Chapter 14: Mechanical Civilization, Section 2

It Still Exists!!
There was no doubt—that planet still existed!!
Just ten minutes later, Baroka’s astonished voice rang out.
“Captain! We’ve found it. We’re determining its coordinates. Oh, damn, how is it there!!”
“How?” Darkhair felt an ominous premonition arise in his heart.
Soon, his premonition was confirmed.
On the main screen of the Wind of Fury, the location of that planet was displayed—less than 10,000 kilometers away from the neutron star!!
God, everyone on the ship took a deep breath in shock.
Just 10,000 kilometers—even a fool would know what that meant. Given the neutron star’s immense gravitational pull, such a distance was practically the same as being right next to it. Though it was unclear how that asteroid could remain in such close proximity to the neutron star, it was undeniable that the fleet could never approach it! If they tried, they would be firmly trapped by the neutron star’s gravity, with no chance of escape!!
Something right in front of them, yet utterly unattainable. For pirates with such strong desires for possession, this was nothing short of torture!!
“Boss, there’s nothing we can do. Our Salmon-class ships simply don’t have the capability to escape the neutron star’s gravitational field. As proven by Baroka’s actions last time, the Wind of Fury is the same. With the asteroid so close to the neutron star, it seems we have no hope.” Bloodpupil shook his head, sighing regretfully.
Behind him, Sulei and Lily expressed the same sentiment.
But Darkhair remained silent. He sat there quietly, his mind racing. Gradually, he even closed his eyes. His fingers tapped slowly and rhythmically on the armrest of his seat, creating a strange melody.
The entire cabin fell dead silent. Everyone stared at their leader, not daring to breathe, knowing that whenever Darkhair wore that expression, it meant he was deep in thought. No one wanted to disturb him at such a time.
The atmosphere in the cabin grew increasingly oppressive, slowly becoming suffocating.
“Sulei, how much energy do we still have?” With his eyes closed, Darkhair suddenly asked.

“119%, Mr. Blackhair. As you requested, the warship’s energy level remains at around 120%. However, I must warn you that due to prolonged use of the auxiliary energy compartment, the warship’s power reserve has become unstable, with an energy fluctuation coefficient above 1.24. The safety of the auxiliary energy compartment cannot be guaranteed. If this continues, we might disintegrate from within.” Sulei replied quickly, then gave Lily a provocative look, her eyes filled with triumph. But all she got in return was an indifferent smile.

“I understand. You don’t need to worry about the fluctuations. Just follow the orders.” Blackhair nodded. Suddenly standing up, he walked to the control panel and tapped it a few times. The main screen instantly refreshed, showing an internal structure diagram of a giant warship.

It was the structure of Li Feng!!

“12% of the energy is needed to activate the ion shield. 80% is required to increase engine power. There’s no problem with the energy supply. But what about the armor? It seems Li Feng’s composite armor won’t be able to withstand such extreme gravity…” Blackhair murmured, staring at the large structure diagram on the screen.

Unlike last time, Blackhair had to get close to a neutron star this time. This would bring about many unforeseen problems. Gravity was just one of them.

After all, gravity doesn’t only act on visible matter. For example, according to Einstein’s general theory of relativity in 1908, various effects of gravity on time were proposed. It clearly states that gravity slows down time. With Earth’s normal gravity, clocks can slow down by one microsecond every 300 years. Calculating from this, the gravity on a neutron star would cause an even more drastic effect—basically, seven years there would equal ten years on Earth.

In addition, a neutron star’s magnetic field is also a deadly threat to warships. With a terrifying magnetic field of over 10 to the 12th gauss, even atoms are compressed and stretched. If a warship enters such an area, all its instruments are likely to fail.

Fortunately… well, fortunately, this mission is still some distance away from the neutron star. Although it’s only 10,000 kilometers, this is precisely what Blackhair has been focusing on.

10,000 kilometers—even if all the negative effects exist within Li Feng, as long as they act fast enough, they can escape before destruction. All he needs to do now is ensure that Li Feng has enough power to escape the neutron star’s gravitational field.

Of course, this is also a difficult problem to solve. With the extremely terrifying gravity of a neutron star, even a powerful heavy assault ship like the Li Feng has no chance of escaping. So, Kurokami came up with a very bold plan.

First, he calculated an angle that would allow them to enter the neutron star’s outer gravitational field from the side, without stopping along the way, using the accelerating orbit to reduce the impact of gravity. Then, at the moment of approaching the asteroid, a specially modified large armor-piercing missile capable of carrying an mecha inside would be launched from the Li Feng to penetrate the asteroid’s surface. The difficulty of this plan lay in the precision of the calculations. Kurokami had to ensure that during the assault, the asteroid remained on the inclined orbital path predetermined by the Li Feng.

It was a bold and insane plan. Almost as soon as Kurokami proposed it, it was met with opposition from all the crew members. Everyone, including Ketsumi, was shocked by the madness of the plan.

“God, this is pure suicide!!” Not to mention whether the Li Feng could complete this mission of entering and escaping, the very idea of piloting a mecha inside a giant missile seemed unimaginable to everyone. At such terrifying speeds, the missile itself would act like a giant centrifuge, creating extreme g-forces beyond human imagination. Not to mention a human—even an iron block might be crushed. Moreover, even if the plan succeeded, those who entered the asteroid would have no chance of receiving any support from the fleet, let alone returning.

