Avoiding a head on confrontation and letting Ember chase him would allow him to buy the largest amount of time. Han Xiao did not feel that it was necessary to fight him head on.
With one person escaping and the other chasing, both of them weaved through the buildings. Humungous black python charged forward recklessly, and its size was constantly increasing. All the aircrafts along the way hurriedly avoided the python, and those that were not able to get out of the way in time were quickly reduced to shreds. Even the buildings that the python merely brushed past had large chunks taken out of them.
The commotion was shocking!
Compared to the black snake, Han Xiao’s figure was like a little bug.
Woo…
The ringing alarms could be heard from afar, and the Public Security Squad rushed over at high speed. The destruction that Ember had caused had affected the peace of the city, and the Public Security Squad would not ignore it.
“Di di di… You have an incoming call request…”
A notification sounded in his helmet, and Han Xiao accepted the call request. Nagakin’s face then appeared in front of him.
“Alvin’s doppelganger has been brought to safety. Anur destroyed two streets, but thankfully, a passing Calamity Grade tourist was dragged into the fight and decided to help out. However, Anur’s speed was too fast, and we could only force him back…”
A passing Calamity Grade Super‽
This piece of news was truly out of his expectations. Han Xiao had thought that he would have to stall for a while longer, and his face could not help but cramp up. At the same time, he lamented about how Noriosse was truly full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers.
He could not help but think about the first time that he met Alvin. This fellow’s luck was probably even better than Herlous’, and he had truly gotten lucky this time.
“Black Star, hang in there. We will come back and reinforce you immediately!”
Nagakin’s voice was filled with anxiety. The way he saw it, it was far too dangerous for Han Xiao to be delaying Ember alone. He had been afraid that Han Xiao would already have beaten before he called.
Turning off the communicator, Han Xiao’s eyes glowed. With Nagakin fulfilling his part of the plan, there was no need for him to entertain Ember any further. He then turned around and turned on the speaker in his helmet.
“Do you really think that you can get rid of me? Have you forgotten about my other ability?”
As Ember heard that, his face turned color.
He suddenly remembered that when he was on Floating Dragon Island, Han Xiao had once displayed the ability to recover fully in an instant.
This meant that this battle would not end any time soon!
“The Public Security Squad is rushing over, and the Grade A Super hired by Noriosse will not allow you to act so unbridled. My comrades have already forced Anur back and will be here to reinforce me soon. If you still want to continue playing with me, I shall accompany you,” Han Xiao said in a tone filled with delight.
Ember had a look of hesitation on his face and was extremely reluctant. He was stuck in a dilemma where he could not advance or retreat.
Continuing the battle would only be a waste of time. Not only would he be unable to get rid of Black Star, he would end up being surrounded. However, he was reluctant to retreat like that! After being beaten up by the enemy, he had not settled the score with the enemy and still had to retreat! This was too much!
The sound of the sirens grew nearer, and Ember realized that Han Xiao had already reduced his speed, looking as though he had no fear. Ember’s expression was ice cold with a sharp pain coming from his wounds and the dizziness reminding him of the condition of his body.
The pride and arrogance that he had after entering the Calamity Grade had vanished during the battle.
Black Star’s name was even more deeply imprinted in his heart. Together with the pain, this impression had seeped into his bones.
“It is my mistake. I underestimated you too much. Next time, regardless of your strength and the machines around you, regardless of whether you are in your prime or severely injured, I will not be careless.”
He then calmed his anger with a complicated look in his eyes.
After one last glare at Han Xiao, Ember resolutely turned around. The black snake crumbled into a dark cloud and escaped with him like a black mountain demon.
“I’m finally safe.”
Han Xiao stopped moving and heaved a sigh of relief. While he seemed to be extremely relaxed on the surface, he was feeling a great deal of stress in his heart. If he did not fight Ember in a place that was to his advantage, he would definitely be on the losing end. If all of his machines were destroyed, even Aurora’s Character Summon Card would be completely useless. At the very most, he would only be able to make use of it six times, and he had already been forced by Ember to use it once.
He did not wait for Nagakin to return and surround Ember but warned him to escape. If Ember truly wanted to escape, it would be difficult for them to stop him. On the contrary, all of the other mercenaries would have to face the risk of being annihilated.
Looking at the incoming Public Security Squad, Han Xiao did not wish to be interrogated, so he hid from them.
At the same time, Nagakin arrived with the mercenaries. The moment that they saw the destroyed building, those hired mercenaries were completely dumbfounded.
Along the way, all of them had been extremely pessimistic about Han Xiao’s chances of survival. For Black Star to delay a Grade A Super alone, they all felt that he would definitely be trampled upon and were extremely worried.
However, they witnessed the rubble created from an intense battle, and everyone, including Nagakin, was dumbfounded.
Just what had happened‽
Where did Black Star go‽
Chapter 489 - Anur
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
As the mercenaries who had stayed behind saw the returning Nagakin and the others, they hurriedly landed, and both parties met up. The hundred or so mercenaries who had gone out to rescue Alvin then heard those few mercenaries excitedly describing what had happened.
