Super Mechanic: God of Superpowers!

Chapter 188 The Demise of Dark Star

As dusk fell.

The sunset glow spread across the sky like fire, bathing the reconstruction site of the shelter in a pale golden afterglow.

The mercenary group's fleet of spaceships hovered silently in mid-air, while the busy people on the ground occasionally looked up, their eyes filled with a mixture of envy and awe.

These past few months have been like a dream that has been shattered and then rebuilt for the people of Aquamarine.

When people wake up in the morning, they are often in a daze and have to count the spaceships hovering in front of them three times before they dare to believe that the interstellar age has really arrived.

Those metal behemoths were not only decorations for the sky, but also like boundary markers planted at the turning point of civilization.

Aquamarine is no longer a clod of earth huddled in a corner of the universe, but has truly stepped into the spotlight of the interstellar stage.

Although the locals call this earth-shattering change a "century frenzy," to the interstellar mercenaries it's nothing more than completing another tutorial mission in the newbie village.

As for the players?

They already considered this a necessary cutscene in the main storyline; what they cared more about was when they could reveal their interstellar pass.

The base square was bustling with people. As soon as Caroline's summons was issued, players flocked to the area.

Ye Xiu deliberately transformed his clone into a mechanical throne with a transformation function.

This thing, known as the "show-off artifact" on player forums, was currently holding him steadily above the crowd.

"Six months ago, I returned treading on starlight, saying that I would lead Aquamarine to survive this calamity."

Ye Xiu's voice, accompanied by electromagnetic resonance effects, echoed across the square, causing the players below to simultaneously light up their mission notification lights.

"Now that the disaster has passed and the powerful enemy has retreated, it is time for us to leave."

Seeing the new "Interstellar Expedition" icon popping up in the taskbar, hundreds of thousands of Legion players who joined early were rubbing their hands together with joy.

Their efforts to participate in the selection process were worthwhile; this time, they've taken the lead and are heading straight for outer space.

The other players were a little envious, but they weren't worried when they saw the newly opened registration area in the base.

Anyway, the assessment channel is open, and sooner or later I'll be able to catch the next interstellar express.

"Brothers who are with the Legion, come with me today. There are many tough battles to fight in the Star Sea."

As Ye Xiu spoke, he brought up a holographic star map, the densely packed coordinates making one's eyes water.

"Don't worry if you missed the train, there's a portal here at the base."

Anyone who passes the test, whether you're a player or a native, will be picked up by the Legion's spaceship to climb the ranks anytime.

These words reassured the players who were stuck in the reconstruction mission.

Right now, there are brick-moving tasks everywhere on Aquamarine Star, so staying here to earn some reconstruction funds is pretty appealing.

Not to mention that the analysts on the forums have already thoroughly exposed the alien army.

This is clearly the golden ticket to unlocking the main storyline of interstellar travel; those who haven't gotten on yet will eventually be able to snag a standing ticket.

Ye Xiu suddenly changed the subject: "Recently, the size of our legion has increased several times over. We just received a big order to go to war."

This is our first show after the expansion; we must make sure the whole universe remembers our might!

As soon as the words were spoken, all the players who joined received a system notification:

[Triggering the faction quest "Alien Legion: First Battle in the Star Sea"]

The mission description states that this is the players' first large-scale operation after joining the alien planet, and they will fire the first shot in the vast starry sky.

Participating in combat will earn you 500 faction reputation points.

Given the limited resources available, Ye Xiu will only issue reputation rewards for the time being.

However, once they meet up with Godora's forces, they will naturally receive a formal war commission.

Players will then be able to activate side quests and receive real experience points and star coins as rewards. This is the real highlight.

This operating model of the mercenary group was precisely designed by Ye Xiu.

If they can't offer many rewards themselves, they use the tasks assigned by their employers to make up the difference. It's like using other people's resources to do their own thing. To put it bluntly, it's an interstellar version of a talent agency platform.

Only players who catch this early wave can participate in this campaign.

"They're already fighting right after entering space, that's so exciting!"

"It's definitely a hidden perk!"

Players were excitedly discussing it, and the public chat channel instantly exploded.

Ye Xiu turned to look at his side, and Benny nodded to indicate that he would stay at the shelter.

He cleared his throat and raised his voice:

"Attention all personnel, prepare to depart!"

The fleet, which had been hovering in mid-air, slowly descended, and the gangways unfolded.

Hundreds of thousands of players rushed into the ship's cabin, eager to compete. Almost all the professional teams and top players from the server squeezed into the first batch of players, and they were secretly delighted.

Other clubs are still playing house on the ground right now.

