The perception spread rapidly in a spherical range, covering an increasingly larger area. Gaud soon discovered a hidden energy source quietly hovering in front of the fleet, invisible to the naked eye, seemingly using some kind of perception-blocking ability.
The moment the target was spotted, the other party revealed itself. A figure suddenly appeared directly in front of the fleet, completely covered by black mechs, making its identity impossible to discern.
"Only one person... Hmm? This aura?"
Gaud's expression changed slightly. His superpower made him extremely sensitive to energy fluctuations, and he could basically remember everything he saw. He realized that the attacker's aura was familiar, and they had probably met before.
Because the radar was malfunctioning, he also sensed the surrounding environment and found that the space in this area was anchored, a common trap, and spatial abilities such as teleportation and blinking were all unusable.
Moreover, his perception extended to a certain extent before it could no longer spread outwards, as if a membrane blocked it from the outside world.
At this moment, the captain also spotted the attackers and quickly took action, shouting to the crew, "Find a way to reconnect to the network, report this to the Empire, and immediately remove the smart chip, switch the ship's control mode to manual, and the lead ship must retreat immediately!"
As soon as the order was issued, the crew acted swiftly. The personnel on duty in the main control room rushed to the engine room to remove the smart chip and use hardware to cancel all intelligent control permissions of the spaceship. This was to prevent the spaceship from being controlled by the enemy, and only by switching to manual mode could the paralyzed spaceship Restart.
This Imperial fleet was only responsible for transporting Gaud, and consisted of only a small squadron. Although the performance of Imperial warships was superior to most types of spaceships, the squadron was too small and had limited combat capabilities, making it unqualified to fight against Beyond Grade A ships.
Most importantly, communications were cut off, making it impossible to contact the outside world or seek help from the Tu Shu. The primary task was to find a way to get the message out, so the captain did not want to fight to the death. These were all cases written in the Imperial Commander's Tactical Manual.
However, although his idea was good, the communication network was cut off, causing the conventional command system to be paralyzed. His orders could not be transmitted to other positions immediately, and it would take some time to switch to the emergency command system on the magic side... and this time difference became the difference between life and death.
Before the imperial fleet could take any action, the attackers suddenly unleashed countless dazzling golden arcs of electricity. Within these arcs, tiny black bean-sized particles abruptly magnified, transforming into a massive mechanical army that instantly filled everyone's field of vision!
Mechanical Force - Soldiers' Nest!
Compression Ball Innovation: Body Strengthening!
The one who attacked Gaud was none other than Han Xiao himself!
He deliberately leaked the news to arouse suspicion among the major forces, but all his calculations had to come to fruition in the end, which was to deal with Gaud with Thunder measures, otherwise it would be a waste of effort. Since other forces would not take action, he had no choice but to take matters into his own hands.
Historical experience has taught him that the more steps a plan has, the more unstable factors will increase. Many conspiracies and schemes are not complicated at all, and there are not many twists and turns. Therefore, the methods do not need to be fancy. It is most important to grasp the main contradiction and hit the nail on the head.
Now, undercurrents are swirling beneath the surface, and there are many suspects. Having achieved the goal of fishing in troubled waters, we can move on to the next step: to prank people.
Based on the Empire's operational route, he calculated the enemy's inevitable path and used his Sovereign Mecha to teleport to the front-line stronghold early on, quietly arriving at this location. He found a secluded spot and set up an ambush trap.
This area is not only equipped with a spacetime blocking device, but also with a large-scale detection and shielding device similar to World-Shrouding Canopy, "sealing" the area off. Not only can the inside not detect the outside, but the outside cannot see what is happening inside. No matter what the fighting is like inside, remote astronomical observations from the outside can only see a calm scene and cannot sense the energy fluctuations of the battle, thus reducing the chances of outsiders discovering anything.
In addition, Han Xiao also set up devices such as magical disturbances, mental fluctuation barriers, and precognitive shielding, basically thinking of every possible method in order to minimize the possibility of leaks. Only a mechanic could set up such a setup.
These technologies already existed in the universe, and Han Xiao used his own improved versions, incorporating some similar blueprints from Jess's technological treasure trove. They were extremely advanced and their effects far surpassed those of conventional products.
Of course, advanced civilizations have corresponding detection methods for these traps. If they were sailing normally, the Imperial Fleet would have been able to detect the anomaly from a great distance. However, Han Xiao's virtual range is now extremely long, and he had already secretly trained the intelligence of the Imperial Fleet, gaining control of the fleet without anyone noticing. This is why the other side was completely unaware of his actions; otherwise, the Imperial Fleet would not have stepped into his trap.
Although Gaud's Energy Manipulation is impressive, he's completely lost in the virtual realm and can't detect anything; everyone has their own area of expertise.
