Bi Yu was trembling from shock and anger all mixed in together with disappointment. Floating on the display to the right was indeed the former crown prince with half his face covered with a mask and to the left was Qie Xieling in the weapons room alive and kicking with no limbs missing.

"Why are you telling me this?" she asked and Lee Ya laughed just as explosions rocked the warship.

"Aren’t you the righteous General Bi? The morally upright general who can’t be bought by money or fame?... Do your job and expose the true face of the crown prince. Let the entire Zeden Coalition see his true face. Let them know that he even partnered with a murderer to go against the people," said Lee Ya with a crooked smile. She had made her first move and couldn’t wait for the entire house to collapse.

The secure communication ended abruptly when the warship shuddered once more, the sound of weapons fire muffled in her quarters. She sat down on her bed looking defeated. She was torn between her heart and sense of duty. Bi Yu had no idea what she was going to do.

While Bi Yu was trying to digest this new revelation the battle was raging on. As the two sides exchanged fire, it seemed as though the intergalactic pirates were outnumbered. The Zeden Coalition warships launched a barrage of plasma projectiles, their assault threatening to overwhelm the pirates’ defences. But Luo Muchen had a plan all along, a strategy forged from years of experience and cunning.

With each volley of energy blasts, the pirates deftly manoeuvred their warship and the fighter planes, narrowly evading the Coalition’s attacks. Their movements were precise, calculated, and coordinated, showcasing the disciplined unity that Luo Muchen demanded from his crew.

Amidst the chaos, the pirates retaliated with precision strikes, exploiting weaknesses in the Coalition’s defences. Their targeting systems locked onto vulnerable sections of the enemy warships, inflicting critical damage with each well-aimed shot.

As the battle unfolded, it became evident that Captain Luo’s plan was unfolding flawlessly. He wanted to send a clear message to his king father. There was no way he was letting him take over his body just like he took over his father’s and his father’s father before that. His great-great-grandfather had found a way to immortalise himself, his counsel members and nobles.

At the critical moment when they were close to death, they would take over the body of their descendants but before it could happen to him, his mother had already caught on and helped ruin his reputation. As he was the only son of the king he was the only one whose body the old king could take over if he wanted to live on. By ruining Luo Muchen’s reputation he wouldn’t be able to inherit the throne and this would bring to an end his great-grandfather’s ploy of taking his descendants’ bodies generation after generation.

But that cunning old fox had been whitewashing his name and intercepting any form of broadcast that aimed at exposing his identity as the Blood Hound’s captain.

As time went on the pirates’ initial disadvantage morphed into a calculated advantage, as they outmaneuvered and outgunned their adversaries. The bridge hummed with a sense of purpose and determination, and each crew member focused on their assigned tasks.

Qie Xieling sat in the station of his commandeered fighter spacecraft, his eyes fixed on the glowing holographic display that depicted the Zeden Coalition warships. Memories of his time in the Coalition’s army suddenly flooded his mind including the schematics of the Coalition army’s warship.

In his brain, he suddenly had intimate knowledge of the Zeden Coalition warship’s weaknesses. With a sly smile creeping up his face, his fingers danced across the control panel, manipulating the remote-controlled spacecraft armed with devastating firepower. He knew exactly where the warship’s shield had weak points, and he exploited them with precision.

As explosions rocked the enemy warship, the crew members exchanged puzzled glances. They marvelled at the precise strikes, unable to comprehend how the extensive shields of the Zeden Coalition warship was penetrated so effortlessly. It usually took a lot of work to penetrate the self-repairing protection shield.

Their voices filled the weapons room speculation mounting as to who could be responsible for such a devastating display of firepower.

"Who the fuck was that?"

"Is that you rookie?"

Qie Xieling consumed by a mixture of adrenaline and vengeance, couldn’t help but unleash a maniacal laugh that echoed through the weapons room.

"Of course, it had to be psycho Qie," yelled one of the crew members who was surely glad that Qie Xieling was on their side.

The rest of the crew turned to him, their eyes wide with a mix of awe and exhilaration. They were well aware of Qie Xieling’s reputation and how an entire army was given the run around by him alone but witnessing his prowess firsthand was an entirely different experience.

Ignoring the bewildered gazes, Qie Xieling aimed at the second Zeden warship. His fingers moved with practised ease as he unleashed another barrage of precise strikes. One by one, the warships’ shields crumbled under the relentless assault.

The last two Zeden warships, now aware that something was amiss, scrambled to respond.

General Bi who had just returned to the bridge after realising the dire situation, made a fateful decision. In a desperate bid to escape the onslaught, she ordered the ships to engage warp speed and retreat.

Qie Xieling, undeterred by their retreat, grinned with a mix of triumph and satisfaction. Bi Yu had shot him from the sky and he was eager to return a favour. He wanted her to be stranded for a while in the sea of vast darkness.

As they retreated his fingers moved quickly locking on his target. His tongue sticking out with a look of mischief on his face he pressed the trigger button but nothing happened. He glanced down a little confused and pressed several times only for a warning message to appear on the floating holographic screen. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"This station has been deactivated. Please step out of the station."

Qie Xieling, "..."

Four Zeden warships lay crippled in the void, a testament to Qie Xieling’s prowess but the man himself wasn’t happy. He really wanted to take revenge on Bi Yu but just as that sweet sweet revenge was at the tips of his fingers it was taken away at the last minute. He couldn’t wait to find out who messed with his plan.