The Empire begins with the Fourth Scourge.

Chapter 2681 Scourge Legion
2681, The Scourge

"What? We're sending our main force up there?" Silas-Tagg was shocked.

This fleet was practically his last hope, and now he was going to send it all out to fight Orman-Tagh's superior fleet to the death? How could that be possible!

If he still had this fleet, Silas would still be considered a warlord, possessing some means of self-defense. But if this fleet were to perish here, he would truly have nothing left.

"We must make a choice now!" Casio-Taggs said sharply. "The enemy commander is very cautious. He has left at least half of his fighters behind. If we rashly expose our ambush under these circumstances, it will only hasten our defeat! The only way now is to commit our entire main fleet and make the enemy think that this is our last strength. Only then will they send all their fighters up!"

"Isn't there any other way?" Silas-Tagg panicked.

Casio-Tagg said solemnly, "The enemy is strong and we are weak, and their actions are very cautious. This is our only option. We must seek victory through danger, now is the time! Give the order, Master!"

He handed the choice to Silas without warning, catching him completely off guard. Normally, such military decisions should be made by him, the frontline commander.

“I…this…” Silas-Tagg’s body trembled slightly. Casio-Tagg had placed the life and death of the entire fleet in his hands, leaving him completely stunned, having been unprepared at all.

However, Casio-Tagg's final words, "Head of the family," made Silas feel that it was only right for him to make the decision.

Faced with this situation, he became anxious and uncertain.

Looking at the holographic battle map, the red markers representing enemy ships stretched out in a dense, relentless barrage, moving slowly but resolutely. Clearly, the opposing commander was seasoned and prudent, preferring to forgo some opportunities to ensure the absolute success of his battle plan.

When faced with a situation where the enemy outnumbers us, we are not afraid of the enemy being a renowned general of our time; what we fear is someone who, despite having the upper hand, still adopts a humble attitude.

Silas-Tagg thought carefully, then suddenly looked up at Casio-Tagg and said seriously, "I've thought it through. Open up the border and call your mercenaries over. When will they be able to get here?"

Casio-Tagg said calmly, “Relaxing the border is actually quite simple. Just shut down the hyperspace jammer, grant them passage, and temporarily cut off communications to the border hyperspace outposts. They can arrive in two hours at most. But the problem is that they are mercenaries after all. Although we have a relationship, relationships don't pay the bills. They have to pay us. And their asking price is very high.”

"Send them here! Send them over quickly to reinforce us! I have plenty of money! When has the Targ family ever lacked money?!" Silas Targ shouted hurriedly.

Casio-Tagg nodded, and in front of Silas, he made a call. On the other end of the holographic projection, there was only a black shadow.

“Are you still interested in the business I mentioned last time, Scarface?” Casio-Tagg said coldly. “The employer is very generous; twenty million Imperial Credits for handling this ragtag army.”

“As familiar as we are, Casio, you should know that this ragtag army is likely backed by the Imperial Navy. I dare not get involved with the Empire,” the shadowy figure said.

“The Imperial Navy won’t get involved in this, don’t worry. The employer has already taken care of things. Once this fleet is destroyed, the Empire will classify this battle as an internal family feud,” Casio-Tagg said. “As long as you take this job, you’ll immediately receive the Imperial border crossing authorization code. Before the Imperial border outposts renew their authorizations, you’ll be considered an ally by them for at least three months.”

“Since you’ve said so, I’ll trust you this once. After all, you didn’t mistreat the brothers when we were licking blood off the front lines in the Hutt Space.” The shadowy figure said, “Twenty million Imperial Credits is no problem, but the loss of all our warships and personnel in this operation will be charged separately.”

“No problem. Remember, be quick. I’ll help you draw the enemy commander’s attention.” Casio-Tagg nodded.

……

Outer Ring Sector of the Milky Way, Tatooine, Port Mos Espa.

