Dai Zhixing dispelled Jiang Ye's thoughts with a single sentence:
"Only poor devils steal. Human territories are currently prosperous, so there's no need to risk your life traveling thousands of miles to steal cheap ores. You won't earn much, and it would be utterly embarrassing if word got out."
Jiang Ye considered it and agreed.
If he were to organize a mining theft team, he would need to recruit personnel, acquire sufficiently advanced spaceships that could roam the universe without being easily caught, as well as mining equipment, supplies, and even defensive weaponry – all costly necessities. Without trillions, it wouldn't even get started.
Investing so much money just to steal worthless ores would be a terrible loss.
Jiang Ye put the matter aside and didn't think about it further.
However, by sheer coincidence, just five days later, the issue resurfaced.
Ju Lanlan called Jiang Ye, reporting that an alien mining theft team had appeared in the Xinke Asteroid Belt.
The thieves appeared to be Chans, and their methods were extremely malicious.
The Chans not only deployed mining robots, stealthily extracting ores in the edges and nooks of the Xinke Asteroid Belt.
There were even several instances of intercepting human ore transport ships and directly robbing them of their ore.
Moreover, the frequency of these robberies was increasing. The Chans had clearly tasted success and were addicted to stealing ore.
Ju Lanlan said that the mining crews were all in a state of panic, with absenteeism and resignation rates soaring, leading to a sharp drop in production. The mining teams were too scared to venture too far for mining, only daring to extract small surface ores and avoiding deep-level mining. They were also extremely cautious when working outside, constantly observing their surroundings, as they needed to be ready to flee at any moment.
Jiang Ye was troubled. This was his first encounter with a direct conflict with an alien civilization, and he felt somewhat at a loss.
He called Dai Zhixing for instructions. Dai Zhixing’s response was casual, saying that Jiang Ye could handle it however he saw fit. A few petty ore thieves, even if all of them were killed, no one would say anything.
Dai Zhixing also offered specific suggestions:
"The universe is vast. Perhaps while they were mining, they were crushed into meat paste by passing meteorites? Perhaps they contracted some unknown alien virus and all died? Perhaps they entered some temporal or spatial anomaly and disappeared, only to reappear decades later? Perhaps terrorists from the Galactic Split Alliance fired upon them? Perhaps they turned on each other, fighting like dogs, and wiped themselves out? Perhaps their ships malfunctioned and they plunged straight into a star or a black hole?"
Jiang Ye listened, his heart pounding. Dai Zhixing was indeed a veteran; his methods were numerous.
With Dai Zhixing's assurance, Jiang Ye felt relieved. However, for prudence's sake, he called Fu Qiuyan.
Fu Qiuyan stated that during their mining operations in the Xinke Asteroid Belt, they had also encountered mining thieves, the Chans. Usually, a few warning shots were enough to send the Chans scrambling away in terror.
"That area is quite chaotic; it's impossible without military escort. You don't need heavy weaponry; the firepower of some conventional small warships is sufficient. However, you need a large number of combat units to cover a wider area. Those Chans are very cunning, like flies. You drive them away in the morning, and they sneak back in the afternoon when you leave to continue stealing. They are extremely annoying," Fu Qiuyan said. "I've spoken with the leaders of other planets about this issue. Each planet has a different way of handling it. Some bomb them directly, some hire Chans to help with mining, and some kidnap them and demand ransom. In short, thieves are unwelcome throughout the universe, so you can act with a clear conscience."
"Your planet's forces have experience in dealing with such matters. Can you organize a mercenary team to go there?" Jiang Ye asked. "Have Ju Lanlan pay for their deployment and ammunition costs, and you can earn a little too."
"Certainly, it's quite simple and won't require many troops," Fu Qiuyan agreed after a moment's hesitation.
Soon, two star-class warships under Fu Qiuyan's command arrived at the Xinke Asteroid Belt. They deployed a hundred space fighters, which began regular patrols.
Jiang Ye was very satisfied with this resolution. With Daughter Star sending troops to protect the Xinke Asteroid Belt, it would appear that Fu Qiuyan and Ju Lanlan were allied, distancing their relationship from Jiang Ye Star. This would likely divert the attention of many, making people believe that Ju Lanlan had truly defected.
Furthermore, the cooperation between Ju Lanlan and Fu Qiuyan would strengthen their mutual trust, while Jiang Ye wouldn't have to spend money or troops to solve the problem. It was a very comfortable arrangement.
The comfort lasted only for half a month.
Fu Qiuyan called again.
The number of Chan mining theft teams had surged.
Originally, there were only 12 small Chan mining ships roaming the Xinke Asteroid Belt. In the past week, this number had suddenly increased to eighty or ninety mining ships.
Moreover, the newly added mining ships could release nearly ten thousand unmanned reconnaissance drones, scanning everywhere like a swarm of bees.
Jiang Ye had a bad premonition. Logically, if these thieves discovered that the Xinke Asteroid Belt was defended by troops, they should have given up and sought out other routes, going to steal in other star systems. Why were they now increasing their numbers, upgrading their equipment, and showing a tendency to confront head-on?
Jiang Ye first instructed Fu Qiuyan to dispatch more troops to guard the Xinke Asteroid Belt. If the Chans continued to be rampant, she could open fire and kill some as a warning.
Following that, Jiang Ye convened a military meeting, assigning officers to begin researching the Chans.
They were to collect data on the Chans from the past century, request records of Chan mining theft teams from various planets, read relevant academic papers, and analyze the thought logic and behavioral patterns of this alien civilization.
Concurrently, a team of officers was dispatched to the Xinke Asteroid Belt to assess the situation firsthand, enabling them to formulate countermeasures in case the situation further deteriorated.
As soon as the dispatched officers arrived, Fu Qiuyan's forces engaged the Chans.
Sixteen space fighters from Daughter Star, while on patrol, directly encountered thirty Chan mining ships and opened fire without a word. After being hit by the firepower, the Chan ships also revealed their weapons and returned fire. Simultaneously, twenty more mining ships from nearby rushed to reinforce them.
The engagement lasted for half an hour.
One of Daughter Star's space fighters was destroyed, while the rest remained intact.
Eighteen of the fifty Chan mining ships were destroyed, and the remaining ones fled in disarray, disappearing into the endless sea of stars.
Fu Qiuyan used this incident for extensive propaganda.
The media outlets of Jiang Ye Star, Bi Rong Star, and Exile Star did not report on the matter, as, on the surface, neither the Xinke Asteroid Belt nor the Daughter Star army had any connection to the three planets.
In the week following the battle, the Chan mining theft teams completely vanished, not encountered even once.
The interstellar miners under Ju Lanlan breathed a collective sigh of relief, their moods lifted, believing that they would no longer have to work with constant vigilance against Chan ships.
However, Jiang Ye felt that things would not be so simple.
The Chan mining theft teams were likely to return.