“Then aren’t we in more danger?” Herlous was shocked.
“Do you know what’s called full resource utilization?” Han Xiao smiled.
Before Herlous could react, Han Xiao suddenly bent his legs and bounce started his dash toward that group of galactic pirates. Without a single word, the scythe extended, and he slashed down.
These pirates did not expect this at all—they fired hastily.
Ding ding ding!
Fire sparks flew, and the bullets were all deflected by Amphiptere mechanical suit. Han Xiao was like a grim reaper; he slashed sideways and cut four pirates into half, blood splashing onto the floor!
“You’re asking for it!” The pirate leader was right beside them. He furiously pulled out a war axe with flame enchantment and slammed the axe down on Han Xiao. This was a grade C Pugilist.
Han Xiao’s hands grabbed the axe tightly—it could not even move an inch further. He shook the scythe, and its blade expanded into electromagnetic chain blades, which tied the body of the pirate leader like a rope. Then, he activated Flaming Will, and the scythe tightened strongly.
Swoosh!
The health bar of this pirate leader was drained instantly. Without being able to scream, he was chopped into pieces right away!
Herlous was stunned.
The last second, they had still been chatting, but the next second, he had gone out killing. Was he really this prone to fits of anger‽
Chapter 366 - Slave Market
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
As a neutral territory, there were not just criminals in the Floating Dragon Island; there were also residents, workers, and troops that the ruler used to maintain security called the Dragon Guards. This was a chaotic place, but no matter what, they had to pay a tax when entering the island, representing their respect for the ruler. No one dared break this rule.
Floating Dragon Island was a typical low-security area. Combat there was allowed. As long as residents and workers were not killed and buildings were not destroyed, the Dragon Guards would never bother about outsiders killing each other. The atmosphere there was lawless, chaotic, and brutal. The city did not have a proper city plan, and the buildings were all over the place. There was no sun or moon in the sky, only lights from the city lighting up the floating island, making the sky a patchwork of darkness and colorful radiance.
Villains liked this place, not just because this was a neutral supply site—they also liked the rules there. As long as they did not cross the line of the Dragon Guards, they could use violence as much as they wanted. In this place, killing and being killed both did not seem like a big deal.
Han Xiao’s sudden act of violence caused a chain reaction. The sound of machines sounded in the street, and the entire street’s brutes raised their guns and aimed at him, looking ferocious as if they were going to rush forward anytime.
At this time, all the people from the three large mercenary groups drew their weapons, not taking any steps back, and surrounded Han Xiao to back him up. They displayed their strong attitude to protect their friends.
The villains suddenly hesitated. Overcome by fear, they sheathed their weapons and backed off unwillingly. Other than not wanting to be in trouble with the three large mercenary groups, the Dragon Guards would also appear if their battle became too intense.
Stared at by villains from all directions, the hundreds of mercenaries walked past this street, and only then did they sheathe their weapons. They continued walking forward, and no one expressed any opinion about what had just happened, like it was just the most common thing.
Goa glanced at Han Xiao and did not blame his sudden action at all.
All the mercenaries backed them up, and no one took it as a big deal—it was a cooperation that needed no explanation. Not just Herlous, even the players were shocked.
“Keeping a low profile is useless here,” Han Xiao said. “You have to flash your claws and fangs to intimidate potential enemies. There is also an unspoken cooperation sense in the mercenary industry. Every mercenary on the same mission is a trustworthy teammate. As long as the trouble is not way out of line, everyone will be with you. What concerns you also concerns me.
“Furthermore, killing some criminals here is a norm, and it was a good way to express our toughness. No one will say anything about it.”
Han Xiao had skipped the quarreling and talking part straight away and jumped to fighting because, here, if something could be settled with violence, there was no need to talk.
Herlous now understood what Han Xiao meant by full resource utilization. They were acting together with the three huge mercenary groups, so they had the number advantage. Thus, it was a suitable chance for them to show their fists.
This unspoken cooperation instantly made the players feel closer to the mercenaries.
Deep into the city of Floating Dragon Island, there were far fewer criminals on the streets. They locked onto the target’s identity through the customer that Han Xiao described from his foresight—Horlaide, the owner of a local slave market and also the subordinate of a certain direct descendant of the Floating Dragon Island ruler. He managed a part of the business.
“Now this is tough. He’s Floating Dragon Island’s ruler’s subordinate, so if we rob him of his slaves, it will be disrespectful to the ruler…”
On the streets, the leaders of the mercenary group gathered and discussed the issue. Sky Ring, Blades, and Purple Gold gave Han Xiao enough respect, so the four of them were discussing the action plan.
The current situation was quite a problematic one. Although the three large mercenary groups did not fear any criminals there, they did not dare mess with Floating Dragon Island’s ruler.
“People of Floating Dragon Island cannot be enraged, or we will certainly be dead. We have to think of a plan,” the leader of Blades, Porter, said in a very firm tone.
