Chapter 603: The Deal with Lord Vader

A massive roar echoed from afar, flames surged like a towering mushroom cloud, and the shockwave violently tore through, felling tree after tree.

From a distance, only a colossal pressure wave spread outward, forcing all plants, animals, birds, and beasts into frantic flight to escape the impending disaster.

“It’s come,” Master Yoda crouched on Luke’s shoulder, gazing into the distance. He had foreseen it again.

“Who’s come?” Luke frowned, having heard Master Yoda’s words but still unclear on who exactly had arrived.

“Probably your father, Anakin—Lord Vader. I sense his presence,” Master Yoda whispered.

“What?” Luke’s face flushed with rage. He immediately turned to find his father and avenge his uncle, aunt, and sister.

“Wait,” Master Yoda called out, stopping Luke. “What are you going to do now? Your training isn’t complete—you’re no match for Anakin.”

Anakin was, after all, a Force Master. Even with Luke’s extraordinary talent, he could not possibly defeat his father before completing his training—especially since his father, Anakin, possessed talent no less formidable than Luke’s.

“But…” Luke grew desperate. At this moment, he no longer cared about training—he only wanted to find Anakin.

“Go train,” Ye Nan said softly from behind Luke. “You’re not a match for Anakin. Finish your training quickly—I’ll draw them away.”

Ye Nan no longer wished to wait. Upon learning Lord Vader had arrived, he ordered Superman Clark to destroy Lord Vader’s Star Destroyer—without directly engaging Vader himself—to pressure Master Yoda into accelerating Luke’s training.

He had no time left. Superman Clark’s cloning side effects needed resolution. The Unicron needed probing. The Sith Lord needed sufficient time to be lured. The Hive Queen Harris, and Beth, who had suffered a major defeat and now hid in the shadows, also remained threats. And those unseen figures continued to grow stronger—he felt his time was running out.

“Alright,” Luke, hearing Ye Nan’s words, finally suppressed his inner impulse and resolved to continue training.

But Master Yoda did not respond to Luke. Instead, he asked Ye Nan: “How do you plan to delay him?”

After a brief pause, Ye Nan replied: “Adapt as needed.”

No matter how much you plan or how perfect your strategy, in the end, you must adapt—no one can predict every detail. Ye Nan only remembered the broad direction; he never memorized the specifics.

“Delay him for three days. I’ll train Luke.” He gave Luke’s shoulder a sharp tap. Luke understood the order and said, “Take care of yourself,” then turned and left.

Watching the two depart, Ye Nan’s lips finally curled into a faint smile.

…

Beneath his mask, Lord Vader stared at the wreckage before him, silent. Only his trembling body betrayed that he was far from calm.

The Star Destroyer was destroyed. The starship had almost certainly left the planet, heading into unknown space. To escape, he had no choice but to wait for unknown arrivals.

“No—there’s still Luke. And Master Yoda.” He had been ordered by the Sith Lord to pursue Luke, to prevent him from completing his training under Master Yoda’s guidance. It was logical: Luke, having arrived here, must have had a starship. Likewise, Master Yoda must have had one too—though he wondered if it still functioned after all these years.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Ye Nan clapped his hands and stepped out from the forest, while Lord Vader’s remaining soldiers watched him warily.

“Who are you?”

Lord Vader regarded Ye Nan and asked.

“The Sith Lord didn’t tell you who I am? It seems you’re not favored by him,” Ye Nan chuckled, casually dropping a word of discord.

The Sith Lord was Anakin’s master, yet Anakin never showed him respect or obedience—evidenced by his past declaration that he would kill the Sith Lord alongside Luke and seize power. Combined with Master Yoda’s earlier remarks about Anakin, it was clear: Anakin was power-hungry.

And those obsessed with power are rarely trusted—they are always capable of betrayal.

“What did you say?” Beneath Ye Nan’s super-vision, Lord Vader’s masked face twitched slightly. Ye Nan’s words struck a nerve.

