The ochre planet’s surface was barren—a dead world. No residents. Barely enough oxygen to breathe.
So desolate that not even grass could grow there, and not qualified to be listed as a Federation-controlled planet. It wasn’t even marked on standard star maps. A Federation citizen with a weaker constitution wouldn’t survive a day.
This wasteland was like a small moon— tiny, useless, pitiful. A mere grain of dust adrift in the vast universe, countless others just like it— not even as beautiful as a moon.
No wonder the Federation police had never discovered that this planet hid a star-pirate base.
Gu Heng lowered his dark gaze, his boots crunching against sand mixed with yellow dust. Ahead, on the flat plain, a door jutted abruptly from the ground. Pirates walked in one by one, as though it were the most ordinary thing in the world.
Gu Heng and Ji Shenwen exchanged a look, then blended into the group— carrying stolen goods and captives alike.
As they passed through the doorway, Gu Heng discreetly attached a miniature transmitter to its edge, so swiftly no one could see.
Up ahead, a pirate was grumbling to his companion—
“If we keep drifting through the universe for a few more months, I swear even birds will start blooming flowers out of boredom. Once this job’s done, I’m going to the nearest inhabited planet to have some fun.”
“Bring me along when you go. I haven’t seen my sweetheart in ages. We’ve been stuck on this pirate ship for months in the middle of nowhere — half the time we can’t even connect to the star network. I’ve been so bored I can only play cards with people, and I’ve almost gambled away all my savings for my future wife.”
“At least you guys who get sent out have something to do. Staying at the base all day is what’s truly boring!”
“Exactly. You earn more when you go out with the boss, but if you stay behind, all you do is watch those people, making sure they don’t escape. Plus, the base can’t even connect to the star network. I don’t know if it’s them imprisoned or me!”
Gu Heng furrowed his brows and signaled to Ji Shenwen with his eyes.
Ji Shenwen understood and discreetly picked up a standard communicator to check the signal—sure enough, it was completely blocked. No wonder the space pirates had been able to capture so many people, including Empire citizens and Federation citizens, without being caught.
There wasn’t even a chance to send a distress call to the Federation police.
Encountering a signal jammer wasn’t uncommon. Ji Shenwen quickly took out what looked like an ordinary black communicator—an Empire-made special device with enhanced signal reception.
On the display, the signal bars were faint, but it was still enough to contact the outside world.
Ji Shenwen nodded slightly toward Gu Heng, indicating all was good, then quickly typed out a string of coded messages without looking and casually slipped the communicator back into his pocket.
Once they stepped through the door—
—the view opened up wide.
Beneath the planet’s surface was a vast space large enough to hold tens of thousands of people. Numerous captives, all chained, walked across the rough ground in lines, entering huge caverns and coming out again dragging carts full of ore.
The space pirates didn’t pay much attention, idly watching over them while chatting with their buddies instead of actually supervising.
After all, this barren planet had nothing on it. Even if someone escaped, there was nowhere to run. The ships and key equipment were tightly guarded, and anyone who tried to flee would eventually be driven back by the planet’s harsh, unlivable environment.
The pirates returning from the latest raid looked unfazed and greeted Gu Heng and Ji Shenwen, who were still dressed in their pirate disguises.
“Dave, Woodrow, you two have been awfully quiet these past few days. Once we deliver this batch, how about we hit the base bar for a drink?”
Ji Shenwen, playing the role of Dave, scratched his head and declined, “I’ve been lying on that ship so long my bones feel soft. I just want to finish the delivery, get back, and take a good shower. If you’re itching to get drunk, how about Woodrow and I handle this load for you?”
Hearing that someone was willing to do the work for them, the pirates who could now slack off were naturally happy. One clapped Ji Shenwen on the shoulder with a grin.
“Then it’s yours to haul. Good man! Next time it’s my turn to help you.”
Ji Shenwen gave an awkward laugh but thought privately: There won’t be a next time.
Once the group of pirates had gone, Ji Shenwen glanced sideways at the Crown Prince beside him.
Gu Heng had already slipped quietly among the crowd, pretending to act normal when he returned, though there was now a small piece of ore in his hand.
