After retracting the remote projection, Han Xiao opened his eyes in the base camp, feeling pleased.
"Seven Calamity Grade cadres have joined, including one Beyond Grade A Seed; this group of personnel is of good quality."
He was only interested in the resources accumulated by the Beast Ancestor, and didn't have much interest in those descendants. After all, the two sides were enemies, and even if he forcibly took over the troops and forced all the descendants of the Beast Ancestor to serve him, they would definitely resist.
Not only are they not putting in the effort, but those die-hard loyalists will also pollute the purity of the legion, forming a new faction that might become a ticking time bomb one day.
Forced relationships are never sweet and can be counterproductive. Besides, the Black Star Army is ostensibly part of the Order faction, so there are some things it can't do too obviously. At the same time, the legion isn't short of manpower, so he has no interest in taking over all of the Beast Ancestor's old subordinates. It might seem like he's strengthening the legion on paper, but in reality, it's planting the seeds of future problems.
Of course, if someone like Jotina abandons her beast and joins his cause willingly, he will naturally welcome them all, the more the merrier.
"Most of the rebel faction is still observing. Jotina is just the first batch of test subjects. There will definitely be a second and third batch later. I wonder how many people want to come to me."
Han Xiao pondered. He didn't intend to wipe them all out in one fell swoop. After all, everyone has their own ambitions. Some people who betrayed the Beast Ancestor's forces might not necessarily join others. Some might want to retire and live in anonymity.
Shaking his head, Han Xiao put the matter aside for the time being and summoned Phillip:
"Notify Melos and Sylvia to mobilize the forces of the Shattered Star Ring headquarters and dispatch a long-range fleet to the Beast Ancestor's base camp to liberate all slaves and destroy his offspring breeding production line."
[The End of Darkness] was too difficult and he didn't know where to start, but the other task was not difficult for him. Since he had promised, Han Xiao put it into action. With Jotina's endorsement, he had a legitimate reason to do so.
Moreover, Gorutan brought out a large number of elite troops, leaving his base quite empty, which reduced the difficulty. As long as the fleet is accompanied by his Dominion clone as a guarantee, there will be no unexpected events.
These guys who abandoned the darkness for the light brought good news, but one detail caught Han Xiao's attention.
He always felt that there was something wrong with the way Jotina looked at him; it seemed a little too eager...
It felt like I was watching Fording.
Ever since Jotina and her group broke through, the atmosphere at the Emerald Star Cluster's Beast Ancestor's stronghold has become eerie, silent and cold. Fewer and fewer people are talking. Even though they are brothers and sisters, their eyes are filled with wary vigilance when they look at each other. Behind every expressionless face lies more and more thought.
People's hearts are changing, and undercurrents are surging.
Jotina was the first to defect, and many more cautious members of the rebel faction were watching the situation closely. Seeing that she had set a good precedent, more and more people were getting restless.
In a secret room, a group of rebels quietly gathered. The leader was a highly respected Calamity Grade officer, "The Great Python" Snake. Although he did not reach the level of the Four Great Generals, he was still an elite combatant. He combined martial arts skills with his own poison talent, making him a formidable fighter and one of the fleet commanders.
"I'm sure you all know why I've gathered you all here." Snake glanced around, his gaze lingering briefly on a few key officers, and slowly said, "Sister Jotina sent word that Black Star has accepted them; they've found a good home."
Everyone present remained silent, staring at him and waiting for him to continue.
Seeing this, Snake continued, "The loyalists suffered heavy losses in the battle against Jotina, and they probably don't want to waste their strength on the defectors. We've been observing for a long time, and it's time for us to leave. I know some of you here are unwilling to join others and want to start your own faction. We'll discuss everything after we defect together. Those who don't want to follow me can go their separate ways. If we meet again in the universe, perhaps we can still remember the bond between brothers and sisters."
After the words were spoken, there was a moment of silence in the room before someone spoke up to second the agreement:
"That's right, we should leave. My troops will be on patrol in a few days. This is an opportunity, and it's best to avoid conflict with the die-hards."
Once the conversation started, everyone chimed in, each contributing their own ideas and suggestions for the defection plan.
