"A Tearful Accusation! The Dark Secrets of Entrapment Behind the Intelligence Plague!"
"Urgent Notice! Those black market hires smuggling viruses are a scam! They could very well be bait from the Three Universal Civilizations!"
I'm the player who shared on the forum about hiring someone to smuggle the virus. An hour ago, I was leading my guild on the edge of the Ancient Star Desert when we were suddenly ambushed by Three Universal Civilizations. Black Star personally took action and wiped out our entire guild. Now everyone is sealed in the Space-Time Amber, and I don't know how long it will take to be unsealed. I guess I'm doomed.
I initially didn't understand where the leak had occurred. Fortunately, Black Star believed we had nowhere to run and couldn't possibly leak information, so he revealed the plans of the Three Universal Civilizations. It really startled me. I never imagined that among those anonymous employers on the black market, there were spies from the Three Universal Civilizations! Their goal was to lure out those unstable elements who dared to accept the missions, sting them down one by one!
This is terrifying! Currently, no one outside our guild knows this secret. I'm posting this because I can't bear to see other brothers also be harmed by the Three Universal Civilizations. Therefore, I'm issuing this warning: please, everyone, do not fall for Black Star's treacherous schemes!
To prove his point, the Melancholy Prince also posted screenshots and a video of Black Star speaking.
The post was like a lit match thrown into a swamp, causing an uproar among both the troublemakers and the law-abiding players who were exchanging insults.
[The Immorality Trilogy: Shocking! It turns out those black market hires were entrapment operations?! Σ(っ°Д°;)っ]
[Zaisan Xuzhongshi: I knew it! How could the Lawful factions ignore such a loophole? It turns out they had another plan. The Three Universal Civilizations are cunning and shrewd. This move was brilliant.]
[Military Base Office Director: Black Star Black Star truly lives up to his name; his heart is truly black.]
[Qing Ningzi: Hahaha, that's hilarious! Where are all those 'Little Cookies' who envied the Ancient Star Desert players? Why aren't they saying anything?]
[Slaying People Not Karma: In that case, the factional distinctions in this main storyline are very clear. Opposing the disaster means standing on the side of order to eradicate evil, while supporting the disaster means going against the Three Universal Civilizations. I really admire these players' courage; it's like, "If I don't go to hell, who will?"]
The law-abiding players who opposed fueling the fire were all gloating, while the players who had previously supported spreading the disaster were shocked and speechless.
Players who had been lured by the exorbitant rewards and accepted employment on the black market were especially alarmed. A large number of them hurriedly canceled their employment missions, fearing that they too would be caught in a sting operation by the Three Universal Civilizations.
[Young Ox Eats Old Grass: Let me see who's causing trouble (Black Star peeking out from the grass. jpg)]
[Army Commander's Big Machine: Black Star: snap, your account is gone! (▼皿▼#)]
[The Long Live the Bootlickers' Association: Sigh, if it weren't for the poster, we'd still be in the dark and would have been rounded up by the enforcement team... Enough said, the poster saved our lives, so loyal! I'll drink to that first, ton ton ton~]
[Senior Member of Taobao Web: The original poster went to great lengths to obtain this information. May you live a long and peaceful life. PS: If the original poster is planning to change accounts, I can generously sponsor 100 Enas.]
[Fording Supporters Club - Ge Erpao: Mourning for the original poster]
[Fish Don't Pee: Mourning +1]
[Hila's No. 666 Simp: Bro, I think you should stop calling yourself the Melancholy Prince and start calling yourself the Depressed Prince.]
While some doubted the authenticity of the post, after seeing the screenshots and videos posted by the Melancholy Prince, they had no choice but to admit it was true.
The post exposed by the Melancholy Prince has alerted many players, and many have indeed been startled, becoming suspicious and hesitant to act rashly.
He thought he had successfully thwarted the fishing operation of the Three Universal Civilizations and vented his anger, but in reality, his actions had not escaped Han Xiao's calculations.
