[Soul Parasite]: This character is currently being Soul Parasite, and their mind is being controlled—this is from the Soul-Switching Device. The duration is unknown.
Iso's status bar displays his current situation.
Han Xiao immediately noticed the name "Soul-Switching Device." It was clearly this device that had silently bypassed his detection devices and successfully ambushed Iso. He wondered what kind of device it was.
He secretly recalled that he had never heard of this name in his previous life; this was the first time he had seen it.
"The Soul-Switching Device... I don't know what its specific functions are; it sounds like a mechanical device..."
Just as he was muttering to himself, Iso, a burly man, suddenly stiffened, his pupils dilated, revealing an expression of extreme shock.
What did I just hear? Black Star actually uttered the words "Soul-Switching Device" correctly?!
How did he know the name of the Soul-Switching Device?! Where did the information leak out?!
The Modo assassin soul within Iso was unaware that Han Xiao had seen the information through the panel. His first thought was that the intelligence had been leaked, and his mind went blank with horror.
Han Xiao noticed his unusual behavior and a thought struck him, "Such a strong reaction, this Soul-Switching Device must be something special."
Now that we know the symptoms, the problem is easier to solve. Everyone has their own expertise, so it's better to let the cadres who specialize in the spiritual realm handle it.
With a sudden thought, Han Xiao stood up, beckoned Fording over, and pointed at Iso.
"The old man has been Soul Parasite. You need to take care of him."
"Alright." Fording nodded, releasing ripples of psychic energy from between his brows, probing into Iso's brain.
The others waited on the sidelines. After about ten seconds, Fording withdrew his telekinesis, his expression somewhat hesitant.
"What's wrong? Is there a problem?" Han Xiao raised an eyebrow.
Fording frowned slightly. "There is indeed another soul aggregate in his mental domain, but its strength isn't high, at most Grade B, which I can handle. The problem is that this parasitic soul has perfectly merged with Iso's own soul, with almost no rejection. I rarely see this kind of situation..."
"So you mean there's a risk?" Ames interjected.
"Indeed, because they are so deeply integrated, removing the parasite is incredibly difficult, like performing delicate surgery on the soul—it allows no room for error. A mistake would damage Iso's own soul..."
"If you're not confident, don't force yourself. At worst, I'll ask Kasuyi for a favor; he'll definitely give me face."
Han Xiao wasn't surprised. He had encountered a similar situation with Seven-Eyed Boy before, so he had some experience. Iso's condition was much milder than his own back then.
Fording shook his head. "It's not that I lack confidence. I can eliminate the parasites, but I can't preserve their souls. So I need to confirm whether you want to interrogate Iso before you heal him."
The soul transfer Soul-Switching Device has almost no side effects, but normal superhumans cannot do this. For the vast majority of superhumans, the soul is a mysterious realm that must not be messed with.
For example, Fording couldn't even separate his wife from his body; they could only communicate spiritually day after day. Naturally, he couldn't eliminate the parasite while simultaneously allowing it to survive outside his body.
"I see. Then let's not treat it for now." Han Xiao's answer came without any hesitation.
The parasite is currently the biggest source of intelligence, so he naturally needs to interrogate it thoroughly to extract all the information before treating it.
As for Iso's body, which was still being tortured during the interrogation... Ha, anyway, with Aurora's life-saving potion, as long as he doesn't die, we'll torture him to death.
Their conversation wasn't kept secret from others, and even the Modo assassin inside Iso heard it, feeling utterly desperate.
He wanted to conceal all information, but he knew very well that under the power of Calamity Grade soul technique, he couldn't hide anything at all.
Without the Soul-Switching Device, he could no longer move freely, and his physical body became a prison. Trapped inside Iso's body, he could do nothing but passively endure the torment.
"Then let me torture him." Fording waved his hand, signaling the legionary soldiers to take Iso to the interrogation room.
Fording is a kind-hearted man who dislikes torture, but he doesn't mind using drastic measures when facing malicious enemies.
As the soldiers around him cleared the scene and took the prisoners away one by one, Ames leaned close to Han Xiao and whispered:
"We've got the person. What's your next step?"
"Let's find out who sent the parasite first, then we'll see how we act. We're not going to let this go so easily," Han Xiao replied casually.
