The Silver Whale's mournful cry finally reached its climax.
It was no longer an alarm for some mechanical malfunction, but the entire warship's **final testament**.
All the lights instantly shifted from a ghastly white to a blinding crimson, the alarm blaring like the screams of a thousand interstellar banshees.
[Warning: Captain's authority locked.]
[Command: Antimatter Core... Forced Reversal.]
[Self-Destruct Countdown: 300 seconds... 299 seconds...]] In the bridge command room, Captain Sal's liquid-metal-like body was violently boiling. He had gone mad.
As a superior life form of the Silver Empire, he could not tolerate his vessel being defiled by two "low-level carbon-based insects." Since he couldn't catch the ghosts, he would let the entire ship turn into cosmic dust.
"Die together! For the glory of the Empire!" Sal's fingers plunged fiercely into the control panel, binding his consciousness to the self-destruct program.
...Outside the bridge, the last long corridor.
This was the only path to the core, and also the final battleground. At the end of the wide, silvery-white corridor, hundreds of elite mechanical soldiers of the **"Silver Wing Guard"** were densely packed. They wielded high-energy particle guns, the energy gathered at the muzzles enough to vaporize the entire corridor.
"Is this your last stand?"
Shen Qingqiu stood at the end of the corridor.
Her modified black skirt gleamed coldly under the red alarm lights, reflecting the unique sheen of leather. Her long hair was casually tied back with a silver needle, a few strands falling across her cheeks, exuding an air of nonchalant languor.
She didn't look at the gun muzzles.
She simply raised her wrist and glanced at the countdown timer on her terminal.
"Seventeen, four and a half minutes left."
"I want that door opened."
Shen Qingqiu pointed to the three-meter-thick alloy blast door at the end of the corridor.
Seventeen stood before her.
He changed into the newly stolen black trench coat bearing the imperial insignia (originally belonging to a high-ranking official). Beneath the open coat lay his perfect body, radiating pale golden data.
His new right arm, recently fused with "Starry Mithril," now emanated a chilling aura, the surrounding space seemingly distorting slightly from its power.
"That's enough." Seventeen's voice was calm, as if he were telling someone to go downstairs to buy a pack of cigarettes.
He turned his head and glanced at Shen Qingqiu.
Her red figure was reflected in those purple eyes.
"Master, please stay close to me."
"Don't let that dirty blood splatter on your skirt."
Before the words were finished.
BOOM—!!!
The particle guns opposite fired in unison.
Hundreds of deadly beams wove into an impenetrable net of death, instantly engulfing Seventeen's figure.
But Seventeen didn't dodge.
He didn't even activate his energy shield.
He simply raised his right arm.
[Starry Sky · Xing Tian — Space Folding.]
Buzz.
The mechanical hand, shimmering with starlight amidst its darkness, gently swept across the void.
Like wiping away condensation from glass.
All the beams of light aimed at him, upon contacting a foot in front of his hand, mysteriously… vanished.
They weren't blocked, but rather redirected to another dimension.
The next second.
Seventeen's hand flipped, pushing outwards.
"Here you go."
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—
The vanished beams of light suddenly reappeared from behind the enemies!
Space jump reflection!
"Aaaaaahhhhhh—!!!"
A scream erupted instantly.
Before the mechanical soldiers could even comprehend what had happened, their own bullets pierced their backs, piercing their energy cores.
Taking advantage of the chaos.
Seventeen moved.
He was no longer the elegant butler.
Now, he was a black meteor, an indestructible blade.
He charged into the enemy ranks.
His right arm, shaped like a star, became a scythe reaping lives.
Each swing was accompanied by a tearing of space. Those hard alloy shields were as fragile as paper in his hands.
Crack.
That was the sound of a neck snapping.
Sizzle.
That was the sound of a core being crushed.
It was an extremely asymmetrical massacre.
Seventeen weaved through the hail of bullets, even having the leisure to turn back to confirm Shen Qingqiu's location.
Shen Qingqiu was just three steps behind him.
She strolled leisurely, without even activating any defenses.
Because in front of her, the man's back was the most solid shield in the universe.
Anyone who slipped through the net and tried to approach her.
Seventeen didn't even need to turn around.
With a swing of that right arm, a visible spatial rift would appear out of thin air, instantly severing the attacker at the waist.
"Two minutes." Shen Qingqiu stepped over a still-smoking mechanical wreckage and softly announced the time.
"We're here." Seventeen stopped.
They were standing before the massive blast door.
Behind them lay the wreckage and blue coolant that littered the entire corridor.
A stain stained the hem of Seventeen's trench coat, and he frowned slightly in annoyance.
The blast door was tightly shut.
The red indicator light above it flashed frantically: [Highest Level Lockdown - Physical Separation].
"No key." Seventeen glanced at the lock.
"No key needed." Shen Qingqiu stepped forward.
She extended her slender, white hand and placed it on the cold, rough door panel.
[Mind Palace - Forced Overwrite.]
"Captain Sal, is it?"
Shen Qingqiu closed her eyes, her golden pupils swirling violently beneath her eyelids.
Her consciousness transformed into countless golden data tentacles, forcibly drilling into the warship's central nervous system along the access control system.
...
[Virtual Space - Bridge Network]
This was a silver ocean of data.
