Chapter 175 The Tables Turn

Having accepted this “side hustle,” Han Xiao was instantly more motivated. The mission required the captain to survive, and with the main control room door being pounded on and the corridor guarded by scavengers, he could only stand in front of the door and keep all enemies out.

*Tat-tat-tat—*

A hail of bullets and energy beams descended. The hovering shuttles formed an electromagnetic shield, blocking most of the attacks, while his armor took the brunt of the stray shots. Most of these scavengers were ordinary people, individually fragile, but they wielded lethal weapons—some with gunpowder firearms, others with electromagnetic weapons, and even a few with light beam guns. Though each weapon's power was insignificant, the concentrated fire still put some pressure on Han Xiao.

Snake Braid struggled to get up, still dazed. The three mental shocks hadn't done much damage to his health, but the negative effects were making him uncomfortable. He’d been careless, seeing Han Xiao in a suit of armor and assuming he was a mechanic, never expecting a mental attack ambush… but mental attacks came without warning anyway.

Having suffered a small loss, Snake Braid roughly gauged Han Xiao's strength: an opponent no less formidable than Green Knight!

A battle-hungry man, Snake Braid was about to charge with his hammer when Sissoli's voice came over the comms.

“Boss, this ship is approaching the security zone. We don't have much time. Don’t waste time on a tough opponent. Occupy the main control room quickly!”

Snake Braid frowned, suppressing his battle lust. He gave a whistle and shouted, “Everyone, focus fire!”

The henchmen instantly unleashed their full firepower, and Han Xiao's pressure increased sharply.

Wielding his war hammer, Snake Braid took the opportunity to bypass Han Xiao and rush into the main control room.

Once they seized the main control room, they could shut down the shields. Scavengers in outer space could destroy the ship at any time. A fish out of water was like passengers without a ship; everyone on board would have to surrender, eliminating the need for further fighting.

Suppressed by the firepower and unable to break free, Han Xiao's eyes flashed. Four Sonic Spheres *whooshed* out, blocking Snake Braid's path and emitting sound waves.

To protect the main control room, he had to stay at the door and endure the concentrated fire. Han Xiao deliberately put himself in a passive position, but he didn't panic. Ke Erlod and a group of players were on their way, his ace in the hole. Once reinforcements arrived, he could attack from both sides and deal with Snake Braid.

Snake Braid was strong enough to prevent Han Xiao from solving the henchmen problem first. Plus, Han Xiao couldn’t abandon his post at the door; if he focused on Snake Braid first, the scavengers would interfere. To solve this dilemma, he needed to overpower the enemy, which meant activating [Serpent—Devil], but that would trigger a seven-day cooldown.

The situation hadn't deteriorated to the point of using his trump card yet, so Han Xiao chose to stall, waiting for his reinforcements. He knew what he was doing.

Neuro-link allowed him to distractedly control the hovering mechanical weapons, a very useful skill that allowed him to fight on two fronts.

The Sonic Spheres and Magnetic Chain Splitblades attacked like butterflies flitting through flowers. To Snake Braid, they were like a swarm of annoying wasps, agile and stinging. Snake Braid wanted to tough it out and charge forward, but Han Xiao blocked him at the cost of taking concentrated fire, preventing him from getting through.

Snake Braid’s face was full of anger, swinging his war hammer and occasionally smashing a mechanical weapon.

*Bang, bang, bang!*

Time ticked by. The durability of the Soaring Serpent Armor was dropping, but Han Xiao didn't care. He had countless spare parts. Unhurried, he met the attacks head-on, adopting a defensive stance and neutralizing Snake Braid's attacks. He was like an impassable wall, infuriating Snake Braid.

“Boss, there’s not enough time. We can’t take the main control room!” Sissoli shouted over the comms.

“Shut up!”

Snake Braid was on fire, feeling stifled. He swung his war hammer wildly, sensing that he was just one step away from defeating his opponent.

“Boss, don’t be impulsive. Our goal is the Godoran; that’s what matters. Even if we can’t capture the ship, our time is running out. Forget the main control room. Find the Godoran; our employer will pay us to take him away!”

“Aren’t the Beast Hooves people looking for him?!”

“They’ve searched half the ship and still haven’t found their target. The ship is too big, and they don’t have enough manpower!”

Snake Braid cursed and suddenly retracted his hammer, yelling, “Let’s go! Forget this place! Go capture the Godoran!”

The scavengers retreated. Snake Braid abandoned the seemingly easy-to-reach main control room. His obsession with Ke Erlod was unusual.