Ye Xiu was the last to board the Blacklight Lurker. The moment the hatch closed, more than twenty warships streaked across the sky like meteors.

As the spaceship ascended, the last rays of sunlight gradually disappeared, and twilight enveloped the entire planet Aquamarine.

People on the ground craned their necks to watch the fleet disappear, and countless people felt their hearts burning.

"So this is the alien army."

At that moment, everyone felt they were witnessing a historic moment.

……

In outer space, Nagokin's ferries had been waiting for a long time.

The journey to the rendezvous point would take several days. Players who were venturing into the starry sea for the first time excitedly studied the ship's structure and flooded the interstellar forums with messages.

Players from overseas servers flocked to the forum, and it was instantly flooded with posts expressing envy, jealousy, and hatred.

These players are the key pieces in Ye Xiu's strategy.

By taking advantage of Godora's war commission, they can both train their troops and build the legion's reputation. Once word spreads, orders will naturally come in droves.

This first battle was a good opportunity for the newbies to familiarize themselves with the standard procedures of interstellar warfare.

From the aerial descent from the tracks to the door-kicking assault, every step needs to be mastered.

……

Time flew by, and the alien legion's fleet followed Nagokin's ship to the rendezvous point. In the distance, the massive Allied Legion slowly roamed through space like a behemoth.

As soon as Ye Xiu's spaceship was brought into the fleet, the communication screen lit up with Gurega's iconic bearded face.

"Old Ye, what are you doing here?" Tianhuan Allied Army's old partner's loud voice made the energy drink next to the control panel ripple.

Ye Xiu propped his feet up on the control panel and swung them around: "The sponsor must have given a lot. Godora really went all out this time."

"You were hiding your true colors last time with Red Gate Star, are you planning something big again this time?"

Grega winked and made faces, the plasma patterns on his combat suit's shoulder armor flickering with his movements.

They once worked together to take down three smuggling transit points, their cooperation as seamless as the wings of a mecha.

Ye Xiu smiled and put his index finger to his lips: "It's a top-secret mission. I told you I'd deduct money from your pay."

The other party's hearty laughter came from the holographic projection, which startled the cabin alarm for half a second.

As the Blacklight Lurker slid into the belly of the Sky Ring after passing through layers of escort formations, Ye Xiu casually pulled up the combat log.

A dozen legion commanders were scattered on the circular sofa in the conference hall. Some were tossing nuts into their mouths with mechanical arms, while others were using energy blades as paper cutters to shred cigars.

"Alien! This way!" Youyu patted the leather sofa, the optical camouflage on her dark purple combat suit swirling with her movements.

Behind her stood three silent cyborgs, their electronic eyes gleaming with a cold, eerie blue light.

Just as Ye Xiu was about to sit down, a cold, metallic laugh suddenly came from the corner: "You dare to take on a galaxy-level battle with only a hundred or so men?"

The temperature in the entire hall suddenly dropped by two degrees, and several mercenaries who were adjusting their exoskeletons looked up at the same time.

Justin's information flashed across the holographic screen on the retina.

The Expeditionary Legion specializes in orbital assaults and just wiped out the black market auction last year.

Ye Xiu slowly unfastened his tactical gloves, revealing a dragon emblem on his forearm: "How about we make a bet? After the battle, let's see whose casualty rate is lower?"

A few muffled laughs echoed in the air as someone deliberately made the cocking sound of a particle rifle exceptionally clear.

Yu Yu's mechanical fingers tapped out a rhythmic beat on the sofa armrest. Suddenly, the electronic eye of a cyborg behind her switched to combat mode, and a crimson spot of light flickered on Justin's face.

Justin always felt that the aliens were just a makeshift team to make up the numbers. Each participating legion had to undertake tactical tasks, so what use could the aliens' small number of people be?

The commissions everyone earned were earned by the brothers risking their lives. He couldn't swallow the thought of letting these scoundrels slack off and still get a share of the profits.

Justin tapped the table: "We're going to fight an interstellar war. Everyone here has committed hundreds of warships and tens of thousands of brothers. How many troops can you aliens muster?"

The gazes of the dozen or so legion commanders swept back and forth between Justin and Ye Xiu, who was standing, but no one uttered a sound.

They had no idea that Ye Xiu had started the war. The lack of information led many to believe that the aliens were probably seasoned veterans trying to freeload off resources.

Although no one said it outright, the seeds of doubt had already sprouted in their hearts.

"I understand Commander Jia's concerns," Ye Xiu said without changing his expression.

Everyone here is a respectable person; it would be more satisfying to speak frankly to each other face to face.

