Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Because of Aros.h.i.+a's sudden outburst, the meeting ended abruptly. In the end, they followed Alvin's thought and chose to lie in wait while waiting for their reinforcements. While Nagakin displayed his worries toward the DarkStar troops who were chasing after Alvin, Alvin seemed to be extremely confident in the situation of his main body and was certain that it would not be found. However, his lips were tightly sealed and not even the slightest bit of information could be discovered.
Alvin was the core of the mission and they had to respect his wishes. Thus, they could only choose to stay behind in the base and raise their guard while monitoring the actions of Anur and the others. Very quickly, three days pa.s.sed.
The three days were extremely peaceful, and both parties were completely unharmed.
DarkStar was only interested in finding Alvin's main body but did not have any clues. They ran around the place randomly, and the anxious mercenaries became at ease. During this period of rest, Han Xiao repaired the machines that had been damaged in his battle with Ember and regained some of his combat strength. He did not think that this mission would end so simply. After all, it was a mission with more than a million experience points, so something else would probably happen before or after the reinforcements arrived.
This mission did not create any chaos, but another incident attracted the Great Mechanic Han's attention. In the past three days, Aros.h.i.+a had found the calling in her head to be more and more obvious. Using her words, it was as though there was a voice recorder being broadcasted on a never-ending loop in her mind. The volume of the playback got louder and louder, and she had a strong feeling that the other party wanted to lead her somewhere.
Han Xiao had always known that Aros.h.i.+a was filled with secrets. She was virtually undying and indestructible. Even Ames was not able to destroy her thoroughly, and her origins were extremely mysterious. Furthermore, she even had a rank A chain mission, and he had not even seen her in his previous life. Did this mean that the players did not find this hidden character? Han Xiao then thought about the outcome of Floating Dragon in his previous life. Because of Ames' fooling around, Floating Dragon had ended up being destroyed in his previous life. At that time, had Aros.h.i.+a still been on Floating Dragon Island? If not, where did she revive?
As a captain who cared for his subordinates, Han Xiao began asking Aros.h.i.+a about her situation in detail. After knowing that the call was coming from the sky and not too far away, after a series of questions and investigation, it was very likely that the location Aros.h.i.+a was referring to was an empty port in Noriosse.
With the distance so near to him, Han Xiao could not help but feel wary. When they first arrived in Noriosse, Aros.h.i.+a did not have such a feeling, which meant that there was a possibility for this feeling to be the result of a party chasing after Aros.h.i.+a recently arriving at Noriosse. Thus, the other party had the ability to determine Aros.h.i.+a's location. If Han Xiao chose to ignore the other party, it was very likely that the other party would continue bothering them. What made Han Xiao the wariest was the fact that he did not know the other party's intentions.
Aros.h.i.+a was not able to recall anything related to this sensation and decided to personally check this matter out. Han Xiao naturally did not want her to run around on her own. Since Alvin was currently acting in a low-profile manner in their base, Han Xiao decided to follow Aros.h.i.+a.
After considering for a while more, he called Feidin over as well.
It was probably akin to bringing out a peace talisman on the way out.
The three of them sat in a s.p.a.ce elevator and arrived at the port that Aros.h.i.+a's instinct was pointing toward. This was a port that had its exit facing the outside of the Shattered Star Ring. Only those who come from other Star Fields would stop in this port.
“Which direction is your instinct pointing toward?”
The large hall of the dock was full of people walking in all directions to the different docks. Apart from the endless supply of pa.s.sersby and tourists, there were also the Noriosse guards and staff of the dock. The ceiling of the empty port was transparent, and the scenery of the universe could be seen. The three of them were currently on a travelator, travelling slowly and casually.
“Over there.” Aros.h.i.+a pointed in front.
“What clear directions.” Han Xiao was helpless.
“It's a pity that my abilities are still weak,” Feidin said with a smile. “If not, I would be able to use my Psychic abilities to treat Aros.h.i.+a's brain and help her to regain her memories.”
“You will have to first research on the memory storage methods of energy lifeforms. She does not have a brain for you to search.”
“Really?” Feidin looked at Aros.h.i.+a. “Even when her body is solidified?”
“Her Esper abilities aren't activated only when in use. When she awakened her Esper abilities, it remodeled her entire body. Her brain, bones, muscles, skin and so on are all no more than an emulation. While she doesn't seem to be any different from an ordinary being, what will flow out if you crack her head open won't be brain fluids.”
Han Xiao paused for a moment. Looking at Feidin's face full of curiosity, he frowned. “You can't be wanting to give it a try, right?”
“You know that I would not do something so violent…” Feidin waved his hands before laughing bitterly. “However, that lady living in my head does not think so.”
“Chen Xing probably feels as though she is always being suppressed by you in your body. If I was a lady, I wouldn't have a good impression of you either,” Han Xiao joked. “However, feelings are born with time. Perhaps after being suppressed by you for a long time, she might enjoy such a feeling and no longer be willing to come out.”
“What f*cking bullsh*t. This lady here will slaughter you the moment I come out.” Feidin pointed at this head and chuckled. “These are the original words which she said.”
Han Xiao bent forward and leaned toward Feidin's face. With his eyes staring deeply into Feidin's eyes, it was as though he could see Chen Xing's consciousness. While Chen Xing was not able to control the body, she was able to share Feidin's senses. Han Xiao then clicked his tongue and said, “No, even if you are able to come out, you definitely won't want to meet me.”
