by <unknown>
“So nice…” Looking at this scene, a slight longing and envy appeared in Aurora’s eyes. Her childhood was akin to hell, and she had never experienced such a normal growth process.
Gazing at the scene, Han Xiao suddenly felt a little sad. The life of a normal person is already too far away for me…
Lowering his head, Aurora’s profile, under the morning light appeared particularly pure and sacred, and her long eyelashes twitched gently.
“Your Excellency Black Star, the Pugilist Department is in front of us.”
At this time, the voice of the principal sounded by his ear. Han Xiao withdrew his gaze from Aurora, looking forward at a tall building complex. There were spherical gravity training spaces visible to the naked eye, and many of the pugilists were also practicing. The three of them walked around the teaching area for a while and walked past a classroom. A new class of pugilists were in the middle of a cultural class. When Han Xiao looked in, his gaze immediately landed on an unremarkable person belonging to the Galaxy Human Race. This plain and unassuming face was very familiar in his eyes…
Karlot, the Beyond Grade A directly under the dynasty in the later versions. After ‘Dark Lord’ Clotti died, he took over his position, and his combat ability also reached the peak of Beyond Grade A…
The memories of his past flashed through Han Xiao’s mind in an instant, and Han Xiao’s eyes flashed inexplicably.
Seeing that Han Xiao had stopped and did not move, the principal was a little confused. He looked over and saw Karlot seated there. He hesitated before he asked, “Your Excellency Black Star, do you recognize this freshman?”
Han Xiao shook his head. “I just felt that he has a lot of potential.”
Hearing this, the principal immediately looked carefully, but he could not see anything special about Karlot. He was a little dissatisfied in his heart, but he could not help paying attention to the opinions of a Beyond Grade A. The principal secretly took out his communicator to check Karlot’s files, but he found out that the freshman had yet to awaken his Super-Gene, and thus, his performance was also at the bottom of the cohort.
The majority of the freshmen in the college were ordinary people, as the college would also conduct tests to select the good seedlings to start education earlier. Within this one-and-a-half-year period, if they could not awaken their Super genes, they would be asked to leave.
“I hope to be able to chat with him,” Han Xiao said. “This… ok.” The principal hesitated a little but finally agreed.
Han Xiao walked into a random empty classroom, and when the bell rang, the hallways got noisy. The door of the classroom opened, and the principal walked in with Karlot.
“Sit.” Han Xiao smiled.
“Why do you want to meet me? I, I didn’t do anything wrong.” Karlot stood dumbly, his expression cramped and speech awkward.
His family were all ordinary people who ran a small business. However, his parents wanted him to become a Super so that this family business could obtain the social welfare treatment that was unique to Supers. Thus, they allowed him to go to the college. Karlot had no opinion and thus took the admission exam, being lucky enough to pass it.
As a freshman who had never come into contact with any Supers, Karlot had only met the principal once at the opening ceremony. However, the principal had approached him personally today, which made him anxious as to whether he had broken any rules.
“Haha, you didn’t do anything wrong. I just wanted to chat with you.” Han Xiao laughed.
Karlot finally heaved a sigh of relief, closely scrutinizing Han Xiao’s face before he asked curiously, “You… Who are you? I don’t recognize you. Why are you looking for me?”
“Oh, my name is Black Star. Maybe you’ve heard of my name. I’m an ally of the Crimson Dynasty, and I think that you have potential. Are you willing to join my Black Star Army?” Han Xiao smiled.
The purpose of this trip was to search for potential strong candidates, but because Karlot’s starting identity was too low, he was not spotted early. If Han Xiao could bring such a power over, he would not hesitate.
Seeing this, the principal began to doubt his own eyes. It was impolite to poach someone in front of him, but he did not dare say anything. It was even more surprising, seeing that Black Star would personally invite this person without any extraordinary features.
“What is the Black Star Army?” Karlot opened his eyes wide, a look of puzzlement. He never paid attention to interstellar matters and did not even know what their Dynasty Ruler was called.
Han Xiao’s face cramped up, and he threw a glance to Aurora. Aurora could only explain it patiently to him.
Karlot seemed to only understand half of it. “So, you guys are mercenaries?” “You can put it this way, I guess.” Han Xiao was helpless. “If you join our army, not only will you obtain better teachings, you can also obtain more benefits. I…”
Before waiting for Han Xiao to finish, Karlot began shaking his head. “I’m not going. Dad only sent me here to improve our family condition. He does not allow me to go out to fight and kill. If he learns about this, he will beat me up.”
Hearing this sentence, Han Xiao did not know whether to laugh or cry. This reason was quite refreshing.
The universe indeed was not lacking people who wanted to be Super just for the benefits. However, once they obtained the strength, their mentalities would undergo a change. Thus, he could understand why Karlot was thinking like this right now. In his previous life, Karlot himself belonged to the late-bloomer protagonist character archetype. He was honest, clumsy, and had a slow growth rate, but he slowly stepped forward until he stood at the peak of all Supers. During his peak, he could even kill ordinary Beyond Grade As without losing his breath.
