Super Mothership
Behind Nie Yun, the strategist Goldtooth, who had already returned from Shattered Star City, wore a troubled expression.
“Captain… making money feels great for the moment, but doing this will bring endless trouble later…”
Although just taking the fleet out for a spin could earn them a clean 100 million, something like that was unimaginable before.
However, the greater the profit, the greater the risk. This time they had offended two of the local top forces at the same time. If either the Black Sail or the Jinlok Consortium decided to retaliate afterward, Goldtooth felt they might as well pack their bags and go their separate ways.
“Let them come. We’ll deal with soldiers as they come,” Nie Yun said calmly. “Besides, have you ever seen any pirate group rise peacefully?”
The cake was only so big. If you wanted more resources, you were bound to touch the interests of the old powers. Either you remained an obscure, well-behaved little pirate group, or you climbed up by stepping on the corpses of other pirate crews.
Goldtooth froze for a moment. From the sound of that, their captain’s ambitions were clearly not small…
…
Meanwhile, after Beckman’s fleet “surrendered,” Nie Yun didn’t give them any chance to come into contact with the Ghost Pirate Group. Instead, he directly sent them to Catherine’s secret base.
“Sir Beckman, look—it’s another special task fleet!” the adjutant said excitedly.
Outside the porthole were the Fallen Angel and several other warships.
Only after seeing these friendly forces did Beckman and the officers of the Gemini finally believe that they had truly escaped death.
Beckman’s mood at the moment was complicated.
When he had fallen into a desperate situation, it was actually his rival Arthas who had come to rescue him. For someone as proud as him, it was an undeniable blow.
“I didn’t expect him to have connected with the local pirate forces…”
The defeat in this competition was already beyond doubt. But losing in such a way made Beckman somewhat unable to accept it.
In his view, he had not lost because of lack of ability, but because of bad luck.
If he had been the one to discover a place like the Shattered Star Region first, perhaps the outcome would have been completely different…
“Sir Beckman, the fleet is currently short of supplies. Perhaps we could request some assistance from our allies,” the adjutant dutifully suggested.
Earlier, in order to escape pursuit, they had been forced to throw most of the supplies aboard their ships into space to lighten the load. Now, not only could they no longer continue fighting, they even had trouble filling their stomachs.
“Ha…”
The cruel reality stabbed another arrow straight into Beckman’s already wounded heart.
Was there anything more embarrassing than being saved by your opponent?
Yes.
Being saved by your opponent again and again…
…
Girard soon received the news that Beckman was safe and sound.
Although he was shocked that the so-called “friends” Nie Yun mentioned were actually a group of pirates, the result itself was quite satisfactory.
“Arthas, you did very well! Councilor Victor asked me to convey his gratitude.”
“Rescuing allied forces is our duty!” Nie Yun said righteously.
—Wasn’t it you who only took action after hearing there was profit to be made…
Girard’s mouth twitched slightly, but he quickly brought the conversation back.
“However, Beckman’s fleet discarded a large amount of supplies. I’m afraid we’ll still need you to provide them with some support.”
Clearly, Beckman simply couldn’t bring himself to ask Nie Yun for help directly, so he had chosen this roundabout approach.
When Nie Yun heard this, he slapped his forehead inwardly.
Right! How did I forget about the profit opportunity of supply reselling? What a mistake!
“Sigh…” Nie Yun let out a heavy sigh.
“To be honest, General, after multiple intense battles, our fleet has also suffered heavy consumption of ammunition and supplies.
Of course, helping allied forces is something we won’t refuse. We can squeeze out some supplies somehow. But robbing Peter to pay Paul isn’t a long-term solution. Even if you hadn’t mentioned it, I was planning to report this situation to you.”
“Oh? Then what solution do you have?” Girard frowned slightly. He believed Nie Yun wouldn’t speak without reason.
“If supplies are insufficient, then naturally we’ll buy them from my ‘friends.’”
“Buy? Those… pirates are willing to provide you with supplies?” Girard asked doubtfully.
“Of course,” Nie Yun replied. “It’s just that the price will be a little higher.”