After having a casual conversation, the three of them arrived at the source of the calling. This was a storage compartment, and the door was sealed. They needed a pa.s.scode or access card before they could enter.
“The thing calling out to you is inside. It seems like it is really something alive. We have to find a way to go in and take a look.”
Han Xiao's expression turned solemn. At this moment, the member of staff in charge of this region walked over.
“Do you guys recognize the person inside the warehouse?”
The three of them turned around and Han Xiao asked, “What's the matter?”
“It's like this, the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p inside landed in the warehouse three days ago. However, no registration was made, and the fees haven't been paid. All of our requests for communication were rejected, and the person on the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p did not disembark either. If you guys know him, please pay the fees.”
Han Xiao's eyes glowed. The other party did not leave the s.h.i.+p and did not make an appearance. It was truly mysterious.
“Wait a moment, why didn't you chase him away even when he didn't pay?” Feidin asked.
“Because his s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p is a reconnaissance s.h.i.+p of the Federation of Light. This is the symbol of his status. Our Noriosse Financial Group won't chase away such a high-grade s.h.i.+p so easily.” The staff's words were extremely reasonable.
“In truth, I am also not sure if we know him.” Han Xiao pointed at the door. “Can we go in to take a look?”
“I'm afraid not. I don't have this authority. According to the regulations, only the temporary owner of the warehouse can allow any guest to enter.” This was to prevent people from stealing the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p.
“Let us make an application then, since he is still in the warehouse.” Han Xiao pressed a b.u.t.ton on the warehouse's communicator. Since the other party was there for Aros.h.i.+a, it was unlikely for him to reject them.
After sending out an application and waiting for a while, time seemed to inch forward extremely slowly. The communicator suddenly turned green, and the door parted slowly. The owner of the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p had opened the warehouse without even saying anything to them.
A black s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p over a hundred meters long was currently parked in the warehouse. This small sized s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p was extremely nimble and was the normal size of a reconnaissance s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p. Its s.h.i.+ny black exterior reflected the view of the warehouse's interior.
How could the Great Mechanic Han not recognize the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p? He immediately knew that this was the BlackLight Stealth. Not only was it expensive, its build quality was exceptional. In his previous life, whenever a s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p like this appeared in the market, it would quickly be purchased by the large guilds or wealthy players.
Han Xiao immediately felt some pressure. A figure who owned such a s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p definitely would not be a simple character. If the person was hostile, it would definitely be very troublesome.
Swoos.h.!.+
There still was no communication, and the hatch to the BlackLight Stealth opened up as though the owner was inviting them in. However, the pitch-black entrance seemed to be emanating a cold air.
“Not even showing his appearance and acting so mysteriously.” Han Xiao looked at Aros.h.i.+a. “Are we going in?”
Aros.h.i.+a nodded and said with uncertainty, “I can feel someone calling me from inside. He is extremely anxious. Furthermore, this s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p gives me a feeling of familiarity, and I think that I have spent a long time inside the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p before. I may even have experienced something extremely important… but I cannot recall anything.”
Han Xiao's interface suddenly displayed a notification. The second part of [Reboot] had one extra point in mission progress. It seems as though this s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p was an important location in Aros.h.i.+a's memories.
“Then let's go up and take a look. Don't worry, I'm right behind you,” Han Xiao said.
The three of them walked into the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p and were greeted by a dark alley. After taking a step into the alley, the lights lit up on both sides.
Whoosh.
At this moment, the hatch behind the three of them closed up and restricted their retreat.
“The owner of the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p wants us to walk forward,” Feidin said.
Without bothering about the closed hatch, the three of them walked along the alley and arrived at a fork. The light toward the right was lit up, but the left was completely dark. The three of them understood that the light was their guide.
The cold and pale light glow seemed to carry an eerie atmosphere along with it, and the three of their faces also looked pale under the light.
“In truth, I would have preferred to go toward the left, but let's first follow the light. For the owner of the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p to not reveal himself until now, this owner reminds me of that annoying Aesop who likes to act mysteriously.” Han Xiao stroked his chin and was even more curious about the relations.h.i.+p between Aros.h.i.+a and the other party.
Following the light, they walked down a winding hallway before finally arriving at the c.o.c.kpit of the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p. The c.o.c.kpit was completely empty at the moment, and the control panel was glowing with a yellow light. The most eye-catching item was an accessory being hung above and to the right of the pilot's seat. This was a transparent gla.s.s cover with a ball of golden light flickering inside it like an unstable light bulb.
Aros.h.i.+a was stunned for a moment before walking forward to touch the gla.s.s cover as though she was possessed.
Hum!
All of a sudden, a strange scene occurred!
All the lights in the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p lit up at the same time, and the c.o.c.kpit was suddenly brightly illuminated. The golden light from within the gla.s.s cover merged together with Aros.h.i.+a's palm from where she touched the gla.s.s cover as though the golden light had originally belonged to Aros.h.i.+a.
At that moment, the sound of the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p's system could be heard.
“Authority verification complete. Welcome back, Captain.”
Numerous flas.h.i.+ng lights began to fly all around the c.o.c.kpit before a figure of light was condensed in front of the three people. The figure of light immediately spread his arms and hugged the stunned Aros.h.i.+a.
“I've finally found you, comrade!”
