Picking Up An Alpha On Garbage Star - Chapter 62

After reading through this absurd report, Pei An slammed the virtual screen heavily.

 

“They have the nerve to speak so grandiosely. Even now, they’re making excuses for themselves. It’s truly disgusting.”

 

The report came from the Central Star News Bureau, detailing the response of the Imperial Parliament Speaker to the establishment of a pirate state in the interstellar space.

 

The report vividly described the remarks of the Speaker during the press conference.

 

“The Empire has always adhered to the principle of peace. Unwilling to resort to force, in light of the actions from the Free Empire, after careful consideration, the Empire has decided to adopt a strategy of simultaneous negotiation and confrontation.”

 

“To hell with their negotiations!”

 

When this Speaker, whose eyes were apparently blinded by something unknown, referred to the interstellar pirates as representatives of the Free Empire, he had already lost the upper hand in this confrontation.

 

The Free Empire is the self-proclaimed title of the interstellar pirates. What is a Speaker of the Lyte Empire doing using this term in a formal setting? What is his intention?

 

Moreover, what the Speaker called “simultaneous negotiation and confrontation” is essentially passive warfare in plain terms.

 

What is there to negotiate with these interstellar pirates? To deal with them, they must be beaten until they fear and respect the might of the Lyte Empire, to crush their morale and assert dominance.

 

At the same time, the meaning of negotiation while fighting means that if they cannot overpower the interstellar pirates, they can resort to negotiations to beautify their actions, to serve the greater good.

 

How strategic!

 

Pei An thought angrily, if he were on Central Star, he would surely grab this Speaker by the neck right there.

 

It’s not just this Speaker; he alone wouldn’t dare to speak so freely in front of the numerous media. He has people behind him.

 

Just thinking about it makes one furious.

 

“Where have they positioned the team?” Pei An drank some cold water to calm himself down and refocused on today’s operation.

 

“They are approaching the target now. We expect engagement in about one stellar hour,” Claude replied. He had matured significantly during his training and now sat confidently on the bridge of the Blaze Origin, their ship.

 

Today, their mission was to strike at the forces of the interstellar pirates in the Como Star System. The Como Star System is one of the ten star systems occupied by the interstellar pirates, adjacent to the Empire’s current dominion in the Gale System, which is their frontline.

 

After countless jumps, the vast army gathered in the Gale System, forming an exceptionally large force.

 

It had been two days since the interstellar pirates announced their intention to establish a nation. At this moment, what was urgently needed was something to uplift spirits, and nothing could achieve that more than thrashing the interstellar pirates.

 

Xie Yu led the fleet straight towards the Como Star System, while Pei An stayed in the Gale System to establish the frontline command headquarters.

 

Even if the Speaker of the Lyte Empire publicly called the interstellar pirates “daddy,” today they would severely strike back against the arrogance of the interstellar pirates.

 

When formulating the battle plan, Pei An spared no expense in deploying Star Organization’s ammunition, allowing Xie Yu and his team to hit the interstellar pirates hard.

 

“This battle is crucial for the Empire’s people to trust their military. We must win convincingly. Through this battle, we will show everyone that our military is capable,” Pei An said firmly.

 

To prove the military’s capability, a continuous supply of arms and ammunition was essential. They needed people to know that the military not only had soldiers but also weapons capable of protecting the stars behind them.

 

Thus, Pei An requisitioned thousands of shells and brought in missile boats.

 

Han Jingshan and Saloyan were taken aback by Pei An’s boldness, but they were too lazy to question how Pei An managed to produce so many valuable resources at once. As long as they could give the interstellar pirates a thorough beating, nothing else mattered.

 

Pei An also participated in designing the missile boats, intending them to be large, mobile artillery platforms for adaptable response. Thus, the missile boat named Xingtian was primarily designed for firing cannons, and nothing else. However, it must be said that the advantage of this type of missile boat, capable of carrying numerous missiles, firing in place, and swiftly fleeing after firing, was unmatched by other warships.

 

This time, Xie Yu’s team aimed to attack a military force dispatched by the interstellar pirates intent on assaulting the Gale System. According to their founding announcement, the interstellar pirates shamelessly claimed they would conquer the Gale System within a month. Whether for political considerations or other reasons, they had to intercept the interstellar pirates outside the Gale System.

 

By crushing the interstellar pirates’ arrogant and ill-conceived plan, they could build confidence among the populace in the military.

 

Ordinary people did not realize how much effort the interstellar pirates had put into seizing control of ten star systems overnight. They only knew that the interstellar pirates were too audacious and that the military should kill them all. Therefore, they would not understand that the interstellar pirates, who had been lurking in the shadows for so many years, had long transcended the typical image of interstellar pirates.

