Super Mothership
The Jinlok Consortium? That was an option Flint had never even considered...
A force with both the capability and the courage to accept the allegiance of the Twin Dragons—aside from the major pirate groups, there really was another candidate: that powerful and ambitious neighbor.
Jinlok had long wanted to intervene in the Shattered Star Region. If the Twin Dragons defected to him, Jinlok would undoubtedly welcome them with open arms...
"The Jinlok Consortium is an ally of Black Sail. Do you really think Jinlok would risk offending me by accepting your allegiance?" Flint asked, his heart sinking slightly, though his face remained indifferent.
"Heh! That was before. Black Sail's prestige and influence have more than doubled since then. Do you think the Jinlok Consortium can still feel comfortable continuing its partnership with an ally like you?
The emergence of a pirate force powerful enough to potentially unify the entire Shattered Star Region is the last thing he wants to see!
What he needs now isn't a strong ally like you, but a blade capable of dealing with you!
And clearly, there's no better 'Blade of Vengeance' than us... isn't that right?"
After speaking, Red Dragon glanced toward Nie Yun. The latter smiled and gave him a thumbs-up.
As expected, those words struck Flint right where it hurt. His expression darkened almost instantly.
He knew very well that what Red Dragon described was likely to become reality.
After all, the reason he had been so eager to absorb Red Dragon in the first place was precisely because he had sensed the threat posed by the Jinlok Consortium...
What was worse, the Jinlok Consortium was now expanding aggressively on the other side of the wormhole.
Once it fully digested Gemini and its strength skyrocketed, it would inevitably turn its attention back toward the Shattered Star Region.
By then, Black Sail—already ranked first in strength after absorbing Red Dragon and gaining Madman's alliance—would undoubtedly become Jinlok's primary target!
If the Twin Dragons defected to the Jinlok Consortium, it would be terrible news for him.
But... did they really think that would make him hesitate?
"Heh... Hahaha! Hahahahaha!"
Flint's shoulders trembled. His chuckles grew into laughter, then into wild, unrestrained cackling.
"What's so funny? Was anything I said wrong?" Red Dragon frowned.
"No, no, no. You're absolutely right. If you joined Jinlok, I'd have a real headache on my hands... but unfortunately, I don't think you'll get the chance." Flint replied with a smile still lingering on his lips.
"What do you mean?" Red Dragon narrowed his eyes.
"Do you know why Madman hasn't shown himself this whole time?" Flint asked leisurely.
Red Dragon and Nie Yun both felt their hearts skip a beat.
At that moment, a sudden change occurred!
Beep! Beep! Beep!
The shipboard radar erupted into a shrill alarm.
"Watch out! High-energy readings detected! Right beside us!" a monitoring officer shouted in terror.
The detection systems of every warship immediately focused on the target area.
Several hundred kilometers from Red Dragon's flagship, atop a tiny asteroid barely a dozen meters across, a golden figure had just disengaged its optical camouflage. Amid rippling distortions of light, its form slowly emerged.
Boom!
The moment the camouflage was deactivated, blazing golden flames erupted around the figure. Its energy signature began rising at an alarming rate!
Wrapped in golden radiance, the figure stood proudly atop the asteroid like a god of war. Even while facing nearly three hundred fully armed warships, it displayed not the slightest hint of fear...
"Mad... Man... Unit!"
Red Dragon ground out the words through clenched teeth.
Staring at the mech, an unmistakable trace of apprehension appeared in his eyes.
Their previous battle had already taught him how terrifying this opponent was.
"Heh. I hope you like the surprise I prepared for you."
On the communication screen, Flint wore the confident smile of someone who had everything under control.
Clearly, from the moment Red Dragon revealed himself, Flint had already decided to eliminate this future threat.
Taking advantage of the fact that the surrounding star systems were filled with asteroid belts, Madman had hidden the Madman Unit behind an inconspicuous micro-asteroid, successfully infiltrating Red Dragon's vicinity.
Using a single mech to fight the elite forces of an entire three-hundred-ship fleet was naturally impossible—even for a Legendary Mech.
However...
A Legendary Mech possessed the terrifying ability to cut through thousands of enemies and strike directly at the enemy commander!
For a Legendary Mech, a distance of merely several hundred kilometers was nothing more than the span of a single charge...
The very next moment, the Madman Unit shattered the asteroid beneath its feet with a single kick, narrowly evading three incoming battleship cannon rounds by mere centimeters.
