the fold of space as he watched over the operation, ready to intervene if anything went wrong. He was not only the mission leader here on this ship, but also the protector of those under him going through their training. (The First Void Fleet was taking this as a real battlefield where the risk of life was very much present to train their new, yet already century-old, recruits to go through a real experience.)

David’s gaze shifted toward the Delta Group led by Kaelen.

Though the ship’s monitoring system was under their control, the squad moved in stealth for the additional advantages it provided. As they advanced, their combat suits absorbed heat signatures and dampened all acoustic noise, allowing them to move through the decks like shadows.

Kaelen led the Delta Group toward their targets: the FTL and Shield Generator systems, and the Propulsion Engine Bay where the FTL drive was located. All these crucial systems were situated on the Engineering Deck, making them easily accessible or sabotaged from that location.

Kaelen led the Delta Group toward their targets: the FTL and Shield Generator systems, and the Propulsion Engine Bay—all crucial systems located on the Engineering Deck.

Despite having ventured deep within the ship, past areas that likely held hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Minotaurs, the Delta team had encountered and bypassed over five thousand of them with virtually no effort. Their combat suits were that overpowered.

They could have waved in front of the Minotaurs, who still wouldn’t have noticed their enemy standing directly before them. This technological superiority was stunning, especially considering the Minotaurs were cultivators, possessing enhanced hearing and spiritual senses. That they still failed to detect the Marines spoke volumes about the advanced level of the stealth module—just one feature of the combat suit.

A few Minotaurs were able to sense a faint presence, not truly seeing through the stealth, but feeling a slight, uneasy sensation of being watched. They quickly scoffed at the feeling, dismissing it as fatigue or hallucination.

The tension peaked when the team, standing amidst over 300 Minotaurs moving in and out, realized their distraction—letting their eyes linger too long—was causing the slight disturbance. Commotion here would be catastrophic.

“Look like there are some with keen sense among these Minotaurs, huh,” Kaelen muttered internally, relieved. “It was a good decision not to go and wave at their faces.” He physically patted his chest and exhaled.

Kaelen then addressed the reason for their distraction.

“We better not let our eyes settle on one Minotaur for too long, even if we have reason to,” Kaelen cautioned his team internally.

The reason was clear: one particular Minotaur was Torvik Doomhoof, a descendant of the Minotaur Council’s 5th Supreme Elder. The Doomhoof family was charged with protecting and uncovering the ancient knowledge inherited from the Feather Race—knowledge the Void Fleet wanted to secure, believing it wasted in Minotaur hands.

“Call it our luck or whatever that we were forced to encounter this target among the rest,” Kaelen said with a shrug. “Anyway, our job here is done; the tracker has been placed on the target. So let’s not let our eyes wander and make our way toward our actual targets.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep