In the space military, only officers with D-level clearance or higher could master a reconnaissance combat technique: locking onto and deducing all current connected signals through communication signals.
Ryan couldn't explain to Vicente Rojo Lluch and the others how he cracked the coordinates of the space pirates' main ship, so he had to use a prepared excuse.
"Drones!" He could only say that the drones had accidentally discovered the location of the space pirates.
During the intense battle, he had dispatched drones, and one of them, being in TerraNova3's attack trajectory, had been destroyed.
No one doubted Ryan's explanation. Vicente Rojo Lluch even rationalized Ryan's actions: "The space pirates knew our TerraNova3's repair speed was fast. They had to complete their landing, control, and plundering tasks within three hours, so they kept risking getting closer to TerraNova3 to maximize their plundering results. Especially after seeing you all show up, they completely let down their guard, giving Ryan an opportunity."
"Anyway, TerraNova3 managed to survive and turn the tide. You are all heroes. When we get back, I'll report this incident in detail to headquarters and make sure you get the recognition you deserve!" Vicente Rojo Lluch's words boosted everyone's morale, making them feel immensely proud.
Ryan let out a sigh of relief. He was worried someone might dig too deep into his action logs. Action logs… Ryan suddenly had a thought.
Just then, Carlos turned to Vicente Rojo Lluch and asked, "Captain, is the space pirates' main ship completely destroyed? Did any of them get away?"
"Don't worry," Vicente Rojo Lluch reassured everyone. "We did a thorough scan and hit them hard. None of the space pirates made it out." He smiled a bit, "I know you're thinking about their loot and resources. Rest up for now. Once TerraNova3's power engine is back online, we'll go in and do a close search, looking for their black box and action logs."
Hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up.
Jane nudged Ryan's arm and whispered, "Are we stopping to find the space pirates' action logs?"
Ryan hesitated. He pondered whether to pretend not to understand what an action log was.
Maughan had already explained proactively, "Every notable space pirate has a bounty on their head! The action logs of the space pirates' main ship record the identity information of each of them, including all data uploaded by their chips and the various crimes they've committed. As long as we submit this task log, we can get their bounty."
Kazemi grinned like a cat that got the cream, "Space pirates are a significant threat, with each bounty starting at least at a hundred thousand. These people are quite powerful and can get high-frequency pulse particle weapons, so their crimes are likely numerous, and the bounty will be high. We might strike it rich."
Ryan rolled his eyes. Strike it rich? Dream on! The space pirates' main ship was destroyed by the combined bio-energy of all TerraNova3 personnel… After splitting it among hundreds of people, how much would be left?
This thought had just flashed through his mind when he noticed Vicente Rojo Lluch's gaze sweeping over.
Vicente Rojo Lluch looked at Ryan with a smile and said, "The bounty might not be much, but not everything on the space pirates' main ship would be destroyed in the explosion. Be prepared; half of the resources you find will be your own spoils. As for the black box, whoever finds it, I will personally reward them with a million."
He seemed to see through Ryan's thoughts and continued, "If anyone can take down those two modified Bluebirds, the same, a million each! I mean what I say."
"Alright!" The morale of the crowd soared, except for the injured who couldn't participate.
Everyone went to rest and recover their bio-energy. Three hours passed quickly, but bio-energy recovery wasn't as fast as time. Carlos's bio-energy recovered to 157; others were below a hundred. Kazemi, Jane, and Ryan, having not directly participated in the battle, preserved their bio-energy relatively well, close to their peak state. Especially Ryan, who had recovered to a full 194 after three hours of rest.
As TerraNova3's power engine was restored, a group of Bluebirds also completed their maintenance tasks, and their chips resumed normal operation.
"Everyone," Carlos announced to the group, "the main ship has regained power and is moving towards the location where the space pirates' main ship was destroyed. Although we haven't fully recovered, we can't stay too long, so those capable can join the search mission. Those with concerns can stay behind. It's your choice."
"Our operation time is only three hours. Whether we find the black box or not, we must return to the team after three hours to continue our escort mission," Carlos emphasized the time limit of the task.
TerraNova3 slowly stopped, and the hatch doors opened. "Move out!" With the order, everyone boarded their Bluebirds and began the search mission.
In deep space, countless broken parts floated, densely covering a region of space. Scattered everywhere were large debris pieces, showing signs of plasma erosion, looking particularly striking. Among the wreckage, there were also fragments of human bodies and damaged combat suits.
Ryan piloted his Bluebird, calculating and analyzing the trajectories and value of the debris with the help of the fully functional chip. The salvage arms extended from the front and rear of the aircraft, starting to grab nearby mechanical fragments. These mechanical fragments, often called space junk, generally had low value, but among them were some high-strength parts worth tens of thousands each.
However, these parts no longer attracted Ryan. What he truly cared about were the black box and the high-frequency pulse particle weapons on the ship. The black box's value was self-evident, related to the bounty of an entire group of space pirates, potentially worth billions. And the D-class high-frequency pulse particle weapons required materials of D-class or even C-class strength, with the weapon chip alone worth billions. Collecting any of these would allow him to make a significant leap.
Unfortunately, his expectations seemed too high. Under the saturation bombardment, the high-frequency pulse particle weapons were almost completely destroyed, with a huge hole melted where the chip was located. Seeing the images searched by Astra, Ryan's heart sank. The chip was gone, a massive waste of precious resources!
With no other choice, Ryan had to settle for second best, sweeping the surrounding space junk while continuing to search for the black box. The black box, being small and high-strength, had a high survival probability. Especially with space pirates, they liked to hide such important items in unexpected places, like freezers or armories.
At that moment, a silver pipe hit the Bluebird's hull with a dull thud, catching Ryan's attention. The weight of this thing was unusual, clearly not ordinary.