Chapter 1 Black Star's Strength

Far away on the battlefield where the Godoran fleet and the DarkStar command fleet were fiercely fighting, Nokap's face flashed with surprise when he learned that Black Star had blocked the assault team and was even gradually annihilating them. His brow furrowed tightly.

"Black Star actually has this kind of power? This doesn't match the intelligence!"

Intelligence is the foundation of formulating tactics. Erroneous intelligence led him to misjudge the enemy's strength, resulting in a huge mistake in his tactical choices. The situation was sliding in an unfavorable direction, and Nokap couldn't maintain a calm expression, his face becoming solemn.

"Black Star is protecting Planet Aquamarine. A small-scale fleet is useless. With the strength he's shown, even if I send the separated assault team back, they'll still suffer heavy losses. My command ship formation is entangled with the Godorans. If I delay any longer, Godora might send reinforcements…"

After a few seconds of thought, Nokap immediately came to the conclusion that this attack had failed!

"Attention all units, do not engage. Retreat immediately!"

Seeing that things couldn't be done, Nokap was unwilling to fight and decisively ordered a retreat.

The DarkStar command fleet stopped fighting and began to retreat into the distance. Because the Godoran fleet used a device that interfered with space, the DarkStar fleet couldn't accelerate into warp mode. Therefore, the fleet was constantly using targeted equipment to dispel the interference effect. The greater the distance, the easier it was to dispel the interference.

This meant that as long as they created a certain distance, the DarkStar fleet could warp away.

Nokap stared expressionlessly at the porthole, the colorful explosion lights of the cosmic battlefield reflected on his face.

This was the first time DarkStar had suffered a loss in an attack operation. Thinking of this, Nokap's eyes turned cold.

If he had known Black Star's strength earlier, he wouldn't have divided his forces to reduce losses. It would have been better to use the entire army to break through Godora's defense line head-on. But there was no "what if" in the world. Since the situation was already set, regret was useless. He could only accept the consequences of his decision-making error. Nokap exhaled and secretly calmed his emotions.

The next time he made a comeback, such a situation would never happen again.

…

The battle in the high skies of Planet Aquamarine had entered a fever pitch. The ships controlled by the Black Star Mercenary Group were now on par with the number of enemy ships, and the scale and firepower were finally evenly matched.

Boom!

An enemy ship was focused on and lost the protection of its shields. It was quickly blown apart, losing half of its hull, and plummeted towards the ground like a fiery meteor, breaking through the clouds and disappearing from sight.

The remaining less than ten DarkStar assault ships received Nokap's retreat order and breathed a sigh of relief. They hurriedly fled toward outer space, chased by the mercenaries who fired wildly at their rear, fleeing in a panic.

This assault team thought the mission was simple, just keep firing in the sky. They didn't expect to be met with a head-on blow from the Black Star Mercenary Group, and they actually couldn't beat them! Although they had the advantage in numbers, the opponent's ship configurations were too advanced. Not only could they evade most of the attacks, but even if they took them head-on, they wouldn't necessarily break the shields of the Blacklight Stealth Ship. They were at an absolute disadvantage in terms of Superpower combat power. Once the opponent boarded the ship, they were basically done for.

The team suffered heavy losses, and they didn't want to stay any longer. They didn't dare to retreat only because of orders. Nokap's retreat order was too timely for them.

"We finally drove the enemy away!"

Seeing the satellite images, the leaders of the six nations and the shelters were overjoyed. The enemy came menacingly, and the garbage Godoran golden-skinned monster had abandoned them again. Everyone thought they were done for this time. Fortunately, Black Star stood up and drove away the invading enemy. The territories of all parties only suffered minor damage, and the situation was still good.

This was a much better result than the people of Planet Aquamarine had expected.

At this moment, Han Xiao, covered in smoke stains, finally returned to the Blacklight Stealth Ship. Jin Dai turned her head and was about to gloat when Han Xiao grabbed her shoulder from the driver's seat, lifted her up, and threw her onto Sylvia.

"Ouch!" Jin Dai and Sylvia fell into a heap and rolled to the side.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch—" Sylvia covered her forehead, hissing with cold air. She had been hit on the forehead by Jin Dai's combat uniform.

Jin Dai rubbed her butt, and a faint anger appeared on her gorgeous face. She shouted, "Hey, why did you throw me! I'm a girl, be gentle, you scumbag!"

