By now, Xu Yi, a Captain of the First Legion and the designated escort officer, had completed his pickup mission. He did a final head count; with the exception of one student who had failed to complete the preliminary task, everyone was present.
Xu Yi nodded and ordered the ship to depart. The starship left the M88 military port, surging toward a distant sector of space.
That was the true site of this joint military exercise.
In the remote Gamma Star Sector, seven fleets lay anchored in silent formation, awaiting the arrival of the final group.
At the headquarters of the joint exercise, Admiral Ji Qiu, the supreme commander of the operation, activated the holographic star map of their destination.
At the Admiral’s command, the bio-intelligent optical computer recognized the prompt. A virtual, three-dimensional map of the starry sky materialized in the room—a perfect, scaled-down reconstruction that made one feel as though they were standing in the heart of the cosmos.
Gazing at the blurred, intricate nebulae and complex orbital paths on the map, Ji Qiu’s expression remained stoic until a knock at the door interrupted his focus.
The visitor was the Admiral’s adjutant, a young Beta. The officer snapped a crisp military salute and reported in a monotone, "Reporting to the Admiral: all eight fleets have arrived and accounted for."
"Understood." Ji Qiu nodded.
As he spoke, he deactivated the holographic map, took his greatcoat from a nearby rack, and draped it over his shoulders. He walked out with long, purposeful strides.
The Omega Admiral, his features cold and sharp beneath his black cloak, marched into the war room. The commanders of the eight fleets participating in the exercise had already gathered there.
Upon seeing their superior enter, the eight captains—Xu Yi included—stood to salute him.
Ji Qiu raised a hand, signaling them to sit. He was a man of few words, never one for idle chatter.
After gesturing for his adjutant to reopen the holographic map, Admiral Ji Qiu announced the objective of the joint exercise: the total eradication of space pirates within the Gamma Corridor.
The captains were not surprised by the mission; it was exactly what they had anticipated.
This stemmed from the traditional protocols of the Federation military. For a joint exercise of this scale, involving all eight major legions, the goal was never a simple head-to-head clash between their own forces.
According to the high command, live-fire drills were expensive. What was the point of wasting resources and effort just to have their own people fight each other? Not only was it a drain on the treasury, but the need to minimize casualties would severely limit the soldiers' performance.
To keep things safe, they couldn't exactly have commissioned officers playing holographic simulations like mere students, could they? If they did that, the Federation military would become a laughingstock.
Thus, the pragmatic top brass had devised a method that was profitable, involved real combat, and maintained the peace of Federation space: they would strike at the unstable elements threatening the realm.
The blood-stained, notorious space pirates became the favorite targets for these exercises.
Pirates were combat-capable, cunning, and fierce—the perfect whetstones for the military’s blade. Wiping them out protected the peace and brought in bounty money. It was, quite frankly, a perfect arrangement.
Acting as the voice of the high command, the laconic Admiral Ji Qiu laid out the mission: clear the pirates threatening the safety of the Gamma Corridor.
The eight fleets were to organize their own operations. Any spoils of war would belong to their respective legions, and the fleets would be ranked based on the notoriety of the pirates they neutralized. The fleet with the highest score would be declared the winner.
It was simple, brutal, and devoid of unnecessary restrictions.
As the supreme commander, Ji Qiu would remain at the rear headquarters to oversee the operation, act as a judge, and serve as the "firefighter" for any unforeseen emergencies.
After hearing the objective, the eight captains sized each other up. This mission was one of the scenarios they had analyzed before arriving.
Six or seven times out of ten, these joint exercises involved pirate suppression. And if one were to name a place where trouble had been brewing lately, it was undoubtedly the Gamma Corridor—a bustling, complex trade route connecting to external star systems.
In the past six months, there had been countless horrific reports of entire merchant caravans being slaughtered there. Unfortunately, the local garrison was limited in strength. Furthermore, the geography of the Gamma Corridor was volatile; the local forces weren't nearly as familiar with the shifting navigational routes as the pirates were.
Often, by the time the local garrison was ready to deploy, the cunning pirates had already vanished without a trace.
Vicious, greedy, cruel, and masters of guerrilla warfare—these were the hallmarks of the pirates in the Gamma Corridor.
Though he had expected this, Xu Yi’s face still soured when he heard the Admiral’s words.
If it were just some minor skirmish, it would be fine. But this time, they were facing a pack of bloodthirsty wolves. Thinking of the nine "brats" from the military academies currently aboard his flagship, Xu Yi resigned himself to the role of a "nanny fleet" providing logistics.
He could forget about taking the top prize.
As much as he found the meddlesome students a nuisance, Xu Yi recognized that these cadets were the future pillars of the military. Ensuring their safety was far more important than winning first place.
As Xu Yi sighed inwardly, Admiral Ji Qiu seemed to hear his thoughts. The Admiral turned, his gaze piercing as he looked directly at Xu Yi. His voice was cold and hard. "You are the First Legion, not a nanny fleet."
