Chapter 17: Ransom
The seventh-rank contractor standing in the rear cabin let out a sigh as all kinds of attacks came at him, yet each one passed straight through his body. He was about to leave this world, having just been teleported in only to "return home."
His side's madmen surged forward all at once, charging into the rear cabin of the spaceship—a textbook example of organized chaos.
Boom!
Flames rushed toward them from the front. A tank-type contractor at the lead immediately stopped in his tracks.
"I've got this!"
The tank brother slammed one hand against the ground, and the arm shield on his forearm rapidly expanded, blocking the flames ahead. However, he only blocked the fire rushing toward himself.
"You absolute moron."
A mature woman engulfed in flames cursed under her breath. No wonder she was upset—the lone wolf tank beside her had just said "I've got this," which thoroughly misled their allies.
The flames dissipated as fierce firepower poured into the spaceship. All kinds of energy mixed together, and explosions rang out without end.
"Hold them off!"
A somewhat desperate shout came from deeper inside the metal corridor. Layer after layer of barriers shattered. Several melee-type contractors were at the front, with mid-to-long-range contractors behind them.
Clang~
A long blade slid from its sheath, and a flash of blue light streaked through the crowd of contractors on their side.
When Su Xiao stopped, he had already reached the innermost part of the metal corridor, less than three meters away from the six melee-type contractors.
'Blade Path Sword: Time.'
Thump~
A shockwave spread out, and the six melee contractors immediately felt the air around them grow thick and viscous. Their speed plummeted.
A large swath of pale blue slashing light flashed through the air. A flicker of blade work appeared, and Su Xiao stepped forward, walking right past the six contractors.
The six contractors stood frozen in place as blood streaks emerged across their bodies and faces. The next moment, their bodies shattered, torn apart by the slashes.
Clang, clang, clang!
The sharp ring of slashing echoed, mixed with screams and roars of rage. Slash marks crisscrossed the main cabin.
Those left guarding the base camp were mostly ranged or support types with weak direct combat capabilities. Once Su Xiao charged into the main cabin, their fate was sealed.
By the time the front-line tanks from Reincarnation Paradise's side rushed into the main cabin, the madmen behind them were so impatient that some jumped right over them.
The battle began, and the battle ended. Even with a five-to-one numerical advantage and a healing aura inside the spaceship, it made no difference.
The stench of blood filled the air. Death Paradise's side was eliminated—except for a few fish that slipped through the net, all the rest were killed in action.
A little girl was trembling as she hid in the spaceship's kitchen. No contractor paid her any attention. She was a neutral unit, equivalent to a worker on Reincarnation Paradise's side. She couldn't directly participate in combat, but she was under Death Paradise's protection.
"Little bunny, did your captain pull out?"
Baha stood at the kitchen window, looking at the little girl inside.
"You're the little bunny. Bad guy, ptooey."
"Oh yeah? Spit at me, huh? Ptooey."
"Ptooey~"
What was a spitting contest? This was it.
"Ptooey, you jerk."
Little Bunny was furious. From her perspective, the madmen from Reincarnation Paradise were villains—unscrupulous villains.
"Heh~"
Baha took a deep breath. Hearing that sound, Little Bunny gave up and ran into the kitchen's cold storage room.
Su Xiao followed the metal corridor inside the main cabin straight to the captain's quarters. After forcing open the pressurized door, he found the room completely empty.
The resource hold had been cleared out, and the energy core was gone. Su Xiao found a "Temporary Spatial Coordinate Stabilizer" in the captain's quarters.
Crack.
Su Xiao stabbed his blade into the Temporary Spatial Coordinate Stabilizer. A counterforce traveled from the hilt to his hand. The four-meter-tall metal device in front of him showed no reaction—conventional methods couldn't destroy this thing.
Su Xiao frowned. He was about to try a different approach when a surge of blood-red energy emerged, climbing up the long blade in his hand. With a bang, the Temporary Spatial Coordinate Stabilizer exploded into fragments.
[Announcement (Void Tree): Death Paradise's temporary spatial coordinates have been destroyed.]
[Void Tree is verifying...]
[Verification complete. According to initial regulations, Death Paradise may pay 7,500 ounces of Space-Time Power to forcibly activate this spaceship.]
