Kernid slowly opened his eyes. Before him was a transparent light screen, and outside was a space resembling a prison, with semi-transparent single cells scattered around, almost each cell housing a resident.
He was one of them.
This is the headquarters prison for Shana and her team, used to detain the captured targets on the list.
All prisoners have specially designed mechanical rings on their wrists and ankles to limit the abilities of these Grade A powerhouses. These rings are embedded in their hands and feet. The mechanical rings on the wrists are connected to vital organs such as the prisoner's heart and brain via nanoscale probes that travel along the blood vessels in their hands and feet. The mechanical rings on the ankles are Esper Gene suppressors that slow down their recovery speed.
They also wore collars around their necks, engraved with powerful silence and weakness enchantments. The enchanter's strength was clearly far superior to theirs, producing a lasting effect that left the prisoners feeling weak and emaciated every day.
In addition, they were injected with various drugs to suppress the body's cells' ability to generate energy.
The various methods of restraint left these Grade A experts extremely weak, and their abilities were greatly suppressed.
On his first day of imprisonment, Kernid was astonished to find that his fellow inmates were all people of equal status to him, many of whom were household names. He was shocked to find that they had all been brought here.
Kernid tried to escape, but failed. So many of his capable fellow inmates had failed, and he was no exception. Moreover, even if he escaped, there were powerful enemies guarding the outside, all of which filled him with despair.
After being locked up for many days, he had given up. He couldn't escape on his own and could only secretly pray that someone would come to his rescue. However, none of his powerful and influential fellow inmates came to his rescue, and he couldn't help but feel that his hope of escaping was slim and he became very pessimistic.
However, when it comes to pessimism, he's nowhere near as pessimistic as his neighbor.
The single cell next door held a male extraterrestrial human who always wore a gloomy, bitter expression. His demeanor wasn't just melancholy, it was downright depressed. His Lagi, a lone, Calamity Grade powerhouse. According to him, he had been imprisoned here for almost ten years, making him the most senior.
The days in prison were incredibly boring. The only entertainment was that my fellow inmates would find humor in their misery, boasting to each other. They were all talented and had pleasant voices.
When his fellow inmates get into a lively chatter session, Lagi is always the one to shut up the atmosphere the moment he opens his mouth—the legendary awkward silencer.
They were all once great men, but now they've fallen to their current state, and everyone is pessimistic. However, in terms of pessimism, Kernid thinks they're all trash compared to Lagi.
Just then, the prison gates opened, and Albert, Shana, Eilet walked in, causing the prisoners who had been in a daze to start making a ruckus.
"Let me out! Do you know who I am?!"
You've messed with the wrong person, and you'll pay the price!
What exactly are you plotting?!
Many people spoke out angrily, saying that they would make threats every time the guards came in to patrol.
The three ignored it. Today was not a routine check on the prisoners' condition. Because Black Star had caused them two defeats, Albert decided to keep a low profile for a few years and not take any further action. So, they were now preparing to count the number of prisoners and transfer them away.
They certainly didn't capture these targets for stamp collecting; they must have had other intentions. This wasn't the final destination for these prisoners.
The shouts and curses continued, but the three ignored them and split up to count the number of people. Shana quickly counted the number of people in Kernid's cell.
Kernid pounded on the light barrier, roaring, "I remember you! You're the one who captured me! You wait, the Light Rune Civilization will definitely rescue me!"
Shana chuckled softly, "Still haven't given up? You really think someone's coming to save you?"
At that moment, Lagi, from the cell next to us, spoke up slowly, saying, "Don't worry, I believe no one will come to save us. We're doomed."
Kernid was immediately speechless, covering his face with one hand, "Whose side are you on anyway?"
Shana was speechless. This guy had been locked up for almost ten years; he'd probably developed some kind of mental problem.
After the inventory was completed, the three were about to leave when the crowd continued to shout and curse. Albert paused, then turned around and addressed everyone.
"I know you think you're important, but in reality, your status in the Shattered Star Ring is utterly insignificant in my eyes. In a few days, I will freeze you, send you out of the Shattered Star Ring, and you will disappear forever. Your power, your families, will all be gone, and fate awaits you."
All the prisoners fell silent, filled with anger and resentment. If what Albert said was true, then these powerful beings from the Shattered Star Ring had truly fallen.
Many people felt despair and were filled with fear and anxiety about the future. No one knew what this force's purpose was.
Lagi sighed, "Sigh, I guess they're going to use us as experimental subjects, study our bodies, and once we're no longer of any use, they'll dissect us all, take apart our bones, muscles, and organs, and keep us in containers as specimens. Maybe they'll even label us with our names and life stories, collect us for people to see, like, 'Look, this is the well-developed cerebellum of the Calamity Grade powerhouse Kernid ' or something like that..."
A chill ran down everyone's spine.
