Chapter 534: Great Horn's Decision
Translator: flycrane01 Editor: Millman97
Fengyu Zhong took a deep, deep breath.
A tornado seemed to be sweeping inside the room. Many crew members saw two white lines appearing suddenly before they were absorbed into Fengyu Zhong's nostrils.
They felt that the air in the room was thin, as if Fengyu Zhong had inhaled all the air within room.
The breath made Fengyu Zhong's head clear again. Cold brilliance was blinking in his murderous eyes as he asked, "Do we have any chance to catch the enemy now?"
The advisor ran calculations quickly and answered five seconds later. "The enemy is fleeing toward the center of the Iron Plateau Space Domain. Judging from its route, he is planning to run into the circular stone belts around Iron Plateau. It will be tricky if he gets there.
"However, the enemy is on a 'Wild Butterfly' escape capsule whose speed is not very high.
"Red Lightning has just been compromised. Of the other four crystal warships, three have power rune arrays damaged in different levels. Their speed is relatively low, and they are in dire need of maintenance.
"However, the engine compartment of Squid is still intact. Also, as a quick assault starship, it boasts amazing speed. If it goes at full speed, even though the escape capsule is fleeing at its top speed, Squid will still be able to catch up to it in three hours!
"But there are not many experts on Squid. Our enemy is vicious and sordid. He might still have other backup plans. I'm afraid that Squid alone is not enough to capture him!
"Besides, such an extreme chase will consume enormous fuel. Once it changes its direction, there is no way to turn back!"
Steering a crystal warship thousands of meters long was totally different from steering a shuttle. Although cruising at a fixed speed did not cost much fuel, acceleration, deceleration, and alteration of the route would burn a lot of energy.
Decelerating a crystal warship whose speed had reached its maximum to complete stop would cost astronomical fuel.
Therefore, once Squid changed its direction to pursue the escape capsule, it was not likely to come back again to join the battle against the Great Horn Exo Society.
Without any hesitation, Fengyu Zhong commanded, "Not one. All the remaining four crystal warships will go after the new enemy now!
"If Squid is sent away, the remaining three crystal warships might not be able to finish the battle within one day and a half. When the reinforcing Cultivators arrive, we will be caught in an awkward situation.
"In the meantime, Squid is only a quick assault starship which carries no Core Formation Stage Cultivators. I'm very suspicious whether or not it is capable of capturing such a brutal, insane enemy!
"If the enemy sets up another trap and takes down Squid, we will really be doomed.
"If we don't do it, we don't do it; but if we do it, we do it with our best. Ask Squid to go after the escape capsule first. Remember, their task is to harass the enemy and slow him down. If the enemy charges out of the escape capsule in his crystal suit, retreat to the defense circle of the starship immediately. Don't be headstrong!
"I have every reason to believe that the enemy is in the peak of the Building Foundation Stage or even the beginning level of the Core Formation Stage. He might put up a good fight in a crystal suit. Chances are that he is in possession of a super crystal suit. Otherwise, how could he sneak into Ah Ming's Ghost Jail without alarming anyone and murder him?
"The other three starships will clean up the mess here and launch another raid on the Great Horn Exo Society. When the enemy is disrupted, we will retreat from the battlefield and follow Squid!
"Blood Rain will cover the retreat later!
"Carry out the commands!"
…
Two hours later, inside the broken cockpit of Gold Horn.
Lei Dalu, Bai Kaixin, and all the other members of the Great Horn Exo Society were dumbfounded.
The picture inside the light beam was the most unbelievable miracle in the world, which had rendered all of them speechless for a long time.
An hour earlier, they had suffered the most intense attack since the battle started. The enemy had assaulted them belligerently as if determined to finish the battle once and for all. Almost all the hostile Exos were deployed for the assault.
The three starships on the Great Horn Exo Society's side tried their best to hold back the attack. Their blood had almost run dry.
Thankfully, the enemy's final attack was a bit hasty. The defense network of the three starships still boasted abundant firepower and managed to resist the attack eventually.
But before they were back to themselves, they suddenly noticed that the space pirates were retreating from the battlefield in an orderly manner.
Looking at the three starships on their side, which were riddled with holes, the spiritual energy and ammunitions that was all running out, and the countless Exos who had suffered heavy wounds, everyone found it hard to believe their eyes.
It was almost like a hungry tiger that had put down a bull and torn open its throat—the bull was bleeding, and its death was only a matter of time—but the hungry tiger then backed off without a reason.
"What's going on?"
Lei Dalu did not understand at all. He and the other warriors of the Great Horn Exo Society, who had more muscles than brains, looked at each other in bewilderment.
Bai Kaixin pondered for a moment and ran some calculations on the light beam. He made the conclusion half a minute later. "They must be chasing after one of the two escape capsules."
Lei Dalu was even more confused. "Why? Just because the one inside the escape capsule sabotaged one of Storm Prison's starships, Fengyu Zhong went mad and decided to hunt him down and let us go?
