Super Mothership
Without the slightest hesitation, Lancelot—who had practiced this exact scenario hundreds of times in space fortress simulations—kicked off the ground with all his might!
The high-torque motors in his legs, combined with the zero-gravity environment, launched him like a cannon shell. A gust of wind followed as he shot through the narrowing doorway with a whoosh.
"Boom!" The blast door behind him sealed the final gap almost against the tips of Lancelot's feet.
Lancelot adjusted his posture midair as the balance assistance system automatically corrected his trajectory. The robot under his control landed in a stylish sliding tackle.
"Screech—" Accompanied by the ear-piercing sound of grinding metal and a trail of sparks, Lancelot gradually came to a stop.
He looked up...
...and saw two stunned faces standing not far ahead.
"Good evening, gentlemen pirates!"
Lancelot charged forward at full speed. As he ran, he flicked his arm.
"Clang!" A telescopic baton shot out from his palm.
"Open fire!" the two pirates from the Gold Coin Pirate Crew shouted as they raised their rifles, firing several energy beams.
Lowering his body almost to the floor, Lancelot narrowly dodged the incoming shots. He then leaped onto the side wall, using the narrow corridor to perform a triangular wall jump before diving down from the ceiling!
"Bang! Bang!" After two dull impacts, both pirates collapsed to the ground.
Against cannon fodder equipped with nothing more than light gear, Lancelot wasn't even willing to waste energy.
Stepping over the unconscious pirates, Lancelot arrived at a terminal-like display mounted on the corridor wall. A red glow flashed in his eyes as he began searching for nearby wireless signals.
"Searching for Wi-Fi... Data link established. Cracking encryption key... Success! Downloading map data... Download complete! Map completion: 3%. Congratulations! You have earned 3 Combat Merit Points!"
After posing as a member of the Ghost Pirate Crew for so long, Nie Yun had become quite familiar with the wireless communication standards used throughout the Wolf Empire. Hacking into this kind of lightly protected sub-terminal was second nature to him.
Sub-terminals like these were scattered throughout the base and usually stored basic information about the surrounding area, including local maps.
As the infiltrating robots continuously sent back information, the virtual three-dimensional map before Nie Yun rapidly filled in.
Comparing it against the exterior structural blueprint of the base, Nie Yun quickly identified several likely core locations and marked them on the joint combat platform.
"All teammates in Sector E3, rally to my position and assault the marked objective!" Lancelock soon received the assault route, while his earpiece picked up a gathering signal from nearby high-level players.
Just as Lancelot was about to head toward the nearest objective, loud shouting erupted from around the corridor corner, accompanied by the heavy footsteps of several pieces of heavy equipment.
Naturally, the base possessed defensive forces—and they were far from weak.
"Infantry: 32. Armored units: 3." Based on the sounds alone, the tactical interface quickly estimated the enemy's numbers and equipment.
Lancelot cautiously extended a finger around the corner. A tiny sensor embedded in his fingertip revealed three powered armor units rumbling toward him.
Standing over three meters tall, they resembled miniature tanks. Their left arms mounted rotary high-speed electromagnetic rifles, their right arms wielded chainswords, and a compact beam cannon protruded from each chest. They looked terrifying.
"Chainsaw Maniac Type IV": Small unmanned powered armor. Effective in both ranged and melee combat. Equipped with a small energy shield and low-level combat AI. Threat Rating: ★★★★.
Relevant specifications and danger ratings immediately appeared before Lancelot's eyes.
Nie Yun had previously purchased large quantities of common Wolf Empire equipment for technological analysis, so Codename's database now contained information on thousands of weapons and military hardware. The widely used Chainsaw Maniac Type IV from the Shattered Star Region was one of them.
In the players' virtual combat training, these unmanned combat robots frequently appeared as elite enemies.
If there had been only one, Lancelot might have tried destroying it before continuing. But three had appeared at once, with dozens of lightly armed infantry behind them. The probability of being eliminated in a frontal confrontation exceeded ninety percent.
