One hour later.
In the dimly lit room, a single eerie green candle flame on the table was the only source of light. The flame flickered and swayed with the breath of breathing, casting a ghastly green glow on the faces gathered around the table and leaving mottled shadows that looked extremely sinister and eerie.
Above the candlelight, a publicly displayed panel showed the introduction of the Black Star Character Card.
The captain of the Golden Team, whose ID is "Free Flying," is a legendary player in Huaxia's streetball scene and a veteran player who started playing in version 1.0. At this moment, he has a worried look on his face and speaks in a low voice:
"We've discovered such a huge secret! Gentlemen, what should we do now?"
"What else can we do but go public already!"
"But this is our trump card for the finals. If we reveal it, wouldn't we be exposed...?"
"Oh dear, what time is it now? Why worry about all that! Compared to the safety of the entire legion, winning the game is no longer important. Don't you know what's more important?"
As everyone was arguing, a female player suddenly raised her hand timidly and asked a question:
"I have a question. Why don't we turn on the lights and only use candles?"
"To discuss such an important matter, you need a pitch-black environment like this; that's how it's portrayed in movies."
"I understand the logic, but why are we only lighting candles?" another team member asked, scratching his head.
"We might be the only ones who have discovered the truth. The atmosphere needs to be serious, you know, a sense of ritual, right?"
Another team leader let out a long "Oh," and said, "I see. But why only light candles?"
"Enough!"
Unable to bear it any longer, Free Flying got up, interrupted the student's repetition, climbed over to turn on the light, and promptly steered the conversation back on track.
After receiving the Black Star Character Card, the young hearts of all the members of the Golden Team were shocked, and they quickly returned to their base to discuss what to do.
Regarding the issue, the team split into two factions. One side believed that the secret should be kept until after the finals, while the other side believed that the matter was of great importance and should be made public on the forum immediately to remind all legion players that their faction leader had been switched.
Although they had finally made it to the Black Star Cup finals, the competition immediately lost its appeal after this secret was unexpectedly discovered, and everyone's attention was completely drawn to the mystery of the Legion Commander's identity.
The character card was marked with the prefix "Black Star," but no one could be sure if it was a disguise. After all, there were similar examples. Blank Character Card usually only showed the target's current identity, meaning there was no way to see through the disguise.
For example, using Blank Character Card on Sorokin or the Oathkeeper will only display "Sorokin Character Card" or "Oathkeeper Character Card," and will not reveal their true identities.
Therefore, in everyone's eyes, this ability with the "Manison" suffix is clearly more convincing!
Thump!
Free Flying slammed his fist on the table and said firmly, "I think we should announce the news immediately. We have no chance of reaching the finals in the official league, but the Black Star Cup has given us an opportunity. Even if we lose the finals, we will still be among the top four and have gained a lot of popularity. If it weren't for the Black Star Cup held by the Legion, none of this would exist. As the old saying goes, we should not forget the well-digger when we drink the water. The competition rewards are just a small benefit. Maintaining the entire Legion is the greater benefit!"
Besides, over the past few versions, how many benefits has the Legion Commander brought us? How many people like this character? He might be in danger now, how can we sit idly by! The opportunity to save the Legion now lies with us!
Many of the skilled solo players present were veteran Huaxia gamers who had a deep affection for their guilds and considered them their own faction.
Hardcore fans like Free Flying are even willing to give up the benefits of the finals to protect the Legion and Black Star, just to remind everyone that relying on their own small group is simply not enough. It's better to gather the strength of the Legion players and work together to find a way to thwart the Mechanic Emperor's "conspiracy"!
Upon hearing this, everyone recalled the past and suddenly felt a surge of passion, a belief rising in their hearts.
At this moment, Free Flying extended his palm, and everyone understood. They all reached out and overlapped their hands, exchanging glances and seeing a strong sense of responsibility in each other's eyes.
"Now, it's our turn to save the legion commander!"
