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Before heading to the ruins where the expedition team disappeared, Lin Xue first took us to a small town not far from the base.
The town wasn't big, with only a scale of a few thousand people, but the buildings along the streets looked orderly and modern, completely unlike an isolated desert town.
The townspeople didn't seem to react to our arrival. They just glanced at us, the outsiders, and then went about their own business.
For some reason, while walking through this town, I always had a strange feeling.
"Didn't expect a town in the desert," Qianqian looked at the bustling surroundings and expressed her amazement. Though she knew people lived in the desert, the question was—this was the central area of the Taklamakan Desert! Inhabited by few, scarce in resources, and even the most basic water needs could not be met. The appearance of a town here naturally piqued her curiosity.
Zheng Yiming seemed quite familiar with this place. While leading the way, he introduced, "This town is not an ordinary place. In fact, it's a refuge—also known as an exile land."
"What?" My gossiping soul ignited.
"Top international smugglers, arms dealers, descendants of big families expelled, high-ranking hermits hunted by enemies, and even a few superpower users who made mistakes and are never allowed to leave this desert for life. Don't underestimate anyone here. Any one of them stepping out could shake the entire world."
"Ah!" Qianqian exclaimed, clutching my arm tightly. The previously gentle-looking desert residents now appeared to her as fierce and malicious brigands.
"Relax," Lin Xue patted Qianqian's shoulder comfortingly. "No matter how big they were outside, they must behave here. There are a few rules. Firstly, no matter what mistake you made outside, once you arrive here, it gets written off. Meaning, you are 'dead.' Secondly, once here, no one leaves without the organization's permission unless they are confident enough to escape the organization's pursuit. Thirdly, anyone here mustn't cause trouble. No matter how arrogant you were outside, here you are just an ordinary townsperson, or else—well, some very unpleasant things will happen. Also, this town is not completely isolated from the outside world. Occasionally, some authorized outsiders come in, but they don't know the truth of this town. The only ones who know are the organization members and special people like you, Chen Jun."
"Amazing," I smacked my lips and said, "Why do you guys feel like a lawless terrorist organization?"
"Tsk—we're contributing to the world!" Lin Xue habitually retorted, "Most of these people would pose a threat to humanity if they lived in the world, but it's a waste to kill them because of their skills. So, we adopted this method.
"The organization provides them shelter, saving them from being torn apart by enemies or others. In return, they stay here obediently and use their abilities to serve the organization. Whether you believe it or not, some people here control billions in funds in the outside world through networks or other means, just for the chance to have a stable meal. So, this place is a refuge, also an exile land..."
Refuge... Exile land...
I carefully pondered Lin Xue's words, again observing those seemingly ordinary desert residents keenly.
At first glance, they seemed like average residents, but upon closer inspection, I could see the differences in their eyes.
Some showed coldness, some apathy, some unwillingness, while some looked at us with blatant envy.
But here, they could only bury these emotions deep in their hearts, striving to become ordinary desert residents.
Just then, "Bro, want a disc?" A somewhat familiar male voice came from not far away.
"Creaaak—" My body instantly petrified.
With the sound of "squeak squeak," I stiffly turned my neck to see a knight-faced uncle dressed like a character from The Matrix peddling pirated discs to passersby.
... Sicaro, an excellent commander of the Empire, sentenced to death by the Imperial Emperor on December 6, 2010, for being too idiotic.
But I truly wanted to do that, damn it! Are you really a commander of the Xyrin Empire? Are you not an undercover actor or infiltrator sent to mess with us? Have you never had any intelligence training in the army? Can you think of a better disguise than selling pirated discs dressed in a Matrix suit?!
At this moment, I lost all hope in this knight-faced uncle's intelligence.
"Huh? Why does this disc-selling uncle look so familiar?" Lin Xue, who had seen Sicaro's figure from a car before, murmured curiously.
The key issue isn't here, right? The key issue is how can such a person appear in this place?!
"Something's wrong—how can such a person appear here?!" Zheng Yiming was the first to react, "Capture him!"
"Wait!" I hastily stopped them.
"What's wrong?" Lin Xue asked me, puzzled, "Do you know this person?"
I must be brain-dead, why speak up now!
Faced with Lin Xue's inquisitive gaze, I quickly organized my thoughts. But how could I explain my relationship with such a suspicious-looking uncle selling pirated discs in Exile Town?
"He's brother's friend," Pandora suddenly spoke.
... Pandora, do you not know I'm trying to dissociate myself from this suspicious uncle?!
"He's also a superpower user," Pandora continued to reveal.
"What?!" Lin Xue, Lin Feng, and Zheng Yiming exclaimed in unison. In this day and age, are superpower users so common? How can a suspicious uncle selling pirated discs on the street be one?
Then, Pandora's voice came through the spiritual connection, "Sicaro is a highly skilled Imperial officer proficient in positional defense warfare, and his combat power shouldn't be underestimated. I hope he can join our upcoming mission—I feel this incident isn't simple, having an extra layer of protection is always good."
"Chen Jun," Lin Xue's voice interrupted my conversation with Pandora, "Do you know this person? Is he really a superpower user?"
"Uh... yes!" I answered nervously and then had a sudden idea, added, "He can heal!"
A few minutes later, the so-called healer... ahem, the superpower user Sicaro, was walking with us.
"Chen Jun, is this guy really okay?" Lin Xue asked worriedly while watching the knight-faced uncle selling pirated discs along the way, "Suddenly adding a mysterious person."
"I can vouch for him; he's absolutely reliable!"
"A traveling superpower user got lost while touring the Great Taklamakan Desert and ended up in the exile town protected by the Superpower Team, reduced to selling pirated discs to survive—do you expect me to believe that? And the strange name, Sicaro, doesn't sound real either?" Lin Xue was still filled with distrust towards this uncle, but eventually, she sighed, "Fine, my intuition tells me this person is trustworthy. Hopefully, my ability isn't wrong this time."
"Who exactly are we going to find?" Qianqian finally couldn't hold back, "We've almost reached the town's end. When are we heading to the ruins? Each day's delay increases my father's danger!"
"Don't worry," Lin Feng smiled gently, "The person we're looking for now is very important. Without his help, we might end up missing like your father in those ruins."
"Who is so powerful?" I asked curiously, "Is he a superpower user?"
Lin Xue shook her head and said, "No, he's just an ordinary old man, but he possesses an extraordinary object that can stabilize the ruins—unfortunately, the expedition team put too much faith in modern science and neglected mystical powers, leading to the mishap."