In the floating city of Planet Maixibo, Sedim is deploying all his mechanical security forces to gather clues and search for the culprit who attacked Eklin and his companions.
He hadn't slept a wink since last night. Sisko's orders were to seal off the planet to prevent the attackers from escaping, but Sedim was thinking that if the attackers could be found as soon as possible, there would be no need to continue sealing off the port and affecting the planet's business.
When it comes to his own interests, he is full of enthusiasm.
Unfortunately, the investigation yielded no results after a whole night. The attackers seemed to have vanished into thin air, and none of the surveillance equipment detected any trace of them.
"Do they have some kind of teleportation ability?" Sedim couldn't help but scratch his head. "Or is my surveillance equipment malfunctioning?"
Sedim couldn't help but pull up the operation logs of the floating city's control center and found no signs of intrusion. Han Xiao had already cleared his browsing history and revoked his temporary permissions. With Sedim's expertise, it was almost impossible for him to find out what he had done to the backdoor of the control center.
Ding ding...
Just as Sedim was in a bind, Sisko's barrage of calls came in again.
"Sir Sisko, what is it now?" Sedim suppressed his irritation and made his tone sound natural.
He was a operative of the Mechanic Emperor, and out of respect for Beyond Grade A, he had done a lot for Sisko. Now Sisko seemed to be really treating him like a subordinate, which made Sedim a little unhappy—mainly because the blockade of the planet had damaged his interests, and that was the key to the change in attitude.
However, what Sisko said almost made Sedim jump out of his skin.
"The fugitive has left Planet Maixibo's and is fleeing beyond the Shattered Star Ring. What are you doing?" Sisko's tone was no longer relaxed; it was very serious, as if he were about to interrogate someone.
Just now, the Evolution Cube he sensed had suddenly left Planet Maixibo and was moving away at warp speed, undoubtedly being taken away by someone. This immediately made Sisko lose his confidence and become anxious.
"How is that possible? I've already sealed off the port, and no one has left Macquarie during this time!" Sedim exclaimed in disbelief, almost thinking Sisko was shifting the blame.
The passengers on the Light Fox spaceship are one thing, but how did Sisko know the attackers' whereabouts? He wasn't even here; he, the local bigwig, didn't even notice anyone slipping away.
"Perhaps the fugitive had some ability to evade your blockade, but in any case, he's escaped. I need you to do one more thing for me," Sisko said in a deep voice.
He was in a bad mood. He was about to reach Planet Maixibo and easily retrieve the Evolution Cube, but then an unexpected incident occurred. He didn't know if it was another subordinate of the Sorokin secretly helping him, or if the Evolution Cube had been intercepted along the way. In either case, the situation was gradually slipping out of his control.
The Sorokin's henchmen are dead, and the intruder who is now fleeing with the Evolution Cube is a mysterious figure!
"What do you need me to do?" Sedim asked, putting aside his ulterior motives.
"I'll tell you the direction the fugitive is heading. You can follow him and track him. My spaceship is very fast; it will catch up with you and we'll meet up."
"This..."
Sedim hesitated. He was very confident in his abilities. It wasn't that he was afraid of danger, but he was worried that after leaving Planet Maixibo's, there would be no one to oversee the base, and someone might cause trouble.
Because Sisko had never told him the truth, Sedim had realized that the matter he was involved in seemed to have deeper implications.
"You've helped me, so you'll definitely get your share of the benefits."
"... Alright." Sedim finally agreed, then, his eyes darting around, he asked, "Can the blockade of Planet Maixibo be lifted now?"
"Whatever." Sisko's only goal was to retrieve the Evolution Cube; he didn't care about anything else.
After the communication ended, Sedim didn't waste any time and immediately began packing his things, taking stock of the mechanized forces, and preparing to depart, tracking Han Xiao according to the coordinates sent by Sisko.
While assembling its mechanized forces, Sedim lifted restrictions on the airport, allowing passengers to begin traveling to Planet Maixibo.
Just then, Sedim suddenly remembered something and immediately contacted the top management of the Summit Keystone Group.
Where is Barn?
"Lord Sedim, Barn did not return home last night and has not shown up since."
Sedim narrowed his eyes; this mysterious, Calamity Grade powerhouse was his number one suspect.
"I remember he had three companions, where did they all go?"
