by <unknown>
Eliot then cast another spell. A huge magic barrier separated all the enemies from him and his two comrades.
The magic shield blocked all the attacks and kept vibrating. Adrian and Shana entered the teleportation gate and disappeared.
With his two colleagues retreating successfully, Eliot looked at Han Xiao and mocked, “Hehe, as I said, you’re overconfident. This level of ambush is far from being enough to capture us. We want to leave now—are you able to stop us?”
Han Xiao heard that and made his expression gloomy. He then deliberately said nothing and continued to attack with greater force, pounding loudly on the magic barrier.
In Eliot’s eyes, Black Star was turning his embarrassment into fury. He immediately felt better; even the unhappiness from the mission failing diminished quite a bit.
Eliot squinted and suddenly said, “Wait for it. We will come to find you again. There won’t always be someone helping you.”
Then, Eliot turned and walked into the teleportation gate. The gate disappeared, and the three of them retreated successfully like they could just come and go as they wished.
They’re finally gone… Han Xiao finally relaxed his tight facial muscles and uninstalled the ‘Angry.jpg’ expression bundle.
Although the battle was short, the streets nearby were badly destroyed. The level of strength that the enemies had shown made Nagakin feel a lot of pressure.
“Black Star, who are these people? They’re way too strong. They have targeted you, so you’ve got to be careful,” Nagakin said seriously.
“Don’t worry, they can’t escape.”
Now we will just have to wait till they get home… Han Xiao smiled but said no more.
Eliot exposed his teleportation spell, which was bonus information that Han Xiao did not expect to obtain. This was a god-tier escaping ability. Had they not made any preparations for it, the enemies might have escaped when they attacked their base. Now that he knew about this, he could think of ways to deal with it.
Thinking that Eliot and the rest thought that they had successfully escaped, Han Xiao almost burst into laughter.
Things were going even better than he had expected!
After contacting the construction team to repair the base and getting rid of a huge number of players trying to trigger missions, Han Xiao used the Observer’s Mark and peeked at those three’s whereabouts.
The range of the teleportation gate that Eliot had hurriedly created on the spot would not be too far. The teleportation gate was connected to their spaceship, which orbiting the colonial planet.
As soon as they returned to the ship, they activated its stealth mode and went far away from the planet, preventing the garrison from chasing after them.
The escape was successful. The three of them did not even suspect that Han Xiao had purposely let them go. They retreated with Eliot’s ability. There was nothing suspicious about it. They just thought that Black Star had misjudged their strength and did not set up a strong enough ambush.
Making Black Star’s ambush a failure was nothing to the three of them. They felt that it was normal.
“This mission has failed. Should we continue looking for opportunities?” Shana asked.
Eliot shook his head. “Black Star is very cautious. After just one attack, he made a trap purely out of suspicion. Now that he has been attacked a second time, he will be certain that we’re his enemies. He will only be more alert from now on. We can’t attack him again for a short period.”
After what had just happened, the only thing they could do was leave Black Star be for the moment.
His threat before leaving was just a scare technique to make Black Star keep being cautious about them so that he would always be afraid, alert, and careful, only to realize in the end that it was all for nothing.
Annoyed, Shana frowned and said, “That’s our only choice.”
“Hmm, I will suggest this to Albert and put Black Star under the Processing List,” Eliot said.
They actually had two hunting lists. One was for the confirmed targets; one was the Processing List. Those on the latter list were targets that they had failed to capture the first time, targets who they had alerted. They would not attack these people any time soon. They had to wait at least a few years until the target let their guard down, only then would they attack again.
Black Star was such a target. Eliot did not want to attack Black Star within five years, and he believed that Albert felt this way.
“You were right. We should have dealt with this by leaving him be.” Shana did not expect Black Star to be so cautious.
Eliot smiled and said, “It’s not too late. Although we exposed our hostility and let Black Star know that the three of us are targeting him, he knows nothing about our background. It will be useless no matter how much he searches for it. It will only make us keep a low profile for a while at most. He definitely will get no results and will never know who’s targeting him.
“As for us, we’re hidden and have the upper hand. He can’t be this cautious forever.
“Let’s return first. We might have to stop making moves for the next few years.”
Many had witnessed Black Star being attacked, and the message got out very quickly. However, there was all sorts of news in the Shattered Star Ring nowadays, and huge matters were occurring all the time. Although Black Star was quite well known in the Colton Star Cluster, he was not famous enough throughout the entire Shattered Star Ring. The news that he had been attacked was like a droplet of water in the sea of news and did not attract much attention.
More than ten days later, Han Xiao arrived at an unpopulated planet in a desolate area nearby after nonstop traveling. This planet that had been desolate for countless years was not remarkably boisterous.
All the forces that Han Xiao had contacted earlier had gathered there. Spaceships were parked everywhere on the planet’s surface.
