Since their last meeting, Ashes had tasted defeat against Han Xiao. He had met many mechanics, but Black Star was the first one who didn't need machines and could simply wear down his enemy with his body. Moreover, Black Star seemed to be the nemesis of his own abilities. Ashes had thought about how to deal with Han Xiao and had some ideas. He was just waiting to meet him again and avenge his previous defeat.
Having finally managed to intercept Han Xiao, Ashes immediately activated his superpower when he saw the Ball Vehicle turn and run away.
Buzz--
The rock walls on all sides seemed to writhe as if alive, surging out large amounts of gray-black particles, like spreading black clouds, entwining the Ball Vehicle and transforming into various shapes, some thorns, some blades, leaving streaks of sparks on the Ball Vehicle's rapidly spinning armored shell, which were very glaring in the pitch-black underground.
The underground space was narrow and winding. The Ball Vehicle smashed through the rock walls, rumbling and crashing as it made its way through the tunnel like a mole. Ashes and the others chased after it. The Ball Vehicle was very fast, and even though Grade B superhumans were quite agile, they were gradually left behind.
"Call the search team. Follow my location. There's an important target here, traveling in some kind of spherical mechanical vehicle. It's very fast. I'll try to slow it down."
Although Ashes was eager to fight Han Xiao, his long-term training made him prioritize the mission. The floating fleet that was searching the nearby area received the news and surrounded Han Xiao and his group from all directions, taking a roundabout route to get closer to them.
With limited range of superpowers, the Ball Vehicle was about to leave sight. The power of the Ashes transformed into fuel to power up the superpowers, and the ground in front of the Ball Vehicle suddenly bulged up, turning into jagged rocks and terrain obstacles.
Bang bang bang bang!!
The Ball Vehicle raced through the air, smashing through rows of jagged stone pillars. Its thick armored shell remained undamaged, but its speed inevitably decreased. The spherical arc surfaces inside the cockpit were all screens displaying the outside scene. From the driver's seat, one could have an immersive, all-around view of 360 degrees. Han Xiao rapidly tapped the control panel, activating the Ball Vehicle's other functions.
With a creaking sound of mechanical components moving, the armor plates on the front, back, left, and right of the Ball Vehicle suddenly opened, and a mechanical segment slid out from each side, bracing itself against the ground and unleashing power. This propelled the Ball Vehicle up like a flea, leaping across the treacherous terrain. Immediately afterward, four diamond-shaped anti-gravity propulsion nozzles suddenly appeared on the bottom of the Ball Vehicle Ball Vehicle, allowing it to glide for hundreds of meters before landing lightly. Then it would jump up again, hopping forward in this manner, completely unaffected by the terrain, leaving the Ashes flying further and further away.
"Tsk, the search team will definitely surround us. We need to find a way to shake off the enemy. Luckily, there's a crevice nearby... we can..."
As they were talking, Han Xiao suddenly noticed something was wrong and abruptly turned to look at the people in the other seats. Each of them had veins bulging on their faces, as if they were struggling and unable to move in their seats.
"Stop, or they're dead."
In the distance, Ashes stretched out his hand, his face cold. He was helpless against Han Xiao, but as for the others in the Ball Vehicle, he could use his powers on the life forms inside through the armor.
Han Xiao frowned slightly. This was exactly the situation he had feared most. He could ignore the two players; even if they died a hundred times, he would consider it a loss if they blinked. But Melos, Aroshia, and the others were different; they were precisely the ones who had exploited Ashes's weakness. Stopping was out of the question, and Han Xiao wouldn't hesitate on that point. He was just worried that something might happen to these two characters he had painstakingly tricked.
"Don't... don't worry about us, he won't kill anyone, no... we can't let the whole team be wiped out because of us!"
Melos's strength flickered, resisting the control of his supernatural power. He struggled to speak, his expression contorted, each word seeming to be forced out from between his teeth. Having traveled with Han Xiao for some time, he knew Han Xiao wouldn't hesitate and could make decisive choices regardless of threats. He didn't need to worry about Han Xiao. He spoke to Han Xiao to ease his psychological burden.
"Hold on, there's a crevice ahead. Fly down and we'll shake off the enemy." Han Xiao nodded, said no more, and sped up.
Seeing that the Ball Vehicle was about to leave the range of the superpower, Ashes's eyes turned cold, and he clenched his fist fiercely.
The higher-ups forbid killing, but as long as someone is left alive, the outcome of the fight doesn't matter.
"Well--"
Melos gasped, his roar muffled in his throat. His left palm underwent a noticeable transformation, gradually turning into dust that scattered at his feet. There was no blood, no smell of blood, and the decomposition continued to spread from his palm to his shoulder!
"Ashes..." A sinister glint flashed in Han Xiao's eyes, but he had no time to check Melos's injuries. The most urgent task was to get out of Ashes's range to prevent the damage from escalating.
Aroshia's body was emanating sand and mist, decomposing. She looked down at her body, a hint of confusion flashing in her eyes.
Most normal living beings are curious about what happens after death, but life is only once, and the day they get the answer also means saying goodbye to the world. Aroshia, however, has countless opportunities to try. Death is not mysterious or unknown to her; she can see her "ending," which is rebirth. Having experienced it countless times, she knows she cannot die, but rebirth also means a refresh of memories. She has no memory of death, nor can she remember any of her past experiences of survival. She can't help but think of Han Xiao's words.
If you lose the memories of your previous life, even if you were given a second chance at life, would you still be the same person? Wouldn't that be another form of death?
