Star Rank Hunter - Chapter 315

Chapter 315

Chapter 315: Do You Dare Accept My Apology? [Part 1]

When Sha Rou looked at the embarrassed-looking robot, she had a feeling that it was different from all the robots she had seen before . Those robots had prettier exterior, but this robot almost felt like a human soul with a different exterior . If he didn’t have a metallic shell, she could’ve mistaken him for a shy child who was wary about visiting a stranger’s home .

But just like Cillin, her expression crumbled the second she saw the “gift” he brought her . Unless her eyes were playing tricks on her, the so-called “gift” was the items the aliens were showing off on the train earlier!

Sha Rou had no doubt that those aliens were bad people . Practically everyone who was born in this terrible place but was good enough to work under those slavers in the city were pretty skilled . However, these people still didn’t dare to attack the blatant show-offs despite their envy because they knew that the gem owner and his friends were pretty strong in their own right . Somehow, this robot had pulled off what should’ve been a very well-planned and very tightly executed robbery in a couple of hours at most . How did it do it?

Shi Tang was oblivious to this . He hadn’t recovered from the shock of revelation yet, so he only knew to shake his head and waved his hands like he was having a stroke, his mind not really registering the fact that he was facing an extraordinary robot and an extraordinary gift, “It’s fine, it’s fine, this is way too precious, you don’t need to bring us a gift…”

Moon simply shoved his loot—gems, bracelets, rings etc—into Shi Tang’s hands and saluted him . It was an ancient greeting salute from at least a millennium ago, so it was slightly different from the modern equivalent—not that anyone who wasn’t an expert in this area would notice the difference .  

Shi Tang had no idea how to react . His palms were sweaty, and he was so anxious that his nosebleed and his coughs restarted once more . His physical condition had been deteriorating steadily over time, so it took very little excitement for his symptoms to hit him like a chain-reaction car accident . In fact, coughing and nosebleeding were the milder symptoms . He could black out for several days straights if things got really bad .

Sha Rou quickly passed him a liquid medicine . It took him two sips to alleviate his reactions .

“Eat this . ” Cillin tossed him a small bottle of medicine, which was of course way better than the one Shi Tang’s was using right now . At first, he was planning to give him the meds after he took them away from this planet and gave him the treatment he promised—after all, he didn’t think that Shi Tang or Sha Rou would trust him enough to use anything he gave them immediately—however, that consideration turned out to be unnecessary after it became clear that Shi Tang was enamored with him and Wheeze .

  Shi Tang tossed the “gifts” onto the nearby table and barely caught the medicine bottle Cillin tossed at his direction . He then accepted a glass of water from Sha Rou and gulped down the pills without any hesitation . Forget the medicine, if Cillin told him to pack his belongings and leave right this moment, he would obey the request without hesitation .

Cillin himself didn’t realize that his name had gradually become the faith that supported many people such as Shi Tang . Cillin might not be the best or the most respected academician in the empire, but his influence was definitely among the top . There were more people who knew his name than not, and it wouldn’t be long before the poor and the young would rise as the new stars of the future .

Already, an empire historian had stated on a fairly influential magazine that Cillin was destined to be remembered as a person who played a huge role and caused a turning point in the history of academia .

Right now though, the amazing man was facepalming and trying to find the words to chide a certain robot who was introducing himself “shyly” to Sha Rou and Shi Tang . He should’ve known that Moon and the word “worry-free” didn’t exist in the same dictionary .

After the introductions were done, Moon cocked his head and asked them, “Will you two be leaving with us?”

Shi Tang shot Cillin a cautious glance and noticed that his idol was staring at their direction . Despite sucking in a deep breath to calm himself, he couldn’t stop the excited shaking in his voice, “W-w-w-w-w-we’ll do whatever you say, sir . ”

“Just call me Cillin . ”

Suddenly, Cillin looked to the side and said, “Moon, I see that you’ve brought back some trouble with you . ”

Moon scanned their surroundings for a bit before bowing his head and playing with his fingers, “I’m so sorry . ”

Cillin curled his lips . Like hell you are! You’re going to run out of acts one day!

Wheeze had just finished arguing with the old professors and logged off Return . It was about to greet Moon when it suddenly perked up its ears and grinned very, very widely . Leaping onto Cillin’s shoulder, it asked, “Are we going to fight them this time?”

Sha Rou was a bit confused by their reactions at first, but it wasn’t long before her eyes suddenly condensed into needles . “Go into your room, bro!”

“What’s wrong?” Shi Tang asked in puzzlement . But when he saw the display on his simple scanner, he went into his room and took out a couple of modified guns . “It’s fine . I’ll come with you . ”

Shi Tang saw a lot of light dots encircling the entire house . Since every light dot represented a person, it meant that they were surrounded .

