by <unknown>
Befuli’s wounds were still fresh, causing him to grit his teeth in pain. He was in too much pain to even open his mouth.
They had clearly blocked the signal of the spaceship, but the whole ship had powered up as though it had a life of its own, firing a whole bunch of lasers and cannons. His battlesuit had quickly shattered.
Befuli expertise lay in offense, but his laser eyes could not negate the laser cannons that were similarly comprised of energy. Because his physical defense was not up to par, he could hardly withstand the damage dealt by the cannon. If not for the fact that the guards had reached the area on time, he would also have lost his life to the spaceship.
Having fallen into the hands of Black Star, Befuli felt so much regret that his intestines were twisted up. He did not know what Black Star was going to do to him.
Since Black Star has not killed me, he probably thinks that I am of some value to him. This is a good idea. He probably wants to use me to obtain intelligence. I need to cooperate and cement my value so that he won’t think of killing me! The killing power of my ability is extremely strong, so long as he is negligent, I can escape!
Befuli’s palms were sweating as all kinds of thoughts flashed through his head. While he was a famed ruthless galactic pirate, when faced with life-threatening danger, his thoughts spun rapidly.
As long as he did not die, he would have another chance!
Han Xiao patted the shoulder of Befuli. “You should be an officer of the Purple Snake Space Pirates. I presume to put this debt on the head of Purple Snake then. Right now, I have no time to deal with them, but it’s fine. Currently, my Mercenary Group requires sparring partners, and Purple Snake seems to be a good choice. When the time comes, I’ll personally visit your head.
“As for you…”
Han Xiao looked straight into Befuli’s eyes before letting out a playful smile. “Since you came straight to my door, don’t blame me for what I’m about to do.”
Befuli felt a chill run down his body, but before he could process the meaning behind Han Xiao’s words, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his arm. He only saw Black Star holding onto a round shaped machine, pressing it into the blood vessel of his arm. There seemed to be a needle that had pierced into him.
“This is…”
Before Befuli could express his surprise, he suddenly felt his strength rapidly diminish. He only saw the round machine being filled up with his blood. He could not help but widen his eyes as a sense of weakness rose up within him.
An Esper’s ability was part of their body, just like the arms or legs. To have this ability forcibly stripped away, it was as though stripping him of his abilities. At this point, even his last assurance was gone.
“What’s this‽” Befuli’s facial expression greatly changed, showing distress. His current condition had fallen drastically short of his expectations.
Super-Gene Extractor!
In the past year, Han Xiao had rarely had a chance to use his juicer. The main purpose was because he did not manage to capture any evildoers. The former captive Rezar had long been sucked dry. Since there was no way for him to continue, Han Xiao could only set him free.
Currently, other than juicing himself once in a while to form the Ability Potions, he did not perform it on anyone else.
Since Befuli had wrapped himself up and gone over, Han Xiao would definitely not feel guilty. They were enemies, and thus, he had to fully utilize his worth. The ability to shoot lasers from one’s eyes was handsome yet strong—how could he resist?
Very quickly, three tubes of crimson Ability Potion were produced. Han Xiao took one of them, drinking it all in one go. The moment he swallowed it, a heat was produced almost instantly.
_____________
You have obtained [Character Summon Card – Befuli (Temporary)].
[Character Summon Card—Befuli (Temporary): [Incandescent Eyes], sprays a column of heat from the eyes causing burning damage.
Aim with Sight, Maximum Range of 400 m
Attack Range: 510 – 1360
Duration: 5 seconds, a total of three attacks will be inflicted per second.
Usage: 0/1 (This Character Summon Card will exist for: 15 days)
_____________
Yo, this damage is sick. Definitely a pure offense Esper ability!
Han Xiao’s eyes sparkled.
If one could burn a target for the full five seconds, they would inflict at least 7,600 damage. The highest would be… painful, so painful. Furthermore, the skill was an AOE 1 attack!
