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

Garrett gave Fred a brief report: "Brother, this is Lord Lin Luo, whom we invited to soothe your mental sea."

Lin Luo crossed his arms and corrected him coldly, "They were tied up."

Garrett's heart tightened, and he immediately observed Fred's reaction.

Seeing that the leader showed no anger, only a slight twitch of his brow, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Fred turned to Linlo, his tone calm and sincere:

"I am very sorry, Your Excellency. It was Garrett who was rude to you. On behalf of him and the entire Thorn Pirates, I extend my sincerest apologies to you."

After speaking, he bowed slightly to Lin Luo.

Lin Luo walked to the sofa and sat down, neither commenting nor expressing any emotion on his face.

Fred continued, his voice filled with genuine gratitude:

"I can feel that my mental state has recovered to 60%. The Thorn Pirates will forever remember this kindness."

"We promise you that you can make any request to us, and we will do our best to fulfill it for you."

Lin Luo remained silent, simply watching him quietly.

Garrett, who was standing nearby, was deeply shocked when he heard Fred's words.

He only asked Lin Luo to restore his elder brother's spiritual sea to 50%, but the result far exceeded his expectations!

An idea that perfectly aligned with the mindset of space pirates popped up uncontrollably: such efficient and precious male insects, why not... leave them forever?

Just then, Hawke's cold voice came:

"Listen up, Thorn Pirates! You are surrounded by the Imperial fleet!"

"Immediately and unconditionally release Lord Lin Luo, or we will take all necessary military measures!"

Garrett and Fred exchanged a glance, and Fred said to Lin Luo:

"Sir, you have heard the situation. To ensure your safe and peaceful handover, please follow us to the command center."

Lin Luo stood up and calmly gestured for them to lead the way.

The atmosphere in the command room was heavy. Gerald, the third brother, had already put all the female insects into a state of combat readiness.

Fred activated global communications, and his voice was amplified and transmitted to the Imperial fleet:

"We can release Lord Lin Luo, in exchange you must guarantee our safe departure from this star system."

Hawke's response came immediately: "As long as Lord Lin Luo is safe and sound, we can agree to your conditions."

"Yes," Fred solemnly assured him.

"I swear on the honor of the Thorn Pirates that you are safe and sound."

"His personal computer has been returned. You can locate it and speak directly with him to confirm."

He then proposed a solution:

"Now, please open the encirclement and allow our main force to withdraw first."

"The flagship carrying Lord Lin Luo will be the last to depart. You can send a shuttle ship to safely bring him back."

"Buzzing—"

The personal terminal on Lin Luo's wrist rang at the right time. He answered it, and Hawke's anxious face appeared on the screen.

"Hawk, it's me, I'm fine." Lin Luo's voice was clear and steady.

Hawke carefully examined Lin Luo, confirming that he indeed showed no signs of abuse, before his tense nerves relaxed slightly.

"Yes, Your Excellency! We will arrange a shuttle ship immediately! Please ensure that communication remains open!"

"I know." Lin Luo nodded in agreement, but his gaze swept thoughtfully over Fred and Garrett.

---

At Hawke's command, the tightly packed Imperial fleet moved steadily to both sides like parting tides, clearing a passage.

The Thorn Pirates' ships lit up one by one and began to orderly pass through the gap, evacuating this star system.

Fred looked at Garrett and Gerald: "You two go with the main force first."

"No way!" Garrett and Gerald objected in unison.

Garrett, particularly agitated, stepped forward:

"Brother! Your injuries have only just stabilized; you absolutely cannot risk staying behind! Let me stay; you and Gerald retreat first!"

Fred raised his hand to stop him from saying anything more, his gaze calm but unwavering:

"I believe that for Lord Lin Luo's safety, the Imperial fleet will not act rashly, and I will return safely."

He tilted his head slightly and said to Hawke on the other side of the screen, "Is that so, Commander?"

"Of course," Hawke's calm voice came through the communicator.

"We promise that we will not launch an attack once we confirm His Excellency Lin Luo's safety and that you have not violated the agreement."

Fred turned his gaze back to his two loyal brothers: "Rest assured, I will not fall again. Now, this is an order!"

Garrett and Gerald exchanged a glance, both seeing worry in each other's eyes, but they could not disobey their leader's orders and could only nod heavily.

"...Yes! Big brother, please be careful!" Immediately, the two insects turned around and boarded the ship that was about to leave.

Soon, in this vast expanse of starfield, only Fred's starship remained, isolated within the encirclement of the Imperial fleet.

A small docking vessel had already flown out of Hawke's mothership and was slowly approaching; the docking hatch was already open.

"Leader of the Star Pirates, please fulfill your agreement and release Lord Lin Luo," Hawke's voice rang out again, urging him on.

Fred gestured for Linlo to proceed.

Lin Luo didn't say much, but strode ahead, his pace quickening unconsciously as he walked towards the docking hatch that symbolized freedom.

Fred kept a safe distance and followed silently behind.

When Lin Luo stepped across the docking passage and saw Hawke standing anxiously at the ship's cabin door, his anxiety finally began to rise.

He ran almost the last few steps before rushing to Hawke's side.

"Phew—!" Stepping onto the solid deck of the Imperial starship, Lin Luo let out a long, thorough sigh of relief. His nerves, which had been tense for days, instantly relaxed. "Finally... I'm back!"

Behind him, the docking hatch of the Fred starship closed quickly.

The massive starship spewed blue flames from its stern and sped away at an incredible speed, quickly disappearing into the vast sea of ​​stars.

---

After successfully jumping to a safe star system, Garrett immediately established encrypted communication with Fred's flagship.

"Big brother! Are you alright?" Garrett's voice was tense.

"I'm fine, everything's going well." Fred's voice came through the communicator, calm and composed, revealing no emotion.

He changed the subject: "Was the idea to kidnap Lord Lin Luo Gerald's?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the communication line, followed by Gerald's somewhat hesitant voice: "...Yes, big brother."

Garrett quickly stepped in to explain:

"Brother, although the method was radical, the result was always good! Otherwise, your mental state wouldn't have stabilized so quickly. For this reason, don't blame Gerald too much."

Fred seemed to sigh softly, his tone carrying an indescribable complexity: "I don't blame him."

Garrett relaxed a little upon hearing this, but his mind started racing again, and he couldn't help but mutter regretfully:

"What a pity... such a highly efficient and special Grade A male insect, if only we could have kept it..."

"Garrett," Fred interrupted him, his voice steady and resolute.

"Even if the Imperial fleet doesn't come today, we cannot forcibly detain him."

"Why?" Garrett blurted out, full of confusion. Such a precious resource should be something they could only dream of.

There was a brief silence on the other end of the communication line, with only a faint hum of electricity audible.

After a moment, Fred spoke slowly, his words carrying a subtle, unspoken meaning:

You'll understand later.