Boom!!
The explosion roused us from the night.
The Blue Shield Knights in the camp stepped out of their tents, looking at the woods not far away with suspicion. Thick smoke was rising from the woods. Turning around, they were shocked to see that Rezar had disappeared from the prison cart.
"The prisoner has escaped!" Just then, someone shouted.
Knights hurriedly picked up their shields and steel swords and rushed to the scene of the explosion.
Upon entering the woods, the group saw Han Xiao standing in front of a large pit, filled with charred remains, broken into pieces like charcoal, unrecognizable as human.
Rex arrived in a "rush," his face serious. "What happened here?"
"Your prisoners almost escaped, but I spotted them." Han Xiao shrugged. "And as you saw, I accidentally went too far."
"Rezar is dead?!" The arriving knights were astonished.
Rex's expression changed, and he shook his head, saying, "The king wanted him alive. He wouldn't have died otherwise, but he deliberately sought his own death. It's a pity..."
As the commander, he quickly settled the matter with a few words, feigning a severe punishment for the guards, and then ordered his knights to go back to sleep. Seeing this, no one pursued the matter further. Since Rezar was dead, there was no need for an escort, and the journey would be less tense. Many people breathed a sigh of relief and were secretly pleased. Most of them shared Rex's thoughts, wishing they could kill Rezar. Some knights' hometowns were in the southern territories, and Rezar had almost killed their families in the countryside. If it weren't for the warriors from the upper realm, the consequences would have been unimaginable. An attempted crime cannot be ignored.
A few veterans who had followed Rex for a long time sensed something and cast meaningful glances at Rex. They knew their commander well; this "escape" was probably orchestrated, a performance for the king and nobles who demanded to be captured alive. Killing Rezar was a way to prevent anyone from having malicious intentions. Rex was highly respected and loved in the army, while the soldiers had little affection for the nobles. They tacitly agreed and pretended not to know anything.
After everyone had left, Rex nodded to Han Xiao and left as well.
Han Xiao did not return to the camp, but walked to a distance. In the pitch-black night, he came to the back of a small hill where Rezar had been abandoned, with Melos standing guard beside him with his arms crossed.
Rex eventually handed over Rezar. Although he wanted to kill Rezar to avoid any unforeseen complications, he had little choice but to believe Han Xiao Han Xiao's story.
How is he?
Han Xiao asked.
"The wound in his chest has been bandaged; he won't die," Melos replied.
"Very well, I'm going to the capital with the Knights. You stay in the wilderness with Rezar. Once I've finished my business, I'll call a spaceship to leave together."
Melos nodded, then looked Rezar up and down, asking suspiciously, "Black Star, do you intend to recruit this mage? He's no good."
"Do I look like I'm short of manpower?" Han Xiao patted him on the back. "Don't forget, I also promised to bring hundreds of thousands of superhuman warriors to solve your Sunil problem. I don't even think much of him."
"Alright, I'll do as you say. I'll stay and guard him. If he tries to run away, I'll chop him in half with one sword."
Melos trusted Han Xiao completely. He knew that his fate was intertwined with Han Xiao's. He had initially joined Black Star with some skepticism, but after so many events, he firmly believed that Han Xiao had the ability to fulfill the promises made when he recruited him and the ability to change the future of their race.
"If you're not going to recruit him, then what do you need him for?" Melos asked.
Rezar looked up at Han Xiao, his aged face filled with fear and unease, unsure of what awaited him next.
"You just wait and see."
Han Xiao took out a small suction cup device with many tiny needles in the center. He pressed it against the vein in Rezar's arm, and the needles were inserted into the vein, slowly drawing out blood, gradually becoming glowing with magical Glimmer.
Rezar suddenly felt his magic power draining away and looked in horror at the device on his arm that resembled Life Drain.
This thing is draining his magic!
"No, no!" He struggled desperately, but his strength was rapidly fading.
As his magic power continued to dissipate, Rezar's wrinkles rapidly increased, making him appear as if he had aged ten years. A wave of weakness washed over him, as if he had returned to his childhood, when he was still an ordinary person. His magic power had dried up, and he felt as if he had reverted to being an ordinary person.
"Where is my power?! Give me back my power!"
Having gained the power of an Ascended being less than half a day ago, and before he could even properly experience it, he lost the power he had so painstakingly acquired. After such a dramatic rise and fall, Rezar collapsed.
Even though his plan, which he had been working on for twenty years, had failed, he had never felt so desperate. Strength was the foundation that supported his confidence, but Han Xiao had taken away his foundation.
Having lost his power, Rezar's temperament seemed to revert to that of an ordinary person... no, even less than an ordinary person, weeping and pleading repeatedly.
Han Xiao shook his head. Some people possess power and Grand Theft Auto and commit evil deeds, but once they lose their power, they become cowards, all bark and no bite.
