Somewhere in the Alpha Starfield, the void suddenly rippled like water, and almost simultaneously with the appearance of the ripples, a strangely shaped, trident-like warship materialized out of thin air. Immediately following, one after another, exquisitely ornate and luxurious Romani warships, entirely golden in hue, poured forth. Three hundred and forty Romani warships jumped from subspace into normal space within the Alpha Starfield.

The Romani fleet, clearly divided into nine smaller squadrons, made no halt. Plasma engines ejected blue tail flames thousands of kilometers long, and the vessels shot forward at near-sublight speed.

The warships swept past the outer perimeter of Alpha-1. Thousands of massive beams of light silently swept down from the formation, instantly vaporizing the Don River Corporation's mining sector in a flash of intense light. Dozens of satellites orbiting Alpha-1 were directly smashed by the warships; the fiery afterglow of their explosions was still spreading across the dark void when the Romani fleet plunged headlong into an asteroid stream.

Energy shields, several meters thick, shimmered around the Romani vessels. The various hazards within the asteroid flow posed little significant threat to the Romani warships, which had their energy shields operating at full power. The Romani fleet bulldozed a direct path toward the wormhole leading to Paradise Star, reaching its vicinity in a mere few hours.

Four heavy patrol cruisers and eight high-speed assault cutters were loitering near the wormhole. The skull emblem with six wings on their hulls identified them as ships belonging to the Hell's Angels Mercenary Corps.

The lead trident-shaped warship broadcast no signal. The moment its radar locked onto this small fleet, thirty-six hyper-sublight missiles launched from its forward missile bays. Thirty-six blinding streaks of light raced toward the twelve small vessels. Twelve bursts of fire erupted violently in space; the four heavy patrol cruisers and eight high-speed assault cutters were annihilated. Streaks of light cut across the expanse, shattering several communication satellites near the wormhole, as the Romani fleet swarmed forward and squeezed through the wormhole.

Like a pack of hungry dogs fighting over carrion, the Romani fleet hurtled toward Paradise Star, following the intelligence relayed by their advance scout ships. Just as they entered Paradise Star's atmosphere, all the warships abruptly halted. Waves of scanning energy washed over the Hell's Angels' forward operating base, and the massive metallic signatures relayed back caused the Romani hearts to pound suddenly faster.

The Romani dispatched a communication signal toward the Hell's Angels' forward base. The communication channels quickly connected.

In the forward base command center, a holographic screen flickered to life, revealing Bolukin and other young elites of the Romani houses upon it.

Gu Xichen inclined his hands toward Bolukin and the others on the screen, chuckling lightly, "Gentlemen arrived swiftly!"

Bolbort, lunging ahead of everyone else, sneered, "It's you? Evil Dragon! You are finished this time!" Taking a deep breath, Bolbort roared, "I command—"

Bolukin roared with displeasure, "Bolbort, this is not your place to command! You have disgraced yourself; are you intent on dragging us down with you? Have you forgotten our Romani traditions?"

Bolbort’s face turned ashen, while the members of the other eight Elector Families burst into loud laughter.

Gu Xichen smiled faintly, "I recall now. Indeed, the great Romani possess unique traditions of warfare. Very well, let us proceed according to the rules."

Three hours later, two kilometers from the main gate of the forward base, Gu Xichen had men erect an exquisitely crafted platform, rising about one foot high, spanning over thirty meters in width and length. The platform was constructed from white logs, each plank laser-engraved with intricate patterns of insects, fish, birds, and beasts. Overall, the platform possessed a distinctly Romani aesthetic, perfectly suiting their sensibilities.

Upon the platform rested a long, narrow table conforming to the Golden Ratio, fashioned from rare redwood and also carved with complex, beautiful patterns. On one side of the table sat a Grand Tutor's chair, in which Gu Xichen was seated upright. Beside him, eight ethereally beautiful maidens, clad in simple cyan robes, flitted about like butterflies, continually serving Gu Xichen freshly brewed fragrant tea, sweet wild fruits, and various delicate pastries.

Siren, watching from a distant watchtower with binoculars, sighed, "These eight puppets are my true masterpiece—the chest is the chest, the hips are the hips, the face is the face! Tsk, as for those others, those are an utter desecration of my personal artistry!" Siren turned back with exasperation and glared at the several sentries standing behind her—all bald, formidable women of towering stature and coiled muscle.

