In the current universe, the conflict in the Flickering World was seen as the Super Star Cluster Alliance's first resistance to the hegemony of the three Universal Civilizations. After a few months of fermenting, the galactic society gave this event an official name, the 'Flickering War'.
For the Flickering War, the Supercluster Alliance had been preparing for decades. During the first to third exploration phases, they had constantly sent stowaways into the Star Field to build secret stargates. Previously, when the three Universal Civilizations were busy dealing with the Intelligent Plague, the Supercluster Alliance had been secretly preparing war resources, avoiding eyes and ears, building hidden warehouses in different desolate universe belts, and even building secret military communication networks.
Now, all the hidden hands were connected. The Supercluster Alliance had built secret transportation networks to transport blood to the Flickering World, and the secret troops that transported the Soul Swap Twins had arrived at the Shattered Star Ring through a secret stargate. They did not leave any records in public stargates.
In the temporary detention room of the main ship, the Modo Civilization's Expedition Fleet Overseer Lagos was communicating with the Soul Swap Twins and giving them the mission.
"… Your mission target is Aesop Harrick, the adoptive father of the Dragon Emperor, and the current Special Consultant of the Black Star Corps."
"Didn't the higher-ups send us here to deal with Black Star? Why did they change targets?" the older brother of the Soul Swap Twins asked.
"This is the plan to deal with Black Star. Aesop is a key figure. He's very important to the Dragon Emperor, and Black Star has a special relationship with the Dragon Emperor. We can use this method to make Black Star shift his attention away from us and withdraw the Black Star Corps."
Lagos said with a deep voice.
Over the past few months, he and the upper echelons of the exploration army had analyzed the pros and cons time and time again before finally choosing the indirect route.
This battle plan had been approved by the General Staff. According to Modo's current situation, if they wanted Black Star to stop, they would have to make Black Star fall into another whirlpool.
The Modo Civilization also knew of Aesop's name. This long-lived species had extremely strong prophecy abilities and was very difficult to deal with. However, in comparison, directly dealing with a Beyond Grade A was more difficult, so the success rate of dealing with Aesop was relatively higher.
Furthermore, it was precisely because Aesop's prophecies were so powerful that they had to be purged. Over the past few months, Aesop and Nero had been searching the Shattered Star Ring and had already discovered the locations of many of the Supercluster Alliance's transport routes, causing quite a lot of losses. If not for the fact that the Black Star Corps only targeted the Modo Civilization on the surface and could only 'accidentally injure' the other Supercluster Civilizations, the impact on the war situation would have been even greater.
Although Nero's luck played a huge role in this, in the eyes of the Supercluster Civilization, it was mainly due to Aesop's prophecy. Therefore, even if they did not need to deal with Black Star, they had to think of a way to deal with Aesop. Now, they could kill two birds with one stone.
However, the Soul Swap Twins were disappointed.
"I thought that we would directly attack Black Star. I was happy for nothing."
Lagos frowned. "If we fail to deal with Black Star, you guys will definitely die. Isn't it safer to deal with Aesop?"
Hearing this, the Soul Swap Twins sneered sarcastically.
They were living in darkness. Why would they care about this?
Black Star was a pinnacle Beyond Grade A, so he would definitely not be easy to deal with. However, the two of them did not care about the danger of the operation at all. They only had their eyes on Black Star's huge assets and high status.
If they could use the Soul Swapper to occupy Black Star's body, all of this would belong to them. Not only would they obtain freedom, but they would also become the strongest in the universe and take away the power and foundation that Black Star had built over decades.
Compared to life and death, the two of them wanted to take this gamble more. However, there was no need to express their thoughts at this time.
"Tell us, what do you want us to do?" the younger of the Soul Swap Twins asked with a hoarse voice.