Since we're going to cooperate, let's take this opportunity to let everyone get to know Alien again.

"Everyone needs to update their intelligence. Alien Planet is no longer the small workshop it used to be."

We now have hundreds of thousands of C-level elites, more than qualified to sit at the poker table.

"Hundreds of thousands of superhumans?!" Justin nearly dropped his water glass, and the other legion commanders gasped in shock.

This scale is so large that even a first-line legion would tremble.

Six months ago, they were just a third-rate mercenary group. How did they suddenly swell up like an inflating balloon?

Seeing that someone was about to question it, Ye Xiu directly pulled up the certification data of the Interstellar Mercenary Alliance.

When the densely packed list of members was projected onto the wall, all the doubts were silenced.

Justin, still craning his neck, was about to say something when Ye Xiu suddenly chuckled, "You all know I have undead under my command, right?"

Seeing everyone nod, he held up three fingers: "These 300,000 people are all immortal."

The meeting room suddenly became so quiet you could hear someone breathing.

"All of them are undead?!" Grega jumped up, his chair scraping against the floor with a screeching sound.

The legion commanders exchanged glances, suddenly realizing what this meant.

No battle damage, no need for compensation, I'll take on any job, no matter how dangerous, dirty, or tiring!

This isn't a mercenary group; it's a walking money-printing machine!

Someone suddenly remembered Ye Xiu's other identity.

The alien legion is Longtan's field force. These 300,000 undead are probably the work of that lord in expanding his power.

Justin was still in a daze when he heard Ye Xiu's smiling voice: "Commander Jia, is this pledge of allegiance enough? How about we test if my fists are hard enough?"

Gureja quickly tried to smooth things over: "The alien just killed a Cataclysmic-level powerhouse a while ago, it was all over the news!" As he spoke, he secretly kicked Justin.

The short legion commander blushed, suddenly snapped to attention, and solemnly gestured towards the sofa:

"I was being presumptuous just now, Commander Ye, please take a seat."

The tense atmosphere instantly relaxed. When Ye Xiu casually sat down next to You Yu, Caroline and the others in the back row were shaking with suppressed laughter.

The legion commanders began to discuss tactical assignments enthusiastically, and the meeting room was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

Youyu casually grabbed a bag of snacks from the side and handed it over.

"Want to try some?"

"What's this dark thing?" Ye Xiu peeked into the packaging bag.

"Homemade lizard jerky." The dark elf girl tilted her head and her ear tip twitched.

Ye Xiu took a bite and was surprised to find it crispy and fragrant. Just as he was about to ask for the recipe, he heard the other person add, "It's the spoils from the last time we raided the lizardmen's lair."

He silently put the second piece of jerky he had just picked up back down.

As a female dark elf, Youyu perfectly inherited the characteristics of her race.

With silver hair, pointed ears, and honey-colored skin, his combat uniform accentuated his agile physique, and the way he lazily nestled in his chair resembled a cheetah feigning sleep.

Although she exudes a captivating charm with every gesture, those who have witnessed her dismantle mechs with her bare hands know that this woman possesses the ruthlessness unique to dark elves.

Her Dark Legion, though disguised as a mercenary force, is actually backed by a magical planetary civilization within the Colton Cluster.

Such semi-official armed forces are common in interstellar space. The mobilization of regular armies can easily trigger diplomatic incidents, while private armies can flexibly handle various gray-area matters.

Like Ye Xiu's own alien legion, which is nominally also Longtan's armed force.

At the conference table, Grega was assigning missions for the raid on Dark Star.

Each team leader took on responsibilities such as attacking and supporting, but Ye Xiu remained silent throughout.

"Which area does the alien army intend to take charge of?" someone asked, specifically.

"Leave the ground skirmishes to us," he replied curtly.

With only about twenty warships, it's not cost-effective to engage in air combat. It would be better to let the players utilize their invincibility to fight hand-to-hand.

Back on the Blacklight Lurker, more than twenty transport ships were sailing alongside the main force outside the porthole.

Each ship was crammed with tens of thousands of eager players. These newbies had no idea that the outcome of this battle would rewrite their future interstellar careers.

Originally, players on Aquamarine Star had to choose between the Godora and Dark Star factions, but now this main storyline may be cut short.

"A sense of belonging to a faction needs to be cultivated through major events," Ye Xiu pondered, gazing at the star map. This siege would not only resolve the hidden dangers but also allow players to etch the glory of the alien legion into their DNA.

Although there is still time for version 2.0, the update cycle for version 3.0 more than ten years from now is too long, so we must lay a solid foundation now.

