Master of the Stars

“Significant fluctuations in the target’s vital signs......”

The indistinct and pitch-black unmanned drone flirted past at low altitude. Its robotic eye locked to the burning flames below:

“Switching to targeting mode. Confirming the second attack......”

“Beep!”

The warning signal was formed. The wingless drone ascended upwards, but it was still a step too late.

A roar sounded forth from within the surging flames on the shabby road. Suddenly a mass of shining flames split from it. The mass of flames seemed to solidify under the enormous pressure. It leaped through the skies like a backward shooting star of fire.

The wingless drone performed a dodging maneuver, but it couldn’t avoid it completely and burst into flames. Its metal composition warped in an instant and it fell to the ground.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

Crag Burst roared madly as he charged from the raging flames, his buff body wrapped in a layer of fire.

The clothes on his body had already been burnt clean while his hair and eyebrows had turned into scorched masses under the high-temperature roasting. But no matter how much the flames burned, there existed an invisible divide to his skin.

And so, not a bit of the fire stuck to his body even though his skin was very red from the high-temperature roasting.

“BREAK!”

Crag Burst adopted a stance and all the muscles of his body rippled like a wave. An invisible wave of air exploded from his body, forcefully blowing apart the layer of flames on his body and scattering sparks into the air.

Crag Burst, with a completely naked body, swept his sights onto the distance crash zone of the drone. He let out another howl; the breath he stifled from a moment ago was vented a bit.

And at this time, Luo Nan transmitted over the HexaEar somewhat incoherently: “F**k F**k! Damn it all! Crag Burst, I thought you....... You’re still alive?”

Crag Burst spat and said: “You think my nickname is just for show? The crag rock has been split by the heat and I did as per my name. You’ve met what lives under the clouds of explosions, haven’t you? It is I, Crag Burst!”

“Also scout, you need to go take the society’s junior level seminars. The wording of your warning was extremely nonstandard. In the case of a long distance attack, the direction, the drop point, and nature need to be provided. These basic factors need to be first said......”

But then Luo Nan came with another warning before Crag Burst could finish chattering: “Dodge quick! Get off the roadbed!”

The warning was still nonstandard, but this time there was some relatively effective information inside.

Crag Burst did not speak any further. He flipped and rolled off the public road, but he was half a second too late. Another surge of flame exploded along with a powerful shockwave. The glass windows on both sides of the public road, which weren’t really intact in the first place, shattered from the vibration.

It was yet another wingless drone and this small-scale unmanned device was being used as a weapons platform. It had clearly learned a lesson from the last drone as it held a distance of over a kilometer. It relied on radar and satellite to position and lock on accurately to the target’s location.

The range of Luo Nan’s mental senses made it so that Luo Nan could only discover and warn Crag Burst after the weapon was launched. The pressure right now was enormous.

Crag Burst withdrew underneath the roadbed to protect his body from being consumed by the flames. This was the most he could do right now. He couldn’t help but curse loudly: “Is this mofo a gangster? He’s more like an arms dealer......”

Luo Nan spoke coldly: “Isn’t Quantum Corporation the world’s number one arms dealer? This has been set in stone after they launched their Deep Blue Platform.”

“That’s right! Quantum Corporation!”

Crag Burst should have thought of this way earlier, but the impression that Quantum Corporation was the world’s number one company in advanced technology ran too deep. It was very hard to make the mental connection between Quantum Corporation and a gangster of the recycling stratum.

Even if he did make the connection, it wouldn’t have been to that degree.

“He can’t be starting a war right?”

He smashed the ground with a heavy fist and the road couldn’t support things anymore as the public road overturned. Crag Burst didn’t dare to return back to the freight transport passageway. Instead, he charged towards the main building of DeShang.

He rushed over and entered the building with a single breath. Crag Burst only gasped for breath after traveling 90 meters inside.

This gangster nest had already been disturbed by the external situation at this time. Each of them stretched their necks out to look. The furious Crag Burst’s entrance attracted everyone’s gazes in an instant.

“It’s that fellow!”

Crag Burst had been chasing Jack half an hour or so ago and had a gunfight with the people here. The group of gangsters had the image of this iron hide buff dude fresh in their memories.

The group of people whipped out their guns at once.

And then...... There was no then.

Before Crag Burst could make his move, Luo Nan had made everyone here collapse. Even though the Human-Faced Arachnid had reverted back to its Wraith Sign state, it was as easy as pie to knock these small fries unconscious with its current level of attack.

Then all Crag Burst did was find someone who was relatively large. He stripped him of his clothes and covered up his vital areas.

The entire process of events didn’t even exceed twenty minutes, but Crag Burst’s expression still remained unsightly: “We’ve been delayed here for too long. Even if it is a truck, it should be over ten kilometers away by now...... Damn it! What the hell is that fellow up to in the end? Where is he taking Rui Wen?”

Just one look at Rui Wen’s situation and one would know that a control device had been installed in her body early on, making her powerless to resist. This sort of situation would occur from time to time in other underground fighting arenas. Its main purpose was for “safety”.

But Jack clearly did this to capture her. This was far too strange.

“Rui Wen has just awakened to her ability. Is he selling ability users?”

Luo Nan recalled the conversation between Jack and the contact earlier. The contact had once said that any information related to Rui Wen must be immediately reported to Jack.

Clearly, Rui Wen was a special existence within the underground fighting arena. Is it because Jack...... or more clearly, had the power behind Jack discover Rui Wen’s potential early on?

......

The wingless drone circled around the DeShang Building, constantly switching its search modes, locking onto the target’s position, ensuring that the target couldn’t charge out of the building and chase down Jack.

Yan Yongbo sat quietly behind a business desk, looking at the videos streaming in real time.

The door sounded with a beep. Hu Yuli1 used his high level of access privileges to forcefully root the door and enter. He saw the scene displayed by the holographic screen in front of Yan Yongbo and his fury soared to the skies:

“Assistant Yan! What the hell are you up to!?”

“As you can see, I’m providing some firepower.”

Yan Yongbo did not treat the Quantum Corporation’s Regional Executive of the Xia City area with much respect. His butt didn’t even leave his seat.

Hu Yuli slammed his hands heavily against the table: “This is Xia City. This is the metropolis. This isn’t the Deep Blue World. Do you know how many calls came in when the armed unmanned drone took off? The Mayor’s Office, the Security Bureau, the Social Security Bureau, the City Defense Force......”

Yan Yongbo raised his head to reveal a calm expression. Then the dark red tendons and muscles at the edge of his eyes pulsed slightly. The engendered feeling caused Hu Yuli to shut up in an instant. Hu Yuli’s voice, tone, and attitude immediately became much more humble.

“My boy. I have to resign from my position ever since the incident with the R&D District occurred. I’ll back you with all my strength if you want the top seat. Do you want the Rainbow Fund? The Investment Society? I’ll give it to you in a heartbeat okay? But you can’t just throw me in the fire later to be roasted......”

Yan Yongbo shook his head: “If someone’s going to be roasted then everyone’s going to be roasted together. Do you think I want to become a target for others? But the issued “research” mission has the highest level of priority. I’m powerless.”

Hu Yuli (胡玉理, literally Hu Jade Reason/Logic). Hu Yuli was first introduced in Chapter 22.1. He was doing PR talk about the R&D incident, the Darksider life form incident, to the Xia City branch of the Wilderness Explorer’s Society.