Each of the "Taoyuan" fleet's starships bears a striking emblem: a lush tree, half rooted in the soil, half reaching toward the starry sky, symbolizing the tenacity of life and the boundlessness of hope. Designed by Rosie herself, this emblem is simple yet profound, a symbol that is unforgettable.

The mine's alarms wailed like death knells, echoing through the vast underground space, each one more intense and terrifying than the last. The pirates panicked. Their vaunted defenses, like paper, were shattered by the Taoyuan formation, leaving nothing behind.

"Report! The defense system has been paralyzed!" A space pirate thug rushed into the control room, his voice changing tone, like a drake with its neck strangled.

"Useless! A bunch of useless!" The pirate leader, Kulis, was furious and kicked over the chair next to him. The chair fell to the ground with a clang, which perfectly reflected his current mood. "How many of them are there?"

"No... I don't know, but there is a 'Taoyuan' logo on their starship..." The voice of the minion became smaller and smaller. He knew what this logo meant.

Many pirate strongholds have recently been wiped out by fleets with this symbol, leaving no survivors. While they aren't ordinary pirates, every time Taoyuan goes out, besides the Saint Lady herself, a peak ninth-rank powerhouse, she is always accompanied by a ninth-rank companion. With such combat power, even they...

"The Holy Lady..." A trace of panic flashed across Kulis's ferocious face. He gritted his teeth. Why was this Holy Lady haunting him? Why did he keep running into her everywhere? "What are you panicking about? We still have hostages!"

The hostages are their last bargaining chip and their last lifeline.

"Boss, the people from 'Taoyuan' are coming to kill us!" A space pirate stumbled in, his face full of fear, as if he had seen a ghost.

"Why are you panicking? There are so many of us, why should we be afraid of just a few of them?" Another pirate said arrogantly, but his hand holding the weapon was shaking slightly, and his knuckles were turning white.

The robed figure appeared silently, his voice hoarse and low. In this tense and suffocating atmosphere, it was like a huge rock dropped into a calm lake, stirring up layers of ripples: "Why are you panicking? Since the Saint Female is here, leave her a big gift."

The black-robed figure never revealed his true face. Whenever he appeared, he was mysterious, like a ghost, watching everything from the shadows. His voice also carried an indescribable strangeness, like a whisper from the depths of hell, which made people shudder.

Kulis felt a chill run from his feet to his head, his legs trembling unconsciously. He even had to desperately control his lower body to prevent the shameful fluid from flowing out. The black-robed man gave him an aura more terrifying than that of a ferocious beast. That aura seemed like a foreshadowing of death, filling him with fear from the very core, making even breathing difficult.

"Sir... sir, what should we do?" Kuris' voice was trembling. He asked cautiously, fearing that he would accidentally anger this gentleman and end up with no trace of his body left.

"How?" The black-robed man's voice was a little playful, as if mocking Kulis's ignorance and cowardice. "Of course... retreat."

"Retreat... retreat?" Kulis was stunned. He had thought the black-robed man would lead them to a decisive battle with the people from Taoyuan, but he hadn't expected them to retreat? This... this was completely different from what he had expected!

"What? Do you have any objections?" The black-robed man's tone sank, and an invisible pressure instantly enveloped Kulis, making it difficult for him to breathe.

"No... no, my lord is wise!" Kulis hurriedly shook his head like a rattle, fearing that if he was a step slower, he would be crushed to death by the man in black robe.

"Hmph, you're smart." The black-robed man snorted coldly. "There's a saying in the Sky Empire: 'As long as the green mountains remain, there's no need to worry about running out of firewood.' This 'gift' can be considered a meeting gift for the Saint Female. Let's go!"

With that, the black-robed figure flashed and vanished into the darkness again, as if he had never appeared. Kulis stood there in a daze, and it took him a long time to come back to his senses. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, secretly thanking himself for not saying anything too much, otherwise he would have lost his life here. He turned to the still-stupefied pirates and shouted, "What are you still standing there for! Pack up your things and retreat!"

