Han Xiao couldn't help but rub his temples, feeling a headache coming on.
Players are the embodiment of chaos. Even after becoming members of their own faction, they remain uncontrollable. Even with good intentions, their initiative can lead to all sorts of bizarre and unpredictable events.
The entire forum's atmosphere was distorted by this topic, and Han Xiao even saw a title that looked like a pornographic story, demonstrating the power of such reckless manipulation.
After feeling down for a while, Han Xiao suddenly burst out laughing.
"These people are really causing trouble... but it might not be a bad thing."
He pondered for a while and suddenly realized that there was no need to stop it.
Putting aside the fact that the players are exchanging information on the forum, you can't very well use that as evidence to arrest someone—how can you hold an awards ceremony if you arrest someone? Besides, this isn't necessarily a bad thing for the legion's sense of belonging.
--If it weren't for the love and recognition of hardcore gamers, why would they volunteer to "save" him?
Managing a cosmic warlord force doesn't require fixing problems one by one like a tinkerer. Instead, letting the players cause a ruckus at the closing ceremony will increase the Black Star Cup's buzz and public attention, saving you the trouble of issuing missions and staging your own drama.
The "Loyal Ministers" led by Free Flying wanted to carry out a righteous betrayal, but Han Xiao saw no threat at all and was happy to play along.
The Black Star Army's public image in the universe recently is basically equivalent to that of universally recognized upright individuals. The public is incredibly tolerant of the Legion now. Even with this minor incident at the end of the Black Star Cup, it won't affect the Legion's prestige. On the contrary, it will amuse most people—the reputation accumulated over the years isn't for nothing; it's the armor of public opinion.
In fact, Han Xiao understood after a little thought that he didn't need to explain the rumors circulating among the players to anyone; it was no big deal to him.
I'm the leader of this camp, a top-tier warlord in the universe. I haven't actually been switched at birth. If I have to carefully explain myself in the face of such bizarre accusations, wouldn't that be ridiculous? It's like how Chuan Jianguo, a famous figure in history, was constantly suspected of being a party member. Did he really need to explain to the public? Of course not, everyone knows he's a comrade.
The evidence players suspect is the character card effect, which seems reasonable from their perspective. However, once the overall perspective is taken into account, this suspicion becomes untenable. If the Mechanic Emperor really switched them out, there are too many inexplicable flaws. For example, the other Beyond Grade A perception is not just for show, the Three Universal Civilizations could not possibly have failed to detect it, the Legion's AI Phillip would not have been completely unresponsive, and they could not possibly have mobilized their own Dimensional Barracks, etc.
No one in the universe can flawlessly impersonate another Peak Beyond Grade A, not even the Phantom God Kant with his talent for transformation.
Some players don't understand these common-sense rules among important figures, so their accusations might be discussed as casual conversation among Star Citizens. However, only a complete idiot would actually believe them—non-players can't see the interface, and their evidence is something that simply doesn't exist for ordinary people.
Han Xiao knew perfectly well that players believed this claim now mainly because the novelty hadn't worn off yet. Once the initial fervor and blind faith faded and they saw that the faction's movements hadn't changed, this ridiculous rumor would naturally fall apart on its own.
Important figures are bound to have some strange and unusual rumors surrounding them; explaining them is unnecessary, so it's better to leave it to the players' imaginations.
Han Xiao's eyes flashed.
For players who simply want to enjoy the benefits of their faction, it doesn't matter who's in charge. So, risking punishment from their faction to expose the Mechanic Emperor's "conspiracy" is tantamount to sacrificing their lives for a cause.
So, wouldn't a larger number of people participating in this operation represent a stronger sense of cohesion within the legion?!
Moreover, players using this reason to cause trouble are actually Mechanic Emperor!
Thinking of this, Han Xiao smiled and called out to Phillip:
"Phillip, keep a close watch on the movements of the Legion of the Immortals during this period, and report back to me with any developments."
"Okay, buzz!"
"Oh, and while I'm at it, invite the Beyond Grade A to the ceremony in my name, and send a copy to the Mechanic Emperor as well."
"Buzz... Didn't you fall out with the Mechanic Emperor? Will he come?" Phillip tilted his head, looking confused.
"How should I know? I'll just send it to him. It would be best if he came; then I can flirt with him again," Han Xiao chuckled.
"Okay, okay then, buzz."
Seeing Han Xiao's kind smile, Phillip shrank back, not daring to speak or ask anything.
"Black Star invited me to an event?"
In a secret base somewhere in the Ancient Star Desert, Manison, who was studying the principles of a Virtual Mutiny Virus through simulation models, stopped and looked at his AI with a puzzled expression.
"Yes, he intends to invite you to the Black Star Cup closing ceremony."
Is this guy having another episode?
We've already fallen out, so why is he sending me an invitation? What makes Black Star think I'd go and support his event?
Manison was completely baffled.
Could it be that she's trying to mend the relationship and get back together?
Or are you trying to embarrass me in public?
