Chapter 47: On the Brink

ECM drones desperately unleashed pulse jamming waves against the Blood Tiger-class interceptor, but it was all in vain. The Blood Tiger-class paid no heed whatsoever to the interference, not even bothering to lock onto and destroy the drones. Equipped with electronic warfare countermeasures, it might not match a specialized electronic warship, but at least the ECM drones stood no chance of breaching its firewall.

The Blood Tiger-class, like a sovereign predator in the forest who has caught its prey, held the Taurus-class fast, giving it not the slightest chance to escape.

Behind, the Cerberus-class destroyer had broken through the warp disruption field and locked onto the Taurus-class transport ship, pouring firepower upon it.

The Taurus-class advanced sluggishly, its speed dragged down to a crawl by the stasis entanglement beam. As a small industrial freighter, it was woefully lacking in counterattack capabilities.

By all rights, traversing low-security systems should require an escort fleet. Yet, weighing costs against cargo value, the upper management at Smooth Transit Logistics deemed it unworthy to hire escorts specifically for this shipment. They considered it a waste of resources, not cost-effective.

Experience suggested the route passed only two low-security systems, and indeed, there had been no trouble for two years. The long tranquility lulled the executives into complacency, making them believe that two low-security systems alone posed no risk.

Thus, a lone, cargo-laden transport crossed perilous territory, much like a fat, robust sheep wandering the open prairie, inevitably attracting wolves by its scent.

To be honest, Sun Fei was tense in such a situation. Encountering space pirates, the best outcome was death; worse still, one could be sold into slavery on the black market. Women with beauty might first suffer indignity at the hands of brutal pirates before being traded—a fate worse than death.

Now, the Taurus-class had lost nearly all hope of warp escape. When its shield energy was exhausted, the enemy would board.

Enemy ships unleashed fierce firepower. The energy shield likely wouldn’t last much longer. Sun Fei’s heart was chilled—her mind flooded with thoughts, but finally settled on the image of a man clad in a black coat, sword in hand. Perhaps only he could give the ship a sliver of hope.

[You have triggered a temporary mission.]

[Mission Name: Angel’s Revenge]

[Mission Type: One-time mission]

[Mission Grade: C]

[Mission Description: Your actions have disrupted Angel Group’s kidnapping operation against N+S Group, destroyed certain individuals’ paths to promotion, and threatened their interests. Now, their vengeance has arrived.]

[Mission Objective: Repel the attacking pirates of Angel Group.]

[Mission Reward: Bounty for killing pirates, 2 free skill points, 5 card points, 50 reputation with the Dragon Soar Republic.]

Outside the central control room, Han Feng received the system prompt. The mission offered no option to accept or refuse—it simply had to be faced.

Han Feng had assumed bad luck—a mere two systems’ journey, and they’d run into hunting pirates. But reading the mission description, he realized the pirates were after him.

He wondered how the pirates had tracked his movements. Was someone monitoring him all along?

He sensed his vigilance had slipped, but now wasn’t the time to dwell on it. Survival in this battle was the pressing concern. If the enemy were ruthless enough to sink the Taurus-class outright for revenge, all he could hope for was luck in an escape pod.

There was no other way—his abilities weren’t yet sufficient to survive and fight in the vacuum of space.

Han Feng, together with Tifa and the members of the Bear Hunter Corps, hurried towards the hatch. As crew needed to board and disembark, the hatch armor was thinner than the rest of the ship—the weakest point. Unsurprisingly, the enemy would likely breach and board from there.

...

On the Cerberus-class destroyer, Tradon Viller gazed expressionlessly out at the unfolding battle. The Taurus-class was a trapped prey; its shield was thin and wouldn’t last much longer. Once the shield failed, boarding would commence.

“Their shield’s about to buckle. Concentrate fire—hit the portside shield. Open a breach for me, and be careful—avoid the cargo hold. We need the people and the goods both,” Tradon Viller commanded.

The Blood Tiger-class and Cerberus-class ships ceased their circling maneuvers, converging on the port side of the Taurus-class and maintaining a distance of five hundred meters. Torrents of cannon fire battered the Taurus-class’s shield, thinning it ever further. The shield’s energy system was close to exhaustion.

“Hurry, put your backs into it! Hit them hard—boarding capsule, ready!” Tradon Viller licked his lips. He was a C-class superhuman, his ability being petrification. When activated, his body became encased in rocky armor, like a stone beast—nearly impervious, and formidable in close combat.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The pirate ships’ onboard autocannons pummeled the Taurus-class, their shells exploding against the weakening energy shield.

Hiss! Crackle!

The Taurus-class’s energy shield shattered like a pierced bubble, dispersing electric arcs in all directions.

“Fire the grappling cables! Adjust boarding capsule trajectory! All combat personnel, prepare to board!” Tradon Viller laughed, stepping into the boarding capsule. His towering frame resembled a polar bear as the hatch closed behind him.

Bang!

From each pirate ship, a boarding capsule was launched. The Cerberus-class capsule bore four sharp, reinforced claws on its hull. Trailing a long plume of vapor, it followed the grappling cable towards the Taurus-class.

The four claws effortlessly pierced the Taurus-class’s hull armor, anchoring the capsule securely.

The Blood Tiger-class’s boarding capsule attached itself to the rear of the Cerberus-class capsule, merging the two into one.

Inside Taurus-class, beyond the hatch lay a passageway four meters wide and over twenty meters long. The Bear Hunter Corps guards had established layer upon layer of defenses here.

Mitchell Flynn and his team had brought over thirty seasoned fighters. Aside from the two D-class superhumans, three E-class gunners manned the positions, and the rest were battle-hardened elites.

The front row consisted of two warriors, each wielding a rectangular device, crouched at the front. Upon activation, it generated a pair of red energy shields, two meters wide and one and a half meters tall, seamlessly sealing the passageway.

Behind them, rows of attackers stood ready, mixing light and heavy firepower, with the gunners interspersed to ensure maximum output as soon as the enemy breached.

Further back were Han Feng and his team, tasked with eliminating enemy superhumans.

At the rear, the support crew stood ready for emergency aid.

Suddenly, two red cutting beams pierced the hatch. The beams’ intense heat melted the hatch armor, carving out a rectangular opening.

Battle was about to erupt!