"Do it!"
Suddenly, a strange change occurred. With a loud shout, chaos broke out in the stands. About one-fifth of the players suddenly launched an attack, and figures soared into the air, rushing towards Han Xiao on the main stage. Various weapons in their hands shone brightly. They were all heroes who responded to the call and decided to sacrifice themselves for righteousness.
It was as if a taut string had suddenly snapped, and the other players all revealed excited looks, as if they were watching a good show.
In the crowd, Winter of the Howling Wolf's eyes lit up, and he loudly gave an order over the channel.
"Our chance has come! Let's go!"
The next moment, hundreds more players suddenly sprang up and were about to attack the surrounding stands.
Winter of the Howling Wolf soared into the air, frost condensing on his body and leaving behind a sky full of ice crystals, before hurtling straight toward the celebrity guest seats.
His pupils reflected the astonished faces of many celebrities as they turned around. Winter of the Howling Wolf's face lit up with excitement. Without hesitation, he raised his hand to unleash his superpower, spewing forth ice and snow, preparing to turn this group of social elites into ice sculptures.
Meanwhile, the heroes rushing towards the main stage also noticed this group of troublemakers, and many of them immediately showed expressions of shock and anger.
There was no element of the plan affecting the audience, so subconsciously, some people turned to stop the guild spy force led by Winter of the Howling Wolf from killing innocent people.
All these changes happened in the blink of an eye. Just as chaos was about to erupt, a dazzling burst of lightning suddenly erupted in the center of the venue!
Click!!
Countless Mechanical Force lightning suddenly shot out, like a spider web that instantly opened. The mechanical soldiers that had been lying in ambush in various stands activated instantly and rushed towards the players causing trouble around them.
These well-positioned ambushes are all "Restrainer Modified" units skilled in control. They can disintegrate into high-tech restraint suits, using their mechs to imprison and capture targets alive. Now, with Han Xiao's Mechanical Force boost, their overall attributes far exceed those of players who are currently only at the highest Grade B.
Sizzle sizzle--
Dark shadows darted about the field, flashes of electricity crackled, and the players charging towards Han Xiao were all like birds with broken wings, completely restrained by the electromagnetic chains and force field restraint devices of the Restrainer, unable to move.
The contestants, including Free Flying, who were on the main stage, were instantly blasted away by the burst of energy and crashed at the edge of the stage.
Just as the group was about to grit their teeth and get up to continue their charge, Han Xiao lightly flipped his palm, and a powerful wave of energy crashed down, slamming everyone to the ground. The next moment, under the force of the Mechanical Force, the metal ground suddenly transformed into ropes made of nanoparticles, instantly binding Free Flying and the others tightly.
Before the guests could react, the crisis that was about to arise was averted by Han Xiao, who was well-prepared.
'Phew, luckily I was prepared.'
Han Xiao secretly let out a breath.
The player's current strength is not even at the Calamity Grade, so he is not much different from an ordinary person in front of him. He cannot be threatened by numbers alone, but if he attacks others, he can definitely hurt ordinary spectators.
Even if he could react quickly, he couldn't guarantee there wouldn't be any casualties. But now, with his intentions on the side of surprise, the players had just started to fight when he took them all down without injuring any of the guests. The brief process was thrilling but ultimately harmless; they couldn't cause any trouble under his thumb.
This operation was triggered by Free Flying's instigation. With so many people being dragged into causing trouble, it was practically a mob. Moreover, most of the participants acted impulsively on a whim—which is normal for players. In addition, given the time constraints and lack of coordination, it was impossible to expect them to develop a meticulous plan step by step.
The entire operation itself conveyed a sense of desperate measures and a do-or-die mentality.
"His reaction was too fast!" Winter of the Howling Wolf only saw a blur before he was grabbed, completely powerless to resist, and was extremely surprised.
He turned his head with difficulty and saw that all his companions had been captured by the mechanical soldiers, and the Restrainer were stuffed into their stomachs, unable to move.
"Damn it, not a single person died... But thankfully, we have a group of people as role models, enough to enrage the Legion and lower their trust in all its players, thus reducing the treatment Legion players receive in this faction..."
Winter of the Howling Wolf regrets the failure of the surprise attack, which greatly diminished its effectiveness, but judging from the strategic objectives, the operation was not a complete failure.
