Super Mothership
Nie Yun rubbed his aching temples helplessly and shifted his attention back to the intelligence reports on the Shattered Star Region.
The seven major pirate groups were locked in conflict, with Black Sail, Madmen, Red Dragon, and Dragoons battling fiercely against one another. In truth, this situation aligned quite well with Nie Yun’s interests.
Only in troubled waters could one fish for opportunities. A calm and uneventful Shattered Star Region offered no room for newcomers to rise.
However, after combining it with another piece of intelligence, Nie Yun realized things were probably far more complicated than they appeared on the surface.
“So the Jinlok Consortium actually concealed news of their devastating losses, and they’re planning to make one final gamble by gathering another massive force to invade the Gemini System…” Nie Yun stroked his chin, deep in thought.
He could understand why the Jinlok Consortium hid the fact that their strength had been severely damaged. After all, the environment surrounding the consortium was hardly friendly.
But immediately afterward, Black Sail moved to muddy the waters of the Shattered Star Region…
At such a crucial moment, when the pirates should have been taking advantage of the chaos to loot and plunder, they instead became too occupied with internal fighting to concern themselves with anything else. That was far too much of a coincidence.
“Is Black Sail deeply loyal to the Jinlok Consortium? Or is the Jinlok Consortium secretly sowing discord behind the scenes? Just who is the true mastermind…”
Hearing Nie Yun muttering to himself, Codename, standing nearby, showed a trace of vigilance in his eyes.
That style of phrasing… it sounded suspiciously similar to the way I polish my writing. Could it be the boss is planning to personally step in and steal my livelihood?
The moment the words left his mouth, Nie Yun also realized something was wrong.
Damn it! I’ve been influenced by that guy Codename…
“Ahem! Anyway… if we want to understand what’s really going on, we’ll probably need a local expert. Call Golden Fang over,” Nie Yun coughed awkwardly.
Codename responded and dissolved into particles of light, disappearing from the room.
Not long afterward, Golden Fang entered the room looking nervous and uneasy.
During this period, Golden Fang had been under tremendous mental pressure. The slaves from Shattered Star City had arrived, the battle-hardened Ryan Tribe warriors had arrived as well, and all kinds of resources were being purchased in a constant stream. The Ghost Pirate Crew’s power was expanding like an inflating balloon.
Yet at the same time, the authority in Golden Fang’s hands was steadily slipping away.
First, the armed forces were filled with large numbers of Ryan Tribe warriors. Although the addition of these battle-loving people had greatly enhanced the pirate crew’s combat strength and unity, Golden Fang’s influence within the military had been further diluted.
For some reason, Spartacus, the leader of the Ryan Tribe, practically worshipped the captain like a god. The fanaticism in his eyes made it obvious he was an utterly loyal devotee, completely impossible to win over.
On the other hand, dozens of highly human-like intelligent robots had taken over logistical management. They carried out sweeping reforms within the pirate crew, almost completely eradicating the corruption that had once been widespread. At the same time, authority was further delegated to talented individuals with professional skills, making the logistics department increasingly efficient and orderly.
As a result, this department—once the richest source of profit and influence—had also entirely slipped from Golden Fang’s control.
It could be said that the two most important sectors, military power and logistics, were now firmly controlled by Nie Yun’s trusted subordinates.
Although Golden Fang still held the title of second-in-command, his only responsibility now was handling procurement projects with the Golden Coin Pirate Crew. He was practically becoming a professional purchasing manager…
What unsettled Golden Fang even more was the fact that the pirate crew no longer needed him to stabilize morale. Would this terrifying man—powerful, well-connected, and already fully in control of everything—decide to discard him once he had outlived his usefulness?
Golden Fang carefully analyzed what remaining value he still had to the captain, only to discover sorrowfully that he was practically useless now…
The captain had suddenly summoned him today. Could it be that his time had finally come?
“Um… Captain, may I ask why you summoned your subordinate here? Do you have some orders for me?” Golden Fang asked cautiously.
Nie Yun looked at him in confusion. They hadn’t seen each other for only a few days, so why had this guy become even more respectful toward him?
Judging from his mental fluctuations… he even seemed somewhat afraid?
Naturally, Nie Yun had no idea about the torment Golden Fang had been going through recently, nor was he interested in finding out.
“I’ll ask you this—how much do you know about the Black Sail Pirate Crew?”
The moment he heard this, Golden Fang immediately let out a huge sigh of relief.
Seeing that he apparently wasn’t about to be “disposed of,” Golden Fang quickly connected the dots with the recent uproar caused by the large-scale pirate war in the Shattered Star Region and immediately understood why Nie Yun was asking these questions.
