Zerg: I ​​was picked up by the cold and beautiful Major General at the start of the game.

"Bang--!"

With a loud bang, Mels was slammed into the room and crashed heavily onto the floor, instantly interrupting Lin Luo's chaotic thoughts.

Lin Luo looked up and saw that Mels's mouth was cracked, with a winding trail of blood flowing down.

He tried to get up by supporting himself with his hands, but stumbled and failed several times, eventually collapsing helplessly, showing how ruthless Garrett was in his rage.

Garrett followed closely behind into the room, his face ashen and his eyes burning with rage.

"Fake starship alert! Mels, you better give me an explanation! Why?"

"Ha...why?" Mels, sprawled on the ground, scoffed at the question, his voice hoarse yet filled with a crazed pleasure.

"Of course, it's to kill this male insect!"

Seeing that he showed no remorse, Garrett's anger intensified. He stepped forward and kicked Mels hard in the abdomen, sending him flying several meters away and crashing into the cold metal wall.

"Cough...cough cough..." Mels vomited a mouthful of blood, the excruciating pain causing him to curl up, but his gaze remained fixed on Garrett with even greater obsession.

"Second Master... I... I also want to ask you why... cough cough..."

He gasped for breath: "In the Empire... female insects have to rely on the breath of male insects, begging for their meager charity. With that, they can act with impunity and trample on us!"

His voice suddenly rose, and he roared:

"Why?! Why here?! Even on our own turf, you have to do this?! You have to treat this male insect like a sacred object?!"

Lin Luo, who had been observing coldly all along, finally spoke, his voice icy and blatantly sarcastic:

"You want revenge? Then go find the male insect that actually hurt you! I don't even know you, I've never even seen you before. You want 'revenge' against me? Don't you think you've chosen the wrong target?"

He stepped forward, his gaze sharp as a knife, piercing straight into Mels's heart:

"Or is it that you're not after 'revenge' at all? You're just filled with pent-up anger and resentment, needing a target who seems weaker and easier to kill to prove you're not powerless?"

"By killing such an 'innocent' target, can you deceive yourself and tell yourself that you have completed your 'revenge' and that you have done justice to the suffering you endured?"

"This isn't revenge; you're just deceiving yourself!"

Mels seemed to have been struck where it hurt by Lin Luo's question, and roared with a contorted face:

"What do you know?! You high and mighty male insects are inherently greedy and wicked! Only by killing you all can we..."

"Thump!"

Garrett didn't let him finish speaking, and slammed a heavy punch down, slamming Mels against the metal bulkhead with a dull thud, leaving a clear dent, and he finally passed out completely.

Lin Luo looked at Garrett with a scrutinizing gaze.

Garrett shook his hand, his tone cold and hard:

Why waste time listening to the dying words of a criminal who wants to kill you?

He gestured for his men to drag the unconscious Mels away, then his gaze returned to Lin Luo, carrying a powerful sense of oppression:

"When I rushed in, I saw that Mels had been knocked away by some force. I'm glad that you had the means to protect yourself."

"Now, could you tell me what that is?"

Lin Luo's face showed anger, and she retorted sarcastically:

"Ridiculous! Why should I reveal my life-saving techniques to a bunch of space pirates who kidnapped me?"

"Besides, as one of the Empire's rare A-grade male insects, isn't it only natural that I have some special protection?"

He paused slightly, his tone carrying a warning:

"However, you don't need to worry too much. Unless there's a real danger to its life, it won't trigger an attack mode on its own..."

"Ahem... Garrett..."

A weak yet clear voice suddenly rang out.

Garrett's pupils contracted sharply, and he turned his head abruptly—

On the bed, Fred, the female insect leader who had been unconscious for many days, opened her eyes and propped herself up to look at him.

"Big brother! You're awake!" Garrett was overjoyed and rushed over to help him up.

Lin Luo was equally astonished: given the extent of the damage to his mental sea, he should not have woken up so quickly!

Could it be...?

"Warning! Warning! A ship is rapidly approaching! A ship is rapidly approaching!"

The piercing alarm sounded again throughout the starship, and at the same time, Garrett's personal terminal flashed rapidly, revealing Gerald's urgent voice:

"Garret! This time it's for real! The Imperial fleet is rapidly approaching! They're most likely after the male insects. Get ready!"

"Gerald, don't launch an attack yet!"

Although Fred's voice was weak, it carried an undeniable authority as he calmly issued the order.

"Big brother?! You're awake!" Gerald's voice was clearly excited.

"Execute the command."

"Yes, brother!"

The communication was cut off. Fred's gaze swept over Garrett and Lin Luo in the room, feeling that his mental state had mostly recovered, before finally settling on Garrett:

"Now, tell me what happened while I was unconscious."

------

Hawke's fleet rapidly approached the coordinates.

"Report! We have entered the target star system and detected an unidentified starship ahead!" the subordinate reported loudly, then asked for instructions, "Should we prepare attack weapons?"

Hawke stared at the clear point of light on the star map, pondered for a moment, and then decisively gave the order:

"All weapon systems are ready to fire and fully charged, but do not fire without my order."

Hawke was cautious: "We don't know what Lord Linlu is going through. A rash attack would only anger them. We must not risk your safety."

"Yes!" The subordinate accepted the order and quickly relayed it to the entire ship.

Hawke turned to Acto beside him and asked, "Actoro, how much do you know about this 'Thorn Pirates'?"

Akto frowned slightly: "This pirate group... is very special. They rarely harass normal commercial shipping routes. Their bloody 'reputation' is mainly based on hunting down other pirates."

He further explained:

"Things like 'Blood Blade' are cruel to ordinary people; but 'Thorns' is a real nightmare in the space pirate world."

"Rumor has it that they treat their fellow pirates with extreme cruelty, leaving no survivors. Their ruthlessness is so great that it strikes fear into the hearts of other space pirates."

"They have a nickname: 'Star Pirate Butchers'."

"The way you're saying it, it sounds a bit like you're acting on behalf of Heaven?"

Hawke felt that this style was out of place for a space pirate.

Akto smiled and said, "This is just a rumor. They may indeed be cruel to their own kind, but that does not mean that civilians or female soldiers who fall into their hands will have a good ending."

"The grudges and feuds between space pirates are difficult for outsiders to fully understand."

"The so-called 'justice' may just be wishful thinking on the part of bystanders, or a distorted projection of their own acts of revenge."

Hawke listened to his analysis, seemingly lost in thought:

"Regardless of the truth, we can try to make contact based on the fact that they are less hostile to ordinary insects than to space pirates."

"If it's true, we might be able to use it, at least to make them understand that fighting to the death with our Imperial Fleet is not in their core interests."

He raised his head and gave the final instruction:

"Make two preparations. First, try to establish communication, make it clear that our purpose is only to bring back Lord Lin Luo, and decide on the next step based on his reaction."

"Secondly, all combat units shall remain on high alert. If the enemy shows any intention to harm you, or fires first, immediately launch a swift and decisive strike!"

"Understood!" The subordinates obeyed, and the atmosphere on the bridge instantly became tense and ready to erupt.