Chapter 17: White Terror, Section 9

Vivid flames pierced the pitch-black starry sky, with countless silver-white fragments scattering everywhere, as if a silver-white flower had suddenly bloomed in the universe. It was utterly mesmerizing. Yet to the pirates, such a beautiful sight was far more terrifying than hell itself!
It was… the chain reaction of a warship!
Everyone knew that warships, as some of the most powerful weapons in the universe, were renowned for their sturdy armor and formidable firepower. But nature is fair—even advanced warships capable of facing hundreds of mechs had their fatal weaknesses. And that was the engine.
If the armor was damaged, one could simply seal off the compartments. But once the engine was destroyed, it meant attacking the warship’s lifeblood. In the worst case, it would cause an immediate chain reaction, threatening the warship’s energy core! And once the energy core exploded, not even God could save it. A terrifying surge of energy would ravage the ship, devouring everything in its path, turning the entire warship into a furnace scorching tens of thousands of degrees in an instant!
No one, no living being, could survive such an environment. Not even the Fire Fish of Hell Planet!
Was their leader, the one who never treated them as slaves, about to disappear like this?
“No!!!”
Angry roars erupted from every pirate’s mouth almost simultaneously. In an instant, all the mechs around them seemed to receive an order. Ignoring the other Droplet Warship that continued to attack, they all turned at once and rushed desperately toward where the black-haired man was.
Perhaps the enemy’s attacks would kill them in the next moment, or perhaps the warship’s explosion would swallow them all. But not a single one of them backed down. In everyone’s mind, there was only one thought: rescue! They had to pull their leader out before the warship exploded, no matter what the cost, even if it meant everyone here dying!
“Boom!!”

Just as the pirates’ mechs finished turning and hadn’t yet launched an attack, the very thing they feared the most finally happened. Right before their eyes, the Droplet Warship where Black Hair was aboard suddenly experienced an even more violent explosion. But unlike before, this explosion originated from within. Soon after, a burst of intense white light appeared at the stern of the ship and rapidly moved toward the bow. Wherever the white light passed, armor shattered and the ship’s hull disintegrated. Flames erupted violently, and visible chunks of the hull began to crumble at an alarming rate!

“It’s a self-destruct! We’re too late!” Baroka, who was at the rear of the battlefield, stared in shock and cried out in horror.

Indeed, it was too late. A ship’s self-destruct was different from ordinary explosions—it was triggered directly from within. By the time you saw it explode, the inside had already turned into a sea of fire. Not to mention that the pirates, even those closest to the warship, were still several kilometers away. Even if they were right beside it, there was nothing they could do. For those inside the ship, a self-destruct meant certain death.

In an instant, almost all of the pirates’ mechs lost their direction, flying around in chaos in the air.

“Damn it! Destroy that warship! Aveng the captain!!!” Baroka roared angrily, barely able to control himself. He couldn’t bear to imagine what would happen if they lost Black Hair. The base they had just established, their beautiful Death Star homeworld, would all turn to ashes. Without Black Hair, the aggressive interstellar fleets would no longer hesitate to attack. It was obvious what would become of them, the pirates.

At the same time, all the warships opened fire! Hundreds of electromagnetic cannons on the Furious Wind once again demonstrated their power. Large-caliber projectiles were split into electromagnetic streams and fired at the Droplet Warship, creating showers of light. With just one strike, a layer of armor was stripped off the warship’s surface, its white coating bursting apart to reveal the crystal-yellow hull beneath. The upper structures of the ship were even more devastated, covered in holes of various sizes.

The pirates, scattered across the starry sky, were furious. Under the cover of fire, they swarmed toward the Droplet Warship from all directions. Each mech seemed to have given up any attempt to dodge, charging forward again and again! With their menacing forms and fierce expressions, they became the epitome of all the pirates.

Under such circumstances, the Droplet Warship also realized something was wrong. Silently, it began to retreat slowly, seemingly intending to flee.

