Gu Ding's attacks were aggressive, and Emily was not one of those mechs with a hard sh.e.l.l. Instead, she was a genuine Rank-10 Gene Body powerhouse.
A Rank-10 Gene Body meant a Cell Index of at least millions of points. In a 2-star Cosmic Nation like Dragon Soar Cosmic Nation, such a gene level was already the peak of combat effectiveness. In addition, Emily had been a Rank-10 Gene Body for more than a year, and she had a Cell Index of about two million points.
Whether in terms of cell strength, primary power, or even special abilities, a Rank-10 Gene Body powerhouse would always have the advantage.
Even with Gu Ding having his mech on, the difference between them was still large. That was why Gu Ding had chosen to attack furiously from the start, utilizing his Damage Stacking ability.
Emily did not take Gu Ding's attacks too seriously. She might not have been a mech operator, but as an Army general, she had a basic understanding of mechs. Dragon Soar Cosmic Nation lacked the necessary metallic mineral deposits to make advanced mechs. Hence, even if Gu Ding had the blueprints to make an advanced mech, as well as someone to help him make it, the mech's maximum basic attack effectiveness would be that of a powerhouse with a Cell Index of ten thousand points.
Emily was right about that as the mech Gu Ding was piloting only had a basic attack effectiveness of ten thousand points. However, taking into account Gu Ding's Ultimate Art and Rage Attack, his attack effectiveness was actually thirty thousand points.
Gu Ding attacked furiously. However, instead of fighting back, Emily reached out with one hand and caught Gu Ding's fist.
The scene made people feel surreal as Emily's hand was not even half the size of the mech's fist. Nevertheless, she managed to stop the huge mech's thunderous blow. Emily stood motionless while Gu Ding took control of the mech and fled out upside down. The message Emily was trying to send Gu Ding was very clear– your attacks have no effect on me!
In fact, the moment news of Biggie's defeat came, Gu Ding knew that they had lost the battle. As soon as Sharp returned to the battleground, no one would be able to escape. Not to mention, now that Biggie had been captured, there was no way Gu Ding would escape without him.
The black mech instantly retreated to Bart and Benter's side. Gu Ding said, “Leave Emily to me. Sharp will be back soon. Inform the others to grab the s.p.a.ceships and get out of here!” Gu Ding's words were also directed to Neptune, who immediately sent the message to all the Interstellar Pirates.
“What are you going to do?” Bart asked despite his character.
“I can't escape. Biggie has been captured by Sharp.”
Bart wanted to say something. Nevertheless, he knew that no matter what he said, Gu Ding would not escape without a member of his crew. Hence, Bart chose to run away with Benter instead.
Emily laughed upon hearing Gu Ding's words. “Gu Ding, you brought some good news. Even I didn't know about it. Why resist in vain when you know the end is in sight? Besides, those guys don't even know you, do they? Helping them escape and leaving your own team behind is not the sort of thing a wise man would do.”
“I've never considered myself a wise man. I only do what I think is right.” Gu Ding stepped forward, blocking Emily's view of Bart and Benter.
“It seems to me that you're very foolish.” Unwilling to let any of the Interstellar Pirates go, Emily flashed past Gu Ding and went straight for Bart and Benter.
Gu Ding, still unrelenting, went after them as
well.
When the rest of the Interstellar Pirates received Gu Ding's message, a large majority of them left the battleground and rushed toward the Army's s.p.a.ceships.
Shortly after, the first group of Interstellar Pirates managed to s.n.a.t.c.h an Army s.p.a.ceship. Once they got inside, they hastily started up the s.p.a.ceship.
The ship slowly rose into the air while the armor-piercing cannons at the port remained silent.
However, just then, a figure appeared on top of the ship. That person was Emily who was in am Army uniform. She shot out spiral energy from her dagger, and the Army's standard s.p.a.ceship was pierced in an instant. As a result, the s.p.a.ceship quickly began to fall from the air.
“d.a.m.n, that crazy woman won't even think twice about destroying an Army s.p.a.ceship.” Nevertheless, everyone could see that Emily had jumped onto the s.p.a.ceship when it was not yet even twenty meters off the ground. If it had activated its energy barrier, or been at a higher height, the s.p.a.ceship might have been able to escape.
Emily landed on the ground and saw the rest of the Interstellar Pirates rushing toward other s.p.a.ceships. She was furious as she said, “d.a.m.n it, I'm going to crush all your hopes today. n.o.body's leaving this planet!”