Holm, commander of the Hell's Angels' Second Main Battle Group, was currently prone less than five hundred meters from Gu Xichen’s luxurious platform. Before him lay a modified 30mm rapid-fire sniper rifle, with a massive ammunition box securely fastened to a tree branch beside him. The long ammo belt alternated between three armor-piercing rounds and two high-explosive electromagnetic rounds, followed by three ultra-high-velocity kinetic rounds. This mixture, battle-tested, offered optimal lethality against the Romani energy armor.

Below Holm, known as the Hell’s Angels’ top sniper, Xin Jia crouched on the ground, tinkering with a 120mm high-energy cannon. A thick energy conduit snaked out from behind the barrel, connecting to the colossal reserve energy cell behind Xin Jia. This specialized cell weighed twenty tons and could sustain the powerful cannon in firing nearly a thousand high-energy particle streams, possessing terrifying destructive power and sustained fire capability.

"This is a professional insult to the art of sniping!" Holm shot Xin Jia a glare, voicing the same complaint as Siren. Snipers should possess an element of mystery, acting as assassins who end an enemy’s life with a single, crucial bullet. Gu Xichen forcing this brute, Xin Jia, to carry a high-energy cannon as a sniper's assistant was a profound affront to the sniper profession. This fellow ought to be on the front lines, taking on an entire reinforced armored regiment single-handedly!

The Romani fleet slowly descended from high orbit toward Gu Xichen's location, finally halting in the sky twenty kilometers away. Twenty-seven small transport shuttles detached from the warships and floated gently toward Gu Xichen, landing about a kilometer away from him.

Bolukin, Yakin, and Bolbort, along with the young elites of the nine Elector Families, disembarked from the shuttles. Over a thousand high-ranking Romani warriors rapidly followed, cautiously fanning out to form a tight defensive perimeter around Bolukin and Yakin.

Dozens of crescent-shaped fighters, gleaming gold, shrieked out from the Romani warships. They soared proudly over Gu Xichen’s head, the resulting gale nearly knocking his teacup off the table before him.

As the fighters circled overhead, Bolukin and his retinue approached Gu Xichen's platform with a stately, if somewhat rigid, measured pace.

Seeing this group of splendidly attired Romani elites, Gu Xichen let out a few cold laughs. He raised his teacup and took a sip. As Bolukin and the others stepped onto the platform, Gu Xichen stood up.

"Enough pleasantries. State your terms!" Gu Xichen went straight to the point.

Bolukin haughtily pulled a roll of golden parchment from his sleeve, tied with a beautiful bow of golden silk ribbon. With a characteristic Romani flourish, he gently dropped the document onto the table. The parchment slid forward slightly, stopping precisely in front of Gu Xichen.

Bolukin stated blandly, "In the name of the First Elector Family of Romani—if you surrender and cede your forward base to us, we can grant you supreme honor: you may become vassal warriors of our house."

Gu Xichen shook his head. "That condition is unacceptable. You must be joking."

Yakin sneered, "If you refuse, then we will annihilate you!"

Bolbort rushed to interject, "These foolish Terrans will never surrender. A devastating war is the best lesson for them!"

Gu Xichen merely shook his head. Skillfully, he untied the silk ribbon on the golden document, produced a pen, unfolded the parchment, and signed his name and title at the bottom: Evil Dragon Gu Xichen, First Deputy Commander, Earth Federation Hell's Angels Mercenary Corps!

Bolbort smiled thinly. Bolukin and Yakin sighed in disappointment. Bolukin lamented, "So, you choose to fight us? By signing our formal declaration of war, you commit to battle? Are you certain you wish to face the Romani fleet, which possesses three hundred and forty Grade-One warships? Are you certain?"

Gu Xichen nodded. "I am certain!" Traces of cold energy began to condense at his fingertips; the Xue Po Shen Gang manifested steadily within the meridians of his right arm.

Yakin sighed, "Then, I have a question. We lost contact with our advance reconnaissance team three days ago. May I ask—"

Gu Xichen smiled, openly admitting, "We captured them. Of course, we adhere to the Human Rights Charter; we have not mistreated them, but you cannot see them now. If you can defeat us, you can naturally rescue them. If you cannot defeat us, then you may redeem them!"

