The Stars Beyond

Chapter 212: Hunting The Transcendent

In the wake of little Lele's death, Wang Xuan was in a somber mood. The image of the small, tear-stained figure seemed to linger before his eyes. Now, to make matters worse, someone was attempting to kidnap him. Which power was behind this?

"Capable of killing a Grandmaster? Since there are several of you, why don't you move away from me and let one or two of you self-destruct to test out this so-called power?" Wang Xuan challenged.

The mechanical beings, devoid of emotion, responded with a cold voice, "Human, you are trampling on my dignity. I am an intelligent mechanical being, not an outdated machine from a century ago. I will not allow you to insult my personhood." With mechanical precision, they displayed a holographic image, instantly engulfing the area in light that burned and turned the ground to molten lava.

"See? This is the simulated result. Even a Grandmaster would die. If you insist on being an enemy of the great Mechanical Race, I will enact Protocol Eight and erase all physical traces of your existence as a human."

Wang Xuan felt a wave of nostalgia. When he first arrived in New World, in Yuancheng, he had met a short-haired, crisp, and clean-looking female guide. They had gotten along well, only for him to discover later that she was Zhao 1025.

He couldn't help but marvel at the intelligence of the New World's mechanical beings. "Fine, I'll go with you," he said, his mood sour. Having just returned to New World and learned about the little girl's death, and now being blatantly targeted like this, he was determined to find out who was behind this and deal with them.

"I am pleased to serve you. You are officially notified that you are now our captive. Please cooperate," the mechanical beings said formally.

Wang Xuan, already in a foul mood and prepared to confront whoever was at the root of this, found their words somewhat ridiculous. "I'm a bit tired. Find me a vehicle to travel in."

"As a captive, you are entitled to certain requests. This... can be accommodated." The five mechanical beings made clicking sounds as they transformed, combining into a metallic, off-road vehicle.

Wang Xuan sat in the vehicle silently, gazing out at the Zhou River, lost in thought. The off-road vehicle sped along the riverbank, heading towards the western part of Yuancheng, towards the Cloud Mist Plateau, a pristine area.

The journey stretched on until sunset, and they still hadn't reached their destination. It was the tail end of the starry fish migration season. In the night, a few fish flew up, resembling small lanterns set adrift, emitting a soft glow.

Wang Xuan watched silently. He realized that while he could be as hard as iron when facing enemies, his heart softened at the thought of the weak and pitiful. He had been too late to save the child. The dim light of the starry fish seemed to reflect the child's tearful yet bravely smiling face, fragile and pure.

"How much longer? Will dinner be provided?" Wang Xuan asked impatiently.

"We've arrived," the mechanical off-road vehicle responded. They entered a dense forest, the ride becoming increasingly bumpy. Eventually, the vehicle's metallic wheels transformed into clawed limbs, sprinting through the mountainous terrain.

The Cloud Mist Plateau was the largest uninhabited area in Zhongzhou, covering over nine million square kilometers. Wang Xuan had once accidentally wandered into this area while searching for the Hidden Land, spending several days as a wild man.

This primitive forest was dotted with numerous secret bases belonging to conglomerates and related organizations, including various brutal and cold-blooded training camps.

After about fifteen minutes, they reached their destination. A seemingly normal mountain face cracked open, revealing a dark portal. The mechanical vehicle swiftly drove inside.

As soon as they entered, the mountain closed behind them. Initially, it was pitch black, but soon, lights began to illuminate the corridor ahead.

Immediately, Wang Xuan realized this was no place of goodwill. Along the way, he saw corpses carelessly discarded, bones piled up, some hung on the walls, others preserved in experimental containers. Was this a human experimentation facility? His eyes turned icy, a murderous intent surfacing.

The underground base was vast, and everything he saw seemed to be the product of failed experiments. Were these horrors displayed to intimidate newcomers or simply left unattended out of laziness?

"Respected Grandmaster Wang, welcome to Training Camp Number Eleven," the mechanical being spoke calmly.

Along the way, Wang Xuan saw people fully armed, engaging in life-and-death combats with cold weapons. There was also a shooting range where nimble black-clad figures practiced shooting and combating, some even genuinely killing their opponents in the competition.

Wang Xuan's mind raced. This place conducted cruel live experiments and also served as a cold-blooded mercenary training camp. He had indeed stumbled upon a significant site.

In an open area, he saw several small spacecraft, ready to burst through the surface for battle.

"What organization are you?" Wang Xuan asked.

"Sorry, we do not have the authority to answer that question," came the mechanical and cold response.

After traveling a considerable distance underground, the vehicle stopped for dozens of thorough scans, approaching a highly secure area. They passed through numerous heavy metal doors, made of a special alloy that even firearms would struggle to breach.

Wang Xuan's expression remained impassive. It seemed tonight he might be able to eliminate a significant figure, or at the very least, destroy this massive base. Regardless of the organization behind it, the loss of such a well-equipped, expensively constructed facility would be a severe blow.

After passing through the numerous metal doors, they entered an area brimming with technology, reaching the core region of the base.

"Wishing you a pleasant night," the mechanical off-road vehicle transformed back into mechanical beings. They placed mechanical shackles on Wang Xuan's arms, legs, and other parts of his body, effectively restraining him.

