Chapter 1 The First Contact

“Steel Fortress, Arcane Academy, Crystal Mountain, Purple Sea Archipelago, Peak of Cards…”

Five teams from different factions surrounded the central airdrop pod, facing each other in a tense standoff. A nearby smuggler, seeing this scene, immediately chickened out. Not daring to approach, he quickly retreated into the forest, warily observing from the shadows.

Every piece of space junk that fell was a treasure that the various major forces were determined to obtain. This one had landed near Rune City, and all the combat teams present knew that time was of the essence. Without another word, they immediately took action.

Rat-tat-tat!

The Steel Fortress warriors were the first to open fire, their rifles spewing flames, bullets sweeping across the other four factions. In the dark forest, sparks flew everywhere.

Firearms and gunpowder were the hallmark of Steel Fortress technology. Most people present dodged and weaved, avoiding their sharp edge.

Except for the Peak of Cards warriors.

These individuals wore strange devices on their arms, resembling bronze-colored bracers shaped like small discs. The discs had numerous card slots. This was the core technology of the Peak of Cards warriors: the battle card disk. They took a shimmering card from the center of the disk and inserted it into a slot. The next moment, a change occurred.

Buzz—

A light blue energy shield condensed in front of the disk. Bullets struck it, creating ripple-like shockwaves, blocking all attacks.

Clearly, this was a product of another system. The Peak of Cards' extraterrestrial objects contained the concrete technology to store, convert, and use energy with cards as the medium.

Bang, bang, bang—

At the same time, the warriors from the other organizations moved, engaging in a chaotic melee. Various colored energy beams flashed through the forest, accompanied by furious roars.

Grenades blasted through arcane shields, and sharp claws severed metal gun barrels, sending sparks flying.

A card-conjured javelin pierced an augmented body, causing boiling blood to spurt out, emitting white smoke and sizzling sounds.

Radiation beams from crystals shattered battle card disks, and torn cards exploded into a sky full of glittering shards. The escaping energy transformed into shockwaves, blasting away the nearby forest floor, splattering black dirt everywhere.

These were all elite warriors from their respective factions. The Arcane Academy's arcane shock, Crystal Mountain's crystal energy, the Purple Sea Archipelago's combat transformation potions… combat technologies with wildly different styles clashed with each other.

Anyone who approached the central “space junk” would be attacked in unison. The five factions restrained each other, reaching a stalemate.

Woo—

Suddenly, a horn sounded from the distant forest, causing everyone's expression to change.

“That’s Rune City’s soldier horn. Their collection squad is almost here.”

The Steel Fortress sniper adjusted his scope and saw a large group of creatures rapidly approaching, he said in a deep voice.

“There’s no time. If we can’t get it, we can’t let Rune City have it. Prepare explosives and blow up this fallen object!”

The Steel Fortress captain shouted. His subordinates took out various detonators and grenades, throwing them toward the airdrop pod.

The other factions weren't willing to be outdone, and they also took out destructive weapons and attacked the airdrop pod. On the issue of not wanting to benefit the enemy, these people thought alike.

Rumble!!

The sound of the explosion shook the night. The expanding firelight mixed with black smoke rose, obscuring the airdrop pod.

“Keep going!”

Space junk that could fall to a planet was usually very tough, but even so, they had to try their best to cause damage, making it difficult for enemy forces to study.

Whoosh—

Just as these people were preparing to launch a second round of focused attacks, the “space junk” in the middle emitted a clear sound of pressure being released from an air pump. The hatch slid open with a swoosh. Everyone saw a figure swaying in the smoke, followed by an unfamiliar voice, speaking in their language.

“…Are you guys done making a ruckus?”

Pushing aside the smoke, Han Xiao strode out. He had landed with his physical body and hadn't activated the Void Dragon mech. This broken airdrop pod had made his head hurt. The internal system had even crashed during the impact, and the door wouldn't open. It was simply a disgrace to the airdrop world.

It took him a little while to restart the system. He had heard the clanging and banging of the battle outside.