"Aesop is now the Special Consultant of the Black Star Corps. The Black Star Corps is heavily guarded and has some kind of special ability to discover enemy targets. Therefore, we will use fake transportation lines as bait to lure the snake out of its hole and find a way to let the two of you come into contact with Aesop. Then, you will use the Soul Swapper to temporarily distort his thoughts and manipulate him into participating in the conflict of a certain civilization. Then, you will deliberately send him to his death and frame that civilization to anger the Dragon Emperor … We will push this matter secretly. You only need to be responsible for your own mission. You don't need to know the other details. "
Lagos explained in a low voice.
Be it for public or private reasons, Aesop had to die and frame his death on a Star System civilization that was protected by the peace treaty. This would make the Dragon Emperor hate that civilization, and it would be best if the Dragon Emperor lost control and caused a massacre. This way, the advanced civilizations would have to protect the peace treaty and make the Dragon Emperor the target of public criticism. Even if the Dragon Emperor was not forced to do such a thing, with her personality, she would definitely have a conflict with that civilization.
No matter what, the Black Star Corps would definitely turn around and help. They might even have to use force to protect the Dragon Emperor. This way, the Black Star Corps would have another more urgent opponent, and there was a high chance that they would withdraw their troops.
"Got it." The Soul Swap Twins did not comment.
This was not the first time the two of them had done something like this, so they were already used to it.
Lagos gave a few more instructions before ending the communication. The guard closed the door again, not allowing the two of them to move around freely.
The Soul Swap Twins looked at each other. They did not need to say anything to understand each other.
This was a chance to become free people. After they obtained the Soul Swapper, they would find a way to escape after completing the mission. They were not willing to continue being imprisoned by the Modo Civilization as tools.
…
In his office, Han Xiao flipped through the reports of the Shattered Star Ring and looked up at Nero and Aesop's remote projections from time to time.
"Thirty-eight Super Star Cluster Alliance transport fleets discovered. Two secret transport routes of the Modo Civilization and seven secret transit resource strongholds have been completely destroyed. Daily supplies, weapons, and ammunition have been seized. There are also eleven suspected transport routes of other Super Star Cluster civilizations being monitored … Well done."
After browsing through the report, Han Xiao smiled and praised.
"It's all thanks to your guidance."
Nero touched his head, smiled, and licked his hand.
"You're now the general manager of the Shattered Star Ring. Don't smile so foolishly. You have to be serious, okay?" Han Xiao knocked on the table.
Nero's face instantly tensed up. He stopped smiling and put on a serious expression.
He was now an adult, but in front of Han Xiao, he had always been very relaxed and unknowingly revealed his childish side, making Han Xiao feel that he had not grown up. However, in the eyes of an elder like him, his child would always be a child who had not grown up.
Of course, it could also be because Nero's height made him look very young.
This time, Aesop smiled and said, "I like this kid. He has a lot of potential. Give him some time, and he will grow into someone who can take charge. Plus, his luck is really not bad."
Han Xiao nodded and asked, "Have you made any predictions about the Modo Civilization recently?"
Aesop shook his head. "It's still that vague sense of danger. Three months have passed, and they still don't seem to have made a move."
Han Xiao turned to look at Nero. "Then pay attention to increasing the intelligence gathering. If there's any movement, report to me immediately."
During this period of time, he had analyzed the possible plans of the Modo Civilization and felt that the chances of them attacking him directly were very low. It was more likely that they would attack the people around him. Thus, he strengthened the defenses around his mother planet and the various officers, especially increasing Philip's surveillance of the entire army.
Because most of the intelligence was reported one by one and might not reach him, he lowered the importance of the intelligence that Philip reported directly to him. Although this would cause the number of things he had to deal with to increase exponentially, Han Xiao did not mind being more careful at such a time.
"By the way, how did you talk to Ames? I'm running around with the Black Star Corps now. Isn't she afraid that I'll find a chance to sneak away?" Aesop asked.
"Oh, she told me to watch over you for her. If you run away, I'll bring you back." Han Xiao smiled.
"Tsk, I knew it." Aesop glared at him. "Is she that worried? How can she compare to me in terms of experience? I've eaten more salt than she has rice."
"Then you must be worried a lot." Han Xiao raised his brows. "From your tone, it sounds like you really want to sneak away."
