"Hey, the Three Universal Civilizations really did it. It seems they've made up their minds..."
In the reception room of the Black Star Palace, more than a dozen Beyond Grade A were gathered, all turning their heads to look at the virtual screen on the wall, which was broadcasting news about the declarations of the Three Universal Civilizations.
Everyone's expressions were uncertain, except for Han Xiao, who rested his chin on his hand and remained expressionless.
Bang!
Suddenly, the table was slammed down heavily. Everyone turned to look and saw Kant with a grim expression, his fist embedded in the cracked tabletop.
"The Mechanic Emperor thrives on chaos, forcing us to waste an opportunity to Sanctuary Revival!"
Everyone present wore unfriendly expressions.
Recently, both sides have been making frequent military movements. They are all core members of the association invited by Han Xiao and have gathered at the Black Star Palace.
At first, everyone thought this was another fabricated scheme by the Three Universal Civilizations, but when Han Xiao briefly explained the ins and outs of Manison's data breach, everyone was astonished. On the one hand, they were amazed that Manison had actually developed Virtual Mutiny Virus, and on the other hand, they were furious that Manison took the opportunity to leak experimental records and deliberately provoked the situation.
With the Sanctuary Revival as their foundation, the people were not afraid to fight, but the mentality of being willing and being forced was different.
It would have been normal for the Association to step in when the Three Universal Civilizations invaded the Manison database. However, the emergence of the Virtual Mutiny Virus changed the situation, making the Association appear to be in the wrong. Moreover, Manison was probably doing this intentionally to drag them into the mess.
Everyone had a lot of complaints about Old Manison at this point, since there was only one chance to revive, and no one wanted to use it up too early.
"Black Star, what's the situation this time? Now that the Three Universal Civilizations have exposed this matter, is the Association still going to stand up for Manison?" Kasuyi turned his head, but he didn't react much. Han Xiao had already discussed this with him.
Han Xiao stroked his chin and said in a low voice:
"In my imagination, the Three Universal Civilizations have learned of the existence of the Virtual Mutiny Virus, and there are several possible outcomes. Their current actions fall into one of them... They have announced it to the interstellar society and dispatched a large army to besiege the territory of the Machine Race, threatening to force Manison to hand over the technology."
If the association protects the Mechanic Emperor and safeguards its virus technology, then with just a slight push in public opinion from the Three Universal Civilizations, the association's cultivated neutral image and prestige will plummet instantly, and it could very well ignite a full-scale war. The Three Universal Civilizations should already be psychologically prepared for war.
"How about abandoning Manison? The situation is different now than before, and I believe most members can understand. After all, we really didn't know about the Virtual Mutiny Virus. The Mechanic Emperor broke its own taboo; it has nothing to do with us," one of them asked.
Han Xiao shook his head. "The Three Universal Civilizations have been praising the Association for too long, and public opinion has already taken hold. They have stirred up the superhuman class's illusions and fanaticism towards us. At this critical juncture, if we give in now, even if we have a legitimate reason, it would still represent our submission to the Three Universal Civilizations, and we would probably lose our special guiding position among the superhuman class, which would be difficult to make up for afterward... For the Three Universal Civilizations, dispelling the superhuman class's yearning and illusions about the Association is also a valuable outcome."
"Are we really going to make the association take the blame for Manison? Why not insist that it's a frame-up by the Three Universal Civilizations, or turn the tables and say that the Three Universal Civilizations started it first, Manison just stole it..." The Sun Hunter's eyes widened.
Han Xiao interrupted him, waving his hand, and said, "They have a ton of evidence. We're on the defensive, and it'll be difficult to turn the tables on them. It might even make our situation worse. And don't forget, in many people's eyes, there are things that civilized governments can touch, but not civilian organizations. Even if we accuse the Three Universal Civilizations of developing it first, they won't need to explain much. Besides, they can easily say, 'If the Mechanic Emperor didn't have ulterior motives, why would they steal this technology?' Such reasons are too easy to find."
He paused, then continued:
"The Mechanic Emperor has given us leverage, putting us in a dilemma. At this point, things have gone beyond mere rhetoric; public opinion is just an added bonus. Either they concede, or we concede. Playing tricks won't get us to the core issue. It all comes down to whether we protect Manison or hand over the technology... I'll put it this way: we'll definitely protect him, but we won't hand over the technology. At most, we'll try to be more diplomatic with our wording."
The group looked at each other in bewilderment.
"So what do we need to do now?"
"I've already spoken with Manison, instructing your forces in the Ancient Star Desert to advance to the Machine Race's territory, forming a defensive perimeter to block the combined fleet of the Three Universal Civilizations halfway. As for you yourselves, stay here and recuperate. I'll use the Sovereign to rush to the Ancient Star Desert, and if a battle breaks out, I'll bring you over to provide reinforcements." Han Xiao shook his head.
