Chapter 1 Su Mo
　　Su Mo stretched and stopped teasing Lin Xiaoyu. He headed towards the men's locker room, rarely getting such a good opportunity, he wanted to relax.

　　Compared to the crowded women's locker room, the men's locker room was much emptier, but that couldn't be helped.

　　Morningstar Group was predominantly female, and most of the guards on board this time were also women.

　　Su Mo quickly changed into a pair of shorts and came out. He headed towards the lounge chair by the pool, planning to relax and have some food.

　　But before he could reach it, Sun Li, Zhao Han, Zi Qing, and Zi Die surrounded him.

　　They had changed into different styles of swimsuits, revealing their beautiful figures and radiating a passionate youthful vibe.

　　"Su Mo, let's play together!"

　　Zhao Han grabbed Su Mo's arm.

　　"Cough, you guys have fun, I'll just watch."

　　Su Mo looked awkward, unsure where to look.

　　"How can we do that? It wouldn't be fun!"

　　"That's right! Stop being so hesitant, come play with us."

　　Sun Li added.

　　"Really, it's okay, you guys have fun."

　　Su Mo's head was starting to hurt.

　　"Stop talking nonsense, let's play together! Sisters, grab him!"

　　Sun Li shouted, eager to cause trouble.

　　The surrounding sisters excitedly rushed over, pulling at Su Mo.

　　"Play with us, okay?"

　　"Hey, hey, don't push me! Don't grab me! Don't grab me there!"

　　Su Mo shouted in a panic.

　　But it was no use, he was pushed straight into the pool.

　　Splash!

　　Su Mo fell in, and Sun Li and the others jumped in after him, laughing at his disheveled appearance.

　　"Haha!"

　　Su Mo quickly swam to the surface, his face twitching as he said, "You guys are too wild."

　　"No way, don't be so stiff, let's play water volleyball."

　　Sun Li invited with a smile.

　　"What's so fun about that?"

　　Su Mo replied helplessly.

　　"Are you scared?"

　　"Why would I be scared? I just wanted to lie down and soak up the sun."

　　"Wouldn't that be boring? If you win, we'll give you a reward."

　　Sun Li winked at Su Mo.

　　"Uh, stop it, who said anything about a reward?"

　　Su Mo was speechless, feeling like he had been tricked.

　　"Don't worry, Xue-jie won't be here this morning, and we won't tell on you."

　　"What is all this..."

　　"Catch!"

　　Zi Die shouted happily, throwing the volleyball over.

　　Su Mo instinctively reached out and caught the ball.

　　"Haha, you say no, but your body is honest. Okay, let's not waste time, let's play!"

　　Sun Li winked at Su Mo.

　　"We only have one ball, how can so many of us play?"

　　Su Mo replied with a headache.

　　"We're not playing regular volleyball, we're playing grab the ball. You hold onto it! Sisters, let's go grab it, whoever gets it wins a prize."

　　Sun Li said, leading the charge towards Su Mo!

　　"Sun-jie, that's not fair, how can you go first? Wait for us."

　　...

　　The surrounding girls swam over.

　　"Hey, hey, don't play like that."

　　Su Mo cried out, amused and helpless, as the girls swarmed him.

　　...

　　Lin Xiaoyu lay on a lounge chair, watching Su Mo surrounded by girls, tilting her head and deep in thought.

　　She didn't understand. How could Su Mo, who seemed so harmless, be so strong?

　　Just from his appearance and daily life, you couldn't tell he was a super expert.

　　...

　　Half a day later, Su Mo climbed out of the pool speechlessly, making sure to pull up his swimming trunks. Earlier, some girl had tried to pull down his pants while grabbing the ball, it was too much. Luckily, he had reacted in time, or it would have been a disaster.

　　He found a beach chair, lay down on it, and grabbed a bottle of iced drink from the small table next to him, downing it in one gulp.

　　Playing with them for over an hour was more tiring than fighting.

　　The deep voice of the Fabricator Devourer echoed in Su Mo's mind: "Why are you so restrained? You could have fought back."

　　"Give it a rest, show some restraint, okay? Just because they're thirsty doesn't mean I'm not. Forget it, it's useless talking to you. I'm going to eat something. By the way, I wanted to ask you something."