Of course, the most important thing right now is to win this battle.

……

Ye Xiu turned on his communicator and glanced at the short message that Ristda had just sent him.

The Dark Star Forces can be found throughout the Garden System, most notably a massive fleet comprised of six motherships.

This is probably the main battlefield the mercenaries are about to face. The air seems to be filled with some kind of scorching particles; the calm before the storm is about to be broken.

At the same moment, inside a dark star mothership.

Degulish is leading his core members in planning a surprise attack on Rainbow Prison.

The first two operations ended in failure, failing to severely damage Godora or eliminate the alien.

They decided to temporarily avoid the troublesome disaster planet and instead rescue their Cataclysmic comrades imprisoned in Rainbow Prison.

These hunters, lurking in the darkness, are adept at using feints and diversions, but at this moment they are completely unaware that their trump cards have already been revealed.

On the far side of a desolate planet, 320,000 kilometers away from the main fleet of Dark Star, the Third Task Force of Godora lies lurking in the shadows.

Six scarlet cursors slowly moved across the star map screen. The fleet commander stared at the gradually shrinking distance values, his knuckles unconsciously tapping the tactical panel.

Eleven hours and twenty-five minutes later, this malignant tumor that has festered for many years will undergo the most intense surgical operation.

"All formations synchronize and calibrate the countdown." After cutting off encrypted communication with headquarters, the commander then connected to the cross-fleet channel.

When his colleagues mentioned the source of the intelligence, he looked out the porthole at the dense array of gun barrels and curled the corners of his mouth.

The mysterious figure who turned the tide of war might be gazing at the same starry sky as them right now.

Upon receiving orders, the mercenary fleet in the standby area activated their engines, and the warp spoilers drew spiderweb-like blue streaks across the dark space.

The commander made a final check of the weapon safety, his fingernails digging deeply into his palm.

In this hunt, it was finally their turn to be the hunters with guns.

During the waiting phase, everyone is actually quite idle, but players are all restless and active.

He always liked to get close to the mercenaries and build goodwill, and he would find ways to trigger new missions and develop hidden gameplay, so Ye Xiu didn't need to keep an eye on him at all.

Ye Xiu hasn't been idle these past few days either, traveling between various transport ships.

You can either chat with other players to accumulate experience points, or you can build relationships with the leaders of the major mercenary groups.

About half a month later, Grega suddenly summoned all commanders.

The big spender of Godora has finally issued a mission; the time to stir things up has come!

The combined fleet sped towards the designated coordinates to set up an ambush, while the main force of the alien legion was also ready to go.

It wasn't until Ye Xiu returned to the Blacklight Lurker that he received Godora's encrypted communication.

"Alien, when the battle starts, remember to have your AI cause some trouble and disrupt the enemy's formation."

"A piece of cake." Ye Xiu snapped his fingers. Getting the traitorous program to cause trouble was a piece of cake.

"The commission has been processed through the Mercenary Alliance, and the official mission documents have been sent to your legion's file."

Upon opening the interface, I indeed saw the newly released 【Battle of Hodrias - War Commission】.

Completing these large, alliance-certified orders can boost your credit score, skyrocket your legion level, and give your resume a solid patina.

This is the first S-class war commission that the alien legion has received.

The system also simultaneously popped up an exclusive mission, with the experience reward alone soaring to 18 million, and the favorability of the Godora faction directly increasing by 1500.

As the leader, he took the lion's share, receiving 3.4 million inars, while the officers and mercenaries also received a cut.

The biggest surprise is for the players; in addition to the original "Alien Legion: First Battle" achievement, everyone now has a golden campaign mission.

Although the amount of Inar they received was negligible, the experience and gold rewards were like a holiday for their current level.

The forum was instantly flooded with posts from hundreds of thousands of players and mercenaries showing off their quest panels.

No one expected that they would be caught up in such an epic battle right after joining the group. The popularity of the alien legion directly overwhelmed the server.

Ye Xiu chuckled to himself as he looked at the surging discussion posts. This kind of large-scale cooperative mission allowed players to truly feel that their fate was intertwined with that of their faction.

Bringing them to the battlefield to make their presence felt is exactly the effect we want.

After all, which player hasn't fantasized about serving a faction in a game?

To become the "first love faction" of players, you need to combine nostalgia, plot twists, and tangible benefits into a powerful combination.

When the alien legion was first created, this plan of nurturing (harvesting) had already been written in Ye Xiu's notebook.

……

In the vast expanse of space, the mercenary fleet lay silently in ambush at pre-set locations, ready to reach the battlefield with a simple activation of short-range jump devices.

