The Star Cluster Abyss, the territory of Manison, the Ancestral Land of Shadows.
The pitch-black gaseous planet still hovers beside the Ancestral Land of Shadows, like a black satellite, its surface flowing with dense black energy, occasionally stirring up Tide- like fluctuations.
A spaceship hovered beside a dark satellite, its hatch wide open. One by one, expressionless Calamity Grade shadow servants pushed off various prisoners of different races captured from different star systems. The majority were Calamity Grade, but there were also some low-level superhumans with special abilities.
These prisoners were completely restrained, extremely weak, and their abilities were suppressed, leaving them almost powerless to fight back. The scene was like dumplings being dropped into a pot; every time someone landed on the dark satellite's surface, a black energy wave would surge in, engulfing them and making them disappear without a trace.
This scene, resembling feeding, was Manison's servants replenishing his shadow. This batch of prisoners numbered nearly a thousand, all of whom were completely devoured by the planet-sized Manison.
Just then, the space next to the spaceship suddenly fluctuated, and a phantom appeared, its entire body draped in a hooded black robe, obscuring its features and body. The edges of the phantom were flame-like, as if constantly dissipating mist, and the whole thing looked like a black cloud. This was not a remote projection of the quantum network, but some kind of mental projection, visible only to Manison and his shadow servants.
The next moment, the surface of Manison's planet suddenly rippled violently, stirring up a black tsunami that outlined a shape. Soon, a face appeared on the planet's surface, with simple eyes, nose, and mouth formed by energy vortexes. It had no concept of appearance and was opening its mouth wide, as if roaring silently.
Two invisible mental fluctuations emanated from each other, intertwining and forming a spiritual connection.
"How's the progress? How much longer until the transformation is complete?" the phantom asked.
"I don't know, Manison is very tenacious."
How much consciousness does he have left?
"Not much left. I've already seized control of his body and inherited all his memories. As long as I completely devour his last vestiges of consciousness, I can greatly accelerate the transformation process."
"Accelerate as quickly as possible. You are a core part of our plan. Over the years, we have tried various methods and finally discovered that the only way to open the Third Sanctum is through supernatural abilities. Therefore, you are the foundation of our synthesis ritual, a vessel to accommodate other Primordial Esper Ability Entity."
"Don't worry, Manison wanted to be immortal, so he used your technology to revitalize me. Hmph, that greedy guy brought about his own destruction. While he broke free from the limitations of his physical body, he also suffered a backlash from me. You gave me life and consciousness. Once I transform into a true Primordial Esper Ability Entity, I can be of help to you."
"Yes, once the plan is complete, we promise you freedom."
Having said that, the phantom waved its sleeve and vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed.
The churning waves on the Black Star's surface subsided, facial features disappeared, and the restless black energy returned to calm.
The news of the emergence of Chaos Mysterious Energy only maintained its popularity for a few days. In today's Shattered World, conflicts are emerging one after another, and the news' popularity is fleeting. Soon, other news attracted the attention of interstellar citizens and major forces, taking over the headline position of Chaos Mysterious Energy.
As the ultimate winner of the battle, the Black Star Mechanical Force's whereabouts also attracted some attention, but they quickly disappeared without a trace, and their movements went unnoticed by the outside world.
At this very moment, Han Xiao's stealth spaceship is located in a certain part of space not far from Hila's territory in the Emerald Star Cluster, and he is talking to Ames.
"... That's the situation. I invited you over to protect your student Hila. On one hand, it's to pretend that my true self is still at the base camp to lull the enemy into a false sense of security. On the other hand, it's to ask you to help guard the base camp and look after Aurora... So I really didn't stand you up." Han Xiao said helplessly.
On the screen, Ames was toying with a green force field, her eyelids lowered, her tone calm yet inexplicably filled with a dangerous aura.
"If you tell me the truth, I'll still help you. Don't you trust me?"
