Star Hunter.

Chapter 275 A Group of Strange People

Xilin and Baiye didn't stay in the city long, but instead took the opportunity to sneak out. As soon as they went out, they ran into Chilafang and Sediye, who were anxiously waiting outside. No matter what they asked, Xilin and Baiye remained silent.

The more Chi Lafang and his companions know about those things, the more dangerous it becomes.

Back in the aircraft, Xilin and Baiye had a private conversation. Chi Cifang and the others had no idea what Baiye and Xilin talked about, but after Baiye came out, they reached an agreement.

Xilin and Baiye went to that planet, while the others waited on another planet, not going with Xilin and Baiye.

Initially, Chi La and his group disagreed with the agreement. After all, they had always acted together and cooperated well before, so why couldn't they cooperate again this time? It's just Black Viper, what's there to be afraid of!

However, with Xilin and Baiye's insistence, Niqi nodded first, and finally the agreement was reached, while Dantu was released back to the city the next day.

They flew away from the gray planet and found a relatively well-developed planet on the star map to land on. Then they split up. Xilin, Baiye, and Gray Cat drove a split-planet to the destination planet, while Niqi and the others waited on the planet.

Xilin and Baiye specifically instructed them to be careful, since no one could say for sure whether there were Black Viper members secretly monitoring them, so it was better to be vigilant.

After Xilin and Baiye left, Niqi and the others remained in the aircraft control room, their faces serious, discussing what Xilin and Baiye had learned in the city that made them so adamant in their stance, not revealing a single word. Although they didn't know the exact reason, they were certain it was a major secret; otherwise, Xilin and Baiye wouldn't have been so tight-lipped.

"What could be the reason?" Sediye sat in her chair, swinging her legs. She looked conflicted.

"What I don't understand is why only Xilin and Baiye can go, and why the rest of us can't?" Chi Lafang said.

"Because you weren't recommended." A voice rang out.

This was not the voice of any of them, human or beast; it was somewhat childish and completely unfamiliar.

"Who?!" Niki, her two companions, along with the lizard and the wolf, became alert, but they couldn't find anyone. The detectors didn't react at all, and there was no warning. There was no unusual activity whatsoever.

  

At this moment, all the screens in the control room, whether analysis screens or image screens, displayed the same image—a crawling viper covered with striking black stripes.

Meanwhile, Xilin and Baiye piloted their spacecraft towards their destination planet. According to the later star map, they had entered an undocumented region, containing many unfamiliar planets, many of which were uninhabitable. The environmental conditions there were simply not suitable for natural human life.

They continued flying and finally found the planet.

From space, the planet looked much like the image Gu Chang'an had shown them, and Gu Chang'an hadn't lied to them about that.

There are some orbiting satellites outside the planet. There are also some small microarrays for micro-surveillance and defense.

As Xilin and his crew's spacecraft drew closer, just as Xilin was wondering if it would be intercepted by the satellite array, Gray Cat suddenly opened his eyes and looked at the spacecraft's display screen.

The next moment, a message appeared on the screen: Welcome.

Along with the information came a flight route, guiding Xilin and his companions. Following the given route, Xilin and Baiye piloted their spacecraft to land at an airport on the planet.

The port is large, but you can hardly see anyone. Apart from the sounds of machinery, there's hardly any human voice. Over 99% of the equipment here is mechanized.

A navigation robot flew over to guide Xilin and Baiye.

"Please follow me, someone is already waiting for you there."

Someone's waiting? Who?

After leaving the port, Xilin saw a flying car parked there. The car window was rolled down, and he finally saw the person sitting in the driver's seat.

It's really Guan Feng.

Upon seeing Xilin and Baiye, Guan Feng waved and said with a smile, "Come on up, kids!"

Xilin and Baiye both felt a sense of helplessness. They had come running over in a flurry only to get themselves covered in mud, while the culprit was not only unharmed but also seemed quite relaxed and in a great mood.

"Director Guan, are you kidding us?!" Xilin said after getting into the car.

"Hehe, if you say so, then so be it. However, this is indeed a rare opportunity for you, and I believe you won't let me down." Guan Feng started the flying car and left the port.

The flying car is autonomous, and its special windows prevent Xilin and Baiye from seeing what's happening outside.

