Then it was given a Gladiator-class spacecraft operating manual.

Some time ago, Chen Ming had found a copy of the operating manuals of all the spacecrafts except the Yuhui ship he had on the Internet.

It is even easier to find older models like the Gladiator-class spacecraft.

However, Chen Ming only found the operating manual for an ordinary fighter-class ship, but did not find the operating manual for this fighter-class ship that had undergone extensive modifications by Tachyon Technology Company.

There will definitely be some differences in the operation of the two spacecraft, and Chen Ming has no good way to solve them.

We can only let Gamma B study it on its own. As long as it is given some time to learn and then practice it, it should be almost there.

He believes in Yuhui AI's learning ability.

After the core installation was completed, Chen Ming gave Gamma B the authority to move freely and let it familiarize itself with the spacecraft.

Then, Chen Ming started to make some moves on the diopter level.

He ran outside the spacecraft with the tools, looking at the three-dimensional image of the spacecraft that only he could see, and kept gesturing with the refraction with the cutting tools.

Gamma A, who didn't understand what Chen Ming was doing, asked, "What are you doing?"

"Try out the effect of my ability."

Although Chen Ming still doesn't know what his panel looks like.

However, he previously told Gamma A that his ability to control the ships and direct them was psychic.

So Gamma A naturally understood that Chen Ming wanted to test the effect of his psychic power.

Gamma A obviously didn't know anything about psychic energy. It didn't say anything when Chen Ming took out the spiritual stone. Instead, Gamma B, who had been silent, helped Chen Ming solve some of his confusion.

So after hearing Chen Ming's answer, Gamma A did not express any opinion and just observed silently.

Gamma B, which had already flown for some distance, also flew back and became a member of the group observing Chen Ming's operations.

With the experience of dismantling half of the Afterglow destroyer last time, Chen Ming quickly removed the outer armor of the Refractive class.

And cut through the refractive hull in a way that would cause minimal damage.

A passage leading to the installation location of Gamma A was removed.

After removing Gamma A, Chen Ming took a look at the panel.

[Controlled AI individual: Afterglow Gamma-class AI core (Gamma A)]

Gamma A, like Gamma B, is under Chen Ming's control.

So Chen Ming inserted the core back.

After Gamma A regained control of the ship, Chen Ming casually transferred control of the refractive level to another ship, and then glanced at the panel again.

[AI-assisted connection ships: Gladiator-class (Sakyu Kai Gladiator-class frigate), Refractor-class (Refractor-class unmanned destroyer) (incomplete connection)]

As expected, the Refractor class appeared in the [AI-assisted connection ship] column, but unlike the Gladiator class controlled by Gamma B, the Refractor class had an "incomplete connection" after it.

In order to understand what this incomplete connection means.

Chen Ming directly tried to control the refractive level and started the engine.

After a very brief delay, the fastest since Chen Ming was able to control the spacecraft, the engine was started.

After Gamma A started the engine, he suddenly asked Chen Ming: "Were you giving me orders through psychic power just now?"

Chen Ming was obviously stunned, as if he understood something, and replied to Gamma A absentmindedly: "Well...you can understand it this way."

Chen Ming didn't continue talking to Gamma A, but was thinking.

Because when he heard the Gamma A question just now, he immediately understood the meaning of this incomplete connection.

If it is a complete connection, for example, Gamma B controls the frigate-class Gladiator, then everything is the same as Chen Ming actively controlling the spacecraft.

He can exercise any control over the fighter who is being controlled by Gamma B under any circumstances without any restrictions.

The incomplete connection is due to the fact that the Gamma-class AI core is not sufficiently adaptable to the destroyer and is unable to transmit Chen Ming's commands in real time to the controlled spacecraft.

So much so that after receiving Chen Ming's order, the situation where he should have not reacted at all and just executed the order instinctively changed.

There was a situation where Gamma A needed reaction time to receive and execute the command, which caused a brief delay in Chen Ming's command.

In fact, this situation is equivalent to Chen Ming completely handing over all control of the spacecraft to Gamma A.

He himself gave up or was restricted and could only control and issue orders to Gamma A.

The problems caused by this are obvious. Chen Ming's efficiency in controlling the spacecraft is reduced, and he is unable to operate accurately and without delay.

But there are benefits as well.

This allows Chen Ming to indirectly control the refractive level even with an additional spacecraft control position.

This means that he has one more spaceship that he can use at the same time.