　　Su Mo picked up a pastry and put it in his mouth.

　　"Ask away."

　　The Fabricator Devourer replied in a low voice.

　　"If someone really enters a corrupted state, is there definitely no hope of saving them?"

　　Su Mo asked curiously.

　　"Not entirely. If you are strong enough, your will is resilient enough, and you haven't been in the corrupted state for too long, there's still a chance of saving them. But even if they come back, their bodies will most likely have mutated, and their minds will be corrupted, with the constant risk of completely mutating into a Corrupted."

　　The Fabricator Devourer explained in a low voice.

　　"Listening to you, it sounds like saving them would be worse than not saving them."

　　"That's right. Many Corrupted who are saved later mutate again because they sense the different looks and suspicion."

　　"This problem is a bit tricky. Ordinary negative energy virus infections already cause panic, let alone a berserk state, so it's not surprising."

　　Su Mo thought about it objectively and felt that no one was really wrong. Speaking of which, Su Mo suddenly felt that the Federation had treated him pretty well. At least when he was heavily contaminated, they didn't abandon him, but instead did everything they could to save him.

　　Just as Su Mo was discussing contamination with the Fabricator Devourer, Han Na walked over and sat directly in front of Su Mo with a chair.

　　"Why are you hiding here?"

　　"Just finished playing, taking a break."

　　Su Mo replied with a wry smile.

　　"Let's have a drink."

　　Han Na opened a bottle of red wine, poured a large glass, and handed it to Su Mo.

　　Su Mo took it, looking awkwardly at Han Na, saying, "You're still drinking? Alcohol isn't good for you, you should drink less usually."

　　"It's okay, I can handle it."

　　Han Na said, raising her glass and clinking it against Su Mo's.

　　"That's good."

　　Su Mo nodded.

　　They both finished their drinks at the same time.

　　"Su Mo, thank you so much this time."

　　Han Na thanked him gratefully.

　　"We're friends, no need to say that."

　　Su Mo smiled, picking up the bottle and refilling his glass. He was happy to see Han Na back to normal.

　　Han Na said to Su Mo while drinking, "But don't be so reckless next time, it's not worth it."

　　"Why do you say that?"

　　Su Mo didn't really agree.

　　"Actually, that day I was just reminded of past nightmares, that's why I reacted so strongly. Now that I think about it, it's not a big deal. It's not the first time this has happened anyway. I've met some terrible people when I was dating, so I'll just pretend I was bitten by a dog again. But you're different, you're my friend, and I don't want you to take risks for me."

　　Han Na said to Su Mo softly, seemingly lost in memories.

　　"Since you said we're friends, how could I watch you get bitten by a dog? I'd have to beat that dog half to death."

　　Su Mo said with a smile. He had heard Han Na complain about her past relationships many times when they were in the dormitory. He could only say that she had bad luck and was destined to be unlucky in love.

　　"Haha, let's have another drink together!"

　　Han Na laughed happily, but her eyes were moist.

　　"Okay!"

　　Su Mo was very happy to see Han Na completely over it, and he finished his drink.

　　"I'm going to play with the other sisters."

　　Han Na felt much better after drinking a few glasses of wine with Su Mo.

　　"Okay."

　　Su Mo stretched, watching Han Na leave.

　　Just then, a burst of laughter came, and Su Mo couldn't help but stare.

　　Qian Chengxue had her silver hair up, wearing a white one-piece swimsuit. Although the swimsuit was conservative, it couldn't hide her proud chest and long, fair legs. At a glance, her perfect curves were on full display.

　　Although there were many sisters standing next to her, Qian Chengxue was like the moon among the stars, and no one could overshadow her dazzling light.

　　Sun Li was smiling as she escorted Qian Chengxue towards Su Mo.

　　Qian Chengxue's fair face was a little flushed, as if she was very embarrassed.

　　Su Mo watched Qian Chengxue get closer, feeling his nose getting hot, his heart racing uncontrollably, and a hint of red light flashing in his eyes.

　　The Fabricator Devourer reminded him in confusion, "What's wrong with you? Why are your emotions fluctuating so much?"

