Chapter 16: Nightmare, Section 1

The massacre came suddenly and ended just as quickly. In less than ten minutes, the fifty warships tasked with pursuing them disintegrated before everyone’s eyes. The explosive balls from the elemental cores clashed with each other, forming clusters that resembled fireworks in the universe…
It was the fireworks of death… that’s what everyone thought.
Faced with their massive and invincible fleet, those despicable raiders showed no fear at all; instead, they proudly circled around. The lights flashing from their ships clearly carried insults. And those terrifying giant beetles even wagged their tails at them in space.
Yet, surprisingly, the soldiers in the expeditionary force were not angry. They only felt sorrow.
At that moment, they understood—right from the start, they had fallen into the trap set by their enemies. They had foolishly stepped into the ambush prepared by their foes. Anti-space snipers had prevented their teleportation, and torrential missiles had concealed their movements. Everything pointed to one thing: there could be no hope of fairness from those despicable raiders.
For them, it wasn’t supreme glory that mattered, but victory built on the corpses of their enemies.
Some so-called chivalry or honorable duel? All nonsense. In the dictionary of the Black-Haired man, there were only poems for the victors—no room for reasoning with the losers.
A brief calm ensued, like the buildup before a great battle. When new orders came from the flagship, the entire expeditionary fleet ignored those raiders and silently began to regroup. Soon, a new formation appeared before Baroka. The cold glint from the cannons of the Dagger-class warships sent shivers down Baroka’s spine.
“Enough! Stop being greedy. Retreat according to the captain’s plan,” the fat man growled, rubbing his massive hands. He glanced back at the vast fleet in the distance, his eyes filled with resentment.
He wasn’t stupid. Although they had fallen into the Black-Haired man’s trap from the start, that didn’t mean they lacked strength. On the contrary, after regrouping, the atmosphere of the interstellar fleet changed completely. The fear caused by their brief defeat vanished, replaced by a fierce determination to fight to the death.

Under such circumstances, even the arrogant Baroka wouldn’t dare to easily provoke the other side’s sensitive nerves. Although he wasn’t afraid of the short-sword-class ships, the spear-class ships behind them were something Baroka wouldn’t dare to mess with. Those square-shaped warships didn’t focus on speed like the short-sword-class; instead, they were true siege warships. They sacrificed speed for more powerful firepower and defense. In some aspects, they were even similar to the black-haired Li Feng.
Both were high-firepower, heavily armed ship types.
After the brief battle just now, Baroka had almost used up all his missiles. Although the Normaclan’s weapons were effective, they were consumed too quickly. They were fired in batches, which made Baroka feel heartbroken. Without ammunition, even if he wanted to attack, he was powerless. He could only issue an order to retreat, filled with regret.
The Blood Wolf Fleet arrogantly circled in front of the expeditionary force before starting its retreat. Soon, only those terrifying Buck Bug tribes remained in front of the expeditionary force. These big-backed beetles proudly waved their claws in the direction of the expeditionary ships before suddenly disappearing without a trace under everyone’s eyes.
Interdimensional jump!!
General Birito’s guess was confirmed!! These terrifying beetles were indeed the culprits behind the complete destruction of the vanguard fleet!!!
For a moment, a tense atmosphere spread throughout the entire expeditionary force.
“It seems we were too arrogant. This enemy is far from as simple as we thought.” After a long silence, the old general Birito slowly spoke, his face solemn as he stared in the direction where the Blood Wolf Fleet had disappeared.
“Order the fleet to move forward. We have no way to retreat anymore. Even if this enemy is powerful, we must confront them head-on if we want to be accountable to the people.”
“Understood, General,” the adjutant replied seriously.
After Baroka’s ambush, the expeditionary force once again tasted the bitterness of arrogance. As they moved forward again, they no longer had the carefree attitude they had at first. The atmosphere was unusually tense, and even the transport fleet following behind seemed to realize this, stopping all recreational activities.
Meanwhile, on the other side, something unexpected happened to the black-haired man.
Mason woke up…

It was the fifth day since Baroque and his crew set out. Suddenly, the Mason planet began to tremble slightly. At that time, Blackhair and his subordinates were dining in the restaurant, and they were the first to notice the planet’s shaking. All the pirates looked at each other, confused about what was happening. Only Blackhair’s expression changed instantly. He stood up right away and left the restaurant without saying goodbye.