The biggest difference between the commoner area Old Chang and his children lived in and this one was the violence . Here, every inch of the place was covered in violence and bloodthirst because the aliens didn’t hesitate to flaunt their unusual physique and carry out the law of the jungle faithfully . There are no weaklings in this place; not even Shi Tang, a man just a couple of steps away from death’s door . He was no prey waiting to be slaughtered, and the several lives’ worth of blood on his hands was the proof of that . In this regard, the only difference between him and his sister was that her body count was way higher .

After passing a gun to Sha Rou, Shi Tang looked at Cillin and said, “Go deeper into the house . There’s an energy shield there that you can activate and hide inside . ”

Shi Tang only had one energy stone, and he didn’t want to use it unless it was an emergency . Right now though, he was beyond caring such things .

Sha Rou wanted to tell her older brother than Cillin was way stronger than the two of them combined, but she ultimately decided against it .

It was common sense that an academician wasn’t good at combat, and even if they were they couldn’t possibly be too good . Generally, the great academicians were usually escorted by large numbers of bodyguards, so why would anyone think that the person protected at the center was any good? If Guan Feng was an exception in the academic circle, then Cillin was the exception of the exceptions . To borrow Tousen’s words, Cillin was a monster .

Cillin stopped Shi Tang from exiting the house . “We’re the ones who drew them here, so it’s only right that we settle this ourselves . Plus, the two of you just made the important decision to come with us . We’ll deal with this while you prepare yourselves . ”

Moon was still playing with his fingers when he looked at him . “Moon, go clean up your mess . ”

“Okay . ”

Head bowed, Moon followed Cillin out of the door . Wheeze was already stretching its claws in excitement .

A group of armed, tough-looking aliens were surrounding the whole building . Some were holding machetes, and some had guns in their hands . Even the aliens Moon had knocked out earlier were among them . These aliens were being mugged earlier, so Moon joined in on the fun and knocked out both the muggers and the mugged . After the aliens’ friends found them, they gathered their men and tracked down Moon to take revenge .

“That’s the one! I saw that robot running away with your stuff!” One of the aliens pointed at Moon .

The blue strip on Moon’s faceplate narrowed into the straight line . Hmm? I don’t remember seeing you at the scene .

A bit of hesitation flashed across the alien’s eyes when he saw Moon looking his way . The info I got is correct, right?

Cillin had asked Moon to tell him about the whole incident while they were walking out of the door . After Moon was done, Cillin simply turned his gaze back at the surrounding aliens without saying anything .

Both Shi Tang and Sha Rou stepped out of their house with their weapons at the ready . Because Shi Tang was ill for a very long time, he looked way thinner and weaker than the attackers .

“Yo, shouldn’t the invalid stay inside the house?” Someone snorted disdainfully .

Sha Rou’s eyes cooled in an instant as the Silver Snake Blade slid to her palm . If violence turned out to be inevitable, this fucker would be the first person she kills!

“What do you think you’re doing?!” Shi Tang stood in front of Cillin protectively .

Sha Rou stayed close to Shi Tang and shot Cillin a glance . When she noticed that the young man was completely unperturbed by the situation, she felt her worry lessening a little . He was way stronger than she could possibly imagine .

“What are we doing, you ask? Hehe, why don’t you ask the robot behind you? Did you really think we’re going to let it escape alive after it robbed us? Oh, excuse me, I forgot that it’s just a robot . It wasn’t even alive in the first place,” hooted an alien while pointing his machete at Cillin menacingly .

Shi Tang was going to ask him what had been stolen when Sha Rou poked him with her elbow to silence him .

Cillin took two steps forward and gave Shi Tang quite the fright . If Cillin got hurt because of him, he felt like he would become a sinner in the eyes of every academician .

A row of people was already pointing their weapons at Cillin . They would shoot the second he did something odd .

Cillin gently pushed Shi Tang to the side before bending toward the ground . There was a nailed metallic plate with its edges sticking out a little beneath the ground . Shi Tang and Sha Rou had tried pulling it out together when they were clearing out the area and building their house, but it had turned out to be an impossible endeavor . So, they tried to flatten it and hide it beneath the soil as much as possible so it wouldn’t trip someone instead .

Cillin effortlessly his fingers through the soil and grabbed the metallic plate . Then, he pulled the object completely out of the ground!

Shi Tang’s turned blank . The metallic plate was about eight centimeters thick, one meter wide and over seven meters long . The metal wasn’t worth much because of its excessive thickness and density, so it could be seen everywhere in the commoner area . In fact, more than half of them were buried in the ground and used as the foundation of a house . It was why everyone here knew just how difficult it was to pull out a metallic plate like this out of the ground . However, the young man had done it with such ease—and with one hand no less!—that it almost looked like he was pulling a carrot!

