Yang Hao was stunned speechless. He trembled as he took the wanted poster and looked at it—sure enough, his name was listed alongside those notoriously infamous interstellar pirates. His photo had been skillfully altered to make him look like a pirate himself. The person who issued the bounty on him was practically just one step away from giving Yang Hao an eyepatch and a hook for a hand—turning him into a classic Caribbean pirate image.
“One hundred million imperial credits!” Yang Hao mused, wondering whether he should turn himself in for the reward. “Who’s been so generous to offer such a high price?”
“The Wang family,” X13 replied. “The same family whose heir, Wang Tao, you killed. They’ve sworn to capture you. You know, the Wang family is a core force within the Imperial military. They can mobilize several fleets just from their own family members. The elite forces tailing us are probably here to hunt you down.”
Yang Hao squatted on the captain’s leather sofa, stunned. “No way! They’re actually serious? Can’t we just surrender?”
“I find it strange,” Long Yun ignored Yang Hao’s surrendering tone, “Wang Tao’s death would have justified the Wang family reporting you to the Imperial Privy Council, letting the Empire issue a formal warrant. Why are they spending their own money and going through underground channels to deal with you?”
“Maybe they want revenge?” Yang Hao wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Or perhaps I killed their precious son, so they want to capture me and make me take the blame? Maybe they want me to become the Wang family heir?”
“You wish!” Hun Yuanzi scoffed. “Even if the world were full of idiots, something this good still wouldn’t happen to you.”
“Perhaps the Wang family has secrets they don’t want the Imperial central government to know,” Long Yun mused, pinching his chin. Though he appeared rough on the outside, he was actually quite thoughtful.
“Hehe, that might actually be good news,” Hun Yuanzi started getting excited again. “Let a few Wang family experts come. It’ll be a good chance for you to practice your sword skills. Maybe if you’re pushed hard enough, your Heart Sword might reappear again.”
The Heart Sword technique Hun Yuanzi mentioned was the one Yang Hao had used to kill Wang Tao. At that time, Yang Hao had completely merged his sword-heart into his body, and under intense emotion, managed to unleash the legendary Heart Sword technique, a rare skill even among sword immortals.
But since that day, not only had the sword-heart disappeared into Yang Hao’s body, but he had also been unable to use the Heart Sword again. Despite Hun Yuanzi’s best efforts, Yang Hao could not replicate that sword technique. Hun Yuanzi had reluctantly concluded that Yang Hao’s Heart Sword would only reappear when he experienced deep emotional trauma—specifically, the death of someone close. Hence, Hun Yuanzi had secretly hoped Yang Hao would lose more loved ones recently.
“If I were you, I wouldn’t want the Wang family to come,” X13 reminded Yang Hao. “There aren’t many lifeboats on this battleship. I’ve already reserved one. If you don’t prepare soon, you might miss your chance.”
“Screw the lifeboats!” Yang Hao, surprisingly bold all of a sudden, shouted loudly. “So what if it’s just a bunch of Wang family trash? Let them come! We don’t need to flee through hyperspace anymore. Let’s turn around and strike them. This is the Doomsday-class battleship, after all, with powerful firepower. If they want to die, let them come!”
“Thankfully, I’m the one piloting the ship now,” X13 exhaled deeply, clearly showing his recent human-like simulation programs were malfunctioning. “If you, the captain, were flying this ship, we’d have been blown to bits by now.”
“Pfft, you’re boosting their reputation too much. We’re not the same as before,” Yang Hao bragged like Hun Yuanzi. “We’ve got a first-rate captain, top-tier swordsmen, and you, a robot who can fly a spaceship. What do we have to fear?”
“I fear, and I’m scared to death!” X13 didn’t hold back at all. “The fleet chasing us is several times larger than ours. According to radar, there are at least two battleships, five destroyers, and countless smaller ships. It’s the same scale as an Imperial expeditionary force. With such a military force, they could conquer dozens of planets. And now they’re just chasing us? They’re really giving us too much credit.”
