Chapter 644 - A Chance!
Suddenly, a huge pressure bore down on them. Qian Jialin couldn't move his limbs. He was stopped in his tracks. If he reacted a little slower and didn't manage to unleash his Qi-Jin power to protect himself, he would be kneeling on the ground right now.
Qian Jialin was at the late-stage of Qi-Jin and reacted quickly. Hence, his situation was not bad. However, his team members were not so lucky. They just managed to advance to Qi-Jin so this pressure almost forced them onto the ground. But, they were soldiers of the Federation. Their unyielding spirit allowed them to stand up straight even though their legs were shaking.
Compared to them, Princess Gulibaduo and her confidant were in a bad state. Gulibaduo was only at the peak of refinement. There was no way she would be able to resist against the pressure. Her entire body fell to the ground. She pushed her hands against the ground. She was unable to accept herself lying on the ground. Her dignity and her arrogance as royalty of the Balaya Kingdom wouldn't allow her to do that.
Gulibaduo bit her lips until it bled. She painfully pushed her hands against the floor and forced herself to stand against the pressure. She kept encouraging herself. Gulibaduo, you can do it. You must make your country proud. You cannot taint the reputation of your country. The people of the Balaya Kingdom will not give up so easily! Gulibaduo, you can't give up!
On the other hand, her confidant was not as strong as her. She laid on the ground and vomited blood. The huge pressure was enough to injure her confidant internally!
While everyone was being forced down by the pressure, Luo'er flew into the air like an eagle and aimed his fist at Qian Jialin.
Qian Jialin watched as the fist got nearer to him. He felt unconvinced and furious.
Despicable! Qian Jialin was unwilling to be defeated by his opponent in this way. Just as his anger started boiling, the pressure on him disappeared.
The calm-looking old man frowned. Surprise and bewilderment appeared in his eyes.
Qian Jialin didn't think about it much. He raised his fist and attacked his opponent head-on.
The pressure was lifted at the right time. It left him enough time for him to prepare for his attack.
"Boom!" Another explosion occurred. Two huge force knocked into each other and the two people flew backward.
Luo'er flew into the air and managed to land safely on the ground after spinning a few times in the air. Qian Jialin was thrown over his team and smashed onto the ground heavily. The remaining force caused him to slide out a few meters before stopping.
Qian Jialin felt like vomiting blood but he controlled it. He immediately got up and rushed in front of his team. He stood in front of them acting as shield once again.
As a soldier of the Federation and a team captain, he would not let the person he was protecting or his team members to stand in front of him.
Qian Jialin stood in front arrogantly. He quietly whispered, "Hurry up and run!"
It was impossible for everyone to retreat. He could only let his team members and the princess get away first.
His team members hesitated for a moment. However, they knew that they didn't have much time left. They exchanged glances with one another and nodded. Two of them grabbed the servant on the floor while another person held the princess up by her shoulder. They ran towards the other end of the tunnel. The last team member looked back at his captain worriedly. He forced his emotions down and gritted his teeth. Then, he started running too.
"Hmph!" The old man looked up suddenly when he noticed their small actions and figured out their intention. A light flashed past his eyes and he sneered.
The sound of the old man sneering slammed into their hearts like a hammer. They couldn't control themselves and vomited blood. The princess even tripped and fell to the ground. The servant was in a worse state. She was already injured so she was knocked unconscious.
Qian Jialin felt uncomfortable too. He looked at the ordinary-looking old man with a pale face. He had guessed that the old man was stronger than him but in order to injure them with just a snort, he had to be a domain master.
"None of you can leave without my permission," The old man had his hands behind his back as he spoke to them nonchalantly.
Qian Jialin and his team members couldn't help but feel defeated. How could they get out of here alive? Their opponent was a domain master. They gave up running away. They knew that no matter how hard they tried, they were unable to escape from a domain master. They gathered behind Qian Jialin and waited for the results.
Luo'er ignored the other people. He only wanted Qian Jialin. He licked his lips in excitement. "You are very powerful!"
This was the first time he fought with such a powerful opponent. Because of his grandfather's status in this auction, the bodyguards didn't dare to hit back when they sparred with him. He was depressed. Finally, he could fight with all his might.
"You are not bad too." Qian Jialin replied coldly. There was a huge amount of pressure placed on his shoulders but he remained calm.
While he was talking, he looked at the old man behind Luo'er. Qian Jialin knew that this old man was the person who controlled their life and death. He was their worst enemy.
The lights in the old man's eyes dimmed. He looked like an ordinary old man again. If Qian Jialin met him in public, he would never believe that he was a domain realm master.
Was this the true ability of a domain master? Returning to one's original nature? Qian Jialin felt complicated.
This mission didn't look difficult at the start. He didn't expect himself to meet a domain master. Was Princess Gulibaduo really that important?
With his status, Qian Jialin knew the truth behind the collaboration between the two countries. He knew that the life and death of Gulibaduo would not affect the strategic alliance between the two nations. The only thing it would affect was the inheritance of the Balaya Kingdom.
The Federation definitely wished that Gulibaduo would be the one to inherit the throne. Gulibaduo was raised in the Federation and received education from the Federation. The Federation was good at using its education system to brainwash its people. Hence, Gulibaduo would support the Federation and help to maintain the relationship between the Federation and the Balaya Kingdom.
The Federation sent people to protect Gulibaduo and even rated this mission four stars because they didn't want her to die too. She was a collaborator nurtured by them personally. Based on their prediction, the combination of Qi-Jin masters and ace operators was enough to ensure the safety of the princess.
The Federation underestimated the determination of its enemy countries in killing the princess and underestimated the intensity in the fight for the throne within the Balaya Kingdom. Their enemies would use all their means to cut off one of the Federation's arms. This was why they dared to blatantly appear during the auction at Aoqi and even sent domain masters to fight them.
If the Federation knew about this, they would have rated this a five-star mission. Of course, if that happened, Ling Lan and her friends would not have the chance to take on this mission. The number of domain masters from both parties would increase too and even imperial operators might be sent out. The assassinations by their enemies would probably double in amount. Each battle would be destructive. No one knew what the results would be.
Based on the circumstances, Qian Jialin actually realized this a little late. Domain masters had already appeared on Planet Kachi but they were killed by Ling Lan secretly. She also used a special method to fool their enemies into thinking that the domain masters were still alive so their opponents would make the wrong judgments. Thus, their opponents didn't know that there was a domain master protecting the princess.
It had to be said that the Federation was extremely lucky to have Lingtian in this mission. This was good news for the princess but bad news for their opponents.
Qian Jialin knew that he was probably going to die but he didn't give up. He focused his attention back on the young man. He recalled how the old man took care of him. A sudden thought came to him. They might have a chance to survive.
Luo'er was too excited to notice the change in his opponent's gaze. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. His grandfather told him that he needed to be calm in a battle in order to display his full strength.
Since his undefeatable god of war, his grandfather, was beside him, Luo'er didn't have many worries. He continued to attack with his fist even though he didn't see any openings in his opponent's defenses. He wanted to force his way in.
The tunnel was narrow so there was no space to Qian Jialin to dodge. The princess and his team members were behind him. He had no choice. He needed to fight!
No skills were needed in a forced fight. The person who had stronger Qi-Jin would win.
"Boom!" The two fists collided again. This time, Qian Jialin did something no one expected. He suddenly released his right fist and grabbed his opponent's fist with his hand. Since he didn't use his strength to resist, his opponent's Qi-Jin smashed into his body and he received heavy internal injuries. Blood sput out of his mouth.
Luo'er was not able to dodge as the other party was holding onto his fist. The blood was going to fall on his face so he released his Qi-Jin and blocked the blood.
Luo'er heaved a sigh of relief. At this moment, he didn't know that Qian Jialin's left hand was silently moving towards his throat. His vision was blocked by the blood so he didn't notice it.
This was all part of Qian Jialin's plan. In order to catch Luo'er, Qian Jialin got injured. He knew that if he managed to catch Luo'er, he would be able to negotiate with the other party. This was their only chance!
