The shockwave from the collision hit them head-on. When the dust settled, a circular sand pit was formed where the two had stood. Bennett's five-times critical hit was earth-shattering, but both of them were momentarily stunned, and neither gained the upper hand!
The two exchanged blows, their movements dazzling, like a black-purple Great Python and a white-hot dragon writhing and tearing at each other. Wherever they went, friend or foe alike retreated in fear.
"Holy crap, they're incredibly reckless." Han Xiao clicked his tongue in disbelief. Both of them were Pugilist Class, possessing various specialized skills and powerful, dense energy. Each belonged to a different martial arts school. Bennett's movements were measured and powerful, giving people a sense of "just right" perfection, showcasing his combat experience to the fullest.
The leader's style, however, was Berserk and unrestrained, revealing his savagery, fierce and ruthless, just like the color of his aura.
These two beasts are clearly half a level stronger than other advanced superhumans. They possess multiple templates and rare specialties, making them both Grade SS, with attributes surpassing those of other individuals of the same level.
"No wonder he's the protagonist of this planet." Master Han's eyes suddenly lit up. "Bennett used Willpower Burning for five times the damage, and the leader was able to withstand it. He must have a similar powerful skill."
Thinking of the reward for [The Traitor's Counterattack], Han Xiao felt a surge of excitement. He knew that many hidden quests could reward powerful skills and feats, but this quest was the simplest and most straightforward. As long as he could win, he would have a chance to reap the rewards, making it extremely cost-effective.
While cooperating with his teammates to deal with other enemies, Han Xiao also considered the comparison of his combat strength with the leader. The result was not optimistic. First of all, after many battles, his condition was now average, and he only had the Viper Modified left. As a mechanic, insufficient equipment is equivalent to poor condition.
"In a one-on-one fight, with my current equipment, even if I perform well, I'll only end up with the boss and both of us severely injured. Besides, Bennett won't let me do that... If I gang up on the boss with Bennett, I can't out-damage Bennett. Bennett has the same Willpower Burning as me, and he's even luckier than me..." Han Xiao said helplessly.
A thought flashed through his mind: the best course of action at the moment was to maintain the current situation and let Bennett and the leader wrestle one-on-one. The two were evenly matched, and although the fight was intense, their health was decreasing slowly. They had basically parried all of each other's attacks, and it was impossible to determine a winner for the time being. Moreover, no one, friend or foe, had any intention of interfering in the fierce battle between Bennett and the leader.
"A legend is a legend indeed. The leader is stronger than any of us. Only Bennett can hold him off. We can't interfere in the battle there." Tang Tang said into the communicator, wielding a whirlwind and creating a sandstorm to control the situation.
Bennett was the strongest link, a fact everyone tacitly acknowledged. Even though they were arrogant, they all respected the renowned Bennett.
"The army is waging a war of attrition against us, and we are currently at a stalemate. The strongest forces of both sides are restraining each other. Whoever wins or loses will break the balance and change the entire situation."
Fardrod, who had released an energy shield, said that everyone else agreed with him.
Upon hearing this, Han Xiao's mind raced. He saw a turning point in the situation and thought to himself, "Since the situation is at a stalemate, it gives me time. This is the key to completing [The Traitor's Counterattack]. The turning point is advancing to the [Limit Trial] quest! As long as I advance, I can defeat the leader!"
With so many helpers around and enemies as numerous as the ocean, this is the perfect opportunity to farm trial points! Moreover, Han Xiao has found the right method: the settlement after the battle ends is based on the difference in numbers between the two sides, with an additional percentage of the trial points he earned from killing enemies in this battle added to his total. Therefore, based on previous statistics, he can roughly calculate how many extra trial points he will gain. Then, by leaving the battlefield once, the post-battle settlement will reach 2000 progress points!
Defeating the leader means successfully breaking through, which doesn't conflict with this mission. Han Xiao knows how to seize the opportunity; once it's gone, it's gone forever!
The two sides were Germinal in fierce combat. Han Xiao's high-end combat power was overwhelming the budding forces. Executors were frequently injured and coughing up blood. Han Xiao coordinated the overall situation through the combat information panel, secretly picking off any stragglers and launching sneak attacks. He even stole kills from his teammates, making his efficiency in reaping trial points unprecedented and skyrocketing.
If a player were here, they would immediately recognize this as malicious loitering and stealing kills. But these teammates weren't players. Seeing Han Xiao Han Xiao wandering around and taking sniper shots, they assumed he was tired and not in good condition.
Originally, she thought Han Xiao would be a valuable asset, but now it seems he's useless. This mission has turned him into a babysitter. With a temper as fiery as her superpower, Dannina immediately assigned tasks, saying, "Black Phantom, you're not useful staying here. We don't need you to deal with the superhumans. Go handle those grunts."
Since Black Phantom was not in good condition, the best solution was naturally to let him deal with the minions. Everyone thought Dannina's decision was fine, but Han Xiao just gave a few perfunctory replies and continued to do his own thing, ignoring their commands.
The group's expressions changed instantly. In their eyes, the situation was completely different. Han Xiao was unwilling to follow orders; could it be that he was taking advantage of being a protected target and watching them risk their lives?
We're all teammates, we should be fighting side by side, and they were even there to provide backup, how could you do this...?
The crowd looked displeased. Dannina wanted to reprimand them, but was attacked and quickly blocked, unable to speak. She muttered resentfully, "Hmph, he was a traitor to the Germinal, hiding and undermining others, stirring up trouble and starting wars behind the scenes. He really is a treacherous fellow."
