Chapter 163 We Fight Before We Die

Having helped Ames capture the old thief Ison and exceeded the mission quota, Han Xiao was originally in high spirits. But as he turned around, he saw a group of Godora warriors hurrying past, and his mood immediately soured. His face turned grim.

He recognized the Godora combat suits. These people weren't low-level investigators, but special operations forces specializing in combat. The leader was none other than Nago Jin, a very famous Godora High-A Grade Esper in his previous life. In Version 2.0, he was the main figure dealing with the Alienation Disaster on Planet Aquamarine. Most of the combat missions that players accepted from the Godora faction were issued by him. He was essentially a commander and a very important NPC to the players, so Han Xiao was very familiar with him.

Nago Jin, a senior officer of the Godora War Bureau, an A-Grade Martial Artist, was only dispatched for important missions. His appearance on Norios absolutely meant that there was an unknown important event happening here. A flash of insight struck Han Xiao, and he immediately thought of the mixed-blood Godora, Owen, whom he had encountered a few days ago.

"The two should be connected…" Han Xiao thought.

Another anomaly puzzled him. The Nago Jin before him was exceptionally heroic, with a masculine temperament, striding with vigorous steps. He was in perfect health, but in Han Xiao's memory, when the players on Planet Aquamarine saw him for the first time in his previous life, Nago Jin was crippled. Half of his face was almost a skeleton, not only disfigured, but his left arm and legs had been replaced with colonial mechanical prosthetics. He even had many artificial organs implanted in his body to sustain his life.

And now, it was less than a year before the opening of Version 2.0.

So, Nago Jin was crippled in this year, but he didn't know the specific time.

A glint flashed in Han Xiao's eyes. He acted on his doubts, shaking off the Norios executives who were trying to chat with him, and directly blocked Nago Jin's path.

"Who are you? Don't block the way." The group of Godora warriors stopped, and Nago Jin frowned, sizing up Han Xiao.

Han Xiao gave a brief self-introduction.

"Black Star? Oh, I've heard of your name. You and some other mercenaries captured a DarkStar mothership. Not bad."

Nago Jin nodded, not paying much attention. People of his level usually focused on more important matters. He knew Han Xiao's name only because his subordinates had mentioned it occasionally. He was in a hurry at the moment and patiently asked, "Why are you stopping us?"

"Just saying hello and asking if there's anything you need help with?" Han Xiao asked. This was a common opening line for players. He was trying to trigger a mission in order to figure out the goals of these Godora people. He lacked information and didn't know about the clash between DarkStar and Godora on Norios; he only sensed the anomaly.

These warriors were reinforcements sent by Godora, and their mission was to rescue Owen. In the past few days, two more of Owen's clones had been captured, and the situation was urgent. Owen had learned from the senses of his clones that the strongest member of the DarkStar pursuit team was only a B-Grade Esper named Forsatude. So, Godora sent the closest person, Nago Jin, believing that he was enough to deal with the enemy.

Nago Jin didn't think he needed help; he could solve the enemy himself. So, he perfunctorily said, "We don't need your help. We're in a hurry; we're leaving."

With that, Nago Jin passed by Han Xiao, leading his men away.

Watching the backs of these people, Han Xiao stroked his chin. "Tsk, didn't trigger a mission. An event that requires a Calamity Grade powerhouse… probably pretty risky."

Since Nago Jin didn't welcome outsiders, then forget it. He was too lazy to offer a warm face to a cold reception.

He opened his panel. He had received Ames' Character Summon Card earlier, but he hadn't checked it yet.

[Character Summon Card - Ames: (Force Field - Dragon's Gaze) - Compresses the medium (solid, liquid, or gas) within a certain range and applies it to a target, causing them to enter a (Root) state. For every 100 points of Strength the target possesses, they negate 1 second of duration. The base duration is 18 seconds. Uses remaining: 0/1]

Having obtained a strong control skill, Han Xiao thought it was acceptable. Ames had many skills, and at her level, at least seventy percent of her abilities were useful. Although it wasn't a powerful attack, control skills were more flexible, with their own advantages and disadvantages.

The group left the spaceport, returned to the surface, and rented a temporary base. He planned to rest here for a few days while purchasing some supplies. Norios had many shops, and he planned to enhance his own combat machinery. Two high-end knowledges and many advanced knowledges could be combined to create more good blueprints, enough for an upgrade. He still had more than 200 million experience points stored on his panel. As long as he was a little frugal, he had enough to combine blueprints.

