"This morning, renowned singer Morning Star was attacked on the New Feilan Colony Planet No. 8 in the Ryan Star System of the Colton Star Cluster and remains missing. According to eyewitness reports, the kidnappers are the Black Star Mercenary Group, a well-regarded mercenary group in the Colton Star Cluster, and a Field Operations Department from Floating Dragon Island. Further details are currently unavailable. Our station is actively communicating with local Police Department and Morning Star's support team..."
Outside the hole in the hotel's exterior wall, hovercars had gathered. In addition to the security forces sealing off the scene, there was also a large group of media reporters, some from local media outlets of the New Feilan Alliance and others from interstellar media. Like sharks that had smelled blood, they quickly arrived at the scene shortly after the incident and rushed to release first-hand reports.
If it were just an ordinary kidnapping case, these media outlets wouldn't be very interested. But this case was different. The kidnapped person was a celebrity, a star singer, the incident occurred in a busy city, and the kidnappers turned out to be a well-known mercenary group. These reporters, with their keen sense of sensationalism and photographic acumen, immediately noticed something unusual. In addition to reporting the incident, they began to fabricate various rumors and speculate on the inside story.
Assassination and mercenary?
Love and hate entanglement?
Property disputes?
Anyway, the headlines and content were all designed to be sensational, and Morning Star, who had many fans all over the Shattered Star Ring, was in an uproar. The news spread like wildfire.
The local police were in a frenzy. If a star from the interstellar community got into trouble on their territory, the negative impact could be severe if not handled properly. Moreover, Morning Star was a guest performer at the Unification Day celebration, which was of extraordinary significance. If something happened to him, it would be a disgrace to the New Feilan Alliance. The Central Public Security Department had already begun to pay attention to the matter, putting immense pressure on the local sheriff.
Just as things were brewing, to everyone's surprise, Morning Star returned on his own, accompanied by the Black Star Mercenary Group, a development that left the police and media astonished.
As soon as Fording returned, he was surrounded by a large crowd. Reporters bombarded him with questions, and the police pushed through the crowd to protect him. Meanwhile, on the other side, the hovercar driven by Han Xiao and his group was also surrounded by police cars.
After persuading Fording, Han Xiao had Volga's Eldest use water-based healing magic to soothe the wounds on Fording's face. The effect was remarkable. Although he was still a bit haggard, Fording had returned to his handsome young man appearance. Unlike Morning Star's effeminate and alluring nature, Fording exuded a gentle aura from the inside out when he controlled his body, making him look approachable and giving people a feeling of warmth.
Fording had already prepared his words in advance and calmly dealt with the media. When he was trapped inside the body before, he had observed Morning Star's behavior from the sidelines. Even if he hadn't eaten pork, he had seen pigs run, so he was at ease.
Five years ago, Fording wouldn't have had so much knowledge. The memories of Morning Star and his experience using the body were all things Fording had never experienced before, and they all became his experience.
Police and reporters were skeptical of Fording's excuse, but with the person involved personally appearing, the matter was dropped. The local sheriff gave a warning and then left. The reporters shook their heads, disappointed.
The hotel manager approached Han Xiao, demanding compensation for the damage to the outer wall. This was a legitimate request, so Han Xiao didn't refuse. He paid a small sum to get rid of the hotel staff, and also woke up the hovercar driver, paying him 20 Enas to get the car repaired. This was more than enough money for him.
After dealing with these miscellaneous matters, things finally quieted down. Han Xiao was about to walk towards Fording when Morning Star's agent, protective of his own, blocked Fording's path and shouted, "Mercenaries are not welcome here! Please leave immediately!"
Morning Star doesn't belong to any entertainment group; she assembled her own support team, mostly women. Her manager is a young Duna People with purple skin and big eyes, a Duna woman who is infatuated with Morning Star and willingly works for him. At this moment, she is glaring angrily at Han Xiao.
Fording cleared his throat. "I have something to announce. First, all upcoming tours are cancelled. All schedules are cancelled."
"Okay, okay." The agent, ignoring Han Xiao, hurriedly wrote it down, turned around, and saw Fording staring at him. His cheeks turned purple and red, and he was so shy that he was almost flustered. He quickly lowered his head, not daring to meet Fording's gaze, and didn't know where to put his hands.
Seeing this, Han Xiao grinned, thinking to himself, "As expected of a protagonist who relies on his looks, his charm is truly high. He's practically born with an alluring charm..."