The mechanized forces appeared and immediately opened fire on the paralyzed Imperial fleet without hesitation.
Endless light shone in the darkness, and the next moment, a Rainstorm downpour of light pierced through the Imperial fleet's formation!
The shield arrays of the Imperial warships froze, as if exposed to a hail of bullets. Beams pierced through the hulls, the thick outer armor twisted and tore apart, and ships exploded in the blink of an eye, turning into strings of fireworks!
Buzz!
However, at that moment, deep blue Psionic Energy barriers suddenly appeared, protecting the remaining spaceships. The mechanical legion's firepower quickly shattered the barriers, but it also caused a slight delay.
In that brief instant, the thrusters of these spaceships suddenly spewed out raging flames, accelerating instantly and narrowly escaping the direct line of fire before the rain of light hit them.
Inside the flagship, Gaud's eyes gleamed, his hand formed a claw, and a ball of light floated in his palm, radiating thousands of rays of light.
Just now, at the critical moment, he activated his ability, creating Psionic Energy barrier to block some of the firepower, and used his supernatural power to activate the remaining warships' energy reactors, bypassing the numerous permissions required to control the spaceship and forcibly activating the thrusters.
After a round of attacks, the fleet suffered heavy casualties, with only seven or eight ships remaining.
"That was close..."
Gaud's expression turned serious, and his nerves tightened.
The instant he made his move, he sensed the energy level his opponent was unleashing, which was definitely at the Peak Beyond Grade A, and among them, it was a powerful one.
There are only a handful of mechanics at this level in the universe, and none of them are ones he can currently handle... Of course, the most likely candidate is that old geezer, Manison!
"We can't linger, let's go!"
Gaud glanced at the captain, who was filled with shock and anger, and activated his ability again, propelling the surviving spaceships rapidly out of the enclosed area.
He knew that the crew members couldn't help him. It wasn't that he wanted to save anyone; it was mainly because his flying speed was slower than that of the warships, and he needed to use the ships to escape.
Only by escaping the spacetime lock-in area and breaking free from the opponent's concealment trap can one transmit messages to the outside world.
But at that moment, a sudden pang of fear surged through his heart. Gaud's intuition sensed a strong threat, and he immediately crashed through the cabin wall and escaped from the spaceship.
Brush!
The next moment, five extremely condensed red rays shot out from Han Xiao's fingertips, easily penetrating layers of Psionic Energy barriers. Then, with a horizontal slash, they instantly sliced the surviving warship into countless fragments, the cut surfaces as smooth as mirrors.
The next second, the spaceship's energy core exploded, and the fiery red energy expanded from the inside out, instantly turning into fireworks that engulfed all the spaceship fragments.
The fleet was annihilated in an instant, leaving only Gaud hovering in the middle of the battlefield.
"What a powerful energy ray! It seems to have incredible penetrating power through all forms of energy shields. If I had been hit just now, I would definitely have been injured..."
He felt a chill run down his Gaud; he had narrowly escaped being hit by the red ray.
He looked up and saw that Han Xiao's black mecha was covered with red energy circuits, densely packed like blood vessels, all connected to his fingertips. As five red rays were emitted, these energy circuits dimmed again, as if they were cooling down.
Seeing that his attack had missed, Han Xiao narrowed his eyes.
"This Antineutron Fission Cutting Beam was fired silently. A typical newly minted Beyond Grade A would have already been hit. He truly lives up to his reputation for inheriting a portion of his former mental strength, allowing him to foresee the threat."
After several years of research, Han Xiao has created more than just the "Sovereign" type of Universal Treasure- level mecha. This jet-black mecha was originally a set of golden blueprints from Jess's technology treasure trove. Han Xiao incorporated some modern new technologies into it, and finally successfully improved it, giving it a new name: "Black King - Remote Armor".
This is just one of the products in the same series. There are also three variants: "Melee Armament," "Legion Armament," and "Defense Armament," each with different abilities. They are collectively known as the "Black King Series," and all of them are gold-quality armor!
Without hesitation, Han Xiao chased after him, but Gaud turned and ran.
Unfortunately, without the spaceship, his physical flight speed was far inferior to that of the mechanical troops, and he was immediately surrounded by them, finding himself in a fierce battle.
As soon as they clashed, Han Xiao discovered that Gaud's ability was far too advantageous. Not only was his resistance to energy attacks incredibly high, but he could also absorb the enemy's attack energy during battle, resulting in an astonishing mana regeneration rate. It was as if, once he entered the Beyond Grade A, this ability would have an Infinite mana pool, which was extremely abnormal!
The superiority of his superpower was on full display; he was truly a prodigy. Relying on his ability, Gaud struggled to withstand the mechanical legion's offensive, showing no signs of suffering any losses for the time being.
