The forces of the Tran Mercenary Corps plunged into the pirate stronghold like an unstoppable, razor-sharp blade. The pirates on the periphery were utterly shaken by the sight of such a formidable, well-drilled unit; the thought of resistance never crossed their minds—there was only flight or concealment.

A few courageous, or perhaps reckless, individuals, dissatisfied by the imposing formation, attempted to fire warning shots to give the Tran Corps an unpleasant surprise, but the machine gunners, led by Shi Hai, were hyper-aware of their surroundings and always spotted the threat first. They preempted the enemy, unleashing a hail of suppressive fire. Even pirates concealed behind thick steel plating were riddled with holes.

These machine gunners were clones imbued with innate combat talent, their minds entirely saturated with tactical knowledge. They knew precisely which corners in urban warfare were prime spots for ambushes and sniper positions.

Furthermore, the auxiliary targeting systems within the powered armor could intelligently assess hostility in the vicinity. If anyone aimed a weapon at the formation within their field of view, the onboard computer would immediately issue a warning, displaying the enemy's threat level, direction, distance, and other vital data, instantly locking onto the target and highlighting it on the machine gunner's display.

The pirate district housed a population of about two hundred thousand. Of these, only a little over ten thousand were actual pirates who had sailed the Star Sea and engaged in plunder. The rest were ordinary citizens renting cheap housing in the district, organized crime syndicates sheltered by the pirate regime, and the countless small businesses sustained by pirate consumption.

Over a dozen large corporations—those that funded the pirates, fenced their stolen goods, and colluded with them—had also established their headquarters or offices within the pirate zone.

Virtually everyone living in the pirate district, even if not a pirate themselves, was intertwined with the pirates by countless invisible threads.

As the unit advanced, dozens of magnetic motorcycles carrying messengers sped off, delivering intelligence reports to the various faction leaders throughout the pirate district. Simultaneously, strategies and commands were relayed back to the numerous pirate strongholds.

The troops swept through four blocks without incident, finally encountering organized resistance.

"Huh, what is that?" Yang Ying adjusted his visual sensors to magnify the scene ahead. He saw several figures suddenly materialize on the rooftops lining the road ahead. They held scatter-guns, and a few gripped rocket launchers, taking aim directly down the street.

"Fire!" In an instant, both sides unleashed their full firepower!

Then the battle was over!

Pioneering the advance were the colossal robots, whose twenty-millimeter Gauss rotary cannons possessed overwhelming destructive power. Their thick composite armor rendered laser fire useless. A few bursts were enough to shear off the tops of the buildings lining the road, and their advanced targeting systems could swiftly lock onto incoming rockets. The moment a rocket left its launcher tube, it was obliterated!

Every pirate on those rooftops caught in the targeting system’s sights was instantly atomized by the Gauss cannons. Any single impact would explode their flesh and bone into fine dust.

All witnesses, whether in the open or concealed, who saw this engagement lasting mere seconds stood frozen in awe.

"What did I just see?"

"I must be dreaming, hahahaha!"

"It’s like reaping wheat—it’s the sickle of the Reaper!"

"I’d bet my entire fortune that the pirates of Gray Harbor are finished now."

"I'll take that wager, but I can only offer you these odds."

"Fine, I’ll put up a hundred thousand!"

"I’ll bet a million!"

"I’ll buy..."

What these onlookers didn't know was that this was not even the maximum power output of the Gauss cannons!

All space station barriers were constructed from specialized, high-hardness transparent materials, offering substantial defense. They could deflect minor incoming meteoroids, but they could not withstand the penetration capability of a maximum-power Gauss shell! To prevent punching a hole through the station's hull, the giant robot contingent had to throttle the power of the Gauss shells down to a safe threshold.

A mere contingent of pirates was incapable of halting the Tran Mercenary Corps' advance. The troops surged past without pause, driving directly toward the building where Herman resided.

News of the Tran Corps' relentless advance spread, and the obstacles appearing before Yang Ying increased. Some materialized on nearby rooftops, others took positions in windows, and some even drove massive trucks sideways across the road to block the passage.

However, the best weaponry these pirates possessed was slightly higher-powered Uranium (Uranium Projector Rifles). For the machine gunners, it would take at least three or four solid hits to the same spot to compromise the powered armor. The armor of the flametroopers was virtually impervious to the Uranium Projectors; the beams struck them with no apparent effect, like water on bronze.

These pirates had, at best, one shot. After firing, they were annihilated within half a second by either Gauss bullets or shells.

The trucks blocking the road were unceremoniously hauled aside by the giant robot contingent.

For the pirates positioned in the windows, they mostly faced Gauss bullets whose kinetic energy had been intentionally reduced, making them akin to twentieth-century gunpowder rounds. This dampening was done specifically to prevent excessive penetration that might wound innocent bystanders behind the initial target.

