The muscular man’s angry, sarcastic laughter raised a lot of dissatisfaction.

　　The small assault warship that belonged to the third branch of the Heaven’s Origin Fleet had begun its service recently. All the crew members were new. The Exos that were allotted to the warship were all enlisted from the local areas to deal with the imminent war threat of the Imperium. They were not familiar with each other yet. The ugly, scar-faced man was always by himself and acting mysteriously. Many people were unaware of his real identity.

　　“This guy…”

　　The dark gold Rising Dragon of the Nine Stars emblem on the chest of his crystal suit, which suggested that his rank was major, made other people lose the courage to criticize him. But it could not stop the soldiers from whispering to each other. “He is laughing at such a moment? Is he crazy?”

　　“Don’t mess with him. He is indeed crazy.” The seasoned soldiers who knew the inside information immediately stopped the rookies from continuing their discussion. “Don’t you know? He is the ‘Unkillable Rabid Dog’!”

　　The nickname immediately raised a round of gasps among the soldiers. “He—he is the Rabid Dog?”

　　The Unkillable Rabid Dog was a minor celebrity among the bottom-level troops of the federal army, but it was an infamous name that always triggered fear instead of admiration.

　　He was a person who had fun in danger and sought the thrill of death. In the peaceful years in the federation decades ago, he had already been active in life-and-death underground arenas, taking down countless opponents while adding ineffaceable scars to his own body.

　　Later, he decided that the underground arenas were not exciting enough. He roamed the desolate lands at the edge of the cosmos, searching for demon beasts and space pirates everywhere. Even hundreds of perilous adventures failed to kill him.

　　Soon, after the federation explored the four new Sectors, and especially after the outbreak of the Uranian Ring War, the Rabid Dog was like a fish in water.

　　He joined the federal army with his impressive fighting skills in a crystal suit and performed shockingly well during the Uranian Ring War. More than a thousand Exos from the Uranian Ring Sector were slain by him.

　　Logically, the name of such a fearless warrior should resound throughout the entire army as a ‘hero’.

　　However, what covered the Rabid Dog, other than the valiance to chitchat with death, seemed to be an intense, unshakable curse.

　　In every battle, he would volunteer to carry out the most dangerous mission, and he would meet the worst situation every time. He had to go through endless trouble to accomplish his mission. In the end, not only was he covered in devastating wounds, the teammates who went to carry out the mission together with him were also often killed tragically.

　　He had completed almost a hundred missions, and it seemed to be the case every time. When a team or a squad was charging forward together, he was clearly leading the charge at the frontmost area, faced with the most furious fire and the sharpest blades, but the final result was that the team was entirely wiped out except for him. He was dragged back to the hospital, like a cluster of mud mixed with the remains of his crystal suit, and after sewing and stitching, he was back to life again miraculously!

　　It appeared that some sort of strong, eccentric force was supporting him inside the body that was on the brink of collapse to keep on walking in the human world and dueling with death!

　　“The guy could never be killed however he asked to be!”

　　“But the brethren who fought together with them were all killed. He is an out-and-out misfortune bringer!”

　　“Not a misfortune bringer but a rabid dog, one that is determined to be killed but can never be!”

　　The name ‘Rabid Dog’ spread out at the bottom level of the federal army just like that.

　　If that was the case, with his military accomplishments that he had accumulated through his craziness, he should at least have been a colonel who had the power to command an entire legion.

　　But he turned out to be a man who chose whatever means possible to train himself. He purchased medicine that was clearly forbidden by the military and the government through underground channels many times. He even went to Fish Dragon City in the Dragon Snake Space Zone in secret during his sabbatical, violating the military regulations of the federal army, to perform illegal stimulation and strengthening on his body. Then, he got into conflict with local gangs. It was said that he killed hundreds of gangsters in a row on his own. As a result, everybody in the Dragon Snake Space Zone was shuddering in panic, under the impression that the federation was about to swallow the place.

　　However, those who were familiar with the Rabid Dog all knew that ‘to perform illegal stimulation and strengthening’ was just an excuse. The only reason he went to the Dragon Snake Space Zone was because he was too bored. He just wanted to kill someone or get killed!

　　Real Cultivators were all the firmest atheists. Naturally, his reputation as a ‘misfortune bringer’ was never recognized by the authorities, but the continuous infractions of the military law were enough to offset all the contributions he made through blood battles. After serving in the federal army for fifty years and advancing into the peak of the Core Formation Stage, he was still a minor major.

　　The Rabid Dog, on the other hand, could not have cared less about it. Neither the rank nor the commandership was what he pursued. All he wanted was to be sent to the most dangerous battlefield for the most dangerous missions on the most dangerous front!

　　“No wonder we have encountered the main force of the Black Wind Fleet. That’s because he is here!”

　　“I’m told that he was ‘that guy’ a hundred years ago, wasn’t he?”

　　“We’re screwed this time. Ah. He—he is coming over!”

　　In their anxiety and panic, the soldiers did not intentionally lower their voice. Besides, even if they had, it would have been impossible for the Rabid Dog to miss what they were talking about.

