As the spaceship departed the Infinite Financial Group's branch, Han Xiao watched the headquarters building outside the side window grow smaller and smaller before turning his gaze away and chuckling.
"The timing was good; Sorokin compromised..."
In his estimation, the success rate of the negotiations was about 70%. Even with the advantages of timing, location, and popular support, he dared not say that he was 100% certain that he could make Sorokin back down.
Fortunately, my judgment of Sorokin's character was correct, and the result was not bad.
If it were any other hot-tempered Beyond Grade A, they would probably have already wrestled with him. However, Sorokin is good at patience and probably had this kind of experience before. After weighing the pros and cons, he chose to compromise for the sake of the bigger picture.
"Speaking of which, Sorokin's reluctance to display his strength is probably hiding something..."
Han Xiao stroked his chin and muttered to himself.
Unlike other Beyond Grade A organizations that rely on the influence of individual power to develop their influence, this guy has almost no noteworthy achievements. The vast foundation of the conglomerate today is due to Sorokin's skillful business management, all of which are normal and legal operations.
Advanced civilizations have always been wary of non-ally Beyond Grade A forces. As one of the top super conglomerates in the entire universe, the stronger Sorokin is, the more people fear him. Business organizations are not warlords; they have their own industry rules. Once targeted by the Three Universal Civilizations, it will be difficult for the conglomerate to operate peacefully. Moreover, if others suddenly find out that he has actually been hiding his strength, this fear will double.
This is only one reason. Han Xiao also remembered some of the information displayed on Sorokin's panel. This guy probably changed his identity many times and lived in the universe under different identities.
No matter how many times Sorokin changes his identity, his abilities remain the same. Therefore, he avoids using his full strength, perhaps because he doesn't want to be recognized by those with ulterior motives. Maybe he has committed some serious crime and is deliberately hiding his identity.
"This guy is shrouded in mystery." Han Xiao shook his head. These were all just guesses; perhaps Sorokin had ulterior motives.
Regardless of any secrets, he had managed to humiliate Sorokin this time, avenging the suppression he had suffered for twenty years.
Shareholders receive huge dividends from the Infinite Financial Group every year, which is no small sum. Although it's not enough to make Sorokin give back everything he's gained, it does make up for the Legion's losses and recover some of the interest.
Generally speaking, huge dividends are not given away for free. Every shareholder position offered by the Infinite Financial Group is targeted and involves other business collaborations with the Beyond Grade A shareholders, resulting in mutual benefits.
However, Han Xiao would naturally not allow the Infinite Financial Group to share the Legion's business and channels, otherwise it would be like giving money to Sorokin. He had already made up his mind to occupy the position without doing anything, just taking the money and not doing any work, and causing trouble for Sorokin.
" With the Evolution Totem unlocked, and me securing a shareholder position in the Infinite Financial Group, the Legion can make a fortune. The ample funds will perfectly support the Legion's continued expansion, and the Germinal Financial Group's stock price is sure to skyrocket."
Han Xiao was secretly pleased with himself as he took out his communicator and sent messages to the contacts of the Three Universal Civilizations.
Reaching an agreement with Sorokin was only the first step. He still needed to file reports with the Three Universal Civilizations to gain their support and finalize the matter. Because of the issues of Evolution Totem and prisoners, this was not a difficult task.
After sending the message, Han Xiao let out a breath.
Now that the Empire, the Glory, and the Arcane have all made their statements, and Sorokin has also suffered a setback, it means that the aftermath of the Black Star's Battle of Deification is almost over. If there's anything left to do, it's only the reckoning with the Traveler and the Supercluster civilization behind them.
The Traveler had already gone into hiding, but Han Xiao knew which supercluster civilization he belonged to. However, after careful consideration, Han Xiao decided not to confront the civilization behind the scenes for the time being.
On one hand, the Super Star Cluster Alliance is currently developing as a group, steadily expanding in the Free Competition Zone, and not easily causing trouble, so there are few opportunities to attack. On the other hand, the Three Universal Civilizations will not sit idly by and watch the Super Star Cluster Alliance develop in the Shattered World; they will inevitably take action, and it is estimated that they are still in the planning stages. Therefore, Han Xiao decided to wait for the opportunity, and then cooperate with the Three Universal Civilizations to give the Super Star Cluster Alliance a head-on blow, which would be much more efficient than the legion acting alone.
