The silver alloy door slowly slid open on both sides. Inside was a room completely made of polymer materials. The walls and floor were a spotless milky white, and the reflective enamel gave it a sense of roundness.
Five large display cabinets were distributed in the middle of the room in a pentagram shape. Each of the cabinets had a Beyond Grade A frozen by the Spacetime Amber. Their postures were different, and everyone's expression was fixed on their faces. Other than that, there was nothing else in the room.
"This is my collection room."
A group of people walked into the room. The one who spoke first was Han Xiao, followed by Jotina and a group of former Beast Ancestor officers.
The troops that went out had just destroyed Beast Ancestor's base, and Jotina had dragged a group of brothers and sisters over to thank him again. Han Xiao still remembered that he had promised them to visit Gorután, so he had brought them over.
This was the collection room where he had placed the five Beyond Grade A captives. The names of each captive were written on the display cabinets. They were Ethereal's' Red Devil 'Tolaen, Radiance's' Lone Ranger 'Jackornitz,' Energy Soul 'Womre, Hades, and' Beast Ancestor 'Gorután.
The five Beyond Grade A specimens were displayed here. This was the best proof of his achievements. Just this scene alone was enough to shock everyone.
Jotina locked onto Gorután at a glance. Seeing this enemy that she had feared for many years frozen in amber, she only felt extremely happy.
"You also have a day like this!"
Jotina clenched her fists in excitement. She only felt that this was the happiest day of her life. The dark days of the past no longer existed, and the world in front of her seemed to have regained its color.
It was as if there was a fresh breath rising in her mind, washing away the hatred, despair, and anger that had accumulated like mountains. Only the refreshment and hope of a new life was left.
She turned around and looked at Han Xiao. Her eyes were filled with admiration and gentleness.
In her eyes, Black Star seemed to be exuding a holy light, like a street lamp that led her to a new life.
Sensing Jotina's passionate gaze, Han Xiao's face twitched slightly.
He hadn't had much contact with Jotina, but her straightforwardness and enthusiasm were still fresh in his mind.
The reward of [Liberating the Beast Ancestor's Faction] had been settled, and he had gained a lot of favorability. He estimated that Jotina's loyalty was almost off the charts.
Han Xiao coughed dryly and said, "There are still some people among you who haven't been assigned a specific position. It just so happens that we've rescued a large number of Beast Ancestor's young descendants. I'll leave this group of people to you to teach. Is that okay?"
"No problem!" Everyone nodded. They were very happy with this arrangement.
"Then you guys take your time here. I still have some things to take care of."
Han Xiao found an excuse to leave by himself. Jotina and the others had been repressed for many years, and he did not intend to disturb this group of people to vent their emotions. Anyway, with Philip watching over them, he did not need to stay here.
Returning to his office, Han Xiao thought about the personnel allocation in the army.
"Currently, the top Calamity Grade combatants under my command are only Hardaway, Lothaire, Fu Ding, and Jotina. The rest of them have yet to fully mature. These dozen or so Beast Ancestor officers have a lot of weight. Together with this group of rescued Beast Ancestor's young descendants, a new faction will be formed in the army in the future …"
There were no factions within the Black Star Army. The Black Star Army was also divided into various factions. Excluding Han Xiao himself, it could be roughly divided into a few large factions.
The first was the Patriarch Faction led by Herlous, which was further divided into smaller factions such as Sunil, Godora, Blue Star, and so on. This faction represented the older members of the army. The second was the Academic Faction led by Lagi and Nero, which was basically made up of graduates of the Super Academy and was very active. The third was the main faction led by some of the Calamity Grade Supers who joined later. This faction was the largest, and it was mainly made up of official warriors and mercenaries without any backing. The fourth was the Administrative Faction led by Sylvia and Reynold, which was mainly made up of non-combatant clerks who were in charge of the army's daily affairs, logistics, and so on.
After Jotina and the others gained a foothold in the army, there was an 80% chance that they would band together and form the Beast Ancestor Faction, or rather, the Light Faction.
As for Hella, she was a lone wolf and did not have a faction. The influence of the Black Star Guards on the various departments of the army was limited, and their functions did not overlap. Thus, they could not form a faction. Lothaire, who was running the Assassin's Society outside, was a secret and could not be considered part of any faction in the army.
These factions would also fight in private, but with Han Xiao suppressing them, they were very restrained. Every large organization would have internal conflicts as time passed or expanded. However, the Black Star Corps had only been established for a short time and was still very young. Thus, the level of internal conflicts was very low, limited to the internal conflicts of some businesses.
It was impossible to completely eliminate them. Everyone had their own thoughts, and it was impossible to ask others to contribute selflessly. Even a loyal backbone like Herlous had his own personal interests, which was to seek more benefits for the Sunil race.
Power could constantly change people's thoughts. The longer the senior officers served the army, the more things they wanted. Furthermore, the Supers who joined the Black Star Corps later on did so to seek a brighter future. Everyone wanted to climb higher, and no matter how big the cake was, the competition would not disappear.
