Chapter 11: The Terrifying EMP – Section 5

It was as if Earth’s fans had seen their idols. All the pirates at the table stood up instantly. Their eyes were fixed on Blood-Pupil, filled with admiration.
“Lord Blood-Pupil, are you here to drink too?”
“Lord Blood-Pupil, you’re so amazing! Can I be your assistant?”
Overly enthusiastic greetings kept pouring out from these burly men, their enthusiasm completely different from their wariness when they saw the black-haired man earlier. It was hard to believe they were the same group.
After exchanging a glance with Blood-Pupil, the black-haired man couldn’t help but sigh bitterly.
So personal worship is popular here too. It seems even my position as leader isn’t as useful as Blood-Pupil’s word. If I had known this, I should have asked Blood-Pupil to handle it, he thought to himself.
“Hey, big guy, you still haven’t answered my question,” the black-haired man said, shaking his head in frustration.
“Damn it, why should I answer you!” The small leader flew into a rage. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Blood-Pupil’s hand reach out and clamp around his neck. The terrifying strength made his eyes bulge instantly, and he struggled to breathe. Even the veins on his arms bulged.
“Listen…” Blood-Pupil’s expression was grim, almost fierce. “The man sitting in front of you is my leader. I expect every question he asks to be answered satisfactorily. Do you understand?”
His sinister tone and pale face made Blood-Pupil seem almost demonic in terror. All the pirates nodded eagerly, their gazes shifting to the black-haired man. With such respect, it was hard to imagine they were criminals who made a living by robbery—they looked more like well-behaved elementary school students.
“Uh… Lord,” the small leader, now released, rubbed his neck, his face pale. He hurriedly said, “Were you asking about that group of men or that ship?”
“Either one,” the black-haired man replied gently with a smile, gesturing for them to sit. This immediately eased the small leader’s tension.
“Just tell me everything in detail.”
“Yes, Lord,” the small leader nodded obediently and sat down.

“The Blazing Pirates in our alliance are the best at tracking. As you know, they were sent on a mission by the Speaker some time ago—to find a cluster of mining planets outside our controlled area. They were supposed to return after this gladiatorial contest. Unexpectedly, they were chased by a warship on the way. It’s said that ship was like a hunting dog, unable to be shaken off no matter how hard they tried to escape. Its combat strength was astonishing; apart from the leader’s flagship, the entire Blazing Pirates group was wiped out by it.”

A mining planet cluster outside the controlled area? Blackhair couldn’t help but frown.

He understood what that meant. The pirates’ controlled area consisted of the thirty known star systems, so a cluster outside that meant it was beyond those thirty systems—unknown and extremely dangerous territory. The pirates’ willingness to venture there impressed Blackhair with their courage.

But to be chased so miserably by a single warship was indeed excessive. As far as Blackhair knew, no warship in the world yet possessed such formidable strength—even the flagship of a regular army couldn’t match it. After all, pirates specialized in hiding and escaping; it was unheard of for anyone to chase them to such a desperate state.

Who could this enemy be? Blackhair narrowed his eyes slightly.

Seeming to notice Blackhair’s mood, the junior leader immediately stepped closer and said conciliatorily, “Sir… please don’t worry. The Speaker has already sent our brothers to meet them. About ten of the latest Spearfish warships have been dispatched. No matter who or what the opponent is, they can’t possibly lose. I just wonder—do you know anyone from the Blazing Pirates?”

Seeing Blackhair’s expression, he assumed Blackhair had some connection to the Blazing Pirates.

Unfortunately, Blackhair was only slightly interested—though that interest was directed toward the mining planet cluster mentioned by the junior leader.

Everyone knew how pirates made a living. If even they were so interested in this cluster, one could imagine just how valuable it must be. With Blackhair’s resources, returning to Silver Star and developing this cluster under the Creek Merchant Guild’s influence would be a piece of cake. Money and equipment would flow in abundantly.

After all, having cooperated with the Creek Merchant Guild for so long, Blackhair’s only asset had been his military strength. But if he could obtain this cluster, everything would change.

Thoughts raced through his mind, yet his dark hair remained expressionless. After giving a indifferent “Mm,” he said nothing more. Blood-Pupil, observing this, immediately understood his meaning and glared fiercely at the young leader.

“Alright, guys, there are no other issues. Let’s drink!” At Blood-Pupil’s urging, the atmosphere at the table became lively once again.

A day on Hellstar lasted 36 hours. When the grayish sun rose in the sky once more, the arena was already packed with people. Even the usually lazy pirates became diligent on such an important occasion. Numerous beautiful girls moved around the stands, bringing whatever the pirates needed.

Unlike yesterday, today’s combat event involved mechs. To avoid boredom, the Death Combat format always combined individuals with mechs.

When Dark Hair took his seat in the spectator area, he saw various models of magic mechs arranged in one corner of the arena. These mechs came in different shapes, but all shared one thing: practicality. Almost all decorations and unnecessary parts were absent from them. Instead, their focus on practicality meant they had undergone numerous modifications. Though not as advanced as the mechs Dark Hair had modified himself, they were still quite rare. Massive gun barrels protruded from their bodies, indicating enhanced firepower. Under such circumstances, Dark Hair doubted the usefulness of the armor on these mechs.

It was then that he spotted a special mech. It was a large mech over five meters tall, an outlier among magic mechs. Its entire body was covered in camouflage paint that constantly changed under the sunlight. Unlike ordinary magic mechs, this one had extremely thick legs, with soles almost as wide as its body thickness. From Dark Hair’s vantage point, he could even clearly see the huge impact modules on its feet.

Impact modules!?

