The second shot from the T3 Blizzard-class Light Interstellar Battlecruiser's Cluster Laser Bow Cannon fired.
A massive blue beam pierced through the dark cosmos, once again striking that star shield.
But this time, the star shield began to grow increasingly unstable.
This indicated that its energy supply was starting to run low.
A few seconds later, the star shield was breached!
The blue cluster laser directly impacted the bow cannon position of the T3 Blazing Lion King.
It was visible how the entire bow cannon began to disintegrate and crumble, finally shattering within the cluster laser beam.
"Warning! Star shield energy depleted..."
"Warning! Front hull armor under attack... Front hull armor integrity critical..."
"Warning! Bow cannon weapon module destroyed!"
However, on the bridge, Scarface had long since vanished without a trace. In one corner of the bridge, several empty escape pods could be seen.
Immediately after, the entire bridge was pierced through by the cluster laser!
From an external perspective, it appeared as if this T3 Blazing Lion King-class Heavy Interstellar Battlecruiser had been pierced through from bow to stern by a massive hole.
"This is incredible... To annihilate a stellar battlecruiser of the same class in less than five minutes!" Fang Xiuli exclaimed, covering her mouth in shock.
Commander Red Eyes stared at that blue-and-white starship, her emotions complex.
The next half hour was spent "cleaning up" the battlefield.
With the coordinated efforts of the T3 Blizzard-class Light Interstellar Battlecruiser and the Bloody Mary Mercenary Corps, the enemy interstellar fleet was mostly destroyed, with only a small number of starships managing to escape.
Zhao Chen did not order a pursuit. After all, he only had one starship and needed to err on the side of caution.
After the battle concluded, Zhao Chen looked at this somewhat battered interstellar mercenary fleet and sent a communication request.
It was accepted almost instantly.
A video window appeared before Zhao Chen, showing Commander Red Eyes on the other side.
"Commander Red Eyes, long time no see," Zhao Chen greeted.
Commander Red Eyes bowed deeply to Zhao Chen. "On behalf of the Bloody Mary Mercenary Corps, I express our deepest gratitude. Thank you for coming to our rescue."
"Think nothing of it. We are, after all, business partners," Zhao Chen said with a smile.
"Did you learn about our predicament from Li Yaqi?" Commander Red Eyes inquired, looking at Zhao Chen.
Zhao Chen nodded. "Yes. I relied on the intelligence Li Yaqi provided to determine the approximate location of your attack. Fortunately, my luck was good, and I found you quickly."
"Truly, thank you. If not for you, my fleet likely would not have left this place today," Commander Red Eyes said, her gaze dimming slightly.
Even so, during this encounter, she had still lost some of her starship crew. The thought of this filled her with indignation.
"Now is not the time for endless thanks. Although the battle is over, there is still much to handle. We need to leave this area as soon as possible," Zhao Chen reminded her.
"You're right," Commander Red Eyes said, lightly biting her lip as if wrestling with something.
"Commander Red Eyes, if you have any concerns, you can share them with me," Zhao Chen said, sensing that she seemed troubled.
"Normally, I should be escorting these interstellar transport ships to your Fierce Dragon Star System right now, as that was our agreement.
However... I'm currently quite worried about my headquarters base.
Since my fleet's movements were betrayed, it's highly likely that my headquarters base is now in great danger. So, I was thinking..." Red Eyes' expression was complicated.
Unlike the Fire Salamander Tribe in the Reef Starfield, which had a fixed territory and headquarters base, mercenary corps like the Bloody Mary Mercenary Corps didn't have permanent headquarters bases. For security reasons, their headquarters bases were extremely well-hidden.
"I know what you're thinking. Here's my suggestion:
Your interstellar fleet will proceed as planned, escorting the interstellar transport ships and the wounded from this battle to the Fierce Dragon Star System.
Meanwhile, you can board my starship and head to your headquarters base," Zhao Chen proposed.
Red Eyes voiced her concern, "But there might be traitors within my fleet... If your starship leaves, there's a chance these traitors could contact the enemy fleet and launch another attack!"
"I have a way to deal with the traitors.
On my starship, there's equipment capable of detecting traitors. All you need to do, Red Eyes, is follow my instructions. In at most half an hour, we can roughly identify those traitors," Zhao Chen said.
Red Eyes looked at Zhao Chen in surprise, not expecting him to have such methods.
Although she was still worried about her headquarters base, half an hour wasn't too long. Moreover, her interstellar fleet needed some rest after the recent battle.
"Alright."
Next, Red Eyes ordered her fleet to rest on the spot while following Zhao Chen's instructions.
"Relaying the commander's orders: All crew members of the entire fleet, including personnel, are to proceed to the hangar and board the shuttles!
No questions asked. Move quickly!" A voice echoed on a T2 starship of the Bloody Mary Mercenary Corps.
Though filled with doubts, the crew members complied with the orders.
Once aboard the shuttles, they were surprised to find that the shuttles were heading toward the T3 interstellar warship that had rescued them.
The shuttles docked in the hangar, and Red Eyes' voice rang out, instructing them to disembark and line up neatly in the hangar.
They looked up at the man and Red Eyes standing on the second-floor platform of the hangar, scanning the crowd.
Red Eyes addressed the puzzled crew members below: "The commander beside me is the one who saved us. He has also specially prepared meals for us.
You've all worked hard in this battle. After receiving your meals, you may return."
The mercenary corps crew members were initially bewildered. What was this all about?
Even if meals were being distributed, they could have been delivered directly to each starship to avoid all this trouble.
But when they saw the lunch boxes, their mouths nearly watered. Those were delicious dishes made from natural ingredients.
This trip wasn't in vain. One by one, they stepped forward to collect their meal boxes.
Red Eyes then turned to Zhao Chen beside her.
"Next batch," Zhao Chen shook his head and said.
As shuttle after shuttle entered the hangar, the mercenary corps crew members happily collected their meal boxes and left.
The entire process was extremely efficient, but Zhao Chen had never revealed who the traitor was.
This left Red Eyes, the commander, very puzzled. What method did Commander Zhao Chen have to identify the traitor?
Soon, Zhao Chen's gaze fixed on one person.
"Third row, fifth from the left," Zhao Chen said gravely.
Red Eyes looked at the person Zhao Chen indicated—it was the deputy captain of a T2 Interstellar Battlecruiser, a very high-ranking position and a trusted confidant she had heavily relied on.
Red Eyes found it hard to believe this person was the traitor. She opened her mouth to speak but ultimately followed Commander Zhao Chen's instructions.
She ordered her subordinates to apprehend the deputy captain first.
The deputy captain noticed the gaze from the second-floor platform of the hangar and saw a team approaching her. She immediately drew a laser rifle, taking her bewildered fellow starship crew members hostage.
"Don't come any closer! Don't come any closer! If anyone dares to approach, I'll kill her!"
--Enjoying the story? Want more chapters? Check out my Patreon and support me for 80+ advance chapters.
Just search for "LegendaryTL" on Patreon!"
Thanks!