The sudden retreat of the three Universal Civilizations before the deadline shocked the entire galactic society. They did not know what was going on and were confused.
The comments supporting the war in the quantum network disappeared, and all kinds of sarcastic voices appeared.
"Yo, aren't the three Universal Civilizations very stubborn? They gave in just like that?"
"Tsk tsk tsk, looks like the three Universal Civilizations can only put on an act. They've fully exposed their strength."
"You're still supporting them to start a war? Why don't you take the three Universal Civilizations seriously? "
The direction of public opinion changed again. Looking at these sarcastic comments, the galactic residents were speechless and furious.
Not only were some Supers watching the show, but there were also some organizations stirring up trouble behind the scenes. The Supercluster Alliance had been lying in wait, and now that they saw the opportunity, they immediately jumped out to add fuel to the fire, displaying their traditional skills and stirring up sh * t.
On the other side, compared to the galactic residents, the players were even more confused.
"That's it?"
"I've been watching the cutscenes for ten days, and you're saying you're not going to fight?"
"What happened to an all-out war? Cowards! "
"I've already taken off my pants, and you guys … Oh, I forgot, I can't take off my pants."
Under the terrified gazes of the other crew members, the army players yelled, thumped their chests, and stomped their feet. They were all agitated, lamenting that the war did not break out smoothly. They were like a group of shocking war fanatics.
The joint fleet of the three Universal Civilizations turned into dense hyperdrive streams of light and hurriedly retreated. Seeing this, Manison flew out of the fleet and stood side by side with Han Xiao, watching the three Universal Civilizations leave.
"Strange, they didn't even say goodbye and gave up on the siege just like that?" Manison was confused.
"There must be something wrong with this. The three Universal Civilizations definitely didn't make such a big move just to trick us. It can be seen that they're really mentally prepared to start a war, but now, they'd rather go back on their words and retreat. There must be a huge change."
Han Xiao stroked his chin and muttered softly.
"Hmm … maybe they're really scared?" Manison said, then shook his head. He also felt that the possibility was not high. He guessed, "Maybe the three Universal Civilizations' leaders thought it through and thought that the disadvantages of starting an all-out war with the association outweigh the benefits, so they changed their decision and took back the order … Then, the strategic goal of the virus technology leakage has been achieved?"
"I'm not sure. The three Universal Civilizations will probably give an answer to the galactic society. Let's wait and see first. I'll also think of a way to find out the inside story … Maybe the three Universal Civilizations will take the initiative to contact me after some time."
Han Xiao's eyes flickered as he pondered.
Hearing this, Manison turned to look at him.
"Do you know something?"
"It's just a guess. I don't have enough information, so I can't be sure."
Han Xiao shook his head.
At this time, his communicator rang and connected to the communication channel of the Beyond Grade A Association.
"Black Star, what's the situation on your side? The three Universal Civilizations aren't fighting anymore?"
"What do they mean by this?"
"Should we continue with our battle plan?"
As soon as the call was connected, the many Beyond Grade As immediately asked a series of questions.
The many association members were also very confused. They were all mentally prepared to fight to the death. They had even taken off their pants, ready to fire at any time, but their opponents changed their minds and ran away. The fighting spirit that they had built up with much difficulty was suppressed in their hearts. This feeling was like suddenly seeing a speed limit sign and a traffic police officer staring at them from the side while they were preparing to race. They could only suppress the unrestrained feeling in their hearts.
Didn't they say that whoever gave in was the coward? Why did they suddenly cower?
"You guys wait for orders first and observe the follow-up actions of the three Universal Civilizations, but don't be too relaxed. Be careful is just a diversion tactic. If they really want to make a move, they might directly use the Multi-Dimensional Sky Opening Transportation Device to attack strategic locations …"
Han Xiao reminded the association members to continue to be vigilant before hanging up.
The three Universal Civilizations surrounding the Mechanical Race's territory was just a signal to force them to abdicate. In fact, attacking this place was useless; it was only a declaration of war. At this time, it was still impossible to determine what the three Universal Civilizations' intentions were. It was also possible that they would withdraw their troops on the surface and then use the Multi-Dimensional Sky Opening Transportation Device to attack.
Seeing that Han Xiao had finished the call, Manison spoke again. "What do we do now? The three Universal Civilizations have retreated. Are the troops here going to disperse?"
