Super Mothership
Gold Dagger's "unexpected" death made it much more difficult for Nie Yun to take control of the base's defense systems.
The central AI of a large base like this occupied an enormous server complex, with layers upon layers of firewalls. Neither electronic intrusion nor physical infiltration was impossible, but both required a tremendous amount of time.
Even if the battle outside could hold on, Nie Yun simply didn't have enough psychic power to carry out such a massive long-range operation by himself.
Fortunately, it wasn't just Gold Dagger's second-in-command who was present. The third and fourth-in-command had also been trapped like turtles in a jar. After their leader chose to end his own life, the now leaderless officers wisely decided that preserving their lives was more important. One after another, they surrendered their control permissions.
Five minutes later...
"Huh? What's going on? Why has the base's anti-air fire stopped?"
"Something's wrong! The friend-or-foe identification system has failed! Why is my radar warning that I'm being targeted by our own anti-air batteries?"
"Mine too! What the hell are those idiots inside the base doing? How can they make such a rookie mistake?"
The defensive forces, already on the verge of total collapse, were stunned to discover that not only had the base's defensive cannons ceased firing, but they had actually turned their barrels toward them.
Although most of the eastern defense system had already been destroyed, around twenty to thirty percent had survived and had been helping repel the enemy. Now that those guns had fallen silent, the defenders' situation became even more desperate.
The sharper ones immediately sensed that something was terribly wrong.
Something had likely happened inside the base.
Sure enough, the next moment everyone received a new order from headquarters.
The message basically said:
"The boss's negotiations with the reinforcements have broken down. We're completely isolated now. Better to live in disgrace than die pointlessly. Brothers, lay down your weapons and cease resisting immediately. The coalition leaders have promised to treat prisoners well..."
We... surrendered?
At first, everyone stared in disbelief.
But moments later, most of them breathed a sigh of relief.
Their defensive lines had already been on the verge of collapse. Surrounded by an enemy several times their size on all sides while reinforcements stubbornly refused to appear, morale had already sunk to rock bottom.
Now that even the boss had surrendered, what reason was there left to keep risking their lives?
"I surrender!"
The first mech voluntarily shut down its energy shield.
Then the second.
Then the third...
The pirates' tendency to gather and scatter like the wind, along with their paper-thin cohesion, was displayed to the fullest.
Knowing that the Ghost Pirate Crew didn't command nearly as much fear as the Seven Great Pirate Crews, Nie Yun deliberately borrowed the prestige of the Black Sails and Twin Dragon Pirate Crews.
Most pirates naturally thought that since they were all among the Seven Great Pirate Crews, surrendering to one of them wasn't particularly shameful.
At worst, they were just changing bosses.
After all, wasn't beating the wooden fish the same no matter which temple you did it in?
What they didn't know was that only the defenders on their front had received the surrender order.
And the people they were surrendering to were somewhat different from what they had imagined...
As soon as the defenders ceased resistance, Spartacus immediately led his forces to accept the surrender and seize the various defensive strongpoints.
Immediately afterward, over a hundred Ghost Pirate Crew warships, which had been waiting nearby, rapidly approached. Under Nie Yun's command, they entered one dock after another.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
As the ship hatches opened, waves of pirates poured out alongside large numbers of engineering mechs!
Leading this force were none other than the Mithril Knights controlled by the three brothers.
At this moment, each of them had a huge "Light" character painted across their chest.
Seeing the pirates behind them practically glowing with excitement, the eldest brother confidently waved his hand.
"Brothers! What's today's operation codename?"
"Light! Light! Light!"
The thunderous roar made the Gold Coin Pirates lined up on the docks with their hands raised tremble all over.
"That's right! We're here today to strip it clean, move it clean, and loot it clean! What are you waiting for? Whether you'll be living the good life for the rest of your lives depends on today's haul!"
"Roar!"
"Charge!"
The pirates surged forward like they had been injected with stimulants.
What kind of existence was the Gold Coin Pirate Crew?