"Things are almost settled, and it's time to put the establishment of Beyond Grade A united front platform on the agenda." Han Xiao's eyes darted around.
Manison and Kasuyi, one a director and the other an Oscar winner, didn't urge him after they finished. Regardless of any past grudges, he owed them a favor in the Hila Rescue Battle, so he still had to take the united front matter seriously.
"The purpose of this platform is to leverage the opportunity of the Shattered World to unify all the Beyond Grade A forces and provide a reasonable platform for communication, serving as a bridge to unite the Beyond Grade A class. It cannot be secretly established behind the backs of the Three Universal Civilizations, nor can it be too ostentatious... Hmm, a united front, a united front... wait, a united front?!"
Han Xiao suddenly shuddered and quickly recited a few lines of the sixteen-character mantra of socialism to suppress some subtle thoughts.
It cannot be said, it cannot be said.
I'd better go back and think about it some more.
At the same time, the Secret Master, far away at the Beast Ancestor's stronghold, received a communication request from Sorokin.
"Sorokin, what is it now?"
"My Secret Master, I have bad news for you," Sorokin sighed.
"Speak." The Secret Master frowned.
"The deal we were discussing has fallen through."
The Secret Master asked in confusion, "What happened?"
"I promised to reserve your shareholder position, but just now, Black Star came over and used his influence to threaten me. As you know, because of the Evolution Totem, Three Universal Civilizations will definitely support him. To minimize my losses, I had no choice but to agree to his demands."
"You mean, Black Star stole my reserved shareholder seat?" The Secret Master's expression shifted.
"Sigh, that's true. I could create another major shareholder, but it would require diluting other people's shares, which is quite troublesome. It would take a lot of time to do some business operations and complete the capital increase, otherwise the other Beyond Grade A shareholders wouldn't be happy." Sorokin couldn't give up his own shares, otherwise losing control of the consortium would be a real pain.
"... Okay, let's trade after you're done."
Helpless, the Secret Master said he would cooperate again in the future, but in reality he already had plans to cancel the deal.
Sorokin is too unreliable.
I was here first...
The Secret Master wasn't angry about Han Xiao taking his lollipop, since in his view, Black Star didn't know that this private transaction wasn't specifically aimed at him.
Several days later.
"Shattered World Beyond Grade A Development Federation?"
In the Black Star Palace Legion Commander's office, Sylvia looked at the draft plan that Han Xiao handed her and couldn't help but show a look of surprise.
Han Xiao, with his hands behind his head and legs propped up on the table, raised an eyebrow and asked, "Is there a problem?"
"This is a huge problem; the Empire won't agree to it," Sylvia said helplessly. "Openly uniting with Beyond Grade A power is practically asking for trouble with the Three Universal Civilizations."
"What are you talking about? The Shattered World Beyond Grade A Development Federation is a non-governmental organization aimed at resolving conflicts arising from the expansion of Beyond Grade A forces in the Shattered World. It aims to prevent armed conflict among Beyond Grade A forces through negotiation and consultation, and jointly maintain the security of the Shattered World. This is a good thing that benefits the entire star field, and it's a natural idea that came to me after experiencing this incident. I'm just worried that some Beyond Grade A forces might act recklessly and get caught by me." Han Xiao spoke with an air of righteous indignation.
Sylvia was speechless, then waved the document in her hand. "You know this nonsense won't fool the Three Universal Civilizations, right?"
Upon hearing this, Han Xiao finally dropped his gentlemanly expression and rolled his eyes.
"Nonsense, what else can I do? If we want to unite the Beyond Grade A class, we need to find a pretext, a facade. Whether the Three Universal Civilizations believe it or not, we have to come up with a way to smooth things over."
Sylvia looked worried. "Wouldn't it be too conspicuous for our Black Star Army to lead the effort? Especially with the Empire..."
"So this is just a draft. I still need to recruit some people to establish the federation first. Those who participated in the Meeting of the Gods will naturally join in." Han Xiao shook his head.
While there are various alliances among the Beyond Grade A, there has never been a unified guild like the Mercenary Association, the Pharmacist Association, or the Superhero Association. Although this organization is named the Development Federation, to discerning observers, it is clearly Beyond Grade A Association that Explored Universe.
Once most of the Beyond Grade A join this organization, it will attract new Beyond Grade A to join in the future, making the membership broader than that of the Ancient Ones, encompassing the entire Super A Tier.