"How could that be? Didn't you mainly want to see the advanced Aurora? Now you've seen her, haven't you? Besides, when I invited you, I don't think I said I wanted to see you." Han Xiao scratched his head and joked, "I didn't say it directly because I wanted to be tactful. I knew if I asked, you would definitely agree, after all, I'm so strong now, I was afraid you would feel like I was ordering you around."
"Heh, you didn't order me around, but I feel like you're using me, which seems even worse, doesn't it?" Ames narrowed her eyes, a green glint flashing within them.
"Hey, that's not right. With our relationship, why are we being so formal? Saying we're using each other is too harsh." Han Xiao waved his hand.
"Really? You've taken advantage of me quite a few times before." Ames said with a half-smile.
"The past is the past, things are different now. Our two families are intertwined, and we've become a loving family. It's normal for family members to joke around occasionally..."
"Tsk, who says we're family? Shameless." Ames frowned and spat lightly.
Seeing this, Han Xiao laughed and teased, "Hehe, you really want to see me that much? Do you want me to go back and keep you company?"
"... You're just being presumptuous. Who wants to see you?"
Ames paused, then withdrew her force field, waved her hand, and casually said, "You stay there and protect my students. Do you need me to come and help?"
"Need not."
"You think I'm too weak?" Ames raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Ahem, not at all. There's something else I need your help with. You'll stay at the Black Star Palace and pretend I'm the real me there."
"Since it's for my student, I'll continue to play along... But don't thank me yet. One thing at a time, you haven't settled the score for messing with me."
"Then after I get back, I'll go on a trip to Secondary Dimension with you?" Han Xiao raised an eyebrow. "Just the two of us."
As luck would have it, I'll need to go to the Secondary Dimension to capture Holy Light Particle in the future, so this way it won't interfere with my official duties... How clever of me!
"Https://www. hetushu. com. com Okay, then it's settled."
Ames had no objection.
Although she had come all this way only to be tricked, she had already calmed down after spending so much time playing with Aurora these past few days.
If anyone else had played such a trick on her, Ames would have been furious, but if the prankster was Black Star, she didn't care. Only someone close to her could do this to her.
Moreover, this reminded her of Black Star's dark past when she was weak and always took advantage of her, making her feel nostalgic.
After exchanging a few words, Han Xiao hung up the call and turned to look at the workbench beside him.
He was currently in the ship's mechanical workshop, where Mechanical Force was controlling various manufacturing equipment to build the Sovereign Mecha. Several failed prototypes were already piled up beside him.
Although they were called failures, they were actually all orange-tier equipment, considered rare and excellent even on the market. However, they didn't reach the level of the Universal Treasure depicted in the blueprints. Not only were their performance significantly weaker, but they also lacked those magical effects, and their cost was terrifyingly high. In his view, they were all failures.
Putting away the communicator, Han Xiao was finally free from distractions and could focus on forging the set of Sovereign before him. The [Divine Equipment] feat on the attribute panel was shining brightly; this feat would only be activated when forging Universal Treasure.
However, after building more than half of it, Phillip suddenly popped up, saying that several of the mechanical soldiers he had sent out had secretly brought Evans to the ship.
"Then let's bring him over." Han Xiao's eyes lit up.
After a while, the door to the machine workshop opened, and several mechanical soldiers escorted a man in; it was Evans.
As soon as Evans entered, he saw a handsome and domineering man in black looking at him with a half-smile, and he immediately became nervous.
"You are Lord Black Star?"
"It's me."
Han Xiao smiled and nodded, looking Evans up and down. His first impression was that Evans was ordinary, too ordinary.
Evans felt as if Han Xiao's gaze could see through him, leaving him Nowhere to Hide, and he immediately became uneasy.
Although he is usually quite composed, he couldn't remain calm when facing a top-tier figure like Black Star.
Evans took a deep breath and mustered his courage to ask, "Lord Black Star, I am just an ordinary person without Esper Gene. I wonder what it is about me that you see in me?"
