"Send the route we decided on to Qingniao, have him hide under the protection of our formation," Yang Ying ordered the communications officer.

"Sending now." The communications officer manipulated the console for a moment, then made a gesture over his shoulder.

"Good."

Yang Ying was under no obligation to eliminate the pirate group, and this minor task wasn't worth risking his subordinates' lives. To avoid trouble as much as possible, Yang Ying decided to exit the port from another direction, moving away from the Shark Raiders' main fleet.

"This route is...?" Qingniao, having clearly received the message sent by Valkyrie, inquired with a tone of confusion.

"To avoid trouble." The Shark Raiders' main fleet wouldn't deploy its entire force for a single, small freighter. Yang Ying assumed their target was certainly more than just this single ship; frankly, this small freighter wasn't even worthy of their full attention. Therefore, as long as they could keep the pirates from discovering their departure for as long as possible, it might force the pirates to divide their forces, perhaps even allowing them to escape without a fight altogether.

"It seems you have a very clear understanding of the Shark Raiders' current location," Qingniao quickly grasped Yang Ying's thinking. However, he knew such maneuvers required powerful intelligence support; pirate fleets were extremely cautious about revealing their positions, especially large organizations like the Shark Raiders.

"Please don't underestimate our capabilities," Yang Ying replied with a proud smile.

"How could I underestimate you? Your Excellency has provided me with more than enough surprises. Let's be in touch next time." With that, the screen flickered, and Qingniao terminated the communication.

Inside the freighter, Qingniao leaned back in his chair, eyes closed, resting. His bodyguard stood rigidly behind him, his expression hard as stone.

After a moment, Qingniao murmured, "The Terran Mercenaries... just who exactly are they?"

The bodyguard’s mouth twitched several times, as if about to speak, but in the end, no sound emerged; he merely stood still.

"Forget it. If we successfully return to Kussen this time, there will naturally be plenty of opportunities to interact with them in the future; their identity will eventually be revealed to the world. If we don't make it back... then everything I'm thinking about now is meaningless." Qingniao’s tone was heavy with fatigue—not physical exhaustion, but mental weariness.

Meanwhile, on the bridge of the Valkyrie escort ship, Lilia remained seated in the captain's chair, while Yang Ying stood behind her, signaling his reluctance to interfere with the captain's duties. Yang Ying was acutely aware that he knew very little about starship maneuvering and interstellar combat. He was diligently trying to learn the necessary knowledge, but as he hadn't mastered it yet, he did not wish to influence Lilia’s judgment with his immature understanding.

Valkyrie, named after the Norse goddess, was a warship crewed entirely by women. Beneath the captain’s chair were five consoles, designated for the pilot, the observer, the communications officer, and two gunners. Besides them, the Valkyrie also housed engineers, medics, and others, totaling around a hundred crew members.

"We have left the Gray Harbor sphere of influence," the observer reported to Lilia regarding their current position.

"I know. Where is the Shark fleet?" Once Lilia entered operational mode, she became as cold as an iceberg, maintaining an expression unruffled by any unfolding event.

"According to the latest intelligence from the Protoss Observer, they are still on the other side of Gray Harbor. They haven't made any movements for three hours; they likely haven't detected our actions," the communications officer replied in a crisp voice, adjusting her headset.

"Maintain the link. Report to me immediately if anything changes," Lilia commanded succinctly.

"Yes, Captain!" the communications officer responded loudly before focusing intently on her work.

"Everyone be cautious. Although the bulk of the Shark fleet is on the other side of Gray Harbor, we might still encounter their scout craft. Furthermore, seemingly harmless civilian vessels could be harboring their informants," Lilia reminded the women on the bridge with a stern tone.

"Understood, Captain!" the women responded in unison before redoubling their efforts.

Lilia turned back to Yang Ying. "Sir, do you not have any other Observers? Even one would help. Having one scout ahead could save us a great deal of work."

"We truly have none left," Yang Ying replied with a wry smile. He never had many Observers to begin with, as they were needed in many locations, and he had no spares stored in the StarCraft in Hand.

"What about the ones currently under construction? How long until they are ready?" Lilia pressed, unwilling to let the matter drop, as Protoss Observers were exceptionally useful.

Yang Ying closed his eyes, letting his consciousness drift to the floating continent, inspecting the robotics manufacturing facility. He opened his eyes. "The next Observer will be completed in five hours."

"Five hours, and we’ll have long since settled things with the pirates. It seems we can’t count on that. However, operating without an Observer just means more work. Where are the Wraith fighters located?" Lilia turned to the observer.

"Twelve degrees to our front-left, thirty degrees above, at a distance of one light-second. They will rendezvous with us in eight minutes," the observer reported.

"Good. Proceed."

Eight minutes later, three squadrons of Wraith fighters joined the formation, making the fleet composition more comprehensive. However, to an outside observer, this escort fleet appeared to be nothing more than a small squadron easily found in any asteroid belt: three small warships, thirty-six fighters, one freighter, and one transport vessel.

As a major hub, Gray Harbor bustled with traffic across all its routes. As Yang Ying's small fleet navigated, more than a dozen civilian vessels passed nearby. Large pirate organizations not only possessed vast fleets but also shared a common trait: highly developed intelligence networks. Most civilian ships in the asteroid belt employed personnel whose job it was to sell information to the pirates for extra income, meaning pirate informants were virtually everywhere.

Both Yang Ying and Lilia knew that unless they annihilated every ship they encountered, the information would eventually leak out. Their attempts at stealth were merely doing what they could and leaving the rest to fate: evade if possible, fight if evasion failed.

Half an hour passed in relative calm until the communications officer suddenly turned and shouted, "Captain, the Observer has intercepted a communication—our position has been discovered!"

"Don't panic. Did the Observer transmit any other information?" Lilia's expression remained completely steady, her voice as calm and cold as ice.

"Not yet... wait—another one is coming in." The communications officer carefully read the incoming message. "Captain, the Shark Raiders have dispatched ten small warships and one hundred fighters in pursuit! The enemy fighters are divided into two waves: the first group of fifty fighters is currently sprinting toward us at full speed; the remainder are with the ten small warships."

The pirates understood that Yang Ying's fleet, now protecting Qingniao's freighter, had already gained considerable distance, making it impossible for the small warships alone to catch up. They planned to use the initial wave of fighters to stall for time before engaging in a decisive battle with the superior numbers of their smaller warships.