The DarkStar warriors all looked at Ashes with questioning eyes.
Ashes stared at Han Xiao, caught in a dilemma. First, the time spent here had exceeded expectations. He had thought he could take down Han Xiao quickly, but he hadn't expected him to have such a troublesome ability. Second, he didn't know how strong Han Xiao's regenerative ability was, or how many times he could recover.
Ashes believed that Han Xiao must have a limit, but the question was how long it would take to force him to reach it? Han Xiao's resilience far exceeded the average level of mechanics. The group had severely injured him once, but their strength and stamina were limited. The group's breathing became slightly rapid, and their chests heaved quickly. The continuous high-intensity attacks had made the DarkStar Warriors somewhat fatigued, unable to maintain their peak condition.
Retreat or continue? Ashes hesitated. Just then, he suddenly saw Han Xiao raise his head and look at the dome of the caged walls, his expression turning playful.
Before anyone could react, a violent explosion rang out outside the cage, the walls vibrated and cracks appeared rapidly.
Boom!!
The wall above them suddenly shattered, and the beams of searchlights pierced through. Several aircraft hovered in the air, their ship-mounted laser cannons aimed at the DarkStar crew.
"Put down your weapons and surrender immediately!" Melos shouted through the megaphone.
The DarkStar Warrior's expression changed.
"Damn it, the guards have arrived! They've only been lying in ambush for a few minutes, and we checked the area before and there were no patrols. Could it be that a guard just happened to come? He's so lucky!"
From the start of the ambush to the end of the battle, it actually took less than ten minutes. As the speed and reaction speed of the superhumans increased, they could complete more and more actions per second. The flow of time during the battle would slow down in the senses, with each second being slowed down by several times or even dozens of times. The evenly matched sides could grasp every minute detail. The battle was very intense, but to ordinary people, they could only see phantoms intertwining and flashing lights, dazzling the eyes.
"It's not a matter of luck. The people on the aircraft are all Black Star's men. He must have called for backup!"
"How did he break through the signal interference?!" one person exclaimed incredulously.
Ashes stared at Han Xiao and said in a deep voice, "I admit, I underestimated you this time, Black Star. I'll remember your name. Retreat!"
As soon as the words were spoken, the cage suddenly collapsed, turning into black dust that billowed everywhere, interfering with both the detectors and the line of sight.
At this moment, Ashes took out a metal tube, gripped both ends, and twisted it to activate the device. A blue light spot appeared in the center, and the halo it emitted enveloped an area within three meters. The DarkStar Warrior quickly walked into the blue light area. Immediately afterward, Ashes twisted the metal tube again, and the blue light spot suddenly contracted, turning into a line of Frenzied Sword Fried Rice. People and dust in the area disappeared without a trace.
As the graphite dissipated, Han Xiao wiped the dust off his face, went to the spot where Ashes and the others had disappeared, squatted down, and brushed away the dust from the ground, revealing a circular pattern.
"A directional short-range teleportation trigger, it should be a combination of spatial magic and quantum teleportation technology. It leaves almost no trace of warp, so we can't catch up." Han Xiao shook his head, somewhat helplessly. DarkStar's technology was far more advanced in comparison, but he was at a loss for what to do.
After searching the area with no results, the aircraft had to land. Han Xiao casually settled the players' tasks.
The support forced Ashes to retreat, thwarting DarkStar's plan to kidnap and control him. However, Han Xiao was not happy. Ashes's defeat would inevitably attract DarkStar's attention. He had demonstrated considerable ability and could no longer remain low-key.
With the first attack, a second one is highly likely. Han Xiao currently lacks the strength to deal with such a massive force, which will also severely hinder the mercenary group's operations. Ultimately, it's because this mercenary mission happened to coincide with DarkStar's conspiracy. He was helpless; as long as he went to rescue the Silver Spirit People, regardless of whether he obtained the Whispering Bead, he would attract DarkStar's attention. Initially, he had no idea that DarkStar was involved. There's no turning back now; at least he understands DarkStar's goal and has obtained the crucial Whispering Bead, giving him the initiative. Although he repelled the Ashes, he successfully concealed the truth of his knowledge and remains hidden in the shadows.
"I'd better not return the Whispering Bead to DarkStar. The risk is too great. DarkStar is ruthless, and exposing too much of her would put me in danger," Han Xiao thought to himself.
"Are you alright?" Melos walked up behind him and asked with concern.
Han Xiao waved his hand, "I'm not seriously injured. You arrived just in time."
This time, the players took the initiative to request support. Melos was initially skeptical, but now he realized that Han Xiao had some kind of telepathic connection with these loyal subordinates.
"Who are these enemies, and why are they lying in ambush on you?"
"They were thugs who raided the slave market. I recognized one of their abilities; they're probably trying to get revenge on me," Han Xiao said casually, then turned and walked over to Aroshia, helping her to her feet.
