Chapter 13 Thirteenth Meal

Dark, humid.

The stench of decay permeated the air, and the biting cold sank deep into the bones.

In the pitch-black cave, the petite figure huddled like a young animal, trembling slightly.

Aurora carefully tore open a bag of military biscuits, moving very slowly, pausing after tearing off each small piece, afraid of making noise and attracting enemies. After opening the package, she took small bites of the hard biscuit, taking a long time to finish it.

In reality, this little bit of noise wouldn't escape the cave, but she always remembered Han Xiao's instructions and didn't dare make a sound.

"This is already the thirteenth meal..." Aurora thought to herself.

Time seemed to stand still in the cave. She ate when she was hungry and could only judge the passage of time by the number of meals.

A pair of bright eyes hid in the darkness, constantly watching the direction of the cave entrance.

Inside the cave, there were only supplies, the sound of breathing and heartbeats, and the waiting for the unseen light...

…

Several days later, the Andianan southern battlefield, Stardragon's front-line position.

The convoy stopped inside the position, and the crowd sat or stood, waiting listlessly.

The elven-like sparks danced between her fingers. After playing for a while, Danina asked impatiently:

"We've been here for 22 hours, how much longer do we have to wait?"

"Take it easy, it should be soon," Han Xiao said, puffing out smoke from the cigarette in his mouth.

After breaking through the leader's ambush, there were no more surprises along the way. They smoothly passed through the Germinal Organization's territory and arrived in the Six Nations' territory. Their original destination was a Six Nations temporary base in the southern battlefield, but Han Xiao suddenly demanded they stop at this position, saying he was waiting for someone.

Now that they were safe, the Six Nations' experts naturally had no objections. The reason they hadn't left yet was because they still had a mission: to supervise Han Xiao's delivery of the intelligence to the Six Nations. Because the matter was of great importance, the Six Nations had to guard against any possible accidents...

Nearby, Hela paced back and forth anxiously, frequently looking toward the entrance of the position.

The soldiers passing by all cast admiring glances at their group. They rarely saw so many important figures.

Suddenly, a commotion broke out at the entrance of the position.

Hela stopped abruptly and looked over nervously.

She saw the soldiers on guard open the gate. A man wearing a hooded robe walked in slowly, holding the hand of a little girl. The little girl's face was pale from malnutrition. She looked around with curiosity, then saw Hela, and her eyes could no longer move away.

It was Dean and Aurora.

Hela strode forward and wrapped Aurora in her arms, hugging her tightly for a while until Aurora could barely breathe. She then crouched down, touched Aurora's face, and carefully examined her. Seeing that Aurora was unharmed, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Then, noticing Aurora's pale face, she said with apology, "I'm sorry, I'll never leave you again."

Aurora wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, revealing a big smile.

Her infectious smile seemed to brighten the world.

"I knew you would come to pick me up."

Seeing her sister safe, the weight in Hela's heart vanished. Suddenly, she felt the wind was so gentle and the sunlight was so bright.

The air of freedom.

On the other side, Dean approached Han Xiao and said, "Mission accomplished."

Dean's stealth ability was best suited for infiltrating dangerous situations. Following the coordinates Han Xiao gave him, he found Aurora and brought her out. Since the failed ambush against Han Xiao, Germinal's vigilance had declined sharply, so their journey was without any real danger.

"Thanks," Han Xiao nodded and smiled. "Sorry for making you take the risk. Consider it me owing you a favor."

"No need. You once saved me. Consider it my repayment, just a small effort," Dean waved his hand. "Besides, compared to you infiltrating Germinal's headquarters, my little task isn't risky at all."

Han Xiao exchanged a few polite words with Dean and then brought up the main topic. "Did you prepare the goods I wanted?"

"As per your request, I've already instructed my men to take the goods from the warehouse and transport them directly to Southern Continent. You can pick them up when you get back."

"Good. I'll settle the payment then."

After chatting for a few more sentences, Dean left. Danina said helplessly, "Can we leave now?"

"Wait a moment." Han Xiao walked toward Hela and Aurora. The sisters were still talking. As he approached, he suddenly heard Aurora ask a question.

"Sister, where are we going next?" Aurora asked with a hopeful expression.

Hela suddenly paused.

Yes, they were free now, but where should they go?

They no longer needed to work for anyone. In this vast world, where should they go?

