On the ground, the Gods Guild players posed for photos with Dafis's corpse, enjoying their moment for a short while. However, they quickly realized the same thing and knew that things weren't over yet. They suppressed their laughter, drew their weapons, and looked up at the Feni Civilization's regular army in the sky, ready for battle.
Jupiter kept a close eye on the enemy fleet, and if the enemy made any unusual moves, he immediately ordered a mass retreat.
However, the two fleets stared at each other for a full five minutes, and the Feni Civilization did not surround them. They remained on the edge of the battlefield, seemingly determined to watch the show.
Jupiter's expression gradually changed from serious to bewildered.
He realized he truly couldn't understand the Feni Civilization's attitude. Initially, they protected Dafis, but when the regular army arrived, they refused to help, even firing on Dafis and driving nails into his coffin to aid their kill. And now that the dust had settled, the regular army was just standing by watching, showing no intention of apprehending them...
--Which side are you on?
"President, they're all intimidated by your domineering aura," Poseidon's ingratiating voice rang out in the channel.
Hmph, it's because you're always going against me, disrupting my morale and undermining my fighting spirit, and now you're trying to suck up to me? Too late!
Jupiter scoffed inwardly, thought for a moment, and said, "Recall the ground players, keep a close eye on the enemy fleet's movements, and if things go wrong, immediately commit suicide and respawn on the ship."
The order was given, and the guild fleet began using tractor beams to tentatively recall the airdropped players, closely monitoring the movements of the Feni Civilization's army. If the enemy showed any sign of resistance, they would turn and run.
However, the Feni Civilization's army did not react at all, remaining stationary while the Gods Guild cleaned up the battlefield and retrieved players. Seeing this, the guild fleet became bolder and sped up the retrieval process.
Even after the guild warship had packed all the players back onto the ship, the Feni Civilization Legion remained silent.
"That's strange, why aren't they moving?"
Jupiter was very puzzled.
However, since the other party did not stop him, he had no reason to linger any longer. Suppressing his doubts, he called out to everyone and ordered the fleet to retreat.
The guild fleet quickly moved away from Planet Birger and disappeared from the detection radar. Only then did the Feni Civilization's army take action. Some rushed to track the guild fleet, while others landed on the surface to clear the city ruins and rescue survivors.
The command ship came to a stop at the port on land. The hatch opened, and the fleet commander, with a sour face, stepped down the gangway. He was immediately met by the Planet Birger, who was walking towards him in a huff.
Only after the guild fleet withdrew did Planet Birger dare to climb out of the bunker, where he had been waiting for a long time. He opened his mouth and immediately launched into a furious, questioning attack:
"What's wrong with you guys? You're not answering communications or returning calls. Didn't the higher-ups say you were here to provide support? Why haven't you taken any action? And instead, you let those thugs go! What are you even doing here?!"
The fleet commander, his face grim, suppressed his frustration and explained in a low voice:
"The fleet's AI systems all malfunctioned and are unresponsive. Someone has taken over all the ships, and we can't operate them at all. Furthermore, external communications have been cut off, and we can't contact anyone."
Planet Birger's furious expression froze instantly, and he asked in surprise, "What's going on?"
"Someone has paralyzed our fleet, most likely a Beyond Grade A virtual mechanic..." The fleet commander subconsciously lowered his voice.
Planet Birger was startled and quickly looked around, as if he suspected someone was spying on him through the device.
Don't be so nervous, I'm just guessing.
The fleet commander had a somber expression.
He was extremely frustrated. His original orders were to assist Dafis in capturing the group of thugs, but upon arriving at the scene, he was shocked to find that the fleet's intelligent systems were paralyzed. Not only that, but someone had also manipulated their ships to unleash a barrage of fire on Dafis. He could only watch helplessly as Dafis met his demise and the group of thugs drove off before regaining control of the ships.