If the influence of Beyond Grade A individual is used to further expand the membership, it could even evolve into a universe-wide association of superhumans, which would be terrifying, as such associations are typically established under the leadership of Three Universal Civilizations.
"The Three Universal Civilizations would definitely not trust such a non-governmental organization, and would inevitably demand that official personnel be stationed there. At that time..." Sylvia hesitated, unable to finish her sentence.
"I understand what you mean. Beyond Grade A has special significance, Three Universal Civilizations do not want an association of this nature to exist... However, precisely because we are Beyond Grade A, they can only 'not want' it, but cannot 'forbid' it," Han Xiao said.
He was well aware that once such an organization was established, the Super A Tier would no longer be a disorganized mess, and its nature would change, inevitably putting the Three Universal Civilizations on guard. However, for the time being, the formation of the Beyond Grade A Association was merely for the convenience of communication, not for any real malicious intent, so even if the Three Universal Civilizations were wary, they would not take any immediate action.
But who knows what will happen in the future? The unavoidable issue for the united front is the affiliation of each Beyond Grade A with their respective factions. This is a shackle created by the Three Universal Civilizations, and the Super A Tier will not be allowed to break free of it.
Moreover, the Mechanic Emperor wants to unite with the Beyond Grade A forces, while Han Xiao himself wants to reduce Beyond Grade A casualties and accumulate high-end combat power in the Explored Universe. Their goals are different, and they may have disagreements at some point. At the same time, the Beyond Grade A themselves are not of one mind, and there are many problems.
"Commander, you're playing with fire."
Sylvia looked worried, her mind filled with information about the Tragedy of the Pinnacle. The Black Star Army was now thriving, and she didn't want to see the Three Universal Civilizations purge the Beyond Grade A forces. If that happened, the Black Star Army might also be put on the purge list.
The reason why the Three Universal Civilizations have such an unshakeable dominant position is precisely because when they join forces, they are enough to overturn the entire Explored Universe! She has no doubt that in order to maintain their dominant position, the Three Universal Civilizations are willing to pay the price to kill all disobedient Beyond Grade A in the entire universe, even allies.
Even without a cosmic-level civilization as a backer, Beyond Grade A civilization is still Beyond Grade A, and vice versa; even without Beyond Grade A allies, a cosmic-level civilization is still a cosmic-level civilization.
"You're overthinking it. Everyone knows their limits; it won't come to that. This is just a pilot program." Han Xiao exhaled. "Beyond Grade A beings are too sensitive; a single move could have far-reaching consequences. For now, we can only proceed one step at a time and observe the reactions of the Three Universal Civilizations."
"Okay... I'll go and refine the plan."
Sylvia had no choice but to agree, since Han Xiao was the boss.
She got up and opened the door, only to find Fording standing outside, also looking for Han Xiao. The two passed each other as they went in and out.
Looking up and seeing Fording, Han Xiao's eyes lit up. He sat up straight and smiled, "Aren't you practicing singing today? What brings you here?"
"I know everything. You actually want me to act?" Fording said helplessly. "Couldn't you have discussed it with me beforehand?"
"Being a celebrity is just your old profession. Besides, the legion needs you, you can't refuse, can you?" Han Xiao chuckled.
"Okay, acting is one thing, but why am I the lead?" Fording was speechless. "That director actually cast me as you?!"
Fording plays the role of "Black Star" in the film.
Lucky people always get leading roles in movies.
"This arrangement is perfect. Only someone as handsome as you playing me would make it believable. Look at us standing there, people who don't know us would probably think we're twins."
Fording: "..."
Han Xiao laughed for a while, then waved his hand, "Alright, I'm not teasing you anymore. The main thing is that no one dared to play me, no one dared to take the consequences of messing it up. But you're one of my people, and you used to be a star, so that's how the director arranged it."
"But it's been so long since I've acted, isn't this too frivolous...?" Fording hesitated.
"Haha, we need you to play the lead role for the show to be a big hit. Besides, you're already at the Calamity Grade and a telekinetic master, what difficulty could acting possibly be for you?" Han Xiao laughed.
After much persuasion, Han Xiao finally convinced the still skeptical Fording to leave.
He shook his head and smiled, then took out his communicator to check the latest news.
After scrolling through the messages for a while, he suddenly paused, his gaze locking onto one of the internal news items from the Empire:
The Dark Emperor has resigned!