Dark Hair was stunned. After coming to this world for so long, this was the first time he had seen a magic mech equipped with impact modules. Due to the special nature of its engine, it was difficult to install impact modules on magic mechs. Moreover, compared to the agility of magic mechs, the straight-line rushing ability provided by impact modules had always been underestimated. Why did this mech have them?

As a genius mechanic, Dark Hair certainly knew that impact modules could be used for many practical techniques if utilized well. But he couldn’t believe that someone else in this world understood the value of such devices and knew how to use them effectively.

No, these are not the most important things. What matters most is supplying the energy required by the impact modules, a task that ordinary magic engines simply cannot handle. That mech’s massive size is likely due to it being equipped with a more powerful engine. And a more powerful engine naturally entails a more deadly mental pressure. Just by looking at its appearance, even Black Hair isn’t sure he could withstand it.
Who on earth could they be?
As Black Hair pondered, the battles began…
The first battle was between two close-range shooting mechs. Their models were identical, and they both wielded energy machine guns. Such battles relied entirely on the skill of the pilots.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our Death Battles. As you can see, today’s first match is between the Eastern Galaxy Pirates and the Western Galaxy Pirates. I’m sure you’re all very familiar with these two teams. That’s right—they’re the so-called Galactic Twins, two large factions with an excellent relationship, having gone on many hunts together. Surprisingly, even their battle mechs are so similar!”
This was the commentator’s voice. The biggest difference between mech battles and individual fights lies in the presence of this commentator. Excellent commentators often use their passionate voices to ignite the frenzy of the audience, making them more impulsive and willing to bet.
“Well, let’s take a look at where these two so similar mechs come from. Oh, we have news! They’re both former slave miners from Kakaroo Mining Planet, arrested for organizing a rebellion. What’s even more surprising is that these two pilots are brothers!! Oh, God. What a wonderful thing. Gentlemen, I believe we’ll soon witness the most amazing sight in the world—brothers fighting each other… Will you bet? Do you prefer the elder brother or the younger one? But anyway, I guarantee that after this battle, only one of them will be left! Bet now, guys!! We only have this one chance!!”
The commentator’s revelation immediately sparked cheers from the crowd! The excited pirates never expected the fighters to be brothers. Their cruel instincts were stirred, and many rushed to place bets, leaving the bet-takers overwhelmed.
Meanwhile, the two mechs in the arena stood motionless like wooden statues, quietly exchanging messages among themselves.

“Brother, I never expected it to be you. Weren’t you alreadyescape?” A burly man in the mech on the east suddenly broke the silence.
“I wanted to save you, brother. I had no choice. But it’s my fault I’m useless.” Inside the mech on the west was a young boy, his face covered in tears.
“Stop talking. It’s too late for anything now. This is a pirate death duel—tradition demands that one of us must die. Only one of us can leave here.” The brother rudely cut off his younger brother’s words. “We’ll pretend to fight for a while, then I’ll give you an opening. You must kill me if you want to survive.”
“No!! Brother, that’s impossible!!”
“Shut up! Stop crying. Do you think this is a novel? Crying like a woman—how did I teach you? On the battlefield, even if it’s your brother, never show mercy. Kill me, and you’ll become a real man. Didn’t you always want my recognition? This is my test for you!”
“No, brother. I can’t do it. You taught me everything. I can’t!!” The young boy in the mech on the west was sobbing uncontrollably, seemingly insane.
Damn it! The burly man on the east cursed violently, a glint suddenly appearing in his eye.
“Bastard!! Don’t you understand? If you can’t kill me, you’ll die!!”
“Click!” The machine gun was raised, its dark barrel aimed at the cockpit where his brother was. The mech on the east’s action immediately triggered wild screams from those around. The pirates no longer cared about seeing intense fights—they wanted excitement, bloodshed. Especially fratricide, which stirred every nerve in them. Everyone’s eyes turned red as they screamed frantically, throwing anything they could at each other.
On the other side, Hei Fa also suddenly put down his glass.
“Xue Tong, go and drop the challenge card.”
“Huh? Boss, are you going to fight?” Xue Tong was stunned. He certainly knew that the challenge card was a special rule of the death duel. Dropping it meant someone was issuing a death challenge. All fighters in the arena had to stop immediately to confront this challenger. If they won, they could gain freedom; if they lost, they would die together.
It was a cruel and provocative rule—always the favorite spectacle among pirates.

“Hmm, I’ve been sitting for too long; my body’s a bit sluggish. Time to move around a bit.” Standing up, the black-haired man said indifferently. He glanced at the competitors around him who were startled by his voice and snorted in disdain. “At least it’s better than staying in this stinky place.”

“Whoosh!!” Amidst the rain of trash falling all around, a ball glowing red suddenly shot out from the spectator area. After tracing an arc in the air, it landed right between the two mechs, erupting into a burst of intense red light. At the same time, the commentator on the stage also stopped speaking abruptly. Everyone was stunned.

A challenge? Is that so?

“Oh! God, guess what I saw!! Someone’s challenging these two guys!!” The enthusiastic commentator was the first to react, letting out a loud shout. “What luck! What a miracle! Guys, it seems today is our lucky day. Not only can we watch a battle between brothers, but we’ll also get to see some idiotic one-vs-two action. Well then, let’s see who this fool is!”

“Ha!! It’s Mr. Black Hair from the Scavenger. Let’s give a welcome to this idiot!!”

“Clang…” Hearing this news, the leader of the Scavengers, Kim Ri, collapsed back in his chair, his face pale and his lips trembling as he repeated one phrase over and over: “It’s over… It’s over…”