Dragging them back to the table, she placed wine glasses into the hands of Ye Su and Ba Lv, "For having a new partner, cheers!"

She excitedly proposed.

"Cheers!" This time, the three wine glasses clinked together lightly, producing a pleasant sound.

After Yanran's earnest persuasion, Jiang Cheng accepted Ba Lvdi as his apprentice, resolving Ba Lv's issues, and they had been resting for several days in a small town on Delma Planet. Now, it's time to set out again.

The gunboat taken from the Black Exhaust Headquarters was of great value, and Jiang Cheng instructed not to destroy it carelessly. This aligned perfectly with Ba Lvdi's intentions, so she found suitable workers to refurbish the gunboat and removed the Black Exhaust logo from its front, making it look like a privately-owned large spacecraft from the outside.

Yanran and Ba Lvluo were the gunboat's main and deputy pilots, Jiang Cheng sat in the co-pilot's seat, while the Little Flaming Firebird flitted from one control panel to another. Everyone was ready to head to Delma Planet.

"Are you all seated?" Ba Lvdi asked.

Jiang Cheng and Yanran gestured to her, indicating they were ready, and she could take off at any time.

With a "go" from Ba Lvdi, the gunboat abruptly accelerated and shot into the sky.

Jiang Cheng and Yanran were already prepared, and nothing happened to them.

However, the Little Flaming Firebird, which had been flying around in the control room, was suddenly slammed against the wall when the gunboat took off.

"Squawk!" protested the Little Flaming Crow. As Ba Lv steered the spacecraft in a steep turn, it was flung to the other side again.

The Little Flaming Crow was quite jostled, losing a few feathers in the process.

Worried, Yanran quickly stood up from the pilot's seat, hugging the distressed Little Flaming Firebird, stroking its feathers, and soothing it, while playfully slapping Ba Lvdi a few times for the Little Flaming Firebird to see: "Naughty auntie, purposely teasing us, let's hit her to cheer Alice up."

Ba Lvdi was in high spirits, piloting the gunboat and playfully teasing Yanran. When Yanran wasn't paying attention, she would tap the Little Flaming Crow on the head a few times.

The Little Flaming Crow, though having some intelligence, couldn't speak and could only cry out aggrievedly at Yanran.

The gunboat entered orbit and was handed over to the computer for automatic operations. Holding the Little Flaming Firebird, Yanran gazed dreamily at the various planets outside, while Ba Lvdi left the control panel, handed a glass of water to Jiang Cheng, and asked, "Teacher, what are we going to do on Delma Planet?"

Jiang Cheng took a sip of water, set down the glass, and replied, "I plan to visit the Aerospace Bureau on Delma Planet to see if they have star system maps."

"To see if we can leave this star system."

Ye tapped on the table with his fingers, "How long has it been since I left Earth? Seems like many days—a lot has changed. Who knows what's going on now on Desec, the star system I want to visit, compared to Earth? If they've had a war, I know nothing about it! I'm worried to death."

"What if we can't find star system maps?" Ba Lv asked.

"That's problematic," Jiang Cheng set down his glass and sighed, "You better pray we find suitable star system maps there, or else we'll be in big trouble, and the duration is also uncertain."

Suddenly, a warning sound from the system: "Attention, attention, danger ahead detected, advising members to be vigilant."

This sudden alert startled Jiang Cheng and the others. They quickly turned their heads and looked at the central screen. It turned out that not far ahead, there were two pirate ships robbing another spacecraft.

Ba Lvdi didn't wait for Jiang Cheng, she seated herself and began various operations.

She maneuvered the boat towards the two pirate ships, issuing a warning: "Cease your actions immediately, cease your actions immediately, or you will enter our attack range!" The gunboat slowed near the two pirate ships, and the ion cannon atop the gunboat surfaced.

In the Dark World, not every dark faction could throw their weight around like the Black Exhaust Group. The fact is, the Black Exhaust Group was already a powerful presence amongst those dark factions.

The gunboat Ba Lvdi stole from their base, to other dark factions, even having one (cfid) would be satisfying enough.

Moreover, they don't even have a single one now, while the Black Exhaust Group owned at least five. This illustrated the power and reach of the Black Exhaust Group. Unfortunately, that was the previous Black Scorpion Group, as the current Black Exhaust Group no longer exists.

Those two pirate ships were far smaller in tonnage compared to the gunboat Jiang Cheng and his companions were aboard, and in terms of firepower, the pirate ships were only equipped with two small laser guns, sufficient for self-defense but incomparable to the firepower on the gunboat.

To those two small pirate ships, the gunboat was an overwhelming monster!

Especially with the ion cannon protruding from the gunboat, its turret rotating, aiming directly at the pirate ships, instilling genuine fear in the pirates.

Ba Lvluo, being a member of the Dark World, was well-versed in all the tactics, and after giving a warning, she took a mere breath before speaking again.

"Ten seconds, then we will commence our attack. You have ten seconds more. If you do not retreat, you will be annihilated immediately."

Following this, a deathly countdown sounded: "10, 9, 8..."

The pirates cursed as they dashed out of the robbed spacecraft. They couldn't manage to grab their spoils, moving with such haste as if they wished they had three legs each.

The two powerful ships began launching, waiting for the pirates to return before fleeing. The pirate leader cursed, believing this gunboat aimed to double-cross, relying on its strong, armed abilities to charge into their midst, chasing them away, allowing its own people to take action. The prey in their mouths was snatched by others.

If it were a cosmic law enforcement craft, it would have distinct markings and letters on the exterior, and they wouldn't have let them escape. They would've been busy capturing their comrades by now.

The members aboard the pirate ships had gathered completely, looking at their bedraggled, empty-handed underlings. The pirate leader flipped a middle finger toward the gunboat parked not far from them before commanding the spaceship to take off.

Neither of these pirates noticed that not long after their recent takeoff, the turret on the gunboat behind them began to move again.

Inside the gunboat, a slight cold smile lined Ba Lvluo's lips, her hands skillfully operating continuously.

Voice prompts echoed from the computer.

Main cannon energy recharged.

Particle weapons ready.

DS-type attack missiles ready.

Jiang Cheng wasn't at all surprised by Ba Lvdi's approach, indifferently watching, knowing full well that she wouldn't let these pirates go.