A pair of eyes hidden in the shadows watched the forum. Seeing so many players believing the "fishing operation" and turning down jobs to smuggle viruses, Han Xiao knew his actions had worked and couldn't help but smile triumphantly.
Melancholy... Oh, this guy has changed his name. The Depressed Prince has done a good job this time and his sentence can be reduced by a few minutes—although this guy is still in the dark, indulging in his fantasy of venting.
Ancient Star Desert, the Planet Qijin.
This planet does not belong to any civilization or regime. Many years ago, it was contracted by several conglomerates and transformed into an interstellar neutral port. Later, the Interstellar Black Market took over and turned it into a transit and supply station for gray forces, making it quite famous in the Ancient Star Desert.
Here, one can find traces of various wanted criminals and numerous gray-market forces. Many gray-market forces also have headquarters or branches here. Due to certain tacit understandings and deals, interstellar civilizations tacitly allow the existence of these gray transit points and do not send guards to suppress them. Although this place is a melting pot of all sorts of people, it is not a lawless zone; large black market organizations often establish order here.
The organization based on Planet Qijin is Black Codex, a brokerage organization and a member of the black market management.
The types of organizations that manage the black market are diverse, including mercenaries, arms dealers, mining teams, and so on. Among them, the most influential are the brokers, who take the upper-level route, move between different civilizations, have intricate relationships, and act as intermediaries for other black market organizations, providing them with protection and guarantees.
The Black Codex is this type of force, but with a more diversified business. It uses its years of accumulated reputation and word-of-mouth to guarantee the employment and auction transactions circulating on the black market, and also functions as an intermediary exchange, essentially making it a black market version of a bank.
The security of funds has always been a concern for the gray forces, but the Black Codex keeps all its financial transactions secret. Countless amounts of underground black money circulate through them every day, spreading throughout the Interstellar Black Market, which gives you an idea of how astonishing its power is.
A vast amount of power requires an equal amount of strength to maintain, especially in the dog-eat-dog world of the underworld. The Black Codex has ample funds to maintain a large military force, and it also has a Beyond Grade A protector behind it... These factors ensure the Black Codex's superior position among the black market administrators.
The organization's top-ranking positions are called Chief Legal Officers, with the leader being the Chief Chief Legal Officer, followed by the second, third, and so on, with a total of five deputy leaders, up to the sixth seat, each presiding over a region.
At this very moment, at the headquarters of the Black Codex organization on Planet Qijin, the Third Codex Chief, who was in charge of the Ancient Star Desert business, was standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of his office, looking up at the starlight under the dark sky, his brows slightly furrowed.
The adjutant, dressed in a well-tailored silver-black uniform, entered the room and, seeing the scene, asked curiously:
"Third Code Chief, what are you thinking?"
"It's nothing... I'm just feeling a little uneasy."
The Third Codex Elder raised his hand to rub his prominent brow, somewhat lost in thought.
As a hybrid immortal being, the Third Codex Elder possesses a special talent: an extremely keen sixth sense, occasionally able to vaguely perceive fragments of the future.
For the past few days, he has been frequently distracted and has a vague sense of unease, as if something bad is about to happen.
"Then I'll go get you some calming medicine." Upon hearing this, the adjutant turned to leave.
"No need, I'm fine."
The Third Code Chief called him back, turned around, and casually asked:
"Tell me, what do you have to report to me?"
"It's like this..." The adjutant took out a report and said seriously, "I've discovered some rumors that the Three Universal Civilizations are secretly spreading black market mercenaries on a large scale, conducting sting operations to arrest them."
"Where did you get your information? From rumors circulating online?" The Third Code Chief frowned.
"No, no, there are no such rumors in the star network of the Ancient Star Desert. I heard about it from some people in private, so I did some investigation and found that this rumor spread from an unknown source. I think it might be a hidden danger, so I came to report to you..."
The Third Code Chief shook his head. "Your source of information is unreliable and untrustworthy. As guarantors hired through the black market, while we accept applications from anonymous employers, we also conduct certain investigations. This kind of entrapment is damaging our reputation. We can tolerate it once or twice, but if they want to continue using our reputation to carry out this plan on a large scale, the organization cannot possibly remain completely unaware."