After graduating from this official superpower academy, the military and some government departments came to recruit him. At that time, Karlot finally had his own beliefs and joined the army against the will of his family, starting his legendary career. However, now, Karlot was still a naive child in Han Xiao’s eyes.
Every Beyond Grade A was unique. If he rashly changed Karlot’s future, he might not grow up like his previous life. After all, guys like Karlot were not like Hila, who had the innate potential to hit Beyond Grade A.
Seeing that no one was talking, Karlot scratched his head and hesitantly asked, “If there’s nothing else, can I go?”
“Alright.” Han Xiao put his thoughts aside and smiled as he nodded. He decided not to push Karlot so far right now as he did not have the value to be poached.
But he had also helped Karlot indirectly, since he showed this student’s importance. The principal would definitely try to focus on his training, and he could use this time to foster a closer relationship with him.
Watching Karlot leave, Han Xiao temporarily bid farewell to the principal, returning to his spaceship.
As soon as he entered the cabin, his communicator rang. It was Sylvia on the line.
“Teacher, there’s a situation with the Limitless Financial Group!”
Han Xiao’s eyes flashed. “Explain in detail.”
Sylvia quickly summarized the incidents, and Han Xiao frowned as he connected the picture of him conversing with Sorokin. An understanding came to him.
“Them entering the Shattered Star Ring market is false. Their true motive is to deal with me.”
“Teacher, you’re saying…” Han Xiao sighed. “The Limitless Financial Group acts as an economic and commercial enterprise on the surface, but its true motive is to support the Bloodshed Land in opposing us, interfering with our development. I’ve been waiting to see what the pressure brought about by the Evolutionary Totems would be, and it turns out it’s in this form. There should be many backers behind the Limitless Financial Group this time, likely the federation and the church as well.”
“Then, what should we do? There’s no way to resolve this!” Sylvia’s expression was solemn.
Han Xiao was also tied up. In terms of commercial act
ivities, the Limitless Financial Group was the undisputed ruler. The core businesses of the army were not impacted, but he was unable to prevent Sorokin from acquiring his partners. That would later cause a negative effect as his other business partners would choose to dissolve any relationships in order not to be targeted.
This was a straightforward strategy of attacking using their own abilities.
“If we hope to compete with the Limitless Financial Group, we must turn our dispersed capital into a whole. Use this external pressure to facilitate internal cohesion among our partners, encourage them to unite and form an existence similar to that of a Chamber of Commerce. We can help each other resist the malicious acquisition of the Limitless Financial Group.”
Sylvia thought about it before nodding in agreement. “This method is not bad.”
“Alas, there is no method to tackle the root cause. We can only stop the damage from spreading.” Han Xiao’s eyes flashed with a cold light. “After a period of time, I’ll have the mechanical host I left in the headquarters go to the Bloodshed Land and find Heber for… a good talk!”
After discussing the countermeasures, Han Xiao hung up, and his expression sank.
Now that the Black Star Army had gained the opportunity to shine in the world and develop rapidly, Sorokin attempted to deliberately drag them down, preventing them from developing peacefully.
He wanted to destroy the network of interests Han Xiao had spent years trying to build up!
Although this method of Sorokin’s could not shake the core businesses, it was very sinister and disgusting, and it would kill the future of the army!
He wanted to contact Sorokin for questioning, but he quickly banished this idea. With that old fox’s character, he would definitely use all kinds of business activities as an excuse, and there would be no way to express his own dissatisfaction.
Since he knew how Sorokin was going to reply, there was no point calling him. If Heber promised to cooperate, it means that he’s taking this opportunity to develop his forces. He, of course, won’t mind knocking me down in the process. When I advance to level 300, I’ll go and chat with him.
Han Xiao clenched his fists with a heavy expression.
Since he could not deal with Sorokin, he would cause trouble for Heber!
Ty-Ty is not giving me face at all. If you think that this wave of trading is very profitable for you, don’t blame me for destroying your prestige later!
Chapter 933. Black Star“s Tour |
In the Bloodshed Land's palace, Jorde excitedly reported, "… In summary, we've obtained many new channels of business in a short amount of time, and our operations will double at the very least this year."
A burly figure stood beside the window, and Heber listened to the report.
Jorde then continued reading the report. "The Black Star Army completed their transformation many years back and diversified their operations. We didn't have the Evolution Cube, so despite having Klent's support, our transformation was very slow, and we were still restricted by the quality of the employment missions that we received. About seventy to eighty percent of our funds come from various armed employment missions. After working together with the Limitless Financial Group, they've provided great aid to our transformation, and the embryonic state of our transformation is already complete."
The Black Star Army and Bloodshed Land were both Beyond Grade A organizations, but their operation direction was different. Under Han Xiao's lead, the Black Star Army managed to diversify their operations through the Evolution Cube. They had both military and financial strength. As for the Bloodshed Land, they were a classic poor army with their influence and operations being very limited. This was a problem that had been troubling the Bloodshed Land.
With the help of the Limitless Financial Group, Heber's problem was now resolved. As long as they continued down this path, the Bloodshed Land would no longer be a group of boorish individuals who only knew how to fight wars. They would have the right to fight with the Black Star Army as a private organization.