It could be said to be a truly one-way mission, with a sense of determination and desperation permeating every aspect of the plan. And the only person capable of carrying it out was undoubtedly Kurokami.

“Captain, we can’t do this!!!” Ketsumi’s voice was hoarse, her face contorted in distress. “There’s no chance of success!! You’re just sending us to our deaths!!!”

“Yes, Captain!! Abandon this plan!!” The pirates on board echoed his words.

“No need for more talk. Ketsumi, go tell that so-called genius mechanic Jack from the Scavenger—he’s already gotten the salary he wanted. My only request from him now is to create the best missile possible. One with an empty interior warhead and reinforced with the strongest composite armor!!” Kurokami snapped his head sharply and declared decisively.

“…………I… understand… Boss.” Blood-Pupils was immediately frightened by Black-Hair’s tone, casting a hesitant glance at him, hesitating to speak, before finally turning away sharply.
“The others, get ready for the assault. Sulei, send a message to Hong and Lan. Have them lead the other Pike warships to keep watch in the vicinity. I don’t want any interruptions during the execution of the plan. Tell them they have full authority when necessary, at any cost, to ensure peace here.”
“At any cost?” Sulei repeated mechanically, her expression blank.
“That’s right, at any cost,” Black-Hair replied firmly, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.
Hong and Lan were the two brothers who had expressed their willingness to follow him during the Death Duel. When the Blood Wolf Team was formed, they were also brought in. Now they served as squad leaders on two other Pike warships, their status far higher than before. Black-Hair had granted them such great honor; it was time for them to contribute.
At Black-Hair’s command, the entire fleet immediately took action. The eight Pike warships turned around and dispersed into the depths of space, out of sight. Meanwhile, Underwind gradually adjusted its position and orientation based on Black-Hair’s calculations. Commands echoed throughout the warship, and everyone was enveloped in an atmosphere of extreme tension—their faces twisted, large drops of sweat streaming down their cheeks, though none of them seemed to notice.
“Position adjustments complete: 7512, 346, 9872, 4562. Energy mode transition starting.”
“All weapon energies shut down; switching to engine power systems. Connection complete.”
“First layer of armor inspection complete. Second layer inspection complete. Third layer of armor ready to rise. External ion shield activated. Internal pressure valves activated. Done.”
“Reactor pressure building up. Energy input adjusted to full speed mode. External auxiliary nozzles deployed. Done.”
“Large anti-armor missiles ready. Boss, you can set off now.” Blood-Pupils entered the cabin, her expression complex as she faced Black-Hair’s back.
“Understood,” Black-Hair nodded, typing on the control panel without looking back. “Let me finish the last procedure first.”
“What is it?” Looking at the warship structure diagram on the main screen, everyone’s eyes widened.
They saw that as Black-Hair’s fingers moved, countless streams of data flashed across one side of the screen, followed by the massive hull of Underwind undergoing slow but definite deformation!!

That’s right—it’s transforming. The flaps on both sides of the warship are slowly retracted, the bridge is descending and retracting, and the tail fins are rotating together. As green indicator lights one after another turn on, the entire warship completely changes its shape. There are no protrusions left on its surface, and with its smooth armored hull, it now looks… like a cannonball!!! Could this be the true form of Li Feng??? Almost no one could believe their eyes. Especially Baroque, who had once piloted Li Feng on solo missions, never imagined this powerful warship could have such a function. Watching the sleek yet striking appearance on the screen, he couldn’t help but let out a low groan. “Done!!” With the last button pressed, Hei Fa looked satisfied at the giant “cannonball” on the screen and nodded. “Once it enters attack mode, don’t worry about my safety. Just follow the plan. Leave everything else to me. After the attack, Xue Tong, you’ll be in charge of commanding Li Feng. Stay in the area for a week. Whatever approaches during that time—destroy it without mercy!! Understood?” “Understood, boss!!” Xue Tong immediately puffed out his chest and replied loudly. After witnessing Li Feng’s sudden transformation, for some reason, he suddenly regained confidence in Hei Fa. Hei Fa himself was like a mystery, always managing to surprise him. He really had no reason not to trust the person he had chosen. “OK, we can proceed.” Hei Fa patted Xue Tong’s shoulder and left the cabin. “Click!!” The cabin door closed. At this moment, the camera pulled back to show the external space. From here, one could clearly see Li Feng’s charging posture. It paused briefly, then, like an explosion, ejected a large number of particle clusters from its tail. The powerful jet force caused these particle clusters to undergo strange compression—they didn’t spread immediately but instead condensed rapidly. After forming a huge, over 300 meters wide blood-red energy mass, it finally exploded. In almost an instant, Li Feng disappeared from its original location and quickly set off along its predetermined trajectory.

Everyone inside the warship was violently pressed against their seats by the sudden increase in speed. Even though Li Feng had activated all the protective systems, they still felt as though they were being crushed. Bright red blood streamed from their nostrils, leaving two shocking red streaks on their faces. Yet none of them seemed to feel the pain; their eyes were fixed on Li Feng’s main screen.

There, two small points of light were approaching at great speed.

Faster, even faster!! All the pirates shouted in their minds. They knew that only sufficient speed could free them from the neutron star’s nearly absolute gravity. At this moment, they forgot about time and their own existence. All they could think about were those two points of light.

Finally, with a deafening roar from inside Li Feng’s ship, a third point of light appeared on the main screen!! A missile… had been launched…