At this moment, they are closely monitoring the enemy's movements using the interstellar coordinate map provided by Godora.

The main force of the alien army remained hidden behind the combined fleet, always avoiding direct confrontation.

Inside the Blacklight Lurker warship, Ye Xiu's monitoring screen glowed with a faint blue light.

Through the special channels provided by Ristda, he could clearly see the real-time dynamics inside the Dark Star Mothership.

While his colleagues could only track coordinate points, he seemed to possess X-ray vision, revealing the interior of the enemy ship without any concealment.

The soldiers in dark uniforms continued to work at their posts, completely unaware that they had already become sitting ducks.

"The surprise attack on Aquamarine Star severely damaged my strength; now it's time to get my money back with interest."

Ye Xiu unconsciously rubbed the edge of the control panel with his fingertips, his pupils slightly contracting.

The latest novel is first published here!

The moment the timer reached zero, the six menacing Dark Star motherships finally entered the encirclement completely.

"Now!" he uttered, his Adam's apple bobbing.

Almost simultaneously, Grega's roar exploded through the encrypted channel across every combat unit: "All forces attack!"

The mercenary fleet suddenly activated its warp drive, and the colorful nebula outside the porthole instantly stretched into a dazzling band of light.

When the residual light faded, the unsuspecting Dark Star fleet was already within reach.

At the same time, dense points of light suddenly burst forth in the starry sky on the other side.

That was Godora's main fleet arriving at full speed.

The two steel torrents formed a perfect pincer attack, locking the Dark Star Fleet firmly in a crossfire net.

This meticulously planned ambush completely avoided the detection range of conventional radar. When the two assault forces appeared simultaneously, the Dark Star Fleet didn't even have time to adjust its defensive formation.

In an instant, millions of energy beams tore through the void, and explosions erupted one after another on the surfaces of the six motherships.

Inside the flagship where Degulish was located, emergency lighting turned the corridors blood red, and the piercing alarms and the agonizing groans of metal intertwined to create a symphony of death.

The staggering soldiers kept crashing into the trembling bulkheads amidst the sparks flying from the control panel.

Someone tried to activate the emergency shield but pressed the wrong button.

"Which idiot leaked the news?!" Degulish slammed his fist on the holographic projector.

When he saw the distinctive spiral emblem on the attacker's golden warship, cold sweat instantly soaked his back.

The precise striking ability that Godora, whom he had always regarded as a corrupt bureaucracy, was now displaying completely overturned his perception.

The communications screen suddenly lit up with the intelligence officer's distorted face: "All sector garrisons have been attacked! Their reconnaissance systems... they've cracked our cloaking modules!"

The usually composed veteran's voice trembled.

Degulish felt a tightness in his throat; their survival-encompassing stealth technology had failed at the crucial moment, which meant...

"All units, listen up! Immediately!" His roar abruptly stopped, and all the communication indicator lights on the command platform went out at the same time.

Through the observation window, he saw that the neighboring warship was still futilely launching flares.

Only his flagship became an information silo.

Only then did he realize that the mothership's operating system had already been implanted with some kind of worm program.

……

The battle commenced immediately and entered into fierce combat.

Outside the porthole, the artillery fire of Godora and the mercenary fleet intertwined with that of the Dark Star fleet.

The dazzling, interwoven beams of light painted the cosmos with a neon-like brilliance, yet within this dazzling spectacle lay a deadly threat.

The particle light spears continuously tore through the warship's armor, instantly vaporizing the human bodies inside the cabins into stardust.

Due to Degulish's sudden loss of contact, the Dark Star Fleet fell into brief chaos, with each ship fighting independently.

It wasn't until other high-ranking officers, in a fit of rage, took over the command system that the fleet managed to organize a breakout formation.

But the cost of missing the golden opportunity was already becoming apparent. The fleet struggled to advance amidst the dense barrage of fire, as if stuck in a quagmire.

"It looks like it's not our turn to participate." Ye Xiu clicked his tongue as he looked at the real-time battle projection.

The Godora Alliance overwhelmingly outnumbered the six mothership fleets of Dark Star, and their long-range bombardment was enough to crush the enemy into space debris.

As an alien legion preparing for ground warfare, they could only hover listlessly behind the battle lines and watch the battle unfold.

As some of the Dark Star frigates began to break formation and flee, they turned into fireballs that vanished in mid-air.

Ye Xiu rubbed his chin, lost in thought. They needed a more dazzling stage to build the legion's reputation.

"Resta, can you take over the mothership's navigation system?"

"A piece of cake."

