311: The Fragmented Star Belt and the "Starry Sky Mount Akina"

Twelve hours passed within the hope as if on fast-forward.

In the engine room, newly arranged energy circuits flowed with starlight brighter than ever, like newborn blood vessels. Senior Brother Li and his team completed the final node calibration, wiping sweat from their brows: "Done! Energy fluctuations are stable, output power... increased by forty percent!"

On the hull repair platform, the last piece of green "scale armor" was welded into place. Zhao Iron Pillar knocked on the cold, hard-glowing armor plate and grinned: "Now, our ship has put on a 'fish scale armor'! It looks sturdy!"

In the weapon control center, two newly installed "Gravity Distortion Cannons" had completed debugging. Senior Brother Zhang looked at the "Calibration Complete" message on the screen and pushed up his glasses: "Although there are only two, the principle of this thing is too strange... it actually creates attacks by distorting local space. Is this a physical attack or a magical attack?"

The most exaggerated was the hangar where the Hidden Dragon was located.

Xiao Wu stared at the almost unrecognizable silver-white starship, his mouth wide enough to fit an egg: "Is this... is this still the Hidden Dragon?"

The originally streamlined hull surface was now covered with a faint, rippling film, like water. This was the "Space Buffer Membrane" that Aila had urgently fabricated from the remaining Materials of the Green Scale. Not only that, but the hull color had also deepened, and dozens of tiny, constantly adjusting mirror units had been added – this was the newly installed "Dynamic Optical Camouflage System."

Aila stood beside the Hidden Dragon, data pad in hand, performing the final checks:

[Space camouflage System operating normally, can reduce subspace fluctuations by 62%. Optical camouflage System coverage 87%, with a success rate of over 90% for camouflaging as meteorite fragments under non-direct observation. The engine has been fitted with an emergency burst module, allowing for a 150% increase in short-term speed, but it can only be maintained for thirty breaths, after which it requires six hours of cooling.]

She turned to Xiao Wu and the two pilots responsible for flying the Hidden Dragon: "Remember, this ship's stealth capability is very strong now, but it's not invincible. If you encounter high-level reconnaissance units of the Star Devourers and the distance is too close, you will still be discovered. So... maintain a safe distance during reconnaissance, and retreat immediately if there's any abnormality. Don't engage in prolonged combat."

The two pilots stood at attention: "Understood!"

Wen Youyi watched the completion reports from various departments on the bridge, and then looked at the increasingly close spatial disturbance signal coming from the key.

"Time is almost up." He connected to the ship-wide broadcast, "All modification departments, complete finishing work within half an hour! Unrelated personnel evacuate to the safe zone! Engine group, prepare to ignite!"

Inside the hope, the last batch of tools was put away, scaffolding was dismantled, and all areas returned to navigation status. The newly joined "crash course technicians," though still pale—the after-effects of having knowledge forcibly crammed into their brains persisted—their eyes gleamed with excitement. They had indeed completed a large-scale refit of a starship within twelve hours!

When Aila returned to the bridge, she saw Wen Youyi adjusting the navigation route.

On the star map, the original straight route leading to Guixu - Lighthouse was replaced by a winding, tortuous path, like a sheep's intestine trail. This path passed through an area marked as the "Shattered Star Belt"—a "starry sky danger zone" composed of countless asteroids, ice crystal clusters, metal debris, and energy turbulence.

[The Shattered Star Belt... a very wise choice.] Aila walked up to Youyi, [The environment there is complex, making it difficult for large fleets to operate, and the Star Devourers' hunting fleet would have to proceed cautiously. Moreover, the natural interference inside is very strong, which can greatly weaken their reconnaissance capabilities.]

Youyi nodded: "But it's also a challenge for us. The hope is too large; navigating in such a place is like an elephant walking a tightrope."

[That's why it needed modification.] Aila pointed to several data points on the screen, [The new energy circuits have increased maneuverability by 18%, and the composite shield's protection against physical impacts has also been strengthened. More importantly...]

She pulled up a special program interface:

[I wrote a 'Shattered Star Belt Adaptive Navigation Algorithm' overnight. It can analyze the spatial structure, energy turbulence, and asteroid movement trajectories ahead in real-time, then automatically plan the safest path. Although it can't completely avoid danger, it can at least reduce the probability of hitting something by 70%.]

Youyi stared at the complex algorithm logic, his eyes wide—if this thing had been at his old company, it would have been enough to win an annual best program award!

"Aila," he couldn't help but ask, "Are all the programmers of your Star Patrol Civilization this fierce?"