He squeezed it slightly — dust and sand fell away, revealing a raw ore with a dark blue metallic sheen.
Gu Heng’s black eyes sharpened. His voice was low and firm: “Blue titanium ore — rare and valuable. It’s often used in industrial production and weapon or mech manufacturing.”
Ji Shenwen frowned in thought and spoke in a hushed tone, “Your Highness, if this planet produces that kind of ore, no wonder the pirates would risk so much to kidnap people. The ore gives off a special energy field — ordinary people feel dizzy if they stay around it too long, and regular mining machines malfunction under that magnetic interference. In the end, only manual labor works.”
He glanced around at the enormous mine and muttered, “To dig out this many tunnels must’ve cost enormous manpower and resources. Who knows how many civilians the pirates have captured over the years to use as slave miners.”
Gu Heng’s dark gaze glinted with suspicion. “This place is indeed too big.”
Ji Shenwen said, “No matter how big, Your Highness, I’ve already sent out the coordinates and report. Once the Federation police arrive and rescue both Empire and Federation citizens, our mission will be complete.”
“Mm.”
Gu Heng lowered his eyes, thoughtful.
This mission wasn’t particularly difficult — just dragged out because they had to track down the pirates’ base. Once found, it was obvious what the captives were being used for.
Everything looked straightforward, yet Gu Heng couldn’t shake the feeling that something about this base was off.
Pirate groups were normally composed of drifters, thieves, and fugitives — a chaotic mix from all backgrounds, impossible to manage with strict discipline.
Even in the few weeks Gu Heng had been undercover aboard the pirate ship, he’d witnessed or joined in at least three or four internal brawls.
A bunch of criminals could never be this organized — yet this base was almost too orderly.
As Gu Heng and Ji Shenwen spoke, they arrived at the area where the hostages were held.
“Another batch, huh? Send them to Cave Eleven. The men there will take over.”
The guard at the tunnel barely bothered to open his eyes, yawning as he pointed them toward one of the caverns. There were no real rooms here — just caves. Apparently, the pirates had turned the mine tunnels into holding pens or living quarters.
Gu Heng and Ji Shenwen pushed the new batch of “cargo” into Cave Eleven, grim-faced.
They’d expected a horrific scene.
Ji Shenwen even took a deep breath, steeling himself — but the situation was better than anticipated.
The cavern served as the captives’ living quarters.
It was mealtime.
Pirates shouted for everyone to line up for food.
Rows of captives queued for their rations. A rough glance suggested there were thousands of them just in this cave alone.
They looked dirty and exhausted from mining, their wrists chained, but they weren’t emaciated. Their clothing wasn’t in tatters either — all wore standard miner uniforms and helmets, making them look surprisingly like employees of a legitimate mining company.
If this hadn’t been the space pirates’ main base, Ji Shenwen might actually have believed what he was seeing.
With a grave expression, Ji Shenwen turned to Gu Heng. “Your Highness, there are too many hostages. With just our people—even if we call in the Federation police—it still won’t be enough.”
Gu Heng looked toward the crowd, his dark eyes suddenly sharpening. “Something’s off here. There are too few able-bodied adults. If they’re using them to mine illegally, they should have more strong young men doing the work.”
Ji Shenwen then noticed it too—the hostages in the cave were mostly elderly people, women, and children, with noticeably few young adults. He frowned in confusion. “Could it be that the young ones are harder to control, so they’re being kept somewhere else?”
Gu Heng’s brows drew tighter. “Not sure. Once I’ve checked all the caves, I’ll know. Have you contacted the Federation police?”
Ji Shenwen lifted the black, special-issue communicator, glanced at the encoded message, and immediately frowned. “Your Highness, our people report that the Federation patrol won’t be here until nightfall at the earliest.”
Gu Heng’s eyes darkened. “Understood. Then we wait until night to make our move.”
Ji Shenwen’s mood soured.
The coded message had also mentioned that the Federation patrol was dragging their feet, doubting the reliability of the intel about the pirates’ main base—and had no real intention to act.
If the Empire hadn’t planted its own agents inside the Federation system—officers with ranks higher than the local patrol—those patrolmen probably wouldn’t even show up by nightfall.
