“How far away are they? Can the radar pick them up?”

Li Ruiqi asked.

“They’re not too far. We’re increasing radar power for scanning and tracking, and we’ve successfully locked on!”

The operator excitedly reported.

“Show it.”

Li Ruiqi commanded.

Immediately, a holographic image appeared, showing a medium-sized transport ship shaped like a pancake, painted with the flag of the Hai Ke Free State. It was being chased by two Tier-2 Demun Empire battleships, one of which had already landed a hit, fortunately not on a vital area.

At this moment, the other ship was like a drowning person grasping at a straw.

They were frantically sending SOS messages to the Blackstone.

“Lord Li Ruiqi, they keep sending us SOS messages and communication requests.”

Ogulas and Spade looked increasingly grave.

Li Ruiqi’s expression shifted constantly. He turned to Ogulas and Spade and said, “We’re fully loaded with supplies right now. It’s best not to get involved at a critical time. Less trouble is better. Let’s just turn a blind eye.”

Normally, Ogulas and Spade wouldn’t say a thing, but their expressions were conflicted.

Ogulas finally spoke, “We know what you’re saying, but there’s a problem. We’ve already signed a treaty of alliance with the Hai Ke Free State. According to the terms of the alliance, we can’t stand by and watch them die. Especially since we’re nearing the outer ring of the Star Ring City’s influence. If this gets out, it could cause a huge uproar, and even worse, it could jeopardize the newly established alliance.”

Spade also said in a deep voice, “Ogulas is right.”

After listening, Li Ruiqi thought for a few seconds before replying.

“I know what to do.”

“Mm.”

Spade and Ogulas nodded.

“Connect the communication.”

Li Ruiqi prepared to verify the other party’s identity.

Soon, a holographic image popped up, showing a woman with slightly blue skin, very tender, wearing a blue captain’s uniform.

The woman looked extremely anxious, pleading with a hint of a sob in her voice.

“Hello, I’m Colonel Hai Lu, under the Third Legion of the Hai Ke Free State, carrying out a transport mission. We are being targeted by Demun Empire ships, and the escorting frigates have been sunk. I beg you to save us for the sake of our alliance!”

“Please show us your identification. If everything checks out, Miss Hai Lu, rest assured that we will not stand idly by.”

Li Ruiqi said in a deep voice.

Hearing this, Hai Lu quickly took out her officer’s certificate.

“This is my officer’s certificate.”

Li Ruiqi turned to look at Puteemi.

Puteemi immediately compared the information with the database. After the alliance agreement was reached, the Blackstone had remotely updated some important database information.

In just a few minutes, Puteemi nodded to Li Ruiqi.

“It’s correct!”

“Miss Hai Lu, please rest assured, everything will be fine. We will support you.”

“Thank you so much.”

Hai Lu quickly thanked him.

Li Ruiqi then hung up the communication and turned to the operator to give the order, “Blackstone, slow down, maintain course, and dispatch the Black Tooth to rescue them.”

“Yes!”

Everyone present began to move.

Before long, the Black Tooth detached from the Blackstone and headed towards the target.

Puteemi reported.

“The Black Tooth has departed.”

Li Ruiqi nodded slightly and then gave the order, “Send a warning message to those two small battleships, ordering them to immediately cease their attack. We’ll let bygones be bygones and spare their lives.”

“Lord Li Ruiqi, is that necessary? The Black Tooth can handle those two Tier-2 battleships without any problem.”

Puteemi asked, somewhat puzzled.

“Even though they’re hostile to us, we should avoid trouble as much as possible. There’s no need to needlessly create an enemy for ourselves.”

Li Ruiqi explained calmly.

“What if they don’t appreciate it?”

Puteemi asked with a smile.

“Then there’s nothing to hesitate about. Let the Black Tooth sink them!”

Li Ruiqi replied without hesitation.

“That makes sense. We just don’t want to cause trouble, but that doesn’t mean we’re afraid of it. But speaking of which, even though I knew from the forums before we came back that the inner regions were quite chaotic, these guys are too lawless. It’s so bad that we ran into something like this as soon as we got back.”

Puteemi nodded, agreeing with Li Ruiqi’s approach.

However, just as Puteemi thought the matter would be resolved smoothly, the operator reported in shock, “Lord Li Ruiqi, they’re ignoring our warning and attacking the transport ship even more fiercely!”

Li Ruiqi frowned. They really had a death wish.

“Tell the Black Tooth to move faster.”

“Yes!”

The operator quickly entered the command.

But even so, the other side still didn’t stop.

“Are these people crazy? They’re already locked on, yet they’re still so arrogant. One would think they have some deep-seated hatred.”

Puteemi felt that this world was becoming increasingly crazy.

Under normal circumstances, shouldn’t they run when they see things are not going well?

Li Ruiqi frowned, not saying a word.

.....

In the deep space, in an electronic shielded zone, inside the command room of an unidentified ship.

A man with grayish skin, snake-like pupils, wearing Type III mechanical armor, stared at the Blackstone with a sneer.

His subordinate said anxiously, “Lord Danluka, it’s not working! They’re not falling for it and continue to advance. The bait only attracted a small fish.”

However, Danluka said indifferently, “It doesn’t matter whether they fall for it or not. They’ve already slowed down, which is enough for us to adjust our encirclement. There’s no way they can escape.”

....

In space, after approaching, the Black Tooth unhesitatingly attacked the two Tier-2 battleships.

The ship’s main gun fired a dazzling blue light, and missiles were launched.

The two battleships showed no intention of fleeing, instead, they opened fire with all their might, launching a fierce counterattack against the Black Tooth.

The transport ship, as if seeing a savior, desperately fled behind the Black Tooth.

Inside the Blackstone’s command room, the operator reported, “The two sides have already engaged. The Black Tooth’s firepower is significantly stronger than the two Tier-2 ships. The transport ship is disengaging from the battlefield, so there shouldn’t be any problems.”

“Good.”

Li Ruiqi nodded slightly.

A moment later.

The Black Tooth successfully crippled one of the enemy’s Tier-2 battleships with a single shot.

Immediately, the other Tier-2 battleship chickened out and began to retreat.

Black Tooth Captain Aubry’s holographic image popped up.

He reported to Li Ruiqi, “Captain Li Ruiqi, the Black Tooth has defeated the enemy. Should we pursue?”

“No, withdraw immediately.”

Li Ruiqi replied with a calm expression.

“Yes!”

Aubry nodded in response.