Due to Aroshia's sudden condition, the meeting ended abruptly. In the end, Owenn's idea was adopted: to remain still, observe the situation, and wait for reinforcements. Although Nagokin had been expressing concern about the DarkStar's Pursuit team, Owenn seemed very confident in the hiding place of his true self, believing that the DarkStar could not possibly be found. However, he kept his mouth shut and did not reveal any clues.
Owenn was the core of the mission, and his will had to be respected. The group had no choice but to stay at the base. This time, they set up a lot of guards and secretly monitored Anur and the others' actions. Three days passed in this way.
For three days, all was peaceful, and neither side clashed.
DarkStar searched for its main body on its own, but without any clues, wandering around aimlessly. The tense mercenary couldn't help but relax. Taking advantage of this free time, Han Xiao repaired the machinery he had used in the previous battle with Ashes, restoring some of his combat strength. He felt that it wouldn't end so easily; after all, it was a mission with millions of experience points as a reward. Something else should happen before or after reinforcements arrive.
The mission remained uneventful for the time being, but another matter caught the attention of Master Han. Over the course of three days, the calling that Aroshia felt became more and more pronounced each day. In her words, it was as if someone was playing a speaker in her mind on repeat, with the volume getting louder and louder, and a strong intuition seemed to be trying to lead her to a certain place.
Han Xiao had always known that Aroshia held a secret: she was practically immortal, even Ames couldn't completely destroy her. Her origins were shrouded in mystery, and she was linked to a series of Grade A difficulty quests. Most importantly, he hadn't known about her background in his previous life, meaning the player hadn't discovered this hidden character. Connecting this to Dragon Calm's experience, he had always had a question—when Dragon Calm was destroyed because of Ames's reckless actions, was Aroshia still there? If not, where would she be reborn?
As the leader of the caring subordinates, Han Xiao carefully questioned Aroshia and learned that the calling sensation came from the direction of the sky and was not far away. After repeated questioning and research, Aroshia's intuition pointed to a place that was likely at one of Noriosse's airports.
Being so close, Han Xiao couldn't help but feel wary. When they arrived in Noriosse, Aroshia didn't have this feeling, which meant that the source might be an unknown person who had come specifically to chase Aroshia and had only recently arrived on this planet. Therefore, the other party had the ability to locate Aroshia. If he avoided seeing them, the other party might haunt him relentlessly. What made Han Xiao wary was precisely the unknown intentions of the other party.
Aroshia couldn't recall anything about it, so she decided to investigate the matter herself. Han Xiao naturally didn't want her to run around, and since Owenn was on standby, Han Xiao decided to go with Aroshia.
After much deliberation, he called Fording over.
It's roughly equivalent to wearing a lucky charm when going out.
The three of them took the space elevator and arrived at the outer space port that their intuition pointed to. This was a dock facing out of the Shattered Star Ring, and basically only outsiders from other star systems would stop at this space port.
Where does your intuition point?
The airport terminal was bustling with people. The intricate bridge and moving tracks led to different docks. In addition to all sorts of travelers, there were Noriosse guards maintaining order and dock workers. The airport's slanted dome was transparent, reflecting the scenery of the universe. The three of them were riding on a track, moving slowly forward.
"Over there," Aroshia pointed straight ahead.
"That's a very clear instruction," Han Xiao said helplessly.
Fording smiled and said, "It's a pity my abilities are still too weak, otherwise I could have used my telekinesis to heal Aro's brain and help her regain her memories."
"Wow, then you'll have to study how energy-based life forms store memory first; she doesn't have a brain that you can mess with."
"Is that so?" Fording turned to look at Aroshia. "Not even when she's materialized?"
"Her superpower isn't the type that activates only when used; it completely alters her body upon awakening. Her brain, bones, muscles, and skin are simulated entities, giving her the senses of a material life form, seemingly indistinguishable from a real person. But if you pierce her head, what comes out isn't brain matter." Han Xiao paused, seeing Fording's curious expression, and raised an eyebrow, saying, "You don't really want to try it, do you?"
"You know I wouldn't do something so violent..." Fording waved his hand, then suddenly gave a wry smile, "But the lady living in my head doesn't think so."
"Of course," Han Xiao joked. "Morning Star probably felt like you were forcefully pinning her down every moment. If I were a woman, I wouldn't have a good opinion of you either. But over time, things might develop. Maybe after being pinned down by you for a while, she'll enjoy the feeling and never want to come out again."
"Bullshit! I'll kill you the moment I get out of here."
Fording pointed to his head and chuckled, "That's exactly what she said."
Han Xiao leaned down, close to Fording's cheek, staring intently into the depths of Fording's eyes, as if he could see the brilliance of Morning Star. Morning Star couldn't control her body, but she could share Fording's senses. Han Xiao clicked his tongue and said, "No, if you really manage to escape, you definitely won't want to meet me again."
While chatting casually, the three arrived at the source, a landing ship hangar with a closed gate, requiring a pass or notification to enter.
