Chapter 1332 - 1078: Start Provoking

Originally, Mahal had purchased a suit of battle armor from an adventurer. After testing, it was found that although the material of the armor was fragile, its ability to amplify Fighting Aura was astonishing. After countless mechanics had modified it, this armor had become Yahola’s treasure. Wearing this armor, Yahola had participated in countless battles, and finally, when the armor became battered and worn, Yahola returned it to Mahal. Although Mahal felt distressed, it was still better than not having it returned at all. Yet, just as it had been in his possession for a few days, Long Yi actually stole the armor again.

Mahal originally had no hope at all, but now, not only had Long Yi returned it, he also brought back a group of battle armors!

"I removed the self-destruction device that identifies the owner, and I made the necessary adjustments to the internal energy mechanism to suit your levels of Fighting Aura. I also redesigned the armor to ensure it wouldn’t be so fragile anymore," Long Yi explained to Mahal.

"Did you make all these?" Mahal asked nervously.

"How could that be possible? Actually, I already had these armors. They were in a mysterious ancient warehouse; all I had to do was adjust them a bit," Long Yi said.

"I see!" Mahal felt his jaw drop.

He actually believed... Long Yi had just made up a reason, but evidently, it sounded quite plausible.

"Are all these for us?" Mahal asked carefully, as several pirates eagerly wanted to put them on but were stopped by Mahal’s stern gaze.

"Of course not, these things are only lent to you to become the strongest pirates in this plane. As long as you keep fighting for this goal, you can continue using them," Long Yi said.

Raising his hand, Mahal touched the cold metal of the armor, feeling a sudden surge of indescribable fighting spirit in his chest: "I want to become the strongest pirate!"

The ambition of a person always grows with their power.

When you have only one dollar in your pocket, a steamed bun and a serving of pickles are enough to fill your stomach.

When you have a hundred dollars, you might find a restaurant to improve your life.

And when you have a million dollars, you start to criticize the taste of food, the sources of ingredients, and even the dining environment.

When you no longer have to think about the price of food, in fact, you don’t have to think about anything. You eat whatever you want, however you want, wherever you want.

The same was true for Mahal; armed with the battle armor, he and his brothers had instantly boosted their strength and confidence based on their understanding of the Black Sea Demon Pirate Group. Naturally, this confidence stemmed from that understanding.

"The only problem now is that we don’t have enough warships," Mahal said.

"Guess what else I brought?" Long Yi’s face was always smiling, ready to serve.

Recently, news about Long Yi had suddenly disappeared, causing Yahola to feel an inexplicable unease. Long Yi’s sudden disappearance after being so active felt problematic, but she couldn’t quite pinpoint what the issue was. Since seizing control of the Black Sea Demon, this was the first time she had felt this way; everything had been smooth sailing before, and this feeling shouldn’t have emerged.

Yahola felt that something was off, so her already terrible temper became even worse. And with her temper worsening, it was her subordinates who suffered. Over the past few days, several of her subordinates had been beaten half to death for various reasons, each time more severely than the last. If the last one hadn’t been rescued in time, he would have truly died. Fear of her rose to a new level. Yet, her mood did not improve; on the contrary, it became even heavier.

What on earth was going on?

Right! It must be because it’s been a long time since we went raiding!

Recently, due to Long Yi stirring things up in the entire plane, all major pirate activities had generally subsided, almost like when the great empires had purged this plane back in the day. The smaller pirate groups didn’t mind, as with fewer numbers, they could get by doing something else. But these large pirate groups were basically living off the lootings, and now, after squandering what they had, they found themselves without an income, leaving these pirates grumbling continuously.

"Damn it! We’ll go loot with me leading tomorrow!" Yahola commanded, deciding to take action personally, instantly lifting the spirits of the pirates. To them, Yahola was like a godly figure; with her leading the charge, they believed no merchant ship was unlootable!

Because the pirates were laying low, merchant ships became bolder, and those not hiring escort ships gradually increased. So this time, Yahola set her sights on a fleet composed of three large merchant ships.

The flagship tore through space, followed by warships trailing behind, as five small ships swiftly surrounded the fleet.

The merchant ships without escort had no choice but to slow down, allowing the small ships from the other side to dock.

Everything went smoothly.

But just then, a spatial fluctuation suddenly appeared in the distance, followed by the sudden appearance of three ships. These three ships bore three different pirate symbols: the Black Sea Demon, the Interstellar Wraith, and the Silent Flame. Upon their appearance, Yahola immediately felt that disquiet in her heart intensify.