These changes happened so quickly, and the danger was resolved even faster. The guests and audience members from various star regions were stunned for a long time before they gradually came to their senses.
Wait, did we just brush with Edge of Death?
What just happened?
"It seems like some of the Black Star Army's forces have defected?"
"They said Black Star isn't Black Star, but I don't understand!!"
"You scared me! Is this some kind of TV show?!"
When they came to their senses, the guests were immediately in an uproar. Because it happened so fast, they hadn't felt any sense of crisis. No one felt any lingering fear, only surprise and astonishment. The room immediately became agitated.
Everyone was chattering amongst themselves, but their eyes were all fixed on Han Xiao on the stage, filled with surprise and uncertainty.
Many legion officers immediately gathered around Han Xiao, adopting a protective stance and giving the group of players extremely hostile looks.
Hila strode forward, her face contorted with menace, and roared, "Take all these rebels away and interrogate them thoroughly. I want to know who ordered them to do this!"
"Hey, don't be so nervous. I still have some questions I want to ask them, and I'm sure the guests also need an explanation."
Han Xiao raised his hand to block Hila's path, signaling the soldiers to step back.
Sensing the puzzled and curious gazes of the crowd, he calmly raised a finger, and the nanoparticles immediately detached from the metal ground, binding Free Flying and the others as they rose into the air and slowly floated in front of him.
Deliberately displaying a perfectly timed expression of confusion, Han Xiao asked curiously:
"What did you mean by what you just said? Why do you think I'm an imposter from the Mechanic Emperor?"
Free Flying was somewhat frustrated. The sudden action of so many people hadn't even caused a ripple. In the blink of an eye, they were all wiped out and became prisoners of the "Mechanic Emperor".
However, at least he had already made his message known to the entire universe, and his goal had been achieved. He was left with only a sense of triumphant self-satisfaction, and upon hearing this, he shouted angrily:
"Mechanic Emperor! No matter how well you pretend, I know you're not the real one!"
"What evidence do you have?" Han Xiao raised an eyebrow.
Only players can see the character card screenshot, so this evidence is useless to NPCs. Besides, they have already used the character card to prove their identity, so this reason is naturally not convincing.
Free Flying had anticipated this problem and knew he couldn't convince anyone outside the players. He was prepared to unleash his fury and, without hesitation, provoked "Mechanic Emperor," shouting:
"It's about temperament!"
"Huh?" Han Xiao was also taken aback.
"Hmph, our Black Star Army Commander is such a noble and righteous figure, with the well-being of all living beings in his heart. Just one glance at him is enough to inspire awe. Yet your Mechanic Emperor, for its own selfish desires, disregards the safety of the universe and actually wants to embezzle the source of the Intelligence Plague. Your despicable nature exposes you!"
"Is the Mechanic Emperor despicable?" Han Xiao raised his voice, deliberately adding a hint of threat.
"That's utterly despicable!" Free Flying declared fearlessly. "Who is Black Star? He rose to power in just a few decades and can already fight you to a standstill? Ancient Ones, my foot! I bet he's lived to the grave. You and our Legion Commander are simply... no match!"
Many of the Beyond Grade A present awkwardly touched their noses... It seems like we've been dragged into this too?
Han Xiao's face twitched, and he tried his best to stop himself from laughing.
Wonderful!
That's the feeling, bro, keep it up!
"So... that's your reason for betraying us?"
"It's not betrayal! Don't even think about twisting our motives! We've served the Legion, we've shed blood for the Legion, we're inseparable from the Legion. Only Black Star is qualified to lead us forward. Any outsider who dares to interfere with the Legion will surely face our counterattack! Even if you kill me today, I'll shout from my coffin—Never compromise!"
The phrase "Free Flying" was spoken with such righteous indignation that Han Xiao was almost moved to tears.
The infectious language ignited the passion of many hardcore gamers who had been captured, stirring up emotions accumulated over multiple versions and filling them with fearlessness (since they weren't afraid to die anyway), prompting them to shout:
"This is the Black Star Army! The Mechanic Emperor, get out!"
May the Black Star rise as usual!
"The legion commander is awesome!"
Those Immortals will never be slaves!
The shouts pierced the sky and echoed throughout the arena, their spirit and conviction moving many spectators to tears.
--We law-abiding citizens have never seen the world before. So this is what daily life is like under the control of warlords? I love it!
