Chapter 31: The Devil’s Gift, Section 8

The peaceful days passed by slowly, as Death Star grew in silence. New mechs were distributed to the combat pilots, and every warrior on Death Star was incredibly excited. Although the new mechs posed new operational requirements, what did that matter to these fanatical warriors? If they couldn’t operate them manually, they would learn; if their skills weren’t sufficient, they would practice. Thus, on Death Star, one could see people training frantically almost everywhere—even while walking, eating, or sleeping, one could hear these warriors muttering operational terms.

Of course, with such enthusiasm for learning, Black Hair couldn’t ignore it. So as soon as he returned to Death Star, he distributed his tactical plans, one copy for each person, along with the operation manuals for the new mechs.

The new tactics no longer emphasized ship-based firepower suppression as before but instead placed great emphasis on the independent role of mechs. According to Black Hair’s requirements, the Blood Wolf warriors had to be able to pilot a mech alone, coordinate with teammates in a chaotic battlefield, and quickly break through defenses. Blood Moon and Sunset were the core of this tactical manual.

How could one use the enhanced components of the new mechs to instantly increase speed?
How could one use subspace capabilities to achieve short-distance teleportation-like jumps?
How could one use the mechs’ holographic systems to create decoy images?

All of these questions found answers in this tactical manual. When Black Hair first quantified these mech operation techniques, all the Blood Wolf pirates were shocked. For the first time, they realized there was so much unknown in the field of mechs they were familiar with, while the new mechs were incredibly powerful.

Of course, this was no longer just a technical disparity. Given the general trend of fleet battles, the mech assault tactics emphasized by Black Hair also became a major highlight. Thanks to the excellent performance of Blood Moon and Sunset, the Blood Wolf pirates could now launch mass stealth attacks at the start of battles. Meanwhile, the fleets that used to be the main force now served as rear bases and cover.

No one knew if this tactic was practical. But during a recent combat drill, Black Hair gave everyone a lesson.

At that time, Black Hair’s fleet consisted of only ten ships, while the simulated enemy had as many as fifty warships. With the same specifications for the ships, this almost meant certain defeat for Black Hair’s fleet in any normal battle scenario. A ratio of one to five in terms of ship numbers put Black Hair’s side at a severe disadvantage from the start. Their ships were almost constantly in a state of evasion, unable to coordinate effective concentrated fire.

But at that moment, Black Hair led 300 Cosmos Sunset mechs away from the ships and instantly activated holographic projections. Around each mech, two identical virtual images appeared.

Undoubtedly, the sudden appearance of these 900 mechs disrupted the simulated enemy’s command structure. While the enemy focused its fire on these mech images, the real mech fleet used subspace short-distance jumps to silently cross the battlefield and appear behind the enemy.

The tide of battle turned. Fifty warships facing 300 mechs led by Black Hair were like sheep falling into the jaws of wolves. Such close proximity also prevented the warships from using their powerful cannons; they could only rely on slow and clumsy evasion maneuvers and basic close-range defensive firepower. At the same time, they deployed their own mechs.

But it was already too late. The Cosmos Sunset mechs, equipped with additional space components, were even more terrifying than demons. As part of the new mech category designed for combat, they were armed not with the usual long swords but with massive two-handed axes. The armor and energy shielding systems of the warships were as fragile as paper in the face of these axes. With each swing, long and deep trenches appeared on the surface of the warships, and the high speed of the Cosmos Sunset mechs caused these trenches to extend endlessly.

After the battle, someone conducted a calculation. Using the current Starfleet’s Spear-class ships as a standard, their maximum resistance time against the close-range destruction of a single Cosmos Sunset mech was only ten minutes—without even accounting for hits to vital areas.

Ten minutes—enough time for a warship to be reduced to debris at the hands of a Cosmos Sunset mech. Such a reality was beyond imagination. Thus, once the results of this simulated confrontation were known, they became top-secret information of Dead Star. Blood Pupil and Baroka issued strict orders to prevent any Blood Wolf member from disclosing them.

