The Legendary Mechanic, page 263
As Han Xiao levitated in midair, two rows of thrust pipes emerged on the back of his mechanical suit. A strong air stream gushed out, and the force allowed him to escape from the Psychic power. His electromagnetic scythe expanded in the blink of an eye as he slashed the Interstellar Beast’s tentacle.
Clunk!
The blade of the scythe struck the crystal violently, and blinding electric sparks exploded. The Interstellar Beast’s tentacle quickly retracted, and its body tensed as its vital spot was hit.
This slash dealt close to a thousand points of damage. Compared to its tough body, its tentacle had close to no resistance.
Suddenly, the light on the Interstellar Beast’s tentacle became dozens of times brighter like a flashbang exploding out of nowhere. The almost blinding light filled the entire underground cave. Han Xiao and Herlous’ vision was covered in white. Before they could adjust, a tremendous force hit onto their body, pushed them away and into the cave wall.
Boom!
The impact wave caused by its Psychic power echoed in the cave. The lake and the cave started to tremble, and countless rocks splashed into the underground hot spring.
“Look, it’s angry.” Han Xiao stretched his neck and chuckled.
A pipe flickering with blue light appeared on his wrist armor plate, which then shot out compressed orbs one after another that quickly turned into artilleries.
Boom boom boom!
A violent, wild storm of metal erupted in the cave!
Countless bullets hit the Interstellar Beast’s body. Its tentacle emitted Psychic energy that formed a shield, changing the direction of the bullets continuously.
Herlous jumped up and landed on the Interstellar Beast’s body. Close range battles were his specialty. He swung the Battleship Slicing Blade and slashed down on the Interstellar Beast’s back. Although it was no different from a massage to the Interstellar Beast, at least he was spirited. He slashed toward the tentacle on the Interstellar Beast’s head.
The Interstellar Beast’s movements were very swift as it turned and rotated in the air rapidly. Herlous wanted to hold on, but the skin of the Interstellar Beast was exceptionally smooth, so there was no leverage, not even a single hair.
In comparison, Aroshia made a bigger impact. After she turned into energy form, the Psychic powers could not control her body but only disrupt her energy frequency, which was almost useless. She flew to the Interstellar Beast’s head with ease and gently held onto its tentacle.
The next moment, highly concentrated energy exploded in her palms.
Boom!
The explosions were continuous, the Interstellar Beast twitching in pain all the while. With its vital spot being used like a boxer used a sandbag, the agony would be indescribable. Han Xiao could almost feel the pain just by looking at it. If the Interstellar Beast had an organ to generate a voice, he was certain that it would be screaming with all its might.
After Aroshia entered Grade B, the strength of her Esper power skyrocketed. She took on the role as the main damage dealer and made a tremendous impact.
The three of them surrounded the Interstellar Beast. Psychic energy was exploding, bullets were raining down, and slashes were landing continuously. It was intense and heated.
Swoosh!
Although this was just an underground lake, the impact of the battle was like a hurricane that stirred up the lake.
Lenny and a few other naked Godorans hastily climbed out of the hot spring, leaned against the cave wall, and nervously watched the battle. They could not interfere with a battle involving Grade B Supers.
The Interstellar Beast’s health went down slowly but surely. Even though it protected its vital spot as much as it could, there were times when Han Xiao and the others’ attacks penetrated its defenses. The Interstellar Beast’s Psychic powers were only limited to pushing and controlling objects—it dealt very limited damage to Han Xiao. All in all, it was a worry-free fight.
Not long after, the Interstellar Beast’s health dropped by 50,000. Its resistance decreased by a large portion, and the damage dealt by the three of them increased.
Although Space Creatures had very thick skin, the Interstellar Beasts were not adept at battle. It could only be ranked as Grade B, and even that was because of his outrageously high health that ranked among the top even in the countless Bosses. If the players did not have sufficient damage, they would be defeated due to exhaustion. After all, their energy and stamina were limited.
The three of them could deal more than enough damage, but after fighting intensively for so long, their energy and stamina was reducing as time passed by.
Bang!
The battle lasted a long, long time. When the Interstellar Beast only had five percent of its health left, it could not continue levitating and fell into the hot spring, making a huge wave.
Han Xiao gave Herlous a signal, and the two of them dived into the lake. After looking for quite some time, they finally found the near-death Interstellar Beast at the bottom of the lake. Han Xiao grabbed this monster, turned his mechanical suit to maximum power output, and slowly dragged it onto the shore.
Its gigantic body was covered in wounds with violet slime flowing out of them. Its tentacle crystal was filled with cracks and emitting very dim light. The Interstellar Beast was squirming weakly. Han Xiao made sure that the thing did not have any more energy to battle before exhaling deeply and swinging his arms to loosen his sore muscles.
Although he was protected by the mechanical suit, it was still painful being smashed and thrown around by the Interstellar Beast.
Herlous took off his helmet, his hair damp from his sweat. He held his knees and panted. “This guy is way too resistant. I’m exhausted…”
Aroshia’s body was much dimmer; she had spent more than eighty percent of her energy.