Xu Yi jolted, his expression wavering with hesitation.
However, Admiral Ji Qiu had already finished his part. After telling the eight captains to prepare, he left with his adjutant.
Left behind, Xu Yi felt a surge of competitive spirit because of the Admiral’s words.
*That’s right!* Xu Yi thought fiercely. *I’m from the First Legion!*
The naturally competitive captain made up his mind then and there. At worst, he would just keep those nine brats right under his nose. That way, nothing could go wrong.
Meanwhile, having left the war room, Admiral Ji Qiu paused. He looked back at his adjutant and asked, "Is something the matter?"
"Admiral..." The adjutant looked at his superior, hesitating. "I saw Master Ji Wei’s name on the list of cadets." He was one of the most promising candidates for the next generation of the Ji family’s leadership. If something happened to him...
"Jade must be polished to become a gem," the Admiral replied curtly before turning to walk away.
In truth, Ji Qiu hadn't mentioned that he had seen not only Ji Wei, but also his own "little brat." It was precisely because he had seen his own son that he had made that demand of the First Legion without hesitation.
A lion cub must be thrown among the beasts to grow. Especially when that cub was disobedient and rebellious, he needed a harsh lesson!
Don't think he didn't know this was all the Old Man’s little game—sneaking the boy away from home while he was gone and making him a prison warden. It was utter nonsense! This kind of "grandparental spoiling" made the Admiral want to explode with rage.
Ji Qiu was angry because the Old Man had given the boy the name "Yeran," placing him right in the eye of the storm. If Ji Yeran didn't grow strong enough, then the more he was doted on now, the more miserable his eventual death would be.
Ji Qiu admitted he wasn't a good father, but he didn't want to see his son end up in a nameless grave.
At that moment, still aboard the First Legion ship, Ji Yeran had no idea that Ji Qiu—his Omega father—was the supreme commander of this entire exercise.
***
Back on the First Legion ship, Captain Xu Yi returned from his briefing and fell into deep thought while staring at the holographic map of the Gamma Corridor.
From this map—filled with undercurrents, nebulae, asteroid belts, and various celestial traps—he could see just how much of a home-field advantage the pirates possessed.
In this treacherous environment, those vicious pirates were like local snakes, naturally holding the upper hand. Even with advanced equipment and star charts, catching those rats in their holes required immense skill—or perhaps a bit of luck.
How could they find the rats' nest quickly and leverage the First Legion’s superiority to take the lead in this exercise?
As Xu Yi was pondering, a voice suddenly rang out.
"Just make them show themselves."
"Who said that?!" Xu Yi looked up toward the source of the voice. It was Feng Zhixi, the Omega cadet who liked sweets.
Xu Yi frowned slightly at the student. He had brought these nine cadets onto his flagship with the intention of letting them watch and learn.
What did this student mean by "make them show themselves"? How?
On an open battlefield, a rabble couldn't defeat a well-equipped, well-trained regular army. Were these pirates really going to just walk into a trap voluntarily?
*Walk into a trap? Wait...*
A thought flashed through Xu Yi’s mind. He looked directly at the black-haired, black-eyed youth and muttered, almost to himself, "Bait?"
As a veteran pirate leader in his own right, Feng Zhixi offered a small smile. It seemed this Captain of the First Legion wasn't too stupid after all.
Feng Zhixi hadn't spoken up for any reason other than wanting to get this over with quickly. Besides, even as a "pirate" himself, he looked down on those who were nothing but bloodthirsty thugs.
"Star Wanderers" and "Space Pirates" were completely different things, yet those people had dragged the reputation of all Star Wanderers through the mud.
Inspired by the cadet’s casual suggestion, Xu Yi was delighted. He didn't hold back his praise. "Not bad, kid. I'll credit you for this."
Xu Yi was already thinking: *Bait. What a brilliant idea.* Since it was hard to find the pirates in the complex star belts, they could disguise themselves as a "big fish" and set a trap. Moving from the light into the shadows was a masterstroke!
Having made up his mind, Xu Yi began considering how to arrange the bait. The decoys had to be strong and capable of convincing acting.
Just as Xu Yi was about to start picking names, a hand shot up.
"Reporting, sir! Cadet Number One requests to join the Bait Operation!" Emir, her long ponytail swaying, volunteered herself with gusto.
Internally, the eager Emir was screaming like a hyperactive marmot at her "Chief": *Ahhh! Chief is amazing! This gives us a reason to join the frontline combat!*
Was there any mission more suited for them than being the bait?!
Almost at the exact same moment Emir volunteered, Ji Wei stepped forward, unwilling to be outdone. He stated boldly and confidently, "Captain, let me execute the Bait Operation."
Xu Yi: "..."
*Are these brats just here to cause trouble?!*
***
Enjoying the story? Rate this novel:
Starry Rebirth: The Warden and the Outlaw’s Interstellar Revenge | Chapter 39 | Setting the Trap | Novela.app | Novela.app
