Chapter 40: The So-called Unlimited Rules, Section 6

Leaving the competition area without permission is a very serious offense. It’s equivalent to accusing a contestant of cheating right in front of them. If the investigation confirms it, that contestant will likely never be able to stay in the Moor Empire again.

After all, that’s the culture of the empire. The Moors allow conflicts, even civil unrest, within their country. They permit their subjects to engage in private plundering and let the strong prey on the weak. Yet they place great emphasis on everyone’s sincerity. In the empire’s general view, a defeated commander still has many admirable qualities. But a commander who lies and cheats, no matter how great his military achievements may be, is treated like a rat in the streets—everyone wants to hunt him down.

So, the joint complaint from those nearly a hundred contestants immediately caught the attention of all the spectators. Countless eyes turned toward that saucer-shaped space station from every direction. Everyone wanted to see how the empire would respond to such accusations—or what punishment it would impose on a contestant who left the competition area without permission. Would it be exile, dismissal, or immediate execution?

A response came quickly. But it was completely unexpected by everyone.
Rejected!!
It was actually rejected?!
What did that word mean? It was all too clear. Everyone knew that this official response from the organizers could only mean one thing!!
That the accused protagonist, that mysterious contestant number 336, had not violated any rules. In other words, he was still inside the competition area.

What a joke!
Now, not only the complainants but also some spectators who had been following the search were displeased. After all, fairness and justice were the empire’s proudest qualities. In some aspects, they even made people feel prouder than the empire’s strength. The spectators simply couldn’t understand why the empire’s officials would lie so blatantly.

The search by those hundred contestants had taken place right under the eyes of all the spectators. Countless people had been watching their movements. With the abilities of these contestants, their search network was extremely thorough. Even the best commanders wouldn’t claim they could evade it. If they couldn’t find contestant number 336, then what else could explain it but him having left without permission?

Invisible warships were special, but could they really disappear? What use was their invisibility in front of hundreds of advanced reconnaissance ships? The spectators really couldn’t figure out how contestant number 336 had managed to evade the search. So they could only conclude that the organizers were lying!!

This idea quickly evolved into a widespread sentiment—more voices from the audience demanding official explanations from the conference! Faced with such intense public outrage, even the imperial authorities could no longer hold back. So soon after, the latest explanation was delivered to every audience member. The explanation was simple: just one sentence. “The competition is held at the highest level of the empire, so fraud is absolutely impossible. As for the most important final round, please pay attention to its rules.” Pay attention to the rules. That was the explanation given by the imperial authorities. But in reality, when the audience saw this explanation and tried to study the rules of the final round, they found it consisted of just one sentence as well: “In this final round, as long as you stay within the combat zone, there are no rules.” No rules meant no constraints at all. In other words, once inside the combat zone, all contestants were as if on a real battlefield. As long as they stayed within the zone, even destroying an entire star system would be permitted by the imperial authorities—with no punishment! Upon hearing this, the audience was in an uproar. It wasn’t that they didn’t understand the meaning of the rules, but they simply couldn’t fathom why the rules were suddenly brought up at this moment. What did these “no rules” actually mean? And how had contestant No. 336 used these rules to evade numerous tight searches? No one knew. This mystery remained unsolved until half a month later. By then, the final round was nearing its end. Due to contestant No. 336’s continued concealment, the original hundred opponents who had been hostile to him were forced to shift their attention to other competitors. After all, the competition wasn’t just for them. While focusing on contestant No. 336, they also had to defend against attacks from other participants. Moreover, according to the rules, only one winner could emerge from this competition, leading to inevitable internal competition among them. The desire for competition, coupled with the longing for victory, caused cracks to appear in this already fragile temporary alliance. By the middle of the final round, they had split into several factions and began attacking each other. Soon, the entire star system was in chaos, with giant warships attacking one another everywhere.

A total of 970 contestants. By the end, barely one in ten remained. The cruelty of the competition was once again perfectly demonstrated. Many contestants, who barely clung on until the end, were still captured. Amidst intense gunfire, one giant ship after another was reduced to wreckage. Broken hulls could be seen everywhere in space, some still emitting final flames.

