Sikaro Joins

Before setting out for the ruins where the expedition team had disappeared, Lin Xue first brought us to a small town not far from the base.

The town was not large, with only a few thousand residents at most, but the buildings lining its streets looked neat and modern, nothing like an isolated desert settlement.

The townspeople seemed to have no reaction to our arrival. They merely glanced at us outsiders, then went back to their own business.

For some reason, walking through this town gave me a strange feeling.

"I never expected there to be a town like this in the desert." Looking at the crowds around us, Qian Qian could not help sounding surprised. She knew people lived in deserts, but this was the heart of the Taklamakan Desert! It was sparsely populated and poor in resources; even the most basic drinking water was hard to come by. How could a town appearing in a place like this not make her curious?

Zheng Yiming seemed quite familiar with this place. As he led us onward, he introduced it, saying, "This town is no ordinary place. In fact, it is a refuge—or perhaps you could call it an Exile Land."

"What?" My inner gossip fiend immediately caught fire.

"Internationally wanted smugglers, arms dealers, descendants of disgraced great families, reclusive masters hunted by their enemies, even one or two Espers who made mistakes and have been forbidden from leaving this desert for life... Don't underestimate anyone here. Any one of them could make the entire world tremble if they stepped outside."

"Ah!" Qian Qian cried out and tightly grabbed my arm. The friendly-looking desert residents around us suddenly became vicious-looking thugs in her eyes.

"Relax." Lin Xue comfortingly patted Qian Qian's shoulder. "No matter how important they were, once they reach Exile Town, they have to behave themselves. There are several rules here. First: no matter how great a crime you committed outside, once you arrive here, it is wiped clean. In other words, you are already 'dead.' Second: once you come here, no one can leave without the organization's permission, unless you are confident you can escape the entire organization's pursuit. Third: nobody is allowed to cause trouble here. No matter how untouchable you were outside, here you are just an ordinary townsman. Otherwise... hehe, some very unpleasant things will happen. Also, this town is not completely cut off from the outside world. Occasionally, permitted outsiders come in, but they do not know the town's true nature. Aside from people within the organization, only special people like you, Chen Jun, are allowed to know the truth."

"Impressive." I smacked my lips. "Why do you guys sound like some lawless terrorist organization?"

"Tch—we're contributing to the world!" Lin Xue retorted out of habit. "Most of these people are a danger to humanity as long as they remain alive, but it would be a waste to kill them because of their skills, so we adopted this approach."

"The organization gives them shelter so they will not be torn to pieces by enemies or whoever else might be after them. In return, they stay here obediently and use their abilities to serve the organization. Believe it or not, there are examples right in front of you: they direct the flow of billions of dollars in the outside world through networks and other means, all for the chance to eat a full meal here in peace. So this is a refuge, but it is also an Exile Land..."

Refuge... Exile Land...

I pondered Lin Xue's words, then carefully observed those seemingly unremarkable desert residents again.

On the surface, they looked like nothing more than ordinary residents, but when I watched them closely, I still noticed something different in their eyes.

Some were cold, some numb, some unwilling, while others looked at us with naked envy.

But here, they could only bury those emotions deep in their hearts and try their best to become ordinary desert residents.

Just then, a somewhat familiar deep male voice came from nearby. "Brother, want a disc?"

"Creak—" My body instantly turned to stone.

Accompanied by a series of creaks and cracks, I turned my already stiff neck and saw Knight-Faced Uncle, dressed like he had stepped out of The Matrix, hawking pirated discs to passersby.

...Sikaro, an outstanding commander of the Empire, was sentenced to death by the Empire Emperor on December 6, 2010, on the charge of being too idiotic.

Just kidding...

But damn it, I really wanted to do that! Are you really a commander? Are you sure you are not some comic extra hired to make people laugh, or an undercover enemy agent sent to wreck the place? Didn't you receive even a little intelligence training in the military? Couldn't you think of a better cover identity than wearing a Matrix outfit and selling discs everywhere?!

At that moment, I had completely given up hope for Knight-Faced Uncle's intelligence.

"Huh? Why does this uncle selling discs look so familiar?" Lin Xue, who had once happened to spot Sikaro in the car, muttered to herself in confusion.

That is not the point, is it? The point is, how could there possibly be an uncle selling pirated discs in a place like this?

"No—how could someone like this appear here?!" Zheng Yiming was the first to react. "Catch him!"

"Wait!" I hurriedly stopped him.

"What is it?" Lin Xue asked me curiously. "Do you know this person?"

I'm such an idiot. Why did I make a sound?

Facing Lin Xue's probing gaze, I quickly tried to organize my thoughts. But how exactly was I supposed to explain my relationship with this uncle, who looked suspicious at a glance and was selling pirated Light Discs in Exile Town?

"He is Brother's friend," Pandora suddenly said.

...Pandora, do you realize I am trying to distance myself from this uncle who looks suspicious at first glance?

"He is also an Esper," Pandora continued to reveal.

"What?!" Lin Xue, Lin Feng, and Zheng Yiming cried out in unison. Were Espers so worthless these days? How could a suspicious uncle selling pirated discs on the street be an Esper too?

At that moment, Pandora's voice came through the Spiritual Connection. "Sikaro is an Empire Officer highly skilled in defensive warfare. His own combat ability is not to be underestimated either. I hope he can join our operation later—I feel this incident is not so simple, and having another safeguard is always better."

"Chen Jun," Lin Xue's voice interrupted my conversation with Pandora, "do you know this person? Is he really an Esper?"

"Uh... yes!" I answered somewhat flusteredly. Then inspiration struck, and I said, "He can heal!"

"Huh?"

A few minutes later, Sikaro, who was supposedly able to heal... ahem, who possessed healing abilities, was walking with us.

"Chen Jun, is this guy really okay?" Lin Xue asked worriedly as she watched Knight-Faced Uncle hawking pirated discs along the way. "You suddenly let someone of unknown origin join us."

"I can guarantee with my character that he is absolutely reliable!"

"An Esper who enjoys traveling got lost while touring the Taklamakan Desert, accidentally entered Exile Town, which is protected layer upon layer by the Esper Team, and ended up selling pirated Light Discs for a living—do you think I should believe that? And that strange name, Sikaro. It does not sound like a real name at all, does it?" Lin Xue was still full of distrust toward the uncle who dared sell pirated Light Discs in Exile Town. But in the end, she sighed. "Forget it. My intuition tells me this person can be trusted. I just hope my ability has not deceived me this time."

"Who exactly are we going to find?" Qian Qian finally could not hold herself back any longer. "We are almost at the edge of town. When are we setting out for those ruins? Every extra day means another bit of danger for my father!"

"Don't worry." Lin Feng smiled gently. "The person we are looking for now is very important. Without his help, I am afraid we might disappear in those ruins just like your father did."

"Who is so impressive?" I asked curiously. "An Esper?"

Lin Xue shook her head. "No, he is just an ordinary old man, but he possesses something extraordinary. That thing has the power to stabilize the ruins—unfortunately, that expedition team put too much faith in so-called modern science. Their disdain for mysterious powers led to the accident."