Several hours later, a Legion-level Starfleet appeared majestically in this star sector.
The emblems painted on the ship hulls of these starships clearly showed signs of having been hastily removed. It was obvious they had been in a hurry.
Furthermore, the vast majority were starship models in service with the Imperial Army.
"Reporting to the Commander, we have arrived at the designated area!" On the flagship bridge of this fleet, a group of soldiers in Imperial Army uniforms could be seen.
The officer addressed as the commander even had three glittering gold stars on his shoulder.
"Prepare for battle," the Three-star Lieutenant General said with a serious expression.
He had received an order from the Third Prince and had led the fleet over as reinforcements at the first opportunity.
He knew that the mission he was carrying out this time was in response to a distress call sent by that group of slave merchants.
He had known about that group of slave merchants for a long time, as he was one of the intermediaries between them and His Highness the Prince.
A portion of the starships used by the slave merchants had been siphoned off by him from the Imperial Army's fleet formation under various pretexts and allocated to them.
He had even met their leader, Big Eye King, in person. That fellow was quite the smooth operator.
During their first meeting, he had prepared ten female slaves for him, as well as a "gift" of several hundred thousand Star Coins.
As the Prince Party's money tree in the gray zone, it was only natural to come and investigate immediately upon receiving a distress call.
Although this slave merchant operated in the gray zone, anyone in the know was aware that the Prince Party was backing them.
Who would be so foolish as to touch the Prince Party's money tree?
"Report. We have discovered a starport, as well as traces of a starship battle. No other starships have been detected for the time being," the Adjutant reported from the side.
The Three-star Lieutenant General glanced at the viewscreen before him. He could see several battlefield remnants littered with starship wreckage, all indicating that a fierce battle had previously taken place here.
"Based on our analysis of the cosmic element fluctuations here, the battle should have ended three hours ago," the Adjutant reported another crucial piece of information.
Three hours ago?
He had received the distress call about eight hours ago.
This meant the enemy starfleet that attacked this place had fought for less than five hours. Although the slave merchants' starfleet wasn't strong, they still had three thousand starships, including thirty T3 interstellar warships.
To be defeated in such a short time, the attackers' starfleet must possess formidable combat capability.
The Three-star Lieutenant General looked at the battered starport on the screen. The exterior of the starport was covered in marks from artillery strikes and attacks, and the wreckage of starships could be seen within.
Seeing the sight of several hundred starships congested in the channel, he could already imagine the scene of the battle.
"Be careful. Dispatch Star Reconnaissance Craft to check the situation at the starport," the Three-star Lieutenant General said cautiously.
Soon, dozens of Star Reconnaissance Craft began to approach the starport.
Through the synchronized feed from the cameras on the Star Reconnaissance Craft, they could see the starport's condition more clearly.
Suddenly, the Three-star Lieutenant General pointed at the most conspicuous emblem on the starport. "Quick, zoom in on this for me!"
That emblem represented this group of slave merchants.
But at this moment, besides being in tatters, three "black dots" could be seen on it.
As the image was magnified, the true nature of these three "black dots" became clear.
They were three corpses!
From left to right, they were: Big Eye King, Skinny Monkey, and Scarface.
Except for Skinny Monkey, whose corpse was in slightly better condition, the other two had died horribly. Scarface, in particular, looked to have suffered immense torture before his death!
This scene instantly soured the Three-star Lieutenant General's mood to the extreme.
The deaths of these three meant that the slave merchant organization fostered by the Prince Party had been destroyed. Although the Prince Party could still foster another such organization with their power, the time, manpower, resources, and finances invested would cause the Prince Party to suffer a huge loss.
"Warning! Warning! Warning! High-energy explosion reaction detected inside the starport. Star Reconnaissance Craft, retreat immediately! Retreat immediately!" a Starship Crew member suddenly exclaimed.
The Three-star Lieutenant General looked at the starport in astonishment.
Dozens of points within the starport were glowing red, followed by a massive explosion that directly engulfed some of the Star Reconnaissance Craft that were approaching for a closer look and hadn't had time to retreat.
"Lost contact with Recon 3."
"Lost contact with Recon 5."
"Lost contact with Recon 8."
The Three-star Lieutenant General stared at the exploding starport before him. If the starport had previously looked like a ravaged land, it had now become a pile of space junk.
"These bastards!" Hatred welled up in the Three-star Lieutenant General's heart. Killing those slave merchants was one thing; they could just cultivate new ones. But now, they had even destroyed the starport.
Did they have any idea how much time the Prince Party would need to build such a base again?
It would be impossible to return to its previous state without at least a year or two.
And during that one or two years, the original slave trade channels would most likely be snatched up by others.
Therefore, to truly recover, it would take at least three years!
"If their Highnesses find out about this..." The Three-star Lieutenant General sighed deeply, only hoping the two princes wouldn't vent their anger on him.
He immediately sent back a report of everything that had happened here, along with all the captured images and footage, including the scene of the starport's explosion.
Soon, a reply came from the two princes.
"Investigate the culprit!"
Four simple words, yet from them, he could feel the fury of the two princes.
"Find them! Search carefully through the wreckage and debris. You must find out who dared to attack this place!" the Three-star Lieutenant General commanded.
Subsequent investigation and analysis revealed that sensor-activated explosive devices had been placed inside the starport. They would automatically detonate upon sensing the fluctuation of electronic equipment within a certain range.
The enemy was also aware that such a petty trick wouldn't have much of an impact on the reinforcing starfleet that came later.
Their goal was to destroy the starport right in front of the reinforcements, setting off a grand firework display for them.
This was a provocation!
This was definitely a provocation!
The Three-star Lieutenant General clenched his fists, becoming even more determined in his heart. Even if he had to turn this place upside down, he had to find out the identity of the attackers and make them pay a heavy price.
And the culprit behind all this was currently on his way back to the Fierce Dragon Star System.
Under warp navigation, a faint smile graced the corner of Zhao Chen's mouth in his hibernation pod. It seemed he was having a pleasant dream.
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