Chapter 220 - 217: Scared Unconscious

Chapter 220: Chapter 217: Scared Unconscious

Hama Pi waited anxiously in his cell for a long time. The ultra-strong glass of the cell had bulged outward, greatly reducing its protective capabilities, so the outside was now surrounded by alert soldiers.

Furthermore, an engineering team had sprayed the outer surface of the glass with an ultra-strong, quick-drying polyurea material, applying nearly ten reinforcing layers.

On top of that, the lighting fixtures inside the cell were all destroyed, and the communication equipment was no longer functional. This left Hama Pi alone in the dark, completely cut off and unable to call for help.

To be honest, for an Akenis, this environment wasn’t particularly terrifying. But for Hama Pi, whose mind was racing with wild thoughts, he felt deeply unsettled.

Perhaps as a way to reassure him, he could still sense that the terrifying Magic Power hadn’t left, though he had no idea what its source was doing.

Fortunately, after waiting in the darkness for some time, Hama Pi finally sensed that heart-pounding Magic Power approaching once more.

The cell door opened again, and Hama Pi once again saw the three mysterious beings.

"Come with us. You don’t have to stay here any longer."

Hearing this, a great weight was lifted from Hama Pi’s heart, and he was so excited he did a somersault.

Still, even though the creature likely couldn’t stir up any trouble right under his nose, Qin Xiaoxia didn’t want any extra complications.

A Parasitic Vine Seed appeared in his palm, and he flicked it toward Hama Pi.

Spurred on by Magic Power, slender, emerald-green branches instantly shot out like a swarm of green snakes, wrapping themselves all over Hama Pi’s body but without hindering his movements.

’Is this? The work of a Tree Shepherd?’

Hama Pi’s heart skipped a beat, but he didn’t dare say a word of protest. He obediently followed the three of them out of the cell.

Once in the hallway, Hama Pi was positioned in the middle, with Qin Xiaoxia and Doudou in front of him and Mo Shaoge behind.

A large contingent of soldiers escorted them all the way to the base entrance.

When he had been brought here before, Hama Pi had been inside a special containment alloy cage, so he hadn’t noticed much. But now that he was out in the open, at least two 30mm ultra-high-speed defense cannons were aimed directly at him.

These terrifying weapons, with a firing rate of 5,000 rounds per minute, were basically on par with the close-in defense cannons commonly equipped on Hua Country’s naval warships. Even Qin Xiaoxia felt a sense of threat from them, while Hama Pi broke out in a cold sweat, so scared he could barely walk.

He didn’t know what they were, but the sense of crisis from having the muzzles aimed at him was suffocating. He had a feeling that no matter how these things attacked, it would be all over if he was so much as grazed.

Fortunately, it only lasted for a moment before the muzzles moved away. Lazov must have given the order.

Qin Xiaoxia, however, seriously suspected the Russians were just flexing their muscles, but a member of the Special Security Team standing nearby preemptively explained on their behalf.

He said this defense protocol was standard among all informed nations. The system prioritizes targeting anomalous creatures and must maintain a target lock even if friendly personnel are nearby. It was a necessary precaution to ensure such threats could not escape.

Lazov’s subsequent explanation was much the same. However, to dispel any potential hard feelings, he also made an apologetic gesture—yes, ten all-access tourist vouchers for Russia.

Qin Xiaoxia had no idea what he was supposed to do with them...

They had arrived by car, but they were leaving by helicopter.

To be honest, even Qin Xiaoxia was riding in such a sophisticated machine for the first time. Doudou and Hama Pi stared with fascination.

When they reached the airport and boarded the Special Security Team’s private jet, Hama Pi was even more astonished by the ingenuity of the human race.

In all his experience, the only thing he had ever seen that could even compare was a flying car, but the principles behind them were completely different. Anyone could tell which was superior.

And compared to this jet, the flying car from his memory seemed utterly primitive.

The plane took off quickly. This time, the Special Security Team left three members behind to engage in deeper discussions with Russia. This included reviewing the prior intelligence shared with France and the United States, as well as laying the groundwork for future multilateral cooperation.

In Kyoto, due to the time difference, it was already approaching noon when the private jet landed.

On the plane, Tao Xingzhi had tried to invite the members of Dawn to be his guests, but Qin Xiaoxia declined, stating that he needed to take the Akenis to see Master Sage immediately.