The device in his hand was the [Super Gene Extractor - Experimental Model] he had obtained from the DarkStar Whispering Bead. Upon seeing it, Melos shuddered. "Put it away quickly. I'm scared."
A few months ago, Han Xiao experimented with the effects of the gene stripper. The first test subject was the Frenzied Saber. When used on a player, it absorbed 20-50 random attribute points and a certain amount of energy, adding them to the user. This effect lasted from 10 to 120 minutes. In his previous life, the Super Gene Extractor was in the hands of DarkStar. Players could only obtain the [Damaged Super Gene Extractor] by completing related high-difficulty missions. Its effect was similar to his, but weaker. The stripper was not very practical in combat because it required physical contact with the target to function. Most people had physical or magical armor, making it difficult to take effect. Moreover, the prerequisite was controlling the enemy and preventing them from moving around, which was a very demanding condition.
However, the hidden function of the stripper only takes effect when the target is unprotected. Examples of unprotected states include hibernation, capture, paralysis, voluntary surrender, and other demanding conditions. In other words, the target is under your complete control. If a player is unfortunately affected, they will enter a 12-hour period of weakness known as "sheep's tail," during which their attributes will decrease by 30-90% (depending on the stripper's power). If an NPC is affected, they will not only be weakened but will also generate Ability Potion. Drinking the potion will temporarily grant them one of the target's abilities, which will appear as a temporary character card on the player's stats.
The second experimental subject that led Han Xiao to this result was Melos. Melos clearly remembered the panic, weakness, and palpitations he felt when his power was taken away. Even though he only endured a low-powered test, it took him several days to recover. This kind of thing that can steal the genes of superhumans is simply the natural enemy of superhumans!
Just how many superhumans has the organization that developed this device destroyed...?
Han Xiao took out three blank medicine tubes and collected the blood drawn by the device.
[You have obtained [Ability Potion] x3]
He drank the whole tube directly; the sweet and pungent taste filled his mouth, and the warm blood flowed down his throat, making his nose tingle. Then, a warm sensation unique to magic spread throughout his body.
[You have obtained [Character Summon Card - Rezar (Temporary)]!]
[Character Summon Card - Rezar (Temporary): [Source Water Magic] - Temporarily gain power exceeding your own, all attributes +20%, lasts 5~15 minutes, uses 0/1 (This character card's duration: 15 days)]
"A buff, not bad." Han Xiao was quite satisfied.
Rezar's loss of magic is temporary; the old man, who keeps crying and whining, is unaware of it himself. This means Han Xiao can keep exploiting him to mass-produce Ability Potion. Although the abilities of the temporary character cards he obtains each time are different, he believes players will pay for this new product.
In his previous life, DarkStar also used Super Gene Extractor to carry out this plan. The difference was that Han Xiao wouldn't just grab people to use as batteries. Temporary character cards were icing on the cake for him, and he didn't insist on them. He would only use them if he encountered someone he felt comfortable dealing with.
"I remember you begged me to take you to the Upper Realm, hehe, I've agreed now."
Han Xiao's smile was like a demon in Rezar's eyes. The old man trembled, his face filled with terror and pleading.
This journey to the upper realm was completely contrary to his expectations, and a deep sense of regret rose in his heart and reached his eyes.
"You... you are a devil..." Rezar tried to roar, but could only manage a weak, feeble voice.
Han Xiao laughed. "You're trying to play the victim first!"
Two days later, the Blue Shield Knights returned to the capital. The city was situated on a plain, bisected by the Source Water River, which divided it into the west and east banks, thus clearly defining social classes. The east bank was home to noble residences and palaces, exquisite and luxurious, while the west bank was a crowded commoners' district, dotted with fortresses and a maze of archways and sewage pipes. Only those who had lived there for over a decade could remember the routes; ordinary people would get completely lost after wandering around for a few hours.
It was midday, and the sun, no bigger than a soybean, hung in the sky. Its dim light cast a yellowish hue over the city, and the buildings and streets blurred each other, creating a play of light and shadow, like the setting sun at dusk—yet this was the brightest moment of the day for Planet of Dusk.
Rex led the group to the East Bank and settled near the palace. An official came to greet them, and the official was even more respectful to these guests from the upper realm than he was to the king, practically bowing his head to the ground.
"On behalf of the Veyn Kingdom, I welcome you all to the Planet of Dusk. His Majesty the King has invited you warriors from the Upper Realms to a royal banquet. We hope you will grace us with your presence. Our Ascended will communicate with you through the Kingdom Protection Mage Group and pay your wages for this engagement."
When in Rome, do as the Romans do; naturally, no one objected.
Han Xiao's main objective on this trip was to find out signs of the Mutation Disaster. It would be best if the king himself came to him. If the palace banquet was the kind where people could move around freely, then he could ask the king for information.