Although the various factions of Planet Aquamarine possessed so-called “supernatural” weapons, in his opinion, the technological level was very low. The power was so-so. Even without wearing a mech, it would be difficult for the enemies to break his defenses.

The battle outside was in full swing, but Han Xiao didn’t care at all. However, these people actually wanted to blow up the airdrop pod. That was unacceptable. If the rented item was damaged, he would have to pay for it!

Han Xiao's appearance caused the scene to suddenly freeze.

Silence spread.

These warriors stared blankly at Han Xiao, their expressions as if they had been flash-frozen. A look of horror was frozen on their faces. Even the smuggler who was observing in secret opened his mouth wide, dumbstruck.

“A-alien!!”

In the past, all the space junk had been inanimate objects.

This was the first living creature!

An alien from the endless universe!

Fear, shock, greed – countless emotions flashed across the faces of these warriors.

Everyone's breathing became heavy, and at the same time, an idea floated up.

“We absolutely have to get the alien! He's too valuable!”

Just then, a large number of footsteps sounded in the forest. A large group of Rune City guards finally arrived at the scene, two hundred of them, wearing standard guard armor. One hundred were melee guards wielding shields and swords, and one hundred were archers wielding short crossbows. Runes were engraved on the surface of their weapons and armor to enhance their attack power, defense, and physical strength.

The expressions of the Steel Fortress and other organizations' warriors changed. “It’s Rune City's elite ranger regiment. We've been delayed for too long!”

“Drop your weapons!”

The Rune Force’s regimental commander shouted loudly, looked at the airdrop pod at the landing site, and then saw Han Xiao. After a little analysis, he came to the same conclusion as the others. His eyes widened, and he looked shocked. He made a decisive decision and ordered, “Surround them, drive out the enemies! This is Rune City's territory, and no one can take our things!”

The warriors from the other factions had solemn expressions and quickly retreated. There were too few of them, and they didn’t dare to be surrounded.

According to practice, if they couldn't get it, they had to try their best to destroy it. But the alien was too precious. At this time, many people couldn't make up their minds – should they really kill the alien? There was no precedent for this. Maybe they shouldn't do it…

The Steel Fortress captain's eyes were fierce, and his killing intent surged. He gritted his teeth and ordered, “Don’t worry about so much. Our duty is to carry out orders. Since there’s no way to grab that alien, then we can’t let Rune City get him. Fire!”

Upon hearing this, the sniper raised his gun, aimed it at Han Xiao’s forehead, and suddenly pulled the trigger.

“Crap!” The Rune Force regimental commander’s expression suddenly changed drastically.

Bang!

The gunshot reverberated.

Everyone hurriedly looked at the alien in the middle.

Han Xiao tilted his head, slowly turned back, and there was a white mark on his forehead, emitting a faint wisp of smoke. However, not even the skin had been scratched.

On Planet Aquamarine, Grade C could withstand gunpowder weapons, and Grade B was even more unafraid. Although he was a Mechanic, his health and resistance even surpassed martial artists who tempered their bodies. Crude gunpowder weapons couldn’t break his defenses.

Horror and astonishment suddenly appeared on everyone’s faces, as if they were changing masks.

At this moment, everyone realized that the guy in front of them wasn't an inanimate object for them to fight over, but a mysterious visitor from the stars.

Danger level: Unknown!

“Zero damage.” Han Xiao touched his forehead, raised an eyebrow, and was too lazy to even wear a mech. With a flash of his mechanical force, dozens of Black Panther mechanical beasts appeared in the blink of an eye and pounced out fiercely.

Whether it was the warriors from the initial factions or the Rune City guards who arrived later, they were all his targets.

The situation suddenly changed drastically.

The mechanical beasts ruthlessly attacked, and everyone hurriedly fought back, panicking. However, all kinds of weapons striking the mechanical beasts could only tear a trail of sparks on the armor. It was a completely one-sided battle. The mechanical beasts crushed everyone like rotten wood.

Pfft!

Several sharp blade tails pierced the sniper's chest. Blood foam overflowed from his mouth. Before he could even let out a scream, several mechanical beasts surrounding him tore his tail, and the sniper's body was torn into pieces like a broken sack.

