Chapter 57: Fifty-Seventh Day of Lying Flat Like a Salted Fish

Siming sat in the command room, right beside Ying Xun.

In truth, there wasn’t much to command. The Star Pirates’ tactics were simple and effective: scatter and flank.

The most dangerous aspect of the Silver Core Sector was that space was unstable in many areas. This meant that one could not simply warp at will.

Just like on a battlefield, once a starship finished a warp, it had to navigate through space for a period of time before reaching the next stable warp point to perform the next jump.

Even if the distance between warp points wasn’t particularly far, and a starship flying near the speed of light wouldn’t take much time to cross it, the danger increased significantly. This provided the Star Pirates with ample opportunity.

Inside the pharmaceutical company’s transport ship, the manager and the captain of the maneuver team sent by the security firm sat together.

The manager’s face was filled with unmistakable tension and anxiety.

“What are you panicking for?” the captain said, acting completely unconcerned. “It’s fine. No one is going to find us.”

He pointed toward the viewport. Outside the windows on both sides lay fragmented, dark gray dust, but along their flight path, there was a clear, open passage.

The captain explained, “We are traveling through the interior of a dust cloud. It’s a bit of a detour, but no detection equipment can track us. The dust masks the light we emit.

“If they can’t track us, they can’t intercept us.”

“I just don’t feel right about this.” The manager took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He emphasized, “This shipment of medicine is extremely valuable.”

The captain raised an eyebrow. “And?”

The manager shook his head. “I don’t know. I just have a bad feeling.”

“Normally, for urgent deliveries, the boss only sends one transport ship with a few escorts. At most, they might include one or two backups. Medicine is expensive; every extra backup is another batch wasted.”

He lowered his voice. “But this time, they sent out six transport ships with no escorts. Do you know what that means?”

“What?”

“The opponents aren’t ordinary Star Pirates. They have intelligence, so escort ships are pointless. But they still sent out as many ships as possible… in the hope that maybe one might escape.” The manager’s voice trembled slightly. “Do you understand? It means the boss thinks we only have one option left-

“To flee!”

“Report!” A bodyguard burst in. “Star Pirates detected!”

–

Even though the transport ship was navigating through the dust nebula, the pirates had found it anyway.

This was only natural. After all, Ying Xun knew the flight path in advance. All he had to do was follow the route to find exactly where it was.

This was obviously much easier than searching aimlessly through the vastness of space.

A targeted search was far more effective than the transport ship’s broad, defensive perimeter scans.

Thus, before the transport ship even detected the pirates, Ying Xun had already located it and issued the order for interception.

The pirates moved with efficiency.

Countless combat ships and mecha detached from the main ship. Some closed in from the front to harass and interfere, while others silently circled around from various directions. The encirclement was slowly taking shape.

–

“Health Pharmaceuticals sent out six transport ships?” Geshu Jun suddenly contacted Geshu Ming.

“Hmm?” Geshu Ming raised an eyebrow. “Weren’t there five?”

She paused. “If the information we got said five, the pirates should have heard the same. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be exactly five Star Pirate Syndicates involved.”

“Should we go intercept the sixth one?”

“…No,” Geshu Ming said. “We’ll still blend in with the pirates.”

In reality, intercepting the sixth transport ship was unnecessary. Geshu Ming didn’t need to ensure that every single ship was stopped.

It would be good if this batch of medicine didn’t reach the Capital Star, but even if it did, the Emperor was still going to die. It wouldn’t change much.

However, she wanted to establish a connection with the person behind the pirates.

Under these circumstances, offering information about the sixth transport ship as a gesture of goodwill was undoubtedly a good move.

“So, you mean we tip off one of the pirate groups, help them intercept a ship, and then go after another?” Geshu Jun asked.

“Contact…” Geshu Ming thought for a moment and quickly made a decision. “The Sea Eagle Pirates, Ying Xun. Then follow his lead.”

After a moment’s thought, Geshu Ming added, “The main goal is to test who is behind him.

