As a neutral territory, Floating Dragon Island is not only home to criminals, but also to some residents, workers, and the Dragon Calm Guard, a force maintained by the rulers to keep order. It's a melting pot of people, but no matter who they are, everyone who comes to the island must pay taxes to the rulers. No one dares to break the rules, which represents their respect for the rulers.
Floating Dragon Island is a typical low-security zone, where force is permitted. As long as residents and workers are not killed and houses are not demolished, the Dragon Calm Guard doesn't care about outsiders killing each other. The atmosphere here is flamboyant, unrestrained, and barbaric. The city lacks orderly planning, with buildings scattered haphazardly. There is no sun or moon in the sky; only the city lights illuminate the floating island, creating a mixed style of darkness and splendor, like a grand gathering place, colorful and vibrant, like a glass of red and black liquor.
The villains liked this place not only because it was a neutral supply point, but also because they liked the rules. As long as they didn't cross the line of the Dragon Calm Guard, they could be violent and vent their anger to their heart's content. In this place, killing and being killed seemed to be no big deal.
Han Xiao's sudden outburst triggered a chain reaction. A chaotic clattering of machinery erupted as thugs across the street raised their guns, aiming at him with ferocious expressions, ready to pounce.
Just then, members of the three mercenary groups drew their weapons in unison, showing no weakness, and surrounded Han Xiao to support him, displaying a tough attitude and protecting their comrade.
The thugs who had brandished their guns hesitated, fearing the consequences. They quickly put away their weapons and retreated, not only because they didn't want to provoke the three major mercenary groups, but also because the fighting was too intense and the Dragon Calm Guard was about to arrive to enforce the law.
Under the fierce gazes of thugs from all sides, the mercenary group of several hundred men walked through the block before putting away their weapons and continuing on their way with calm expressions. No one commented on the commotion that had just occurred, as if they had simply done something perfectly normal.
Goya glanced at Han Xiao, but did not criticize his sudden action at all.
With all the mercenaries backing them up and acting as if nothing had happened afterward, a tacit understanding that needed no explanation arose. Not only Melos, but even the players were quite surprised.
"Here, keeping a low profile is useless. You must show your claws and teeth to deter potential enemies. There's also an unspoken understanding in the mercenary industry. Mercenaries participating in the same mission are all reliable teammates to each other, bound by a common bond. As long as you don't cause too much trouble, everyone will stand by you through thick and thin. Your business is my business," Han Xiao said.
"Besides, killing criminals here is commonplace, it's a good opportunity to show toughness, and no one will say anything about it." Han Xiao skipped the "What are you looking at?" and "What's it to you?" steps and went straight for the kill, because here, it's better to fight than talk.
Melos suddenly realized what Han Xiao meant by making the most of resources. At this moment, he was acting with the three major mercenary groups, and with their superior numbers, he was taking this opportunity to show off his strength.
This unspoken understanding immediately brought players closer to the mercenaries.
As they ventured deeper into the city of Floating Dragon Island, the number of criminals on the streets decreased significantly. Based on the client's appearance as predicted by Han Xiao, the group identified him as Horlade, the owner of a local slave market and a subordinate of one of the island's rulers, managing a portion of its business.
"This is troublesome. The other party is a subordinate of the ruler of Dragon Calm. If we rob his slaves, we will offend him..."
On the street, the mercenary group leaders gathered together to discuss their plans. Sky Ring, Blades, and Purple Gold had given Han Xiao considerable attention, and the four of them worked together to devise an action plan.
The current situation is a real headache. Although the three major mercenary groups are not afraid of the criminals here because of their powerful backers, they dare not provoke the controller of Dragon Calm.
"We can't anger the people of Dragon Calm, or we're doomed. We need to come up with a plan," said Porter, the leader of Blades, in a calm tone.
Fasereni, the leader of the Purple Gold team beside him, rolled his eyes and pondered, "If Horlade has already bought the Silver Spirit People, we can't take them back by force. The best way is to seize the prisoners before Horlade pays. Now that we know the client, we can wait for the scavengers to come, ambush them in advance, and snatch the prisoners back on the way. This way, we won't have a direct conflict with Horlade."
"Then we need to confirm whether Horlade has received the goods. As long as he hasn't bought the prisoners, this plan is feasible, and we must contact him... But if we negotiate as mercenaries, he will definitely become wary. A buyer doesn't want to see someone eyeing what he wants, and he might even send the Dragon Calm Guard to cause trouble for us," Goya said.