This was the only way they could leave this place alive. Qian Jialin made a good decision.
"How dare you!"
Qian Jialin could fool Luo'er but he couldn't fool the old man. Qian Jialin knew this clearly. He just hoped that he was able to catch Luo'er before the old man reached him.
A powerful and frightening force of presence shot towards Qian Jialin. He felt a strong pressure on his body. He couldn't move his body anymore.
Qian Jialin felt hopeless. If he didn't catch Luo'er's throat, there would be no way they could survive.
No, I cannot die. I cannot let my team members die here! Ah!
Qian Jialin shouted furiously. The Qi-Jin on his body increased exponentially. He was focused on capturing Luo'er so he didn't realized that he broke through. He was now at the peak of Qi-Jin. Just one step and he would reach the optimal peak.
Because of this breakthrough, he managed to resist the pressure from the old man. His left hand started moving quickly and aimed itself at Luo'er's neck.
A cold look flashed passed the old man's eyes. He disappeared from his position and appeared in front of Qian Jialin almost at the same time. His scrawny hand moved towards Qian Jialin's neck.
The old man's hand appeared clearly in Qian Jialin's vision. It looked slow but in actual fact, Qian Jialin knew that the old man's speed was much faster than him. Before he could grab Luo'er, his head would be removed from his neck.
Are they really going to die here? Qian Jialin was in despair.
Just as Qian Jialin was on the verge of breaking down, a fair and smooth hand with slender fingers popped out. It accurately grabbed the hand that was moving towards his throat.
Qian Jialin felt the pressure on his body disappearing. He got a hold of Luo'er's throat and retreated three meters away.
He finally managed to see the owner of the hand. A man in a mask and a black cloak was standing in front of him. His hair was black and his back was straight. He was holding the old man's hand and standing at the same spot like a mountain. he didn't move at all.
Qian Jialin didn't know who he was or whether he was a friend or foe. However, he had calmed down. The suffocating force of presence from the old man had disappeared totally.
Chapter 645 - Danger!
Qian Jialin managed to calm down. He grabbed his opponent's throat and attacked him relentlessly. He dislocated all of Luo'er's joints. He would not allow his opponent to have any opportunity to counterattack.
The old man wanted to stop him but the masked man wouldn't allow him to. He had no choice but to watch his grandson beaten into a hostage.
The old man glared at the masked man furiously. This was the person who caused all these to happen. The old man wanted to skin this person alive.
However, no matter how much he hated this man, he knew that the man was a difficult opponent. In order to appear silently in front of him and stop him from killing Qian Jialin on time, this person must have reached the domain realm.
What is his motive? Was he on his opponent's side on was he just passing by? The old man pondered over these questions. He controlled his anger and said, "I am the supervisor of the underground auction, Hermit Miluo Duoba. May I know who you are?"
If this person was just passing by, he would stop after he revealed his identity. If this was the case, he would spare this brat. The old man didn't want to cause complications.
Qian Jialin's expression changed when he heard the old man calling himself Hermit.
People in the domain realm were not equal. Some were more powerful than others. Those valiant masters of the domain realm were so powerful, ordinary domain realm masters were not their match at all. They had a long list of achievements and could defeat or kill other domain masters. These powerful people would have their own title once they were recognized by the human world (government).
Hermit was the old man's title. That meant that this normal-looking scrawny old man was a domain realm warrior.
Qian Jialin looked at the masked man with concern. Would the masked man be able to subdue this domain realm warrior?
The masked man was not affected by Miluo Duoba's self-introduction. He replied indifferently, "I am just a nobody. You don't have to know who I am."
Ling Lan appeared calm but inside her mindscape, she was shouting for Little Four furiously.
"Yes, boss!" Little Four was having fun watching the battle between the ace hacker of the Yun family and the hackers of the auction. He didn't feel guilty about pushing the blame to the Yun family. He even felt that the number of ace hackers in this battle was too little for his liking. This battle was not as exciting as he wanted it to be. While he was happily watching the match, his boss called for him and he immediately ran back.
"What is a Hermit?" Ling Lan asked. When Miluo Duoba said that he was called Hermit, he looked so proud. This title was definitely not a random title which he gave himself. Ling Lan was a cautious person. Since she had a query, she needed to get Little Four to answer it.
Little Four told Ling Lan how this title came about. A cold gaze appeared in Ling Lan's eyes. She knew that the situation was bad. She grabbed Little Four's face as he was trying to run away and rubbed it furiously. "Why didn't you tell me this earlier? It is such an important thing."
She didn't know that domain masters were segregated into different sections. The two domain masters on Planet Kachi must be normal domain masters. Luckily, she was cautious and asked Little Four about it. If she attacked this old man the same way she fought with the other two domain masters, she would pay a huge price.
Little Four kept forgetting things. Ling Lan decided to punish him so that he wouldn't do it again.
"I'm sorry. I've forgotten about it again." Little Four cried. He didn't dare to retaliate since he was the one in the wrong.
Miluo Duoba didn't know the astonishment Ling Lan was feeling right now. His heart dropped when he heard what Ling Lan said. If his opponent was able to remain calm even after hearing his title, he must have known his identity from the start. This meant that his opponent was confident in his ability and knew that he could definitely defeat him. This was not good news.
There was no way this situation could end peacefully. Miluo Duoba widened his eyes and a glint flashed. A frightening sense of presence exploded out of his body. But, the masked man seemed to be expecting this. He released his grip and retreated three meters back.
Miluo Duoba sneered. He stepped forward.
"Boom!" The masked man didn't do anything but his sense of presence exploded out too. The people behind them instantly felt their blood moving up their throat. A few weaker ones had already turned pale in the face.
Miluo Duoba and the masked man tested each other secretly without moving their body.
They were equally powerful. Miluo Duoba frowned. He felt that things would be difficult for him.
Miluo Duoba didn't want to have a life-or-death battle with an equally powerful opponent. The longer you live, the more you realize how precious your life is. Also, his grandson, someone who entered the late-stage of Qi-Jin at the age of 28, was in his opponent's hands. He had no other choice but to give up.
Miluo Duoba pondered for a moment before opening his mouth. "You came for these people?"
The man replied indifferently, "What do you think?"
You did! Miluo Duoba sensed the sarcasm. If he didn't come for them, why would he bullshit with him?
Miluo Duoba felt the man was looking at him sarcastically. He must be mocking him for asking such an obvious question. Miluo Duoba almost vomited blood in anger.
"Since that is the case, why don't you put Luo'er down and I will bring you all out of this place." Miluo Duoba gritted his teeth. He would bear anything for his grandson.
"Do you think that I am stupid?" The man asked him back.
Miluo Duoba was stunned. Before he could reply, the man continued, "If I give up my hostage, will you really take us out?" He reached out and snatched Luo'er over from Qian Jialin.
Qian Jialin felt his heart pounding furiously. For some reason, he felt that the masked man was on his side. Hence, even though the hostage was taken away, he was neither angry nor frightened. He was just shocked by how quickly the masked man acted.
The masked man was more vicious than Qian Jialin. The fair hand grabbed Luo'er's throat effortlessly. However, Luo'er's eyes started popping out after a while and his face turned purple. Gagging sounds came out of his mouth. Since his joints were broken, he couldn't move his body. But, his body was squirming uncontrollably like a little worm.
"Stop it!" Miluo Duoba shouted in anger.
The masked man relaxed his hand. Luo'er's felt slightly better.
"The initiative is not on your side now. It is on mine," The masked man calmly said.
Miluo Duoba lost his composure. From his opponent's tone, strength, and sense of presence, he realized that he was a calm person who was not affected by threats. After so many years, he saw these traits on three people before. Those three people were people who he respected. Was this person someone like them too?
The longer he stayed in the domain realm, the clearer he knew that not everyone in the domain level was equal. There were weak domain masters too. These domain masters were just slightly stronger than those Qi-Jin masters.
