Two days later, the Sanctum Organization fleet's flagship arrived at the meeting place.
A group of the First Ones sat in a circle around Sorokin, playing cards while using their energy to lock onto Sorokin, preventing him from making any unusual moves.
Sorokin was sandwiched in the middle, carrying a small stool to the table to watch others play cards, occasionally offering a few pointers, completely at ease being a member of the group.
At that moment, the door opened, Oathkeeper walked in. The noisy atmosphere in the room immediately quieted down, and everyone, including Sorokin, turned to look.
The Oathkeeper glanced around, his gaze settling on Sorokin, and spoke in a deep voice:
"I've thought about it for the past couple of days, and I agree to your joining the Sanctum."
Sorokin's face lit up with joy, and he was about to speak when the Oathkeeper interrupted him, adding:
"But that's contingent on resolving your conflict with Black Star. I don't want your joining to pose a threat to the organization."
Upon hearing this, Sorokin's expression turned serious. "What are your thoughts?"
The Oathkeeper slowly said, "First, we need to test the risk, that is, to test the extent of Black Star's Pursuit of you. So we need to forge your coordinates as bait to see if Black Star will give chase."
How exactly do you do it?
The Oathkeeper opened the star map, tapped on a transportation hub planet in the Ancient Star Desert, and said:
"We will find a way to spread intelligence that you recently passed through Planet Deer, and then monitor you to observe Black Star's reaction. If his forces come to gather intelligence, it means he is indeed Pursuit you down. If Black Star uses virtual means to infiltrate Planet Deer's nodes, our people can also detect it... To demonstrate our sincerity in cooperation, you can share the surveillance situation."
Sorokin thought for a moment and nodded in agreement with the plan. Although he didn't think Black Star would Pursuit him down, falsifying his whereabouts wouldn't threaten his safety, so he had no objections. On the contrary, he appreciated the Oathkeeper's caution; he liked this kind of steady person.
From his perspective, he could simply retire and do nothing, but the Sanctum wouldn't allow it. They were planning ahead, worried that Black Star might come knocking on their door like he had, so they wanted to proactively resolve the potential threat. He couldn't make the decision for the Sanctum; it wasn't up to him, so he could only cooperate with the Sanctum's ideas.
"What if Black Star really Pursuit him down?" Baigel interjected, trying to be the straight man.
"Then there are only two ways to resolve this threat." The Oathkeeper looked at Sorokin, feigning a troubled expression. "Either you take down Black Star, or you fake your death to deceive Black Star."
Baigel chimed in, "That makes sense. Only if Black Star thinks he's dead will they give up the Pursuit. After all, the dead are the safest. Anyway, Sorokin will fake his death; we can just fool him then."
Sorokin felt there was nothing wrong with this statement and nodded in agreement, but then he thought about it again and his tone became somewhat hesitant:
"But it's too risky. Since Black Star knows my identity, he'll definitely be wary of me faking my death. I'm worried that if he finds out, I'll really be throwing my life away..."
The Oathkeeper shook his head. "To be honest, this is actually more convincing. We control the Sanctuary Revival. If you were truly dead, we would revive you, not only eliminating the threat but also making you one of our own."
Sorokin chuckled dryly. "Let's forget about that. Besides, he also possesses Universal Treasure like the Space-Time Amber. I'm worried he might seal me away..."
He may say nice things, but how could he trust the Sanctum? If he were to eagerly throw his life away and the other party didn't revive him, wouldn't he have been completely fooled?
The Oathkeeper frowned, displeased, and said, "This is the least risky and most successful option. In the end, you keep saying you want to join the Sanctum, but you still don't consider us your own people."
"I'm very sincere, but trust needs to be built..."
Sorokin said polite words and put on a troubled expression, but inwardly he was complaining.
This plan carries the least risk for you, requires virtually no sacrifice, and solves the problem regardless of whether I'm truly dead or feigning death...
Conversely, the plan to deal with Black Star is very risky for the Sanctum, but it reduces his own risk, so he will definitely choose this option.
"Hmph, so you're still forcing us to help you deal with Black Star, using us as a tool to kill someone." Purple Emperor Mysterious Lady sneered from not far away.
Sorokin was speechless.
"... Let's talk about it later. Let's test the waters first."
The Oathkeeper glanced at Sorokin with feigned displeasure, said nothing, and turned to leave.
Not long after, through the covert operations of the Sanctum Organization, Sorokin spread the information from the Planet Deer on the black market. At the same time, the Sanctum Organization deployed a considerable number of people on Planet Deer to monitor the situation.
As time passed and the news gradually gained traction, everyone could only wait and see, keeping a close watch on the surveillance screens around the clock, because they were unsure whether Black Star had received the news.
