Chapter 55: The Burning Starry Sky, Section 7

“Death Chain?”
Blood-Pupils widened his eyes and repeated the term spoken by the black-haired man and the monkey, utterly confused.
What did that mean? A skill? Or a weapon?
“Neither. If we had to describe it, it would be a method,” the black-haired man replied calmly, though a shadow covered his brows.
“It involves secretly planting seeds in the opponent’s machinery without their knowledge, then controlling it remotely. We call it Death Chain. Though the name sounds nice, it’s actually despicable. Most of the targets for these seeds are our own people. Neither I nor the monkey like such tactics.”
“However, among those we knew in the past, there was one who enjoyed using this method. He was most famous for his mastery of Death Chain. The Death Chains he created could only be detected by the manufacturers of those machines if he chose to reveal them. But he had a habit of controlling only two puppets at a time,” the monkey added slowly after the black-haired man paused.
“The giant ships that exploded outside just now were in pairs,” Blood-Pupils said, his eyes lighting up as if he understood what the black-haired man and the monkey meant. “So that means…”
“It’s very likely to be Grizzly. Our former companion,” the black-haired man and the monkey replied simultaneously.
“What should we do? Since you’re familiar with Death Chain, do you have a solution?” Blood-Pupils wasn’t concerned about their past, though slightly surprised. He was more worried about their current predicament.
The battle outside was fierce, with people dying every moment. Perhaps the Blood Wolf Warriors still held a decisive advantage. But as more Moor giant ships exploded, their losses would increase. Each Blood Wolf Warrior was the most precious asset of Death Star, and Blood-Pupils didn’t want to see them die one by one.
Unfortunately, he might be disappointed this time.
The most unethical and helpless aspect of Death Chain was that its targets were often allies. It used allies’ machinery and lives to achieve its own goals. So even though the black-haired man and the monkey understood the enemy’s tactics, they were powerless to help. They couldn’t climb onto the enemy’s ships to search for those seeds. And if the enemy commander was indeed Grizzly, the black-haired man and the monkey weren’t sure either.

One must know that Grizzly Bear was once famous for his Death Chain tactic. He sows the seeds, and even if they’re still at war now, it’s likely impossible to find them—even if they brought Moors’ giant ships to the factories to dismantle them. The atmosphere in the cabin suddenly grew silent. Blackhair frowned deeply as he and Monkey racked their brains. Everyone else’s gaze was fixed on the two of them. After five full minutes, with reports of a hundred enemy warships destroyed coming in from outside, they finally raised their heads.

“Maybe we can target their psychology? Although Death Chain is powerful, the crew of the Moors fleet isn’t willing to die. If they find out that seeds have been sown in them, they might even evacuate immediately. At the very least, it will cause extreme chaos and internal suspicion,” Monkey said thoughtfully, tentatively. But as soon as he spoke, Blackhair dismissed it.

“No,” Blackhair shook his head, his expression calm. “We’ve all been to the Moor Empire and know how much they value military achievements and their discipline. Deserting before battle is the greatest crime. Moreover, this fleet was assembled by the Moor Emperor himself, so desertion is out of the question. As for chaos, while it might make Snake Fang’s attacks easier, it would also make Death Chain more effective. All he needs are materials—once he has those, he can create countless self-destructing ships.”

“Indeed…” Bloodpupil nodded, his frown deepening. It seemed they were truly cornered. Did the Moor Emperor hate them so much that he was willing to sacrifice nearly ten thousand of his giant ships and all their crew just to erase the Blood Wolves from the universe?

Just as Bloodpupil looked worried, Blackhair spoke again. This time, he brought hope to everyone.

“It’s difficult to target psychology. But if it’s Grizzly Bear, I’m not entirely helpless. It’s just more complicated and will take some time.”

“What method?” Bloodpupil and Monkey’s eyes lit up as they looked at Blackhair in surprise.

“Cut off his signal,” Blackhair said confidently. “Death Chain requires a remote control to operate. If we can cut off his signal, the chain can’t be activated. Even if he’s sown all the seeds, it won’t work.”

“Sigh… Boss, isn’t that the same as saying nothing?” Monkey sighed helplessly. “If we could cut off the signal, we wouldn’t have to worry so much. Who knows what frequency he’s using? Cracking that would be almost as hard as cracking the Central Bank’s password lock. We simply don’t have that time.”

