Chapter 120: Return

Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales

As the machines and gear roared into life, two, thick-metal, alloy plates of about thirty centimeters thick swiftly slammed shut on the entrance, essentially trapping the thousands of soldiers from the coalition army on Owl’s Sanctuary’s highest level with nowhere to escape.

“Crap! We’ve been had!”

“This has been Scar’s plan all along; what are we supposed to do? What do we do?”

The warriors were beginning to panic, all confronting their leaders with their yells, hoping that they would be able to come up with a decision fast.

The corners of Ning Baichen’s mouth twitched to reveal a nonchalant smile. ‘Looks like the plan didn’t fail but was just executed slower than what I expected. Now, it’ll be up to Bannon’s sonic attack.”

He swept a cold gaze around him. Ning Baichen could already see victory right before his eyes. As long as all the seven major forces were vanquished here, everything in the surrounding 200,000 lightyears would be his territory; wealth and women would all come rolling in.

“Heh, you guys shouldn’t be so alarmed. Let me tell you all something right now.” Xia Fei laughed as he communicated through the command center’s public announcement system. The suddenness of his voice being broadcasted from every direction of the plaza only made these already panicking warriors all the more frightened.

Ning Baichen was abruptly stunned. “What’s going on? Who’s the one speaking? Why haven’t you guys attacked yet?”

“Have you all ever wondered why Scar’s men began attacking Yellow Rock Base despite knowing its impossibility? Why would Ning Baichen and Scar keep crossing each other’s path for over an entire year? Why has Ning Baichen not asked for even a dime from you lot even offered a priceless purple Heart of Spirit? After all, we’re in the Wild Star Region; only a fool would do something not beneficial to them.”

Xia Fei threw this series of questions, paused, then continued. “Because you’ve all been tricked. Ning Baichen’s plan is to kill the whole lot of you so that he can gain sole control of all six major bases.”

It was easy to arouse people’s suspicion when they were steeped in fear. The moment Xia Fei finished speaking, the originally concentrated army of warriors instantly scattered about, splitting into eight different groups, according to their factions, as countless uncertain eyes were directed to Ning Baichen.

“Everyone, don’t listen to that person’s nonsense! Everyone here should know clearly just what sort of person I, Ning Baichen, am. This is nothing but a ploy by Scar to sow discord; he’s trying to lie to you all!” Ning Baichen’s wizened face was blood-red, loudly pleading his case, his tone hinting on a slight disappointment.

“Sow discord? Then, why do the men of the Ning clan have a sound dampener device hidden in their armbands? Is it because you guys knew beforehand that you’d be subjected to a sonic attack here?” Xia Fei chuckled softly.

With Xia Fei exposing his scheme, Ning Baichen nearly failed to stop himself from fainting. The warriors of the Ning clan felt even more fearful, all of them clutching their weapons nervously as they remained on guard, while every suspicion lurking in the hearts of the other major forces deepened.

“Is it really the case? Are they really up to no good?”

“Ning clan, toss your armbands over and let us have a look!”

The atmosphere became tense as the men from the seven major forces all raised their weapons and pointed them at the Ning clan.

“There’s no need for you to ask. They of course don’t dare to show you their armbands; also, do you guys know why the Ning clan’s third born isn’t here? It’s because, as an impersonation ability user, he’s currently leading Scar and Broken Blade’s men to raid your home bases while your warships and men are all here. There’re probably barely any defenses back in their homes, aren’t there, Ning Baichen?” Xia Fei hid in the command center and asked this loudly over this base’s broadcast system.

The truth was as Xia Fei speculated, and everyone could tell from Ning Baichen’s expression that Xia Fei had hit the nail on the head.

Tricking the men of the seven major forces to raid Owl’s Sanctuary, cutting off communications coming in and out in the process, then sending the third born from Ning clan to impersonate the leaders of the various bases and spring a surprise assault on them.

It was a grand scheme, and every step had been thoroughly conceived and executed from start to finish.

Ning Baichen did not make a sound, for his mind was in a state of utter chaos. His shrewd and cunning self of the past had disappeared in this crucial moment, and all that was left was the indignation and fury he had boiling in his stomach.

“What, they’ve already gone off to attack our bases?”

“Not good! Our communications are cut off, so there’s no way we can contact everyone from back home.”

“You guys can go to hell!”

