When Liu Hai received the news, he was utterly delighted—it seemed the heavens themselves were giving him a chance for revenge!
"I've decided to lend a hand. What about you?"
Liu Hai asked Irina with great enthusiasm whether she wanted to kick the enemy while they were down.
Irina rolled her eyes at him without any grace. "Don't think I don't know what you're up to. You just saw that the enemy fleet is surrounded by Jingmen Dujia and now you want to raid the Katon Fleet's Energy Conversion Station for supplies. How could I miss out on such a golden opportunity? Even a mosquito's leg is still meat!"
"Hahaha, you saw right through me. What a terrifying woman," Liu Hai joked playfully with her.
Upon receiving Liu Hai's orders, Li Yali immediately led the fleet back. This time, with experience on their side, they deployed the remaining Fighter Jets and Mecha in batches from a distance of over a dozen light-minutes, using the squadrons to launch the first wave of attacks on the asteroid belt.
After the Fighter Jets destroyed one Asteroid Turret after another, clearing a safe passage, the fleet leisurely made its way through. The remaining tens of thousands of Fighter Jets headed straight for the various planets.
Beep. "Jingmen Dujia is requesting communication. Shall I connect?"
After spotting the Corvettes sent to gather intel and confirming they belonged to their own faction, Du Jia collected some basic information and sent Liu Hai a communication request via the military Pioneers channel.
Once the call connected, Du Jia—tall and handsome—greeted Liu Hai with a bright smile. "Mr. Liu Hai, I am Jingmen Dujia, and I suppose you could call me a senior among your generation of Pioneers."
Flattered by the courtesy, Liu Hai smiled and praised, "With over a century of service to the Federation's Pioneer Order and hundreds of battles under your belt, you certainly deserve the title of senior."
Du Jia's mood lifted further at Liu Hai's words. "Let's address each other as peers among Pioneers. After all, the Pioneer Order doesn't follow seniority—capability is what matters. That's the fundamental rule we Pioneers should uphold."
"Wise words, Mr. Du," Liu Hai said, exchanging pleasantries while simultaneously searching for Du Jia's profile in the military database. After reviewing it, Liu Hai was genuinely impressed.
Born in Federation Year 4852, Du Jia had been a Pioneer for over a century, assisting no fewer than a hundred fellow Pioneers and participating in hundreds of battles. His accumulated Military Merits had earned him the rank of reserve lieutenant colonel. If he chose to transition to active duty, he would start as a major—a significant figure in a military where brigadier generals commanded entire legions.
But what impressed Liu Hai most was Du Jia's character. As a commoner, Du Jia had entered the command track with mediocre grades, graduated with similarly average scores, and worked as a captain for the Federal Interstellar Travel Company to save up funds. He then purchased two secondhand Corvettes, recruited a crew through personal connections, and applied for a Pioneer Order to venture into the Hera Star System.
In just over a century, he had gone from a Pioneer with only two used Corvettes to commanding a fleet of over 700 warships of various sizes, amassing assets worth tens of trillions.
His abilities were completely at odds with his mediocre talent, yet attributing his achievements to sheer luck didn't hold water either—what kind of luck could allow an average man to emerge unscathed with military merits from hundreds of battles?
What the Pioneers admired most, even more than his astonishing growth, was his character. The phrase "public-spirited and righteous" seemed tailor-made for him. He was always willing to offer free assistance to any Pioneer in distress near him.
During the expansion period, he generously shared benefits with his collaborators, earning him immense popularity and trust among the Pioneers.
With intelligence support, though Liu Hai didn't fully trust him, it didn't stop Liu Hai from treating the situation as genuine.
Even the worst person wouldn't mind having a good friend.
"Mr. Du, are you aiming to drive out the Katon Exploration Fleet from this star system this time?"
Du Jia confirmed, "We accidentally discovered them a few years ago and have been locked in a stalemate ever since. Originally, I planned to keep engaging them until the Stardust Star Region was settled before calling in friends for help."
"But unexpectedly, your sudden appearance made them think I had fallen for their trap and divided my forces to raid their rear. Now, my fighter groups have them surrounded. Even if we can't annihilate them, we can still deal a heavy blow to their fleet."
"I should thank you for your contribution. Though this was an unexpected gain, I can't let you go unrewarded."
"I won't take any resources from this star system—you can have them all. I'll keep their fleet pinned down so they can't return to defend it."
Liu Hai found his response reasonable. Both sides were restraining each other—while Du Jia was tying down the enemy fleet, Liu Hai's presence was also pressuring them to retreat and defend their base.
As for the converted energy resources, they were indeed valuable and a necessity for them.
But only if they could secure them. The stellar defense system deployed by the enemy, though inferior to Xue Jia's, still outmatched Liu Hai's forces. He wasn't the Katon Fleet, and in terms of firepower, he remained at a disadvantage.
Thus, Liu Hai never planned to take everything. Instead, he intended to use his fighter jets to clear out some planets, taking whatever he could.
"I'll put on a full-scale offensive front. That should buy you some advantage, Mr. Du." True to his word, Liu Hai immediately relayed orders to Li Yali, instructing her to exaggerate their strength and widen their strikes to pressure the enemy.
Their first discussion went smoothly, and the cooperation plan was equally ideal—Liu Hai gained resources, while Du Jia reaped military merits.
Thanks to Du Jia's containment of the enemy fleet, the mixed fleet roamed freely through the star system, dismantling the enemy's defensive network piece by piece.
As they destroyed the defenses, the fleet also harvested significant amounts of antimatter energy from the energy conversion stations. In just two or three days, Liu Hai not only replenished all the antimatter energy consumed since arriving in the Hera Star System but also doubled his reserves.
Much of the excess antimatter that couldn't be stored was absorbed and preserved by the Pyramid Core, serving as energy for its advancement.
Three days later, the combined fleet, having replenished its supplies and energy, bid farewell to Du Jia and warped out of the star system. Meanwhile, Du Jia ceased blockading the Katon Fleet, allowing its main force to successfully return to the star system's defensive perimeter.
The reconnaissance satellites left near the battlefield transmitted relevant data to Liu Hai, giving him a clear understanding of Du Jia's command capabilities.
The Katon Fleet had initially fielded over five hundred warships and more than a million unmanned fighter jets. After several days of combat, only a little over a hundred of its main vessels managed to return to the star system for repairs. The corvettes and destroyers had been completely wiped out by Du Jia's fighter swarms.
Even after retreating to the star system, the Katon Fleet did not linger. After just over half a month of repairs and scavenging whatever resources they could recover from the system, they warped away—destroying all remaining equipment before leaving.