 

Xie Yu led ten missile boats towards the Como Star System. Each missile boat carried a full load of two hundred missiles, totaling two thousand missiles across the ten boats.

 

Indeed, using two thousand missiles against a military force much smaller than their own might seem excessive and wasteful, but the potential effects were immeasurable.

 

Upon entering the Como Star System, Xie Yu immediately had the ten missile boats split up and stand by. Once targets were locked, with a single command, they could pound the rebel army mercilessly.

 

The rebel army intended to attack the Gale System, and the size of their fleet likely equaled a reorganized corps, ranging from a minimum of seven main ships to a maximum of ten main ships.

 

Since they had already declared their intention to attack the Gale System, it was certain that the military forces stationed there could not be underestimated. Therefore, to err on the side of caution, the rebel forces would certainly dispatch additional troops to the Gale System within their capabilities.

 

For this reason, Xie Yu, Han Jingshan, and Saloyan mobilized a massive fleet, with a total of twenty main ships. Of course, among these twenty main ships were also the Blue Dragon and Vermillion Bird.

 

“You all can feel free to unleash your attacks. If anything breaks, I will personally oversee repairs with my team,” Pei An assured all the officers participating in this battle, using his title as Chief Technical Officer.

 

After entering the Como star system, the vast fleet dispersed according to Xie Yu’s deployment. This dispersion made it harder for the enemy to detect their positions, yet they maintained a reasonable distance to facilitate both rescuing comrades and receiving aid.

 

Once they reached the designated positions, their task was to track the movements of the rebel forces and be ready to hit them with missile boats at any moment.

 

Unlike the dispersed Imperial forces, the rebels were clustered together in a massive fleet, easily forming a defensive circle to enhance their defense.

 

Xie Yu almost hoped they wouldn’t bunch up, as it would waste a lot of missiles if they didn’t.

 

“Commander, we’ve tracked the enemy’s trajectory,” reported the front line.

 

“Keep a close eye on them. Don’t blink.”

 

Their technology was slightly superior to the covertly developing rebels, allowing them to detect the enemy without being noticed.

 

On the huge screen, a large red dot with a red tail indicated the trajectory of the rebel fleet.

 

“Xingtian One has detected the target.”

 

“Xingtian Two has detected the target.”

 

These real-time messages came from the two missile boats closest to the enemy, both already locked onto the rebel fleet and ready to fire.

 

Xie Yu leaned on the control panel, his gaze shifting between multiple screens, completely unflustered.

 

However, this made Han Jingshan and Saloyan appear quite idle.

 

Xie Yu’s attention was terrifyingly strong. He could control such a massive force without missing a beat, something they absolutely couldn’t do.

 

No wonder the First Military Academy hailed Xie Yu as the best command graduate in history. His incredible multitasking ability made the fleet operate like an extension of his will.

 

“Xingtian Three has detected the target.”

 

“Xingtian Four has detected the target.”

 

As the enemy drew closer, everyone instinctively held their breath.

 

“Deploy the unmanned reconnaissance drones. Make sure to capture how we’re going to blow them to bits. I want to use it for the front page,” Xie Yu said with a somewhat arrogant smile.

 

The rebels wanted to use public opinion to mess with their minds, so they could also use public opinion to mess with the rebels’ minds.

 

It was a matter of mutual harm—let’s see who could be more ruthless.

 

The rebel fleet slowly moved into more missile boat strike zones. Only when Xingtian Nine and Xingtian Ten reported in did Xie Yu give the order to fire.

 

The ten missile boats formed a semi-circle around the rebel fleet, their tightly clustered targets making the strike much easier.

 

Missiles flew from the boats, striking the enemy warships and causing continuous explosions.

 

“Chief Pei, we’ve opened fire at the front.”

 

Pei An curled his lips. The missiles fired by these boats were not ordinary. This model, named Vulcan, carried not only conventional warheads but also one high-energy bomb each. The fire produced by these high-energy explosions was immense and couldn’t be easily extinguished.

 

The flames would burn more fiercely, giving Xie Yu no time to deal with them while fighting the enemy, eventually engulfing the rebel forces.

 

In various legends, fire symbolizes light and hope, punishing the wicked. Using it here was just right.

 

Not many could achieve secondary payload, so the appearance of these high-energy bombs—or rather, the glory of Vulcan—would be a great help in Pei An’s public opinion war.

 

The rebels weren’t the only ones who could play the media game. If they wanted to play, he’d play it even better.