Then, with no attempt to conceal its intentions, it charged straight toward Red Dragon's flagship!
The twin engines on the Madman Unit's back flared brilliantly, leaving a long golden trail behind as they propelled the mech forward at a terrifying speed.
A storm of close-defense fire immediately erupted, but most of the attacks were dodged by the Madman Unit's incredible agility. The few shots that did connect were deflected by the crystallized energy shield unique to Legendary Mechs.
Hundreds of mechs launched in emergency deployment, swarming forward to intercept the enemy.
Yet the Madman Unit was like a heavily armored general charging through the battlefield. Its crystallized long blade cut down opponents as effortlessly as if killing one man every ten steps, leaving nothing but explosions in its wake. Not a single mech could withstand even one exchange against it!
The distance between it and Red Dragon's flagship was shrinking rapidly!
At the same time, taking advantage of the chaos caused by Madman disrupting Red Dragon Fleet's formation, the combined fleets of Black Sail and Madman altered course.
Rather than continuing their assault on the Dragoon base, they instead moved to encircle Red Dragon Fleet.
Clearly, Flint intended to eliminate Red Dragon first!
"You kept us talking all this time just to wait for Madman, didn't you? Do you really think he alone can keep me here?"
Despite the terrifying enemy rapidly approaching, there wasn't the slightest trace of tension on Red Dragon's face.
"Heh. You can stop bluffing. Your Red Dragon Unit is already crippled, isn't it? The core overloaded and burned out. With your technology, there's no way you can repair it!
Without a Legendary Mech, do you really think your fleet can protect you at this distance?"
Flint smiled confidently.
"Oh? And how do you know that?" Red Dragon frowned.
The fact that the Red Dragon Unit had been severely damaged wasn't exactly a secret, but very few people knew the details.
Since Flint could casually reveal such specific information, it meant there was undoubtedly a Black Sail spy among their upper ranks.
Was it someone close to him?
Or someone within the Dragoons?
Fortunately, Messiah had ordered all communication channels cut off before this operation began to prevent intelligence leaks. Otherwise, every move they made would probably have been exposed to this old fox...
"The preparations I've made to deal with you go far beyond what you can imagine!"
A trace of pride appeared in Flint's eyes.
The Dragon-Slaying Plan was a carefully arranged death trap he had spent a long time designing.
Red Dragon had been caught in the web without even realizing it. His previous defeat had been inevitable.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Suddenly, applause echoed through the channel.
"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"
Flint frowned.
To his astonishment, Red Dragon had disappeared from the communication screen.
In his place stood another man.
And Flint had seen this man's profile more than once on his desk.
The intelligence files listed many titles:
Arena No. 2.
Shattered Star City's Rising Star.
Mechanical Noble.
And many others...
"Ghost Captain?!"
Flint stared in shock.
"Why are you here?"
He simply couldn't understand why the Ghost Captain—someone who should have had absolutely nothing to do with this matter—would suddenly appear at Red Dragon's side.
Yet his appearance cast a shadow of foreboding over Flint's heart.
After all, Ghost Captain's combat ability was no weaker than Red Dragon's. If he chose to intervene at a critical moment...
"What did Red Dragon offer you? I'll give you double!" Flint probed.
"Really?"
To Flint's surprise, Nie Yun's face lit up with excitement.
"He promised to owe me one favor. So you're willing to owe me two?"
Flint: "..."
That familiar sense of absurdity reminded him so much of Madman that he barely managed to suppress the curse forming in his mind before speaking again.
"If I agree, can you guarantee that you won't interfere in the war between us?"
"Of course! I guarantee I won't interfere at all!" Nie Yun declared, thumping his chest.
"Really?"
Flint's eyes brightened.
"Good! Then I agree!"
His response was astonishingly decisive.
What a naïve Mechanical Clan member. Actually believing a pirate's promise?
I'm not Madman! Once Red Dragon is eliminated, then we'll see...
"Wonderful!"
Nie Yun clapped his hands.
"Then I'll state my first request right now! As you know, I'm a pacifist. The thing I hate most is seeing people fight and kill each other.
So my first request is... that everyone shake hands and make peace!"
Flint: "..."
Damn it!
If I don't agree, you'll interfere. If I do agree, you're telling me I can't make a move?
What kind of nonsense is this? Are you playing a paradox game with me?!
TL Note- Game....
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