The enemy's invasion was like a gazelle leaping off a cliff, leaving no trace. The fleet's technicians had no idea where to begin and could only stare blankly at the screen filled with "color block elimination" games.
If these thugs really did come from the Black Star Army, it's possible that Black Star himself took action... Because of this speculation, the fleet commander didn't dare to act rashly. Even after regaining control, he only sent a detachment to symbolically pursue the enemy, while he, the commander, cunningly stayed on the planet.
"Then... what do we do now?" Planet Birger asked, still shaken.
"I've already reported what happened here to the higher-ups. Let's wait for their response; this is probably beyond our decision-making scope."
The fleet commander was helpless.
Just then, his communicator lit up. A high-ranking member of the Feni Civilization logged on, glanced at the two of them, and said in a deep voice:
"This was a civilian brawl. Two groups clashed at Dafis's base. The security forces went to investigate, and Dafis took the opportunity to escape his opponents' encirclement, fleeing all the way to the Planet Birger. He landed on the surface without permission, intending to use the planet's defense forces to stop the enemy, thus bringing disaster to the planet's inhabitants. Before we could expel him, a second group of thugs arrived and launched an attack on the planet. Do you understand?"
Planet Birger Chief paused for a moment, then suddenly realized and quickly nodded in agreement.
The casualties on Planet Birger have become a major social event within the civilization, and the higher-ups want to minimize the impact and absolve themselves of responsibility. Therefore, from now on, Dafis has nothing to do with them, and all his actions are spontaneous.
The envoy doesn't exist, nor does his role as the star chief's cover-up. As long as they don't reveal these inside stories, then on the surface, Dafis's actions appear to be a case of using someone else to do the dirty work and shifting the blame elsewhere, with Planet Birger merely being the victim... In this way, the anger of the Feni Civilization's people will only be transferred to these thugs, and the higher-ups won't have to take the blame.
"And what about us?" the fleet commander asked.
The higher-up glanced at him and said slowly:
"Your mission was to stop this disaster. Because Dafis brought about the calamity, the army prioritized eliminating him and successfully killed the thugs who caused it. The second group of thugs was allowed to leave because they were taking the people of Planet Birger hostage. So the army temporarily allowed them to leave the scene before pursuing them and shifting the battlefield. This was to reduce civilian casualties. Do you understand?"
"Understood."
The fleet commander breathed a sigh of relief and secretly gave a thumbs up.
The situation is the same, but the way it's phrased makes it feel completely different. Not only do they shirk most of the responsibility, but they also emphasize their image of prioritizing public safety.
Brilliant!
At this moment, the higher-up's tone shifted, tinged with annoyance, and he said in a deep voice:
"Of course, this is just an explanation to appease the public; it's enough to deal with it temporarily. As for those Immortals, we will publicly condemn them, provide them with ammunition for public opinion, and report to the Civilization Council to seek Three Universal Civilizations civilizations!"
"Is it to emphasize that they are from the Black Star Army?" Planet Birger asked.
"No, we can only say they are suspected to be the Black Star Army. It's enough to emphasize their status Immortals..." The high-ranking official gritted his teeth.
The fleet was taken into control in an instant, most likely by a Beyond Grade A virtual mechanic, and not just any Beyond Grade A, but possibly Black Star himself.
The reason why the Feni Civilization is not afraid of offending the Black Star Army is that, on the one hand, the Legion has no influence over the Endless Nebula Star Field, and now that the other party seems to be making a move in secret, they are somewhat more at ease.
However, the Feni Civilization would not accept this loss. With heavy casualties among its people, as the victims, they naturally felt justified and would certainly make a huge fuss to demand an explanation.
Of course, they also considered the possibility that Black Star possessed evidence that they had protected Dafis.
However, this risk was not enough to make them hesitate, because the Feni Civilization knew very well that even if the inside story of their cover-up was exposed, the truth would still be on their side. Because the one who actively killed civilians would always be in the wrong, and the main responsibility would not be their cover-up, but the other side's failure to withdraw and their recklessness... This is the universal value of interstellar society, and the rule of the Interstellar Convention.
