Counterfeit Hero

The bandit army fleet sailed silently and stealthily through the deep, tranquil universe.

The Destroyer Formation, composed of ten Destroyers and eleven [Magic] cruisers, advanced at the forefront in the Snake Spear Formation. Behind them, seven [Holy]-class Battleships and the massive [Oracle] Space Carrier formed the main circular formation. At the rear and flanks, twenty [Fierce Bandit]-class Armed Merchant Ships and twenty-six [Mass Brawl]-class Heavy Assault Ships, modified from pirate assault ships, clustered together.

The fleet moved swiftly, and on this desolate fringe channel, dozens of warships flashed like streaks of lightning across the starry sky. Star systems and planets watched as these dozens of ragtag warships passed by in procession, eventually vanishing without a trace into the depths of the forest, like fireflies trailing long blue streams of light.

The Constant Star continuously radiated light and heat; planets continued to move along their orbits; nebulae and asteroid belts remained silent and soundless. To them, this passing fleet was just a small insect in the long timeline of their existence. Insignificant, negligible.

Margaret stood by the porthole, watching a dark brown planet, seemingly half ablaze under the star’s glow, swiftly recede. In the blink of an eye, it shrunk from the size of a basin to a tiny ping pong ball in the distance. When the warship made a sharp turn in the void, this half-lit, half-dark planet had already jumped to the other side, disappearing from view.

The warship sped on, and soon after, darkness returned outside the porthole. The distant stars were merely small points of light, their brightness unable to outshine the bright cabin lights. The clear porthole became a mirror. Margaret quietly gazed at her face appearing on the glass, suddenly wrinkling her nose and playfully making a face.

This was a boring yet interesting journey.

It was boring because, apart from passing stars, bright nebulae, and the occasional mystical Aurora, there was little to see from the speeding warship. It was interesting because she didn’t even know where she was.

”Margaret!”

The gentle and pleasant voice of Fang Xiang reached Margaret’s ears.

”Here we go again!” Margaret bit her lip in frustration. She had long noticed that whenever the fleet was about to make a jump, someone would always find her with various excuses to make her leave the porthole.

If she didn’t leave, these warships would remain stationary for a long time.

Stopping the engines, closing the portholes and passages, the loud noises and vibrations... These were Margaret’s deepest impressions of warship jumps on this journey. They told her nothing but made her even more curious.

In the Mars Free Channel, there were many jump points available for carriers, but they were not contiguous. If one wanted to reach the Saleria Longbow Star System, the only route was to enter the Southeast Main Channel from a jump point.

However, despite not knowing her whereabouts, Margaret understood that this fleet was traveling at speeds far beyond the limits of similar Feiyang-class ships, on a course completely unrelated to the main channel.

How did they possess an A-grade route for carriers besides the main channel?! Or was their destination not Saleria?!

All these questions constantly plagued Margaret. The fleet’s clear secrecy only piqued her curiosity further.

Margaret smiled as she turned around to see Fang Xiang approaching.

Even with Margaret’s pride, she had to admit that this Saleria Major General with her smooth black hair wielded a certain captivating magic power.

Friendly, serene, gentle, sensual... even her voice was enchanting.

The natural allure and mature charm she exuded couldn’t be learned by ordinary girls. Such a woman was the dream of men. Be it at a ball full of beauties or on a soft-sheeted bed, she was the epitome of allure in men’s eyes.

”Just call me Maggie,” Margaret laughed.

”Alright, Maggie...” Fang Xiang looped an arm through Margaret’s, chuckling, ”That guy’s waiting to settle the score with you in the combat room.”

”So that means...” Margaret smiled broadly, ”I should leave the porthole, right?”

”Yeah.” Fang Xiang was slightly taken aback, then laughed frankly, ”See, we’ve been racking our brains to find excuses so you wouldn’t discover our fleet’s secrets.”

”How many more such excuses do you need?” Margaret, arm in arm with Fang Xiang, headed to the combat room, ”Should I help you think of some next time?”

”This is the last one,” Fang Xiang’s nonchalant words struck Margaret’s ear like a thunderclap, ”After this jump point, we’ll reach the Saleria Longbow Star System. That’s my home...”

”Welcome to Saleria, this...” Margaret stopped, staring blankly back at the slowly closing porthole cover. Watching the command hall, where youthful officers were spirited and breathing rapidly, listening to the smiling Saleria Major General, hearing her speak in that magically alluring voice, as if talking to herself, ”...the land discovered in the last second before abandonment.”