Sky-cracking Rider

Her Royal Highness the Princess had not anticipated that Chen Fei would be so reckless. They were only about thirty or forty meters apart, with the Mobile Base Vehicle positioned right at the edge of the 152 Demolition Bomb's fatal radius.

Theoretically, from thirty meters to two hundred meters radius, there was still the danger of being hit by shrapnel, so without the double protection of the vehicle body and the Magic Array, both of them would likely have been killed or severely injured instead of just having their ears ringing from the blast as they were now.

Chen Fei, who pulled the Princess close to watch the artillery attack, said with regret, "Didn't get them all!"

The front windshield of the Mobile Base Vehicle had been struck by the shock wave and shrapnel, resulting in large cracks that were rapidly healing. Luckily it wasn't made of real glass, or they would have had to replace the whole thing.

The windshield wipers began to sway as they sprayed washer fluid, clearing the mud and dirt that had stuck to the windshield. The exterior was still filled with smoke, and various bits of debris rained down like droplets.

However, Chen Fei's visual interface outlined the actual situation in the form of drawn lines.

As the Railgun was being moved, those people reacted instantly, fleeing in panic. It seemed they were experienced veterans of battle, showing not a moment's hesitation.

But on the other hand, he and Princess Lin Ziyu had come to the right place. This was a den of thieves; ordinary citizens wouldn't have reacted this way. A single 152 had ended them on the spot.

"You were too forceful!"

Princess Lin Ziyu had no chance to stop Chen Fei when he issued the command, and she brushed her messy hair out of her face with annoyance.

The Railgun took everyone by surprise.

It was the occupational hazard of a Combat Pilot to go all out with firepower at the first chance, using as much strength as they had, and wishing they could unload all their ammunition in one go.

Expecting to hold out for half an hour was practically impossible; often, the fight would be over in just a few minutes.

Look at those little autocannons; managing to fire continuously for ten seconds was already admirable, you wouldn't get a full minute out of them. To last any longer, sorry, but you'd be out of bullets!

"Jiu?"

The Little Bird was enveloped in a 360-degree all-round Light-based Magic Shield, looking like a Light Orb surrounding its little body.

Not a feather was harmed!

Because the Magic Shield had been reduced in size, its protective ability was very comprehensive, and something as trivial as a shock wave truly wasn't a problem.

"You, you bastard!"

Manor Master Burei, with blood trickling from his ears, was furious but couldn't hear anything. His whole head felt like it had been severely hammered, suffering a splitting headache and was severely shaken by the explosion, his body also bearing significant injuries, no longer the composed figure he once was.

Whoever could start off with using such a devastating weapon, completely disregarding their own safety—what kind of ruthless person was this?!

Such an individual was unheard of!

Although Manor Master Burei had survived, the fate of his men was not so fortunate.

Temporarily losing his hearing didn't prevent him from casting spells. He quickly chanted an incantation and summoned a fierce wind that spiraled into a huge tornado, sweeping the smoke and remaining dirt and debris into the sky.

Burei was a Wind Series Mage. These days, if one didn't have some ability, it would probably be difficult to do that kind of special work.

At the site of the crater, aside from the heavy truck wreckage that was almost blown apart, there were a dozen or so bodies scattered haphazardly, motionless, most likely victims of misfortune.

Tears immediately came to Burei's eyes as among the bodies were not only his old followers who had been with him for years but also young men from the newer generations who had lost their lives here.

This one strike had eliminated at least a third of them, and another third lay groaning and struggling in the distance, some unlucky enough to have half their bodies sheared off by shrapnel.

"Shall we talk now?"

Princess Lin Ziyu, now fully in control, picked up the microphone again.

"They can't hear you!"

The unperceptive Chen Xiao'er poured cold water on the situation.

Just having survived a 152, it was a miracle these guys weren't dead, let alone still having their hearing intact.

Even if their eardrums were intact, it would take at least three to four hours to recover, their heads buzzing the whole time. If they were unlucky, they might hear sounds muffled for ten days to half a month, and the aftereffects could even take several years to gradually dissipate.

New soldiers fear bullets, old soldiers fear cannons. When the heavy cannon fires, it's like a hug from the Grim Reaper, and that's no joke.

"It's okay, we have Xiao Jiu!"

Her Royal Highness looked towards the Little Bird flitting about inside the cabin.

This little creature was truly full of energy!

It was hard to believe that this little fella was a Fourth Rank Magical Beast of the Human Order.

"I'm going to grab a live one!"

Chen Fei had been eyeing the Manor Master who was conversing with Princess Lin Ziyu from the beginning, and with the help of Investigative Agent Yu Zilin's privileges from the Imperial Security Department, he identified the opponent's identity almost instantly, including black material from his past as a smuggler.

After all, major smugglers were a product of the pre-unified war times and were not robbers who made a living from murder and arson. In some sense, they amounted to illegal businessmen. As long as they lived honest lives, the Dynasty would still turn a blind eye to their past and let bygones be bygones.