Bolukin stared stiffly at Gu Xichen. After a long pause, he slowly reached out to retrieve the golden document from the table. Bolukin said dryly, "You have rejected the hand of peace extended by the First Elector Family of Romani. You have chosen war? Then, I grant you war. We will launch a full assault in three hours!"

Gu Xichen let out a deep sigh. Everyone watching this scene through various monitoring equipment sighed simultaneously.

The rigid, antiquated Romani—even when declaring war, they insisted on such 'honorable' procedures. After centuries of conflict with the Earth Federation, had they learned nothing? Otherwise, given their technological superiority over the Earth Federation, why did they consistently suffer losses and deception at Terran hands?

If they wished to fight, they should just blast away with their warships. Why cling so fiercely to these traditions?

Bolukin squinted, examining Gu Xichen's signature, and suddenly froze. "What is this? The Hell's Angels Mercenary Corps? Uh, aren't you the commander of the Paradise Star Independence Army?"

Gu Xichen suddenly threw out both claws and laughed heartily, "My identity is merely a mercenary! A mercenary!"

The redwood table suddenly lifted into the air, shredded by violent claw energy, sending countless splinters flying everywhere. Dozens of Xue Po Shen Zhua energy projections struck toward the Romani figures. Gu Xichen roared with maniacal laughter, "I am a mercenary! Mercenaries are not bound by any rules! I have the right to attack any Romani within my sight!"

Indeed, a mercenary was not bound by all conventions. Since the challenge had been accepted, both sides were in a state of war, giving Gu Xichen every justification to strike immediately.

Facing over a thousand high-ranking Romani warriors, the elite scions of the nine Elector Families, and these Romani elites possessing immense psychic cultivation, Gu Xichen attacked!

Bolukin, Yakin, and Bolbort, standing before Gu Xichen, simultaneously emitted a fierce blue light from their golden eyes—three powerful psychic assaults launched directly at Gu Xichen. Their faces were twisted in expressions of disdainful mockery. Bolbort even laughed wildly, "We have long been prepared for you ugly, filthy mercenaries to use such foul tactics that profane our Romani traditions! You are doomed!"

The eight maidens beside Gu Xichen simultaneously lunged forward, emitting piercing screams: "Long live the Master!"

The eight strange electromagnetic shrieks caused agonizing pain in the ears. The electromagnetic bombs strapped to the eight maidens detonated, and the resulting powerful electromagnetic field violently distorted the psychic attacks launched by the Romani. Bolukin, Yakin, and Bolbort were thrown staggering backward by the shockwave of the electromagnetic explosions; their psychic impact was weakened by over fifty percent.

A cyan light surged from Gu Xichen's sleeve; the clouds and mist within the Taoist crown hidden in his sleeve were rapidly churning. The cyan light enveloped Gu Xichen entirely. The psychic impacts from the three Romani struck this thin cyan glow, but they rebounded as if hitting solid iron, failing to injure Gu Xichen in the slightest.

Dozens of claw projections slammed into Bolukin and the other two. The blue energy shields covering their bodies, several inches thick, instantly dimmed. Gu Xichen had already lunged forward, his dual claws ignoring the energy shields protecting Bolukin and Yakin, pressing fiercely onto both of them. Even alloyed steel would melt under the energy field that sparked with electrical arcs, yet the Ruyi Gloves on Gu Xichen's hands emitted a faint white light, rendering the heavy energy shields useless before his claws.

With two crisp kacha sounds, Gu Xichen pressed his claws onto the chests of Bolukin and Yakin. The thick energy armor, made of special alloy, was silently sliced open to reveal two palm-shaped voids. Gu Xichen expelled his claw energy; the chilling, utterly destructive Xue Po Shen Gang flooded into both their bodies. Their ribs instantly shattered in great numbers, and their internal organs suffered severe trauma.

Golden blood spurted from the seven orifices of Bolukin and Yakin as they roared "Help!" and scrambled backward in flight. They looked at Gu Xichen with horror, unable to comprehend how he had so easily crushed their latest-generation Romani energy armor. As the second and third sons of the First Elector Family, their armor was theoretically capable of resisting a full-power strike from a Grade-Two warship's main cannon! Had Gu Xichen's cultivation reached such a level? Was a single palm strike from him equivalent to a Grade-Two main cannon blast?

With expressions of terror, the nearly three-meter-tall Bolukin brothers retreated swiftly, covering ground in just two or three strides before disappearing into the ranks of the First Elector Family warriors.