Even when faced against a Grade B Super, after deducting the damage resistance, one could inflict at least 3,000 to 4,000 damage. Furthermore, the ability was shot from one’s eyes, which meant a free gift of damage since it did not hinder one’s actions.
Han Xiao lowered his head, looking at Befuli with a smile.
“Let’s get on well.”
Befuli lay weakly on the ground, muttering disconsolately to himself. Looking at Han Xiao’s eyes that had the intention of raising a lamb for the slaughter, in Befuli’s eyes, Black Star was worse than himself by more than a hundred times!
He suddenly had a sort of premonition, that his future life… would be spent wishing he was dead!
…
Han Xiao had knocked out the information of Befuli’s accomplices from him; however, the moment Befuli had failed, the rest of the galactic pirates had long taken their ship and escaped. Han Xiao did not wish to delay his trip, so he did not bother to pursue the pirates.
He was already treating the Purple Snake Space Pirates group as nourishment for the players, so he was in no hurry to deal with his problem.
The BlackLight Stealth set off again. After this little episode, they did not stop at all along the way, and naturally, there were no other problems.
A few days later, Floating Dragon Island appeared on his radar.
Han Xiao navigated his spaceship to descend. Floating Dragon had long been informed of his return, with Wilsander waiting at the dock to welcome him. The logistics manager, Haier, was also present. What gave Han Xiao a surprise was that Jenny was standing by the side, albeit with a black face, obviously also there to welcome him.
“Hahaha, Black Star, you’re finally back.” Wilsander laughed, his tail swishing as he came up to give him a hug.
Han Xiao turned his head slightly and was almost blinded due to Wilsander’s devil horns.
“Ji ji ji ji…” Haier let out words of a weird language before realizing that he did not turn on his translator. After activating it, he said, “Black Star, did you bring the materials I requested?”
“They’re all onboard.” Han Xiao nodded in return. After pondering a bit, he added, “Please remember to compensate me. They were pretty expensive.”
Following which, Han Xiao turned to look at Jenny, putting on a weird expression as he said, “How come you also came over to welcome me?”
“Do you think I want to?” Jenny was expressionless, reluctantly replying. “Ames wishes to see you.”
“Oh, how rare.” Han Xiao was a little surprised. After helping Ames with the problem of searching for Aesop the previous time, they had not had any contact since. He did not know why she was looking for him.”
Just as the few of them were chatting, the various people present at the dock turned over to look, their gazes filled with curiosity and surprise.
“It’s the four officers of Floating Dragon! To think that they are all gathered together!”
“That guy in the black suit should be the Head of the Field Team for Floating Dragon, Black Star. I heard that the Dragon Emperor wishes to expand her influence, and Black Star is currently expanding her armed forces. His authority is huge.”
“I heard Black Star has set foot in the Garton Star System. Is that the intention of the Dragon Emperor? Does she want in as well?”
The expansion of Han Xiao’s mercenary group had raised some suspicions in the galaxy. Many people felt that Ames was supporting him from behind, sending a si
gnal to everyone. The Dragon Emperor, who had never contested for anything, was finally wanting to obtain the influence deserving of her status as a Beyond Grade A Super.
Black Star was the General leading the vanguard to express the Dragon Emperor’s intentions!
Chapter 551. Ames' Curiosity |
After handing the goods over to Haier, Han Xiao said goodbye to the three of them. Leaving the dock, he entered the city district and went straight to the Dragon Emperor’s palace.
For Ames to request a meeting, there are two possible reasons. First would be Aesop and second the expansion of my mercenary group. Er, perhaps it may be because she hasn’t seen me for so long and misses me greatly. Maybe she just wants to take a look at this handsome face of mine.
Along the way, Han Xiao pondered. Ames had never been bothered about any responsibilities and rarely summoned her subordinates. Thus, the chances of it being a serious conversation was slim.
