Chapter 1 A Bloody Wind

A bloody wind rushed toward them as the tunneling beasts burst from the earth, baring their fangs and charging savagely at the stern steel defenses.

* * *

Dong, dong, dong—

The sound of the Sunil soldiers’ large-caliber defensive machine guns was more like artillery fire. Flames shot out more than a meter from the muzzles as depleted uranium armor-piercing rounds and explosive bullets swept across the field. The tunneling beasts were sent flying as if struck by an invisible giant hand. They crashed to the ground and were riddled with bullets. Their agonized howls turned into muddy rolls, and the armor and flesh were mashed into a bloody pulp. Slurry splattered everywhere, leaving sticky trails on the parched ground.

“Hold the line!”

Niveler’s tone was cold and hard as he commanded his B12 defense team through the squad leader-level armor’s built-in combat channel. He had thirty soldiers under his command, and their interwoven web of fire kept the beasts at bay.

Between bursts of fire, Niveler scanned their surroundings. This wave of tunneling beasts had caused little trouble, only damaging some armor. There were no casualties. A close call.

Rumble—

Two dark tunneling beasts suddenly burst from the ground near the B12 defense team. These were two stragglers. They snapped their blood-drenched jaws at Niveler and a soldier beside him. The attack was sudden.

Before the other defenders could turn their guns around, Niveler reacted. He dropped his weapon and, in a flash, reached out with both hands. His steel gauntlets precisely caught the beast’s open jaws in mid-air, preventing its fangs from piercing his helmet. In that instant, his mechanical arms blasted a stream of air, and the mechanical components clicked and whirred as they pumped out power. All his joints locked, and he braced against the beast’s immense strength. The next moment, he twisted his wrist, and a rotating wrist saw popped out. With a *shlack*, he sliced off half the beast’s mouth.

Then, ignoring the wild thrashing of the beast’s claws as it writhed in agony, Niveler slammed his shoulder into it, knocking it over. He raised a metallic foot and stomped on its throat like a nail, pinning the struggling beast. He quickly retrieved two electromagnetic power pistols from the slot on his waist and shot out the beast’s brains with a *bang, bang, bang*.

Blood splattered all over his armor, and viscous fluid coated the tactical display.

This series of movements was swift and decisive, showing none of the clumsiness one might expect from someone wearing heavy armor.

However, the other soldier who had been attacked was not so lucky. His helmet was twisted and deformed by the bite, almost crushed flat. Blood sprayed from the seams of the helmet, and he swayed and fell. He was the first casualty. Before dying, he had fired several shots into the beast’s abdomen, fulfilling his last duty. Before falling, he was still worried about Niveler and had tried to support his captain, even turning his gun around, but he lacked the strength to pull the trigger.

Sunil soldier-grade armor enhanced the combat qualities of ordinary soldiers. The heavy steel power armor gave soldiers the power to fight against individually powerful beasts. Niveler’s squad leader-grade armor was even more powerful. Even if he wasn’t a Super, he wouldn’t lose to the Super mercenaries who were arriving as reinforcements, thanks to his armor and the combat experience of a veteran.

Niveler picked up his defensive machine gun and, together with his comrades, fired to kill the beast. He glanced at his subordinate’s corpse, his tone devoid of emotion, and barked, “Ignore him. Don’t break formation.”

He had lost count of how many times he had worn this armor and fought in his more than a decade in the service.

In his long career, he had participated in the Dim Star Disaster and experienced the Great Migration. He led reconnaissance teams in the initial exploration and development of Sunil Star. He had experienced every disaster, and comrades had continued to die. Fewer and fewer veterans remained, and old friends disappeared one after another.

Niveler’s team had been replaced many times. His current subordinates were all recruits with only a few years of service. He always led his team on dangerous missions, so his team often suffered heavy losses, including many friends he had known for many years… Regret? That word wasn’t in his dictionary. Niveler didn’t care about the deaths of his subordinates. Sacrifice was inevitable in order to protect the tribe. That had always been his creed.

In the eyes of others, Niveler was undoubtedly a very cold-blooded officer.

After repelling this wave of beasts, the outdoor reconnaissance team sent back a message that there would be a lull of several tens of minutes. Niveler immediately requested logistics maintenance. An equipment vehicle arrived next to the position, and a team of repairmen used various equipment and steel plates to repair the defense team’s armor. Niveler was surrounded by a group of repairmen with welding equipment when he saw Han Xiao walk over.

Because of Rielton, Niveler had some impression of Han Xiao. He said in a deep voice, “Mercenary, get back to your position!”

“I want to apply for a change of assignment,” Han Xiao said.

“There’s no job safer than the one you have now.” Niveler’s tone was stiff. He had seen many mercenaries apply for a change of assignment at the last minute, simply because they were frightened by the scene of the disaster and didn’t want to stay on the dangerous front lines.

The Sunil race would not force mercenaries to participate in dangerous battles. They would only deduct some credits and remuneration. Of course, Niveler would usually wave such mercenaries away, feeling that it was a waste of energy to say another word and that it would be better to close his eyes and rest to recover some strength.

