Han Xiao’s eyes sparkled.
He did not have to be trapped on Floating Dragon Island—this was great news. It would not delay the development time for his mercenary group faction. Although Floating Dragon was great, he had only joined because he had no choice. As long as he could move freely, the distress that this problem had caused him would be greatly reduced.
The result was finalized, and Han Xiao hung up the communication, feeling very good. The superiors of the three armies would soon arrive, and then he could follow them back to complete the mission.
“Things are going so well.” Han Xiao had a happy face. Was he finally getting lucky after all the unlucky events that he had been through?
Aroshia was waiting at the door until Han Xiao waved his hand and took her away from the warehouse. He was worried about leaving Aroshia to run around alone, so he always brought her along whenever he was free.
He entered a deserted street, and after walking for a while, the relaxed expression on Han Xiao’s face suddenly vanished. Han Xiao frowned, feeling that the atmosphere was strange. He took a step and shielded Aroshia behind her back, then looked around vigilantly.
“Good senses.”
The voice of a person seemed to come out of nowhere. With a cold tone of judgment, containing the confidence of his own superior strength, Han Xiao felt the voice was familiar.
At the same time, hard walls suddenly extended from the ground around them, covered the sky, and trapped the two of them like a cage.
The soldiers of the DarkStar Task Force appeared and surrounded the two people.
Ember stood at the forefront. He stared at Han Xiao with an expressionless face, as if everything was under his control.
“Black Star Mercenary Group captain, we need your help. Come with us. Not resisting will save you some pain.”
Han Xiao’s eyes became extremely serious.
Chapter 387 - Familiar, Witness!
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Two days ago, DarkStar had coincidentally seen through Peggy’s lies. Because of that, they had changed the strategy. They did not have to look for a needle in a haystack anymore. Since the Secret Message Bead was on Floating Dragon Island, they only needed to lock onto the organizations involved in the scrimmage at the dock to find out who picked up the bead. The search range became countless times smaller.
The mercenaries had been the main cause of the scrimmage at the dock, so they were the main focus. Sky Ring, Blades, and Purple Gold had all been captured; only Han Xiao’s Black Star Mercenary Group was free to move around. Ember was not stupid enough to attack the prison; hence, Han Xiao became the most suitable target.
And so, they laid this ambush.
Seize Black star, take control of the captain of this small mercenary group, make him obey orders obediently, then use his identity to move in and out of prison to asked whether the Secret Message Bead had been picked up by any other mercenary.
After all, the first line of ‘DarkStar Task Force Action Manual’ was ‘In order to reduce the risk of exposure during field missions, avoid using violence as much as possible if the target can be bribed with money—most of the money spent can be snatched back.’
But from what DarkStar knew, the mysterious forces that plotted for the Secret Message Bead were hidden on Floating Dragon Island. That force had come to know the truth before them and was very likely to have contacted the mercenaries before them. After what happened with Peggy, Ember did not want to be toyed once again. So, he decided to do things the simple way, by using force.
As a member of a large, violent terrorist organization, they always felt a sense of superiority when facing mercenaries. They were like a god of death hiding in the dark, cool and stylish. Whereas mercenaries were like labor workers, without belief and would do anything for money, not even matching up to bounty hunters, who were dedicated to catching wanted criminals.
Saying ‘I am from DarkStar’ and ‘I am a mercenary’ felt completely different.
The name of DarkStar was feared by countless races. In contrast, although the mercenary industry was extremely large, it was scattered. It was like the difference between a stone and a sand castle. DarkStar would only pay attention if it were large armies like Sky Ring and Blades. In the case of a small mercenary group with around fifty members and their strongest member being only trade B, it was a piece of cake.
“Who are you people?” Han Xiao asked deliberately while narrowing his eyes.
“A word of advice for you, if you want to live a little longer, put away your curiosity and don’t ask about our identity. Don’t get caught up in trouble,” Ember said coldly.
He thought that Han Xiao would definitely be surprised by their identity.
What he did not know was that Han Xiao was the witness the night they took the slaves away. Thinking that this was their first encounter with Black Star, they maintained their mysterious identity to put pressure on Black Star, not knowing that Han Xiao knew exactly who they were.
Han Xiao looked around. The walls Ember built formed a colosseum-like cage. There was a total of eight DarkStar warriors surrounding him in the middle. In addition to Ember, the other seven were not some nobodies—they were all grade B Supers.
Seven opponents with the same grade, plus Ember who was grade B+. The increase in difficulty when facing multiple opponents was not as simple as addition. With a variety of abilities working collaboratively, Han Xiao was unsure of how long he could last against them. Furthermore, he had the burden of Aroshia, so it was a tricky situation.
Han Xiao tried to use the communication channel, only to hear the sound of electric currents.
“Don’t waste your time. Strong signal disruption devices have been planted nearby, so no messages can be sent out. You can’t call for help,” Ember said indifferently.