Han Xiao’s eyes suddenly lit up. Right, it’s difficult for me to meet her, so it would be great if I could get another Dragon Emperor Character Summon Card.
The mission of digging out Planet Aquamarine’s history had given him another Random Reward chance. He was not that confident in his luck and had been prepared to save it up to roll several in a single go. However, his plan could not keep up with the changes, and it would be best if he could draw an empty Character Summon Card now.
The previous summoning of the Dragon Emperor had helped him get rid of a Calamity Grade Super, and he would never complain about having too many such trump cards.
Opening the interface, Han Xiao immediately started to roll the random reward.
_____________
Randomizing… draw complete.
You received the Random Reward Type: [Talent].
_____________
Eh, my luck is pretty good. Han Xiao’s eyes sparkled.
While it was not a Character Summon Card or tool reward, gaining a talent could only be something good for him. Regardless of how trashy a talent was, it would definitely have some use.
_____________
Randomizing…. Randomization completed.
Please choose one option from the following:
Tough Spirit Barrier: +20% Willpower Resistance
Flexible Weapon Usage: When using any type of weapon (including but not limited to cold weapons, firearms, mechanical weapons, magical weapons, rare treasures, etc.), +12% base weapon damage.
Haste: Movement Speed and Dodge Rate increase. Effect dependent on DEX attribute and increase no more than 30%.
_____________
After looking through the options, he quickly made his choice. He already had [Advanced Mental Toughness], and the effect of it was +35% Psychological Resistance and 30% reduction in negative status from psychological attacks. Furthermore, it was able to lower the Psychological Resistance needed to be immune from negative status. [Tough Spirit Barrier] had an overlapping effect, so its value was less.
[Haste] was not a bad talent. However, only an agility type Super would be able to fully maximize the talent. His own battle style did not rely too much on speed. With [Void Travel], he did not need to worry about dodging, and his mechanical suit was able to give him greater mobility. The majority of the time, he relied on positioning and use cannon towers or protectors.
As a Mechanic, he needed to use his machinery to fully display his strength. Thus, [Flexible Weapon Usage] was the most suitable for him. While a twelve percent bonus was not high, it was not useless either. Damage was just like a man’s height. A single point of it was welcomed, and even a centimeter more was something great.
Most importantly, this talent was different from Machinery Affinity. Only weapons that used Mechanical Force were able to enjoy the buff of Machinery Affinity, and it consumed energy. While the energy consumed was very little, when using the Army Tactic, it was difficult for him to use his own Mechanical Force to sustain all the machines. On the other hand, this talent was able to boost all different weapons.
Han Xiao immediately chose [Flexible Weapon Usage] with a face full of satisfaction.
After all, the talents in Random Reward were more common; it was rare for an uncommon talent to appear and impossible for a Molding Ability to appear. Such an effect was already pretty good.
Talking about Molding Abilities, both of his Molding Abilities, [Intermediate Strengthened Life] and [Steel Body], had been obtained completely by luck. Players were not able to obtain Molding Abilities, and there had been no information on them in his previous life either. However, with regards to Molding Abilities, Han Xiao had some vague ideas.
The easiest way to level up would naturally be [Intermediate Strengthened Life]; that could be achieved by injecting himself with powerful genes. However, there would be risks of his genes mutating, so he did not take such a risk.
Currently, [Intermediate Strengthened Life] gave him additional HP from his Endurance stat at a ratio of 1:30. This was also the reason for his tankiness. If he could upgrade this talent again, his HP would probably be even higher than the bosses at his level. He would probably be able to kill his enemy by drowning them in his blood.
…
Ames’ Palace was truly majestic. When the guards saw Han Xiao, respect could be seen on their faces, and they all gave way to allow Han Xiao into the hall.
In the large hall, a black throne was floating in midair. Looking around, Han Xiao could not see Ames’ figure at all.
Hu!