As they disembarked, Tao Xingzhi was genuinely worried the three would simply vanish. If that happened, the Special Security Team would have truly just been along for the ride, achieving little more than strengthening their relationship—though that had been the main objective anyway.

In truth, Qin Xiaoxia did owe the Special Security Team a favor this time. If he were to just leave, it would be shameless and reflect poorly on him. To be blunt, Dawn’s current standing was propped up almost entirely by its reputation.

So, Tao Xingzhi saw that the black-robed figure, after escorting the anomalous creature off the plane, didn’t immediately perform a vanishing act. Instead, he stood and waited for all the members of the Special Security Team to disembark.

"Leader Tao, we thank you for this trip to Russia."

He paused for a moment, then a hand emerged from beneath his cloak. He opened his palm to reveal a Magic Energy Crystal, slightly larger than an edamame bean, and two Sound Transmission Flower seeds.

"I know it isn’t much, but a Philosopher’s Stone is exceedingly precious. This one is from my private stash, a token of gratitude for this joint trip."

"This..."

Hearing that it was from this Dawn Member’s personal stash, his first instinct was to politely refuse with something like, "How can I possibly accept this?" But he forced himself to hold back the words.

The Philosopher’s Stone, or Magic Energy Crystal, was obviously a very precious resource. There was no telling when he would get another chance to obtain one. He had to accept it, no matter what.

In the end, he felt that any grandiose words would be inappropriate, so he could only say with utmost sincerity,

"Thank you!"

Hama Pi hadn’t seen the exchange with the Russians, but this time he got a clear look at the small yet miraculous crystal.

Qin Xiaoxia hadn’t yet dispelled the resonant Magic Power on his neck, so when Hama Pi shrieked, everyone understood him perfectly.

"This—this—this can’t be the legendary Magic Energy Crystal, can it?!?"

"O-o-oh, great Magic Controller, you’re actually giving such a precious item away?! Oh, oh, oh, can you give me one, too? No matter how small! I’m willing to do anything for you!"

Suitable Demonized Crystal Ore is extremely rare. The key is to find it in its nascent stage; otherwise, if the Mother Crystal Ore undergoes excessive demonization, it becomes essentially useless.

Furthermore, after acquiring a Mother Crystal Ore, being able to fully catalyze it into a Magic Energy Crystal Ore is an even rarer feat.

Even the successful ones are mostly in the hands of powerful factions or incredibly strong individuals. While the absolute quantity in existence isn’t exactly scarce, it’s a resource that owners find they never have enough of for themselves.

Therefore, not many Magic Energy Crystals actually circulate in the open, and even fewer beings are willing to trade them.

From this perspective, Qin Xiaoxia had been incredibly lucky in the early days, even obtaining a special resource like the Blood of the Tree Shepherd, which was perfectly suited for nurturing the growth of a Magic Energy Crystal Vein.

Of course, a powerful Akenis Merchant might have a few on hand, but that definitely didn’t include Hama Pi.

This guy had never even seen a Magic Energy Crystal before. Even so, his swindler’s instincts allowed him to identify the crystal handed to Tao Xingzhi as a Magic Energy Crystal at a single glance. As for the two seeds, he didn’t recognize them.

"Heh heh heh. If you can satisfy Master Sage, you might just get that chance."

After saying this, Qin Xiaoxia turned back to face Tao Xingzhi.

"Well then, we’ll take our leave."

It was as if his vision wavered for an instant, and then again, as if it hadn’t. By the time the feeling passed, the three mysterious figures were gone.

Hama Pi’s outburst also gave the members of the Special Security Team an indirect understanding of just how precious the Philosopher’s Stone was.

"The Russians really hit the jackpot this time!"

With this exclamation, the Special Security Team boarded their vehicles and returned to headquarters. The debriefing for this mission was not going to be a simple one.

...

The moment Qin Xiaoxia activated his Secret Realm Power to vanish, he had knocked Hama Pi unconscious.

When Hama Pi came to, he was already in the Qingzhen Secret Place.

A circle of people was gathered around him, staring as if he were a strange new spectacle.

Among them was a powerful Tree Shepherd and humans who looked ordinary but were clearly anything but. However, when he saw the Red Demoness—a completely incomprehensible being—Hama Pi froze for several seconds before fainting again.

This time, he had been frightened into unconsciousness.

PS: Friday’s second Chapter.