Chapter 975: Mission Generation

Chapter 975: Mission Generated

The bombardment ceased, leaving the abandoned underground base in utter ruin. Collapsed rubble choked countless passageways, rendering the already labyrinthine terrain even more convoluted, while the clatter of falling stones echoed intermittently through the darkness.

At the very bottom of the base, thick dust and smoke swirled. Massive chunks of fallen rock and shattered metal plates had piled into a small mountain, burying Nelo completely.

Suddenly, a sound emerged from the darkness, like the squelch of viscous liquid flowing.

Whoosh—whoosh—

Beneath this pile of debris, an area roughly two meters in diameter gradually began to glow with a red light. It grew brighter and brighter, melting metal and rock alike, until a hollow cavity was revealed.

Hunched over, Nelo limped out of the hole, his hands continuously unleashing thermal fusion rays. The intense heat warped the surrounding air.

Cough, cough, cough...

Muffled coughing echoed inside the mech's visor. Nelo gasped for air for a moment, then roused himself to command the mech to run a health diagnostic.

Minor dislocation in the left femur. Permission requested for autonomous structural adjustment to correct the alignment.

Granted.

The armor on his left leg tightened slightly, realigning the displaced bone. Nelo grunted in pain, then finally relaxed. Tons of debris had just crashed down upon him; the mech itself was unscathed, but the recoil had left him with minor injuries, for he was, after all, merely a fragile mechanic.

The radar indicated the enemy was directly above. There was no time to rest. Forcing himself to stay calm, Nelo hastily opened the communication channel to contact his teammates.

Captain, this is Nelo. Where are you, and what's the situation?

A cacophony of chaotic noise and intermittent groans of pain came through the channel. After calling out for a while, Nelo finally received the squad's public broadcast.

Things are bad over here! A teammate's face popped up on the tactical screen inside Nelo's visor, covered in scrapes and bruises, speaking in a frantic rush. I'm with the captain. When the base collapsed, he was hit by a ship cannon that pierced the strata. He's critically wounded and on the verge of death. Many are scattered. Whoever hears this message, rescue them immediately and bring everyone to rally. We must break out at once.

Nelo immediately opened the squad's health monitoring interface. Seeing the screen flooded with red warnings, he was struck with alarm.

Everyone else's injuries were far worse than his. Several, including the captain, were in critical condition... Because he had fallen to the bottom of the base and been buried, he had fortuitously avoided the subsequent ship bombardment, emerging with the lightest injuries of all.

It went without saying that the halo of luck above his head was shining brilliantly.

I'm the only one in intact condition... Nelo instantly felt the weight of responsibility on his shoulders multiply, the pressure immense.

Gritting his teeth, he immediately activated teammate tracking. Every squad member's position was marked on the tactical screen. The mech's AI operated at high speed, rapidly plotting the fastest rescue route.

The thrusters on his back flared, and Nelo flew out of the massive crater at the base's bottom, rushing to rescue his scattered comrades.

The terrain was a complex maze, but there was no time to detour. His palms continuously fired thermal cannons, melting through every obstacle in his path. He rescued his teammates one by one before the Kunde ground forces arrived, finally converging at the captain's location.

Blasting through the metal plates blocking his way, Nelo flew into the devastated room, landing with a metallic clang. He saw the captain and the rest of the team gathered there, all bearing wounds.

The captain was slumped against a wall, his armor charred black and riddled with massive breaches. He struggled to raise his head, forcing out a faint smile, his voice weak:

Nelo, you're here. Well... cough, well done.

Captain, don't speak.

Seeing this, Nelo slightly curled his fingers. Short injection needles sprang from his fingertips like claws, piercing into the captain's chest.

Aurora's specially formulated life potion flowed through the needles into the captain's body, instantly healing his severe wounds.

The captain's condition improved at a visible speed. He let out a comfortable sigh, his voice regaining its vigor, and clicked his tongue in appreciation. This is His Excellency Aurora's special life potion? Truly a magnificent elixir.

Aurora occasionally used her unique abilities to produce life potions, but the yield was inherently limited, and the life energy infused into them had a shelf life. Thus, not every Black Star warrior was equipped with them; ordinary personnel used standard healing agents. But given Nelo's vast resources, he was naturally supplied with Aurora's potions.

