The Legendary Mechanic, page 275
After helping Ames catch Aesop and completing the mission, Han Xiao had been in a good mood. However, when Han Xiao saw a bunch of Godora warriors rushing over, his mood plummeted.
He recognized the Godoran’s battlesuits, and these warriors were not low-grade Observers. Instead, they were special forces that specialized in battle, and their leader was a Super who had been extremely famous in his previous life. In Version 2.0, this person had been the key figure in dealing with the mutation disaster on Planet Aquamarine. The majority of the battle quests that the players accepted from the Godoran camp had also been issued by him. He was like a commander level character and an important NPC to the players. Thus, Han Xiao was extremely familiar with him.
Nagakin, an officer of the War Bureau, Grade A Pugilist. He would only take action during important missions, and for him to appear on Noriosse, it meant that something important was about to unfold on Noriosse. A thought suddenly popped into his head, and Han Xiao immediately thought about the mixed blood Godoran that he had met a few days ago, Alvin.
The two should probably be related… Han Xiao thought to himself.
There was another strange sight that puzzled him. The Nagakin in front of him was majestic and full of valor. His strides were wide, and every step of his was taken with stability. In Han Xiao’s memories, when the players of Planet Aquamarine first met Nagakin, he had been half crippled. Half of his face had been reduced to a skeleton, and not only was he disfigured, his left arm and both legs had turned into prosthetics. He had also needed numerous life support systems to be injected into his body in order for him to be alive.
It was less than a year away from Version 2.0.
As such, Nagakin must have been crippled during this period, but the exact time was not certain.
Han Xiao’s eyes flashed, and he immediately sprang into action. He broke away from the upper echelons of Noriosse and stood in front of Nagakin.
“Who are you? Don’t block the way.” The Godoran warriors stopped, and Nagakin looked at Han Xiao with a frown.
Han Xiao introduced himself simply.
“Black Star? Oh, I’ve heard your name. You and some other mercenaries successfully destroyed a DarkStar mothership. Good job.”
Nagakin nodded and did not take it to heart. A figure of his caliber would only be concerned about more important matters. He only knew about Han Xiao’s name because his subordinate had mentioned it in passing. At that very moment, he was pushed for time, so he asked impatiently, “Why are you stopping us?”
“I only wanted to say hi. At the same time, I wanted to ask if you guys needed help.” This was a common phrase that players used to start a conversation with NPCs. Han Xiao was also trying to see if he was able to receive a mission and understand the Godorans’ reason for appearing there. He was lacking intel and did not know that DarkStar and Godora were having a confrontation on Noriosse. He only felt that something was strange.
Those warriors were the reinforcements sent by Godora, and their mission was to rescue Alvin. Over the past few days, two of Alvin’s doppelgangers had been captured, and the situation did not allow a single second’s delay. From Alvin’s doppelganger, they had found out that the strongest individual in the squad chasing after Alvin was a grade B Super called Forsyth. As such, Godora had sent out Nagakin, who was the nearest to the location, and felt that it was sufficient to take care of the enemy.
Nagakin felt that he did not need any help and that he was sufficient to take care of the enemy. As such, he casually replied, “We do not need your help. I’m pushed for time and will take my leave now.”
After finishing his sentence, Nagakin moved past Han Xiao and led his men away.
Studying the backs of those Godorans, Han Xiao stroked his chin and muttered to himself, “Tsk, I wasn’t able to activate a mission. For a Calamity Grade Super to take action personally, it’s probably a risky mission.”
Since Nagakin did not welcome outsiders, Han Xiao would forget about the matter. He would not lower himself and continue sticking to them uninvited.
He then opened the interface. After obtaining the Ames Character Summon Card, he had not checked its effects yet.
_____________
[Character Summon Card—Ames]
Force Field—Gaze of the Dragon: Compress the medium within a certain area (effective for all states of matter) and target a single character. The targeted character will fall into a [Trapped] status. For every 100 points of STR the target has, 1s of control time will be reduced.
