Star Pirates!

Time passed day by day, and the ten-thousand-meter starship traversed the void, continually entering and exiting hyperspace channels and stopping at habitable planets along the route.

In the blink of an eye, more than two months passed.

October 20th of the 8905th year of the Crimson Rainbow Calendar.

The starship once again hovered in the distant orbit of a habitable planet, and hundreds of small spaceships flew out of the docking bays to ferry passengers back and forth.

Inside the bridge, Captain He Zhengchang and First Officer Lu Jie stood before the huge porthole, quietly waiting for departure.

"Hoo!"

Lu Jie let out a heavy breath and smiled relaxedly.

"We've been tense the entire way, but fortunately no accidents happened. Now over half the voyage is done, and perhaps those star pirates simply look down on a passenger starship like ours."

He Zhengchang shook his head and reminded:

"Do not lower your guard; there are still over three hundred light-years of voyage ahead."

"I understand. Don't we have Captain Lin and the others?"

Lu Jie's smile faded, and he said through gritted teeth:

"A Grade-5 mecha pilot leading twenty Grade-4 mecha pilots is enough to wipe out an entire fleet."

"If they really dare to come, we will just collect a little interest for the big boss, which can also be considered avenging our fallen comrades."

While speaking, his fingers tapped on the virtual light screen, and a huge three-dimensional projection appeared in the center of the bridge.

Nebulae drifted and miniature stars dotted the space, with a green line extending outward from the center, windingly connecting star systems one by one.

On the latter half of the green line, a blue dot blinked unceasingly.

This was the interstellar route map, and the blue dot represented their current position.

St. Lin 7 is about to set sail once again. We wish all passengers a pleasant journey!

Next stop, Blue Silver Star.

Voice broadcasts rang out inside cabin after cabin as the starship's hatch closed and it gradually sailed away from orbit.

A pair of large eyes pressed tightly against the porthole, looking back with reluctance at the emerald planet below.

Zhao Mo gently rubbed his daughter's head and smiled.

"Ranran, we're going home soon. Aren't you happy?"

Zhao Ran turned her head back, pointing her small finger at the porthole, and asked naively:

"Daddy, this planet looks like a gemstone; it must be very pretty inside, right?"

"Of course it's pretty."

Xu Chang responded gently, walking over to the porthole and gazing toward the planet's surface with all her might.

Although she and her husband were stuck at the step of "heaven and man communion", after opening all nine apertures, their perception had long since far surpassed ordinary people.

Her sight pierced through the atmosphere, slowly recounting as she watched.

"On this planet, there are lots and lots of forests, and also..."

Zhao Ran listened with great relish, the curiosity in her eyes growing increasingly intense.

Not long after,

"All right, let's stop here. It's too far away, and Mommy can't see clearly anymore either."

Xu Chang pinched her daughter's cheek and stopped helplessly.

The starship had completely sailed away from the distant orbit and was continuously accelerating, causing the planet outside the porthole to rapidly shrink.

"Ah?" Zhao Ran was instantly filled with disappointment.

"Hahaha, I didn't expect our little Ranran to have such strong curiosity."

Zhao Mo laughed heartily, gently rubbing his daughter's head.

"Just having curiosity isn't enough; you also have to practice Starry Sky Beckons earnestly."

"As long as you practice martial arts properly, you'll be able to travel across the sea of stars on your own in the future and see all kinds of countless wonders."

"Really?"

Zhao Ran blinked her eyes, staring at her mom and dad with suspicion in her gaze.

"But you guys..."

In her mind, her parents were already very, very powerful, but they simply did not possess the ability to travel across the sea of stars.

Faced with her daughter's skeptical gaze, Zhao Mo's laughter suddenly stopped, appearing somewhat awkward.

Xu Chang's gaze shifted, and she guided her step by step.

"Mommy and Daddy certainly can't, but you can be even more powerful than Mommy and Daddy!"

"Do you remember Brother Li Qingshan? As long as you become as powerful as him in the future, you will definitely be able to realize your wish!"

"Magician big brother?"

Zhao Ran's eyes lit up. Clenching her small fists, she said with a serious expression:

"I will definitely cultivate properly in the future, and I must become even more powerful than Magician big brother!"