The pirates finally woke up from their dream and began to pack up their things in a panic. The control room suddenly became a mess.

"Boss, where are the hostages?" asked a pirate.

"Hostages? Who cares about hostages? Saving your life is the most important thing!" Curris said angrily, "Retreat quickly! It will be too late if you delay any longer!"

"But... those 'cargoes' are all valuable treasures. It's such a pity to just throw them away like that!" said another pirate with a painful look on his face.

"Idiot! You've already lost your life, what do you want with the treasure?" Curris cursed angrily, "Get out of here! If you dawdle any longer, none of you will leave here alive!"

The pirates didn't dare to say anything more and quickened their pace to pack up. Soon, the control room became empty, with only some miscellaneous items that had not been taken away in time left scattered on the ground, witnessing the chaos and embarrassment just now.

Kulis took one last look at the nest he had run for years. A flicker of reluctance flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a desire to survive. He gritted his teeth, turned, and strode out of the control room, heading towards the evacuation tunnel without looking back.

Deep within the mine, the alarm still echoed, but no one paid any attention. This sudden attack had completely robbed the pirates of their will to resist. Like a pack of stray dogs, they fled in panic, just to save their own lives.

……

Several starships were quietly floating above the mine, their silver-white hulls glowing coldly under the dim light.

The starship's hatch slowly opened, and Rosie, accompanied by the "Taoyuan" warriors, descended from the sky like divine troops. Dressed in uniform, they stood tall and proud, their demeanor a stark contrast to the beleaguered pirates.

The miners were extremely excited. They looked at the pirates who had oppressed them, each of them with their heads hanging like defeated roosters, and felt very happy.

"Dad, the Holy Lady is really here! She's really here to save us!" Little Jeremy excitedly pulled Jero's hand, his voice full of joy. He pointed at Rosie, his eyes sparkling like stars in the sky.

"Yes, the Saint Lady has really come..." Jeru's eyes moistened. He looked at his son's face, flushed with excitement, and his heart was filled with mixed emotions. He held his son's hand tightly, afraid that if he let go, this hard-earned hope would disappear.

Suddenly, little Jeremy's body went limp and he fainted, like a leaf blown by the wind, falling lightly into Jero's arms.

"Jeremy! Jeremy!" Jerru was panicked. He picked up his son and stumbled out of the crowd, like a wounded beast, looking for the last glimmer of hope in desperation.

"Lady Saint! Please save my child!" Jiru pushed through the crowd and rushed to Rosie, falling to his knees with a plop. He held the child high above his head, "Please!"

Luo Xi frowned as she looked at the scrawny child before her. He was so skinny he was just a bag of bones. He looked about the same age as her own son, Fan Zuo, but in reality, he was almost seven. Chronic malnutrition had severely delayed his physical development, making him look much smaller than his peers.

Rosie stretched out her hand, and a green vine extended from her fingertips, like a flexible little snake, and coiled around little Jeremy's wrist. A soft green light flickered on the vine, which was the power of life, warm and gentle.

Soon, Jeremy's flushed face returned to normal color at a visible speed. His breathing became steady, and his eyes, which had been tightly closed, trembled slightly, as if he was about to wake up.

"Thank you, Lady Saint! Thank you!" Jero was so excited that he was incoherent. He held little Jeremy in his arms and kowtowed to Rosie continuously, until his forehead turned red.

Rosie gently lifted Djeru's body with her vines, stopping him from kowtowing. "You're welcome. Take good care of him," she said softly. Although her voice was not loud, it carried an undeniable power.

Jeru was enveloped by the gentle wood energy, and he felt his exhausted body become much lighter. He raised his head and looked at Rosie's beautiful face, his heart filled with gratitude.

"Report! A dungeon was found in the pirates' lair!" A team member ran over to report.

