Dark and damp.
A putrid stench permeated the air, and the chilling cold seeped into your bones.
In the pitch-black cave, her petite body huddled like a young animal, trembling slightly.
Aurora carefully tore open a bag of military biscuits, moving very slowly, pausing after each small tear to avoid making noise that might attract the enemy. After opening the package, she took small bites of the hard biscuits, spending a long time finishing them.
In reality, the sound wouldn't travel outside the cave, but she always remembered Han Xiao's instructions and dared not make a sound.
"This is the thirteenth meal already..." Aurora thought to herself.
She was oblivious to the passage of time in the cave; she ate whenever she was hungry, and could only judge the time by the number of meals she had.
A pair of bright eyes were hidden in the darkness, always looking in the direction of the cave entrance.
Inside the cave, there was only a pile of supplies, the sounds of breathing and heartbeats, and a wait without seeing the light...
A few days later, on the southern battlefield of Andia, at the Stardragon front line.
The convoy stopped inside the position, and the people waited listlessly, some sitting and some standing.
The tiny, sparkling sparks twirled between her fingers. After playing with them for a while, Dannina asked impatiently:
"We've been here for 22 hours, how much longer do we have to wait?"
"Don't worry, it should be soon." Han Xiao said, puffing out a cigarette.
After breaking through the leader's ambush, there were no further surprises along the way. They successfully passed through the Germinal territory and arrived at the territory of the Six Nations. Their original destination was a temporary base of the Six Nations on the southern battlefield, but Han Xiao suddenly asked to stop at this position, saying that he had to wait for someone.
Now that they were safe, the experts from the Six Nations naturally had no objections. The reason they hadn't left was because they still had a mission: to supervise Han Xiao in delivering the intelligence to the Six Nations. Because the matter was of great importance, the Six Nations also needed to guard against any possible unforeseen circumstances...
Beside her, Hila paced anxiously back and forth, frequently glancing towards the entrance to the position.
The soldiers passing by all looked at them with admiration; they rarely saw so many important figures.
Suddenly, commotion broke out at the entrance to the position.
Hila stopped abruptly and looked over nervously.
The soldiers on guard opened the gate, and a man in a hooded robe led a little girl in slowly. The little girl's face was pale from malnutrition. She looked around with curiosity, and then she saw Hila, and her eyes were glued to her.
It was Dean and Aurora.
Hila strode forward and pulled Aurora into a tight embrace, holding her for a while until Aurora letting go. She knelt down, touched Aurora's face, and examined her closely. Seeing that Aurora was unharmed, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Then, noticing Aurora's pale face, she said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I'll never abandon you again."
Aurora rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand and gave a big smile.
Her infectious smile seemed to brighten up the world.
I knew you would come to pick me up.
Seeing her sister safe, Hila felt a huge weight lifted from her shoulders, and suddenly felt the wind was so gentle and the sunshine so bright.
The breath of freedom.
Meanwhile, Dean approached Han Xiao and said, "I have fulfilled my mission."
Dean's invisibility ability is perfect for infiltrating dangerous situations. Based on the coordinates given by Han Xiao, he found Aurora and took her out. Since the failed ambush on Han Xiao, Germinal's vigilance level has dropped sharply, so the two escaped unharmed.
"Thanks." Han Xiao nodded and smiled, "I'm sorry to have put you in such a risk; consider it a favor I owe you."
"No need. You saved me once, consider this my way of repaying you. It was nothing," Dean waved his hand. "Besides, compared to your infiltration of the Germinal headquarters, what I did wasn't even a risk."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Han Xiao Han got down to business, "Have you prepared the goods I requested?"
"As you requested, I have instructed my men to retrieve the goods from the warehouse and transport them directly to the Southern Continent. You can pick them up when you return."
"Okay, I'll settle the payment later."
After exchanging a few words, Dean left. Dannina asked helplessly, "Can you leave now?"
"Wait a minute." Han Xiao walked towards Hila. The two sisters were still talking. As he got closer, he suddenly heard Aurora ask a question.
"Sister, where do we go next?" Aurora asked hopefully.
Hila suddenly stopped.
Yes, they are free now, but where will they go?
No longer needing to risk my life for anyone, where should I go in this vast world?
