The few mercenaries who remained behind saw Nagokin and the others returning and quickly landed. They rushed forward, and the two sides met up. The more than one hundred people who went out to rescue the people learned what had happened from the mercenaries' vivid and animated description.
Apart from Melos and other core members of the Black Star Mercenary Group, everyone else wore expressions of disbelief. Black Star had actually managed to fight Calamity Grade superhuman to a standstill, holding his own and even severely injuring his opponent. This was the complete opposite of what they had imagined.
Everyone stared blankly, speechless for a moment.
Even Melos was somewhat stunned, "Is he really that good?"
Nagokin was greatly encouraged. He had been unsure of himself, but he hadn't expected Black Star, his foreign aid, to be so powerful.
At this moment, Nagokin received a message that Han Xiao instructed them to dig out the machinery from under the rubble and then gather at another location, avoiding drawing too much attention.
Nagokin glanced around and saw that the crowd of onlookers was growing larger and larger. The security team and engineering team were on their way. Too many areas had been damaged by the aftermath of the battle recently, and the Noriosse Financial Group was probably very angry. Nagokin didn't want to get entangled with them, so he led everyone to quickly dig through the rubble, dig out machines, and then hurriedly left the scene to head to the designated location.
Han Xiao arrived late, not long after.
The recruited mercenaries all turned to look at Han Xiao, their eyes filled with even greater awe than before, and spontaneously made way for him.
Walking into the center of the crowd, Han Xiao patted Melos on the shoulder and laughed, "I injured Ashes, at least he has a concussion. Aren't you happy?"
Melos was taken aback, subconsciously touched his mechanical arm, and nodded. Every time he thought of Ashes, the Neural Link in his mechanical arm would ache faintly. Hearing this, he smiled broadly, feeling relieved and cheerful, and gave Han Xiao a big hug.
"Good job, bro!"
After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Han Xiao transformed all the excavated machinery back into compressed spheres and put them away. He counted them carefully. He had fought with Ashes and damaged thirty or forty machines. The quality of many machines had dropped a level. Apart from injuring Ashes, there were not many substantial gains. The biggest benefit was that the tactical objective was achieved and Owenn's last free clone was rescued.
"We meet again, my friend." Owenn nodded, his face pale and his lips white, looking very unhealthy.
"Every time we encounter a mixed-race Goddora person, it's never a good thing," Han Xiao shook his head. "Where's that Grade A superhuman who helped us?"
"They're gone."
"Doing good deeds anonymously, that's probably what makes someone a superhero."
Han Xiao wasn't surprised. With greater power comes greater responsibility. At least some people uphold this principle. Superheroes are commonplace, and many powerful individuals don't mind occasionally playing the role of a hero and contributing their modest efforts.
Having rescued their target, Han Xiao and the others discussed their next move.
"DarkStar has only two options if it wants to make progress: one is to search high and low for Owenn's elusive main body, and the other is to snatch the last clone from us. So we hold the initiative, while DarkStar is in a very passive position. They are the ones who are anxious. Nagokin, how long until your support fleet arrives?"
"The War Bureau dispatched the fleet from the nearest military base, using a stargate jump; the journey will take approximately twelve days."
"DarkStar won't just sit idly by and let reinforcements arrive. They've definitely dispatched a fleet to hide near Noriosse. I have a few ideas... Hmm... Let's find a new base first, and then I'll explain in detail."
On the other side of the city, the battered DarkStar forces found a secluded spot to rest. The battle they had just fought with the Book of Light, though brief, was extremely fierce. There were about fifteen Grade B mercenaries on both sides. These mercenaries were battle-hardened and highly skilled, and the fight was evenly matched.
Melos's ship-slaying sword clashed fiercely with Sherman's laser cannon. Wilsander also joined the battle, confronting the strongest enemy, Fossatude. Sylvia was too weak to participate in the fight, Fording, being just a client, did not want to get involved.
Anur's face was grim, and he was in a bad mood. What was originally a great situation had been ruined by a passerby of the same level, causing them to fail at the last minute. When you're unlucky, even drinking cold water can cause problems. How could he have known that an Grade A superhuman passerby would happen to pass through that area? He had already tried his best to minimize the damage from the aftershocks.
Most Calamity Grade, if they exert their full power, are capable of destroying the planet's surface ecosystem. Individuals at this level are considered self-propelled planetary-level civilization-destroying weapons. However, they should hold back in battles against other beings of the same level. The less the residual shockwaves, the more concentrated the power, which is more effective in breaking through the opponent's defenses. Unrestrainedly unleashing destructive power would not pose a threat to other beings of the same level.
Moreover, Anur didn't want to cause widespread destruction to the planet; provoking the Noriosse Financial Group would only invite trouble.
If Ashes had arrived in time, there might have been a chance in a 2v2 situation. However, Ashes was nowhere to be seen and was nowhere to be found. It was simply incomprehensible that Ashes was taking so long when most of the enemies were on his side and there shouldn't have been many people at the base!
Anur was surrounded and faced Danger at Every Turn. He barely escaped injury thanks to his stealth and speed. Finally, seeing that Owenn had already slipped away and Ashes had not returned, he had no choice but to lead his men in retreat.
So you can imagine how furious Anur is with the Ashes right now.
Not long after, Ashes returned to the base, his blood congealed into scabs, and the gruesome scar on his neck startled everyone.
Seeing this, Anur frowned deeply. "How did you get injured? What happened to you? Did Nagokin find another Calamity Grade superhuman?"
Ashes waved his hand and gritted his teeth, saying, "It's Black Star. He stayed behind specifically to deal with me."
Anur's eyes widened in disbelief. "You mean, you were held back by a Grade B superhuman, and you got beaten up like this?!"
Ashes nodded slowly.
Anur paused for a few seconds to calm the throbbing veins on his forehead. "You've wasted so much time, you must have gotten rid of him, right?"
"The situation is urgent, I'm retreating."
Anur's face immediately contorted into a huge "Holy crap" expression, and he opened his mouth, speechless with shock.
He had always placed high hopes on Ashes, but at this moment, he couldn't help but wonder if he had made the wrong choice in training someone.
Ashes noticed the change in Anur's eyes and knew that his respected teacher was very disappointed in him. His face twitched, and he wanted to argue, but he felt that this would only make him more embarrassed, so he simply gave up speaking.
Anur was determined to return and imprison Ashes for another year. He didn't want to see that scoundrel's face at all. He turned to Fossatude and said in a deep voice, "The situation is unfavorable for us now. What suggestions do you have?"
Fossatude thought for a moment and said, "We have three choices: use our three clones to find Owenn's main body, seize the clones they possess and kill Nagokin in the process, or... we do nothing."