220: Violent Settlement and Thousand-fold Circuit Breaker

That destructive beam, capable of vaporizing alloys, stopped just one meter before touching the bridge of the "vengeance."

There was no explosion.

There were no flames.

A pale gold honeycomb force field materialized out of thin air. The beam struck it like a high-pressure water jet hitting a piece of curved glass coated in grease.

"Sizzle—"

A tooth-grinding friction sound spread across the battlefield through the sensors.

That massive energy was forcibly twisted and refracted by the thin film of light, turning into a scattered rain of light that slid past the armor plates of the "vengeance" into deep space, detonating a series of brilliant fireworks upon the wreckage of abandoned starships in the distance.

Inside the bridge, there was a deathly silence.

The wine glass in front of Chen Feng was still trembling slightly.

He didn't even blink.

The livestream camera faithfully recorded this scene: the man sat at the center of destruction, looking through the shimmering shield as if admiring a celebration lit specifically for him.

"Phase Deflection Shield."

Chen Feng's voice broke the silence, his tone as flat as if he were introducing a new household appliance.

"A defense matrix derived from Titan Technology. It doesn't withstand damage; it simply changes the energy's vector. On the level of physical laws, this is an elegant rejection of 'violence'."

He turned his head and flashed a row of neat white teeth at the camera.

"This is also the core risk control guarantee for our current bond product. Everyone, your investment is very safe."

In the Tartarus underground black market, the beer mug in the one-eyed man's hand was crushed with a "crack."

In Cloud City, Augustus's pupils contracted violently.

Before screens across the entire universe, countless mouths hung open in an "O" shape.

That was black technology that even the Alliance's main battleships were not equipped with.

"The demonstration continues."

Chen Feng snapped his fingers, the crisp sound acting like a starting pistol.

Reno, enter the field and harvest.

"Roar—!!!"

A beast-like roar came through the communication channel.

The previously stationary hull of the "vengeance" suddenly accelerated, its engine nozzles erupting with blinding blue flames. It did not evade; instead, braced by the golden Phase Deflection Shield, it charged straight into the Phantom Fleet's encirclement like a rhino clad in invincible battle armor.

"Fire! Stop it! Fire quickly!"

The Phantom Fleet's communication channel was in chaos. Those special forces captains, who were usually like death gods, now had voices filled with terror.

Countless beams of light focused their fire.

But all attacks were deflected the moment they touched that golden light film.

"This is your 'Phantom'? Weak and powerless!"

Reno laughed wildly, his hands blurring across the fire control console.

The armor plates on both sides of the "vengeance" flipped open, revealing densely packed missile silos.

"Shatter... for me!"

Hundreds of missiles trailing tail flames whistled out.

This was not a battle.

This was a one-sided performance of crushing force.

Every missile seemed to have eyes, accurately diving into the cooling vents of the enemy ships' shield generators.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

A series of sympathetic detonations exploded in the starry sky.

Simultaneously, in the bottom left corner of the livestream, Eve's silver fingers appeared in a floating window.

She was tapping out code.

Every keystroke was accompanied by a burst of fire on the battlefield.

"Settling battle results in real-time..."

Eve's calm voice sounded like an AI reporting the weather: "One 'Phantom' class corvette destroyed, two high-energy engine cores recovered, estimated residual value: eight million credit points."

In the center of the screen, the red line representing the net value of the 'War Bonds' jumped up a notch with that explosion.

"One destroyer destroyed, weapon systems recovered, net value up 1.2%."

"Flagship shield damaged, technical parameters being analyzed, net value up 0.5%."

This was no war livestream.

This was clearly a blood-pumping financial roadshow.

Every fireball was the sound of gold coins falling into pockets.

Every dead enemy turned into a constantly ticking number.

"Buy! Buy it for me!"

Inside some unknown Interstellar Exchange, a sweating trader roared, his finger frantically stabbing the green 'Buy' button: "This is like picking up money! That's Titan Technology! Hanhai really has Titan Technology!"

"All positions! Add leverage! Fast!"

Greed spread through the faster-than-light network like a virus, infecting the entire universe in an instant.

The speculators who were still waiting and watching went mad.

They had seen Hanhai's military power with their own eyes, seen the supposedly invincible Alliance fleet torn apart like paper.

Doubt turned into fanaticism.

Fear turned into greed.

A tsunami of buy orders flooded the trading system Eve had built, and the server load alarms blared.

In the center of the battlefield.

A black single-man assault craft ejected from the belly of the "vengeance," like a black nail, ignoring all intercepting fire and plunging hard into the command tower of the Phantom Fleet's flagship.

"What... is that thing?"

Valerius stood on the violently shaking bridge, watching the rapidly approaching black dot on the monitor.

It was Chimera.

But he was no longer the boy who clumsily repaired toy soldiers.

Wearing that pitch-black "Executioner" armor, he was like a mechanical spider crawling out of hell, moving rapidly through the internal corridors of the flagship.

Alloy gates were torn open before him like tofu.

The fully armed security Guards were like weeds before him.

He didn't use any thermal weapons.

Just those armor-clad fists; every swing was accompanied by the sound of shattering bones and deforming armor.