　　Su Mo didn't answer the Fabricator Devourer, but instead looked at Qian Chengxue, who had walked in front of him, and couldn't help but swallow, feeling his throat dry, and subconsciously touching his nose.

　　Qian Chengxue looked at Su Mo's dazed look and actions, and asked with some confusion.

　　"What's wrong?"

　　"N-nothing."

　　Su Mo was both excited and inexplicably nervous.

　　Qian Chengxue found Su Mo's appearance amusing and couldn't help but smile.

　　Sun Li and the others cheered, "Why are you shy? Let's play together."

　　Su Mo was all smiles, just about to say something.

　　The Fabricator Devourer's eyes suddenly widened, and it issued a piercing warning: "Careful!"

　　Boom~

　　Suddenly, the entire Blue Whale shook violently.

　　The water in the pool swept up like a tsunami, carrying everyone with it, and everyone was thrown out.

　　Su Mo's pupils shrank, and he grabbed Qian Chengxue's hand at the first moment, pulling her into his arms. Then, the Sin's Punishment mecha automatically assembled and covered his entire body.

　　Bang~

　　Everyone fell heavily to the ground.

　　The impact wasn't just felt by Su Mo and his group, the entire Blue Whale was violently shaken. The sandy beach pool where Su Mo was located was relatively better, because the water and sand in the pool provided some cushioning.

　　However, the living and commercial areas of the Blue Whale didn't have such good luck.

　　Things were collapsing everywhere, and there were all kinds of collisions.

　　Some unlucky passengers were killed on the spot!

　　The relatively lucky passengers also fell and broke their heads.

　　...

　　Everyone felt dizzy.

　　Soon the shaking stopped, and Su Mo helped Qian Chengxue up, asking with concern.

　　"Are you okay?"

　　"I'm fine, is everyone okay?"

　　Qian Chengxue came to her senses and quickly called out to Sun Li and the others.

　　Sun Li and the others got up in pain, saying with a mournful face, "Xue-jie, what's going on?"

　　"I don't know, go check on the other sisters."

　　Qian Chengxue said calmly.

　　"Okay."

　　...

　　At this time, the entire Blue Whale was in chaos, and countless passengers with broken heads were roaring angrily.

　　"I'm going to complain!"

　　"What the hell is going on?"

　　...

　　Before they could finish cursing, the Blue Whale's piercing alarm sounded.

　　"Warning, the Blue Whale is under attack by a group of space pirates and has exited FTL flight mode."

　　...

　　As soon as this broadcast came out, the passengers who were still cursing all showed fear on their faces.

　　"What's going on? Why did the Blue Whale exit FTL flight mode, and why are space pirates attacking?"

　　"Are we in danger?"

　　...

　　In space, a Level 5 battleship, 130 kilometers long, with crystal-patterned armor, a recessed bow, a 300-meter-long crystal energy main gun extending from the middle, and over 20,000 missile launchers on both sides, was painted with a black pirate skull logo. It led countless ships, surrounding the Blue Whale from all directions, releasing a massive number of mechas and starfighters.

　　Inside the Blue Whale's control room, a bald old man with a gloomy expression and wearing a blue captain's uniform stared intently at the radar scanning device.

　　After the Blue Whale inexplicably exited FTL flight, countless red dots suddenly appeared around it.

　　The operator kept issuing warnings.

　　"Scanning a Level 5 space battleship: Crystal Pattern - Space Pirate!"

　　"Scanning a Level 4 battleship: Glutton - Space Pirate!"

　　"Scanning a Level 4 battleship: Jellyfish - Space Pirate!"

　　...

　　"Scanning an IV-type bio-mecha: Gray Snake!"

　　...

　　"Lord Vek, how could there be so many space pirates?"

　　The others present also looked terrified.

　　"Have you ever seen space pirates with such advanced ships? What space pirate can afford a Level 5 battleship? What group of space pirates has dozens of IV-type mechas? What group of space pirates can intercept the Blue Whale from FTL flight?"

　　Vek almost gritted his teeth as he said this.

　　At this time, the door of the command room opened, and Mu Yu walked in, asking with a gloomy face.

　　"What's the situation?"

　　"We've been ambushed by pirates disguised as Imperial soldiers."

　　Vek said without any concealment. It was obvious who was behind this.

