Chapter 10: Pirate Alliance? Section 6

Explosion, a fierce explosion!!
With that earth-shattering roar, even the Sardine warships a kilometer away seemed to experience an earthquake. Countless blue fragments flew in all directions, forming a giant orchid in the vast starry sky. The beauty of that moment was so stunning that everyone who witnessed it felt uplifted, even forgetting its meaning.
If anyone asked what could cause such a terrifying explosion… need I say it?
Of course, it was the two 150MM smoothbore cannons that had been used as long spears from the very beginning.
In fact, no one had realized that from the start, Kurokami had already laid out a trap—a fatal one. The pursuit earlier, the awkward situation of the assault mech being hit several times, and the sudden burst of speed along with the constraints of its eight legs were all part of setting the stage for this trap. And its ultimate goal was only one: to kill!
The Blue Lily was too fast, while the assault mech was too bulky. This made the battle inherently unfair. Even an experienced technician like Kurokami could only find one chance—just one. If he missed it, he had no choice but to admit defeat.
Fortunately, he seized that chance. At the very moment when the assault mech’s engine power ran out and its exhaust nozzles were burned out from excessive output, he used his long-prepared trump card: a close-range dual 150MM smoothbore attack.
At such a distance, any defense or evasion by the Blue Lily was meaningless. The smoothbore cannons’ immense firepower was fully unleashed. In the violent explosion, two huge holes were instantly created through the blue mech’s chest, running from front to back. Its complex internal circuits were completely burned out, revealing layers of dark carbonized crystals.
With continuous booms, the severely damaged Blue Lily suffered chain reactions, exploding into a massive ball of fire. The intense heat and destructive force instantly destroyed everything surrounding its eight legs. At the same time, a powerful shockwave pushed the now-upper-body-only assault mech far away.
“It’s over…” Blood-Eyed Man sighed deeply, slumping back in his chair.
In his vision crystal, the red pointers representing the two mechs had completely disappeared. In their place were two green dots, also flashing continuously. Those were the colors of the life pods.

After all, they were experienced warriors. Whether it was Black Hair or Blue Lily, they made prompt decisions at the critical moment and chose the same course of action. Despite the chaotic situation, it was still the best possible outcome. All that remained was to wrap things up.

In this regard, the group led by Jin Li truly did an excellent job. They not only quickly brought Black Hair aboard the Salmon Warship but also didn’t abandon Blue Lily. The ship’s emergency room was already fully prepared. Jin Li, through threats and commands, gathered the best doctors on board, showing just how serious he took the situation—this earned him favorable feelings from Blood-Pupiled for the first time.

Unfortunately, no matter how thorough the preparations, they proved useless. Black Hair emerged from the life pod in good spirits, without any injuries at all. Even Blue Lily, who had lost, was fine—only slightly dispirited. Her pale complexion wasn’t due to battle injuries but was a natural result of the mental control exerted by the magic mecha.

It was fortunate that she reacted quickly and severed her mental connection to the mecha. Otherwise, the resulting backlash from that connection alone would have caused her unbearable pain, or even death.

“You won. As agreed, starting today, I am yours… yours…” A clear voice rang beside Black Hair, but she couldn’t bring herself to say the word “plaything.”

Black Hair remained silent, simply turning to gaze at the beautiful woman who had just come out of the emergency room.

Undoubtedly, she was a beauty of the highest standard. In Black Hair’s past era’s film industry, she would surely have been a star adored by millions. She stood at about 1.67 meters tall, with striking golden wavy hair and sapphire-like eyes full of captivating allure. Her form-fitting combat suit designed for space battles not only enhanced her beauty but also exposed her sensual figure to everyone’s eyes.

Yet these were not her most attractive features. What made her truly unforgettable was her aura—a noble, aristocratic demeanor. Even just standing there simply, she exuded an air of superiority. Even among these fierce pirates, no one showed any signs of eagerness; instead, everyone was filled with awe.

It’s a pity, really a pity… Kurokami let out a long sigh, yet his face remained calm as ever.
“Good. It seems you realize your situation, and I’m pleased. Let me introduce myself—I’m Kurokami. From today onward, I’ll be your master. You may only address me as Master. As for your name, I don’t need to know it; I’ll just call you Yuriko. It’s an easy name to remember.”
“Yes, Master.” Clearly shocked by the naked desire in Kurokami’s words, the blond beauty never expected such shameless men to exist in this world. She was stunned for a long time before reluctantly agreeing. Yet, a glimmer of resentment flashed in her beautiful blue eyes.
“Be pleased then, you wretched man! This time it was my mistake—I underestimated you. Wait for it; one day I’ll defeat you and make you taste the pain of failure. No, I won’t just defeat you—I’ll destroy your confidence, trample all your dignity, and make you understand that all men in this world are dogs, worthy only of groaning under my whip. I’ll make you beg for mercy by licking the tips of my feet.”
Yuriko, of course, had no idea that Kurokami had seen everything she did. He showed no reaction, merely nodding slightly before pointing at Ketsuho beside her.
“You should know this person. From today onward, you must respect him just as you respect me. No defiance is allowed. If you make a mistake, I’ll punish you. Also, though you’re a Silver Warrior, right now you’re just a slave girl. Don’t bring your noble airs here, or I won’t hesitate to alter you myself. Believe me, you won’t like it at all.”
“You!?” Yuriko’s eyebrows furrowed, her eyes almost blazing with anger.
“What? Do you want to resist?” Kurokami frowned and interrupted her. “Have you forgotten our bet?”