"Uh, they disappeared too."
"Then they're probably the attackers!" Sedim clapped his hands heavily, his eyes filled with hostility. He had thought Barn had come to steal the blueprints, but it turned out he was involved in the Sisko incident. That guy is wicked; he started lurking more than twenty days ago!
With this in mind, Sedim immediately retrieved the images of Barn and his group of four, inputted them into the control center, and instructed the mechanical security forces, detection satellites, airport transit points, and other surveillance facilities to monitor Barn and his group's movements and notify him immediately if they appeared.
Having finished this matter, Sedim led a large group of his renowned elite soldiers, mounted his chariot, and transformed into a streak of light as he chased after Han Xiao.
Meanwhile, in the wilderness of Planet Maixibo, at a mechanical outpost nestled in a mountain range.
Only Fording and his two companions remained at the outpost. Han Xiao had already quietly left the planet via Void Dimension Jump, while the mechanical outpost remained to provide cover for Fording and the others, and to monitor Sedim's movements.
"Sister, airport restrictions have been lifted, and Sedim has left too."
In front of several virtual screens, Aurora's fingers moved nimbly as she skillfully operated the machines.
Because her superpowers lacked combat effectiveness, she learned a lot of miscellaneous knowledge while in Dragon Calm. She was proficient in vehicle driving, potion preparation, melee shooting, naval gun operation, battlefield command, tactical simulation, group combat, and so on. She learned a lot of secondary profession skills, was familiar with the illustrations and customs of many races, and was quite versatile. She developed towards the path of a commander.
"Black Star guessed right, Sedim has left the planet and begun his pursuit," Fording helplessly.
"But we were left behind..." Hila clenched her fists, her expression filled with resentment.
To protect the three of them, Han Xiao left alone to draw away any potential Sisko. Clearly, the three of them were seen as a burden.
Hila wanted to join Han Xiao in fighting the enemy, but Han Xiao refused, saying that she was not yet capable of dealing with Beyond Grade A enemy.
She was frustrated that she couldn't help.
Despite having trained under Ames for ten years and become a high-level force in the universe, thinking she could finally help Han Xiao, she still ended up holding him back...
Hila clenched her teeth, feeling wronged. She had come out of seclusion to help Han Xiao, but now she was the one who needed his protection. She didn't want to be protected by Han Xiao Han Xiao; she wanted to stand by his side and fight alongside him. Otherwise, how could she repay the kindness she had shown him?
Seeing that Hela looked unwell, Fording said worriedly, "Hila, don't do anything rash..."
Hila regained her composure and said coldly, "Don't worry, I won't disobey his orders. Even if I insist on chasing after him to help, I'll only annoy him and become a burden."
Fording breathed a sigh of relief. After spending time together, he had come to understand Hila's obsession, and now he felt at ease. He smiled helplessly and said, "Don't underestimate yourself. Black Star sees you as a key member. You still have a lot of Long Sky, and you will definitely become his right-hand man in the future."
Hila pursed her lips and secretly clenched her fist.
"You don't need to worry about him. After all, we've all been baptized by the Evolution Cube. Don't you know the effect? Black Star has definitely become stronger," Fording said.
Hila nodded. She had experienced the effects of the Evolution Cube firsthand; the boost was immense, almost like a rebirth.
"Don't worry, I made a lot of life-saving potions for him. He won't be in any danger. Don't you trust my abilities? You just asked me to make more potions." Aurora chuckled.
Before Han Xiao left, Aurora made him a lot of life-strengthening potions on the spot. She had studied potion-making under One Leaf Green and later honed her skills in Dragon Calm. Her secondary profession was at a very high level. Combined with her special ability, each life-strengthening potion was equivalent to a full recovery.
Just now, when Aurora was making the potion, Hila, contrary to her usual behavior, not only did not stop her sister, but also tacitly allowed Aurora to use more of her life force to make the potion for Han Xiao.
Thinking back on it now, Hila couldn't help but blush a little, turning her face away to avoid Aurora's gaze and changing the subject.
"The planetary blockade is over, and Sedim has left. What do we do now? Stay here, or leave in our spaceship?"
Fording thought for a moment and said, "It'll be safer to leave Planet Maixibo's once Sedim is a bit further away."
Hila and Aurora nodded in agreement—any decision Fording made might not necessarily result in a profit, but it was certain he wouldn't lose money.