"Listen, you are piloting the mothership to perform a short jump, targeting the nearest barren planet."

"I'll handle things with Godora." Ye Xiu said, pulling up an encrypted channel, and the holographic projection of the War Bureau's high-ranking officials immediately appeared.

"I am an alien, and I plan to crash a Dark Star mothership onto the planet's surface."

Their second-in-command is on that ship; capturing him alive is a rare opportunity, and we can also recover the entire mothership while we're at it.

Ye Xiu spoke rapidly. He knew that Degulish's head and the mothership wreckage were valuable assets in the "Alliance of Godora" mission, and this decisive battle might be the last chance to reap the rewards.

The war bureau made decisions faster than expected.

As the commander, perplexed but resolute in carrying out the orders, Risda's mothership suddenly broke away from the formation and accelerated, causing the siege firepower to mysteriously thin out.

While other motherships were desperately enduring concentrated fire, this warship had already entered warp mode.

The next second, they appeared above the gray planet where the Godora fleet had once been hiding.

Boom!!

The starship hurtled into the atmosphere with a violent thud, crashing heavily to the ground and creating a ring of dust hundreds of meters high.

Amidst the violent tremors, all members of the Dark Star crew were thrown around inside the cabin like tumbleweeds.

As the top combat force stationed on the ship, Degurush, a Cataclysm-class, stood firmly with his powerful physique, but his face turned extremely ugly.

He had noticed something was wrong when communications suddenly went down, and now that the ship's systems were completely out of control, his suspicions were confirmed.

This starship has already been infiltrated by the enemy!

When the crash alarm reached the mercenary fleet, Gurega immediately contacted Ye Xiu: "It's your turn."

"Received." The Blacklight Lurkers changed course, and more than twenty alien warships broke away from the main force and instantly jumped to the planet's surface.

The remnants of the Dark Star, trapped on the surface, were trying to regroup when they discovered that the sky had been obscured by a dense swarm of transport ships.

Hela tugged at the wrist guards of her combat suit and suddenly asked, "Can we participate in this war?"

Ye Xiu glanced at the two eager sisters: "Stay close to the group."

Before he finished speaking, he leaped off the hovering warship, a pale blue halo forming around him from the magnetic field, as if he were floating down an invisible staircase.

"It's you again!" Degulish's pupils contracted, and he subconsciously took a half step back.

Last time, even a three-man attack failed to defeat this monster, but now...

"It's no use shouting now." Ye Xiu's body erupted with arcs of electricity, and visible energy ripples distorted the air.

Degurish's hair stood on end, and he suddenly transformed into a streak of light, shooting towards the sky. What a joke! This energy fluctuation is several times stronger than last time!

The ground battlefield erupted the moment the two afterimages disappeared.

Hundreds of thousands of players surged toward the Dark Star stronghold like a tidal wave, the sounds of clashing metal and bursts of energy echoing through the sky.

Hela swung her chain blade to shred the incoming pulse blasts, then turned to see her sister's protective shield sheltering the charging players. A smile finally appeared on her lips.

Mushroom clouds kept rising from the crater five kilometers away, and Degulish's screams could be faintly heard, only to be drowned out by the players' shouts of "Don't let the experience pack run away!"

The outcome of this battle was already decided the moment the starship crashed.

Rumble, rumble.

A sky full of supernatural beams and energy cannon fire intertwined and rose, instantly turning the battlefield into a meat grinder.

The two sides were locked in fierce combat, their battle lines interlocking like broken pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.

Although the Dark Star Legion is considered an elite force among the Space Marines, it still swept across the battlefield like a harvester when faced with waves of players.

However, as time went by, the fighting spirit on the faces of these Space Marines gradually froze.

It started with fervor, then fatigue set in, and finally turned into a numb, mechanical hacking motion.

When they realized that no matter how many times they knocked their opponents down, they would get back up, their mental defenses finally collapsed completely.

How can we fight like this?!

The Dark Star forces, which had initially held the advantage, began to retreat in disarray. The defensive line built by tens of thousands of soldiers crumbled and collapsed in large sections, like a dam being gnawed by ants.

Lacking the suppressive power of Red Ember's wide-area destructive ability, the remaining soldiers were completely swallowed up by the torrent of hundreds of thousands of players.

About half an hour later

The smoke-filled battlefield gradually subsided, and sporadic clanging of metal replaced the shouts of battle.

Amidst the wreckage of Dark Star Warriors scattered across the ground, the surviving prisoners were bound like dumplings and left to languish in a corner.

Players happily looted the spoils, occasionally shoving and arguing over a particular piece of equipment.