Upon hearing this, Han Xiao smiled knowingly, "Your physique is rather unique, and I find it quite interesting."
"Special physical condition?"
Evans was taken aback, looked down at himself, and felt that he was the opposite of the word "special".
"Anyway, don't worry. As a Beyond Grade A, I wouldn't go to great lengths to make things difficult for an ordinary person like you. You're not in any danger here. At most, I'll need your cooperation in my experiments. After that, you can do clerical work in the Legion, with a much better salary and benefits than the conglomerate you worked for before. What do you think?"
"... You've already brought me all this way, how could I possibly refuse?" Evans said with a wry smile.
He had only been out of prison for a short time. He came to Shattered World to broaden his horizons and find a job to make a living. He didn't care about working for the Black Star Army, since the salary was much higher anyway.
Seeing that he had no objections, Han Xiao picked up the syringe, walked to Evans' side, gestured for him to stand still, and then drew a vial of blood from him.
Han Xiao wasn't lying; he did indeed intend to conduct experiments with Evans.
Evans is the co-host of Chaos Mysterious Energy and Holy Light Particle, so his physique is naturally special. Since Han Xiao wants to create a mechanical carrier for the Primal Esper Ability, extracting Evans ' cells for research can help him understand the compatibility principle and accelerate the research and development process.
On the other hand, Han Xiao's injection also caused damage and triggered combat information.
After checking Evans's attributes on the panel, Master Han's eyes lit up.
An ordinary person's attribute panel is very simple and easy to understand. Only two special talents caught Han Xiao's attention. One of them is [Intermediate Lucky Halo], which proves that he is a protagonist-type character. Han Xiao guessed that the reason why it is intermediate is that Evans gained the Sorokin as a nemesis while gaining power.
Another special skill is called [Top-Tier Esper Affinity Physique]. Its effects are all related to the Esper Class. It can greatly improve the compatibility of the Primordial Esper Ability Entity. When attacked by ability users, there is a chance to recover a certain amount of health and strength. Furthermore, the difficulty of developing one's own ability is greatly reduced, while the power of using ability is greatly increased. It can even passively increase one level of ability potential.
"No wonder he can have two Primal Esper Ability on his left and right. This specialty is simply the ' Perfect Mechanical Sense ' of the Esper Class, and the effect is too domineering."
Han Xiao clicked his tongue in amazement.
Generally, those with this special skill should be able to awaken into superhumans, but Evans is just an ordinary person, wasting this talent...
Wait a minute!
That's not right. If someone has this specialization, how could they not have Esper Gene? Something must be wrong!
Han Xiao suddenly turned his head, his gaze intense.
Under Evans's reluctant expression, Han Xiao made him take off his clothes and obediently cooperate with a thorough full-body examination— Evans used to be a poor guy, so naturally he couldn't afford to go to any high-end institution to check his Esper Gene, so there might be some omissions.
Upon investigation, a problem was indeed discovered!
Han Xiao frowned as he looked at the medical report.
"W-What's wrong?" Evans asked, getting dressed, somewhat nervously.
"You do have Esper Gene. I don't know who you had checked with, but their examination wasn't thorough enough."
As soon as he finished speaking, Evans froze.
He had always thought of himself as an ordinary person without any talent, but today someone suddenly told him that he actually had talent. Even though he was already used to being an ordinary person, he was still shocked.
"But don't be too happy yet." Han Xiao changed the subject, waved his hand, and slowly said, "There's something wrong with your Esper Gene. It seems to have been suppressed by some kind of drug. Over the years, the Esper Gene has atrophied to the point that it's almost undetectable, and it's basically impossible for it to awaken. This is something that's been done by humans. Have you had any enemies since you were a child?"
Evans barely suppressed the turmoil in his heart, tried to recall carefully, and said uncertainly, "I underwent Esper Gene testing when I was ten years old. If someone did something like this to me, it must have been before I was ten. But how could I have made enemies when I was a child... Unless it was something to do with my family, but I just come from an ordinary family, how could this be..."