A look of confusion crossed Hila's eyes.
"If you have nowhere to go, why don't you come with me? My territory is safe." Han Xiao walked over.
"You?" Hila hesitated, Aurora's head.
The world is so big, she wanted to take her younger sister to see it.
Han Xiao said, "Your sister has been imprisoned for so long, her health is very poor. Even if you want to take her somewhere else, you should at least let her recover first."
"... You're right." Hila's expression tightened, and she immediately agreed with Han Xiao's point of view. The most important thing right now was to help her sister recover. Every time she saw Aurora's thin and bony appearance, she felt heartbroken. Although she still harbored deep hatred for Germinal, at this moment she was focused entirely on her sister and had no thoughts of Revenge. She only wanted to help Aurora settle down first.
However, respecting her sister's opinion, she asked Aurora, "What do you think?"
"Okay," Aurora replied cheerfully. After being imprisoned for so long, everything outside was new and exciting to her.
Suddenly remembering something, Aurora timidly said to Han Xiao, "Thank you for saving me."
Han Xiao smiled without saying a word, then reached out and pinched Aurora's cheek. Aurora didn't resist and looked obedient.
Hela glanced at Han Xiao, Hila feelings complicated.
She never expected that he would save her sister; she didn't know how she could ever repay such an immense favor.
'Then let's follow him for now...'
A few days later, the group passed through various positions and arrived at the temporary base on the southern battlefield. Representatives from the Six Nations gathered in the conference room, waiting for Han Xiao's arrival.
After settling Hila and the others in, Han Xiao, led by a guard, entered the conference room, where the representatives from the Six Nations all focused their attention on him.
The guards behind him closed the gate.
The group of representatives were mostly strangers; he only recognized Stardragon's representative, who was none other than Gu Hui, the director of the Thirteenth Bureau.
"Oh, everyone's here." Han Xiao greeted them lazily, dragging a chair over with his foot and plopping down, acting as if they were old friends and family.
Those present couldn't help but scrutinize him. This was the first time most of them had seen Han Xiao in person, and considering his deeds, many of them showed awe and apprehension in their eyes.
All along, it was this person in front of us who secretly provided intelligence, accurately grasped the hostile relationship between the Six Nations and Germinal, fueled the flames, and used others to do the dirty work, becoming the Big Black behind the scenes.
Such a person is dangerous.
Moreover, according to recent reports, Han Xiao has broken through the limits of his strength and should be the strongest superhuman in the world. Given the position of the Six Nations, it is impossible for them not to be wary of a powerful individual belonging to other forces.
With Bennett, the former "strongest," and Han Xiao, the current "strongest," the Dark Net has become a worrying force.
Fortunately, the Dark Net has remained neutral, which is good news.
Gu Hui tapped the table and said seriously, "Han Xiao, we've fulfilled the deal. It's your turn."
"Hey, we know each other, don't be so formal," Han Xiao chuckled. "It's been a while since we last met. How have you been? Got a promotion? But given your position, a demotion seems easier than a promotion..."
Gu Hui's forehead veins bulged, and he slammed his fingers heavily on the table. "Get to the point!"
"Sigh, people these days don't have time for casual conversation anymore; all they care about is business, work, and their future." Han Xiao shook his head repeatedly. "Life isn't just about poetry and distant fields; it's also about the mundane realities of life."
"No, why are you talking so much?" Gu Hui was annoyed. Couldn't you at least show some respect for this serious occasion?
The representatives from various countries twitched at the corners of their mouths; the impression Han Xiao gave them was far different from their expectations...
Shouldn't the mastermind be a sinister figure exuding a menacing aura, mysterious and unpredictable, and taciturn? What's with this guy chatting casually with the director of the Stardragon Thirteenth Bureau? Is he really that approachable?!
I can't figure it out.
After chatting for a while, Han Xiao secretly observed the room's layout, confirmed there were no ambushes or listening devices, then immediately stopped talking nonsense, took out a portable hard drive, connected it to the computer, and switched the image to the conference room's large screen.
One by one, the Germinal classified intelligence was openly displayed, and the entire Germinal had almost no secrets left. All its plans, arrangements, armed forces, and trump cards were exposed to the light of day.