Devouring Stars: Master of Evolution

Chapter 117 Fierce Battle in the Stars

Beyond the cold moon and stars.

A platform framework nearly 100 kilometers long is under construction, with countless robots and workers diligently working on it.

This was a construction team recruited from within the Silver Blue Empire to build the Starport after a bidding process was conducted by Xinghe Trading Company, which was controlled by Li Xingtao and others.

With sufficient funds, the construction team worked at an astonishing speed, completing more than half of the massive project in just three months.

In the distance, two warships escorted three armed cargo ships, each ten thousand meters long, as they emerged from the dark universe and flew toward the starport under construction.

All of this seemed no different from usual.

But just then, the space, which had just returned to calm, began to ripple again.

More than a dozen warships, each a kilometer long, emerged from the dark universe. These warships looked dilapidated and were covered with all sorts of strange graffiti, including skulls.

However, those in the know can discover that these seemingly dilapidated spaceships are equipped with modified acceleration devices and extremely powerful laser cannons.

These modifications gave them greater speed and firepower.

These dozen or so seemingly dilapidated warships were spotted by Star River Trading Company's escort ships the moment they appeared in the dark universe.

But before they could make any move, the dozen or so pirate warships opened fire simultaneously without the slightest hesitation.

Hundreds of pre-charged laser cannons shone brightly in the starry sky.

"boom--"

Sparks flew everywhere. The cargo ships and warships, unable to react in time, took the brunt of the attack, and the metal of the ships' hulls cracked open.

"Attacked by space pirates! Activate defense system and counterattack immediately!"

"Attacked by space pirates! Activate defense system and counterattack immediately!"

"..."

Inside the control room of the warship, Zhang Xun, the fleet's supreme commander, had a solemn expression as he directed the fleet to begin its counterattack.

Under normal circumstances, spaceships do not constantly activate their defense systems, as that would consume too much energy; they only operate at minimum power.

That one blow caused them a great loss.

The propulsion system of one cargo ship was destroyed, rendering it paralyzed on the spot, and several others were also damaged to varying degrees.

Those dozen or so space pirate warships were extremely cunning; they attacked the spaceship's propulsion system from the start, causing them to react a beat too late.

Compared to these experienced space pirates, the Chinese side lacked combat experience.

After changing direction, more than a dozen laser cannons shot out from the warship, but the prepared space pirate warship easily dodged them.

Occasionally, one or two secondary cannons would hit the enemy, but they would be blocked by the spaceship's energy shield.

They were like a herd of buffalo being hunted by wolves; despite their massive bodies and sharp horns, they were completely outmaneuvered by the wolves.

They trained hard every day, but this was their first real interstellar battle.

Their time spent in contact with the stars was far too short.

"This can't go on!"

In the continuous exchange of fire, the Chinese warships were inferior to their opponents in terms of firepower, accuracy, and maneuverability.

In the command center, a staff officer had a grim expression.

"There are thirteen warships on the other side, most of them are B3 and B4 class, and the lead one is a B7 class, but their firepower far exceeds that class."

"Both of our warships are B7 class, which gives them a certain advantage, but they still have a hard time withstanding such firepower."

"The three armed cargo ships, while possessing some combat capability, are too cumbersome and have damaged propulsion systems, making it difficult for them to hit the enemy."

"The two sides are not even in the same league in terms of combat experience; we are at a huge disadvantage."

Zhang Xun, as the fleet's supreme commander, also looked grim. These space pirates were very familiar with their actions and had obviously been prepared.

Their journey started from Qiulong Star and was to transport goods to Hanyue Star.

The vicinity of Qiulong Star is not a place where these space pirates dare to act recklessly.

Therefore, they could only take action near Hanyue Star.

As for fighting in the dark universe?

That's something a Class B spaceship can't do.

The interstellar port on Cold Moon Star is still under construction, and combat platforms such as weapons, equipment, and detection systems are still being installed. They cannot provide much help and may even become leverage for being threatened.

Faced with this situation, Zhang Xun looked grim, but he remained calm.

In a battle between spaceships, given their short training time, it's not surprising that they are no match.

But they weren't without other means.

"Open hatch 01 on the three cargo ships."

During the explosion, Zhang Xun gave the order.

"yes!"

The hatches of the three cargo ships guarding the warship opened.

One after another, colossal beasts with wingspans of hundreds of meters, resembling crows, flew out of the hatches, screeching as they pounced on the distant pirate warships.

On the other side, enthusiastic cheers erupted in the space pirate fleet's communication channels after they hit Star River Trading Company's warships one after another.

"Haha, just as we heard, they're a bunch of nouveau riche who only know how to buy warships but have no idea how to operate them!"

