"Here, this thing's yours now."
On a night of pouring rain, Liu Ma casually tossed the 'Mechanical Bible' he held to Chen Kong. Chen Kong fumbled to catch the church scripture that had bothered him all night and examined it curiously. A gilded cover with constantly rotating gears instantly revealed its extraordinary nature.
After looking it over, Chen Kong kindly asked, "Old Liu, you're just giving this to me? Won't your boss dock your pay?"
Liu Ma appeared nonchalant about it. "So what if they do? I don't rely on salary to eat anyway; I live off the company's original shares."
"The only reason I'm out doing missions is to complete my perfect awakening of Star Source."
Speaking of this, Liu Ma suddenly pulled out his 'data terminal' and started tinkering with it. Moments later, Chen Kong's data terminal suddenly vibrated. A secret file labeled [Star Scar] was being transmitted to his data terminal.
After he saw the contents of the file, Chen Kong's pupils instantly constricted. The information recorded in the file was exactly what he urgently wanted to know: details about Star Core awakening. However, after reading through the information, a hint of doubt arose in Chen Kong's mind. He realized that this file seemed to be purely recorded from the perspective of a 'Star Beast.' After all, all the successful cases recorded were Star Beasts. There wasn't a single Child of the Stars.
"Liu Ma, where did you get this file?"
Liu Ma, who had already put on his suit again, shook off the acid rain clinging to his hair and replied, "Caroline sent it to our data terminals three years ago, using her quantum network access from when she was at the base."
"It's just that you seemed to have changed your data terminal's identity code right after that, which is why she couldn't successfully send you this information."
"Is that so..."
Chen Kong thought for a moment before saying, "Did Caroline mention anything after transmitting this information to you back then?" His expression was serious, as if this question was very important to him.
Liu Ma thought for a moment, then suddenly blurted out, "She did say one thing. She said if we encountered others with Star Scars, we shouldn't act rashly, and especially not get close to them."
"Because they... might not be 'friends'."
"At first, I considered many possibilities, even wondering if there were other people who, like us, had undergone Star Core surgery."
"But so many years have passed, and besides a few Children of the Stars I know, I haven't encountered anyone else with a Star Scar."
"But I think for someone as rational and cautious as Caroline to specifically add that sentence, it means she definitely encountered something."
"Otherwise, she would never have said that."
"I have encountered one..."
"Hmm?"
Boom!
Just as Chen Kong finished speaking, a thunderclap suddenly ripped through the sky. The exploding lightning not only illuminated Liu Ma's stunned face and Chen Kong's serious expression, but also revealed a mysterious woman in a pure white mask who had quietly appeared behind Chen Kong. On the mask, the pattern symbolizing the 'Andromeda Star Track' glowed faintly with an eerie light.
"Watch out!"
Liu Ma grabbed Chen Kong's shoulder and pulled him forcefully behind him. Then, his right arm was instantly plated with 'gold,' and he unleashed a punch. The fierce punch tore through the rain curtain, blasting towards the mysterious woman's face amidst a burst of broken, circular raindrops.
However, that 'golden heavy punch,' which even Chen Kong, a Level 2 Perfect Star Emissary, wouldn't dare to take lightly, was caught by the woman with a single hand. Despite the vast difference in their physiques, her slender, fair hand seemed as delicate as porcelain, as if it would shatter with a squeeze. Yet, this seemingly frail woman effortlessly blocked Liu Ma's powerful and heavy punch. And judging by Liu Ma's ferocious expression, he had clearly put all his strength into it. But all he earned was a not-so-complimentary remark from the mysterious woman.
"Good strength, but... just good."
Clang!
With a tremor like a pipa string, the mysterious woman's jade-like hand exerted slight pressure. Liu Ma, with his two-meter-tall burly physique, instantly flew backward like a ragdoll. Seeing this, Chen Kong quickly reached out to support Liu Ma's back. The soles of their shoes scraped a long watery trail on the wet ground before they finally dissipated the powerful inertia and safely came to a stop.