Because it concerned his own life, Sorokin was extremely concerned, keeping a close eye on the monitor screen at all times to eliminate any possibility of deception.
Nearly ten days later, the Sanctum Organization finally received intelligence that a fleet from the Black Star Army's Ancient Star Desert branch had arrived on Planet Deer and was inquiring about Sorokin's whereabouts.
"The situation is clear: Black Star is indeed relentlessly Pursuit you, and you have brought us risk!"
In the remote monitoring room, the Oathkeeper glared at Sorokin, his tone full of dissatisfaction.
Sorokin did not answer; his face was extremely sullen, and his heart sank lower and lower.
The evidence was irrefutable, and he couldn't refute it. He just hadn't expected Black Star to be so obsessed with him that he was secretly Pursuit.
It turns out this guy not only wanted to steal my money, but he also wanted to kill me.
Bring on some wicked people!
Damn it, all I did was expose one of my identities, is it really worth relentlessly Pursuit me down?! Although I've schemed against you a few times before, I've already paid the price, but Black Star, are you really determined to kill me? Are you that vengeful?!
At this moment, the Oathkeeper asked in a deep voice, "You really don't want to fake your death to deceive Black Star?"
"No." Sorokin shook his head decisively.
The Oathkeeper the oath looked grim and paced back and forth, feigning irritability, as if he were hesitating.
After a long while, he seemed to make a decision reluctantly, saying:
"In that case, we have no choice but to join forces to annihilate Black Star!"
The words had barely left his mouth when, as if stirring up a hornet's nest, the other the First Ones present were immediately "shocked" and strongly objected.
"We have no grudge against Black Star, so why should we provoke such a powerful enemy for the sake of Sorokin?"
"Wouldn't joining forces against Black Star also reveal our existence?"
"This guy is just trying to blackmail us, don't fall for it!"
The crowd's furious reaction startled Sorokin, and he didn't dare to interrupt or express his opinion.
"Stop arguing!" The Oathkeeper argued with the crowd for a few moments, then raised his voice, forcefully declaring, "This is a one-time exception; there will be no next time!"
Then, he glared at Sorokin and said coldly:
"You've achieved your goal of using someone else to do your dirty work. Are you satisfied now?"
"Don't talk nonsense. It's not like I forced you to deal with Black Star. It was your decision. I'd rather ignore him completely." Sorokin refused to take the blame, feeling quite helpless.
He didn't actually intend to blackmail the Sanctum Organization into dealing with Black Star, because that would alienate everyone, but the choice wasn't his.
From his perspective, he couldn't change the other party's stubborn mindset or persuade the Sanctum to ignore Black Star. It was like a debtor seeking refuge in someone else's home, not only causing trouble for the other party but also having to comfortably persuade them to play ostrich and endure the harassment of debt collectors... Even Sorokin thought this approach was a bit shameless.
The Oathkeeper snorted and slowly said, "In short, you brought this trouble upon yourself, and you're the one who has to solve it. Since Black Star is Pursuit you down, you'll act as bait and lure him into the trap."
"Am I all alone?" Sorokin asked.
"Of course not. Three more people will accompany you, both to prevent you from deserting and to help you resist Black Star." The Oathkeeper shook his head. "As for the rest of us, we'll lie in ambush in the distance, waiting for an opportunity to break into the battlefield."
"Will this work? It's said that Black Star has Sovereign teleportation ability, so he's not afraid of being surrounded." Baigel interjected again, demonstrating the professional qualities of a straight man.
"Don't worry, Black Star will never expect us to have dozens of people. That's our biggest advantage! Sorokin's trap only has four people, which is just our first layer of preparation. But in Black Star's eyes, that should be our entire ambush force. With Black Star's combat strength, he's unlikely to run away from four people; he'll definitely try to fight. So Sorokin and his three men's mission is to hold Black Star off." The Oathkeeper spoke with an air of seriousness, as if it were the truth.
"Then what?"
"Then, of course, we need to create an opportunity! We'll have dozens of people building up our offensive from the rear. As long as you, Sorokin, can briefly control Black Star, preventing him from using his Sovereign, we'll use Baigel's teleportation to rush in directly. We'll then focus our accumulated attacks on Black Star, while all those skilled in mental attacks will coordinate to try and severely damage Black Star's soul in one blow!"
The Oathkeeper spoke with unwavering conviction, brimming with intense self-confidence; he himself was almost convinced of his own belief.
Sorokin analyzed the feasibility of the plan and felt that the success rate was much higher than if he had done it alone.
He believed that unless Black Star used the Space-Time Amber to defend himself, he probably wouldn't be able to withstand a concentrated barrage of fire from dozens of Beyond Grade A.
