Chapter 865: Occupying Camirat Star (1)

Cruiser Fengchi, lower-level confinement area.

The magnetic shackles were removed from his wrists; Travis stumbled, nearly collapsing to the floor.

He was shoved roughly into a confinement cell devoid of any extra facilities.

The alloy door slid shut behind him with a heavy sound, isolating him from the corridor outside.

The light inside the confinement cell was dim, with only a light strip on the ceiling emitting a faint, cold glow.

The air circulation system hummed with a low drone; other than a metal plate fixed to the wall serving as a bed and a waste receptacle also fixed in the corner, it was completely empty.

Travis leaned his back against the metal door and slowly slid down to the floor.

The dual pressure of the interrogation process, both mental and physical, had completely broken him.

He hugged his knees with both arms, buried his head deep, and his body trembled uncontrollably.

He did not know how much time had passed—perhaps minutes, perhaps hours—when a slight noise and hushed human voices jolted him from his numbness.

He raised his head and only then noticed that this confinement cell was not entirely enclosed; one wall was a sturdy metal grate, connecting it to the adjacent cell.

Through the gaps in the grate, he saw several pairs of eyes, equally filled with fear and curiosity.

They were other prisoners.

About four or five humanoid creatures were crowded into the next cell.

Their attire was motley, filthy, and tattered; most bore wounds, and their eyes were filled with the cunning and vigilance characteristic of desperate criminals from the lower depths.

Travis immediately recognized their identity—space pirates.

He had dealt with such scum often in the past, usually by ordering their broken ships to be destroyed on sight.

And now, he himself had become a prisoner, locked in an adjacent cell on the same ship as the scum he once disdained.

Those pirates had clearly also noticed the Fengqi Star Alliance officer uniform he wore, which, though damaged and dirty, still revealed its regulation style and material.

Their expressions instantly became complex—there was surprise, confusion, and, more than anything, a certain twisted satisfaction.

"Hey... look..."

A reptilian humanoid with old burn scars on its face flicked its forked tongue and hissed in a low voice using the Bode common tongue.

"... a big shot has arrived... a purple-skinned dog officer from Fengqi..."

"Damn... it really is..."

A human brute with a missing ear and a face full of jowls squinted his eyes, sizing up the insignia on Travis's shoulder strap.

"Looks like he's not a small-time officer... the person in charge of the outpost?"

"Pah! Serves him right!"

A scrawny human youth with darting eyes spat toward the grate, though nothing actually flew through.

"You bastards have your day coming too!"

Travis's heart tightened; he instinctively retreated, his spine pressing hard against the door panel.

The beating and insults he had anticipated seemed imminent.

In front of these lawless outlaws, an officer like him who had lost his power was undoubtedly an excellent target for venting.

However, the attack he expected did not happen.

Those pirates only cursed and mocked him in low voices through the grate, without taking any further action.

Their gazes even darted toward the entrance of the confinement area from time to time, carrying obvious apprehension.

Just then, a series of footsteps approached from outside the corridor again.

All the pirates fell silent and quickly shrank back into their respective corners, trying to appear submissive and harmless.

The airtight door slid open, and a White Scars Space Marine appeared at the entrance.

His gaze swept across the two confinement cells, lingering for a moment longer on the cowering pirates.

Although he did not speak, the invisible pressure made all the prisoners, including Travis, feel as though it were difficult to breathe.

The White Scars Space Marine's gaze finally landed on Travis, and he tossed in a small bag of compressed nutrient blocks and a bottle of foul water.

Then, without a word, the door closed again.

Not until the footsteps faded away and the confinement area fell back into that oppressive silence did the pirates seem to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Damn... these white-armored giants... are fucking terrifying..."

The one-eared brute muttered, still shaken.

"They don't allow fighting..."

The scrawny youth lowered his voice, facing Travis's direction.

"Last time 'Iron Jaw' tried to grab Old Blind Eye's water, he was discovered the moment he made a move... that white-armored giant came in, twisted Iron Jaw's arm into three pieces with his bare hands... then dragged him out... and he never came back..."

The reptilian Alien hissed in agreement.

"They said... we still have 'value'... that's why we're alive... but internal fighting is forbidden..."

Travis was stunned. Only then did he understand why these fierce-looking pirates dared not do anything to him.

So their "masters" forbade prisoners from fighting among themselves, and... he, like them, still had so-called "utilitarian value"?