“It seems that you think you’ve got me in the palm of your hands.” Han Xiao kept calm and said, “Since I have no way to escape, tell me what is it that you want me to do, and maybe we can agree to some terms. I don’t want to fight a meaningless battle.”
“We want you to ask the mercenaries about the whereabouts of a black bead,” Ember said.
Hearing this, Han Xiao analyzed quickly in his mind without changing his expression.
It seemed that DarkStar was able to pry out the truth from the mouth of Peggy. They most likely also knew that there is an impostor using their name who is also competing for the Secret Message Bead. But they don’t know that the impostor is me. I’ve been attacked this time not because I’m exposed but because I happen to be one of the targets. This is very crucial. They don’t know I have the bead. If I pretend to cooperate, I might be able to get myself out of this.
He was more concerned about how much DarkStar knew. At this point, it seemed that he just happened to be a typical mercenary—him imposing as a DarkStar agent had not been exposed.
Compromising with DarkStar was not out of the question. If giving up the Secret Message Bead could be exchanged for an opportunity of joining DarkStar, thus infiltrating the enemy, it could be considered a chance as well. Yet, the risk of that was unknown and hard to measure.
Han Xiao squinted and behaved like he did not seem to know what the bead was. “This is just a small matter. I can help, so there’s no need to use force.”
Ember took out a small transparent box containing a large number of nanotechnology insects the size of sand that were used to control the brain and heart. They would be able to take one’s life anytime once injected into the body. “After you inject this, then we can talk about our cooperation.”
“Looks like I don’t have a choice.” Han Xiao shook his head. The mechanical suit covered his body in an instant.
Injecting the nanotechnology insects meant that his life would be in someone else’s hands, and he would never agree to that. Therefore, there was only one choice.
Fight!
Electromagnetic firearms bounced out of the mechanical suit on
e after another. Energy flew out like electric currents, covered in lightning in the size of filaments. Han Xiao was not only holding firearms in both his hands, but he also controlled the rest of the firearms with his energy, firing in all directions.
Tu tu tu tu!
In an instant, bullets covered in blue lightning blossomed outward from Han Xiao in the center like a dark blue rose!
A battle suddenly erupted!
[Moving Snipe], [Field Controlling Vision], [Magnetic Vision—Data Flow], [Surging Mechanical Force], and [Overload]—a variety of abilities were activated by Han Xiao instantly. The explosive power of these abilities shocked the DarkStar soldiers as they dodged and blocked the abilities in their own ways.
“A waste of time.”
Ember controlled the dust and turned it into a shield, blocking the bullets. His face was calm. To him, no matter what the enemy’s fighting method was, as long as their grade was lower than his, it would all be meaningless. He could defeat then in a blink of an eye unless they were immune to his power.
Hum!
Ember activated his power and extended his senses. His vision changed, and Ember could ‘see’ Han Xiao’s body’s atomic structure clearly. The carbon element was marked with light, covering his body like a river. Ember controlled these carbon elements with ease—he had done this countless times.
However, it was like Han Xiao’s body suddenly became a mountain. The Esper power that had worked countless times did not work this time. Ember could not control any carbon atoms in his body; its structure was unshakeable.
The calmness on the face of the Ember was suddenly broken and replaced by dismay.
“It’s you!”
Ember stared suspiciously at Han Xiao.
It turned out that the witness on that night who caused the mission to fail was this mercenary group captain, Black Star!
Chapter 388 - Amphiptere, Shattered!
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“You’re the one that attacked the slave market!”
Han Xiao acted shocked as well like he had only just recognized Ember.
According to the intel that DarkStar had, he was just an unimportant passerby. As soon as they got into a battle, the fact that he was the witness who briefly battled Ember would definitely be discovered. From Ember’s perspective, they had only met once, when they attacked the slave market. Hence, he acted as if he recognized Ember as the attacker of that night from his Esper power. It was a normal reaction.
There was another reason he faked this—to hide the fact that he knew about the truth of DarkStar.
At the moment of being attacked, these thoughts were already brewing in Han Xiao’s head.
And as expected, seeing his surprise, Ember totally did not have any thought of him being the mysterious man who discovered DarkStar’s identity.
On the night of the attack, due to the area being in a blackout and them wearing a mask and mechanical suit, they did not know each other’s identity. And now, they met coincidentally again.
Han Xiao was the first person that was immune to Ember’s [Carbon Atom Deconstruction] despite being one grade lower. Although it was just a short battle, he had left such a strong impression on Ember that he would not be able to forget.
Ember was shocked. He swept away his careless attitude, and his eyes were filled with curiosity and battle desire. “Our last battle was too short to determine a winner. This time, I’m not in a rush.”
The witness was the reason that the attack had been exposed, and his real identity was their target this time—Black Star. With both old and new grudges, Ember was full of fighting spirit. He decided to go all out this time.
Ember’s hand grabbed the air, and black carbon dust formed a straight double-edged diamond sword, extremely hard yet flexible due to Ember’s powers.
