Normally, the cultural transformation of a large civilization would last from two to five generations, and the Kunde Race had only been in seclusion for less than thirty years. It was too early to talk about opening up now.
The dynasty probably had other intentions for deciding to lift the ban in advance.
Han Xiao's eyes turned, and he had a vague guess.
Although the Kunde Race had been defeated, the trillions of them were still a rich population resource. Now that they were placed in the territory of the Black Star Corps, they were basically in the pocket of the army. In the process of cultural transformation, the Black Star Corps was also constantly promoting the benefits of the army, trying to cultivate the loyalty and yearning of the Kunde Race in advance.
The dynasty was probably doing this to stop the propaganda of the Black Star Corps to the Kunde Race as soon as possible and prevent the Kunde Race from becoming the talent pool of the army. At the same time, the Kunde Race that was not completely transformed would cause some trouble for the army.
"Tsk, such petty thoughts …"
Han Xiao curled his lips.
He had just met Marbruce not long ago, and there was already such a reaction so quickly. There had to be instructions from the upper echelons behind this matter. The dynasty's attitude toward him had clearly changed.
Han Xiao did not mind. To him, this was actually good news. After pondering for a few seconds, he said, "Reply to the dynasty that the inspection team is welcome to visit. Get someone to discuss with the dynasty and arrange a time. We will also arrange for an inspection team to accompany the dynasty's emissary on the spot."
"Understood." Sylvia nodded. "There's another matter. The Limitless Financial Group has already owed the Germinal Financial Group three months' worth of business. I got the finance department to negotiate, but the other party refused to give me an answer. Do you want to ask them personally?"
"The Limitless Financial Group owes me money? Has there been any problems with their cash flow recently? "
"Interpais has already gotten someone to calculate. The Limitless Financial Group's business is very stable, and they have even set new records in some areas. Their cash flow is very healthy, but the other party just refuses to pay up."
"How much exactly do they owe?"
"There are a total of thirty-four projects, and the total amount is 48.2 billion Enas. You …"
Before Sylvia could finish, Han Xiao glared at her and interrupted her.
"Oh, this b * stard actually owes me money and doesn't return it. I'll talk to him personally."
After that, Han Xiao found Sorokin's private number and dialed it.
The phone rang for a while before the call was finally connected. Sorokin's projection appeared on the screen, and his enthusiastic voice could be heard.
"Your Excellency Black Star, what a rare guest. I was wondering why I was in such a good mood today. It turns out that a distinguished guest has come to visit. Do you have any orders?"
"Nothing much. I just heard that you owe me a lot of money recently, so I'm here to urge you to pay the balance."
Han Xiao raised his eyebrows.
Sorokin immediately put on a troubled expression and poured out his grievances in a sincere tone.
"Aiya, the consortium's situation isn't good recently. The cash flow is tight. You know, for a big family like ours, in order to maintain our influence, we have to burn hundreds of millions of dollars every day. I can't take out the money now."
"Stop lying. Do you think my finance department is for decoration? My report says that your business is doing well and that you've expanded a lot. You're telling me that you have no money?"
"It's because I've expanded my business that I need to spend more money to open up channels. The speed of burning money is beyond my expectations. I really can't take out the money."
"Nonsense, don't blame me for not reminding you. If you don't pay the balance within the agreed period, you'll have to pay the penalty. Don't regret it then … By the way, I heard some time ago that you used your headhunting company to poach my people. You're preparing to use high salaries to lure Interpais' team to jump ship. Is that true?"
"Hehe, I'm a businessman. It's all normal business operations. Don't take it to heart."
The two of them went back and forth for a while. Sorokin was stubborn and refused to give up the money.
Seeing Sorokin's abnormal behavior, Han Xiao's eyes suddenly flashed. He had a vague guess in his mind. He immediately changed the topic and said meaningfully, "Looks like this isn't a business problem but a conflict between our identities."
Hearing this, Sorokin showed a half-smile and slowly said, "I thought we had a tacit understanding to work together, but I seemed to be wrong …"
The two of them spoke ambiguously because they did not want to leave any evidence behind. In reality, they both understood what the other meant.