Han Xiao thought for a while and shook his head. "Don't retreat yet. Shrink the defense circle and continue to protect the Mechanical Race's territory. Wait until the three Universal Civilizations' joint fleet has left this Star Cluster before disbanding the troops. I'll go back first."
Manison nodded, flew back to the main ship, and ordered the Mechanical Race troops.
Han Xiao retracted his gaze, changed into the King, and disappeared.
Swoosh!
The next second, he returned to a secret army base. This was where some of the officers who did not participate in the battle hid from the flames of war.
There were some army officers and many members of Floating Dragon sitting in the room. Ames was among them, overseeing the situation. They were all watching the news broadcast in the Mechanical Race's territory.
Seeing Han Xiao suddenly appear, the gazes of the officers all focused on him. The respect and worship in their eyes were more than just a little stronger than before. It was as if they were looking at a god.
"You've been very brave these few days." Ames crossed her legs and leaned forward. She placed her arms on her knees and supported her chin with her palms. She tilted her head slightly, and her soft long hair flowed down. She blinked her eyes and said with a teasing tone. She had a smile that was not a smile.
"Don't you know if I'm brave or not?"
Han Xiao raised his brows.
Ames smiled. "You should have a lot of things to deal with. Why are you here all of a sudden?"
"I'm just here to take a look and make sure everything's fine."
Han Xiao casually found a reason, turned around, and glanced at the officers. His gaze accurately landed on Feidin, and he immediately smiled. He strode forward and rubbed his head, taking advantage of his luck.
Fu Ding's face was filled with helplessness, as if he was going to let him do whatever he wanted.
Seeing this, Aesop could not help but cough and say, "You defeated all the direct descendants of the three Universal Civilizations. Even Wuornos can't do anything to you. They'll definitely give up on attacking you in terms of individual strength. I don't know if the three Universal Civilizations retreated because of this, but they don't seem to want to start a war now. What are you going to do next?"
Hearing this, Han Xiao stopped smiling.
"Let's figure out what's going on first. Anyway, don't be happy too early. If I'm unfortunately right, the situation will be even worse."
…
The ten-day confrontation between the three Universal Civilizations and the association attracted the attention of the entire universe, but not many people expected it to end in such a way. After the joint fleet retreated, the three Universal Civilizations fell silent. Not only did they recall a portion of the army that they had sent out some time ago, they did not even make a public announcement to explain the reason for the retreat. The public opinion storm became more and more intense, and all kinds of speculations and theories popped up one after another.
They thought that this would be the fuse for an all-out war, but the three Universal Civilizations pulled back at the last moment and stopped the flames of war that were about to erupt. This confrontation instead helped Black Star's reputation, basically solidifying his name as the current peak Beyond Grade A combatant. If there was a winner, only Black Star could barely be counted.
Some people were glad that the flames of war had not started, some criticized the three Universal Civilizations for being cowards, and some mocked the galactic residents for thinking too highly of themselves. The public opinion changed, but there was one thing in common. Everyone was curious as to what had forced the three Universal Civilizations to choose to give in.
Due to the silence of the three Universal Civilizations, no one knew the inside story. Even the Beyond Grade A Association did not make any public comments and was also watching. This caused the galactic society to have different opinions.
…
In the joint conference room of the three Universal Civilizations …
"… We've already repeatedly verified the authenticity of this report. Through the directional wormhole probe, we did find traces of the activities of an unknown civilization. The data itself is fine, but the conclusion of the project is hard to judge."
The remote projection of the dynasty upper echelon in charge of the research field stood in front of Marbruce and the other two leaders, giving a serious report.
"So, we can't confirm that this unknown civilization is a Universal Civilization for the time being?" Marbruce emphasized.
"This … is indeed so, but the other party must be at the level of an advanced civilization. These days, we've frequently sent multi-functional space probes to the other party and collected more data, which proves that this unknown civilization has a rather high technological level."
"… I understand. You guys continue to collect data while hiding yourselves. I want to know the details of this civilization."
After giving a few more instructions, Marbruce hung up the communication. Only he and the other two civilization leaders were left in the room.
"Looks like the decision to retreat back then was correct," the Ethereal Pope said with a deep voice.
"Hmm, or else we would be in deep trouble right now. This report came at the right time," Louis agreed, feeling a little relieved.