Confusion flashed in Hela's eyes.

"If you have nowhere to go, why not come with me for now? My territory is very safe," Han Xiao said, walking over.

"You?" Hela hesitated and stroked Aurora's head.

The world was so big, and she wanted to take her sister to see it.

Han Xiao said, "Your sister has been imprisoned for so long, and her physical condition is very poor. Even if you want to take her somewhere else, you should at least let her recover first."

"...You're right." Hela's expression tightened, and she immediately agreed with Han Xiao's point of view. The most urgent task was to let her sister recover. Every time she saw Aurora's thin and bony appearance, her heart ached. Although she still had a deep hatred for Germinal, at this moment, she was completely focused on her sister and had no thoughts of revenge. She just wanted to settle down with Aurora first.

However, she respected her sister's opinion and asked Aurora, "What do you think?"

"Okay," Aurora replied happily. After being imprisoned for so long, everything outside was new and exciting to her.

Aurora suddenly thought of something and said timidly to Han Xiao, "Thank you for saving me."

Han Xiao smiled without saying a word and reached out to pinch Aurora's face. Aurora did not resist and looked obedient.

Casting a glance at Han Xiao, Hela felt complicated.

She didn't expect her sister to be saved by him. She didn't know how to repay this great favor.

'Then let's follow him for now...'

…

A few days later, the group passed through various positions and arrived at the temporary base in the southern battlefield. The representatives of the Six Nations gathered in the conference room, waiting for Han Xiao's arrival.

After settling Hela and the others, Han Xiao walked into the conference room under the guidance of a guard. The eyes of the Six Nations' representatives focused on him.

The guard behind him closed the door.

Most of these representatives were strangers. The only one he recognized was Stardragon's representative, Gu Hui, the director of the Thirteenth Bureau.

"Yo, everyone's here," Han Xiao greeted casually, dragged a chair over with his foot, and sat down with a plop, acting as if he were familiar with everyone, not treating himself as an outsider.

Everyone present couldn't help but size him up. This was the first time most of them had seen Han Xiao in person. Thinking of the deeds he had accomplished, many people's eyes revealed awe and apprehension.

All along, it was this person who had secretly provided intelligence, accurately grasped the hostile relationship between the Six Nations and Germinal, fueled the flames, and used them to kill, becoming the biggest mastermind behind the scenes.

Such a person was dangerous.

Moreover, according to recent reports, Han Xiao had broken through the limits of his strength and was probably the strongest Esper in the world. From the Six Nations' point of view, it was impossible not to be wary of a strong person belonging to another force.

Dark Net had both Bennett, the former "strongest," and Han Xiao, the current "strongest." It seemed to be a worrying force.

Fortunately, Dark Net had always been neutral, which was good news.

Gu Hui knocked on the table and said sternly, "Han Xiao, we have fulfilled the transaction. It's your turn."

"Hey, we know each other, at least. Don't be so official," Han Xiao chuckled. "It's been a long time since we last met. How have you been recently? Have you been promoted? But with your position, it seems easier to be demoted than promoted..."

The veins on Gu Hui's forehead bulged, and he knocked heavily on the table. "Get! To! The! Point!"

"Alas, people these days don't have the leisure to chat about everyday things. All they have in their eyes are business, work, and the future," Han Xiao shook his head repeatedly. "Life is not only about poetry and distant fields, but also about the present predicament."

"No, where do you get so much to say?" Gu Hui was very annoyed. Could you respect our solemn occasion?

The representatives of various countries twitched at the corners of their mouths. The feeling Han Xiao gave them was too far from the impression they had guessed...

Shouldn't the mastermind behind the scenes be an insidious person who exudes baleful aura, is mysterious and taciturn? What's with this style of chatting about everyday things with the director of Stardragon's Thirteenth Bureau? How could he be so approachable?!

Unfathomable.

After rambling for a while, Han Xiao secretly observed the structure of the room, confirmed that there were no ambushes or eavesdropping devices, and then immediately stopped the nonsense. He took out a portable hard drive, connected it to the computer, and transferred the images to the conference room's big screen.

Germinal's confidential intelligence was openly displayed. The entire Germinal Organization had almost no secrets left. All their plans, arrangements, armed forces, and trump cards were exposed to the sunlight.

(I woke up late today. The next chapter isn't finished yet, so the second update will be later. You probably won't believe me, but the bed started it...)