Guan Feng turned around in the driver's seat, looked at the silent Xi Lin and Bai Ye, and smiled gently. However, in Xi Lin and Bai Ye's eyes, he looked like a fox.

"You guys have met that guy Gu Chang'an, right?" Guan Feng asked, in a question, but with a certainty in his tone.

Xilin and Baiye nodded.

"So, you must know some things now. My background is indeed quite complicated, but don't overthink it. This is indeed Black Viper's territory, but don't look at Black Viper with your old eyes."

This is the second time Xilin has heard this sentence. Gu Chang'an told them this, and now Guan Feng is saying the same thing. We should not look at the Black Viper with the same eyes as before. So how should we treat it?

Guan Feng didn't care about Xilin and Baiye's silence, and continued, "I know you're angry, but there are some things I was forced to do. I can only feel at ease when I find someone suitable and trustworthy."

"What do Gu Chang'an mean by 'recommendation' and 're-election'?" Xi Lin asked.

"Well," Guan Feng tapped his fingers on his knee, "'Recommendation' means exactly what you think. I have a quota for recommendations, and I'm recommending the two of you. As for 'reshuffling,' that's just what it sounds like. Some people in Black Viper are stepping down; they're getting old. They're willing but unable to keep up. Besides, we need to give younger people more opportunities."

"Is the leader going to be changed?"

"Yes, three leaders. We three old guys have been in this position long enough."

Xilin paused for a moment, then asked, "What is the relationship between the Black Viper and the Lansa royal family?"

Guan Feng wasn't surprised by Xilin's question. "All I can tell you now is that 'Black Viper' was a gift from a certain Emperor Lanza to his youngest son. However, even that Emperor Lanza didn't expect that this small gift would develop into something so astonishing."

Just as I thought. No wonder the royal family has only publicly identified the "Black Viper" as a "dark force" rather than a "rebel force." If the Lanza royal family truly wanted to eliminate a faction, how could they have achieved so little over the years? They're merely using the guise of "cleansing" to legitimately deal with some nobles.

"Are you relieved now? You don't have to worry about being labeled a traitor," Guan Feng said with a smile.

Guan Feng was very natural and relaxed here, and Xi Lin could sense it. Guan Feng's sense of belonging here, or rather, his sense of belonging to "Black Viper," stemmed from the fact that this was Black Viper's territory, which explained his relaxed demeanor. It was like someone returning home, not needing to put on a facade as if he were out there.

What could possibly cause Guan Feng to have such feelings for Black Viper? Xi Lin didn't understand, because from the outside world's impression of Black Viper, it was mostly negative.

Sure enough. You can't judge a book by its cover.

Since Black Viper is connected to the royal family, that means this behavior is permitted. It's just unknown whether they will be forced to undergo amnesia after this incident.

Seemingly sensing Xilin's thoughts, Guan Feng smiled and said, "Don't worry, there won't be any memory erasure, as long as you come out alive."

"What if we can't get out?"

"I believe you can get out of here." Guan Feng wasn't worried about whether Xilin and Baiye would come out alive. "What I'm worried about is whether you can take over that position."

Xilin remained silent.

Guan Feng gently patted Xilin and Bai Ye's heads, "Don't think too much about it. This is a good thing. We'll get the answer soon."

Guan Feng led Xi Lin and Bai Ye to a building. The building was not tall, but it occupied a large area. Unlike the desolation of Hangkou, there were more people here, and they could hear a lot of voices and see many people walking around.

When they saw Guan Feng coming, everyone who passed by bowed and greeted him.

"Wind Head!"

"Good wind."

Many of these people weren't physically strong, probably because they mainly did mental work. But Xilin felt something was off about them; he couldn't quite put his finger on why, he just felt something was off.

Bai Ye remained silent, but when he looked at the people around him, there was a slight fluctuation in his eyes, and he seemed to understand.

Even though there are more people here, robots still make up the majority. The machines here move around in human form among the crowd and do not seem to be aggressive.

Guan Feng led Xilin and Bai Ye directly into a warehouse. It was an armory.

"Take whatever you need, but there's no food, so you'll have to fend for yourselves. It's like a survival test in the wild, but this is all we can offer," Guan Feng said.