On the last day of the confrontation, they had originally wanted to act according to the battle plan, but this wormhole report from the dynasty's science institute had shaken their decision.
The three Universal Civilizations had always been dedicated to exploring the unknown universe, and this wormhole report had discovered an unknown Universal Civilization. This was a huge threat. In this regard, the three Universal Civilizations had rich experience. Once an external enemy appeared, they would have to carefully deal with internal conflicts. This was undoubtedly not a good time to deal with the imbalance of personal strength, so it was not suitable to continue tangling with the Beyond Grade As.
At that time, the arrow was already on the bow, and there was not much time left for the three of them to discuss. In the end, they would rather believe it and stop the battle plan, choosing to give in to the association. They turned around and used a large number of resources to investigate this wormhole data.
This wormhole data was one of the legacies EsGod had left behind. Because EsGod had been sealed for many years, it had long become an unimportant project. However, with such a shocking discovery, it went from almost no one interested in it to the project with the highest priority. The progress was directly supervised by the leaders of the three Universal Civilizations and was extremely important.
In the end, although the conclusion of this wormhole report was somewhat exaggerated, the data was correct. They had indeed discovered an unknown advanced civilization. As for whether or not it was a Universal Civilization, it was still uncertain.
If that was the case … it could only be said that this was an 'inaccurate' conclusion that had immeasurable value.
Marbruce knocked on the table and slowly said, "The most important thing to do now is to investigate this unknown civilization.
"The most important thing now is to collect information on this unknown civilization and determine their strength, social structure, attitude, and so on. Everything else can be put aside for now."
Louis and the Ethereal Pope nodded.
The three Universal Civilizations had a set of strategic plans in this regard. Direct contact or war was impossible. Once they discovered an advanced civilization in the unexplored universe, their first task was to carefully collect information without exposing themselves. Then, they would choose different countermeasures based on this civilization's strength, culture, and other factors. Only by knowing yourself and your enemy would you be able to win a hundred battles.
Although the explored universe had entered the galactic society era, the entire unexplored universe was still in the dark forest period similar to the exploration era. Being in the dark was a huge advantage, so they naturally had to make good use of it.
"Don't forget, before we explore further, we have to take all measures to deal with any accidents," the Ethereal Pope said.
"I understand."
Marbruce nodded.
The measures that the three of them were talking about were mainly war mobilization and being prepared to launch strategic weapons of destruction into the enemy's territory through wormholes at any time. In some extreme situations, they would not mind directly blowing up the enemy's territory and turning it into a desolate universe belt, wiping out all the creatures of the unknown civilization. They would not show any mercy.
"This is a matter of great importance. If a war really breaks out, the Beyond Grade A Association is also a powerful armed force. Should we let them know now?"
Louis's eyes flashed. He raised a sensitive question and turned to ask the other two for their opinions.
The existence of a Beyond Grade A threatened their rule, but at the same time, it was a weapon to fight against the outside world. Now that the situation had changed, their thoughts changed as well. In their eyes, there was no eternal enemy.
The Ethereal Pope pondered for a moment, waved his hand, and expressed his opinion.
"Let's be careful. We haven't figured out the situation of this unknown civilization, so there's no need to reveal it to the association now. Think about it, if this unknown civilization can coexist and also have Universal Strength, once they enter the galactic society system, the association will have another choice to rely on. This will affect the structure of the galaxy … We can't guarantee the association's loyalty, so we should keep it a secret for now. "
"Makes sense." Marbruce nodded. "Let's not announce this to the outside world for now. Let's explore it in secret first. We'll consider whether to announce it or not when we need the association's help. It won't be too late to tell them then."
The way the three of them saw it, there was clearly no need to inform the other organizations of such a big matter immediately. They were all potential unstable factors that might cause some trouble.
"If that's the case, let's put aside our dispute with the association for now. Stabilize those Beyond Grade As, don't let them cause any trouble, and live peacefully for now … Anyway, this is the goal of Black Star and the others. We'll find a reason to unify with them and convey our intention to stop fighting. This will make the association feel that we've given in."
Louis suggested.
The other two nodded in agreement. While they could not deal with the association for now, as long as the Beyond Grade As did not cause trouble, it was enough for them.
At this time, Marbruce thought of something, and his eyes flashed.
