Under the dark, starry sky, a wormhole quietly opened, and a dilapidated-looking spaceship emerged.
The Xingzhou, which was in the process of cleaning the warship, immediately stopped its work and focused intently on this incoming vessel.
Regardless of whether it was a military or civilian spacecraft, every flying machine possessed its own distinct style – some flamboyant, others restrained, and some even fearsome.
In essence, the overall style of a flying machine was unified. Only pirate ships tended to be so incongruous and rundown.
However, Ou Zhanpeng did not lower his guard due to the identity of the approaching ship, as the pirate community was a mixed bag. Who knew if the patron behind this vessel was a Black Horn person.
A few minutes later, the Xingzhou received a communication request from the other party. Ou Zhanpeng chose to connect, and a projection of a humanoid creature immediately appeared in the center of the cabin.
He clenched his fist and tapped his chest three times, then spoke a passage.
Ling Xiao was utterly bewildered. "What did he say?"
"You are truly ignorant!" Ou Zhanpeng’s disdain was evident. "He said they are members of the pirate community and have no hostile intentions towards us."
Ling Xiao was stunned. "The battle is already over; why are they here to help?"
"I'll ask," Ou Zhanpeng organized his thoughts and replied in Universal Language.
Naturally, this was with the significant assistance of translation software.
Upon hearing Ou Zhanpeng's question, the other party began to tremble and quickly uttered a passage.
Ou Zhanpeng translated, "He said they are a small race that has been oppressed by the Black Horn people for a long time, harboring deep-seated hatred for them. They had previously intercepted a Black Horn ship and knew that we had destroyed a Black Horn planet, so they specifically came to offer assistance."
"Is that true?" Ling Xiao looked skeptical. "It hasn't been that long, and the Xingzhou has already established its authority among the pirates?"
Ou Zhanpeng continued to translate, "He also said that the Black Horn people are one of the strongest forces in this sector, and all civilized races have to defer to them. They are willing to provide intelligence on the Black Horn people and assist us in fighting against them."
Hearing this, Ling Xiao began to understand. "So, they saw an opportunity for gain and deliberately came to pick up the scraps?"
"As long as it's beneficial to us, what does it matter if they came to pick up scraps?" Ou Zhanpeng said, then sent back a passage in Universal Language.
The other party immediately replied with a lengthy statement. Ou Zhanpeng listened carefully and then fiddled with his terminal for a while before saying, "He said the Black Horn people have seven administrative planets, making their power immense. However, our ability to destroy a Black Horn planet indicates our superior strength. It seems they intend to rally behind us. Also, they are willing to provide the coordinates of the remaining six administrative planets!"
Ling Xiao could hardly believe it was true. "Good things like this exist? It's like falling asleep and having a pillow delivered!"
"It's not that simple," Ou Zhanpeng said. "He mentioned that they have been monitoring the Black Horn planets, seizing any opportunity to strike. But that's the only way they can vent their frustration. Unlike us, who directly attacked their stronghold."
"Hey, wait a minute," Ling Xiao suddenly recalled a question. "The Black Horn people alone have seven administrative planets. Just how large is this sector, and how many civilizations are oppressed by them?"
"Yes, I'm also wondering!" Xu Qing, who had been silent, interjected. "Before, we couldn't find aliens, but now they're popping up in droves. Aren't aliens supposed to be rare?"
Everyone burst into laughter upon hearing this.
Indeed, weren't aliens far too numerous?
Ou Zhanpeng, with a touch of curiosity, posed the question to the other party, and the result was astonishing.
Although the Xingzhou had obtained some data from the Black Horn people, it was not entirely complete. It was only at this moment that they learned the entire Xinwan Sector was composed of a vast space, 600 light-years wide and nearly 1000 light-years thick.
The entire sector was divided amongst several powers. The Black Horn people were merely the strongest force in this particular direction; compared to truly powerful entities, they were insignificant.
However, when asked which powers were considered strong, the other party could not provide a clear answer. They only heard that the Black Horn people were vassals of a powerful interstellar civilization, which allowed them to occupy a place here. Beyond that, no one knew anything more specific.
This answer was truly beyond everyone's expectations.
Ou Zhanpeng quickly grasped the key point. "So, the Black Horn people are just a front for some interstellar civilization?"
Ling Xiao's throat felt a little dry. "What if we defeat the subordinate and the superior comes after us?"
Ou Zhanpeng's expression grew even more grim. "We can barely handle the subordinates. If we provoke an exceptionally powerful interstellar civilization..."
The unspoken words hung in the air; anyone with a brain understood.