If this were Imperial territory, they could just send troops to arrest everyone immediately. But this was inside the Federation; they couldn’t afford to act openly or bring too many Imperial soldiers in.
Ji Shenwen asked, “Your Highness, if we have to wait until nightfall, what do we do in the meantime?”
He glanced toward the massive crowd of hostages. Just this one cave held several thousand people—add the others, and there had to be over ten thousand.
With only him and the Crown Prince here, there was no way they could rescue that many hostages ahead of schedule.
Gu Heng tugged at the collar of his ill-fitting pirate uniform, exposing a sliver of his throat; even with the realistic disguise mask covering his face, his sharp, noble black eyes couldn’t be hidden. Turning to Ji Shenwen, his voice was cold.
“Destroy all the pirates’ hidden ships—and rescue every Empire citizen.”
Ji Shenwen’s eyes lit up. Excitement surged through him as he grinned. “Yes, Your Highness! That way, no matter how many pirates there are, none of them can escape. When our forces and the Federation police arrive, we’ll wipe them all out in one strike!”
Just then, a commotion broke out in the crowd.
A mother and her child were shoved to the ground while waiting in line for food, and people around them—intentionally or not—stepped on them. The already crowded line quickly descended into chaos, with shouting, shoving, and confusion everywhere.
Ji Shenwen’s fists clenched at the sight of the weak being bullied. Compassion flared in him instantly.
When he joined the Imperial army, he’d sworn to defend the Empire and protect every Imperial citizen—to uphold justice and peace. Even if those trampled weren’t Imperial citizens but ordinary Federation civilians, his sense of justice still burned.
But Ji Shenwen reminded himself of the mission at hand.
To save more people, he had to keep up the act of being a pirate—he couldn’t intervene in a hostage scuffle and risk exposing them.
Hardening his heart, he turned his head away. Finish the mission fast, he thought, then these people can finally be free of the pirates’ cruelty.
“Woodrow, it’s handled. Let’s go.”
Ji Shenwen called out the alias Gu Heng was using, anxious to move forward with the plan.
But to his surprise, the moment he finished speaking, the Crown Prince strode past him—his sharp gaze fixed on the disturbance ahead.
Without hesitation, Gu Heng raised his long leg and kicked aside several people trampling the mother and child.
The Betas who were kicked aside landed roughly on the ground, indignant and angry. One of them shouted at Gu Heng instinctively, “What are you doing?! You want to help that woman? You think you can push us around just because we’ve got no backing?!”
Gu Heng’s cold, cutting eyes lifted slightly. His thin lips parted.
“Get lost.”
The quiet threat in his tone froze the Betas in place. When they noticed his pirate outfit, their faces went pale, and they shrank back, not daring to meet his terrifying gaze—though they still glared hatefully at the mother and child from the corner of their eyes.
The two realized the people on top of them had left, and air finally rushed into their lungs. But the silence that followed felt heavy—suffocating in a different way.
Head bowed, the mother helped her child up. Neither dared to look up; they could only bow slightly toward Gu Heng’s knees and speak in trembling voices.
“Thank you for helping us. You didn’t have to… it was such a small matter. Sorry for troubling you, sir pirate. We didn’t suffer any real harm. Please, forgive those who stepped on us—they didn’t mean it…”
The Betas huddled to the side, emboldened by the woman’s words, added quickly, “Yeah, yeah, it was an accident!”
But Gu Heng hadn’t stepped in just to play hero. His deep, sharp black eyes fixed on the mother and child—more precisely, on the woman. After confirming something, he spoke.
“You’re an Omega. And one who’s been marked.”
The female Omega holding her child trembled violently, bowing even lower. Dirt masked her delicate features, and her voice quivered with fear.
“Y-yes, sir pirate. I’m just a plain, ugly Omega. Nothing special. Please… please spare me…”
Gu Heng frowned. “Where’s the Alpha who marked you?”
He had no particular interest in any Omega.
But finding a rare Omega in the pirates’ main base was abnormal enough. What was stranger was that she still bore the scent of an Alpha’s mark—yet lived here among the hostages, eating the worst food, confined in these grim, camp-like conditions.