Meanwhile, some die-hard supporters were secretly gathering in another room to discuss something else.
"Have you heard? Those traitors, including Jotina, have joined the Black Star Army."
"Where did this information come from? Is it reliable?"
"Many people witnessed their ships heading towards the Black Star Army's stronghold, and they never emerged again. Moreover, a considerable amount of information has circulated among those treacherous rebels, and it should be reliable."
Someone's eyes flashed, and he said in a deep voice, "If the situation is true, we can implement a daring plan: have our people feign defection, infiltrate the Black Star Army, and find an opportunity to rescue Father."
"But... Black Star is Beyond Grade A mechanic, it's very difficult to steal someone under his nose, and it's said that the Space-Time Amber is unsolvable, even the Three Universal Civilizations are helpless against it..."
"Our father raised us and is the patriarch we respect. Now that he is in trouble, only we can help him. Even if the hope is slim, we must try," someone said resolutely.
"Alright... but there's still one problem. Those defectors definitely know our background. If we loyal subjects are only pretending to defect, they'll surely see through us."
"That is a problem. We've known each other for so long, we know each other inside and out, and our people can't infiltrate the rebel group..."
Everyone hesitated.
The situation with Jotina inspired these die-hard supporters, some of whom wanted to stage an infiltration and risk their lives to rescue Gorutan had been turned into a specimen. After all, their father was only imprisoned and not dead, and the die-hard supporters still held onto hope.
Just then, the sound of a communicator broke the silence in the room, like a thunderclap, pulling everyone back from their entanglement.
The leader opened the document, glanced at it, and said, "Beyram has summoned all the officers for a meeting to discuss our future plans."
Everyone was used to this. Since Gorutan's downfall, such meetings had been held many times. Without a decision-maker, the organization's affairs could only be decided by a group of cadres. Everyone had their own agenda, and most of the time a unified opinion could not be reached, but they could not skip them.
The group of die-hard supporters got up and left the room, heading to the large conference room.
The meeting room was now full of people, all of whom were well-known cadres in the stronghold. The scene was as noisy as a vegetable market, with the seats of the loyalists, neutrals, and rebels clearly separated, and they glared at each other coldly.
The group of die-hard supporters spotted Snake immediately, glared at him, and then found seats.
Snake didn't care about the die-hard supporters' attitude; they had only received the news of the meeting while they were gathering in the secret room and had rushed over.
After waiting for a while, all the cadres finally arrived. Beyram was the last to walk in. He closed the meeting room door, and under the focused gaze of everyone, he walked to the podium at the front and scanned everyone below.
"What happened that requires us to be summoned again?" a cadre asked. He was one of the four generals.
"We haven't finished discussing the topics from last time, and today we still need to continue discussing the organization's future." Beyram smiled calmly, then suddenly changed the subject, saying with a smile, "But before that, I'd like to introduce someone to everyone."
Everyone frowned, sensing something was amiss from Beyram's attitude.
Just then, a magical fluctuation suddenly appeared in the room, and a circle of azure portals unfolded around Beyram.
Buzz--
A foot slowly stepped out of the portal, and an intense sense of oppression descended upon it, as if the air in the room had instantly frozen to freezing point.
The Secret Master stepped out, casually closed the portal, put his hands behind his back, and indifferently surveyed everyone present.
The entire room fell silent.
At this moment, Beyram's cheerful voice broke the silence:
"As you all probably know, this is His Excellency the Secret Master, who, along with Father, is a protector of the Interstellar Black Market."
"Beyram, what do you mean by this?!"
A loyal general stood up, suppressing his anger, and asked in a deep voice.
In fact, everyone understood that Beyram, this neutral cadre, had already made contact with the Secret Master. Under the guise of a meeting, he gathered all the cadres together so that the Secret Master could capture and control them all in one fell swoop.
--He's offering up this stronghold and all the officers present to the Secret Master as a means to advance his own career!
Beyram smiled without saying a word, then turned his gaze to the Secret Master and said with a smile, "With Father fallen, countless forces are now eyeing us covetously, wanting to carve us up. Without Beyond Grade A leader to oversee the organization, we will always be a disorganized mess. However, the Secret Master is an old friend of Father, and he has decided to provide us with protection and help us overcome this crisis."