The same goes for the development union. It's just a start-up now, and the concept of factions is vague. When the resources are integrated to a certain extent, it will definitely split into different factions … Han Xiao thought.
He could guess that the three Universal Civilizations would use this method to infiltrate the Beyond Grade A association. There would always be a portion of people who did not agree with the Beyond Grade A united front from the bottom of their hearts, so they would be easily pulled over. There would also be more people who were easily swayed.
The Beyond Grade As were all unruly people, and the root of the division was their different opinions. The structure of the development union was destined to be filled with disputes in the future, and the upper echelons above the director level would definitely understand the importance of being united. The resource integration phase of the association was an important period of accumulation.
As the vice president, he was nominally suppressed by Manison, but this could not make him a mere figurehead. The source of his right to speak was his own strength and influence in the association.
The resource integration phase is also an opportunity for me. I can use my advantages to make more friends, build my own faction, and slowly shorten the gap between Manison and me. As long as I have more people supporting me, I'll be able to compete with Manison in daily decisions, which will be beneficial for my future re-election. If I don't do something, I might not be able to keep my position as the vice president …
Han Xiao pondered. He had chosen to take a step back in order to accumulate.
There was a good opportunity right now. Although the three Universal Civilizations had tacitly acknowledged the legitimacy of the development union, the Dark Emperor's mission had not ended yet.
In other words, the honorary director Clottey in name would still make a move against the other members, which would undoubtedly damage the reputation of the development union. This was the provocation and contempt of the Universal Civilizations, as well as an aggressive test.
In this case, those neutral Beyond Grade As hired by the Supercluster Civilizations should be panicking. This seems to be an opportunity for me to take advantage of it. If I exert influence on the dynasty and make the upper echelons stop the Dark Emperor's actions, not only will I be able to show the importance of my position as the vice president, but I'll also be able to gain the favor of these neutral Beyond Grade As …
With this in mind, Han Xiao asked Philip to send a message to all the neutral Beyond Grade As in the association. He first asked about their well-being, then mentioned the Dark Emperor, beating around the bush.
Although he had decided to deal with this matter personally, Han Xiao did not want to keep a low profile. Helping others in secret was usually the act of a spare tire. He would either not do it or let everyone know that he was the one who did it.
Therefore, Han Technician planned to first contact these neutral Beyond Grade As who were targeted by the Dark Emperor and have them raise this matter in front of everyone in the next plenary meeting. All the Beyond Grade A members would hold a plenary meeting every once in a while. The development union's reason made this behavior justifiable. This was also one of the original intentions of building a communication platform.
"Speaking of which, the Dark Emperor captured Traveler, and this guy pushed the blame to Sorokin. The dynasty will definitely not let this go. I wonder what methods they will use to punish the Limitless Financial Group."
Han Xiao chuckled.
Beep beep …
At this time, his communicator suddenly rang.
Radiance and Ethereal had sent messages one after another. The content was the eleventh revised ransom clause.
Han Xiao browsed through it. Compared to the first version, Radiance and Ethereal's compensation terms were much more generous.
Because he had not replied with any suggestions, the drafting staff of the two parties were about to go crazy. They deeply felt how terrifying a client who did not give any specific requests was.
"It's been a few months. The torture is about over. It's time to have a result."
Han Xiao smacked his lips and changed some conditions on the basis of the two clauses, such as changing part of the resource compensation to Gold Grade blueprints.
The two Universal Civilizations had a lot of Gold Grade blueprints in their inventory, and what they took out to exchange were all filtered conventional equipment. However, this was not important. Since this was one of the sources of God's Trait Transformation Points, Han Xiao had a huge need for Gold Grade blueprints.
As soon as the two offers were sent out, the diplomats of Radiance and Ethereal were immediately excited. They immediately sent a communication request to Han Xiao to start a formal negotiation.
Han Xiao did not torture the other party this time. After bargaining for a while, he came to an agreement to exchange for three Universal Treasure grade blueprints.
The first batch of captives he planned to return was Tolaen and Hades, one each from each party.
For the time being, he did not sell the captives of Radiance to Ethereal. Although this kind of provocation was useful, it also had its drawbacks.
Anyway, he still had two other captives of Radiance in his hands, and they could be sold at a good price. Han Xiao now needed influence with the Universal Civilizations to increase his voice in the development union. The way to maximize his benefits was to bide his time. As long as there were captives in his hands, the Radiant Federation would have to give him face to a certain extent. Ethereal would also have a last hope, so he would not easily let go of all the captives.
After confirming the agreement, Han Xiao looked at the two relaxed diplomats and slowly said,
"I'll be waiting for the day you publicly apologize."
Radiance and Ethereal had to publicly apologize for attacking the Black Star Corps. This was the first condition of the compensation agreement.
"Okay, please pay attention to the news."