"It's such a waste to have such a good warship in their hands!"

"Haha, let's have some fun with these newbies and teach them what fighting is all about!"

"Seize their ship; the cargo inside is incredibly valuable."

"..."

Inside the control room of the leading pirate flagship, a burly humanoid creature, over two meters tall, covered in scales and with a pair of bat wings on its back, laughed wildly.

"Men, get closer! Grab all their good stuff!"

This burly man with bat wings exuded a powerful aura, and a curved blade hovered above his head. He was actually a mentalist with the strength of a ninth-level star!

In the world of space pirates, they are already very powerful; any stronger and they would be at the cosmic level.

Would someone of cosmic stature need to become a space pirate?

The strongest beings in the Blue Silver Universe Kingdom, a primary universe kingdom that governs eight star systems, are only at the universe level!

Upon hearing their leader's words, all the space pirates cheered wildly, as if the people opposite them were lambs to the slaughter!

However, amidst their cheers, the hatches of the three cargo ships opposite them opened, and ferocious-looking Skyfire Ravens flew out and pounced on the pirate fleet.

Seeing the overwhelming swarm of fire crows, their cheers abruptly ceased.

"How can there be so many fire crows?"

How could Skyfire Ravens, monsters that live among the stars, be on their cargo ships?

The smile on the bat-wing leader's face vanished instantly. In his panicked gaze, a Skyfire Raven opened its blood-red maw, and scorching rays shot out from its mouth.

"puff--"

"puff--"

The attack, like a rain of fire, rained down on the pirate fleet. The scorching rays made the ship's defense system tremble, and some rays even penetrated the defenses and melted the ship's hard metal shell.

"It's a Skyfire Crow!"

"There's a beast tamer on the other side! There must be a powerful beast tamer!"

"Counterattack!—"

"Counterattack!—"

"Approach them, capture the leader first!"

"Kill all of these Skyfire Crows!"

"No, there are too many of those Skyfire Crows, and their strength is all at the sixth level of the Celestial Star realm. We are no match for them!"

"..."

Space pirates excel at winning battles when they have the upper hand; in such situations, they often become extremely ruthless and fearless.

But if the situation reverses, they will all fall into chaos.

As for fleeing for one's life?

It's not that simple; it takes time for a spaceship to accelerate to the speed of light!

"Trying to turn the tide with a flock of level six Celestial Fire Crows? Dream on!"

The bat-wing leader had a gloomy expression. As a ninth-level spiritualist of the Eternal Star level, he was not very afraid of these star monsters whose strength was at the sixth level of the Eternal Star level.

But this unexpected event made him uneasy.

Beast tamers are a rare profession in the universe, and beast tamers who can control large numbers of Skyfire Ravens are even rarer.

Three months ago, one of his informants discovered a target.

This group is weak, but they are extremely generous, buying slaves, spaceships, and all kinds of precious materials, often spending tens or hundreds of billions of Black Dragon Coins.

How can this not make them envious?

Some say this is a disciple of a powerful family undergoing training.

Some people believe that this is a group of nouveau riche who appeared out of nowhere!

Many people in the Chaotic Starfield are eyeing them, and the Blood Bat Bandits are one of the more powerful groups among them.

After observing and scouting the area for a period of time, they felt that this was very likely a group of nouveau riche who had acquired a large amount of wealth from who-knows-where, and decided to take a gamble.

At first, everything went smoothly. The opponent's rookie-like performance was completely overwhelmed and they were powerless to fight back.

But what he saw before him made him feel uneasy.

"What's the panic? I'm not dead yet! Just a few Skyfire Crows!"

The bat-wing leader roared in the fleet channel.

"Get closer! I want to kill them with my own hands!"

Under the suppression of the Batwing leader, the shields of more than a dozen space pirate warships were fully activated, and beams of lasers shot out from the warships, hitting the flying Skyfire Ravens.

"Pfft—"

The head of a Skyfire Raven was struck by a laser beam, and its head instantly vaporized and disappeared.

Beside it, a Skyfire Crow that had been affected had most of its wings cut off.

After one round of attacks, dozens of Skyfire Crows were killed or wounded.

However, this loss is just a drop in the ocean compared to the massive flock of Skyfire Crows.

"boom--"

The defensive shields on a space pirate ship exploded after being attacked repeatedly.

These space pirate ships have been modified to greatly increase their speed and attack capabilities, but their defenses remain unchanged. How can they withstand such an attack?

After the shield disappeared, the scorching rays instantly pierced through the entire spaceship, causing a violent explosion.

One by one, figures flew out of the explosion, looking at the overwhelming army of fire crows with despair on their faces.

Those who can become space pirates are at least planetary level in strength, and usually even constellation level. Even if their spaceship explodes, they can survive briefly in space.