Time was passing by at lightning speed, and preparations on Death Star were progressing steadily. Yet the mighty Moth ships that terrified all humanity still hadn’t appeared. As time went on, the star systems that had been invaded before regained their former prosperity. New mining planets were discovered, and people seemed to relax their vigilance. Even the fleets sent to these regions stopped their regular patrols.

How long would this peace last?

No one knew, until one day, a dark shadow suddenly appeared amidst the brilliant light of the stars in the depths of the universe.

Early morning, May 12, Universe Year 7134.

Human territory, the Seventh Star System.

A dark shadow emerged from the brightest starlight in the system and quickly expanded. By the time humans noticed it, it was already too late. Over 300 Moth ships appeared like demons rising from hell, unleashing fierce artillery fire. Their sheer numbers, far exceeding any previous invasion, made them unstoppable. The star system’s defense fleet was instantly reduced to ashes by terrifying energy beams. Within 30 minutes, seven planets were destroyed, with no life left on their surfaces. The Moth race’s massive energy weapons once again proved their horror to the world.

The Seventh Star System wasn’t large, and its supreme ruler was a noble with a glorious family history. But even such a glorious past couldn’t save his life. When the Moth ships finally arrived, like all ordinary people, he could only pray for divine mercy. Then, there was nothing but blue light.

Twelve hours.

That was the last time the Seventh Star System survived. It was also the interval between Marshal Wick receiving two reports. But this time, he didn’t even have the chance to send a fleet for rescue. The number of 300+ ships far exceeded what humanity could imagine. Against such a force, anyone who dared to resist would be crushed to dust.

Marshal Wick wasn’t stupid. Though he had anticipated this day and been preparing accordingly, he never imagined the Moth race would launch an attack on such a scale. After all, the last invasion involved only a couple dozen Moth ships, and it took almost all of humanity’s interstellar fleet to defeat them. But what was before them now was far more than just a couple dozen ships.

With a single Moor giant ship being comparable in strength to a hundred human warships, three hundred of such ships now possess a power that almost surpasses the entire human fleet!! And they are extremely cruel. Judging from their immediate destruction of the Seventh Star Region, this time they are not here to conquer at all!
Fortunately for Marshal Wick, after destroying the Seventh Star Region, this unprecedentedly large Moor fleet did not expand further but instead gathered in the center, assembling at a coordinate not far from a star, as if waiting for something. Soon after, equally massive transport ships emerged through teleportation… These transport ships, like a swarm of worker bees, connected end to end in space, quickly forming a large circle.
“What are they doing!!!” In the headquarters of the interstellar fleet on Taraton Planet, Marshal Wick paced anxiously back and forth, his shriveled old face revealing deep confusion. Beside him, his adjutant Saka stood solemnly. Though his expression remained as calm as ever, his eyes also showed anxiety.
It was too sudden…
Just like last time, the Moors’ invasion was once again sudden and direct. Before any surveillance systems could issue an alert, this massive fleet had already destroyed a star region. But this time, Saka felt utterly powerless.
Three hundred Moor giant ships—what an astonishing number! Saka could hardly imagine any force in this universe that could stand against them. The terrifying presence of those Moor giant ships was like an inescapable nightmare. Their indestructible energy cannons and sturdy armor would make even the bravest warriors tremble.
Had humanity truly reached its doom?
Watching the anxious old marshal quietly, Saka’s face trembled slightly before he finally spoke.
“My lord, our intelligence systems cannot determine their intentions. But perhaps we should contact Mr. Blackhair? Maybe he knows more about these Moors’ plans than we do.”
“Blackhair!?” The old marshal stopped pacing. His shriveled face finally relaxed a bit. “Very well, get me in touch with him. I hope this time it’s not bad news. That young man… sigh…”
The video call was established quickly. Upon seeing the old marshal’s anxious face, Blackhair on the other end was shocked. After listening carefully to the entire situation, this enigmatic young man gave the old marshal just one suggestion.

“Evacuate the people in the surrounding star systems immediately, Marshal Wick. If my assumptions are correct, the Moors have begun their massive invasion. Their current actions…” The black-haired man paused, his voice suddenly filled with bitterness. “They are building a space station.”