Will you forgive me when you find out the truth?
Even if I am full of sins and cannot be forgiven, the only thing I have no regrets about is falling in love with you. You are the only light in my broken life.
☆ Chapter 64: First Evaluation of Subordinates
The war between the P4 Nebula and the Red Cloud Galaxy caused many refugees to be displaced. Because of Luo Qinghe's previous leniency towards the space pirate forces, there were always some people who took advantage of the war between the two star systems to make a fortune.
Over time, a dark asteroid belt appeared next to the P4 Nebula and the Red Cloud Galaxy, stretching out like a multicolored belt. The central region of the belt's buckle is more than three million light-years away from the two galaxies. Because the planets in this galaxy are too barren, this galaxy is also known as the "Barren Zone".
Because it is too scattered and passes through some developed countries in the P4 Nebula and the Red Cloud Galaxy, it is easy to plunder civilian spaceships or military supplies and it is difficult to be concentrated and attacked. Therefore, this galaxy has become a favorite of galactic pirates, and it has developed into a base in just two or three years.
"Wow, what a great harvest! Yaochen, you're amazing! This time, the goods we intercepted are enough for three months!" A girl with long dark red hair skipped and hopped behind a little boy with black hair, her expression full of praise and excitement, as if she had already worshipped the little boy who was barely waist-high in front of her as a god.
But the young boy in the suit had no intention of turning around to accept her admiring gaze.
She didn't mind at all, turned around and patted the shoulder of the person next to her, still with a big smile on her face: "Ningtao, what you just said was super beautiful, I bet you stunned them, hahaha!"
The boy, who was leaning on the shoulder of the person next to him and moving around as if he couldn't get enough sleep, was startled by her sudden slap. His sleepiness vanished in an instant, and he stopped in a daze. He slowly turned his head to look at the girl who was smiling brightly and oblivious to her surroundings, and calmly replied, "Oh."
Originally forced to walk at the back due to carrying his weight, Mo Nian's forehead veins were bulging. He couldn't take it anymore and said, "Shut up, Ying! You've been talking nonsense all the way here. Didn't you see that Yao Chen doesn't even want to talk to you? Also, don't scare Ning Tao suddenly. Be careful, or next time we go out, I'll blow you and the target ship into fireworks!"
Ying snorted defiantly, ignoring her companion's threat, and within a second tried to strike up a conversation with the little boy in front of her again.
The group walked through the dark alley. Although their clothes were not particularly bright or shiny, they were still much better dressed than the poorly clothed refugees in the darker alleys around them. Several small heads with yellowish faces from hunger popped out from many corners, and their eyes lit up when they saw them.
The girl with dark red hair was wearing a black mesh top and super short black pants. She had a bulging bag tied around her waist. When she saw familiar faces in the surrounding alleys, she took the bag off her waist and casually threw it over: "Great harvest, consider it my treat!"
The child smiled happily as he saw the bag flying towards him. He sniffed, and by the time the bag landed in his hand, a crowd of children had gathered around him. They stared intently at the bag, smelling the aroma of food wafting from it, swallowing hard, but not forgetting to respond to the voices around them: "Thank you, Sister Ying!"
The others in her group were used to her actions, but the mocking voice of the leader of the group coming from the front rang out: "Are the Yin Yang Society doing charity again? With so much wealth, why not donate some to those in the same industry who are being suppressed by the Federation and the Empire?"
Because this planet is the closest desolate area to the battlefields of the Juecheng Federation and the Wujing Empire, no large pirate groups dare to set up camp there for fear of being wiped out. Only a few small-time pirates band together, occasionally go out to do one job, and then take a break. The loot they steal is barely enough to make a living.
They both feared and envied this emerging force, the 'Yin Yang Clan.' No one had ever seen their leader, who was rumored to be from one of the three great families of the Crystalless Empire, or even the secret lover of the deceased marshal of the P4 Nebula. Regardless of his background, it was terrifying to even mention. Some had even suspected that the leader might be that black-haired kid. When he first arrived, some thought he was the organization's weakness, but those who attacked him all lost their lives, and no one dared to disrespect him again.
Hearing that person's words, they didn't even glance at him, indifferently brushing past him one by one. Ying, however, stopped and looked at the guy with a smirk, "If you want it, come and take it if you dare."
A spark of anger ignited in the man's eyes at those words. When he saw the contempt in Ying's light blue eyes, his fingertips twitched involuntarily at his side. Just as he abandoned his reason, Yao Chen, who had already walked quite a distance away, stopped and ordered without turning his head, "Ying, stop wasting your breath on trash."
Those words were like a pebble dropped into calm water, easily awakening a memory deep within his soul. His body instinctively took a step back. Ying, of course, didn't miss this moment. The mocking smile on his lips deepened, and he turned around and followed his companion without looking back.
