Everyone has their own way of surviving, and in the eyes of the major powers, Sorokin is a mysterious figure.
Despite being jointly employed by Glory, Arcane, and the Interstellar Black Market, he slowly acted as a middleman, facilitating information exchange between these factions and cultivating extensive connections.
Under his influence, the results of Gorutan's probe into Hila quickly reached the hands of the Glory and the Arcane, immediately attracting the attention of the higher-ups, who convened a meeting of their respective allies.
The Arcane Church's main stronghold in the Free Competition Zone is located in another star cluster. At this time, the projections of most of the Beyond Grade A allies are gathered together, along with several important officials representing the official stance.
After Hila's information was circulated, everyone's expression changed.
"Hila's powers can shorten the lifespan of Beyond Grade A?!"
Tolain suddenly stood up, his face turning green.
He wasn't a martial artist and had never been able to perceive the microscopic changes in cellular life activity until now, when he realized what he had encountered!
He fought Hila, and not only was he defeated, but he also lost countless years of his lifespan. Luckily, his underwear was blown apart!
Tolain was filled with regret; how could he have been so unlucky as to run into such an opponent!
Fighting shortens one's lifespan; who can withstand that? Even the most warlike madman would be terrified! I should have never agreed to fight Hila in the first place... No, I should never have gone to the Dragon Emperor to establish my authority!
I've become withdrawn.
The crowd looked at him with sympathy, observed three seconds of silence, and then ignored him, starting to discuss among themselves.
"I never expected this new Beyond Grade A to possess such a bizarre ability; it's somewhat like the Power of Death on the list of extremely high-risk abilities." The diminutive Sun Hunter sat casually on the table, exuding an air of authority. "I remember this being the ability of a certain the First Ones, and it's reappeared."
"Yes, I remember this information too, what was it called again..."
Kasuyi interrupted, slowly saying, "Nigos, the One Who Controls Death, also has an older sister nicknamed the Mother of All Things, who can spread life force."
"Yes, yes, those are the two. They're quite famous among the First Ones. Born in different civilizations, they're not related by blood, yet they met by fate in the vast universe. Their perfectly matched abilities made them sisters who transcended blood ties... Ah! What an artistically beautiful legend, exuding the spirit of the exploration era, perfect." A Beyond Grade A said with a face full of emotion.
This man's name is Lawrence. His side job is an artist. He dresses in brightly colored clothes, making him both visually and satiatingly appealing.
"Wait, aren't they sisters?" someone scratched their head.
"No, that's not it. So many years have passed, and the rumors circulating outside have long been distorted. Our database contains the truth." A high-ranking official spoke up, then couldn't help but remind them, "Gentlemen, can we return to the issue of Hila?"
[Photon] Sagman nodded and said in a deep voice, "The Power of Death is an extremely dangerous ability that can reap lives. If we allow Hila to grow up, and one day she loses control of her abilities like Manison, it will be a disaster for the entire universe."
"That's secondary. The biggest problem is... she's from the Black Star Army, our enemy," [Sea Spirit] Dilun said through gritted teeth.
"This ability is dangerous. If we don't deal with it, we'll have to worry about this particular threat when Hila grows up and we have to fight the Black Star Army," said [World Gate] Taylor.
These Beyond Grade A soldiers, who had participated in the Battle of Lighthouse Star and suffered losses at Han Xiao's hands, harbored the greatest hostility towards the Black Star Army and constantly sought to lord it over Black Star.
Sisko hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "That's right. For us Beyond Grade A, shortening our lifespan is terrifying."
The Sun Hunter glanced at him. "I don't think you need to worry about that."
"Huh?" Sisko was taken aback. "What do you mean?"
"Judging from Hila's combat prowess when she fought Gorutan, if you were to face her, you would probably be killed instantly, so shortening your lifespan wouldn't be of much use to you."
"..."
Sisko felt the world's deep malice and turned to Tolain Torion, retreating into seclusion together.