Only then did Han Xiao realize the scavengers’ objective, surprising him slightly.

So, the scavengers were after Ke Erlod?

To go to such lengths for one person… Something must be up!

“Notify everyone. Change of plans. Abandon the main control room. Search for the Godoran. Sissoli, take the hostages back to our ship. These hostages are worth some money. The rest of you, search for the target!”

Seeing little chance of seizing the Shorthorn Star, the scavengers changed tactics. They would capture the target first, then leave on the scavenger ship docked with the Shorthorn Star, where some people were staying behind—the scavengers’ escape route.

After giving his orders, Snake Braid glared at Han Xiao, his eyes saying, *Consider yourself lucky. I'll spare your life.*

At that moment, a golden light erupted at the other end of the corridor. Spear shadows flashed, and several scavengers were pierced through the chest and collapsed.

Ke Erlod had finally arrived, wielding the Godoran battle spear and carrying a golden shield in his other hand, blocking the way.

Han Xiao and he, one in front and one behind, cornered Snake Braid and his men.

“The Godoran!” Snake Braid exclaimed, surprised and delighted that his prey had appeared.

Taking in the situation, Snake Braid realized what was happening. He looked at Han Xiao and sneered, “So, you and the Godoran are in cahoots, trying to deal with us together. Hmph, you just delivered my target to my doorstep!”

This turn of events was exactly what Snake Braid wanted, saving him the trouble of searching. All he had to do was defeat and capture the Godoran.

Snake Braid roared and charged toward Ke Erlod, hammer whistling through the air!

*Boom!!*

Ke Erlod raised his shield to block, his arm weakened, and he staggered backward, unable to withstand Snake Braid's strength.

Just as Snake Braid was about to pursue, more than a dozen players emerged from behind Ke Erlod, their bodies surging with Qi. They were all Supers with combat power, instantly eliminating the scavengers’ numerical advantage. So many Supers were enough to wipe them all out!

Bewilderment finally appeared on Snake Braid's face. His recklessness and anger turned into astonishment.

How could this low-level tour group have so many Supers?!

Before taking action, the scavengers had assessed the Shorthorn Star’s strength. In theory, Supers on a low-level tour group would be, at most, Grade C and not very strong, because powerful people were generally rich. If they were rich, they would buy their own ships, or at least take a higher-level tour group. For example, the Shorthorn Star was like a bus, while higher-level tour groups were like trains and high-speed rails.

One Green Knight had already surprised Snake Braid, but suddenly so many Grade C Supers emerged, completely unexpected… Where did these poor Super bastards come from? And in droves!

Miscalculated!

Han Xiao chuckled. “I have backup too.”

The next moment, his smile vanished. He coldly said, “Attack!”

Han Xiao and Ke Erlod ferociously attacked Snake Braid's unprepared gang from both sides, unleashing a one-sided slaughter.

The situation instantly reversed!

“Crap! The boss is done for!”

Sissoli shuddered, as if a chill ran down his spine. He was in the ordinary-class cabin hall, guarding the passenger hostages with a group of scavengers.

“What do we do now… Can’t save the boss. Back to the ship!”

Sissoli felt the situation spiraling out of control, and a sense of unease rose in his heart. He just wanted to get back to the ship quickly, so he would have a way out. His task was to bring the hostages on board, so he told himself that it wasn't a betrayal. He had no intention of supporting Snake Braid; most scavengers were selfish with low loyalty. Sissoli cared more about his own safe departure.

“The boss wants me to take the hostages back to the ship. Hurry!” Sissoli couldn't wait to issue orders to his men.

He stopped halfway through his sentence, staring blankly at a corner of the hall.

The corner had been empty, but just now, more than a dozen people had suddenly appeared. Hao Tian, Ming Yue Chang Zhong, Jiang Yu Luo, Meatbun, and a few other high-level players had logged in at the same time after dinner.

The players looked around blankly, faces full of surprise.

Eh, eh, eh, what's going on here?! Why are the passengers being held hostage? Who are these people with guns? Why is the ship shaking? And there’s gunfire in the distance! Are we under attack?!

The scavengers in the hall were stunned, their jaws dropping.

They had checked all the rooms when kidnapping the hostages. Where did these people come from? Are you ghosts?!

Both sides stared at each other, faces dumbfounded.

The scavengers instinctively turned their guns around. When Hao Tian and the others saw this, they immediately understood the situation.

What are we waiting for? Let's kill them!!

With a burst of Qi, these scavenger minions were instantly ground into the dirt.

Sissoli was shocked.

“How despicable! They had an ambush!”