Seeing that Lerden had fled, the captain lost all strength and plonked himself in a chair, his eyes shut in agony.
“It’s over. It’s all over.”
The Green Knight had run away, and the enemy was inches away from the main control room. What more hope was there?
Serpent Braid suppressed his desire to chase. He remembered the main mission and brought the rest toward the main control room door.
Panic and terror spread—the people were horrified. Every step that the scavengers took, the captain’s heart sunk deeper.
This situation was already hopeless. The captain could not think of anything that would reverse the situation. He could not help but think of his wife, his kid, and his mistress back home, and his heart filled with sorrow.
Just as Serpent Braid was about to hammer open the door, he suddenly heard an explosion, and a surge of heat rapidly approached from behind him. He hastily turned around, and a thick beam of scorching light rapidly expanded in his vision.
Serpent Braid hurriedly raised his war hammer before him, and the flames condensed into an invisible force field protection layer.
The beam hit right on target!
Bang!
The war hammer turned into burning-hot iron instantly. With a loud scream from Serpent Braid, the war hammer fell out of his hand, and he was blown away. The ember on his arms and chest was still burning.
“What‽” The captain’s expression suddenly changed.
At the other side of the tunnel, Han Xiao was holding a strange golden firearm, and smoke was still coming out of its muzzle.
‘Wrath of Garrett’ had 513 raw damage. With [Flaming Will] multiplying it by 2.7 times, plus two times critical from stealth attack, plus [Steady Aim] increasing damage by thirty percent, after damage reduction, this shot dealt 2,124 damage!
“Unfortunately, the True Damage from Lethal Shot did not trigger.” Han Xiao glanced at the scene, as he said, “Looks like I’m just in time.”
Serpent Braid struggled and stood up. He picked up the war hammer, letting it burn his hands, and stared daggers at Han Xiao. “Another one! Kill him!”
Other scavengers turned around and focus fired him—bullets and beams were everywhere. The tunnel was narrow, so there was nowhere to dodge. With one thought, the Hovering Shield Shuttle flew out, forming into an electromagnetic shield before Han Xiao, and the rain of bullets rippled the shield.
Serpent Braid spun the war hammer, not to attack Han Xiao but the main control room door.
With a loud bang, the door fell, and the main control room was exposed. The people inside hastily backed away from the door, and the captain banged into a chair while going backward, falling onto the ground. He looked up at the tall Serpent Braid with horror on his face.
Just as Serpent Braid was about to enter the main control room, at this time, a dark red stream of light appeared between Han Xiao’s eyebrows, a sexy outline of a lady appeared behind him, her red long hair was floating like seaweed.
[Character Summon Card—Hila]!
Without any hesitation, Han Xiao used all three psychic impacts on Serpent Braid. Having just seen from the combat information that Serpent Braid was a LV 70 Pugilist, Han Xiao knew that since the Stone Giant blood gave him very strong physical resistance, correspondingly, his mind was his weakness.
Serpent Braid stopped in place. The next second, thick blood shot out from his nose and mouth, and he felt like his brain had exploded. The world was spinning, and he lost control of his body, fell before the main control room door, and could not get up.
Han Xiao endured being hit multiple times and dashed through the scavengers’ blockade. His biological muscles expanded as he grabbed Serpent Braid’s braid and threw him to the other side.
Their positions had swapped. Now, Han Xiao was blocking the door.
These actions had resolved the crisis of the main control room. The captain felt like he was toeing the line of life and death. He gulped nervously and said, “Are you a passenger, too?”
The captain could not express what he actually meant because he was so nervous. What he actually meant was, this mysterious mechanical suit warrior seemed to have even stronger combat power than the slightly renowned Green Knight, but why was he not on the passenger list earlier?
The captain had originally thought it was hopeless, but Han Xiao’s appearance made him see the dawn once again.
This time, Han Xiao turned around and said, “I heard you’ll pay a reward.”
Although his face was covered by the mechanical suit, his tone was also calm. However, due to some reason, the captain felt like he could faintly see a profiteering smile on the man’s face.
Probably my imagination…
After the disappointment from Green Knight earlier, the captain did not dare hesitate at all. He had to grab onto this life-saving rope at all costs, so he hastily exclaimed, “That’s right! I can give you a lot of money! You must stop them!”
A notification appeared on the interface.
_____________________
You have triggered the mission [Captain’s Request].
Mission Introduction: The Short Horn Star’s captain has decided to hire you to protect the spaceship and his safety.
Mission Requirements: Successfully protect Short Horn Star and keep the captain alive.
Reward: 8,000 Enas
_____________________
8,000? That’s quite a lot.
Enas had a very high purchasing power. Not mentioning Han Xiao’s knowledge, Kerlodd’s salary as an investigator was only 4,000 Enas annually, excluding the benefits that he received, and this guy splurged on entertainment and night activities, yet he could still save 800 plus Enas.
