Battle group?

Gu Hang had anticipated some activity within the [Hero] interface.

After such a brutal battle had finally concluded, he figured he should at least be able to level up, right?

Sure enough, upon opening it, he saw that the only Hero listed—himself—had already met the requirements for an upgrade.

However, the cost of this upgrade made him knit his brows.

50 points.

The price to reach Level 2 was simply too expensive.

Nevertheless, after experiencing this recent encounter, he felt a strong desire to increase his personal strength.

Setting aside the fact that his own safety would be better guaranteed after leveling up, the influence of a powerful Psionic Power user on battles below a certain scale was immense.

Even if the price was steep, he intended to grit his teeth and upgrade himself.

But there was no rush.

There were other changes within the [Hero] panel.

He saw that two more individuals had been added to the list of characters who could be activated as [Hero]s.

One was Pobov.

This mining captain from the Waste Mine Society seemed to have been recognized by the system as a person of talent following this battle, making him eligible for activation as a Hero.

The other was named Osana Chenko.

Who was this person?

Gu Hang was completely baffled.

Did he have someone like that under his command?

Oh, it seemed he actually did.

Gu Hang recalled the statistical data of the refugees who had just migrated from Revival City; he had glanced over the list of literate individuals, and that name seemed to have appeared on it.

What had this person done to make the system think she had talent?

Gu Hang's curiosity was piqued.

It wasn't that he needed to promote her to a Hero immediately, but since the system had identified her as having potential, even if he didn't upgrade her, he could still pluck her from obscurity and entrust her with important responsibilities.

Gu Hang felt as if he had discovered another way to use the [Hero] function.

He could identify talent without even upgrading them.

Satisfied, Gu Hang closed the [Hero] panel and opened the newly appeared [Event] panel.

[An unknown event is occurring; you may steer the event in a direction relevant to you.]

[Activating this event requires 50 Grace Points.]

[Event countdown: 1 day, 06 hours]

That's it?

Without any information, it wanted to swindle him out of 50 Grace Points?

Gu Hang closed the [Event] function without a second thought.

Then, after giving it some real consideration, he opened the function back up.

The itch was unbearable!

The unknown was simply too alluring.

Generally speaking, the quality of items produced by the system is strongly linked to the Grace Points spent. The more you pay, the better the outcome. Aside from those two tech card draws—where I had a 40% chance but missed both times—it hasn't really scammed me... wait? But is this unknown event draw also prone to being a trap? What if there's some hidden probability involved?

In this short span of time, Gu Hang's mind tangled back and forth, generating a multitude of thoughts.

He wasn't typically an indecisive person, but what else could he do?

He was too poor!

All his problems were problems of poverty.

If he had enough Grace Points on hand, wouldn't Gu Hang have activated this event immediately to see what on earth it was?

But if he activated the unknown event, the remaining 36 Grace Points wouldn't be enough for his own upgrade.

After carefully weighing his options for a long time, Gu Hang decided to trust the system once more.

Although it was a gamble, he still held onto the belief that "the system provides value for money," and made his choice.

Of course, a more important point was that he had a safety net.

In less than two days, the month would be up. At that time, his fixed monthly income would be distributed. Based on the growth momentum of the forces under his command, he should receive thirty or forty points. If he scraped it together, it should be enough for him to reach Level 3.

Relatively speaking, the unknown event was likely more precious. After all, it had a countdown; once the time passed, the event would disappear.

It's a limited-time draw, surely it has to hit for me at least once, right?

Holding onto this mindset, Gu Hang made his final decision.

Just like that, 50 Grace Points vanished with a snap, replaced by brand-new information appearing in his field of vision:

[Event Activated: The Phoenix is Dying]

[A Space Marine Chapter on the verge of extinction, having concluded a century-long penitent crusade, is approaching Nuxiao Planet. It seems they are searching for redemption and hope here.]

[Please decide your actions with caution. Your behavior will determine the next development of this event.]

[Event Branch: Unknown.]

Seeing the new event prompt mention that a Space Marine Chapter was approaching Nuxiao Planet, Gu Hang nearly lost control of his facial expression.

If a Space Marine Chapter were to provide him with assistance, what would there be to worry about? No difficulty on Nuxiao Planet could possibly impede the footsteps of an entire Chapter.

The term "Space Marine" symbolizes glory, greatness... and death within the borders of The Empire.

They are the Angels of Death of The Emperor.

It is said that tens of thousands of years ago, the God-Emperor used himself as a template to create many different gene-seeds, selecting the most outstanding individuals to have these seeds implanted, thus forming the original Space Marines.

Each of them is a transcendent being, possessing a physique countless times stronger than an ordinary person, clad in specialized power armor connected to their nervous system. Their individual combat power is terrifying; fighting one against a hundred is merely a standard operation.

Often, a squad consisting of just a few Space Marines is enough to carve through tens of thousands of troops and take the head of a general, and this is nothing more than their routine mission.

They are true killing machines; the title Angels of Death is well-deserved.

During the era of the founding, the various Space Marine Legions were the sharpest swords in the hands of The Emperor, establishing absolute merit in pioneering the infinite territories of The Empire.

Later, about ten thousand years ago, after The Emperor ascended to godhood, all Space Marine Legions were broken down into smaller Chapters. According to the regulations of the Codex, a Space Marine Chapter has a maximum scale of one thousand men.

Usually, a Chapter has a homeworld. The homeworld of a Chapter does not need to provide taxes to The Empire; all manpower and material resources are at the disposal of the Chapter. A Chapter can form mortal auxiliary forces and a Chapter fleet, possessing immense autonomy. They respond to the highest-level summons of The Empire, throwing themselves into the most horrific battlefields. But apart from that, their actions are relatively arbitrary, with a high degree of freedom.

In Gu Hang's understanding, that is like a combination of a warlord and a feudal lord.

Such a Chapter is coming to Nuxiao Planet?

Gu Hang quickly calmed down as well.

Still, the same principle applies: what the system produces is worth the price. 50 points of Grace probably wouldn't even buy a single Space Marine, let alone an entire Chapter.

There is no such thing as a free lunch.

He also noticed the information provided in the event interface: this is a dying Chapter.

That is actually fine.

If it were a powerful and prosperous Chapter, he wouldn't have any say in the matter. The status of a Chapter Master might even be higher than that of a sector governor.

Gu Hang had already realized that this event could bring either fortune or disaster. He truly had to act with the caution suggested by the system, otherwise, the consequences would be unpredictable.

But all in all, this also meant opportunity.

If the Space Marines could provide him with help, he would have an absolute guarantee of military force on Nuxiao Planet.