Girard felt relieved when he heard that.
“Money isn’t the problem. Go ahead and negotiate—I trust your ability!”
They had already paid 100 million just to save people. Would they really care about the small change needed for supplies?
“Thank you for your trust, General.” Nie Yun happily earned himself another extra profit.
“Mm! Now that your two fleets have joined up, what are your next plans? You understand the situation over there, so I’d like to hear your opinion,” Girard asked seriously.
Nie Yun had long expected this question and had already prepared an answer.
“My suggestion is… that the special task fleet should immediately return to Gemini.”
“Oh? Why?”
“It’s obvious that Beckman’s fleet has basically lost its combat capability. Even if our two fleets combine, we would still have fewer than fifty warships.
The Jinlok Consortium we’re fighting against has more than five hundred warships just in its Fifth Garrison Fleet alone. Continuing sabotage operations behind enemy lines would not only be extremely dangerous, but the results would also be limited.”
“But right now you’re our only source of intelligence…” Girard said.
Naturally, Girard knew Nie Yun was telling the truth. The strength of the Wolf Empire had far exceeded their expectations, and continuing sabotage operations no longer held much meaning.
On the other hand, after this near disaster, the Sea Clan also wanted Beckman—one of their key candidates—to return safely to the rear.
But pulling out the nail they had finally managed to drive into enemy territory would still be quite a pity.
“We may withdraw, but that doesn’t mean we’ll lose our intelligence source,” Nie Yun said with a smile.
Girard’s eyes lit up as he quickly understood what Nie Yun meant.
“You mean… that pirate group?”
“Of course. Pirates are well-informed. As long as you have money, you can buy information about the Jinlok Consortium’s movements anytime! Besides, my friends can not only rescue people—they also accept all kinds of raiding and sabotage mercenary missions. They can completely replace our role and continue operating.
They’re local snakes who know the surrounding environment very well. Their operations would be far more efficient than ours. We can cooperate with the pirates and fight a ‘proxy war.’”
A proxy war?
Hearing the term, Girard’s eyes lit up even more.
Pirates were practically synonymous with being anti-society and anti-government. They recognized money, not people, making them ideal long-term partners.
Whether it was gathering intelligence or carrying out raids, arson, and killings, pirates were professionals at this sort of work.
Moreover, Arthas had already used his excellent diplomatic skills to win over a pirate group, paving the way for cooperation.
As for money…
They could simply increase trade with the All for One Society.
“What if they pretend to work but actually slack off, or provide false intelligence?”
“There are many pirate groups here. We’re not limited to just one choice. Smart people should know what to do.”
“Are you sure those pirates won’t betray us?”
“As long as we pay them enough, why would they betray us?”
“And what if the Jinlok Consortium offers a higher price?”
“We are a civilization, while they are a consortium,” Nie Yun said with a smile.
A civilization could spend every last coin it had just to survive. A consortium, however, acted purely for profit. That was the difference between the two.
A war of attrition?
That possibility never existed from the very beginning.
“Hahaha! Very good! I approve of your plan. From today onward, you are the person in charge of the ‘Proxy Plan.’ I want you and Beckman to return safely to Gemini as soon as possible!” Girard laughed loudly.
…
After ending the communication, a faint smile also appeared on Nie Yun’s lips.
The Ghost Pirate Group was already secure with his clone in command. Meanwhile, the alien identity of “Arthas” needed to gradually fade from view. That would be more beneficial for the pirate group’s localized development.
On the other hand, only by returning to Gemini could “Arthas” fully exploit the greater value of this identity.
He had just achieved a major accomplishment and gained the gratitude of both the Sea Clan and the Victor family. A promotion was practically guaranteed. Returning would allow him to obtain a higher position within Gemini and command a much larger fleet.
Only then could he leverage greater power and resources—and seize even greater benefits from this war.
The Solar System… Gemini… Wolf…
Like links in a chain, the massive interstellar organizational vision of the All for One Society seemed to be slowly but steadily coming true, step by step…
TL Note- 5D Chess....
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