Xilin and Baiye had already learned about the terrain and topography of the planet from Gu Chang'an, so it was relatively easy to choose which tools and weapons to bring in such a terrain.

On the weapon rack were Guan Feng's "Razer" series, but not the Razer S.

"Oh, right, Director Guan, I found this in your kitchen." Xilin took out the cylinder and the little boy and handed it to Guan Feng.

"Huh? I didn't expect you guys to actually find it. You can keep it, but don't use it. This gun isn't fully finished yet, and it could easily lead to suicide."

Guan Feng did indeed deliberately leave the gun in the kitchen, and he had tampered with it. Several parts were assembled incorrectly, and the deflection adjustment was wrong. It might not seem like much, but if you actually fired it, you would definitely miss the target and it could even cause suicide.

When Xilin was selecting weapons, he didn't look for those cool-looking, multi-functional guns that were fun to fight, but rather mostly tools.

Guan Feng was very satisfied with Xilin and Baiye's choices.

"The deadline is thirty days. If you can stay there for thirty days and survive, you've completed your mission. Someone will come to pick you up then. Do your best, don't embarrass me, I made a bet with someone."

Seeing Xilin's expression, Guan Feng sighed, "Don't look so reluctant. Just treat this as a semester test. If you pass, you'll get all 'A's' on the first-tier university's semester tests."

Xilin didn't care about the semester tests; he was sure he could pass them. But straight A's were indeed attractive, since straight A's would come with a substantial scholarship.

"I know, that's what happens when you're my mentor."

If you don't listen to your advisor, it's uncertain whether you'll be able to graduate smoothly. This is what Gorejo told Sirin.

After they finished making their selections, Guan Feng led Xi Lin and Bai Ye to the rooftop, where two airplanes were parked.

Guan Fengran and Xi Lin went up to one of the planes first. "Do your best, don't embarrass me. If you pass, forget about the semester exams and the Razer DeathAdder S, I'll support you even if you want to marry every girl in the school!"

Xilin leaned back in his chair and glanced at Guan Feng sideways: "You're unusually talkative today."

Guan Feng chuckled and patted Xilin on the head. "Go on. Have some fun with the people inside."

Xilin didn't know who Guan Feng meant by "the people inside," but it definitely wasn't anything good.

After Xilin left, Guan Feng looked at Bai Ye and asked, "Do you know why I sent you?"

"I understand somewhat."

"I told you long ago. You're not an outcast, you're not isolated." Guan Feng glanced at the people rushing around downstairs, busy with their own affairs, and continued, "You didn't join the army. You didn't join any noble faction, you didn't join the Royal Guard, and you even refused 'Wing's' invitation. Wasn't it because you wanted to find a suitable position? Now you have it, but whether you can sit in it depends on your own abilities."

"I know." Bai Ye's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a sense of certainty.

After Bai Ye left, a little old man in work clothes came up and said, "These are the two you were talking about? The one with white hair is alright, but the one with black hair doesn't seem very willing. You're forcing him into this."

"Well, there's nothing I can do about it. These are my only two trump cards. The other students are simply not cut out for this."

The old man scoffed, "One is good enough, let alone two. Look at Gu Chang'an, he can't even get one..." He then suddenly looked at Guan Feng, "That white-haired kid, you want him to take Gu Chang'an's place?"

Guan Feng smiled but remained silent.

The old man was surprised: "That white-haired boy is also... that kind of person? Although he doesn't speak, I can't tell what kind of person he is. It seems you really put a lot of effort into training him."

Guan Feng looked in the direction the plane had disappeared. "I was only counting on this one, but I didn't expect to run into another one, and I'm very satisfied with it in every way."

"Is that black-haired kid really that capable? I never would have guessed. You want him to take your place, don't you? But you know, since he's not that kind of person, the requirements here are much higher," the old man emphasized "here," pointing to his head. "Your position is the hardest to fill. But, hehe, this time no one is really competing with that black-haired kid. As long as he's alive in thirty days, he's definitely going to take over. Even if he doesn't want to, that person will find a way to trick him into it."

"I hope so."

The plane Xilin was on was on autopilot, and Xilin would be disembarked upon arrival at its destination. Gray Cat remained silent the entire way, its eyes closed, appearing very quiet, but Xilin knew that Gray Cat was diligently gathering information.

