by <unknown>
“Everyone, it was I who asked you to come here. You are all veterans who have been fighting with the army for many years, which makes you trustworthy. I have picked the best out of all of you, and there’s a secret mission I hope to entrust to you.” Upon hearing this, everyone present widened their eyes.
We’re players specially selected by the Army Commander?
Ah, a hidden mission!
“What would you need us to do?” some of the bolder players shouted.
Han Xiao smiled.
“I require you all… to act as spies!”
He then released the ‘Secret Mission’ he had prepared earlier to the players present. All those on scene lost focus in their eyes as they turned their attention to the interface.
Since many of the foreign clubs had planted their spies there, Han Xiao was prepared to give them a taste of their own medicine. He was going to send some players to pretend to join those guild alliances to inquire about news. He had also conveniently planted a few spies in the Modo Civilization to investigate the transportation lines as well.
For this reason, he would conceal the files of these players in the army, ‘washing out’ their identities and creating a scenario not unlike that of Infernal Affairs[1]. This was nothing difficult for a Beyond Grade A.
He did not wish to discover the Modo transportation line to completely ruin the hope of the Modo Civilization but to better encircle and fight their reinforcements. He realized that the Modo Civilization would not give up on their desire in the Flickering World that easily. As long as they could survive, the Modo Civilization would insist on sending in troops and continuously throwing soldiers into this meat grinder.
Not only would it allow him to complete his own mission, it would also keep the Black Star Army in a state of intervention. After all, once Modo was gone, the Black Star Army would no longer have an excuse to intervene in the war.
This was just one corner of the strategy. Han Xiao was secretly laying out many traps, preparing to weave a large web to cover the Modo Civilization, turning it into a prey in the web with nowhere to escape. For this reason, he even secretly contacted a person he had not talked to in a long time, a dangerous antisocialist and a powerful demagogue, a person who was perfectly useful for such situations in his mind…
Rossellin!
It was not difficult for him to imagine what sort of changes would take place within the Modo Civilization…
(1) Infernal Affairs, or Tlač, is a 2002 Hong Kong crime thriller film.
Chapter 1154. Dilemma of the Silver Revolutionary |
On a colonial planet of a certain Star System level civilization, within a rented temporary stronghold, the senior officers of the Silver Revolutionary Army gathered together, most of them with a melancholic look.
The current leader, Edmond, frowned. “While the competition in the Flickering World has caused turbulence in the universe, the efficiency of our publicity program is far from expected. It could even be said that progress is stagnant.”
The Silver Revolutionary Army had predicted this conflict in the Flickering World, so they wanted to take advantage of the turbulent times as an opportunity to grow their team. But when the conflict broke out, the spread of their ideals did not go as easily as they thought.
One of the men wearing glasses pushed his glasses up as he spoke. “Based on our survey, the popularity of the three Universal Civilizations in the universe is 1,174.1% higher compared to the same period as predicted by our mathematical mode. In other words, the three Universal Civilizations have obtained more trust from the people in this period. The turmoil of the Flickering World should have allowed the galactic residents to see their domineering attitude, but it did not drastically deteriorate the image of the three Universal Civilizations, unlike what we predicted.”
“How could this be…”
“The root cause of this deviation lies in the sudden Intelligent Plague incident not too long ago… This disaster scared countless galactic residents, and the three Universal Civilizations responded in a timely manner. It only took about half a year to resolve it, and this extreme universal crisis allowed the galactic residents to see the power of the three Universal Civilizations, which is what they wanted.
“Black Star also played an important role in this, and it can be said that if not for his achievements, along with the Mechanic Emperor’s ambitions attracting hatred, the three Universal Civilizations would have lost a large wave of popularity in this Flickering World incident. Right now, their foundations are still stable.”
Hearing this, the senior officers of the Silver Revolutionary Army could not help but reveal bitter expressions.
The conflict of the Flickering World should have been a once in a lifetime opportunity for them to develop, but now, it seemed that this opportunity would no longer meet their expectations, as the effect was ninety percent lower than expected.
Without this, everyone felt that their future was quite gloomy, and they lamented in secret, complaining about how the Intelligent Plague had destroyed their plans.
But everyone was unaware that this Intelligent Plague should have been the important event in their rise. Due to the butterfly effect Han Xiao caused, this had become an obstacle to their development.
Edmond turned his head to look at the dignified woman who was leaning on the sofa not too far away and asked, “Mentor, how do you see it?”
Everyone gazed at her. While they were all in the upper echelons, they subconsciously understood that Rossellin was their true spiritual pillar.
Rossellin swilled her wine glass as she indifferently replied, “Since development is now blocked, take your time. The hearts and wills of people are ephemeral like smoke, and the current support may change in the future. Be more patient.”
“This…” One of them opened his mouth in hesitation. “You don’t have a way to solve this problem?”