All we know for now is that the Mechanic Emperor was involved, but it's unclear whether there are other forces behind it. Although they didn't succeed, they won't let it go.
He also planned to use this as a clue to investigate information about the Soul-Switching Device and see if he could get his hands on it to study it.
"Fine, if we're going to retaliate, count me in." Ames said decisively.
"... I reckon they're after me. You don't need to get yourself involved in this trouble. I'll take care of everything." Han Xiao shook his head.
He was caught in the vortex of Three Universal Civilizations and knew the dangers involved, so he didn't want Ames to get involved as well.
Moreover, he didn't want Ames to interfere with his love-hate relationship with the Mechanic Emperor; a battle at the Peak Beyond Grade A was still too dangerous for Ames.
"What kind of talk is that? I'm not someone who's afraid of trouble. If someone lays a hand on my people, I won't be someone you can mess with!" Ames frowned slightly, then relaxed her brows and chuckled softly, "Besides, you helped me, so I have to help you too. That's what allies should do. Even if you refuse me, I won't give up."
As soon as he finished speaking, the panel suddenly reacted, and a new task popped up.
[You have triggered a new quest, [Ames's Wrath]!]
[Mission Brief: Enraged by the betrayal of her loved ones, Ames hopes to join you in taking revenge on the mastermind behind it all.]
[Mission Requirements: Join forces with Ames to exact revenge on the mastermind behind this]
[Basic Rewards: 2e5000w experience, Ames's favorability +40, Iso's favorability +10, Floating Dragon Island faction contribution +30000, random rewards x2, character card x1]
[Note: Additional rewards depend on the mission evaluation]
Han Xiao glanced at it. These kinds of general tasks were becoming less and less helpful to him these days, but even a small thing was still something, and since it was just a side thing, he accepted it without hesitation.
The main reason was that he saw the determination in Ames' eyes, making it clear that she wouldn't give up. Rather than letting her risk it alone, it was better for her to act with him, at least she wouldn't do anything rash like she did in his previous life.
About an hour later, Fording came to the command room and handed the report to Han Xiao.
"The interrogation is over. All the information is in there; nothing was missed."
Han Xiao took the document and began to read it. The contents were extremely detailed, containing information such as the objectives of the Modo Civilization's conspiracy, the nature of the Soul-Switching Device, and the existence of the Soul-Switching Twins. Everything was crystal clear.
Under Fording's telekinetic manipulation, which was comparable to a soul-searching technique, Modo's soul revealed everything he knew.
"Ah, so it's Modo. It really is Modo."
Browsing through the documents, Han Xiao finally understood the whole story, and sneered, knowing he had expected this.
The only thing that surprised him was the Soul-Switching Device, a treasure of the Cosmic Wonder. The Modo Civilization actually possessed such a treasure, which had not been revealed in his previous life.
This is not surprising, though. Advanced civilizations all have hidden cards, some of which are kept very secret and not shown to the Volkswagen. Han Xiao naturally has no memory of the Universal Treasure that players in his previous life had never come into contact with.
But now that he knew, his mind began to stir.
"Modo has such a good thing, there's no reason for us to let it go."
Han Xiao's heart burned with passion.
On one hand, he was attracted by the miraculous power of the Soul-Switching Device, and on the other hand, he wanted to prevent Modo from using the Soul-Switching Device to scheme against him again in the future. For both public and private reasons, he had to make sure that Modo lost this trump card.
At the same time, Han Xiao also became wary.
"We still can't underestimate any advanced civilization. They might pull out some strange trump card one day, making it impossible to defend against..."
Closing the file, Han Xiao thought for a moment and asked, "By the way, did you eliminate the parasites?"
"I haven't treated Iso yet." Fording shook his head.
"Alright, don't treat him for now. Although we've extracted all the intelligence, he's still useful; he's important evidence."
A strange light flashed in Han Xiao's eyes.
The Modo Civilization is the mastermind behind this, aiming to force the Black Star Army to retreat. The Mechanic Emperor is secretly cooperating with Modo, probably just trying to trick me. There's something to be done here... With a little linguistic skill, we can portray the Mechanic Emperor as choosing to stand with the Super Star Cluster Alliance against the Three Universal Civilizations.
If Old Manison's situation is made even worse by complaining to the Three Universal Civilizations.