Han Xiao looked at the interface. He still had a lot of health, but his energy and stamina were almost empty. He collected all the artilleries and counted—twenty-something artilleries had been squashed by the Interstellar Beast’s Psychic power.
“You guys defeated it!”
Lenny and the others walked over with stunned expressions.
Han Xiao turned around and looked at them. He frowned and said, “Where are your clothes? Also, you guys should not be the only missing Observers. Where are the others?”
“This monster took off our clothes—it probably thinks they’re our weapon. We were usually suppressed under the lake by this monster. Maybe he took us as trophies,” Lenny said.
“Take your clothes, let’s talk when you have them on.”
Han Xiao glanced at her indifferently.
Compared to women, Han Xiao was more interested in robots. He was a real man!
He turned around and saw that Herlous could not take his eyes off Lenny. He patted him and said with a displeased tone, “Don’t stare at her—that’s the employer’s wife. I don’t want to be refused the reward in the end.”
Herlous scratched his head. Before he could speak in his defense, Lenny laughed alluringly.
She was in a very good mood after being rescued. She blinked and said with a smile, “It’s okay, us Godorans are very open-minded. You guys saved my life, so maybe…”
“Stop, I’m not interested in golden skins.”
Han Xiao shivered in his mind.
Damn, this wild‽
Brother Nereja, you are so green 1 !
Chapter 463. Pet (2) |
Lenny shrugged, and they went below the water, quickly picked up a large pile of Observer standard equipment, and put them on.
“Where are your other friends?” Han Xiao coughed drily.
“Many of them died. This monster robbed our equipment, so if we went too far from the hot spring, we would very likely freeze to death. Some people were dragged underwater by this monster for too long and drowned. Other than us, there is another group of people that’s alive at the other end of the cave tunnel. There’s another hot spring there.
Han Xiao nodded. There was a fork when he came, and the other side led to the hot spring where the other Observers were. If they had gone to the other side first, they would have gotten intel about Interstellar Beast in advance, but he did not have to do that.
“Why did this Interstellar Beast capture you people?” Herlous asked curiously. “It seems like it’s deliberately trapping you here.”
Anger appeared on Lenny’s face as she said, “This monster appeared after we crashed. It brought us here, let us move freely in the hot spring, and would sometimes drag us into the water and throw us around like it was playing. It kept us as pets!”
On a life form level perspective, the Space Creatures were superior life forms to humans. Making humans their pets was the same as humans taming beasts as pets. It was almost a law of nature.
However, when humans that were used to turning other species into pets became pets themselves, it felt like their superiority was being stepped on. These Godorans felt enraged and ashamed.
Han Xiao raised his eyebrows and did not comment. Whoever had power could do whatever they wanted with the weak. Outside the areas with civilizations, this law of the jungle was the only truth. He straightforwardly said, “Alright, you’re already rescued. When the radiation storm in the sky is weaker, we will be able to leave. Old Herlous, go to the hot spring on the other side and bring the other Observers here.”
Bringing those Observers back could drastically increase the mission rating. After making the arrangements, Han Xiao turned to look at Interstellar Beast that lay on the ground.
The only problem left was how to deal with this beast.
“This is the first Interstellar Beast discovered by Godora, so it will be very important research material. If you can bring it back to the space station, we will pay you a very high reward.” Lenny was wearing her Observer combat suit and had tied up her hair; she looked neat and confident.
Han Xiao squinted and pondered.
Give it to Godora? No, that would not be worth it at all. Interstellar Beasts were extremely rare and filled with treasures. The important parts of Interstellar Beast could be made into Gene Potions that could increase one’s attributes. There was even a chance of getting a talent from the potion. Plus, it would increase the choices during Race Evolution. Furthermore, killing it would trigger a Legendary Milestone.
Most importantly, the powder created by crushing an Interstellar Beast’s crystal could be made into a special potion. It had no effect on the players but was extremely rare. It could even be used as a currency to purchase any resources from NPCs.
Such potions only had one effect—to grant part of the Interstellar Beast’s metabolism adjusting ability. Simply put, this thing could extend one’s life span!
Han Xiao had worried about such an issue since the beginning. It would not be a problem in the earlier versions of Galaxy, but the time skips between versions would become longer and longer. Hundreds of years would pass between versions. The life span of Supers was many times that of ordinary people, but in the history of tens of thousands of years, it was still just a very small part.
There were few ways to increase one’s life span. Installing mechanic prosthetics was one of them, but it had very visible side effects. On the other hand, the Interstellar Beast potion had close to no side effects.
This is very important, so it cannot be wasted.
Han Xiao’s eyes became firm. He grabbed tightly onto the Interstellar Beast’s crystal, and a wave of emotions were transmitted from the crystal to his mind.
It was begging.
The Interstellar Beast was begging him for mercy.
Han Xiao ignored it completely, and Void Jet Spray exploded in his palm.
Boom!
The crystal, already covered in cracks, shattered into pieces and fell into Han Xiao’s hands. The violet light under the Interstellar Beast’s skin faded. Life escaped from this Space Creature.