 

On the battlefield, the ten missile boats fired and retreated, refusing to linger and giving no chance for a counterattack. As the ten boats withdrew, the main force charged forward.

 

Xie Yu overestimated the rebels this time. He expected at least a full regiment but only half showed up, and their twenty main ships completely overwhelmed the rebels.

 

There was no such thing as bullying the few with the many on the battlefield. With a mindset of mercilessly beating a drowning dog, Xie Yu led his men in thoroughly thrashing the enemy.

 

Unmanned reconnaissance drones captured the overwhelming victory from all angles.

 

At this moment, the rebel forces couldn’t do anything against the Imperial army and only faced annihilation.

 

“Commander, the enemy has raised the white flag and wants to surrender.”

 

Although they couldn’t actually see the white flag from afar, it was a figurative term for the signal transmitted by the enemy.

 

Xie Yu feigned ignorance, “What? What did you say? I didn’t hear clearly.”

 

But his orders were exceptionally clear: “Fire! Leave none alive!”

 

It was too early for the rebels to surrender now. He would consider attending a surrender ceremony only when the entire rebel force surrendered.

 

The half-regiment couldn’t stand against the Imperial forces and were ultimately crushed. Xie Yu ordered the battlefield to be cleaned up while he pondered a question.

 

Based on the range of the interstellar pirates’ activities, their power distribution extended far beyond these ten star systems. Yet, the interstellar pirates hastily declared the establishment of a nation after occupying just ten star systems, accompanied by an arrogant declaration of independence. This didn’t seem like a well-organized plan.

 

It was more like a desperate move.

 

Xie Yu speculated that this had to do with the increased crackdown on interstellar pirates by the military in recent months. Many of the pirates’ vital forces had been eliminated. If they continued hiding, they might weaken faster, leading to a quicker disintegration of the large rebel faction.

 

To consolidate power, the masterminds behind the interstellar pirates—the rebel leaders—decided to conquer ten star systems and establish a nation. This way, they could openly use the resources of these ten star systems to quickly replenish their losses, create panic, and incite internal conflict within the Wright Empire.

 

The Wright Empire had always been rife with internal strife, and the rebel leaders likely took this into account when making such a risky decision.

 

If his analysis was correct, the rebels couldn’t muster many additional forces. They needed to govern the conquered star systems and couldn’t allow the populace to resist. Thus, if they could establish a defensive line in the Galya star system, the rebels wouldn’t be able to invade. The rebels’ boast of conquering the Galya star system in a month would become a joke.

 

However, if the rebels didn’t attack the Galya star system, they might try to infiltrate other systems. To be safe, they needed to reinforce the front lines and block every possible invasion route.

 

Xie Yu shared his speculations with Han Jingshan and Saloyan, both experienced generals who agreed with his assessment.

 

“Let’s report to the military headquarters immediately and have them deploy more troops,” Han Jingshan said eagerly.

 

“But we don’t know the current situation in the central star,” Saloyan, though not a pessimist, considered the worst-case scenario. “Can we get support from the Emperor and the Parliament for our operations?”

 

The Emperor and the Parliament, sitting comfortably in their chambers, might hinder their efforts against the enemy.

 

Xie Yu wasn’t worried about this. Given the balance of power, many generals were stationed in the central star. With them there, nothing major would go wrong.

 

But one could never be too cautious.

 

After all, some people’s stupidity could exceed one’s imagination.

 

This battle resulted in a crushing victory. After clearing the battlefield and taking all useful enemy equipment back to the ships, Xie Yu ordered a return to the Galya star system.

 

Given the current uncertainty, it wasn’t suitable to press the attack and reclaim more planets in the Como star system. Thus, after this battle, they would return to the Galya star system.

 

Pei An received the images and videos from the unmanned reconnaissance drones. He gathered many people to help him: “Select the photos and videos that best showcase our prowess.”

 

Someone raised a hand quietly, “Chief Pei, is there a specific standard?”

 

Pei An replied, “Make us look extremely impressive. Got it?”

 

Everyone responded, “Got it,” and started working on selecting the footage.

 

Besides impressive visuals, he also needed excellent writers.

 

As soon as he could communicate directly with Xie Yu, Pei An called him to explain his idea: “I believe many writers would be eager to depict our victory and inspire people. Therefore, I need to use your name to issue a recruitment notice for writers willing to stay on the front lines.”

 

A talented writer was crucial for uplifting spirits.

 

Xie Yu naturally supported Pei An’s decision: “Write the notice however you like. Once it’s ready, I’ll issue it in the name of the Third Corps.”

