A wave of sacrificial spirit seems to have emerged among the Black Star Army's player base.
With the character cards confirmed, the forum has temporarily transformed into an intelligence center for the "Save Black Star Plan." Many legion players are calling on friends and secretly expanding their teams here. The "Operation Command Center," led by Free Flying, is posting and coordinating operations time and time again.
Many veteran Huaxia players who followed the game since version 1.0 felt a strong sense of responsibility and conviction, believing they needed to do something to save the Legion from falling into the hands of the "Mechanic Emperor." The call to action was immediate, with professional players like Frenzied Saber and Maple Moon expressing their willingness to contribute. The entire "Save Black Star Plan" became a large-scale, self-organized event by Legion players.
Of course, among the participants, there were also players who wanted to take advantage of the situation, stir up trouble, speculate, or cause problems. Some just wanted to make a big splash, some wanted to show their loyalty and gain favor when Black Star returned, and some wanted to try to trigger hidden missions.
The atmosphere on the forum is like everyone's a soldier, everyone wants to sacrifice themselves for the cause, but in reality, most people are just joining in the fun. The player base of the Legion is now a mixed bag, with not only Huaxia players, but also a large number of international players who joined in version 4.0. Most people are just excitedly watching the drama unfold.
Even among Huaxia players, there are those who are reluctant to invest the significant time and energy into the Black Star Army faction and are unwilling to take the risks.
Han Xiao had witnessed all the commotion at the forum over the past three days; the Free Flying Organization's "Save Black Star Plan" was no secret to him.
Although a group of players were plotting how to betray him tomorrow, Han Xiao was not angry at all; on the contrary, he watched with great interest.
"This really lives up to the saying, 'If you're a brother, you'll come and kill me.'"
Han Xiao found it amusing.
Just then, Phillip sprang out, his voice booming, "Master, several Immortals wish to see you. They say they have learned of the Immortal Troops ' plot to rebel and hope to inform you."
"Oh?" Han Xiao's eyes flashed.
There was a traitor among them?!
... Well, considering the target audience is gamers, it would be abnormal if there weren't any traitors.
"Let them come over," Han Xiao ordered, his eyes darting around.
After waiting in the office for a while, several players dressed in flashy armor walked in; their IDs and names clearly indicated they were foreign players.
"Yo yo, Legion Commander." A Frost Demon Race player at the head of the group greeted him, exuding a strong hip-hop vibe.
"You're saying the Immortal Troops is plotting a rebellion? Tell me, what exactly is going on?" Han Xiao feigned ignorance, putting on a puzzled expression as he asked.
"Oh, it's like this, we're all good people, but some Immortals are ambitious and dissatisfied with your rule, so they want to use a ridiculous pretext to incite the Legion to attack you at tomorrow's commendation ceremony."
Han Xiao raised an eyebrow. "What excuse?"
"I heard they're planning to accuse you of being an imposter from the Mechanic Emperor. Isn't that hilarious? Hahaha."
"Interesting." Han Xiao glanced at him, chuckled, and said, "I understand. I'll investigate. If it's true, you'll all be credited."
"Hehe, give me more contribution points." The man spoke casually and without any politeness.
Han Xiao pretended not to hear and waved for the group to leave. Just then, Phillip reported that someone else was trying to tip them off.
He welcomed all comers with patience, receiving one group of traitors after another, the vast majority of whom were foreign players. The content was also similar: exposing Free Flying and others' plans and smearing their motives, calling them ambitious traitors.
After seeing off the last batch of traitors, Han Xiao revealed a strange smile.
"Some of these people are simply opportunists, but the rest are probably spies planted in the legion by foreign professional guilds. Heh, they want to take this opportunity to cause trouble."
He had always known that there were spies from foreign guilds within the legion; this was an inevitable result of opening up to new members. The motives of the veteran players like Free Flying were relatively positive, but these spies were full of malicious intent.
Han Xiao immediately saw through the spies' intentions. On one hand, they wanted to severely punish the Huaxia players and weaken the influence of the Huaxia within the legion. On the other hand, they wanted to diminish his trust in the Immortals and reduce the treatment of the Black Star Army players.
Foreign guild spies don't care whether he's from the Mechanic Emperor or Black Star. If he's from the Mechanic Emperor, it can arouse Mechanic Emperor suspicion and make them want to eliminate dissidents. If everyone misunderstands and the legion commander is still Black Star, then their reporting can be seen as a show of loyalty. They think this is a two-birds-with-one-stone plan.