This made him feel a sense of humiliation, yet also a faint, pathetic sense of security.

He silently picked up the nutrient block and water from the floor.

The compressed block was as hard as a rock and tasted bland, and the water had a metallic tang.

Perhaps to stave off boredom and fear, the one-eared brute hesitated for a moment before taking the initiative to strike up a conversation through the grate.

"Hey... you officer... are you really the one in charge of the outpost?"

Travis was silent for a moment, finally speaking in a hoarse voice.

"... So what if I am."

"Tsk tsk... 'Watchtower' outpost... that's a tough nut to crack..." the scrawny youth interjected, his tone filled with disbelief.

"You... were also taken down by them?"

Travis closed his eyes and nodded painfully.

This was undoubtedly an admission of his own total failure.

A series of suppressed gasps from the pirates echoed in the brig.

"Fuck! For real?!"

The one-eared burly man's eyes widened into perfect circles.

"The defensive firepower of the 'Watchtower' is not weak! And there were so many garrison troops... and it's only been how long?!"

"They..."

Travis's voice was dry.

"... their fleet... and those white warriors... are very strong... ordinary garrison troops simply couldn't stop them..."

"Strong is an understatement..."

The reptilian Alien hissed, recalling that terrifying experience.

"Our ships... were destroyed... their warships were fast and ruthless... and those wearing white armor... they are simply monsters! Impervious to blades and bullets! Possessing infinite strength!"

"You were also... by them..."

Travis looked at those pirates.

"What else?"

The one-eared burly man snorted irritably.

"I've been knocking around the Shattered Star Belt for over a decade and have never encountered such a wicked fleet! I thought they were some fat sheep, but it turns out they're ancient dragons in sheep's clothing!"

Silence descended once more.

Two groups of people with different identities, but now both prisoners, were immersed in the shock of their respective failures.

After a long while, the thin, small youth asked timidly, voicing a question in everyone's heart.

"... Who... exactly are they? That golden double-headed bird emblem... I've never heard of it... Which Star Alliance would dare to be this crazy? Attacking both the outpost and the Starport of Feng Qi Xing at the same time?! Are they not afraid of death?"

"Fengrao Starport... also..."

Travis suddenly raised his head and looked at them.

"You're telling me!"

The one-eared burly man interjected, his face filled with lingering fear.

"Before we were locked in here, we overheard those white-armored giants talking... saying something about 'Lord Horus is about to take the Starport'... Damn it! Fengrao Starport! That's the rear base! They just hit it when they said they would, and they actually took it?!"

This news struck Travis again.

Even the Starport... the last shred of faint hope in his heart that "the Star Alliance will send a great army to retaliate and rescue us" was completely shattered.

"Crazy... truly crazy..."

Travis muttered to himself.

"What exactly are they after? Could it just be to grab some resources? That's impossible... to pay such a high price and challenge the Fengqi Star Alliance simultaneously..."

"Who knows..."

The reptilian Alien flicked its tongue.

"Perhaps... they aren't here to grab things at all... Looking at them... it seems more like... conquest?"

The word "conquest" sent a chill through all the prisoners.

"On what grounds?"

The one-eared burly man sneered, seemingly wanting to dispel his fear with disdain.

"How big is the Fengqi Star Alliance's influence? Thousands of core fleets! No matter how well they can fight, can they withstand the full-scale counterattack of Fengqi? They won't even know how they died when the time comes!"

"But..."

The thin, small youth retorted in a low voice.

"... they look like... they aren't afraid of the Fengqi Star Alliance at all... From the moment they started until now, it was clean and efficient... just like... just like they felt victory was a matter of course..."

This sentence enlightened Travis.

Yes, from the appearance of the fleet to the launch of the attack, and then to the ground slaughter and interrogation, those White Scars warriors, including that Company Commander named Bahan, their eyes, their tone, and their actions never once revealed the slightest fear of the behemoth that was the Fengqi Star Alliance.

What they had was only a sense of inevitability, an execution attitude carrying a certain... sacred sense of mission.

In their eyes, the Fengqi Star Alliance was the obstacle destined to be crushed.

What gave them such confidence and courage?

What kind of belief supported them in daring to launch an offensive against a massive Star Alliance that ruled dozens of star sectors?

That... "Emperor"... they kept mentioning... who exactly is He?

Travis leaned against the cold wall, gazing at the light strip overhead emitting a faint, cold glow, his heart filled with endless confusion and fear.