Chapter 38: Destroying the Pirates' Flagship

"What is this…?"

"The flagship of the interstellar pirates?"

"What's going on?"

"Why are they showing up now, voluntarily?"

In the command hall of Shadow 3, many stood in shock, their eyes filled with astonishment and confusion.

"It's the data uploaded by Number 37."

Someone quickly reacted.

But doubts soon followed:

"Qingniao doesn't have strong reconnaissance capabilities. The target's coordinates are about five hundred miles away. With Number 37's personal chip capabilities, it's impossible to detect something that far away."

"Could it be a decoy set up by the pirates?"

This theory seemed plausible.

Zhang Lian also suspected that it might be a pirate scheme, attempting to use a decoy to drain Shadow 3's firepower and computational capabilities, with the ultimate goal of capturing the ship.

However…

That suspicion lasted only a second in Zhang Lian's mind.

He thought of the pilot of Qingniao Number 37.

Tian Xiao!

The security rookie who had swiftly eradicated the Lizard Claw Bugs during the escort mission.

Afterward, Zhang Lian had been particularly interested in this rookie and had pulled up his file from his time in the security team.

Only half a month into the job.

Yet Tian Xiao already had three major accomplishments to his name:

The first operation—eliminating a ferocious beast, the Tearmouth Wolf.

The second—during the recent meteor fall incident, he carried out a textbook rescue operation, saving Chen Wuling and six other security team members, earning praise from the headquarters of Shadow 3.

The third—his role in the transport ship's escort mission.

His tenure was short, but his achievements were outstanding.

When Zhang Lian remembered that the recent data transmission included a clear image and precise coordinates of the pirates' flagship, he couldn't help but feel that this information was more likely to be accurate.

If it were a decoy created by the pirates, the signal would have been received either by the frontlines, such as by Luo Fei, or by Shadow 3.

But why was it Number 37?

As the captain of Shadow 3, Zhang Lian knew that his decisions could determine the fate of the entire crew. But in this moment, he had to act decisively.

After a brief hesitation, Zhang Lian made up his mind. He activated his chip and gave the order:

"Shadow 3, initiate a full scan of the coordinates immediately!"

"Fire control system ready!"

"Once the flagship signal is detected, lock onto it and begin a full barrage!"

With that, the order was given.

The fire control system on Shadow 3 sprang to life.

The chip's calculations began to rapidly consume the crew's biological energy.

Various detection wavelengths quickly scanned the surrounding area of the target coordinates.

Soon, multiple signals flashed up on the main screen.

F-class transport ship!

Refitted!

One D-class high-frequency pulse main cannon, with significant energy loss.

Speed of the target…

Target coordinates confirmed.

Target trajectory.

In an instant, Shadow 3 seemed to come alive.

Everyone became unusually excited, their faces glowing with sheer joy.

"It's real!"

"The real signal!"

"We found it! The pirates' flagship!"

"Haha…"

Cheers erupted around the command hall.

A red flash of light streaked across the room.

The command hall trembled slightly.

The fully ready fire control system automatically followed the captain's command and opened fire.

…

In the battle area near Shadow 3, two modified Qingniao ships and the remaining ten Qingniao fighters detected a sudden surge of energy nearby.

The pilots of the Qingniaos were initially startled, but instinctively thought it was Zhang Lian intervening in their battle. They focused on the mission, preparing to retreat to the flagship.

The two modified Qingniao pilots were horrified as they watched Shadow 3—which had been motionless for a long time—suddenly erupt with intense energy.

"Go!"

The heavy machine gun fire tore through the air, sending a dense barrage of bullets toward Shadow 3.

The autocannon grenades followed in quick succession.

The two modified Qingniaos desperately began to retreat.

This wasn't what they had expected.

Shadow 3 shouldn't have fired.

It was like using a cannon to swat a mosquito. Not only would it not save Shadow 3, but it would also drain the biological energy reserves completely, making it impossible to fend off the Star River Gale Pirates. They would lose all the cargo and possibly the entire E-class transport ship.

The modified Qingniaos scrambled to escape.

Behind them…

Intense energy waves erupted, and beams of light shot out into deep space.

The modified Qingniao pilots were utterly stunned.

"How could this be!"

"That's…"

"The flagship!!"

"The flagship has been exposed!!?"

Blinding light streaked through the dark expanse of space and struck a small black dot.

Boom!!

A massive explosion erupted.

The pirate flagship, only rated F-class, was immediately pierced by a single shot from Shadow 3, triggering a series of catastrophic explosions.

The two modified Qingniaos were left speechless, their faces ashen.

The Star River Gale Pirates were gone.

They had lost their flagship.

In deep space, without a flagship, the small vessels would either exhaust all their energy and turn into space debris or…

Shadow 3 had obliterated the pirate flagship with a single shot.

The command hall erupted in sheer joy.

"We won!"

"Haha…"

"The captain is brilliant!"

The crew embraced one another, a sense of triumph as they went from despair to salvation.

Zhang Lian wore a wide smile, but his gaze fell on the screen where a Qingniao, Number 37, was silently moving toward the frontlines, ready to assist other Qingniaos in need.

The key to this reversal lay in the data provided by Number 37.

It was over.

Everyone began the routine process of repairing the overheated, damaged components.

As captain, Zhang Lian called for all security personnel to assemble.

Luo Fei, Chen Wuling, Liu Xuesong, and the rest of the team, all of whom had just experienced a brush with death, were jubilant. They had no idea how Zhang Lian had located the pirates' flagship. They were full of admiration for the captain. Even though they were exhausted and their biological energy was nearly depleted, they still answered his summons.

"Captain!"

The group entered the specially prepared area, filled with an array of delicious food and fruit.

Zhang Lian greeted them warmly, accompanied by two staff members.

"Welcome back, heroes!"

Even the security officer who had been injured by machine gun fire was present, with his wound bandaged and not serious.

"You are the real hero, Captain," Luo Fei said respectfully, bowing.

Zhang Lian smiled as he looked at Tian Xiao and said, "In this battle, the greatest contributor was your security team's Number 37, Tian Xiao. Please step forward."

"Yes, Captain," Tian Xiao responded, already prepared. He stood tall and stepped forward.

The other security personnel looked at him in surprise.

They remembered that Number 37 was the only one who hadn't participated in the frontline battle. Even Old Lu, the injured one, had gone out to deploy the drones.

Zhang Lian, facing the puzzled gazes of the others, explained Tian Xiao's role: "The reason we were able to turn the tide in this battle is thanks to Tian Xiao. He located the pirates' flagship and identified its exact coordinates."

The room fell silent in disbelief.

Luo Fei was stunned.

Chen Wuling stood there, wide-eyed.