Counterfeit Hero

”So, there are very few people who believe in us?” Fatty was lazily sprawled on the sofa in the base office, chatting with Barbarossa.

Helen, sitting to the side, looked on with a headache at this guy who dared to spread himself out like a pancake even in front of a beautiful woman.

Just now, in the training ground, he stood tall and straight, admonishing all the pirates who had completed the training with the demeanor of an iron-blooded soldier, telling them that from today, they had been completely transformed and were now true warriors. He demanded that they stand tall and upright, becoming truly fearless pirates who roamed the seas.

But as soon as he entered the office, this Fatty threw himself onto the sofa, rolling around and sighing as if his body was about to fall apart. If the pirates saw this ugly posture of his, the reverence established on the training ground would probably collapse instantly.

Helen forced herself not to look at this blob of flesh and seriously thought about it. Indeed, he had been exhaustingly tired these days. He never missed a day of training. When the pirates were lying in bed completely sore, he was still burning the midnight oil, discussing plans with the staff, and burying himself in blueprints and data with the mechanics and engineers.

He was always so busy, in the dock, the mecha modification workshop, the operation room, the office, and the training ground. It was his dedicated work that drove everyone. It miraculously bonded every pirate, warrior, trainee, and smuggler in this lonely base into a single cohesive force.

Life requires miracles. Some miracles are created unintentionally during ordinary times. At this moment, the pirates in the base had seen a new way of life. During training and their day-to-day interactions with the Leray Warriors, they were gradually influenced and changed.

No more big and small leaders enslaving them; they were no longer exiled individuals who couldn’t show their faces. Everyone had never been so full of hope as today—ultimately, they could have a bright identity in the Leray Federation or Free Port, a house of their own, and a life of their own.

Although this was just a promise, a seemingly distant goal, it was enough for pirates who had no direction in life. After all, if you have to be a pirate, why not choose to follow a strong leader who gives you dignity now and a bright future ahead?

Especially when they became stronger and more capable during training and witnessed the power of teamwork through obedience and cooperation, they had no doubt about their future and Fatty’s promise!

For the nearly seven hundred Leray Space Fleet officers on the Blue Rose and more than a hundred exchange trainees composed of mechanics, military staff officers, and junior army officers, these days marked their recovery from despair and rekindling of their fighting spirit.

The despair over the Leray war and the worry about the situation had been completely cast aside. Through diligent work and rigorous training, they saw the base changing day by day, combat effectiveness forming through repeated simulated battles and classified drills, and new warships and Combat Mechas being constructed and modified in the dock. This sense of achievement gave them unprecedented exhilaration.

This place is Leray territory. On this front line, the Leray people did not retreat. The fruits of their labor were far more proud than the destruction wrought.

In Helen’s ears, it seemed she could hear Fatty’s speech to everyone on the training ground again.

”We come from different countries, different ethnicities. But we share a common name—human beings! When our ancestors step by step developed civilization from barbarism to the space age, it wasn’t to have us slaughter each other in wars. What they hoped to see was a peaceful and harmonious life for posterity!”

Fatty’s voice was loud and bright, making the sound systems around the training ground buzz: ”For this war, ordinary people like us are just victims. Today, as we stand here, regardless of nationality or race, we are members of the Free World, and everything we do is to survive this war!”

”Leray may perish in the war, and the Free World may be destroyed by war fire. Many other countries and planets may turn into ruins in this unprecedented war! When those dominators command their fleets, using iron and fire to traverse the interstellar to continue their conquests, the only thing we can do is strive to survive.”

At that time, Helen could clearly see the fiery glow in Fatty’s eyes as he stared into the void.

He was not that grinning, sordid, lazy, shameless Fatty then.

”Humanity has lost all faith! Religion has rotted and degenerated into terrorism, into various interest groups. In this dark world without faith, we have lived for too long. So long that we’ve forgotten our identities. Now, we have a new faith—survival and legacy!”

Fatty’s words echoed in the solemn base: ”To survive, we’re not losers, not exiles!”

”To live on, to prove we were here, that we saw! Let us leave our mark on this world, let our children inherit our genes, let our genes accompany human civilization, illuminating the entire universe!”