Ziye felt deeply frustrated, and when she glanced over and saw the ancient, unadorned Stargate on the left side of the display screen, her fingers moved faster than her mind, whipping around and hurtling toward it.
Warp jumps could only reach within 100 KM of a Stargate; one had to proceed to cruise into the gate afterward, otherwise, a misjump collision could result in massive compensation fees and an immediate shift from friendly to hostile relations.
The once arrogant and domineering Dragon Rider Legion, known for crashing wildly through space, once accidentally struck a Stargate belonging to the Interstellar Federation. They were swiftly crushed and routed by the Federation, and with numerous enemies already made, that Legion was ultimately erased from history.
After Ziye warped, the pursuers warped right after her.
Little Sprout clutched the display screen, furiously processing data. “Little dummy, they’re government-aligned pirates!”
Damn it, they were almost certainly running dogs for the Interstellar Federation.
Ziye didn't have the time to dwell on the old grievances between Red Hair and the government pirates, nor the desire to avenge Red Hair; her singular thought was: Get out alive!
She activated the electronic jamming device while simultaneously commanding the robots to align the barrels of the seven main turrets, preparing for another sortie.
Heavy missiles were the primary armament of the Marauder-class ship.
But it had secondary weapons too.
Ziye instructed Little Sprout to control the cruising path while she rushed to the eighth turret, loading modified Barium Fireworks and firing!
Boom, boom, boom—
The Barium Fireworks bloomed into beautiful floral patterns across the vacuum of space, illuminating half the starscape.
The pursuing pirate ships were thrown into chaos under the glare of the flares, pummeled relentlessly by the continuous barrage from the seven main turrets, leaving them shattered and scattered.
Ziye laughed heartily and called out to Little Sprout, “Enter the Stargate.”
The Marauder deftly shifted its angle mid-air and sliced into the Stargate. A few pirate ships managed to react and tried to pursue, but they couldn't even tag its tail end.
It turned out the Barium Fireworks had been modified, laced with electronic jamming elements. When the light burst forth, electronic equipment within a 30 KM radius was instantly compromised, and since the fireworks had a range of 35 KM, the Phantom Marauder escaped unharmed.
Once inside the Stargate belonging to the Huaxia Legion, Ziye finally let out a genuine sigh of relief, sinking back into the captain’s seat to search for a new navigation route.
Little Sprout lifted the tiny sprout on its head. “Little dummy, we’re safe!”
Yes, they were truly safe.
The Huaxia Legion was the Legion with the fewest pirates—none others even came close.
Even though it bordered the utterly repulsive Tem System, not a single pirate dared to cause trouble within its bounds.
Entering Huaxia Legion territory meant falling under the protection of the Huaxia Legion. Whether the conflict was one-sided or mutual, as long as it occurred within Huaxia territory, aggressors would be apprehended by Huaxia Police. Escape? Not a chance.
The pirates of Tem had been severely punished by the Huaxia Legion in the past and held it in deep dread. After Ziye entered, they circled the Stargate once, hailed their superiors via long-range comms, and prepared to intercept Ziye once she exited the Huaxia Legion space.
No matter what, they would not allow Ziye to return to the Wolf’s Den.
In the words of Bai Lanxue, that girl possessed extremely potent burst capabilities. If they could detain her and thus leverage her against the great military leaders Tang Wen’an and Jun Lie, that would be best. If not, then she had to be killed, and a clone created to serve the Interstellar Federation.
However, the pirates knew better than to cause a scene within the Huaxia Legion. They sent a portion of their fleet to follow Ziye while the rest repositioned.
Once Ziye plotted her route, she easily initiated the warp sequence and told Little Sprout, “We’re at Senior Brother Chun’er’s home! Too bad we don’t have time this trip. Otherwise, we could tour the Huaxia Legion properly.”
Little Sprout flapped its wings. “Didn’t Senior Brother Chun’er finish his project? Aren’t we supposed to travel together next week before returning to the Huaxia Legion?”
Ziye blinked in surprise. It was only the second day of the break.
Pity her nerves had been so tightly wound; she’d already processed the start of the vacation. She sighed, shook her head, and asked, “How long until we reach the Wolf’s Den?”
A flash of program light crossed Little Sprout’s eyes. “If everything goes smoothly, we can be back tonight.”
Ziye clenched her jaw. “We’ll discuss it when we get back.”
The primary domains of the Huaxia Legion spanned the Milky Way, the Glacier Galaxy, and five surrounding star systems, encompassing nearly an entire sector—a major Legion among major Legions.
The void outside was perfectly clear, but Ziye had no mood to appreciate the view, intending to transit straight through Huaxia space. Just then, her long-range comms chirped, surprisingly showing an incoming call from Li Chunyu.
As soon as she connected, Li Chunyu’s slightly anxious voice came through, “Little Yezi, are you safe right now?”
Ziye didn't understand his tone and replied vaguely, “I’m okay. Why?”
Li Chunyu sounded worried. “Your Legion’s space station was bombed! Did you know? I saw it on the Interstellar News—so many people died. You absolutely must not return to your Legion. If you have nowhere to go, you can come to our Legion first; I’ll arrange for someone to pick you up!”
Hearing about the space station bombing made Ziye’s eyes well up, accompanied by an overwhelming surge of rage.
One space station was equivalent to an interstellar city.
A five-star space station was equivalent to a Tier 1 interstellar metropolis.
Those inhuman wretches had bombed an entire city just to send a warning shot to the Wolf’s Den!
In her view, regardless of who the perpetrators were, attacking unarmed, innocent civilians was the vilest act of anti-humanity!
She must avenge this grievance against the Interstellar Federation!
She forcefully wiped away her tears. “No, I’m fine. You don’t need to worry. I will return to the Wolf’s Den, no matter what it takes.”
Li Chunyu urged anxiously, “Ziye!”
Ziye said firmly, “Don't try to persuade me. I'm in Huaxia Legion space right now. If you genuinely want to help me, I’ll dock my Marauder here; you can lend me a different ship.”
Li Chunyu sighed in defeat. “Send me your coordinates, and I’ll check. I’ll get back to you immediately.”
Ziye sent the coordinates and applied for docking at the nearest station.
The trackers, assuming she was low on fuel and ammunition, hastily applied for docking at the same station, eager to see what supplies she would replenish.
As she approached the docking bay, Ziye noticed the ships queued up behind her. She gave a cold snort, adjusted the angle of the pirate ship on her display screen, took a screenshot, and sent it to Li Chunyu. “This group of pirates specialized in intercepting passersby right outside your Stargate.”
Upon reaching the docking bay, Ziye didn't disembark immediately. If those pirates didn't leave, she couldn't either. Otherwise, the moment she stepped out, she’d be bundled up in a black sack by the pirates, and she’d be done for.
She opened the long-range comms screen, but Li Chunyu was slow to respond, which began to irritate her.
Her plan was simple: once she switched ships, sailing out under the flag of the peaceful Huaxia Legion, virtually no one would dare stop her. She could reach the Angel's Domain safely, then switch to a shuttle to return to the Wolf’s Den.
But...
Ziye checked the time, stamping her foot in frustration.
Just then, a sharp air-raid siren blared across the space station.
Ziye paused, watching as Space Police swarmed into the station, conducting a massive search. They "accidentally" searched the pirate ship and immediately arrested and detained the people onboard!
The pirates aboard hadn’t even realized what was happening before they became prisoners.
-RS