"Let's go and take a look!" Rosie said, turning and walking towards the dungeon.

Admiral Mike and Nightingale followed closely behind.

The civilians behind them were moved to tears of gratitude.

"Thank you, Lady Saint!"

"Long live the Holy Lady!"

Little Jeremy also woke up. He looked at Rosie's departing back and shouted, "Thank you, Saint Lady!"

Although his voice was childish, it was full of sincerity and gratitude.

Little Jeremy's gratitude was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, causing ripples.

Everyone present was moved by this scene and they all started shouting.

"Thank you, Lady Saint!"

"Long live the Holy Lady!"

For a moment, shouts rose and fell, echoing throughout the entire mine.

In the dim mine tunnel, a few miners' lamps flickered, unable to illuminate the path ahead. Their light flickered like will-o'-the-wisp, even less able to illuminate the dim eyes of the rescued civilians. Rosie walked in front, her brow furrowed, her face solemn. Behind her, Admiral Mike directed the soldiers, leading the rescued civilians out of the mine in an orderly manner.

"How many people have been imprisoned here?" Luo Xi's voice echoed in the empty mine tunnel, with a barely perceptible tremor. She couldn't imagine how many crimes had been committed in this dark dungeon.

"At least... thousands of people." Admiral Mike's voice was low. He looked at the civilians who had been tortured beyond recognition, his heart filled with anger. These people, who should have had freedom and dignity, were imprisoned here like livestock, suffering inhuman torture.

"These damn pirates!" Nightingale said gritting her teeth, "I really want to tear them into pieces!" She has always hated evil, and seeing the evil deeds of these pirates, she wanted to eat them alive.

Rosie didn't say anything, she just walked silently, her heart, as if it was weighed down by a huge rock, heavy. She could feel the pain and despair of those prisoners, and this feeling suffocated her.

At the end of the mine tunnel is a huge metal door, like the tightly closed mouth of a giant beast, blocking people from prying eyes.

"Open it," said Rosie.

Two soldiers stepped forward and struggled to open the metal door.

"Creaky--" The metal door made a harsh friction sound, like the roar of a wild beast, which made people shudder.

Behind the door is a darker and more gloomy world.

A strong smell of blood, mixed with the stench of decay and sweat, hit everyone's nose like a heavy punch, making people nauseous.

"Ugh..." Nightingale couldn't help but dry heave. She covered her mouth, her face pale.

Rosie's stomach was churning, but she endured the discomfort and walked into the dungeon step by step.

"This... is hell..." Rosie muttered to herself. She saw the dungeon walls covered in a variety of torture instruments, stained with dark red blood, a shocking sight. Scattered on the ground were broken limbs and tattered clothing, and the air was thick with the scent of death. She could even hear the wails of the wronged souls, echoing in her ears for a long time.

"These pirates are simply inhumane!" Nightingale said gritting her teeth. She clenched her fists, her nails digging deep into her palms, but she didn't feel any pain.

Mike didn't say anything, he just walked silently, with a cold light flashing in his golden eyes.

They continued to go deeper into the mine and soon found a laboratory. The door of the laboratory was closed and a sign was hung on it saying "No Trespassing".

"There must be more imprisoned civilians in here." Rosie said, and was about to step forward and push open the door.

"Be careful." Mike warned, his voice low and with a hint of imperceptible concern.

Rosie nodded, took a deep breath, and then pushed the door open.

A strong smell of blood hit her face, and Rosie almost fainted. She suppressed her nausea and walked into the laboratory.

The laboratory was in a mess, with broken instruments and scattered test tubes everywhere. In the center of the laboratory, there was a huge metal table, on which lay a corpse, with various tubes inserted into the body, which looked shocking.

"This... this is..." Nightingale's voice trembled, her face was pale, and her body couldn't help shaking.

Luo Xi walked to the front of the stage and carefully examined the body. The skin was grayish white, without a trace of blood, and the body was shriveled, like a mummy...

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