Basic control time: 18s
Usages: 0/1
_____________
Han Xiao felt that the strong control effect was still acceptable. Ames had many different skills, and at her level, almost seventy percent of her skills were useful. While he did not obtain an attack skill, a control skill was more flexible and had its own advantages.
He then left the port and returned to land. After renting a temporary stronghold, he was prepared to spend rest a few days there. At the same time, he would purchase some resources. Noriosse was home to many shops, and he intended to strengthen his war machinery. Two High-End Knowledges and his many Advanced Knowledges gave him the option to obtain better blueprints, and it was sufficient for him to have an all-round upgrade. He still had more than twenty million experience points, and as long as he spent it sparingly, it would be sufficient for him to obtain enough blueprints.
Just when everyone was resting, a storm exploded.
…
Nagakin took dozens of Godoran warriors in aircrafts and arrived at a skyscraper at the periphery of Noriosse’s City 4. Tall buildings filled the district, and the magnetic floating bus station that connected the cities was not too far away.
According to Alvin’s reports, the temporary base of DarkStar’s forces was on the eightieth story of the skyscraper, and it was located right at the center of the building.
Alvin’s main body had always been in contact with the reinforcements from Godora, and he used his doppelganger to observe the members of DarkStar to provide Nagakin with information. His request was for Nagakin to get rid of all the DarkStar forces chasing him before his main body would appear. He was extremely cautious.
“The enemy’s forces are inside. We will first destroy their base before dealing with those DarkStar members operating on the outside to prevent us from alerting the enemy. Currently, the enemy’s base is unaware of our arrival, and we have an advantage in terms of intel. Attack with me!”
The aircrafts ascended slowly and approached their target building. Nagakin’s gaze was solemn as he clenched his fists. A golden flame began to flow down his arm as though it was liquid.
His fist smashed onto the outer wall of the building.
Boom!
The next instant, a white shockwave was sent out in all directions!
All the glass in this building was shattered!
The might of his fist shot through the entire eightieth floor, and a large hole could be seen on both sides of the building. The entire building began to let out unsteady creaks, and the middle of the building bent slightly like a wooden pole that was almost smashed in half!
Not to mention a building, it was a piece of cake for a Calamity Grade Pugilist to destroy even a battleship. As long as he had enough time, he could even turn into an excavator and change the landscape of the entire planet.
After destroying the building with a single punch, Nagakin charged in with his subordinates and attacked the enemy base. Upon entry, he immediately spotted Forsyth and the others, who were in a daze.
Nagakin made a few hand signals and the Godoran warriors surrounded Forsyth’s troops. He then said in a deep voice, “I am Nagakin from Godora’s War Bureau. All of you are surrounded. Drop you weapons and surrender now. I will send all of you to Rainbow Prison.”
The building was shaking unsteadily, and Forsyth finally managed to steady himself. Revealing a malevolent smile, he chuckled as though his prey had fallen into his trap. “It seems like we’ve caught a big fish. Nagakin, look around you. Who do you think is surrounded?”
Two powerful auras exploded and trapped Nagakin’s troops in the middle.
Nagakin hurriedly turned around only to see Anur and Ember glaring at him.
The intense killing intent seemed to have frozen the space around him.
“Why are there two Calamity Grade Supers‽ There is an error in our intelligence!” Nagakin’s face changed drastically.
Alvin’s intel had stated that the strongest person pursuing him was a Grade B Super. For Godora to send out a Grade A Super, it could be considered a foolproof plan. With Nagakin taking action, even if a Grade A Super was hiding amid the enemy’s ranks, he would still be able to fight the other party equally. However, Godora could never have expected that DarkStar would actually send out two Calamity Grade Supers to kill a single traitor. This was akin to killing a chicken with an ox’s blade. This was the trap that DarkStar had set.