Gu Xichen did not pursue Bolukin and Yakin; his entire focus was fixed on the panicked Bolbort.

He slammed one claw onto Bolbort's chest as well, the heavy force shattering the warrior's ribs. Gu Xichen’s claw tore through the energy core of Bolbort’s armor, causing the energy containment field to immediately dim, the thick barrier dissipating into faint wisps of light. He swept a kick outward, shattering both of Bolbort’s legs, then grabbed Bolbort by the neck and hauled him backward, sprinting toward the base.

A soft breeze billowed around his Taoist robe and crane cloak. Gu Xichen tapped his toes lightly, covering a hundred meters, and a light jump spanned over two hundred meters. In just a few blurs of movement, Gu Xichen had vanished into the forward operating base.

Ducat Holsum, following closely behind Bolbort, let out a cold snort. The muscles in his body suddenly bulged outward. Just as he was about to unleash a full-power punch at Gu Xichen while the latter was gripping Bolbort’s neck, dozens of large-caliber rounds, carrying terrifying kinetic energy, shot toward him. Electromagnetic rounds detonated on his armor, rapidly weakening the energy shield; strong armor-piercing rounds struck, sending sparks flying from his energy plating; and the ultra-high-velocity kinetic rounds shook Ducat Holsum to his core, almost making him vomit blood.

Ducat Holsum rapidly retreated backward, soon finding safety within the protection circle of the family warriors. He stared in terror at the pitted and scarred energy suit he wore, realizing that if he hadn't personally modified this armor, he would likely have been reduced to a smear of meat paste.

Bullets continued to rain down from the dense woods, piercing the bodies of a dozen Romani warriors.

The dozens of Romani fighters in the sky finally reacted. The Romani pilots fired madly at Gu Xichen, unleashing a veritable storm of high-energy beams that scoured the ground where he had just been, blasting countless deep craters.

Before these fighters could fire many more shots, Holsum’s family warship delivered a full salvo, causing the fighters to explode in mid-air.

A frantic signal echoed throughout the Romani fleet: "Do not fire! Do not fire! Lord Bolbort has been captured by them!"

The massive Romani fleet descended rapidly. Bolukin and Yakin, thrown into confusion, scrambled to board their transport shuttles and hastily retreated to their warships.

The Romani never dreamed that with over three hundred Grade-One Romani warships present, with a thousand high-ranking Romani warriors standing guard, and with dozens of Romani fighters circling overhead, Gu Xichen would dare to strike! That he would actually dare to strike! And furthermore, that he would succeed in capturing Bolbort!

The energy armor, the pride of the Romani, was treated like nothing by Gu Xichen. Bolukin and Yakin were severely wounded, and Bolbort was captured alive. Losing a major figure before the battle even began—this was an unprecedented disgrace! Such a thing had never happened before; even when the Romani formally declared war on the Earth Federation and issued challenges, their envoys were never captured during negotiations.

Bolukin and his cohorts were thrown into disarray, while the morale of Gu Xichen's group soared.

The Romani warships settled directly above the forward base, hovering there. Communication signals continuously transmitted their demands for Bolbort's ransom.

Gu Xichen agreed to the Romani demand to exchange for Bolbort and their three captured advance reconnaissance scouts, but he set a price guaranteed to cause the Romani profound agony.

Aside from Zackla Energy Crystals, Gu Xichen demanded that the Romani provide two hundred energy cannons of various calibers, or he would publicly torture and execute Bolbort in full view of all Romani personnel!

Torture and execution—this was also the privilege of a mercenary. Lawless mercenaries utterly disregarded Earth Federation statutes. A regular Earth Federation army unit would never have dared such an action. Only mercenaries could act with such wanton disregard. Gu Xichen was immensely satisfied with the name he had signed on the challenge. As long as he maintained his identity as a member of the Hell's Angels Mercenary Corps, he could do things others could not. There could be no better shield.

One hour after his capture, Bolbort was ransomed along with the three other Romani. The commander of Holsum's fleet handed over two hundred energy cannons of various calibers to Gu Xichen.

All the energy cannons were immediately installed at the forward base's firing points by Gu Xichen.

The Romani attack then commenced.

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Right, out for some obligatory socializing, so this is an early release. Comrades, vote hard! Votes, votes, votes!