Ou Zhanpeng had another question stuck in his throat: The Black Horn people were clearly targeting the Xingzhou. So, did they want it themselves, or did that unknown powerful civilization want it?
Combining this with the data found in the base, Ou Zhanpeng's heart tightened. Could that powerful civilization be the Black Feather people who had been relentlessly pursuing the prophets?
After all, besides the Black Horn people, there were also the giants, supposedly from the First Civilization, who had their sights set on the Xingzhou.
These were just the two known major powers. Could there be other unseen forces quietly observing the Xingzhou, waiting for an opportunity to pounce and sink their teeth in?
The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Ou Zhanpeng's head began to spin, and he suddenly felt an urge to flee back to Earth and take everyone with him.
He couldn't help but fall back into the perpetually unsolved question: What secret did the Xingzhou hold that warranted the Black Feather people's relentless pursuit for tens of thousands of years?
It was no secret that the Black Horn people coveted the Xingzhou. Ou Zhanpeng decided to bring this issue up and ask the pirates if they knew anything.
The pirates hesitated noticeably, but soon responded with a passage. The gist was that a certain advanced civilization was searching for an ancient ship, and rumor had it that immense rewards awaited whoever found it. They presumed the Black Horn people had mistaken the Xingzhou for it.
After hearing the translated passage, Ling Xiao raised an eyebrow. "This is like 'protesting too much'!"
With the Xingzhou's distinctive appearance, how could the Black Horn people mistake it for another ship? If they hadn't added that unnecessary sentence, they might have genuinely been unaware of the Xingzhou's whereabouts.
But by adding that sentence, they were merely trying to cover up their knowledge.
Perhaps sensing the mistake in their words, they quickly offered a few more explanations. They stated they had no connection or channels to contact advanced civilizations, and possessing the Xingzhou would be useless to them. Instead, it might attract the attention of other powerful civilizations, leading to their extinction.
Therefore, they swore they would never have any designs on the Xingzhou.
What followed were a lot of vows and oaths, mostly in their native tongue. No one had the slightest idea what he was truly saying.
Possessing something valuable without the ability to protect it was a crime. The fact that they understood this principle indicated they had suffered losses before.
However, this was no reason to lower their guard. Ou Zhanpeng asked a series of questions, all of which were answered one by one by the other party.
He even brought up the Brain Fish, asking if the pirates recognized them.
To his surprise, as fellow pirates, the response was one of gnashing teeth. They declared that the Brain Fish were the most loyal dogs of the Black Horn people, often acting as their vanguard, and were notorious for their wicked deeds.
From what they knew, seven or eight low-level civilizations had been destroyed by the Brain Fish.
This statement drew Ou Zhanpeng's keen attention. He carefully inquired about the Brain Fish's actions and their overall technological level.
Their answer once again astonished everyone. The Brain Fish apparently possessed no technological capabilities of their own. Their spacecraft and warships were all supplied by the Black Horn people.
Ou Zhanpeng was even more perplexed. While the Black Horn people were far more advanced than humans, they still lagged significantly behind the Xingzhou, which could effortlessly ignite a gas giant that could never become a star. This was a joke that had gone too far.
In response to this, the pirates offered their own explanation: the Black Horn people were not that powerful; this technology likely originated from that unknown, powerful civilization.
Furthermore, some fortunate pirates discovered lost prehistoric civilizations on barren planets and acquired special artifacts.
Then there was the black market among pirates, like the auction the Xingzhou had participated in, where creations from advanced civilizations occasionally appeared.
The final possibility was that the Brain Fish carried some form of teleportation device. Upon receiving the Brain Fish's distress signal, the Black Horn people provided them with point-to-point technical support.
Ou Zhanpeng spent a considerable amount of time sorting through the jumbled information. In the end, he realized everything ultimately traced back to that powerful civilization.
This was utterly disheartening. He suddenly felt as though he could enjoy one last good night's sleep, only to wake up the next morning to find tens of thousands of advanced warships filling the solar system.
Ling Xiao scratched his scalp vigorously, causing dandruff to fly. "I somehow feel we should return to Earth immediately and relocate the base as quickly as possible. We need to make it a grand public announcement so everyone knows. Otherwise, Earth is doomed!"
Truth be told, Ou Zhanpeng harbored the same thought. But would relocating the base divert all the covetous gazes away from Earth?
The Black Horn people and the Brain Fish were not benevolent beings. The likelihood of them retaliating against Earth was high. If they failed to lure the enemies away and instead destroyed Earth, wouldn't that be a loss far outweighing the gain?