Aila tilted her head, seemingly not understanding the main point of the question: [This is nothing. On my Homeworld, the algorithms I wrote could only rank in the top ten annually.]

Youyi: "..." Alright, I don't understand the world of alien academic elites.

Half an hour later, all Systems on the hope were checked.

"Engine ignition, 30% power, slowly leave port," Youyi ordered.

The massive hull of the hope slowly turned, its thrusters spewing an ethereal blue flame. The modified engine's hum was deeper and more powerful, like the breathing of a giant beast awakening.

The Hidden Dragon departed first, like a silver shadow gliding into the Star Domain, quickly disappearing into the darkness ahead—it would serve as a vanguard scout, exploring the entrance to the Shattered Star Belt in advance.

"All ship to Level 2 combat readiness," Youyi watched the Hidden Dragon gradually move away, "Maintain speed, we will follow three thousand li behind the Hidden Dragon. Report any abnormalities immediately."

The voyage began.

The first six hours were calm. The Star Domain was deep and vast, with only distant comets occasionally streaking by, leaving faint tails of light.

Youyi sat in the captain's chair, toying with the key. The star map on the key's surface flowed, and several red dots representing the Star Devourers' pursuers were approaching them at an astonishing speed.

"At this speed, they will catch up to us in twenty hours at most," Senior Brother Li said, looking at the monitoring data, "Fortunately... we are about to enter the Shattered Star Belt."

Just as he spoke, communication came from the Hidden Dragon ahead:

[Reached the outer perimeter of the Shattered Star Belt. The entrance area is safe, no signs of Star Devourers activity detected. However, the internal environment is more complex than expected—asteroid density is 30% higher than database records, and energy turbulence activity is also very high. Suggest... cautious navigation.]

Youyi looked at Aila.

Aila nodded: [Activate adaptive navigation algorithm. Engine power increased to 50%, prepare to enter complex environment navigation mode.]

The hope slowly sailed into the Shattered Star Belt.

At first glance, it didn't look like the Star Domain; it looked more like some giant god's junkyard.

Countless stones of varying sizes, ice crystals, and metal fragments floated in the Void Realm, some as large as mountains, others as small as a fist. They slowly rotated and collided, occasionally sparking tiny flashes. Deeper within, one could see colorful energy turbulence, like rivers in the Star Domain, surging silently.

"Can this path... be traveled?" Zhao Iron Pillar's scalp tingled as he looked at the dense obstacles outside the viewport.

"Watch closely." Youyi took a deep breath, "Aila, it's up to you."

[Autopilot mode activated. Neural network at full power. Adaptive navigation algorithm loaded.]

As soon as Aila's voice fell, the hope's navigation mode changed.

The originally stable trajectory of the hope began to become... agile.

The massive starship moved like a living being, deftly weaving through dense asteroids. Sometimes it executed a nimble sideslip to avoid an oncoming giant rock; other times, a slight pitch adjustment allowed it to squeeze through a gap between two energy turbulences; and sometimes, it would suddenly decelerate, letting a runaway rotating metal fragment scrape past half a li in front of the bow.

Everyone on the bridge held their breath.

This piloting skill... was terrifying! One had to remember that the hope was a giant ship several li long, and to achieve such precise control in this environment was simply a miracle!

"This algorithm..." Senior Brother Zhang stared at the rapidly scrolling data on the control panel, "It's predicting! Predicting the trajectory of every broken rock, predicting the fluctuation patterns of every energy turbulence! This computing load... can the hope's neural network handle it?"

[No problem for now.] Aila calmly replied, [But I have set a safety threshold—if the neural network load exceeds 80%, it will automatically switch to manual assist mode. So everyone, don't be idle; keep an eye out and be ready to take over at any time.]

The subsequent voyage became a highly tense experience for everyone on the hope.

You never knew what would fly from which direction in the next second—it could be a slowly drifting cloud of ice crystals, a metal fragment accelerated to terrifying speed by energy turbulence, or even... a giant jellyfish-like Star Domain creature that appeared out of nowhere!

"Port side, three o'clock! Something's coming!" Wang Wu suddenly shouted.

Outside the viewport, a translucent behemoth glowing with an eerie blue light was slowly drifting closer. It was at least five li in diameter, its body composed of countless ribbon-like tentacles, with several glowing organs slowly pulsating at its center.

[Star Domain Jellyfish, a harmless filter-feeding creature.] Aila judged with a glance, [But its surrounding bio-electric field will interfere with our detection System. Bypass it, maintaining a distance of at least ten li.]