Both parties were already itching to start blasting things in the first place, so it was unknown which agitated warrior pulled the trigger first, but the sound of gunfire was enough to plunge the already tense situation past its breaking point.

In an instant, gunfire sounded all around the plaza as the Ning clan began exchanging shots with the other seven major powers.

The battle was vicious and bloody. Due to the proximity of these men with one another, it almost seemed as if they were blasting away one another at point-blank range, and since the eight major forces were unfamiliar with one another, what ought to have been a fight solely against the Ning clan slowly turned into a chaotic, free-for-all battle royal. As long as their weapons were pointed at someone they did not recognize, nobody hesitated to shoot, and corpses began to litter the plaza grounds.

The four experts beside Ning Baichen had swiftly cordoned him and his two sons right in the middle on the first sign of trouble, making use of their powerful bodies and defensive strength to withstand the attacks coming from every direction.

Xia Fei had been awaiting this chaotic scene from the very start; the greater the pandemonium, the better it was for him. Having memorized Ning Baichen’s position inside the command center from where he was, Xia Fei then turned off all the lights inside the base with a push of a button.

Following this action, the entire plaza descended into darkness, and only the laser guns’ fire continued flashing across the area, like colorful meteors flying about in this dark backdrop.

The situation was becoming messier by the moment, with all the warriors randomly firing their weapons in their surroundings right now, not even knowing if their shots hit anyone. A cacophony of screams, howls of pain, and anguish-filled cries pervaded this dark space.

*Shing!*

Xia Fei, using his top speed, had made it to a metal alloy door at this point. He pushed a button on the full-mask of his Windshade Mark IV combat suit and two, thin night-vision goggles abruptly materialized.

The heavy metal door was lifted to make just a gap, and before it fully opened, Xia Fei ducked his body and dashed out from under it.

The key to this battle lay in finishing the fight in the shortest time possible. Otherwise, if he held back by even a moment, the surrounding warriors would very well crash on him like a rising tide. He just like a person retrieving chestnuts from an open fire—speed was the key to victory.

Because he had night-vision goggles equipped, Xia Fei was afforded a clear view of the battle situation.

Human eyes needed some time before they could adjust to this darkness, and the warriors here in the plaza were still blurry at this moment.

Xia Fei’s figure waded through them like lightning in the darkness. His speed of over 800m/s meant he could deftly evade all the laser fire straying in his direction as he rapidly closed in on Ning Baichen’s position.

*Pew!*

A red beam of light brushed past Xia Fei’s back, barely a centimeter away from him body.

Like a ghost in the darkness, Xia Fei quickly reached Ning Baichen’s side. He found a secluded corner, which was only a few meters away from his target, to wait for the right time to strike.

The four bodyguards by Ning Baichen’s side had high cultivation, each one above Xia Fei’s rank. All of them demonstrated a level of practiced ease while they kept Ning Baichen and his offspring protected in the middle of them, never allowing any attacks to get past their circle of defense.

Xia Fei carefully observed them, not feeling a sliver of anxiety as he did. His eyes were only on that spatial ring Ning Baichen was wearing on his left hand, where the purple Heart of Spirit was kept.

The plaza was in a state of utter darkness, so everyone had difficulty seeing even their five fingers. Unless they had prepared a pair of night-vision goggles beforehand, like what Xia Fei had in his possession, there was simply no way any of them could clearly make out their surroundings.

Chaos.

Utter mayhem.

Once these thousands of warriors learned that their lives were at stake, they started firing their weapon without any reservation, never once considering whether the ones they were hitting were friends or foes; their only thought was to kill.

As time passed, the four bodyguards beside Ning Baichen slowly got further away, so their originally tight defensive formation loosened somewhat.

*Whoosh!*

Xia Fei’s astute senses had picked up on this small gap created, and with a burst of speed, his body bypassed the four bodyguards’ ring of protection with his Chasing Light aimed right at Ning Baichen’s left arm. The blade swung with alacrity.

*Hum!*

The blade cleanly sliced off Ning Baichen’s left hand.

…

A damaged, naval-issued Frigate was parked in an empty space, its hull cracked right in the middle. It looked no different from the other warships suspended in the surrounding area as if a monster had bitten into the ship right at its center and broke it into two.

Anyone who got a closer look at this ship would note two words were engraved on its hull: Lunar Eclipse.

