Anur stood silently before the heavy silver alloy door. Behind him was a long, straight corridor with a tiny red indicator light every ten meters on each side wall. There was no other light source. This door was at the end of the corridor. Looking back from here, one could only see two lines of red light extending into the darkness. At the end of the line of sight, the two red lines drew Infinite close and almost connected.
This scene easily evokes words like "secret" and "forbidden zone".
He's been standing here for ten minutes.
laugh--
The door slowly opened, breaking the deathly silence.
Light streamed out, illuminating Anur's wrinkled yet still sharp face.
A figure slowly walked out of the room, backlit, with his face completely dark, making it impossible to see his features. He stopped in front of Anur, his two faces one in light and one in shadow. The light behind him stretched the figure's shadow, covering Anur and turning it into a black line that stretched down the corridor.
"Only with my permission can you contribute to the DarkStar once more, and now is the time, Ashes."
A slight smile appeared on Anur's serious face as he extended his palm and held it in front of him. "Welcome to the realm of Calamity Grade."
The figure reached out and shook hands firmly with Anur, bowing his head. His face became clearer; it was Ashes.
Today marks the day Ashes is released from confinement and regains his freedom.
For him, confinement was like a period of seclusion and rigorous training. He didn't need to rush around for missions and tasks. He only had to do one thing every day: explore his own potential. Day after day, he finally crossed the threshold that countless superhumans could never cross in their entire lives yesterday and entered the Grade A realm. All his senses were refreshed, as if he had been reborn.
The increase in power is not isolated; one's entire life level, worldview, and thoughts also change accordingly. Problems that once seemed intractable now appear quite simple. Enemies that were once unforgettable have long since faded in importance.
During his confinement, Ashes was constantly thinking about Black Star, who could counter his superpowers. His efforts to break through to Grade A were partly driven by his desire to reunite with Han Xiao and wash away the shame of his failure.
However, after truly reaching the level of Calamity Grade, this deep-rooted idea suddenly faded. Ashes no longer clung to Han Xiao from the bottom of his heart. He realized that Anur was right—he and Grade B were already on different levels. This feeling was like someone feeling offended because of a mosquito bite, ridiculous and absurd.
Ashes no longer regarded Han Xiao as an equal opponent. Even though Han Xiao could restrain his superpower to some extent, Ash was still confident that he could annihilate him within ten seconds.
The gap between Grade A and Grade B is an insurmountable chasm.
"Teacher, thank you for your guidance."
Ashes spoke with respect, for Anur's experience and teachings had helped him overcome one problem after another, and he deeply respected his teacher.
Anur nodded, his smile fading.
"The situation is not optimistic. Although we are hiding in the shadows, Goddora has never given up hunting us down. As the next operation is carried out, the organization's struggle will escalate further. Our high-end combat force is Goddora's key target. Some people have left us. High-level combat force like you and me is the most scarce manpower right now. You don't have time to rest. There is a mission that needs you."
Ashes remained expressionless and said calmly, "This is my mission. From the moment I open my eyes each day, I am already prepared to dedicate my strength to the cause of DarkStar."
"... Alright, follow me." Anur turned and strode forward, saying in a deep voice, "This is your first mission since becoming Grade A. I will accompany you to prevent you from losing control of your power. We're going to Noriosse to Pursuit a traitor..."
In the Garton Star System, a space pirate ship coated with camouflage is traveling through space, in Stealth mode that makes it impossible to locate. At this moment, a chase is taking place on board.
"Don't run away!!"
Bang!
A beam of light struck the ground beneath Sylvia's fleeing figure, blasting a fiery red crater through it. A large wave of space pirates, their faces contorted with rage, were hot on her heels.
Sylvia sprinted forward, dressed in a simple black, tight-fitting combat suit. Only her joints and vital areas were covered with machinery, providing either defense or power. Her figure was already somewhat curvaceous, radiating youthful vitality. Her shoulder-length short hair fluttered as she ran, and a mechanical ring fixed to her head hung from her right ear, with a miniature tactical analysis screen extending in front of her right eye.
She wasn't alone; a young boy was pulling her arm as they ran together. The boy was a pure-blooded Goddora, about the same age as Sylvia, dressed in prison clothes. Although he was half a head taller Sylvia, he was panting heavily and looked like an ordinary person.
"Who... who are you? Why did you save me?" the boy asked, panting.
Sylvia glanced at him and hissed, "I'm a mercenary. Someone's paying to rescue you. Stop talking nonsense, save your energy, and run faster."
The boy was being pulled along, stumbling and running, with the sound of laser explosions chasing after them. Despite the perilous scene, the boy from Goddora stared blankly at Sylvia's delicate and lively profile, lost in thought, his body mechanically following along.
He was a hostage kidnapped by this Stars pirates. He came from a wealthy family; his father was the head of a Goddora business conglomerate, incredibly rich. This made him a target for the space pirates, who kidnapped him for a ransom. Besides him, the group of space pirates had also kidnapped other hostages and imprisoned them together. However, just ten minutes earlier, this seemingly frail girl, who had also been captured and brought aboard the ship as a hostage, suddenly transformed into a warrior, opened the prison cell, and led him to escape.
Thus, the two naturally became the target of the space pirates' Pursuit.
Tap tap tap...
Three space pirates suddenly appeared around the corner, flanking the two men. Just as they were about to fire, the pirate leader shouted, "They are valuable hostages! Don't kill them!"
The three space pirates who were blocking the way hesitated for a moment as they pulled the trigger. Sylvia suddenly swung her hand and pulled an alloy short rod from her tactical belt. The rod cracked open, and more components extended out, transforming into a silver mechanical longsword. The blades on both sides glowed with a yellow light. It was an energy weapon, and the blade was also engraved with enchanted runes, making it even lighter.
