Starting from the Planetary Governor

Chapter 1058: Chapter 578, Capturing the Protozoan

Youwin did not give Gu Hang a direct response, claiming he needed to return and discuss the matter with his battle brothers.

In reality, that wasn’t the case.

Youwin’s prestige within the battle group was significant, and Blood Shark didn’t have things like a Council of Elders, veteran groups, secret gatherings, or inner circles—what he said went.

However, in this particular matter, there were many things he hadn’t yet figured out. He needed the opinions of some veterans and squad leaders for reference, and additional time to fully understand Gu Hang’s proposal.

His extensive experiences over his prolonged lifespan had taught him that there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

The conditions proposed by Gu Hang, even including elements that challenged the traditions of the battle group, were undeniably generous.

He also believed that the strength demonstrated by the Alliance was capable of fulfilling Gu Hang’s promises.

But precisely because of this, he felt extremely cautious.

And yet, he couldn’t identify many pitfalls within these conditions.

Would becoming “close allies” with the Alliance mean they’d lose control and fall under Alliance command? Unlikely. The conditions didn’t involve command ranks within the battle group. As for the new recruits, no matter their past experiences, it’s nothing more than a decade at most. Compared to the nearly limitless lifespan of Interstellar Warriors, they’d be gradually steeped in the culture of the battle group for at least several decades. Their former lives would hardly matter.

Isn’t this the way all Interstellar Warriors are? After undergoing modification with Genetic Seeds, over the long passage of time, they gradually forget their brief experiences as mortals, ultimately becoming loyal warriors of The Emperor.

Would becoming allies lead to the Alliance forcing assignments onto them?

Again, unlikely. The terms stipulated equality on both sides, a collaborative relationship. Requests from the Alliance would be just that—”requests,” not “orders.” They could certainly refuse them.

As for deliberate betrayal… that would constitute malicious behavior. Blood Shark wasn’t a bunch of rookies—they’d investigate intelligence on their missions beforehand. It was impossible for them to trust the Alliance blindly—at least not until sufficient trust was established.

So where was the problem?

Youwin couldn’t think of one.

He decided to give a preliminary, limited agreement for now.

This matter wasn’t about sealing an eternal, unbreakable alliance in one go.

At present, both sides were already on the same battlefield. Gu Hang was still the nominal commander of the theater, so to some extent, they were already following his orders and direction.

Why not test the waters during this war first?

Evaluate the results, then decide whether a more enduring agreement was necessary after the war concluded.

Youwin’s decision was quickly validated.

In the recent large-scale naval battle, Blood Shark’s fleet had participated and, following unified commands and orders, significantly impacted the battle’s outcome.

In the operation to seize the now-dubbed “Iron Horse,” a Retribution-class Battleship, they had also taken part and played an important role. Although their achievements were slightly overshadowed by Phoenix, they weren’t far behind.

Going further back, Blood Shark had rescued three Alliance battlecruisers and destroyed the flagship “Torchlight” of the New World Torch Battle Group.

Overall, they had already played a substantial role in this war.

And suffered considerable losses. Especially in the campaign to destroy Torchlight, they had gone head-to-head against the New World Torch Battle Group, losing over one hundred Interstellar Warriors.

For Blood Shark, this was the largest loss they’d sustained in the past twenty years.

If Gu Hang was genuinely committed to honoring his promises, wouldn’t it be time for him to offer rewards?

Of course, there was no issue with that.

But not yet.

Gu Hang proposed waiting until the war was over, to tally things up more conveniently.

After eliminating the majority of Alfonso’s fleet heading toward the Phantom Moon Star System, there was still another group requiring attention.

The only remaining Principal Sage, aboard an Emperor-class Battleship, was charging at full speed along the Wuqi-Wenqi line.

They were running quite swiftly.

Gu Hang certainly wouldn’t let them escape.

He coveted that Emperor-class Battleship immensely. If the circumstances allowed, he’d definitely try to seize it by force.

In terms of value, the Emperor-class might not surpass the War Ark destroyed by the Alliance earlier. However, their roles were entirely different.

The War Ark, fundamentally speaking, was still a Sect of Mechanics “Ark”-type vessel. Essentially, it served as a core base for space warfare. Most Arks function as mobile factories. Although the War Ark had removed many functions for production, living, and research to focus on combat, it still carried the essence of an Ark.

Its inherent size, complex structure, and enormous capacity for personnel greatly exceeded that of the Emperor-class, equivalent to specialized giant transport ships like a “Juggernaut.”

Additionally, due to the Mechanical Ark’s characteristics, a significant number of operations required personnel from the Sect of Mechanics.

Capturing it, of course, would carry significant value—at the very least, the Mingyang Sect would grovel before Gu Hang to beg him to sell the ship to them. However, it wouldn’t directly enhance the Alliance’s combat strength, and it housed tens of millions of Protection Army troops as well as a Neuron Progeny, making the task of seizing the ship exceedingly difficult.

But the Emperor-class was different, with only seventy thousand or eighty thousand personnel at most inside?

And its versatility was high; it wasn’t an exclusive vessel of the Sect of Mechanics.

If captured, repaired, and fully operational, it could genuinely elevate the Alliance Navy’s fleet strength to a higher tier.

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