Chapter 49: The Last Warrior, Section 4

“Demon?” Blackhair gently rejected the term, touching his own face with a faint smile.
This word felt all too familiar. It seemed he had often been described in this way, especially among the nobility whom he had suppressed time and again. His name was likely already equated with that of a demon. Yet regardless of his feelings, OldBuick nodded seriously.
“Yes, a demon. A true one. Blackhair, I’m not boasting, OldBuick. Though I don’t possess great power, my judgment is sharp. Years of experience haven’t been wasted. You might think it’s funny, but I’m not exaggerating at all.”
“Oh?” Blackhair raised his eyebrows. “How is that not an exaggeration?”
“The large excavation team I follow is very wealthy, so they brought many warriors—dozens of Silver-ranked and hundreds of Bronze-ranked, I guess. Some were lost in the sandstorm, but there are still plenty left. Yet all these warriors vanished in an instant when they encountered just one mech.”
“One mech?” Blackhair’s mouth slightly opened, and his smile disappeared.
It was indeed exaggerated. Blackhair knew the ranking system for warriors in this world. Although Bronze-ranked warriors weren’t much, Silver-ranked ones were quite strong, almost like skilled technicians. Most of his pirates were at this rank. The combined strength of dozens of Silver-ranked and hundreds of Bronze-ranked warriors couldn’t be underestimated. Even if he fought using the Killing Emperor, victory might not be a problem, but it certainly wouldn’t be resolved in just one encounter.
But according to OldBuick’s description, the opponent not only did it easily but also with just one mech. In that case, if evaluated, the opponent’s combat power might even exceed that of the Killing Emperor!
Was that possible?
Blackhair rubbed his chin, his gaze sharpening.
As a warrior, he was extremely confident in his skills. But that didn’t mean he was arrogant. He was well aware of himself and this world.
The world was full of wonders. It was normal to encounter a technician stronger than him. In battle, aside from skills, weapons were also crucial. If the opponent was a highly skilled technician who happened to have powerful weapons, it would be no problem to instantly kill dozens of Silver-ranked and hundreds of Bronze-ranked warriors.

The problem was, why had he, such a powerful technician, never heard of this man’s name before? Black Hair claimed he wasn’t some great lord, but he still maintained good relations with the major human factions. Anyway, such a formidable warrior shouldn’t be unknown. Yet he racked his brain—unable to recall ever having heard of such a person. After pondering for a while, Black Hair decided to give up and tapped the table. “So? You met that demon. What happened then?” “They’re all dead…” Old Bik’s face turned pale, his gaze distant, as if reliving that horrific scene again. He trembled violently. “All the warriors, everyone who charged forward—were torn to pieces in an instant. It was horrible. Pieces of mechs mixed with blood flew around like shrapnel. There were screams and cries of agony everywhere. I hid under a puppet worm and fainted. When I woke up, it was all over. No one survived except me. The land in front of that ruin turned into a slaughterhouse.” “You managed to escape?” Black Hair frowned, his gaze toward Old Bik tinged with pity. Such a tragic scene was indeed beyond what most people could bear. It was fortunate Old Bik hadn’t gone mad. “Mm. I escaped,” Old Bik nodded honestly. “All the machinery we brought was destroyed by that demon, including the puppet worm on me—it was reduced to ruins. I walked away. I wandered in the desert for five days until I encountered a convoy, and that’s how I survived.” “I see… You’re really lucky.” Black Hair sighed, his tone filled with sympathy. “But what does this have to do with the matter you’re asking me to help with this time? It’s already happened, isn’t it?” Startled by Black Hair’s question, Old Bik snapped out of his daze. Trembling, he poured himself a glass of water and drank it in one gulp before sitting down weakly. “It seems like there’s indeed no connection. But that’s not really the case. Black Hair, do you remember? I told you why I became successful.” “You said it was because you claimed a large ruin for yourself. Is that it?” Black Hair thought for a moment and said it as if joking. But Old Bik didn’t laugh; instead, he nodded seriously.