This wasn't just due to personal grudges. Han Xiao boldly hypothesized that since the people of the Mechanic Emperor had made contact with Iso, could they have also learned of the existence of the Soul-Switching Device and were secretly searching for it, hoping to seize it?
In that case, Manison would become his competitor. By accusing the Three Universal Civilizations of keeping a close eye on the Mechanic Emperor, he could affect Manison's power and make it more difficult for Manison to find the Soul-Switching Device, which would be to his advantage.
"Since the Three Universal Civilizations are on my side, why not lend them this advantage? It's worth a try."
Various thoughts flashed through Han Xiao's mind. After analyzing the situation, he decided that this was a viable option. So he walked to the side, took out his communicator, and dialed Urranrell's private number.
After a while, the communication was connected, Urranrell's face appeared on the screen.
"Black Star, I'm in a meeting. What do you need?"
"I recently discovered some intelligence regarding the Mechanic Emperor..."
Han Xiao recounted the events, naturally embellishing them with some exaggeration, and presented evidence such as Iso to prove his claims were true.
Upon hearing this, Urranrell's expression turned serious.
"You mean, after the Intelligence Plague incident, the Mechanic Emperor not only failed to repent but went even further, secretly joining forces with the Super Star Cluster Alliance to carry out secret missions and help them fight against the Three Universal Civilizations?"
"That's right, exactly."
Han Xiao remained calm and composed, his deliberate act of shifting the blame extremely practiced.
"... Okay, I understand. This is very important intelligence. I will inform Glory and the Arcane to take action as soon as possible."
Urranrell nodded solemnly, quickly hung up the communication, and acted swiftly and decisively.
Seeing this, Han Xiao smiled to himself.
As the saying goes, happiness is always built on the suffering of others; the more unfortunate the Mechanic Emperor is now, the happier he is.
Old Manison, don't blame me for being heartless. It's all because your head is a magnet. It's not that I'm shifting the blame onto you; it's that the pot chose you.
This treasure is destined for me. You already have so many Universal Treasure, so don't try to take it from me.
Just as he was being shameless, Nero walked over.
"Godfather, where should we begin our investigation?"
"Hmm, Iso had his last contact with the forces of the Modo Civilization before he was infected. Let's start the investigation with that force." Han Xiao immediately made the decision.
Now that we know the real mastermind is Modo, the timing of Iso's demise becomes clear, providing a solid clue. The secret transport fleet of the Modo Civilization is the force transporting the Soul-Switching Device, and it must be returning via the secret stargate route to retrieve Soul-Switching Device. Therefore, we must find them as soon as possible.
At this moment, Han Xiao suddenly remembered something and said:
"By the way, I remember that one ship from the tracking team that encountered the Modo Civilization fleet survived. We immediately took them under control."
Having learned about the function of the Soul-Switching Device, he suspected there might be a mole within the organization, and that the surviving tracking team was likely involved in something fishy.
"Huh? The spaceship has lost contact?"
Manison was somewhat surprised when he received the report from his subordinates.
There seems to be only one explanation for this situation: Black Star caught up with Iso and hacked into the ships of his allies as well.
"Strange, where did Black Star get this information from?"
Manison frowned slightly.
His recent focus has been on searching for the Soul-Switching Device, and he has made some progress, but he has not been ignoring Iso's progress.
In Manison's view, his affiliated forces in the Shattered Star Ring were well hidden, and with their help, it should be easy to send Iso out of the Shattered Star Ring.
However, the reality was completely different from what he had imagined. Black Star seemed to know the whereabouts of his subordinate forces perfectly. No matter how they ran, they could not escape the Black Star Army's grasp.
Manison initially believed that his subordinate forces were well-hidden and used this as leverage to cooperate with the Modo Civilization, thinking that the success rate was very high.
But now it seems that the subordinate forces have been targeted by Black Star and are at risk of being fully exposed. If this is the worst-case scenario, then his years of work in the Shattered Star Ring will be wasted, resulting in a huge loss!
Manison clenched his fist tightly, then slowly relaxed it, his expression grim.
"Regardless, Black Star has captured Iso and will also learn about the Soul-Switching Device, becoming my rival... I must speed things up; only by getting my hands on the Soul-Switching Device can I make up for my losses!"