Tie Zhan stared at the three lines of text for three seconds before suddenly slamming his fist onto the tabletop. The alloy surface let out a heavy THUD, a clear fist-shaped indentation left behind.
"What the hell is this!" he growled. "I just spent a month fighting at Tianshui, and now we're heading back? The Rift Valley Star Realm is still waiting for us—"
"Tie Zhan," Lu Wenquan said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "This is an order from High Command."
"I know it's an order!" Tie Zhan glared at Li Zhenguo. "But there has to be a reason, right? Xu Wuyi is a strategic-level combat asset. The situation in the Rift Valley Star Realm is critical. If he's recalled to Xingjing now, what happens to the front line?"
Li Zhenguo shook his head. "The directive came with no explanation. But according to Federation military regulations, an order of the absolute highest priority must be executed unconditionally. No questions, no delays."