Gu Heng didn’t believe for a second that the pirates had failed to notice a valuable Omega—or that these criminals, ruthless enough to abduct thousands, would suddenly grow a conscience and let one live here as a laborer instead of selling her off.
If it weren’t for the faint traces of the female Omega’s scent of being marked — interlaced with both old and new markings — Gu Heng might have thought nothing of it. But that scent clearly came from the same Alpha, marked both long ago and again more recently. Judging from the information conveyed by the pheromones, the Alpha’s rank was not low — likely an A-level Alpha.
An Alpha of that caliber wouldn’t be considered ordinary even within the Empire. So how could such an Alpha possibly allow his own Omega partner to live in a place like this?
Gu Heng narrowed his eyes in thought, suspicion flickering across the sharp black of his pupils. He faintly sensed that the truth he sought — the key to the whole matter — was hidden somewhere within this woman.
The female Omega holding the child trembled the moment she heard someone mention her Alpha partner. Tears immediately welled up in her eyes. She lowered her head even further, lips pressed tight, shaking her head and refusing to speak.
Seeing this, Gu Heng’s lips curved faintly, but there was no warmth in his eyes. He crouched down in front of her, the cold darkness of his gaze cutting like a blade. “Oh? You don’t want to say where your Alpha went?”
The atmosphere instantly grew heavy and tense.
Some of the people forced here to mine — who originally disliked this mother and son — couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy, even a sense of “the rabbit’s death is the fox’s sorrow.”
Standing off to the side, Ji Shenwen was utterly dumbfounded.
What’s going on?!
He hadn’t even recovered from the shock of seeing the Crown Prince, Gu Heng, help a bullied mother and child — kicking away those cowardly Betas — when, in the blink of an eye, the Prince himself suddenly looked like the villain!
The mother and son shivered uncontrollably. Everyone around them was too afraid to speak up, terrified that the fierce, domineering pirate before them would really seize and torment the helpless Omega.
Ji Shenwen’s pupils trembled again and again. Inside, he was panicking, desperately wanting to explain — You’re misunderstanding! His Highness isn’t like that! He’s not the bad guy!
But on the surface, he could only stand stiffly beside the Prince, pretending to play his part — a silent pillar — while inwardly weeping in frustration.
— Your Highness… does this interrogation method really work?
But it actually did.
The little boy in the Omega’s arms suddenly jumped out, mustering all his courage to stand between the man and his mother. “Don’t bully my mom! Even if my dad went away with the space-pirate uncles, I’ll still protect her!” he shouted, his small arms spread wide.
The onlookers began to chime in one after another: “Hey, big brother, this Omega’s husband is also a star-pirate. You’re all on the same side — just let them be.”
“Yeah, yeah, none of us wanted to end up like this! Don’t make things worse for the family.”
“Her husband’s an Alpha too — if he comes back and there’s trouble, it won’t end well.”
Even the guard on duty — a grizzled old pirate who had been half-dozing — opened his eyes and hurried over to smooth things out. He handed Gu Heng a cigarette with a placating smile. “Brother, why not just let it go? Orders from above say we’re supposed to protect this mother and kid.”
Gu Heng cast the offered cigarette a cold glance, then turned his face aside in disdain. “I don’t smoke that kind.”
The old pirate’s face flushed red in irritation, his outstretched hand frozen mid-air. “Tch… you— fine, fine…”
With a pained expression, he reached into the inner seam of his coat and reluctantly pulled out a pack of high-grade cigarettes he’d been saving for ages.
In a place this remote, even ordinary cigarettes were hard to come by — much less premium ones. Even among pirates, such quality was rare; he usually only allowed himself one stick after a long craving, savoring it like a treasure.
“This one should be good enough for you, yeah? Give me some face.”
He offered one of the premium cigarettes to Gu Heng with a forced grin, watching as the man finally took it. His heart ached over the loss of a precious stick, but at least he felt a little relief — after all, if the hostages got agitated and something went wrong, he’d be the first to take the blame.
Gu Heng had no real habit of smoking or drinking. But his keen S-class Alpha senses caught something else — the pirate was still hiding better goods on him. The one he’d offered was the cheaper pack.
Never one to settle for less, Gu Heng’s expression cooled even more.