Without the information from the forum, he might have believed it to be true. However, Han Xiao had already learned the truth of the matter through the forum. He saw through the spies' attempt to exploit him by taking advantage of the information gap.
Seeing the smug look on the faces of these traitors who felt their scheme had succeeded, Han Xiao remained outwardly amicable, but inwardly he just wanted to burst out laughing.
--Hey kid, let you laugh for a bit first, then we'll make your list after the ceremony.
Han Xiao tapped the table and ordered in a deep voice, "Phillip, secretly deploy the stockpiled mechanized combat troops to various corners of the venue, especially the guest seats, audience seats, and media areas. If anyone attacks a guest tomorrow, take them down immediately."
This order was not intended to guard against Free Flying and his group; their target was only themselves, and their motive was to protect the Black Star Army's camp. Therefore, the plan did not intend to harm innocent civilians.
However, there's a high chance someone will take the opportunity to sabotage and damage the Legion's reputation by harming the audience. Basically, only covetous foreign professional guilds would do this with a legitimate reason.
Han Xiao does not stop Free Flying and others from "pleading their loyalty," but he will not stand idly by while the enemy takes advantage of the chaos to cause trouble.
"Hmph, imperialism will never give up its desire to destroy us."
Han Xiao hummed and hawed.
"Speaking of which, version 4.0 is already in its mid-stage and about to enter its late stage. The nation war should break out along with the Super Star Cluster Alliance turmoil, just like in my previous life... I wonder if those player-organized alliances will still be formed." He thought to himself.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and the competition planet had been transformed into an open-air venue for the awards ceremony.
The main stage is a large floating platform, where important guests are seated. Around it are numerous smaller platforms, like floating islands, which serve as audience seats, media broadcast seats, and seats for the winners of each event.
A spherical shield enveloped the venue area, insulating it from the biting Cold Wind from high above and preventing unauthorized personnel from disturbing the closing ceremony. At the same time, a virtual canopy covered the inside of the shield, creating the feeling of an enclosed theater, making it impossible for people to feel that the venue was open-air.
Various spaceships hovered in outer space, arriving at the venue area in atmospheric vehicles provided by the Legion. The elegantly dressed audience, guests, and contestants found their seats, and the scene quickly became a sea of people, an unprecedented spectacle.
While they were still entering the arena, Free Flying led his team to the players' seats. They took their seats, looked around, and occasionally made eye contact with players on the same platform, exchanging knowing glances.
Just then, Free Flying felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and saw it was Frenzied Saber, the captain of the Jiangcheng Team.
"When do we make our move?" Frenzied Saber asked in a low voice. As a true die-hard, he was also involved in the operation to save Black Star.
"It's still early, no rush. Just like the plan, when it's our turn to receive the awards, everyone just watch my signal and act together." Free Flying lowered his voice.
How many people do you think will be together?
"Although there are many people signing up, it would be good if even one-tenth actually take action," Free Flying shook his head.
"Okay, we'll all wait for your signal."
While players participating in the Save Black Star Plan were exchanging information privately, another group was plotting a new operation.
Have all the manpower been distributed?
On a certain spectator platform, a player with the ID "Winter of the Howling Wolf" asked his companion in the private chat channel.
"Yeah, don't worry, buddy. Our people are spread out across several stands, some of them very close to the celebrity guests. When the Huaxia group makes their move, we can take advantage of the chaos and cause considerable casualties."
"Very good." Winter of the Howling Wolf nodded and said in a deep voice, "The Black Star Army is too powerful. We have to weaken them. This is the first external operation since the secret establishment of our Northern Front. We must fire the first shot to pave the way for our national war plan."
"Clear."
Meanwhile, Han Xiao was receiving a series of Beyond Grade A remote projections from the important guest seats on the main stage.
He now wields considerable influence. With a mere call, 70% of the Development Federation's Beyond Grade A members have come to witness the ceremony. Bigwigs are gathered, all seated at the very front. Han Xiao casually exchanged pleasantries with the crowd, occasionally letting out a laugh.
As the venue gradually filled up and everyone arrived, the lights slowly dimmed, leaving only the main stage brightly lit.
Seeing this, the noisy venue gradually quieted down, and everyone's attention turned to the stage.
Sylvia stepped onto the stage. Today, she had taken off her uniform and was wearing an expensive purple backless dress. She wore light makeup, her face was exquisite and beautiful, and her long hair was tied up, revealing her slender neck. Her silver earrings swayed slightly, reflecting a smooth, bright but not dazzling soft light, making her look elegant and noble.