But the safest job those mercenaries who went back on their word could apply for was Han Xiao’s current position. Niveler didn’t know what was going on with this Black Star. Could it be that he was greedy for life and afraid of death, clinging to a fluke? No, he was Rielton’s friend. He didn’t seem like that kind of person.

Niveler suppressed his impatience and asked, “What do you want?”

“My team wants to join the outdoor reconnaissance.”

As soon as he said this, the soldiers and mercenaries who were resting nearby cast surprised glances.

Niveler suspected he had misheard. This was the most dangerous mission. Mercenaries avoided it like the plague, and this was the first time someone had volunteered to perform a reconnaissance mission.

Taciturnity and strict obedience to orders were Niveler’s style, but at this moment, he couldn’t help but ask, “Why?”

“My team members have some special abilities. They are best suited to carry out dangerous missions.” Han Xiao pretended to be profound. “Besides, Rielton is my friend… Even so, I still have to be paid. That’s my principle.”

“…I will apply to my superiors.” Niveler’s tone was less cold. The surrounding soldiers were even more respectful. Mercenaries they had never met before were willing to take risks for the tribe, and no matter what the reason, this behavior made the Sunil people feel grateful.

The mercenaries whispered to each other, curious about Han Xiao’s team.

“What kind of mercenary group are they?”

“I think they’re called Black Star.”

“Never heard of them. Newcomers, probably. They’re really going all out. What’s the point? It’s a big loss if they die.”

Before long, a new mission popped up on the panel—Outdoor Reconnaissance. The reward was 8,000 Enas. This was a mission issued to the entire mercenary group, and the other players had also triggered it.

Han Xiao was satisfied. In the Jubely Hub’s mercenary hall, he couldn’t take on other missions due to insufficient credit points. When he came to the Sunil race, there was room for negotiation. This kind of private employment would not increase his credit points, but his fame and rewards would not be lacking.

Outdoor reconnaissance was indeed very dangerous. Han Xiao didn’t plan to go himself, but instead let the players do it. Anyway, they wouldn’t die. He could squeeze them hard and use them for reconnaissance. The players would do the mission, and he could get a piece of the pie for nothing.

The players were pleasantly surprised. Staying in the position was safe, but it was also monotonous. Now that they had a reward as motivation, the players didn’t care about the danger of outdoor reconnaissance and were eager to try.

“I have one more request. I personally want to join the battlefield repair team,” Han Xiao said. “I am a mechanic… a very good one.”

“Battlefield repair?” Niveler frowned.

“I think this job will allow me to make better use of my abilities.”

Repair work was logistics, and the race’s own logistics soldiers were responsible for it. Letting mercenaries participate was a waste of manpower and resources, which was the same as hiring people for nothing. However, Niveler didn’t immediately refuse. The Black Star Mercenary Group had just applied for the most dangerous mission, and the captain’s request wasn’t too excessive. Niveler felt that Han Xiao deserved some privileges.

Han Xiao went straight to a damaged soldier-grade armor and repaired it on the spot, using various tools in turn. Sparks flew, dazzling everyone. Before they could react, the armor was about 90% repaired. His Mechanical Affinity was very high, and he also had the newly acquired [Armament Engineer] bonus, so his repair speed was extremely fast.

He added at the right time, “Only during the rest period can your equipment be fully repaired. It will be very dangerous if it is seriously damaged, but I have enough strength to protect myself and can provide battlefield repairs to provide you with security.”

“Alright, the higher-ups have approved it.” Niveler asked his superiors and received a positive response.

Battlefield repair required traveling through the front lines. Han Xiao took the initiative to give up a safe position and take on risks that he didn’t need to take. Everyone was filled with emotion—what kind of spirit was this? It was simply a model of selflessness and altruism.

There weren’t many good people like this anymore!

Seeing this scene, Feng Yue couldn’t help but recall the interstellar goal Han Xiao had announced and thought, “Every protagonist-type character has his own characteristics. In his bones, he is a very positive person. Could his characteristic be a natural hero?”

After the mission changed, the players were pulled to take a crash course on outdoor reconnaissance and would set off before the next attack, temporarily splitting up.

Han Xiao no longer needed to fire cannons and went directly to report to the battlefield repair team. This was part of his plan.

The Mechanic class could reverse engineer mechanical blueprints through repair and modification, but it required a lot of experience. Han Xiao didn’t lack experience. As long as he had enough repair opportunities, he could reverse engineer the blueprints. He valued soldier-grade and squad leader-grade armor the most. This kind of standard individual armor had good performance and was very suitable for selling to players on a large scale. Not only could he make a fortune, but he could also increase the average strength of the mercenary group.

In the next two days, the defense team continued to engage in contact battles, and the equipment was often damaged. Han Xiao ran back and forth in the defense circle, performing battlefield repairs and contacting various armor. The deduction progress was slowly advancing.

Although his motives were impure, Han Xiao’s timely battlefield repairs did save the lives of many defending soldiers. The effect was remarkable, and even Niveler, who didn’t care much about the casualties of his subordinates, felt that Han Xiao had given him a lot of help.