Chapter 1 A Desolate Start

On a desolate, barren, and lifeless planet, a chase was unfolding across a bald, gray plain.

Hundreds of remotely controlled drones were in pursuit from behind, densely packed. The Sky Ring spaceship's thrusters suddenly flared, emitting blue light pillars from its six nozzles, leaving long trails. Its speed soared, and the sudden acceleration created a swirling current that swept up countless dust particles from the ground, dragging a vortex of rolling smoke and dust behind it.

Buzz!!

The spaceship skimmed across the ground at an extremely high speed, leaving a triangular trail of dust in its wake, like a speedboat cutting through the surface of the sea.

Bang bang bang!

The drones hurriedly accelerated to keep up with Han Xiao's "Speed," but their accuracy clearly dropped. Many drones missed their targets due to the angle, significantly reducing their overall firepower.

The spaceship violently shook, as if it would be shot down at any moment. However, everyone noticed a distinct change. Although their senses told them it was more dangerous, the number of times the ship was hit had significantly decreased. The extremely high maneuverability greatly improved the ship's ability to evade attacks, and the reduced shield was barely able to withstand the current level of firepower, teetering right on the edge of danger. Han Xiao's control left everyone in awe.

Increasing the engine power also increased the difficulty of piloting. However, compared to the original pilot, everyone felt a completely different quality when Han Xiao took over, as if the spaceship had suddenly "come alive"! It was as if Han Xiao completely controlled the spaceship, which had become an extension of his body, making it extremely agile.

At this moment, the internal gravity of the spaceship gradually adjusted, and everyone got up one after another. The previous doubts vanished, replaced by surprise and joy.

Having someone able to step up and take charge in a dangerous situation was truly delightful. Any unexpected event that could improve the situation was a pleasant surprise, and no one had expected that Black Star had this up his sleeve.

"That's great!" Ge Ya instantly changed his tone, a hint of joy appearing on his usually expressionless face. "Based on this situation, the damage from the drones will be minimized. You're doing a great job!"

"Huh?"

Han Xiao was somewhat bewildered when he heard this. "This is just basic maneuvering. I haven't even started showing off yet."

The higher the speed, the flashier his maneuvers would be. He wasn't even breaking a sweat at this level.

Unfortunately, if he accelerated any further, the shield would really be too thin. He was afraid that he might be a little rusty from not piloting a warship for so long, so maintaining the current shield strength would be safer for him.

However, in the eyes of the mercenaries, the current defensive performance was already terrifyingly low, making them nervous and apprehensive. Yet, Black Star said this was just basic maneuvering?

What on earth are you planning to do, big brother?!

Everyone's heartstrings tightened, and an ominous premonition arose in their hearts.

Han Xiao flexed his wrists. "Everyone, hold on tight."

Having learned a lesson from his previous fall, no one dared to ignore his reminder this time. With lightning speed, they grabbed onto anything nearby that could provide a firm hold, their faces filled with tension.

Buzz!!

In an instant, the Sky Ring spaceship began to swerve wildly, like a furious wild horse trying to throw off the rider on its back!

All sorts of dazzling maneuvers were executed fluidly, including lateral rolls, roller coaster-like ups and downs, Z-shaped maneuvers, sharp turns, and more. A second ago, the route could barely be considered a straight line, but now it was completely unhinged!

The drone fleet was already struggling to keep up, but Han Xiao's drastic maneuvers caused their formation to scatter instantly. Many drones blocked the firing range of the drones behind them, making the laser fire even sparser and reducing the firepower once again.

Everyone felt as if they were inside a violently shaking can, swaying from side to side. For the first time, they experienced inertia pulling them from all directions at the same time. Their stomach acid churned, their brains trembled, their faces turned pale, and their vision began to blur. The people and environment around them seemed to gradually transform into a kaleidoscope as the spaceship rolled.

After piloting spaceships for so many years, the pilot suddenly recalled the scene of learning to pilot a spaceship for the first time. The long-lost dizziness was like an old friend who had returned after a long absence. In a daze, he seemed to see his piloting instructor appearing before him, smiling and waving at him...

While operating the spaceship and pulling off all sorts of bizarre moves, Han Xiao was still able to split his attention and say,

"Hey, pilot, you operate the weapons. Just running isn't going to cut it, we'll be done for eventually. Wait for the right opportunity and fire."

The pilot woke up as if from a dream and hurriedly agreed, sitting upright at the weapons station, holding his breath and waiting. Compared to Black Star, his piloting skills were simply unremarkable. He had encountered a true expert this time, and the previous resentment was gone. He immediately became obedient, afraid that his poor coordination would drag Han Xiao down.

"Listen to my countdown, five, four..."

Han Xiao stared intently at the rearview displayed on the screen. With a swerve, he once again disrupted the drone formation, seizing the fleeting opportunity of a laser interruption and making an almost insane ascent.

Whoosh—

The turbulence struck again!

Even though everyone had expected it, their legs went weak and they almost fell to the ground.

The spaceship traced an astonishing lateral U-shape, suddenly flying from the ground up above the drone fleet, upside down and heading back in the opposite direction.

"Fire!"

The pilot hurriedly opened fire. The Sky Ring spaceship fired light cannons, not needing to aim at all, directly attacking the dense formation.