The Purple Gold’s leader, Cerleni, contemplated and said, “If Horlaide has already bought the Silvers, we cannot snatch them back with violence. The best way would be to rob the captives first before Horlaide makes the payment. Since we know who the customer is, we can wait for the scavengers to arrive, set up an ambush in advance, then snatch the captives back when they are still on their way. This way, we will not have a direct conflict with Horlaide.”
“Then,” Goa said, “firstly, we have to confirm if Horlaide has already received the captives. As long as he has yet to buy the captives, this plan is workable. We have to contact him… but if we contact him as mercenaries, it might raise suspicion. A buyer will not want someone to have an eye on what he wants to buy. The Dragon Guards might cause trouble for us.”
This plan had a prerequisite, which was that Han Xiao’s foresight was reliable. Since they did not have many clues, they could only choose to believe. Anyway, if the intel was incorrect, Han Xiao would not be able to escape the responsibility, and since someone was taking the blame, the other three leaders had no problem with it.
Han Xiao recommended himself and said, “I’m experienced, so I can disguise myself as a buyer to test him.”
The three leaders thought that this could work. They made a simple plan—Han Xiao changed into the face simulator, took off his mechanical suit, and changed his clothes. He now looked like a captain of a galactic spaceship—this kind of customer was very common.
The slave market was not dirty or messy, but luxurious and gorgeous instead. Any information about the slaves was displayed in books for customers to choose from.
The Floating Dragon Island had its middleman in the slave business. They bought slaves from scavengers and sold them to the large customers.
“I want to buy some slaves…”
As soon as he entered the market, Han Xiao expressed his intention, disguising himself as a normal customer. A fatty approached and introduced him to slaves of different races—there were many varieties.
After not really listening for a while, Han Xiao purposely acted as if he was unsatisfied and sa
id, “I don’t want these rough deformities, and I don’t want these cheap low-class slaves. I want to see what rare species you have here. Do you not have anything worthy of such standard?”
At this time, a short and skinny guy walked over, wearing luxurious clothes. His fingers and neck were covered in many expensive pieces of jewelry. He smiled and said, “Hehehe, of course, I have the good stuff here.”
“Who are you?” Han Xiao asked.
“Horlaide, the manager of the slave market. Trust me, the things here can definitely satisfy your needs.” Horlaide did not have any doubts. He was very passionate toward customers.
Han Xiao sized him up, then nodded. Seeing Horlaide make a hand sign for ‘follow me’, Han Xiao followed behind him. The two of them took the lift to the bottom floor, and a white corridor full of twists and turns appeared in their vision. There was a pure white alloy gate every so often, and the gate had a small window in it.
After walking to it, only then did Han Xiao realize it was all single cells behind the gates. Inside was fully white and very clean, and there were many different creatures.
“Please allow me to introduce you to these high-quality slaves…” Horlaide smiled confidently and explained smoothly. Han Xiao occasionally responded as he observed every slave in the cells. Most of them had a numb face, and some of them were scratching the walls in rage. Quite a number of them were Supers—the slaves here were indeed more valuable and precious.
The corridor end came very soon, but there were no Silvers in those hundred or so cells.
Horlaide stopped the introduction and asked, “Who have you picked?”
Han Xiao dry coughed and said, “Are there any other goods?”
“Haha, looks like you’re a picky customer; I love a challenge.” Horlaide laughed in a very exaggerated way, then snapped his fingers and said, “There’s one last good product. She can definitely satisfy your requirements.”
The wall at the end of the corridor opened, showing a new space. Seeing that, Han Xiao felt relieved. There was only one cell, and it did not look like it had Silvers inside, which meant that these captives had yet to arrive on Floating Dragon Island.
He walked up, looked at the window curiously, and suddenly his stopped breathing completely subconsciously. Inside was a woman whose beauty was almost unbelievable; from the aesthetic standpoint of humans, she had an almost perfect face. The Great Mechanic Han was astounded by the very first look.
This woman looked very young. She had long hair, and covered in blurry stardust, she looked almost ‘transcendent’. She appeared to be a normal Galaxy Human Race. She wore heavy alloy cuffs all over her body, a type of cuff specially made for Supers. The material used could make energy flow slower to a certain extent, making it hard to control it, hence reducing Supers’ explosive power. She wore a self-destructive collar, so any strange movements would decimate her skull.
Yet, this woman was very calm. Completely different from other slaves, she was neither numb nor enraged. She closed her eyes and sat in the corner, very relaxed, not caring about the situation that she was currently in at all.
When Han Xiao was observing her, this woman opened her eyes in a flash, and a pair of attractive eyes that looked like they contained the sea and the galaxy looked into Han Xiao’s eyes. She was staring into the one-way window in the prison, but it was like she knew someone outside the window was looking at her.
Looks like a very strong Super… Han Xiao thought and went back to being calm. When he was shocked by her beauty, it had been a completely subconscious reaction. He got rid of this emotion very quickly, and after looking at her, he realized that he did not know this woman.
Just as he was about to look elsewhere, a new mission was triggered in the interface! The trigger was obviously this woman!
Chapter 367 - Aroshia
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
_____________________
You have triggered the mission [Visitor from Afar].