His expression kept changing. If he didn't have talent, it wouldn't be a problem, but today he realized that he actually had talent, but it had been ruined by someone since he was a child!
It didn't just ruin his talent, it ruined decades of his life!
Evans had already resigned himself to his fate, but now a burning anger was igniting within him.
Slap slap
Suddenly, Han Xiao clapped his hands, interrupting his reminiscence.
"Alright, if you can't figure it out, don't think about it anymore. You can look it up yourself later. Now, let's get serious. Maybe I have a way to help you awaken."
Evans jolted, suppressing his excitement, and asked in a deep voice, "What should I give in return?"
"It's simple. I originally thought you were just an ordinary person. If you could awaken your superpowers, you could fight for me."
Han Xiao paused, a smile appearing on his face. He said slowly and deliberately, "I've investigated your background. When you were still an ordinary person, in a fit of anger to protect your friend, you found a way to kill a low-level superhuman. Not every ordinary person has that kind of courage. You have Combat Talent and have never given up on your fate. Perhaps your years in prison have cooled your passion... But now, you may have a chance for a new life. I just hope you don't waste it."
"Okay," Evans replied decisively.
At this moment, his eyes were filled with determination, and his temperament was completely different from his previous resigned appearance. He was like a dusty sword that had now shed its rust and dust, revealing its sharp edge!
Seeing this, Han Xiao took out a bottle of life potion made by Aurora.
Evans ' symptoms are that his Esper Gene have atrophied and lost all activity. He can be restored to life by injecting enough life energy, and the life potion is the most suitable antidote.
Taking out the syringe, Han Xiao injected one-tenth of the golden potion into Evans' body, fearing that he might not be able to handle the nourishment.
Buzz!
The next moment, Evans was glowing, radiating a vibrant energy.
The light lasted for several minutes before it faded. Evans stood there with his eyes closed, looking completely different, as healthy as could be. The wear and tear and hidden injuries left by his prison life had completely disappeared.
How are you feeling?
"Like being reborn."
Evans opened his eyes, the golden light in his pupils slowly fading, and looked at Han Xiao with eyes full of gratitude.
"Did you sense your special ability?" Han Xiao nodded in satisfaction and then asked.
Upon hearing this, Evans frowned, carefully sensing the changes, and hesitated.
"... It seems a little different now. It looks like I have a new sense; it must be a special ability."
"Show me how to use it," Han Xiao said curiously.
Evans nodded, strained for a long time, but found no change. He said uncertainly, "It seems I can't control it. Has my ability really awakened?"
All newly awakened superhumans are Grade E, but even if they are weak, superhumans shouldn't be unable to control their abilities... Han Xiao frowned, sensing that something was amiss. He gave Evans another injection and checked the combat information.
However, after just one glance, Han Xiao froze, rubbed his eyes, and almost thought he was seeing things.
He stared for a good ten seconds before snapping out of his daze, giving Evans a very strange look, and muttering to himself:
No wonder... no wonder...
"Are you aware of my special ability?" Evans couldn't help but ask.
Han Xiao let out a breath, patted Evans ' shoulder with a complicated expression, pursed his lips, and said earnestly:
"You must be a good person from now on..."
Having said that, he ignored Evans's confused expression, turned his back to Evans, his lips twitching uncontrollably, and roared inwardly.
Damn it, Uncle Li!
This kid's ability... is also to absorb supernatural powers!
Exactly the same as the Sorokin!!
No wonder... all those peculiarities from his past life suddenly make sense!
You truly are worthy of being called the Sorokin ' nemesis! Is this the choice of Steins; Gate?!
Han Xiao felt somewhat guilty for seizing the Chaos Mysterious Energy, which caused Evans to lose the opportunity to change his fate, and planned to give him some compensation.
But now it seems...
Primal Esper Ability are not good enough for you!
You are the greatest gain of my trip!