“Hmph, I haven’t forgotten. It’s just that our bet has no deadline or limit on the number of attempts. I can challenge you again anytime,” Lili said angrily, lifting her chin proudly.
“Hmm, I really did forget if you hadn’t mentioned it. Well, I accept your challenge. As long as you can defeat me, things will go according to your terms. But until then, I hope you remember your place,” the black-haired man said, rubbing his chin as if suddenly realizing something.
“Hmph, got it.” She stomped her foot fiercely, her beautiful face twitching. Glancing at the stunned pirates around her, she turned and left without saying goodbye. A pirate who had been waiting prepared rushed after her, leading her to a room temporarily prepared by Jinli.
“Boss, isn’t this going too far…?” Blood-Pupil said hesitantly, watching her graceful figure fade into the distance, and stepped beside the black-haired man.
“What, is there something wrong?” The black-haired man was startled and turned, only to find the surrounding pirates frozen in shock.
“Well… it’s hard to say. But Blue Lily is a well-known bounty hunter and a powerful Silver Warrior. Treating her like this might earn you enemies.”
“So what? Are we supposed to just tolerate her insults, let her mess with us, and then walk away triumphantly? Or let her turn us into so-called pets? Blood-Pupil, you’re not usually this lenient. What’s different today? Is it because she’s a woman? A beautiful woman?” The black-haired man’s voice was teasing, but his expression was serious.
Seeing Blood-Pupil’s silent resistance, he shook his head and sighed, resting his arm on her shoulder.
“I hope you remember, Blood-Pupil. In my eyes, this world has always been gray. We don’t need to show pity to those we don’t want to spare. Do what needs to be done—whether she’s a woman, a child, or an dying old person, it doesn’t matter. Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth—that’s our rule of survival.”
“This…” Blood-Pupil’s expression was complex; he seemed to disagree with the black-haired man’s views.
“Is it a bit heartless? Lacking humanity?” The black-haired man sneered.
“…” Blood-Pupil remained silent.
Their conversation ended there. Faced with Blood-Pupil’s silence, the black-haired man simply gave him a quiet look before leaving the room. The crisp sound of his heels on the floor gradually faded away.

Yes, I was already someone who deserved to die. What was there left to care about? Being able to wake up from such a terrifying nightmare, to traverse thousands of years in time—it was all because I bore the fate of 137 brothers. They were gone, yet they lived on in my heart. But though I was alive, I was already dead.
From the moment that beautiful face disappeared before me, I no longer had a soul…
Sighing, his dark-haired gaze fell on a small door at the end of the corridor. He knew that behind that door, a beautiful girl as noble as a princess was waiting for him—like a slave girl welcoming her master. And he would gradually tear away her proud mask, her composure, just like a true tyrant unleashing brutality and savagery.
Unconsciously, a cruel smile appeared on his cold face…
―――――――――――――――――――――――
The mechanic from the Treasure Finder was indeed as excellent as Jinli had said. It only took them three hours to restore the power system of the Pike warship, relieving everyone’s tension. However, due to a lack of spare parts for the engine nozzles, two of the four nozzles destroyed by Lily were completely ruined. Before reaching the Alibaba Star Cluster, they could only serve as useless decorations.
Of course, for an enhanced version of the Pike warship with sixteen engine nozzles, losing just two nozzles meant sacrificing a little speed—something that had no impact on their normal navigation. This thought existed in all the pirates’ minds, filling them with confidence for the journey ahead.
That confidence lasted until they reached the outskirts of the Alibaba Star Cluster—
A gray, storm-ridden expanse of the starry sky.
Cosmic storms were abnormal natural phenomena, typically occurring in areas with dense star populations, caused by gravitational pulls between stars and elemental friction. A large number of floating particles in space, under the influence of complex gravitational fields and elemental friction, generated intense discharge effects. The resulting magnetic fields accelerated these particles, eventually forming deadly storms with vast coverage. Anything caught in such storms would be pierced by these particles and destroyed by the torrential arcs of electricity.

Mankind has devised many ways to defend against or avoid the effects of cosmic storms. Yet, without exception, all have failed. The vast areas involved and the spatial disturbances caused by particle arc effects far exceed what humanity can imagine, rendering any current method ineffective. The only viable solution is to stay well away.

This is exactly how the Scavenger Pirates entered the Alibaba Star Cluster.

Within this seemingly dense and endless expanse of cosmic storms, there actually exists a hidden route that allows them to avoid these storms. As long as they follow the correct route, they can navigate through the torrential density of arcs unharmed. It takes at most a day to reach the pirates’ sacred place… the Alibaba Star Cluster.