Bang bang bang—

The shields of the leading drones lit up, briefly blocking the attack, but the drones behind them crashed into them, like dominoes turning into a chain of aerial accidents. The entire front line crashed into a tangled mess, rolling around in the sky.

However, the drones weren't so fragile as to crash.

Han Xiao only maintained this position for less than three seconds. Before the fleet could readjust, he made a turn and escaped to the side, the route like an unfolded paper clip, without the slightest pause. The entire process was extremely smooth, as slippery as a waterfall cascading down.

The pursuing fleet scrambled for a few seconds before catching up one after another. Although no warships had crashed, the distance between them and Han Xiao had suddenly widened.

"Good shot." Han Xiao smiled approvingly, giving the pilot a thumbs up.

The pilot returned a brilliant smile, and a stream of vomit flowed down from between his teeth, forming a waterfall.

This maneuver was extremely difficult, yet the people on board didn't show any shock, because they didn't even have the strength to be surprised. Their legs were trembling, their heads were spinning, and their faces were ashen.

This operation successfully dealt a blow to his teammates, providing them with a debuff. Were the mercenaries moved? Well, they didn't dare move.

Ge Ya opened his mouth, barely managing to perk up and say a few words of praise, but he suddenly covered his mouth. The muscles in his throat visibly moved up and down for a while before he dared to lower his hand.

Aroshia swayed, collapsing to the ground, unable to stand up, with a confused look on her face. "What's wrong with me?"

Melos gasped for air, almost suffocating like a fish that had been pulled out of the water, still shaken. The mercenaries around him were trembling, but luckily, his physical strength was strong enough to keep him going. He turned his head and saw the players looking calm, and he was immediately shocked. "You guys don't feel anything?!"

The players had smiles on their faces, cunningly reducing their tactile sensation to 5% three seconds after Han Xiao took over the spaceship, so even though their character panels were stacked with the negative status [Severe Dizziness], they still felt refreshed!

"I thought I just entered a time tunnel."

"This piloting skill is truly unique, terrifying!"

"I've seen 'Fast and Furious,' but this is 'Fast and Airsick.' Is it really this realistic?"

The players still had the energy to click their tongues in amazement.

Having no time to care about the reactions of the others, Han Xiao contemplated his next move.

'Just piloting the spaceship won't last for two days. The DarkStar fleet won't remain unchanged. When they realize that the drones can't handle us, they'll definitely use more aggressive methods. At most, I can only have fun with the drones for two hours. After that, the level of danger will inevitably increase step by step.'

He planned ahead, thinking about his subsequent strategy, because stalling for two days was not an easy task.

The others didn't know DarkStar's motives, but only Han Xiao knew that DarkStar was after the Whispering Relic, so DarkStar was unwilling to let anyone escape.

Several methods flashed through his mind, and Han Xiao said, "It's not a solution to stay on the surface. I have a plan..."

As soon as he said this, the expressions on everyone's faces were as tragic as prisoners about to go to the execution ground.

"You... do as you see fit. We trust you," Ge Ya said.

It was clearly a word of encouragement, but there was no hint of joy in his voice. Instead, his voice even trembled a little.

...

On the DarkStar mothership, in the vast command hall, the screen displayed the views from the drones. Captain Sarota watched with his hands behind his back, monitoring the situation.

The battle had been going on for more than ten minutes, and the warships of Blade and Zijing were in precarious situations. Only Han Xiao's situation was slightly better, immediately attracting Sarota's attention. He pointed at the screen and asked,

"Which mercenary group does that ship belong to?"

"The Sky Ring Allied Forces."

Sarota nodded. "They have a skilled pilot. It seems we'll have to spend a little more time. By the way, Black Star seems to be on the Sky Ring ship too, right?" The last sentence was directed toward a corner.

In the corner, Ashes leaned against the wall, exuding an aura that warned people to stay away. His face was cold and indifferent. When he heard Han Xiao's name, his eyes flickered slightly. He had a deep impression of Han Xiao, and he had never forgotten his last defeat, like a bone stuck in his throat.

Buzz buzz buzz!

Just then, an alarm suddenly sounded.

"Captain, we've detected spatial fluctuations. A fleet is warping toward our location."

Sarota wasn't surprised at all. He pulled up the detection screen, which showed two large warship fleets warping in from opposite sides of the distant starry sky, forming guard formations. They were vast and imposing, sandwiching DarkStar in the middle.

The two fleets were the border defense army groups of the Holy Stone Civilization and the Black Crow Civilization. The warship designs of the two sides were very different. One side had a semi-circular, heavy saucer shape, while the other side had a streamlined, narrow, and long shuttle shape. Each metal fortress was a formidable presence in the starry sky.

When the DarkStar mothership appeared, it was immediately detected by the border armies monitoring the territory. The Holy Stone and Black Crow immediately sent fleets to investigate the situation. Upon seeing DarkStar, they didn't take action but instead remained in place, watching from afar.

"Do we need to take action?" an adjutant asked.

"Heh, send a message, stating that we're just passing through on business and will be leaving soon. They won't attack us."

Sarota's expression was calm and unconcerned, as if he had everything under control.