“That’s it… But actually, I didn’t have it all to myself; I just took a little something with me when I ran away. It was a fragment of mecha. It was tightly in my hand. I don’t know when I got it, nor do I know what material it’s made of. It was this very fragment that brought me five million Kari in income. Shek Gou offered me an astronomical price and promised to buy such things indefinitely in the future.”
“Five million Kari!?” Black Hair was stunned and repeated it.
“You heard right. Five million Kari. I used that money to build my business as it is today. But now, this mecha fragment has caused trouble. Shek Xing’s research headquarters came to me, demanding more of these fragments. But I don’t have any. So they threatened me, saying if I couldn’t find them for them within a month, I’d disappear from Shek Xing.”
At this point, OldBuick sighed, his face filled with worry.
“You know, I’m just an old man. If I disappear, it doesn’t matter much. But I have hundreds of people relying on me for a living. If I’m gone, I don’t know if they’ll be affected. So, I have no choice but to decide to meet that demon again. As long as I can get even a little more from him, I can get through this tough time.”
“Did that fragment fall off that demon?” Black Hair was shocked, his expression changing slightly.
“Mm.” OldBuick nodded painfully. “That’s right. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have offered me five million Kari. But now… sigh…”
OldBuick let out a long sigh, slumping in his chair with a worried expression. Black Hair, on the other hand, remained silent, staring at him quietly, his deep eyes flickering, unsure of what he was thinking.
To be honest, Black Hair didn’t really care about OldBuick’s situation. After all, in his mind, the measure of strength had long surpassed worldly standards. A research institution on a planet might seem like heaven to OldBuick, but to him, it was nothing at all.
If he wanted to, he could destroy this so-called research institution with just a flick of his finger, and no one would dare to stand up for them.
But the problem was that Black Hair suddenly became interested in that demon.
If that demon truly had such terrifying combat power as OldBuick said, then Black Hair might want to see it for himself. Whether as an opponent or to get closer to it, it wasn’t in Black Hair’s style to let such a powerful figure slip away. So…

A light cough snapped Blackhair out of his deep remorse. Then he spoke again.
“Is the task you’re asking me to help with this time being to act as your bodyguard once more? To explore that ruin, just like last time?”
“Yes,” DadBuick nodded heavily, his face filled with worry.
“I know it’s presumptuous. Blackhair, asking you to face that demon alone is indeed asking too much. But I really have no other choice. The cost of hiring warriors is too high; even if I sold everything I have, I couldn’t afford a team as skilled as that large excavation group. And the only warrior I know is you. You’re still very strong. If you can help me, I can save a lot on hiring elite warriors—just some mid-level warriors will suffice.”
After a pause, DadBuick sighed again. “Otherwise, I really don’t know if I have the courage to face that demon. Blackhair, you don’t understand how I feel. That scene was terrifying. If possible, I really hope never to see that guy again.”
“But you have no other choice now.” Hearing DadBuick’s almost pleading words, Blackhair smiled and tapped his nose.
“In your words, you only know me as a warrior. And I’m glad you still think of me at a time like this.”
Standing up, Blackhair stepped in front of DadBuick and placed his hand on his shoulder. A tremor passed through him, letting Blackhair sense DadBuick’s inner panic.
“It’s a coincidence that I’m back this time. But it’s also this coincidence that gives me the chance to repay your kindness. Dad, don’t worry. Since I’m here, I definitely won’t let you take the risk alone. I’ll take on this task for you.”
“Really!?” DadBuick suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with joy. “Are you willing to be my bodyguard and explore that ruin?”
“Yes. I am willing.” Blackhair nodded firmly. “And I think you don’t need to spend more money hiring other bodyguards. With me here, your safety is guaranteed. Even if we face that so-called demon again, I won’t let it hurt you in the slightest.”
Seeing DadBuick’s incredulous gaze, Blackhair smiled without explaining. He simply raised the bracer on his right hand and gently pressed a barely visible button on it.

“I have black hair. Give me Blood Pupils and Monkeys… Yes, it’s me. You two bastards, you have work to do. Send me a virtual puppet to Xieke Planet right away. And 500 of the best brothers, the coordinates are…”