The Beyond Grade A present, however, were all twitching their faces, completely dumbfounded throughout.
In their minds, this situation was utterly absurd and incomprehensible.
At this moment, Kant suddenly spoke up, "Actually, I can understand the thought process of these Immortals..."
The group all turned to look at him, their faces seemingly saying, "When did you get this illness?"
Kant coughed. "Actually, I've also recruited some Immortals. Most of the time they're quite normal, but occasionally they experience mental lapses and do things that I simply can't understand..."
"For example?"
"... Someone demanded that I transform into a naked female human in front of me, and I accidentally killed him... three times."
Kasuyi, standing nearby, wholeheartedly agreed, "I also have Immortals under my command, and even I can't understand their thought process. Someone actually wanted to steal my underwear? Can you believe it?"
"I think I've heard a theory that some experts say the immortality of the Immortals race causes their thinking to become synchronously alienated, resulting in mental illnesses such as intermittent mania, paranoia, logical disorders, and tripolar disorder."
"Oh, that makes sense..."
Just because someone's demeanor is off, you doubt that your own boss is a fake? What normal person would do something like that!
If it were Immortals who did this, everyone instantly accepted the fact... It seemed no one would be surprised by what Immortals being did.
Once the conversation started, many of the Beyond Grade A players who had recruited players immediately began to complain. They quickly reached a consensus that the Immortals were mentally unstable, and they were truly impressed that Black Star could manage the Immortals, whom they considered unpredictable, so well.
At this moment, the Secret Master coldly snorted, "What nonsense are you all spouting? This is clearly a play orchestrated by Black Star himself, deliberately smearing the Mechanic Emperor. My eyes have already seen through everything."
"It's a pity the Mechanic Emperor isn't here, otherwise his expression would be priceless." Old Dragon chuckled.
The crowd imagined the scene and burst into eerie, gloating laughter.
While the group was chatting enthusiastically, Han Xiao and Free Flying had already had several rounds of dialogue, one playing the straight man and the other the comedian, taking turns to ridicule the Mechanic Emperor from head to toe over and over again.
"Come on, kill me." Free Flying looked at me as if to tell me to bravely sacrifice myself.
Seeing that the situation was about right, Han Xiao said, "Although you inexplicably believe that I am an imposter from the Mechanic Emperor, you are indeed mistaken... The Mechanic Emperor has no ability to impersonate me; they are far from capable."
Upon hearing this, Kant couldn't help but laugh, "Do you think we don't know whether he is Black Star himself or not? You guys are still too young and acted too hastily. At least find concrete evidence before you act."
We have evidence... but unfortunately, only we can see it.
Seeing Han Xiao's and the other Beyond Grade A ' reactions, Free Flying and the others also wavered, becoming skeptical. Many others, who were already skeptical of the switch theory, agreed even more upon hearing this.
Since the effects of character cards cannot be faked, another major possibility is that Black Star learned the abilities of the Mechanic Emperor through some means.
Seeing the hesitant and thoughtful look on everyone's faces, Han Xiao waved his hand and said, "Take them away first. I'll have a good talk with them after the closing ceremony."
He didn't do anything to the crowd on the spot. Dealing with this group was an internal matter for the legion and didn't need to be shown in this setting. He still needed to settle this score properly.
The Restrainer Force escorted all the troublemaking players away from the venue. After Sylvia calmed everyone down, the Black Star Cup closing ceremony continued. However, many people's attention was no longer on the ceremony; they were all thinking about this little incident.
The closing ceremony was originally just a routine event, but it immediately became a hot topic and generated a lot of public discussion. Han Xiao had achieved his goal of using Free Flying and the others.
The closing ceremony proceeded smoothly without any further complications, and the events that unfolded there were broadcast to the entire world by the news media.
The ability to Free Flying led to the birth of a new saying and proverb among the Galaxy— "pointing at the Black Star and cursing the Mechanic Emperor."
The meaning is roughly equivalent to making a veiled criticism.
The live stream ended, and the black screen reflected Manison's expressionless face.
His eyes narrowed, a cold glint of annoyance flashing within them.
What do you mean, "mistaken identity"? I don't believe you for a second! This is clearly a staged performance!
They clearly had ulterior motives in inviting me; they just wanted to embarrass me on the spot.
Manison clenched his fist.
That brat Black Star, he's gone too far!
I'll chop you up and make you Convict sooner or later!