　　Carrying the dragon-slaying saber that was more than three meters long, he walked to the front of the soldiers unhurriedly. A creepy smile popped up on his face that was full of scars and protruding muscles while he gazed at everyone.

　　The medical science in the federation was highly developed nowadays. Most scars and traces of wounds could be recovered, or at least partly made up through the plastic surgeries.

　　Some of the warriors who worshipped valor would keep one or two scars on their face or body intentionally with the excuse that ‘scars are the badges of a real man’ or as mementoes of a certain unforgettable battle. But still, those who did not perform any modification when their faces had been essentially destroyed, like the Rabid Dog, were still freaks among freaks.

　　Therefore, it was safe to say that the Rabid Dog was truly a man who deserved his name!

　　“I am a man who is teased by the heavens.” The Rabid Dog grinned. His voice was so hoarse that his vocal cords might have been soaked in the boiling oil at the bottom level of hell. “The wretched heavens are unwilling to kill me. They want to play me slowly and torture me in one trial after another. I am not going to die so easily.

　　“However, you might not be as unfortunate, or fortunate, as I am. You will die, as quickly as possible.

　　“If you don’t want to die, get as far away from me as possible once we’re out. Don’t stand in my way when I’m trying to die. Understood?”

　　All the soldiers were dumbfounded. Oppressed by the Rabid Dog’s strong and insane aura, they were unable to say a single syllable.

　　The Rabid Dog widened his eyes and raised his voice. “Do you understand?”

　　Shuddering, the soldiers all hurried to nod.

　　The Rabid Dog smiled. He tapped his shoulder softly, and the foldable helmet immediately ascended from the gap between his shoulder and back, completely covering his hideous head.

　　According to the traditions of the federal army, the Exos were free to paint their crystal suits provided that the emblem and the troop logo were not covered. Many people would paint custom patterns on the helmets or the chests of their crystal suits, which was both a good psychological hint and could make the crystal suit more intimidating.

　　The helmet of the Rabid Dog had a pattern of a pale skull whose eye sockets were releasing infinite fury!

　　“Warriors of the federal army!” The roars of the fleet’s commander were echoing around the discharge deck. “We are faced with the most brutal and terrifying army in the entire universe, but we are backed with our motherland, our home, and our families and compatriots who are waiting for our triumphant return! The universe may be vast, but there is nowhere we can retreat to right now! This is going to be the greatest battle in the history of the Star Glory Federation. Countless epics and poems will be sung about each and every one of us in the next thousand years! Attack! For the motherland! For the home! For the family!”

　　Including the Unkillable Rabid Dog, the Exos of the federation jumped into space. The sea of stars was no longer as cold and dark as it used to be but seething like magma after being boiled by the exhaust flames of thousands of power rune arrays.

　　They accelerated to get away from the motherships, in case they were affected in the cruel confrontation of warship cannons versus warship cannons. The tens of thousands of crystal suits constituted a dense array of light spots ahead of the rectangular battle formation, creating the illusion that they were actually a colorful cloud.

　　Opposite them, in places far, far away, another cloud of light spots that were even more dense and dazzling was rushing at them. Those were their opponents, the attack group of Exos and space shuttles from the Imperium.

　　Over there, in the communication channel of the Black Wind Fleet, Heiye Ming’s voice was echoing inside the ears of every ravenous, roaring Exo of the Black Wind Fleet.

　　“Brave warriors of the Imperium, noble Immortal Cultivators, and loyal defenders of the civilization of mankind! Look, our enemies are waiting to be killed like filthy swine that’s about to be butchered! Do you see their fear? Do you see their panic? Do you see that they are shivering? Let’s run and end the pitiful creatures. Don’t let them wait too long in extreme fear. Reap and slaughter now! Show the ants at the edge of the cosmos how strong the real civilization of mankind is!”

　　The two battle formations moved to each other slowly and solemnly.

　　Different from what many people imagined, the space battle where thousands of starships were involved did not have too many eye-catching tactical changes. It even looked sluggish, slow, and clumsy.

　　The magnetic interference, spiritual shield, and force field twisting technology made the starships much better defenders than attackers. The accuracy of their attacks was often astoundingly low.

　　Distance, on the other hand, was also the most unavoidable barricade. With a distance of one light second, or rather, approximately three hundred thousand kilometers, only mystic ray weapons, which attacked at the speed of sound, could hit the enemy instantly. But the greatest shortcomings of such weapons were their efficiency and their long cooldown. One cannon often had to rest for a minute after firing for one minute.

　　On the other hand, after the enormous starships were accelerated to a certain speed, it would be difficult for them to dodge. When their speed was higher than one percent the speed of sound, even the tiniest turn might seriously wreck the shell or the internal structure of the starship. Even if the starship was fine, the crew members on-board would not be able to bear it. Their internal organs might break apart.

　　It meant that the starships could either give up some of the speed in exchange for agility, or they could simply abandon agility once and for all and charge forward at their top speed against the enemy’s not-so-accurate bombardment!