Nagokin freed his hands and quickly dealt with all the remaining DarkStar warriors. The protective shield was a deathmatch arena with no way to retreat. The surviving mercenaries dragged their wounded bodies and gathered in the center of the battlefield from all directions.
Han Xiao counted the heads. Of the more than one hundred mercenaries who had been recruited, less than thirty remained. He glanced at Melos, Sylvia, the Volga Brothers, and Fording, and breathed a sigh of relief. His own officers were confirmed to be alive.
The mechanical legion was scattered in different locations. He ordered other mercenaries to retrieve the machines scattered across the field, which immediately drew complaints from many of the mercenaries.
With the wind howling so loudly just now, who knows where all your machines flew off to? We just finished a fight, don't be so unreasonable in using your laborers!
Despite their complaints, the mercenaries obediently complied, their actions betraying their words.
Although not everyone witnessed Han Xiao's performance when using the Ames character card, the mercenaries who did see it felt an even stronger sense of awe.
Han Xiao picked at his ear, quite impatiently.
These mercenaries complain endlessly about picking up a few items. Players, on the other hand, are so dedicated. As long as there are rewards, they enjoy it no matter how hard or tiring it is. They're much better than these mercenaries. I'm truly moved by their Galaxy. I miss them so much.
Melos stepped forward and handed Sherman's massive spear. "Spoils of war, a gift for you."
Han Xiao's eyes lit up. He grabbed the gun, glanced at it, and expertly disassembled its casing to examine the internal structure. He nodded, "This gun is good."
The panel displayed the item description, named [Tri-Core Rotary Photon Cannon]. This is a weapon that benefits Gunners with their specialization, meaning that Gunners can gain additional bonuses when using it. The blueprint is rare, so having it in hand saves the cost of gambling for blueprints, as it can be directly deduced. Han Xiao needed a non-standard light energy weapon. Although he wasn't a Gunner, the Mechanical Force bonus was universal, just not as significant as that of a Gunner.
Gunners are ranged DPS classes, and players often welcome them in dungeons, as they are part of the traditional "iron triangle" tactic of main tank, marksman, and controller.
In his previous life, Han Xiao had also played a Gunner. All he did was fire cannons, and the damage output was tons, but it was too monotonous. Although firing cannons was quite fun, it got boring after a while. Of the three Mechanic Class, he still preferred the Mechanic, whose tactical options were more flexible.
Putting away his weapon, Han Xiao looked at Sylvia, who was unharmed but still shaken. He then turned to Fording and found Fording covered in blood, as if he had been through a fierce battle.
"Are you alright?" Han Xiao asked.
Morning Star tensed up immediately. Recalling Fording's usual demeanor, she quickly forced a friendly smile and said in a deliberately soft tone, "I... I'm alright, I just encountered an enemy..."
Sylvia interjected, "By the way, I saw you get knocked down with my own eyes. That enemy was much stronger than you. I was worried about you the whole way. Luckily you're alright. How did you defeat him?"
Morning Star's smile froze for a moment, her composure crumbling slightly. She wished she could sew Sylvia's mouth shut. Why did she have to ask now of all times? Was she trying to kill her?
In a moment of quick thinking, she coughed and said, "Uh, I didn't defeat him. The enemy was a Grade B superhuman, and I was almost killed by him. You know, I'm not very good at fighting. Luckily, a storm suddenly blew in, swept us up, and scattered us, saving my life."
"You're so lucky," Sylvia exclaimed.
No one suspected anything; when it came to luck, they had always felt inferior.
"Yes, you're incredibly lucky."
Han Xiao sighed, then slapped her hard on the back, making her cough violently, and a "-1" damage number popped up above her head.
Morning Star's back ached, but she suppressed her anger and forced a smile. She laughed dryly twice, and seeing that Han Xiao didn't suspect anything, she immediately felt relieved and breathed a sigh of relief. She had finally managed to fool Black Star.
Han Xiao snapped his fingers, beckoning Nagokin over, and at the same time, he tightly wrapped his arm around Morning Star's shoulder, making it impossible for her to break free.
Morning Star shifted uncomfortably and said, "Could you let me go?"
"Stop pretending." Han Xiao rolled his eyes. "You can't fool me."
Morning Star broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly tried to figure out where the problem was, but he couldn't recall which part had gone wrong.
They didn't give themselves away at all!
"You've got it wrong, I'm Fording," she argued with a forced smile.
Han Xiao raised an eyebrow and leaned close to Morning Star's ear, "I told you, if you really escaped, you wouldn't want to run into me."
Morning Star's heart skipped a beat.
Just then, Nagokin walked over. Han Xiao patted Morning Star on the shoulder and laughed, "Don't struggle. There's an Grade A superhuman here. You can't escape. You don't want to get beaten up by him."
Morning Star gritted her teeth, deciding to drop the pretense, and angrily demanded, "How did you recognize me?"
Han Xiao looked helpless upon hearing this. The information on the panel had already revealed his identity, so there was no way to be fooled. He couldn't just pretend not to see it and play along. He was also desperate!
In this dire situation, Morning Star was at her wits' end. She couldn't think of any way to escape. She glared at Han Xiao Han Xiao, already imagining a hundred ways for him to die, wishing she could personally whip his corpse a hundred times.
She simply relinquished control of her body—better than being forced back by someone else.
Fording regained consciousness, moved his limbs, shook his head, and smiled. "I knew you'd recognize me."
"You're really lucky. Even though she regained control of your body, she never crushed your consciousness." Han Xiao was quite envious; Lucky Halo really is something else.
Fording chuckled, "Actually, I have a pretty pleasant time communicating with her. I know her inside and out, and she knows everything about me. We understand each other's thoughts..."
"Congratulations on finding your soulmate! Why don't you just marry her? My mission will be complete."
Han Xiao clicked his tongue and shook his head, then suddenly paused.
--Wait, could I have guessed right? The perfect conditions for completing Fording's quest... he's not really going to end up suffering the consequences of his own actions, is he?
Fording pointed to his head and said helplessly, "I won't repeat what she said to you."
Han Xiao chuckled dryly, released his grip, and hurriedly moved away from Fording. He grabbed Sylvia's hair and wiped his hands with it; he suddenly didn't want to get close to Fording anymore.
After chatting for a few minutes and checking the time, Han Xiao realized that Ashes should be back soon. However, he discovered a serious problem: although the battle was over, the protective shield still isolated the area. If they couldn't leave, they couldn't carry out their plan to besiege Ashes.
The only solution to this problem is to contact the Noriosse Financial Group. The Protector has been observing from a distance, and Han Xiao felt it was necessary to speak with him.
Han Xiao and Nagokin went to the Protector to ask if they could open the protective shield, but the Protector refused without hesitation.
"There's still one DarkStar member alive, and he's on his way back. We can't deal with him unless you activate the shield," Nagokin said.
The Protector remained expressionless. "I know, so I won't open the shield until the enemy you mentioned leaves. You'll stay inside until I'm sure this whole affair is completely over."
"Are you someone who's going to protect DarkStar?!" Nagokin roared.
"My duty is to protect Noriosse. Do you expect me to open the protective shield and let you continue to destroy the city? I don't want to see anyone causing trouble in Noriosse anymore. The damage you've caused will be compensated by our conglomerate Goddora, once this is over."
The Protector narrowed his eyes. He hadn't saved Anur because he was in a difficult situation and had no choice but to give up. But that didn't mean he was on Goddora's side. The protective shield would absolutely not be opened. That was the bottom line for the conglomerate's higher-ups. Moreover, the conglomerate didn't want to see any more of DarkStar's high-level combatants lost here.