53: victory

"Damn it, these mechs are unmanned! We must destroy their reactors!"

At this moment, some pirates finally noticed the anomaly and roared in anger.

But it was too late.

After the first and second waves of surprise bombings, coupled with the many combatants they had just ambushed and killed, the core members of the "Wind and Waves" Pirate Group, who had already suffered heavy casualties, were now few in number.

After barely managing to cut down over thirty combat mechs, they were completely wiped out while surrounded.

"Who are you people? Why target our 'Wind and Waves' Pirate Group! Aren't you afraid of being hunted down by the 'Gale'?"

Tarian, struggling under the siege of a dozen specialized mechs, watched his subordinates die and couldn't help but curse in frustration.

His mind raced, searching for potential enemies, but he had no clue.

After all, as pirates, the "Wind and Waves" had raided and killed countless passing merchant caravans and factions; they had offended too many people.

But these mechs were not in the habit of making small talk. The only response he received was a dozen cold arc light blades.

With a bang, Tarian was sent flying again.

"Ah...! Damn it, damn it!"

He felt incredibly stifled.

After this scuffle, he discovered that these mechs were not physically powerful; he could even tell that their materials were not much better than those of the "Wind and Waves" mechs.

Yet, they perfectly countered his Transcendent abilities, rendering his A-Class Transcendent power useless.

"Even with targeted enchantments, it shouldn't be possible to reach this level!"

Tarian couldn't figure it out.

Although he didn't know much about the Star Mechanic profession, he had seen quite a few, and they usually just focused on things like increasing resistance. How could they achieve such perfect neutralization?

However, just as he was struggling to hold on, the roar of starships echoed. Eleven starships, arranged in a wedge formation, appeared in the distant sky.

But before a look of joy could appear on his face, these starships didn't stop at all; they accelerated directly toward the sky.

"Finn, you son of a b*tch!"

Tarian's expression changed drastically. How could he not see that the other party was abandoning him to escape alone!

He turned to look. Besides the dozen specialized mechs, hundreds of others had also surrounded him after defeating the enemies, their dense gun barrels clearly charging up.

"Wait, I..."

Boom!

Before he could finish, endless flames engulfed him.

On the other side.

In the starship, cold light flickered in Finn's eyes; he didn't even glance down.

"Wind and Waves" was finished.

But as long as he had the dozen starships and his status as an A-Class Transcendent, he could create another Pirate Group at any time, or offer them to major factions in exchange for a comfortable, idle position.

It wasn't worth risking his life for an ordinary friend.

"Old Ta, don't worry, I'll live freely for you."

Finn sneered and ordered, "Retreat, head to the nearest wormhole."

"Yes, boss."

The eleven starships quickly broke through the atmosphere.

But just then, nine space defense stations in the starry sky lit up simultaneously, and patches of light blue light curtains connected rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The eleven starships were forced to a sudden, violent stop.

"Boss...?"

The starship pilot turned his head with an inquiring look.

"Stand by."

Finn frowned at the signal-less communication device, put on his combat suit, flew out, took out his identity crystal card, and swiped it from a distance at the defense station.

"Deactivate the Ion Shield."

"Insufficient authority, deactivation failed."

"What?!"

Finn's expression turned ugly instantly. He swiped the card again: "Look closely, I am Finn, the grand leader of the 'Wind and Waves' Pirate Group. I order you to deactivate the Ion Shield immediately!"

"Insufficient authority, deactivation failed."

The cold electronic voice repeated.

"Damn it, blow up these space stations for me!"

Finn returned to the starship angrily, fuming.

He never expected that this space defense system, which had cost so much to construct, not only failed to stop the enemy but had now directly betrayed him.

Damn it, who exactly had the ability to strip away the defense system's authority in such a short time?

Bang!

The railgun on the starship fired in response, slamming hard against the light blue Ion Shield.

But this was specifically designed to defend against large-scale invasions; such an attack couldn't even cause a ripple.

"Why did I build such a good defense system in the first place..."

Finn couldn't help but feel despair in his heart.

He saw the giant pulse cannons on the nine space stations turning, and the mechs below were also closing in.

Now he was cornered!

...

Meanwhile.

Zhang Huaiyuan, who was watching this battle from a starship in outer space, silently turned off the feed.

The outcome was already determined.

"After implanting the AI intelligence system based on Creatology, the on-site adaptability of these combat robots is no weaker than that of ordinary soldiers; they even utilized tactics like faking death for sneak attacks."

"The modification of the anti-Transcendent series armor was also very successful. Based on the thorough analysis of the opponent's Transcendent ability spectrum, the countermeasures provide almost comprehensive suppression."

Zhang Huaiyuan silently reviewed the gains and losses.

The easy victory in this battle, besides Asroth hacking the defense system to prevent the opponent from calling for help or escaping, was also largely due to restricting the two A-Class Transcendents.

Otherwise, just the two of them would have been enough to kill these hundreds of mechs.

In fact, even if a Grandmaster-level Star Mechanic came, they couldn't have achieved this.

He even felt that the analysis from "True Sight" was, for a Researcher, an enhancement almost comparable to a Gods Chosen-level Transcendent.

"It's a pity... the foundation of these mechs is still the 'Warrior II'. Although they have undergone Transcendent modifications, their durability and weapon power are still a bit too weak. They are barely passable for dealing with these pirates, but against the active equipment of the Free Star Alliance or the Empire, they would likely be vulnerable."

It is hard to cook a meal without rice. Although Zhang Huaiyuan's current Star Mechanic level, with the help of his abilities, is no weaker than that of a top Scholar at the Imperial Research Institute, he is constrained by a lack of sufficient resources and can only make do.

"However... 'Wind and Waves' is considered an established medium-sized Pirate Group; they should have accumulated quite a few resources. I hope they can give me a surprise; don't be like 'Lightning' and end up with a pile of useless junk."

A hint of anticipation flickered in Zhang Huaiyuan's eyes as he piloted the starship toward the interior of the planet.