Starforce Warriors-Chapter 609: Human Trafficking?

The bearded driver and the motorcyclists led over forty women and children along the rugged mountain path shrouded in milky-white mist for more than an hour. Eventually, they arrived at the first checkpoint leading to the Grandpa Lakeside Camp.

The midway checkpoint was a small fortress built from piled mountain rocks, complete with stone walls. Roughly thirty armed soldiers guarded the station, their rifles at the ready. The bearded driver stepped forward, presenting some kind of token to the guards. After a brief inspection, the gates of the checkpoint opened.

A burly one-eyed officer emerged, accompanied by four fully armed soldiers. The soldiers first inspected the supplies transported on the motorized carts by the bearded driver and his team. Once the goods were verified, they began counting and inspecting the women and children.

The process was disturbingly straightforward. The soldiers treated the women and children like livestock, scrutinizing them one by one. They checked their teeth, hair, and other physical features, as if they were appraising animals.

Each time a woman or child passed inspection, the bearded driver received a stack of what appeared to be currency.

Human trafficking?

The thought surfaced in Li Xiaofei’s mind, his expression darkening. Finally, all the women and children, including the young woman in the baseball cap and the dimpled little girl, were fitted with strange circular armbands after passing inspection. They were then herded into the fortress to rest.

At the end of the process, the bearded driver pointed toward Li Xiaofei and his group as he whispered something to the one-eyed officer. The tall and muscular officer looked at Li Xiaofei with wide eyes.

Without warning, he slapped the bearded driver across the face several times, the sharp sounds echoing through the air. The officer yelled at him angrily, his voice harsh and commanding.

Li Xiaofei could make out a few key words from the fragments of the exchange. It seemed the officer was furious that the driver had brought unknown Extraordinary Ones to the checkpoint. The driver frantically tried to explain, mentioning phrases like ‘kill’ and ‘fifteen Governors’.

The thick-haired officer hesitated for a moment, his suspicion not entirely erased, but eventually, he stopped hitting the bearded driver. His gaze swept over Li Xiaofei and his group, his eyes narrowing slightly. When his eyes swept past Yan Chiyu, Bai Qiqi, and the other women in the group, a flash of admiration flickered in his expression.

After about half an hour, the officer appeared to have received permission from his superiors. He gestured sharply as he barked out a few orders, signaling for the group to proceed.

The bearded driver, now sporting a swollen and bruised face, approached them.

"Honored guests," he said with a forced smile, "the camp’s officers have agreed to let you enter, but you must follow their rules. Also, they demand that the bodies of the Governors be handed over to them for disposal."

"Why should we give them anything?" Ximen Piaoxue said indignantly.

It was obvious to everyone that the Governors' bodies held significant research value, since they contained the secrets of cyborg lifeforms. Their worth was undeniably immense. Furthermore, the soldiers’ auras indicated they were only comparable to martial artists in the Qi Refining Realm, far beneath Li Xiaofei and his companions. It was almost laughable that they were trying to make demands of them.

After witnessing the purchase of women and children earlier, the group’s impression of the bearded driver and the soldiers was already exceedingly poor.

Li Xiaofei thought for a moment before speaking. "There are fifteen Governor corpses in total. We can give them ten. Anything more than that is out of the question."

His reasoning was simple. They would need a few for their own research, but the extras could be given away. If they ever needed more, they could simply hunt additional Governors. It was said that this Earth had no shortage of Governors, and killing them was relatively straightforward.

The bearded driver, clearly displeased but unable to argue, nodded reluctantly. He returned to the officer, bowing and scraping in an effort to please him. It was a while before he came back.

"Captain Liao has agreed," the bearded driver said, visibly relieved. "However, he demands that you relinquish your weapons and fully comply with their instructions. Otherwise, the Grandpa Lakeside Camp will not welcome you and will treat you as enemies."

Li Xiaofei nodded and agreed to all the terms. For now, his primary goal was to see the survivor camp and deepen his understanding of this world. If his aunt and Li Lan had sent him and his group to this Earth, it meant there was something important here that warranted their attention. There had to be a challenge or force present that could sharpen them, allowing them to improve their combat prowess within the year.