Caroline stood by with her arms crossed, for this was the ironclad rule of the mercenary world.

"Still no word from Ye Xiu?"

Hela walked over, wiping the half-dried blood from her face.

She had just experienced the strength of the Space Marines in actual combat, and now the dark red energy remaining on the battlefield was flowing into her body like threads.

The energy of the newly deceased is the best nourishment for her supernatural abilities.

"Can handle three A-rank characters at the same time? Nothing to worry about?" Caroline chuckled and pulled out her communicator. "Captain, are we done?"

"What a coincidence, we were just about to return."

Ye Xiu casually hung up the communication and looked at Degulish, who was staggering in the distance.

This Calamity-level powerhouse was now leaning on his knees, breathing heavily, and the landscape within a radius of hundreds of miles had been completely altered.

The cracked earth, the crisscrossing ravines, and the countless crater-like depressions bear witness to this all-day epic showdown.

The feeling of fully unleashing cataclysmic power was intoxicating; Ye Xiu even deliberately held back, enjoying the battle.

Each of Deguresh's earth-shattering attacks felt like hitting a star core metal, while his opponent's stamina was being rapidly depleted.

"Save your energy." Ye Xiu flicked his wrist, then suddenly delivered a heavy blow: "Guess how your mothership was exposed?"

Degulish's pupils contracted sharply, and the aura he had forcibly condensed instantly dissipated.

"After the attack on Red Gate Star, I installed a locator on your mothership."

Ye Xiu smiled and approached, "Now you understand who was tipping off Godora?"

The martial artist's deathly pale face said it all.

The communicator beeped again; this time it was Grega reporting.

"Alien, the battle on my side is basically over. All mothership-class targets have been eliminated, and only some grunts are left, rushing out of the gaps in the mothership through their escape pods."

Godora's group is busy pursuing them, and it's still uncertain whether any big fish have escaped.

We're coming to meet you right now. Have you got everything sorted out on your end?

"Mission accomplished, come over here."

The resounding victory on the main battlefield was entirely expected. The intelligence provided by Rista was so detailed that it included the coordinates of every firing point, and Godora had even begun troop deployments half a month in advance.

If you have the resources of an entire galaxy and still struggle to fight, you might as well just kill yourself.

Ultimately, the Dark Star's ability to survive for so many years is entirely due to their uncanny ability to hide.

Now that their secrets have been exposed, and facing encirclement by the entire galaxy, annihilation is only a matter of time.

Ye Xiu's intelligence report was tantamount to nailing a coffin lid to this organization.

After cutting off the communication in front of Degulish.

The burly man collapsed to the ground as if his spine had been ripped out, his voice hoarse like sandpaper scraping: "It's all over."

Seeing his opponent completely lose his will to fight, Ye Xiu put away his weapon and squatted down: "Your partner Anur is quite tough. I thought you would fight to the death."

"Don't get too cocky!" Degulish suddenly sat up, his eyes bloodshot.

"As long as that lord is still alive," he suddenly stopped speaking, but the twitching corner of his mouth betrayed his thoughts.

He'd rather go to jail than let his leader make a comeback; that's probably his last hope.

Ye Xiu rubbed his chest, which felt heavy, and fell into deep thought. The mysterious leader of Dark Star was indeed a hidden danger, but after this battle, the opponent's wealth accumulated over decades was basically wiped out.

Even if they want to make a comeback, they have to survive Godora's overwhelming manhunt first.

Let the professional team handle this kind of headache.

……

Dragging Degulish, who looked like a dead dog, Ye Xiu slowly walked back to meet up with the main group.

Looking at the corpses of Dark Star Warriors lying scattered all over the ground, he rubbed his chin with satisfaction.

The players did a great job this time, perfectly achieving the effect he wanted.

Before long, the mercenaries and Godora's men descended and took over.

Degulish was escorted onto the spaceship by two Catastrophe-level officials like a sack of potatoes. In a couple of days, he would be able to enjoy a suite in the Rainbow Prison with all his needs met, and he would be set for life.

After completing his mission, Risda rushed back to the Blacklight Lurker and kicked Pipi Armor off the driver's seat, just like a husky fighting over food.

The captured Dark Star mothership was handed over to Godora as agreed, and a series of notifications popped up on the panel at that moment:

Both projects for 【Gadora Alliance】are completed:

[Captured Deputy Leader Degurish] Gained 2420 million experience points, plus 1500 favorability points, and even got a free character card.

[Successfully capturing the mothership] grants an instant 3000 million experience points and an additional 1800 favorability points.

The war mercenary mission that I was slacking off on was also settled.