Han Xiao was too lazy to pay attention to her. He put away his mechanical suit, sat in the driver's seat, rubbed his wrist, and said in a deep voice, "The battle isn't over yet. The enemy's command ship is entangled by Godora. With the Blacklight Stealth Ship's speed, we can quickly reach the battlefield. This is a good opportunity to strike the enemy. Tell the others to stay on Planet Aquamarine and not move. I'll be right back."

Melos had just returned to the Blacklight Stealth Ship. As soon as he entered, he heard these words and turned around and jumped out of the hatch without hesitation.

He was kidding. He didn't want to sit in a spaceship driven by Black Star!

"You want to intervene?!" Jin Dai was shocked. "We've already stopped the enemy. There's no need to participate in a head-on battle."

Han Xiao shook his head. "Simply destroying some assault ships doesn't even count as a loss for DarkStar. The enemy commander is the key. Since they attacked us, it's best to bite them back hard."

His target was the command ship, not the fleeing assault ships. As the old saying goes, don't chase impoverished enemies—well, that's how Han the Mechanic understood it.

So, if you're going to do it, do the leader!

Because he had revealed his strength, DarkStar would update its intelligence. Next time, the enemy would definitely make arrangements targeting this point. The enemy would no longer have intelligence errors—unless he quietly harvested another wave of players. So it was best to take advantage of the present to expand the results. Destroying a command ship was also a requirement of many missions in the Godora Alliance.

Han Xiao drove the Blacklight Stealth Ship out of the atmosphere, locked onto the coordinates of the main battlefield, which was some distance away.

According to feedback from Godora, the enemy seemed to be retreating. However, the Blacklight Stealth Ship had extremely strong maneuverability and could complete the acceleration before warp in microseconds, arriving almost instantly. He would definitely make it in time.

The next moment, the Blacklight Stealth Ship suddenly turned into a streak of light and disappeared into the dark universe.

…

The streak of light stopped not far from the battlefield. Any further and it would be in the area of space disruption. The chaotic battlefield was vividly displayed before his eyes. Ion cannon beams were dense, various radiation weapons emitted colorful or invisible rays, and powerful tracking missiles exploded into huge balls of fire. Plasma cannons melted through shields and spaceship armor.

"It's quite a fierce fight…" Han Xiao glanced at the radar, raising an eyebrow. "DarkStar is indeed retreating. The biggest one in the middle is the command ship."

Locking onto the target, Han Xiao measured the distance. He had to go deep into the battlefield to get the enemy command ship within the range of his data transmitter. Moreover, the command ship's intelligent defense was even stronger.

"Nagokin, I've taken care of my side. Where are you?"

Connecting to the communication, Nagokin was in his spaceship, being heavily targeted by the DarkStar fleet. Facing the overwhelming attacks, he barely dodged and was temporarily unable to approach the enemy ship.

"Black Star? You've arrived on the battlefield?!"

Han Xiao nodded. "Long story short, I can hack into the enemy ship's intelligence. I'm preparing to attack the enemy's command ship. If you can get close, I can paralyze the command ship and the nearest few escort ships, creating a momentary opportunity for you to rush onto the enemy's command ship."

Hearing this, Nagokin's face lit up. "Alright! Let's do it!"

At the same time, Batette's voice rang out in the communication channel, saying in a deep voice, "We can give it a try. My fleet will do its best to restrain the enemy's firepower and allow Commander Nagokin to approach the enemy's command ship."

Batette judged the situation and knew that he couldn't keep the DarkStar fleet. Black Star's arrival at this time, and his knowledge of the situation on Planet Aquamarine, made him trust Han Xiao's abilities.

Although he didn't care much about Planet Aquamarine, he wouldn't underestimate Black Star under the Dragon Emperor's banner, at least not to the point of doubting Han Xiao's abilities.

A powerful mercenary who could make a name for himself in the Shattered Star Ring in just a few years was not to be underestimated, and must possess the strength to match his reputation.

Jin Dai's face changed. "We're going to rush into the battlefield?! The risk is too high. There are stray bullets everywhere. Even I don't have the confidence to dodge all the attacks. This is just a small spaceship. As long as there's one mistake, we'll be in danger!"

"Hmph, my driving skills have been tempered a thousand times. I never make mistakes."

Han Xiao moved his wrist and suddenly increased his speed, saying with a dark smile, "Hold on tight."