Upon hearing this, the group was speechless and left the room with their own thoughts on the matter. They needed some time to process the sudden turn of events.
Han Xiao leaned back in his chair, took out his communicator, and glanced at the internet. The internet was in an uproar, stealing all the attention.
The terror of the Virtual Mutiny Virus has deeply permeated people's minds, and the entire interstellar society is living in constant fear. Almost all public opinion is condemning Manison's wolfish ambitions and his actions, which have once again brought threats to the universe.
Following the Intelligence Plague incident, Manison's reputation has been consistently poor. The initial intention behind developing this technology was clearly to weaponize it, causing panic and anger among almost all interplanetary citizens.
As a result, Han Xiao himself has also been the subject of conspiracy theories, with countless people questioning his actions in destroying the virus core. Many believe that if Black Star's current thoughts are the same as before, then he should step forward to destroy or hand over the virus technology again. Otherwise, his actions back then might have been a performance, perhaps a covert operation where he openly destroyed the technology to avoid the attention of the Three Universal Civilizations while secretly collaborating with Manison on research, and now the deed is done, and so on.
"Tsk..."
Han Xiao pursed his lips, said nothing, closed the web interface, and made a phone call to Manison.
Soon, Manison's image appeared on the screen.
"Black Star, when are you leaving?" Manison asked bluntly.
"Wait a moment." Han Xiao paused, then said expressionlessly, "Are you really not going to relocate the Machine Race?"
"If they won't move, let them surround us." Manison dismissed the suggestion.
"... Then wait for me to come over."
Han Xiao, too lazy to say anything more to Manison, hung up the call, got up and left the room.
In the following days, the Explored Universe underwent dramatic changes. The joint fleets of the Three Universal Civilizations made no attempt to conceal their journey to the territory of the Machine Race, while the various forces left behind by the Association in the Ancient Star Desert also began to converge on the territory of the Machine Race.
Fleets from the Beyond Grade A forces stood ready at a radius of half a day's journey from the Machine Race 'Machine Race territory, forming a spherical blockade that prevented anyone from passing through. Their intention was undisguised: to form a defensive perimeter and block the advance of the combined fleets of the Three Universal Civilizations.
In response to the statements from the Three Universal Civilizations, the Association also issued a public announcement to the interstellar community:
"The Association was unaware of the Mechanic Emperor's independent development of the Virtual Mutiny Virus beforehand and is currently investigating. As is well known, mediating conflicts between Beyond Grade A Beyond Grade A beings and restraining their behavior is the original purpose of the Association's founding. If it is verified that the Mechanic Emperor has indeed developed the Virtual Mutiny Virus technology, the Association will certainly take measures to ensure that this technology will not harm the order of interstellar society."
However, the Association will not interfere with individual research freedom, nor does it agree that any dangerous technology must be kept in custody by the Three Universal Civilizations. If this is true, the Association will restrain Manison and require him to seal the technology, thus ensuring the safety of interstellar society.
Furthermore, the Association strongly opposes the military actions currently being taken by the Three Universal Civilizations civilizations against the Manison race. This is an underhanded act of coercion and demands that the Three Universal Civilizations withdraw their troops immediately to avoid escalating the conflict. Once the Association completes its investigation, it will provide an answer to the interstellar community. There is no need for the Three Universal Civilizations to interfere.
This statement, once released, once again caused an uproar in the interstellar community.
Many people thought the association would back down this time, but they didn't expect it to be so tough.
Although the Beyond Grade A Association stated that it is still investigating, its uncompromising attitude is clear: this is its own business, it will never hand over technology, and it will not accept interference from the Three Universal Civilizations. Moreover, its approach has some merit... If the Three Universal Civilizations can regulate, so can we.
Interstellar citizens have more faith in the Three Universal Civilizations. However, since the association claims that it will regulate itself and not harm interstellar society, even though many people have doubts, as uninformed bystanders, it is not appropriate to accuse the association of harboring malicious intentions and planning to use this technology for evil purposes.
After all, the Beyond Grade A Association is not an ordinary non-governmental organization; it possesses a certain level of credibility. At the same time, the outside world cannot be certain whether Manison's personal research was instructed by the association. Therefore, at least the association's starting point of rejecting the Three Universal Civilizations is barely tenable... As for whether it can truly supervise effectively, it's impossible to say for sure now.