"Stop joking around." Kasuyi spoke calmly, glancing at the officials. "What is the opinion of the Arcane' higher-ups?"
Several officials exchanged glances and spoke solemnly, "The higher-ups hope to win Hila over and make her our ally. If that fails, we hope you will take action and eliminate Hila."
A glance flashed across everyone's eyes, and they understood the Arcane Church's intentions.
Ordinary people would be instantly killed by Hila, so shortening lifespan is useless against beings at the Calamity Grade and below... Her ultimate weapon is completely aimed at top -Beyond Grade A combat power.
Not only does it pose a current threat, but it can also affect the future recruitment of allies. If Hila is in the opposing camp, even if she does nothing, newly recruited Beyond Grade A will have concerns when joining a camp and will be unwilling to face Hila, thus hindering the recruitment of new allies.
Although Hila is a member of the Black Star Army, she has not yet joined an advanced civilization. The Arcane Church hopes to use her for their own purposes and control this powerful weapon—a fact that Gorutan had not anticipated. Only if they cannot possess her will the Arcane destroy Hila.
Moreover, most of the Beyond Grade A members present thought about it a step further.
--Hila's intimidation power only targets Beyond Grade A. Does the Arcane Church also intend to use her to intimidate the entire Beyond Grade A class?
Normally, no one would have thought of this, but those present had all attended Han Xiao's Meeting of the Gods and had been instilled with the idea of a united front by Old Manison, so they couldn't help but think in that direction.
The entire room fell silent suddenly, and many people felt conflicted.
Kasuyi's expression remained unchanged. He glanced at everyone and said, "I think we can win over Hila immediately, but eliminating her requires more careful consideration. Although we are all in the Shattered World, making it easier to mobilize, our movements will also attract more attention. Furthermore, Dead Sea will provoke Black Star. It's best to observe the actions of the Federation of Light first. Don't forget, they also have this intelligence and will definitely take action."
"I understand." The senior official nodded. "Ninja's score hasn't been settled yet. We don't want to cooperate with Glory this time; we really need to observe the situation... However, when we decide to act, we hope everyone will respond positively."
"No problem!" Apart from Sisko, all the unlucky ones from the Battle of Lighthouse Star chimed in, having long wanted revenge against the Black Star Army for a long time, and finally their chance had arrived.
Kasuyi remained silent, his eyes flickering.
Meanwhile, the Federation of Light was also holding a similar meeting, but the topic was quite different from that of the Arcane.
"Hila's powers are dangerous, that's true, but dealing with her would inevitably anger the Black Star Army, which isn't worth it," Hedis said.
One of the council elders frowned. "In the long run, Hila is clearly the greater threat. It's worth provoking the Black Star Army for this."
"Are you sure?" Hedis retorted. "Have you forgotten the Scepter of All Gods?"
Upon hearing this, the council elders of the Federation of Light present were taken aback and fell into deep thought.
"The Scepter of All Gods is equally threatening to Beyond Grade A, and even has a higher priority than Hila. I think this might be an opportunity. If we can take this opportunity to make a deal with Black Star and get him to break the seal on the Space-Time Amber, it would be a sure-fire win for us," Hedis said confidently.
At this point, Manison chimed in casually, "That's right, I think we need to consider Black Star's attitude; the Scepter of All Gods is very important."
Everyone couldn't help but look at him; some were full of surprise, while others understood each other perfectly.
Many Beyond Grade A know that while Manison's statement at this time was ostensibly based on considerations of the Scepter of All Gods, it was actually largely influenced by the Meeting of the Gods.
Manison is the driving force behind the united front of the Beyond Grade A forces. He values Han Xiao's influence in the Shattered World and hopes that Han Xiao will build an information exchange platform for the united front. Therefore, he is unwilling to provoke him, which would cause him to quit.
Speaking of which, if Han Xiao hadn't convened the Meeting of the Gods and discussed the situation of the Beyond Grade A, it's likely that Glory's Beyond Grade A allies wouldn't have hesitated at all. It was an unexpected stroke of luck... Surely this wasn't part of Black Star's calculations?!