Keep making things up!
Everyone cursed inwardly, the neutrals were surprised, the rebels felt heavy-hearted, and the die-hard loyalists were furious.
The Secret Master took in everyone's expressions and said calmly, "That's the situation. Gorutan and I are like brothers. I can't watch his descendants fall apart, so I'm temporarily taking over the Beast Ancestor's power until the situation stabilizes, at which point I'll return jurisdiction to you."
Screw your brotherly love! Do you think we all have amnesia?!
Everyone gritted their teeth.
Unlike the Black Star Army, the Secret Master doesn't possess a vast and powerful empire; the generals under the Beast Ancestor are also among the resources he desires to seize.
Because they weren't direct enemies like Black Star, he wasn't worried about retaliation. As fellow protectors of the Interstellar Black Market, it was more reasonable for him to take over the Beast Ancestor's forces. Moreover, his forces were already a mixed bag, belonging to the gray camp, so he wasn't worried about indigestion after absorbing the Beast Ancestor's troops.
This was merely an excuse for the Secret Master to seize the Beast Ancestor's power, but even though the loyalists were furious, they dared not stand up to oppose it.
The Secret Master has already said all this; if you don't know what's good for you, just wait and see if Peak Beyond Grade A cultivator can stab you and that's it.
Therefore, after the Secret Master finished speaking, not a single person uttered a rebuttal, as if they all tacitly agreed.
Just then, Snake slowly stood up, drawing the attention of everyone, including the Secret Master, to himself.
He took a deep breath and spoke slowly in a respectful tone:
"Thank you for your generosity, Secret Master. Your protection is exactly what we need. I fully agree with your decision to temporarily take over Father's power."
"Hmm, not bad."
The Secret Master nodded, thinking the kid was pretty savvy.
However, Snake suddenly changed the subject. "But I'm tired of this kind of life. I don't want to continue fighting in the universe with my bravery. Now I just want to live an ordinary life. Your Secret Master, I'm not against you, but everyone has their own ambitions. Please allow me to retire."
The Secret Master didn't take it seriously and casually said, "You have the combat power of a Calamity Grade, it would be a waste to retire like this. Continue to contribute your remaining energy to your post. I have high hopes for you. Don't mention resigning again, sit down."
Snake gritted his teeth and mustered his courage to say, "Your Secret Master, I would like to request a leave of absence. My sister has joined the Black Star Army, and I would like to tell her so that she doesn't need to worry about things at home."
These words clearly stated his intentions; the subtext was that he did not want to serve the Secret Master, but rather wanted to join Black Star.
The Secret Master narrowed his eyes, gave him a deep look, and remained silent for a long while, the oppressive atmosphere in the room growing stronger.
Only after Snake broke out in a cold sweat did the Secret Master slowly answer:
"I don't think it's necessary. Once I officially take over, the outside world will naturally receive the news. There's no need for this unnecessary step."
Upon hearing this, Snake and the other members of the rebel faction all sighed inwardly.
The Secret Master's attitude is clear: even knowing they want to defect to Black Star, he will still detain them and not allow any of his officers to leave. It's unclear how long he intends to keep them under control.
"Sigh..." Snake sighed, sat down, and felt quite regretful.
If only I had been more proactive and acted with Jotina, I might not be able to make it now, as I'm too late.
The rebels looked grim; only the phrase "physically in Cao's camp, but mentally in Han's" could describe their feelings at that moment.
The Secret Master publicly placed a magical mark on each of his officers to monitor their every move. He then delivered a series of high-sounding speeches, emphasizing how deep his bond with Gorutan was, how close they were, and how many joyful times they had spent together—almost as if they were brothers.
Everyone listened with deadpan expressions to the Secret Master's ramblings and nonsense. Only when he announced the end of the meeting did everyone eagerly get up and rush out of the room as if fleeing a disaster.
Only Beyram and the Secret Master remained in the conference room. Beyram moved closer to the Secret Master, forcing a smile.
"Your Secret Master, congratulations on receiving the Beast Ancestor's forces."
"This is only the first step. The Beast Ancestor still has many troops in his main base and other star fields."