All of a sudden, a light green Force Field gushed forth. It was like a large cluster of transparent green crystals, with the width of the force field being ten meters wide.
Boom!
The atmosphere in the surroundings was compressed, and explosions could be heard.
Han Xiao’s eyes narrowed. Placing his palms together, six large mechanical hands stretched out and formed a mini protective shield around him. The thrusters on the wrists of these mechanical hands spewed out blue flames, and he blocked the might of the force field!
Boom!
Both forces collided, and a muffled sound could be heard.
The force field and mechanical hands were equally matched. The mechanical hands then slowly gained the advantage, pressuring the force field to the point it changed shape. The energy of the force field began leaking out and created green waves on the surface of the ground.
Boom!
The next moment, the force field exploded, and a larger wave shot out in all directions. Like a stone being thrown into a lake, the dust on the ground rippled outward and formed a dust cloud that could reach one’s thighs.
Han Xiao’s hair was blown into a mess, and with a gust of wind blowing in his face, he could not help but squint.
Ames then appeared from a small door by the side of the throne and sat on the throne. She was once again dressed in a long, purple dress with her hair cascading down like a waterfall. Her delicate beauty was like a face that was frozen in time, and not the slightest wrinkles could be seen. Holding her chin with her hand, her sleeves slid down her forearm and revealed her snow-white wrist as she looked at Han Xiao with a smile that did not seem like a smile.
“The first time I saw you, you were almost crushed by my force field. I used the exact same strength previously, and you are now able to block it easily. It has only been two years; the speed of your growth has truly shocked me.”
Ames laughed, and her lazy voice sounded with the unique hoarseness of a lady.
The moment the force field appeared, Han Xiao knew that this was Ames testing him. If it was before he entered the universe, it would have been extremely difficult for him to block such an attack. However, he was able to do so now without any pressure.
Ames’ charisma was too stunning, and Han Xiao could not help but be astounded by her beauty every time he saw her. However, he was extremely experienced and quickly took a look at Ames’ washboard figure. His heart immediately calmed down, and he nodded.
“Lord Dragon Emperor, wh
at did you wish to see me for?”
“Didn’t I say before? You can call me Ames.” Ames’ lips twitched. “Actually, it isn’t much. Recently, Jenny has been protesting against you expanding the Field Team. Let me ask you, what are your thoughts?”
Of the four beyond Grade A Supers in the Shattered Star Ring, Floating Dragon Island was the weakest. With Han Xiao expanding his forces, there were many organizations in Shattered Star Ring that misunderstood his intentions. They felt that the Dragon Emperor wanted to mimic the other three beyond Grade A Supers and expand her own forces to make them an untouchable existence. Ames was not too bothered by their thoughts, and she was not interested in the other organizations.
Originally, she did not care about Han Xiao expanding his mercenary group and silently consented to Han Xiao using her name. Furthermore, she had always given him a great deal of trust.
However, Jenny always complained about this matter, and the reason for her rejection made Ames dumbfounded. Jenny said that Han Xiao’s expansion had resulted in a chain effect, and all the other organizations are trying to show their goodwill and work out their intentions. As a result, her workload was many times greater than before. With the pressure of work being unbearable, she was losing hair every day and felt as though she was aging rapidly. Thus, she strongly opposed Han Xiao’s actions. She even added that if Ames did not want to hire another manager, Ames should not allow Black Star to expand his forces any further.
Thus, Ames wanted to know Han Xiao’s thoughts. She personally did not care about the outcome. If Han Xiao had a reasonable plan, Ames would not mind supporting him. In any case, Aesop, who had been caught by Han Xiao, was currently spending his retirement on Floating Dragon Island, and he would be the best choice to share the workload with Jenny.
Hearing that, Han Xiao was moved.
“Do you remember Aroshia?”
Ames thought for a while. “She is an undying Space Wonder. I saw her on the island before, and even I couldn’t kill her. You were the one who took her away, right?”