Chapter Ten: An Unexpected Harvest (Revised)

In the silent vastness of space, a sudden surge of energy rippled, and a colossal starship materialized out of nowhere.

“Jump complete. Correcting course.”

“Military officer, tell me where we are.”

“Location report: Fengta Star System, Zosel Stellar System.”

Liu Shaoyu drew in a sharp breath. This was deep within the territory of the Bugs. The location report had startled him, but the realization also sparked a faint excitement. Why? It wasn’t because he’d lost his mind—it was because this was the Bugs’ rear stronghold. That meant plenty of Bugs to fight. But soon, Liu Shaoyu forced himself to calm down. Here, there were no supply fleets, no reinforcements—he was utterly on his own. He could jump away immediately, but then he’d never find that fleeing pirate again.

“First Officer, send the coordinates to the flagship. Deploy the drone scouts. Find them. Raise the electronic jamming shield,” Liu Shaoyu ordered crisply.

Operating behind enemy lines was a game of caution. One wrong move, and the Bugs would discover them, swarming in overwhelming numbers.

The unique structure of the Fengta Bugs meant they emitted a faint oscillating frequency. When enough of them were gathered, the interference severely disrupted starship jumps. In the universe, the only species more numerous than humans were the Bugs—swarms beyond counting. Just the thought made Liu Shaoyu’s skin crawl. He had no intention of dying in the Bugs’ home territory before even completing his mission—he doubted there’d even be a body left to recover.

“Why would pirates come all the way to the Bugs’ home?” The sudden turn of events left Liu Shaoyu perplexed. Owing to intrinsic differences, humanoid species and Bugs had never known harmony. It was baffling that so many pirates, most of them humanoid, would take refuge here. But he had no time to dwell on it.

“Drone report: pirate starship location locked. Should we pursue?” Taotao’s voice interrupted Liu Shaoyu’s thoughts.

“Activate stealth mode. Advance at constant speed. Keep the drones on them. We’ll follow and see where they go.”

At the same time as Taotao’s report, Liu Shaoyu received a reply from the flagship. The large-scale spatial fluctuations from their jump would inevitably alert the Fengta Bugs. Although the Zosel Stellar System was on the fringe of Fengta territory, a fleet jump would still draw a major Bug force. The order was to shadow the pirates, find their hideout if possible, but destruction was not required. If anything unexpected occurred, abort and jump out immediately.

In other words: “Kid, we’re too far to help. You’re on your own. Figure it out yourself.”

For his first mission to turn out like this, Liu Shaoyu didn’t know whether to laugh or curse. Such luck—it was as if he ought to buy a galactic lottery ticket. Now, all he could do was pray not to run into any Bugs. He didn’t mind a close encounter with them, but certainly not while carrying out a mission. Besides, nobody likes to take on a swarm alone.

Perhaps his luck was truly “exceptional”—he actually ran into a Bug patrol.

“Damn it!” Liu Shaoyu couldn’t help but curse aloud. This was luck beyond belief.

“Shut down engines. Have the drones find concealment in the asteroid belt.”

Thanks to the stealth screen, nothing in this patch of space betrayed the presence of his ship, the Young Dragon. But the starship’s own signals could still attract the Bugs.

This was a standard patrol: a unit composed entirely of soldier Bugs, the perfect drones—fearless, innumerable, and needing no weapons officer. Their unique brain structure allowed them to be directly controlled by their Queen.

“Don’t attack. Where there are soldier Bugs, there’s bound to be a Queen nearby.” This was basic military knowledge.

With these Bugs, if you attacked the small ones, the big ones would come; hit the big ones, and the whole family would show up.

Only when the Bug patrol fleet drifted leisurely behind the planet did the Young Dragon reignite its engines.

Liu Shaoyu finally exhaled in relief. A starship wasn’t just eleven officers on the bridge; thousands of departments and tens of thousands of clone soldiers kept her running. One captain bore responsibility for tens of thousands of souls—that was the true burden.

“Captain, report: Drones detect the pirate starship has cloaked and vanished.”

“Follow them.”

Outside a dusty yellow planet, a black starship suddenly disappeared. The disturbance faded into the cosmos as if it had never existed.

“Collect spatial samples. Compare the data.”

What’s this?

The returned data revealed a massive anomalous spatial fluctuation around the planet—clear evidence of something unusual. This could very well be the pirates’ headquarters.

Liu Shaoyu’s mind raced. It wasn’t his style to walk away from an enemy stronghold, but to attack? The enemy could probably obliterate them with a single orbital cannon.

Suddenly, Liu Shaoyu thought of his “old friends”—the Bugs.

Whatever the reason, while the pirates could hide their headquarters here, one thing was certain: the Bugs would never tolerate such trespassers in their own backyard.

But what would he do after luring the Bugs here? That required careful planning.

After about five minutes, Liu Shaoyu had a rough plan in mind—though it sounded rather risky.

“First Officer, as captain of the Young Dragon, I hereby authorize you to assume temporary command of the ship.” Liu Shaoyu abruptly broke his silence.

“Huh? Captain, what?” Li Tao was clearly caught off guard.

“I have a plan, but you need to withdraw first. Once you’re clear, jump to a safe distance and report to fleet command. Leave the mecha and the Iron Rider combat ship for me.”

“Captain, aren’t you coming with us?” This time it was Monkey who spoke.

“If I leave, our coming here will have been for nothing. Enough questions—carry out your orders! We’ll talk when you get back.”

Liu Shaoyu waved Taotao over to take command.

“No way. We can’t leave you alone. If you die, no one will even bury you. I’ll stay with you,” said Luo Ping, the Central Asian sniper who’d infamously knocked a newt particle blade askew in a mech duel.

Luo Ping’s comment drew glares from the whole crew. He meant well, but his mouth had no filter. Still, everyone knew the brash fellow from the Qilu Military District was rough, but loyal.

“I’ll deal with you later. That’s an order! Execute it now.”

“Yes, sir!” the crew responded in unison.

Liu Shaoyu was already seated in the cockpit of the Iron Rider combat ship.

“Iron Rider One requesting disengagement.”

“Disengagement approved,” Li Tao’s voice now rang over the comms, having formally assumed command as First Officer.

“Take care of yourself.”

Moments later, the Young Dragon flashed into view before vanishing in a burst of energy as it jumped to safety.

Liu Shaoyu piloted the Iron Rider carefully around the far side of the planet. The enemy base had also activated its stealth screen, making it impossible to see its exact location from outside. All Liu Shaoyu needed now was to double back, find that Bug patrol, and lead them straight here.

Afterward, he’d hide behind an asteroid and watch the show unfold.

The Young Dragon was simply too massive; its poor maneuverability could make escape impossible once things went south. Staying behind in the Iron Rider offered more flexibility.

Such a task could only be carried out by the captain himself.

Let’s hope all goes well, Liu Shaoyu prayed silently as he set out in search of the Bug patrol…