Although the Soul Flame wasn't in his own hands, having the Oathkeeper wield it would be the same, and besides, there were more than just the two of them skilled in mental attacks within the Sanctum Organization. Sorokin felt even more confident.
"This plan should be feasible, with an estimated success rate of over 70%. The interstellar community has practically Black Star God, but even he has his limits."
Sorokin breathed a sigh of relief and expressed his support.
Seeing that the fish had taken the bait, the Oathkeeper, well-versed in the art of fishing—a combination of loosening and tightening his grip—sharpened his eyes, spoke in a low voice, his tone carrying a warning:
"Don't be too happy yet. You'd better pray this operation succeeds. Otherwise, if Black Star gets away, he'll definitely leak information, and then the leverage you have will be useless. I'll pin the blame on you, and you can guess how we'll deal with you... So for your own sake, you'd better give it your all in this operation!"
Upon hearing this, Sorokin's expression turned serious, and he nodded steadily.
Half a month later, in the Ancient Star Desert, in a Desolate Universe Belt.
The starry sky resembled a black velvet studded with diamonds. A small spaceship hovered in deep space, carrying only four people: Sorokin, Baigel, and two other Beyond Grade A.
"Tsk, I never thought we'd have to join forces with you against a common enemy. What bad luck."
Baigel stood with his arms crossed, glanced at Sorokin beside him, and spoke with dissatisfaction.
"Tsk, do you think I'd want to see your face?"
Sorokin snorted coldly.
Too lazy to argue, he changed the subject and asked, "It's been so long, is Black Star really coming?"
"Who knows? Anyway, we've already sent out the coordinates. It all depends on how deeply he loves you," Baigel joked.
Sorokin was about to retort when an uninvited guest suddenly entered his senses, and his expression immediately changed.
"Someone's here."
The other three also sensed it, and simultaneously fell silent, looking in the corresponding direction out of the porthole.
After a while, a meteor streaked towards them, seemingly having also spotted Sorokin and his companions. It stopped a short distance away, revealing a familiar figure.
"It's Black Star! He's really here!"
Sorokin's face darkened, and he flew out of the cabin to confront Han Xiao from a distance, while Baigel and the other two followed behind him.
Han Xiao glanced at the group and then laughed in the wide-area channel.
"Oh, so you deliberately leaked the coordinates to lure me into a trap? So all that talk about your whereabouts a while back was just a deliberate hoax... Heh heh, I don't know where you found your accomplices, but four of you dared to attack me? Sorokin Sorokin, you really underestimate me!"
"Black Star, I didn't expect you to be so relentless in your pursuit of me! You're not going to leave me any way out! Since that's the case, don't blame me; you forced my hand!"
This was what infuriated Sorokin the most. In his view, he was clearly at a huge disadvantage, yet Black Star was still relentlessly pursuing him, which was simply outrageous.
"Sorry, I hold grudges. This isn't the first or second time you've schemed against me. Letting you get away will cause a lot of trouble later. So it's better for you to stay in my Space-Time Amber; it's safe and affordable."
As Han Xiao spoke in the wide-area channel, he glanced at Baigel and the other two with a smile in his eyes.
There were five people in the room, but there were three group chats: one was a wide-area channel, and the second was a temporary combat group chat for Sorokin, Baigel, and two others.
The third one is the group chat of the director team, which includes Han Xiao, Baigel, and all the Sanctum members who were lying in ambush. Only Sorokin was kept in the dark.
"Do it!"
Sorokin, unwilling to waste any more time arguing with Han Xiao, launched an attack directly at Han Xiao and called on Baigel and the other two to join the attack.
Seeing Sorokin's eagerness, everyone in the directing team burst into laughter.
"He's getting anxious, he's really getting anxious..."
"Haha, I suddenly feel so sorry for him."
"It's so tragic, I can hardly bear to watch."
"I should take a few more glances, I'm afraid I'll never see him again..."
Everyone burst into laughter, filling the production crew's office with a joyful atmosphere.
"Stop fooling around, we're acting, everyone be serious."
Han Xiao laughed and cursed, then summoned his mechanical legion to meet Sorokin's attack.
The three of them, including Baigel, hurriedly joined the battle, suppressing their laughter as they began to put on an act, cooperating with Sorokin in the fight. They fought fiercely, each one looking more and more real than the last.
The battle erupted instantly. The five people moved swiftly and agilely in the arena, leaving distorted and scorching traces in the universe as torrents of energy surged forth.
There's only a fleeting chance to betray them. If they can't quickly eliminate Sorokin, he still has time to leak information. So it's not time for a showdown yet, and the Sanctum is still playing the Sorokin.
Sorokin thought victory was assured and focused all his attention on the battle against Han Xiao. Little did he know that his teammates, on whom he placed such high hopes, were all actors ready to betray him at any moment.