All these forces wanted to find a lost person. They had followed Han Xiao’s request and come to this planet. They had all initially thought that they were the only ones, but now that they were there, they were shocked and did not expect Han Xiao to have called so many people.
Many organizations there were well known in the Shattered Star Ring and recognized each other. After a little bit of conversation, they all knew that everyone had assembled for the same reason. They were all stunned. Could all the people that were lost be connected in some ways? What clue had Han Xiao found?
The moment Han Xiao’s spaceship got close, everyone noticed it. After Han Xiao landed, all the people surrounded him.
These were all high-level officers of their organizations and very important. Usually, it would be difficult just to meet one of them, but now they were all gathered there. If Heber was there, he might think that someone was imitating his Tyrant Party.
“Black Star, when will we make a move?”
“Where are the enemies? Stop hiding.”
When Han Xiao contacted them, he did not say everything and only told them to gather there. Many were unhappy about that.
However, Ames was also there to stabilize the situation. Black Star was Dragon Emperor’s officer. Even though the people there all had very strong backgrounds, they did not dare cause trouble.
“The time has come. We will attack the enemy’s headquarters together. Your lost friends are imprisoned there…”
Han Xiao explained the situation. Through his Observer’s Mark, he confirmed that Shana and the others had returned to their base. The opportunity to get all of them had finally arrived.
Things were different now. Although it had taken many years to take down the Germinal Organization and DarkStar, that was because he had not been strong enough back then.
Now, however, the Black Star Army was rising quickly, and he had become someone important in the Shattered Star Ring. He did not want to have such strong enemies for that long. As soon as there was an opportunity, he would eliminate them and not leave any hidden threats.
So many organizations had sent out their elite troops; their power together could shock any civilization or organization in the Shattered Star Ring. There were dozens of Calamity Grades from different organizations in various areas. It was complete overkill for just six enemies.
The Great Mechanic Han’s networking ability was incomparable. The Black Star Networking Group was definitely not an exaggerated title!
The crowd was overjoyed upon hearing this. For the same goal, these organizations were all willing to follow Han Xiao’s orders temporarily.
When Han Xiao was communicating with the others, the players that he had brought along were all observing curiously from the back.
He had used a mission to have some players follow along. He did not need them to battle on this trip; he only needed them to be ‘reporters’ and send the video to the forums. This was the opportunity that he planned to use to deepen his impression and to remind the players of his charisma, increasing his personal charm and the faction’s attractiveness.
At the same time, Eliot and the rest returned to their hidden base in the desolate area of the universe.
Albert welcomed them and said, “I’ve heard about the situation. Leave Black Star be. We will keep a low profile for a while. Everyone stays in the base, don’t go outside.”
The others nodded. This could effectively avoid risks. They would only start their hunting mission again after hiding for some time.
They instantly threw Black Star to the back of their minds. To them, this matter was already dealt with.
What they did not know was… a disaster was secretly approaching
Chapter 642. Counterattack |
Kernid slowly opened his eyes. In front of him was a transparent light curtain, and outside was an area that looked like a prison. Translucent single person cells were spread evenly throughout the area, and almost every cell had a tenant.
He was one of them.
This was the prison that belonged to Shana and the others. It was to imprison the captured targets on the list.
All the prisoners had specially made mechanical rings on their wrists and ankles. These limited the power of these Grade As. These rings were embedded in their flesh. The rings on their wrists sent out nano-level needles into their blood vessels, hearts, brains, and other vital spots. The mechanical rings on their ankles were Super-Gene suppressors that weakened their recovery speed.
They had collars on their necks, too. These were enchanted with very powerful magic that disabled them from using spells and weakened them. The person that enchanted these spells was clearly much stronger than the prisoners. Hence, the effect was very long-lasting.
Other than this, many drugs were also injected into them, preventing the cells inside their bodies from generating energy.
So many imprisonment methods made these Grade As extremely weak.
On the first day that Kernid was imprisoned, he shockingly realized that the others imprisoned there were all as famous and important as him, if not more. However, they had all been captured and imprisoned there. He was justifiably petrified.
Kernid tried to escape but failed. So many others were unable to escape, and he was no exception. Furthermore, even if he did manage to escape the prison, there would still be enemies guarding and waiting outside, which made him despair.
After being imprisoned for so many days, he had given up and clearly knew that he would not be able to escape by himself. All he could do was pray that someone would come to save him. However, no one had come to save those other prisoners who all had such high positions. He could not help but feel that the chances of escaping were close to none. He was rather pessimistic.
However, speaking of being pessimistic, he was far inferior compared to his neighbor.
A male Spacehuman was imprisoned in the cell beside Kernid. That person had been maintaining a long face the whole time. He looked not just miserable but almost depressed. His name was Lagi[1], a lone Calamity Grade. From what he said, he had been imprisoned there for almost ten years. He was the most senior around.
