Chapter 15: Alien Planet! Alien Creatures? Section 9

The Normas are a highly lazy race. Although each Norma can live for hundreds of years, their physical activity throughout their lives never exceeds one-third that of humans, who have shorter lifespans. Most of the time, they lie in self-propelled machines designed for them since childhood, comfortably enjoying all the conveniences brought by technology. Even for something as simple as drinking water, robotic arms bring it to their mouths before they are willing to swallow.

It is precisely because of this that the brains of Normas are extremely developed. They spend most of their time researching technology. The convenience of self-propelled machines has led to a significant degeneration of their physical bodies, but it has also advanced their civilization in other ways. As a Norma proverb goes:
“We don’t need physical bodies, because our minds are everything.”

This is indeed true. The Normas’ technology follows a path similar to that of Earth’s human mechanical civilization. However, their focus is somewhat different—most of their research is aimed at obtaining more conveniences. It is said that the Normas’ leader once issued an order: if anyone could devise a way to allow them to save even more movement, he would give up his throne!!

Unfortunately, to this day, the Normas have not found such a method. After all, they still need to breathe and live. And the only way to save any physical movement is death.

Yet even the laziest civilizations have their glories. The Normas may not be a warrior race, but to maintain their comfortable lives, these lazy beings have still developed some special weapons for protection. Among these, their missiles are the most remarkable.

Their missile system is incredibly intelligent—it not only possesses all the functions of human missile systems but can also self-identify and formulate simple attack plans. When equipped with short-range teleportation devices, these tiny, elf-like devices instantly turn into demons with swaying sharp tails.

This time, as they settled on the Death Star developed by Black Hair, the Normas were drawn by its dreamlike environment. Being lazy as they are, they always want a better life, and such a beautiful planet is undoubtedly the ideal choice. So when they heard that someone intended to invade this place, they were even angrier than Black Hair’s pirates. They immediately provided boxes full of weapons for Black Hair’s fleet to use.

Eleven Pike-class warships were thus equipped with a dense array of missiles. Though their appearance became covered in missiles like pockmarks, every pirate showed a satisfied look. Especially Baroka, who loved using missiles the most. It was when he first met the Black-Haired man that he brought down the latter’s floating ship using missiles, leading to their first encounter. Now, being asked to use so many missiles almost drove him crazy with joy.

These were the Norma clan’s missiles… notorious little demons in the universe. Once caught by them, there was no way to escape. It was said that a race with extremely fast flight speeds dared to challenge them, only to be chased five star systems away by these missiles. Neither teleportation nor anything else could free them. In the end, they had no choice but to face these little demons head-on, ending up completely destroyed.

At that moment, this excited fat man was walking back and forth on a Pike-class warship. His fatty face trembled with excitement as he cursed nonstop.

“Damn it, why aren’t those bastards here yet? Do they want the great Lord Baroka to wait foolishly like this? Tch!! If I catch you, I’ll show you what a storm really is! What Lord Baroka’s wrath is like!”

“Leader, calm down and take a break. Captain Black-Haired said they will definitely pass by here. Maybe it’s because those Bark Worms were too brutal and delayed them a bit. You don’t need to rush,” said a pirate beside him with a flattering smile. That thin frame and insincere smile—wasn’t that the former “Wolf”?

Glancing at Wolf sideways, Baroka spat violently again before walking over to his captain’s chair and forcing his bulky body into it. One hand stroked his chubby chin as his eyes narrowed slightly.

“If it’s the captain who says so, it must be true. Hmph, these fools dare to mess with the captain’s beard without even assessing their own strength. Damn it, I, Baroka, can’t stand it the first. Even I, a famous sand pirate leader, have to listen to the captain—what are these people then?”

“Yes, yes, great Lord Baroka. You are the strongest. In the universe, aside from Captain Black-Haired, no one else deserves your allegiance. But those two newcomers got captain positions without any merit at all—it’s an insult to you! I can’t stand it! I really don’t know what Captain Black-Haired is thinking; it’s so unfair,” said Wolf, puffing out his thin chest in outrage.

Having followed Baroka for so long, the jackal knew this fat man’s temper better than anyone. Flattering him a bit when he was full of himself was definitely better than anything else. This incompetent guy had managed to get this far only by relying on this trick. But this time, his words seemed a bit thoughtless, drawing the fat man’s immediate attention.

“Bullshit!!” A fat hand the size of a fan smashed into the thin man’s face, spinning him several times before he fell to the ground in a mess.

“Hong and Lan are the squad leaders by the captain’s order. I, Baroka, have never had a single complaint. Listen well, you kid. In this world, the captain is heaven, and his words are truth!! You have no right to comment!! Damn it!! There’s only one captain who thinks of his subordinates first and even ignores a rebellion—me, Baroka. I admire him!! If you keep talking nonsense, do you think I won’t throw you out right now!!”

“Yes… yes… Great Lord Baroka, please forgive my mistake. You’re right—the Black-Haired Captain is the best… the greatest… absolutely infallible… I… I never meant to oppose him…” The thin man hurriedly said, covering his face. Despite the blood-red handprint on his face, he didn’t dare delay even for a moment. He knew too well this fat man’s temper. If he were still foolish at this point, he might really be thrown into outer space.

Although Baroka was kind to his subordinates, he was also merciless when giving them a lesson.

Just then, a sand pirate suddenly shouted, “Leader, we’ve received an active signal from the enemy. Coordinates: 77895, 45751, 66212, 457725. The target has been locked.”