"By the way," the driver added, clearly pleased that Li Xiaofei had agreed to hand over part of the Governors' corpses, "the survivor camp also has Extraordinary Ones. They aren’t ordinary ones either, they’re legendary figures. The camp’s commander, for example, is said to have survived from the chaotic extraordinary era hundreds of years ago. So, you’ll need to be cautious when you’re there."

The driver, now in an upbeat mood after his lucrative deal had been completed, decided to give them this additional warning.

Li Xiaofei’s gaze turned cold as he asked directly, "These women and children you’re transporting—were they abducted and sold? You’re profiting from selling them while they suffer."

"No, no, no!" the bearded driver denied hastily, shaking his head like a rattle.

"We’re not human traffickers; we’re rescuers!" he explained anxiously. "All these women and children escaped from the Holy Light Settlement. If they hadn’t escaped, their lives there would have been worse than pigs or dogs. Women there are treated like breeding machines. They’re repeatedly forced to bear children and their eggs are harvested. Every ounce of their value is exploited. Once they’re deemed useless, they’re discarded like trash, left to live a fate worse than death. Escaping to the survivor camp gives them a few more years to live in relative peace."

Seeing that Li Xiaofei still didn’t seem convinced, the driver added quickly, "As for the money you saw us taking, that’s because the camp pays us to transport these women and children. We only earn a small transportation fee. It’s all hard-earned money. We make sure to explain the situation clearly to everyone before we take them. These women and children came willingly; many of them even begged us for help to escape. If you don’t believe me, you’re free to ask them yourself."

Li Xiaofei’s expression softened slightly. If the bearded man was telling the truth, it was understandable, though still troubling. But the mention of the Holy Light Settlement treating women as mere childbearing machines left him with many unanswered questions.

Li Xiaofei and his group then followed the guards into the checkpoint. The one-eyed officer personally led twenty of his men to escort Li Xiaofei’s group as if they were high-risk prisoners.

After a brief rest, the group left the checkpoint and continued ascending the mountain. As they climbed, the milky-white mist in the mountains grew denser, thickening around them like an ethereal shroud.

Ye Liuying quietly moved closer to Li Xiaofei and murmured, "These strange white mists seem to have a destructive effect on electronic devices. The light cores and other tech we’re carrying have all stopped working."

Li Xiaofei nodded, unsurprised. This was as he had expected. This region had to be extraordinary in some way for the survivors to have chosen this area as their stronghold against the Star Council and the Governors. Otherwise, with the limited strength of the one-eyed officer and his men, they would have been wiped out long ago by the Saint-level Governors.

The information they’d heard earlier seemed accurate. The mystical spring and unique geography of this area rendered the Governors unable to function, making it a natural sanctuary for survivors.

After passing through five more checkpoints, each with thorough inspections, the group finally reached a broad plateau on the mountain’s peak. Here, the dense white mist suddenly dispersed, revealing a stunning view.

They found themselves in front of a small lake that was about a kilometer in diameter. Its crystal-clear waters shimmered under the light. It resembled a round, blue-brown gemstone set into the summit of the Taibai Mountains.

This was Grandpa Lake; the legendary Sea of the Mystic Spring. The pale white shoreline was dotted with clusters of neatly arranged white stone houses. The layout was reminiscent of a small medieval lord’s estate.

They could see figures moving within the settlement, their presence exuding a rare sense of vitality in this otherwise desolate world. This must be the survivor camp. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

The women and children erupted into cheers, their faces lighting up with joy. It was as though they had arrived in a mythical paradise. They were the first to be allowed entry into the camp. Li Xiaofei and his group, however, were left outside, under the vigilant eyes of fifty armed soldiers who kept their weapons trained on them.

Ten minutes passed. Finally, a few figures clad in dark golden armor approached quickly from within the camp.

"Interesting..."

Li Xiaofei’s eyes gleamed faintly. He could sense strong and unusual energy fluctuations emanating from these individuals. These were no ordinary people. They were true Extraordinary Ones.