"Pfft."
Liu Ma spat out a mouthful of blood, his gaze filled with shock as he looked at the mysterious woman. With just a simple push, she had injured him. If she were serious... Liu Ma's expression was grim. He clearly understood the vast, chasm-like difference in strength between himself and the mysterious woman.
Chen Kong's face wasn't looking good either. He had already noticed the severely injured and unconscious Vivian, whom the mysterious woman was casually carrying in her left hand. Vivian's proud combat mecha, Silver Gleam II, was now covered in numerous 'sword-like' gashes. And from the hideous wounds exposed by the mecha's openings, large amounts of dazzling fresh blood dripped, staining Vivian into a bloody mess. If Chen Kong hadn't still heard Vivian's faint heartbeat and breathing, he might have thought she was already dead.
To be able to instantly kill Vivian without them noticing, and then effortlessly block Liu Ma's golden heavy punch... this mysterious woman in a mask was absolutely extraordinarily powerful. Thinking this, Chen Kong immediately scrutinized the woman's mask. After he recognized the unique 'Andromeda Star Track pattern' on the white mask, a thought flashed through Chen Kong's mind like a bolt of lightning, and he instinctively said, "Hidden Star Society."
Upon hearing Chen Kong utter the words 'Hidden Star Society,' the masked woman's brow instantly furrowed. She then dropped the severely injured and unconscious Vivian. Leaving an afterimage in her wake, she instantly appeared before Chen Kong. They were so close that Chen Kong could even feel waves of coldness emanating from her. It was as if the one standing before him was not human, but a powerful Star Beast in human skin. This made Chen Kong's hair stand on end, feeling as if he had fallen into an ice cavern.
"How do you know those three words?"
The mysterious woman's voice was very calm. But this calmness revealed an inhuman indifference and contempt. It was as if she wasn't looking at Chen Kong, but at a tiny ant. If Chen Kong's answer didn't satisfy her, she would certainly not hesitate to step on him.
But before Chen Kong could answer, Liu Ma suddenly burst forward. The phantom of a Netherworld Warhorse whinnied behind him, and his fist, transformed into a Golden Ox Demon, gleamed with dazzling golden light. This punch... he held nothing back!
However, against Liu Ma's full-power strike, the mysterious woman merely flicked a finger. Semi-transparent zither strings appeared in the air.
"Settle down."
Clang!
Accompanying the eerie sound of the zither strings once more, an unobservable sound blade sliced across Liu Ma's chest. After a burst of sparks and a harsh metallic cutting sound, Liu Ma's flying body crashed through two concrete walls, collapsing heavily in the rubble. Blood continually seeped from the wound on his chest, deep enough to show bone.
After doing all this, the mysterious woman didn't even glance at Liu Ma. Her long, pale fingers hooked under Chen Kong's chin, and she asked again. "Tell me, where did you learn the words 'Hidden Star Society'?"
In the night's rain curtain, Chen Kong looked into the mysterious woman's icy eyes, which were inches from his own. He felt as if he was treading on the edge of death. If his next words weren't chosen carefully, they might be his last.
But before he could speak, a soft chuckle came from the top of the abandoned factory.
"They're nothing more than a group of dim stars hidden beneath the light of civilization. Do you really think yourselves..."
The mysterious woman subconsciously raised her hand, preparing to unleash a 'sound blade' in the direction of the voice. But before she could act, a hand gripped her wrist, stopping her movement.
"...Unbeknownst to anyone?"
Looking at the mysterious masked man, who was also wearing a white mask and was now inches away, the suddenly appearing Hidden Star Society woman displayed a look of astonishment for the first time. Because, just like Chen Kong and the others before, she hadn't been able to see his actions at all. At this moment, she, too, hadn't seen when this mysterious masked man had appeared, or when he had arrived before her. Without any hesitation, 'Andromeda' immediately attacked. She would make this ant, who dared to offend her, pay a bloody price!