This crystal was Interstellar Beast’s life core, and it was also the most important material.
_____________
You have killed a Space Creature.
[Legendary Hunter] Milestone activated.
Current Progress: 1/5 (Kill 5 special creatures)
_____________
This was a Legendary Milestone. Upon completion, corresponding Legendary Points would be granted. The special creatures stated here were all sorts of rare and special creatures including Space Creatures that had Boss level attributes. Also, Bosses in dungeons were not counted.
Luckily, there were many monsters in Galaxy. Even by the latest version that Han Xiao had played in his previous life, despite the game being played by countless players for many years, there were still cases of players killing a special creature occasionally. After all, there would always be new creatures being born in the universe. Of course, the competition to kill them was very intense.
Some special Legendary Points could open a certain corresponding storyline. [Legendary Hunter] was one of them—it was similar to a title.
Han Xiao stowed the crystal, pulled out his scythe, and sliced the Interstellar Beast’s carcass. He quickly collected the important parts. An Interstellar Beast’s carcass would not rot easily and could be kept for a very long time.
Very soon, this Interstellar Beast was only left with an incomplete carcass.
“Sigh…” Lenny’s face was filled with regret, but she did not have a problem with it. This beast was Han Xiao’s trophy to start with, so he was free to do whatever he wanted with it.
This time, Herlous finally brought the other Observers over.
The Godorans were all surprised. Moments ago, they had still been trapped in the hot spring and singing, but the next moment, they had suddenly been rescued by mercenaries. It felt like a dream.
Seeing the Interstellar Beast’s carcass, the new group of Observers sized Han Xiao up with shock. They had suffered quite a lot from this monster, and they knew how strong the Interstellar Beast was.
“Everyone’s here, let’s go,” Han Xiao said.
…
Han Xiao tested the radiation strength with a device as they returned to the surface. After waiting a few days, the short window in the radiation storm finally arrived. They hastily boarded the aircraft and went straight up into the sky.
The aircraft had a capacity for about ten people, but there were more than ten Observers. It was crowded in the cabin.
They passed by the storm area successfully, and the spaceship went to pick them up.
All the Observers that escaped from death hugged each other passionately, overjoyed.
Han Xiao had his mind on the mission, so he did not waste any time. He set the return route and headed back immediately.
A few days later, the spaceship returned to the space station. This time, when they requested to enter, they conveyed the fact that they had rescued the lost Observers. Everyone in the space station was shocked.
The space station immediately opened up its port. Unlike the cold treatment last time, the attitude of the space station’s people completely changed, and they welcomed them enthusiastically.
The spaceship docked at the port. As soon as the cabin opened, Han Xiao saw that almost everyone in the space station had gathered at the port. The station chief stood at the front. Surprise and contentment were on this serious army officer’s face.
Beside him, the deputy station chief was smiling as usual. However, for some reason, his smile was a little stiff, and there was a faint sense of irritation in his eyes.
Chapter 464. If Godora Was More Conservative, DarkStar Would Never Have Been Created. |
“Darling!”
Nereja squeezed himself out of the crowd and opened his arms with excitement on his face.
A smile appeared on Lenny’s face as she saw her husband. She dashed into his arms, then kissed his forehead, and they started kissing passionately. She hung on Nereja’s neck like a koala. Their position was so fiery that it looked like they were going to do it on the spot. Han Xiao’s eyes hurt from watching it, and the image of back then when he captured Kerlodd and stripped him naked appeared in his mind. Muscular, wide shoulders, small member. No wonder there were so many hybrids in Godora…
The other surviving Observers jumped down from the spaceship and hugged their friends.
When Han Xiao got off the spaceship, the space station chief approached and said with a surprised tone, “Black Star, this is…”
Obviously, the station chief did not know that Nereja had hired mercenaries privately. Hiring mercenaries for internal matters without permission was against the regulation in Godora, and the punishment would be given depending on how serious the situation was. It would also be added to their permanent record and affect their future and promotions.
When Nereja gave the mission, he had requested Han Xiao not to leak this information. However, keeping it a secret might lead to missed opportunities and lowered rating, so Han Xiao did not listen to him and told Lenny and the other survivors about it. These Godoran Observers, of course, knew about the regulation. After discussing it privately on the spaceship, they decided to keep the identity of the employer a secret. After all, Nereja had taken the risk to hire the mercenaries to save them, so they were willing to cover it up.
The Observers around them heard the station chief’s question and all looked over. The survived Observers looked at Han Xiao worriedly, Nereja swallowed his saliva nervously.
These people were worried that Han Xiao would tell the truth. As Black Star was not an official of Godora, maybe he did not know about their regulations.
Han Xiao smiled and said, “When I was here, I heard about the research ships. I’m a mercenary, so I won’t give up any opportunity to make a fortune. Mr. Station Chief, my services are not free. Maybe you should pay a reasonable price for my labor.”
Nereja heaved a sigh of relief, and the other Observers were thankful, too. They looked at Han Xiao discreetly with appreciation.
In order to protect the employer’s identity, this mercenary is even putting up a show. That is some dedication to his profession.