All the severely wounded, come over. There's still some potion left, and I'll help restore your combat effectiveness, Nelo announced loudly.

Someone couldn't help but speak up. Keep some for yourself. There's still a bloody battle ahead. What if you get hurt?

It's fine, I have other potions, Nelo replied, completely unconcerned.

The group exchanged glances and shrugged. Having a tycoon in the squad felt truly great; with such a wealthy patron right here, it would be foolish not to lean on him.

Nelo healed his teammates one by one. During this process, the group urgently discussed tactics.

The captain's tone was grave. Everyone, the situation is highly unfavorable. We've fallen into a trap. The entire fleet was ambushed, and the others are too busy saving themselves to support us. We are completely isolated and must break out on our own. There are three Kunde warships above us, and we have no vehicles. It's extremely dangerous...

If the enemy continued the fleet bombardment, it would be a death sentence for us. But they've stopped attacking and are sending ground forces to close in instead. The vice-captain's eyes flashed. This suggests the enemy might intend to take us alive. It could be our only chance to escape.

Exactly right! The captain nodded heavily. To escape, we must seize air superiority. The fleet can't come to our aid, so we have to hijack a ship ourselves. The odds are slim, but there's at least a glimmer of hope.

This ruin is our shield. If we rashly run out, the enemy ships will bombard us with impunity. We must wait for the enemy soldiers to enter the underground base and engage us in combat. To prevent friendly fire, their ships won't fire at will. Therefore, we must split into two teams: one to engage the enemy soldiers in this ruin, and the other to hijack the ship...

The captain paused here, and the group looked at each other.

This was a crucial mission concerning the life and death of everyone present. There might be only one chance, and it was exceedingly perilous, a path with nine deaths and one survival.

The question arose: who should go to hijack the ship? Logically, the strongest person should undertake this task, and the strongest in the squad was unmistakably Nelo, with his profound background.

Asking a young man of such lofty origins to bear such a heavy responsibility and risk his life... everyone hesitated.

Seeing this, Nelo, standing nearby, realized it too. Gritting his teeth, he made his decision and volunteered:

I'll go. No one here is more suited for this than me.

The captain looked at him, offering no hypocritical refusals. He nodded slowly, his tone serious and earnest. Very well, we're counting on you. We will stall the enemy and buy you time... Remember, the lives of us all rest in your hands.

...Understood.

Nelo took a deep breath, calming his heavy heart. He piloted the mech into high-stealth mode, gave everyone a long, lingering look, and then parted ways with them, vanishing into the darkness.

The captain exhaled, looking at the group, his gaze turning stern. I don't need to emphasize what must be done. No matter what, keep the enemy pinned down here at all costs.

We understand, the vice-captain said, his eyes complex as he nodded.

Everyone present, except for Nelo, understood the captain's unspoken meaning. In truth, there were two battle plans. Stalling the enemy to let Nelo hijack the ship was merely the first.

And if that plan failed, they would unhesitatingly execute the hidden backup plan... shifting from stalling to a fight to the death as a rearguard, allowing the oblivious Nelo to abandon them and flee alone.

This was not only because of Nelo's relationship with the Legion Commander, but also because they knew this young man's future achievements would far surpass their imagination. Letting a young man with such immense potential escape was the only way they could have their revenge.

...

After lurking in the darkness for a while, the communication channel finally picked up the sounds of his teammates engaging in a skirmish with Kunde soldiers.

Nelo was no longer on the battlefield. He had reached a collapsed tunnel leading to the surface, concealing his figure and using his radar to lock onto the nearest ship in the sky.

Nelo's palms were slick with sweat. Carefully, he released a unique floating guard. Colored in black and gold, its texture was entirely distinct from all of Nelo's other equipment, exuding an unparalleled sense of premium quality. Once released, it hovered agilely above his head.

I'm counting on you, brother. Nelo patted the floating guard, his heart steadying.

Rest easy, kid. With your big brother here, no one can lay a finger on you, the floating guard suddenly spoke.

This was Nelo's ultimate trump card. This floating guard was precisely the gift Han Xiao had given him when they first met.

A high-tier orange-grade mechanical construct forged by a Super A-Class expert, powered by dark energy, and imbued with Emperor's Blessing and Mechanical Fusion: Bestowal. After Han Xiao acquired the Mechanical Life Spark, he transformed it into a mechanical lifeform with independent consciousness and self-growth capabilities, naming itself the Heavenly Guardian.