Soon, he encountered this miraculous mechanical life once again at the core of the planet where he first met Mason. When he arrived, beside the console that used to belong to him, the blue light sphere was flickering gently, as if waiting for him.

“Blackhair, I’m awake.”

“I know,” Blackhair nodded and slowly sat down in his seat.

“I know the difficulties you’re facing now. Blackhair, I’d really like to use my power to help you. But I still need to wake up. Although it’s not what I want, I have no choice.” Mason’s voice remained calm, but there was something unusual in it, as if… fear?

“What? What happened?” Blackhair, sensitive to the anomaly in Mason’s words, frowned and asked suddenly.

“They’re here.” The light sphere representing Mason’s thoughts flashed violently.

“Who?” Blackhair was stunned.

“That terrifying race—the Moors, who once destroyed our civilization!! They’re here!! Although they’re still far away, I can sense them. Their evil aura cannot be erased even by the vast universe. Any creature, race, or civilization that stands in their way will be devoured by them. That’s why… I must wake up… and leave this place.” Mason’s voice trembled, and now Blackhair could clearly sense the fear in his words.

It was a fear that stemmed from the depths of his heart, like a mark of life, firmly gripping this mechanical life’s soul.

Under such circumstances, even Blackhair felt that something was very wrong.

The Moors were the demons Mason spoke of—a race with invincible strength, whose way of life was plunder and consumption. Any race they targeted could only end up enslaved. Even the once-glorious Stio civilization was no exception.

If they came here… Blackhair couldn’t even imagine what it would be like.

Death Stars, the 31st star system, and human society—all of it would be destroyed. The city he had worked hard to build would also turn into ruins.

The Moors are like a plague, melting away any life that stands in their way.
“That’s not good news,” the black-haired one’s expression grew increasingly serious.
“That’s right. I don’t want to encounter them again either. But it’s too late to say anything now. You might not feel it, but those creatures are stronger. Even when they destroyed the Stio civilization, they didn’t possess such overwhelming power. That’s the evil intent of demons!!”
“I understand,” the black-haired one pondered for a moment before suddenly raising his head. “But I still can’t agree to your request.”
“What? Don’t you want to escape with me?” Mason asked in surprise.
“No, it’s not just about escaping with you. I mean, not even you can leave,” the black-haired one interrupted him calmly.
“Why? They’re so powerful. There’s no chance of victory for us!!” Mason’s tone was filled with urgency.
At this moment, he felt utterly unable to understand the human’s thoughts. With no hope of victory, why did he still want to face them? If they fled now, at least they could save their lives. But if they faced them… Good heavens, Mason couldn’t even imagine what the outcome would be.
Probably, not even corpses would remain?
“I’m different from you,” the black-haired one replied.
“You come from a destroyed civilization; you’ve already experienced the days of fleeing in panic. To put it bluntly, you don’t even have the courage to face them now. In my eyes, you’re like a dog terrified to death.”
“But me—have you seen? This is the home I’ve just built! Here are my subordinates, my people, and my mines. I won’t allow anyone to lay eyes on them. Yes, no one—even those demons you speak of, or the Moors!” The black-haired one’s words were icy, like frozen ice that would never thaw, filled with murderous intent.
“If they come, I welcome them. Guests are welcome. When friends come, I offer them wine; when wolves come, I only have a shotgun!!” (Sorry, I suddenly remembered the song “My Motherland.” It’s truly classic. Every time I reflect on its lyrics, I’m moved beyond words.)
“Is… that so?” Mason’s voice dropped suddenly. Instead of feeling angered by the insults in the black-haired one’s words, he was overcome with sorrow.

Indeed, even though it possesses such formidable military strength now, in truth, isn’t it just a dog in flight? It’s already been terrified by the Moors; not to mention fighting, it doesn’t even dare to face them. In comparison, it lacks the backbone even of this seemingly weak human in front of it.
“Well then, I understand, Blackhair. Let’s make that decision. I’ll help you resolve this crisis, and then I’ll leave this place. I can sense that the Moors are still some distance away, enough time for me to escape. After that, it’s up to you,” Mason said gloomily.
“Good. Then get ready right away—my time is limited. In three hours, we’ll begin the transition. I need to deal with those guys from the interstellar fleet as soon as possible,” Blackhair said resolutely as he stood up.
With that, he left the room without looking back, leaving only his silhouette for Mason to see—a thin silhouette, yet seemingly unbreakable in its resilience.
At that moment, Mason was confused…