The final round entered its last stage. Less than fifty contestants remained, all of them suffering more or less damage. Even those with the least losses only had half of their fleets left. Watching these damaged fleets navigate fearfully through space, the spectators couldn’t help but reflect on the unpredictability of life. After all, these remaining contestants were once highly renowned. How glorious it was when they commanded their fleets to dominate the universe! Yet now they found themselves in such a plight.

Nevertheless, it must be admitted that none of the remaining contestants were weak. They were all experienced and ruthless individuals. Although their fleets were in tatters, if placed against a newcomer, the spectators would still bet on the former.

After all, fleet command is no child’s play. In this extremely complex star region, anything is possible. And which of these remaining contestants hadn’t defeated countless opponents to get here? Their command skills were likely among the best even in the Moore Empire.

But it seems people have forgotten that there was someone even more formidable before them. He was besieged in the first round but survived through extraordinary means and remained hidden in the shadows. Though that siege left him nearly crippled with insufficient strength, at this critical moment when all contestants’ fleets were damaged, his power suddenly became significant. Perhaps the fierce battles had caused him to be gradually forgotten by everyone. But who could guarantee he wasn’t a rattlesnake accustomed to hiding in the dark, waiting for the right moment to strike?

So, where exactly was he hiding? And how did he evade the joint search by nearly a hundred commanders back then?

Barbarian Star Region, Observation Post 64.

This is one of the many observation posts the Empire has stationed in the barbarian star regions. It covers an area of only a few hundred meters, roughly the size of a mini space station. Yet it is equipped with almost all known scanning systems, serving as the eyes of all observers and fulfilling its role to the fullest. Among the thousands of observation posts the Empire has placed in these regions, it stands out in no way—utterly ordinary. Many fleets of competitors have passed by it without even bothering to take a second look.

But today, this ordinary observation post, which no one would bother to glance at, underwent a strange change. Around its elliptical shape, the once calm space suddenly began to warp. Starlight passing through it was refracted in unusual ways. The distortion of space was so severe and widespread that it spread over several kilometers in just a few dozen seconds. As the distortion intensified, massive figures gradually appeared within it.

They were four brand-new warships, completely smooth with no sharp edges visible. Yet in the silent starry sky, they appeared eerily strange. None of the four warships had their engines turned on, and their exhaust nozzles remained shut, as if they had always been there, lurking for countless years.

On the bridge, the black-haired man had just put down his glass. Half a month of idleness had given him ample time to rest; in fact, he even seemed a bit heavier. His skin was slightly pale due to the lighting inside the ship, but his spirits were exceptionally high. Next to him, the Moorish officer codenamed Fifty-Seven stood at attention. Compared to when he first entered the war zone, his face no longer showed confusion but was filled with confidence.

“Fourteen days, right?” the black-haired man spoke slowly, a faint smile appearing on his gaunt face.

“Hmm. To be precise, it’s fourteen days, twenty hours, fifteen minutes, and thirty-six seconds. During this time, 962 fleets have passed by us. Among them, 304 had stealth-breaking capabilities, yet none of them detected us. At this point, I have to admit that the Empire’s establishment of these observation posts is the biggest flaw of the competition. Especially those packed with scanning devices yet not concealed at all—what a foolish design. Don’t those designers have any brains? Don’t they know that the signals from these scanning devices are strong enough to confuse the detection capabilities of any reconnaissance ship?” the Moorish officer replied coldly, his resolute face showing no emotion.

From initial doubt to current confidence. Both this officer and Blackhair had gone through a long period of concealment. Yet just as the final attack was about to be launched, he felt not a trace of joy.
The Empire’s competitive tournament, the largest event of its kind—such a serious mistake could occur. As a Moorish officer, he simply couldn’t be happy. Even if he had also taken advantage of this flaw, it wouldn’t change anything.
This was still just a competition. If a real war broke out, wouldn’t the enemy be able to lurk right under the Empire’s nose?
“Stop complaining. That’s just an excuse. I’m merely exercising my authority within the bounds of the rules. If they fail because of that, it’s not my fault,” Blackhair said calmly. His smile grew more apparent, and—perhaps the Moorish officer was mistaken—but he felt there was a hint of… ferocity in that smile.