Destroy them?
That statement was simply too exaggerated.
It must be understood that the personnel transported by these Interstellar Transport Ships were either wealthy or of high status!
Although most were just ordinary families and merchants, with few holding Nobility Titles.
But such a force could not be underestimated!
This female Captain actually dared to threaten to open fire and destroy them directly.
She must be bluffing, right?
Most people believed that the other party's words were a trick, meant to deceive them.
"Nonsense! I refuse to believe you would dare to treat human lives as worthless.
You want to save people, but aren't we human lives too!" the Gao-surnamed merchant retorted.
The female Captain said calmly, "According to our system's statistics, this Starport is currently within a safe zone and will not suffer an Interstellar Zerg attack for at least half a month.
Moreover, transporting all of you wouldn't require this many Interstellar Transport Ships; a few T2 Interstellar Transport Ships would be enough.
Of course, this does not include taking away your so-called collectibles and assets."
"Enough! I cannot allow you to requisition all of my Interstellar Transport Ships. I will report your actions to the higher-ups of the Stellar Glory Empire!" the Gao-surnamed merchant said angrily.
"In that case, it seems we have no need to waste any more time." The female Captain unceremoniously cut off the communication.
The Gao-surnamed merchant sneered at the people around him, confidently saying, "I still don't believe they would actually dare to fire on my Interstellar Transport Ships!"
At that moment, in full view of everyone.
The secondary cannons of the three T3 Blizzard-class Light Interstellar Battlecruisers began locking onto one of the Interstellar Transport Ships.
"Captain, are we really going to open fire?" the Deputy Captain asked with some concern.
The female Captain said calmly, "The commander has said that when necessary, we must act decisively. Now we must demonstrate some real action; otherwise, they won't obediently let us take these Interstellar Transport Ships.
Prepare to destroy one Interstellar Transport Ship."
"Which Interstellar Transport Ship should we target?" the Deputy Captain inquired.
The female Captain looked at the data in front of her—information on the Interstellar Transport Ships docked here and their registered details.
Finally, she pointed to one T2 Interstellar Transport Ship.
"This one. It's transporting nothing but luxury goods and family assets belonging to those nobles and wealthy merchants.
Before firing, issue an announcement to the Starship Crew on this T2 Interstellar Transport Ship, warning them to immediately evacuate via Escape Pods. We will open fire on their ship in thirty seconds!
If they do not retreat, they will bear the consequences." The female Captain's arrangement was already as considerate as possible.
"Why this one?" the Deputy Captain asked curiously.
Among so many Interstellar Transport Ships, why choose this particular one?
"Because it's too ugly," the female Captain said bluntly.
The Deputy Captain was speechless.
The thirty seconds passed quickly.
The five Medium Pulse Laser Secondary Guns then fired at that somewhat ugly T2 Interstellar Transport Ship. Five pulses of laser struck the Ship Hull of the T2 Interstellar Transport Ship.
In an instant, the T2 Interstellar Transport Ship suffered multiple damages to its hull, was severely compromised, and was at risk of exploding at any moment.
Inside the Starport
Everyone who witnessed this scene was stunned.
They never imagined that the Starship of the Fierce Dragon Fleet would actually dare to open fire!
Watching the interstellar transport ship burning, with explosions erupting from various sections, the crew aboard had already begun evacuating.
Originally, such interstellar transport ships didn't have many crew members, and the T3 Blizzard-class Light Interstellar Battlecruiser had only used its secondary cannons.
Not to mention using the bow cannon—even if only the main cannons had been used, these interstellar transport ships would likely have exploded outright long ago.
Half a minute later, the interstellar transport ship finally gave way and exploded.
Fortunately, by then, all the crew aboard had already evacuated.
Just then, an announcement was received by everyone within the starport:
"This is only a warning. Within ten minutes, please evacuate all non-essential personnel from your ships and unload all non-essential items. Otherwise, your fate will be the same as this interstellar transport ship."
Faced with this warning once again, everyone felt their hair stand on end, no longer daring to take the words lightly.
Because the female captain had made it clear with her actions that they were not joking.
The Gao-surnamed wealthy merchant was drenched in sweat, his heart aching as he looked at the destroyed T2 interstellar transport ship. Although there were no personnel casualties, the losses of the goods aboard...
Altogether, their value was estimated to be nearly a million Star Coins.
If the cargo owners demanded compensation, he would suffer another significant loss.
The Gao-surnamed wealthy merchant contacted the female captain again. As the video window appeared, he hurriedly said, "Um... I'm willing to arrange for half of the interstellar transport ships to cooperate with you."
"All of them," the female captain stated unequivocally.
The Gao-surnamed wealthy merchant swallowed hard. "All of them is fine too... but the cargo on those interstellar transport ships simply can't be unloaded within ten minutes!"
"Under normal circumstances, the cargo indeed cannot be unloaded within ten minutes, but personnel can fully board shuttles and enter the starport within that time.
As for the cargo that cannot be unloaded from the interstellar transport ships, simply discard it all into space," the female captain said bluntly.
These time estimates had long been calculated by them.
"All... discarded... the losses..." The Gao-surnamed wealthy merchant gasped in shock.
"If these interstellar transport ships of yours had been transporting civilians earlier, even if only seventy or eighty percent, I could have accepted it.
But at a time like this, you chose to load lifeless objects instead, abandoning the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians." The female captain snorted coldly, not hiding her contemptuous expression in the slightest.
"This is my last communication with you. Once the time is up, if the handover is not completed, we will take matters into our own hands."
With that, the communication window closed.
The Gao-surnamed wealthy merchant clenched his fists in anger. "These damn bastards! Robbers! Bandits! The Fierce Dragon Fleet... I will definitely report you!"
At this moment, he had no other choice.
To preserve these interstellar transport ships, he could only obediently order the personnel aboard to evacuate. As for the items, rather than letting the other side discard them, he might as well do it himself.
That way, he could still find a way to have those luxury goods float in space, awaiting later recovery to minimize the losses.
Once the ten minutes were up,
the interstellar transport ships all navigated to the designated positions alongside the three T3 Blizzard-class Light Interstellar Battlecruisers.
Finally, following the three T3 Blizzard-class Light Interstellar Battlecruisers as they sailed into the Stargate, heading toward their destined destination.
At this moment, the Gao-surnamed wealthy merchant received a flood of messages from numerous dignitaries—all without exception were the wealthy merchants and nobles who had been forcibly removed from the starships, demanding an explanation from him.
Those around him, witnessing this scene, took pleasure in his misfortune.
Although they had also suffered some losses, they were not significant.
In his attempt to profit from this "national calamity," the Gao-surnamed wealthy merchant now faced the very real possibility of losing his entire fortune.
"Fierce Dragon Fleet! Zhao Chen... I swear eternal enmity with you!" As he uttered these words, the Gao-surnamed wealthy merchant was so enraged that he vomited blood on the spot.