"You're right, I went to unnecessary lengths." The adjutant nodded.
"You haven't done anything wrong; it's a good thing to have this kind of vigilance."
The Third Code Chief continued to turn his head to look out the window, and said earnestly:
"We are the beacon of order in the black market. On one hand, we rely on our powerful influence, and on the other hand, we rely on the reputation and credibility we have built up over the years. The villains in the gray market trust our professional ethics, which is our core competitiveness. At any time... even when facing death, we must not violate the rules of integrity, confidentiality, fairness, and security. Otherwise, we will damage the foundation of the organization and the order of the entire black market."
"Understood." The adjutant kept it in mind, secretly admiring him.
Brush!
As soon as they finished speaking, a remote communication screen suddenly popped up beside them, revealing the panicked face of an observer.
"This is bad! Radar has detected an Imperial fleet approaching. They're making no attempt to conceal their movements; their destination is Planet Qijin, and they didn't give us any advance notice!"
The Third Code's expression changed, filled with surprise and doubt, his sixth sense growing stronger.
Normally, the Three Universal Civilizations wouldn't visit the Gray Transfer Station in such a grand manner, but today the Imperial fleet has suddenly arrived as uninvited guests, clearly indicating that their intentions are not good.
He immediately thought of the Intelligence Plague; it seemed that the Empire had no other reason to come knocking.
However, the Third Code Chief was a man who had seen many storms, and he quickly calmed down and said in a deep voice:
"Find out who's leading this Imperial fleet?"
The Empire has a powerful background, but he is also a powerful interstellar figure with Beyond Grade A protector as his backer. The Third Code Chief still has some confidence to talk to the Empire.
With this in mind, he secretly made a decision: if the leader of the Empire was not of high rank, he felt there was no need to make a special effort to greet him; it would be better to stay here and wait for the Empire to come and talk to him.
The adjutant made some contacts, then suddenly shuddered, swallowed hard, and said in a trembling voice:
"The Third Chief of the Code, the commander of this Imperial fleet, seems to be Black Star..."
As soon as he finished speaking, the Third Code Chief's expression changed drastically, and he immediately lost his composure.
Without a word, he strode out the door, anxiously issuing orders as he went:
"Quickly, quickly, prepare a vehicle for me. I'm going to the docks to meet Lord Black Star!"
If he were an ordinary imperial officer, the Third Code Chief could still put on airs because of his status.
But the one who came was the infamous Black Star, whose most powerful protector in the black market had become his collectible. How could he dare to stay at home and wait for Black Star to come to him?
As the Imperial fleet entered the starport, Han Xiao stepped onto the dock and was greeted by the Third Code Chief and a group of his subordinates, who were extremely respectful.
The two met, and Han Xiao didn't exchange pleasantries. He proposed to discuss a deal and asked the Third Code Chief to lead the way to the conference room for the talk.
Accompanied carefully by the Third Code Chief, the group arrived at the Black Codex's branch on the planet and took their seats in the conference room.
After sitting down, Han Xiao raised his eyes to look at the Third Codex Chief opposite him and slowly spoke:
"You're a smart man, and I'm sure you understand the Empire's intentions, so I won't stand on ceremony. The Black Codex provides guarantees for anonymous hires, leading to a surge of black market mercenaries smuggling the virus in the Ancient Star Desert, increasing the risk of virus leakage. Now, on behalf of the Black Star Army and the Crimson Dynasty, I demand that you suspend your hiring guarantee service and disclose the information of these anonymous employers to facilitate our arrest."
"Impossible!" the Third Code Chief refused categorically. "This is against the principles of our Black Codex. We will never disclose user information, I..."
Han Xiao interrupted him, his tone turning serious. "Does the purpose of your black market organization surpass the ruling power of the Three Universal Civilizations? Or is the Black Codex determined to spread disaster and wreak havoc on all life in the universe?"
