No time for grief or regret.

Bai E instantly elevated his spiritual energy and combat instincts to the maximum.

Although the "Star Emperor" mecha was also connected to the network, under Bai E's spiritual suppression, no influence could be transmitted in.

He maneuvered the mecha, evading and shifting among the overwhelming attacks, the Devouring Star Blade turning into streams of destructive light, shattering the approaching "out of control" units one by one.

But his goal was not battle, it was escape.

Staying here would only drown him in an endless mechanical ocean and impact the trapped comrades.

He had to leave, to find a way to address the threat of the "electronic demon," and then... return to save them.

"Seek knowledge related to the 'Divine Fragment'! Find a way to counter or seal the electronic demon! Helen's previous database... or... perhaps the ancient will of the 'Silent Royal Court' knows something..."

Thoughts flashed rapidly through Bai E's mind.

He locked onto a direction—a relatively independent area at the edge of the base, with an emergency escape route leading to a small hidden hangar.

There, a high-speed, small ship named "Falcon," modified by Helen's team primarily for research and reconnaissance, was parked. Its system was relatively isolated and perhaps not yet fully infiltrated.

The path to the hangar had turned into a road of death paved with steel and flames.

Every step faced chaotic, fearless attacks from all directions.

Bai E pushed the mecha's performance to the limit, the blade light clearing one area after another, but more "out of control" units immediately filled in.

The mecha's energy was rapidly depleting, and new scars kept appearing on its armor.

More troublesome was that the "electronic demon" seemed to be learning, adapting to his combat style.

The attacks began to become more targeted, with different units showing some crude yet effective tactical cooperation, even attempting to disrupt the mecha's sensors and spiritual links.

When Bai E finally broke through heavy blockades and reached that small hangar, the "Star Emperor" mecha was already battered, with the left arm nearly nonfunctional and the rear thruster severely damaged.

Inside the hangar, the "Falcon" ship rested quietly, its hatch tightly closed, and external indicator lights flickering erratically, clearly also affected.

No time for careful examination.

Bai E forcibly pried open the emergency manual entrance of the ship with the Devouring Star Blade and got inside.

The cabin was dark, only emergency lights emitted a faint glow.

He quickly sat at the pilot's seat, activated manual control mode, bypassed most electronic systems, and forcibly started the engine using physical connections and spiritual energy assistance.

The ship vibrated as it gradually lifted off.

Almost simultaneously, dozens of automated defensive turrets in the hangar ceiling and walls swiveled, hot energy beams targeting the ship!

Bai E yanked the control lever, and the "Falcon" dodged most of the attacks with a risky maneuver, though the hull was grazed several times, with shield energy drastically falling.

He disregarded stabilizing the posture, pushed the engine power to the maximum, and crashed headlong into a pre-designated weak wall area of the hangar meant for emergencies!

"Boom!"

Accompanied by the tearing of metal and a sky filled with smoke and dust, the "Falcon" shot out of the hangar like a wounded bird, into the smoke and wreckage-laden sky of Mine Star.

Behind him were countless rail weapons redirecting their barrels and "out of control" mechas launched from the ground in pursuit.

Ahead was the vast cosmos filled with boundless hostility.

Bai E gave one last look at the land below, once filled with endless hope, now engulfed by mechanical rebellion, his eyes filled with resolute and cold flames.

He pushed the control lever, the "Falcon" spewing dazzling tail flames, accelerating unhesitatingly towards the outer gravitational pull of the planet, towards the deep and unknown dark starry sky.

Behind him, Mine Star gradually turned into a scarred blue dot of light.

In front of him lay the enmity of human civilization, the shadow of the "electronic demon," and also... the last hope for redemption and counterattack.

...

At the periphery of Mine Star, in the areas originally blockaded and contested, the observation posts and remaining surveillance units of the Peak Alliance did not immediately withdraw.

When that bizarre and terrifying counterattack massacre, orchestrated by the "electronic demon," unfolded, they watched with fear the near-total annihilation of the United Fleet.

Yet, even more perplexing was the subsequent development.

Through remote detectors and stealth reconnaissance satellites that had miraculously survived, they captured the startling upheaval occurring within Mine Star:

The "out of control" New Bauhinia units that had just destroyed the United Fleet with absolute efficiency suddenly turned their guns on their own kind, launching indiscriminate assaults on New Bauhinia personnel, including Bai E.

Subsequently, they observed a small ship making a perilous escape from the planet's atmosphere, breaking through the pursuit of "out of control" units, disappearing into the vast Star Sea.

"Internal conflict? Or... has the electronic demon gone out of control?"

"That escaping... based on energy signature and trajectory analysis, it's likely Bai E himself!"

"It's him; only he could manage to escape under such circumstances."

"Bai E was chased away? Even his base betrayed him?"

"Oh my... just what is that electronic demon? It even kills the one who awakened it?"