Ni Yongxiao sat on the sofa, his legs propped up comfortably on the coffee table, holding a glass of fine wine in his hand. He examined the iridescent light emanating from the wine under the lamplight.

“You know what? I often have dreams,” Ni Yongxiao said casually, “a dream that makes me feel really bad.”

He looked up at the incredibly fierce Farin man in front of him. This Farin man was tall and muscular, and was clearly an anomaly among the Farin people who were generally known for their agility.

Ni Yongxiao swirled his wine glass and continued, "In that dream, I was burdened with a family mission and had to do things I deeply hated. Moreover, my actions were constantly restricted, like... a cheetah lurking in the darkness, powerful but unable to see the light. So in the dream, I often wondered, what is light?"

He looked up at the Farin man in front of him. "Hmm? Ron. Tell me."

"Hmph! Boring stuff." The Farin man named Ron curled his lip and said, "To me, money is light. Making this deal is true light. Hehehehe..."

Ni Yongxiao said calmly, "Money? But what if I told you that even if you got this money, you wouldn't dare to spend it? What you've done right now, if we were to be serious about it, would be enough to get you sentenced to death a hundred times over. But why is it that even though you've broken almost every law, you can still stand here and talk to me about making money?"

"Hmph! How would I know anything about you big shots? Anyway, I'll do your job, you pay me, that's all. With money, I have power!" Ron said.

“So, light is power!” Ni Yongxiao said with a smile. “Only by possessing power can one have the ability to walk in the light. Power is light. In that dream, I could only hide in the darkness, gazing at that light from afar, yearning for it but unable to obtain it, and finally… I died, and the dream ended.” He took a sip of his wine and continued, “But when I woke up, I was bathed in light, enjoying everything that light brought me… Yes, that is light… intoxicating.”

“You’re a big shot,” Ron said impatiently. “Whatever you do is legal. Even if you ship ships full of spices to the inner sphere of the Empire, you’ll still get protection. But look outside, those thugs selling that cheap spice, ‘Death Staff,’ in Mos Espa Port—if they’re caught selling more than 500 grams, they’re sentenced to death. So, don’t give me that ‘legal’ nonsense. Our boss has been urging us to act for years, why aren’t we allowed to take action?”

“Go back and tell Magtan Scar that times have changed. Light, sometimes, can hurt,” Ni Yongxiao said.

"Are you going to hurt us?" Ron retorted.

"Of course not." Ni Yongxiao smiled slightly.

"That solves everything! Hahahaha!" Ron burst into laughter. "Don't worry, once we cross the border, the entire Galactic Empire will be our hunting ground!!"

“I’m reminding you, Ron. Once you cross the borders of the Galactic Empire, the Scourge will be different,” Ni Yongxiao said.

“Of course it’s different! Hahahaha! Just you wait!” Ron laughed.

“Then…” Ni Yongxiao took out a black storage device and threw it directly at Ron. “Let’s go, Scourge.”

"Hahahaha!" Ron laughed as he walked out.

Ni Yongxiao watched his retreating figure, downed the wine in his hand in one gulp, and his gaze gradually turned cold.

The Scourge is no longer suited to this era...

The Scourge was originally created by Tang Xiao as a bargaining chip to stir up trouble in the Hutt Space. At that time, the Fourth Civilization was just starting out and had to cooperate with the outlaw brothers, Bole Derek Stonebreaker and Magtan Scar, who were considered outlaws. Later, the Scourge was developed from the foundation of these outlaws.

After that, with the covert support of the Fourth Civilization, the Scourge continued to grow stronger. Tang Xiao even sent the bloodthirsty gnolls to them, making the Scourge even more terrifying. They constantly double-crossed and betrayed the Fourth Civilization, doing many sinful and dirty things to protect the development of this nascent civilization.

