Chapter 1 A Great Disturbance

Han Xiao's arrival caused a great uproar.

The "Ruler of Runes," the leader of Rune City, was awakened from his sleep by this news. He hurriedly dressed and convened an emergency meeting.

In the central tower's main hall, the city's high-ranking officials rushed in, each one bleary-eyed, some discreetly wiping away sleep.

Outside the tower's terrace, the night sky was dark, the moonlight filtering through the white stone railings, leaving mottled silhouettes.

Inside the hall, illuminating runes spread light. The Ruler of Runes, a deeply wrinkled old man wearing magnificent robes and holding a royal staff, looked strange.

"Everyone is aware of the situation. A spaceman claiming to be a mercenary has arrived, wanting a celestial object from us. According to intelligence, he used some kind of mechanical beast to easily defeat two hundred Rune Guards. Now, he's in the surrounding forest, awaiting our reply. What are your opinions?"

"Aliens possess a lot of information about the universe. He said he's willing to exchange some data for the statue. I think it's worth considering…"

An official spoke, his position similar to the Hand of the King. He changed the subject, saying, "However, the object the alien wants must contain extraordinary value. From his perspective, he might be trying to take advantage of our ignorance of the statue's function, exchanging it for some simple information. I don't think we should compromise easily. It's best to examine the statue first."

"You're right," the Ruler of Runes nodded.

Soon, guards brought the statue from the warehouse. It had fallen onto the planet many years ago, existing since the time of the previous Ruler of Runes. Because they couldn't discover the statue's secrets, and most researchers who had prolonged contact developed mental problems, it had been sealed in the warehouse, classified as an "unbreakable celestial object."

Now, due to the alien's request, they were once again paying attention to the statue.

This thing must be extraordinary. The Ruler of Runes was reluctant to hand it over so easily—even if he couldn't discover its secrets.

This was a treasure that aliens traveled across countless mountains and rivers to seek!

"The alien gave us a deadline of tomorrow. We only have one night to consider," the Ruler of Runes squinted.

"If we can capture the alien, we can not only study the body of a cosmic species, but also obtain all his knowledge. This is an opportunity that surpasses all other forces." This person was the general in charge of the army, wearing heavy armor, his tone filled with killing intent. "He's only one person."

"He might have other companions, and being able to descend onto the planet means he's not easy to deal with. I don't think we should clash with him," someone else said.

The officials split into two factions. One side thought it was better to accept the alien's conditions, while the other was greedy, wanting to capture the alien and extract all benefits. The latter had more people, because they had seen many celestial objects and were not completely ignorant of interstellar people. They didn't have much awe, but were more curious.

They couldn't research those high-tech celestial objects on Planet Milu. They only scratched the surface, but a little knowledge often bred conceit and arrogance. Not understanding deeply, they would make assumptions. Moreover, Planet Milu as a whole had little concept of the strength of interstellar warriors. Han Xiao's solo arrival gave them courage.

These warmongers offered plans and tactics to deal with the alien.

"We have one night. That's enough time to mobilize tens of thousands of guards, quietly surround that area, use forbidden rune sets. The most elite warriors can withstand that burden. Then, we deploy large-scale rune engineering weapons, a large-scale siege, enough to defeat the alien. He definitely won't expect us to ambush him."

The Ruler of Runes' eyes flickered. He pondered for a long time, swaying between harmonious communication and greed for a while, and finally made a decision: he would not satisfy the alien's deal. If he could capture the alien, all the benefits would be his.

He glanced at the officials and said, "Dispatch troops, use the strongest weapons. This opportunity is once in a lifetime. Being cautious will only miss the opportunity. We must capture the alien."

…

The first ray of dawn quietly revealed itself in the sky, which had not yet faded from the night, the tone seemingly carrying a hint of coolness, penetrating the forest, and landing on Han Xiao, who sat as still as a reef.

His eyelashes fluttered, and Han Xiao opened his eyes. Refreshing, cold-colored morning mist slowly permeated the forest, clinging to his skin, leaving a cool dampness, which slightly lifted Han Xiao's spirits after not sleeping all night.

"It's dawn, and the enemy is almost here."

A few drops of water fell on his face. He looked up at the sky and raised an eyebrow. "Looks like it's going to rain."

Rain soon fell, a light drizzle in the morning, pattering through the trees.

Han Xiao got up, looked around at the surrounding forest. The swaying shadows of the trees carried a mysterious atmosphere. In the dim forest, he sensed a faint killing intent, mixed with the humidity, appearing somewhat viscous, wandering in all directions, omnipresent.

Suddenly, a stagnant pressure descended, slowing his movements. Han Xiao moved and found that it took more effort to maintain a normal pace. This was the effect of some kind of remote gravity rune.

"As expected, they chose to go to war."

Han Xiao nodded secretly. The forces of this planet were all newborns. They wouldn't learn their lesson until they were thoroughly hurt. Those who didn't know their limits would try to control all the benefits in front of them, wishing they could stuff all the fat into their mouths, not afraid of being stuffed to death.

Caution could make people careful. Normal civilizations would cautiously contact aliens, but that didn't mean all natives would do so. There were humble people, and correspondingly, there were greedy people. Greed was like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. Some barbaric native civilizations even thought that the descending aliens were demons, declaring war on them with the entire country. There was precedent for this.

The greedier they were, the more they liked to play with fire. Greed was close to poverty, and avarice was close to burning.

From all directions in the forest, a huge army of Rune Guards appeared. Thousands of rune crossbows aimed at him, and a thousand melee guards slowly approached. These two thousand people were just the vanguard. The main force was still lurking in the depths of the forest. Rune City had sent out seventy percent of its military force this time.

"Alien, you should be able to understand our language. I am Barkzas, the commander of the Rune City garrison. You are surrounded. We will not harm your life, but only if you do not put up a futile resistance and obediently come with us."

The commander, wearing magnificent rune armor, was located in the center of the army, expressionless, his tone cold. He was the general who advocated for war at last night's meeting, spending the entire night dispatching troops and quietly approaching the forest. Now that the encirclement was complete, even the founder of the Battle Rune Sect would undoubtedly be defeated—this was the strongest expert in Rune City's history.

The soldiers, on high alert, curiously observed the alien, thinking that he didn't look that scary.

"It seems I can only personally visit your city. What an unwise choice," Han Xiao said, seemingly regretful, but secretly happy.

Hearing this, many rune soldiers felt nervous, but after looking at the countless colleagues around them, they gained some confidence.

Barkzas' face tightened.

Was it about to start?

Last night, the military brainstormed and guessed many kinds of methods that the alien might possess, stayed up all night formulating various response tactics, and prepared fully. He mentally reviewed the army's configuration and various tactics.

Barkzas felt a little relieved.

The forest terrain restricted the sweeping of bullets, which was somewhat disadvantageous. Han Xiao looked around and finally faced the direction of Rune City.

Then… let's push straight through!

(There is another part following)