Several days later, the Shattered Star Ring and the Thousand Lights Star System.
A massive Black Star Legion Armament fleet sailed out of the stargate, consisting of thousands of warships of various types, with a large flagship that was very conspicuous in the center of the formation.
"Iso Aesop, we have arrived."
In the bridge command room, the leader of the team, Calamity Grade officer, nodded to Iso beside him.
"Then let's get to work." Iso stood with his hands behind his back, calmly nodding.
Under normal circumstances, Nero would arrange at least two Calamity Grade superhumans among Iso's bodyguards, along with at least a thousand warships, and also Black Star's backup mechanical forces and Dominion clones. In case of an emergency, Black Star Descent could be summoned at any time, providing a very high level of protection.
"The nearby tracking teams have all been dispatched and are conducting a large-scale search of the area surrounding the incident site. There are no results yet; let's go check out the location."
"Okay." Iso had no objection.
The fleet sailed at high speed, traversing star sectors, and soon arrived at the planet where the skirmish had broken out.
The ground location where the Super Star Cluster Alliance transport fleet had docked has been occupied by Legion soldiers who arrived a few days ago and protected as the crime scene.
A small shuttle carrying Iso and his party launched from the flagship's belly, passed through the Legion's perimeter security perimeter on the planet's outer space, and landed at the crime scene on the ground.
Swoosh—The hatch opened, Iso, dressed in a lightweight protective suit, stepped onto the ground, surrounded by a group of bodyguards.
There were shallow depressions and ravines on the ground in front of him, clearly traces left by the warship when it docked and took off. Iso quickly walked up, squatted down to carefully examine these traces, and occasionally touched them with his hand. After walking through the entire crime scene, he stopped, closed his eyes, and seemed to fall into meditation.
This process lasted about two minutes before Iso reopened his eyes and clapped his hands.
"I saw some transport ships traveling in space, and the faction insignia on them have changed to other organizations. It seems that the fleet of this Super Star Cluster Alliance has changed its disguise and fled in different directions. I'll draw these faction insignia for you later so you can conduct a targeted investigation of these organizations' fleets in the nearby area."
"Fantastic! This has been a great help. As expected of Lord Iso, who is known as the Prophet, his efficiency is truly admirable. It is our honor to have your help." The fleet commander praised, his flattery resounding, clearly showing he was a disciple of Hadavy.
"It's just a small favor," Iso waved his hand. "But these means aren't enough. If you could capture one of their warships or take prisoners of their troops, I could obtain more accurate clues to find their original destination."
"Don't worry, with your intelligence, capturing them is only a matter of time. We'll just need you to stay in this area a little longer. Once we've captured the enemy ships, we'll need your help."
"Well, it's nothing, I was just thinking of going for a walk anyway."
Iso said he didn't mind and casually wrote down the information he had just foreseen, all of which were the enemy's disguised force markings. The fleet commander immediately ordered that this information be transmitted to every tracking team.
The group returned to the fleet and were preparing to set sail for the legion base in the area to await orders when the fleet commander suddenly received a message. He glanced down at the communicator and his eyes lit up.
"Lord Iso, you are truly a lucky star! I had just sent out the crucial intelligence you provided when a tracking team found the target. They happened to be resting on an urban planet and discovered a suspicious transport ship in the spaceport that matched your prediction, and it was even a lone ship."
"So fast!" Iso couldn't help but chuckle. "Looks like our luck is still good; this unit that discovered the enemy's location has done a great job."
"Let me check... Oh, the ship that discovered the enemy's tracks is the only one that survived the initial encounter. I remember they've been searching tirelessly for a while now; they've finally gotten their revenge." The fleet commander laughed. "I've ordered them to stand by and monitor the enemy ships, waiting for us to arrive. Don't alert them unnecessarily."
The fleet set off immediately, and fearing they might miss the clues, they hurried along the way and soon arrived at their destination.
Outside the porthole, a pale purple and bright silver planet floats in the outer space, its surface covered with brightly lit interstellar cities, towering buildings, and crisscrossing bridges.
This is a rather prosperous and advanced colony planet, belonging to the Light Rune Civilization, the ruling power of the Thousand Lights Star System. It is an officially owned planet.
Arriving on this civilized urban planet, the Black Star Army wouldn't act recklessly, mainly because there's no need. Most civilizations in the Shattered Star Ring maintain good relations with the Black Star Army, exchanging courtesy and favors, so the legion wouldn't be too arrogant and offend them.
"The tracking team is still keeping an eye on the enemy ship, but there's been no movement from them. What's your take on this?" the fleet commander asked.
"Have you seen any of their crew members?" Iso asked.