They were the wealthiest force in the entire Shattered Star Region—without question.
As insignificant members of a small pirate crew, who among them had ever dreamed that one day they'd have the chance to plunder the Gold Coin Pirate Crew's treasure vault without restraint?
Every single person shared the same thought.
This life... has been worth it!
"Don't leave even a single screw behind in the warehouses! Take everything that can be hauled away! Hurry! Time's limited—grab the expensive stuff first!"
"The boss specifically ordered that every production line be packed up! What? Can't move them? Then dismantle the critical components and pack up all the technicians too!"
"Send people to seize every cargo ship docked here! If it's already loaded, sail it away immediately! If it's empty, fill it up first, then sail it away!"
"You lot! Take a squadron to the server rooms and remove every storage unit! Don't leave behind a single piece of data! Who knows? There might even be IOUs stored inside!"
"What about the armory? Too much equipment? Then everyone without gear, grab yourselves some! Mechs, powered armor—everyone put on a suit before helping move supplies! Once you're loaded to the brim, climb into the cargo hold yourselves! Don't waste precious space!"
"Where's the energy warehouse? Send more people! Not a single one of those shiny little beauties gets left behind!"
"..."
Following the base map provided by Nie Yun, the three brothers loudly directed tens of thousands of pirates as they collected the spoils.
Their combat abilities might have been average.
But when it came to looting, every one of them was an experienced professional.
What was worth the most.
How to move it most efficiently.
How to divide the manpower.
To veteran pirates, these were advanced disciplines that combined item appraisal, logistics management, and human resource allocation.
They raced about with wind beneath their feet, eyes bloodshot and breathing heavily, sweeping through the Gold Coin Pirate Crew's accumulated fortune like a swarm of locusts...
...
Inside the Black Sails flagship.
"Huh? Boss, look over there. It seems the fighting has stopped."
Just moments earlier, the battlefield had undergone an unexpected change.
The other three fronts remained largely unchanged, continuing their steady exchanges of fire.
Only the eastern front, which had been fiercely contested, had suddenly fallen into an eerie silence.
It was as though someone had pressed the pause button on a battlefield filled with explosions and gunfire.
The flashes of explosions and attacks quickly faded.
According to the monitoring equipment, combat energy levels in that sector had plummeted—a clear sign that the fighting had ended.
"They couldn't have been completely wiped out already, could they? I didn't expect them to capture the base, but they lost way too fast!" the adjutant exclaimed in disbelief.
"That shouldn't be possible... With that many troops, even throwing them into the sea would make a splash. The battle shouldn't have ended this quickly..." Flint observed the situation for a while before frowning in confusion.
"R-Report! The reconnaissance ship we sent to the eastern front has reported back... Th-They've surrendered!"
At that moment, a communications officer delivered the latest battlefield report with a face full of shock.
"What?"
Both Flint and the adjutant froze.
Surrendered?
What the hell happened?
Weren't they just boasting about replacing the Gold Coin Pirate Crew, claiming the seventh seat among the Seven Great Pirate Crews, and confidently volunteering for the main assault?
And now...
Now they surrendered?
You fought so hard... just to deliver yourselves to the enemy?
"Hahaha! Looks like all that bragging came back to bite them. They talked a big game, but in the end it was all thunder and no rain. When I saw them charge out with so many troops, they actually startled me. Who would've thought they'd surrender so quickly? All show and no substance!
And they still wanted one of the Seven Great Pirate Crew seats? That Ghost Captain must be dreaming in broad daylight!" the adjutant laughed.
Even Flint was bewildered.
Could it be that he had completely misjudged the Ghost Captain?
Maybe the man only possessed overwhelming personal combat ability—a complete anomaly with utterly lopsided stats.
Bravery: 99.
Leadership: single digits.
"Umm... It was the Gold Coin Pirate Crew that surrendered..." the communications officer quietly added, realizing the misunderstanding had gotten rather out of hand.
Flint: "..."
Adjutant: "..."
TL Note- Quick Battle...
Comments
Post a Comment