122: Blood Blade Pirates

Blood Blade Pirate Group core control area, "Star Breaker Nest"...

This is not a habitable planet orbiting a star, but a brown dwarf that has been completely hollowed out and modified.

Its interior space has been processed with space folding technology, vast enough to accommodate hundreds of standard planets.

Countless rough, ferocious metal structures flickering with dark red energy patterns support this dark palace belonging to thugs and outlaws.

The air is eternally filled with the pungent scent of blood that has never been completely cleaned; this is the unique "glory" of a star pirate nest.

In the deepest part of the nest, within the command hub called the "Blood Howl Hall," a session that is less of a meeting and more of a venting of roars is underway...

The holographic star map in the center of the hall is unimaginably huge, clearly marking the actual control area radiating thousands of star systems from the Star Breaker Nest as the center, as well as hundreds of thousands of star systems in a wider range marked as "Hunting Grounds."

At this moment, in a corner on the edge of the star map, a signal sign representing "Bone Splitter" Gor and his sub-fleet has turned into a glaring, constantly flashing gray-white...

Beside it, cold text is marked: "Signal lost, energy signature annihilated, presumed total annihilation."

"Trash! Gor, that brainless idiot! Doesn't he know how to report the name of the Blood Blade Pirate Group?! And he got himself and the entire sub-fleet wiped out?! He's made me lose all my Face!"

The roar is like a supernova explosion, carrying the terrifying Aura of a Stellar Level Peak, shaking the metal structure of the hall's ceiling, which had been reinforced with a stability field, causing it to emit an unbearable hum.

The owner of the voice is a giant nearly three meters tall, with dark red skin and muscles knotted like forged lava.

He is wearing a set of pitch-black power armor covered in ferocious spikes and rams; every deep scratch and energy burn mark on the armor seems to be silently telling of one bloody slaughter and successful plunder after another.

He is one of the five supreme commanders of the Blood Blade Pirate Group, in charge of the southern raiding zone, the notorious "Skull Breaker" Balem!

He is glaring with wide eyes at this moment, with what looks like lava flowing in his dark red pupils, and energy white mist carrying the scent of sulfur spraying from his nostrils.

A huge palm slams heavily onto the armrest of the throne cast from a star core, leaving a clear palm print.

"Boss, calm down, calm down." A soft yet clear voice rings out, neutralizing some of the violent Aura just right.

The speaker is a thin, tall man standing in the shadows beside the throne, wearing an exquisite black robe that is out of place with the barbaric environment around him.

He is wearing a pair of exquisite data monocles on his Face, with ghostly blue data streams constantly flowing on the lenses.

He is Balem's strategist and intelligence officer, known as "Ghost Calculator" Carol, a Stellar Level Peak, known for his cunning and precise intelligence analysis.

"Gor, that brute, if he's dead, he's dead. To die on the periphery of our actual control zone just shows he's trash." Carol pushes his glasses, his tone as flat as if he were discussing cleaning up garbage.

"The key is, how did he die? According to the analysis of the extremely short and distorted fragment information transmitted back, they encountered an attack suspected to be of high-level individual power. I speculate that a Stellar Level expert made a move. This is a provocation to our Blood Blade Pirate Group!"

"Individual power?" Balem sneers, his voice like two grinding wheels rubbing crazily.

"Carol, a country bumpkin that doesn't even have a thousand star systems of territory, not even a Rank 2.1 civilization, is worthy of using individual power?"

"This is exactly the biggest point of suspicion, Boss." A glint flashes in Carol's eyes. "According to our previous infiltration of the Tristan Empire's old archives, this civilization that just annexed Tristan and calls itself the 'Human Federation'—by all logic, they shouldn't have the guts to deal such a fatal blow to our Blood Blade Pirate Group's sub-fleet. This seriously violates the 'unspoken rules' of this Star Domain. They might have some sort of backing?"

"Unspoken rules? Backing?" Balem snorts coldly, the sound wave sweeping through the hall again.

"With me, fists are the damn biggest rule! I am the biggest backing of our Blood Blade! If they dare to touch my people, they are not giving me, Balem, Face! Not giving the Blood Blade Pirate Group Face! If we don't retaliate, any stray cat or dog will dare to shit on my head in the future!"

His massive body stands up from the throne like a mountain rising from the ground.

Carrying a suffocating, terrifying sense of oppression, his crimson gaze sweeps over the lower-level leaders and squad captains who are trembling in fear below.

These leaders all possess Stellar Level strength, and the squad captains are mostly Planet-level Peak!

