Ling Chengrong knew that nothing he said now would be of any use, since he was the one who made the mistake in the first place.

"The Fog Sea Pirates..." he murmured. Just a few days ago, the Fog Sea Pirates had suffered a great loss at his hands. He never expected that his youngest son was in this organization. Reason made him suspect that there might be some conspiracy involved, but out of guilt towards his youngest son, he hoped that the person was real. Even if there was a conspiracy, he was willing to take responsibility.

"Father, do you have any connections in this pirate group? We can gather more information first, to understand how my younger brother has survived all these years, so that we can recognize each other and make amends in the future."

Can you draw what he looks like?

"Can."

Ling Wenying had studied painting, and with the Federation's high technology, a painting that was 90% similar to Song Ye's was quickly sent to Ling Chengrong. He was stunned at first glance.

No wonder Wenying was so certain without a DNA test; she really looked like me, especially my eyebrows and eyes. The stubborn and cold look when she frowned was just like a younger version of me.

Ling Chengrong kept rubbing his eyebrows and eyes with his fingers. The occasional thought of giving up the search over the years intensified his self-blame. Wenye was only five years old when he was kidnapped, and now it has been fifteen years. In those fifteen years, he must have had a very hard time in a place like a pirate group, and may have even suffered some inhuman torture.

Is the refusal to undergo paternity testing and the unwillingness to acknowledge the father a sign that the person harbors deep hatred for him?

This time, he didn't hesitate and personally contacted his mole who had been lurking in the Fog Sea Pirates for decades. To his surprise, the results came back very quickly. After reading them, he understood why it had been so fast.

I originally thought he was just an unknown pirate in the Fog Sea Pirate Gang, but it turns out he's already a leading figure among the younger generation of the pirate gang. No wonder the information came so quickly.

Along with the documents came clearer photos of Song Ye, including one of him as a child. Although some time had passed since the abduction, and the child's fierce eyes in the photo were completely different from his innocent look at home, he was certain that this was his son.

Ling Chengrong unconsciously clenched his fists. What had happened to make a child change so much in such a short time?

Even without a thorough investigation, he could guess what kind of good place a pirate crew could be. They were a group of people who would do anything for profit, and they would never show you any mercy or special care just because you were a child. For a helpless child to survive and make a name for himself in a pirate crew, he would have to endure hardships that ordinary people could not imagine.

At Ling Chengrong's level, very few things could stir his emotions anymore, but at this moment, he felt a little short of breath.

The disappointed look in his youngest son's eyes reappeared before him. He thought he could face it calmly, but now he realized that he had only been pretending to be strong.

“Father…” Ling Wenbang looked at him with concern, “Now that it’s basically confirmed that this is my younger brother, what should we do?”

Ling Chengrong was also conflicted. Directly attacking Mist Star was unrealistic, and his strength did not allow it. Even though he was the marshal of the First Legion, he could not send his soldiers to their deaths for personal reasons. The Mist Sea Pirates became the number one pirate group in the interstellar space by no means relying on Rogge alone, so he had to be careful and scheming.

Furthermore, he wasn't sure if his youngest son would come with them. If his actions caused his youngest son to be harmed again, he would truly deserve to die.

"Let me see if I can find a way to contact him first."

Meanwhile, back on Mist Star, Song Xia and Song Ye had no time to think about their chance encounter with Ling Wenying. Although there was still some time before the time stipulated by Rogge, it was obvious that Pav did not have enough time to prepare another attack. Song Xia had won this contest between vice commanders.

When the spaceship landed, Song Xia received a warm welcome. Even Pav, who had already lost, showed no resentment on his face, only regret, regret for his poor planning.

Rogge stepped forward: "I thought you were going to attack the First Legion."

Song Xia smiled and said, "It turns out that the Vatican is still richer."

She didn't delve into the deeper meaning of Roger's words, because it was pointless now. Even Roger could no longer easily influence her position in the Fog Sea Pirates.

"Xia Song, you have impressed me. When we first met, I never imagined you would end up like this."

"Thank you for the compliment." Song Xia turned to face the pirates, opening her arms to accept the honor that was rightfully hers.

Roger didn't say anything more, and didn't even do anything else when he awarded her the medal of honor as vice commander.

“Master…” The night was a time for celebration for Song Xia and her disciples, who were all drunk and unconscious. Even Song Xia herself had a hazy look in her eyes.

On the surface, this battle seemed to be won very easily, but only she knew the hardships she had endured along the way. The higher-ups of the Fog Sea Pirates were not willing to accept anything, and heaven knows how long she had schemed to gain their trust in the early stages.

Especially since she was a woman, and it's said that pirates are a man's paradise, she, a woman, had to put in more than twice the effort of a man to make a name for herself and seize power from them.

Even now, she suspects that Roger already knew her true identity.

But so what? Although the vice-captain's power is far less than that of Captain Rogge, if she were to be harmed, the Fog Sea Pirates would suffer serious damage.

"Master, are we going to establish a separate government next?"

"I'm afraid it won't be easy. Putting aside the fact that most people in the group like the status quo, the main problem is that once a separate government is established, the Federation will probably launch an attack immediately. They can allow pirates to exist because in their declarations to the Federation people, we are dark and despicable, and they look down on our existence. But once we change from pirates to rebels, they will probably be very angry because this is a challenge to their dignity."

"Even without us, they would collapse sooner or later."

"Are we just going to keep waiting like this? But who knows how long we'll have to wait?"

Everyone looked at Song Xia, whose eyes, which had been half-asleep, flashed with a ruthless glint: "Since this balance remains unbroken, then we'll break it for them and accelerate the evolution of their conflict."

"Master, we'll do whatever you say."

"Being a pirate may be free, but I also want to leave a good name for posterity."

"Kid, I didn't expect you to have such grand ambitions."

"People always want something in life. You hope your family can live in peace and prosperity. I'm all alone. I learned these skills from my master. Wouldn't it be a waste if I didn't achieve something?"

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement, making Song Xia feel a little embarrassed. After all, she had only done it for Ye'er at first. However, the Federation had been corrupt for a long time, and the pirate group did not have a sound government. She only hoped to do her best to save more children. After all, in a bad order, only the weak children suffer the most because they have neither the ability nor the awareness to resist.