"The tracking team has secretly applied to the airport authorities to view the surveillance footage, which they have shared with us. According to the footage, the suspicious spaceship sent out a total of forty-three crew members, seemingly to purchase some daily supplies. They all returned to the ship not long ago... We arrived just in time; if we had been any later, they would probably have already set off."
"Good! We must capture this transport ship!" Iso said slowly. "Notify the authorities to cooperate with our operation, evacuate unrelated personnel, and close off their launch track so they cannot take off."
Members of the Black Star Army enjoy numerous privileges within the Shattered Star Ring. Even a mid- to low-ranking member can apply for official assistance on planets of multiple civilizations within the Shattered Star Ring, provided their identity is verified. This is all thanks to Han Xiao's accumulated status and connections over the years, and it falls under the category of faction benefits.
The fleet quickly arrived around the airport to form an encirclement as a precaution, while some ground-based superhuman forces, with official cooperation, entered the airport and surrounded the target hangar.
Iso and the fleet commander stayed in the flagship in outer space, monitoring the operation remotely via video feeds.
The scene shows the superhuman team rushing into the hangar, and a fierce firefight quickly breaks out. The light from the energy cannons flashes continuously in the hangar, leaving scorched streaks on the silver-white alloy walls.
The sounds of battle continued for several minutes, after which reports came back from the front lines from the operatives:
"Report: We have only three lightly wounded, no fatalities. The enemy ship has a total of 271 crew members, who are putting up a stubborn resistance inside the warship. We have killed 209 of them. The remaining enemy, seeing no way to escape, committed suicide one after another. No one survived, and we were unable to capture any survivors."
"What a pity, I was hoping to capture them alive for interrogation." The fleet commander shook his head. "Forget it, even if we captured these low-ranking crew members, we probably wouldn't get much out of them. Seizing their transport ships is enough. Lord Iso, thank you for your trouble."
Iso nodded, then landed at the airport with his guards and went to the hangar where the battle had just taken place.
He looked up at the captured transport ship. Its exterior was mostly intact, except that the outer armor had been charred in some places due to the aftershocks of the battle.
He stepped forward, placed his palm on the bottom armor of the spaceship, closed his eyes, and activated his ability.
At the same time, in a rented temporary outpost in an interstellar city not far from this airport, the Soul-Switching Twins were using Soul-Switching Device that floated in front of them. Dozens of Modo super warriors were holding weapons and aiming them at the two, and there were also many portable turrets set up around them.
More than one spaceship from the Modo Civilization civilization arrived at this planet, but the tracking team secretly became their assassins, and naturally had many ways to deceive them.
The commander paced back and forth nearby, his face tense.
Have you locked onto your target?
The elder of the Soul-Switching Twins Soul-Switching Device, casually stirred it and said nonchalantly, "It's locked."
"Can it be transferred out?"
"Tsk tsk, we brothers are only Grade C superhumans, while Iso is Grade B. Our success rate in transferring his soul out of his body isn't 100%."
"To be on the safe side, let's use Plan Number Two," the commander said in a deep voice.
"All right."
The Soul-Switching Twins clicked their tongues, then exerted their strength. The Soul-Switching Device trembled, and black ripples spread across its surface as its power quietly activated.
At the same time, Iso, far away at the airport, suddenly opened his eyes, his pupils shrinking to the size of pinpoints.
It was as if countless sounds suddenly flooded into his brain, then abruptly merged into a deafening sound that echoed in his mind, causing a splitting headache.
He tried to raise his hand to cover his forehead, but his fingers wouldn't obey him. Just like being paralyzed by a ghost, he couldn't move his limbs at all, and his whole body froze in place.
"What's wrong?" The adjutant next to him asked, noticing his pale face.
Iso's expression shifted several times, then suddenly froze for a moment before returning to normal.
He coughed and lowered his voice, saying, "It's nothing, I've already fulfilled the prophecy."
What leads have you obtained?
Iso's eyes flashed as he said, "I've discovered the true destination of this Super Star Cluster Alliance fleet. It's located in a Desolate Universe Belt, a secret resource base. The coordinates are..."
He recited the coordinates, and the adjutant hurriedly wrote them down.
"Okay, that's enough information. Let's go back to the spaceship."
After saying this, Iso turned and left without waiting for his adjutant's reply, with his bodyguards immediately following him.
Meanwhile, at the temporary base where the Soul-Switching Twins were located, the commander couldn't help but ask:
"It worked?"
"Hmm." The younger of the Soul-Switching Twins chuckled hoarsely, "We transferred the souls of many prepared assassins over there, successfully inhabiting Iso's soul."
