Ashes's expression changed as he scanned the faces of all the Silver Spirit People. The fear in each of their eyes seemed genuine; they truly didn't know the code.
He almost lost his composure, but luckily he guessed another possibility in time.
Do you have any other companions?
The Silver Spirit People dared not refuse to answer, and said tremblingly, "We... we originally had seventeen people, but two of them were thrown into space during the escort and are already dead."
The deliveryman died and was thrown into space?
The people of DarkStar were dumbfounded. What were they going to do? By now, the mummified corpses of the deliverymen had vanished without a trace, and they couldn't find them anywhere.
Ashes was also taken aback, but then a thought struck him: the slave traders must have searched the transporters' clothes. If the transporters hadn't hidden the Whispering Bead well, it might have been taken by the slave traders. There was still a chance.
However, this meant that Silver Spirit People had saved him for nothing, and he even became a target of Dragon Calm's attention because of it... Ashes's face stiffened, feeling utterly miserable.
He should have gone to find the slave traders first, but he didn't know the transporters had an accident. Rescuing them was his instinctive first action. The transporters belonged to a cooperative faction; after receiving the Whispering Bead, he would either save them or silence them. Now, that step was skipped entirely. That damned slave trader had done their job, and the bead was missing. Moreover, Ashes only intended to steal the people quietly; it was all due to the accident that this commotion occurred.
In short—what incredibly bad luck!
Ashes was incredibly frustrated and annoyed. With a wave of his hand, countless black dust particles spewed from the ground, transforming into a soft, gauze-like curtain that gently enveloped the pursuing aircraft, attaching a shield and obscuring its vision. This dense layer of black dust was entirely composed of graphite, instantly turning the images on the observation equipment into distorted, blurry patches of color. The aircraft became blind, stumbling and scrambling to slow down.
"I'll go after him, Melos. Don't follow. He can kill you without breaking a sweat." Han Xiao stopped Melos from jumping off the ship. He didn't want this cadre he had finally managed to trick into coming away and flying off on his own.
After breaking through the graphite barrier, Han Xiao stared intently and was immediately stunned.
Ashes and the others used their abilities to escape and vanished without a trace. Only the Silver Spirit People huddled together, trembling. They were no longer of any use to Ashes, so they were abandoned to the side, making it easier for Ash to escape and also allowing the Dragon Calm Guard's soaring blood pressure to return to normal.
At this moment, the graphite barrier disintegrated and fell to the ground, indicating that the Ashes had gone far away and the spacecraft had left the range of the supernatural power.
"They ran so fast, they were gone in a flash." Melos was surprised and was about to order a continued pursuit when Han Xiao suddenly raised his hand to stop him, saying, "Don't chase them, there's no need."
"Why? Is it alright to let them get away?"
"Just say we can't catch up." Han Xiao's eyes flashed. "Didn't you guys notice? These thugs have done us a huge favor!"
Everyone was taken aback, then followed Han Xiao's finger to look at the Silver Spirit People on the ground. They suddenly realized what was happening and their faces lit up with surprise.
That's right! Our mission is to rescue the Silver Spirit People!
After several twists and turns, the Silver Spirit People was rescued in an unexpected way and ended up in his hands. Han Xiao was not about to let this opportunity slip by. The difficulty in rescuing the Silver Spirit People was Horlade, and this problem that had troubled Han Xiao for a long time was solved directly in this way. He even felt a little grateful to DarkStar. It was a case of the snipe and the clam fighting, and the fisherman benefiting.
Han Xiao's words carried more weight than those of Captain Wilsander. The group obeyed his orders and stopped the pursuit. Soon, the other players' aircraft arrived and protected the Silver Spirit People again.
Wilsander requested a communication, immediately asking, "The other thugs have all been arrested, leaving only the group you were chasing. How's the situation?"
Han Xiao shook his head, "They escaped. There's a very powerful superhuman among them."
"Why is it only you guys who have problems? If word gets out, those outsiders will question the authority of our guard, and more and more people will challenge us, threatening the security of the floating island and disrupting the peace of the residents. The long-standing balance will be broken, and the world will be thrown into chaos. Oh dear, the consequences are unimaginable. When Ames returns, my position in her heart will be ruined." Wilsander complained incessantly.
Han Xiao's lips twitched. Didn't he have any self-awareness? His image in Ames's mind was already distorted...
He couldn't bear to expose Wilsander's fantasy, otherwise they wouldn't be able to play together anymore. In fact, in Ames's eyes, beings of their rank were roughly equivalent to paramecia, and subordinates were like the paramecia she raised... It seemed he was also looking down on himself in the process.