The strategy of waiting for the rabbit to run into the tree stump has a prerequisite: that Han Xiao's prediction is reliable. Since there are not many clues, everyone can only choose to believe it. In any case, if the intelligence is wrong, Han Xiao will not be able to escape responsibility. Someone will take the blame, so the three team leaders are not worried.
Han Xiao volunteered, "I'm experienced; I can pose as a buyer and test him."
The three team leaders thought it was acceptable and drafted a simple plan. Han Xiao changed into Simulation Mask, took off his mecha, and got a new outfit, looking like a spaceship captain, the kind of middle-class person that is quite common.
The slave market was a different story altogether. At least it was in line with interstellar standards. Instead of being dirty and chaotic, it was luxurious and exquisite, with many written documents of slaves on display for people to choose from.
The Floating Dragon Island itself had middlemen in the slave trade who bought slaves from scavengers and then resold them to large clients.
"I want to buy some slaves..."
Upon entering the market, Han Xiao explained his purpose and, posing as a normal customer, was greeted by a burly staff member with a broad smile who introduced him to slaves of different races, a wide variety of kinds.
After listening for a while, Han Xiao feigned dissatisfaction and said, "I don't want those burly deformed people, nor do I want those cheap, low-class slaves. I want to see your rare breeds. Don't you have any decent products to offer?"
Just then, a short, thin man walked over from the side, dressed in luxurious clothes and adorned with numerous expensive ornaments on his fingers and neck, and chuckled, "Hehe, of course I have good stuff here."
"Who are you?" Han Xiao asked.
"Horlade, the owner of this slave market, believe me, what you have here will definitely meet your needs." Horlade, trusting him completely, was very welcoming to his customer.
Han Xiao looked him up and down, nodded, and followed Horlade when Holland gestured for him to come with him. The two took the elevator down to the ground floor, where a winding white corridor opened, with a pure white alloy door at intervals along the corridor, each door having a small window.
Upon approaching, I discovered that behind the door were individual cells, pristine white and clean, each containing a different creature.
"Please allow me to introduce you to these high-quality slaves..." Horlade said with a confident smile, speaking eloquently. Han Xiao occasionally echoed his words, observing the slaves in each cell. Most of them had numb expressions, while some angrily clawed at the walls. Many of them were superhumans, and the slaves here were more expensive and rarer.
They quickly reached the end of the corridor, where none of the nearly one hundred cells contained Silver Spirit People.
Horlade stopped his introduction and asked, "Who have you taken a liking to?"
Han Xiao coughed lightly and asked in a pretentious tone, "Are there any other goods?"
"Haha, looks like you're a picky customer. I love a challenge." Horlade laughed exaggeratedly twice and snapped his fingers. "There's one last, amazing thing to come, she'll definitely satisfy your needs."
The wall at the end opened, revealing a new space containing a new cell. Upon seeing this, Han Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. There was only one cell; it seemed the prisoners weren't Silver Spirit People, and the group of captives hadn't yet arrived at Floating Dragon Island.
He stepped forward, curiously looking at the window, when suddenly his breath caught in his throat—a completely subconscious reaction. Inside was a woman, her beauty almost unbelievable; by human standards, she possessed a near-perfect face, stunning Master Han at first glance.
The woman looked very young, with long hair adorned with hazy stardust, and an ethereal aura. She appeared to be an ordinary Cosmic Human, but her entire body was shackled with heavy alloy chains. These chains were specifically designed for superhumans, using materials that could dull and reduce the power of superhumans, thus diminishing their explosive strength. Around her neck was a self-destruct collar; any unusual movement would cause her head to explode.
However, this woman was very calm, unlike the other slaves. She was neither numb nor indignant. She sat in the corner with her eyes closed, completely relaxed, and didn't care about her situation at all.
Just as Han Xiao was observing her, the woman suddenly opened her eyes, and a pair of captivating eyes that seemed to hold the vast ocean and starry sky suddenly came into Han Xiao's view. She stared at the one-way window of the cell, as if she knew that someone was watching her from outside.
"She seems to be a very powerful superhuman..." Han Xiao thought to himself, regaining his composure. His initial amazement was purely a subconscious reaction at first glance, and he quickly shook off that feeling. After taking a second look, he realized that he didn't recognize the woman.
Just as I was about to look away, a new quest suddenly appeared on the panel! The reason for this was clearly this woman!