When Nelo was a child, the Heavenly Guardian, even without mechanical power enhancement, could contend with Class C Supers.

Now that Nelo had become a Class C+ Super and possessed Perfect Mechanical Sense, the power the Heavenly Guardian could unleash was self-evident. Even by the practical combat standards of Class B, Nelo was not weak.

Most of the time, Nelo would not use this trump card, especially during daily sparring at the academy. Even when a martial artist opponent rushed into his face and beat him black and blue, he had never unleashed this ultimate weapon.

Even Mia, his closest friend, knew nothing of his true combat strength.

At the academy, Mia had sparred with him countless times, but in truth, she had never known just how strong he was when going all out.

Staring at the target marked on his radar, Nelo took a deep breath, adjusting his mindset, letting the energy throughout his body gradually boil.

Hah, I can do this...

With his mind resolute, Nelo hesitated no longer. He ignited the thrusters, and the tail flames roared to life.

Boom!

His entire body shot forward like a coiled spring, smashing through the rubble at the cave entrance with a deafening crash and soaring into the heavens!

The three warships above immediately unleashed their cannons, concentrating their devastating fire upon Nilo.

The sheer force of the naval barrage was lethal to a C-class entity, yet the next moment, the Celestial Guard trailing Nilo trembled slightly as lines of light traced out a polygonal golden shield, enveloping him in its center.

Bang, bang, bang!

Every cannon blast erupted into bursts of firework-like brilliance, yet the shield merely developed faint fractures, continuously repairing itself as it stubbornly weathered the volley.

Meanwhile, the several Kunde warships in the sky also grasped Nilo's intention, immediately deploying their shields to prevent any outsiders from boarding.

"Clear me a path!"

With a mere thought from Nilo, the Celestial Guard flashed with the electric radiance of mechanical force, rapidly transforming to reveal a hexagonal cannon barrel at its core; dense dark energy erupted, firing a relentless stream of highly penetrating black-red dark energy beams.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

The rate of fire was simply staggering, possessing an almost frantic, relentless urgency.

The target ship's shield was blasted open with a breach, and Nilo seized the opportunity, plunging headlong into the gap.

Pop, pop, pop... He flicked several compressed spheres with a wave of his hand; halfway to the ship, they transformed into laser-cutting drills with electromagnetic bases, latching onto the hull and swiftly slicing through the outer armor to carve out an entrance leading into the vessel's interior.

Nilo rolled and crashed into the ship, wasting no time as he unleashed a swarm of mechanical soldiers, carving a path of destruction through the vessel, cutting down enemies like weeds as a massive wave of crewmen fell beneath his barrage.

Because this ship had dispatched a portion of its soldiers to deal with Nilo's other teammates, the internal defenses were left somewhat depleted, inadvertently playing right into Nilo's hands.

Going all out and holding nothing back, Nilo didn't take long to fight his way into the main control room, directly pulling out a standard Legion invasion chip and plugging it into the ship's intelligent core—he wasn't a virtual mechanist, but the Legion possessed automated intrusion equipment for such purposes.

Just then, Nilo suddenly stumbled as the ship began to shake violently!

Rumble, rumble, rumble—

Looking out through the porthole, he saw the other two ships turn around, concentrating their fire on the very vessel he had boarded, heedless of friendly casualties.

"To actually attack a friendly ship, how ruthless." Nilo clicked his tongue, his movements unhurried yet swift as he stormed the command room and successfully seized control of the ship.

He directly channeled the vast majority of the energy into the ship's shields, steering the warship to ram brutally into the nearest enemy vessel.

Bang!!

The shields of the two ships ground against each other, splashing vast swathes of shattered light; the enemy ship temporarily lost its balance, spiraling away to the side.

As luck would have it, this ship happened to drift right into another enemy vessel; the two enemy ships collided, both losing control simultaneously, and as they scrambled to stabilize, the concentrated fire momentarily faltered.

Seizing this opportunity, Nilo piloted the ship in a sweeping dragon-tail maneuver, positioning the hull directly between the two enemy ships and the ground forces.

"Get out here now, I've got a ship! Rush to the surface at my designated coordinates, and I'll pull you up with the tractor beam!" Nilo shouted immediately over the comms.

"Beautiful!"