"The thing that's calling you is in the shipyard. It seems to be alive after all. We need to find a way to get in and take a look."
Han Xiao's expression turned serious. At this moment, the dock workers in this area walked over and glanced at everyone.
Do you know the people in this shipyard?
The three turned to look at him, Han Xiao asked, "What's wrong?"
"Here's the thing, the spaceship inside was parked in the hangar three days ago, but it wasn't registered or the berthing fees were paid. All our communication requests have gone unanswered, and the people on board haven't disembarked. If you know him, please pay the fees on his behalf."
Han Xiao's eyes flickered slightly. The other party hadn't left the spaceship and hadn't shown up yet; it was rather mysterious.
"Wait a minute, he didn't pay, and you didn't kick him out?" Fording asked.
"Because his vessel is Stealth Class Reconnaissance from the Federation of Light, a symbol of status. Our Noriosse Financial Group won't easily dismiss the captain of such a high-level spaceship." The staff member spoke frankly and shrewdly.
"To be honest, I don't even know if I know him." Han Xiao pointed to the gate. "Can we go into the shipyard and take a look?"
"I'm afraid not. I don't have that authority. According to the regulations, only the temporary owner of the hangar can allow visitors to enter." This system is to prevent people from stealing the spaceship.
"Then apply. He's still in the hangar anyway." Han Xiao pressed the hangar access button. Since the other party was coming for Aroshia, it was unlikely they would be turned away.
After submitting the application and waiting in silence for a while, which seemed to drag on endlessly, the communicator suddenly turned green, and the gate opened with a rumble. The ship's owner didn't even communicate with them before opening the hangar directly.
A small, black spaceship, just over 100 meters long, was parked in orbit. By spaceship standards, it was small and agile, and its length was normal for Reconnaissance spaceship. The reflection of the hangar was on its smooth, black hull.
How could Master Han not recognize its value? He immediately identified it as the Blacklight Stealth, a high-end item with extremely superior performance. In his previous life, it was a top-tier item in the player trading market that would be snapped up by major guilds or wealthy players as soon as it became available, equivalent to orange-tier equipment among similar spaceships.
Han Xiao immediately felt the pressure. Anyone who owned a spaceship of this caliber was definitely not a simple person. If the visitor was hostile, it would be a big problem for him.
brush...
There was still no communication. Suddenly, the hatch of the Blacklight Stealth slid open, as if extending a silent invitation to the three of them. The dark entrance seemed to exude a chilling aura.
"Not even showing her face, all mysterious." Han Xiao looked at Aroshia, "Shall we go in?"
"I can feel... someone inside calling me, he's very urgent." Aroshia nodded, her brow furrowing as she rubbed her forehead, her tone uncertain. "And this spaceship gives me a very familiar feeling. It's like I've seen it more than once, and it seems like I've been on it for a long time, and something very important must have happened... but I can't remember."
A notification suddenly appeared on Han Xiao's screen. "[Restart] The progress of the second ring has increased by 1 point. It seems that this spaceship is also an important location in Aroshia's memory."
"Let's go up and take a look. Don't worry, I'll be right behind you," Han Xiao said.
The three stepped onto the gangway and entered the spaceship. In front of them was a dark corridor. After taking a step forward, the lights on both sides of the corridor turned on one by one and stretched into the distance.
laugh--
At that moment, the hatch behind the three closed, blocking their way back.
"The spaceship's owner wants us to move forward," Fording said.
Without dwelling on the hatch, the three continued down the corridor and soon came to a fork in the road. The light extended to the right, while the left was pitch black. The three realized that the light indicated the way.
The cold, pale light seemed to be brewing an eerie atmosphere, making the faces of the three people equally pale. The three of them exchanged a glance.
"To be honest, I really wanted to go to the left, but let's follow the lights first. The owner of the spaceship still hasn't shown his face, which reminds me of Iso —that annoying old guy who loves to be mysterious." Han Xiao stroked his chin, becoming increasingly curious about the relationship between the other party and Aroshia.
Following the lights, passing through winding corridors and the bridge, the final destination is the spaceship's cockpit. The cockpit is still empty, with the control panel buttons glowing with a faint yellow light. The most eye-catching thing is a hanging ornament directly above the pilot's seat. It is a transparent glass dome, but inside it shines a golden light that seems to come from nowhere, flickering like an unstable light bulb.
Aroshia paused for a moment, then, as if possessed, walked up and reached out to touch the glass cover.
Buzz--
Suddenly, a strange scene unfolded!
All the lights on the entire spaceship lit up at the same time, illuminating the cockpit. The golden light from the glass dome clung to the point where Aroshia's palm touched the dome, merging into her hand as if it had always been one with her.
At that moment, the sounds of the spacecraft's systems echoed in the cockpit.
"Authorization activated... Authentication successful... Welcome back, Captain."
Countless streams of light appeared out of thin air, coalescing into a luminous humanoid figure in front of the three. Its face was obscured, but it opened its arms, seemingly embracing the stunned Aroshia.
"Finally found you, comrade!"