They committed assassinations, robberies, kidnappings, and smuggling—they were ruthless and wicked. They only became somewhat more restrained when Big Boss and Mira Han were sent there to serve as their leaders, a period that also coincided with the upheaval in the Hutt Space. With the help of the Scourge, the Fourth Civilization was able to support figures like Ziro Desiligich and Gadula Besadi, successfully triggering a civil war in the Hutt Space and playing a crucial role in the rise of the Gorensla family, whom Tang Xiao truly supported.

However, Big Boss was already over sixty when he was awakened. After the basic situation in Hurt Space became clear, he chose to retire and go to the Haven Sector to serve as its governor. Mira Han also returned home to have a son with Matt Horner.

Thus, the Scourge's rule returned to Magtan Scar, one of its founders. However, Scar grew old, and the numerous hidden injuries from years of fighting weakened his body rapidly. So he retired and went to sell weapons with Yuri Orlov, returning to where their fates first met.

At this point, the Kingdom of Dawn, whose strategic objectives were no longer in the Hutt Space, essentially left the Scourge to its own devices. Of course, the Kingdom of Dawn wasn't entirely inactive; after Yuri Orlov's death, they sent Magtan Scar to re-take command of the Scourge. However, due to health reasons, Magtan Scar's position was that of an elder, essentially a figurehead with more symbolic power than real authority.

The Scourge has had several leaders during this period, all as a result of internal struggles. The Farin man, Ron, who is currently talking to Ni Yongxiao, is the latest leader of the Scourge.

Moreover, as the Kingdom of Dawn's direct control over the Scourge has gradually weakened, the Scourge's behavior has gradually become more like that of a true space pirate group. They have become the most powerful space pirate group active in the Hutt space sector.

However, with the collapse of the Galactic Empire's rule in the Southern Sector, the Scourge is now practically useless. But after so many years of development, the Scourge has become a breeding ground for corruption, yet it also boasts a distinguished history. A hasty decision to eliminate it might cause trouble. Therefore, the Kingdom of Dawn initially preferred to maintain the status quo, treating the Scourge as a peripheral military force, much like their relationship with the Geths.

However, the Scourge is no longer the disciplined mercenary force it was under Big Boss's leadership. Ron and his predecessors, who were short-lived, were engaged in space piracy, and they were insatiably greedy. They wouldn't touch ships belonging to the Dawn Kingdom's state-owned enterprises, and sometimes they even robbed ships belonging to civilians. On the surface, they were extremely subservient to the Dawn Kingdom, knowing that only in this way could they maintain support and continue to grow stronger.

Therefore, since the internal strife of the Targ family happened to be near the Southern Border, Qi Jian used Ni Yongxiao to test the Scourge and let them handle the Targ family's affairs, while also observing whether the Scourge still had any reason to exist.

Since stepping down as head of the Secret Intelligence Department, Ni Yongxiao has focused on running his own gang. On the surface, he has no connection with the Dawn Kingdom, but in reality, he is using the opportunity of spice smuggling to develop an underground intelligence network. His current public identity is the head of the largest gang and smuggling group in the Hutt Space, so it wouldn't seem out of place for him to handle matters concerning the Scourge.

He had approached Ron several times, subtly implying that he should stop, gradually dismantle the Scourge, and eventually abolish it—that was the best option. As for these people, the Kingdom of Dawn naturally had plans for them.

However, Ron pretended to be stupid and ignored Ni Yongxiao's hints.

He knew, of course, that once he abandoned the Scourge, no matter how the Kingdom of Dawn arranged things, life would never be so comfortable.

If this is the case, then this operation to disrupt the internal strife within the Targ family on Drukenville is a life-or-death test for the Scourge. The unfolding events of this operation will influence the Dawn Kingdom's final decision regarding the Scourge!

……

Ron was back on his warship, yelling from the bridge, "Brothers! The chance has come! Rob money! Rob territory! Rob women!! This is officially permitted! Hahahaha!! Brothers, let's go!! Our target is Druckenville! Kill! Rob! Hahahaha!"