The job change is a bizarre and calamity; the nation begs me to tone it down.

Of course, Lorian was not unscathed either; after all, one man can't fight against many opponents.

Although the hunters were outmatched in individual strength, they were all seasoned veterans who lived on the edge, and their insidious and bizarre skills were endless.

Just now, a Mechanic Hunter detonated a Space Distortion Bomb hidden under his corpse the instant his substitute item was destroyed.

To avoid the epicenter of the explosion and prevent it from affecting the starship's main energy pipeline, Lorian braced himself against the aftershocks of the blast with the side of his body.

A flash of golden light, and the ranger totem on his chest was activated once again.

the second time.

Including the time he withstood the split-air bullet, he only had one life left.

"Oh shit!"

Vera was slammed against the wall of the hall with tremendous force, feeling as if her internal organs had been dislocated. She couldn't hold back and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Boss!"

Not far away, a hunter dressed in a priest's robe reacted quickly, and a divine spell emitting a soft green light instantly landed on Vera.

A warm current flowed into my body, and the excruciating pain finally subsided considerably.

Vera leaned against the wall to stand up, wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, looked at the white figure holding a long sword not far away, whose posture was still upright, and couldn't help but curse again.

"Holy crap... what did this guy eat to grow up like that? How can he be so incredibly strong?"

She's a level 117 [Shark Warrior], whose class characteristic is that she gets stronger the longer the battle goes on, and her strength is astonishing.

When I clashed swords with Lorian, I felt like I'd been hit by a meteorite flying straight at me.

That feeling was incredibly intense.

However, despite the criticism, Vera, as the brain of the ship, never stopped thinking.

She was panting as she stared at the battlefield, her eyes narrowed to slits, and a frantic stream of thoughts flashed through her mind.

Something's not right, something's very wrong.

From the start of the war until now, she has felt an inexplicable sense of unease.

Now, she finally seems to understand.

This Lorian Fay... seems to have been holding back all along.

No, it shouldn't be called holding back.

He killed people with incredible speed and efficiency, one sword strike at a time, without even blinking.

His "leniency" was reflected in another aspect—the protection of the ship.

Vera clearly remembered that there were several times when Lorian could have used a skill with a larger range to wipe out three or four hunters at once.

But he gave up on all of them and instead opted for the time-consuming and laborious one-on-one individual service.

And just now, with that space-distorting bomb, he could have easily jumped out of the area before it exploded, but he didn't; instead, he chose to block it with his body.

Why?

Because the bomb was located too close to the starship's warp drive cooling system.

Is this guy... protecting the ship?

A Starfarer from Ashmerkton was chasing after this group of Starfarers, but during the fight, he actually carefully protected their ship.

What kind of spirit is this? Is it the spirit of Stargazing?

Or... did he take a fancy to my shabby ship?

A thought flashed through Vera's mind like lightning, instantly connecting all the clues.

Lorian was all alone.

He appeared on this desolate waterway and stopped their ship.

Despite possessing overwhelming power, he refrained from using any large-scale forbidden spells that could potentially cause structural damage to the starship.

He endured the blast of the Sky-Splitter just for a chance to board the ship.

All his actions pointed to one goal—he needed this ship!

Moreover, it requires a perfectly intact ship capable of warp jumps!

"Holy crap..."

Vera's mind went blank for a moment, and a guess that was so bold that even she herself found it outrageous came to mind.

This guy...is trying to steal the ship?!

A dignified Ashmerk's Watcher, a candidate for Star Hunter, and a future bigwig, instead of thinking about how to arrest wanted criminals, he's getting involved in the business of Star Hunters.

Who would believe that if this got out?!

But then Vera remembered the intelligence she had intercepted from the Ark Merchant Guild.

The Rift Abyss... a higher-dimensional secret realm...

And considering that Lorian came alone from that direction...

A complete logical chain instantly closed in Vera's mind.

there is only one truth!

This guy ran away from that godforsaken place, Rift Abyss!

It's highly likely that the legendary high-dimensional secret realm has indeed appeared over the Rift Abyss!

Moreover, something earth-shattering must have happened inside, causing him to lose his own boat and have to run away alone!

He's in a hurry to seize a ship so he can rush back to the Starfall Divine Realm and deliver the message!

And their passing ship became the perfect "hitchhikkick" in his eyes!

Having figured all of this out, Vera was completely numb.

What kind of situation is this?

It's one thing to not check the Chinese calendar before leaving home, but it's like driving on the highway and being cut off by a fighter jet driver who then points a gun at you and forces you to get out of the car to report a message!

Where are you going to make sense?

"Boss! We can't hold on any longer!"

Just as Vera's mind was racing, Buck's voice sounded beside her, full of anxiety.

"We only have seventeen brothers left! We've almost used up all our sacrificial animals! If this continues, we'll all really die here today!"

Buck, clutching a bloodied arm, his face deathly pale, said, "We have to think of something!"

Vera took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

There's no way to escape, and there's no way to win a fight.

Although the opponent only has one life left, judging from his effortless manner, it probably wouldn't take him much effort to kill all seventeen of them.

The only variable is that the other side is hesitant to destroy the ship, fearing the consequences.

This is both their death warrant and their only... talisman.

What should I do?

surrender?

The thought had barely crossed Vera's mind when she immediately dismissed it.

What a joke! Vera has been in the Star Sea for so many years, what storms hasn't she seen?

Begging a wandering swordsman to kneel and beg for mercy? She'd rather die standing!

Moreover, even if they surrendered, given the crimes they had committed, being taken to the outpost would mean certain death.

Since we're going to die anyway... we might as well take a big gamble!

Vera's gaze unconsciously fell on the seemingly ordinary black bracelet on her left wrist.

That was her biggest trump card, a forbidden item that she had kept hidden for six years, one that even Buck didn't know existed.

To use or not to use?

If they use it, they'll most likely lose the ship. Even if they win, they'll be lost as wandering ghosts in the vast universe.

No, they have to die now.

This is the trolley problem.

Save the ship, or save the people?

Vera looked at his brothers, one by one, wounded and battered, and saw the lingering hope and determination in their eyes. Suddenly, he had an answer.

Screw the ship! If it's gone, we can just steal another one!

If a person dies, then you really lose everything!