After a moment's thought, the Chief Council Elder tapped his cane. "Indeed, if we could break the seal on the Scepter of All Gods, we could temporarily set aside the issue of Hila... but it's almost impossible to succeed."
He paused, then slowly added, "The Arcane Church will definitely adopt a strategy of first winning them over and then eliminating them. We can warn Black Star, but that offer isn't enough. Black Star has the Empire behind him and doesn't need our help militarily. Moreover, as a member of the Empire, he's bound to worry that if we use the Scepter of All Gods against him after it's been released... Considering all factors, he won't agree to a deal with us."
Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement. If they were in Black Star's shoes, they would also find it impossible to agree to aid the enemy. Most importantly, the bargaining chips offered by Glory were insufficient.
In fact, Glory had always wanted to improve his relationship with Han Xiao, break the seal on the Scepter of All Gods, and get it out of its state of being something that could only be looked at but not touched as soon as possible.
However, the Evolutionary Totem is a strategic matter concerning the future of civilization, countless times more important than the Scepter of All Gods. Therefore, Glory can only temporarily set aside the issue of the Scepter and focus on the Crimson Dynasty and the Black Star Army, becoming their enemy.
Now, Hila's problem has given Glory an opportunity to make a deal with Black Star.
"Therefore, we need something more substantial," Hedis's eyes flashed, "Like... Hila herself."
A thought crossed everyone's mind.
"You mean, we capture Hila alive, then use her to trade with Black Star for the unsealing of the Scepter of All Gods?" The Chief Council Elder pondered for a moment, sensing a potential opportunity.
This way, without killing anyone and offending Black Star, one can still exchange for the unsealing of the Scepter of All Gods. The success rate is much higher than the usual way of making friends. The approach is very flexible and seems like a good idea.
If successful, Glory will profit the most, while the Arcane will be left green with envy...
Hmm, it seems like whether the Arcane are losing money or not is none of our business.
Better to die for your fellow Daoist than for this one!
Having figured out this relationship, everyone couldn't help but glance at Hedis had made the suggestion.
--You're such a slut.
The chief council elder coughed. "Hila excels at dealing with living beings, so the best person to deal with her is a mechanic. Your Excellency, the Mechanic Emperor Kingdom, you..."
"I have no interest in bullying a freshman with Beyond Grade A," Manison interrupted him.
As a mechanic with countless aliases, he was naturally not afraid of Hila shortening his lifespan. However, he was unwilling to bully the new Beyond Grade A students. Old Manison was now eager for more and more newcomers, so he would not suppress them.
"Alright, then someone else will go." The chief council elder shook his head helplessly; they couldn't command Manison.
At this moment, a Beyond Grade A couldn't help but shake his head, "So many Beyond Grade A targeting one person, the last one to receive this kind of treatment was probably the Sorokin, right?"
"It's just bad luck for a newcomer to be targeted like this."
The Free Competition Zone was in a state of chaos, and the movements of behemoths like the Black Star Army attracted the attention of outside forces. Soon, news of the armed conflict between the Black Star Army and Gorutan spread.
The Black Star Army's chosen Planet Ferry, was destroyed, forcing them to detour and choose a new stronghold. Gorutan also fared poorly, losing many of his men. In the end, both sides withdrew, resulting in a draw.
The battle between Hila and Gorutan ended as expected; she was no match for Peak Beyond Grade A. However, it was said that Gorutan also suffered some injuries, something that no ordinary freshman Beyond Grade A could achieve. Many forces secretly increased Hila's combat power rating in their records, believing that among all the freshmen Beyond Grade A this year, Hila might be the strongest.
Information about Hila's abilities circulates only among the Three Universal Civilizations and a very small number of high-level forces; the outside world is unaware of it, and most people are unaware that undercurrents are already flowing within the upper echelons of society.
With the Black Star Army and Gorutan taking the lead, the foreign forces that had been at odds with each other no longer held back and started fighting one after another, vying for resources, no longer worried about the Empire's attitude.