At this moment, under Balem's Aura, they are like campfires in a gale, flickering unsteadily...

"All of you, listen to me!" Balem's voice is like thunder, exploding in every star pirate's ear.

"Why can our Blood Blade Pirate Group walk sideways in this Star Domain? Why do even those 'decent people' like the Holy Radiance Empire and the Myriad Merchant Conglomerate, who control tens of thousands of star systems, have to be polite when they see our patrol fleets and regularly offer 'security Guarantee fees'?"

He pauses, his gaze like a tangible blade, scraping across everyone's Soul.

"It's not because we are reasonable! It's because we are ruthless enough! Strong enough!"

"Because we have 180 Stellar Level Peak commanders! More than 25,000 Stellar Level brothers!"

"Controlling over 3,000 resource-rich star systems! With hundreds of billions of warships that can be mobilized at any time under our command!"

"The range of the hunting grounds we harass covers hundreds of thousands of star systems!"

"Except for those Rank 2.3 or higher civilizations that control hundreds of thousands of star systems, who dares not to give our Blood Blade Pirate Group Face?! Not give our five supreme commanders Face?!"

His voice echoes in the hall, carrying the arrogance and dominance unique to Star Pirates, built on violence.

"A country bumpkin that hasn't even broken through the number of star systems to a thousand, with at most a thousand Stellar-level Experts, and just barely touched the edge of Rank 2.1, dares to bare its fangs?!"

"If they dare to wipe out one of my sub-fleets today, tomorrow they will dare to intercept our trade routes, and the day after they will dare to unite with other civilizations to surround and suppress us!"

"If we swallow this insult, how can we continue to operate on the Dao in the future? Which civilization will be willing to pay protection fees obediently?!"

"Which vassal civilization will fear us?!"

"Will those Rank 2.2 'decent people' still take us seriously?!"

The more Balem speaks, the louder his voice, the stronger his Aura, and the more ferocious his expression!

"Boss is right!"

"Must retaliate! Bloodbath the Federation!"

"Drag out their leader, extract their Soul to light a star lamp!"

"Kill all their men! Screw their women! Burn all their planets!"

...

The leaders below are completely ignited, brandishing strange weapons, emitting beast-like roars!

For these Star Pirates who lick blood on the edge of a blade and believe in the Law of the jungle...

The logic is simple and direct—authority cannot be challenged, Face is more important than life, and whoever dares to reach out, chop off their claws!

Even pull them out by the roots!

"But, Boss," an Old Pirate who looks more experienced, with a deep claw mark on his Face and one blind eye, speaks up. He is an old subordinate who has followed Balem for many years, nicknamed "Old One-Eye," and is also a Stellar Level intermediate expert.

"That Federation... after all, it is nominally a civilization approaching Rank 2.1. Although we are not afraid, according to the rules of the 'Dao', shouldn't we check the situation first before dealing a fatal blow to a civilization of this level, to see if they have any tough backing behind them?"

"What if they hit the jackpot and climbed onto the high branch of some Rank 2.3 or even Rank 2.4 civilization... Or, was the one who wiped out Gor actually some passing great god we can't afford to provoke? And it has nothing to do with the Human Federation? Then..."

"Check the situation my ass! Old One-Eye, are you getting old, and your guts have been eaten by dogs?" Balem interrupts him impatiently, with a tone of hating that iron cannot become steel.

"Rank 2.3 civilization? Those big shots who control at least 100,000 star systems, where one star system territory gives birth to at least 16 Stellar-level Experts in 100,000 years, and the entire civilization has at least 1.6 million Stellar-level Experts! A power whose permanent garrison in a remote star system is comparable to one of our main fleets! Would they care about an upstart from a backwater like the Federation?!"

"Rank 2.4 civilization? That can control a million star systems, where one star system territory gives birth to at least 32 Stellar-level Experts in 100,000 years! A hegemon-in-waiting with Stellar-level Experts as common as hair, and perhaps even Star Arm Level experts sitting in command!"

"In their eyes! Our entire Blood Blade Pirate Group is just a slightly larger ant! Would they care about a civilization in a corner that isn't even Rank 2.1 yet?!!!"

He walks to the star map, his huge finger pointing at the sparse Star Domain where the Federation is located.

“Listen, this Sagittarius Arm spans hundreds of millions of star systems! 99% of the area is occupied by civilizations of various Ranks! Why do those primitive civilizations, not even Rank 1, look around with their ridiculous radio telescopes and feel that the Universe is empty and dead silent, believing only they are the ‘Chosen Ones’?”

