Chapter 16: Nightmare, Section 2

In truth, Hei Fa was also deeply troubled.
To this world, he was ultimately just an outsider. If not for being awakened by the genetic modification facility and having to resist those terrifying memory copies, he might never have existed at all.
But now he did exist.
Not only that, but he also used his combat skills and genetic abilities to help establish a new force. Though this force was small and not yet strong, to Hei Fa, it was like his own children.
He witnessed the rise of the city with his own eyes, acquired various resources, and racked his brains to gain support from other races. Everything was just like what he had done on Earth. Yet, before he could savor the joy of achievement, wave after wave of disasters emerged from every dark corner, like bloodthirsty leeches.
The aggressive entry of the interstellar fleet was understandable—after all, humans were a highly aggressive race. Hei Fa had long been mentally prepared and was confident he could navigate among the various forces to achieve a balance.
But what about the Moors?
Damn it, Hei Fa really didn’t know how to describe them. If what Mason said was true, his entire plan would be disrupted. The Death Star city he had just built couldn’t withstand even minimal bombardment. With his current military strength, aside from the already terrified Mason Planet, he could only rely on Li Feng and eleven Squalid-class ships. These weren’t even capable of defeating the interstellar fleet, let alone the brutal Moors.
He hoped Mason’s claim about the distance being true. Give me some time, just a little… Hei Fa thought silently, his gaze fixed on the distant neutron star.
At this point, this was all he had. If the mining of the neutron star’s resources went smoothly, he might be able to acquire more warships in the short term. It was his only hope.
There was no other choice.
Or… could there be another option?
Hei Fa’s eyes gradually lit up, and his pace quickened significantly.
The pirates acted efficiently and swiftly. In fact, in less than an hour, Li Feng was fully prepared—with ample ammunition and supplies. Even the shipborne mechs had been reconfigured, equipped with over a hundred units, all specialized for space combat.

And Mason’s planet had also completed all its adjustments. Aside from the still insufficient energy supply, Mason could now use almost any weapon it desired. If energy for future escape wasn’t a concern, it could even deploy the planet’s most powerful main cannon… Origin.
“This is a newly developed weapon by the Stio civilization. Due to time constraints, it hasn’t been tested in actual combat—only simulated tests have been conducted. If possible, I hope you won’t use it. I can’t guarantee what side effects it might have,” Mason explained to Black Hair.
“I understand. Let’s go,” Black Hair replied with a nod.
Barroca had already taken away all the Pike-class ships, so now Black Hair only had Li Feng and Mason at his disposal. But that was enough. The two figures—large and small—quickly disappeared from sight. The blue light of the distant starry sky illuminated them as they entered hyperspace.
At the same time, on the flagship of the expeditionary force…
General Berrito frowned deeply, taking deep pulls from his cigar. His eyes were fixed on the vision crystal in front of him, where the ambush by the Blood Wolf fleet was being replayed over and over. The explosions of the floating ships and the dying screams of the crew echoed repeatedly through the speakers, making the entire cabin feel like hell.
After a long while, the general shook his head and took a sip of the coffee on the table.
“Perfect.”
“Yes, General. The enemy’s ambush plan was indeed flawless. All our actions fell within their calculations. Even now, I wonder if our current actions are also part of their plan. If so, it’s truly terrifying,” the adjutant replied respectfully. Even his handsome face couldn’t hide the shock he felt—proof of just how astonishing Barroca’s group was.
In fact, given his military education, he could never have imagined that such a group of humans existed in this world—ones who completely disregarded military honor and would stop at nothing. That recent battle was less an ambush and more a massacre.
Fifty warships—simply vanished right under everyone’s noses, leaving them no chance of rescue. Such tactics couldn’t even be described as ruthless.
If possible, the adjutant really wanted to see the enemy’s leader in person. He wanted to see what kind of person could devise such a terrifying plan.
“No, I’m not referring to that battle,” the general interrupted, his expression calm.

“What’s that?”
“That’s the enemy’s focus, his line of sight.” The old general waved his hand, and the battle scene replayed on the video crystal once again. It stopped quickly, then his finger pointed directly at a certain spot.
“Do you see this, my adjutant? The target of this ambush isn’t actually ours. We just happened to be in front of the missiles by chance.”
“This is…” The adjutant’s attention immediately shifted to where the general’s finger was pointing. It was the scene from the beginning of the ambush, when the first warship was destroyed. But what he focused on wasn’t how that warship exploded, but its location.
It was right on a straight line between the attackers and the noble transport ships behind!!!
“They’re targeting the transport ships!!!” The adjutant exclaimed in shock.
“That’s right. Their target isn’t our vanguard, but those noble lords. If it weren’t for our warships moving just in time to block the first batch of missiles, I guarantee you and I would soon receive orders from headquarters to resign.” The old general sighed.
“What a shrewd enemy. I can’t imagine how they knew about our weakness. The information about the transport ships belonging to noble relatives—who else could get it except those within the fleet?”
“Please allow me to conduct an inspection of the fleet, General.” After thinking for a moment, the adjutant said seriously, “I suspect there’s a traitor within the fleet.”
Under normal circumstances, his suggestion would be correct. But given the oppressive atmosphere from the fleet’s two consecutive failures, although his proposal could ensure safety, it would undoubtedly cause further unrest among the crew. So the old general hesitated only for a moment before shaking his head.
“No. My dear adjutant. It’s unwise to start an investigation now. Not only will the crew be dissatisfied, but those noble lords behind us won’t agree either. Think about it, my child—how would you go up to those well-dressed men and say, ‘Ah, dear gentlemen, I suspect there’s a traitor among you, so I need to search your rooms and underwear?’ Oh, that’s utterly absurd.”
“But, General, if we don’t do this, our actions will remain under the enemy’s watchful eye. That will put us at even greater disadvantage.” The adjutant said anxiously.