The hope elegantly drew an arc, circling past the side of the Star Domain Jellyfish. The giant creature seemed to sense something, swaying a few tentacles in their direction, but soon returned to its leisurely drifting state.

Zhao Iron Pillar wiped cold sweat from his brow: "How can there be all sorts of things in this Star Domain?"

"The Universe is vast, full of wonders," Youyi said, watching with interest, "When we reach Guixu - Lighthouse, we might see even stranger things."

The voyage continued.

Four hours later, the hope had penetrated deep into the Shattered Star Belt's core. The environment here was even more complex, with an astonishing density of asteroids; sometimes, they even had to squeeze through gaps between two giant rocks that were almost touching.

Just then, an urgent communication came from the Hidden Dragon:

[Abnormality detected ahead! Distance: eight thousand four hundred li, bearing: deep area to the left of the navigation channel. Large-scale energy reaction detected... not a natural phenomenon, it's artificial activity! Repeat, signs of artificial activity detected!]

Youyi's heart tightened: "Can you identify what it is? Is it the Star Devourers?"

[Energy signature does not match the Star Devourers. Closer to... some modified starship? And not just one, at least a dozen, currently... engaging in combat? The footage has been sent back, see for yourselves.]

On the main screen, the real-time footage transmitted by the Hidden Dragon unfolded.

It was a relatively open area—several huge meteorites had been artificially modified into platforms, with makeshift shelters and antennas built upon them. Around the platforms, a dozen starships of various designs floated.

The common characteristic of these starships was... they were all dilapidated.

Some hulls had crooked patches, some thrusters were missing one but still stubbornly flying, and some even had their viewports taped with transparent tape. Their paint jobs were also varied, adorned with skulls, flames, and strange animal patterns, all conveying an image of "I'm not a good guy."

And at this moment, this group of broken ships was besieging a relatively intact, dark-gray medium-sized cargo ship. Although the cargo ship was also scarred, it was clearly resisting stubbornly, its onboard weapons occasionally retaliating, keeping the broken ships from getting too close.

"This..." Youyi narrowed his eyes, "Space pirates?"

Aila looked at the screen and suddenly spoke: [Not ordinary pirates. Look at the insignia on their ships—that shattered star pattern is the symbol of the Wanderers Alliance.]

"Wanderers Alliance?"

[A loose organization formed by exiles who lost their Homeworlds during the Star Devourers' expansion.] Aila explained, [They roam the fringes of the Star Domain, living by robbery, smuggling, and scavenging. Their reputation... isn't great, but they aren't entirely evil. Many are just trying to survive.]

She paused: [However, they generally wouldn't establish strongholds deep within the Shattered Star Belt. It's too dangerous here, and supplies are difficult. Unless... there's something worth their risk here.]

Youyi looked at the besieged dark-gray cargo ship on the screen and suddenly had an idea.

"Aila," he turned and asked, "If we detour now, how long will it take to bypass this area?"

[At least six hours. And it would pass through an area with abnormally active energy turbulence, which is very risky.]

"What if... when we 'pass by,' we help that cargo ship out of trouble?"

Everyone on the bridge looked at Youyi.

Zhao Iron Pillar's eyes lit up: "Boss, do you want to 'rob the robbers'? No, 'act righteously'?"

"It's 'gathering intelligence'." Youyi pointed at the dark-gray cargo ship, "Being besieged by pirates in the Shattered Star Belt means it's either carrying valuable cargo or knows some secret. Moreover... the Wanderers Alliance people have been roaming the Star Domain for years and know this Star Domain much better than we do. If we can 'friendly communicate' with them, we might get the latest star map, or even... intelligence about the Star Devourers' pursuers."

Aila thought for a moment and nodded: [High feasibility. But pay attention to the method—the Wanderers Alliance people are very wary and prone to bullying the weak and fearing the strong. We need to show enough strength, but not so much that we scare them away.]

"Then it's settled." Youyi sat up straight, "Notify the Hidden Dragon to maintain covert surveillance. hope, adjust course and proceed towards the combat zone."

A smile played on his lips:

"Let's go see what kind of show is hidden in this 'Starry Sky Mount Akina.'"

The massive silver starship, under the precise control of the algorithm, silently sailed towards the chaotic combat zone.

And behind them, in the distant Star Domain, the Star Devourers' hunting fleet had already reached the entrance of the Shattered Star Belt.

The chase was about to enter its most exciting stage.

(End of Chapter)