　　"Prepare to break through by force and send out a distress signal at the same time."

　　Mu Yu said directly.

　　"The distress signal has already been sent. Although the other side has set up a jamming device, it's useless. I also asked for help on the Star Ring Forum, but breaking through will be difficult, they won't let us get away so easily. Also, our current location is very awkward, in the center of two major stations. Even if a rescue ship comes, it will take at least three days to arrive."

　　Vek replied very calmly.

　　Mu Yu took a deep breath and said, "Prepare for battle! The Blue Whale isn't a pushover, and we of the Gaja Kingdom are not made of clay."

　　However, Mu Yu's expression wasn't as relaxed as he made it sound.

　　If something really happened to the Blue Whale, it would be a huge disaster. He knew better than anyone how much cargo was on board.

　　He also knew very well how many important personnel from allied countries were on board.

　　If the Blue Whale was captured, no one could afford the consequences, not even the Gaja Kingdom.

　　At this moment, an operator shouted in panic, "They're attacking!"

　　"Maximum output of the energy shield, load interceptor missiles, turn on all point-defense guns! Don't panic, we can hold out!"

　　Vek shouted, trying his best to stay calm.

　　In space, the Crystal Pattern took the lead in attacking. A dazzling red beam from its main gun shot directly at the Blue Whale, and countless missiles were fired.

　　The hundreds of ships surrounding the Blue Whale also launched a fierce attack without hesitation.

　　Countless beams and missiles poured toward the Blue Whale.

　　At this time, launch ports opened on the Blue Whale's hull, firing interceptor missiles, and point-defense guns fired wildly!

　　Rumble~

　　The incoming missiles were destroyed and exploded as they approached.

　　At this time, the Crystal Pattern's main gun, the Blood Crystal Beam, passed through the layers of interception and struck the Blue Whale's blue energy shield, causing it to splatter continuously. However, the energy shield didn't fluctuate much, it was unusually strong.

　　Inside the Blue Whale's command room, the operator reported, "Energy shield down by sixteen percent, accelerating to recharge and restore the energy shield."

　　"Good job, activate thrusters 3 and 5, prepare to break through by force."

　　Vek didn't relax much, because the main power source was damaged. The Blue Whale was like a tortoise, unable to run fast. The surrounding pirates were like hungry jackals. Although they couldn't bite through the shell immediately, that didn't mean they couldn't bite through it eventually. Vek knew how ruthless the Imperial army was.

　　Inside the Crystal Pattern's command room.

　　Gugalie gazed at the first round of attacks with a ferocious smile on his face.

　　As expected of the Blue Whale, its shell was exceptionally tough. It easily withstood such a fierce round of attacks.

　　"Report, Lord Gugalie, the first round of attacks didn't have much effect. The enemy's energy shield is recovering quickly, and they are releasing a large number of mobile units."

　　"We have detected that the Blue Whale is adjusting its bow, it seems to want to break through."

　　...

　　Gugalie grinned and waved his hand, saying.

　　"It can't escape, watch me crack its shell. Load the TTS-01 Ironhead Missile, order all ships to prepare for the second wave of fire."

　　"Yes!"

　　...

　　After receiving the order, the ships opened their launch ports.

　　Missiles were loaded again.

　　The next moment, missiles swarmed towards the Blue Whale again.

　　Inside the Blue Whale's command room, the operator looked up and reported, "The enemy is launching another barrage attack!"

　　"Intercept! Let's see how many times they can launch a saturation attack."

　　Vek said confidently. The Blue Whale's main gun wasn't that good, but its interception capabilities were excellent.

　　"Yes!"

　　...

　　In an instant, interceptor missiles were fired, and point-defense guns automatically locked onto the incoming missiles, firing beams.

　　Rumble~

　　The incoming missiles were disintegrated.

　　But unexpectedly, dozens of giant missiles with cone-shaped heads were unaffected after being hit by the beams, deflecting the beams and continuing to fly toward the Blue Whale.

　　The Blue Whale's operator immediately noticed the anomaly and issued a warning.

　　"Abnormal missile detected, interception failed!"

　　The captured image was displayed.

　　Vek was puzzled when he saw the missiles with large warheads like iron cones.

