Staying Alive Cautiously in the Celestial Realm and Becoming the Strongest

The command cabin of the Grey Fish was dead silent, with each of the star pirates staring dumbfounded.

The SPB17 Phoenix suddenly breaking in undoubtedly brought them immense shock. Even the most valiant pirate leader would feel uncontrollable fear facing such a combat mech nearly ten meters tall at close range.

Especially with Wang Chen piloting the mech, fighting his way here with overwhelming might and killing intent!

"Shut down the engines, lock the weapon systems, kneel and surrender!"

Wang Chen said in a deep voice, "Otherwise, it's kill without mercy!"

His mission was to capture this star pirate warship, leaving as many alive as possible for interrogation.

So as long as the enemies didn't resist, Wang Chen had no intention to start a massacre.

And his voice reverberated throughout the large command cabin, shaking the eardrums of every star pirate.

Clatter!

Some of the star pirates couldn't withstand such pressure, clutching their heads and kneeling on the floor.

But a few star pirates had flickering eyes and quietly retreated.

Zzzz! Zzzz! Zzzz!

The 70mm caliber close-range defense laser cannons mounted on Phoenix's shoulders fired simultaneously, instantly blasting the heads of four star pirates with ill intentions.

The laser cannons equipped on the mech might not have a long range, but their recharge speed is incredibly fast, allowing for continuous firing, perfect for ground and close-range combat.

These star pirates, merely wearing exoskeletons, couldn't withstand such an onslaught, leaving their bodies lying on the ground.

Their gruesome deaths also intimidated the other star pirates, who immediately trembled and knelt down.

The main engine of Grey Fish shut down immediately, the ship's weapon systems were locked, and all the main and secondary cannons and close-range defense guns went silent, even the combat mechs released were remotely controlled to lose power, becoming floating targets in space.

At this moment, more and more Imperial Army mechs penetrated into the light escort ship, quickly seizing key areas.

Compared to the fate of two other star pirate warships, Grey Fish was considerably lucky. The other two were bombarded into submission by Jiangyuan and River Sun, shield shattered and sunk on the spot!

The combat power of the empire's new high-speed destroyers was not something the modified star pirate ships could withstand. Once the Seventh Rapid Response Fleet's rescue forces reached this space, the outcome was already decided.

But this battle wasn't entirely over yet.

When the special forces dispatched by the Jiangyuan destroyer entered the Grey Fish, Wang Chen piloting Phoenix withdrew from this enemy ship.

According to protocol, completing the mission meant returning to the mother ship, namely the Jiangyuan destroyer, but he had just exited when he received a high-tier communication link.

"Sergeant Wang Chen, I am Colonel Lin Qiangdong, the captain of the Jiangyuan destroyer."

A middle-aged captain with a stern expression projected on the mech's internal holographic screen, said with piercing eyes, "There may be a new mission needing you to complete..."

Although the main force of star pirates attacking the merchant ship was completely destroyed, with three warships, two sunk and one captured, the victory was outstanding.

However, there remained a group of star pirates on the Safety. They had taken some crew hostage and controlled this large merchant ship, using it as leverage to demand negotiations!

But the empire never compromises with bandits and robbers, so River Sun destroyer had already dispatched special forces, preparing to assault the Safety merchant ship, eliminate the star pirates, and rescue the hostages.

Colonel Lin Qiangdong hoped Wang Chen would also participate in this operation, to support the special forces action, and save as many merchant ship crew lives as possible.

Due to the special structure of the merchant ship, coupled with the need to protect ships and cargo, Wang Chen could only operate without the mech, unable to enter as he did with the SPB17 Phoenix.

Considering the danger of this mission, the captain of the Jiangyuan destroyer gave him the option to refuse.

In fact, there was considerable debate among the commanders of Jiangyuan on whether to deploy Wang Chen for the rescue operation.

Because Wang Chen was very young, with today being his first participation in a combat mission, his experience was greatly lacking.

But on the other hand, he was a rare A-tier War Professional.

If such potent combat capability could be added to the operation, it would undoubtedly significantly increase the success rate!

Having understood the situation, Wang Chen replied without hesitation, "I accept this mission!"

"Excellent!"

Colonel Lin Qiangdong's eyes showed a hint of admiration.

The Jiangyuan destroyer immediately approached, promptly recovering the SPB17 Phoenix.

Wang Chen just returned to the cabin, immediately opened the front armor, and jumped straight to the deck below.

Four or five logistical personnel already waiting swiftly mounted the H79 Martial Soldier Exoskeleton on him.

The H79 Martial Soldier is a standard Imperial Army ground warfare external armor, with excellent defense and mobility, although not as advanced as the lightest mechs, it considerably enhances a soldier's combat power.

However, only mid-to-high tier War Professionals have the ability to control this new type of exoskeleton, while the battle armor used by ordinary soldiers is inferior in many aspects.

Additionally, the H79 Martial Soldier also has short-term space survival capability, very suitable for boarding combat.

Once Wang Chen donned the full set of battle armor and weapons, he boarded a small assault craft and was launched out.

In merely two minutes, sitting alone in the assault craft, Wang Chen felt a jolt throughout his body. This small craft evidently collided with something, and the front suddenly burst open.

Revealing a dark hole within!

Wang Chen fiercely leapt forward, charging into the heart-palpitating darkness ahead.

Meanwhile, the structural map of Safety projected onto Wang Chen's retinas, indicating his current location.

Guided by the scanning information from Jiangyuan destroyer, Wang Chen quickly found a passage leading to the upper levels of the merchant ship.

However, Safety's large size prevented Jiangyuan from providing the specific location of the star pirates, thus upon entering the merchant ship, Wang Chen had to rely on himself to complete the mission.

But Wang Chen could also see the positions of his comrades, the special forces members who infiltrated the merchant ship before him.

As Wang Chen tried to contact them, a conspicuous message popped up in his view, "Warning, warning, communication system experiencing severe interference, data link severed!"

This rendered him unable to even contact his comrades, let alone communicate with Jiangyuan destroyer.

Moreover, the detection system of the H79 Martial Soldier Exoskeleton also encountered issues.

There was no doubt this was the doing of the star pirates occupying the merchant ship!

Although this wasn't within expectations, Wang Chen didn't panic at all.

He unleashed his Spiritual Energy.

Unlike the electronic devices in battle armor, Wang Chen's Spiritual Energy was entirely unaffected by external interference, extending through layer upon layer of hulls in all directions!

-----------

Here's the second update.