"So I am going to die..." Aroshia murmured to herself, and suddenly, a sense of fear welled up inside her.
The moment that thought crossed her mind, a change occurred in her life.
Buzz!!
The feeling of being controlled suddenly disappeared, and Aroshia found herself able to move again. The world before her eyes had changed, and her vision seemed to emit light on its own. Many free-floating lights swam in the air like small fish. Her perception of the environment was completely different from before. With a thought, she found herself floating. At this moment, she saw the surprised looks on the faces of the people next to her.
"What's wrong with me...?"
Aroshia looked down at her body, which was no longer a physical entity, but a semi-illusory luminous body, shimmering with a faint golden-blue light, surrounded by floating light particles. Her senses were no longer limbs, arms, or facial features; it was as if she had lost the limitations of a physical form. With a thought, she suddenly transformed into a ball of light.
"This, this is..." Maple Moon exclaimed in astonishment.
"An energy life form." Han Xiao glanced at it hastily, his heart skipped a beat. Aroshia's current behavior was characteristic of an energy life form; her material composition had changed, so she was no longer controlled by the Ashes. He didn't have time to think about the reason; an idea surfaced in his mind, and he said, "Try to contact the energy core."
Aroshia did as instructed. The sphere of light extended a thin tentacle, which passed through the cockpit wall and touched the operating energy core. Light particles from her body flowed into the core through the tentacle.
Sizzle sizzle--
A series of electrical crackling sounds rang out, the engine burst into sparks, Ball Vehicle's power surged, putting it into an overload state!
The thrusters blasted, increasing the speed dramatically. The Ball Vehicle leaped into the crevice ahead, finally escaping the supernatural's range. Melos's disintegration process stopped at his left shoulder. He was drenched in sweat, clutching his empty left shoulder, his face contorted in pain. Apart from him, the Volga Three Brothers each sustained some injuries, but Ashes's primary target was Melos, who had the strongest resistance. They were in relatively good condition and not crippled.
Ashes and the others stopped at the edge of the crevice, watching the Ball Vehicle extend its stabilizing wings and fly away at high speed.
The same target, a second failure. Ashes shouted into the communicator, "Has the search team arrived yet? The target has disappeared. Track it immediately!"
However, the reply was beyond his expectations.
"One minute ago, the mothership issued a new order: abandon this mission, all personnel return to the mothership immediately, and evacuate immediately!" The voice on the other end sounded anxious.
Ashes's pupils contracted in disbelief.
How could it be an order to retreat?!
DarkStar values Whispering Bead highly. Success is within reach, and unless something unexpected happens, they will not give up halfway. Moreover, this unexpected event must be beyond the capacity of the mothership to handle!
Orders cannot be disobeyed. Even though Ashes was extremely unwilling, he could only watch helplessly as Han Xiao and the others escaped. His face was ashen, and he abruptly turned and retreated.
What on earth happened in the sky?!
Fifteen minutes ago.
"This is the Shattered Star Ring Express. I'm Brimlna, your frontline reporter, reporting on the battle near planet 122 in the Fourth Star Zone of the Feven Star System."
A news spacecraft landed not far from the battlefield, rushed to the scene, and broadcast live.
Brimlna was the reporter hosting the live broadcast, which was broadcast live on the Shattered Star Ring Current Affairs Channel. The channel reported on events happening in various regions and was broadcast to an audience across the entire star system. Citizens and forces from countless star systems and star sectors were paying attention to this news.
"As everyone knows, Planet Feiwen-122 is located on the border between the Holy Stone Civilization and the Black Raven Civilization. A peculiar battle has erupted in this sensitive area. As you can see, the two sides are DarkStar and the mercenaries. According to insiders, the battle has lasted for nearly two days. The cause was that DarkStar wanted to capture some mercenaries, who happened to belong to the three renowned mercenary legions: Sky Ring, Blades, and Purple Gold. Thus, the conflict broke out. Currently, the armies of Holy Stone and Black Raven are monitoring the situation, DarkStar and the mercenaries are locked in a stalemate, and on the planet, the pursued mercenaries are still inexplicably fleeing."
"According to our sources, the Goddora Civilization, located in the Garton Star System, is organizing a forced march. DarkStar is a violent organization opposed to Goddora, and the two sides are hostile. Because DarkStar rarely appears and its whereabouts are elusive, it is difficult for Goddora to track it. But now, DarkStar has openly revealed itself, and Goddora is preparing to seize the opportunity..."
As Brimlna was giving her report, a huge object appeared at the edge of the screen and flew toward the battlefield.
"Wait, the situation seems to have changed. A new side has emerged... uh, Floating Dragon Island?!"
She stared wide-eyed in surprise.
Across the Shattered Star Ring, countless viewers watching the program were invigorated. Dragon Calm was the territory of [Dragon Emperor] Ames, and her name was known to almost everyone in the Shattered Star Ring.
Everyone was very curious; why was Dragon Calm here?
Brimlna and the book paused, then came up with a reasonable explanation.
"We just checked Dragon Calm's route, and he happened to be passing through the Fourth Star Zone of the Feven Star System. It seems he just happened to be passing by. With the Holy Stone and Black Raven fleets surrounding the battlefield, we believe that after negotiations, Dragon Calm will detour. This unexpected factor should not affect the situation..."
Before he could finish speaking, Dragon Calm charged straight at the Holy Stone Fleet at the edge of the battlefield, showing no intention of avoiding it.