Hearing this, Rossellin laughed. “Haha, do you think I’m omnipotent? I can only follow the general trend to plan out details. I can’t change anything with my own strength.” As she spoke, Rossellin stood up, walking to the front as she smiled. “Since there are difficulties with our development now, I plan to take out some time to work on something else. Black Star sent me a request a while ago.” Everyone got a shock.
“You still maintain contact with Black Star?” Edmond was surprised.
“Why not?” Rossellin casually shrugged. “After all, I was an officer under him for a period of time. He didn’t stop me from leaving, so I technically owe him a favor.”
Edmond’s expression turned serious as he solemnly replied, “Right now, we’re plotting against the three Universal Civilizations. Who’s Black Star? An important ally of the three Universal Civilizations! How can you still maintain contact with him!”
“To be precise, it was Black Star who contacted me.” Rossellin did not think much of it. “Besides, I think he’s well aware of what we’re trying to do. He probably thinks of us as a joke.”
Edmond’s expression was grave as he paced around the room. He finally said hesitantly, “What does Black Star want you to do?”
“He wants me to go to the Modo Civilization and intensity their social contradictions.” Rossellin clicked her tongue. “He really trusts in my abilities…”
One of the Silver Revolutionary Army members was shocked. “How can this be? It’s one thing not to expose us, but he even asks for your help to fan the hatred in another civilization. Isn’t he someone who cares for the masses?”
Rossellin laughed derisively. “How could a man who broke into the decades-long established foundation be as kind-hearted as the news says? It’s just that he knows how to maintain his image and give the dirty work to others. Now, it’s my turn to work as well…”
With that, she did not wait for the rest to reply, pushing open the door and leaving the room.
Black Star’s request for her was to try and provoke the internal conflicts within the Modo Civilization, and she was given free rein. Rosselli
n already had a vague idea of how she should act. In her opinion, Modo Civilization was made up of three main races, and thus, it was very suitable for implanting radical split thoughts. Speaking of which, she herself originally wanted to revolutionize the lives of the three Universal Civilizations’ citizens but ended up turning around to revolutionize the lives of people in the Super Star Clusters, who were supposed to be her supporters.
Rossellin did not mind it, however. Unlike most of the upper echelons in the Silver Revolutionary Army, she did not believe that she needed to do something big. Be it against the three Universal Civilizations or the Super Star Clusters, as long as she could create upheaval in society, she did not care who the opponent was.
Within a certain asteroid belt in the explored universe was the secret base of the Assassin’s Society.
Ding ding dang dang!
Hundreds of assassin apprentices in training suits were practicing in the open-air training ground. Only the sound of weapons colliding could be heard.
In the stands of the training ground, several instructors stood with their arms folded, supervising the practice of the apprentices while Lothaire stood at the very front, staring with indifferent eyes. It had been almost twenty years since Han Xiao ordered him to secretly form the Assassin’s Society. Over the years, he had left a frightening record of assassinations on the black market and secretly recruited many assassins, constantly training new people. Now, the organization had reached a certain scale.
Beep beep.
His communicator rang.
Lothaire glanced at it before walking off. “Stop the training, assemble the staff, and prepare the spaceships. We’re heading off.”
Several of the officers showed curious expressions.
“Where are we going?”.
“New mission. We’re going to Modo.”
Lothaire concisely spoke as his figure disappeared down the passage. He had no interest in authority and always kept in his mind that the organization he established was a sharp blade that Black Star hid in the dark, stabbing the target Black Star pointed to.
In the Primeval Star River, within the Modo Civilization’s secret base…
Ta, ta, ta! Heavy footsteps sounded in the corridor outside as a person slowly approached a door.
With a creaking sound, the door was opened, and dazzling light shone in.
A group of soldiers stood at the door, with only their silhouette seen against the light. The commander said in an emotionless tone, “Soul Swap Twins, there’s a mission.”
There was no response at first, only deathly silence.
But this silence did not last long. A rustling sound came from a corner where the light could not reach, and a humanoid creature enveloped in shadowy fog walked out of the darkness. There was a baby-sized figure lying on his shoulders, wrapped in the same shadowy fog. Both of them only revealed a pair of blood red eyes, and no one could see what sort of species they were. Obviously, some kind of abnormality had happened to them, and the only telling factor was their size. These two were the Soul Swap Twins. The person with a normal growth was the elder brother, while the infant was the younger one. “Modo allowed us to go out again?” The younger one lying on the shoulders spoke with a hoarse voice, not unlike that of an old man.
Seeing the two, the officer immediately replied, “Same old rules. Immediately get on board with us. You can only get in touch with the Soul Swapper once you get to the mission location.”
“Who are we dealing with this time?” the elder brother asked with some resentment.
“Black Star!”
Hearing this name, both twins shared a look, inexplicable fluctuations in their eyes.
There was no tension but rather a faint excitement and greed, as though they had discovered a treasure.
At this moment, the officer took out a magical orb, saying, “The target has an ability to make predictions. This magic orb is inscribed with a magic circuit that will cover your aura, so when it’s worn on the body, it can effectively interfere and mislead any prophetic abilities.”