Since Chen Ming is not particularly good at operating the spacecraft, the advantages obviously outweigh the disadvantages.

So Chen Ming did not continue testing and directly repaired all the damage on the diopter caused by disassembly.

At the same time, Gamma B, which had run away at some point, was recalled and asked to continue to stand by here.

Now that you have finished what you were supposed to do outside, it's almost time to go back.

Chen Ming thought about it for a while and decided to bring the Centurion-class ships back to the space station as well.

If he had a combat ship of his own staying at the dock, he would feel more at ease.

As for why we didn’t bring the Gladiator-class, it’s because the Gladiator-class modified by Tachyon Technology is a bit too ostentatious.

The Gladiator-class ship is one of the military's iconic ships. It can be seen at a glance that this Gladiator has undergone a lot of modifications, which may cause some unnecessary trouble.

So the fighter level can only be left here for the time being.

After spending the same short time as when he came, Chen Ming stood on the floor of the space station again.

The first thing Chen Ming did after returning was to walk around the repair shop and found Old Wu squatting in the corner smoking.

Tian Jiwen was also following Old Wu at this time. When he saw Chen Ming, a complicated expression appeared on his face. He turned around and left without saying hello.

The only one left was Old Wu, who was caught slacking off. However, he didn't feel embarrassed at all. He even reached into his pocket and wanted to give Chen Ming a cigarette.

But Chen Ming directly refused: "No, I don't smoke."

Old Wu shrugged, threw away the cigarette butt in his mouth, lit a new one for himself, took a long puff and asked Chen Ming, "What do you want from me?"

"Well, I want to buy something special. Since you have a lot of connections, I came to ask you. I won't reduce your agency fee."

Old Wu suddenly showed a profiteer-like smile on his face, and put his hand on Chen Ming's shoulder and said, "Hey, we are so familiar with each other, why are you still so distant?"

"How much?"

Chen Ming held up five fingers and said, "This number."

Old Wu's smile widened: "No problem, what do you want to buy? I can find someone to help you."

"intelligence."

Old Wu's expression became a little more serious and he asked, "What kind of information?"

"Information about pirates with wanted bounties. I need their bounties, their recent whereabouts, and the general composition of their fleets."

"What are you going to do?"

"Find a target that I can use to test the performance of my modified spacecraft."

Old Wu narrowed his eyes, stared at Chen Ming for a few seconds and said, "Okay, follow me."

Old Wu took Chen Ming into the city of the space station and came to the bar where he and Chen Ming had been last time.

He greeted the bartender in a very familiar manner and took Chen Ming directly to the back of the bar.

After passing through two rooms in succession, Chen Ming and Lao Wu stood in a small enclosed room.

There is a computer on the desk here, and an additional touch screen is connected opposite the computer.

Behind the desk, there was a man sitting with nothing to do.

The man was dressed politely, wearing a pair of glasses, and looked like an ordinary clerk.

After noticing Old Wu coming in, he raised his eyebrows and asked, "Old Wu, you don't drink and come to chat with me?"

Old Wu smiled and said, "Hey, we're not here to drink today."

"Oh, so he's here to buy something. Is this the person who wants to buy something?"

The man wearing glasses looked at Chen Ming who was standing next to Old Wu.

Before Chen Ming could speak, Old Wu said directly: "Yes, he said he wanted to test the performance of the modified spacecraft and wanted to pick a few pirates with bounties."

Old Wu came forward and said in a voice that Chen Ming couldn't hear: "Try to find a better target. We can't let this boy die outside."

Glasses didn't say anything, but the word "relieved" clearly flashed in his eyes.

He asked Chen Ming to sit on the chair opposite him, where he could just touch the display screen.

"I have listed the intelligence that is currently available for you. It basically gives you a general introduction. You can pick and choose. If you want to see more detailed intelligence, you will need to pay."

Chen Ming nodded and slid his hand across the screen, selecting a suitable target.

His purpose in causing trouble for the pirates was to obtain an armed ship license in the future.

So when choosing targets, pirates who only operate in a single star region are not very effective for him.

There must be pirates with signs of activity throughout the star field, and only after they are dealt with can an impression be left on the government people.

However, after Chen Ming looked at the brief information of the pirates on the display screen, he found that the ones on the list were all small fish and shrimps.

The highest bounty is only a little over two million. With a fleet of four frigates, the military subsystems may not even be fully equipped, so there is no point in killing them.