Then, a secret communication link known only within the Black Sea Demon came through, followed by Mahal’s avatar appearing before Yahola.

"Long time no see, Group Leader," Mahal said with a smile.

"Mahal? You bastard still have the nerve to show your face around me?" Yahola’s expression immediately turned fierce.

"Why shouldn’t I? Isn’t this my face?" Mahal leaned in closer, still smiling.

"You know, the trouble you’ve caused this time isn’t as simple as just a beating." Yahola said in a deep voice.

"I know, so here I am to apologize, right? Not only did I come, but I also brought my brothers along, and I even brought three warships as a gift for you!" Mahal continued, still grinning.

Yahola was somewhat puzzled by what Mahal really wanted to do, but regardless, he should not dare to attack him. However, as the opposing warships kept approaching, Yahola suddenly widened his eyes because, although all their cannons were drooping, the angles were consistently aimed in his direction! That was the most common deceit used by pirates! He shouted loudly, "Fire all cannons simultaneously and blow them up!"

As this command was issued, the enemy’s cannons had also completed their targeting, the beams intertwining in the dark cosmos, the shields flickering continuously!

"Mahal! You dare attack me!" Yahola wondered if Mahal had gone mad. Including the flagship, he had six warships, while the opponent only had three. How could they dare to compete with such a disparity in numbers?

"Since I reckon I won’t survive if I fall into your hands anyway, why not give it a try!" Mahal’s smile did not fade, and his cannons did not stop firing for a moment. As for the most powerful Cosmic Stone Light Cannons, they were discharged as if they cost nothing.

"You’re dead!" Yahola was completely enraged. "Abandon all merchant ships, concentrate all firepower on killing Mahal!"

The warships that were initially docking immediately ceased and any Light Cannon that could target Mahal’s ships was constantly firing.

Mahal’s three warships were medium-sized and had relatively strong shields. But under such concentrated attacks, the shields quickly depleted, some armor shattered.

The image of Mahal on the communication suddenly changed expression, then the three warships turned around and fled at full speed!

"Thinking of running!?" Yahola was so irritated, how could he possibly let them just leave?

Under the lead of the flagship, the even blacker warships began to accelerate forcefully, bombarding the three warships in front relentlessly, while Mahal’s ships, while fleeing, still remembered to fire back. One of the shots exploded right in front of the bridge; although the shield blocked it and it did no serious harm, an agitated Yahola stumbled backward and fell to the ground on hitting a chair!

On the bridge, under everybody’s gaze, he, the Group Leader, embarrassingly fell!

In a mix of shame and rage, Yahola completely lost it.

"Chase them! Even if this idiot runs into a crack in space-time, bring him back to me alive! I want to skin him alive!"

At that moment, Mahal’s heart was pounding heavily, he was wearing battle armor, just not the helmet. Having once been quite successful around Yahola, he was very familiar with Yahola’s character; he would never tolerate any provocation. Perhaps initially, his actions were just to maintain his dignity as Group Leader, but now it had become totally habitual. So by provoking continuously, he was convinced he could attract Yahola over.

And things were going as planned. Seeing the speed of the chasing ships behind him, Mahal knew Yahola had absolutely been infuriated. The shot that hit the bridge would definitely make Yahola feel like it was a slap in his face, leaving him with only one thought in his mind.

That thought was to chase.

Although Mahal hadn’t witnessed the incident on the bridge with his own eyes, the outcome was pretty good.

Meanwhile, behind Mahal, Long Yi leisurely watched the battle. He wouldn’t get involved; he was completely impartial, just wanting to see whether Mahal was worthy of his investment or not.

And Mahal was well aware of Long Yi’s intentions; he wasn’t foolish, knowing he also had to prove his worth. If Long Yi could find him, naturally, he could find others as well.

After a persistent chase, Mahal’s three ships were heavily damaged and bombarded to tatters, significantly reducing their speed. Yahola also calmed down a bit, that unsettling feeling surfacing again. The usually so timid Mahal suddenly challenging him with three ships, could there be a plot behind this? Where did these three ships come from? If the first ship was the one he took, then the other two? Could they be supported by other pirate ships?

"Send a few eyes around to check if there’s an ambush!" Yahola ordered.

Thus, a dozen high-speed small ships left the warship. These three-seater ships had no firepower but possessed a powerful energy-sensing array that could detect a vast range of energy signals around them. If there were enemies hiding nearby, they would certainly not escape their scan.

The result was, there were none.

No?

Was it just pure stupidity? (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it on qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)