Chapter 1401: 13 Ambush Mission [Request for Official Subscription]

Chapter 1401: Chapter 13 Ambush Mission [Request for Official Subscription]

The relationship between Jia Yan and his avatar had faintly been noticed by some in Ting Tian Pavilion. However, no one believed the two were truly a “true body and avatar” pair, instead assuming the avatar was merely a guard-like existence for Jia Yan.

But this setup was somewhat wasteful of strength and resources, making it impossible to divide tasks and combat missions between them.

In this border region, combat mission levels weren’t very high. A strong secondary powerhouse with high-level talent could easily dominate an area. Hence, they weren’t able to understand why Jia Yan wouldn’t separate from his avatar to execute missions independently.

Only Jia Yan himself knew that his connection with the avatar relied on the so-called “brainwave method” of the Mind-Devouring Monster. The disadvantage of this method was the inability to maintain the link from too great a distance.

Therefore, he couldn’t allow too much distance between himself and his avatar, making simultaneous task execution impossible.

Seeing Jia Yan unwilling to cooperate yet keeping the true nature of the secret undisclosed, the monsters below him retreated reluctantly.

“These fellows… They’ve somehow developed a sense of belonging to my Ting Tian Pavilion. This is truly…”

In the stone house, Jia Yan stared strangely at the retreating creatures. Their concerns about the Pavilion’s future and the sincerity in their expressions didn’t seem like an act.

Not just them—even the other secondary-level beings Jia Yan had forcibly brought to Hearing Sky Star—had now developed a sense of belonging to Ting Tian Pavilion. Jia Yan couldn’t fathom why.

Perhaps because he had never been a destitute genius, he couldn’t understand how those monsters, desperate for recognition in the Central Star Area and lacking financial resources, would naturally feel grateful and lay down past grudges upon receiving the Pavilion’s favor.

In any case, as long as his subordinates weren’t causing trouble, Jia Yan was satisfied. After all, Ting Tian Pavilion was merely a leisure project of his.

Right after his discussion with the subordinates ended, Jia Yan received a communication request.

“Fina’s call?”

Recognizing the caller by the number, Jia Yan knew immediately who it was.

Ever since their escape together that day, Fina had remained out of contact.

Of course, even though Jia Yan had indirectly saved her life, he had never expected any gratitude from her. In the universe, anyone harboring such expectations was either naive or foolish, and neither type lasted long—Jia Yan certainly wasn’t one of them.

“Sir Mo Ke, we meet again.”

When Jia Yan answered the communication, a tiny-headed, original bartender-turned-spy monster named Fina appeared on the screen.

“Greetings, Lady Fina,” Jia Yan greeted courteously, nodding with proper decorum.

“Sir Mo Ke, I won’t waste time with pleasantries. Our faction has a major task. I wonder if you’re willing to take it on?”

Fina wasted no time on small talk, cutting straight to the point.

Such interactions were the norm for true cosmic monsters—after all, strong entities valued their time greatly.

“Fina, if you’d taken a look, you’d know that my current faction, Ting Tian Pavilion, already has plenty of tasks. Unless your mission is particularly unique, I may not have the time to take it on.”

Jia Yan didn’t hesitate, politely indicating a hint of refusal in his words.

Implied was the notion that unless the task was exceptionally worthwhile, he might not consider taking it.

“Sir Mo Ke, I’ve done my research on the topics circulating about you online—your faction, Ting Tian Pavilion. Though you’ve taken on numerous missions, their quality has been underwhelming. Forgive my bluntness, but the income generated hardly surpasses what you’d earn as a senior member in another faction.”

“Uh…” His vulnerabilities exposed, Jia Yan couldn’t help but display an awkward expression.

In fact, he was well aware: apart from the initial deal where their spoils included extracted goods as commission, subsequent tasks such as escort missions were barely profitable. Even combat missions only offered nominal rewards. For someone like Jia Yan, accustomed to significant resources, those earnings weren’t enough to fuel his conceptual ship with energy.

This was the harsh reality of survival at lower-tier factions.

Fina, astutely observing Jia Yan’s predicament, hadn’t placed the call merely to poke fun. She continued directly with her proposal.

“Sir Mo Ke, the reward for this mission is spatial stones—a resource I know you’re fond of. From past tasks you’ve accepted, it’s evident you’re willing to forgo Genius Yuan hard currency in favor of spatial stones, even paying above-market rates. This preference has become quite obvious to observers like myself.”

“Spatial stones, huh?” Hearing her explanation, Jia Yan’s expert eyes glimmered with interest.

It became clear to him how thoroughly Fina had researched him prior to initiating this communication.

“Alright, tell me about the task—and the number of spatial stones you’re offering.” Jia Yan’s compound eyes shimmered repeatedly, signaling his active evaluation.