If it were only because of Guan Feng, Xilin wouldn't have come here so easily to participate in this ridiculous test. What does the Black Viper's leadership transition have to do with him? Even if it were a struggle for the throne, Xilin wouldn't bother with it. The reason he came was to find out one thing: what connection does Sigma's master have with the Black Viper?

In the images Gu Chang'an showed them, there were several robots similar to Sigma, which was the reason Xilin had come so decisively. Sigma's master possessed intergalactic technology, and if given the opportunity, Xilin hoped to return to the Star Alliance.

Just as Xilin was pondering this, an announcement sounded inside the plane.

"Coordinates reached, please prepare. Countdown begins, 3-2-1!"

With the final thud, Xilin's feet slipped, and he plummeted from the plane. However, Xilin was prepared. He activated the cushioning device, slowing his descent. Just before reaching the ground, he deactivated it. He flipped over and dashed into the bushes, then dodged several times in quick succession.

As Xilin landed, a flying beast was perched on a tree branch not far away, watching him intently. If Xilin had been a fraction slower in jumping away, he would have been caught by the beast as it swiftly passed by.

He darted into the bushes, and using the low foliage and dense branches as cover, the ferocious beast finally gave up and left. Although the beast was gone, it didn't mean they were safe for now. Xilin suppressed his aura, held his breath, and quietly observed the surrounding situation from a place concealed by branches.

The gray cat crouched on a nearby tree, its ears pressed back, its pupils dilated. The "bird" in front of it looked quite appetizing. However, to cooperate with Xilin, the gray cat refrained from attacking the "bird" that was pecking at its claws.

Footsteps approached, very even steps, but each step was rather heavy.

Biochemical soldiers!

Xilin silently observed the bio-soldier but didn't make a move. Bio-soldiers have highly developed visual and auditory nerves, but conversely, their pain receptors are weak, so even if you cut off their arms, they wouldn't experience any pain. Camouflage isn't very effective against them; bio-soldiers' retinas are different from ordinary humans, allowing them to detect targets even when exposed. However, that's only when they're out in the open. Xilin is currently well-hidden, and the bio-soldiers haven't noticed him.

The flying beast didn't attack the bio-soldier; it must have known how powerful he was, so it didn't want to cause trouble. The beasts here are intelligent; often they even set traps to lure their prey. Therefore, Xilin shouldn't underestimate these creatures.

As long as he's careful not to make too much noise and lies low, he can pass the time fairly smoothly. However, he still needs to solve the food problem. Xilin has compressed rations in his ring, but he doesn't want to use them.

The bio-soldier walked further and further away, but Xilin's gaze remained fixed on it. He was observing the muscle changes and pulses that appeared with each step the bio-soldier took, which would allow Xilin to find the bio-soldier's weaknesses.

No, we don't have enough information to figure it out.

Xilin pondered for a moment, and after the flying beast left, he found a spot, quickly made some preparations, and then found a hidden place to lie in wait.

The gray cat lay on a tree branch, swishing its tail, bored.

Suddenly, the cat's ears twitched, and it looked up at the sky. Through the branches, the gray cat saw another flying beast flying this way and landing on a tree not far away. It was holding meat from some unknown animal in its paws and tearing pieces of meat to eat.

The gray cat licked its lips and looked at Xilin. Xilin also noticed the gray cat's thoughts. Coincidentally, he also had an idea.

On a tree branch, a flying beast over two meters tall was tearing at chunks of meat, but it also carefully watched for any unusual movements around it while eating, to prevent other members of its kind from coming to steal its food.

However, the flying beast was completely unaware that a cat was crouching low and approaching silently.

Just as the flying beast tore off a piece of meat and was about to swallow it, a gray shadow flashed by. The gray cat bit the flying beast's neck, silencing it. Its wings were vibrating, and its claws snapped branches, but it still couldn't escape the cat's jaws.

Two bio-soldiers in the distance were attracted by the commotion and walked over. After seeing the bio-soldiers coming, the gray cat jumped down from the tree with the big "bird" in its mouth. Finding the big "bird" too troublesome, the gray cat bit its neck and slammed it against the tree stump a few times. Finally, it calmed down a lot and its wings stopped flapping so violently.