The Super Star Cluster Alliance, which had initially been observing, saw an opportunity and jumped back in, supporting the Association's decision. They argued that there was no reason why it should be safe to hand over technology to the Three Universal Civilizations; this was nothing more than an excuse to covet others' technology, and that the Three Universal Civilizations were using this as a pretext to steal others' technology, etc.
It's not surprising that they did this. The Super Star Cluster Alliance is probably the least willing to see the Three Universal Civilizations master the Virtual Mutiny Virus technology. If they didn't feel it was inappropriate, they would have volunteered to act as a third party to "monitor" this technology.
Countless interstellar citizens felt that the world situation was changing too fast. Not long ago, they were living peaceful and uneventful lives, but in the blink of an eye, war seemed to be about to break out, without any warning.
Just as a tense atmosphere permeated the entire universe, the joint fleet of the Three Universal Civilizations finally made contact with the defensive perimeter built by the Beyond Grade A Association outside the territory of the Machine Race.
In the dazzling starry sky, an incredibly massive combined fleet was slowly advancing, and the outer defensive perimeter of the Machine Race territory had come into view.
The defensive perimeter consists of a fleet, temporary interstellar fortresses, and mobile satellite bases. As far as the eye can see, it seems to have no end. Shining matrix-shaped Psionic Energy shields form a super-large protective shield that extends outwards like an energy wall, separating the two areas.
In the command center of the flagship, fleet commander Simon Tagmar stood by the porthole, his eyes fixed on the ever-approaching defensive perimeter.
He is a high-ranking military officer in the Federation of Light and serves as the commander-in-chief of this joint fleet.
The adjutant glanced at the radar screen and whispered, "Commander Simon, we've reached their defensive perimeter. They've blocked our path. Should we stop?"
Simon didn't turn his head, and asked calmly, "What are the orders from above?"
"Surround the Machine Race's territory."
"Is this the territory of the Machine Race?" Simon asked in return.
No, it's not...
"Then why did you stop?"
"Understood!" The adjutant took a deep breath and relayed the order over the channel, his voice deep and serious. "Order the entire ship to continue advancing and prepare for battle. If anyone continues to obstruct us, then clear away all enemies in our path!"
The order was issued swiftly, and the warships of the combined fleet extended their cannons, aimed them forward, and prepared to fire at any moment.
As the vanguard of the Combined Fleet gradually entered the firing range of the defensive perimeter, the distance between the two sides grew closer and closer, and the atmosphere in the command room became increasingly tense, so quiet you could hear a pin drop, with almost all the crew members holding their breath.
bite--
Just then, a remote projection suddenly appeared in the command room; it was a high-ranking military officer from the operations command.
"Orders have been given to halt the fleet immediately."
"Stop." Simon's eyes flashed, and he raised his hand to make a fist.
The adjutant immediately relayed the order.
Soon, the combined fleet came to a slow stop, only a short distance from the defensive perimeter. The forward warships could almost see their crews through the portholes of the other ships.
Seeing this, the atmosphere in the command room eased, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Simon turned to look at the projection of the military's top brass, seemingly unsurprised, and calmly asked, "What other instructions are there from above?"
"... Disperse and surround, remain in place, and await the outcome of negotiations."
Meanwhile, in the territory of the Machine Race.
"You were right, the Three Universal Civilizations do not want an immediate conflict."
Manison's Dominion avatar looked at the remote monitoring screen, shook its head, and chuckled softly.
"The Three Universal Civilizations have sent their fleets here in such a grand manner, certainly not to engage in direct combat. If they really wanted to attack your Machine Race territory, they would have already used the High-Dimensional Apocalypse Teleporter. Besides, your main body isn't here, so attacking the Machine Race wouldn't be of much use. This should be the last test."
Han Xiao sat opposite him, his eyes slightly narrowed, and gave a casual reply.
This place has become the eye of the storm, and now the eyes of the entire universe are focused on the situation here. He arrived here not long ago, and currently, he and Manison are the only Beyond Grade A here.
"Although they made up their minds, they were still not decisive enough," Manison shook his head.
Han Xiao remained noncommittal, turning to look at him. "Because of you, things have suddenly escalated to this point. Aren't you going to do anything about it?"
"... What kind of response do you want? Do you still want to get off the ship now?" Manison paused.
"You tricked me, there's nothing to say, but since I'm here to stand up for you, you should at least show some humility in asking for help."
"Hmph, weirdo, do you really enjoy seeing me bow my head?" Manison was in a good mood and didn't dwell on it, casually saying, "Then I'm begging you, please help me resolve this."
Han Xiao's eyes flickered slightly as he glanced at the panel, a strange smile curving his lips before quickly disappearing.
He twitched his chest muscles and slowly stood up.
"Let's go, it's my turn to step forward and personally meet our old boss."