Heber turned around and calmly said, "Good job."
Jorde hesitated for a moment and could not help but ask, "Your Excellency, just what kind of a deal did you make with the Limitless Financial Group? Why are they willing to help us without holding back?"
"It is just an exchange of benefits." Heber glanced at him. "They wish to enter the Shattered Star Ring and want to borrow our influence to gain a spot in the local market. Humph, although their targets are the organizations that cooperate with the Black Star Army, we are also a Beyond Grade A organization, and it won't be a loss for them to join us."
This was the reason on the surface. As for the deeper intention of their deal, Heber was not planning to inform his subordinates.
Although Heber did not say anything else, Jorde could sense that this matter was not so simple. The Limitless Financial Group did not approach the Black Star Army but went to the second best option instead. They were obviously targeting the Black Star Army.
Jorde broke out into cold sweat as he thought about the possible meaning behind the cooperation and did not dare continue asking. He still wanted to live to the day where he could hug his grandchildren.
Jorde then wiped away his sweat and left the room. Heber was the only one left, and he continued looking out the window. A long while later, the corner of his lips curled up slightly.
Although he maintained his calm appearance in front of his subordinates, he was actually very happy.
He was not bothered about whether the Limitless Financial Group would succeed; he only wanted to make use of this opportunity to develop. The losses of the Black Star Army were of no consequence to him. The both of them were the dynasty's allies but also competitors. He would be more than happy to see the Black Star Army suffer a huge loss.
…
On the other side, Karlot, who had rejected Han Xiao's invitation, returned to his dormitory, and his friends immediately crowded over with curiosity.
"Hey, why did the principal look for you?"
Karlot was extremely honest, and his results were at the bottom. Thus, his relationship with the others was not too bad.
A few of his friends had seen the principal approaching Karlot at the end of the lesson and thought that he had done something wrong. Thus, they all crowded over with concern.
Karlot scratched his head and said, "Nothing much. Someone wanted to meet me."
"Who? He is actually able to get the principal to personally invite you!" one of Karlot's dormitory mates exclaimed. He was the one with the best background in the entire dormitory, but he was still far from the level of the principal. Karlot's family was extremely ordinary, so he could not help being puzzled.
"He said that he is called Black Star and asked me to join the Black Star Army," Karlot said helplessly.
The moment he said these words, the entire room fell silent, and a look of disbelief could be seen on everyone's face.
"That legendary Black Star‽"
"Are you kidding me‽ Why would he look for you‽"
Seeing his dormitory mates' expressions, Karlot could not help but ask with doubt, "Do all of you know him?"
"My goodness, don't tell me you don't even know who Black Star is‽" One of his friends almost fainted.
"I… I hadn't heard of him before," Karlot said with a tinge of embarrassment. "Is he really a bigshot?"
"He isn't just a bigshot! He is a Beyond Grade A Super! The peak of individual strength and an existence who can chat with the Dynasty Ruler!" One of his friends then began describing Han Xiao's history.
The others then surrounded Karlot and showered with him plenty of questions. Karlot briefly explained the situation, but with his lousy expressive vocabulary, it took a while for the others to understand what had happened.
That handsome dormitory mate of his then could not help but notice a sour feeling in his heart. Why did such a good thing fall on the head of this bottom-ranked idiot instead of him?
&n
bsp; At this moment, another one of his dormitory mates then realized something and asked, "Did… you accept Black Star's invitation?"
"I didn't agree," Karlot replied uneasily.
"You actually rejected the opportunity to join the Black Star Army‽" Everyone was truly speechless. "You're truly an idiot! This is an opportunity to change your fate! Ordinary people like us would never be able to enter the Black Star Army! You… you actually…"
Seeing everyone say so, Karlot fell into a daze and started to doubt his own choice.
Did I really make the wrong choice?
I'd better ask my family first.
Karlot then took out his communicator and ran to the side to contact his family. That handsome dormitory mate then looked at Karlot's back, and a look of dense jealousy and resentment could be seen in his eyes.
Why him? Why‽ Why did he obtain such an opportunity but not know how to treasure it? He is truly idiotic to the extreme! Why would such a legendary figure take notice of such an individual!
He originally liked Karlot and was willing to take care of Karlot, but now, he was only filled with disgust toward Karlot.
…
The next day, Han Xiao temporarily ignored the frustration of the financial groups and continued monitoring Karlot. He noticed something interesting.
The event had already spread throughout the entire level, and the attitudes of all the students changed greatly. A portion of them fawned over him while others excluded him.
"Because of my actions yesterday, his entire school life has been rewritten by me. He can no longer be a transparent individual like in his previous life…" Han Xiao shook his head and had a greater understanding of his status as a bigshot.
For Karlot to be dragged into the storm early on, the effects on his growth would be unknown. It could be a good or bad thing.
However, his actions had definitely helped him. Any individual capable of becoming a Beyond Grade A would have grit in them and be unwilling to concede defeat. Difficulties would only spur on his potential, and he would welcome all problems head on. Who knew if Karlot had such a character? Perhaps the intense competition in the school would allow Karlot to experience a change further.