"I've been under house arrest on Floating Dragon Island for decades. I can't stay here until I die of old age, right?" Aesop crossed his arms in front of his chest. "To be honest, with you looking after Ames, I'm not worried at all. Therefore, there's no need for me to continue staying here. I'll just treat these years as self-cultivation. It's time for me to continue my journey."
Han Xiao did not find it strange. Although Aesop had stayed by Ames' side for decades, to a long-lived species like him, this amount of time was probably like one or two years in the eyes of a normal person. This old man was a prodigal son who pursued excitement. He could not be tied up in one place forever.
"Then, why don't you tell Ames directly? If you're honest and reasonable, she definitely won't stop you."
"No, no, that way, she won't send people to chase after me. That's so boring."
Aesop shook his head repeatedly. There was a hint of 'if you can catch me, I'll let you have sex with me' in his tone.
Han Xiao was speechless.
He suddenly felt like beating this old man up …
"Aren't you afraid that I'll be on guard and not let you escape?"
"Haha, I'm going to tell you. You won't stop me." Aesop laughed. "I need to maintain some sort of tacit understanding with her, so I need you to help me convey my intentions."
Han Xiao understood. Aesop wanted to leave without saying goodbye, so he used him as a mouthpiece. He might even be trying to get back at him. After all, he was the one who had captured Aesop previously. This old man still remembered this matter. He was old and cared about his face.
Giving him a heads up in advance and successfully escaping, the two of them would be even. This was one of Aesop's few wicked interests.
"Then, when are you going to escape?"
"I'm going to finish my last job for you. I'll leave after the Flickering War is over."
"Heh, let's see if you can escape from my grasp at that time."
Han Xiao and Aesop looked at each other and smiled.
Nero looked left and right at the side and suddenly felt like he was a third party who did not fit in.
Han Xiao said a few more words before hanging up. After thinking for a while, he dialed another number and contacted Ames.
Halfway through the first ring, the call was picked up.
"Yo, busy person. You have time to chat with me again?"
Ames's chuckle flowed out of the communicator like a stream.
"What have you been doing recently?" Han Xiao smiled.
"Studying the knowledge you exchanged for me."
Han Xiao had exchanged for an Esper class knowledge and passed it to Ames. She had been studying it at home. Normal Beyond Grade As did not have an interface and could not advance overnight, so they could only study the Class knowledge slowly.
The two of them chatted for a while, and the topic changed to the recent events.
"Black Star, how long do you think the Flickering War will last?" Ames was curious.
"Three to five years at least, ten to twenty years at most."
Han Xiao pondered.
The Supercluster Alliance would not give up so easily. In his previous life, the Flickering War lasted for quite a long time. The players came into contact with the proxy war at the end of Version 4.0, and most of the war zones became the battlefield of the regular army. At that time, the players had already gone offline.
This time, with the sudden Intelligent Plague, the Supercluster Alliance was more prepared and could resist for a longer time. However, with his intervention this time, the battle would be shortened. The two factors affected each other and changed the storyline of his previous life. Han Xiao could not say for sure how long the Supercluster Alliance could last this time.
However, the final result was most likely the same as in his previous life. It would still end with the Super Star Cluster Alliance's defeat. This battle was meant to give them a glimmer of hope, a gamble with a very low success rate. However, the Super Star Cluster Alliance still decided to enter.
"So long …" Ames sighed softly. "I originally wanted to invite you to travel to the secondary dimensions again, but it seems like you won't have the time in the next few years."
"Again?"
Han Xiao subconsciously rubbed his waist.
"You're not willing?" Ames tilted her head, her long hair cascading down her shoulders like a waterfall.
"Ahem, actually, I'm not that busy. You know that us Beyond Grade As basically won't participate in the Flickering War personally. After we destroy the Modo Civilization, I'll be free. At that time, I can take some time to accompany you to the secondary dimensions …"
I'll take the opportunity to let Aesop slip away … Han Xiao thought to himself.
"Then it's settled."
Ames' eyes curved as she smiled.
:. :.
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