Apart from Herlous and those from the Black Star Mercenary Group, looks of disbelief could be seen on the others. Black Star was actually able to fight a Calamity Grade Super evenly and had even severely injured his opponent. This was completely different from what they had expected!
Everyone was shocked into silence.
Even Herlous was in a slight daze. “Is he so powerful?”
Nagakin was immediately overjoyed. He had not felt confident, and never had he imagined that Black Star would be such a reliable ally.
At that moment, Nagakin received a message. Han Xiao asked them to dig out all the machines buried under the rubble before meeting up with them at another place. He also reminded them not to attract too much attention.
Nagakin turned around and realized that more and more people were gathering over to watch the show. The Public Security Squad and construction team were also rushing over. Too many regions of Noriosse had been damaged by battles recently, and the Noriosse Financial Group was probably extremely frustrated. Nagakin did not wish to be tied down by them and hurriedly instructed everybody to quickly dig up all the machines before they escaped.
After waiting for a while, Han Xiao arrived.
The hired mercenaries looked at Han Xiao with more respect in their eyes and made way to let him in.
Walking over to the middle of the crowd, Han Xiao slapped Herlous on the shoulders and said with a smile, “Ember was injured by me, and he is definitely suffering a headache right now.”
Herlous was stunned for a while, and he stroked his mechanical arm. Every time that he thought about Ember, the nerve connection to his mechanical arm would begin to ache dully. Hearing that, Herlous broke out in a wide smile and felt his anger vented.
“Good brother, fantastic!”
After chatting ca
sually for a while, Han Xiao collected all the recovered machines back into their compressed orbs. After counting all of his machinery carefully, Han Xiao concluded that he lost about thirty machines, and many of his machines had dropped in quality. Apart from injuring Ember, he did not receive any material gains. The biggest gain would be completing their mission objective and saving Alvin’s final doppelganger.
“We meet again, friends.” Alvin greeted everyone. His complexion was pale, and his lips white. It was obvious that he was not very healthy.
“Seeing a mixed blood Godoran again, nothing good will happen for sure.” Han Xiao shook his head. “Where is the Grade A Super who helped?”
“He left.”
“Leaving without leaving his name behind, he is probably a Superhero.”
Han Xiao did not find the matter strange. The more powerful someone was, the greater their responsibilities. At the very least, there were some who still adhered to such principles. Superheroes were a common occurrence, and there were many powerhouses who did not mind playing the role of a hero occasionally.
After saving their target, Han Xiao and the others began discussing their next move.
“If DarkStar want to have any progress, they only have two choices. First, search for Alvin’s main body, which will be like finding a needle in a haystack. Second, snatch his final doppelganger from us. Thus, we have the initiative, and DarkStar is on the passive side. They will be anxious. Nagakin, how much longer will it take for your reinforcements to arrive?”
“The War Bureau sent the fleet nearest to us, but even if they make use of the stargate, they will take twelve days at least.”
“DarkStar won’t ignore the incoming reinforcements and will definitely send their fleet to hide near Noriosse. I have a few ideas, but we should first find a new base before discussing them in detail.”
…
On the other side of the city, the injured DarkStar troops found a concealed location to rest and recuperate. While the battle had been short, it had also been extremely intense. The number of Grade B Supers on both sides added up to about fifteen, and with the mercenaries being well trained, the battle had been intense.
Herlous’ Battleship Slicing Blade and Sherman’s cannon had clashed with each other ferociously. Wilsander had also joined the battle and found the most powerful enemy, Forsyth. Sylvia’s strength was far too weak, so she had not entered the battle. Since Feidin was only a customer, he was not willing to be dragged into the battle.
Anur’s expression was extremely ugly, and his mood was very bad. The battle had initially been in their favor, but another Grade A Super had jumped in from nowhere and resulted in all of his efforts going down the drain. How was he to know that a Grade A Super would suddenly pass by that region? He had already tried his best to reduce the collateral damage.
For the majority of Calamity Grade Supers, as long as they went all out, they would definitely have the ability to change the very geography of a planet. For their strength to grow to such a level, they could be considered a walking weapon capable of wiping out a civilization. However, they had to restrain themselves when fighting someone of the same level. The more restrained they were, the more concentrated their attacks would be, and the more easily they would be able to break through the enemy’s defenses. If they only tried to spread out the range of their destructive abilities, it would not threaten an opponent of their level.
Furthermore, Anur did not wish to create too much damage on this planet and provoke the Noriosse Financial Group.
If Ember had rushed over in time, they might have had a chance in a two-on-two battle. However, who knew what Ember was doing? He had not arrived even after a long time. It was truly difficult for Anur to understand. With the majority of the enemies in battle with him, there should not have been too many men left behind in the base. Just what had taken Ember so long‽
With Anur being surrounded, he had been able to escape injury only because of his speed. Finally, seeing Alvin escape and being unable to wait for Ember’s arrival, he could only retreat.
One could only imagine how frustrated Anur was at Ember.