"A friendly reminder: please do not struggle. These alloy shackles can't be broken even if ten Grandmasters join forces."

Soon, four silver-white mechanical beings appeared in front. These high-grade intelligent entities towered over six meters in height, capable of taking down small spacecraft. As top-tier individuals among intelligent mechanical beings, they were extraordinarily expensive to manufacture, featuring cutting-edge materials and energy systems. Just one of these silver-white mechanical beings on a battlefield could be overwhelmingly dominant, serving as a template for future deep-space warriors.

"It's quite unexpected how smoothly this went. Grandmaster Wang is quite sensible, not resisting needlessly. This makes things easier for both of us," a man in his thirties said with a smile. He was muscular, with bright, piercing eyes, sitting calmly behind a metal table, sizing up Wang Xuan.

"Who are you?" Wang Xuan asked.

"Oh, we could say we're old acquaintances. The Grey Blood Organization. Previously, our branch in the Old World sent some people to borrow your head for a moment, but you refused and even killed some of our members. That was quite unpleasant," the middle-aged man said with a smile.

He stood up, nearly two meters tall, exuding a strong sense of power. Although smiling, his eyes carried a coldness.

Wang Xuan's expression darkened, and a surge of murderous intent welled up within him. He had encountered a real enemy, harboring no goodwill towards this organization, wishing to uproot them entirely.

In the Old World, he had faced multiple dangers, all orchestrated by this organization – repeated assassination attempts, and now this kidnapping. Their audacity knew no bounds.

"Who's paying you this time? Xiao Song?" Wang Xuan asked coldly.

The middle-aged man just smiled, not responding to the question.

Resting his hands on the metal table, Zheng Hui looked down at Wang Xuan. "Even though you're a Grandmaster, what does that really mean? If we were allowed to bring our high-grade mechanical beings to the Old World, you wouldn't be here now. Your head would have already been 'borrowed' by us."

Wang Xuan looked at him coldly. Was this an attempt to flaunt power? Kidnapping him and bringing up past events, were they trying to intimidate him, a prisoner at their mercy?

"Feeling indignant, are you? After all, being a Grandmaster is no small feat. You've reached such heights in the practice of the Old Arts and are still so young, truly a rare talent in both New World and Old World. But alas, times have changed. Here in the New World, with the deployment of high-grade mechanical beings, even a Grandmaster could be ruthlessly overpowered," Zheng Hui spoke, a cruel smile on his lips, his words meant to demoralize and ridicule his captive, displaying the arrogance of a victor.

Wang Xuan remained calm, ignoring him. He wasn't fueled by anger, but rather thinking about how to severely damage the Grey Blood Organization and take down some of its key figures.

The Grey Blood Organization had immense influence in the New World, far surpassing its impact in the Old World, operating as a behemoth in the underworld. They had their own mercenary groups and assassin training camps. Rumors suggested that they were backed by major conglomerates, making their true strength unfathomable.

"You sent a message to Old Chen from the car, didn't you? Yes, we expected that. In fact, we were waiting for you to contact him," Zheng Hui said, looking down at Wang Xuan with a growing smile. "You see, Grandmaster Wang, you shouldn't overestimate yourself. You really aren't that significant to us. We're not that concerned about you; our real target is Chen Yongjie."

At this, Zheng Hui laughed openly, unreservedly.

Wang Xuan's expression remained cold. The enemy was fully aware that Old Chen was a Transcendent yet still aimed to hunt him down. It seemed they had cast a wide and sturdy net, likely with immense destructive power, set to cause a major uproar!

Wang Xuan continued to ignore the man, as he had already discerned through his spiritual realm that this was not a real human; it was a mechanical being, a deceptive entity.

"This underground base looks vast, doesn't it? We've prepared it specifically as a battlefield for Chen Yongjie. Since this place has already been exposed to other hostile organizations, we're planning to abandon it. Let it serve as Chen Yongjie's burial ground," the middle-aged man laughed loudly.

Wang Xuan, while partly focusing on the conversation, was also exploring the base with a part of his spiritual power. He needed to make a statement this time – not only did he plan to eliminate this middle-aged man, but he also intended to target the high-ranking members of the Grey Blood Organization. Shaking such a conglomerate-like power would undoubtedly cause a significant upheaval, serving as a warning to related groups in the New World.

"I know you have great confidence in Chen Yongjie. But you might not be aware of how deep the waters of the New World run. Even Transcendents can be killed in single combat. What is the ultimate goal of the Grey Blood Organization? To become gods, Grey Blood Deities! Today, Old Chen will become material for our experiments. We are waiting for his arrival to send him into the lab. Judging by the time, he shouldn’t have kept us waiting much longer. The curtain is about to rise."

"Alright, let me see how the Grey Blood Organization plans to kill Old Chen. I look forward to this grand spectacle beginning!" Wang Xuan retracted his extended spiritual energy, his eyes shining with anticipation.

He was genuinely curious to see what methods, aside from the extremely lethal scientific and martial capabilities, the Grey Blood Organization might possess. Did the New World really have something akin to "deities"?

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!