How powerful you were depended on how well you understood the domain realm. The deeper your understanding was, the more powerful you were. In actual fact, there were domain masters who could kill another domain master within a split of a second. These formidable warriors had special titles assigned to them.
Those three people that he respected were the kings of the domain realm.
Miluo Duoba was on his guard. He gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, I will send you all out, However, once you all reached the main gate, you must release Luo'er."
The masked man nodded. He grabbed Luo'er and turned around. Qian Jialin and his team didn't hesitate. One held onto the princess while another held the servant and they quickly followed the masked man.
Miluo Duoba sighed. He raised his hand and waved it. The armed personnel moved back and Miluo Duoba disappeared from the tunnel too.
Along the way, they met three other people. Two of them were wearing a mask while one was in a black hood. Qian Jialin noticed the similar pattern on the masks so he understood that these were his allies.
The three people saw them coming out and let them passed silently. Then, they walked behind them and helped them to cover their backs. Qian Jialin looked at the man in the hood. He looked familiar…
At B7, Qi Long and Zhao Jun followed the map Ling Lan gave them and found a hidden staircase. They didn't expect the staircase to be scaling ladder instead of the normal stairs.
It was located within a three meters wide round tunnel. On the sitemap, it was a sewer pipe. If their boss didn't specifically identify it as a staircase, they would never have found it. The organizers of the auction really placed a lot of effort into concealing this auction venue.
Qi Long and Zhao Jun didn't find it strange that their boss knew this secret. Their boss had shown them how impressive of a hacker he was. To them, there was nothing he didn't know. It was normal for him to know this passage.
They climbed up the ladder and came to B7.
The moment they reached B7, they felt a huge vibration.
The location of the scaling ladder was quite near the place where Mu Youyun's team was at. They exchanged glances with one another and immediately rushed towards the source of the vibration.
Mu Youyun used the shield to block the entrance of the room. He calculated how long the shield could last while thinking of a way to escape. At that moment, he heard the sound of the walls crumbling. He thought about something and immediately shouted, "Be careful of the walls."
Mu Youyun's team comprised of experienced members. They jumped up the moment they heard Mu Youyun's voice.
"Boom! Boom!" Two loud explosions occurred simultaneously. The walls at their side collapsed and five figures from each side flew in.
Mu Youyun's team members started attacking without waiting for his command. However, they only had six people. There were 10 opponents in total but Mu Youyun needed to be at the door to hold onto the shield. That meant that each of them needed to take on two opponents.
"Boom!" One of the team members got smashed into the wall the moment his opponent struck. He bounced off it and fell to the ground. He vomited blood. He couldn't get up from the ground anymore.
Mu Youyun's team members were all Qi-Jin masters but one of them just advanced to Qi-Jin recently. Hence, he was not able to withstand the attack from two late-stage Qi-Jin masters.
The two Qi-Jin masters saw what happened and continued attacking. They received orders to kill every one of their opponents.
"Little Mouse!" The other team members screamed with bloodshot eyes. They had been in the same team for more than 10 years. Even though everyone's potential was different, they never disliked each other. They persevered through all the hard times together and made the Whirlwind Battle Team into a four-star battle team. Hence, whenever they see their team members in danger, they would be anxious and in rage. If their hands were free, they would definitely rush over and help him.
Just as the two fists were about to hit the vital spot of the Little Mouse, the two Qi-Jin masters suddenly flew out. One of them smashed into the wall while the other was thrown through the hole at the side of the room and landed in another room.
Mu Youyun held Little Mouse up and arrived at the door in a blink of an eye. He blocked the door with the shield once again and passed the shield device to Little Mouse. "Block the door for me."
"Yes, captain!" Little Mouse was bleeding from his mouth but he still replied firmly. He was heavily injured but he told himself that if their opponents wanted to come in, they would have to step over his dead body first. He knew that he might be lacking in strength so he grabbed the shield tightly and placed it against his waist. He used his entire body weight to resist against the vibrations of the shield.
Mu Youyun focused on his opponents after he finished giving his order. Since he gave his team member the task, he would trust his team member. He raised his fist and attacked the person who was getting up from the ground.
Mu Youyun knew that he had to finish off this opponent first. If not, his other team members would end up like Little Mouse too. There was no way they could win against two opponents with the same physical skills level as them.
Chapter 646 - Friends, Not Foe!
Mu Youyun's fist was as quick as lightning. Just as his opponent was getting up, his fist had struck him.
The opponent knew that Mu Youyun was stronger than him but he was confident that he could handle the blow. Hence, he didn't defend himself but retaliated with his fist.
The opponent flew out again. He slammed into the wall and a dent was created. He fell onto the floor and vomited a mouthful of blood. He was heavily injured.
The walls of the auction booth were extremely sturdy and stable. This was to protect the guest and ensure their privacy. Ordinary people were not able to destroy these walls.
Thus, even with 10 Qi-Jin masters on their side, the organizers of the auction still had to rely on explosives to break through the wall. Thus, this showed how powerful Mu Shaoyu's punch was.
Mu Shaoyu continued his attack after he subdued him. He wanted to kick the head of the person on the ground. As he moved his legs, the sound of the air bursting could be heard.
The man on the ground was pale in the face. His injuries didn't give him any chance of escaping. Just as he was about to get hit, a figure came in from the broken wall and raised his fist towards Mu Youyun's back.
Mu Youyun gritted his teeth. He didn't dodge. Even if he was injured, he must kill this person.
Mu Youyun took the blow of the punch but managed to kick his opponent. "Crack." The skull of his opponent burst apart and blood flowed out from every orifice. He died on the spot.
The person who punched Mu Youyun shouted in grief, "Bastard, die!" He raised his fist again. In his despair, he used his entire strength to take revenge for his friend.
Mu Youyun didn't flinch. He received some internal injuries from the punch just now but he could still fight.
The force from the collision of fists impacted the people around them. The people around them had to stop and resist the force first before they continued their own battle.
The team members of the Whirlwind Battle Team managed to get a short break. They went back to fighting after catching their breath.
"Pfft!" Mu Youyun spurted blood out of his mouth. His internal injuries worsen. His opponent was in a similar state. They both suffered serious injuries.
"Optimal peak of Qi-Jin." Mu Youyun's opponent managed to determine Mu Youyun's physical skills' level through this round of attack. This was the highest level of Qi-Jin. No wonder he only received some internal injuries from his previous attack. Their exchange just now resulted in his loss too.
Mu Youyun gained the upper hand in his battle but his team members were in a dire situation.
Beside one of the team members who managed to be on par with his opponents due to his speed, the other three people were on the losing end. One of them was at the late-stage of Qi-Jin and was experienced in fighting. Although he was at a disadvantage, his opponent couldn't defeat him anytime soon. Compared to him, his comrades were in a more dire situation. The other two members could only defend themselves and might be killed soon.
Mu Youyun was aware of what was happening around him even though he was fighting. He knew that his team members were in a bad situation. If he wanted to help them, he must defeat his opponent first.
However, it was not easy to defeat a person who was at the late-stage of Qi-Jin so quickly. Mu Youyun felt agitated for the first time in a while and revealed an opening.
His opponent's eyes lit up. He saw an opportunity. He struck his fist at My Youyun.
"Oh shit!" Mu Youyun sensed his opponent's intent, the moment he moved. His unstable mentality gave his opponent a chance to attack him.
"To dodge or to match?" If he dodged, he would lose his advantage. Then, he would have to wait for another opportunity to arise to regain his advantage. If he matched with his opponent, there was not enough time for him to build up his strength. It was hard to predict the result of the match.
The thoughts flashed past his mind. As a soldier, he couldn't retreat. His instinct made a decision for him and he chose to attack.
"Bang!"
The two figures retreated.
Blood flowed out of their mouths. They were both seriously injured.
At that moment, one of the team members couldn't hold on anymore. He was hit.
He was unable to move as he flew through the air. His two opponents jumped up and attacked him with a fist and a kick.
"Ah!" Mu Youyun and the rest of the team yelled in rage. They had reached their limit and was unable to offer any help. Were they going to lose their comrade?