　　However, Mu Yu's expression changed drastically when he saw them, and he shouted.

　　"They're Ironhead Missiles, intercept them again immediately!"

　　"Yes!"

　　The personnel on site executed the order without hesitation.

　　Emergency interceptor launch ports opened on the Blue Whale, and dozens of explosive interceptor missiles were launched at high speed.

　　The interceptors accurately intercepted the special missiles, and huge explosions erupted.

　　Before everyone could breathe a sigh of relief, the TTS-01 Ironhead Missiles emerged from the explosions and crashed into the Blue Whale's energy shield!

　　Boom~

　　The entire Blue Whale shook violently!

　　A piercing alarm sounded continuously.

　　The operator shouted in horror, "Energy shield down to thirty percent, entering the critical alert point!"

　　This wave of attacks stunned them.

　　At this moment, another operator shouted in horror, "The enemy's mechas and starfighters are attacking and launching an attack on the Blue Whale!"

　　Countless red dots approached the Blue Whale, launching a frantic attack.

　　They were like hyenas seeing wounded prey, rushing to bite it.

　　In an instant, various attacks bombarded the Blue Whale's energy shield, and the entire energy shield kept dropping.

　　It couldn't recover.

　　"Down to twenty-three percent!"

　　"About to drop below twenty percent."

　　....

　　Just as the words were spoken.

　　Rumble~

　　Everyone present shook, almost falling to the ground.

　　The energy shield of the Blue Whale exploded into dazzling small suns, and some of the attacking starfighters were suicide fighters carrying nuclear mines.

　　The entire energy shield of the Blue Whale shattered instantly.

　　Everyone in the command room was stunned, unable to believe it.

　　...

　　Vek got up, and his face kept twitching as he watched the Blue Whale's energy shield being destroyed.

　　Mu Yu said with an extremely gloomy expression, "We can't hold on."

　　Vek gritted his teeth and shouted, "Pass down my order, open all the exits of the Blue Whale, notify all passengers to evacuate immediately! Order all guards to fight to the death to delay time and give everyone time to evacuate."

　　"You can't do that, Lord Vek!"

　　"That's an order!"

　　It wasn't that Vek was so great, still thinking about the passengers, but that they really couldn't afford to lose them!

　　...

　　Blue Whale - Starry Sea Pool.

　　Qian Chengxue and the others supported the injured sisters.

　　Checking their injuries one by one.

　　Su Mo was communicating with the Fabricator Devourer about the situation outside.

　　The Fabricator Devourer showed the scanned situation in Su Mo's mind. Su Mo looked at the countless enemies surrounding them and couldn't help but curse in a low voice, "What kind of space pirates are these!"

　　The scale of the surrounding fleet was stronger than that of a regular army.

　　Su Mo quickly walked to Qian Chengxue's side and asked, "How is it?"

　　"Many people are injured, several have broken arms."

　　Qian Chengxue briefly explained the situation to Su Mo.

　　Su Mo said solemnly, "I have a bad feeling. Tell everyone to get their clothes and leave here immediately. To be on the safe side, we should go to the hangar for shelter."

　　"Is it that serious?"

　　Qian Chengxue was also surprised. Although the Blue Whale was under attack, its performance was still good. However, she always trusted what Su Mo said.

　　"Yes!"

　　Su Mo replied firmly.

　　Qian Chengxue immediately shouted to all the sisters.

　　"Everyone, get your clothes immediately, we're going to the hangar for shelter!"

　　"Ah, Xue-jie? We're leaving just like that?"

　　Sun Li and the others were dumbfounded.

　　"We have so many things in our rooms."

　　...

　　"Never mind those, the situation is critical now!"

　　Su Mo said simply.

　　"Okay!"

　　The sisters hurried to get their clothes.

　　...

　　Soon after, Su Mo was leading Qian Chengxue and the others out of the Starry Sea Pool, heading towards the hangar.

　　Along the way, they passed many panicked passengers who were discussing anxiously.

　　"What space pirates are so daring, are they trying to die?"

　　"I don't know, they must be out of their minds."

　　"Honey, is the Blue Whale going to be okay? I'm a little scared."

　　"What are you afraid of? The Blue Whale is so big and strong."

　　...