"No, please decline for me."
Manison gave a curt reply and turned back to continue his technical deductions.
"Okay, the message has been sent."
Manison hummed in agreement, then paused in his work, saying casually, "Oh, and remember to remind me to watch the live stream on the day of the Black Star Cup closing ceremony."
Unsolicited kindness is always suspicious; there's no smoke without fire. Although he didn't intend to give Han Xiao face, he wanted to see what Black Star was really up to.
Just as the forum was buzzing with discussions about whether Han Xiao was real or fake, the final two matches of the Black Star Cup were held as scheduled.
Countless stands floated above the competition planet, densely packed and completely filled with people, including legion members and regular spectators who had bought tickets.
The specially designed spectator stands, produced by the Legion's Logistics Department, are oval-shaped cabins with all walls made of transparent materials, allowing a view of the outside from any angle inside, and also featuring zoom functionality.
Meanwhile, layers of transparent energy barriers protect the spectator stands, isolating them from various impacts and radiation to prevent any lucky spectators from being injured by the aftershocks. The external anti-gravity ion vector thrusters allow the spectator stands to fly at high speeds in various postures, maintaining a stable speed of Mach 24 to keep up with the speed of battlefield movement at high Calamity Grade. The cabin is equipped with advanced vertical gyro stabilizers, noise reduction equipment, and shock absorption devices, so even at hypersonic speeds, the spectators will not feel any turbulence and will always have a feeling of being firmly planted on the ground.
Today, Han Xiao personally attended the match, appearing amidst a sea of people, hovering in front of the numerous spectators.
The moment he appeared, I felt a jolt of electricity through my skin, as if I were being scrutinized by countless people from behind.
Han Xiao was not surprised at all. He knew without turning around that countless players in the audience were throwing "Detection" skills at him. Phillip had mentally compiled and reported the discussions in each audience seat.
To the players, Han Xiao's specific attributes remained a question mark, but their goal was to detect the color of Han Xiao's name. The result they got was still a green name representing their own people, so they couldn't help but whisper and discuss it among themselves.
"Let's begin." Han Xiao ignored the players' slight commotion and turned to signal to the host.
The host coughed and said loudly:
"Greetings everyone, today is the final day of the Black Star Cup official competition. There will be two finals: a one-on-one final for the Calamity Grade Group and a four-way free-for-all final for the Immortals Group. Without further ado, today's first match is a duel between two Calamity Grade powerhouses. Please step forward, contestants..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Hadavy and Jotina appeared. After a brief introduction and interaction, they went to their respective positions to wait for the match to begin. The Calamity Grade arena was the entire surface of the planet.
Time ticked by, and the atmosphere in the arena grew increasingly tense. As the host announced the start of the match, two figures left afterimages in their tracks before suddenly colliding.
Thump!
A shockwave erupted, and the two immediately engaged in combat. Their movements were like teleportation, incredibly swift, moving rapidly across the ground, leaving cracks and deep claw marks hundreds of meters long in their wake.
Thump thump thump thump--
The ferocious martial arts aura continuously bombarded Hadavy, the aftershocks shattering all the rocks and trees along the way, like a smoke dragon rampaging across the land, causing earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis and other natural Calamity Grade.
Hadavy is Hardening Ability User, Jotina is a martial artist, both skilled in close combat. Their fight is violent and savage, a pure clash of muscles, like two ferocious beasts battling each other... To be specific, Jotina makes the moves, and Hadavy gets hit; it's a matter of whether the one being hit gives out first or the one doing the hitting gets tired first.
The battle at the Calamity Grade was grand and awe-inspiring, and extremely exciting in the eyes of most viewers. But in Han Xiao's eyes, the two moved as slowly as snails. He could easily count how many times Hadavy's face twitched after being hit by a fist.
With Han Xiao's current level, a battle at the Calamity Grade is no challenge for him, so he simply browses the forums while taking a look whenever he has a spare moment.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the two fought for most of the day before a victor emerged. The planet's surface looked as if it had been bombarded by countless meteorites, a truly horrific sight. In the end, Hadavy prevailed, though his head was swollen and bruised, he exhausted Jotina to the point of collapse.
After decades of relentless trials and tribulations, Hadavy's Hardening defense is now terrifyingly high. Combined with his two template feats, "True Damage Immunity" and "Low-Intensity Attack Immunity," there is no one in the Black Star Army who is tankier than him, except for Han Xiao.
"Haha, I'm a key member personally trained by Lord Black Star for decades. You're still too green."
Hadavy, beaming with pride, wagged his finger at Jotina on the ground.
If you ignore the swelling in his cheeks, his words are quite convincing...
"Damn it!"
Jotina, filled with resentment, slammed her fist into the ground, the shockwave cracking the ground tens of meters in diameter.
Failing to win the championship meant failing to impress Black Star; failing to impress Black Star meant less time to interact with her at the awards ceremony; less time to interact made it harder to develop a relationship; and the increased difficulty in developing a relationship meant a lower chance of mating with Black Star... This made her, a newcomer whose goal was to sleep with Black Star, extremely resentful.