Not too long later, Ember returned to the base. The blood had clotted and formed scabs. The injuries all over his neck were extremely frightening, and everyone was shocked.
Seeing that, Anur began to frown. “How did you get injured? What did you meet? Could it be that Nagakin found yet another Calamity Grade Super?”
Ember waved his hands and said with his teeth clenched, “It was Black Star. He stayed behind to deal with me.”
Anur’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You mean to say that you were delayed by a Grade B Super and were beaten by the other party to this state‽”
Ember nodded.
Anur took a few seconds to regain his cool. “Since you dragged the battle on for so long, you must have gotten rid of him, right?”
“The situation was urgent, and I retreated.”
Anur immediately let out a curse.
He had placed a great amount of hope in Ember, but at that moment, he could not help but wonder if he groomed the wrong person.
Ember could feel the change in Anur’s gaze and knew that his respected teacher was extremely disappointed in him. His face contorted, and he wanted to explain himself. However, he felt that he would only embarrass himself even further and thus chose to remain silent.
Anur had decided that he must lock Ember up for another year after their return. He did not wish to see the face of this fellow and said to Forsyth, “The situation isn’t in our favor. Do you have any suggestions?”
Forsyth thought for a moment before saying, “We have three choices. We can either use the three doppelgangers in our hands to find Alvin’s main body, snatch the doppelganger from them and kill Nagakin while we’re at it, or… do nothing at all.”
Chapter 490 - Sharp Contradiction
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“What do you mean?”
“We are hidden in the dark, and Alvin’s main body won’t dare appear,” Forsyth explained. “Thus, the other party is definitely waiting for the Godoran reinforcements. Our fleet is already awaiting their orders near Noriosse, and we can apply for more motherships to be sent out. When the reinforcements of the other party arrive and attempt to collect Alvin from Noriosse, our troops can launch an ambush and destroy the enemy’s fleet. Not only will we be able to get rid of a traitor, we will also be able to get rid of a Godoran fleet.”
“You are right,” Anur said. “The port is a place that they have to pass, and it is easy to track their whereabouts. This can be a layer of insurance, but we cannot ease up. Continue to search for Alvin’s main body and give the other party pressure.”
…
Han Xiao and the others found another base. After settling down, he looked for Nagakin and Alvin to discuss their plans. However, before their discussion, a question surfaced in his mind. Why did Alvin choose to betray DarkStar? There was no information on this character from his previous life.
“Betray? I do not feel that this is a betrayal.” Alvin shook his head. “I have golden colored skin and am a Godoran. This is abandoning the darkness and entering the light. I joined DarkStar once, but it does not mean that I have to be a member of DarkStar forever.
“There are many mixed blood Godorans who are treated with prejudice and scorn. Thus, when the members of DarkStar appeared before me, I left without any hesitation. DarkStar’s hiring process is extremely strict, and it would be almost impossible for any Godoran spies to sneak in. I am naturally not a spy either.”
Han Xiao’s brows then furrowed, and he asked, “So, why have you chosen to side Godora now?”
“Because I noticed that Godora’s problem with DarkStar isn’t so simple. DarkStar has always brainwashed their members with hatred and described Godora as an extremely evil entity, as though they wished to wipe out all mixed blood Godorans. Reinforcing hatred is the same as reinforcing loyalty to them. The m
embers of DarkStar have begun to hate Godora more and more over the years, but news of the true situation in Godora has always been restricted.”
Alvin raised his head up and sighed. “Godora’s attitude toward the mixed blood Godorans isn’t so extreme, and the government is very open. They only treat DarkStar as their enemy, and to ordinary mixed bloods, the government has always been extremely fair to protect their rights.”
Han Xiao nodded and said in a teasing tone, “I am waiting for you to say ‘but’.”
Alvin laughed bitterly as he heard that. “Alright. But… the government’s stance and policies aren’t sufficient to change the views of the Godorans. The purebloods’ disdain toward the mixed bloods is deeply rooted in tradition. While the government is able to give us the assurance of material objects, discrimination is one’s free will. The government isn’t able to control the thoughts of its people. The Godoran government wants to accept the mixed bloods, but the enemies of this policy are their own citizens and the millions of years of tradition.
“DarkStar’s presence incited greater contradiction between the people and made the purebloods discriminate against us even more. Even though terrorists like DarkStar have nothing got to do with ordinary mixed bloods, that isn’t enough to change the views of the majority. After all, not everyone is able to act rationally.
“Compared to the dangerous DarkStar, the mixed bloods living in Godora are targets for them to vent their frustration. While DarkStar claims that they are fighting for the lives of the mixed bloods, their unscrupulous means haven’t given the mixed bloods a better life but have turned it into a greater torture. As such, even more mixed bloods have been forced toward DarkStar’s side.
“This is a knot that is extremely difficult to untie. You cannot expect the purebloods to suddenly end their discrimination in a single night, and you cannot expect the mixed bloods to not have any thought of retaliation when being discriminated against. This is the fact that DarkStar is exploiting. If not for DarkStar, would the mixed bloods suffer from so much discrimination?”
The Legendary Mechanic c1-1385 Page 287