There were only two individuals inside the command deck of this frigate. They were both wearing thick spacesuits, peering through the porthole as they kept their gazes on the distant stars.

“Old man, will Xia Fei really come and fetch us?” Sarah asked gravely.

The spacesuit was sturdy and warm, but she nevertheless felt a chill in her body while wearing it. In order to escape from Red Rock Base, the pair had followed Xia Fei’s instructions and risked activating the warship’s in situ warp function, and the extreme tremors that Sarah witnessed left her heart trembling.

In situ warp was when a parked warship forcefully activated its warp drive and entered the ensuing wormhole. This was an incredible crazy method as in the instant when the wormhole was forcefully created, it would tear every physical object around them, and by the looks of the damage Lunar Eclipse had sustained, the dangers of attempting an in situ warp were high.

…

Fortunately, Xia Fei had already made special adjustments to his ship, so that it would adapt to the energy disturbance that an in situ warp would cause. Though Sarah and Allen were safe, Lunar Eclipse suffered irreversible damage from this action.

Allen nodded. “He will come. I’ve already struck a deal with him.”

Sarah bit her lower lip, not saying another word. Her bright eyes kept staring out the porthole unblinkingly.

Soon, a dazzling wormhole appeared several hundred kilometers away, and an Anathema-class frigate came out from it.

“Xia Fei; it’s Xia Fei!” Sarah flailed her arms in excitement and yelled Xia Fei’s name. Even old Allen beside her was unable to control his excitement.

“Xia Fei has really come to save us!” Sarah jumped into Allen’s arms, hugging him tightly.

Everything had been arranged by Xia Fei. Upon killing Ning Baichen, Xia Fei made haste toward the docks and piloted his Vampire out of Owl’s Sanctuary as quickly as possible, sending a message to Sarah and Allen to act.

In accordance with the two successful warping out of Red Rock Base, they effectively managed to escape the base, which was currently in total lockdown.

Sarah and Allen then sent Xia Fei their position through Lunar Eclipse’s signal transmitter, and Xia Fei tracked the signal to arrive on this part of space and fetch them.

Ten minutes later, Sarah and Allen boarded Vampire.

“Thank you, Xia Fei!” Sarah removed her spacesuit and gave him a hug, the corners of her eyes glistening in what was most likely tears.

“Was the in situ warp process smooth?” Xia Fei asked.

“It’s fine, though your ship regrettably got wrecked in the process. It’s a really great ship, too.” Allen gazed out at that damaged warship and sighed.

Sarah furtively wiped her tears away. “Xia Fei, are you really going to bring us to the Pan-Human Alliance, give us a house and plenty of good food to eat?”

Xia Fei laughed. “You’re really too easy to satisfy. What I’ve prepared for you isn’t any of those.”

Sarah’s eyes shone. “What could be even better than a house and food?”

This girl, who had lived her whole life in the Wild Star Region, completely had no concept of the abundance of life in the Alliance’s domain. She already felt blessed just by having a place to stay and being able to eat her fill.

“I’ll have you two settled on my home planet, Earth; give you a beachfront property overlooking the sea. Allen can work at my company, and as for you, you’ll turn over a new leaf and go to school,” Xia Fei said.

“School?” Sarah was puzzled. She had never encountered the concept of school in her seventeen years of life.

“That’s right. School. That’s where you’ll acquire knowledge and learn to be cultured. I’m sure you’ll have fun attending classes with fellow students. Most importantly, though, you two will be free once you leave the Wild Star Region. No one will threaten you again, and you can have the freedom to make your choices in life.”

While the warp engine recharged its energy, Sarah orbited around Xia Fei and kept asking him questions like a precocious child. The various benefits that the Pan-Human Alliance held utterly stunned her.

Xia Fei was a bit disappointed to lose Lunar Eclipse here but knew that, even if the ship was intact, he would have a hard time bringing it back into the Pan-Human Alliance; after all, Red Rock Base had already been put on total lockdown. No one from outside could get in, and none on the base could get out.

Since the loss of Lunar Eclipse was inevitable, he figured that it was better to use what power it had left to bring Sarah and Allen out; at least, its last run was for a good cause—an outcome that was much better than letting it fall into someone else’s hands.

Looking at Lunar Eclipse floating out there all alone, Xia Fei started Vampire and directed it toward the depths of space in the trajectory of the Pan-Human Alliance.