The man was left standing among the crowd, clenching his fists and watching their backs, his eyes filled with undisguised resentment, jealousy, and bloodlust.
The Crystalless Empire, the Yuan Capital Palace.
The annual council convened, with all military forces gathered in the royal palace's conference hall. The topic of discussion concerned the rampant interstellar pirate forces surrounding the Red Cloud star system.
"Does this mean that when the tiger is away, the monkey can become the king of the mountain? Although the war with the Juecheng Federation is currently evenly matched, and we don't have the extra energy to spare a dedicated fleet to deal with them, the private sector has been suffering increasing losses recently. There are reports that the forces entrenched on the central planet of the wasteland actually intercepted a P4 energy supply ship last month. If this continues, our rear will also be under the same threat. I think this issue needs to be taken seriously." A lieutenant general methodically shared the data from the AI with everyone's AI, while also stating his conclusions.
Yan Zihe glanced casually at the notable pirate groups listed in the notes following the proposal, her gaze sweeping over Qin Muge, who sat in the center. Her right hand stroked the whip on the table, and after a few seconds, she spoke: "There are no more than three forces capable of coveting the military's reserve supplies, all located three million light-years away. The forces in the central wasteland are complex and are their stronghold. When the war enters a stalemate, it's best not to let these small fry distract us."
"Then we can start by clearing away the obstacles around us. To avoid unnecessary losses to the Empire's resources, we can form a small team to eliminate those organizations with growth potential that could pose a threat to us in the future. This will not only prevent our main combat power from being wasted on unnecessary things, but also reduce losses for those civilian companies, and at the same time reduce the possibility of our strategic resources being plundered on the battlefield in the future." After listening to Yan Zihe's words, Ling Tianxuan turned to look in General Qin's direction, seriously opposing the Yan family.
Upon hearing this, Yang Yuheng couldn't help but grin, a hint of silver glint appearing between his lips, and a touch of schadenfreude in his eyes as he looked at Yan Zihe.
“However, the squad is too small and may be wiped out. Recently, a new type of entity has emerged among the pirate forces around the Empire. Its members combine the Empire’s AI advantages with the bloodline advantages of the Juecheng Federation. I’ve even heard that the leader of this group may be a defector from some family. If we are to send military forces, could the R&D department consider providing the squad with sufficient technical support?” The lieutenant general who spoke was from the Yan family’s side. His words implied the stain on the Yan family’s reputation, not giving the family any chance to stand idly by.
Qin Muge glanced at the latest information on the space pirates, not participating in their open and covert struggles, his wine-red eyes showing no interest whatsoever.
It wasn't until Min Kaiyang echoed the lieutenant general's suggestion: "Lieutenant General Yu Chen's suggestion is very insightful. This type of force is indeed worth paying attention to. In terms of growth potential, this type of pirate group is the most likely to pose a threat to our strategic resources."
Qin Muge wore dark blue, almost black gloves, with a small, intricate pattern on her right little finger. After hearing Min Kaiyang's words, she pointed to the list of pirate groups assessing their development level, a slight smile suddenly appearing on her lips. She looked up at Min Kaiyang, her voice tinged with a hint of husky ambiguity: "Oh? Which force is Kaiyang interested in?"
Min Kaiyang's golden eyes shone brightly like sunlight, yet they couldn't conceal the emotionless indifference within them. Upon hearing this, he replied in a measured tone, "I'm not targeting any particular force; I just feel that such an existence deserves our attention."
A soft laugh escaped from a black castle on a desolate planet, though it was unclear who it was directed at.
The ancient wooden door creaked heavily, sounding as if it would collapse completely if pushed twice more. The shadows of the group were cast on the ground, and the person inside the house just then closed the smart device, raising his eyes to look at them with a smile.
The little boy at the front, completely different from his usual self in front of strangers, ran up to her in a few quick steps and snuggled into her arms: "Chaoge, did you miss me while I was gone for so long?"
The girl with bangs subtly twitched her lips, pulled him down from her embrace, and turned her gaze to the others. With just one glance, she saw through the girl who was trying so hard to suppress her smile: "You won, so you won. Ying, stop pretending. Are you having a hard time holding back your laughter?"
The black-haired boy, who was wriggling around in her arms like a five or six-year-old, pouted defiantly: "How could we lose with me here! Chaoge, why don't you praise me!"
Chaoge raised an eyebrow, her deep brown eyes finally shifting slightly downwards as she looked at him: "Alright, little... Yaochen, you're the best."
"You want me to praise you for such a small thing? Aren't you ashamed, Little Red Riding Hood?" she thought to herself at the same time.
"Hmph! With power comes willfulness!" Little Red Riding Hood replied.