"Stop him! He's a monster!"

The adjutant's scream cut off abruptly.

The command room doors collapsed with a crash.

From the smoke and dust, the pitch-black figure slowly emerged.

Chimera tilted his head, his tactical visor flashing with a crimson light. He looked at the room full of terrified officers as if looking at a pile of parts waiting to be disassembled.

"The boss said..."

The boy's voice, processed through a voice changer, was low and raspy.

"To act... a bit more shockingly."

His figure flashed.

Valerius didn't even see his movement before he felt a tightening around his neck.

That burly admiral, weighing two hundred kilograms, was lifted up by Chimera with one hand like a little chick.

"Let go... let go of me!"

Valerius struggled desperately, his proud power armor creaking under the strain in the other's grip.

Chimera ignored his struggles.

He carried Valerius, walking step by step to the shattered viewport of the command room.

Outside was the cold, dead silence of space.

"No... you can't..."

Valerius looked at the deep darkness, the anger in his eyes finally turning into bone-chilling fear. He was an admiral of the Alliance; he should die in a glorious duel, not be thrown out like trash.

"This is... the script."

Chimera said plainly.

Then, he let go.

"Ah—!!!"

Valerius's scream vanished instantly in the vacuum.

His body rapidly expanded due to decompression, and that dark red power armor became his iron coffin. He flailed his limbs helplessly in space like a comical drowning man, slowly drifting away.

This scene, through the camera on Chimera's helmet, was clearly presented to the audience across the entire universe.

Shock.

Absolute shock.

Valerius, the hawk leader of the Alliance who made countless civilizations tremble with fear, was executed in public just like that.

No trial, no nonsense.

Just like throwing away a bag of trash.

"My god..."

Su Li covered her mouth; even though she hated the Alliance to the core, she felt a chill run down her spine.

Chen Feng sat on the bridge, watching the black dot grow smaller in space on the screen, his expression still showing no fluctuation.

He raised his hand and glanced at the terminal on his wrist.

"The first round of the roadshow is over."

Chen Feng snapped his fingers at the camera.

"Now, announcing the sales results."

The screen switched.

On that massive K-line chart, the red curve had already broken through the ceiling.

And in the very center of the screen, two huge golden words were flashing frantically.

【Sold Out】

"The first round of one hundred million War Bonds, taking three minutes and twenty-four seconds, is completely sold out."

Eve's voice carried a hint of imperceptible trembling, "Total funds raised: three hundred million credit points. Oversubscription ratio: fifty times."

On the battlefield, the fighting was nearing its end.

Having lost their Commander, the Phantom Fleet completely collapsed, the remaining ships scrambling to activate their warp engines to escape.

The Starship Graveyard returned to peace.

Only this time, there was more wreckage floating there. Those fragments of Blackwater warships, still sparking, became the best advertising backdrop for Hanhai Trade.

"We won..."

Reno slumped in his chair, panting heavily, his one eye bloodshot but terrifyingly bright, "Boss, we fucking won! And so much money!"

A cheer erupted inside the bridge.

It was the relief of surviving a disaster, and even more, a fanatical longing for the future.

With this money, they could build a larger fleet and purchase more advanced technology. They were no longer Mine Slaves to be slaughtered; they were the new kings of this sector.

Chen Feng did not cheer.

He looked at the dizzying numbers on the screen, his gaze becoming even colder.

He knew this was only the beginning.

Augustus would never swallow this insult. Once the Alliance's war machine truly started running, even the Mechanical Divine Court would have to avoid its edge.

Today's victory relied on the information gap and the suddenness of Titan Technology.

Next time, the enemy would not give them such an opportunity.

They had to be fast.

Before the Alliance could react, they had to turn this money into tangible combat power.

"Eve."

Chen Feng turned off the microphone, his voice low: "The funds are in place. Initiate the 'Civilization Ascension Plan'."

"Contact Jax and those leaders of low-dimension civilizations who have been contacting us on the black market. Tell them Hanhai provides complete military upgrade solutions."

He pointed to the starry sky outside the window.

"I want to use this money to arm an Ascendant Alliance composed of lunatics, outlaws, and revengers. I want every corner of this sector to become a graveyard for the Alliance fleet."

"Yes, Boss." A fanatical stream of data flashed in Eve's eyes.

Chen Feng straightened his collar and looked back at the livestream camera, which had already gone dark.

Although the signal was cut, he knew those viewers were still staring at the black screen in a daze, relishing the soul-stirring feast of slaughter.

"Su Li."

Chen Feng stood up and walked to the viewport, his back to everyone.

"Prepare the dividends. The proceeds from the first batch of loot auctions should be deposited into all investors' accounts immediately."

He paused, the corners of his mouth curling into an extremely arrogant arc.

"Additionally, send a bill to Augustus."

"List the ammunition costs consumed in this roadshow, the depreciation of the vengeance, and the cleaning fee for Valerius dirtying our deck."

Chen Feng turned around, his trench coat drawing a sharp arc behind him.

"Thank him for his 'guest appearance' on my behalf. Tell him I look forward to the next cooperation."