Chapter Twenty-One: Chaos Sequence II

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Regarding the colonial star systems, these emerged when humanity began large-scale interstellar migrations as we gained the ability for long-distance space travel. In practice, the colonial star systems have become self-sufficient entities; the vast distances keep each district’s military command relatively independent. Yet Earth, as the capital of the Terran powers, still holds a position of lofty authority. Thus, it’s not surprising that members of the colonial star system militaries exist.

As a soldier, Liu Shaoyu’s sense of duty instilled within him an instinctive obedience, so when he first encountered such a situation, he was thrown into an intense internal struggle. He assumed his teammates would not support him for the same reasons. In reality, however, unlike the straightforward captain, his teammates were far more experienced in the ways of the world and carried with them many more complicated thoughts.

Having already given their answers, everyone now looked toward Li Tao, still munching on snacks. Hastily swallowing, Li Tao said, “I’m the first officer—wherever the captain goes, I go.” The adjutant, with no room to refuse, could only nod quickly.

“Since everyone agrees, let me brief you on the situation.”

In half an hour, Liu Shaoyu explained the circumstances to the team, though he replaced the secret of human immortality with the claim that it was a highly classified invention.

“We need a warship,” said the strategist.

“Preferably an A-class strategic destroyer,” added Li Tao.

“Dream on,” muttered Longshao, earning himself a round of eye-rolls.

“As for the ship, I believe there’s a way,” said Shen Qingyi, the first to agree to join.

Hearing this, everyone, including Liu Shaoyu, looked puzzled, except for Long Ruyuan, who seemed entirely unsurprised by Shen Qingyi’s words.

They spent the next hour discussing detailed operational plans. From the files Wang Weifu had sent, they had a starmap recording his escape route. Their only option was to first reach the location where Wang Weifu had fled, then use unmanned probes to search for nearby planets and locate where Mu Wan was being held.

Soon, Shen Qingyi brought news: she had secured a heavily modified warship, officially registered as a commercial transport, and had also obtained a combat mecha for each of them. This gave Liu Shaoyu newfound confidence in the rescue mission.

“Thank you,” Liu Shaoyu said to Shen Qingyi after the meeting.

She did not reply, only gave a gentle smile before heading upstairs to rest, leaving Liu Shaoyu bewildered and sleepless that night.

The next day, the Young Dragon Squad, posing as tourists, traveled to Muwangs, a star in the Milky Way. There, they switched to false identities that Monkey had arranged through old channels, and, disguised as aliens, boarded a transport bound for the Ikuchi System, where Shen Qingyi had arranged for their “commercial transport” to await them.

Three cosmic days later, on an asteroid in the Forgo Star System of the Milky Way—

“Thomas, give me the map,” Liu Shaoyu commanded his onboard computer.

“Yes, the holographic map will activate in five seconds. Please stand by.” Connecting to the network to gain temporary access to the map was a trivial matter for Thomas, who had advanced permissions.

“Strategist, prepare to enable squad map sharing.” Inside his mecha, Liu Shaoyu gave the order.

As luck would have it, two days prior, Liu Shaoyu had been piloting his starship near the sector where the attack was recorded. The pirates who had slipped away under his watch were still sulking when, suddenly, a lone commercial transport ship barged into their turf. Still itching for a fight, the pirates decided to seize the opportunity.

However, they were in for a shock: this was no ordinary transport, but a finely modified warship. As three planetary-grade anti-air cruiser missile turrets locked onto them, the pirates immediately resorted to their best trick—jumping to warp—without hesitation. But Liu Shaoyu wasn’t about to let them escape. He had Thomas transmit a tracking signal and stick it to the enemy vessel, allowing them to easily follow the pirates’ trail.

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At that moment, the bio-signal transmitter monitoring Mu Wan emitted a signal; Liu Shaoyu and his team learned that Mu Wan was somewhere on the planet.

Leaving the adjutant aboard the starship, the rest of the Young Dragon Squad piloted their mechas down to the planet’s surface. The environment was harsh and uninhabitable, which may have been why the pirates chose it as their base.

“Holographic map, activate.”

Immediately, the entire planet’s layout appeared on the display. They discovered a base structure three thousand kilometers away.

“That’s it,” Liu Shaoyu declared, ordering a full-speed advance.

“Alert: unknown lifeforms approaching. Please confirm.” In the base’s monitoring room, an alarm sounded. Pirates dreaded uninvited guests, and the few who had just returned had grumbled about running into tough opponents. Could it be those pursuers? The pirate in the monitoring room murmured, then activated the base’s defenses.

“Energy alert, take evasive action. Attack incoming in thirty seconds,” Thomas’s voice sounded in Liu Shaoyu’s ear.

“Shields up! Brace for attack!” Liu Shaoyu commanded.