After shouting a slogan, "Free Flying!" he immediately opened the forum and started writing a post, typing out a title without hesitation...
The Century Revealed! The Unspeakable Secrets of Black Star and the Mechanic Emperor!
The fleet rested for half a day on Black Gate Star, and soon set off again for the final match venue of the Black Star Cup.
Inside the cabin, Han Xiao and Sylvia chatted about work for most of the day before waving for Sylvia to leave.
Alone in the room, he comfortably reclined in his chair, casually opened the forum, and began his daily observation of the silly netizens.
"Let me see what today's 'happy meal' is..."
Han Xiao hummed a little tune as he entered the forum, only to be immediately dumbfounded upon seeing what he saw.
A glance revealed posts with titles like "Urgent! Spread the word! Legion Commander's identity is a mystery!", "A shocking conspiracy by the Mechanic Emperor!", "Crisis! The Black Star Army may change hands!", and "Save the Legion Commander!" The entire Shattered World section was flooded with similar posts.
What are all these things?!
I haven't checked the forum for most of the day, what happened?
Han Xiao was completely confused. He opened the most popular post and found that the poster was an ID he recognized—it was none other than Free Flying, the captain of the Golden Team.
The post began with a high-definition, uncensored screenshot, clearly showing the introduction to the Black Star Character Card. Upon seeing the ability name of [Billions of Mechanic Emperor - Manison], Han Xiao immediately understood what was going on, and his lips twitched involuntarily.
"No way, I have thousands of abilities, and this one had to be drawn from Blank Character Card? What kind of incredible luck did these people have... By the way, I just got back, when was this drawn? Did someone grope me at the docks?"
He looked down, and sure enough, Free Flying recounted what had happened:
"Hello fellow legion members, this is Free Flying from the Golden Team. Just over an hour ago, we discovered an amazing secret!"
Not long ago, at the scene of the Legion Commander's return to the territory, our team mingled among the onlookers, intending to use a Blank Character Card to inscribe Black Star's abilities. We originally planned to use it as our trump card in the upcoming Black Star Cup finals. However, as you can see in the screenshots, we never expected to draw the Mechanic Emperor's abilities from Black Star! This terrified us all!
We couldn't understand this situation. After discussion, we came to a startling conclusion—the current legion commander might be an imposter from the Mechanic Emperor! His goal is to replace Black Star and usurp our legion!
Ultimately, we unanimously decided to immediately release this crucial intelligence. Everyone needs to unite to uncover the truth and unravel the conspiracy! My fellow officers, the future of the Legion is in our hands!
Han Xiao looked constipated.
This deduction seems reasonable, but he still feels like these people are out of their minds...
He looked down at the replies, which had already caused an uproar, with countless people questioning the situation.
"Really? Is this picture photoshopped?"
"It's definitely photoshopped. These young people, they're always trying to make a big splash, like spitting up milk on clothes."
"You guys probably think you have no hope of winning, so you're trying to pull some dirty tricks, aren't you?"
"Good job, I'll give you a slap in the face."
"Oh no, someone's going to rename it 'The Great Machine of the Mechanic Emperor' (lol)."
In response to doubts, Free Flying added a comment in the popular replies:
"I know everyone must have some doubts, but on the day of the finals, we'll use this character card and show it to everyone, so they'll believe the legion needs us to save it!"
I'll save your grandma's leg!
Han Xiao gritted his teeth in resentment, returned to the forum page, and quickly browsed through the related posts. He found that besides the skeptics, many people had also posted serious analyses of this possibility:
[Reinhardt: Perhaps it's true. The Mechanic Emperor has every motive to do so. Didn't they have a conflict in the Ancient Star Desert a while ago? Could it be that the Mechanic Emperor attacked the Legion Commander afterward!]
[Pikashu: If this is fake, then where is the real legion commander? Was he killed?]
[Wolf Fire: That's unlikely. After all, the Legion Commander is so tanky. I think the Mechanic Emperor just banished him and he won't be back for a while, which is why they dare to brazenly pretend to be Black Star!]