The Third Code Chief hurriedly protested his innocence:
"Of course not. We've simply maintained neutrality. Our actions haven't changed before or after the Intelligence Plague outbreak; we've merely maintained this platform..."
Don't try to brush me off with that.
Han Xiao tapped the table with his finger and said slowly:
"Your inaction is tantamount to condoning the leak of the virus; your inaction is to fuel the disaster. The current situation does not allow for the existence of neutral parties. Neither I nor the Three Universal Civilizations want to see anyone profiting from this serious disaster."
Upon hearing this, the Third Code Chief's expression shifted between anger and uncertainty.
His ominous premonition came true; he felt that Black Star was using this as an excuse to try and seize their well-established black market guarantee platform in the Ancient Star Desert.
If it were just Black Star alone, it wouldn't have left him so bewildered. However, Black Star came here on imperial orders, which meant he held a "sword of Damocles," representing the attitudes of the Three Universal Civilizations.
Despite the Black Codex's influence spreading across various star systems, the Three Universal Civilizations could easily crush it. Moreover, the Ancient Star Desert is currently sealed off, leaving it without any outside assistance.
The Third Code Chief was unwilling, but he had no other choice. He was in the Ancient Star Desert and couldn't even notify headquarters, so he had to bite the bullet and call for reinforcements.
"Lord Black Star, must you do this? We have Lord Urru behind us; he, like you, is also a Beyond Grade A..."
Han Xiao chuckled immediately, "Oh ho, what are you trying to do, threaten me or something? You've got guts. Let's not even talk about how your protector is out there and can't come back. Even if he did, so what?"
The Third Code Chief gritted his teeth, glanced at the imperial soldiers beside him, and mustered his courage to say:
"I know your intentions. You want to use this opportunity to infiltrate the black market and control certain channels. The Three Universal Civilizations are currently condoning your actions, but what happens after the disaster is resolved? They won't sit idly by and let you extend your reach so far. They will inevitably accept your gains. So your current actions will only benefit the Three Universal Civilizations in the end. Why be so aggressive?"
"How dare you! You actually try to sow discord!"
The Imperial officer standing nearby flew into a rage, abruptly drawing his weapon and aiming it at the Third Code Chief's forehead.
At this moment, Han Xiao raised his hand, signaling the imperial officers to put away their weapons, and said with a smile:
"You don't understand me. Although I'm just a profit-driven person, I won't take the wrong side on matters of principle like this."
The Third Code gritted his teeth and tried to provoke him:
"The Three Universal Civilizations tacitly allowed you to step forward, which is to use you. You are the one who offended the Big Black organizations, so that the Three Universal Civilizations can then reap the rewards of victory. Is the mighty Black Star willing to be used?"
"Heh, cracking down on organized crime is everyone's responsibility; offending someone is no big deal."
Han Xiao smiled knowingly.
"Besides, exploitation is a two-way street; who benefits and who loses is uncertain."
He was certain he had the Black Codex under control this time; it was less a negotiation and more a notification.
The Ancient Star Desert is now an isolated island. Catalyzed by disaster, it has torn off the veil of equality and revealed its true face of dictatorship. With the backing of Three Universal Civilizations, it has no scruples.
In this scenario, aside from protected interstellar civilizations, other private forces are merely prey for sharks; any failure to cooperate will result in annihilation.
Seeing this, the Third Chief of the Code knew that the matter was beyond his control and that there was no use in stubbornly insisting on his point. He immediately deflated, leaned back, and looked utterly hopeless.
"Since I have no way to resist anyway, I'm handing over all the channels of the Black Codex in the Ancient Star Desert to you..."
Upon hearing this, the adjutant looked at the Third Code Chief in disbelief, his eyes questioning.
--That's not what you just said. You agreed that even if you died, you wouldn't damage the organization's reputation!
Noticing the adjutant's gaze, the Third Chief of the Law Society threw back a vicious look:
What, can't I brag a little?
Black Star was sitting right across from me. "My life's more important than yours, go ahead and die!"
A true hero is one who can bend and stretch!