“I know.” Black Hair glanced out the window. Seeing the intense battle, he nodded calmly. “It certainly won’t work under normal circumstances, but if it’s the Grizzly…”
“I happen to know the frequencies he’s used before. A person’s personality isn’t something that changes easily.”
With that, ignoring the expressions of the Monkey and Blood-Pupiled One, Black Hair tapped on the armrest of the reclining chair. A keyboard and screen made entirely of light screens immediately appeared before everyone. Black Hair began typing rapidly.
“There are many frequencies. I need some time to input them so the warriors can hold on a bit longer. Use guerrilla tactics.”
“Understood,” Blood-Pupiled One agreed eagerly and issued orders right away.
Immediately, the situation on the battlefield changed. The Serpent Tooth mechs, which had been in the upper hand, suddenly stopped their relentless attacks and adopted a high-speed guerrilla tactic. Their massive frames moved like agile butterflies, weaving through the Moor fleet’s vast formation. Their huge combat weapons drew bright arcs as they moved at high speed, but they always struck and vanished instantly, never staying in one place.
As a result, the pressure on the Moor fleet dropped sharply. It was no longer as chaotic as at the beginning. But at the same time, due to the Serpent Tooth mechs’ guerrilla tactics, their attacks became more difficult. The Blood Wolf warriors were seasoned veterans who had fought countless battles. The routes they chose in guerrilla combat were even more cunning than those of old foxes—always targeting the undersides of Moor warships. When the Moor warships tried to attack them, they often ended up hitting their own allies.
Meanwhile, in the flying fortresses behind them, the Grizzly also noticed this clearly. A faint smile appeared on his stern face.
“Hmph, quite good warriors. Fast reactions. But do you really think you can dodge my Death Chain like that? It’s a bit too naive, isn’t it? Black Hair, you haven’t forgotten my tactics, have you?”
As he spoke, his fingers flicked rapidly across the remote control. The situation on the battlefield changed again!
Amidst the energy beams flying everywhere, a Serpent Tooth mech circled at high speed like a flying swallow. After dodging several energy blasts with a few graceful sidesteps, it accelerated briefly to avoid a powerful main cannon attack. To the astonishment of the Moor crew, it darted beneath the belly of one of their giant warships. But before it could emerge again, suddenly…
“Boom!” With a loud explosion, the Moor giant ship it had just entered exploded. The shattered hull and raging flames engulfed it instantly, destroying it completely without even a signal being sent out.

“Damn it!” Blood Pupil, who was on Li Feng’s back, also saw this scene and couldn’t help but curse. He recognized that warrior—he was considered a pretty good technician among the Blood Wolves. In battles, he was even more fierce. With his skills and tactics, he should have been promoted to captain this year. Who would have thought he’d lose his life here?

Turning his head abruptly, Blood Pupil’s eyes turned red as he stared at Black Hair. “Boss, how much longer? Our losses are too heavy. If this continues, we might end up losing all our elites here!”

Black Hair didn’t reply, but the tapping sound grew even more intense. His hands moved across the keyboard so fast it was impossible to count—the movements became nothing but shadows. After another two minutes, he suddenly stopped and let out a long sigh.

“It’s done. I’ve modified Li Feng’s interference system, boosting its strength and range. If my estimates are correct, it now covers a radius of seven thousand kilometers. That’s enough.”

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Blood Pupil was overjoyed and rushed to say.

As soon as he spoke, the situation on the battlefield changed again. Snake Fang, which had just switched to guerrilla tactics, revealed its vicious claws once more. The cold light from its twin great swords sliced through the starry sky like lightning. Amidst the roaring sounds, more than three hundred Moor giant ships became victims of their swords. This sudden shift left the Moor fleet, which had been somewhat pleased earlier, completely unprepared. Their formation became chaotic once again.

By now, there was little suspense left in the battle. Although their losses weren’t high compared to the Moor fleet’s massive numbers, ships simply couldn’t compare to mechs. Once the agile Snake Fang got close, ships had no chance to resist. This created a one-sided oppression. Anyone with eyes could see that the Moor fleet’s situation was dire.

Of course, this included Gray Bear inside the flying castle in the rear. For him, this fleet wasn’t meant for combat but as material—material to create a chain of death.

In the silent hall, Gray Bear glanced disdainfully at the battlefield with a cold smirk.

“A dying struggle? Fine. That way, you won’t regret dying, right? I don’t like tasteless prey. You delight me.”

With that, Gray Bear fiddled with the remote control in his hand. But this time, he was disappointed.

The battlefield outside remained chaotic—none of the Moor giant ships had self-destructed.

“What’s going on?” In an instant, Gray Bear’s expression finally changed.