Super Mothership
Boom! A heavily damaged battleship exploded in the void, leaving behind a final, dazzling trail of light.
That warship — which sank because rescue never arrived in time — marked the end of Gemini’s defeat in this battle.
The battlefield was littered with the wreckage of countless weapons, so much so that the rescue teams had to raise low-power shields just to avoid being struck by fast-flying metal debris.
“Judging by this mess, I’d say barely half the fleet made it back this time… Sigh! One incompetent general can tire out an entire army…”
Aboard the Fallen Angel, Nie Yun, who had already returned to his ship, gazed at the tragic scene outside and sighed, wearing a look that mixed anger at others’ failings with pity for their misfortune.
Everyone: “…”
Inside the bridge, every officer — including Captain Emilia — stared straight ahead, eyes on their noses, noses on their hearts, pretending they hadn’t heard a thing.
The bridge was silent, but everyone’s thoughts were screaming.
Boss, did you seriously just mock your own superior’s superior’s superior?
We can’t just pretend we didn’t hear that, you madman!
‘One incompetent general’? Who else could that be referring to? Everyone here knows perfectly well!
Just a few days ago, word had spread that Admiral Gillard had openly mocked his subordinate commander. No one expected that not even two days later, that same subordinate would have the guts to fire back — and publicly!
Rank alone is enough to crush a man, and you’re several levels beneath him! Saying that kind of thing out loud — are you really sure that’s okay?
Guess it’s true what they say — only a man with real backing can be this bold.
Everyone listened with pounding hearts, but no one dared speak up to remind their commander to watch his words.
After all, not long ago, that stunning Sea Tempest-class mecha had already proven to everyone that this “mascot” of an officer was anything but simple.
Single-handedly, Nie Yun had not only rescued a retreating Legion-class command ship but, in the subsequent battle, coordinated with fleet firepower to repel several enemy assaults.
Because the Wolf Civilization forces had followed behind fleeing troops, Gemini’s group defense firepower couldn’t fully function — and in that kind of chaotic close-quarters battle, an elite pilot’s power far outshone that of ordinary warships.
Thanks to Nie Yun — a stabilizing “sea-calming needle” — the Third Subfleet under Arthas suffered only minor damage to a few ships while achieving impressive results.
With such dazzling achievements and personal combat strength, who would still dare call their commander a “military politician”?
Nie Yun’s solo performance was a resounding slap in the face to the high-ranking official who’d made that insult.
Yet no one expected Nie Yun to go even further — publicly using the phrase “one incompetent general tires the whole army” as a sharp jab at Gillard. That was basically picking a direct fight with the top brass!
“Sigh! One general’s triumph is built upon the bones of thousands… I wonder if Mr. Kong survived in the end. He was a good man…”
Nie Yun seemed oblivious to the awkward tension on the bridge, continuing his melancholic musings.
He didn’t yet know that the “good man” he spoke of had, by sheer coincidence, been saved by Nie Yun himself — truly, fate’s strange hand at work.
Standing behind him, Catherine didn’t know who this “Mr. Kong” was, but she was genuinely afraid Nie Yun might say something even more outrageous, so she quickly cleared her throat.
“Ahem! Lord Arthas, the commander of the 074th Legion you rescued earlier has sent a transmission. He wishes to thank you in person for your assistance.”
“Rescue? Oh… that unlucky guy didn’t sink after all?” Nie Yun blinked, only then remembering who she was talking about.
At the time, Nie Yun had acted on a whim — more like snatching a target than saving some random strangers…
So Nie Yun hadn’t given the matter much thought — after all, it had just been a passing act at the time. But still, the man he’d saved was a Legion Commander, a rank higher than his own.
And what’s the most important thing for a spy? Good connections, of course!
More importantly, when a Legion Commander owes you his life… it’d be a waste not to cash in, right?
“Patch him through!” Nie Yun said eagerly, rubbing his hands together.
