Strange mission

Before the members of Team B had time to go out to look for clues, a message appeared in red on the display screen outside the Qiu En Imperial City: All teams preparing to participate in the task of finding the bloodstone are requested to gather at the city gate at 7:00 PM.

This news naturally sparked a flurry of discussion. Previously, whoever completed the mission first would claim the reward, so why was the team being recruited into the city first? Was it too dangerous, requiring a life-or-death agreement?

Those with more serious minds or less courage had already backed off by this point, but there were still some truly capable people who wanted to give it a try. Therefore, at 7:00 PM that evening, a long line formed at the city gate. Although it was shorter than in previous years during the Emperor's Grace Festival, the number was still quite considerable.

There were more than a dozen palace guards standing at the door, all wearing intermediate defensive armor and equipped with magnetic storm guns. After registering and searching each person, they gave them a small certificate the size of a palm.

As he stepped through the city gate, a beam of light scanned him from top to bottom. When it detected the small voucher, a beep sounded, "Verification successful. Voucher valid until three o'clock. Please leave the city promptly."

If you do not leave the city within the validity period, you will be chased by the patrol soldiers in the imperial city and "invited" to leave.

In the middle of the line, Mars got bored waiting and reached out to gently pinch Guila's thigh. "Doll, let's play 'Number Match', shall we?"

Number Touching is a small game that can be played with ten fingers. It is popular among the people and in early childhood education classes. It is suitable for children aged three to seven.

Guila: "...Go away and play by yourself."

"Pfft..." Galen, who was standing behind the two of them, couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Haha, Mars, has your brain regressed to that of a five-year-old? Or is it..." Galen winked meaningfully, "The point is playing with dolls, not what you play with?"

Guila immediately understood the hidden meaning of Garen's words, and two blushes appeared on her face. Her ears hidden in her hair also turned red. Fortunately, it was late and no one noticed his embarrassment.

"You're only five!" Mars yelled angrily, "I just like playing with dolls, so what?"

Seeing Mars' dull and clueless look, Galen shook his head with regret and patted Mars' shoulder pretentiously, "Young man, you are destined to be single."

"Hey! Who are you cursing? I'm telling you, there are plenty of girls who like me! When I retire, I'll immediately find a beautiful one...ah!" A scream suddenly resounded through the sky. Mars hugged his feet and jumped twice on one foot, "What are you doing, doll? If you don't want to play, then don't play. You're stepping on me to death..."

Guila's face darkened, "If you keep talking nonsense, I'll break your bones!" After that, no matter how much Mars nagged, Guila refused to speak.

"Alas." A soft sigh came from behind, coming from the usually taciturn Wata.

Frey also shook his head helplessly.

Yu Sheng noticed something was going on and stood on tiptoe to whisper in Frey's ear, "Qila and Mars... huh?"

"Yeah." Frey nodded slightly, "But Mars hasn't figured it out yet."

"Tsk, after the mission is completed, I'll find a chance to give him a beating." Yu Sheng curled the corners of his lips and was about to continue speaking when his lips suddenly felt hot. Frey's tongue tip pushed open his teeth, swept quickly in Yu Sheng's mouth, and then retreated.

"Fortunately, you got it." In the darkness, Frey's gaze was as gentle as satin, wrapping Yu Sheng in it.

Ah! This man who flirts with me anytime, anywhere! Yu Sheng blushed and thought, I'm not used to it!

After waiting in line for fifteen minutes, it was finally their turn. Yu Sheng and his companions had anticipated being searched, so they were carrying Wen Xing's state-of-the-art, unscannable storage bags, which contained their mechas and weapons.

Although they knew that the storage bag had anti-reconnaissance and concealment functions, everyone couldn't help but feel nervous when the guard raised the scanner above Mars' head. Fortunately, the instrument did not show any abnormalities, and Mars successfully received the certificate and walked into the gate.

After everyone entered the imperial city gate, Yu Sheng placed his credentials in Frey's palm, and with a flash of his body, he disappeared from the spot at a rapid speed, and walked straight to the palace in the shadow of the city wall.

The remaining members of Group B pretended everything was normal and followed the team in front, moving forward slowly.

Half an hour later, all the people involved in the mission entered the city. A man in a butler's uniform walked up to them and said, "When you go to the hall later, you will be personally received by Her Majesty the Queen. Remember your status! If anyone makes a mistake, it won't be solved with just an apology!"