"Having just entered the Beyond Grade A- rank, he already possesses this level of combat power. Given time, who will be able to subdue this guy?"
Seeing this, Han Xiao couldn't help but marvel at Gaud's talent, and at the same time became even more certain of his idea to eliminate the hidden danger as soon as possible.
With a flash, he personally broke into the encirclement, rapidly closing in on his opponent. He deflected the energy beams that Gaud hastily fired, successfully getting close enough to strike without a word. Then, he delivered a powerful, downward-stomping Battle Axe kick.
Gaud's expression changed, and he hurriedly raised his hand to block.
Thump!
An immense force crashed down upon him. Even with his energy protecting him, his body was overwhelmed. Tendons snapped one after another, bones cracked one after another, and excruciating pain surged like a tidal wave.
"I never expected to be ambushed by a mechanic. If I were a higher rank, I would have made sure you didn't leave alive..."
Gaud gritted his teeth and endured the pain, trying to pull himself away, but found that his arm seemed to be stuck to Han Xiao's leg armor and he couldn't tear it off.
He looked up quickly and saw black nanoparticles spreading out from the point of contact, rapidly covering his arm and spreading throughout his body.
"This is bad!"
Gaud's heart skipped a beat. He hurriedly mobilized his energy, trying to break free, but at that moment his brain suddenly trembled violently, and his mind was pulled into a vast world constructed by data streams, losing control of his body.
Before he could react, a towering figure suddenly appeared and slapped his spiritual body into the ground.
This technique is... Virtual Soul!
Gaud vividly remembered this and gritted his teeth, demanding:
"Manison! Is that you?!"
Han Xiao ignored him and focused on his attack.
In the virtual realm, Gaud's spiritual body was powerless to fight back and was beaten up. Fortunately, his spiritual strength far exceeded that of a freshman Beyond Grade A, which allowed him to break free as soon as possible.
Gaud's consciousness returned to his body, and before he could even breathe a sigh of relief, he found himself completely enveloped in machinery, as if he were wearing a mecha.
"You..."
Before he could even begin to break free, Han Xiao snapped his fingers.
Wow!
The next moment, Gaud's figure vanished without a trace. The Sovereign Mecha carried him through spacetime and teleported away.
"Execute the second plan."
Han Xiao immediately turned around and ordered the mechanical legion to bombard the area, erasing any traces the fleet might have left behind. He then manipulated the mechanical troops to fold and compress them in batches, returning them to his main barracks.
He had prepared several plans. If he could quickly resolve the issue with Gaud here, that would be ideal. But if Gaud was able to put up a fight, he would try to find a different battlefield.
Although he had set up several traps, the fourth phase of the Shattered World was too chaotic and full of uncertainties. He didn't want to linger there too long and risk being discovered.
Therefore, Han Xiao made a backup plan. When he traveled with Kasuyi last time, he recorded several deep- Secondary Dimension along the way. While waiting for the rabbit to come to him in the main universe, he did not wait in vain. He took the time to select a stable dimension that had never been visited by anyone, placed several sets of the Sovereign's "Throne", and left mechanical troops to drastically transform that dimension into a larger closed area.
Upon reaching the Secondary Dimension, Gaud was truly cut off from all escape routes, leaving him utterly helpless and with nowhere to run!
Han Xiao quickly dealt with the mess, wiped away all traces, recalled his troops, then changed into another set of Sovereign and instantly teleported away.
In a flash, they found themselves in a new place.
Here lies a pale, desolate land, devoid of any life, a black and white world where only outsiders possess color.
Meanwhile, in mid-air, another mechanical force, lying in ambush in this Secondary Dimension, was besieging Gaud, preventing him from escaping.
Upon seeing Han Xiao appear, Gaud suddenly turned his head and looked over, his eyes filled with astonishment.
The Sovereign's teleportation ability had become one of Han Xiao's trademarks. Only after being hit by the attack did he finally learn the attacker's identity, which he found unbelievable!
While struggling to fend off the mechanical troops' attack, Gaud stared intently at Han Xiao, his tone filled with shock and confusion.
"Black Star! It was you! What do you mean by this?!"
He simply couldn't understand why Black Star was the one who attacked him.
Aren't we friends now?
Didn't you want to become my friend enthusiastically?
Why are you targeting me?!
Having confirmed that Gaud was trapped, Han Xiao finally spoke his first words, his tone calm.
"Stop pretending, I know who you really are... Sorokin, do you really think you can sever your past and be reborn?"
The words had barely left his mouth.
Gaud's pupils instantly shrank to pinpoints, his mind in complete disarray!
Impossible!
I did it perfectly, how could he possibly know?!