Han Xiao was helpless. He had his reasons. He needed to kill superhumans to get trial points, which was the biggest turning point in the situation. It would be a waste of his talents to deal with ordinary soldiers. However, his teammates did not understand this, so he could only ignore the misunderstanding and focus on his grand plan to farm trial points.
The battle intensified, and in the heat of the fight, time seemed to stand still. Germinal's pursuers arrived, and four veteran executives, including Jeroz, joined the fray, increasing the pressure on everyone. They repeatedly attempted to break through, but Germinal's hit-and-run tactics were incredibly persistent and difficult to shake off, turning them into birds caught in a net. Of course, Germinal paid a heavy price for this; the ground was littered with corpses and burning metal debris, buried under the yellow sand.
Although the army couldn't inflict decisive damage on the superhumans, their barrage of fire was as annoying as flies, constantly draining everyone's strength. Just as water dripping on stone can wear away stone, sand piling up can build a tower, and many ants can kill an elephant, eventually, injuries began to appear on everyone's bodies, and their condition gradually declined.
Tang Tang and the Beast Summoner were the targets of concentrated fire. One stirred up a sandstorm, and the other summoned desert insects and beasts. Both had the ability to control the battlefield. The Germinal Executive Team coordinated to divide the battlefield and concentrate fire, breaking the energy shield of Fardrod. They beat the Beast Summoner into pieces, leaving him with limbs and blood splattered everywhere. The out-of-control beasts stood there dumbfounded, then turned and fled.
Everyone's face darkened. Once casualties occur, it means the balance of power is starting to shift, and the situation could very well snowball.
Han Xiao's heart tightened, and he silently calculated the trial points.
"Initially there were about fifty executives, then more than twenty reinforcements appeared. I killed about thirty. Based on the difference in numbers, if I can get another 20 trial points, the extra reward after the battle will be enough for 2000 points!"
Just then, Tang Tang, who was standing next to him, was suddenly hit by Jeroz's "Force Field - Artillery Barrage". She clutched her chest and knelt down in pain. The executive officers took this opportunity to focus their fire.
Seeing that various attacks were about to engulf Tang Tang Tang, Han Xiao pushed her away from a distance with a repulsive force, and the attacks just missed each other.
Tang Tang, having narrowly escaped death, broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly thanked him, saying, "I am extremely grateful."
Han Xiao nodded, looked around and continued to look for an opportunity. Suddenly, the mecha warrior, who was covered in armor and wielding a powered hammer, charged around like a rhinoceros and slammed the hammer hard on the head of a veteran Pugilist Class executive. However, the executive countered with several punches, shattering the battered chest armor. The two were thrown back at the same time, vomiting blood, both seriously injured!
"Chance!"
Han Xiao's calm mind was stirred. Without hesitation, he used [Willpower Burning] to snipe the fallen martial artist, which became the last straw that broke the camel's back.
[You dealt 964 damage to Trejo (lv54)] (Damage reduction already taken)
[You killed Trejo, you gained 136,000 experience points]
[You have gained 23 trial points]
"That's enough!" Han Xiao. Suppressing his excitement, he inputted full power into his Electromagnetic Hover Boots and Small Maneuvering Device, suddenly turned around and Germinal in the direction he came from. The bud was lying in ambush in the direction he left, and the direction he came from happened to be the weakest point in the defense.
Because there were pursuing reinforcements behind them, going back wouldn't be considered a breakout, but rather walking into a trap. They never expected anyone to run back.
However, Han Xiao did exactly that, abandoning his teammates and instantly leaving the battlefield.
Everyone was stunned!
"Is he trying to abandon us to buy himself time so he can run away on his own?" Dannina asked, her voice filled with shock and anger.
The leader, entangled with Bennett and unable to break free, was enraged at the prospect of his sure target escaping. He roared, "Chase after him! He must be killed!"
Jeroz led some troops away from the battlefield to pursue Han Xiao, thus relieving the pressure on the powerful figures from the Six Nations.
Tang Tang said in a deep voice, "No, he may want to share the enemy's strength and create an opportunity, but if he fails, both we and he will be utterly defeated. It's too risky... He should have discussed it with us beforehand."
Far from the battlefield, with the enemy hot on their heels, Han Xiao sped away, counting down the time until the battle ended. After five minutes of escape, a new wave of reinforcements appeared in the distance ahead.
With wolves in front and tigers behind, there was no escape.
At this moment, Han Xiao laughed. This free time allowed him to step out of combat, and the panel displayed the extra trial points from the post-battle settlement.
[[Limit Trial]: Current progress 2000/2000]
[Level 60 Advanced Quest! Stamina Bonus Increased, 1 Stamina = 30 Health Points = 40 Vitality Points]
[You have achieved a life level elevation, and your race has been detected as: [Carbon-Based Human) ]... Randomly selecting five evolutionary directions that match the Tu Shu... Selection complete... Please choose one of the following five options as your evolutionary race. --Warning! The evolutionary process is irreversible, please choose carefully! [Appendix - Explanation of Evolutionary Direction Characteristics]]
[[Hetal Human Race] - 78% compatibility, [Manu Giant Race] - 64% compatibility, [Demon Race] - 81% compatibility, [Type I Cosmic Human] - 97% compatibility, [Elementary Energy Life Form] - 31% compatibility]
[Selection complete, race evolving... evolution complete]
[Race changed to: [Type I Cosmic Human], molecular structure improved, organ structure strengthened, metabolism altered, adaptability enhanced, potential and aptitude improved. You gain attribute enhancements: Strength +16, Agility +18, Endurance +21, Intelligence +25, Mysticism +10, Charisma +8, Vigor +360, Vigor level bonus attribute changed.]
[You have gained the racial trait [Adaptive Group]]
[You have learned the skill [Mechanical Continuation]]