Starfire Camp's Gratitude

A good place to gather intelligence.

But this time, the target was Starfire Camp. There should be even more information to obtain there.

Chapter 18: Starfire Camp's Gratitude

Blackstone Settlement basked beneath the blazing sun.

The crisscrossing dirt roads showed no sign of life. The scorching heat seemed to distort the air into ripples.

Outside an inconspicuous brick-and-stone building on the settlement's outskirts stood a weather-beaten wooden sign. The four neatly written words in Interstellar Common Tongue had already become blurred.

Flame Bar.

A somewhat gaunt middle-aged human wiped a cloudy glass. His neatly trimmed mustache was immaculate, and his amber-like eyes stared blankly at the glass.

Bruce felt restless.

One of the few children in the camp had actually been kidnapped in Blackstone Settlement. Without a doubt, he bore some responsibility.

Although Instructor Guilliman had told him not to worry, he still felt he should do something.

That thought grew even stronger after the team sent to rescue Xiao Xi returned empty-handed.

Perhaps I should apply to go to Sin Capital. Chief Li must be short-handed lately. I could also keep an eye out for information about Xiao Xi in Sin Capital.

Jingle~

The bell hanging on the door rang softly. Bruce gathered his drifting thoughts and looked toward the entrance.

Then he froze slightly.

A human—and an unfamiliar Ordinary Human at that?

Pan-Humans were extremely rare on Frontier Prison Star, numbering only a few thousand. Ordinary Humans were even rarer. The Spark Gang and the camp together had barely reached double digits!

So who was this?

After looking over the small bar, Bruce failed to recognize Jiang Xiao because he was not wearing the distinctive goggles.

"Sir, may I ask..."

"Uncle Bruce!!"

Before Bruce could finish asking, a clear voice suddenly came from behind Jiang Xiao. A small figure happily ran to the bar.

The moment Xiao Xi's voice rang out, his hand wiping the glass froze. It was as if time had stopped at that instant.

Bruce failed to react for a moment, even thinking he was hallucinating.

Steadying himself, Bruce was overjoyed. His calm, elegant demeanor immediately fell apart as he rushed out and lifted Xiao Xi up.

"Xiao Xi!! How did you get here? Were you hurt? You..."

Suddenly, Bruce turned to look at Jiang Xiao. Realizing what had happened, he said seriously, "Come inside."

Jiang Xiao exchanged a glance with Xiao Xi, then secretly blinked at her.

Xiao Xi hesitantly nodded.

In a certain ravine, more than thirty large vehicles and over a hundred Armored Jeeps stood in neat rows, forming a simple camp.

A figure hurried into the large tent at the center of the camp, his expression excited.

"Instructor! Instructor!! Xiao Xi has been found!"

The blond man who had been bent over examining intelligence materials abruptly stood up. "Found? Where? Is she safe?"

"She's safe. She's at Flame Bar. An Ordinary Human brought her there!"

"An Ordinary Human?"

"Yes. He seems to be a Tier 1 Martial Artist. He said he was passing through Rosaka Settlement when he saw a shop imprisoning Xiao Xi and treating her as merchandise, so he found a way to rescue her. It happened just a few hours before Rosaka Settlement was destroyed."

"Good, good, good! Have Bruce bring them back to the camp. Wait—tell everyone the good news first!"

The man excitedly acknowledged the order, then rushed out of the tent and shouted:

"Xiao Xi has been found!"

"Xiao Xi..."

Hearing the increasingly raucous cheers outside, Guilliman's tense expression slowly relaxed. He let out a long breath.

"That's wonderful."

This Frontier Prison Star was unsuitable for human reproduction.

More than a thousand of their people had been thrown onto Starfire Camp over twenty years ago, yet fewer than forty children had been born.

It was foreseeable that without an influx of outside humans, the Pan-Humans on Prison Star would eventually disappear.

Therefore, within the camp and the gangs, these children were their absolute spiritual pillars and hope. It was unclear how other races viewed such cultural symbols, but at least this was true for the Pan-Humans.

Xiao Xi's disappearance had left the entire camp in a constant state of dejection.

"Right, I need to notify Brother Li. There's no need to send anyone anymore."

