Over the next few days, Fording and Aurora, together with Raymond, searched for traces of the Blood Hammer Church in various districts of the Aynia Hub. The matter had been reported to the garrison Police Department, who, after questioning them, promised to investigate the whereabouts of suspicious individuals and then saw them out, clearly not intending to ask the superheroes for help.
While superheroes have gained legitimacy in the universe, Police Department around the world have historically been reluctant to cooperate with them. After all, they are not ordinary people; most superheroes are only at the Grade B, and there are plenty of Grade B superhumans working for various civilizations—nothing special about them. Those superheroes with flashy nicknames might not even be a match for ordinary agents in a real fight, so most of the time, there is no need for so-called superheroes to help.
Raymond insisted on searching for the Blood Hammer Church on his own. Fording, remembering the task Han Xiao had given him, moved into the stronghold Raymond had rented, concealing his strength and discreetly helping out.
Several days passed, and the three still hadn't found any clues about the Blood Hammer Church, but they did receive support from the Punisher Alliance.
"You've finally arrived!"
Back at the outpost, Raymond was overjoyed and greeted the reinforcements. After exchanging a few familiar pleasantries, he introduced his companions to Fording and the others. Most of the people looked at Fording and Aurora with friendly expressions and nodded in greeting, while a small number remained expressionless and indifferent.
"These two are Morning Star and Ora, whom I mentioned to you. They are both Grade B superhumans, especially Ora; her healing abilities are amazing."
"Hello, I'm Morning Star." Fording smiled slightly and greeted everyone. He didn't have any of the airs of Calamity Grade; his demeanor was incredibly approachable.
It would have been fine if she hadn't laughed, but when she did, many people in the room were startled, their hearts suddenly racing.
Fording's charm transcends race and gender; his every move exudes a unique allure. And if he were to smile, it would be absolutely irresistible. Even with a disguise, he couldn't conceal his Volcano charm.
This new companion has a really good presence... Many people muttered to themselves, exchanging glances.
"I am... Ora." Aurora wasn't used to her fake name.
Everyone looked over, their eyes immediately becoming much more eager. No one would dislike a companion with healing abilities; you never know when you might need their help.
Just as I was about to step forward and make friends with my new companions, a discordant voice rang out from the crowd.
"I'd like to ask, why did you join the Punisher Alliance?"
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw that the speaker was none other than the very wary Seli.
"Because he invited us." Aurora shrugged and pointed at Raymond.
"You're also Grade B superhumans, joining us because of a simple invitation. Don't you find that suspicious? You'd never even heard of the Punisher Alliance before, and you just changed your minds on a whim? Ha, I'd rather believe you had this planned all along." Seli's tone was cold; everything was too coincidental, leaving him no choice but to be suspicious.
Fording smiled and didn't argue. Fearing he might be displeased, the others rushed to dissuade him. Fording had made such a good first impression on them that they couldn't help but speak up for him.
--With such good looks, you can tell at a glance that you're a good person!
Seli's eye twitched, barely resisting Fording's charismatic aura. He brushed past Fording, his sidelong glance fixed on Fording, and said coldly, "I'll be watching you. If you have any other intentions, don't blame me for being impolite."
After saying that, he strode away.
The atmosphere became somewhat awkward because of Seli's behavior. At this moment, Raymond stepped forward, patted Fording on the shoulder, and comforted him, "Don't mind him, he's always been like that. He targeted me when I first joined."
"It's nothing," Fording with a faint smile.
Seeing this, everyone came up to chat, Fording handled it with ease, quickly integrating into the group; it was no challenge for him at all.
After resting for most of the day, the captain of this makeshift hero squad gathered everyone together and assigned them the task of finding the Blood Hammer Church.
The Punisher Alliance is short-handed, so only a few people can be responsible for a large area, slowly searching for clues.
Fording and Aurora naturally stayed together, still following Raymond's lead, along with a Pugilist Class hero, forming a four-person team to search a rather bustling district in the Aynia Hub.
As the artificial sun gradually set, the crimson sunset painted the sky, turning it into a ruby with cloud-like patterns. As the sunlight slowly retreated below the horizon, night gradually enveloped the heavens, and the dazzling lights of the Aynia Hub lit up one by one. By nightfall, the Aynia Hub had awakened, revealing another side of this interstellar city, as if it had transformed from a weary traveler carrying a suitcase into a glamorous and alluring woman.
Night is the curtain of revelry, where travelers and goods from all galaxies gather, indulging in a life of luxury and debauchery, only to continue their journeys at dawn.
The crowds on the street were even denser than during the day, surging and bustling, with a restless and joyful atmosphere floating in the air, like alcohol mixed with freshly squeezed juice, pungent yet with a sweet taste.
