Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!-Chapter 943 - 663: Crushing All Opposition!

"Fight pirates?" 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Just the few of you?"

After several days of getting familiar, the miners were no longer strangers to the group in front of them, but upon hearing Victor's boast, they couldn't help but be astonished.

"Do you know how many of them there are?"

Although they lacked much emotion, this group had helped them somewhat; if there was nothing to do, they certainly didn't want to see them go to their deaths.

Some even darkly speculated in secret, "You guys wouldn't happen to be with those pirates, would you? Trying to lure us out, can't wait to show your true colors after all this time?"

Victor seemed deaf to the doubts, remaining enthusiastic, "Brothers, we don't need you to fight, nor do we need you to take any risks. You just need to watch from afar, and after we wipe out those pirates, you can go carry away their supplies. Trust us, follow us. If you don't trust us, wait here for us to return in triumph!"

"Let's go!"

With his words, a few young people actually stepped out from the crowd.

During this time, Victor's naturally cheerful personality had made him some friends, and now these young miners trusted their friend.

As the relatively few people were about to set out, the eldest miner propped up his cane and suddenly rose from the corner.

"Father, where are you going?" The young person beside him pulled at his clothes, "These young people are crazy, are you crazy too?"

"I'm not crazy." The old miner shook his head, looking at the air circulation machine that had resumed working behind him, "The things they brought are worth more than my life. If they want my life, I'll give it; if they need help, I'll help. Anyway, I'm old, I've lived long enough."

"Then I..."

"You can't go!" The old miner checked the younger one, "You still have Yinyin to raise. We agreed to let her study and let her leave. She's still young, she can't live in this rotten place all her life. Just let me go and see what this group really wants to do."

...

The mecha "Whirlwind" that Catherine prepared for Bai E quietly crouched behind a cluster of wind-eroded rock pillars several kilometers away from the Black Steel Mine.

The massive blue and white body underwent simple camouflage, covered with the brown sand and gravel net common in the mining area, blending almost seamlessly with the surrounding environment from a distance.

In the cockpit at the mecha's chest, Bai E closed his eyes, concentrating his spiritual energy like mercury spreading gently from him, carefully sensing the energy fluctuations and life signals within the distant mining area.

Catherine's intelligence work was very meticulous.

Over the past two days, she and Victor acted separately, gathering information from miners and through some secret channels, basically understanding the defensive situation of the Blood Claw Pirate Group in the Black Steel Mine.

The Blood Claw Pirate Group's resident force here was about three hundred, with about eighty core combat personnel, equipped with various personal energy weapons scavenged from the black market, a few vintage rapid-fire cannons, and even two modified armed tracked vehicles.

Several lookout towers were built on the high spots of the mining area, equipped with searchlights and alarm systems. Their leader was a fierce man nicknamed "Split Claw", reportedly a former assault captain under Pirate King Salvador, ruthless and ferocious.

Of course, the reason for investigating all this wasn't fear of defeat but to avoid "missing" anything.

If they're going to fight, they want to catch everything in one sweep.

After all, according to the information Catherine obtained, while the Blood Claw Pirate Group is independent, it has vague connections with several other small to medium pirate groups in the nearby Star Domain, sometimes exchanging supplies or personnel.

More importantly, deep within the Black Steel Mine, there's said to be a small underground hangar and warehouse, possibly containing stolen sensitive materials, and even possibly having secret passages or communication devices to other areas.

If the operation isn't swift and comprehensive enough, if information leaks or remnants use underground facilities to resist stubbornly or send out distress signals, drawing other forces' attention, it would complicate matters.

"We must strike decisively, controlling all crucial points, especially communication and potential escape routes. The whole process must be swift and decisive."

Thus, they devised a plan: Victor would lead a few voluntarily following miners, driving a rundown but still operational transport truck found in the primary mining area, loaded with items disguised as ores, approaching the mining area first.

Their task was to attract the pirates' attention, create chaos, and simultaneously verify the pirates' firepower points and personnel distribution up close.

Bai E would then pilot the mecha in stealth, ready to launch a thunderous strike as soon as the transport team reached the designated location, or if pirates showed signs of activating large defensive weapons or issuing alarms, swiftly crippling the pirates' command center, firepower points, and communication facilities.

The forces on the Mine Star are entangled, especially after the Bauhinia disbanded, leaving no overt suppression.

Everyone has their own agendas, shortening the whole process as much as possible to reduce other mining area forces' coveting of the primary mining area.

...

At this moment, Victor was driving that clanking transport truck, bumping along towards the gate of the Black Steel Mine amidst the wind and sand.

Apart from him, there were a dozen or so anxious young miners on the truck, and hiding amidst the pile of debris in the truck bed was Catherine—she was responsible for using spiritual energy for close-range checks and maintaining contact with Bai E at all times.