[Foot-Picking Hippo: Do you all just accept the idea that the Legion Commander was switched? Couldn't it be that Black Star somehow learned the abilities of the Mechanic Emperor?]
[Smelly Feet Bane: The possibility is too low. This is the first time in so many years that Blank Character Card drawn from Black Star has an ability with a unique suffix.]
[Zero to the Zeroth Power: Could it be that they made a deal, teaching each other their special skills?]
[My Dog Is Called Lagi: Hmm, so... now if you use Blank Character Card against the Mechanic Emperor, is it possible to draw "Undying Body - Black Star"?]
[Good Big Brother Touch Touch Big: Damn, that's amazing!]
You're a real genius... Han Xiao's teeth ached from looking at you like that.
[Ice Tornado: Wait, there are other possibilities! Could Black Star's abilities have originally belonged to the Mechanic Emperor?!]
[Blueberry: Wow! That makes sense. If Black Star was a secret disciple of the Mechanic Emperor a long time ago, his rapid rise to power can be explained!]
[Shadow Stream Execution Song: It seems that the falling out a while ago was just a charade, one betraying the other while the other pretended to be loyal, but they were actually in cahoots behind the scenes. That's brilliant, wow... I get it! The Mechanic Emperor carrying out a grand conspiracy, he's playing a huge game!!]
You don't understand anything!
Han Xiao's forehead veins bulged.
[Blood Rose: I can't take it anymore, my curiosity is getting the better of me! What exactly happened between Black Star and the Mechanic Emperor?]
[Disco Elysium: Just wondering, if I ask the Legion Commander directly, will I be silenced? Although I'm not afraid...]
[Meat Bun Hits Dog: Ah, my eyes have seen through everything! A storm is brewing, and this secret might lead to a new major storyline... I have a feeling the next version's theme will be the Black Star Army's split! I have more material!]
You're the one who's broken up, the whole family is broken up!
Han Xiao figured that if he grabbed these players and shook them, he would definitely hear the sound of liquid sloshing around in their heads.
He glanced at it, and suddenly a new post caught his eye, titled "Legion Rescue Plan: Call to Action".
Clicking in, I was shocked to find it was that Free Shit Throwing:
"Brothers and sisters, the Black Star Army has been with us for four versions. This is our faction, and we cannot allow others to take away the fruits of our labor!"
Unfortunately, the Legion's officers won't believe us; our evidence can only be seen by the players themselves.
Therefore, I have decided to launch a righteous rebellion. Taking advantage of the live broadcast of the Black Star Cup's closing ceremony to the entire universe, I will stand up and expose the true face of the Mechanic Emperor to the whole universe!
Therefore, I need everyone's strength!
Although we are far from being a match for Beyond Grade A, we can use our lives to make the entire universe see through the conspiracy of the Mechanic Emperor!
Anyone willing to participate in this operation, please leave your name in this post and contact us.
Gentlemen, draw your swords! Now it is up to us to save the legion!
Though I am dead, I am still a lowly soldier under the Black Star!
Mechanic Emperor, Manison, show your health bar!
Han Xiao was dumbfounded.
Scrolling down, the replies to this post were skyrocketing at a rate of hundreds per second, with countless people excitedly signing up... It's unclear how many troublemakers were mixed in with them.
Holy crap, is this guy trying to betray me?!
Han Xiao's expression was extremely conflicted and complicated.
He didn't know whether to feel frustrated or touched.
This incident clearly demonstrates the remarkable achievements of my four versions, forging a deep emotional bond with Huaxia players. The fact that these players were willing to go to such lengths for me is truly... well, let's just say it's incredibly touching!
Is this some kind of outrageously stunning move?!
Han Xiao read the post twice more, gritting his teeth:
"I have to say, this post got me all fired up... Damn it, people with crazy minds really do have a wide range of ideas and their brains are full of hilarious surprises!"