Everyone tends to judge others by their own nature. For Lord Vader, it was no different—he himself was not loyal to the Sith Lord and constantly plotted betrayal. He also constantly feared the Sith Lord discovering his treachery—a fear intensified by the Sith Lord’s past actions.

“What exactly are you?” The face beneath the mask grew as dark and still as water, ready to strike the moment Ye Nan’s words turned false.

“I am the Emperor of the Space-Time Empire. I’ve had some dealings with the Sith Lord,” Ye Nan said casually. “Yet your master, his most important subordinate, never told you my identity. That’s surprising.”

Ye Nan deliberately blurred the concept of time, making Lord Vader believe the Sith Lord had known him for years—when in truth, the Sith Lord had only met Ye Nan a few days ago, and before that, their connection was merely spiritual.

“Space-Time Empire?” The masked face relaxed slightly. “This is Galactic Empire territory. You’ve crossed the line.”

“The Sith Lord sent me. If I recall correctly, the starship you attacked was the one he gave me—enough to prove my identity. But I’d like to ask you: why did you attack my starship? Don’t tell me you didn’t know it was your own Galactic Empire vessel,” Ye Nan sneered. He was nearly certain Lord Vader had done it on purpose.

The reason? Probably some secret he didn’t want revealed—or fear that the starship would disrupt his own plans, so he destroyed it outright.

Ye Nan mentioning the starship only made Lord Vader angrier. “That flying creature—was he your subordinate?”

Lord Vader understood the Galactic Empire’s forces: beyond technology, their main combat strength lay in the Jedi. That flying creature bore no high-tech equipment, yet no Jedi could fly with such fluidity or speed. He instantly deduced the flyer was one of this man’s men—the self-proclaimed Emperor of the Space-Time Empire.

Realizing this, Lord Vader nearly moved to attack.

“So what if he is? Do you plan to take me on?” Ye Nan lazily leaned against a tree, yawning widely. “Think carefully about your own worth—don’t provoke someone you shouldn’t, or you’ll invite disaster.”

He was offering a genuine warning. Both Superman Clark and Ye Nan himself could easily defeat Lord Vader. Jedi had one fatal flaw: their devastating offense matched only their abysmal defense.

As they swung their lightsabers freely, striking down all enemies, their own bodies remained vulnerable. A single accident could end them effortlessly—that was the Jedi’s weakness.

And Ye Nan was precisely the kind of man who specialized in exploiting his enemies’ weaknesses.

Ye Nan’s words, however, calmed Lord Vader. “Who is this Ye Nan? What is his relationship with the Sith Lord? And where is this Space-Time Empire?”

Lord Vader pondered, but found no answers. Facing this mysterious man with such confidence, he felt uneasy.

“What do you want here?” Lord Vader asked cautiously.

“I came to obtain something. Give me four days. Once I have what I need, I’ll leave.” Ye Nan held up four fingers.

Four days were enough for Luke to complete his training under Master Yoda—and for Ye Nan to extract the knowledge he sought from Luke. After that, the Galactic Empire held nothing else worth his staying—except the Sith Lord.

“What do you want?” Lord Vader probed again.

“Why ask so many questions?” Ye Nan laughed evasively. “You only need to wait here quietly for four days.”

“No,” a soldier stepped forward and whispered into Lord Vader’s ear: “Sir, we’ve checked the Star Destroyer wreckage. There’s barely any food left—nowhere near enough to sustain us for four days. And this place is full of venomous snakes and beasts. Survival will be difficult.”

Due to the explosion, nearly all food had been incinerated. The few items that survived were negligible—less than one ten-thousandth of the original amount—far too little to sustain these broken soldiers.

Surviving in the dense jungle was already difficult.

These soldiers were trained to defeat enemies in space, operate and repair starships, and wage war in orbit. Their knowledge of wilderness survival was minimal.

Here, the environment was far harsher than their training grounds: venomous snakes, beasts, toxic mists, polluted waters, and swamps lay everywhere. Surviving here was nearly impossible.

“I’ll wait four days,” Lord Vader said after a brief pause, ignoring the soldier’s warning and agreeing outright. (To be continued.)