Although I was on the sidelines the whole time, triggering this mission in the first place is a skill in itself, not to mention that Ristda contributed a lot, so it all goes to him.

Godora hired him primarily to operate the mothership; capturing Degulish was a completely unexpected bonus.

The three tasks combined yielded over 70 million experience points. While this wasn't as lucrative as exploiting others, it was stable and reliable.

Players who received the reduced-version rewards made a fortune, let alone him who received the full amount.

Unfortunately, players cannot accept faction-specific quests, so they can only watch helplessly as the two big gift packs are not available.

My apologies, my apologies.

After this series of actions, his favorability with Godora soared past 6000, and his relationship rating jumped to the top of the "Reverence" level.

Come to think of it, with all that intelligence gathering, arresting leaders, and sending warships, if this were within the system, he'd be promoted at least ten ranks, and might even become a reserve cadre in the War Bureau.

The day a leader is caught embezzling, he can take over the position in no time.

Ye Xiu was chatting with the higher-ups of Godora when several legion commanders from the Gureja were staring at the alien mercenaries cleaning up the battlefield, their eyes practically bulging out of their sockets.

Their own legion could certainly wipe out tens of thousands of Dark Star soldiers, but to do so without any casualties? No way!

This is going to cause an uproar in the entire mercenary community. The alien legion is likely to rise from a third-rate ragtag group to a top-tier super team.

The most amazing thing was that the alien mercenaries were humming a little tune while cleaning up the battlefield: "Dark Star buddies bring warmth, double harvest of equipment and experience~"

……

"Apart from this captured mothership, all the interstellar motherships on Dark Star have been destroyed, with only a few personnel escaping. The specific information of the escapees cannot be verified at present."

In the holographic projection, the military commander is reporting on the battle situation.

"I see."

Ye Xiu tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

As a bandit force without a fixed base, the mothership fleet is the main base of Dark Star.

Now that Godora has uprooted it completely, this dark organization that has been entrenched for many years has been utterly destroyed.

The military official continued, "As agreed, His Majesty Selene V will personally announce your outstanding contributions in this battle to the people during the victory celebration, which will be broadcast live throughout the galaxy."

All channels will broadcast the celebration live simultaneously.

The destruction of Dark Star, a malignant tumor that had plagued the Garden Galaxy for many years, is undoubtedly worthy of being recorded in great detail.

The authorities not only need to disclose the details of the crimes, but also need to use this victory to boost public morale.

After all, in the propaganda, this is equivalent to Godora eliminating a deadly threat to the entire galaxy.

When Ye Xiu provided the intelligence, he clearly stated that he wanted to publicly commend him, which was a key part of his plan to gain galaxy-level reputation.

"You will need to attend the awarding ceremony in person, where His Majesty will present you with the Stars of Honor Medal."

After the ceremony, the promised fifty medium-sized frigates, flagship-class motherships, and the remaining fifteen million in payment, along with those supernatural tomebooks, will all be delivered in full.

A look of joy flashed in Ye Xiu's eyes. While receiving the final payment was important, the royal family's personal conferment of the medal was an unexpected delight.

This honor not only demonstrates the official sincerity, but also reveals that Godora intends to strengthen its ties with the Longtan forces through him.

After all, the Longtan cadres, who held the title of meritorious officials, could naturally act as a lubricant in the relationship between the two sides.

Ye Xiu was naturally happy to see this mutually beneficial arrangement happen.

"This is a perfect opportunity for players to witness the awarding ceremony firsthand, providing excellent material for enhancing their personal prestige."

Thinking about the impending surge in his reputation points, the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up.

After the communication ended, the ground battlefield had been cleared.

The Godora engineering ship is slowly lifting the Dark Star mothership, which is buried deep underground, as if it were pulling out a giant metal tree.

Simultaneously, the fleet conducting orbital salvage operations was also collecting battlefield debris, and the soldiers' faces were filled with the exhilaration of a great victory.

All participating mercenary groups received invitations to attend the ceremony, and naturally no one would refuse such an opportunity to be seen throughout the entire galaxy.

As the combined fleet sailed toward Godora's homeworld, player forums were already flooded with battlefield screenshots and gameplay videos.

The recruits' excitement could be felt even from light-years away.

I'd like to recommend a new fanfiction by a friend, "Super God Mechanic." The protagonist is still Han Xiao, but it follows a supernatural power route. He recruits Hela, Aurora, and Ames, and it doesn't follow the original story's plot. It's first published on Qidian. If you're interested, feel free to add it to your favorites and offer your feedback.

(End of this chapter)