Counterfeit Hero

The deep cosmos, silent and frozen.

A massive grey-white planet, entwined by a wide meteorite belt, floats quietly in space. Five thousand kilometers to its left, the remotely situated satellite flies silently, as inconspicuous as an ant beside an elephant.

However, it is this ant that holds the hope of every member of the Longbow Local Fleet!

The satellite’s micro-thrusters emit tiny ion streams, resembling a hovering firefly in the night sky. The thumbnail-sized central processor faithfully receives and executes every command from the battleship. The constantly adjusting lens, based on these commands, provides a panoramic view of the entire space battlefield.

At first, when they saw the attack on the pirate fleet, the officers felt extreme excitement, but now, as the complete view of the fleet is displayed on the virtual screen, everyone can only let out a sigh of disappointment...

Stationed in the Longbow Star Domain, the Longbow Local Fleet encounters countless warships navigating the Longbow Star System and the surrounding routes. Allied warships, enemy warships, smugglers, adventurers, escort fleets, corporate fleets... But never before have they seen a warship in such a dire state!

A close-up shot from the satellite zooms in on the leading warship.

A mottled hull, damaged armor, rusted turrets, and to top it off, an almost absurdly sharp ramming beak—this entire warship seems to have leaped directly from the medieval oceans of ancient Earth into space, with a certain twisted sense of black humor.

Behind this speeding warship are two equally dilapidated armed merchant ships and four even more decrepit escort ships... God bless, it’s a miracle that such warships can navigate the perilous space!

Compared to these pieces of scrap metal, the warships displayed in museums are as good as brand new!

Who in their right mind would count on such a fleet to save them?

On the screen, the ragged fleet is advancing at high speed while preparing for a second salvo.

In the control room, Saleria officers sigh regretfully. With their military training, they can see that the position, timing of the cannon fire, and current trajectory of this fleet can only be described as suicidal!

This fleet initially held the advantage of surprise, but this critical edge was entirely lost once these rookies finished their jump.

Their distance from the pirate fleet is now too close. One more round of cannon fire is all they can muster. If the pirates withstand this round, they’ll be able to split their forces and decimate this vulnerable ragged fleet.

From a modern warfare tactics standpoint, regardless of the ragged fleet commander’s intentions, they should maintain their distance, skirting the battlefield and using their decent firepower to harass and cover for the powerful Valor Battleship, creating space for maneuvering and opportunity.

Sadly, the fleet commander is clearly an idiot with no understanding of the art of war.

The officers fall into despair. Cruel fate has blown a colorful bubble, uplifting everyone to heaven, only to pop it abruptly, plunging their hearts downwards continuously.

This is nothing but a malicious joke.

Fang Xiang watches the virtual screen quietly, remaining unperturbed. Even she is surprised by her own calm. No matter who this fleet belongs to, she does not believe that the Saleria Longbow Fleet could have any friends at this moment.

To the ravenous wolves of the Free World, the defenseless Longbow Fleet is like a succulent lamb. Everyone is eager to take a bite! Expecting anything from an unknown fleet is naive and foolish.

Moreover, the commander of this fleet is exceedingly foolish. Now, Fang Xiang’s only hope is that before the ragged fleet’s destruction, it can create some favorable change on the battlefield for the Valor Battleship.

The ragged fleet continues its thrust. The rust-covered hulls tremble in the void, as though they might disintegrate at any moment.

Another salvo explodes on the screen, as expected.

White and red flares fill the entire screen, with such intense flashes that it’s impossible to look directly at them.

Dozens of energy cannon beams traverse the black cosmos, plunging into the formation of the pirate fleet. Two torpedo boats, one escort ship, and one armed merchant ship are hit accurately. The ensuing explosions are brilliantly clear and striking in the universe.

This should be the ragged fleet’s last attack... The officers on the battleship sigh. They are both amazed and impressed by the fleet’s firepower, yet furious at the commander’s stupidity—space warfare is not just about reckless assaults. A penetrative central breakthrough must be established on superior firepower; otherwise, it becomes self-surrender.

The mistakes made by this ragged fleet could well be documented in military academy textbooks.

First, they lack the capability for a central breakthrough. Yet, their course and speed unequivocally indicate an intention to charge into the pirate fleet.

Second, even if they sought a breakthrough, their timing for the two salvoes was not suitable. Especially for the last one, given their current speed and distance from the enemy ships, they should have kept their energy cannons at full load and fired at close range to destroy the already maneuvering enemy ships posing a threat to them.