But that was just the beginning . After giving the metallic plate a look-over, he grabbed it with both hands and folded it into the shape of a simple stool like it was paper . This series of actions caused everyone’s eyelids to twitch violently, and Sha Rou and Shi Tang’s weapon hand to shake a little . It was as if their strength was drained right out of their body .

Finally, Cillin patted away the dust on his makeshift stool and took a seat, crossing his legs calmly . Crossing his fingers and placing his hands above his knee, he said, “Moon, what are you waiting for? Apologize to them already . ”

Chapter 315: Do You Dare Accept My Apology? [Part 2]

Still keeping his head lowered, Moon clenched his hands when he heard Cillin’s “order” . It looked so perturbed that Shi Tang felt sorry for it . Sha Rou also liked the weirdly cute robot a lot, but unlike her brother she was well aware that no ordinary robot could’ve robbed those aliens .

Moon slowly shifted toward the encirclement . It said timidly under everyone’s watchful gazes, “Alright, I sincerely apologize . ”

A white arc beam hit the ground in that moment .

Just two steps away from the circle of malicious aliens, a smoking, arc-shaped hole had appeared on the ground . The soil and the metal buried beneath it had been burned into a crisp .

Moon said timidly and innocently again, “So, do you accept my apology?”

Do we accept your apology? You’re asking that after you showed off that level of weaponry?! That thing could vaporize us all the way down to the atoms if we got hit! 

The offenders’ features had contorted into unspeakable expressions almost immediately . If Cillin’s earlier display of force had made their eye twitch, then Moon’s display of firepower made them feel like their kidneys were twisting unto itself .

Meanwhile, Shi Tang felt like his jaw could hit the floor any second . He should’ve realized that someone like Cillin wouldn’t carry himself around with a common pet or robot!

The place was so quiet you could hear a pin drop for a time . Already, some of the aliens were thinking about withdrawing because they were really here to join in on the fun, not throw their lives away! It was clear as day that the enemy’s equipment was way better theirs, and to attack them was to commit suicide . Only an idiot do something this stupid .

“So, is there anyone who wants me to give them a proper explanation? I don’t mind giving it to you if that’s your wish . ” Moon continued to roleplay an innocent boy, and no one answered him as a matter of course . What if this so-called “explanation” came in the form of an all-disintegrating laser beam?

Moon finally looked up, his gaze sweeping across everyone . Some of them felt their legs shiver and backed away unconsciously when the blue strip on the robot’s faceplate turned toward their direction .

“Stand your ground!” Someone shouted from the encirclement suddenly .

It was the alien who accused Moon earlier . His eyes shifted when everyone turned to look at him, but he forced himself to say, “My boss is showing up real soon, so don’t worry! You’ll all get something out of this if you stay!”

Moon stared at him before asking, “Who is your boss?”

“My boss is—”

 Puchi!

Blood splattered across the ground . The alien was cut in half before he could finished speaking .

“Trash . ”

A man with watery patterns tattooed onto his body appeared behind his victim . Blood was dripping down his weapon without leaving a stain on the blade .

Everyone standing next to the killer moved away from him as if repelled by a physical force . Some tried to break into a run, but they barely ran a few steps before they were put down by several silent gunshots .

Several people appeared out of nowhere . They were wearing camouflage equipment that kept them invisible until now . The runners never saw their killers until the bullets passed through their bodies and claimed their lives .

“They’re from Myriad Sea City!” Sha Rou recognized one of them . He was an extremely capable killer from Myriad Sea City .

Before the killers showed up, Sha Rou and even Shi Tang could’ve dealt with the aliens somewhat . They were all neighbors, so they knew each other’s strength to a certain degree . However, there was zero chance they were going to beat these killers . It was why Sha Rou’s face had turned deathly white when she realized who they were .

The aliens who encircled them just wanted to rob them, but these killers were as cold as the weapons they wielded . The way they stared at her like she was dead already sapped all the courage in her body, and she felt as if her legs were completely frozen in place .

“Sorry,” Sha Rou said quietly to Shi Tang and Cillin . She was certain that these killers were here because of the three men she killed earlier . She didn’t expect Myriad Sea City to send this many killers to kill her though . Had Parker misjudged that trio’s importance?

It was at this moment Cillin spoke up . “They’re not here for you . They’re here for me . ”

“You?” Sha Rou shot him a confused look .

“These people belong to your invisible stalker . ”

Sha Rou and Shi Tang immediately felt a chill shooting into their heads . Were they the people who had been spying on them all this time?

Clap clap clap clap!

The sounds of clapping entered everyone’s ears, and the hologram of a man appeared from a device . He must be watching this location from somewhere .

The man looked a bit frail but cultured . If it wasn’t for the distorted smile on his face, they might even describe him as scholarly .