"I understand, but the people he brought to the Shattered World are all important cadres. Controlling them is essentially controlling half of the Beast Ancestor Organization."
"Yes, you've done very well. I will reward you for your achievements once things are settled." The Secret Master nodded.
Upon hearing this, Beyram's smile became even more sincere.
After Jotina's defection, Beyram decided to find a way out. Coincidentally, the Secret Master was also plotting against the Beast Ancestor's forces, so the two sides made contact and hit it off immediately. He decided to assist the Secret Master.
The reason for not seeking out Black Star is twofold: firstly, the resistance among the organization's members would inevitably lead to a split among the die-hard supporters; secondly, if he were to hand over his power to his enemies, how could he maintain his reputation? In comparison, the Secret Master is a more suitable choice.
Filled with excitement, Beyram took his leave, and the Secret Master watched him go, then curled his lip in disapproval.
"Hmph, you fence-sitter."
Shaking his head, the Secret Master took out his communicator and dialed Sorokin's number.
After three rings, the call was connected, and Sorokin's large washbasin appeared on the screen with a playful smile.
"Secret Master, have you subdued the Beast Ancestor's forces?"
"The initial phase is complete." The Secret Master nodded, then said in a deep voice, "However, Black Star seems to have gotten involved; someone wants to defect to him..."
Sorokin smiled and said, "Don't worry, Black Star has many powerful generals under his command, and he definitely won't look down on the Beast Ancestor's troops. Anyway, he doesn't want them, so you don't need to be afraid of offending him. If you still feel it's not safe, then after the incorporation is completed, give Black Star enough resources as compensation, and he won't pursue the matter."
"We'll see when the time comes," the Secret Master said noncommittally.
He's an adult who wants to befriend Black Star and also wants to recruit the Beast Ancestor's forces—in short, he wants it all. Anyway, Black Star doesn't care about these people, so it's not like he's reaping the benefits.
Sorokin paused, then changed the subject, asking, "So, what do you think of my proposal?"
The Secret Master narrowed his eyes. "You want to use the Infinite Financial Group shareholder position in the Infinite Consortium that Gorutan has created to exchange for the status of protector of the Interstellar Black Market? Your plan is quite good."
"Heh, I'm a businessman, and business is business. Now that Gorutan has fallen, I need a new partner."
Sorokin smiled.
During his years of cooperation with Gorutan, Sorokin had already infiltrated many industries in the Interstellar Black Market. If he had the status of a protector, he could legitimately open up businesses. If he could also incorporate the Interstellar Black Market into the Infinite Financial Group's business empire, the profits would be immeasurable!
Even Sorokin, who possessed astronomical sums of money, couldn't help but be tempted!
Not long ago, he made contact with the Secret Master and proposed a deal where the wolf would be surrounded and annihilated—he would give the Secret Master a shareholder position in exchange for the Master's help in securing him the status of a protector of the Interstellar Black Market.
After he proposed the deal, the Secret Master neither refused outright nor immediately agreed.
From the perspective of the Secret Master, losing Gorutan meant he was finally able to seize a larger share of the black market. Bringing in another business behemoth as a protector would be like inviting a wolf into the house, since Sorokin's heart is known to all.
However, becoming a shareholder of the Infinite Financial Group would allow him to get involved in more legitimate businesses, and the profits seemed to be greater, so the Secret Master had been hesitant.
At this moment, upon hearing Sorokin bring up the matter again, the Secret Master snorted and said indifferently:
"Excuse my bluntness, but although the admission requirement is Beyond Grade A, your abilities don't seem to qualify you for the role of a protector."
"... Isn't this better for you?" Sorokin's smile was enigmatic.
The Secret Master remained silent; it seemed that was indeed the case.
He hesitated for a moment before slowly speaking, "I can try to help you negotiate, try to persuade the other two protectors, and all the black market administrators..."
Sorokin's eyes lit up; he knew this meant a preliminary agreement had been reached, and he smiled with satisfaction.
"Thank you, Your Secret Master. I will keep your position as a shareholder in the Infinite Financial Group indefinitely."
"Um."
The Secret Master gave a curt reply and hung up the communication.