Aroshia shook her head, indicating that she was not injured.
Han Xiao thought for a moment and said, "Your body contains a very high level of energy, but you don't know how to use it."
He had just witnessed Aroshia fire her gun, only to be instantly suppressed by the Ashes. He hadn't been able to help her at all. If Aroshia had been capable of fighting when they were ambushed, he wouldn't have been fighting alone.
Han Xiao wasn't an irresponsible person; he couldn't just abandon her after completing the mission. Since he had taken Aroshia with him, he could only let her join the mercenary group. He didn't need any burdens; it just so Tu Shu that Aroshia herself had great potential and was worth nurturing. Letting her become a superhuman would at least prevent her from holding him back and could even provide some assistance.
"I have energy within me?" Aroshia looked down, pressing her hand to her heart. "Really?"
"You definitely have the talent to become a superhuman. Here's what we'll do: I can teach you to unleash your potential and become a superhuman, so that your talent won't be wasted," Han Xiao said.
You want me to learn about superpowers?
Han Xiao shrugged. "Although I don't know who you were before, since you've lost your memory, you might as well start learning again. Perhaps you were already a very strong superhuman, and you might improve by leaps and bounds."
Aroshia said slowly, "There's something I haven't told you yet. I seem to be some kind of Cosmic Wonder; you can't take me away."
Han Xiao was taken aback.
"They said I wouldn't really die, that I would be reborn after death, but I would return to my initial amnesiac state, losing all memories of this existence. I remember I've 'lived' for three years now, been sold five times, and every six days I would definitely return to that cell, no matter how far away, it would only be a moment. No one could take me away." She voluntarily revealed her special nature.
Aroshia's earliest memory was the moment she opened her eyes in the prison cell. Her origins and existence were a mystery, and her previous memories were completely blank. However, she had survived for three years in this "life" and possessed short-term memories of these three years. She had long been aware of her own specialness, but her life form was very peculiar. She did not have many material desires or spiritual needs, did not need to eat, had little curiosity, and had a kind of easygoing attitude.
Although her understanding of the world is like a blank sheet of paper, she is not like a naive child, but possesses a strong thinking ability.
Horlade had been hiding something from Han Xiao, who was unaware of Aroshia's secret. Han Xiao immediately realized that Horlade was promoting her just to rip him off repeatedly, and he was speechless.
Han Xiao asked in surprise, "You can't control this ability?"
Aroshia shook her head. "Uncontrollable."
Upon hearing this, Han Xiao's interest grew even stronger. Aroshia possessed self-awareness, yet she was imprisoned by a mysterious force, and this was not of her own volition. If this was a Cosmic Wonder, it would raise a question—was Aroshia the wonder itself?
Is it possible that she was originally an independent individual, not part of the spectacle, and that her transformation into a spectacle was merely a coincidence? In other words, Aroshia's amnesia, peculiar life form, and almost desireless mindset might all be bestowed upon her by the spectacle. If so, what exactly is this spectacle? Does it lack a physical entity, or is it some kind of invisible energy?
Unfortunately, even if there is an answer to this question, the person who answers it will not be Aroshia. Perhaps the truth lies in the part of her lost memory. At this moment, Han Xiao's biggest concern is that Aroshia cannot be taken away by him.
Is there no solution?
"I don't know." Aroshia shook her head, reminding her, "There are only three hours left until the sixth day."
The mission required rescuing her from the slave market and keeping her there for six days. Only then did Han Xiao realize the difficulty, but since it was a mission, there must be a way to complete it.
There should be a clue in that cell.
Han Xiao instructed everyone to patrol and search for the enemy—though he didn't hold out much hope. He then called for the backup Flying Serpent Mecha to be armed again, and then accompanied Aroshia to the ruins of the slave market...
at the same time.
The DarkStar team appeared in another corner of Dragon Calm, their faces filled with dejection.
The ambush operation was too hasty. They acted rashly with only a superficial understanding of Black Star's information, overestimating their overwhelming strength and technological advantage, and thus underestimated the enemy.
Arrogance is the cause of failure.
Ashes's face was ashen. It was the first time he had failed against a weaker target, and he was very upset about the defeat, which left a knot in his heart.
Upon opening the communicator to report the results, Ashes suppressed his displeasure and stiffly repeated the failure. The DarkStar leadership was quite surprised, and their astonishment and disappointment dealt another blow to Ashes's pride.
His resume has always been perfect, but this time it has left a stain.
"Sarota has intercepted all the criminals, but there are no leads. Only the mercenary remains. There's an 80% chance that the Whispering Bead is in the mercenary's possession."
"Then I should continue looking for opportunities to deal with Black Star?"
"You've failed once already, don't take any more risks, you should leave," the higher-up sighed.
The veins on the back of Ashes's hand bulged.
"... yes!"