The captain and the others, who had been locked in a fierce struggle, were overjoyed; their offensive erupted with renewed vigor, and relying on their formidable individual combat prowess, they forcibly carved a path through the encirclement of Kunde soldiers.

Bang!

The next moment, a patch of ground in the ruins exploded outward, and the squad members surged to the surface, with the Kunde soldiers still in hot pursuit behind them.

"Captain, don't stop!"

Nilo's face lit up with joy as he hastily shouted.

Time was of the essence, and Nilo had no time to worry about the two enemy ships that had readjusted and were now firing at his rear, bombarding his aft shields; he immediately locked onto his squad members with the tractor beam while deploying a massive array of turrets to lay down covering fire on the pursuing Kunde soldiers.

The tractor beam smoothly pulled all the teammates into the cabin, but the commotion here drew the attention of the enemies engaging their fleet in the city, and more warships began converging on their location in numbers far exceeding their own.

Daring not to linger, Nilo pulled up sharply toward the sky immediately after rescuing the squad, fleeing into the cosmos.

Soon, the other members also arrived in the command room, all swarming him and vigorously ruffling Nilo's hair.

"Great job, kid!"

"Haha, we're saved, I thought we were dead for sure this time!"

"It went so smoothly, it seems luck is on our side!"

Everyone beamed with joy, lavish in their praise of Nilo, who was also quite exhilarated.

"Don't celebrate too early, we haven't escaped danger yet," the captain said, though a smile of survival still graced his face.

Although a multitude of ships were still chasing them, compared to before, the situation was no longer a desperate plight and had improved by leaps and bounds.

After rejoicing for a while, the thought of their other teammates trapped in peril made everyone's smiles fade, their expressions returning to solemnity.

"We managed to escape, but what about the other squad members under siege?" someone asked.

"There's nothing we can do, we can't help them; there are too many enemies, and rushing in recklessly would only get us killed too."

The captain shook his head; he was acutely aware of the current situation, and relying solely on their single ship would be a futile sacrifice, wasting their chance to escape.

What they should do now was scatter and flee, not engage in a protracted fight, and moreover, their current predicament was worse than that of the others, leaving their fellow teammates to fend for themselves.

Just then, Nilo remembered something, and his heart suddenly tightened.

"Right, I wonder how Mia's squad is doing..."

The moment this thought crossed his mind, Nilo could no longer sit still; he handed the ship's controls over to his teammates and hastily pulled out his communicator to contact Mia.

The wait for an answer was pure agony, time seeming to stretch on endlessly.

Nilo waited with burning anxiety, but the call never connected; he could only try contacting Mia's teammates one by one, yet no one answered, and his demeanor grew increasingly tense.

It wasn't until he contacted the captain of Mia's squad that the call finally went through, but the sounds of battle coming from the other end instantly plunged Nilo's suspended heart into the abyss.

"Cough, cough... Nilo? You guys escaped?"

"It's me, were you guys attacked too? What's the situation, we have a ship and can come to support you!" Nilo asked urgently, his questions spilling out like a barrage.

"Don't... don't come, just run, my entire squad has been captured, Mia was taken alive, I'm the only one left resisting and I won't hold out much longer, the enemy has several warships, you can't save us, hurry and go, cough, cough..."

As soon as the voice on the other end finished, the communication abruptly cut off.

Nilo's facial muscles twitched; he turned and walked away, striding purposefully toward the cabin door.

The teammates around him had also heard the transmission, and seeing Nilo's movements, the group hastily swarmed forward, pinning him down.

"Nilo, don't do anything reckless," the captain barked.

"I have to go save her!"

Pinned down by seven or eight burly men, Nilo struggled in vain, his expression resolute.

"Don't be stupid, didn't I just tell you that going to rescue them is just throwing our lives away?" the captain roared.

"I know, which is why I don't plan on asking for your help!" Nilo gritted his teeth, his words forcing through the gaps, "This is my own choice, I'm not asking you to risk your lives, you guys pilot this ship and leave, I'm going to save her alone, don't stop me!"

"You'll have even less chance alone, it's pure suicide, don't be impulsive!" the captain pressed down hard on Nilo.

Nilo struggled for a good while before gradually calming down, sitting on the floor, covering his face with his hands in utter silence.

Seeing this, everyone gradually let go and stepped back a few paces, leaving him alone.