“As expected of one of the top five most influential people in the academic world right now . I’m very glad to see you, Cillin,” the man said .

Cillin shot him a sideway glance but didn’t say anything .

The man didn’t get angry even though Cillin ignored him . He continued, “What a lucky day today is . If I didn’t so happen to be checking to this tiny place, I never would’ve thought that an honorary scholar of the RAS would show up here . ”

“Are you the one who’s been spying on us?” Shi Tang asked . The question had been sitting in his heart like a rock, and his first impression of the man in the hologram was absolute disgust!

“Spying on you? Who do you think you are? You came under my notice only because my subordinates found you . They lent you a hand because they think you might just have a speck of talent, but too bad it doesn’t look like you’ll last until the final results are out . ”

The way he spoke as if his subordinate was just throwing a gnawed bone to a stray dog they pitied every once in a while angered Shi Tang so much that he was shaking .

Tang couldn’t deny that the man’s “charity” had helped his research to an extent . It wasn’t much, but he did live longer because of him, and he was saved the time to collect several essential materials . But neither him nor his sister was a slave, and they were no livestock either . The way the man looked down on them and spoke to them like he was addressing a lower animal was so infuriating that Shi Tang wanted to beat the crap out of him .

Still maintaining his sitting posture, Cillin said slowly, “It sounds like you’re a member of the academic circle as well, so that must mean you ‘helped’ Shi Tang only because his research interested you . It’s not complete yet, but I’m sure you’ve stolen some of his research findings already, haven’t you? Therefore, he doesn’t owe you anything anymore . ”

Shi Tang abruptly stared at the man in the hologram in disbelief . His research findings were stolen? All his efforts and suffering was to the benefit for others!? He was thinking to sell his findings to a research department and give his sister a better life after his death, but now he realized that it was just a fantasy because these monsters would never allow him to do so . Not only would they claim his findings as their own, they would even eliminate Sha Rou right after he died to keep her mouth shut forever! 

How could they do this!? If they really didn’t care about “lowly beings”, then why must they strip them of even their last bit of hope?!

“How could you, how could you…!” Shi Tang was really starting to lose control of his emotions . His sister was the most precious thing to him in the world, and his research second . It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he treated them like his own children . That was why he didn’t mind giving up his health and his lifespan for them, and he couldn’t bear to hear that these monsters would be so cruel as to strip them of even the tiniest bit of hope and wealth!

The world was an unfair place . As a lowly citizen who was born in this violent and bloodthirsty commoner area, Shi Tang and Sha Rou knew this better than most people . But that didn’t mean he could accept it!

At the same time Shi Tang recalled the leaks he saw on Return . They were some of the most controversial statements had Cillin made during the presentation:

“In terms of the concept of giving, our world is strange in the sense that it tends to reward those who have already made a name for themselves…”

“Awards based on a person’s background is unfair, and this unfairness has led to many unnamed researchers not being acknowledged for their contributions and achievements despite all the time and effort they’ve invested in them . As a result, some of these excellent talents left the academic world and never returned…”

“ . . . right now, the academic world is plagued by a phenomenon where the rich must become richer no matter the cost, even if the excess will simply rot in their hands . To that end, they will rob the unfortunate of even their last straw of hope . . . ”

It was true . It was true all along .

The memories kept replaying inside Shi Tang’s mind, and every sentence he recalled seemed to block a blood vessel in his heart . He got so emotional that he started nosebleeding and coughing again .

Worried about her brother, Sha Rou quickly ran into the house to grab Shi Tang’s medicine even despite the grave situation they were in . After taking a look at Shi Tang, Cillin produced a needle and gave him an injection . The man was too emotional right now, and the meds weren’t going to work their magic overnight, much less in just a couple of minutes . The only way to improve Shi Tang’s condition immediately was to give him an injection .

Shi Tang’s symptoms lessened after the injection, and Cillin asked Sha Rou to watch over her brother . He then turned toward the arrogant and disdainful man in the hologram .

“You’re planning to kill me too, aren’t you? You wouldn’t send this many killers otherwise . ”

The man raised his chin and replied, “That’s right . Who do you think you are? That level of attention is not yours to take! You just got lucky you got a good mentor, and you managed to fool the commoners . Do you really think you’re someone just because you were praised by some fools? In my eyes, you’re just a blind ant with an oversized ego!”

“Is that so?”

Cillin snapped his fingers, and several things happened at once . First, there was a series of quiet noises . Then, a couple of people suddenly manifested into existence . They were the Myriad City killers who had stayed hidden to ambush their prey if necessary . Right now though, their stealth equipment was damaged, and they themselves were very, very dead .

The eyes of the man in the hologram widened in surprise as his subordinates—invisible or not—started collapsing one by one . Throughout this process, they never discovered the killers who hid even deeper than they did .