"That's a really forced compliment." The black-haired boy got out of Chaoge's arms, his face full of displeasure.
"No matter how many times I see it, I feel like Yao Chen has inherited the boss's split personality. Don't you guys think he looks like the boss's illegitimate son with someone else?" Ying walked to the corner of the hall, squatted down to stroke the little female cat's head, and didn't forget to secretly complain to the little guy's owner.
Spall: ...No matter how many times I feel like this place is a concentration camp for mental patients, okay?
Rhett glanced at her casually, the small white snake on his wrist flicked its tongue, and coiled around its master's hand a couple more times, tightly binding his hand.
Sure enough, even though she deliberately lowered her voice, the black-haired boy next to Chaoge still looked at her with a gentle smile, his deep purple eyes filled with childlike innocence: "Ying, do you want to die?"
☆ Chapter 65: The First Evaluation of the Boss
The environment of these asteroids in the desolate region is not good. Many asteroids are the result of the disintegration of huge stars caused by the Empire and the Federation's Star Destruction Cannon. The components in the atmosphere are uninhabitable for the people of the Empire. Only the people of the P4 Nebula have a very strong adaptability and can move freely in it.
Even so, due to the collapse of the atmosphere, most of the plants and animals on the planet became extinct in a short period of time, with only some mutated creatures that had been modified by cosmic rays surviving.
The pirates living on these desolate planets plundered small air shields from various places to cover their territories. These air shields were expensive and completely vulnerable to attack, barely enough to enclose a habitable area. Of course, some didn't need such things at all; these were clearly groups composed of people from the P4 Nebula. The harsh conditions, making it almost impossible to be self-sufficient on the planets, made it impossible for these pirates to imagine any retirement, nor did they even dare to dream of it.
Outside the black castle, an unidentified liquid began to fall in a light drizzle—if that grayish-black liquid could be called rain. As it fell on the air shield covering the entire castle, it made a sizzling sound like meat being grilled over a fire. With wisps of white mist rising from the surface of the air shield that came into contact with the rain, those inside could almost foresee the scene of this fragile shield dying soon.
The group, who were holding a post-war debriefing (celebration), suddenly stopped eating and turned to look at the window not far away.
Chaoge slowly put the piece of steak stuck on her fork into her mouth, only glancing casually at the situation outside the window before shifting her gaze to Yaochen.
Upon receiving Chaoge's questioning gaze, little Yaochen was busy eating fried rice with a spoon. Without changing his expression, he replied under Chaoge's gaze, "It's a bit salty, and there aren't enough shrimp."
Chaoge raised one eyebrow: [That's not what I was asking.]
Yao Chen pouted, reluctantly put down his spoon, turned his little head and stared at the unidentified liquid outside the window for a long time. He didn't seem to have any sense of crisis that the air shield was about to stop working. After a while, he nodded knowingly and turned back to give his answer: "I heard a couple of days ago that a certain pirate group was planning to create an artificial atmosphere on this planet. Today they are probably experimenting with artificial rain in the absence of an atmosphere?"
"Is it those disgusting guys we met today? Artificial rain? And it just so happens to fall on our turf?" Ying slammed her chopsticks on the wooden table with a 'smack,' cracking her knuckles, waiting for Chaoge's order to rush out and cause trouble.
"Is this the stinking river eight blocks away that left behind a lot of X-ray elements? It's quite corrosive," Rhett continued with his guess.
As Spall listened to them weave a dramatic tale about the rain, he finally couldn't help but steer the conversation back on track: "Shouldn't we be more concerned about the fact that this air hood is about to break down and that many people inside are about to have difficulty breathing?"
Can you guys stop making the same mistakes because of your boss?
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone looked at him strangely, including Rhett, who had been calmly eating the whole time sitting next to him. Rhett's eyes were now filled with doubt. He looked back at them one by one, puzzled.
Seemingly unable to bear his stupidity any longer, Rhett, feeling a sense of kinship, reminded him, "Do I need to tell you that someone born in the P4 Nebula shouldn't be worrying about this?"
Spall: ...So you all thought I was so scared I forgot my own race?! No way! I was just worried about you, worried about you, you know?!
Ignoring Siber's frustration, Mo Nian, finally full and satisfied, woke up his friend who had fallen asleep while eating. Looking at the rain outside the window, which showed no signs of stopping anytime soon, he smacked his lips and suggested to Chao Ge, "Later, I should go and get the spare missiles from the warehouse and blow up that rabble. It would be nice to fly up into the sky and stand shoulder to shoulder with the stinky river."
Chaoge: ...Having such a violent maniac subordinate who always wants to blow others into the sky is actually quite a headache for her.