Sal's consciousness, like a gigantic silver whale, thrashed wildly in the ocean, stirring up a vortex of self-destruction.
"Who? Who dares to invade my brain?!" Sal roared in terror.
"Your new tenant." Shen Qingqiu's voice echoed through the ocean.
The next moment.
A gigantic, golden hand descended from the sky.
That wasn't an ordinary hand. It was a **[Buddha's Palm - Dimensional Reduction Version]** constructed by Shen Qingqiu using ancient data from the "Civilization Library."
"I don't have time to waste with you."
"Hand over the ship...."
Boom!
The golden hand slammed heavily onto the silver whale's back.
That wasn't a physical attack; it was a crushing blow of authority.
Saal's consciousness instantly disintegrated, turning into countless silver fragments. He didn't even have time to utter his final curse before being completely devoured and overwhelmed by Shen Qingqiu's immense mental power.
[System Notification: Captain's authority has been transferred.]
[New Captain: Shen Qingqiu] [Self-Destruct Program: Termination.]
...The real world.
Click—Swoosh—
The heavy blast door slid open slowly to both sides with a submissive sigh.
The red alarm lights went out instantly.
All the noise disappeared.
Shen Qingqiu opened her eyes and withdrew her hand.
She swayed weakly, and the next second she was enveloped in a warm and firm embrace.
"It's over." Seventeen carried her, crossed the threshold, and entered the bridge command room, the symbol of supreme power.
It was vast.
The dome was transparent, offering a direct view of the vast galaxy outside.
Countless holographic screens floated in the air, displaying various parameters of the giant ship.
And in the very center of the hall.
Was a uniquely shaped, streamlined silver command chair.
The former captain, Sal, was now slumped beside the chair, his body stiff, reduced to a mass of lifeless liquid metal.
Seventeen kicked the pile of "scrap metal" aside with a hint of disdain.
He took out a soft, dark red velvet blanket (a trophy brought from Fog City) from his spatial storage and spread it on the cold, silver chair.
"Master, please take a seat." Seventeen bowed slightly, performing a butler's salute.
Shen Qingqiu smiled.
She walked over and sat down on the still somewhat cold chair.
Her red dress spread out like a crimson flower blooming on a silver throne.
She looked up, surveying the steel behemoth that had once belonged to her enemies, but now belonged to her.
"Silver...too cold." Shen Qingqiu frowned, her fingers lightly tapping the control panel on the armrest.
"Change the skin."
Buzz—
At her command.
The lights inside the entire warship began to change.
The originally stark white light gradually transformed into a warm, ambiguous, and mysteriously oriental golden hue.
Holographic projections displayed vast expanses of red gauze and wooden latticework, transforming the futuristic bridge into a floating palace in space.
"And this name…" Shen Qingqiu stared at the "Silver Whale" displayed on the screen.
"Too stupid. Like a dead fish."
She turned to Seventeen.
Seventeen stood beside her, in the seat reserved for the adjutant and guardian knight.
Starlight streamed through the dome, bathing him in its glow, his right star-shaped arm emitting a faint blue light.
"Seventeen, what do you think should be called?"
Seventeen pondered.
He gazed out the window at the endless dark forest.
"Vermilion Bird."
He murmured.
"In my database, the Vermilion Bird is the divine bird of the south, the embodiment of fire and rebirth."
"Just like you."
"Awakening from ruins, reborn from flames, your red robes like fire."
Shen Qingqiu's eyes lit up.
She reached out and pulled Seventeen's hand, making him sit on the armrest of the large command chair.
"Okay."
"Let's call it... The Vermilion Bird."
[System Rename: The Vermilion Bird.]
[Paintwork Modification: Executing...]
In the vast expanse of space.
The once silver-white giant warship began to shimmer with a crimson aura.
At the bow, the silver whale emblem was replaced by a fiery bird totem, wings outstretched and burning.
This was a declaration to the entire galaxy.
This ship had changed hands.
"Reporting, Commander." Seventeen looked at the star map displayed on the screen, his voice regaining its calm, mechanical quality, but now carrying a warmth of "home."
"The Vermilion Bird's systems are normal."
"Energy Remaining: 85%."
"Weapon Systems: Online."
"Where are we going?" Shen Qingqiu leaned back in his chair, gazing at the dazzling yet dangerous starry sky above.
She pulled a worn pocket watch from her bosom—a compass she'd brought from the Misty City to guide her.
"To…the Chaotic Starfield." A smug, ambitious smile played on Shen Qingqiu's lips.
"Since I'm a pirate captain, I must go to the most chaotic place."
"There I'll find the best wine, the fastest ship, and…"
She looked at Seventeen, her eyes gleaming.
"And our…world for two." Seventeen tightened his grip on her hand.
That stellar right arm, possessing the power to tear through space, now gently encircled her in his embrace.
"Yes, sir."
"Course locked."
"Engine…full speed ahead."
BOOM—!!!
A crimson trail of flame ripped through the silent universe.
The newly born Vermilion Bird, like a burning sword, pierced the unfathomable depths of space.
Severing the bridge, altering the star banner.
The silver whale transformed into the Vermilion Bird.
From this night onward, a flame that will never be extinguished will rise in this cold, dark forest.