“You’ve come to the right person. My strength may not amount to much, but I’ve been struggling to survive in the Shattered Star Region for decades now. I’ve got friends all across the star region. But… what kind of information are you looking for exactly?”
Golden Fang was desperate to prove his “value,” though he didn’t dare boast too excessively.
“I want to know what kind of relationship Black Sail has with the Jinlok Consortium. For example, if one side fell into trouble, would the other risk everything to help them?”
“Risk everything?” Golden Fang burst out laughing. “If one side got into trouble, forget risking themselves to help—stabbing the other side twice while they’re down is more likely!”
Nie Yun’s eyes lit up. “You’re sure?”
“Absolutely. Flint is an ambitious man who’s always wanted to become the Pirate King, while Jinlok is a greedy miser who covets the profits of Shattered Star City. The two are only allies because of shared interests. Everyone knows they’re united in appearance only.
If those two could ever truly get along, I’d drink this chamber pot on the spot!”
Nie Yun: “……”
Hearing such a vicious guarantee, Nie Yun decided he believed him.
That meant Flint was probably being kept in the dark as well. The recent pirate war was most likely something the Jinlok Consortium had orchestrated behind the scenes.
If that was the case, then there was much more room for him to maneuver…
Seeing that Nie Yun no longer seemed interested in asking questions, Golden Fang immediately became anxious. This captain normally kept himself hidden away and rarely showed his face. Golden Fang hardly got the chance to meet him, so now that he finally had an opportunity to show his worth, he naturally intended to make full use of it.
“Captain, if you’re interested in this matter, I don’t think you should focus only on the four pirate groups currently fighting. The other three deserve attention too.”
“Oh? How so?” Nie Yun was genuinely intrigued now.
“Look at this—the main forces of Dark Sanctuary and Karon both happen to be absent at such a critical moment!
Sure, it’s perfectly normal for pirate crews to fight over prey, but the timing is far too suspicious. There’s no guarantee they aren’t connected to this incident somehow.
Also, if the entire Shattered Star Region truly falls into chaos, then the one that deserves the most attention… should be the Golden Coin Pirate Crew!”
“Why? The Golden Coin Pirate Crew was the first to announce neutrality, and they’ve always kept a low profile with a ‘don’t provoke us and we won’t provoke you’ attitude.”
“That’s only on the surface! I once carefully studied the Golden Coin Pirate Crew’s financial operating model and discovered that their influence extends into every industry across the entire Shattered Star Region.
Through cross-shareholding and hidden investments, they’ve infiltrated practically every corner of the region. The outside world has seriously underestimated their influence.
To design something like this, there must be an expert mastermind behind them!
Also, after observing them for so many years, I realized their profitability far exceeds the level of strength they outwardly display.
Everyone only pays attention to how many warships they have or how many mechs they possess, but hardly anyone notices where the rest of their money goes.
I did a rough calculation, and the amount of capital they possess is enough to build another one of the Seven Great Pirate Crews!”
Golden Fang poured out everything he knew in one breath. He was just about to catch his breath and continue when he noticed Nie Yun staring at him with a strange expression.
“Uh… C-Captain, did I say something wrong?” Golden Fang asked cautiously.
“No. I just think it’s a pity that a talented person like you ended up wasting himself as a pirate…” Nie Yun sighed.
“Y-You flatter me too much!” Golden Fang was instantly overwhelmed with both surprise and gratitude, while an indescribable feeling of emotion rose in his heart.
Who could possibly know that I, a top graduate from the Imperial University of Finance and Economics, became a pirate completely against my will?
Actually… my original dream was to become a teacher…
“So, what do you think? Interested in joining our organization?” Nie Yun suddenly asked with a smile.
“Organization?” Golden Fang froze.
Aren’t we already on the same side?
Wait! Something suddenly occurred to him.
“Y-You mean… that mysterious ‘Unity of All Things Society’?”
That was the enormous organization backing the captain himself. Could a small fry like him actually qualify to join?
“Exactly! Our organization is currently lacking someone with your business talents. What do you think of the position ‘President of the Shattered Star Branch of the Unity of All Things Society’?”
“P-President?!”
The moment he heard those words, Golden Fang’s breathing instantly became heavy…
Seeing Golden Fang’s expression, the corners of Nie Yun’s lips curled into a mysterious smile.
If Golden Fang knew that he himself was currently the only member of the Unity of All Things Society within dozens of light-years, one could only wonder what his reaction would be.
As long as someone could be tricked into joining the Unity of All Things Society, that counted as a success!
Mechanical Bug: “……” (￣▽￣)d
TL Note- New Branch head....
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