The Red Tarantula couldn't figure out how these enemies had gotten in, or how they'd taken control of the planet's defenses.
The defense system he'd spent so much money on was useless.
His hatred had reached a boiling point, but he was able to keep his cool.
Six of the Red Tarantula's guards piloted their mechas and charged at the giant metal ball.
Their long-range lasers struck the metal ball, but they bounced off it one by one. They couldn't stop it at all.
Then they saw countless razor-sharp blades grow out of the metal ball's surface. The metal ball sprung back toward them.
"Bang, bang!" The two mechas were instantly sent flying and shattered into pieces in the air.
The power contained within the metal ball was as heavy as a mountain.
Thick metal spikes erupted from the surface of the metal ball. The remaining mechas didn't even have a chance to defend before they were nailed to the ground.
"Aiya, so weak!"
Tang Xiao shrieked. The metal ball sprung up again. This time, it transformed into a mecha and flew toward the Red Tarantula.
The Red Tarantula was too obvious. The red mecha was far superior to the average mecha. Tang Xiao was a cunning man. He could tell at a glance that the red mecha was at least the leader of a pirate clan.
However, he soon discovered that the red mecha had disappeared without a trace.
"Why can't we find it?" Tang Hao asked Tang Mi, who stood beside him.
His squad's fighting style was the strangest. The ten of them worked as a single unit with the help of their metal suits. Other than the Ace Squad, there weren't many squads stronger than them.
"I don't know," Tang Mi said.
"There must be some sort of mechanism.
Never mind, we'll deal with the others.
Every mecha we destroy is a point of merit. "
In terms of mecha count.
The Red Tarantula had more than Star Division.
However, in terms of mecha grade, they were far, far away from each other.
Moreover, without any prior warning, most of the Red Tarantula pirates were still in the living quarters.
They didn't even have time to equip their mechas.
They sat in the control room of the planet's defense system.
Lan Jue looked at the screen in front of her that displayed the battle situation in each region.
He couldn't help but feel bored.
This was simply a one-sided massacre.
He had originally thought that the top ten pirate groups would have some resistance, so he had been especially careful.
Now it seemed he'd underestimated Star Division.
After a dozen or so battles, Star Division's brigades were becoming more and more coordinated.
As expected, using a small party as a unit was the best method.
Ten mechas formed a group, and each group had at least one monarch or ninth-level ability user.
This was the true advantage of Skyfire Avenue.
The combination of a powerful ability user and a mech was a terrifying destructive force.
He was invincible on the battlefield.
The resistance of the Red Tarantula Pirates.
They fell one after another like wheat being reaped.
Very quickly, Lan Jue's communicator was filled with all sorts of reports. One important area after another was occupied.
"Jewelry Master, can you send out a distress signal?" The Accountant's voice came through.
"Go ahead." Lan Jue answered without hesitation.
Just then, a ship shot out of the base without warning. It shot straight up into the sky.
It passed through the atmosphere in a flash, and was still accelerating.
"Trying to run?" The Accountant's lips curled into a disdainful smirk.
His hands flew across the keyboard in front of him.
Outside the Red Tarantula base, a fifteen-meter caliber railgun slowly adjusted its position.
Lock on.
Fire!
"Boom!" A silver-white light instantly soared into the sky, flashing in the air before disappearing.
The patrol ship that had only just exited the atmosphere was swallowed up by the silver light.
It disappeared without a trace.
The Red Tarantula could never have imagined that the planetary defense system he relied on would become his ultimate weapon.
Until the moment of his death, he still didn't understand how the enemy had managed to take control of his most important weapon.
The Accountant's distress signal was, of course, sent to the three companion planets. It was the Red Tarantula Pirates.
Not long after, battleships from the three companion planets flew up and quickly flew towards the main planet.
Three battleships, and fifteen patrol ships.
This was the Red Tarantula's entire fleet.
Unfortunately for them, they were met with a barrage of silver light from the planetary defense system's railguns.
The planetary defense system was strong enough to defend against capital ships, but it proved to be useful.
It was aimed at the Red Tarantula themselves.
Su Xiaosu's original plan hadn't been to attack all four planets at once. She didn't have enough ships.
Of course, it wasn't impossible to take them all.