Ever since Han Xiao reported Sorokin's strange situation to the dynasty using Gaud's disappearance as an excuse, Sorokin had been investigated and targeted by the dynasty both openly and secretly. He had been very careful and worried for the past two years.
At first, Sorokin thought that the dynasty was just conducting a normal search for suspects, so he endured it. However, the dynasty's recent actions made him feel that something was wrong. He asked around through his connections and was shocked to find out that the dynasty's internal search was actually because they suspected his identity.
Currently, only Black Star knew his secret in the universe. Originally, the Limitless Financial Group wanted to cooperate with him to shut Black Star's mouth. However, since the dynasty was targeting him, it could only be that Black Star had leaked the information. This made Sorokin both shocked and angry.
That was why this happened today. Since he had been betrayed, Sorokin did not want the Black Star Corps to lie on top of him and suck his blood.
"If there's nothing else, I'll go offline first. Hehe, I still have work to do."
Sorokin put on a fake smile. He hung up.
The screen turned black. Han Xiao also put away his communicator with a playful look on his face.
He did this on purpose to force Sorokin to reveal himself. He was quite curious about what Sorokin would do.
"You think I'm just making things difficult for you, but I actually want you to lose your cool. If you take the initiative to attack me, that'll be the best. Then, it'll be perfectly justifiable for me to beat you up."
Han Xiao's eyes flickered, and he chuckled.
Sorokin's identity was similar to Gaud's — they were both protective talismans. However, Han Xiao dared to touch Gaud because of the difference in level. He could see all of Gaud's abilities and was confident that he could take him down. However, Sorokin was different. His level was even higher than Han Xiao's, and there were a lot of question marks on his interface. He did not know what tricks he was hiding. Han Xiao was worried that he would fail.
Most importantly, the implications of killing Gaud were too big. If he did not do it, everyone would suffer together. Sorokin was not that important yet. Therefore, Han Xiao did not want to break the association's rules because of his personal grudge. This was one of the few rules he had left.
Of course, this was only limited to not taking the initiative to attack. If Sorokin became desperate, Han Xiao would not mind playing "Welcome to the Underworld" for him.
…
On the other side, as soon as the connection was cut, Sorokin's expression collapsed. His face darkened.
He regretted it now. He should not have hesitated when his identity was exposed. He should have gotten rid of Black Star as soon as possible.
Although gathering all the Soul Seeds would cause this body to be destroyed and he would lose this identity, keeping Black Star alive would also risk exposing his identity.
Since he would suffer a huge loss no matter what, he might as well drag Black Star down with him.
Sorokin's expression was uncertain. Although he was furious, he could not help but feel conflicted. On one hand, he was worried that he was making a mountain out of a molehill. On the other hand, he was worried about whether he could defeat Black Star.
"No matter what, I have to arrange a backup plan first. The Limitless Financial Group is such a huge asset. It's a pity to leave it to someone else. I have to find a way to inherit a part of it. If the flow of funds is too huge, it will attract attention even if it goes through the black market. It's best to break it up and turn the funds into physical objects …"
Sorokin clenched his teeth.
Regardless of whether he attacked or not, it was definitely not wrong to prepare a backup plan first. This way, he would have the confidence to attack at any time.
"Black Star's body is indestructible. His mind is the only way to break through, but that's relatively speaking. No matter what, he has the resistance of a peak Beyond Grade A, so killing him will be extremely difficult. Furthermore, he has the King mechanical suit, so exiling him to the unexplored universe won't work either. Therefore, according to my ability and the Universal Treasures I've secretly collected, there's only one plan with a higher chance of success, which is to heavily injure or seal his soul, forcing him into a long hibernation.
"If that's the case, it's best for me to retrieve Soul Flame. Only then will the chances of success be higher. I wonder if Soul Flame has a host now. If it does, I can only kill him and take back this Esper Ability Entity …"
Sorokin thought.
…
A few days later, the dynasty and the Black Star Corps agreed on a date for the inspection and sent an emissary to the Flickering World from the Central Galaxy.
The dynasty's inspection team would spend a lot of time on the way, so Han Xiao ordered the troops stationed on the hundreds of residential planets of the Kunde Race to spread the news of the inspection team's arrival to every planet. He told the Kunde Race that as long as they performed well, they would be able to see the light of day again.