Fortunately for the older pirate, he knew how to read people. If this were some junior troublemaker showing such attitude, he’d have taught him a lesson already. But after seeing how fast and brutal Gu Heng had been earlier — kicking people before anyone even saw him move — and feeling the fierce, untouchable aura around him, the pirate knew this one was a thorn he couldn’t afford to touch.
So he became even more cautious.
Gu Heng lazily bit down on the cigarette, not lighting it. His dark eyes, cold and aristocratic, swept over everyone present — and the crowd collectively felt their hearts tremble, as though a sharp scythe was swinging back and forth above their heads.
After Gu Heng had almost finished that cigarette, the old pirate nervously stepped forward again, wearing a forced respectful smile, and offered another pack. “My smoke’s pretty good, huh? If you want, take the rest. We pirates have plenty of nice things — just… let those fools go, yeah?”
Gu Heng took the pack at last, more out of amusement at the man’s pained expression than interest in the bribe. But even after accepting it, he didn’t leave.
Still holding the unlit cigarette between his lips, Gu Heng tilted his head slightly toward the old pirate and asked casually, “What’s the deal with that Omega? Don’t tell me one of our pirates can’t even afford to feed his Omega wife?”
The old pirate’s face tightened with discomfort, but he didn’t dare lie. So he told Gu Heng everything.
That Omega with the child — she was a pitiful one. But really, everyone who ended up on a pirate base was pitiful.
Not every pirate had chosen this life — one where your head was tied to your belt. If the Federation police caught you, it meant either life imprisonment or execution.
Most of them were fugitives with nowhere to go, or refugees from small frontier planets — their homes destroyed by the Zerg, or driven to desperation under corrupt planetary governors. They had no other choice but to become space-pirates.
But unlike them, the Omega’s husband hadn’t joined by choice.
They had been just an ordinary married couple on vacation — the Alpha husband a small-time merchant, the Omega wife tending their child and running a flower shop. Their life had been peaceful and happy — until they encountered the pirate crew.
The pirate crew had captured a family of three. When the Alpha husband fought back to protect his family, he injured several of the pirates — and that caught the attention of their leader, who wanted to recruit him.
At first, the Alpha husband refused outright. The pirate leader didn’t force it, simply sent the family to work in the mines on a barren planet. During that time, many conflicts broke out.
Some couldn’t stand the harsh labor. Word spread that whoever could defeat that Alpha would earn a place among the pirates and no longer have to mine day and night. Who started that rumor didn’t need to be said.
But the Alpha husband was strong — no one could beat him. His A-rank Alpha status intimidated many. As he gradually found his footing in the mines, he stayed by his family’s side, choosing the hardship of digging over joining the pirates. Yet there were those who grew impatient.
One day, the Alpha husband was assigned to another mine. Though he felt uneasy, he didn’t resist. Not long after, someone came running to tell him his family had been pushed into a mine shaft — crushed by falling rocks, bleeding heavily, possibly dying.
The Alpha froze for a moment, then dropped everything and ran. He arrived to find his Omega wife lying on the ground, her face covered in bruises, blood at her lips, her body pinned beneath debris. Yet even in that state, she still clutched their child tightly, refusing to let go.
Above them, the culprits stood on the ledge, still throwing stones at her — and even taunted her husband to come fight.
The Alpha’s mind went blank. His vision turned red.
When his senses returned, his arms were covered in claw marks from the struggle. His hands were bloodstained. The man who had mocked and assaulted his wife and child now lay dead at his feet.
At that moment, the pirate leader appeared, clapping as he emerged from the crowd. He patted the Alpha’s shoulder and once again extended the offer: join the pirates. He promised not to pursue charges for killing the man, and said he would even have the Alpha’s wife and child treated for free.
The Alpha husband turned his head slowly, stiffly.
He looked at the bearded leader’s smiling face, then at his own bloody hands and the corpse at his feet. Finally, he turned toward his injured Omega wife — still bleeding, still in tears, shaking her head desperately, pleading with him not to agree.
But that plea only made him fall silent — and then nod. He joined the pirates.