Anur and Ember did not appear in front of Alvin’s doppelganger, and Forsyth had acted as the leader. As such, Alvin had believed that there were no Calamity Grade Supers in the team. DarkStar had already predicted that Godora would send reinforcements and intentionally tricked Alvin into thinking that there were no Grade A Supers. They had predicted that there would be a single Grade A Super in the reinforcements at most, and this Grade A Super would become Anur and Ember’s prey!
DarkStar did not only want to chase their traitor down. They had even laid a trap to make Godora lose one of their top fighters!
This was the reason for Anur and Ember to take action together. Godora had fallen for DarkStar’s trap.
The Godoran warriors present felt a chill run down their spines, and their backs were drenched with cold sweat. The immense pressure from facing two powerful enemies had almost caused their hearts to stop beating. They were extremely anxious and did not even know which side they should focus on defending.
Nagakin’s face was solemn, and he knew that it would be difficult for him to escape alive. Taking in a deep breath…
“We will die today…”
Hu!
The Pugilist’s flames covered his entire body, and the aura exploding out of his body matched Anur and Ember’s auras. He then got into his fighting stance, and a resolute gaze could be seen in his eyes. Gritting his teeth, he let out a deep roar.
“Before we die, let’s fight!”
Chapter 483. Seeking Aid and Recruitment |
In the hall of their temporary base, everyone was currently busy with their own things. All of a sudden, the image on the television screen flashed, and the news was suddenly broadcast.
“Noriosse emergency report. Ten minutes ago, a building in the periphery of City 4 was attacked, and three streets were completely destroyed. The bus station is completely crippled, and the number of casualties is being calculated. According to initial analysis, the cause of the destruction is a fight between Supers. More details will be released after further investigation. The Public Security Office is already investigating the matter. Now showing the scene of the location…”
This news drew everyone’s attention. Sylvia immediately went to knock on the machinery modification room and called Han Xiao out to watch the television.
The news displayed scenes of the location. A few dozen tall buildings had collapsed and been reduced to rubble. Just ten minutes earlier, that had still been an extremely prosperous location, but the entire place had been destroyed with thick, black smoke billowing. The aircrafts of the Public Security Office were flying around, trying to save as many casualties as possible. The entire place was filled with noise as corpse after corpse was bagged up before being thrown aside.
“That explains the tremors. I thought that it was an earthquake,” the oldest Volga brother said.
Wilsander was using a brush to clean his wings, and he asked with a shrug, “Are they fighting a war?”
“For them to create such extensive destruction in such a short time, it is probably a battle between Calamity Grade Supers,” Han Xiao said with a deep tone.
He immediately thought about Nagakin. Considering when he had met Nagakin, he felt that it was extremely possible.
However, this had nothing to do with him. He had not activated any missions from Nagakin, and since there were no benefits, Han Xiao did not care about the matter.
Beep beep!
Right at that moment, his communicator rang; an unknown number was calling him. Han Xiao accepted the call.
The next moment, Nagakin’s figure appeared on the screen. He was breathing heavily, and his entire body was covered in blood and wounds. He was obviously in an extremely pathetic state.
“Black Star… please help me,” Nagakin said with grit teeth.
…
Just a while ago, Nagakin had met the ambush of DarkStar, and after an intense battle, three streets had been destroyed with all his elite warriors dead. That foreign Calamity Grade Super had reduced all of them to ash in a single instant. They could not even let out a single cry for help.
Those were his subordinate who had accompanied him into battle for many years, and they had all been wiped out easily. Nagakin was furious but had no choice but to force himself to remain calm and face the two experts in front of him.
While he was the only one left, Nagakin did not entertain the thought of retreating. As long as he could exchange his life for one of his opponents’ lives, it would not be a complete loss.
There was also a divide between Calamity Grade Supers. Nagakin’s strength was not superior to Anur or Ember, and he was at a clear disadvantage. Both of his opponents were Espers who were extremely difficult to deal with. In just a short exchange, he was already injured all over.