Fording and his three companions walked down the street, glancing left and right to observe their surroundings. Raymond pushed aside a drunken insectoid who leaned towards him and said in a low voice:
"The Blood Hammer Church primarily conducts blood sacrifices at night, so everyone should be careful and not overlook the smell of blood. Pay close attention to secluded areas."
Fording remained noncommittal. After walking for a while, Aurora suddenly grabbed Fording's sleeve and pointed to the sky.
"There are life signals of Calamity Grade."
Fording looked up and saw a flying vehicle approaching from a distance, landing on the high-rise parking platform of a tall building. A group of bodyguards escorted a young man through the crowd, with two of the bodyguards making no attempt to conceal their Calamity Grade aura.
Passersby noticed the imposing presence and looked up. Raymond glanced over and muttered, "That looks like someone important."
The martial artist next to him shook his head. "Anyway, we don't have access to people like that. Don't bother looking; it has nothing to do with us."
"That's true."
Ignoring the two people beside him, Fording had noticed in a fleeting glance that these two Calamity Grade bodyguards looked somewhat familiar, as if he had seen their photos somewhere before. He always trusted his intuition, and seeing that Raymond and the other man were engrossed in their conversation and not paying attention to him, he took out his communicator and, through memory transfer, input the scene from earlier into the device.
"Phillip, find out who these people are?"
"Okay, comparing data in the database... Comparison complete, a match found."
The Black Star Army's vast intelligent database is also open to ordinary people. Most of it consists of Phillip's subroutines, while Fording, who has followed Han Xiao for a long time, has the authority to enjoy the functions of Phillip's main AI. Compared to the efficiency of ordinary members, it's like the difference between 3G and 5G.
Fording glanced down and Fording eyes flickered. Phillip's database contained information on almost all the officials and cadres of the Crimson Dynasty. He discovered that the two Calamity Grade bodyguards were direct superhumans of the Crimson Dynasty, while the young man being surrounded had no detailed information. Obviously, an unknown force was protecting his privacy. Usually, those who received this kind of treatment were relatives of the empire's high-ranking officials.
"He must be a descendant of a high-ranking imperial official."
Fording nodded, unconcerned. However, at that moment, Aurora, who was standing nearby, sent him a message.
"I sensed it; there are four more Calamity Grade threats hiding in different locations nearby."
Aurora's life sense is a convenient means of finding people. Unless it's a spatial isolation ability like a barrier magic, normal hiding and disguise are useless in front of Aurora. She can easily sense other people's life strength and thus judge their combat power.
Fording paused, glancing at the location marked by Aurora. He noticed that the four unknown Calamity Grade beings had subtly surrounded the area. He wondered if they were secretly protecting the descendant of this high-ranking imperial official, or if they had other intentions.
"Hmm... it's none of our business, let's leave it alone."
Fording said this, but he was secretly on edge. He had a bad feeling that something was going to happen tonight.
After searching for a while, the group had already left the most bustling area when Raymond suddenly received a message from his companion.
"Hurry up, we've found the Blood Hammer Church!" came the urgent voice from his comrade in the communication channel, with the sounds of battle echoing in the background.
"Where are you? Have you already started fighting the Blood Hammer Church?!" Raymond asked anxiously.
"No, it wasn't us." His companion's tone suddenly turned strange, filled with deep confusion. "It wasn't us who found the Blood Hammer Church, it was them... they were attacking a military restricted area!"
"What?!" The group of people were stunned.
In their minds, the Blood Hammer Church was a group of fanatical believers who secretly captured people for blood sacrifice; how could they possibly attack a military restricted area?
For a moment, a bad feeling arose in everyone's hearts.
Just then, everyone noticed that the ground beneath their feet seemed to be trembling slightly.
Boom!!
A blinding flash of light came from afar, followed by dazzling pillars of light from several distant urban areas, illuminating the night sky and drawing everyone's attention.
Whoosh—the shockwave swept over like a hurricane rising from the ground, affecting everyone even in the area, their hair whipped about by the fierce wind.
Flames rose into the night sky, and countless passersby stood in astonishment, turning their heads to look at the place where the explosion had occurred.
Something's wrong!
Fording frowned.
This is the heavily guarded Aynia Hub; such a commotion couldn't possibly have been done by a second- or third-rate organization like the Blood Hammer Church.
'I was misled by Raymond's preconceived notions; the Blood Hammer Church wasn't the only one causing trouble in the Aynia Hub. They might have bigger intentions.'
The thought had barely crossed my mind when a piercing alarm suddenly swept across the entire city, and garrison warships set off, streaking across the sky and heading towards the various explosion zones.
The next second, the passersby erupted into chaos.
Bang!
The warhammer flashed silver, smashing the head of a superhuman garrisoned in the Aynia Hub, spraying blood everywhere.