 

Pei An quickly wrote the recruitment notice and handed it to Xie Yu. Xie Yu added a note that civilian positions were available within the Third Corps, then released the notice.

 

Before arriving at the Galya star system, Xie Yu had made ample preparations. Many people knew they were headed to the front lines, and this recruitment notice seemed to signify that the military had already achieved some success.

 

Countless people wanted to witness this good news firsthand, and the number of resumes submitted was overwhelming. Pei An reviewed each resume but stopped after finding one writer he particularly liked.

 

This writer, named Tang Yunzhen, was a resident of the Galya star system and could reach the front-line command quickly.

 

Pei An sent someone to bring this enthusiastic woman to the front-line command, then continued selecting footage from the reconnaissance drones.

 

He was very pleased with the missile strike’s effectiveness. If not for production limitations, he would have built more mobile artillery.

 

Speaking of which, the Hayyan Base, located thousands of miles away, had now transformed into a massive munitions factory, producing a huge number of military supplies daily.

 

There was more good news: his team had discovered two resource-rich planets. The resources were well hidden, and the Wright Empire had missed these planets during their rough surveys. These planets were rich in various resources, unlike the one that produced solely Starlight Stone. The resources were spread out like a pie chart, making these planets incredibly valuable during wartime. With sufficient resources, they could fight without worrying about supplies.

 

It wasn’t that Pei An didn’t trust the Wright Empire; he just didn’t trust the greedy, selfish people in power.

 

Tang Yunzhen arrived quickly and was eager to start working as soon as she reached the temporary front-line command on the Liaoyuan.

 

Pei An didn’t stand on ceremony. He handed Tang Yunzhen the selected footage and explained the desired effects.

 

First, they needed to greatly publicize the Imperial army’s bravery, showing the public that the rebels were not invincible. Second, they should use mythological references in the news articles.

 

Tang Yunzhen had extensive writing experience, having written serious literature and commercial novels, and she worked for the largest newspaper in the Galya star system. She was well-versed in writing news articles.

 

Under Pei An’s guidance, Tang Yunzhen wrote the first article to counter the rebels’ declaration of independence:

 

“Thieves’ Delusions of Statehood, Ultimately Burned by Flames of Justice”

 

The accompanying image, carefully selected from thousands, was taken by a reconnaissance drone. It showed the rebel fleet engulfed in flames with explosions of various sizes.

 

It indeed looked as if the gods themselves were punishing the rebels for their actions.

 

Of course, that was all for later.

 

After returning with the troops, Xie Yu first discussed with Pei An the nonsense the parliament speaker spouted at today’s press conference. Xie Yu frowned and initiated an emergency communication with his father in the central star.

 

Despite the strengthened wartime signal boosters, the video call was slow and lagged, but Xie Yu managed to communicate with Xie Rao.

 

“Father, I’ve wiped out the rebel forces attacking the Galya star system. Pei An has organized people to solidify our propaganda efforts. What’s the situation in the central star?”

 

Xie Rao, who hadn’t taken off his military uniform in ages, was now relaxed in his training gear.

 

“The finance minister is helping us secure military funds, and we’re organizing more troops to head to the front lines. However, the parliament, full of idiots, is trying to negotiate with the enemy while fighting. They’ve even sent negotiators,” Xie Rao spat, clearly frustrated by the idiotic actions he faced daily.

 

Pei An commented, “If they want to negotiate with the rebels, they’ll have to pass through our defense line. We can detain the negotiators, and the negotiations will naturally fail.”

 

What was there to negotiate? Did the billions of Wright Empire citizens allow these negotiations?

 

Xie Rao’s face lit up with a smile upon hearing Pei An’s voice, “Is that Pei An? What a clever kid!”

 

Pei An was right; if they intercepted the negotiators, there would be no negotiations.

 

The parliament might not care about losing face, but the military and citizens couldn’t afford such disgrace.

 

“Hello, Commander Xie,” Pei An greeted politely, stepping into the frame.

 

Xie Rao’s eyes gleamed with delight. Pei An indeed resembled Pei Ruyu and looked quite compatible standing next to his son.

 

“Why call me Commander? No need to be so formal. Just follow Xie Yu’s lead.”

 

The camera jostled, and Xie Rao’s face disappeared from the frame, replaced by a loud shout.

 

“Lao Xie! You talked to Pei An while I was away?” Gu Yuanyang’s jealous voice echoed, causing the unstable signal to lag.

 

Pei An: “…”

 

Xie Yu: “…”

 

How could such important figures be so immature?