Boom!
At the same time, endless black dust shot out from the ground everywhere, trying to aim for the gaps in the mechanical suit.
Han Xiao felt the pressure from the increased fighting spirit of the enemy.
Initially, Ember had thought that dealing with Han Xiao would be a simple mission, but he realized that he was wrong. This was a tough opponent. Thus, he became serious and faced Han Xiao with the attitude of facing a strong enemy.
Hu!
Seven Sonic Spheres flew out and hovered in the air, creating an amplification field. The space inside the cell created by Ember was limited, perfect for sonic attacks.
With the Scythe in his hands, the Hovering Shield Shuttle hovering around his body, and the light shining from the armor pieces on his hand, arms, and legs, Han Xiao was at his peak performance.
Due to the signal interference, Han Xiao could not activate the backup parts that were far away. He could only battle with the mechanical suit’s basic mode—there was no backup equipment. It was very disadvantageous for a Mechanic.
“Hide aside,” Han Xiao said as he pushed Aroshia away. He swung the scythe and slashed at the wall, but it did not even leave a scratch.
He frowned. The wall was too hard, and there was no way to break through.
The only choice left was to fight.
This time, the seven DarkStar warriors struck. Three Pugilists covered in flames surrounded Han Xiao in a triangle shape.
Bang!
With a swing of the scythe, they clashed!
The aftershock echoed in the prison cell!
Aroshia was forced to the edge and could only watch.
Ember was very curious about Han Xiao’s ability to resist his powers. Anyway, the signal disruption device was already set up, and Black Star could not call for backup, so there was plenty of time to find out.
As Han Xiao was attacked and having a tough fight, all the players far away on the other side of the floating island who were doing their duty in aircrafts triggered a new mission.
_____________________
[Urgent Mission – Backup]
Mission Introduction: Your captain has been ambushed and is engaged in a tough fight. As a member of the mercenary group, you are his backup.
Mission Requirements: Arrive at the scene quickly and provide backup for Black Star. The coordinates are…
Reward: Depends on the speed and number of the backup.
Rejection Consequence: -300 Black Star Mercenary Group Favorability
_____________________
All the players became spirited.
…
The Esper’s power was very strong. Not only was it strong in close-quarter combat, but it could also control countless dust particles and turn them into spears to strike or tentacles to constrain Han Xiao’s mobility. The most dangerous threat of that ability was the dust infiltrating into the gaps of the mechanical suit that changed their form inside the suit to destroy Amphiptere’s interior. At least one-third of the damage came from Ember.
The seven DarkStar warriors had very good cooperation—three Pugilist to limit Han Xiao’s mobility at close range through exchanging hits, one Esper that could secret acid, and another that could inject energy in the galaxy into specially made metals and turn them into bombs. These two Espers were hiding at the side while throwing acid and metal balls at Han Xiao.
There was one more Mechanic who was good at electromagnetic disruption and smart hacking, connecting to Amphiptere through his own combat suit and disrupting Amphiptere’s system through the hacking program that he wrote. He was even trying to take control of Amphiptere. Han Xiao’s smart technology was still within the bounds of basic knowledge, so he had no choice but to turn off most auto functions and leave only the nerves connection controls on, to stop detection and analysis as well as to prevent Amphiptere’s system from being taken over. This Mechanic was also controlling numerous shield generators to block attacks for his teammates.
The last one was an Electric Mage. His cooperation with Ember was the closest, unleashing his electric sorcery by using the carbon dust as a bridge. Ember turned them into graphene, which
was more conductive, to increase the power, attacking Han Xiao from all directions and burning the internals of Amphiptere.
Boom boom boom!
Attacks rained down on Amphiptere, and the number of wounds gradually increased. Facing seven enemies of the same grade and one whose grade was even higher than his own, Han Xiao was like facing a terrifying tsunami—he could hardly fight back.
Even with [Snake—Devil] activated, he could just barely hold on.
The mechanical suit’s durability dropped very quickly. After only a few minutes into the fight, it was already at sixteen percent, close to being completely destroyed.
Han Xiao took a deep breath. He poured all the energy into the mobility device, and with a sharp arc, he escaped from the close-range battle and headed straight for the Esper who could secrete acid. He closed in extremely quickly while firing a shot at the Mechanic to make sure he could not control the shield to protect his teammate. Then, with a swing of the scythe, he was about to slash at the Esper.
“Burst!” Ember yelled as he clenched his fist. Before Han Xiao could land the attack, Ember could give the wounded Amphiptere one last attack to destroy it!
Countless spikes formed inside Amphiptere within a second!
The mechanical suit became covered in holes and was on the brink of shattering.
At this moment, a blurry white light bloomed. Amphiptere, which was about to shatter, came back together like a miracle, and its energy level recovered to its prime.
Machinery Continuation!
The Legendary Mechanic c1-1385 Page 221
