Chapter 1303: As long as they think it's not worth the cost, they will leave

A tall, thin Feilin stood up.

"Waluoke, you make it sound so easy. A joint operation? Last month, your ships even hijacked three ships of cargo from me."

Waluoke looked at him.

"That was last month. Now, it is now. If you are unwilling to join, you can leave. But when the fleet of the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance arrives, you can carry the burden yourself."

The tall, thin Feilin was silent for a few seconds, then sat down.

Waluoke looked around the room.

"Does anyone else have an opinion?"

No one spoke.

Waluoke nodded.

"Then it is settled. From now on, the Shattered Star Belt enters a level-one combat readiness state."

After the meeting ended, the pirate leaders dispersed in twos and threes.

Waluoke sat alone by the round table, staring at the dense asteroid belt on the Holographic Star Map.

His deputy walked over and handed him a glass of wine.

"Waluoke, do you really think the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance can break in?"

Waluoke took the wine but did not drink.

"You think they cannot?"

The deputy thought for a moment.

"The terrain of the Shattered Star Belt is too complex. Our ships are small, agile, and familiar with every shipping lane. Their ships are large, clumsy, and are targets once they enter. Even if they can break in, they cannot catch us. If we hide in the depths, what can they do?"

Waluoke was silent for a few seconds.

"You are right. The terrain is our advantage. But an advantage is not an eternal advantage. The Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance has the resources of the entire Star Alliance; they can take their time. If one day is not enough, then one month; if one month is not enough, then one year. They have plenty of time, but do we?"

The deputy was silent.

Waluoke took a sip of wine.

"Furthermore, they are not just breaking in. They are coming to exterminate us. Not to drive us away, but to kill us all."

He put down the wine glass.

"Therefore, we cannot rely solely on the terrain. We must find a way to make them afraid to come, or make it so that if they do come, they cannot go back."

The deputy asked.

"How do we make them unable to go back?"

Waluoke looked at him.

"Fight. Hurt them. Let them know that the Shattered Star Belt is not to be trifled with. The first fleet that comes, beat them back. The second one that comes, beat them back again. After enough fighting, they will wonder: for a region of broken rocks, is paying such a high price worth it?"

The deputy nodded.

"That makes sense."

Waluoke stood up.

"Go notify all ships to prepare for combat. Do not let a single transport ship of the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance pass. However many come, rob them all. Let them know whose territory the Shattered Star Belt is."

The deputy saluted and turned to leave.

Waluoke stood alone in front of the star map, looking at that dark red Shattered Star Belt.

"Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance. Come then. Let me show you the power of the Shattered Star Belt."

That night, in the bar at the Nest of the Faithless, the noise was deafening.

This was the favorite gathering place for pirates.

Inferior alcohol, cheap food, and a few captured Alien slaves shivering in the corner.

A Sota was standing on a table, shouting something loudly.

"The Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance is coming! Are you afraid?"

A chorus of boos erupted all around.

"Afraid? Afraid of what? Afraid they will get lost?"

"Let them come! Kill one if one comes, kill a pair if two come!"

"Even the Feng Qi Xing Alliance can't do anything to us, what are they?"

The Sota laughed, waving his four arms in the air.

"Well said! Let them come! Our ships are fast, our cannons are accurate, and our brothers are ruthless! Those green recruits from the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance won't even be able to find north once they enter the Shattered Star Belt!"

A Lizardman raised his glass and said drunkenly.

"I heard the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance's fleet is huge, Cruisers, Destroyers, a whole bunch."

The Sota sneered.

"What is the use of being big? In the Shattered Star Belt, big means a target. Our ships are small and agile, and can weave between asteroids. Their ships? They will crash into rocks before they even finish turning."

A Zerg mutant let out a hissing laugh.

"And their soldiers aren't used to this environment either. Vacuum, low temperature, debris. We have lived in this place for hundreds of years; them? They will be stunned the moment they enter."

Another pirate stood up.

"Enough of that useless talk. I just want to know, are there any valuable things on the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance's transport ships?"

The Sota thought for a moment.

"Definitely. After the Feng Qi Xing Alliance surrendered, the ores mined from those resource planets all have to be transported back. Those transport ships are our best targets."

A roar of excitement erupted in the bar.

"Rob! Rob! Rob!"

The Sota raised his glass.

"Brothers, drink up! Not a single transport ship of the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance shall be spared!"

"Cheers!"

The sound of wine glasses clinking rose one after another.

In the corner of the bar, an elderly Feilin sat quietly, not participating in the revelry.

His name was Kaloke, and he was one of the oldest pirates in the Shattered Star Belt, having knocked about here for three hundred years.

A young Feilin walked over and sat down beside him.

"Kaloke, why aren't you drinking?"

Kaloke looked at him.

"Drink? What's there to drink?"

The young Feilin smiled.

"To celebrate. The Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance is coming, and we're going to have a big score."

Kaloke shook his head.

"A big score? Do you even know what the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance is?"

The young Feilin was stunned for a moment.

"What is it?"

Kaloke said.

"It's a monster. A monster that could even wipe out the Feng Qi Xing Alliance. Do you think they are the same as the enemies we've fought before?"

The young Feilin said after a few seconds of Silence.

"Don't be such a buzzkill, how strong could those guys really be?"

Kaloke continued.

"I used to be in the fleet of the Feng Qi Xing Alliance. I know how they fight. But the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance is different. Their fleet is stronger, their soldiers are more ruthless, and their Commander is smarter."

He paused.

"And, they don't surrender. Nor do they accept surrender."

The young Feilin's expression changed.

"Kaloke, are you trying to scare us?"

Kaloke shook his head.

"Not scaring. Warning. Don't be too arrogant. If you're arrogant, you'll die."

He stood up and walked toward the door.

The next day, Waluoke gathered all the pirate leaders to formulate a battle plan.

On the Holographic Star Map, every entrance, every shipping lane, and every possible hiding spot in the Shattered Star Belt was marked.

Waluoke stood before the star map, staring at the dense markings.

"If the fleet of the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance comes, they must enter the Shattered Star Belt from these three directions."

He pointed to three red dots on the star map.

"The 'Iron Gate' in the east, the 'Narrow Throat' in the south, and the 'Ash Corridor' in the west."

He looked at the pirate leaders present.

"We need to deploy scout ships in these three directions. Report immediately at the first sign of movement."

A Sota raised his hand.

"What if they come in from somewhere else?"

Waluoke looked at him.

"The Shattered Star Belt only has these three entrances. Everywhere else, the asteroids are too dense for large ships to enter. Small ships wouldn't be of any use either."

The Sota nodded.

Waluoke continued.

"After detecting the fleet, we won't engage head-on. We can't win a head-on fight. We must use guerrilla tactics. Disperse, surround, harass, ambush. Hit and run, so they can't catch us or hit us."

A Lizardman asked.

"What about their transport ships?"

Waluoke said.

"The transport ships are the priority. The Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance has just finished a war and needs supplies. They must have many transport ships. We must loot them until they are afraid to transport anything."

The Lizardman grinned.

"I like that."

Waluoke looked at everyone present.

"Remember, our goal is not to win. It is to make them feel it isn't worth it. Make them feel that paying such a high price for a patch of broken rocks isn't cost-effective."

He paused.

"As long as they think it isn't worth it, they will leave. Once they leave, this place will still be ours."

A chorus of agreement echoed around the round table.