Chapter 514 32: Finally, I Found You

In the wilderness.

The night sky shrouded the land.

Under the scattered stars, the barren Gobi Desert was dead silent. Occasionally, a few Mutant Beasts crawled out of their caves, sniffing for scents.

WHOOSH!

A streak of silver light plummeted from the cliff and smashed into the ground.

BOOM! Sand and dirt flew everywhere as the impact blasted a shallow crater several meters wide into the earth.

The night breeze blew away the cloud of dust. Clad in silver armor, Helido staggered as he climbed out of the crater.

Under the moonlight, his battle armor was covered in spiderweb-like cracks. Most notably, there was a fist-sized gaping hole piercing right through the chest piece, with plenty of dried blood lingering around the edges.

"Huff... huff... huff..."

His heavy panting revealed deep exhaustion and weakness. His face was exceptionally pale, and the scale patterns on his forehead had lost their luster.

"Warning! Warning!"

A silver metallic sphere hovered by his side, emitting a female AI voice that remained completely devoid of emotion as it issued another alert.

"The [Warmonger] mech has sustained thirty-five percent damage. The energy core is moderately damaged. The left arm thruster has failed. The Force Field device's power output has dropped by sixty percent...

"Scanning vital signs... severe penetrating wound in the abdomen, seven fractured ribs, multiple displaced internal organs, and over twenty-five percent blood loss. Comprehensive assessment: severe trauma.

"It is advised to immediately locate a safe area, treat the injuries as soon as possible, and repair the unit, otherwise..."

"Shut up," Helido growled, slumping down onto the sandy ground.

Traces of un-wiped blood lingered at the corner of his mouth. His breathing was heavy and rapid; every inhalation tugged at his fractured ribs, making him sweat from the pain.

However, compared to the physical agony, the mental frustration and humiliation were even more unbearable.

A native. A native of a Planet-level civilization had actually wounded him like this.

"A combat power index exceeding 600 Ohe..." he muttered to himself, a hint of disbelief flashing in his eyes.

"How could a native who hasn't even broken through to the Non-human Level, and without the aid of a mech or special weapons, unleash a combat power exceeding 600 Ohe?

"An Esper ability? A super Martial Skill? Or some kind of racial talent?"

No one answered him.

The metallic sphere hovered quietly, its surface occasionally flashing with a faint blue light, as if it were analyzing something.

Until finally...

BZZT!

"Communication Request—Davis!"

The AI's voice rang out, projecting a blue holographic screen. Helido barely snapped back to reality and looked up.

"Accept communication?"

Looking at the AI's prompt, he closed his eyes, taking more than a dozen breaths to fully calm himself down. When he finally opened them again, a dark golden gleam flashed through his pupils. Restraining his emotions, Helido's face returned to its cold, arrogant demeanor as he chose to accept the call.

BZZT!

The holographic screen flickered. The name "Davis" dissipated, and a figure was projected onto the display.

It was a young Clare man around his age, possessing the same dark golden pupils and scale patterns on his forehead, though his scales were a deeper shade. He was dressed in a decent suit and leaned against a metal chair, his posture appearing somewhat relaxed.

"Helido?" Seeing his current state, Davis was initially taken aback.

Reacting to the sight, he sat up and scanned Helido's injuries from head to toe, asking in astonishment, "Did you encounter a Non-human Level fighter?"

Davis asked this instinctively. After all, the combat power of trial-takers like them was at the Non-human Level. Only an expert of that caliber could possibly injure them.

Helido's face darkened at those words, but he didn't answer.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk..." Davis leaned closer to the screen, looking him up and down before grinning mockingly. "Even your [Warmonger] mech was trashed. Who did it? Ji Lixian? Or one of the other Non-human Level fighters on Earth Star?"

"None of your business," Helido replied coldly. "Just spit it out. What do you want from me?"

Seeing his demeanor, Davis chuckled. After thinking for a moment, he decided not to press the issue. Leaning back, he returned to his original posture, his expression turning a bit more serious. "Alright, let's get down to business... Do you want to team up for this trial mission?"

Helido's eyes flickered.

"Sarik and the others have the backing of the major corporate factions to support them," Davis said in a serious tone, analyzing the situation for him. "They lack nothing—manpower, intel, resources. If you continue to fight alone, I'm afraid you're going to suffer."

Helido remained silent. He knew Davis was speaking the truth.

For this trial, the nine of them were scattered across Earth Star. Some had sought out the Five Major Enterprises, demanding their assistance, manpower, and intervention in the war. Others had the same idea as him: to absorb a fortress faction in the wilderness, rally an army, and personally lead the charge onto the battlefield.

Originally, there was nothing wrong with his plan. But now...

He looked down at the cracks in his silver armor, his gaze gloomy, and took a deep breath.

"Fine. But I have one condition."

"Let's hear it."

Helido raised his head, meeting Davis's eyes through the screen, his voice icy. "Give me two portions of [Mechanical Crystal Stone]."

Davis stared at him for a few seconds before suddenly smiling.

"Interesting.

"Even the energy core of your [Warmonger] mech has taken heavy damage. It seems you really suffered a massive loss this time."

Seeing Helido's expression grow increasingly dark, he tactfully ended the topic and nodded with a smile. "Deal."

BZZT!

As his words fell, the holographic screen dissipated.

Helido stood alone on the sandy ground, gazing up at the starry sky.

"A planet native."

As the encounters of today's battle flashed through his mind, his tone held no more anger—only a cold seriousness.

A temporary defeat wasn't terrifying; what was truly terrifying was lacking the courage to admit it. Since that was the case...