Han Xiao was very satisfied. Within the same matter, he could take initiative and reap more money from different people. Back when he was running his power levelling business, he had already become very familiar with this method. Many players had this habit as well. When they knew that they were going to a certain place, they would accept all the missions regarding that place in advance and complete them at once, getting a greater profit.
This new mission had only been given to him, and the other players did not have it.
Chapter 325 - This Was Completely on Purpose
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Although the mission requirements were not easy to complete, Han Xiao instantly felt more motivated after receiving the private assignment. The scavengers were currently in control of the passageways, and Han Xiao’s job was to keep all the enemies outside the doors of the main control room.
Tuk tuk tuk!
Bullets and energy beams rained down on Han Xiao, but his Electromagnetic Plates blocked most of the attacks, while the few that made it through were stopped by his thick body armor. Most of these scavengers were normal people with weak physical bodies. However, they were armed with deadly weapons. Some were even equipped with electromagnetic and beam weapons. Although these weapons were only infantry weapons, they were still able to cause Han Xiao some trouble if they concentrated their fire on him.
Serpent Braid struggled to get himself back up due to the stunned status effect. The three hits that landed on him did not shave off much of his health, but they had given a bunch of headache-inducing debuffs. He had underestimated his opponent. Never would Serpent Braid have thought that Han Xiao, with a body covered in mechanic gear, was able to use spiritual attacks… Not that he would have been able to block it anyway.
However, Serpent Braid believed that he now had a clear understanding of Han Xiao’s strength. He was a tough opponent that was no weaker than the Green Knight!
Serpent Braid welcomed these kinds of blood-boiling fights, yet as he was about to join the fray, Cesoly’s voice suddenly sounded over the communicator.
“Boss! This ship’s approaching the patrol zone, and we don’t have much time left. Be careful of spending too much time on strong enemies, and go straight for the control room!�
��
Serpent Braid frowned, but he still managed to calm himself down and gave out the necessary command. “Concentrate fire!”
The lackeys then went all out with their attacks, putting Han Xiao under even more pressure.
Serpent Braid lifted his hammer and wanted to use this opportunity to circle around Han Xiao.
Once he captured the main control room, he would be able to shut off the ship’s shields, allowing the scavengers outside to directly destroy the ship. Once that was done, the ship’s personnel would most likely surrender as it was either that or utter destruction.
Han Xiao was pinned down by heavy fire and could not get out quickly. However, his eyes flashed, and four Sonic Spheres flew out, blocking Serpent Braid’s path while they gave off faint shockwaves in the air.
To protect the control room, Han Xiao had to basically plant himself in front of the door, and this meant that he could not counterattack. Yet, Han Xiao did not panic—he knew that Kerlodd and the players were already on their way. It was only a matter of time before his helpers arrived, and he would then be able to take care of Serpent Braid himself.
Serpent Braid was not a pushover, and Han Xiao could not just ignore him. However, turning his full attention onto Serpent Braid would mean leaving the path open to the other scavengers. The only other option was to activate that ability, but it had a seven-day cooldown period.
The current situation was not that desperate yet, so Han Xiao did not want to reveal this trump card. He decided to keep on delaying the enemies while waiting for reinforcements.
The control system of his machinery was directly connected to his nerves, and this allowed him to fight on multiple fronts at once.
The Sonic Spheres and the Compounded Magnetic Chain Split Blades danced through the air like butterflies. They were like a group of annoying wasps to Serpent Braid, as not only did they hurt a lot, Serpent Braid could not seem to get his hands on them. He had also tried to just rush through; however, he was blocked by Han Xiao despite the heavy fire from the scavengers.
Serpent Braid was furious, and he swung his hammer around, finally destroying a couple of the machines.
Boom boom boom!
Time ticked by, and Amphiptere’s durability was constantly going down. Han Xiao did not really mind this as he had made sure to bring along enough spare parts and repair materials. He planted himself in front of the scavengers and entered full defensive mode. With Amphiptere’s defensive capabilities, he was like an immovable steel wall.
“Boss, time is running out. We can’t take over the main control room!” Cesoly’s voice sounded once again.
“Shut up!”
Serpent Braid got even angrier, and he bashed his hammer all over the place. When he saw that Han Xiao’s suit seemed to be getting more and more damaged, he started to think that he was close to beating his opponent.
“Boss, calm down. Our objective is the Godoran. We don’t have much time left, and the ship’s loot isn’t worth it anymore. Let’s give up on the control room and go look for the Godoran instead. We will be able to earn much more money from our client if we can hand him the Godoran!”
“Aren’t Beast Hoof and his men looking for the target‽”
“They have already searched half the ship, but they still couldn’t find the Godoran. The ship is too big, and they don’t have enough men!”
Serpent Braid furiously cursed before picking up his hammer and backing off. “Let’s go. Don’t mind the control room anymore. We will go capture the Godoran!”
The scavengers hurriedly retreated, and Serpent Braid had to give up on the control room that was right in front of his eyes.
Han Xiao then finally realized the scavengers’ goal.
The scavengers’ target is Kerlodd?
Han Xiao felt like there had to be more behind this!