"Boom! Boom!" The sound of humans colliding with each other was heard twice. The next moment, two figures dropped down.
The injured member started moving in a different direction. He was flying towards the member who was holding the shield at the door. The team member at the door gathered up his energy to prepare to catch his comrade. However, he realized that there was no inertia from his friend. He managed to catch him easily.
Since he chose to catch his companion, it meant that he couldn't keep the shield up.
The team member remembered his responsibility and was devastated. He hurriedly looked for the shield device. A big hand suddenly reached out and grabbed the device quicker than him.
The team member looked up in shock. A masked man entered the room. He took a step in and picked up the device. Then, he put his other foot in.
Another mysterious man in a mask had also appeared in the room.
Mu Youyun felt hope. He didn't know who these two people were but he knew that they helped his team member when he was on the brink of death just now. Mu Youyun believed that they were his allies. Even if they weren't, they were definitely not his foe.
Chapter 647 - Gratitude!
The team member at the door finally noticed that the gunmen outside were subdued. No gunshots could be heard anymore.
This sudden change caused the fights in the room to stop. Everyone looked at the two mysterious men.
"A one-sided battle is too boring. Why not we enter the fight too? 8 vs 9. This number seems more appropriate." The person at the door stretched his arms casually. He seemed as though he was here to have fun.
When he said this, the people who came to kill Mu Youyun knew that they were their enemies. Of course, even if he didn't say anything, they knew that he was definitely not their friend.
The Whirlwind Battle Team was grateful for the appearance of these two people. Without them, all six of them might die here.
The leader of the other party could sense they were at a disadvantage. These two newcomers came without them noticing and even managed to subdue everyone outside. This showed that they were extremely powerful. The leader suddenly waved his hand and the other eight people pounced at their opponents instantly.
One of the two people who were hit by the mysterious man rushed towards him. The other one charged at Mu Youyun. He aimed his fist at the vital point.
Mu Youyun was the leader of this team. Defeating him would greatly impact the rest of his team. Once their opponents lose control of their emotions, they would have a chance of defeating them. No matter how powerful those two men were, they wouldn't be able to take on all nine of them.
This idea was good but it didn't happen in reality. Before his fist could reach Mu Youyun, he felt a strong Qi-Jin moving towards him. If he continued attacking Mu Youyun, he would be hit by this force.
This person was not as ruthless to himself as Mu Youyun. He chose to dodge the attack and save himself.
The masked man who was at the door just now blocked his path and prevented him from attacking Mu Youyun again. The man smiled at him, "Your opponent is me."
The person snorted and attacked the masked man with all of his strength. Since he couldn't attack Mu Youyun, he would just kill the masked man first.
This person was confident that he wouldn't lose to an opponent at the Qi-Jin level. His confidence might be gained from his past experience. However, the things that happened after, destroyed all his confidence.
The bones in his right arm shattered, from his fist to the end of his shoulder.
"Ah!" He screamed in agony as he flew back and slammed forcefully into the wall. The huge impact shook the entire room. The person was stuck in the wall. He was bleeding from his nose, mouth, eyes, and ears. No one knew if he was dead or alive.
"The fifth level One-Inch Punch. As expected of my ultimate move." Qi Long retracted his hand. He suddenly remembered that his boss asked him to use it less often. Was it because it was too powerful so his boss was afraid that he would kill someone that he shouldn't unintentionally?
Thinking about it, he really couldn't control the fifth level. That was why he destroyed his opponent's arm. Qi Long felt hurt when he knew the truth. His ultimate move came about because he couldn't control it.
"Dao Ge!" Another opponent saw his companion being hit and shouted in anger. He charged at Qi Long. He wanted to take revenge for his companion.
"You came at the right time." Qi Long felt excited. He used his fifth level One-Inch Punch again.
"Bang!" His opponent flew away just like his companion. However, this time, he didn't slam into a wall. Instead, he broke through the wall and fell into another room. He never stood up again.
The person who was fighting the other masked man got knocked down too. The other people looked at their comrade who was lying on the floor convulsing and felt hopeless. In just a few seconds, they lost three comrades. Now, there were six active people on each side.
The leader of the attackers felt his heart hurting. He knew that if they continued fighting, they would lose more men. He might not even be able to make it out alive too. The rewards for this mission was generous but his life was more important.
He waved his hand decisively and the six people threw out a grey ball towards their feet.
"Dodge!" Mu Youyun shouted in astonishment when he saw the round balls which looked like bombs.
"The door!" One of the masked men shouted out.
The other people reacted quickly and ran towards the door. Two shields appeared in front of the two masked me.
"Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang…" After six explosions, the room was filled with smoke. The eight people coughed and rushed out of the broken door.
"F**k, we were tricked. They managed to escape." One of the team members of the Whirlwind Battle Team was vexed. He didn't expect those grey balls to be just smoke bombs.
"Those smoke bombs were made to look just like real bombs. It was fine for us to be more careful." Mu Youyun was not annoyed. He was happy that all his team members were still alive.
Mu Youyun looked at the two masked men. Compared to them, these two men didn't seem affected by the smoke at all.
"Thank you for your help. Please tell your captain that I owe him a favor," Mu Youyun said sincerely.
When they used the shields, he guessed their identity. Only that battle team had this item. He didn't expect the battle team which he thought was the weakest to save them. Also, they were very powerful. Mu Youyun didn't believe that he would be able to defeat any of these two men standing in front of him…
"Yes, we will," Zhao Jun smiled.
Zhao Jun and Qi Long were not surprised that Mu Youyun managed to guess their identity. When they used their shield, they were already revealing who they were. Since they were on the same side, they were not afraid of revealing their identity.
Chapter 648 - One-man Battle!
"The princess…" Mu Youyun relaxed after Zhao Jun confirmed his guess. However, he started worrying for the princess and Qian Jialin. He thought about it and felt that since these two were sent over to help him, they must have sent people to help the princess too.
"Don't worry. Our boss is over there personally. It would be fine," Qi Long consoled him.
He looked at his communicator said, "The princess has been rescued. Our boss asked us to gather at the entrance."
Hence, Mu Youyun and those members that were fine carried their heavily injured comrades and followed Qi Long and Zhao Jun to the first floor.
Since there was an important hostage on their side, the organizers of the auction didn't send any more people to attack them. They managed to regroup with Ling Lan and the rest of the people at the atrium on the first floor.
Ling Lan asked them to leave first. She would stay behind at the atrium with the hostage.
Qi Long and the others hesitated for a moment before leaving with the princess. Aoqi was not safe anymore. They had to board the Feiyang Ship. Of course, whether they would remain safe on the ship depended on Aoqi's attitude. If the government of Aoqi didn't mind revealing their true intention, they would have a difficult time leaving this planet.
The moment they left, a figure appeared behind Ling Lan. It was Miluo Duoba.
"I have kept my promise. It is time to keep yours," Miluo Duoba said in a cold voice.
"Of course." Ling Lan pushed Luo'er towards Miluo Duoba.
Miluo Duoba caught his grandson. He examined his body carefully. Besides his joints that were dislocated, there were no other serious injuries. He was relieved.
He waved his hand and a figure appeared behind him. That figure took Luo'er away.
"Why are you still not leaving?" Since his grandson was saved, Miluo Duoba started releasing his force of presence again.
"I am waiting for you. Rather than letting you ambush us, I rather wait for you here." Ling Lan knew that Miluo Duoba would definitely take his revenge. If she moved with Qi Long and the others, she would definitely implicate them. Qi-Jin masters were unable to withstand the force of a battle between domain masters.
Miluo Duoba's gaze froze. He didn't expect Ling Lan to guess his intention. He realized that his opponent was not only powerful but was also shrewd. This made him more frightened. He wondered if it was worth it to fight him. Although he took his grandson as a hostage, he returned it to him as promised…
Miluo Duoba was astounded. Sweat drenched his shirt. He didn't notice that he was actually afraid of his opponent. If he chose to not fight today, this person would become his nightmare. He would be unable to progress further in the domain realm.