Mission Introduction: From your first look at her, these eyes were already printed on your heart and soul, mysterious like the fog. Like a dark well, a deep abyss, a voice appeared in your heart—you want to bring this woman away.
Mission Requirements: Save her from the slave market and stay by her side for 6 days.
Reward: 1,800,000 Experience, one unknown reward.
_____________________
Is this mission introduction an introduction to a love game‽ Han Xiao was covered in goosebumps.
Just one look triggered the mission—this woman was certainly not ordinary. He had never seen this character in his previous life, so he had completely no impression of her. Maybe back then no player discovered her, so she was one of the hidden characters that had not been exposed.
“What’s special about her?” Han Xiao asked.
“The projector shows her body structure is not a normal universe race,” Horlaide said. “She has the blood of some kind of an ancient creature in her body, and no match could be found. It’s unknown what race hybrid is she. Through the energy detector examination, the energy reaction in her body far exceeds normal creatures, and it fluctuates. The lowest is at least at grade C Super level, and the highest even went beyond grade B…”
“Why is such a strong Super controlled by you people?” Han Xiao was surprised. He pointed at the cuffs and self-destructive collar and said, “These things can’t kill a grade B Super.”
Horlaide rubbed on his ring and said with a smile, “Of course, we don’t have the ability to control Supers above grade C, but she doesn’t know how to use the energy in her body. She has no combat power; plus, it was her own choice to stay here.”
Han Xiao was stunned in place.
“There are some problems with her memory, so she can’t remember most of her experiences, only language, but her intelligence level is not like an infant. She has very high intelligence and can speak and communicate…”
“So, she suffers from amnesia?
“Haha, it’s not that simple.” Horlaide pointed at his head and said, “Normal people suffering from amnesia will be afraid and curiosity toward their identity and the environment they’re in, but her mind activity is very unique. She does not search for who she is, why is she here, or what is she going to do. She does not have that curiosity and impulse, and she does not panic at all from not having memories, like a person who’s dreaming, half awake. She’s staying here peacefully, without any intention of searching for her memories. Her life form is very special, and it seems like she does not have instincts or desires. She needs neither to consume food nor excrete, such a unique being.”
Han Xiao’s eyes sparkled. The stranger this woman was, the bigger the secret it contained. Thus, he became quite curious. “What’s her name?”
“I named her Aroshia Cecolama Doranis…” The name had a total of fifty-six words, and it took Horlaide quite some time to finish rattling it off. “I usually call her Aroshia.”
Han Xiao’s eyes twitched. [What’s the point of giving her such a long name? Do you have too much spare time?
The experience of this sudden mission was quite an amount, and there was also an unknown reward. The reward had a certain correlation with the mission difficulty, so Han Xiao decided to give it a try. Since he could not rob Horlaide, he would use money to purchase her. “How much is she?”
A standard businessman smile appeared on Horlaide’s face. “Not expensive at all, only 300,000 Enas.”
“Farewell.” Han Xiao turned on the spot and left with an expressionless face. [Are you learning from me! Why does a profiteer have to make life hard for another profiteer‽
Horlaide chased hastily and yelled, “We can negotiate if you feel it’s too expensive. How about 200,000? 100,000? No? 50,000? Okay, count it as I’m making a loss, I will sell it to you at 10,000. That’s the lowest!”
Han Xiao was full of doubts. A discount of 97% off, why would there be such a thing? Something strange was going on. Thinkin
g of the six days in the mission requirement, he was alarmed.
After some consideration, Han Xiao temporarily placed this mission aside and continued his testing. “Now that’s a good price, but I still want to buy other rare slaves. Do you not have any other goods?”
Horlaide grinned and said, “Haha, you’re quite lucky, there’s going to be a new batch of rare goods coming in very soon. When they come, you can take a look again.”
This badge of new goods should be the Silvers. Luckily, they’re not here yet. The ambush plan still has a chance.
“That’s great! I will come to look at the goods again and buy that Aroshia at the same time.” Han Xiao purposed acted contented and expressed his sincerity in wanting to buy, but he did not pay the money no matter what. As he was getting ready to leave, Horlaide had no choice but to let his subordinate sent Han Xiao away.
Horlaide was the only one left in the underground prison cell corridor as he mumbled, “What will he pay then? He definitely doesn’t want to buy Aroshia…”
When he took over this slave market, Aroshia had already been locked here. The last owner had told him that there was no need for special treatment, just sell her normally. However, there was one customer who bought Aroshia, and a few days after, Aroshia appeared out of nowhere in the prison cell again, giving him quite a shock. The customer rushed back in rage, and only then did he know that Aroshia would suddenly disappear after being brought away, then return to the cell in an extremely strange way.
Horlaide asked the previous owner, then he came to know Aroshia had already existed not long after Floating Dragon Island was built. The owner back then reported the situation to the Superiors, and this message went to the ears of Floating Dragon Island’s ruler. That beyond grade A boss came to take a look, and with his belief of ‘if he didn’t understand it, kill it’, he wiped Aroshia out, turning her into ash.
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