In reality, the higher-ups wanted to definitively conclude that these Immortals were the Black Star Army's forces. However, when they were trying to gather evidence earlier, they discovered that much of the evidence pointing to the Legion had disappeared, turning this group of Immortals, who had already revealed many clues, into a "ghost force" of unknown origin.
These high-ranking officials knew someone had sabotaged things, but despite their anger, there was nothing they could do about Black Star.
However, the Immortals themselves are a clue. After all, the entire universe now knows that the organization with the most Immortals is the Black Star Army... They are just using the power of the Three Universal Civilizations to provide them with propaganda ammunition. As long as the event actually happens, they can carry out their plan regardless of whether there is solid evidence.
A few days later, an announcement from the Feni civilization in the Infinite Nebula Feni Civilization caused a sensation in interstellar society.
The announcement was about the "Planet Bilge Massacre," in which a large number of citizens died unnatural deaths. The Feni Civilization strongly condemned this atrocity, expressing its outrage and vowing to hold those responsible accountable. Meanwhile, fueled by certain individuals, news spread that Immortal Troops, suspected to be members of the Black Star Army, was attacking a civilized colony, attracting widespread attention.
As the saying goes, a change of identity can lead to tens of thousands of reposts. If it were a wanted criminal attacking a colony, it would at most be considered a public order incident, and interstellar citizens would at most hurl a few insults before quieting down.
However, now, the party involved is suspected to be the leader of the Beyond Grade A Association. As a major force in the Order faction, it has openly violated the Peace Treaty and killed ordinary people. In the current sensitive situation, the nature of the matter has immediately escalated into a political incident, instantly igniting public opinion!
In particular, the Feni Civilization reported to the Civilization Council, tearfully demanding that the Three Universal Civilizations uphold justice, pressure the Black Star Army to hold them accountable, and hoping to initiate an investigation to find out the truth, which further escalated the situation.
In the following days, the Three Universal Civilizations took over the propaganda ammunition provided by the Feni Civilization, fully activated their propaganda machine, and began a comprehensive propaganda attack on the Black Star Army. They also expanded the scope of the attack to the Beyond Grade A Association, expressing strong doubts about the foundation of the association and its "justice".
Even though a galaxy-level civilization is within the protection zone of the Peace Treaty, its atrocities of slaughtering ordinary people on colony planets have already provoked widespread anger. Even the supercluster civilizations dare not support the association at this time and remain silent.
Emotions need an outlet. Driven by advanced civilizations, although the Feni Civilization only claimed that the thugs were suspected to be from the Black Star Army without any conclusive evidence, ordinary people didn't care about that and directly targeted the Black Star Army. The long-suppressed fear and resentment towards superhumans and Immortals turned into fierce insults, sparking a wave of public condemnation... After all, your family has the most Immortals in the entire universe, so who else would you be criticizing if not you?
Han Xiao himself became the main target of public opinion attacks. Under the influence of advanced civilizations, a large number of people disregarded his past deeds and Infinite amplified the weight of this matter, beginning to question why such an organization leader who condoned his subordinates' violence deserved the "Stuart Peace Prize" and the "Galaxy Medal," and why he was revered by interstellar society.
Such a golden opportunity was naturally not to be missed by the Three Universal Civilizations. They seized the chance to relentlessly smear Han Xiao's image, believing that the more they could strip away the "prestige shield" they had once created for Han Xiao, the more they would feel entitled to claim the "righteous cause."
Under the operation of advanced civilization, the "Planet Bilge Massacre" became a fuse, further intensifying the antagonism between ordinary people and superhumans.
Countless interstellar citizens felt a sense of shared sorrow and empathy. As ordinary people, no one wanted to be suddenly drawn into the struggle between superhumans and become an unfortunate victim of a violent death.