All the crucial points led back to the Xingzhou. Yet, humanity's development was too backward and slow. They were utterly dependent on the Xingzhou for protection, creating an unsolvable paradox.
The more Ou Zhanpeng thought about it, the more his head ached, feeling as if it had expanded to the size of eight heads. He had no idea what to do next.
Xu Qing, with concern, advised, "Stop thinking. Let's go back and let the superiors make the decision!"
Ou Zhanpeng sighed. "That's the only way. But we can't go back just yet."
"Why?" Xu Qing and Ling Xiao asked in unison.
"We've already destroyed one of the Black Horn people's planets. If we're going to do something, we should do it thoroughly. Let's head for the Black Horn people's next planet!"
Knowing the enemy had several subsidiary bases, returning now would be a complete waste of effort. Destroying all the Black Horn planets would be the best course of action.
Ou Zhanpeng immediately requested the coordinates of the other planets. However, this time, he had learned his lesson. Instead of flying directly to the coordinates, he first ascertained the target's location and then set the jump point to the periphery of the star system, thus avoiding the possibility of colliding headfirst into an encirclement.
The Black Horn people's spatial blockade was truly infuriating!
According to the pirates, this technology was also not inherent to the Black Horn people but rather a bestowal from a mysterious civilization.
Ou Zhanpeng felt entirely demoralized. Regardless of whether the mysterious civilization was the Black Feather people, the sheer power of their equipment being so casually gifted demonstrated how incredibly affluent they were.
It made Captain Ou feel utterly unmotivated. He had a fleeting thought of sacrificing the Xingzhou, clinging to the mysterious civilization's coattails, and then swaggering through the entire sector.
Of course, he was merely contemplating it. Given the vast disparity between humanity and the mysterious civilization, it was a far-fetched hope that they would even deign to glance at Earth.
Thinking of it this way, he suddenly felt a pang of sadness for Earth.
Those prophets were also a puzzle. For what reason did they continuously cultivate new civilizations on Earth? And why did they leave humanity with such a mess to clean up, a mess they had no idea how to handle?
As the Xingzhou was preparing to depart, it received a self-recommendation from the pirates. The gist was that many pirates had been forced into their current predicament by the Black Horn people. If the Xingzhou gave them some time, they could gather a contingent of pirates to attack the Black Horn planets together.
They all harbored a deep-seated hatred for the Black Horn people and claimed that even if the Xingzhou didn't intervene, they could still capture the Black Horn planets. Pirates were accustomed to operating independently, never listening to each other. However, with the Xingzhou having single-handedly destroyed a Black Horn planet, they were sure to gain the support of a large number of pirates, and eradicating the Black Horn people would no longer be a dream!
Ou Zhanpeng couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity. What kind of ridiculous plan was this? Gathering forces in the forest to declare themselves kings?
Did it also involve scenes like the Thirty-Six Ships Gathering for Righteousness or the Seventy-Two Ships Taking Refuge?
Although Ou Zhanpeng had changed the Xingzhou's insignia, in the eyes of any professional soldier – no, in the eyes of any regular military personnel – pirates were nothing more than disreputable rabble. They might be capable of fighting when the wind was in their sails, but expecting them to turn the tide against adverse conditions was unrealistic.
He didn't rule out the possibility that some pirates, fueled by hatred and a thirst for revenge, might be willing to fight the Black Horn people to the death. However, from any perspective, leading a group of pirates would serve no purpose other than to inflate their presence and could even become a burden to the Xingzhou.
Guerrilla warfare required agility and efficiency for swift movement and retreat.
However, a direct refusal didn't seem appropriate. Ou Zhanpeng simply replied with "Whatever" and paid no further attention to the pirate ship.
If they had the capability, gathering more warships and independently capturing Black Horn planets would be ideal. If it was merely boasting, then it wouldn't drag the Xingzhou down.
Unfolding a wormhole, the Xingzhou departed from this debris-strewn star system. Upon exiting the wormhole, it had already arrived at the periphery of another star system.
Observation revealed that the situation here was still one of peace and prosperity. Warships and spacecraft moved in an orderly fashion, showing no signs of abnormality.
It seemed as if they were completely unaware of what had just transpired.
However, the Black ships patrolling the star system and the distinctive three-tiered orbital rings clearly indicated whose planet this was.
Ling Xiao was somewhat bewildered. "Was our speed too fast, or are there simply no spacecraft coming this way?"
"Does it make a difference?" Ou Zhanpeng's tone was stern. "What will be, will be. Prepare for battle!"