Guilliman hurriedly stood up and took a metal box from the drawer.

Meanwhile, in Blackstone Settlement.

Jiang Xiao had returned to the Jeep and was about to start the vehicle and follow Bruce to Starfire Camp when the passenger-side door suddenly opened.

Xiao Xi struggled to climb into the seat. Bruce poked his head out of the vehicle ahead with some concern. Seeing Xiao Xi get into Jiang Xiao's car, he ultimately said nothing.

"Why did you get in my car?"

"Um... because Brother Xiao's car is more comfortable."

Xiao Xi seemed to have grown much closer to him.

Jiang Xiao nodded indifferently. When the vehicle ahead started moving, he followed it.

"Brother Xiao, why didn't you let me say that you defeated the bad guys? Why can't I mention the name Old Capital Killing God?" Xiao Xi asked curiously.

"Ahem."

Jiang Xiao coughed twice. "Because Old Capital Killing God is an affectionate nickname. If you say it, I'll become too popular, and more bad guys will come looking for me.

"As for why you can't say that I defeated the bad guys, the reason is similar. If word gets out, a lot of bad guys will come and cause trouble for me."

Jiang Xiao had not revealed his identity to the people of Starfire Camp.

He still had no idea what kind of people they were. If Sin Capital obtained information about his appearance, he could forget about having an easy time.

He knew nothing else, but the Black Mech Gang would definitely use every available means for the Industrial Square Box!

The reason the Black Mech Gang had not immediately attacked Old Capital and killed him was probably because the Industrial Square Box could not be exposed.

In short, he was confident, not foolish. Entering Sin Capital openly would definitely cause trouble. Even if he did not die, it would be difficult for him to obtain any more resources related to mechanical knowledge.

As for the loopholes in Xiao Xi's words, he believed her elders would not care about them either.

Under the effect of Origin Data, he appeared as, at most, a Tier 1 Peak Martial Artist on the Source Energy radar. Compared with verbal information, humans were more likely to trust their own ears and eyes.

Starfire Camp's temporary outpost was not far from Blackstone Settlement.

More than two hours later, Jiang Xiao saw an utterly ordinary-looking small ravine in the distance.

Such ravines could be seen everywhere across the wasteland.

This ravine was indeed an excellent place that was easy to defend and difficult to attack.

The ravine had three routes leading in different directions. If enemies arrived, they could retreat quickly, while intercepting them would not be easy. The exits were far apart from one another.

Without a large number of troops, it would be difficult to blockade them all at once.

After entering the ravine, a temporary camp made up of a large number of vehicles soon came into view.

By then, two or three hundred people had already gathered in front of the camp, standing densely packed and craning their necks in anticipation.

So many people. Should I say something?

Looking at the dense crowd, the socially anxious side hidden within Jiang Xiao immediately surfaced.

This personality only appeared when he faced large numbers of his own kind.

When facing large numbers of other races?

He had social anxiety then too—the socially terrifying kind.

Jiang Xiao slowly parked. Xiao Xi hurriedly jumped out of the car and, amid the crowd's enthusiastic cheers, threw herself into the arms of a woman who looked gentle and refined, with swollen red eyes and a haggard face.

Jiang Xiao took a deep breath, tightened his expression, and pushed open the car door.

Guilliman, who was smiling as he watched Xiao Xi reunite with the woman, immediately looked over.

His eyes lit up.

A cold, handsome young man with a well-proportioned build and regular features stepped out of the vehicle, his expression utterly still.

A faint, sharp aura lingered around him.

As he got out, the young man's right hand remained behind his waist. It was the optimal position for drawing a blade quickly.

"An excellent warrior!" Guilliman praised inwardly.

Jiang Xiao also noticed Guilliman among the crowd. He could not help it—the aura of a strong individual was simply too distinct.

Robert Guilliman (70% Sub-gold Human Gene)

Talent Value (Source Energy): 2.11

Source Energy Intensity: 65 (Tier 2)

Spirit Energy Intensity: 1 (No supernatural ability)

What the hell?!

Jiang Xiao nearly lost control of his expression.

No, buddy, what's your name?

What the hell was Robert Guilliman???