“Let it be passive then. With such a huge fleet, it’s extremely difficult to avoid the enemy’s surveillance anyway. The reason they sent me instead of that guy Visk this time is that they never intended to hide anything from anyone. All we need to do is reach our destination safely and then build a perfect defense line openly. As for whether to launch a full-scale attack, it depends on headquarters’ decision. Do you understand?”
“Understood, my general. Our task is to build a defense line,” the adjutant replied respectfully.
Seeing that the adjutant understood his meaning, a faint smile finally appeared on the old general’s face. His gaze swept past the vision crystal, through the porthole, toward the distant starry sky. Suddenly, he let out a low sigh.
“I really want to meet the enemy’s leader… What kind of guy is he, exactly?”
The old general’s wish was soon fulfilled. In fact, just one hour later, the vision crystal in the cabin suddenly lit up, revealing a strange scene.
Five hundred kilometers ahead of the fleet, the cosmic space suddenly experienced massive ripples, like those on a lake, with waves spreading out. Space was distorted, and light was refracted. A blue light point suddenly appeared before everyone’s eyes.
“General, there are teleportation fluctuations ahead!!” The communications officer’s report came immediately.
Before his words faded, the blue light point ahead of the fleet exploded suddenly. The intense light made everyone squint, unable to look directly at it. The bright light lasted for ten full minutes. When it faded, people were shocked to find that right ahead of the fleet, a huge figure had quietly appeared…
It was a planet!!
“A weaponized planet!!!”
Everyone exclaimed in shock. They never expected that less than a day after the last battle, the enemy’s leader would suddenly appear before them. The massive figure of the weaponized planet weighed heavily on their hearts, making it hard for anyone to breathe.
It was too big… truly too big.
With a diameter of thirty kilometers, its shape resembled that of an ancient giant beast. In human understanding, no such huge artificial weapon had ever existed. Most of the rocks on the planet’s surface had fallen off, revealing the silver-white metallic glow beneath. Anyone with eyes could tell what that meant.
That meant this planet wasn’t something modified from another object—it was truly original!! The planet itself wasn’t naturally formed; it was created!!

…God…
At that thought, everyone gasped in unison. They were too stunned to speak. Compared to this massive planet, the other warship beside it seemed almost negligible. Though it was also a strange, giant warship, no one could focus their attention on it.

But shock did not equal fear. With the four hundred warships in the Interstellar Fleet, they could destroy not just a planet but even a true star. So immediately, all the warships took action, their movements spreading out in a radial pattern. Soon, the vanguard’s arrow formation transformed into a frontal combat formation. The front row consisted of neatly arranged Shortsword-class ships, while the back row featured Spear-class ships designed for assault. All cannons had their safes removed, revealing a faint blue glow.

Behind them, the old general’s flagship, the Starship Xingchen—almost as large as the Windy Fury—slowly rose to the forefront of the fleet.

“Is this the enemy’s leader planet?” The old general couldn’t help but feel a hint of joy at achieving his goal so quickly, a satisfied smile appearing on his aged face.

“Yes, General. According to intelligence, this planet should be the enemy’s strongest military force. Shall we launch an attack now?” the adjutant replied quickly, his handsome face also showing astonishment.

“No, wait a bit longer. Let’s see what their intentions are,” the old general rejected the adjutant’s suggestion, a glimmer of interest in his eyes. “The fact that they dare to appear before us so openly means they have a purpose. Attacking now would be ungraceful. Wait a while longer.”

Sure enough, before the old general could finish speaking, the communications officer’s voice came through again. “General, the enemy has sent a request for a communication.”

“Approve the call. Order the fleet to prepare for Level 1 alert. But no firing without my orders,” the old general commanded firmly.

After saying that, he turned to the adjutant with a smile and adjusted his collar. “How do I look? It’s my first meeting with these mysterious folks—let’s not lose face as humans.”

“General, you remain vigorous and full of grace,” the adjutant replied respectfully, bowing his head.

“Hehe, you’re always so flattering,” the old general laughed satisfactorily and signaled the communications officer to establish the connection.

The figure of a young man with black hair immediately appeared on the vision crystal. At that moment, he was lazily leaning back in a huge and comfortable armchair, with his legs crossed. In his right hand was an exquisite glass, filled with red wine that glowed with a charming red light under the illumination. Seeing the connection established, he smiled slightly and turned his face around.
“Eternal Star? It’s our first meeting. Hello. I’m Black Hair.”
His charming smile and polite, humble tone gave the impression of a dashing gentleman. Yet the old general’s expression changed, showing great surprise. Pointing at his figure, his lips began to tremble…
“You… you’re actually a human???”