“Send out the message. The plan has changed. Everyone is to now give up on all other tasks and look for the Godoran. Cesoly, take the hostages back to our ship. These hostages will still be worth some cash. Everyone else, look for the target!”
Seeing that their chance of capturing Short Horn Star was close to none, the scavengers decided to change their strategy and go for their target instead. Once they have gotten hold of the target, they could then escape with the scavenger ship that was still flying right by Short Horn Star.
After giving out his orders, Serpent Braid glared at Han Xiao, as if telling Han Xiao that he was letting him go this time.
At that moment, the other side of the passageway exploded in a burst of yellow, and the shadow of a spear danced through the air as it pierced through multiple scavengers. The scavengers that got hit all fell on the ground.
Kerlodd had finally arrived. He held the Godoran battle spear in one hand while holding a golden energy shield on the other, standing in the scavengers’ path.
With Han Xiao behind them, the scavengers were pincered between the two.
“Godoran!” Serpent Braid could not have been happier. He never would have expected the prey to show up all by himself.
Serpent Braid quickly took stock of the situation, and as if realizing something, he turned back to look at Han Xiao. “So, you’re with the Godoran. Do you think just you two are enough to take us on? I will have to thank you first for handing me my target on a platter!”
This development was just what Serpent Braid wanted. He no longer had to waste time searching through the ship—all he had to do was defeat the Godoran and take him with them.
Serpent Braid roared and ran to Kerlodd with his war hammer in hand.
Boom!
Kerlodd held up his shield to block. However, he appeared incapable of withstanding Serpent Braid’s brute force and had to take a few steps back after the impact.
Just as Serpent Braid was about to follow up with another blow, over a dozen players suddenly appeared behind Kerlodd. They were all filled with energy, and it was obvious that they were all battle-ready Supers. The scavengers suddenly lost their numerical advantage as that number of Super could easily destroy them!
Serpent Braid’s expression underwent a drastic change, as the rage was suddenly replaced with shock and despair.
How were there so many Supers travelling on this low-level spaceship‽
The scavengers had already made a rough estimate of the Short Horn Star’s fighting strength before they made the ambush, and there should only have been a couple of grade C Supers on-board. This was because any of the stronger Supers would usually either travel using their own ship. Even if they wanted to save money, they still would not go for this cheap civilian transport. A ship like the Short Horn Star was like a public bus while the more expensive travel agencies were like high-speed railways.
The Green Knight was already surprising enough, let alone the sudden appearance of this group of grade C Supers.
Which rock did these Supers even spring out from? They’re even teaming up!
What a disaster!
Han Xiao chuckled and said, “I also have helpers.”
However, the smile disappeared from his face the next instance, and he said in a cold voice, “Go!”
Han Xiao and Kerlodd’s group rushed toward the scavengers, who were stuck in the passageway, and began the one-sided massacre.
The situation suddenly turned around!
Cr*p! Boss is screwed! Cesoly shuddered, as if a gust of cold wind went up his spine. He was currently taking the group of the hostages back to the scavengers’ ship.
What do we do now? We can’t save the boss. Let’s return to our ship first!
Cesoly felt that things had gotten way out of control, and he was also extremely worried. His only concern at that moment was getting back onto his ship safely. He also was not exactly betraying his boss as his original order was to escort the hostages back onto their ship.
However, the thought of reinforcing Serpent Braid not once crossed his mind. Scavengers were a selfish bunch, and loyalty was basically non-existent among them. Th
e only thing that Cesoly cared about was getting himself out of harm’s way.
“The boss wants me to take the hostages back to our ship. Move faster…” Cesoly tried to hurry his underlings along.
Just as he was getting to the middle of his sentence, he suddenly stopped and stared at the corner of the main hall.
In the corner that had been empty just a few moments ago now stood over a dozen people. Hao Tian, Sleepy Winter, Rainy Kim, Bun-hit-dog, and several other players who had promised each other to play some Galaxy after finishing dinner had come online together.
The players were flabbergasted as they took in the drastically different surroundings.
Hey hey hey! What’s the situation‽ Why have the passengers been taken hostage? Who are those people pointing their guns at us? Why is the spaceship shaking nonstop? There are even sounds of gunshot from far away. Are we under attack‽
The scavengers in the main hall all had their tongues tied to the back of their throats as they stared at the newcomers.
They had already carefully checked all the rooms when capturing the passengers. Where did these people come from? Were they ghosts‽
The two sides stared at each other with widened eyes for a moment.
As more and more of the scavengers pointed their guns at the players, Hao Tian and the others finally understood the situation.
What were they still waiting for? Kill!
Energy burst forth from the group of players as they released their abilities, crushing the scavengers under their feet in a matter of seconds.
Cesoly completely lost his cool.
“How despicable! You would even resort to ambushing‽”
Chapter 326 - The Secret Buyer
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Frenzied Sword and a group of other players stood guard at the door to the launch bay for the escape pods while chatting with each other out of boredom.
The Legendary Mechanic c1-1385 Page 186