Jiang Ningtao, whose sleep had been disturbed by his friends and who was in a half-dreaming state, heard a hissing sound. He lazily opened one eye and was about to tell them not to wake him since the food wasn't ready yet when he saw the scene of dirty water forcibly interacting with the fragile air shield. Instantly, he sat up straight and became fully awake.
After a long while, he turned around and said to Chaoge, "There are still eight minutes and thirteen seconds until the day we lose our air."
Chaoge smiled and nodded, readily continuing, "So you only have seven minutes left to eat and pack your things."
They understand eating, but why pack things up? Is the boss planning to take the base down with him? Really?
Faced with the incredulous looks from everyone, as if to say, "Boss, don't tell us you're really that desperate," Chaoge spread his hands innocently and said, "I'm planning to move, didn't you know?"
Everyone: "...When was this decision made?"
"Just now."
Spall felt that their group's name shouldn't be something as grand and sophisticated as 'Yin Yang Collection,' but rather something more realistic like 'Big Imagination' or 'Wrong Focus.'
Given that Chaoge's thought process has always been unconventional, those who considered themselves normal decided to skip the process of investigating the reasons for moving and simply ask for the results, as it would be easier.
Ying unfolded the map on the light screen and waved his hand boldly: "Boss, you tell me, which piece of land do you want!" He acted like a wealthy landlord who owned thousands of acres of land.
Chaoge smiled amiably, "Five minutes from now, spaceship number 4 will assemble, and I'll explain my plan then."
Only Yao Chen guessed her plan. He glanced at her knowingly, since neither of them had much to pack. They simply walked over to the hall, sat down, and opened the star map to observe the current situation.
Ten minutes later.
As the scenery outside the window transformed into scattered meteorites and countless asteroids, fragments of the past flashed through Chaoge's mind. A slight smile touched her lips. After arriving here, she realized that the place she would spend the most time in was this spaceship.
"Alright, Yaochen, tell everyone about the plan." Chaoge quickly came to his senses, raised his chin slightly, and gestured for Little Red Riding Hood to analyze his plans for them.
A hint of helplessness flickered in his deep purple eyes; he had undoubtedly noticed Chaoge's momentary lapse in concentration, but refrained from pointing it out. He opened the star map, displaying their location and the hundreds of flight paths that passed through the area.
In short, in sixteen hours, a supply fleet of the Crystalless Empire, escorted by hundreds of combat mechs, will pass by here; this is their next target.
Ying raised her hand, looking completely bewildered, and asked, "Boss, aren't we moving? And we just pulled off a heist not long ago." Her light blue eyes were full of confusion.
Fortunately, Chaoge was an understanding boss, which was reflected in his willingness to answer his subordinates' questions: "If we want to take over the center of the wasteland, we must show them enough results. From here to the central area, we will pass through fifteen constellations and will not be able to obtain supplies along the way. This batch of supplies from the Crystalless Empire is the most suitable choice."
Speaking of this, Chaoge's smile warmed up a bit as she thought of something: "Although the food in the Crystalless Empire isn't very good, their energy supply is still quite reliable."
Others: ...What's with this tone of voice when talking about how the cabbage at the market is cheaper than at other places?
Jiang Ningtao forced himself to look at the colorful route map on the star chart, trying to analyze the success rate of this operation from the route drawn by Yao Chen. He frowned slightly: "The number of combat mechs escorting energy by the Crystalless Empire this time is too large. It may be a bit difficult for Ritter and Spall to manage it alone."
"But are we consuming so much energy just to give as a gift to the big shots in the heart of the wasteland? The thought of having to share it with them makes me a little resentful," Ying interjected, pouting, completely unconcerned about the planning process.
Chaoge gave a soft "hmm," lowered her eyes to look at the table, and after a few breaths looked up at Jiang Ningtao, "Give me the combat mechs of the Crystalless Empire."
"Wow, is the boss planning to take on a hundred people at once?" Ying said, whistling, her eyes full of admiration, as if she could already see Chaoge slaughtering everyone.
Only Ritter and Spall exchanged a glance, seeing the doubt in each other's eyes. Could it be that, in such a short time without their knowledge, Chaoge's combat power had grown to such an incredible level?
As if knowing they would have doubts, Chaoge slightly curled the corners of her lips and added, "Anyway, just make them lose their fighting ability, right?"
"Also, I have no intention of distributing our spoils to anyone else." Even if it's just a minor complaint from a subordinate, she will answer with exceptional patience.
"Awesome!" Ying gave a thumbs up, her eyes shining, and she began to look forward to the operation.
Seeing that the parts he had doubts about had been assured, Jiang Ningtao checked the map again and then lay down on the table, looking like he was about to fall asleep at any moment.
Mo Nian has always trusted his friends. He is similar to Ying in that he doesn't care where he goes as long as he follows Ning Tao.