The old pirate took a drag from his cheap cigarette, coughing harshly before sighing in a hoarse voice, explaining to Gu Heng with a weary kind of honesty: “Even if that Alpha escaped now, he’d never be considered a clean civilian again. The boss has video proof of his killing in the mines. If the Federation police caught him, he’d be sentenced to death. Better to stay a pirate and at least protect his family.”
Gu Heng cast a cold glance at the trembling mother and child nearby, the corner of his lips curling into a faint, icy smile. “This counts as protecting them?”
The old pirate sighed. “It’s not so bad. Since becoming a pirate, that Alpha’s been sent on raids. Every time he comes back, he brings supplies and food for his wife and kid. But maybe because he’s afraid his being a pirate would implicate them, he never stays long before leaving again.”
He shook his head and muttered, “What’s the use? You can tell he still has hope — thinks the Federation will send someone to rescue them someday. Even if he can’t return, he wants his wife and kid to go back safely, with clean records. But after so many years, who’s coming to this godforsaken rock? He’d be better off keeping them close, where he can actually protect them.”
Gu Heng’s dark eyes deepened.
He found himself, unexpectedly, respecting that Alpha a little. Even when forced into piracy, he’d done it for his family — and even now refused to drag them into it. There was no real way back for someone like that.
And maybe… someone truly understood him.
Gu Heng’s gaze shifted to the Omega woman clutching her child, trembling yet steadfast. Fear flickered in her eyes, but also a quiet strength — the same strength that had kept her there, enduring everything, in silent support of her husband’s choice.
The old pirate continued, “If you ask me, he should just give up and be a proper pirate. It’s not so bad. Since the Alpha doesn’t come to the mine much, and his Omega wife and kid stay here instead of living better with the pirates, people think they’re just pretending to be noble. So they bully them twice as hard. I do what I can to watch over them — that’s why nothing serious has happened yet. But small tricks, little harassment… I can’t stop all that.”
Gu Heng chuckled softly.
He found himself admiring that Alpha more and more.
When this mission was over, perhaps he could give that man a chance — grant him asylum in the Empire, clear his record, and allow him and his family to start anew.
After Gu Heng left the mine, Ji Shenwen quickly caught up, glancing back once at the scene behind them.
Everyone’s faces had relaxed in relief. The bystanders who’d earlier stayed quiet were now helping the Omega and her child up. The air felt lighter, calmer — almost as if a heavy storm had passed once the Prince was gone.
Ji Shenwen was confused. They’d gotten the intel, sure — but somehow, he and the Crown Prince had ended up looking like the villains. Weren’t they supposed to be the ones saving people?
Well, whatever the case, as long as he followed the Prince’s orders, everything would be fine.
At least the intel had been clean and complete — and this was the first time it had been so easy. Everyone had fallen over themselves to talk, even the pirates offering cigarettes and bribes just to help them.
Ji Shenwen tried not to stare, but he couldn’t help watching Gu Heng’s back as they walked. Silently, he took mental notes — though he also realized he could never, in his whole life, act with such cold confidence and shameless composure.
Meanwhile, Gu Heng’s sharp eyes swept over the next mining area. The guards were positioned differently here; even the ones stationed at the cave entrance carried guns.
He began considering his method of infiltration.
Then, narrowing his black eyes, he slowly opened the pack of expensive cigarettes he’d received as a bribe. Just as he took one out to light it, he felt an odd, intense stare on him.
He frowned and looked up — it was Ji Shenwen, staring fixedly at the cigarette with a conflicted look of disgust and longing.
Gu Heng arched an eyebrow. “You want one too?”
Ji Shenwen quickly waved his hands. “No, no, I don’t smoke. And Yu Lizhu doesn’t let me, says it’s unhealthy.”
At that, Ji Shenwen smiled like someone in love.
Gu Heng paused mid-motion, the hand holding his lighter frozen. For some reason, he felt a pang of sourness in his chest and mocked, “You’re really something—letting a Federation Omega boss you around like that. Ji Shenwen, and here I thought you were an Empire man.”
Ji Shenwen only rubbed the back of his head and smiled, offering no rebuttal.
Gu Heng averted his eyes, let out a cold snort, and went back to smoking, thinking that Alphas like Ji Shenwen were beyond saving. He himself would never be like that.