I must kill him! Killing intent formed in his heart. He had to kill him in order to progress further.
Ling Lan felt the malicious intent from Miluo Duoba. It was getting stronger. She frowned and got vigilant.
She didn't know why her opponent wanted to kill her so badly but she was not afraid. The moment she decided to step on the path to become stronger, she never allowed herself to retreat.
This was how stubborn Ling Lan was. Whether it was this life or her previous life, there was no stopping her once she decided to do something.
The fighting spirit in Ling Lan grew stronger. She wanted to fight against this domain master too.
Ling Lan didn't really fight with Miluo Duoba in the tunnel but from their short exchange earlier on, she knew that Miluo Duoba was much stronger than the two domain masters she met on Planet Kachi. This person might be her true match.
Suddenly, the entire atrium went dark. There was a problem with electricity. Ling Lan immediately released her domain power and surrounded herself with layers of ice.
Just as Little Four wanted to remind his boss about something, a hand grabbed him and pulled him into a whirlpool. He disappeared instantly.
"Why didn't you let me remind her?" Little Four screamed at Number Five in anger. Number Five was the person who pulled him back into the learning space.
Number Five ignored Little Four. Little Four wanted to pounce on Number Five and bite him. He wished that he could bite the irritating and disgusting smile away on his face.
Number Five couldn't stand it anymore and explained to Little Four in a serious tone, "This is her own battle. We cannot help her."
After he finished talking, he looked at the image in front of him. It was a live broadcast of Ling Lan's battle. The other instructors were standing beside him. They were all concerned about her match.
Little Four was puzzled. He wanted to ask for a clearer explanation. A big hand suddenly pressed his head. "This is an opportunity for Ling Lan to improve herself. She must go through it herself. If not, it would be useless."
"But, what if boss can't find her opponent?" Little Four looked at Number One with tears in his eyes. He knew that his boss couldn't see anything now.
Number One didn't reply Little Four but Little Four knew the answer. Intelligent entities in the learning space were not allowed to help their master if they met any dangers in the real world. This was a rule. If the intelligent entities in the learning space broke this rule, the learning space would self-destruct. Their master's mind would be injured heavily in the process and she might even be brain dead. Intelligent entities like them would be destroyed too.
If their master was killed in the real world, they would have to leave the mindscape of their current master and enter the mindscape of their next master.
No, his boss can't die! Little Four clenched his fist. He shouted, "Boss can definitely make it."
Yes, his boss never disappointed him. Little Four believed in Ling Lan.
However, Little Four made a decision secretly. If his boss died, he would self-destruct. He only has one master and that is his boss——Ling Lan!
The naive Little Four was fooled by the cunning instructors. He didn't know that the instructors had already helped Ling Lan. They would not allow Ling Lan to die.
"Is there no light?" Without any light, Ling Lan almost couldn't see her own fingers. Even though Ling Lan had good vision, she could only make out the outline of the chairs and sofas in the atrium. She couldn't see anything else.
Chapter 649 - Injured?
"The time now is 5 pm. Aoqi has 28 hours in a day. This means that the sky would only be so dark after 10 pm. There was no noise made just now. Hence, this darkness is not caused by the doors and windows closing. This shouldn't be happening at this time." A cold gaze appeared in Ling Lan's eyes. "There is only one possibility. This is my opponent's domain ability!"
"What kind of ability can allow him to remove all sources of light? Am I in an illusion?"
Ling Lan remained calm. She thought through all the possibilities she could think of. When the lights went out, she protected herself with her ice element. She needed to be cautious as she didn't know what domain ability her opponent had. With the ice walls around her, she would be able to easily notice other elements if her opponent attacked her. The ice walls could act as her protective shield too.
Undoubtedly, the decision that Ling Lan made might not be the best but it was the safest.
Besides protecting herself, Ling Lan used her spiritual power to fill the atrium. In order to prevent her opponent from noticing her spiritual power, she only used a small portion of it. Very soon, the entire atrium was filled with her spiritual power.
However, Ling Lan didn't find her target. Miluo Duoba seemed to have disappeared into thin air. There was no trace of him.
"As expected of the Hermit. When he is hiding, there is no evidence left behind. It is perfect." Ling Lan finally understood how powerful domain masters with titles were. She even exclaimed secretly that the title fitted the domain master perfectly.
Ling Lan also realized a weakness of her Profound Insight. When her vision was blocked, the Profound Insight would lose its power. She couldn't use it at this moment.
"Is it sealed? Such a pity." Ling Lan felt depressed. She wanted to use her Profound Insight to find some clues. Seemed like she needed to think of another way.
Suddenly, a cold light appeared in the darkness. A shiny dagger popped out.
The dagger was very bright. It almost blinded Ling Lan.
The dagger was fast too. Ling Lan couldn't keep up with it.
Ling Lan watched as the dagger sliced through her ice walls as though it was slicing beancurd.
The dagger was so fast, Ling Lan was unable to dodge it. It stabbed towards into her abdomen.
Ling Lan narrowed her eyes. She grabbed the bright dagger quickly.
The dagger broke in Ling Lan's hands. Ling Lan curled up her left hand like a claw and aimed it furiously at the dagger.
The dagger retreated quickly. It flashed through the darkness and disappeared once again before Ling Lan caught it.
"Damn it. It ran away." Ling Lan gritted her teeth. She took out the other half of the dagger which was in her abdomen. Blood flowed out of the wound and dripped onto the ground.
Ling Lan became even more vigilant. Her ice element got stronger and the ice walls became thicker. It was more than one meter thick now. If the Hermit wanted to sneak attack her again, he would be unable to break through the wall anymore.
It was extremely quiet. Ling Lan could only hear her own breathing. She didn't know when her opponent would attack again. Her heart started beating faster.
Very soon, Ling Lan realized something terrible. Her wound was unable to heal. Fresh blood kept oozing out of her wound. Ling Lan knew that there must be some agent applied on the dagger which prevented her wound from healing.
Ling Lan realized the situation she was in. If she couldn't end this battle soon, she would die from bleeding.
Ling Lan quickly used her ice blockade to freeze her wound. The blood seemed to have stopped. But, Ling Lan knew that her blood was still dripping out. She just made the wound smaller. Her opponent's agent was too powerful.
However, this bought her more time. Ling Lan waited patiently for her opponent to act again. As long as she caught her opponent, her crisis would be over.
The Hermit was more patient than she expected. He didn't attack her for a long time. More and more blood was flowing out of her wound. No matter how much ice blockade she used, it was useless.
Ling Lan started to get agitated. Her breathing got heavier.
At this moment, the bright dagger appeared again.
"Explode!" Ling Lan suddenly shouted. Her spiritual power exploded. This was the spiritual blast of her spiritual power. After many practices, Ling Lan was able to explode her spiritual power at the same time. She didn't need to split it into four timings anymore. There was no backlash now too.
Ling Lan gave a new name for her spiritual blast. It had a unique and beautiful name——Sky Full Of Stars!
Sky Full Of Stars was extremely powerful. Ling Lan had released more than 50 cords of spiritual power. The explosion of these spiritual cords caused the entire atrium to shake…
"Boom!" The dark image in front of her shattered as though it was made of glass. Numerous glass shards appeared in her eyes. Light entered her vision again. It was not dark anymore. This was how bright 5 pm should be.
Around 10 meters away, Miluo Duoba was standing with a pale face. Blood dripped down from the corner of his mouth. He didn't expect his domain to be destroyed so quickly. The backlash from the destruction injured him.
"Damn it!" Miluo Duoba couldn't accept this result. As he cursed at Ling Lan, numerous arrows rained down on her.
A three meters thick ice shield appeared in front of Ling Lan. The arrows struck the ice shield and bounced onto the ground. They were unable to break through the ice shield. Suddenly, an arrow on fire was shot at the ice shield. The fire on the arrow instantly melted the ice shield and a hole appeared. The fire arrow passed through the hole and struck Ling Lan.