Sensing Nilo's grief, the captain couldn't help but sigh, squatting down to pat Nilo's shoulder; after pondering for a moment and failing to think of how to comfort him, he could only mutter, "She was only captured, she's not dead yet, there might still be a turning point, we can figure out a way to save her later, for now, we can only run."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Nilo abruptly raised his head, his eyes slightly red, his tone low:

"You're right, I was impulsive just now, thank you for stopping me... I can't let Mia and the others fall into enemy hands, who knows what kind of torture they'll endure, I still have one last hope."

Speaking thus, Nelo rose to his feet, drew out his communicator, took a deep breath, and summoned the courage to dial Han Xiao's number.

He had originally made up his mind not to contact Han Xiao during his service, solely to avoid disappointing his godfather; had there been any other way, he would never have troubled him...

The ringing of the communication signal echoed three times, each toll stretching into an eternity for Nelo; only after the precise third chime did the connection open, revealing the familiar, composed voice on the other end.

"Nelo, what brings you to me?" Han Xiao asked, a subtle smile playing upon his lips.

"Godfather, I'm sorry, I've let you down." Nelo rubbed his eyes and murmured, "I've found myself in an insurmountable predicament, and I hope you can help me."

"Speak," Han Xiao replied indifferently.

Nelo swiftly explained the situation, then bowed his head, awaiting a response.

Observing his demeanor, Han Xiao stroked his chin and offered a faint smile. "I refuse."

Nelo snapped his head up, his face a mask of sheer astonishment.

"Surprised?" Han Xiao's smile faded. "Your identity has changed. You are no longer just my godson, but a regular soldier of the Legion. I have indeed granted you exceptional privileges, but that does not mean I will coddle you with special treatment forever."

"B-but..." Nelo's eyes reddened.

"It's not that I won't help you, but setting aside our relationship and looking at this purely from a business perspective, what can you offer me to hire my services?" Han Xiao said coolly.

"I... I don't know."

"Then on what grounds do you ask for my help?" Han Xiao blinked. "Our bond is real, but I will not aid you without cause. That is the rule. To acquire something, you must always trade for it. Stripped of this identity, what else do you have of value to offer?"

Nelo's mind was in turmoil, and he muttered, "I... I have nothing..."

Seeing Nelo clutch his head with both hands, silent for a long while as his expression grew despondent, Han Xiao finally softened his tone and smiled. "What's the matter? Are you feeling despair? Think carefully—how long has it been since you last said thank you to me?"

Hearing this, Nelo trembled violently, his head bowed as he whispered to himself:

"I'm sorry... please..."

"I am asking you, are you feeling despair?" Han Xiao narrowed his eyes, his tone growing heavier.

After a long silence, Nelo finally raised his head; his lip was bitten until it bled, his eyes blurred with tears, and he nodded toward Han Xiao.

"Good that you feel despair. Remember this taste, and never experience it again." Han Xiao sat up straight and chuckled. "Rest assured, I accept your request this time and will help you rescue your little girlfriend."

Nelo's emotions surged like a roller coaster, plunging from the clouds into the abyss, then rocketing from the depths back to the heavens; he stood stunned for a moment before coming to his senses, his hands gripping the communicator in an unseemly manner, on the verge of weeping with joy.

"Thank you... thank you..."

"Don't be too hasty to celebrate; this is not a free favor." Han Xiao rested his cheek on his palm, guiding him gently. "You may not know what you have to offer, but in truth, you are not entirely useless. At the very least, you possess a profound mechanical aptitude. Why not use that as your bargaining chip?"

"What do you mean?" Nelo failed to understand.

"If I must explain, you can take it to mean that I do not wish to see you waste your talent. Do not ask for the specifics; you only need to answer me—accept or refuse." Han Xiao's smile was enigmatic.

Nelo still did not comprehend, but he had no choice; he gritted his teeth and nodded firmly.

"I accept, please help me!"

At that very moment, as Han Xiao was engaged in a remote call from the Black Star Palace, a ripple stirred across his interface panel.

[You have triggered the Special Character Quest: Nelo's Request!]

[Quest Introduction: Nelo has accepted your trade, willing to exchange his innate talent and abilities for your assistance.]

[Quest Objective: Rescue Mia Moroto.]

[Reward: Designate and learn one of Nelo's skills or specializations.]