A cruel and mocking smile appeared on his Face, as if he were sneering at the ignorance of all the weak in the Universe.

“It's not because they are the only ‘lucky ones’! It's because they are too weak! Any star system that gives birth to a civilization Rank 1.0 or higher, capable of stable intra-system navigation, does one thing first: start shielding the local area to protect itself.”

“As for sparing low-level civilizations that exhibit observational behavior? That isn't mercy; it's simply not bothering, because they pose no threat! Whenever a low-level civilization shows a threat, it can be easily wiped out by a higher-level civilization with a wave of the hand!”

“Once they reach Rank 2, the shielding range can cover dozens or even hundreds of light-years around them!”

“Just like us, we can easily shield the observations of tens of thousands of primitive civilizations within the thousands of star systems under our command, letting them struggle in their own little puddles, conducting ridiculous technological revolutions, thinking they are the center of the Universe! Little do they know, we are just waiting for them to fatten up before slaughtering them! How naive! How ridiculous!”

He patted Old One-Eye heavily on the shoulder, the force of a Stellar Level Peak expert causing the latter to grunt and nearly lose his footing.

“Old friend, set your mind at ease. A place like the Federation cannot possibly have any existence we can't afford to provoke. The least likely accident is that a passing, meddlesome solitary Stellar Level expert just happened to run into Gor. The most likely possibility is simply that this bumpkin civilization doesn't understand the rules!”

“But no matter which possibility it is, it doesn't change the fact that they are essentially a fat sheep! Killing our people requires paying a price a hundred or a thousand times over!”

“This time, I will lead the team myself. Not only will I loot all their resources, population, and technology, but I will also conquer their main star systems one by one and plant the flag of our Blood Blade Pirate Group!”

“I want all the civilizations in this Star Domain to see the consequences of offending our Blood Blade Pirate Group!”

“Let them know that in this Star Domain, if you are a Dragon, you must coil up for me, and if you are a Tiger, you must lie down for me! Our Blood Blade Pirate Group is the rule!”

Balem's declaration was like a spark thrown into boiling oil, instantly igniting the fanaticism of all the pirate leaders.

The cheers, roars, and the thunderous sound of weapons striking the ground nearly overturned the dome of the great hall.

In the simple and cruel worldview of the Star Pirates, the leader's strength is the Guarantee of everything!

Before absolute force, any conspiracy and accident are paper tigers!

Meanwhile.

Outside the meeting, among the lowly pirates who weren't qualified to attend...

An Old Pirate with a Face full of flab, missing a front tooth, and reeking of strong alcohol and blood, was spitting everywhere as he “educated” his son—who had just joined the group and still had a look of childishness and unease on his Face—about the “common sense” of the Universe.

“Kid, look at how cowardly you are! I heard that unlucky bastard Gor fell on an agricultural planet, and you're already wetting your pants in fear?”

The Old Pirate took a swig of “Throat-Burner” wine that emitted a pungent odor and mocked him, his murky eyes full of disdain.

“Dad... I, I just don't understand,” the young pirate timidly looked around at the fierce and evil companions, lowering his voice.

“Why do we have to fight a Rank 2.1 civilization to the death? Don't they also have Stellar Level big shots? I heard there are quite a few...”

“What ‘quite a few’! What ‘Rank 2.1 civilization’!” The Old Pirate scoffed, spitting a glob of phlegm accurately onto the head of a drunkard napping three meters away, who didn't react at all.

“What do you know! Listen, kid, the civilizations in this Universe are divided into different classes! A difference of 0.1 Rank is the difference between Heaven and Earth!”

“Even within the same Rank, there is a world of difference! Controlling two star systems is called a Rank 2.0 civilization, and controlling 999 star systems is also called a Rank 2.0 civilization; at most, it's considered touching the edge of a Rank 2.1 civilization!”

He counted on his rough, dirty fingers and began to instill the pirate version of the “Theory of Universal Civilization Ranks” into his son:

“Those that can't even leave their own planet are called primitive civilizations, not even Rank 1, they are nothing. When we're in a good mood, we go grab some slaves for fun; when we're in a bad mood, we just toss a ‘Star-Shattering Bomb’ over and blow it up just to hear the boom.”

“An initial Rank 2 civilization that lights nuclear fusion like lighting a lamp, travels between planets like visiting a neighbor, and treats the entire star system as its castle and courtyard is considered to have a bit of meat on it, but it's not tough; looting it only makes you rich for one wave.”