The fire arrow melted the ice really quickly. Ling Lan had no time to react.
The fire arrow pierced through her abdomen. She felt something hot passing through her abdomen. The fire arrow pierced itself into the wall behind Ling Lan. The fire slowly died down. Ling Lan finally managed to see that it a black arrow made from some unknown material.
Chapter 650 - King Level!
Ling Lan lowered her head and looked at the hole in her body. Blood gushed out of her wound. She couldn't help but frown.
Miluo Duoba smiled. "Judging from your injury, you will die within three minutes."
Although he couldn't see the expression under the mask, Miluo Duoba could feel his opponent's heart beating furiously. His opponent's breath also got heavier. Miluo Duoba knew that this was due to the fear of death. His opponent would definitely attack him soon.
Miluo Duoba gave a sinister smile. He disappeared.
Ling Lan immediately activated her ice element. The entire atrium turned into an icy hell. Everything was covered in ice. But, Miluo Duoba was nowhere to be seen.
"I still didn't manage to catch him. Damn it," Ling Lan gritted her teeth as she said that. She held her stomach and formed another layer of ice over her wound. However, her injury was too severe. The ice was melted by the warm blood.
Ling Lan tried her best but her energy was being drained too quickly. A few seconds later, she was unable to form any ice on her wound. She panted heavily.
"This is my chance!" Miluo Duoba's eyes lit up.
A pair of hands appeared behind Ling Lan. It stabbed right into Ling Lan's heart.
Ling Lan didn't notice it. Miluo Duoba managed to succeed in his attack easily.
Miluo Duoba smiled coldly as he clenched his fist. The heart that he was holding burst. Another formidable enemy died in his hands. A normal domain realm master was not his match at all. Miluo Duoba felt that it was a pity. He was enjoying this match but it ended so quickly.
"Crack." The masked man in front of him suddenly cracked into multiple pieces.
Miluo Duoba got a shock. He felt a sense of danger. He quickly retreated without any hesitation but it was still too late.
A forceful punch hit his abdomen. He vomited a mouthful of blood, his organs almost flew out in the process. He was in so much pain…
At that moment, the atrium which was covered in ice, the arrows scattered around the floor, and the black arrow on the wall, all broke into pieces and disappeared into thin air.
However, his opponent didn't stop attacking. Miluo Duoba couldn't retaliate at all. He was forced into mid-air and got kicked by a whirlwind kick. Miluo Duoba flew through the air and slammed onto the ground. The impact caused him to roll on the ground for a few meters.
Miluo Duoba laid on the ground and forced his eyes opened. He looked at the masked man who landed lightly on the ground. The masked man placed his hands behind his back and walked towards him.
"How did this happen?" Miluo Duoba asked while his mouth was filled with blood.
"When I broke your darkness domain, I knew what your element was," Ling Lan replied indifferently. The blood on her body had disappeared. There was no wound on her. She seemed clean and tidy, as though she never had a fight.
"No, impossible." Miluo Duoba didn't believe that his element would be found out by his opponent. Everyone who had fought with him got stuck by his element and died in his hands.
"Many people believed in what they see. They thought that what they see is the truth. However, I believe in my brain and my skills. No one can break through my element skills easily and harmed me without any warning. Of course, if my opponent is a God-Realm master, that is possible. However, you are not. Anything that seems too much must be fake. You went overboard with your illusion," Ling Lan replied calmly.
"Overboard?" Miluo Duoba was puzzled. He used this method to kill many people. How did it become his weakness?
"If you fought with me and injured me due to a loophole in my defense, I might not be able to get out of your illusion so quickly. Ultimately, I have to thank you for creating that sharp dagger," Ling Lan said sincerely.
In the beginning, she was indeed fooled by the illusion. She didn't expect it to be fake. However, the dagger appeared too strangely. She was unable to block it with her ice walls. This caused Ling Lan to ponder again. Even if her opponent was stronger than her, they were still in the same realm. She would still be able to defend herself for a while.
Not only that, but her injury also gave her opponent away. Ling Lan would not tell Miluo Duoba this.
Ling Lan was able to bear with the pain. In her past life, she endured more than 20 years of pain in her body. During this lifetime, she forced herself to become stronger and suffered much during the process. Normal injuries would not cause her to feel any pain at all. However, when she got hurt, she felt excruciating pain. It was so clear that it seemed to be reminding her that she was injured.
Strange attacks and unnatural amounts of pain. This caused Ling Lan to become suspicious. She wondered if this was all real. She thought about an illusion and linked it to Miluo Duoba's element. Was his ability creating illusion?
To prove this, Ling Lan decisively released her spiritual power. When her spiritual blast destroyed the first dark illusion, Ling Lan confirmed her suspicion. However, she didn't think that this was the end of his illusion.
That was why she started to question everything that was happening to her. When she got hit by the arrow, she didn't believe what she saw anymore.
The fear that Miluo Duoba saw was part of Ling Lan's scheme. She purposely showed it to fool him.
Since her opponent wanted to keep her in an illusion, she decided to use the same method to fool her opponent.
Hence, when Miluo Duoba thought that he killed Ling Lan and was happy about it, Ling Lan retaliated. She made use of the opportunity to injure her opponent heavily.
Miluo Duoba was an experienced domain realm warrior so he understood what Ling Lan was trying to say. He smiled bitterly. "So that's what happened. I overestimated myself."
He suddenly refuted himself. "No, I didn't overestimate myself. You are the one who is too confident." If not, how could he kill so many ordinary domain masters and get his title?
"If you want to become a formidable warrior, you need to believe in yourself." Ling Lan looked at Miluo Duoba calmly. She saw the blood at the corner of his mouth turning into ice. The ice slowly moved into his mouth…
Miluo Duoba felt the coldness near his mouth. He looked at Ling Lan with fear. He screamed frighteningly, "No…"
Before he could finish, he stopped. Miluo Duoba had already turned into an ice sculpture. The fear on his face made him looked as though he was still alive.
Ling Lan heaved a sigh of relief. She talked so much with her opponent because she wanted to secretly use her ice blockade. Ling Lan was still fearful of Miluo Duoba's illusion. His illusion was too real. It was hard to differentiate reality from illusion. Before she killed him, she was unable to let her guard down.
"Little Four, did you alter all the surveillance footage?" Ling Lan asked in a low voice. Ling Lan was tired. Although the amount of domain energy she used couldn't compare to the previous two battles with domain masters, she used much brainpower as well as spiritual power to analyze the illusion.
If she could, she wanted to have a good sleep immediately and rest her brain and spiritual power. Sky Full Of Stars would not harm Ling Lan's spiritual power but it used up much of her spiritual power. This was why she was unable to use it a second time to destroy the second illusion.
"Boss, everything is done." Little Four appeared in front of Ling Lan and smiled.
Ling Lan felt that Little Four seemed happier than before. He was looking at her with excitement. Ling Lan felt strange but she was too tired to think about the reason. She nodded.
Ling Lan snapped her fingers and Miluo Duoba turned into fine dust. No traces were left behind. Unless someone with a powerful searching ability came within two hours, no evidence could be found. Once two hours passed, the ice would merge with the air.
The next second, Ling Lan disappeared from the atrium. Ten minutes later, armed forces surrounded the atrium. But, they were unable to find anything there. They wondered if the two domain masters changed their location.
Later, this thought was confirmed through the surveillance images. In the images, after Luo'er was taken away, Miluo Duoba and the masked man started fighting. A few rounds later, the masked man was at a disadvantage and ran away. Miluo Duoba chased after the masked man.
Since they knew that the two domain masters went somewhere else, the government of Aoqi started searching throughout the city. Yet, no signs of Miluo Duoba or the masked man could be found. Even the princess and her subordinates had disappeared. Aoqi finally realized that this might be an act of the ace hacker from the Yun family.
They remembered the auction and felt that from the start, all the images they saw might be fake. Aoqi started sending people to search through the atrium. Only Miluo Duoba's element could be felt. The masked man didn't leave any traces behind.