The impact of such events on ordinary people is that they become more supportive of the Three Universal Civilizations ' suppression of the Beyond Grade A Association. From their perspective, they naturally hope that all superhumans can be strictly controlled by the civilizations to avoid suffering an undeserved disaster one day.
For a time, the public's calls to punish the Beyond Grade A Association grew louder and louder... However, the impact ended there. The Three Universal Civilizations merely took the opportunity to smear the association, but in reality, they were still observing and had no intention of taking action.
Amidst this fervent condemnation, the Black Star Army merely issued a simple statement, indicating that an internal investigation would be conducted and the results would be announced later. They also warned the Feni Civilization against slander without evidence, and then remained silent for the time being, seemingly unmoved by the outside clamor.
In the desolate Infinite Nebula of the Desolate Universe Belt, the Gods Guild fleet slowly sailed.
Many guild members sat or stood, casually browsing the forum, occasionally letting out smug chuckles.
"Guild leader, look! Our achievement has been recorded in the Galaxy Chronicles! Our guild's first kill has been officially recognized!"
Poseidon's face lit up with joy.
Jupiter glanced at the forum; the Gods Guild's first kill of Calamity Grade had been dominating the page for days, greatly boosting the club's popularity and making them quite famous. He was therefore rewarded by the club's higher-ups.
However, Jupiter wasn't so happy looking at the praise on the forum; he seemed a bit lost in thought.
"What's wrong? You seem unhappy?" Poseidon noticed his unusual behavior and asked in a puzzled tone.
Jupiter shook his head, his tone worried:
"Don't any of you read the interstellar news? It's causing a huge uproar outside. We've really messed up the Legion this time..."
Public opinion in the interstellar society grew increasingly intense each day, causing Jupiter to tremble with fear.
He didn't regret it. After all, you can't catch a wolf without risking your cub. The world's first guild kill was too tempting. He figured he would make the same choice again if he had to do it again. He just couldn't help but worry about how the legion would handle this.
Those members who caused trouble for the legion in the past generally didn't have a good ending; they all had prior records.
Although the Gods Guild did not do it intentionally, things have escalated now, and Jupiter is unsure of the Legion's stance.
He had been waiting for the legion to contact him for the past few days, but the sword of Damocles had not yet fallen, making him increasingly uneasy.
Buzz--
Suddenly, the spaceship's communication system automatically activated, drawing everyone's attention. Han Xiao's remote projection appeared out of thin air before them.
"Legion Commander?!"
Jupiter and many other players present were taken aback, not expecting Black Star to arrive so suddenly.
Han Xiao glanced at everyone, his gaze finally settling on Jupiter. His face was expressionless; without any pleasantries, he went straight to the point:
Don't you owe me an explanation?
Jupiter's heart skipped a beat, and he wore a helpless expression that said, "I knew it."
Knowing he was in the wrong, and that his actions had put his faction in a difficult position, he didn't know what to say when questioned by the faction leader who had been with him for five versions.
Seeing that he didn't speak, Han Xiao narrowed his eyes and paused deliberately.
Only after he caught a glimpse of some guild players around him who had turned on their recording function did he continue:
"You acted without reporting to the legion, which ultimately led to the current situation and provided the enemy with a weapon of public opinion to attack us. I am very dissatisfied with this."
Upon hearing this, everyone's hearts sank.
However, Jupiter had anticipated this; it would be strange if Black Star hadn't reacted given how big the situation had become.
He sighed.
"... How does the Legion plan to punish us?"
Han Xiao glanced around, taking in everyone's expressions, then gave a soft snort and said irritably:
"Let me be frank, this time, the Legion won't punish you. We're all old comrades who came from Planet Aquamarine together, and I'll cover for you this time! But if there's a next time, don't blame me for following the rules!"
Everyone was stunned.
Seeing Han Xiao's attitude just now, they were all mentally prepared to accept punishment from their faction, but when they suddenly heard these words, they were stunned.