The mecha formation immediately scattered and activated their electro-optic fields. Just as they dispersed, a missile exploded behind them, sending a massive energy wave crashing against their formation.

“System analysis: Unable to directly compromise the enemy’s security net. Recommend brute-force breach,” Thomas’s voice advised.

“Damn it, blast them to hell!” cursed Luo Ping. Though his mecha dodged the missile’s core, he still sustained some shock due to his position.

Onboard, Liu Shaoyu had already briefed his teammates about the computer upgrade and integrated Thomas’s voice into the battle command system at the start of the fight. With Thomas handling coordination, Liu Shaoyu could focus on piloting and tactics.

“Adjutant, bring the ship over and strip their missile launchers,” Liu Shaoyu ordered.

“Engines engaged. The vessel will reach enemy airspace in three minutes.”

“Three minutes…” Liu Shaoyu pondered the timing.

“Everyone, take cover and find advantageous positions. Hold until we get fire support. Once enemy defenses are breached, we storm the base.”

“Just sitting here and taking hits is infuriating,” Monkey grumbled.

Three minutes later, a dazzling beam of light shot from the sky to the ground.

“Charge! Luo Ping, stand by outside for long-range fire support,” Liu Shaoyu commanded.

In mecha combat, Luo Ping served as the squad’s sniper.

One mecha in the formation abruptly slowed, veering toward a nearby hill to secure a vantage point.

Suddenly, dozens of ships launched from the base.

“Not good, they’re trying to escape! Strategist, lock on and initiate warp suppression!”

Seeing the ships take off, Liu Shaoyu reacted instantly, targeting a rising pirate ship’s engine with the cannons. One ship, unable to activate its shields in time, plummeted straight down.

At that moment, the adjutant’s support arrived. The ships that hadn’t yet taken off became easy prey, dropping one after another. Yet despite the advantage, a significant number of pirate ships managed to break free.

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“Watch out, their ships are airborne now,” someone warned—the implication being that the pirates now had enough power stored for a counterattack.

“Detecting abnormal energy fluctuations ahead—prepare for an assault.”

“Quick reaction,” Liu Shaoyu thought, appreciating Thomas’s promptness.

By now, the mecha formation had reached the base perimeter.

“Confirming bio-signal,” Thomas’s precise search finally returned data on Mu Wan.

“Damn, she’s on a ship!” Liu Shaoyu exclaimed anxiously, seeing the signal’s location.

“Young Dragon Squad, focus fire on the starship! Adjutant, disrupt the target’s warp drive. Let’s bring them down for a chat. Sniper, aim for the engines!” he ordered.

Thomas’s utility was now evident; the moment Liu Shaoyu spoke, Mu Wan’s coordinates appeared on everyone’s map.

“Time for Grandpa Luo to show you how it’s done!” With that, a searing beam shot from a hill behind the team, striking at the target ship’s engine.

No expected explosion— the energy cannon’s incomplete charge was deflected by the ship’s energy field.

“Damn it! Next time, charge for thirty seconds,” Luo Ping muttered, frustrated. But the only weapon capable of damaging the ship was the energy cannon, so he had no choice but to wait for the next charge.

A lot could happen in thirty seconds—such as the pirates hastily prepping a forced warp jump.

With the team’s concentrated fire and more ships lifting off, the pirates, true to form, only cared for their own escape, infuriating the alien overseers on Mu Wan’s ship.

That ship, too, was specially modified. Standard warp disruption could stall them, but given enough time, they could still force a jump—though that would result in an imprecise destination and required a prolonged engine charge.

Every second counted. Would their warp engines spin up first, or would Liu Shaoyu’s team destroy the ship in time?

On the battlefield, time was life. Without hesitation, Liu Shaoyu fired his mecha’s engines and surged into the sky toward the ship.

“All units, concentrate fire. Crack open that turtle shell!” he commanded mid-flight.

Attacks from every direction converged on a single point of the ship’s energy field. Finally, as the overloaded shields rebooted, Liu Shaoyu seized the instant to carve open a breach.

“Stubborn thing!” he swore, wrestling with the particle blade.

At last, he cut an opening wide enough for his mecha to slip inside. At that same moment, the shields reactivated, sealing the ship once more.

“Signal disrupted—transmissions suspended.”

These shipboard shields not only blocked energy attacks but also jammed unknown communications.

“Attempting to seize ship controls,” Thomas muttered, feeling useless but unwilling to give up, and launched a digital assault on the ship’s security systems.

The cramped ship corridor barely allowed the mecha to squeeze through. To advance, Liu Shaoyu had to forcefully clear the way, which slowed progress considerably. Mu Wan’s biosignal was still far away—would time be on their side?

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Hahaha, you won’t know a college student’s energy until I explode with productivity! Onward!