A foul smell quickly spread.

“These things are all machines!” The Steel Fortress captain yelled, incredulous. This alien’s technology was in the same vein as theirs. The mechanical beasts’ might deeply shocked their hearts.

The entire battle lasted less than ten minutes. Everyone was lying on the ground, blood flowing everywhere, screaming incessantly. Other than the Steel Fortress warriors, Han Xiao didn’t kill anyone else, as he needed someone to spread the word.

The smuggler in the forest escaped unscathed, his expression horrified, his legs trembling. Many people were so scared that they fell to the ground.

In the blink of an eye, two or three hundred elite warriors had been dealt with. The alien was too terrifying!

The chaotic situation was completely suppressed, and these native warriors had calmed down.

The mechanical beasts returned to his side and folded themselves into compressed balls, rolling into Han Xiao’s pocket. This incomprehensible scene shocked the wounded.

Han Xiao glanced around and said lightly, “Let me introduce myself. I’m a mercenary from the stars, here on your planet to find a peculiar statue that resembles wood. According to my senses, the statue is in the city not far away. If you’re willing to hand it over, I can exchange some information about the cosmic environment with you. If you refuse, it’s not far from that city, and I’ll go get it myself. Time is limited. I hope to get your answer by tomorrow morning.”

After the translator’s conversion, his words became the language of Planet Aquamarine. Everyone looked shocked. Seeing that Han Xiao had no intention of killing, they had no choice but to suppress their chaotic and confused thoughts, carefully stand up, support each other, and limp away, their steps hurried.

The warriors from the different factions left separately, and no more conflicts occurred. They rushed back to report Han Xiao’s information. This was the most important matter.

The ground was in a mess, and the smuggler had also run away. Han Xiao didn’t bother with it.

“The political structure of this planet is very rudimentary. A technology makes a city, and a city is equivalent to a regime. My arrival is big news for them. Because they have no connection with interstellar society, they have no systematic super power knowledge. They only have their own groping of individual power systems or some incomplete super power information. The individual level is very weak, at most Grade C, and the number is not even as high as Planet Aquamarine.”

With his Grade B level, it was enough to sweep across this planet. Don’t look down on Grade B being considered common in the cosmos; it’s not difficult to kill, but on a lower-level planet, it is nearly invincible. The forces of Planet Aquamarine only had a numerical advantage against him.

Han Xiao smiled. Mechanics were least afraid of group fights.

However, the forces of Planet Aquamarine might have some powerful weapons as a trump card. Han Xiao didn’t ignore this possibility.

“After learning of my information, the best outcome would naturally be Rune City taking the initiative to hand over the statue, but that’s unlikely.” Han Xiao shook his head. He knew the nature of these people: arrogant and conceited, they probably wouldn’t compromise.

Waiting here for a day, he would face not smiles tomorrow morning, but an army besieging him.

But this was Han Xiao’s plan. Leaving Rune City one night to mobilize their troops would be perfect for shattering their mentality all at once and saving time. He liked to see enemies full of confidence the most.

Melos and the others were still on the spaceship. It was easier to shock the enemy by descending alone.

Although he had three statues, which could locate the position of the last statue, it seemed more convenient to sneak in and steal it, but Han Xiao didn’t want to be so troublesome.

—Sneak in? Wouldn’t that still be musou! (unrivalled warrior)

This time, he finally didn’t need to use his brain and could solve the problem with his fists. He was happier than anything else and couldn’t wait to sharpen his knife and aim it at the sheep and pigs.

“Being besieged by thousands of people alone… If I win, I remember that I can trigger an achievement specialization. It seems to be called [Invincible] (Lit. No One Can Stop Me)." Han Xiao suddenly remembered this.

Looking at the mess on the ground, Han Xiao climbed to the top of the airdrop pod, closed his eyes, pretended to sleep, and began to wait.

…

That night, the intelligence of the alien's arrival was rapidly transmitted to the hands of the surviving warriors.

This was the first cosmic being to arrive!

Alive!!

Rune City was shocked!

The entire Planet Aquamarine was shaken!

It was destined to be a sleepless night.