I haven't even started this mission yet, and I've already been received by Her Majesty the Queen?!

The crowd suddenly exploded, and everyone's face was filled with excitement. What an honor it was to meet Her Majesty the Queen!

The butler scolded the noisy crowd again, rattled off a few words of etiquette, and then signaled the guards to take them to the synagogue. As they were almost there, everyone was worried. Why hadn't Yu Sheng returned yet? Had he encountered some kind of accident?

When they received the news that they could enter the city at 7 p.m., they were all very surprised. After all, if they could enter the city in this way, things would be much easier. They would not need to complete any tasks and could just look for opportunities to rescue Weiner after entering the city.

They quickly made arrangements, deciding that Yu Sheng would first explore the palace and then return to reunite with everyone else. Once they knew the palace's terrain, defenses, and other details, it would be much easier for everyone to act together.

The reason for sending Yu Sheng alone was simple. First, Yu Sheng was the strongest individual on the team. Second, it was just a test, so a single person would be enough. Too many people would expose them.

But the fact that Yu Sheng had been gone for so long and had not returned had made the members uneasy, especially Frey. Although he did not show it on his face, he was looking at the time more and more frequently. He decided that if Yu Sheng did not come back, they would adopt Plan B, which was a plan that would not be used unless absolutely necessary, and give up the rescue.

Fortunately, when they arrived at the hall, a person quickly came in front of Frey. It was Yu Sheng who had returned.

Because of running fast, Yu Sheng's chest heaved violently, but he forced himself to suppress his panting to avoid attracting other people's attention.

Frey handed Yu Sheng's credentials back to him, and suddenly heard Yu Sheng whisper in his ear, "The plan has changed. The rescue is on hold."

Something happened.

If you miss this opportunity, it won’t be so easy to enter the city next time.

Could it be that Yu Sheng encountered some huge trouble, so that the rescue had to be suspended?

In fact, not only did Yu Sheng not encounter any trouble, it could even be said that everything went surprisingly smoothly.

It took him just five minutes to reach the palace. Because the imperial city was heavily guarded and relatively safe, the gates were relatively open. Yu Sheng sneaked into the palace, avoiding aircraft and patrols. He thought it would take him a while to find Weiner's pet room, but after just a stroll through the palace's back garden, he ran into Weiner, who was sitting beside a statue, lost in thought!

Yu Sheng's eyes lit up, and he thought to himself that God was helping him. If everything went well, he could rescue Weiner by himself!

Weiner had just finished his meal and was enjoying the rare quiet time here when suddenly a dark shadow flashed by and a person appeared in front of him.

!

Weiner subconsciously wanted to scream, but before she could make a sound, Yu Sheng covered her mouth and dragged her into the shadow behind the rockery.

"Don't be afraid." Yu Sheng said, "I'm here to save you."

After saying that, Yu Sheng quickly took out the knife and, under Weiner's terrified gaze, slashed his arm. Because it was dark, and fearing Weiner couldn't see clearly, he considerately turned on a small light.

A small cut on his arm oozes red blood. Weiner's eyes turn from fear to surprise. Then he hears Yu Sheng softly ask, "You won't scream now, will you? I'm from Blue Star, just like you."

Weiner nodded desperately, his mouth covered. As soon as Yu Sheng let go, he fell to the ground and couldn't stand up for a long time. Yu Sheng's kidnapping just now scared him so much that his legs were weak. Weiner needed time to recover.

"You, who are you? Lingling or Caesar?" Because Yu Sheng was wearing a realistic mask, Weiner only knew that there were two blue beasts wanted by the United Interstellar, but he didn't know which one was in front of him.

"I'm Yu Sheng." Yu Sheng looked Weiner up and down, having never expected his rescuer to be so timid. However, as long as they could successfully get Weiner to the city gate, Team B could force their way through. Their starship, hidden outside the city, was the most agile spacecraft imaginable. While it wasn't a good fighter, it was an exceptional escaper. Their return to Wenxing would be a complete success.

But Yu Sheng had calculated everything, but he had missed one thing:

Weiner.

"I don't care who you are." Weiner trembled, "I won't leave. I won't betray my master."