She surveyed the entire room and spoke in a clear voice:
"Distinguished guests, players, and viewers watching on screen, welcome to the closing ceremony of the first Black Star Cup. I am Sylvia, the Legion's Chief Affairs Officer."
After speaking, Sylvia paused as required by the script. Han Xiao smiled and led the applause. Seeing this, the people around him also clapped, and soon the whole place was filled with thunderous applause.
Seeing this, Sylvia continued, "As the legion continues to expand and our membership grows, the original purpose of the Black Star Cup was to select elites in various fields within the legion, providing a pathway for capable but inexperienced new members to advance, while also giving veteran members an opportunity to showcase their progress. Now that the Black Star Cup has successfully concluded, we are pleasantly surprised to find that the legion has so many outstanding talents in various fields..."
On stage, Sylvia began reading her prepared statement, and the footage was broadcast to the entire universe via the news media present.
The Black Star Cup closing ceremony was not simply an awards ceremony. The specific process included speeches by Sylvia and the Black Star Cup organizing committee, speeches by the winners of each event, and finally, the legion commander's concluding remarks, interspersed with numerous performances.
To this end, the Legion specially invited many entertainment industry stars and interstellar social celebrities, including singers and actors. All the attendees were big names, making it a gathering of Stars.
The interstellar celebrities present were all of very high caliber. Generally speaking, ordinary events would consider it an honor to have these celebrities invited. However, the Black Star Cup was an event of such a high level that these celebrities considered it an honor to attend the closing ceremony. This was an entertainment event hosted by a cosmic warlord, a great opportunity to build relationships with many powerful figures. In order to secure a performance spot, the entertainment companies behind many celebrities engaged in a fierce battle.
Han Xiao was quickly invited to the stage to personally present awards to the winners of each event and offer words of encouragement. The remote projections of Hila and Lagi, the two vice-legion commanders, stood beside him, saying nothing, but simply nodding to the contestants in encouragement.
However, the two were not speaking for different reasons. Hila didn't like to talk and was too lazy to open her mouth, while Lagi's communication function had been cut off by Han Xiao, so he couldn't make a sound.
Awards and celebrity performances were interspersed throughout the ceremony. As the closing ceremony gradually passed its halfway point, Han Xiao felt his face was almost stiff from smiling so much, and the audience below felt their hands were almost red from clapping. Finally, it was time to present awards to the outstanding players in the four-way melee of the player group.
The troublemakers are coming... Han Xiao's spirits lifted.
As everyone went on stage, Free Flying gritted his teeth, strode onto the stage, his the Sight of Father's Back exuding an aura of desolation and formidable courage, as if he were walking to his execution.
"Congratulations everyone, you are all talents of the Legion..."
Han Xiao read the script again, gave Free Flying a deep look, smiled inwardly, took two steps back, and gave the stage to the contestant to speak.
None of the contestants on stage stepped forward; they all looked towards the Free Flying, the meaning of which was self-evident.
Free Flying nodded to the crowd and walked heavily to the front of the stage.
The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop; everyone's eyes were fixed on him, waiting for him to speak.
The two groups of players below immediately straightened up, tensed up, and focused intently on every movement of the Free Flying, shaking off their laziness.
Free Flying a deep breath, prepare yourself mentally, and speak in a low voice:
"I'm very happy to have achieved good results at the Black Star Cup, but that's not what I want to talk about today... Just a few days ago, we discovered an astonishing secret: the legion commander standing on the stage right now isn't Black Star! He's someone else in disguise!"
Whoosh--
It was like a thunderclap erupting from nowhere.
All the audience members, all the legion officers, all the celebrity guests, including all the Beyond Grade A members present, were all taken aback by this sudden turn of events. They stared blankly at the guy who had uttered such astonishing words, their minds still reeling.
What... what's going on here??
"I am a member of the Black Star Army. This is my home. I only acknowledge Black Star. I will not allow anyone to impersonate the legion commander and seize control!" Free Flying's voice grew increasingly firm and powerful as he roared, "Today, I will use my life to expose this man's shocking conspiracy to the entire universe! I will save our leader!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Free Flying suddenly turned around, his entire body exploding with flames, and launched a suicidal charge towards Han Xiao, letting out a deafening roar:
"Mechanic Emperor! Prepare to die!"
At the same time, at a secret base with unknown coordinates.
While watching the live stream, Manison's hand slipped, and popcorn spilled all over the floor.