Han Xiao interrupted Wilsander's complaint, chuckling, "It's alright, I know who they are."
At this moment, a new thought occurred to him: Ashes was so confident because he kept his secrets very well, but he didn't know that his identity had already been discovered. When his identity was exposed, he would definitely be completely confused and would not understand where things went wrong, let alone guess that Han Xiao was an unexpected factor.
Since only he knew this information, he could secretly work his way up and reveal DarkStar's identity to Dragon Calm. Coincidentally, Ames was in a bad mood recently. If Beyond Grade A expert had his eye on them, just thinking about it made Han Xiao feel sorry for DarkStar.
--Dark DarkStar doesn't want trouble? No problem, let me help them stir up a huge mess. After all, we're men who once wore the Young Pioneers' scarf, and our service motto is to help others.
Because of the Mutation Disaster event, DarkStar is definitely his enemy, so he's especially happy to be mischievous.
Moreover, Han Xiao made a new discovery. "Even the Ashes have been sent out; these Silver Spirit People must have a big secret. DarkStar is plotting something big!"
He questioned the still-shaken Silver Spirit People, listened to the story, and grasped several key points: First, DarkStar didn't want to save all the Silver Spirit People, but a specific individual; second, this person must have been in contact with DarkStar beforehand, otherwise they wouldn't have used the code, they must be a secret agent, and their companions didn't know their identity either; third, one of the two Silver Spirit People who died early was DarkStar's target, Ashes's temporary retreat did not mean they had given up, there must be a next step; fourth, this should not be the first time a similar operation has occurred.
Connecting these points, Han Xiao sensed the sinister undercurrents of conspiracy. The seriousness and secrecy surrounding this matter indicated its importance to DarkStar. His mind immediately stirred – if he could secretly sabotage DarkStar's plans, he could not only annoy them but also perhaps gain some benefit.
Moreover, the enemy is in the open while we are in the dark, which is our biggest advantage... It shouldn't be a problem to mentally gloat.
The only problem was that he didn't know what DarkStar was planning to do. He lacked information and was completely in the dark. He started to make plans in his mind.
The guards cleared away the ruins of the slave market. The unconscious people were carried aside. Horlade's eyelids twitched, and he slowly opened them, finally waking up.
Horlade raised his head, looked around blankly, then stared at the ruins in front of him, slowly recognizing the familiar silhouette. His mouth gradually opened wide, and his expression grew increasingly terrified.
Immediately afterwards, a scream that almost pierced the eardrums of those around them rose into the sky!
"Ah--"
The guards nearby quickly covered their ears, marveling at the sight.
"Wow, that high note is like a mind-blowing explosion."
After shouting, Horlade collapsed to the ground, his heart pounding with pain, almost suffocating.
He still remembers the last scene before he fell into a coma: sitting in his luxurious chair, drinking a beverage, feeling excited about the huge sum of money he was sure to get. But when he opened his eyes, his home was gone, and he suddenly became penniless, falling from heaven to hell in an instant.
My mental state has completely collapsed!
"What happened? How did my home become like this!" Horlade's elegant clothes were covered in dust, and he looked extremely disheveled. He hurriedly grabbed the guard next to him and questioned him in a trembling voice.
The guard recounted the events, and upon learning that the enemy had been captured, Horlade's eyes lit up. He hurriedly asked, "What about my slaves? Where are they? Give them back to me immediately!"
Just then, a righteous and awe-inspiring voice rang out from the side.
"Horlade, don't worry, I will definitely capture all the slaves for you and minimize your losses!"
Horlade immediately turned to look, and was pleasantly surprised.
The one who spoke just now was Han Xiao. He strode over, with all the players following him. Behind them, however, were all the slaves, including the Silver Spirit People, and the Illustrated Book, who followed closely behind.
The slaves were all rescued by the guards. Han Xiao had just discussed it with Wilsander and obtained the authority to gather all the slaves together.
"These are all my slaves." Horlade was overjoyed.
Han Xiao, with an upright and righteous expression, patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, if I find the slave, I'll return him to you immediately. After all, we have an invaluable working relationship."
"Do we even need to look? You brought this slave with you, so give it back to me right now." Horlade was stunned.
Han Xiao's eyes widened as he looked around, seemingly oblivious to everything. "Where are the slaves? Just tell me, and I'll bring them back for you."
"Stop playing dumb, it's right behind you!" Horlade said anxiously.
"Behind me?" Han Xiao looked confused, turned around, and shook his head, saying, "Those wearing shackles and collars are slaves. I only see a group of free people. Where are the slaves you're talking about?"
Only then did Horlade understand Han Xiao's intention, his expression changed drastically, and he was almost furious.