The Rune City is surrounded by forests. Looking out from the city's high points, the lush greenery embraces the white city. However, a bare road appears in the dense forest, as conspicuous as a man with flowing hair but a bald head.
Black smoke rose in the rain, visible from a great distance to the residents of Rune City.
What happened there?
"We've been hearing faint explosions over there. Could it be the Steel Fire Fort attacking...?"
"I got up to organize the goods before dawn, and do you know what I saw? Groups of rune guardians walked into the forest, right in the direction of the smoke now."
Gazing at the distant smoke, the residents of Rune City were filled with doubt and speculation. The ruling class was the first to know about the alien invasion, and the news had not yet spread.
"It's him... it must be him..." A short, thin man, looking like a mouse, cried out in terror from the crowd. Those around him noticed his unusual behavior, their eyes lighting up as they guessed he might know something and began to ask him questions.
"That's an alien! He landed outside the city last night. He can speak our language and made a request to Rune City..." This man was the smuggler leader from last night. He spilled the beans, recounting everything he had witnessed the night before. More and more people gathered around him, all looking on incredulously.
"There must have been a battle there, proving that Rune City didn't agree to the aliens' demands." The smuggler leader swallowed hard. The crowd stirred, exchanging glances, their eyes revealing their unease.
Just then, a commotion arose in the distance. A rune guard, his face blackened by gunfire, ran back with all his might. He kept looking back with a look of terror on his face, as if a raging flood or ferocious beast Pursuit. Behind him, more and more disheveled soldiers fled back.
This scene gave the residents a bad feeling. A middle-aged man noticed that his younger brother, who was in the army, had also escaped back. He quickly grabbed him and questioned him about what had happened.
"The higher-ups rejected the aliens' demands. They wanted to capture the aliens... Tens of thousands of soldiers were completely defeated. The enemy was just one person. We lost thousands of men and couldn't even touch his clothes. It was terrifying. Everyone else ran away. That guy is now heading towards the city. You all better run!" The guard, still shaken, finished speaking in one breath, broke free from the entanglement, slipped out of the crowd, and ran away in a hurry.
The crowd erupted in uproar, their faces tense and uneasy, yet also furious, wishing they could pin the Rune Master to the ground and kill him—why didn't they just agree to the aliens' demands? Why provoke them for no reason, plunging the entire city into danger? Wasn't that despicable? Wasn't that despicable?!
At this moment, a group of soldiers emerged from the direction of the central tower, pushing aside the residents to clear the middle of the road. The Rune Lord, accompanied by a group of officials, hurriedly ran towards the edge of the city, with his personal guards carrying a strange statue behind him.
The aliens were about to enter the city, and there was no time to escape. The Rune Master had no choice but to take the statue and beg for mercy, considering the aliens' demands. According to intelligence from the front lines, the aliens did not Pursuit the fleeing army, and he was not injured. Perhaps the aliens disliked killing, and he did this out of wishful thinking. He no longer had any covetousness towards the aliens; now he only hoped that the aliens would take the goods and leave, and that they would be forgiven.
Seeing this, some residents followed behind, and more and more people joined in along the way, forming a torrent that followed the Rune Lord's procession, wanting to see for themselves what was happening.
Tens of thousands of people arrived in villages on the outskirts of the city, countless others craning their necks in anticipation, their hearts pounding with tension.
The Runemaster kept wiping away sweat, looking uneasy.
Tap tap tap...
The sound of footsteps crunching on Fallen Leaves and humus echoed from the depths of the forest, growing ever closer. As they drew nearer, the expressions on the faces of the residents and the Rune Lord grew increasingly uneasy, as if the approaching bells of judgment were about to toll. Before long, Han Xiao finally emerged from the forest and arrived at the edge of Rune City.
The moment he appeared, countless eyes focused on him, and he was the center of attention, his gaze filled with curiosity, fear, worry, and other emotions.
He glanced at the huge crowd and a group of men who were clearly officials, his eyelids twitched, and he knew at a glance what they were planning. He curled his lip in disapproval.
Feeling like they'd kicked a hornet's nest, they were planning to offer up the statue voluntarily. Isn't it too late to back down now?
The Rune Master took the statue from the guard, hurriedly stepped forward, and cautiously examined Han Xiao, saying in a trembling voice, "This... this should be what you wanted..."
Unsure of the aliens' intentions, the Rune Master dared not utter any unnecessary words. Although he was a ruler, he had no confidence whatsoever in the face of a powerful being capable of easily annihilating an army of tens of thousands.
While the Mystic Blue Star lacks a systematic understanding of superhuman abilities, it does have its share of powerful individuals who have explored the path of superhumans. The Battle Rune Sect, a gathering place for practitioners in Rune City, holds a transcendent status. However, even its founder could only barely handle a thousand Rune Guardians, and it would take them at least half a day to fight. Their killing efficiency was simply not on the same level as the aliens before them. After the battle report arrived, the Rune Lord, clinging to a last hope, tried to enlist the help of the Battle Rune Sect's Fighter to stop the aliens, only to be met with a cold shoulder. The Battle Rune Sect, having come into contact with the realm of superhumans, was quite self-aware and knew they were powerless, not even giving the Rune Lord a chance to speak... despite receiving huge sums of money from him every year.
Han Xiao reached out and touched the statue. The information on the panel confirmed that this was the last lost statue.
As he reached out, the Rune Master visibly trembled, met Han Xiao's gaze, and, terrified, quickly lowered his head.
Glancing at the tense crowd, Han Xiao said, "Don't worry, we mercenaries never kill innocent people indiscriminately."
Upon hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"By the way, who is your ruler here?"
The residents all pointed at the Rune Master. Before the Rune Master could even relax, his expression tightened, and he forced a smile.
"So you sent troops to ambush me?" Han Xiao asked. "Why won't you accept my demands?"
The Rune Master's lips trembled, and he dared not answer.
"According to the mercenary principle of equal exchange, you attacked me. If you want to settle this, you must make compensation." Han Xiao narrowed his eyes. "What are you willing to give in exchange for your life?"
The Rune Master was sweating profusely, his heart filled with grief and indignation. This was the first time he had been threatened; who would dare speak to him like this normally?
And you've injured so many of us, and you expect us to pay compensation?
That's incredibly domineering!
"We have many extraterrestrial artifacts..." The Rune Master gritted his teeth inwardly, suppressing his heartache as he had his subordinates compile a list of items for the national treasury and hand it to Han Xiao.
Han Xiao glanced at the list and was somewhat disappointed. The local currency of Mystic Blue Star was meaningless to him; the only things he could accept were extraterrestrial artifacts. However, the inventory of Rune City was truly a pile of junk. Most of it was useless, and a small portion consisted of rune technology products, most of which were almost obsolete and had little value. Rune technology also didn't fit his knowledge system. After reading through the list from beginning to end, he came to a conclusion—looking at this stuff was a waste of time. These were a bunch of poor idiots!
Throwing away the list, Han Xiao shook his head. "What you pay in compensation can't buy your life. I'm sorry, I can only make you pay for your mistakes."
The Rune Master's expression changed drastically.