Han Xiao watched the two return to heal their wounds, then stroked his chin, lost in thought.
'In his previous life Hadavy failed to become Beyond Grade A, Jotina even died at the hands of the Beast Ancestor. Now, both of them are under my command. I've trained Hadavy for decades, and his chances of becoming Beyond Grade A aren't zero. It's just that his abilities are too one-dimensional. Even if he does become Beyond Grade A, he'll probably just be a bottom-tier nobody like Kohler or Beoni...'
As for Jotina, aside from her unrestrained lifestyle, Han Xiao quite admired her.
In terms of potential alone, Jotina might have a higher chance of becoming Beyond Grade A being Hadavy. However, reaching the level of Beast Ancestor is practically impossible. Han Xiao believes that Jotina's growth ceiling might be comparable to that of "Star Slasher" Viru or "Tyrant" Heber, both allies of the Empire...
While they weren't particularly strong, at least they weren't at the bottom.
Han Xiao couldn't help but miss Heber whenever he thought of him.
Since being defeated by himself, Little Tyrant has kept a low profile and quietly developed his abilities in the Shattered Star Ring.
Speaking of keeping a low profile, Han Xiao thought of Sisko again. He felt that this guy's presence in the universe seemed to be getting weaker and weaker. He could take some time to visit the Star Pupil Civilization. After all, he was now holding the title of special advisor to Three Universal Civilizations, so it was only reasonable for him to pay a visit.
While he was lost in thought, the Black Star Cup's Logistics Department had already arrived, using industrial equipment such as continental shelf stabilizers, natural weather control instruments, and earth-filled pipes to perform cosmetic surgery on this almost disfigured planet.
After setting up a new venue, the host announced the start of the final match. The four teams, Jiangcheng, Dynasty, Rainstorm, and Huangjin, took to the stage and greeted the audience.
However, at this moment, all the players' eyes were focused on the Golden Team. Even the other three teams frequently looked at the Golden Team, their meaning self-evident, waiting for them to prove themselves.
"Captain, shall I use the character card now?"
Free Flying surveyed the entire scene and declared decisively, "Use it! This is the occasion to prove that what we said is true."
The Mechanic Class player took a deep breath, opened the panel, activated the Black Star Character Card, and enlarged the status bar, setting it to public.
The panel is displayed to everyone present, but it doesn't exist in the eyes of normal people; only the player sees the name of this character card status.
Black Star Descent Card - [Billions of Mechanic Emperor - Manison], duration 1 hour!
It's true!
On countless stands, players became excited, with many suddenly standing up, drawing puzzled glances from other spectators.
Han Xiao levitated in mid-air with his arms crossed, listening to the uproar coming from the surveillance footage in his mind, a smile playing on his lips.
After a while, many players calmed down and quickly composed themselves. They looked up at Han Xiao's the Sight of Father's Back, their eyes filled with various expressions of surprise and uncertainty.
The final match was highly anticipated, but many players were so affected by the shock that they lost interest in watching the game and were in a state of turmoil. On the contrary, the NPC spectators were as excited as ever, constantly cheering for the four teams, completely unaware of the rollercoaster of emotions that the Immortals were going through next to them.
Han Xiao didn't watch the match closely, constantly browsing the forums to check player comments. By the time he turned around, the match had already ended, with the Dynasty emerging victorious and the Golden Team being the first to be eliminated.
The Golden Team prematurely revealed their trump card, which naturally made them a target. Moreover, [Billions of Mechanic Emperor] is not effective in the hands of current players.
Players lack high-level mechanical skills and cannot enjoy targeted bonuses. Moreover, the skill only lasts for one hour, leaving no room to utilize their strongest production and research capabilities. Players can only enjoy basic bonuses such as +15% Intelligence, 1.2x Total Mechanical Affinity, and +2 Mechanical Skill Level. While these are decent, they are clearly insufficient for overwhelming opponents. In fact, given the player's current strength, the bonuses provided by this skill may not even be as useful as those from the Evolution Badge.
In the hands of today's players, this ability has been completely buried; only Peak Beyond Grade A mechanics can unleash the power of [Billions of Mechanic Emperor].
"... All matches of the Black Star Cup have concluded. Thank you all for watching, and thank you to the Legion Commander for attending today's matches. In three days, we will hold the Black Star Cup closing ceremony, where the Legion Commander will personally honor all the winners who achieved excellent results in the Black Star Cup. See you there, everyone!"
The host interviewed everyone for a while, then finished his closing remarks and ended the broadcast for the day.
Many spectators, still wanting more, left the venue one after another. Groups of players mingled in the crowd, glancing back every few steps to take a look at Han Xiao, Stay Where You Are.
Han Xiao smiled as he watched everyone leave, taking in the players' performance. He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, a strange sense of anticipation creeping in.
--I want to see just how important I am to the players, and how many people are willing to sacrifice their lives for me.