The two diplomats bowed in different manners before ending the communication. Their remote projections disappeared before Han Xiao's eyes.
Han Xiao leaned back, crossed his legs, and murmured, "Radiance and Ethereal have already given up.
"The federation's church has given in for the time being, and the dynasty has also fulfilled the decree of the Evolutionary Totem to repair their relationship with me. On the surface, they won't use force against the development union. This way, the three Universal Civilizations should be quiet for a while …"
He was very clear about the nature of the three Universal Civilizations. It would probably be calm for a few months or even a year.
However, this was only the calm before the storm because the three Universal Civilizations still had an old enemy to deal with. It was the Supercluster Alliance that had been quietly expanding in the free competition zone.
When the three Universal Civilizations were ready, they would definitely give the Supercluster Alliance a head-on blow. This time, they would not be as gentle as they were with the development union. They would definitely use thunderous means to dispel the unrealistic ambitions of these Supercluster Civilizations. In other words, the reason why the three Universal Civilizations were tolerant of the Beyond Grade As was because the Supercluster Alliance was the number one enemy that needed to be dealt with urgently.
"This half a year to a year is perfect for me to keep a low profile and accumulate experience."
Han Xiao glanced at the interface. There was a huge influx of experience every day. Although the cost of leveling up from level 320 to level 340 was astronomical, with the merciless leek harvesting machine, he would be able to gather it sooner or later.
Now that the players were familiar with the gameplay of the Flickering World version, they were gradually getting on the right track. They did not neglect to explore and PK.
Han Xiao planned to enrich their gaming experience. Taking advantage of this free time, he planned to hold the Army Tournament that he had previously planned and turn it into a large-scale festival for the faction.
As the saying went, a horse would not get fat without eating at night. Only when the players were happy would they have more motivation to work.
…
At the same time, in a secret location in Black Star Palace.
A player named [Paradise Disco] was led by two mechanical soldiers into a dark tunnel. He passed through layers of security and walked into a dark tunnel.
This corridor did not have any decorations, only a pale white ceiling light extending all the way into the distance. At the end of his line of sight was a metal wall at the corner. The tunnel was silent, and only the monotonous sound of footsteps could be heard.
Paradise Disco only felt that the atmosphere was horrifying.
He could not help but ask, "Bro, where are we going?"
The two mechanical soldiers did not intend to answer. They did not even turn around, and their footsteps were still in sync.
"Why so mysterious …" Paradise Disco lowered his head, opened the interface, and mumbled softly, "What kind of mission is this?"
In the mission list, a mission called [Special Experiment] was shining brightly.
Paradise Disco remembered that he had not done anything, and this mission suddenly triggered on its own. He was required to follow the mechanical soldiers to a designated location to carry out a special experiment. Other than that, there was no other description. However, the reward was very generous, comparable to seven or eight Grade B missions.
His curiosity drove him to accept this mission, and he kept thinking along the way.
Does this involve the secrets of the Black Star Corps?
Has the army been carrying out some kind of forbidden secret experiment?
Why am I the one who triggered it? Did I successfully sneak into Europe this time?
Just as he was thinking, the two mechanical soldiers in front of him stopped. They had reached the end of the tunnel, and there was a plain alloy door.
After swiping the access card, the door opened. Paradise Disco looked in curiously, and a white laboratory appeared in front of his eyes.
At this time, there was already another player in the room, and he also looked over. The two of them looked at each other, and they were both stunned.
"You accepted the mission too?"
"[Special Experiment], right?"
"That's right, that's it. Do you know what the mission is about?"
"I don't know. I just got here too."
"So mysterious. I like it."
The two of them gathered together and exchanged information. Their curiosity was getting stronger and stronger.
Since they had come to such a secret place like the headquarters, it was definitely not a small matter.
At this time, a team of mechanical soldiers pushed two devices that looked like life-support pods into the room. The two mechanical soldiers took out a mask device that could block one's senses and handed it to the two players.
The leader of the mechanical soldiers said with an emotionless voice, "Lie in the pod, put on the mask, and wait for the experiment to start."
The two players looked at each other and had no choice but to do as they were told. They suppressed their curiosity and went to sleep in the pod.
Paradise Disco put on the mask, and he instantly fell into darkness. His vision, hearing, and smell were all taken away. This way, he would not know what was happening outside.
His hands and feet were locked tightly, and he could not move at all.
Under such circumstances, the waiting time was especially unbearable. Every minute and second felt like a year.
Paradise Disco was getting more and more curious. He even had the urge to break free and take off the mask to see what was going on. However, the high failure penalty of this mission made him want to give up.
Your B + Potential Esper Ability [Super Strengthened Muscle and Bone Inflation] has been taken away!
You have entered [Ability Frozen] state. You are unable to use any skills related to your Esper Ability.
Duration: Unlimited.
"Wh — what?"
Paradise Disco was stunned for a moment before his face turned pale.
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