For the pirate leader Half-Life, a special brig was constructed in the base to hold him. The cell was located deep in a corner on the first level—a completely enclosed small room with an iron door. The door featured an observation window in the upper middle section and a small slot near the bottom for passing food; both could only be opened from the outside.
Yang Ying approached the iron door and opened the observation window, taking a moment to scan the interior. The cell’s furnishings were starkly simple: a cot, a flush toilet, and a washbasin stand.
Half-Life was seated on the [This space is intentionally left blank as the original text did not specify the position/object he was sitting on], looking utterly dispirited. Seeing the window open, his eyes darted quickly, and he immediately looked over.
“Half-Life, do you know me?” Yang Ying asked.
Half-Life shook his head vehemently. “Don’t know you.”
When Yang Ying had knocked Half-Life unconscious previously, the two men had not faced each other, so Half-Life had no recollection of Yang Ying.
“It doesn't matter if you don't know me. Your familiarity with the Asteroid Belt is highly useful to us, which is why you are still alive. But we need you to serve a greater purpose, and that is why I am here,” Yang Ying said with a smile.
Half-Life immediately became energetic. “I will certainly exert one hundred and twenty percent effort to serve you, Commander. May I be released now?”
“In a way, yes,” Yang Ying chuckled. “But there is one final step to complete before that.”
“What is it?” Half-Life felt a chill crawl down his spine at the tone of Yang Ying’s voice.
“I need to ensure your loyalty, by the most thorough means possible.” Yang Ying extended his hand. “Summon Grimoloren.”
As the words left his mouth, a Dark Arbiter wreathed in deep crimson flame materialized inside the cell, casting a dim, yellowish beam that enveloped Half-Life.
Yang Ying nodded. “That will suffice.”
The now-controlled Half-Life raised his head.
Yang Ying opened the cell door. “I am the leader of the Trant Mercenary Corps. You will address me as Commander.”
“As you command, Commander,” Half-Life obeyed.
Yang Ying turned back to Kalia. “Half-Life is now in your hands.”
“Rest assured, I will utilize him to his full potential,” Kalia nodded, taking Half-Life and leading him away.
“Grimoloren.”
Yang Ying recalled the Dark Arbiter and returned to the command center, beginning to study the intelligence gathered by the base. He also activated the radar to monitor the movements around the facility.
The data chip Kalia provided contained thousands of pages, analyzed thoroughly from every conceivable angle—evidence of a massive workload. The data had clearly been streamlined; otherwise, the raw volume would have been far larger.
Yang Ying noticed one particular entry detailing a regulation within the Pirate Federation: the Ten Great Pirate Crews were ranked every two years based on the total value of spoils seized by each crew during that period.
The twelve space cities that had joined the pirate alliance maintained close ties with the Ten Great Pirate Crews, submitting forty percent of their annual tax revenue to the top crews as protection money.
The distribution method was specific: the city ranked first and third in revenue paid tribute to the Pirate Crew ranked first; the second and fourth cities paid tribute to the Pirate Crew ranked second; and the remaining eight space cities paid tribute in sequence to the corresponding Pirate Crews.
These were the rules established by the President of the Pirate Federation, a man known as the Pirate King.
The Pirate King was named Nab. His Caribbean Pirate Crew had monopolized the position of the First Pirate Crew for twenty years. Due to the immense financial support received annually, their strength was universally acknowledged to far surpass that of the other pirate crews. As for the precise extent of the Caribbean Pirate Crew’s actual power, it remained one of the biggest secrets of the Asteroid Belt.
It was worth mentioning the perennial runner-up among the pirates: the Somali Pirate Crew. They possessed a long and storied history and had once held the top rank for a considerable time, but following the rise of the Pirate King, they were forced into second place.
Thus, a common saying circulated among the pirates: "First is Caribbean, second is Somali."
“Quite rhythmic,” Yang Ying smiled faintly upon reading this.
Just then, the radar suddenly blared an alarm. Yang Ying rushed to the console and saw two small dots appearing near the edge of the screen, marked as “Unknown Medium Warships.”
These were clearly the harassing fleet mentioned earlier. Deploying two medium warships suggested this pirate group possessed a certain level of capability.
Yang Ying contacted Kalia. “Two medium warships are approaching. Have you spotted them?”
“We see them. We are dispatching patrol units to intercept,” Kalia replied.
The base possessed only one radar unit, but the output screens were distributed across multiple departments, meaning what Yang Ying saw, Kalia could also see.
A moment later, the radar displayed four Ghost Fighters assembling. They intercepted the two incoming medium warships three light-seconds from the base. After two minutes of engagement, the markers for the two unknown medium warships turned to “Sunk.”
During this exchange, the Ghost Fighters did not engage cloaked; their speed was sufficient to eliminate the two old-model medium warships. These fighters were incredibly fast, and their missiles carried far greater destructive power than standard ordnance—two were enough to destroy a medium warship. The two minutes elapsed accounted for the time from initial impact to catastrophic explosion.
Post-battle, Kalia’s communication immediately came through. “We intercepted their final transmission and have decrypted it. They belong to a small fleet from the Shark Pirate Crew. The Shark Pirate Crew ranks at the bottom of the Ten Great Pirate Crews but is still a significant force within the Asteroid Belt.”
Yang Ying nodded. “Their main fleet might be nearby. Increase reconnaissance efforts. Even though we have demonstrated our strength, we cannot afford to be unprepared. I will assign two additional non-human Observer drones to assist. With their stealth capabilities, they will be highly effective in the Asteroid Belt.”
He wasn't sending more only because the Protoss Robotics Factory had only recently been completed a few days prior, and only two units had rolled off the line.
“Excellent, Commander,” Kalia said with a smile. “That will be a massive help to us.”
“Right, what was the content of those final pirate communications?” Yang Ying asked curiously.
Kalia replied, “I am forwarding that transmission now.”
A box appeared on Yang Ying’s screen containing two lines of text:
“Target deployed small fighters; their firepower is too intense, speed too great. Shipboard fighters couldn’t launch in time. This vessel has taken a hit; the reactor is compromised—we are finished.”
“Three-Eyes Boss, you bastard! Sending us to die! I curse your entire lineage…”
Yang Ying’s expression turned wry. “These two seem vastly different.”
“They are. They came from the two separate warships. The first one originated from the command ship, attempting to relay any intelligence they gathered about us. The second was sent by the second-in-command’s vessel; it’s nothing more than dying curses—typical pirate behavior.”
Kalia shrugged. “The ‘Three-Eyes Boss’ in the second message is the nickname of the Shark Pirate Crew’s leader. We identified the enemy through that message.”
“Why is he called Three-Eyes?” Yang Ying inquired.
“I heard this guy admires the gentlemanly conduct of old European styles, so he insists on wearing a tailcoat and favors a monocle over his right eye. Hence, the nickname Three-Eyes.”
(May the heavy snow herald a bountiful harvest. Heaven bless us with no disasters next year, and may all the readers who vote for this book enjoy good health. Infinite reverence, Amitabha, Amen…)