The Bishop Bloodhammer led a large group of Bloodhammer Priests in an assault on a corner of the military restricted area, engaging in fierce fighting with the garrison.
The superhumans fought each other, while the surrounding defensive turrets and mechanical vehicles fired wildly at the Blood Hammer Church members. Waves of dark energy rays bombarded the Bloodhammer priests' magical shields, and one after another, Bloodhammer priests were blasted to death and annihilated, leaving not even dust behind.
On this battlefield, the Bishop Bloodhammer was invincible, displaying Calamity Grade combat power. He charged left and right, his warhammer shaking the earth and smashing anything in his way. The high-level combat forces of the Aynia Hub were not always on guard and had not yet arrived; reinforcements were still on their way.
The Bishop Bloodhammer slammed his hammer into the ground, causing eerie red magical runes to emanate from the warhammer and his body. The blood on the ground seemed to evaporate, turning into large swaths of blood mist that condensed in mid-air, forming a gigantic figure with only the upper body. Its bizarre shape and a frenzied energy seemed to emanate from the void, residing within the red mist.
The next moment, two sun-like orbs of light lit up on the red mist's face, like eyes, and a certain consciousness descended.
A surge of violent magical energy erupted from its body, unleashing bursts of crimson magic arrows that attacked indiscriminately across the battlefield. If a Bloodhammer Priest was struck, the priest's entire body would turn red, as if he had been buffed, not only gradually recovering from his injuries but also significantly enhancing his combat power. If an enemy was struck, it would appear as if small snakes were rising beneath the enemy's skin, causing his blood to flow backward and resulting in severe injuries.
This figure was the "deity" worshipped by the Blood Hammer Church, a high-dimensional magical entity that briefly descended through a special means, possessing Calamity Grade power. Combined with the Bishop Bloodhammer himself, it was equivalent to this battlefield being attacked by two Calamity Grade forces.
Meanwhile, violent explosions also occurred in several other directions within this military restricted area, indicating that the forces attacking the military restricted area were far more than just the Blood Hammer Church —this was a premeditated coordinated operation!
The tallest building in the center of the Aynia Hub is the property of the Protector of this place. The person guarding this place is a senior Calamity Grade superhuman under the command of Beyond Grade A, named Gabura.
Gabura, seeing the city ablaze through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, tossed aside the female creature he was holding, stood naked by the window, and frowned as he looked down at the area of the explosion.
"Your Excellency Gabura, there's an emergency!" The adjutant's remote projection appeared in the room. Without even glancing at the woman shivering beside him wrapped in a blanket, he quickly explained the situation in a hurried tone.
"Someone attacked the military zone where the Evolutionary Totem is located? Daring to steal from my territory? You're asking for death!"
Gabura's face revealed a strong murderous aura. He casually pulled on his pants, then kicked the French window and leaped into the night sky. His body was engulfed in a powerful and intense gray martial arts aura. He transformed into a shooting star, tearing through the night and falling towards the battle area.
At the same time, in the city where Fording and the others were located, a wanted criminal of the Calamity Grade, hidden in the shadows, saw a gray meteor streak across the sky, reached out and pressed his short-range earpiece, and whispered:
"Gabura has been lured away, and the other Calamity Grade troops stationed there are on their way to the battlefield. The forces over there will hold off these Calamity Grade until the chaos engulfs the entire city, then we can make our move. Remember, it must be a swift and decisive battle, and afterwards, it should be disguised as an accidental encounter."
Meanwhile, in another unaffected area of Aynia Hub, two unremarkable men stood on the top floor of a high-rise building, looking down at the chaos and firelight under the night sky. One of them was the disguised man who had been monitoring the airport a few days ago.
"The operation has begun."
Thank you for proving I'm not blind.
"I wonder how many of these shady characters hired on the black market will survive tonight."
"Ha, even if they survive tonight, they'll be eliminated sooner or later, either by us or by the Empire."
"The garrison troops have all rushed to protect the Evolutionary Totem. Heh, do they really think they're going to all this trouble just for a mere Evolutionary Totem?"
"Fortunately, this isn't a direct colony of the Empire, otherwise we wouldn't be able to smuggle in parts for all sorts of prohibited weapons. The other teams would have had enough time to spread the chaos throughout the city; the more places they blow up, the better."
"The guy guarding this planet is a right-hand man of a Beyond Grade A powerhouse. I reckon this chaos will be suppressed before dawn. Hmph, all that resources spent, and all we get is one night of chaos."
"It doesn't matter. Let these shady characters die if they want. As long as we stall until another team takes out the target, that's enough for us to report to the team leader."
"Being assigned a task like this is really dangerous, tsk, I'm so envious of the other groups..."
The strong winds shattered their conversation into fragmented pieces.