It had been so long since he heard the word "master" that Yu Sheng subconsciously frowned. "What master? That's the person who imprisoned you and treated you as a plaything. You'll never be free if you stay here."

Hearing the word "freedom", Weiner lowered his eyelids, his gaze fell on the ground under his feet, and murmured, "I, I don't want any freedom. Go away quickly, or I'll call for help!"

Yu Sheng didn't expect that the person he had gone to so much trouble to rescue didn't want to be rescued at all!

He was so angry that he grabbed Weiner's shoulder and said urgently, "Are you crazy? You don't want freedom? What benefits can you get from Qiu En? Will you have enough food and drink? I tell you, the United Interstellar wants to use the blue beast for experiments. If you don't leave, you will soon become their experimental subject!"

As soon as he finished the last sentence, Weiner's body shook. He seemed to have lost all his strength and collapsed to the ground, tears falling from his eyes. "The collar around my neck has an alarm system. As long as I activate it, you can't escape the palace. Leave now before I change my mind."

Yu Sheng stared at Weiner in disbelief. He couldn't understand why Weiner didn't leave. When he saw no hope of escape, he never gave up the pursuit of freedom. But now, freedom was right in front of Weiner, but Weiner chose to give up?

Time is running out.

Yu Sheng wanted to take Weiner away by force, but Weiner's fingers were already on the collar. She met Yu Sheng's gaze with tearful eyes and said firmly, "Go away!"

As light as your steps are when you come, as heavy your steps will be when you leave.

Seeing Yu Sheng leave, Weiner first breathed a sigh of relief, and then couldn't hold back his tears. His body was shaking so violently that he couldn't take a step forward.

To live and to die are the two noblest manifestations of courage.

But I, who dare not seek life or die, have lost the qualification to be brave forever.

——Inside the synagogue——

Everyone sat in their seats in order, feeling excited and nervous. After waiting for a while, a tall woman wearing a golden crown and luxurious clothes walked out from the backstage. Under the admiring gaze of everyone, she walked up to the podium at a leisurely pace.

Queen Qiu En!

If the palace steward had not reminded them before that no noise or applause was allowed and they could only listen to the Queen's speech, these people would probably have screamed excitedly.

The Queen narrowed her narrow eyes, glanced at the people in the audience, curled her lips, and said, "Welcome all warriors, you are the hope of the Imperial Star."

There was no applause, but the Queen was satisfied to see the joy and pride on everyone's faces at the praise. She continued, "I can provide the location for this quest to find the bloodstone, but I must remind you that it is a very dangerous and difficult mission. If anyone is willing to give up, they can leave now."

The audience was silent. No one would admit to being a coward. What's the point of being afraid of a little danger? A true warrior would bravely move forward!

"I am very grateful for your steadfastness." The Queen's smile widened. "To reward the warriors, I have specially prepared some small gifts for them." After she finished speaking, she clapped her hands, and immediately dozens of servants came out from the backstage like a stream, each holding a small soup bowl in their hands, and distributed them to everyone present along the seats.

Yu Sheng took the soup bowl from the servant, opened the lid, and peeked inside. It was a bowl of meat soup, dotted with chopped green onions, and in the middle was a meatball the size of a baby's fist. But there was also a distinct smell of blood, and the meatball was also streaked with blood, which made Yu Sheng feel extremely nauseous.

Is Queen Qiu En right? Giving a warrior a gift of undercooked broth? Is this a gift or just picking a fight?

Apparently, the others in the hall thought the same thing, and the whispers grew louder.

"Quiet." The Queen suddenly said.

In an instant, everyone fell silent, but no one chose to eat the undercooked broth. Everyone's eyes fell on the queen.

The Queen chuckled, "No one wants to try it?"

There was no movement from the audience.

The Queen looked at the man in the middle of the first row, a sturdy young man whose thin coat couldn't even hide his bulging muscles. "Warrior, will you be the first to finish this gift? Believe me, I won't harm my own people. Besides, you are the backbone of the Qiu En Emperor Star."

The man was so stimulated by the Queen's righteous words that he felt dizzy. What's more, Her Majesty the Queen had pointed at him. If he didn't drink, he would be offending the Queen!

Isn't it just uncooked? Didn't you eat raw food when you were doing missions in the wild before?

Gritting his teeth, the young man ate the meatball in one gulp and drank up the soup.