The main function of the Soul-Switching Device is to transfer souls, but there is no rule that only one soul can be exchanged for another. It is possible to stuff a bunch of souls into the same body, or simply to remove souls from the body, leaving the body as an empty shell.
This time, unlike Fording Morning Star's personality shift and "possession," it's a parasitic puppet manipulation. A bunch of Modo's souls temporarily merge with Iso's soul, like manipulation threads Iso Aesop's soul, temporarily turning him into a puppet. Iso's thinking also temporarily becomes muddled, unable to maintain normal thinking, feeling that all actions are from his own heart, and unable to perceive his own strangeness... To put it simply, it's somewhat similar to the state of being drunk and acting crazy.
"Won't Iso's guards find out?" someone asked.
The commander shook his head. "Don't worry, the Soul-Switching Device's ability is extremely well-hidden. Only those Beyond Grade A experts specializing in spirit and soul might be able to detect it; no one else can, let alone Calamity Grade expert... Of course, even Peak Beyond Grade A expert might notice something amiss, but Black Star isn't here in his true form, and he wouldn't use his Dominator's Descent to supervise something so minor, so there's nothing to fear."
After speaking, the commander visibly relaxed, turned to Soul-Switching Twins, and said:
"Your mission is complete. The rest of the operation is none of your concern. Put down the Soul-Switching Device."
The Soul-Switching Twins exchanged a glance and simultaneously let out an eerie laugh.
"Hehe, okay."
The moment the words left his mouth, a strange change occurred!
A black ripple spread, and all the soldiers in the field, except for the commander, rolled their eyes and fell to the ground, motionless.
Without a sound, everyone's souls were extracted by the Soul-Switching Device!
At the same time, the younger of Soul-Switching Twins twins, who was the size of an infant, opened his mouth and sucked out souls from the Soul-Switching Device, swallowing them into his stomach.
The unexpected turn of events immediately brought the commander back to his senses, filled with both shock and anger.
He never expected that the Soul-Switching Twins, with so many weapons aimed at them, would still dare to launch an attack. Did they really have no regard for their lives?
However, at that moment, a powerful energy surge erupted from the Soul-Switching Twins.
Sensing the energy fluctuations, the commander's expression changed drastically.
"Grade B?! You were tested before departure, weren't you Grade C?!"
"Hehehe, people all grow up!"
The elder of the Soul-Switching Twins into shrill laughter.
The two brothers consistently feigned weakness, leading the Modo Civilization to believe they were Grade C superhumans. Their method wasn't simply to conceal their strength, but rather to reveal a hidden skill they hadn't disclosed to outsiders: their energy could be freely converted without any resistance. This was related to the two brothers' shared mutation.
By concentrating most of their energy on one person, they could temporarily elevate that person to Grade B. However, by distributing it, they could deceive the superhuman rank detection equipment of the Modo Civilization. The two had been planning their escape for many years, deliberately controlling their training progress and maintaining this level of strength, all for an opportunity like today.
The Soul-Switching Twins, with an air of complete control, sneered, "You'd better think this through. We're now Grade B superhumans; these turrets can't kill us in one go. The Black Star Army hasn't gone far. If a battle breaks out here, it will definitely attract their attention. Think carefully about whether you want to continue attacking us; otherwise, your plans might be exposed!"
The commander was startled and hurriedly shouted to his colleague who was remotely controlling the turret, "Wait, don't fire yet!"
"That's right, behave yourself, and your plan can continue."
The Soul-Switching Twins sneered. They chose this moment to launch their attack precisely to make the other side hesitate to act rashly.
Suppressing his anger, the commander demanded, "What do you want?"
"It's simple. Modo has used us as tools for years, and we've done more than enough. Now it's time to reclaim our freedom... Heh, I understand your thinking. Don't worry, we were just trying to escape. We didn't interfere with your plans against Iso. Consider this our last mission for Modo. We owe you nothing."
As for this treasure that naturally belongs to us, we'll take it with us. After all, no one else can use it except us.
The Soul-Switching Twins sneered repeatedly, flicking their wrists as the shadows on their bodies swallowed the Soul-Switching Device, drawing it into their bodies.
The two then retreated to the wall, activated their abilities, and transformed into two ink-like blobs of darkness, disappearing into the shadows in an instant.
The commander's eyes were bloodshot, yet he hesitated to make a move.
He was not only worried about alerting the Black Star Army not far away, but he also wasn't confident that he could keep the Grade B Soul Soul-Switching Twins. He could only watch helplessly as the two used their abilities to leave with the Soul-Switching Device.
The room was deathly silent, save for his heavy breathing.
"Report to the higher-ups immediately! The Soul-Switching Twins have escaped control; they've run away!!"