Zhao Mo and Xu Chang looked at each other in dismay, nodding silently.

Regardless of whether it could be realized, they should at least establish the goal first.

Right at that moment,

Boom!

The hull shook violently, and a grayish-white light barrier emerged from outside the porthole, exploding with clusters of flames.

"The starship is under attack?"

Zhao Mo's expression changed, and he immediately hurried to the porthole, fixing his gaze outside the defensive shield.

Streaks of laser fire and beams of light raided from the depths of the void, continuously bombarding the defensive shield.

Yet even with his vision strained to the utmost, he could not make out the source of the attack.

This was an attack beyond visual range!

"Daddy, are they star pirates?"

A small head leaned over to the side, flames blooming one after another reflected in her large eyes as her small face flushed red and she said:

"Our teacher taught us that star pirates are the most hateful. Even if we die, we must not fall into the hands of the star pirates!"

"Silly girl, nothing will happen."

Xu Chang hurriedly hugged her daughter and comforted her in a soft voice.

Zhao Mo desolately withdrew his gaze and looked at his wife; both of them wore heavy expressions.

An aperture-opened martial artist could easily destroy a city, yet placed on the scale of the starry sky, they were utterly inconspicuous.

At this moment, they were no different from any other ordinary passengers and could do nothing at all.

"Mommy, I'm not afraid!"

Zhao Ran struggled to push away her mother's hands, leaned toward the porthole once more, and clenched her small fists tightly.

"When I grow up, I will definitely..."

Her voice paused as Zhao Ran's eyeballs rolled, and she grew excited.

"Mommy, Magician big brother is also on the ship. Even if I'm not as powerful as him in the future, he can definitely eliminate the star pirates!"

"Ranran is so smart."

Xu Chang reached out to hug her daughter and exchanged a glance with her husband, their faces filled with helplessness.

Li Qingshan was indeed a legend, but it had only been two mere years since the battle of Ziying Star.

In a short two years, how many revolutions could the Path to Breaking Limits have advanced?

Besides, facing a star fleet of space pirates, even an Inner Scene powerhouse was powerless.

For a time, the rest cabin fell into silence as the family of three tightly embraced one another.

It was not just them.

Flames continuously exploded against the defensive shield, illuminating hundreds of thousands of portholes.

Behind the portholes, inside cabin after cabin, numerous passengers were either panicked, anxiously questioning the AI Brain, or making desperate farewells...

All the states of living beings played out within the very same starship.

Inside the bridge, more than twenty figures gathered, their gazes fixed intently on the virtual light screen.

The blue light dot representing the starship sat in the center of the screen, while red light dots all around it continuously lit up and closed in.

"The enemy fleet coordinates have been confirmed: a total of ten super battleships and thirty-two advanced battleships."

Lin Liyan spoke calmly, turning his head to look at the twenty young men and women while a data waterfall unceasingly washed through his eyes.

"Specific targets have already been distributed to you. Set out immediately."

As his voice fell,

outside the bridge, hatch after hatch continuously opened.

"Yes!"

All the Grade-4 mecha pilots answered in unison, and their figures vanished instantly.

Lin Liyan turned to look at He Zhengchang and Lu Jie, saying with a solemn expression:

"I am also setting out. You must broadcast immediately to pacify all the passengers on the ship."

"Captain Lin, rest assured!"

He Zhengchang answered solemnly, then asked cautiously:

"Captain Lin, the pirate fleet doesn't have any Meteor-Class Battleships, right?"

"No." Lin Liyan shook his head.

He Zhengchang and Lu Jie looked at each other, exhaling a simultaneous breath of relief.

"Do not lower your guard. None have been found currently, but that does not rule out the possibility of them hiding within hyperspace channels, and furthermore..."

Lin Liyan watched the red light dots on the screen and said in a deep voice:

"I can detect the locations of the warships, but I have no way of determining the cultivation realms of the star pirates inside them. There is no guarantee that there won't be Exterior Scene martial artists among them!"

"The battlefield changes in the blink of an eye; do not slack off!"

"Yes!"

He Zhengchang and Lu Jie's expressions tightened as they answered in unison.

Lin Liyan nodded, and his figure vanished instantly.