The greatest feature of A Drop in the Ocean is its ability to go unnoticed, and A Grain in the Vast Sea is no different. Under the cover of meteorite starlight, they finally arrived at an inconspicuous planet without any disturbances.
However, there was one important detail: Chuyang confidently assured, "Don't worry, Dad, we definitely won't be discovered on this journey." Initially, Jufeng dismissed it with indifference, but after receiving a playful yet charming glare from Chuyang, he found himself believing her a little. The reason was simply that he had witnessed Sister Ni's extraordinary mastery over spacecraft and mechas; it seemed trivial to avoid detection by a poorly equipped pirate ship. Having grown accustomed to it, Jufeng also noticed an interesting phenomenon: the girl had recently been acting with an alluring femininity. He sighed inwardly, thinking how much he missed Jia'er.
Heroes often find it difficult to resist the charms of beautiful women; such is the truth!
In the vast universe filled with countless planets, aside from the Administrative Star crowded with ten humans, other planets were dedicated to mining or military training. Then there were these nameless planets occupied by lazy pirates who took every path except the right one. Since ancient times, regardless of which civilization began or ended, there have always been ambitious individuals seeking to claim territory as their own, and countless followers eager to support them. Whether in harmony or discord, it all comes down to seizing opportunities; anyone could become an emperor if given the chance.
Jufeng and Bill landed on such a planet. The pirate ship docked at a base-like location. After entering the planet's atmosphere, Jufeng and Bill distanced themselves from the ship and slowly approached the base as they neared the ground. The mecha's Nebula system activated and locked onto a deserted hill before they hurriedly descended.
Once on the ground, they quickly pulled some branches from nearby trees to conceal the mecha and prepared their equipment before stealthily making their way toward the base.
The satellite positioning system indicated that the base was not far away. After climbing over two hills, a place that could already be considered a town came into view. Jufeng wasn't bold enough to charge in during daylight; although not all pirates recognized each other, such things could easily lead to exposure. While he could handle a few opponents alone, facing forty or even four hundred would be another story entirely. Accompanied by a young man holding a child in his arms, Jufeng was no longer a battle hero but merely a full-time dad.
"Wait until nightfall to act."
Generally speaking, every planet has both night and day; it's just that their lengths vary and some may have no moon at all. After all, creating moons artificially is far too costly. This particular planet had no moon, but its night sky was filled with Starry Battle lights that were truly rare compared to Earth.
After having a simple meal to satisfy their hunger, Jufeng and Bill devised a strategy: Bill would take several powerful makeshift timed bombs to create a diversion while Jufeng would head straight for the main target with Chuyang.
There was a prominent building in the base where it was likely that the pirate leader resided. After Bill left for some time, Jufeng quietly appeared on the streets of the base. Fortunately, there were no patrols at night; it seemed they had grown too complacent and did not expect enemies to discover them.
It was a four-story building with an expansive area housing conservatively over a hundred rooms—this was without knowing its internal structure. Jufeng easily scaled the wall of the courtyard while avoiding cameras and searched for an entrance into the building. Undoubtedly, places equipped with cameras were highly secretive.
On this dark night with gusty winds, a young man who had drunk too much stepped outside to relieve himself and shivered involuntarily while cursing under his breath. Just as he prepared to return for another round of drinking, a sudden loud explosion echoed nearby, followed by bursts of flames shooting up into the air—soon engulfed in roaring Blaze that grew increasingly fierce under the assistance of the wind.
Having been at this Pirate Base for two years without any major incidents, he wondered what had caused such chaos now.
"Fire! Fire! Get out... It's an explosion, someone has betrayed us, someone has betrayed us!"
After a brief moment of shock, the young man realized that something unusual was happening. It was clear that his mind was not simple, but he only sensed a hint of something amiss; he could never have imagined it would be... an enemy attack!
The explosions continued to roar, and the blaze raged on. Meanwhile, the instigator, Bill, had already fled the scene, waiting at the original location for Jufeng.
Inside the four-story building, people were waking up one after another, rushing out of their rooms and asking what was happening. Panic spread as everyone ran and shouted. However, in one of the rooms on the fourth floor, two bodies were entwined in a passionate embrace. The gasps and moans did not diminish due to the chaos outside; if anything, they intensified as they prepared for a final surge. Ultimately, a battle of endurance and skill between the two concluded, but from their satisfied expressions, it was hard to tell who had won or lost.
The man climbed off the woman and stood up slowly to put on his pants, intending to investigate outside. Suddenly, a voice called out, startling him. He turned to see another man leading a girl standing on the balcony.
"Where do you think you're going?"
The man was taken aback but reacted quickly, turning to run outside. Unfortunately, just a step away from the door, he was knocked down by an unseen force from behind. The door was right in front of him, but all he could do was sigh in despair.
Jufeng delivered a swift blow that knocked the man unconscious. He then turned to face the still-dazed woman and said coolly, "You'd better not scream; otherwise, the consequences will be severe."
The woman nodded in terror, momentarily forgetting that her exposed body was still visible to this stranger. Chuyang quickly approached and pulled a blanket over her shoulders. Only then did she realize her predicament and hurriedly covered herself. As Chuyang returned to his position, he shot Jufeng a warning glare that spoke volumes. Embarrassed, Romain coughed awkwardly.
"Ahem, I have a few questions for you. You'd better ensure your answers are accurate; otherwise, I won't hesitate to take drastic measures."
The woman nodded vigorously like a chick pecking at rice.
"What's his name? What is his status in this Pirate Base?"
"His name is Han Qiong; he's the leader of this Pirate Base. Sir, I haven't done anything wrong! He kidnapped me to be his lover; I'm just a poor soul!" she sobbed.
Jufeng felt an unexplainable anger rise within him and raised his hand to knock her unconscious as well. The sound of her weeping abruptly ceased.
Jufeng then woke the man, and the first thing he said chilled the man's heart.
"Your * has already revealed all your information. I will ask you a few questions later, and if you don't answer well, you'll find out what happens next."
Jufeng pulled out a fruit knife from somewhere and plunged it into the bedside table, the gleaming blade reflecting the silver light of Starlight.
"I ask you, what role do you play in this Pirate Base?"
"Hero, I'm just a junior. I do whatever the boss tells me to do; I don't know anything. Ah----!!"
The blade pierced flesh, blood gushing forth.
(To be continued)
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