Who was the masked man? Aoqi felt that it was a domain realm master from the Federation but since they had no evidence, they didn't know who it was.
Miluo Duoba's disappearance caused the people from Aoqi's side to feel agitated. They waited patiently for a day but he still didn't come back. The people from Aoqi felt that he was probably met with some danger. However, he would not just be killed like this. After all, he was a domain master with a title. Even someone who was at the same level as him could not make him disappear without a trace. Did the Federation send out domain masters who had reached the king level of the domain realm?
The people of Aoqi was scared by this thought. King level domain masters were people who were a step into the God-Realm. There were only two God-Realm masters in this world currently.
One was Mu Shui-qing from the Federation and the other was Wadi Futesi from Caesar.
In the past ten thousand years, only 11 people managed to reach the God-Realm. It was even harder than becoming a god-class operator. In order to break through the boundaries of a human physique and change the human DNA, they needed to experience death. God-Realm masters were people who managed to be reborn after death. Most people just died when they reached that state and never reaching the God-Realm.
To have two God-Realm masters in this era, it showed how powerful this generation was.
Since God-Realm was almost impossible to reach, king level domain masters became a frightening existence. However, it was hard to reach this level too. There were only nine king level domain masters in the human world.
Three came from the Federation. The Federation had the most king level domain masters. Caesar had two. King level domain masters normally stayed within their country just like imperial operators. Was the princess so important that the Federation sent out a king level domain master?
However, this suggestion was rejected after a while. The three king level domain masters were still within the Federation. They didn't come out.
The people from Aoqi wanted to find out the truth but nothing was discovered even after one day of searching. The Feiyang Ship left Aoqi during this time. Aoqi wanted to force the Feiyang Ship to stay but a message from the Federation stopped them. Unless they wanted to cut all ties with the Federation, they didn't dare to make any more moves.
The Feiyang Ship left Aoqi on time. Ling Lan looked at the yellow colored planet on the screen. There were moving further and further away from it. She looked serious.
"Boss, what is the matter?" Qi Long appeared oblivious at times but he noticed what he should notice.
"There will be a huge battle soon," Ling Lan said evenly.
"Oh…" Qi Long didn't feel excited. Qi Long liked to fight but he was tired of close-range combat.
"It will be a mecha battle," Ling Lan continued.
"Ah!" Everyone jumped up and looked at Ling Lan.
Chapter 651 - Intergalactic Space Pirates!
"Planet Aoqi will definitely send their forces to hunt us down." Li Lanfeng who sat on the couch suddenly said.
Everyone focused on Li Lanfeng. Li Lanfeng calmly continued, "Planet Aoqi lost their top tier domain master because they wanted to assassinate the princess. They know that their target is boarding Feiyang and would of course not give up on the assassination.
"Also, Aoqi had already thought of taking down Feiyang, but they didn't have any good reasons to attack Feiyang. In the end, after receiving a threat from the Federation, they couldn't help but to let Feiyang leave on time. However, even though the situation played out like this, Aoqi's government would not give up that easily…"
"Since they can't attack out in the open, they will definitely attack from the shadows." Li Lanfeng raised his head and turned towards Ling Lan. He then continued slowly, "There are many ways they can attack us from the shadows and not let anyone discover their involvement. For them to be not connected to this incident would of course involve intergalactic space pirates."
Intergalactic space pirates were mostly comprised of criminals and psychopaths that were wanted by all countries. However, some of these pirates were actually secret army forces the governments had secretly created. Some of these pirates were even soldiers in disguise. Even the Federation had a group of intergalactic space pirates that served as their clean-up crew to take out powers or individuals the Federation could not get rid of publicly.
Li Lanfeng's words made the others nod in agreement. Ling Lan continued the discussion, "Lanfeng's right. During the rest of our trip, we will be attacked by at least one group of intergalactic pirates. Actually, from the beginning of the mission, I had already guessed that we would definitely meet up with some intergalactic space pirates during this mission."
"Why?" Only Li Yingjie was curious why Boss Lan had this thought right from the beginning.
Hearing his question, Li Lanfeng frowned and decisively decided to ignore Li Yingjie. If the family head of the Li family was going to be Li Yingjie, Li Lanfeng believed that the Li family's golden throne will definitely be forcefully overthrown by another elite family.
Compared to Li Lanfeng's disgust towards Li Yingjie, Ling Lan didn't care about the thought process of Li Yingjie. After so many years, Ling Lan already knew Li Yingjie was the idiot son of the Li family. Additionally there was Li Shiyu, who only focused on his research and didn't care about the wealth and power of the Li family. Inside a super elite family like this with different factions going against one another, two simple minded and stubborn successors were born. Ling Lan was very interested in how the Li family had raised people like them. It should be known that this feat was even harder than raising someone who squandered their wealth.
Ling Lan replied with great patience, "Compared to other means of assassination, using intergalactic space pirates is the most effective and easiest way. And it is also the most covert way. You won't be able to determine whether the pirates' intention was just the princess or just robbery… Even if Feiyang becomes space debris because of an incident like this, the Federation wouldn't be able to find any evidence.The Federation will only be able to acknowledge the reality presented before them. Who knew Feiyang would be this unlucky and encounter intergalactic space pirates?"
"That's insane." Li Yingjie finally understood and his expression changed instantly.
"Politics have always been dark." Gulibaduo was only a 20 year old young woman, yet she had become a chess piece for different parties for them to take what each of them wanted. In reality, her life was not in her own hands. In the end, her life would depend on which powers succeeded in achieving their own plans.
After thinking until this point, Ling Lan's expression became cold as ice. If she had returned to being Ling Xiao's daughter, would she also become an existence like Gulibaduo and become a chess piece used by others to attack or win Ling Xiao over?
Ling Lan's mood instantly turned for the worse. Her cold aura seeped out for a second and was then immediately taken back. Although the change was instantaneous, the five around her all clearly felt the aura.
"Boss, did something happen?" Although the five of them all seemed calm on the outside, the muscles hiding under their attire had already tightened up. As long as there was anything that seemed off with the surroundings, they would instantaneously attack it.
Ling Lan shook her head and her aura became calm and mild. She changed the topic and said, "When you guys boarded the ship, did Mu Youyun and the others contact you guys?"
"No. Ever since we returned to the ship on the third day, they didn't contact us," replied Zhao Jun. After Mu Youyun's team had escorted the princess to Feiyang, they silently left and didn't expose themselves. Zhao Jun knew that Captain Mu Youyun clearly knew who had attacked them.
Ling Lan nodded lightly. Senior Colonel Mu Youyun was definitely an experienced battle team leader. He knew to hide Ling Lan's group's existence.
"All in all, as they didn't contact us, we will go with what we had previously arranged."
Ling Lan didn't want to have too much contact with Mu Youyun's group. They were after all the royal guards for the princess on the outside and was the focus of attention for the enemies. Ling Lan didn't want her group to be exposed if Mu Youyun's group became exposed. That way, her group wouldn't be in danger.
Ling Lan did indeed want to complete this escort mission. However, if this mission caused her or her teammates to give up their lives… Ling Lan would rather fail the mission. In her eyes, brothers-in-arms and comrades were more important than the mission.
After receiving Ling Lan's orders, Qi Long and the others continued to live their life as a simple intergalactic tourist. Although Ling Lan said that intergalactic space pirates would attack Feiyang, the week after the discussion, nothing had happened. It was peaceful for the entire week. This peacefulness made Mu Youyun and others believe that Aoqi wanting to assassinate the princess was only just a dream they were having.
Of course, they only just thought about it. Four star battle team were comprised of all experienced and capable veterans. They knew that the more peaceful it was, the more likely a huge crisis was about to come. Even those around them, the three teams who were disguised as the intergalactic adventure group and the intergalactic smuggling group, were becoming increasingly worried.