“What!?” The fat man’s eyes lit up instantly, and an excited smile appeared on his face. “Great!! Well done! I told you—what the captain says is absolute truth. Wherever he says the enemy will appear, that’s where they’ll appear. The Interstellar Fleet may be famous, but what’s that compared to this? Tell the others to hide well, shut down the main engines, and move at low speed. Don’t let them know we’re here!!”

“Understood, leader!!” The sand pirates responded in unison, each with a bloodthirsty grin on their face.

At the same time, the other teams, Hong and Lan, also received this message and set in motion along with Baroka’s group. Eleven dark Squalid-class warships, like eleven ghosts of the night, silently began to move. At the bow of each warship, a blood-red wolf head stood out, terrifying in appearance.
Following the Bakr insect race, another hunt arranged by Black Hair had finally begun.
It was somewhat similar to ancient submarine warfare on Earth; in interstellar battles, the side that gained the upper hand always had the advantage. Although the Squalid-class and the Expedition Fleet’s Shortsword-class ships were much weaker in firepower, they far surpassed their opponents in speed and stealth. Moreover, for this ambush, Black Hair had specifically applied a frequency-absorbing coating to the Squalid-class ships, greatly enhancing their concealment.
In fact, even when these hunters had sneaked to 500 kilometers beneath the interstellar fleet, the expedition forces remained unaware, completely oblivious that the ferocious blood wolves were already at their doorstep.
“Verify the coordinates, lock onto the signals. Send messages to Hong and Lan using light signals, telling them to attack with me shortly. After launching all the missiles, immediately withdraw from the battlefield and teleport back,” Baroka said excitedly, rubbing his palms together with a cruel smile.
Though he was warlike, he wasn’t stupid. It was impossible to completely destroy such a massive fleet with just their missiles. His only goal was to harass. According to Black Hair’s wolf pack tactics, it simply meant biting and then fleeing, using the Squalid-class ships’ unmatched mobility and agility to keep the enemy from tracking them. Although the previous Squalid-class ships lacked the ability to strike, the Norma race’s missile system now made this tactic possible.
Meanwhile, on the flagship of the Expedition Fleet, the “Light of the Stars”…
The old general closed his eyes, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the armrest of his chair. The soothing song “Lost City” played in the cabin, and in time with the music, the old general’s head nodded slowly, as if he were asleep. Behind him, his handsome adjutant stood quietly, hands at his sides, his calm face showing no expression.
After a long while, the old general suddenly opened his eyes.
“Saka, how many days have we been traveling?”
“Four days, General. There’s still ten days of journey left,” the adjutant replied immediately.
“It’s really worrying. This journey has been too quiet. Do you think they might have set up an ambush ahead?”

“That’s impossible, General. The universe is so vast; they have no way of knowing our exact route. Please be assured. Besides, the fleet is on high alert at all times, with continuous active scanning at every step. I’m sure no ambush can escape our detection.”
“Not necessarily… While I admit active scanning is the best form of defense, and our fleet isn’t afraid of any provocation, for some reason, I still feel uneasy, as if unseen eyes are watching us. Unidentified anomalies in hyperspace force us to take normal routes. If this is premeditated, what does that mean?” The old general’s dim eyes narrowed slightly, a glint of coldness flashing within them.
“You’re overthinking it, General. With the expeditionary force’s current armament, it’s impossible for any enemy to launch a surprise attack on us. You…”
“BOOM!!!”
Suddenly, a deafening explosion rang out in the cabin, cutting off the adjutant’s words. Before either of them could react, more explosions erupted one after another, like fireworks on a festival—so frequent that they could be counted.
“What!!!” The old general stood up abruptly, his face filled with shock.
“Unknown attack! The fleet is under attack!!!” A panicked face appeared on the vision crystal—it was the communications officer in charge of fleet coordination and active scanning.
“General, the fleet ahead is under attack! Thirty warships have been severely damaged!!!”
“Damn it, what do you mean ‘unknown attack’!!!” The old general flew into a rage. In a well-trained interstellar fleet, having such a panicked communications officer was simply an insult to his nerves.
“We don’t know. Our warships didn’t detect any enemy. The ships at the front suddenly exploded and caught fire. The reports say… missiles!!!” The communications officer’s voice sounded like a scream.
“Nonsense!!!” The old general stood up instantly. “Then what are you waiting for? Scatter the fleet! Don’t stay together. Activate all scanning devices—I want to know who the enemy is!!!”

Upon receiving his orders, the entire fleet immediately set in motion. The massive warships quickly dispersed, spreading out like a vast net. Inside each ship, tension was extreme, with the crew’s hearts in their throats. Yet no matter how careful they were, intense explosions continued to erupt one after another. Bright flames lit up the leading ships, as countless armor plates flew everywhere in all directions.

The enemy’s attack methods had been identified, but so far, they still hadn’t figured out where those tiny missiles came from. Oh, God—could these missiles really appear out of thin air?

“Of course not… But the Norma missiles have short-range teleportation capabilities. Hehe, they can teleport right next to you—see how you’re going to dodge that?! Just endure my great Lord Baroka’s wrath!” On the Pike-class warship, Baroka laughed maniacally, waving his arms and shouting loudly.

“Keep attacking! Fire all your missiles. I don’t care about results—just keep firing!”

“Yes, leader!” The Sand Pirates responded loudly, skillfully operating the weapons. If anyone were watching from outside at this moment, they would see that all the protrusions on the surface of these Pike-class warships had extended outward, like a hedgehog’s spines—only these spines could be fired. The sight of bursts of spines flying out resembled sudden clouds of darkness.

The Norma missiles were tiny, almost invisible, but their power was astonishing. Moreover, they had a decisive numerical advantage. Avoiding such attacks was practically impossible!

Death himself swung his scythe, diving toward the expeditionary fleet’s ships.