Some pirates tried taking hostages, using them as shields while firing, believing this would make the Tran Corps hesitate. Each of these individuals was dispatched by a single, unseen shot whose origin was impossible to trace. The hostages, meanwhile, remained unharmed, shielded by hidden operatives within the ranks whose sniping prowess rivaled the best military snipers on Earth.

Pirates were not an army; their priorities were their lives and their wealth. Throwing away their heads and spilling their blood for a declaration from their leader was not their modus operandi.

The intelligence that the Tran Mercenary Corps’ advance was irresistible, with all resistance instantly annihilated, spread rapidly via the messengers. This news struck a deep chord with every pirate faction that had considered opposing Yang Ying, forcing them to reevaluate the consequences of crossing him.

As time passed, the number of resisting pirates dwindled. Yang Ying guided the main force forward in a triumphant push, driving the sharp point of the sword into the very heart of the pirate territory: Herman’s domain.

Herman had named this colossal tower after himself. It was a structure of incredible height, its facade clad in deep-blue microcrystalline glass, making the entire building resemble a crystal palace. The tower occupied a vast footprint, fronted by Herman Plaza, an open space nearly as large as Port Two Plaza.

The plaza was deserted and utterly silent.

Yang Ying, accompanied by several Ghost Agents, activated their cloaking devices and approached the edge of the plaza. Using their visual sensors to scan the tower, Yang Ying noted hundreds of windows, and it seemed almost every single small aperture was manned by a pirate, occasionally peering out to check the plaza.

The weapons held by these pirates were mostly emission pistols; only about a hundred carried Uranium Projector Rifles, and there were scarce more than a dozen rocket tubes. Compared to the thousands of pirates believed to be inside, their armament was pitifully light. This situation was understandable: large-scale firefights were rare in Gray Harbor, and even rarer was anyone daring to challenge Herman directly. Herman’s subordinates usually didn't carry heavy weapons like Uranium Projector Rifles when outside; they were cumbersome, and the opportunities to use them were few. They typically carried only a sidearm for self-defense, which was usually sufficient for minor altercations.

The building did possess an armory, but it could only equip about a hundred men. They could have requisitioned arms from nearby strongholds, but due to communication failures, coordination was slow, and the resulting command chaos meant the necessary equipment had not yet arrived.

Yang Ying already knew that no one entering or leaving this tower was innocent; every one of them had blood on their hands. Killing them all would be no miscarriage of justice. Looking at the glass tower, a single idea began to form in his mind: Time to pay. After all this time operating outside the law, today they would settle the score!

After his reconnaissance, Yang Ying returned to his forces and reactivated his visibility. He gave the order: "Ran Fa, let's put on a real show for them."

Instantly, the entire force transformed into a surging torrent, like the Yellow River bursting its banks, flooding into Herman Plaza. Upon Yang Ying's next command, they adopted attack formations aimed squarely at Herman Tower.

Over a hundred emission blasts rained down from the building, but their power was negligible, like light drizzle, utterly incapable of disrupting the formation deployment.

Five hundred years ago, there was a movie called Hero. While Yang Ying hadn't seen all of it, the cinematic footage of the Qin army's arrow volleys leaving a profound impression on him.

"These pirates can't possibly have the resolve of those Zhao soldiers in the film, writing characters even with arrows sticking in them. These pirates lack that kind of dedication. This spectacle will be letting you off easy," Yang Ying mused.

Yang Ying roared: "All machine gunner units, heed my command! Adjust your Gauss rifles to maximum power!"

The machine gunners moved simultaneously, modifying their weapons; every movement was perfectly synchronized.

"Raise weapons and aim!" Yang Ying raised his hand. Just then, a Uranium blast struck the ground near his feet, but Yang Ying felt no alarm. Such poor marksmanship didn't even warrant a reaction from him.

Snap!

The machine gunners stepped in unison, raising their rifles toward the tower, their movements a single, collective action.

"Free fire! Shoot!" Yang Ying brought his hand down violently.

Immediately, hundreds of muzzles erupted simultaneously, spitting out a terrifying thump-thump-thump-thump sound.

In an instant, every pane of external glass on the tower shattered, sending glittering shards raining down like an avalanche. The pirates behind the windows, armed with rifles and pistols, were instantly turned into sieves. Their bodies were pierced, and the bullets continued through them, punching holes in the walls behind them, and continuing beyond! Even in rooms deeper inside, bullets tore through the walls to strike home. No wall within the entire structure could halt the attack of the Gauss rifles.

Within seconds, the tower’s walls, ceilings, and floors were peppered with small perforations. Tables, chairs, and decorative objects were shredded into fragments.

The pirates trapped inside felt a storm of bullets raging from every direction, invincible and ubiquitous. No cover offered protection, and they were torn to shreds before they even had a chance to scream for surrender.

Frightened screams echoed from the building, but as the machine gunners shifted their aim, isolated cries were abruptly silenced.

Yang Ying never called for a halt. The machine gunners kept their triggers depressed, sweeping back and forth across the building. They fired until their clips were empty, then reloaded, exchanging the spent magazines for fresh ones, and resumed the barrage.