“No way,” Yang Hao almost wanted to faint. “Is it really that exaggerated? I’m just a pirate, why such a big show?”
“Wait!” Long Yun suddenly ran over and shook X13’s antenna violently. “Say it again, what ships do they have?”
“What are you doing?! Are you trying to kill me?” X13 was furious enough to spark. “Do you want me to throw you out of the ship?”
“Less talking, just say it.”
“Two battleships and five destroyers,” X13 answered unhappily.
Long Yun’s face turned ashen. He rubbed his hands nervously, as if facing an insurmountable problem.
“Hey, Long, what’s wrong?” Yang Hao, oblivious to the danger, asked. “It’s me they’re after. Why are you so worried?”
“We’re doomed! We’re finished!” Long Yun shouted in panic. “Damn it, who exactly did you mess with to attract such a massive enemy? Do you even know what the word ‘death’ means?”
“Of course I do! I’m not illiterate…” Yang Hao grumbled, pulling out a Fire Rong pill from his pocket and chewing it. This had become his recent habit. The more he took, the more he found it thrilling—not only spicy and exciting, but also keeping him full of energy all day, even without sleep. He always carried a handful, treating them like snacks to munch on whenever he felt like it.
Yang Hao was dumbfounded. With trembling hands, he took the wanted poster and examined it. Sure enough, his name was listed alongside those notorious interstellar pirates. His photo had been meticulously altered to make him look like a pirate too—the issuer of the warrant had stopped just short of giving him an eyepatch and a hook hand, essentially turning him into a Caribbean pirate.
“One hundred million imperial credits!” Yang Hao mused, half-seriously considering turning himself in for the hefty bounty. “Who’s so generous to put such a high price on my head?”
“The Wang Family,” X13 replied. “The same family as Wang Tao, the guy you killed. They’ve sworn to capture you no matter what. As you know, the Wang Family is a core force in the Imperial Army. Their own family members can organize multiple fleets. The ones tailing us are probably their elite forces.”
Yang Hao slumped onto the captain’s leather sofa, stunned. “No way, they’re serious? Can we just surrender?”
“I find it strange,” Long Yun said, ignoring Yang Hao’s surrender talk. “You killed Wang Tao. The Wang Family could’ve easily reported it to the Imperial Privy Council and had the Empire issue a warrant for you. Why spend their own money and effort to hunt you down through the black market?”
“Maybe they want to vent their anger on me?” Yang Hao wiped sweat from his forehead. “Or maybe, since I killed their precious heir, they want to drag me back to take his place? Make me the Wang Family’s successor?”
“Dream on!” Hunyuanzi scoffed. “Even if the world were full of idiots, such good fortune wouldn’t fall on you.”
“Perhaps the Wang Family has secrets they don’t want the Imperial Court to know,” Long Yun mused, stroking his chin. Despite his rough exterior, the big man was sharp-minded.
“Well, this might actually be a good thing,” Hunyuanzi said, suddenly excited again. “A few Wang Family experts would be perfect for you to practice your swordsmanship. Who knows? Under pressure, your Heart Sword might resurface.”
The Heart Sword was the technique Yang Hao had used to kill Wang Tao. At that moment, his sword essence had fully merged with his body, and under extreme emotion, he had unleashed a technique even sword immortals rarely mastered. But since that day, not only had the sword essence vanished within him, but the Heart Sword had also become unusable. Despite Hunyuanzi’s efforts, Yang Hao couldn’t regain his former skill. The old man had resigned himself to the fact that Yang Hao’s Heart Sword only erupted when he lost someone dear—hence his recent wish for Yang Hao to “lose a few more women.”
“If it were me, I wouldn’t want the Wang Family coming after us,” X13 warned Yang Hao. “There aren’t many lifeboats on this battleship. I’ve already reserved one. If you don’t act fast, you might miss out.”