And just as everyone was resting, a storm quietly erupted.

…

The edge of Norios City No. 4.

Nago Jin led dozens of Godora warriors in transport flyers to a skyscraper. The surrounding buildings were densely packed, and not far away was the maglev station connecting the city.

According to Owen's intelligence, the DarkStar unit's base was located on the eightieth floor of this building, right in the middle.

Owen's main body had been in contact with the rescue team, observing DarkStar personnel through the senses of his clones, and then providing clues for Nago Jin. His request was to eliminate the DarkStar pursuit team. Only after confirming that there was no danger would his main body appear. He was very cautious.

"The main force of the enemy is inside. We'll destroy their base camp first, and then deal with the DarkStar members operating outside. Otherwise, we'll alert them. The enemy base doesn't know we're coming, so we have an intelligence advantage. Follow me in!"

The flyer slowly ascended, approaching the target floor. Nago Jin's expression was solemn, and he slowly clenched his fist. A rich golden aura flowed along his arm like a liquid.

He punched the outer wall.

Boom!!

In the blink of an eye, a visible white ring-shaped shockwave spread hundreds of meters in all directions along the plane of contact!

All the glass in the building shattered!

The bursting fist force penetrated the eightieth floor, leaving a through-hole. The building structure emitted a creaking sound of friction, and the building's waist directly caved in, like a wooden stick that was about to be broken in two!

Not to mention buildings, it was a trivial matter for a Calamity Grade Martial Artist to dismantle a warship with their bare hands. Given enough time, they could even transform into a self-propelled bulldozer and flatten the surface of a planet alone.

Destroying the terrain with a single punch, Nago Jin led his subordinates into the base, immediately spotting the dizzy Forsatude and others.

Nago Jin made a gesture, and dozens of Godora warriors surrounded Forsatude's team, saying in a deep voice, "I am Nago Jin of the Godora War Bureau. You are surrounded. Drop your weapons and surrender. I will send you to Rainbow Light Prison."

The building swayed. Forsatude steadied himself, revealing a hideous smile, as if he had seen a prey fall into a trap. He said with a sneer, "It seems we've caught a big fish. Nago Jin, look to your left and right. Who do you think is surrounded?"

Two surging energy fluctuations suddenly erupted, sandwiching Nago Jin's troops in the center.

Nago Jin hurriedly turned his head to look, only to see Anruul and Ashes staring at him intently, one on the left and one on the right.

The dense killing intent almost solidified the air.

"How can there be two Calamity Grade Espers?! The intelligence is wrong!" Nago Jin's expression changed drastically.

Owen's clues indicated that the strongest member of the pursuit team was only B-Grade. The Godora side had sent an A-Grade out of insurance considerations. With Nago Jin's appearance, even if the DarkStar side was hiding an A-Grade, the two sides would still be evenly matched. However, they didn't expect DarkStar to make such a big fuss, sending two Calamity Grade powerhouses to pursue a traitor. It was a complete overkill… and this was itself a trap set by DarkStar.

Anruul and Ashes hadn't appeared in front of Owen's clone. Forsatude pretended to be the captain, misleading Owen that there were no Calamity Grade Espers in their team. This was because DarkStar had guessed that Godora would send reinforcements, so they deliberately misled Owen, estimating that there would only be one A-Grade Esper at most in the reinforcements, and this person was the prey of Anruul and Ashes!

DarkStar not only wanted to hunt down Owen, but also set up an ambush, preparing to make Godora lose a top combatant!

This was the reason why Anruul and Ashes acted together. Godora had fallen into DarkStar's trap.

The Godora warriors present felt a chill run down their spines, cold sweat pouring down. The pressure from the two powerful enemies almost made their hearts stop beating. They were extremely nervous, not knowing which direction to defend.

Nago Jin's face was grave. He knew that his chances were slim, and he took a deep breath.

"We will die today…"

Whoosh—

Martial arts aura covered his entire body, and the energy fluctuations rivaled those of Anruul and Ashes. He adopted a fighting stance, his eyes becoming firm, his cheeks tight, and he squeezed out a sonorous low roar from between his clenched teeth:

"Before we die, we fight!"