“Only when they can fully control dozens or hundreds of star systems and have dozens or hundreds of Stellar-level Experts to hold down the fort can they barely squeeze into the Rank 2.0 circle, but it's just bluffing; in reality, they break with a single poke.”

“Here comes the important part!” The Old Pirate took another swig of wine, his eyes widening like copper bells.

“Controlling one thousand to ten thousand star systems, where one star system territory can produce an average of 4 Stellar-level Experts every one hundred thousand years, the number of Stellar-level Experts must exceed four thousand, and technology, industry, and population must form a preliminary scale effect; only then can it be considered a stable Rank 2.1 civilization! A civilization controlling one thousand star systems is at the bottom of the Rank 2.1 barrel! Only those controlling 9999 star systems are top-tier Rank 2.1 civilizations!”

“Although our Blood Blade Pirate Group is only considered to have Rank 2.1 civilization strength, we made our fortune through looting. Although we only actually control 3000 star systems, the range of star systems we have looted exceeds one hundred thousand! Even top-tier Rank 2.1 civilizations dare not clash with us head-on!”

“Moving further up, Rank 2.2 civilizations, like the Holy Radiance Empire and the Myriad Merchant Conglomerate that we frequently ‘visit,’ are the truly decent folks! Controlling tens of thousands of star systems with abundant resources, the resident fleet and number of Stellar-level Experts in a single remote star system might be more than our entire large sub-fleet! We generally don't offend them to death; we collect some ‘protection fees’ regularly and make some ‘trades,’ as long as everyone saves Face, it's fine.”

“Rank 2.3, Powerful Civilization! Controlling one hundred thousand star systems is just the starting point! They are the true behemoths! Stationing seven or eight Stellar-level Experts in an ordinary star system is like child's play! Their main fleets cover the sky! We have to take a detour when we see such big shots, for fear of accidentally catching their eye!”

“Rank 2.4, Hegemon Civilization! Controlling one million star systems! Stellar Level? That's nothing! It is said that they might have even more powerful Star Arm Level existences who can crush stars with their bare hands! Those are the true big shots; they could wipe out our entire pirate group with a single breath! We don't even dare to have a thought about it!”

“The top-tier Rank 2.5, Arm Hegemon! Star Arm Level civilization! Controlling over ten million star systems, dominating the entire arm! It is said that on average, each star system territory can produce over one hundred Stellar-level Experts every one hundred thousand years! Such existences, we can't even imagine! Their Capital Star is said to be able to house tens of trillions of people! The planet itself is a super war fortress!”

“Every 0.1 Rank increase in a civilization represents a technological explosion, enhanced planet expansion technology, more near-orbit cities, larger capacity space cities, and a higher average population per planet! This means more Innate Aptitude! More Stellar-level Experts!”

“For a Rank 2.0 civilization, if one star system can support an average of 1 trillion people, that's decent. A Rank 2.1 civilization can support at least 2 trillion people per star system. This means for every additional star system we have, we should have at least 2 more Stellar-level Experts than that so-called Federation!”

“Our Blood Blade Pirate Group, with three thousand star systems, would normally be doing well to have twelve thousand Stellar-level Experts. But! We rely on looting and collecting ‘protection fees’ to obtain large amounts of origin crystals! origin crystals are supreme treasures! Ordinary Planet-level Peak experts wouldn't be able to get them even if they risked their lives! It is precisely because we have a large number of origin crystals that we can possess over twenty-five thousand Stellar-level Experts! Wiping out a mere Federation, isn't that as easy as pie?!”

He patted his son's still somewhat thin shoulder heavily, speaking earnestly, with spittle spraying all over the other's Face:

“Know it now? A pathetic, poor, bottom-of-the-barrel civilization like the Federation, which just escaped poverty and isn't even Rank 2.1, is in the eyes of our Blood Blade Pirate Group, just a piece of meat that is dripping with fat and has no bones!”

“They dared to resist and even went for the kill; that's just not understanding the rules, ruining our reputation on the streets! This time, Commander Balem is personally leading the team, bringing over two thousand of our Stellar Level underlings and tens of billions of warships, just to kill the chicken to warn the monkeys!”

“Let everyone know that in this territory, if you are a Dragon, you must coil up; if you are a Tiger, you must lie down! Our Blood Blade Pirate Group is the rule! Whoever breaks the rules must die!”

The young pirate nodded as if he understood, and looking at the fanatical companions around him, the cowardice in his eyes seemed to be gradually replaced by a blind fanaticism.