The intense battle between them had quickly drawn the attention of the Public Security Office, and they arrived swiftly. Anur had originally intended to continue chasing, but after considering for a moment, he had decided to make a strategic retreat as he did not want to end up being chased by those from the Public Security Office. The result of the ambush was not up to his expectations. He had originally wanted to kill Godora’s Grade A Super quickly, but Nagakin was a Pugilist with a powerful physique and had only been severely injured.
If not for Nagakin having a powerful physique, he would probably have died.
Dragging his severely injured body away from the battlefield, Nagakin did not immediately tend to his wounds. Instead, he contacted the headquarters and reported the entire event while bearing the pain. Godora’s War Bureau was shocked and ordered Nagakin to wait for his orders with the priority being the preservation of his life.
He requested aid from the headquarters, but travelling required time, so it would be impossible for them to send anyone in time. Giving up and retreating had never been part of his vocabulary. Even if he was alone, he would stop DarkStar from accomplishing their objective.
Just when he was considering killing his way back, Nagakin suddenly thought of Black Star, who he had met at the port.
Perhaps only mercenaries could help him.
Noriosse was located far away, and there were few mercenary groups operating in that region. Currently, the Black Star Mercenary Group was probably the only mercenary group around, and he could only seek their help.
He had rejected Han Xiao’s help just a while back but had no choice but to seek help now. This was far too embarrassing, and Nagakin had never imagined that such a scenario would occur. However, he could only grit his teeth and contact Han Xiao. For his mission, casting aside his pride was not a problem at all.
“Nagakin?” Han Xiao had a weird look on his face. His guess was right. Nagakin was related to the news shown on the television, and he had already been severely injured by an unknown enemy. The help that Nagakin was requesting was obviously related to this matter. With none of his subordinates in sight, they had probably all been wiped out, and thus, Nagakin had no choice but to seek help from mercenaries.
With just a short pause, Han Xiao came up with a rough idea of what had happened. He then recalled Nagakin’s crippled appearance, but after glancing at Nagakin’s body once, while Nagakin was covered in blood all over, his limbs were all still intact.
“I have a mission to fetch a character who betrayed DarkStar from Noriosse. His name is Alvin, and DarkStar sent forces to chase after him. The other party has two Grade A Supers, and I fell into their ambush…”
Nagakin described the situation honestly.
While he knew that revealing the truth about two Grade A Supers might cause Han Xiao to act warily and not help him, Nagakin would never hide the strength of his enemies and deceive mercenaries. He was an extremely straightforward person, and even if he knew that the mercenaries might reject him, he would still tell the truth.
Han Xiao was immediately enlightened. When he met Alvin before, he had already been somewhat suspicious but had no intel. This matter was really related to DarkStar.
“Who are the two Grade A Supers of DarkStar?”
“I am not sure.” Nagakin shook his head.
“What are their abilities?”
“One of them is able to reduce the human body to ash and can control a large amount of dust to form various weapons. If I did not raise my defenses with my energy, he would have been able to slowly peel away my flesh…”
A cold glow flashed through Han Xiao’s eyes, and he said, “Carbon element control, Ember!”
He had originally thought that this fellow had died in the explosion of the battleship, but never had he expected that Ember had actually escaped. Furthermore, he had even entered the Calamity Grade. When he fought Ember back on Floating Dragon Island, Ember had already been B+ Grade and far stronger than him. If not for his talent restricting the trump card of Ember, it would have been impossible for him to fight Ember to a draw.
Ember was capable of instantly wiping out any carbon-based life form, and his ability was extremely difficult to deal with. It was like a divine AOE skill. Only Aroshia and himself were immune to Ember. Wilsander was a mixed blood demon, and his body constitution was unknown. If he was not carbon based, perhaps he would be able to escape the outcome of being instantly wiped out.