The Blacklight Stealth Ship suddenly accelerated, cutting into the battlefield, traversing the various attacks flying all over the sky, rolling, stopping suddenly, diving, and spinning. The maneuvers were endless, like a nimble black bird, freely traversing between the crisscrossing branches, easily passing through the gaps in the various beams of light.

The view outside the porthole was dizzying. Jin Dai hurriedly strapped herself to the seat. At first, she was afraid that Han Xiao would make a mistake, so she stared intently for a while. The veins on her forehead began to throb, as if the fluid in her brain was also spinning. Her face gradually turned pale, and a feeling of nausea brewed in her chest.

"Slow, slow down, I can't see clearly!" Jin Dai said uncomfortably. She didn't expect Han Xiao's ship-handling skills to be far above her own. This skill would allow him to serve as an ace pilot in any faction!

"Hey, it's not like you're driving the spaceship, what's the use of you seeing clearly?" Han Xiao tsked.

Jin Dai turned her head and took a look, her eyes suddenly widening. She saw Han Xiao using several nerve-controlled small mechanical hands to drive the spaceship, while he himself was performing a virtual intrusion, inputting data with his hands crackling, multitasking.

Sylvia was so scared that her lips turned white. "T-Teacher, please don't drive dangerously!"

"Don't be noisy, I'm busy, don't distract me."

As the Blacklight Stealth Ship entered the battlefield, the DarkStar fleet discovered it. Nokap glanced at the screen, his face slightly changing.

"That's Black Star's ride. Why is he here!"

Suddenly, Nokap thought of the situation reported by the assault team, his eyes widening. "Not good, he's here for revenge. Everyone listen up, don't let that black spaceship get close to the command ship!"

Nokap didn't dare to underestimate Black Star's virtual technology. If he entered the range of the opponent's data transmitter, the command ship would probably be hacked, which would be dangerous.

The DarkStar fleet changed its focus of fire, and the Blacklight Stealth Ship was suddenly subjected to greater pressure. The formation also changed. The Bloodshed Gower command ship no longer stayed in the middle, but flew to the front of the formation, as far away from Han Xiao as possible.

Han Xiao frowned. "Looks like they've noticed. They don't want me to get close."

Just then, Batette's fleet began to counterattack fiercely, desperately suppressing the DarkStar fleet, and constantly tearing apart the tail of the DarkStar fleet, creating gaps for the Blacklight Stealth Ship.

Han Xiao's eyes lit up, and he immediately accelerated, rushing into the DarkStar formation along the gap, extremely flexible. With his driving skills, he was like a fish in water even in the face of concentrated fire.

The Blacklight Stealth Ship was a stealth ship manufactured using technology from the Starlight Federation, and its speed completely crushed the technology of Godora and DarkStar. Han Xiao felt that the only pity was that the Blacklight Stealth Ship was not equipped with the Starlight Federation's conventional shipboard weapons. Otherwise, a burst of psionic particle cannons would be enough to penetrate the shields and hulls of a dozen DarkStar warships, and it wouldn't be so troublesome.

The power of ion cannons also varied, depending on the technology, energy source, and caliber used. The shipboard ion cannons used by Godora and DarkStar were common models in the universe.

At the same time, an ear-piercing alarm sounded on the Bloodshed Gower.

"Alarm! Spaceship is under attack! Please take immediate action! Repeat, alarm! The #$%..."

The spaceship's intelligent reminder suddenly turned into static. Nokap's expression changed drastically.

"Crap!"

Buzz——

Suddenly, almost all the lights went out. The Bloodshed Gower's engine suddenly stalled, and its speed plummeted. In an instant, it was overtaken by the DarkStar warships behind it and fell to the end of the line. Communication was also directly cut off.

Managing an entire spaceship relied too much on intelligence. As long as the intelligence was paralyzed, the spaceship would basically be paralyzed as well. If manual operation was used, the reaction speed would be far lower than intelligent control.

As long as there was room for a Virtual Mechanic to perform, he would be a great weapon on the interstellar battlefield!

Bang! Bang! Bang!!

Suddenly, a series of loud noises faintly transmitted to the command room through the layers of bulkheads, as if something had crashed into the ship's hull. However, with the intelligent system paralyzed, there was no way to know what was happening.

But just guessing, the DarkStar members on board knew what had happened, and their faces were immediately filled with tension and despair.

"I-It's Nagokin…"

Nokap's fingers trembled, and he finally panicked.