After failing to find a suitable target, Chen Ming raised his head again, looked at the man with glasses and asked, "Are there any more powerful pirates?"

Glasses obviously remembered Old Wu's request and said, "Those people are more dangerous. If you just want to test the performance of the spacecraft, these should be enough, right?"

Chen Ming frowned slightly and said, "Not enough."

Before Glasses could reply, Chen Ming suddenly heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Business is about accepting everyone who comes. Why not sell things that can be sold?"

Chen Ming turned his head and saw that the owner of the hardware store, Lao Wu, had appeared here at some point.

While glaring at Old Wu, Old Wu waved his hand at Glasses and said, “Make a list of all the information that can be sold.”

"yes."

Old Wu standing next to him was glared at and could only stand aside helplessly. After all, he was not the one in charge of this bar.

Anyway, he has done what the factory manager told him to do, so whether people are safe or not is not his problem.

How could he stop Chen Ming, a living person, from doing something he really wanted to do?

Moreover, he was optimistic about Chen Ming from the beginning because of Lao Wu's vision. If Lao Wu thought that Chen Ming could kill more powerful pirates, then he might as well think so.

As Glasses revealed more information about the pirates, Chen Ming's target was quickly set.

The target he chose was the protagonist of an attack he happened to see in today's news bulletin.

The pirates attacked a caravan that was delivering supplies to a small colony, and after a fierce conflict with a local patrol, they successfully entered the hyperspace channel and escaped the patrol's pursuit.

Although the news only contained a few pictures, based on these pictures and simple logical thinking, Chen Ming could be sure that the damage to their ships was definitely not low.

And the goods they just stole must also be sold.

Then their subsequent whereabouts are actually very easy to determine.

Unless they would rather risk the spacecraft disintegrating and go to a farther place for repairs and sale of stolen goods, their next destination must be the nearest pirate space station.

So in order to save trouble, Chen Ming chose this group of pirates who were about to arrive here.

The bounty on their leader is twenty-two million.

There are several subordinates who have bounties on their heads, ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions, which should be considered quite significant.

After seeing Chen Ming's choice, the boss said in surprise: "Are you sure you want to choose this?"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing much. I just happen to have a video of the firefight between the patrol team over there and them. If you choose this, it will give you more information."

The boss raised his head and said to the man with glasses, "Just give me the specific information. I'll give him the rest later."

Glasses silently operated on the computer and displayed more detailed information about the pirates on the screen.

The pirates had a total of three destroyers and eight frigates.

Their destroyers were converted from a type of merchant ship called the Mule.

Most of the frigates are of unknown brands, and are also modified by patching together various items.

The intelligence described the situation of their spacecraft in great detail.

It was also specifically noted that the militarized subsystems of the Mule class were removed from a military frigate and forcibly installed.

As for why the information was so clear, Chen Ming thought he could ask Old Wu who worked at the maintenance shop.

Although they seem to be not very strong and certainly cannot defeat the patrol team, they should have no problem attacking some scattered caravans.

This also fits with what Chen Ming had seen in the news before.

Old Wu suddenly came to Chen Ming's side, looked at Chen Ming's target and said as if he remembered something: "I remember that this group of pirates seemed to have some relationship with Lude."

Ludd?

Chen Ming felt like he had heard this name somewhere, but he couldn't quite remember where.

The boss seemed to know Lude very well. He frowned slightly and asked, "Lude has developed to this point, from the left?"

"It should be."

Chen Ming couldn't understand the riddle-like conversation between the two, so he just asked directly: "What is Lud? What is Zuo Jing?"

The boss looked at him and then turned his gaze back to Chen Ming and said, "You don't know? Then this is a bit complicated."

"You just need to know that Ludd is the name of a church, and Zuo Jing is a group of crazy people who believe in this religion. They are capable of doing anything."

"If you search on your own, you will probably only find the Luddites. You will most likely not find any information about Zuo Jing."

"If you're interested, you can come to my place later and I can talk to you in detail."

"good."

Chen Ming nodded to his boss with some gratitude: "But I still don't quite understand."

The boss thought for a moment, pointed to the detailed information about the pirates on the screen and said, "Look at these two ships. Do you know what they are?"

Looking at the two obviously highly modified ships in the pirate fleet pointed out by the boss, Chen Ming said: "Dram-class, fuel transport ship."