If he remembered correctly, Black Star also had this set of wormhole data from EsGod's legacy. He seemed to have even specifically asked the dynasty about the research progress of this set of wormhole data …
From the looks of it, could it be that Black Star knew something?
As this thought flashed through his mind, Marbruce shook his head.
He felt that the possibility of this was extremely limited. Instead of asking Black Star, it was more trustworthy to explore on his own.
Furthermore, they had just reached a consensus to not leak this secret to the outside world, so even if Black Star might know something, he did not plan to ask. After all, the other party was still the leader of the organization that led the fight against the three Universal Civilizations.
…
In a certain base of the Black Star Corps, the army commander's office …
A huge star map of the universe floated in the room. On it were the large-scale movements of the various armies of the three Universal Civilizations, drawing many arrowhead routes.
Han Xiao stood in front of the star map, carefully looking at the three Universal Civilizations' troop movements during this period.
It had been some time since the three Universal Civilizations retreated from the Mechanical Race's territory. These days, the three Universal Civilizations' troop movements were very abnormal. Originally, they were stationed in the various Star Fields, preparing to deal with the Beyond Grade A Association, but now, they had all returned to the Central Galaxy, as if they had no intention of starting a war.
The strangest thing was that the three Universal Civilizations had been pretending to be mute. They did not make an announcement, nor did they contact him, the president of the association, to explain their intentions. Their actions were very abnormal, as if they did not have the time to care about him.
He had been thinking of ways to find out the inside story these days, but the three Universal Civilizations were highly secretive this time, and no relevant information was leaked.
"Could it be that I guessed right …"
Han Xiao muttered to himself.
What could make the three Universal Civilizations change their decision at the last moment?
In this version, there did not seem to be many possibilities, but the butterfly effect he had caused had changed many things. One of them was that EsGod had allowed the dynasty to obtain the key to the World Tree Civilization's territory early, becoming an unstable factor.
The way he saw it, the most likely situation was that the three Universal Civilizations had discovered the World Tree. Because of the existence of external enemies, the three Universal Civilizations had retreated so decisively without any warning.
"If that's the case, the three Universal Civilizations will definitely conduct in-depth research on the wormhole. They might inform me, or they might keep it a secret from the outside world … With the three Universal Civilizations' style and my current identity, the latter is more likely."
Han Xiao frowned and bit his fingernails. He had a bad feeling.
If the three Universal Civilizations chose to keep it a secret and explore on their own, they would not know enough about the World Tree Civilization, and the risk of being exposed would be very high.
If the contact was unavoidably brought forward, if he continued to hide the information about the World Tree, it would increase the risk. Perhaps now was the best time to reveal the information.
However, he could also be wrong. If the three Universal Civilizations gave in because they had discovered the World Tree, it would be self-defeating.
"So, it's still a gamble. Should I gamble …"
Han Xiao's expression changed.
Beep beep beep …
At this moment, his communicator rang.
He took it out and saw that it was a call from a dynasty emissary.
"Hello, Your Excellency Black Star."
As soon as the call went through, the dynasty emissary nodded respectfully.
Han Xiao sized him up and went straight to the point. "You're finally going to explain your actions?"
"You must be joking. This time, I'm here to negotiate with you on behalf of the three Universal Civilizations. We're willing to accept the association's suggestion and allow you to control the Virtual Mutiny Virus technology …"
The dynasty emissary said a lot, but the core meaning was that the three Universal Civilizations were willing to give in, indicating that they did not need Manison to hand over the virus technology, and that they believed in the association's guarantee. They would allow the association to control this high-risk technology, and they would not interfere.
"Oh?" Han Xiao raised his brows. "Since you've admitted that the association's guarantee is valid, you've admitted that the association is correct. What about the ban on the association?"
"It won't be lifted for the time being, but it can be discussed." The dynasty emissary smiled.
Looking at the other party's cold smile, Han Xiao felt more and more the subtle attitude of the three Universal Civilizations. His expression immediately changed, and he was in a dilemma.
His intuition grew stronger, and he felt that he might have guessed the truth.
After a few seconds of silence, Han Xiao slowly took a deep breath.
It's a gamble!
Making up his mind, Han Xiao narrowed his eyes and said, "I've understood your intentions.
"I understand your intentions. Help me tell Marbruce something."
"What is it?"
"… You guys are so abnormal. It seems like you've finally cracked the wormhole data in EsGod's legacy, right?"
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