“Lifeboats my ass!” Yang Hao suddenly found his courage and shouted, “They’re just Wang Family trash! Let them come! We don’t even need to jump—let’s turn around and fight. This is the Doomsday Battleship, armed to the teeth. If they want to die, let them!”
“Thank the stars I’m the one piloting this ship,” X13 sighed heavily, its recent anthropomorphic programming clearly going haywire. “If you were at the helm, we’d already be space dust.”
“Pfft, don’t hype them up. We’re not the same as before,” Yang Hao boasted, mimicking Hunyuanzi’s tone. “We’ve got a top-tier captain, an elite swordsman team, and a robot who can fly a ship. What’s there to fear?”
“I’m scared—terrified!” X13 retorted bluntly. “The fleet chasing us is several times larger. According to radar, there are at least two battleships, five destroyers, and countless smaller vessels. It’s practically on par with an Imperial expeditionary fleet. A force like that could conquer dozens of planets. And they’re using it just to hunt us? We must be really special.”
“No way,” Yang Hao felt like fainting. “That’s insane! The Wang Family labeled me a pirate. Why such a massive operation?”
“Wait!” Long Yun suddenly rushed over and shook X13’s antenna violently. “Say that again—what ships do they have?”
“Hey! Hey! Are you trying to kill me?” X13 crackled with anger. “I swear I’ll toss you out of this ship!”
“Shut up and answer.”
“Two battleships and five destroyers,” X13 replied sulkily.
Long Yun’s face turned ashen. He rubbed his hands together as if facing an insurmountable crisis.
“Old Long, what’s wrong?” Yang Hao asked, oblivious. “I’m the one being hunted. Why are you freaking out?”
“We’re doomed! Completely doomed!” Long Yun roared. “Damn it, who the hell did you piss off to attract such a force? Do you even know how to write the word ‘death’?”
“Of course I do, I’m not illiterate…” Yang Hao grumbled, pulling out a Fire Rong Pill from his pocket and chewing it. This had become a habit lately—the spicier the pill, the more invigorating he found it. Not only did it give him a kick, but it kept him energized all day, even without sleep. He carried a stash everywhere, treating them like snacks.
“Kid, don’t say I didn’t warn you. These aren’t spicy peanuts—you can’t just pop them like candy,” Hunyuanzi nagged.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Yang Hao brushed him off and turned back to Long Yun. “What’s got you so worked up?”
“Do you know about the Heavenly King?”
“Heavenly King?” Yang Hao smirked. “You mean me?”
“The Heavenly King is a fleet—a super fleet,” Long Yun continued, ignoring Yang Hao’s joke. “In the Imperial Army, many fleets are entirely composed of members from the same family, hence called ‘family armies’ to distinguish them from the central forces. Since they’re led by noble descendants, their strength and combat drive are usually weaker than the central army’s. But among the Imperial forces, four family armies are recognized as the most powerful—even surpassing regular central forces. These four fleets have glorious battle records and are considered the pillars of the Empire.”
“So what?” Yang Hao remained unfazed. The Galactic Empire had always revered military might, so tales of formidable armies were commonplace in schools.
“I know, you’re so annoying,” Yang Hao shrugged it off and turned to Long Yun. “Why are you so nervous anyway?”
“Do you know about the Heavenly King?”
“The Heavenly King?” Yang Hao chuckled. “You mean the Heavenly King of Heaven? That’s me, right?”
“The Heavenly King is a fleet—a super fleet,” Long Yun ignored Yang Hao’s joke and continued. “Within the Imperial military, many fleets are composed entirely of members from a single family, known as ‘family armies’ to distinguish them from the central forces. These family armies, led by noble heirs, generally have slightly less combat effectiveness and motivation than the central forces. However, among the Imperial military, four family armies are recognized as the strongest, even surpassing regular central forces. These four fleets have outstanding battle records and are considered the backbone of the Imperial military.”
“So what?” Yang Hao still didn’t react much. The Galactic Empire always valued martial prowess, so at school, he often heard people talking about which army was powerful and which wasn’t.
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