The chain reaction triggered by this battle was a rapid increase in armed conflicts in the Free Competition Zone, and the security situation deteriorated like an avalanche. However, overall, there are still countless blank areas in the fourth phase, and there is still a lot of room for exploration, so the level of conflict is not too intense and is far from the peak of the previous life.
Meanwhile, player guilds that had broken away from the main force began to take initiative and participate in the Free Competition Zone as formal organizations!
In a border system of the Emerald Star Cluster, a small fleet was slowly moving forward. Its outer armor was engraved with the insignia of different factions, clearly the marks of some guilds. After a legion completes its registration, it can customize its organization name and mark, and these guilds openly use their own insignia.
This fleet includes official guilds from well-known top-tier clubs such as Long Sky, Jiangcheng, and Rainstorm, all operating together.
In the current version, players are much more efficient at making money. With a little effort, buying a regular spaceship is not a problem. Top-tier guilds have even more funds, and with Han Xiao offering a 30% clearance sale, many guilds have purchased small fleets.
At this moment, the core members of various guilds gathered on the warship in the Long Sky for a meeting, and there were also many professional players accompanying the teams in the room.
"We're not far from Planet Hake, about half an hour away. Let's check our plans," said Azure Sky, the guild leader of Sky Domain, the official guild of the Long Sky Club.
Frenzied Sword Fried Rice pulled up the memo and read aloud, "Planet Hake has abundant resources and is currently occupied by seven small forces: three conglomerates, two private militias, and two resource-gathering teams from star system-level civilizations. Unable to drive each other away, they can only compete for rich resource locations. Our goal is to settle on Planet Hake, befriend the conglomerates, establish resource outposts on this planet, and lay the foundation for development."
"The most important thing is how to negotiate with these conglomerates," Long Sky said.
"Leave this to me," Maple Moon volunteered. "I know what to say."
Everyone nodded and offered a few words of encouragement.
Under Han Xiao Ming's explicit and implicit guidance, the legion players were the first to understand the key gameplay of this version—that is, to interact with NPC forces in the name of the organization.
After so many versions, players know that NPCs behave just like real people. Every word and action will elicit a reaction, and anything can happen. Their freedom is off the charts, so you need to use your words when negotiating with them. And the higher your charm value, the easier it is to negotiate.
In any guild, there are always people who are good at negotiation. As a story-driven player, Maple Moon is keen on interacting with NPCs.
The Legion's new system granted these guilds semi-independent status. With such a high degree of freedom, these guilds began to take initiative, actively analyzing intelligence, seeking opportunities, and each pursuing their own agendas.
Following the main group is safe, but it restricts movement, leading many players to prefer being a big fish in a small pond rather than a small fish in a big pond.
This was exactly what Han Xiao wanted to see. He issued many incentive missions for solo action, trying to get Legion players to spread them out, infiltrate more territory, expand their advantages, and explore new benefits, rather than simply following him for the spoils.
These guilds are acting as a group to increase their own influence. Instead of following the main force, they chose to participate in the competition among smaller factions on Planet Hake, precisely because they wanted to maximize their own advantages.
Currently, most guild players are ranked Grade B, which is considered a Grade B force in the universe and carries more influence over smaller factions. Guilds are affiliated organizations of the Black Star Army, and the Black Star name has a significant influence bonus for smaller factions. Guilds can leverage the prestige of their backers to increase their bargaining power in negotiations with NPC factions.
After a while, the fleet gradually slowed down. As they drew closer to Planet Hake, scattered defensive fleets belonging to different factions floated in the outer space.
Upon seeing the player's fleet, the defense forces of Planet Hake activated their combat stance, cautiously approached, and initiated a communication request.
Frenzied Saber patted Maple Moon on the shoulder and whispered, "It's up to you now."
Maple Moon exhaled, letting her lips tremble and create afterimages as a warm-up, eager to try.
"Fang Sen, watch me fool them!"