Unfortunately, in the time they all had their guard up, another three days passed by peacefully. There were only two hours left until they would enter Balaya's planetary sector. Mu Youyun and the others couldn't help but think that Aoqi was worried about their top level domain expert, thus they had given up on assassinating Princess Gulibaduo.
At this time, Ling Lan's group were in their room. Ling Lan was playing chess with Li Lanfeng. Qi Long and Zhao Jun's mood was very tense, but they still could control themselves. Li Yingjie was all jittery and kept looking at the time on his communicator as though he was in a hurry.
"Li Yingjie, stop looking at it. There are still lots of time." Li Lanfeng didn't even raise his head and reminded Li Yingjie.
"Why? Didn't the Boss say that those intergalactic space pirates would appear in the last two hours?" The reason why Li Yingjie was so excited was all because it had already reached the time Ling Lan had predicted that the ship would be attacked.
"Yes, that's why there are still two hours left," replied Li Lanfeng calmly.
"You're saying until the very end?" Li Yingjie asked confusedly.
"Yes. The time for them to make a move would be when everyone lets their guard down." Li Lanfeng placed a black chess piece decisively into Ling Lan's territory. Although that one piece was surrounded, this part of Ling Lan's territory was in disarray. There was enough space for Li Lanfeng's piece and it had a chance to do something.
"But, we would have reached Balaya's planetary sector by then. Will they not be afraid that they would be surrounded by Balaya's warships?" Li Yingjie asked in confusion. Princess Gulibaduo was aboard Feiyang. When Balaya gets word that Feiyang was under attacked, they would definitely send a warship fleet to come to Feiyang's aid.
"No, the outer ring of Balaya's sector isn't within the real planetary sector of Balaya. In fact, the sectors between each country are a no man's land area. This area could not be determined to be under any country. Thus, these sectors were named fuzzy sectors. If a country's military forces wanted to enter these sectors, there wouldn't be any problems if bordering countries had no disagreement with the idea. However, if one country disagreed, according to the laws of the Intergalactic Human Rights Committee, this issue will be settled in the Intergalactic Supreme Court. Only if the country sending military forces into the sector received the court order for them to pass through, then they would then be able to enter the chosen sector." Ling Lan explained in lay-man's terms.
"Didn't the scout academy teach us this?" Lin Zhong-qing suddenly raised his head and asked.
Lin Zhong-qing's words pierced Li Yingjie's heart. His heart almost jumped out of his nostrils. Yet he still snorted coldly as if he didn't care about what Lin Zhong-qing had said, "Back then I was working hard to train my physical skills. Who listens to those lectures…"
"Oh!" Lin Zhong-qing said indifferently. He put his head down once again to organize his luggage. As the logistics personnel, he had to know what items they had at their disposal.
Lin Zhong-qing's indifference made Li Yingjie feel even more awkward. Wasn't Lin Zhong-qing completely shunning him? However, Li Yingjie actually hated those theory lectures.
"We shouldn't rely on Balaya's reinforcements. It's better to depend on ourselves rather than others…"
After Ling Lan spoke, she picked up another white chess piece and put it down right beside Li Lanfeng's black piece. Since her opponent wanted to play randomly, she was going to play randomly as well.
"The group of intergalactic space pirates will probably not be too large if they want to sneak into Balaya's bordering sector without being discovered." Li Lanfeng stood up, "With the threat of Balaya's military, they wouldn't send a large intergalactic pirate force. If they were discovered on their way to the sector and were to be discovered by other patrolling starship fleets from other countries, they would suffer unnecessary losses."
"Then how big is the intergalactic space pirate group going to be?" Zhao Jun asked. He was very trusting of Li Lanfeng's predictions.
"There will probably be three starships," Li Lanfeng said without hesitation. One ship as the flag ship and two fully equipped vanguard ships. Small fleet such as these ones could move about without being detected, especially the two smaller vanguard ships. These ships were very fast, mobile and was the best type of ship to attack and board other starships. Vanguard ships were also called swarm starships. If a flag ship brought enough vanguard ships, they would be able to use the swarm surround tactic. Even the largest starship fleets would take a u-turn after seeing the swarm-like vanguard ships. If those fleets were unlucky, it was possible that they would be destroyed by being surrounded by the swarm-like vanguard ships.
Of course, the vanguard ships had their weaknesses. These ships were most afraid of mechas. Although vanguard ships were agile and moved quickly, they still couldn't compare to the speed and mobility of mechas. Once the number of mechas becomes more than what they could handle and surrounds them, the outcome of these vanguard ships wouldn't be too good. Thus, if these ships saw an intergalactic carrier, these vanguard ships would not dare to attack them.
It was similar to a bigger fish eating a smaller fish, and a smaller fish eating krills. It was just that in galactic warfare, it was the exact opposite. Vanguard ships were afraid of encountering mechas because mechas were much smaller. Mechas may not be able to do too much damage to large starships, but they would be able to damage vanguard ships. Once the number of mechas passed the amount vanguards ships they could defend against, these mechas would then be able to completely destroy the vanguard ships.
However, mechas were completely ineffective against huge starships. Mechas didn't have strong weaponry and artillery, and cold weapons were not large enough to do any significant damage. It was impossible for mechas to do any damage to large starships. Even if it was to create a hole on the starship, it was possible that the weapons on a mecha wouldn't be able to do anything. However, something that was completely impossible for mechas, was not necessarily impossible for vanguard ships. Although vanguard ships were small in size, the power of their artillery was incomparable to the ones on mechas. If there was enough vanguard ships and their main cannons attacked continuously, large starships wouldn't be able to defend against such attacks. This was why the swarm surround tactic was used widely in many intergalactic battles.
Although large starships could not defend against the swarm surround tactic, they were considered the best weapons against the slow motherships. Motherships were afraid of large starships the most. Even if a mothership sent out all the mechas it contained, it wouldn't be enough to go against large starships…
Thus, in an intergalactic fleet, there would always be more than one type of starship. If the different types of starships were mixed together, the fleet would not have any obvious flaws in its defense and offense.
Of course, the theory mentioned above only applied to the levels under ace mechas. If there were enough ace mechas, this theory would be questioned. This was also why ace mechas were the kings of the battlefield. Not to mention mechas above the ace-level… Those mechas were not allowed to appear in battlefields.
Vanguard ships were the best choice for going against a large cruise starship like Feiyang. If the intergalactic space pirates really wanted to hijack the cruise ship, there wouldn't be only just a small group. However, one starship's strength was insignificant. If two more starships joined in on the attack, Feiyang would be in trouble. Thus, Li Lanfeng determined that the enemy would send one flagship and two vanguard ships.
Ling Lan nodded in agreement, "It's probably as you say."
"Boss, do you think they will have ace mechas?" Li Yingjie said excitedly. Ever since he advanced to ace-level, he only competed with allies or trained with comrades. This was the first time he was going to fight for real. Li Yingjie felt his heart beat faster and faster.
"Definitely, 100%." Ling Lan stood up. Everyone also stood up in unplanned unison. This was the powerful presence of a captain.
"Are we getting ready?" Qi Long began to pump his fists.
Ling Lan looked at the time on her communicator and calmly said, "If my guess is correct, the intergalactic pirates will be here right now."
After she finished speaking, they heard Feiyang's alarm go off.
"Attention all passengers. Attention all passengers. We have encountered intergalactic pirates"
"Once again, a reminder to everyone, the battle will commence immediately. All passengers please remain calm and do not panic. Passengers who are still the recreation areas please immediately return to your rooms…"
"Boss, could it be that you jinxed it?" Li Yingjie looked at Ling Lan with an odd look as Ling Lan left the room first. He didn't think that right after Ling Lan said that pirates were going to come, the pirates actually came…
"Bam!" His head was slapped by Lin Zhong-qing, "What nonsense are you spouting? This is called a premonition."
Seeing Lin Zhong-qing, who slapped his head, following behind Ling Lan, Li Yingjie grimaced as he rubbed his head. He murmured, "I knew that I wouldn't get any status or benefits after joining Lingtian. Even the punk that I had bullied before is now bullying me…"