"There are special facilities inside that can suppress the violent reactions of the ship's fuel due to various situations. Generally, only large fleets will have such ships."

"It looks like these two pirate ships have had a lot of modifications to their engines and hulls. They should be very fast, but I can't tell much about the rest."

The boss took back his hand from the screen and said, "You know it very well. Why do you think this small fleet brought two highly modified fuel transport ships and even took them to attack other fleets?"

Chen Ming realized a possibility almost instantly.

"Self-destruction?"

"That's right, the people in Lud Zuo Jing are all crazy, so you better be careful when the time comes."

"I see."

The boss continued patiently, "Also, are you clear about the process after this is done?"

Although Chen Ming felt that the boss's attitude was a little strange, he still replied, "Understood."

"We need to go to the colony where the Star Region Government is located to hand in the battle video and physical evidence. Normally, we can just tow the abandoned ship over, but it would be best if there is a corpse to verify the DNA."

He had done some homework on the way here with Old Wu.

Although the armed ship license is ultimately approved by the government of the prosperous star field, the pirate bounty is still the responsibility of the local star field government.

Once the local government confirms the authenticity, it will report the matter to higher authorities for statistics.

The boss seemed to be...satisfied with the fact that Chen Ming had prepared beforehand? He continued, "Conflict is prohibited in our current galaxy. You must remember this. Don't give anyone a chance to escape and run back."

Chen Ming didn't know what to say, so he could only nod and pointed at the screen and said, "Then the price of this information..."

"That's easy. If you can do one thing for me, it will be free. I can even give you other benefits."

"What is it?"

The boss's face suddenly darkened: "Bring their captain back alive."

Two days later.

Chen Ming finished today's renovation task early, which took about five minutes.

After lying in bed for a while to rest and replenish the energy consumed in the repair.

He contacted the factory manager and asked him to send someone to receive this special batch of goods.

By the time everything was done, it was almost noon.

It was exactly the time that Chen Ming had planned before.

What Chen Ming has to do next is to complete the task of hunting the bounty.

If possible, complete the additional tasks assigned by your boss.

The boss who was so kind two days ago suddenly had a gloomy expression on his face.

Chen Ming guessed that the colony must have some relationship with the boss, and then the pirates attacked the caravan that provided supplies to the colony, and the boss became angry.

Therefore, Chen Ming needed to capture the person and borrow him for two more days.

The boss also promised to return the person to Chen Ming.

So, if you can get information for free and also get benefits from your boss, who is obviously an extraordinary person.

Chen Ming was happy to do this additional task.

However, if a fight really breaks out, Chen Ming may not be able to save the spaceship driven by the pirate leader, let alone the people.

So Chen Ming didn't force it and just let everything go with the flow.

After Chen Ming drove the Iron Ore and took the Centurion out of the space station, he first went to the Dark Cemetery and took away all the other ships.

He had already roughly estimated the pirates' return location, and all he had to do next was to intercept them on their route.

For this purpose, Chen Ming spent some money and prepared some special equipment.

Block the pulse generator.

It can use the special environment of the hyperspace channel to cause the surrounding spacecraft to have an effect similar to the spacecraft just jumping out of the hyperspace, with its speed reduced to zero.

However, there is a limit to the maximum speed a spacecraft can reach in a hyperspace channel.

It is not a limitation of the performance of the spacecraft itself, but a fixed limitation of the hyperspace route.

Smaller ships will have an easier time reaching this limit in a hyperspace lane, while larger ships will tend to be slower.

The pirates who were Chen Ming's target were all driving small boats, which could definitely reach the upper limit of the hyperspace channel speed.

But this upper limit is much slower than the speed of light that can be reached in a normal cosmic environment.

It is enough to capture the target's position and use the blocking pulse.

Chen Ming sailed his ship quickly in the hyperspace channel and soon arrived at the designated location.

After making some special preparations and waiting for nearly two hours.

The Centurion class ship in the hyperspace channel scanned several speeding spaceships through sensors.

Two destroyers, six frigates, and the three missing ships were destroyed by pirates in conflicts with patrols.

Many of the remaining ships also showed damages that only resulted in simple maintenance.

In addition, Chen Ming also saw several square cabins mounted outside the hulls of the two Mule-class ships.

It should be that the cargo hold of the spaceship they robbed was dismantled by them.

If Chen Ming can complete this task perfectly, he will also be able to gain a batch of extra supplies.

(End of this chapter)