[Announcement (Reincarnation Paradise): Successfully seized 7,500 ounces of Space-Time Power.]
[Announcement (Reincarnation Paradise): All allied contractors in this world receive 5 True Attribute Points.]
[Announcement (Reincarnation Paradise): Death Paradise's base camp is about to transform. Allied contractors must evacuate within 5 minutes.]
...
Seeing this series of announcements, Su Xiao wasn't too surprised. Having two base camps wasn't really useful anyway. It was better to extort—no, to trade with Death Paradise for 7,500 ounces of Space-Time Power.
After Reincarnation Paradise obtained this Space-Time Power, the contractors who participated in the battle also benefited, each receiving 5 True Attribute Points.
[Prompt: Based on the Hunter's comprehensive evaluation in this battle, the Hunter will receive 6 True Attribute Points.]
[You have obtained Holy Spirit Chest × 1.]
[You have obtained Soul Crystal (Complete) × 8.]
...
Su Xiao wasn't surprised, and he believed that the rewards obtained by the Dean, Widow West, and others wouldn't be just 5 True Attribute Points either.
"There's this kind of good fortune?"
"Hehehehe..."
A sinister laugh came from a scar-faced burly man as he looked at Yimomi and the others in the main cabin. Holy Light Paradise's side also had a spaceship.
"You guys are way too real."
Although Yimomi didn't know what was happening, she sensed that some contractors from Reincarnation Paradise were looking at them with strange eyes.
"Relax. We're just a little unhinged, but we wouldn't stoop to being backstabbers like the cult."
The scar-faced burly man kicked away half a corpse from a seat, ignoring the bloodstains, and sat down with a bold demeanor.
"Everyone, don't slack off. We still have the cult to deal with. Let's move out now."
The Dean was acting out of character, wanting to go after the cult right away. Keep in mind, the cult had just seized a Space-Time Crystal and was likely inside their base camp. Charging in like this was reckless.
Would the Dean make such a reckless decision? Of course not. He was testing Holy Light Paradise's attitude. The result was that Holy Light Paradise showed little sincerity and was very willing to see Reincarnation Paradise clash head-on with the cult.
There was no time to rest. Everyone from Reincarnation Paradise headed out of the spaceship. It was about to take off.
Just as Su Xiao stepped out of the rear cabin, the ground beneath his feet began to tremble, and the spaceship behind him slowly rose into the air.
Sanctuary Paradise's base camp wasn't far from Death Paradise's. The Dean had just exited the spaceship when he changed his mind and came over to Su Xiao.
"Bai Ye, I'm breaking my promise. Within two days, I can at most clear out Death Paradise's side. There's no way to deal with the cult for now."
"Are they coming?"
Su Xiao thought of a possibility—that the Aberrant Beasts and Grey Orcs had finally lost patience and were about to advance toward the Fallen Zone.
"That's right."
The Dean gave a bitter smile. He liked dealing with smart people, but unfortunately, this was bad news.
"Everyone from Holy Light Paradise, our cooperation ends here."
The Dean's words not only surprised Yimomi but also left the madmen on their side puzzled. So many healer supports, and they were just letting them go?
"Everyone, trust me on this. Fall back."
The Dean quickened his pace, heading toward their own base camp. Most of the contractors on their side chose to follow. The rest, after a moment's thought, also hurried toward their base camp.
Yimomi and the other Holy Light Paradise contractors were left behind. The cooperation was over. What happened to them next was their own problem.
The reason the Dean wanted to immediately withdraw to their base camp was that the Aberrant Beast and Grey Orc armies were about to attack. These natives had observed for two days and finally couldn't hold back.
Over the past two days, Reincarnation Paradise's side had seemed to be picking fights with everyone, acting like a bunch of madmen. In reality, the Dean had avoided head-on clashes with other factions. So far, only a few contractors from Reincarnation Paradise had died—they had the fewest casualties.
Su Xiao and the Dean had long guessed that the natives of this world would attack. The healing aura inside the base camp wasn't prepared for dealing with contractors—it was for dealing with the world's natives.
As for clearing out Death Paradise, that was crucial. Without doing so, Reincarnation Paradise's side would have been squeezed between the cult and Death Paradise. Now, with only the cult left, it was perfect. The cult would draw the natives' fire, and the cult itself wouldn't amount to much.