“The mission isn’t overly complex, though it carries a degree of risk. We aim to ambush a procurement fleet from the Doom Squad faction. If successful, you’ll be entitled to half the loot as a share, along with twenty spatial stones as compensation from our side. What do you say?”

A task once again involving the Doom Squad?

Jia Yan’s compound eyes flickered non-stop.

He considered carefully whether this might be a trap. After all, he had a prior history with Doom Squad, having killed one of their secondary-level powerhouses, which significantly bruised their pride.

“No, this makes sense. Fina was previously an undercover agent within Doom Squad’s ranks, likely because her faction had grievances with Doom Squad. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have deployed a spy there.”

After weighing the risks for a moment, Jia Yan’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.

His mandibles moved slightly before he spoke coolly: “I demand thirty spatial stones, with ten provided upfront as collateral before proceeding.”

“Thirty stones? Agreed. Ten spatial stones upfront is acceptable as well, provided Lord Jia Yan agrees to act.”

Surprisingly, to Jia Yan’s delight, Fina agreed to his terms without hesitation.

If only I’d asked for more earlier, he thought ruefully. However, what’s said is said, and Jia Yan had no choice but to let it stand.

To his surprise, Fina acted swiftly. Within three days of him naming his requirements, a small fleet arrived above Ting Tian Pavilion.

“Sir Mo Ke, here’s the advance payment for your mission.”

A petite secondary-level monster disembarked from the fleet—it was none other than Fina.

She handed over a neatly packaged box to Jia Yan, its surface rippling with spatial energy, a clear indicator of its valuable contents.

Jia Yan, without revealing his caution, activated his brainwave power to levitate the box toward his secondary-level avatar, who then stepped forward to open it.

Indeed, Jia Yan remained guarded against Fina.

Fortunately, when the avatar opened the box, it revealed exactly what Jia Yan had hoped for—ten spatial stones of substantial size and excellent quality.

“Very well, Lady Fina. Let’s discuss the specifics of the task now, shall we?”

Jia Yan smiled lightly and invited Fina, who had been observing, into the stone building.

“Ting Tian Pavilion, huh? The script here is impressive—it conveys an intriguing touch of meaning,” Fina remarked, noticing the Huaxia characters on the building’s stone doorframe.

Jia Yan casually offered a brief explanation before entering the stone house alongside Fina.

“Sir Mo Ke, our faction is called the Rouge Power. Most members are female creatures. We’ve clashed with Doom Squad before, but our faction is weak. If not for some of our comrades marrying well, securing external support from other forces, Doom Squad may have already annihilated us.”

“This time, we’ve discovered that the Doom Squad may have acquired a batch of highly valuable energy resources. We plan to intercept it. However, our strength alone might not be enough to guarantee success, which is why we’ve come to seek your assistance.”

Fina succinctly introduced her faction, its strained relations with Doom Squad, and their intentions for the mission, all while looking expectantly at Jia Yan for his decision.

“I see. I’ll accept the task.”

Jia Yan didn’t deliberate long. In truth, the batch of spatial stones in his possession made refusal unthinkable.

Now that he had the ten spatial stones in hand, he could progress on one of his planned ventures. Refusing was no longer an option.

“Truly? Then let’s work together successfully once again,” Fina said, eyes brightening with excitement before standing up, eager to report the good news to her superiors.

Jia Yan didn’t stop her.

“This mission could prove dangerous. But with the ten spatial stones now in my possession, there’s no turning back.”

Jia Yan’s eyes sparkled even more dramatically.

Not long after, he knelt upon the ground, extracting several spatial stones one by one to begin preparations.

Before him lay nearly twenty new spatial stones—the product of his recent ventures, with Fina’s contribution accounting for the lion’s share.

“My previously exhausted supply of spatial stones can now support the stabilization of my artificial black hole, at least temporarily.”

“However… this black hole, being my very first experimental creation, has long since grown unstable. Its collapse may be imminent, meaning it can only be used a handful of times at most. If that’s the case…”

A fierce madness briefly erupted in Jia Yan’s eyes as spatial stones levitated before him, disappearing into subspace realms one by one.

Minutes later, Jia Yan stood, entering subspace himself.

Biological inhabitants of Ting Tian Pavilion faintly heard powerful reverberations from within space itself.

Fina, residing in the guest room of the Pavilion, furtively scanned her surroundings, her gaze darting about. She could guess that the movements were Jia Yan’s doing, but his overwhelming strength placed comprehension far beyond her grasp.

“Mo Ke… his power is truly terrifying…”

Staring at the spatial anomalies outside her quarters, Fina’s brilliant eyes shimmered, her thoughts swirling in mystery.