Sylvia moved swiftly, slamming her shoulder into the stomach of the foremost pirate. Her combat suit provided the momentum, and the burly pirate stumbled from the impact of this young girl who hadn't even finished puberty. Before he could react, Sylvia pressed his gun barrel against her partner beside her and helped him pull the trigger.
Boom!
The light beam pierced the head of someone standing nearby.
The space pirate was furious and was about to kick Sylvia away when a sudden pain shot through his knees. He lost all strength in his legs and collapsed to his knees. Looking down, he saw that his knees had been cleaved open by a sword, covered in blood. Before he could even scream, Sylvia gripped her sword with both hands and plunged it into his eye socket, the blade emerging from the back of his head.
Two months later, under the tutelage of Master Han, Sylvia gradually unearthed her superpower potential and has now reached the Grade D. Wearing the mechanical weapons that Han Xiao made for her, she can now deal with this kind of space pirate group whose most members are ordinary people.
Seeing this, the third pirate ignored the leader's orders and immediately opened fire. Before he could fire, Sylvia quickly tilted her head to avoid the laser beam, narrowly escaping being hit. She immediately pulled her alloy sword from the Death Pirate's head, spun around, and slashed upwards, severing the gun barrel. Then, remembering Han Xiao's lesson on how to quickly dismantle an enemy's fighting strength, she immediately delivered a high kick, striking the third pirate between the legs!
Bang!
The space pirate's face turned purple instantly, his knees bent inwards, he knelt down clutching his groin, his forehead hit the ground, and he curled up like a shrimp, convulsing intermittently.
The boy from Goddora shuddered, feeling a dull ache in his lower body.
The series of battles ended in an instant, but the pursuers closed the distance. Sylvia didn't have time to finish him off, so she grabbed the boy's arm again and dragged him away in all directions.
"Run!"
The pirate crew was numerous, and under their relentless pursuit, Sylvia's area of activity shrank continuously until she was finally cornered. Hundreds of pirates surrounded the two of them, their eyes scanning Sylvia with ill intent.
The boy looked terrified, gripping Sylvia's shoulders tightly. Sylvia, her face grave, shielded him behind her, holding her sword horizontally in front of her, constantly adjusting the direction she was facing.
"You have nowhere to run, little girl." The pirate leader stepped forward, a sneer on his face. "I didn't expect one of our hostages to be a superhuman, causing a commotion on my ship. You think you can rescue this boy so easily? Where do you think you can run to on my ship?"
Sylvia's temples were sweating as she gripped the alloy sword even tighter. Most of the pirate crew were ordinary people, but there were also quite a few superhumans. The pirate captain in front of her was a Grade C superhuman, someone she couldn't match.
"Tell me, who exactly are you?"
"... Mercenaries," Sylvia said in a deep voice, though her voice still sounded quite young and clear.
Upon hearing this, the space pirates exchanged bewildered glances and then burst into laughter.
"Hahaha... this kid is a mercenary?!"
Sylvia's face hardened with rage. "I just killed three of your members."
The laughter grew even louder.
The pirate captain laughed wildly, his face vicious. "Little girl, you think killing three ordinary people makes you a mercenary? You overestimate yourself. You know nothing about power."
Sylvia bit her lip, her expression fierce but her heart pounding, "I have companions, they won't let you go."
"What kind of mercenary group would want a kid like you, a Boy Scout? Ha, I'll kill as many of your comrades as come."
The pirate captain sneered, "As for you... heh, although you're a bit young, you're quite pretty. I doubt a mercenary group can come up with much ransom, so you'll have to pay with your body..."
All the space pirates' eyes lit up, and they let out knowing laughs, brazenly scrutinizing Sylvia's face and body.
"Don't do anything reckless..."
Sylvia immediately tensed up.
Upon hearing this, the boy's expression changed drastically. He mustered his courage from somewhere and stood in front of Sylvia, about to speak tremblingly, when the space pirates suddenly started arguing.
"I want her legs, the best flesh!"
"I want a butt, I like fatty meat!"
"The ears are brittle; it's best to cut them off and eat them raw."
Sylvia's face stiffened, unable to contain her inner turmoil, and she shouted, "Hey, is this what you call paying with your body?!"
The pirate captain looked puzzled upon hearing this.
"Of course it means I'll eat you up, what else could it mean?"
Sylvia wore a sour expression, squinted, and muttered to herself, "Why do I suddenly not want to kill them anymore..."
Beep beep beep...
Suddenly, a cracking sound came from Sylvia's wrist, and everyone looked over. Sylvia revealed a smug smile, her previous panic completely gone; it was all an act to buy time.
She flicked her wrist, her tone playful.
"This is a locator~"
The words had barely left his mouth.
Boom!!
A Thunder explosion erupted nearby, the ship jolted violently, and amidst gasps of alarm, everyone nearly fell over as they hurriedly looked in the direction of the blast.
A large hole had been blasted open in the passageway dozens of meters away, and dust and smoke filled the air.
Several figures emerged from the smoke and boarded the spaceship.
The leader was the first to emerge from the smoke, dressed in a jet-black trench coat, with his hands behind his back. His eyes shone with a star-like Glory, incredibly deep, and he naturally exuded an aura of power that sent chills down the spines of the pirates present.
This feeling grew stronger as the man in black approached. He stared at the pirate captain, whose legs went weak, as if he were being watched by a ferocious beast ready to devour him.
In reality, Han Xiao was just glancing at him casually; the oppressive aura stemmed from the suppression of life levels.
"I heard you have a problem with my mercenary group?"