But how could they possibly be a match for the Skyfire Ravens in the starry sky?

One after another, the space pirate warships exploded, and the battle transformed from a warship-to-ship bombardment into a brutal melee.

There are also strong individuals among the space pirates. Led by three eighth-level Constant Star experts and more than a dozen seventh-level Constant Star experts, they engaged in a fierce battle with the Skyfire Crows.

Only the pirate flagship withstood the attack of the Skyfire Raven and charged toward the Chinese warship.

During the charge, the burly man in bat-winged scale armor flew out of the pirate flagship, a scimitar swirling around him, easily slaying the approaching Skyfire Crows.

Compared to a ninth-tier spiritualist at the Eternal Star level, a sixth-tier Heavenly Fire Crow at the Eternal Star level was clearly no match.

"Marone Tagliabue, it's your turn!"

In the control room of the Chinese warship, Zhang Xun's expression was solemn.

"good!"

Maruni Tagliabue, the powerful Black Mongol warrior who was in charge of the fleet, replied with a sinister grin, revealing his fangs.

The Black Mongols look very similar to Earthlings, the only difference being... they have fangs when they open their mouths, and their eyes are dark red.

After being sold to Qin Mu and others by slave traders, he was transformed into a Zerg by Qin Mu. Although he looked no different from before, he was actually a member of the Zerg swarm.

He touched his Force suit and smiled confidently.

This is a Tier 3 Force Armor!

With such a treasure, and being a level nine spiritual master of the Eternal Star rank, how could he possibly fear that bat-winged, scale-armored giant!

A cone-shaped telekinetic weapon hovered, following behind Maruni Tagliabue, and charged out of the warship toward the bat-winged, scale-armored giant.

Two figures clashed fiercely in the starry sky. The bat-winged, scale-armored giant clearly gained the upper hand due to his racial advantage and combat experience.

The curved sword weapon struck the opponent repeatedly.

As a leader of a space pirate in a chaotic star field, how could his combat experience be compared to that of an ordinary slave?

But before long, he was suppressed!

We were overwhelmed by the opponent's relentless attacks without any defense!

"What's going on? Is there any mention of these Black Mongol slaves in the intelligence?"

How come a mere slave possesses a third-tier telekinetic weapon!

And his battle armor is actually a Tier 3 Force Armor!

Are you all out of your minds?! Giving a slave such good equipment!

The burly man with bat-winged scales was practically going crazy.

Isn't this just burning money?

With that much money, you could buy another level 9 slave!

Who would provide slaves with such good equipment?

He's just a slave!

In terms of combat ability, combat experience, and racial talent, the Black Mongol tribe is inferior to him.

But his weapons were just ordinary second-tier psychic weapons, and his battle suit was just a second-tier Force battle suit!

If it weren't for the difference in weaponry, he was confident he could easily kill his opponent.

But thanks to his superior equipment, the Black Mongol slave managed to suppress him!

Of course he didn't know that after securing several large orders in a row, the last thing China had in abundance was money!

What they lack is time!

"retreat!--"

The burly man with bat-winged scales roared as he fled.

It's impossible to fight anymore!

His own attacks were no match for him, but he had to defend against the opponent's attacks with utmost care, as the slightest mistake could result in serious injury!

How can we fight like this?

After feinting, the burly man in bat-winged scale armor suddenly increased his speed and charged towards the pirate flagship.

Upon receiving the leader's order, the space pirates, who were still engaged in fierce battle with the Skyfire Crow, immediately flew towards the flagship.

But the Skyfire Crows would not let them off so easily, and a large number of space pirates died tragically in the pursuit.

Marone Tagliabue also followed closely behind the burly man in bat-winged scale armor, blocking his escape.

"die!"

The burly man in bat-winged scale armor nimbly flew through the universe. Just as he was about to reach the star pirate flagship, his telekinetic weapon activated. Instead of attacking the Black Mongol slaves, he threw three unsuspecting eighth-level warriors from his own side toward the enemy.

Caught off guard, the three level-eight martial artists could only desperately defend themselves against Maruni Tagliabue, who was following closely behind the burly man in bat-wing scale armor.

Amidst the despairing gazes of the three eighth-level Star-rank warriors, the burly man in bat-winged scale armor seized the opportunity to rush aboard the pirate flagship.

The pirate flagship burst into speed, breaking through the pursuit of the Skyfire Crow and fleeing into the distance.

Abandoned were not only three eighth-level Star-level warriors, but also thousands of space pirates who had been fighting fiercely with the Skyfire Crow. They could only watch in despair as the space pirate flagship sailed away.

They were abandoned!

(End of this chapter)