Beyond the edge of the Shattered Star Ring Desolate Universe Belt.
In the pitch-black universe, a ray of light suddenly appeared, and Han Xiao emerged from the Void Dimension, his skin flushed red, having absorbed cosmic radiation.
Ahead lay a desolate, gray planet. Han Xiao slowly descended onto the cracked earth, sat cross-legged, and hovered one meter above the ground, waiting for the barracks crate to teleport in.
He used Void Dimension Jump to leave Planet Maixibo. The barracks crate was still stored on the spaceship, so he would have to wait for the mechanical legion to jump and catch up before he, as a mechanic, would be in full condition. Since the Mechanic Emperor's [Secondary Dimension March] had not yet been activated, the problem of the legion being with him could not be solved at present.
"To be honest, this is the first time I've left the Shattered Star Ring region."
Looking up at the starry sky, Han Xiao raised an eyebrow and suddenly had this thought.
For nearly twenty years, he had been mingling in the Shattered Star Ring.
There are Desolate Universe Belt between star clusters, and also between star fields, but the latter are far larger than the former. He once fought in the Desolate Universe Belt between Krent and Amethyst, but compared to now, it was nothing.
The Desolate Universe Belt separating two star systems are extremely scarce in resources, have very low development value, and are sparsely populated with planets, existing in a lifeless state. Even if a civilization were to arise here, the harsh environment would render it futile and lead to utter despair. In the entire Explored Universe, the Desolate Universe Belt occupy more than 60% of the area, and in the Unexplored Universe, the area of Desolate Universe Belt is even more vast.
After a moment of reflection, Han Xiao got down to business. He opened the faction panel and launched a promotional discount campaign for various knowledge items in the faction shop. He cleverly created a pretext, claiming that legion members had participated in the Secret War for several months, and as a reward for the legion, the contribution fee for learning knowledge would be directly reduced by 60%!
With only two levels of experience needed, Han Xiao was willing to use promotions to stimulate consumer desire in order to catch up as quickly as possible. Learning knowledge was a basic need for players, the only difference being when they learned it. Now, to accelerate the accumulation of experience, Han Xiao needed players to learn immediately, and promotions were the best way to achieve this, even if it meant earning less Enas.
In this way, even with a 40% experience penalty, the mere two levels of experience won't cause a significant delay.
Han Xiao was very confident that he could advance to level 240 before the enemy caught up.
beep beep...
Just then, the communicator suddenly rang, and I received a message from Hila.
Han Xiao narrowed his eyes upon seeing this.
"Sedim left Planet Maixibo's? He came after me as soon as I left. It seems their detection methods, while not precise enough, can still remotely locate the Evolution Cube."
So, my movements are completely transparent to them, and Sedim and Sisko are heading straight for me...
Having finally figured out the enemy's detection methods, Han Xiao felt more confident.
The ability to locate Evolution Cube is probably the opponent's biggest advantage!
He stopped waiting for the barracks crate and once again entered the Void Dimension Jump, transforming into a streak of light and heading into the distance.
Since the pursuers are behind us, we cannot stop. This battle is inevitable. We can only slowly detour and look for an opportunity to meet up with the barracks and try to buy as much time as possible.
Han Xiao was leaping forward while pondering:
"I have quite a few trump cards: Aurora's potion, the Dragon Emperor character card, and the rarely used [Painful Revenge] and [Luck Curse]. To deal with Beyond Grade A, I have to use all my methods. It's been a long time since an opponent has forced me to go all out... However, Esper Class is somewhat of a counter to me, Sisko also has powerful AOE abilities. The destructive power of Beyond Grade A is completely different; he can easily wipe out a large number of mechanical soldiers. Unfortunately, I don't have time to strengthen my mechanical legion right now..."
He had already tried it at the base; the Evolution Cube had no effect on the mechanical warriors. After all, machines are inanimate objects and don't have biological genes to be optimized... Perhaps it would only work after they became true mechanical life forms?
Unfortunately, [King's Army] has not yet been activated, and we can only try it later; it's too late now.
Without matching Beyond Grade A machines, I can't reach my optimal combat strength immediately after advancing. If only I could boost my mechanical unit's combat power before facing Sisko...
Han Xiao's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Oh, right, Sedim ~"