The days of imprisonment were very boring. Their only entertainment was chatting with each other, trying to find at least a shred of joy in those hopeless days.
When those prisoners were having a good time chatting, as long as Lagi opened his mouth, he would unquestionably shatter the atmosphere.
Everyone there had once been important, and everyone was pessimistic about ending up like this. However, in terms of being pessimistic, Kernid felt that they were all trash compared to Lagi.
This time, the gate of the prison opened. Albert, Shana, and Eliot walked in. The prisoners started an uproar.
“Let me out of here. Do you know who I am?”
“You’ve messed with someone you shouldn’t mess with. You’re going to pay for this!”
“What is your goal!”
Many spoke with rage. Every time someone came to patrol, they would try to threaten them.
The three of them ignored the prisoners completely. They were not there to check on the prisoners as per schedule today. Due to the two failures that Black Star had caused them, out of caution, Albert had decided to keep things at a low profile and not do anything for a few years. Hence, they were now making a count on the prisoners and preparing to move them somewhere else.
They definitely did not capture these targets because they wanted to collect stamps from their areas; they had other goals. This place was not the final location that these prisoners would end up in.
The yelling and cursing did not stop, but the three of them did not care. They split up and did a count. Very soon, Shana came to Kernid’s cell.
Kernid bashed the transparent wall heavily and furiously said, “I remember you. You’re the one that caught me! The Light Rune Civilization will definitely get me out!”
Shana sneered. “You’ve still not given up? Do you really think someone will come to save you?”.
This time, Lagi slowly said, “Don’t worry, no one will come to save us. We’re definitely going to die.”
Kernid was instantly at a loss for words. He covered his face with one hand and said, “Whose side are you actually on?”
Even Shana was speechless. This guy had been imprisoned for almost ten years, so he had probably gone haywire.
After the count, the three of them prepared to leave. The prisoners were still yelling and cursing. Albert paused before turning around and saying to everyone, “I know, you all think you’re someone important. In reality, your positions in the Shattered Star Ring are not even worth mentioning in my eyes. In a few days, I will freeze you and send you out of the Shattered Star Ring. You will be determined as lost forever. You will never see your organizations or your families again. Fate is waiting for you ahead.”
All the prisoners quietened down, furious and frustrated. If what Albert said was true, it would really be the end of them.
Many were despairing, anxious, and afraid of what was going to happen in the future. No one knew what the goal of this organization was.
Lagi sighed and said, “Sigh, I’m guessing they’re going to make us experimental subjects and study our bodies. When we lose our value to them, they will then anatomize us; tear apart our bones, muscles, and organs; and place them in containers as specimens. Our name and life experience might be written somewhere on these containers. We will then become a collection to be displayed to others. ‘Look, this is the very developed brain of the Calamity Grade Kernid’ and so on…”
The others felt a chill run down their spines.
Kernid’s face was filled with question marks. Why didn’t you use your own name?
Albert stayed silent for a while, thought about it, and decided not to explain. He then said calmly, “Anyway, enjoy your last few days of clarity. The next time you wake up, you will be in another Star Field…”
The moment his words sounded…
Boom!
A loud bang!
The entire prison suddenly started shaking violentl
y!
Albert staggered and almost bit his tongue. Shocked, he asked, “What’s happening?”
“Something’s happened above!” Eliot said with surprise.
The three of them hastily left the prison and closed the gate after them. The prisoners looked at each other.
“Could it be that someone is here to save us?”
They were instantly energized and saw hope again.
With his usual long face, Lagi slowly said, “Even if there’s someone here to rescue us, they might not be a match for the enemies. They will be killed in an instant. All of them will be wiped out. Their fleets will shatter, and the people inside will all be crushed and burnt into pieces. Your comrades, subordinates, and families might be among them. You will then be forced to eat those shattered parts of them, demolishing your spirit before anatomizing your body…”
“Shut the hell up!”
…
The shaking continued. Albert and the others returned to the main hall and met with the other three colleagues.
“What’s going on?”
“Enemies!”
Albert’s face turned grave. He then took the others out of the headquarters. When they got out, they discovered that an enormous amount of power was digging their headquarters out of the ground.
Two people were floating in the sky. When they saw who those two people were, Albert and the others were stunned and stupefied!
Black Star!
Dragon Emperor!
Ames was using her Esper ability to tear the ground apart, pulling their base right out of the ground.
“How can he be here?” Albert opened his eyes wide.
They had attacked Black Star not long ago, and now he was here. Their location was very well hidden, so how did Black Star find them?
Eliot could not believe it. He had never thought that Black Star would appear.
A thought suddenly appeared in his mind. He had just returned, and now Black Star had found this place—could it be that he had exposed them somehow?