Originally, the inspection of cultural modifications had to be done in secret because once the inspection team knew about it in advance, there was a possibility that they would 'cheat' and deceive the inspection team. There had been similar cases in history.
However, the dynasty did not have any reaction this time. After all, releasing the Kunde Race as soon as possible was also their secret goal. While Han Xiao's actions did not follow the rules, it was in line with the dynasty's intentions. Thus, they turned a blind eye to it. Han Xiao also hoped that the Kunde Race would be released as soon as possible so that he could obtain the mission reward. Thus, he acted according to the situation and satisfied the dynasty's interests while satisfying his own needs. Everyone was happy.
Both sides were taking what they needed. The only difference was that Han Xiao had guessed the dynasty's thoughts, but the dynasty did not know what benefits he would gain.
The notification of the dynasty's inspection team's arrival quickly spread across every residential planet of the Kunde Race. The Kunde Race that had been living in a daze gradually had hope.
Kunde Race's Residential Planet No. 77, south of Sigaia City, on the rooftop of Apartment F0044.
Barton stood at a high vantage point and looked at the entire city. He saw tall, gray rectangular apartments neatly arranged. Their height, shape, and spacing were exactly the same. They were like standing metal coffins. The layout of the city gave off a strong industrial feeling. The sky was gray, and the setting sun was faintly discernible through the clouds. The afterglow coated the city with a layer of waning yellow.
Barton could not remember how many times he had seen such a monotonous and lackluster scene. In his eyes, this was not a city, but a large, lifeless prison.
A cold wind blew past, bringing with it a voice behind him.
"Big Brother Barton, the news said that this is the first inspection by the Red Empire's inspection team. Can we really leave this place?"
Hearing this, Barton turned around and saw hundreds of people standing on the rooftop. They were all young Kunde Race members.
He was silent for a while before nodding slowly.
"Definitely!"
They were all children of the residents of this apartment and were born during the 'Great Lockdown Era'. Barton was the oldest and was recognized as the leader of all the young people here.
During the period of cultural transformation, their lives could only be arranged by others. The residential areas were planned, and the residents in each area were also arranged. When they wanted to go out, they had to report to the local intelligent management system. They could only leave the designated residential areas after getting permission. Their every move was under surveillance.
The Kunde Race under control was not allowed to develop technology, and the only thing they could spread was a portion of Super knowledge. This was the work of the Black Star Corps, who saw the Kunde Race as a talent pool and did not want to turn them into nerds.
The cultural transformation had seeped into all aspects of life, including daily necessities, news, education, and so on. After more than twenty years, it had become the norm of the Kunde Race's life. They received this information every day, and the change in their thinking happened subtly.
However, for the first batch of newborns born during the Great Lockdown Era, the past glory of the Kunde Race only existed in words. The young people could not imagine what it was like. On one hand, they were educated in public schools, but on the other hand, they were affected by the hatred left behind by the previous generation.
Some of the elders who had experienced the defeat of the Kunde Race still had unforgettable hatred in their hearts and warned their descendants not to forget the hatred. There were also some who kept quiet and chose to let their descendants forget the past. Only then would their race be able to have a new future.
The planet lockdown, the decline of society, and the division of thoughts created a confused generation. No one knew where the future lay.
Now, the arrival of the dynasty's inspection team finally allowed them to see hope that was more precious than anything else.
"This might be the only chance in our lives … If anything happens to anyone, they will be the sinner of the entire race."
Barton looked at the hopeful gazes and said with a deep voice.
A young man sighed and said, "Big Brother Barton, we might not have any problems, but as you know, just in this apartment alone, there are too many people with hatred … This is probably not what the inspection team wants to see."
Barton was silent for a while before he slowly raised his pincers. Fine electric arcs jumped on the surface of his body as he said in a low voice,
"Someone needs to take the lead and set an example. We still have time to prepare. Go, negotiate with everyone in the apartment who has hatred. For the race, they will know what's good for them.
If someone's brain is filled with hatred and their will is distorted, they are unwilling to make any changes and drag everyone down … "
Barton's voice paused for a moment, and a painful expression appeared on his shell.
"Then kill them, even if our family is inside."
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