If Lan Jue, the Pharmacist, and the Gourmet were willing to go all out.
Each of them had the ability to take over a companion planet on their own.
To Star Division, however, it wouldn't be much of a training exercise. It wasn't what Su Xiaosu wanted.
Star Division's future opponents couldn't be so weak. Their fight against the aliens on Tempest, for example, hadn't been so easy.
The Gourmet, the Pharmacist, and Lan Jue had worked together to kill the progenitor. If they hadn't, they'd still be fighting.
The Void Mother's strength was around the pinnacle of level-nine.
Humanity still didn't know enough about the aliens.
So before the aliens came, they had to train their soldiers. They had to improve their teamwork and strength. It was the only way Star Division could be more effective.
From the Horn of Dawn to the end of the battle, only an hour had passed.
Three battleships and sixteen patrol ships had all turned into space dust.
The Red Tarantula pirates had been wiped out from the Shattered Starfields.
The Red Tarantula mecha fleet had been wiped out.
The occupation was complete.
However, the Red Tarantulas were poorer than they'd imagined. Their treasury was much smaller than the Desert Tempest's.
It was obvious that he had invested more money into the construction of the pirate group.
Still, a planetary defense system wasn't cheap.
It was too big, and took up a lot of space.
Lan Jue had planned to give it up.
However, one of the cameramen waved his hand. "Take it away!"
As for the place to store it, it was naturally not a problem.
With the strongest Space Arcanist in the world, what was a little space?
It took an entire day to dismantle the defenses, but it was also time to clean up the place.
Star Division didn't accept surrender, and the pirates were wiped out.
Not a single survivor.
This was Star Division's first victory since they set out on the battlefield.
It was a textbook victory.
They'd won the battle in the shortest amount of time, at the lowest cost. They didn't even give the enemy a chance to fight back.
The reason for their success was infiltration.
If Lan Jue hadn't taken control of the planetary defenses, Majesty wouldn't have been able to land.
The Red Tarantulas wouldn't have been caught off guard. They wouldn't have been able to mount a proper counterattack.
Lan Jue, as their captain, would be remembered for her efforts.
Majesty and Zeus-1 stealthily left the Arachnid and headed for their next target.
Star Division's morale was at an all-time high with each victory.
Su Xiaosu's forte was to pour cold water on their morale.
Morale was important, but too much of it was arrogance.
After every battle, she'd take the soldiers with her and explain the mistakes they'd made. Of course, she'd give them credit for their accomplishments.
For the next month, Majesty and Zeus -1 continued to roam the Shattered Starfields. Wherever they went, pirate clan after pirate clan was wiped out.
However, the secret behind Star Division's disappearance was slowly being discovered.
After all, the disappearance of so many pirate clans, especially the larger ones that had connections with each other, was a cause for concern in the Shattered Starfields.
Especially the Moonfiend Pirates.
Three Shattered Starfields, Moonfiend.
"Where did these people come from?
They come and go like ghosts.
According to our investigation, we've lost contact with over twenty pirate clans.
Most likely they've fallen victim to their evil schemes.
These fellows actually dared to come to our territory. "A tall pirate with a ferocious glint in his eyes said with a sinister expression.
He had a big bald head, but he had a scarlet red beard that was exceptionally eye-catching.
In front of him, there was a person sitting upright.
He was tall, slender, and handsome.
His expression was somber.
If Lan Jue were here, he'd recognize him. It was an old friend.
The Pontiff's Citadel, the Messenger of Death, Gabriel.
One of the Six Archangels.
Gabriel's eyes narrowed. "So many pirate clans have been destroyed. They're not friendly.
Redbeard, do you have any more information? "
Redbeard answered. "According to the information we've gathered, only one survivor from the Black Widow Clan has seen them.
These outsiders mainly relied on landing mechas for combat.
Their ships are cloaked, so when they land, a large number of mecha pilots launch a surprise attack. They're very strong, and can destroy anything in a short amount of time.
Then they'll take over their base.
Because their spaceships had stealth capabilities, almost no pirate groups had ever engaged in space battles with them.
Oh, right, their mecha pilots all have flame emblems.
Just different colors. "
"Flame emblems?" Gabriel's brows furrowed.
(To be continued.)