Seeing her boss looking like he was ready to sharpen his knives for business, Catherine’s lips twitched. She silently offered a moment of sympathy for the poor soul on the other end of the call.
The communication link connected—
and the instant both sides saw each other’s faces, they froze in mutual disbelief.
Nie Yun’s first thought: Wow, my luck with people really is unbeatable!
The “Peacock Man,” on the other hand, felt like a stampede of a thousand horses just ran through his heart.
Are you kidding me?
You’re the one who screwed me over, and now you’re the one who saved me?!
Am I supposed to curse you out or thank you from the bottom of my heart?
If I choose the first, that’s just being honest about my resentment.
But if I choose the second… I think I might actually choke to death on my own rage!
Oh, heavens! Are you just messing with me at this point?!
“Oh my! Isn’t this… that guy? What a coincidence! Fate really does bring people together!” Nie Yun immediately put on a bright, friendly smile — enthusiasm radiating off him.
Not only had this guy helped him by deflecting blame before, now he was here to thank him and maybe even offer gifts! What a perfect man — people like this were truly rare treasures!
“Y-Yeah! What a coincidence, haha…” Peacock Man laughed awkwardly, cursing silently inside.
Coincidence, my ass! You don’t even remember my name!
After a couple of forced chuckles, Peacock Man hesitated before asking,
“So… you’re the commander of this 086th Fleet? Was the recent battle commanded by Lord Ishar?”
If it were a beautiful lady saving the hero, that’d be one thing — far better than having to thank the guy who ruined me first.
Because they belonged to different combat task groups, both sides could only see each other’s legion ID numbers on the tactical network — not their actual identities.
086 was the temporary combat ID of Ishar’s Legion.
“Oh, Lord Ishar is currently stationed in another nearby defense zone,” Nie Yun said with an easy smile. “You know how it is — the patrol range for mobile defense missions is pretty large. Our three subfleets are carrying out separate operations.”
Those words shattered what little hope Peacock Man had left.
Especially that phrase “mobile defense mission.”
It stabbed him right in the heart.
That mission — it was supposed to be his.
If it hadn’t been for that last-minute mission swap, his own fleet wouldn’t have been sent on an offensive operation that ended in near-total annihilation. And now, to add insult to injury, the one who’d “stolen” his mission had ended up swooping in to save him!
If fate had gone differently, he could’ve been the one safely stationed in the rear, calmly directing the battle, maybe even saving Ishar herself — and from there, marrying the rich beauty and reaching the pinnacle of life!
But looking at it now, he could finally see the truth — that so-called “mission exchange” was clearly a trap set by this very man before him.
Still, deep down, Peacock Man insisted on believing that Nie Yun had just been cowardly — avoiding battle out of fear — and happened to get lucky like a blind cat catching a dead mouse.
“Oh, I see! Ahem… well then, I was wondering — that pilot who rescued us earlier, where is he now? I’d like to personally thank him on behalf of my ship.”
Peacock Man wasn’t an idiot — with just a few words, he came up with a way to defuse the awkward situation. He simply shifted the target of gratitude to “that pilot”!
Anyone could be thanked — as long as it wasn’t this guy!
If he thanked Nie Yun directly, how could he ever get revenge later without looking like a jerk?
On the other hand, if he could use this chance to make contact and recruit that top-tier pilot into his own fleet… oh, that would surely drive Nie Yun insane!
He’d already lost plenty of officers in the last battle anyway — he could easily offer the pilot a high position. No mere pilot could resist that kind of temptation!
Peacock Man quietly admired his own brilliance —
but he failed to notice the strange, barely restrained smiles spreading across the faces of every officer aboard the Fallen Angel.
Because it didn’t really matter who he wanted to thank…
In the end, it was the same person.
It was him, it was him, it was still him — our dear friend, Little Nezha!
TL Note- Friends?
Comments
Post a Comment