Kernid looked utterly bewildered. Why didn't you just say it yourself?!
Albert was silent for a moment, then decided not to explain and said calmly:
"In short, enjoy these last few days of lucidity. The next time you wake up, you'll be in another unfamiliar star system..."
The words had barely left his mouth.
Boom!!
A loud bang!
The entire prison suddenly shook, as if the earth were trembling!
Albert stumbled, nearly biting his tongue, and exclaimed, "What happened?"
"Something seems to be going on up there!" Eilet exclaimed in surprise.
The three hurriedly left the prison, closed the gate, and the other inmates looked at each other in bewilderment.
Could it be that someone has come to rescue us?
Everyone's spirits were immediately lifted, and hope was rekindled.
Lagi, with a bitter expression, slowly said, "Even if reinforcements arrive, they might not be a match for the enemy. They'll be instantly killed, their entire army wiped out, their warships destroyed, and everyone inside blown to bits. Your comrades, subordinates, and families might even be among them. And then they'll force you to eat them, first breaking your will, then dissecting your bodies..."
"Shut up!"
The tremors continued, and Albert and his two companions returned to the headquarters lobby to meet up with their three other colleagues.
What happened?
"Enemies!"
Albert's face immediately darkened. He led a few companions out of the headquarters and found that the earth was tearing apart, and a powerful force was digging their headquarters out of the ground.
Two figures were floating in the sky. Upon seeing the figures clearly, Albert and the others' expressions changed drastically, and their minds were thrown into chaos!
Black Star!
Dragon Emperor!
Ames is unleashing her powers, tearing the land apart and forcefully pulling their base camp out of the ground.
"How could he be here?!"
Albert's eyes widened in utter horror.
They attacked Black Star not long ago, and now the enemy is coming to their doorstep. Their location is very well hidden; how did Black Star find them?!
Eilet looked on in disbelief; he never expected Black Star to appear.
A thought immediately flashed through his mind: he had barely returned when Black Star showed up at his door—could it be that he had been exposed in some way?!
Last time, Black Star could only wait for the enemy to come to him, but after his failure, Black Star managed to come knocking on his door. Even if he didn't understand how Black Star had done it, the blame could only be placed on him; there was no other explanation.
Was letting him escape also part of Black Star's plan?
Eilet was shocked and felt a sense of shame at being tricked. Recalling how he escaped from Black Star's ambush, he now felt like a fool for not noticing that something was wrong and that Black Star was playing a long game to catch a big fish.
Shana was in a terrible mood. She felt that the root of all this was the failure of her first attack. If she hadn't acted alone, but had patiently cooperated with her companions, she could have taken down the enemy on the first attack, Black Star would have been their prisoner long ago.
Albert forced himself to remain calm. He knew Black Star was a dangerous person, but he hadn't expected Black Star's Thunder counterattack to be so swift, creating such a huge crisis for them.
Dragon Emperor was clearly Black Star's ally. Facing a Beyond Grade A opponent, he had no confidence, but he hadn't given up hope yet.
"Don't panic. Although our opponent is Beyond Grade A, we still have a glimmer of hope. We may not be a match for the Dragon Emperor, but we can at least hold them off for a while. Eilet, our escape depends on you. We'll create opportunities for you to cast spells," Albert said through gritted teeth.
At this critical juncture, he could no longer care for the prisoners; his own life was hanging by a thread, and he had no choice but to painfully abandon the gains he had accumulated over the years.
First, protect yourself; then you can explain to your superiors later!
Eilet, as if facing a formidable enemy, exclaimed, "I understand!"
Just then, Han Xiao took a deep breath and spoke in a deep voice.
"Everyone, come here!"
Buzz--
The next moment, countless streaks of light streaked across the sky and hovered above Han Xiao's head.
The densely packed fleet blotted out the sky, countless cannons were aimed at the six people, and all the Calamity Grade powerhouses leading the fleets descended, blocking all routes and surrounding Albert and his group of six.
Albert and the others were stunned, their eyes filled with disbelief.
How could Black Star... have brought so many people?!
"Do it!"
Without saying a word, Han Xiao called for everyone to go up side by side.
The villain dies from talking too much. He has no interest in talking to his enemies; once he's taken them all down, there's plenty of time for proper communication.
"Escape!"
Albert screamed piercingly.
Seeing so many enemies, his last shred of hope shattered, leaving only despair.
Beaded in sweat, Eilet hurriedly tried to cast a teleportation spell, but after creating a spatial vortex, the usually reliable teleportation portal suddenly became unstable, its magical structure became disordered, and the unfinished portal instantly dissipated.
Not far away, an Grade A mage dressed in a red robe had a bright blue magical light shining in his eyes, and the staff in his hand gleamed.
Spell Counter!
At this moment, only one thought remained in the minds of Eilet, Shana, Albert, and the other three.
We're doomed!