"If Fengyu Zhong is such an emotional man, how did he secure his fame on Spider Den for decades?"
Bai Kaixin was baffled, too. He frowned and said, "I find it very odd, too. Logically, we are Fengyu Zhong's sole target at present. For a resolute and cunning man like him, he wouldn't change his target easily, much less forgetting the big picture just because one of his starships was destroyed, unless…"
Bai Kaixin examined the information the starship collected carefully. His eyes suddenly shone as he continued speaking. "Unless the one inside the escape capsule incited Fengyu Zhong in a way that we don't know, or the man gave Fengyu Zhong a good reason to shift his attention to him!
"Captain, look, a few hours ago, the escape capsule had sent four precisely-oriented information streams to Blood Rain. Although we don't know the content yet, Fengyu Zhong did have a short 'conversation' with him. Maybe that is the reason Fengyu Zhong burst into fury."
The room fell into prolonged silence. The only thing that could be heard was the spluttering noises of the sparks.
Lei Dalu suddenly asked, "Old Bai, why do you think the man inside the escape capsule irritated Fengyu Zhong without a reason?"
With a bitter smile, Bai Kaixin replied, "Isn't it obvious? He took down one of Storm Prison's starships at first and then lured all of Fengyu Zhong's troops to go after him. His sole purpose was apparently to rescue us!"
"To rescue us…"
Lei Dalu scratched his blood-stained beard and murmured, "I seem to know who is inside the escape capsule now."
Bai Kaixin squinted, sharpness beaming out of his eyes. He remarked, "It all makes sense now. I've guessed it, too. And if it really is the guy we think it is, I also know how he managed to piss off Fengyu Zhong now.
"Captain, it appears that luck is truly on your side!"
Lei Dalu grinned. He laughed so loud that his tears were flowing on his big, greasy face. He mumbled, "I don't know whether or not luck is on my side. But I do know that my brothers are on my side!
"Old Bai, do you think we can let our good brother fight alone and be pushed to the desolate land when he has come such a long way here to rescue us after hearing that the Great Horn Exo Society was in danger?"
Bai Kaixin blinked quickly and maximized his computational ability. A moment later, his eyes were glittering with confidence again. He replied, "Indeed. I've thought of a plan. If it works out, our good brother's pressure will be reduced to minimum, and we can even tear a big chunk of flesh off Fengyu Zhong's body!"
Five minutes later, they were connected to the communication channel of the other two starships.
Appearing on the light beam were another two faces that were equally blood-stained and stubborn.
They were Xin Hongde, an elder of the Flying Flower Sect, and Jing Yong, First Deacon of the Swooping Eagle Sect.
Flying Flower Sect and Swooping Eagle Sect were two medium-sized sects at the edge of the constellation. Xin Hongde and Jing Yong were both in the beginning level of the Core Formation Stage, just like Lei Dalu.
They had joined the collective operation of the major sects to ambush the space pirates under the impression that they could cheer for the strong Cultivators and fish for the small fries at the back.
However, they encountered a space storm due to bad luck. The shells of their warships were seriously damaged, and they were not able to perform a space jump.
When the crystal warships of other sects were returning to their homes via space jumps, they could only form a fleet with Gold Horn, hoping to find a port to repair their shells so that they could jump to their homes.
Never did they anticipate that they would be assaulted by large troops of space pirates on the way. They suffered great losses, and their men had nearly all been killed.
Compared to the Great Horn Exo Society, which was the space pirates' main target, these two sects could almost be called 'collateral damage'. Therefore, their anger was so obvious that it was written on their faces.
"Captain Lei, we were meaning to contact you a moment ago. Did the space pirates retreat because our reinforcements are coming?" asked Xin Hongde.
Xin Hongde was in his nineties. For a Core Formation Stage Cultivator, he was in his prime years. His eyes were vigorous, but he was apparently a very prudent man.
Lei Dalu replied, "The reinforcement have not arrived yet. The space pirates have shifted their routes because they are chasing after another Cultivator with their full might!"
"What?"
Xin Hongde couldn't have been more surprised. "Who is this guy? Is he more valuable than three crystal warships that are about to be blown up?"
Lei Dalu said, "Right now, we don't know for sure who the guy is, but it is obvious that he has come to our rescue after a very long journey at the risk of his own life! Now, we have a new plan that can help him and fight side by side with him!
"Please take a look. The engine compartment of the remaining four crystal warships of the space pirates have been damaged to different extents. Their maximum speeds are not the same.
"Fengyu Zhong must've ordered the four crystal warships to chase after the escape capsule at full speed. As a result, the four crystal warships are now in a long line. The one with the most damaged engine compartment has been left far behind.
"Fengyu Zhong thinks that we've been daunted by him and we will only cheer for his retreat. He thinks that, while he is gone, we will stay here to recover and wait for the reinforcements. He thinks, we will never be bold enough to fight against him again!
"But in fact, we are going to take advantage of his assumption. We will follow him quietly and knock down the last starship at an appropriate time!"