"Don't be nervous." Fording smiled gently, like a spring breeze. "Secondly, I need to temporarily suspend my acting career and leave this place with these mercenaries."
"Okay... what?!" The manager was about to agree subconsciously, but suddenly realized what he meant, his face changed drastically, he was extremely shocked, and he looked at Han Xiao with great anger and hatred in his eyes.
"Sorry, I guess you'll have to find another job." Fording reached out and patted the agent's head. The agent, who had been like an angry lion a second ago, immediately became obedient and cried tears of joy.
Beside him, his female assistants were all crying, their gazes towards Han Xiao filled with hostility and malice, like rivals who had stolen their love. But when they turned to Fording, their expressions changed to one of grievance, and they rushed over to hug him. This scene was like a collective breakup, yet none of them blamed their "ex-boyfriend." Instead, they forgave him, hugging each other tightly in perfect harmony.
Han Xiao's cheek twitched.
If handsome people can juggle multiple relationships, then Fording at least has the potential to be among the best.
Having high charisma really does allow you to do whatever you want.
You're awesome.
Dude, I'm speechless.
After disbanding the team and telling everyone to pack up and leave, Fording ignored Morning Star's roar in his mind, walked up to Han Xiao, and shrugged, "I'm free now. How are you going to help me?"
Just as Han Xiao was about to speak, the panel suddenly notified him that he had received a new task.
[You have triggered the hidden quest [Choice]]
[Mission Introduction: You discover that Morning Star is actually a Psychic Parasite. You meet Fording, the original owner of the body, who decides to completely eliminate Morning Star from his mind. Your choice is crucial.]
[Quest Completion Condition I: Expel or kill Fording's consciousness and allow Morning Star to take control of the body]
[Condition II: Expel or kill Morning Star's consciousness, allowing Fording to take control of the body]
[Condition III: Get Fording and Morning Star to reconcile, and have them take turns controlling the body]
[Condition IV: Unknown]
[Note: You can choose to complete the task once you meet one of the conditions; the task reward depends on the outcome.]
"It can also help Morning Star?" Han Xiao was taken aback, because he knew Fording's future well and hadn't thought of this idea.
So, Fording's fate, as a protagonist, is in his own hands; if he helps Morning Star, Morningstar will have no future.
That's interesting.
Han Xiao narrowed his eyes and carefully reviewed the mission requirements again. The fourth requirement was unknown. Based on his experience, the rewards for such implicit requirements were usually the highest. So, besides helping either side or getting both sides to reach a reconciliation, what better outcome could there be?
No player had done this quest in his previous life, so Han Xiao had to rely on his years of experience in completing quests to judge that the first two methods were simple and crude, while the third required time for both parties to communicate. It seemed that all he could do was let Fording continue to control the body in order to create an environment in which the two could communicate harmoniously, because once Morning Star regained the body, he would definitely cause trouble.
Furthermore, since the task was initiated by the user's own choice to settle the settlement, it can be inferred that the fourth requirement should take even longer.
Although he had only just seen the mission, Han Xiao had already guessed a key point: time was the difficulty! The longer it dragged on, the more opportunities Morning Star would have to try to seize the body, which was an unstable factor.
Furthermore, Fording's consciousness has survived until now because Morning Star held back; otherwise, she could have erased Fording long ago. Perhaps she felt guilty because Fording had once saved her, which is why she didn't kill him completely. But if Morning Star is pushed too far, once she recovers, she might kill Fording without hesitation. Considering this, the reward for condition one should be minimal—regardless of who controls the body, the fundamental problem is solved, so there's no mission failure.
After thinking for a moment, Han Xiao said to Fording, "If you don't want to hurt Morning Star, then I won't resort to destructive methods. I have a few ways to suppress Morning Star. I have a telekinetic master in my team. Although he's not very strong, that's precisely why he can keep Morning Star weak without seriously injuring her, preventing her from recovering. To completely resolve the problem without harming her, you'll have to negotiate with her. At most, I can prevent her from taking over the body, giving you control. But in that case, you can't leave our side, otherwise Morning Star might succeed at any time."
These words were also meant for Morning Star, to prevent her from resorting to desperate measures.
"... Okay, I'll give it a try."
Fording nodded and smiled, quite optimistically, "As long as I can control my body, that's enough. Besides, I learned how to train my telekinesis from her memories. If my mind becomes strong enough, she won't be able to do anything to me."
Upon hearing this, Han Xiao a sudden inspiration.
He roughly guessed what the fourth task requirement was.
'If that's the case, it will indeed take a lot of time...'