But if, under such absolute circumstances, Baroka could still make it move, then Baroka would no longer be Baroka. This fat man, originally a sand bandit, wasn’t thinking about any losses at all. All he wanted was the wreckage of that warship!
Die rather than live!
“Tell Lan to lead three Spearfishes around to the back. Engage it at all costs. Even if the entire fleet is destroyed, we must not let them enter transit!” Gritting his teeth fiercely, Baroka issued the order.
It was like a hunt. The pirates’ frantic attacks quickly paid off. Without the restraint of Blackhair, they unleashed all their firepower. Hundreds of mechs climbed onto the Dropship’s hull. From a distance, it looked like a giant beast covered in countless ants, rendering the Dropship unable to exert its formidable power. And those mechs that had climbed aboard were no ordinary foes. They used guns, claws, and large scimitars to destroy everything they could. The hard armor plates were torn layer by layer, revealing the light circuits inside. Despite the Dropship’s desperate resistance, it still couldn’t do anything.
Less than ten minutes after Baroka gave the order, another massive sphere of light erupted in the air. Under everyone’s eyes, the Dropship’s energy core was breached, triggering a violent explosion!
“Boom… boom…”
Just like the Dropship with Blackhair on it, this ship’s explosion was equally dazzling. First, a white light flashed from its center, then spread outward in waves. Wherever the white light reached, the ship’s hull collapsed, with debris flying everywhere! The huge ship resembled a whale stranded on the shore; after twisting a few times, it broke into two pieces with a deafening roar.
“Hey! Look, what’s that!!” At that moment, a pirate suddenly cried out in shock. Baroka glanced in that direction and immediately lit up!
“Damn! It’s a life pod!! Guys, we’re lucky. Get it here fast!! Haha!! I bet it’s our captain inside!!”
“Ah!!” Hearing Baroka’s words, the pirates became excited. Ignoring the still-explosing Dropship, they rushed toward the life pod and grabbed it back to the Stormy Wind.
Sure enough, when the life pod was opened, Blackhair’s face appeared before everyone.
“Leader…” The pirates were stunned.

They never could have imagined that the victory in battle didn’t ease their leader’s concerns in the slightest. On the contrary, the dark-haired man’s expression was terrifyingly gloomy, and his icy murderous aura made even their own subordinates shiver with fear. Moreover, there were not just the dark-haired man and the blood-eyed one in this lifeboat. Who was that pale man with only half of his body?

“Prepare the best lifeboat and the finest medical staff for me right away. My brother needs treatment!! Also, tell Baroka to leave a Pike here to search for Sulei and Lily; the rest must return immediately—I mean right now! Do you understand!!” These were the first words the dark-haired man spoke after entering the lifeboat, and they were laced with fierce urgency. Seeing his expression, who would dare make the slightest sound?

The entire fleet sprang into action immediately. Lan’s flagship was left behind to continue the search, while the rest turned around in unison, rushing headlong into the vast starry sky without even cleaning up the battlefield. Their long wakes cut through the air like meteors. Soon, they vanished without a trace.

Contrary to the pirates’ panic, the dark-haired man wasn’t just filled with anger. He sat silently in his chair, his expression shifting unpredictably.

It had indeed been very dangerous just now. If it weren’t for his sudden intuition warning him and his quick action in pulling Monkey out, they would likely now be reduced to debris in space, just like that warship. But as Monkey had said, he had already merged with the warship. Though his reckless actions saved him, they also severely damaged his body.

How could the dark-haired man have known that Monkey’s body had been forcibly implanted into the warship’s control system? In his haste, he had torn Monkey’s body in two. Although he managed to save his upper body, there was no way to retrieve his lower half. Without the warship’s life support system, Monkey’s situation was critical—he was in a deep coma with widespread cell death. If a solution wasn’t found quickly, he wouldn’t survive three days!

Three days… That was only a timeframe possible with the life support system on the Li Feng. But could he really find a way to sustain Monkey’s life in such a short time?

The dark-haired man racked his brain, frantically searching through every resource he had. In the end, he could only sigh helplessly and gaze out at the vast starry sky through the window.

How wonderful it would be if nuclei were around… Now, I guess only the parasitic abilities of their Wanderer race can solve their problems, right?
Moor race!! I will never let you go!!!!