Great! I'm surrounded by villains!
Chapter 294 - 213: Team Victory

Chapter 294: Chapter 213: Team Victory

What is this place?

In order to clear up this question, Duan Mingyuan had to search deep within the memories of the flower bud for information about Ava Qiao.

This was not easy, as Ava Qiao had not left a deeply ingrained impression on the "Cocoon," much like the other assassins who had strayed into this place, she had not lasted long before being driven mad. For such cases, Divine Wood did not even bother to send out an Angel Envoy, leaving them alone on this deserted planet was enough for them to lose themselves in loneliness and fear.

Eventually, Duan Mingyuan found the outcome of this galaxy assassin in some fragmented vegetation memories.

One month after arriving in this world, Al-Qiao finally lost his sanity. One day, he ran out of the cave, screaming and shouting, running towards the forest.

Then, the legendary assassin fell off a cliff in his hallucinations, returning to reality through "death."

"So, what about the figures Ava Qiao saw?"

Earth Wolf Twelve sighed incessantly, who could have imagined that this assassin, once causing the Long Branch Committee great trouble, would end up dying by falling off a cliff?

"That’s the influence of the Divine Wood, and the process of symbiosis with the vegetation; it doesn’t completely count as hallucination."

To explain this question, Duan Mingyuan introduced descriptions from the Divine Wood Cult scriptures, "In the process of symbiosis with the Divine Wood, the human body changes slowly, starting with the skin becoming dry and tough, with a minority growing branches and sprouts of plants. They call this process ’Sprouting.’ After the Sprouting phase ends, people will receive guidance of Divine Wood, witnessing extraordinary scenes. Al-Qiao’s body must have been assimilated by the power of Divine Wood, which is why he saw the former residents of the Forest Sea."

This also seemed to explain why those assassins could survive with only a head remaining.

They were assimilated by the power of Divine Wood, which allowed them to remain alive even as "potted plants."

Morgan VII kept them in the lower levels of the flagship to be admired as strange plants.

Understanding dawned on Earth Wolf Twelve, who then asked, "So theoretically, we must die before we can leave this damned place?"

"Precisely, it’s about making the family think we are dead," Duan Mingyuan said.

The reason why Ava Qiao and others could still be alive with only their heads was because they were assimilated by the power of Divine Wood. Duan Mingyuan did not recommend others try this method lightly.

"But how do we do that specifically?"

"We ask it for a favor."

Duan Mingyuan turned to the flower bud, "Friend, you’ll help us, right?"

............

Elsewhere.

Several hours had passed since Duan Mingyuan and Earth Wolf Twelve disappeared.

The butler sat alone in the master bedroom, his gaze fixed unblinkingly on the ring on his index finger.

This was supposed to be a prolonged process, Ava Qiao held out for a month, and Duan Mingyuan, being a Transcender, was supposed to hold out even longer.

Yet, the butler’s heart could not find peace for a long time. This was the Silver Lotus House’s trump card against the Transcenders. Only with the power of the "Cocoon" could they contend with a Transcender, but after all, it was his first time applying this power in real combat.

Who would emerge as the victor between a Transcender and an already formed "Cocoon"?

He could not know the answer.

It was at this moment that the servants of the Laurel brought another piece of news: someone had infiltrated the ship again.

Using the same space Fold Jump technology, and like Duan Mingyuan and Earth Wolf Twelve, the intruder made no attempt from the beginning to hide their tracks. The intruder shoved a gun into a maid’s mouth, coercing her to bring them to the master bedroom.

At this very moment, the intruder has reached the door.

With a thud, the door to the master bedroom was kicked open, and the intruder looked around menacingly before pointing the gun at the butler.

"Miss Mocking Pigeon, I don’t think you received an invitation from the family," the butler said.

Mocking Pigeon, undoubtedly a troublesome character, her arrival only increased the butler’s irritation.

Even though this woman had rudely burst into the Laurel and pointed a gun at people on the ship, he couldn’t simply decide her fate like he did with the other assassins. She held a revered status in the hearts of the Eastern Battlefront’s people — and they needed the strength of the Eastern Battlefront before the end of this upheaval.

The old grudge of this people against the Universe Company would become the best soldiers for the family.

The butler persuaded, "You still have the chance to leave the Laurel now."

"Cut the crap, where did you take them?"

Mocking Pigeon demanded.

Before Earth Wolf Twelve embarked, she had installed a tracking device on them without their knowledge.

A few hours ago, the tracking signal had disappeared, and a foreboding sense of doom had surged in her heart.

After a long wait, she finally followed her heart and boarded the flagship.

"If you are referring to Mr. Earth Wolf Twelve, he should still be safe and sound, at least for now."

Symptoms of the Divine Wood’s assimilation usually appeared about a week after entering that world, and until then, they were in a stable exploratory phase.

"Bring him to me."

"I’m afraid that’s not possible."

In response to the butler, a gunshot rang out, the bullet narrowly missing his scalp and leaving a bullet hole in the portrait of the former head of the Silver Lotus family behind him.

Mocking Pigeon said coldly, "I’m not discussing with you. Bring him to me, or next time it won’t be a bullet headed your way."

The barrel of her handgun was just a means of intimidation for ordinary people; her exoskeleton armor was equipped with real star wars equipment, but she was also aware that once she used these weapons aboard her family’s ship, there would be no turning back.

"You should understand, this will bring trouble to the entire Eastern Battlefront nation,"

the butler reminded the other party. "You have more formidable enemies. The Chamber of Commerce is your support."

"Enough talk."

"It seems you have completely lost your mind,"

the butler sighed.

But this could not be entirely blamed on Mocking Pigeon. Although the leader of the Eastern Battlefront was impulsive, she would not act to this degree recklessly. It was mostly "Domination’s" strength that was influencing her, making her as driven by obsession as everyone else on Mechanical Star at the moment.

He was not yet able to use the "Power of Domination" so finely as to precisely identify each person, nor did he think anyone in this world could finely utilize such vast energy.

He slowly rose up, "Leave the Laurel, return to your own ship, then get a good night’s sleep, this is the final ultimatum."

Mocking Pigeon, of course, did not heed his advice.

The silver-gray exoskeleton armor entered combat mode, making her stance clear.

"Then, witness it for yourself,"

the butler lifted his right hand, and the gemstone on his index finger burst forth with blinding brilliance once again, "This is the power from the Dead Star."

Mocking Pigeon instinctively lifted her armguard to cover her face.

Instinct made her realize that the light contained an extraordinary strength, as if an invisible hand was grasping her, pulling her towards another place, yet at this critical moment, she had lost her ability to act.

This process lasted for nearly a minute, and when the bright light faded and her vision cleared, she found herself still in the main bedroom of the ship, the butler still standing in a strange pose, and in front of him, two people had appeared out of thin air.

"Take this, cowboy kick!"

A shout broke the silence of the main bedroom, and Earth Wolf Twelve leaped up, landing a textbook flying kick on the butler.

It turned out that the butler’s physical defense capabilities were poor, and the flying kick hit him squarely in the chest.

The butler was sent flying, crashing into a pile of delicate decorations behind him.

Having completed that, Earth Wolf Twelve landed steadily and gave Mocking Pigeon a slight smile, "Mocking Pigeon, you arrived just in time. The three of us together have defeated the family’s hidden hand."

It was a victory for the team.

Even though there were only three of them, they covered all the roles needed for a team.

Combat personnel, doctor, intelligence specialist, historian, support...

And two to help kick start the battle.