After all, he was piloting a mass-produced expendable robot. No matter how skilled he was, it couldn't possibly defeat that many armored units.
Besides, this mission wasn't about racking up kills.
Hundreds of thousands of pirates, backed by numerous automated defense systems, were never something ten thousand light robots could confront head-on...
Armor plates on the outside of Lancelot's thighs sprang open, revealing two cylindrical metal canisters. Pulling the safety rings free, he tossed both around the corner.
"Clink! Clink! Clink!" The metal canisters bounced noisily as they rolled toward the enemy formation.
"Watch out!" The pirates hiding behind the three armored units instinctively assumed the objects were high-explosive grenades and immediately scrambled for cover.
The three powered armor units also activated their energy shields, enveloping themselves in pale blue barriers.
"Hiss!" But instead of exploding as expected, the canisters released enormous clouds of black smoke that rapidly filled the entire corridor.
"Not good! Smoke grenades! Activate all detection systems and watch for an ambush!" the pirates shouted.
All of them wore tactical helmets, so they weren't worried about the smoke's irritating effects.
However, amid the chaotic shouting, a strange "Bzzzz..." filled the corridor. To their astonishment, they discovered their voices couldn't travel very far.
The smoke wasn't merely reducing visibility—it also contained countless tiny, lightweight metallic flakes.
These flakes severely disrupted optical sensors and electromagnetic signals while simultaneously generating interference through air vibrations, rendering acoustic radar ineffective as well.
This smoke grenade had been specifically developed as a multi-function jamming grenade, designed to counter increasingly advanced electronic detection systems.
While the pirates were effectively blind, Lancelot silently crawled across the ceiling like a gecko, passing directly over their heads.
The three powered armor units seemed to sense something. Their electronic eyes darted wildly about, but the intense interference prevented them from detecting the intruder.
"Whoooosh—" Detecting the heavy smoke, the corridor's ventilation system immediately activated, rapidly sucking the smoke away and restoring visibility.
Lancelot's eyes lit up.
Instead of panicking, he was delighted.
He immediately crawled to a ventilation duct, grabbed the metal cover with his steel hand, ripped it free, and slipped inside like an eel.
Activating Snake Mode, he propelled himself through the narrow ventilation shaft with rapid movements of his hands and feet, disappearing into the distance at surprising speed.
By the time the smoke completely cleared, the pirates could do nothing but glare helplessly at the open ventilation duct...
Compared to intelligent combat robots, player-controlled robots weren't necessarily stronger in raw combat ability, but their adaptability and tactical decision-making were vastly superior.
"Bang!"
Three minutes later, hundreds of meters away in another corridor, a steel ventilation panel crashed down from the ceiling as Lancelot jumped out.
"Hey! Brother, that's quite an entrance." Below him, an allied robot identical in appearance greeted Lancelot.
All players shared the same map, allowing them to pinpoint friendly units with perfect accuracy.
Lancelot glanced at the virtual codename floating above the ally's head—
"Black Pineapple."
Clearly, he was a Chinese player, though unfortunately Lancelot had no idea what the joke behind the name was.
"Brother Black Pineapple, you've been standing here for quite a while. What's the matter? Run into some trouble?"
"There." Black Pineapple pointed toward an unusual all-metal corridor ahead.
The once-pristine passage was scorched with signs of battle. More importantly, two Little Black robots lay inside, chopped into countless pieces with impossibly smooth cuts.
"That's right, as you can see, it's a laser corridor! Those were my second brother, Black Windli, and my third brother, Black Sharpli. They died a horrible death—nothing but scattered remains!" Black Pineapple said solemnly.
Lancelot: "..."
This translation software really had one major flaw.
It transliterated every foreign name.
How the hell am I supposed to tell the difference between Heifengli, Heifengli, and Heifengli?!
TL Note- Error?
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