Upon finishing her sentence, Emily appeared right next to the nearest s.p.a.ceship. Spiral energy burst out from her dagger once more and instantly destroyed the civilian s.p.a.ceship. She then sprang up and down continuously. At the end of it all, not a single s.p.a.ceship Emily had pa.s.sed by at the port was left intact.
Occasionally, Emily shot down s.p.a.ceships in the sky as well. In under less than ten minutes, all the s.p.a.ceships at the port, except for one Golden Eagle, were destroyed.
Seeing how Emily was so determined this time, Gu Ding knew that everyone was doomed.
Emily stood alone on the Golden Eagle's hatch as she looked coldly over all the Interstellar Pirates present. The Golden Eagle was made of special metal, and only Gene Bodies who were Rank-12 or above could damage the ship. Hence, Emily had no choice but to stand guard at the s.p.a.ceship's hatch.
The Army had spent quite a lot on their plan. Hence, if they failed, it would mean that everything they had spent on the mission was all for naught. That explained why Emily had chosen such a resolute move. She was willing to spend more money in order to keep all the Interstellar Pirates there.
“Now what? That madwoman is standing on the Golden Eagle's hatch-no one can escape now!” Bart was speechless. Just moments ago, he was about to steal a s.p.a.ceship when Emily destroyed it. He was full of hatred for Emily.
Gu Ding paused for a moment before he took a step forward. “Emily, would you be interested in making a bet?”
As soon as Gu Ding said this, the noisy port instantly fell silent.
“Do you expect me to fall for your childish tricks? As long as I'm here, none of you can escape. Why should I risk betting with you?” Emily shook her head and laughed at Gu Ding's words.
“Don't you want to know what the stakes are before you make your decision?” Gu Ding sounded confident. It was as if he knew that Emily would take the bet once he told her about it.
Emily silently stared at Gu Ding who was in the black mech.
“Alright, I'll tell you what the stakes are before you make up your mind.” Gu Ding paused for a moment, and everyone p.r.i.c.ked up their ears to hear what Gu Ding had at stake.
“I challenge you to a 1 on 1 fight! If I win, you'll give up this ship and release my crew members; If you win, I, Gu Ding, and my crew, that includes Biggie, will join Dragon Soar Cosmic Nation's Federation Army unconditionally.”
Everyone present was stunned the moment they heard what Gu Ding was staking.
Many of them knew that Gu Ding's hacking skills were second to none in Dragon Soar Cosmic Nation. The Federal Government would certainly welcome the addition of his talents. Not to mention, Biggie's combat effectiveness was comparable to that of a general. Gu Dinng's bet was indeed tempting for the Federal Government.
The moment Emily heard Gu Ding's stakes, her heart leaped. The Army would definitely benefit a lot by having Gu Ding and Biggie on board-especially since Sharp was about to step down. With Biggie's combat effectiveness, it was likely that he would be a popular candidate as a general. On the other hand, Gu Ding more than capable of being a chief hacker.
“The stakes are indeed tempting. However, how can I be sure that you're not deliberately trying to trick me to move from this place so that the others can grab the s.p.a.ceship?” Emily was still hesitant to agree. “Besides, there's a chance you won't keep your promise even if I win.”
“Isn't insight your special ability?” Gu Ding opened the hatch of his mech to reveal half of his body, including his head. “You can check for yourself whether the bet I'm proposing is real.”
Emily stared at Gu Ding. She activated her insight ability and found no signs that Gu Ding was lying. In silence, Emily calculated the difference between Gu Ding's strength and her own. She made sure that Gu Ding had no chance of winning before she nodded in agreement. “Alright, I'll accept your bet. However, if anyone tries to sneak into the ship during the bet, I won't show them any mercy.”
With that, Emily beckoned to the remaining Army members; there were about a few hundred of them. “Come here and stand by at the hatch. If anyone approaches, attack with all your might. Don't hesitate.”
“Why did you propose a bet when you have no chances of winning?” Neptune was a little confused about what Gu Ding was up to. In his opinion, Gu Ding's chances of winning the bet were almost zero.
Gu Ding shut his mech's hatch and said, “That's because I don't want to be locked away in federal prison. I also don't want to see Biggie, Lili, or Robert-any of them-put in federal prison. Therefore, I have to take this chance even though I have no chance of winning. I'm incapable of saving Biggie from Sharp so I came up with this method. It's the only way we can save Biggie, and it's the only choice we have to escape being put to jail…”
The men from the Army soon gathered together and formed a square in front of the Golden Eagle's hatch.
“We can now start!” Emily was slightly relieved as she glanced over her shoulder at Gu Ding.