After the magic orb was given, the group of soldiers stepped forward, leaving the room with the Soul Swap Twins. Each soldier had a tense expression, their footsteps subconsciously speeding up, obviously wishing for the twins to be boarded as quickly as possible.
Even if they did not have the Space Wonder called the Soul Swapper, the twins were still quite dangerous, spending most of their time in prison.
While their realms were not high, long term contact with them would cause people to have more hallucinations, lowering their Sanity values.
At the same time, Aesop raised his head to look out of Floating Dragon Island in suspicion.
Aesop closed his eyes, directly activating his abilities. His thoughts seemed to pass through the dimensions until he locked onto the territory of the Modo Civilization.
“The feeling comes from Modo Civilization. What sort of abnormalities? It seems like they’ve used a masking device. The perception is vague, and the specific possibility of a future cannot be seen either…”
Aesop frowned uneasily.
Chapter 1155. Chess Player |
In the Army Commander’s Black Star Palace office, the bright and shining star map sand table was suspended a meter above the ground, like a flat picture scroll, and the blue light reflected on Han Xiao’s face.
The star map sand table was a miniature map of the explored universe, of which two areas were illuminated. One of them was the free competition zone of the Flickering World, while the other was the Modo Civilization’s territory within the Primeval Star River.
In these two areas, there were many scattered light spots. Above each spot was a head or influence emblem, which represented the identity of the light spot. These included people such as Lothaire and Rossellin.
Han Xiao slowly paced around the sand table, moving the light spots representing Lothaire and Rossellin to the Modo Civilization area as he whispered to himself, “Rossellin and Lothaire are in place. Iapetus is almost there with the Germinal Financial Group as well…”
This scene was akin to a chess player, with the star map as a chessboard and the forces deployed as chess pieces, constructing a game of encirclement and suppression against the Modo Civilization.
Because of the development union as well as the constraints of the image created by the three Universal Civilizations, he could not move personally. Thus, in the free competition zone, if he wanted to mess around, he needed someone to do the dirty work for him.
This time, Han Xiao formulated a strike plan based on the military and economic fields. The frontal battlefield was simple-just fight and consume the forces and resources of the Modo Civilization.
As for the economic field, that was the highlight, taking advantage of the opportunity of war and sanctions that would shake the domestic market of the Modo Civilization. With the large number of financial groups and organizations that would close as a result, the Germinal Financial Group under his command would cooperate with the Limitless Financial Group and other business giants to enter and hunt down these assets, sucking the lifeblood of the Modo Civilization.
The partners Han Xiao found for the Germinal Financial Group were not just limited to the Limitless Financial Group. Since the Black Star Army represented a huge community of interests, Han Xiao had a lot of connections with the heads of various financial groups. He contacted a bunch of people, putting forth his cooperation requests through relying on his twin heavyweight identities of the Black Star Army and the three Universal Civilizations’ ambassador. Faced with such an opportunity, there were few financial groups that would refuse such a deal.
With his current influence and status, even if he merely remained in Black Star Palace, he could still leverage resources of a terrifying scale.
As for what would happen as a result of this chain reaction, the Modo Civilization might not regress but would definitely be hurt through this attack.
In contrast, all the partners of the G
erminal Financial Group would be able to make a fortune out of it.
“This feels more and more as though I’m the leader behind the scenes in the triads.” Han Xiao snickered before sighing. “I’m only missing one last link, which is a supervisor for the Shattered Star Ring, who is needed to locate their supply lines as well…”
The Shattered Star Ring bordered the Flickering World, so the Super Star Cluster Alliance would definitely use this to their advantage to send reinforcements and supplies to the Flickering World. However, the Shattered Star Ring was his backyard, and the army would definitely know of any movements made by the Super Star Cluster Alliance there. It would definitely be possible to trace their transportation lines.
The Super Star Cluster Alliance was definitely aware of this point, so they would use various means to cover up the fleet, fighting a battle of wits. For them, maintaining the concealment of their supply lines was vital to winning the
war.
“Sylvia and Herlous are both in the Flickering World, and the highest-ranking officer left in the Shattered Star Ring is Lagi. I worry about his way of doing things…” Han Xiao shivered involuntarily and decided to change to another person. “Hila and Sylvia cannot return for the time being… Oh, Nero has already grown up. It’s time to make him take more responsibilities.”
The Shattered Star Ring was still the base camp of the Black Star Army, and the task of monitoring the Super Star Clusters should not be too difficult. It was a good time to let Nero handle this and temper the kid.
Right now, Nero was at his peak. He had the ability but lacked the experience. Han Xiao had always hoped to train Nero into a unique talent. Aside from the close relationship, Nero himself was also a protagonist-level character, with amazing potential and worthy of training as a core member.
If he could train out a better worker than Sylvia, that would be for the best. Not only would he be more worry-free, but Nero was also a man and would not care about his hairline. Added with his various fatigue resistances, he was strong and could literally be worked to death.