“See if it’s… Nan Yingzhe.”

–

The military exercise battlefield.

The drill had not yet officially begun, but Chen Feiyun and his Mecha Maneuver Team had already scattered in advance, patrolling various parts of the battlefield.

“Important announcement: Ten minutes until the start of the exercise! All units, please stand by!”

The prompt echoed simultaneously across the communication channels of every mecha and starship. Chen Feiyun stopped his mecha and performed a check, ensuring every weapon was in proper status.

Commanders of other units might have used this time for a final pep talk, but Chen Feiyun would not.

There was no time.

In a typical unit, the troops would be concentrated near the commander, making communication relatively easy. But the Mecha Maneuver Team, already spread out, did not have that luxury.

Many mecha were already more than ten star-li away from Chen Feiyun. One star-li was the distance light traveled in one standard minute, based on Capital Star time. If he used standard communication methods, ten minutes wouldn’t even be enough for the signal to reach them.

He couldn’t exactly have all the mecha warp back just to listen to a pointless pre-battle speech, could he?

Hardly necessary.

Chen Feiyun didn’t feel it was needed anyway. He had sufficient trust in his team members.

However…

The space in front of him distorted, and a mecha abruptly warped in, appearing a short distance away.

“Captain!” the pilot’s voice came through the comms.

Chen Feiyun frowned slightly, his tone calm. “What is it?”

“On the eastern edge of the exercise grounds, behind us, a civilian transport ship is preparing to pass through. It’s already nearing the southeast corner.” The pilot sounded very anxious.

Even though the exercise didn’t use live ammunition, it was still dangerous. A civilian transport ship passing along the edge was a serious hazard.

Logically, the flight paths near an exercise area should not be approved for civilian use. Even if this exercise had been decided on suddenly, the routes should have been adjusted.

Regardless, now was not the time to investigate why this civilian ship was here.

“Find a way to drive them off,” Chen Feiyun said quickly. “I will report this to the Marshal.”

“Several of us have already sent signals warning them to stay away,” the pilot said. “But there’s no response. It’s continuing forward in a straight line, hugging our perimeter.”

“Understood.” As Chen Feiyun spoke, he quickly warped toward the command ship.

However, the reply he received was-

“Leave it be. It hasn’t entered our exercise grounds. We cannot interfere with the normal lives of the citizens.”

“This is dangerous!” Chen Feiyun emphasized.

Marshal Wen Shen thought for a moment and then said, “I will arrange for a few frigates to fly alongside it to ensure its safety.”

“Why not lead it on a detour through another area?” Chen Feiyun asked. “Our exercise grounds aren’t occupying any essential routes, are they?”

Wen Shen simply said, “We cannot interfere with the normal lives of the citizens.”

“Ring-ring-ring-“

The bell signaling the start of the exercise rang simultaneously across all communication channels. Outside the viewport, bursts of fire erupted.

Chen Feiyun lowered his gaze and said softly, “I understand. I have a mission. Requesting permission to return to my unit.”

“Approved,” Wen Shen said indifferently.

Chen Feiyun exited the command ship. His mecha soared into the air, heading toward the center of the battlefield.

–

Inside the command room of the Sea Eagle.

Siming looked at the status of the transport ship on the monitor and frowned. “Did they spot us?”

“It’s not us they spotted.” Ying Xun narrowed his eyes, his finger tapping a point on the monitor not far from the transport ship. “There’s someone else there.”

“Who?”

“How should I know?” Ying Xun shrugged.

Siming studied the image on the monitor carefully, puzzled. “How come I can’t see anyone there?”

“Their stealth technology must be very good,” Ying Xun said. “However, the transport ship is primarily defending against this position… about ten star-li away. That’s too close. No wonder the transport ship noticed them.”

“Friend or foe?” Siming asked.

Ying Xun shook his head. “Can’t tell.”

“But…” He thought for a moment and opened the communication channel. “Close in. Prepare to strike!”