Yet, little did he know—he would one day be far worse. When Zuo Shihuan merely gave him a cold glance without a word, Gu Heng quietly crushed out his cigarette and quit smoking for life.
***
“By the look of it,” Ji Shenwen said gravely, “many of the Alphas who were captured ended up becoming the pirates’ men. No wonder the mines—where labor is most needed—are lacking young workers.”
Gu Heng’s eyes darkened. “It’s normal for a pirate group to use this chance to recruit new members. The problem is—there are too many. What exactly is the Star Pirates’ goal?”
Even the pirate ship Gu Heng had infiltrated carried over five hundred pirates—and that was just one vessel of the Star Pirate Group. The number aboard the other ships out on raids was impossible to estimate. And this desolate planet was merely one of their bases; Mine No. 11 alone housed several thousand people.
A rough estimate meant this barren star had nearly a hundred thousand inhabitants.
The Star Pirate Group was, after all, supposed to be just a band of robbers. What were they feeding so many mouths for—trying to build a nation?
Something about it didn’t sit right with Gu Heng.
Still, this was an internal affair of the Federation and had nothing to do with the Empire. Once he rescued the Empire citizens who’d been taken, he had no intention of setting foot on Federation soil again.
Ji Shenwen said solemnly, “Maybe we should ask the Federation police to send more troops.”
Gu Heng didn’t say yes or no—his gaze was deep and unreadable. “Let’s first find out how many pirates are actually hiding here—and what secrets they’re hiding—before we talk about that.”
But before they could take action—
A piercing, shrill alarm blared across the entire mine, red warning lights flashing everywhere.
“All personnel, listen up! Board the ships and evacuate immediately!”
“I’ll repeat—an emergency has occurred in the mine! Anyone who wants to live, get on the ships and retreat! Pirate captains in charge of each cave—bring the hostages out and line them up for transport!”
“If anyone dares resist the Star Pirate Group amid the chaos—kill them on sight!”
The mines erupted into turmoil. Footsteps pounded from every direction as pirates emerged from the tunnels armed to the teeth, shouting and arguing in confusion.
“What’s happening?!”
“Why are we suddenly leaving—did someone come to rescue us?!”
“Someone really came to save us? We’re not going! D*mn the pirates, we’re not leaving! We can finally escape this hellhole!”
The spark of riot ignited.
Gunfire rang out endlessly across the mining grounds. Under the flashing red light, faces twisted—once meek as lambs, now baring fangs; the wolves among them raised their guns, growing even more savage in their struggle to survive.
Ji Shenwen stood frozen, glancing at the Crown Prince, Gu Heng, silently asking what to do. He didn’t need to say it—the news that the Federation patrol had arrived had clearly leaked.
Gu Heng’s expression darkened, his black eyes glinting coldly. He let out a low, sharp laugh through clenched teeth. “Are the Federation police useless? It hasn’t even been half an hour!”
Seeing the situation deteriorate, Ji Shenwen grew tense. “Your Highness, there must be pirate informants inside the Federation police. There are too many pirates in the mines—just the two of us can’t hold them off…”
Just then, a pirate underling came over and spotted Gu Heng and Ji Shenwen loitering. He glared at them furiously and barked, “What are you two standing around for?! The boss is waiting for manpower!”
“Can’t hold them off, huh?”
Gu Heng lowered his head with a faint laugh. When he lifted it again, the muzzle of his gun was already aimed at the pirate’s forehead. A faint red gleam flickered in his deep, shadowed eyes.
“Y-you—what are you doing with that gun? Trying to rebel?!”
Bang—
The pirate fell dead, the bullet piercing his forehead. His unseeing eyes stared up at a pair of blood-spattered boots.
Gu Heng’s dark gaze stayed calm. Smoke still drifted from the barrel of his gun as he raised it again—firing clean, sharp shots into the chaotic crowd of pirates.
One after another, bodies hit the ground.
Silence fell.
Both the supposed lamb-like hostages and the wolves of the Star Pirates froze, their terrified gazes locked on Gu Heng, standing alone in the open space where no one dared to approach.
Gu Heng smiled faintly and said,
“Then don’t hold them off—just strike.”
