Counterfeit Hero

When the hull of the North Star cruiser, which could only drift in the starry sky, clanked under the foot of the Space Mecha, Steelman understood that his fate was sealed. Without power, any warship was nothing but a living coffin in space!

Steelman sat dazedly at the command console, his hair disheveled, his collar torn open, staring at the control panel with unfocused eyes. Until now, he had no idea how he had lost this battle so cluelessly. He also had no idea who this suddenly emerging opponent was.

However, decades of pirate life had made Steelman more aware than anyone what it meant to win or lose, and what it meant to be wise and adaptable. At this point, any resistance or struggle was meaningless. He tidied his hair and buttoned his collar, making a decisive decision: ”Send out the light signal, we surrender!”

In the silent space, as the North Star cruiser was the first to hoist the white flag and send out the surrender light signal, the surviving destroyer and escort ship also shut down their thrusters, extinguished their engines, and raised white flags at their bows.

Steelman was never one to face death with dignity; he was just a pirate.

Pirates are not warriors; they are merely a profession lurking in the depths of the universe, using plunder as their means. Without faith, without dignity, naturally, there’s nothing to hold on to.

For Steelman, as long as he could preserve his life, he would do anything. And for those low-ranking pirates, surrendering was just a matter of raising a hand. Many of them were already accustomed to it.

In the struggles between pirates, captured pirates usually did not lose their lives. Once they surrendered, they would naturally join the previously opposing faction. It was just a matter of enduring a few beatings and suffering a bit.

In space, such things were very common. Pirates without personal freedom were like slaves; regardless of who their master was, their situation remained the same. There was no laughable dignity, just surviving day by day! No one would be foolish enough to be loyal to the petty tyrants who oppressed them daily.

As the hatch of the North Star cruiser opened, twelve bandit army Space Mechas swarmed in.

Eight Combat Mechas in the lead, in groups of two, quickly controlled the ship’s most important areas: the hangar, weapons depot, control room, and power cabin.

After ensuring safety, the last four troop transport mechas opened their hatches, and sixty fully armed bandit soldiers swiftly surged down the mecha ramp, dividing into twelve squads. Amidst the squad leaders’ urging and the noisy footsteps, they ran into areas uncontrolled by the mechas to gather personnel and confiscate weapons.

The entire operation was orderly, fast, and quiet. Everyone knew exactly what they had to do, cooperating with each other seamlessly.

Low-ranking pirates, led by large and small pirate leaders, stood trembling on both sides of the corridor, raising their hands high, their eyes vacant and their expressions numb.

They had completely lost the courage to resist. To them, these soldiers in blue uniforms appearing inside the ship seemed so valiant, so well-trained! It was this army that, with seven tattered warships, had wiped out almost the entire Demon’s Eye Pirate Group in one fell swoop... Just thinking about the battle that had just ended made the pirates shudder with fear.

It was a complete rout. Before Steelman ordered the surrender, over thirty large and small warships were utterly destroyed by this army. The entire battle took less than four hours! The once top-five ranked Demon’s Eye Fleet in the Mars Free Channel was now history!

The bandit soldiers ran straight past the pirates standing with their hands raised on both sides of the corridor. The dirty interior of the ship, disheveled pirates, fearful eyes, dim lights, the nauseating smell of sweat... this scene was strikingly familiar.

”Ivan...is that you, Ivan?” Among the crowd heading to gather at the combat preparation hall with hands raised high, an old pirate suddenly stared at the face of a bandit squad leader and cried out in surprise. His shock was so great that he even ignored the bandit soldier pointing a gun at him.

The old pirate was sure he wouldn’t mistake him. It was his roommate from many years ago. Back in the Demon’s Eye Pirate Group, they were both low-ranking pirates suffering oppression. In the final battle for the Golden Triangle Region, this roommate was captured by the Redbeard Pirates. He never expected to see him standing before him today, wearing a brand-new, crisp uniform.

The dark-skinned bandit squad leader grinned, revealing his white teeth: ”Moli, I didn’t expect you would recognize me.”

”Weren’t you with the Redbeard Pirate Group...?” The old pirate seemed to recall something and quickly turned his head to look at several other soldiers not far away, each moving decisively and brimming with ferocity, exclaiming in shock: ”Could it be...”

Ivan shook his head, a complex mix of relief and pride on his face: ”The Redbeard Pirate Group no longer exists!”

The old pirate Moli widened his mouth in surprise: ”But...but, we just fought a battle with the fleet led by Hayreddin not long ago...”

Ivan smiled slightly and pointed to a Chinese character logo on the collar of his uniform: ”The former Redbeard Pirate Group has disappeared! Now, the fleet led by Hayreddin is called the Bandit Army Second Fleet, and we are the Bandit Army First Fleet!”

”Bandit Army...” The old pirate’s cloudy eyes stared at the fierce emblem on his former comrade’s chest, and suddenly, he felt a sense of confusion.