However, should they, like today, suddenly become rash, past and present accountings would be settled together, without any further leniency.

The vehicle door slid open to one side, then swiftly closed again.

As a precaution, Her Royal Highness the Princess was still kept inside the Mobile Base Vehicle, while only the Pure Light Sparrow Xiao Jiu followed out. The moment the door opened, it dashed into the sky, nearly colliding with the propeller-style unmanned reconnaissance drone circling at an altitude of 2000 meters.

"Look what you've done! You butcher!"

The sight of heavy casualties amongst his men made Manor Lord Burei bellow furiously, rapidly chanting an incantation. A massive Wind Blade quickly took shape, flickering lightly before rushing towards Chen Fei's face.

Boom!

The large Wind Blade, capable of easily slicing through an elephant, met nothing but air, and with undiminished momentum, collided with the Wind Magic Shield of the Mobile Base Vehicle.

The two forces remained deadlocked for a moment before the spent Wind Blade dissipated into a powerful gust, scattering in all directions.

"Chirp!"

Perched atop Chen Fei's head, Xiao Jiu deployed a "Light Healing Technique".

The little Band-Aid had now been upgraded to a first-aid kit.

The concussed eardrums and auditory system of Manor Lord swiftly returned to normal functioning, and after a series of clicks and chirps, he could hear again.

"If I were you, I'd think twice before making any rash moves."

Chen Fei's figure emerged from behind Burei. His skin, covered by the Single Soldier Tactical Armor of the "Dragon Guard", sparkled with silvery war patterns, and the sharp corner of a White Steel Crowbar hooked firmly around his throat, not even divine weapons could match the ease with which the crowbar was wielded.

Secret Technique "Fight to the Death" could be triggered for a lightning-fast charge, covering several meters in the blink of an eye. This was the Neanderthal Elite Warriors' forte, "the fastest prevails" in the world of martial arts, and when combined with a brief surge of extreme power, even close-combat supernatural power users and War Professionals would find it troublesome to handle.

The Neanderthal tribe's crushing defeat during the Third Era Civilization was mainly due to being outnumbered, unable to withstand the joint strike of the descendants of Blue Star Homo sapiens and the Cangqiong Star civilization. Without the ability to wage a prolonged war, defeat was certain.

Sensing the chill on his neck, Burei stiffened entirely and said with a terrified tremor, "Who are you?"

"A mercenary, my good sir! Paid to relieve others of their troubles!"

There are no mercenaries on Blue Star, only legitimate military contractors. It's only on Cangqiong Star where the profession of a mercenary exists.

Of course, it's just a change in name without a difference.

By comparison, Blue Star's military contractors are more commercialized and standardized.

On Cangqiong Star, mercenaries tend to be more disorganized, often seen in small groups of three or five, with high personnel turnover. Few have stable memberships, and large professional mercenary corps are rare.

"Great warrior, I can't recall offending anyone. Could you give me a hint?"

Manor Lord Burei clenched his teeth, not daring to make any rash moves.

Someone who dares to bomb at close-range would not hesitate to kill if he so desired.

If it wasn't for wanting to extract information from him, he would most likely have been dead by that moment.

Chen Fei asked bluntly, "Do you know the names of those guys just now?"

"I..."

Although he initially wanted to stick to his principles, Burei's resolve faltered for no apparent reason.

He finally realized that this ruthless man had followed behind Xia Ji and his group. Unexpectedly, the arrival had been so swift, practically on their heels.

It seemed the crooked tradesmen of the Imperial Capital were not reliable at all. Despite their steep fees, they had still been followed.

"You have ten seconds. I'm in a hurry!"

Chen Fei was not making a threat; if the other didn't confess honestly, then indeed, he would have only ten seconds left to live in this world.

If one is willing to die, then the other is most certainly prepared to bury him.

No matter, without his cooperation, one could always go to the trouble of killing all the way to the manor's interior, capturing each one in turn, and thus obtaining all the answers.

"The first, Xia Ji; the second, Moker; the third..."

Chen Fei had indeed asked the right person. Only Manor Lord Burei knew the names of everyone who had just entered the manor, and he rattled off eight names in succession.

On Chen Fei's vision appeared a progress bar; he had gained access to the identity of Princess Lin Ziyu's undercover Investigative Agent, Yu Zilin, and was now searching the Silan Dynasty's residency system, using a special human relationship model to compare personal information.

A few seconds later, individual facial features and names were checked and cross-referenced, and he had a list of warrants in his hand.

"Very good. Where are they? Lead the way!"

Chen Fei transformed the White Steel Crowbar in his hand into shackles, securing Burei's hands and feet, then gazed towards the central buildings of the manor.

At this moment, a large crowd surrounded them, at least four or five hundred strong, a dense, dark mass, all armed.

"My people have arrived. Young man, it seems you're in a tricky situation,"

Suddenly feeling confident again, Manor Lord Burei perked up.