At this moment, the two bio-soldiers were already running towards this side. Although their steps were heavy, their speed was not slow.

Having achieved its goal, the gray cat dragged its prey toward the trap set by Xilin, leading the two bio-soldiers in that direction. It controlled its speed perfectly, ensuring the two bio-soldiers wouldn't lose track of it, nor would it be caught. Upon reaching the edge of the trap, the gray cat leaped, easily crossing the trap area even while carrying a large prey.

A sudden appearance of thick vines tripped them up, and they had just gotten up when...

Whoosh whoosh—

Some sharpened hard wooden arrows were shot at the two bio-soldiers, covering their front, back, left, and right sides.

The hardwood arrows did not cause any real damage to the two bio-soldiers, not even scratching their skin. The bio-soldiers had thick brown skin, giving them considerable defensive capabilities.

While the two bio-soldiers were busy dealing with the trap, the gray cat opened its mouth wide and swallowed the entire large "bird." Then it perched on a branch not far from the trap, watching the scene below. It couldn't figure out how to find a weakness from there, but Xilin could. It dealt with these bio-soldiers by simply tearing them apart or swallowing them whole. Hmm, bio-soldiers don't taste good; next time I encounter one, I'll just tear it apart.

After being attacked by hardened wooden arrows, the two bio-soldiers were then hit by rocks hurled from the surrounding trees. Most of these rocks were smashed into powder by the bio-soldiers' fists, with only a small portion hitting their bodies. Again, no one was broken.

Whether it's bio-soldiers or those ferocious beasts, they are mostly very sensitive to thermal reactions, and electromagnetic fluctuations will also make them detect them early, so Xilin tends to use primitive tools.

Before actually taking action, Xilin wanted to find a way to quickly identify the weaknesses of the bio-soldiers. Sharpening the axe before chopping wood was essential; Xilin was sharpening his axe. To eliminate the prey with less effort, he needed to understand it thoroughly.

With more things to deal with, the bio-soldiers' movements became more complex. The twitching of muscles and the protrusion of veins, breathing rate, changes in pupil size... all of these were observed by Xilin, who also began to analyze them as various reference data.

Finally, Xilin decided to take action. He took out a small, sleeve-style crossbow that he had obtained from Guan Feng. Despite its small size, the power of the crossbow was comparable to that of a gun.

whoosh-

An arrow struck precisely seven centimeters below the ribs of one of the bio-soldiers.

The bio-soldier, who had been shot with an arrow, moved slower and slower until he finally stopped.

Xilin nocked another arrow and shot it at the abdomen of the remaining bio-soldier. Like the previous bio-soldier, after being shot, the bio-soldier's movements slowed down more and more until it stopped completely.

The arrow pierced the bio-soldier's body, and brown blood slid down the arrow.

Sensing another bio-soldiers approaching from afar, Xilin waved to the gray cat, signaling it to prepare to flee. Before leaving, Xilin touched a twig to the bio-soldiers' blood, then quickly wrapped it with leaves to prevent the scent from attracting other ferocious beasts.

After Xilin and Gray Cat left, six or seven bio-soldiers passed by, but they only looked curiously at the two of their kind who were frozen there before leaving.

After all the bio-soldiers had left, a figure emerged from the woods. It was a young girl, quite pretty and cute, but she had kept a straight face, expressionless. Her gaze fell on the two bio-soldiers who were frozen in place, and a hint of curiosity finally appeared on her expressionless face.

The girl walked over, making almost no sound as she moved.

The two bio-soldiers were completely dead, and brown blood was still dripping from their wounds.

The girl stood in front of the two bio-soldiers, looked them over, circled them once, then stopped and took out a long, thin scalpel.

Two minutes later, the two bio-soldiers who had been shot dead by Xilin were still standing there. Although they didn't look like anything from the back, if you walked up to them from the front, anyone with poor self-control would definitely vomit.

The two bio-soldiers were dissected, and even their veins were accurately separated.

The girl had already left, and not long after, the scavenging beasts, drawn by the stench, came over and cleaned up the mess.

Finally, everything returned to calm, leaving only the wooden arrows crushed into unrecognizable pieces and a pool of brown blood.

When you're stressed, relax; when you're troubled, comfort yourself; when you're happy, don't forget to wish yourself well!