Within the defense perimeter of the Machine Race territory, the combined fleets of the Three Universal Civilizations and the combined fleet of the Beyond Grade A Association have been locked in a standoff for some time, with the atmosphere tense and on the verge of conflict.
Meanwhile, on the outskirts, ships bearing different interstellar media markings were broadcasting the situation, and neither side was trying to drive away these battlefield media.
Because this place is likely to become a battlefield, these media outlets have deployed unmanned spacecraft for remote broadcasting. This storm center, which could ignite a war, has become the most watched place in the entire universe, with the total number of viewers exceeding historical records.
"The fleets of the Three Universal Civilizations have been intercepted, and neither side has engaged in combat, seemingly observing the situation... Although the reason is unknown, war has not yet broken out, and we sincerely hope for a turning point..."
In the interstellar media's online broadcast studio, the host looked serious, while countless viewers watched the screen with bated breath and trepidation.
After this period of public opinion propaganda, most people know that the situation here will be a turning point. Once the two sides start fighting here, it could lead to a full-scale war between the Three Universal Civilizations and the Beyond Grade A Association. Countless people are terrified by this.
Just then, two shooting stars appeared on the screen, hurtling towards the area where the two sides were facing off from a distance, revealing their shapes.
"The Mechanic Emperor has finally shown up, and the other is Black Star, the president of the Beyond Grade A Association. He's personally appearing, presumably to stop the Three Universal Civilizations?"
As the host introduced them, countless interstellar citizens focused their attention on the two individuals. Many had mixed feelings about these two instigators who had brought the cosmic situation to its current state.
Han Xiao crossed the alliance fleet's line and arrived between the two armies, hovering in the central area of the standoff. He immediately became the focus of everyone's attention on the battlefield, with warships on both sides locking their long-range targets onto him and magnifying his figure on the screen.
He glanced at the Three Universal Civilizations, opened the public wide-area channel, and openly addressed the issue, without any attempt to conceal his identity from either side, saying:
"Neither fighting nor retreating, let's have someone responsible come out and talk. I believe that no one wanted things to come to this point. If we can negotiate a solution that we can all accept, no one wants to solve the problem with force."
After the words were spoken, the battlefield was quiet for a moment. Then, three beams of light shot out from the main ship, forming remote projections of the leaders of the Three Universal Civilizations in front of Han Xiao, and simultaneously connecting to the wide-area channel of this location.
As soon as the call connected, Louis spoke in a deep voice, getting straight to the point:
"Black Star, are you deliberately seizing the Virtual Mutiny Virus technology and protecting the heinous Mechanic Emperor?"
Han Xiao shook his head. "The Virtual Mutiny Virus has long been destroyed. The Mechanic Emperor only conducted its own research and achieved some results. It was originally their research, so how can you say they've seized it? Although this technology is dangerous, they have no obligation to hand it over to the Three Universal Civilizations, nor has it ever harmed interstellar society. How can it be considered a heinous crime? On the contrary, it's you who sent a large army to besiege the Machine Race Mechanic Emperor into handing over the technology. That's not very honorable."
"The Mechanic Emperor has a criminal record, and his motives for researching this technology are questionable. For security reasons, we need to master this technology and control the Mechanic Emperor itself. This is all for the sake of maintaining interstellar society, which is the responsibility of the Three Universal Civilizations," Mabrus said, his expression serious.
Han Xiao remained unfazed. "Back when the Intelligence Plague occurred, multiple Beyond Grade A mechanics worked together to avert the disaster, proving that the Association is also committed to maintaining cosmic security. We will similarly guarantee that this technology will not harm interstellar society. This is an internal matter of the Association and will not be subject to interference from the Three Universal Civilizations."
The leader of the Arcane Cult solemnly stated, "The Beyond Grade A Development Federation is merely a civilian organization; its guarantee is meaningless. The Three Universal Civilizations have the right to manage it. Furthermore, the Three Universal Civilizations also have the right to supervise all factors that endanger interstellar society. This falls within the scope of authority stipulated by the Civilization Jurisdiction Law. The Mechanic Emperor must hand over the Virtual Mutiny Virus technology!"
"Impossible." Han Xiao resolutely refused. "The association's statement has already made its stance clear: individuals have the freedom to conduct research and will not accept forced submissions. The association will self-regulate the scope of the technology's application. We hope the Three Universal Civilizations will immediately withdraw their troops and repent!"
Louis paused, raised his voice, and said authoritatively, "As long as the Mechanic Emperor hands over the technology, we will withdraw our troops. Before that, we will not terminate this military operation for any reason. We will issue a ten-day ultimatum. We hope the Association will carefully consider this during this period and act accordingly, lest it make a wrong decision."
"So there's no room for negotiation?"
You have ten days left.
Han Xiao nodded, his tone changed, and he said in a deep voice:
"Since that's the case, from now on, I'll be the boundary. If you want to force the association to hand over the technology, you'll have to get past me first!"
Having said that, he sat cross-legged, hovering in the center of the two armies. Although he was all alone, in the eyes of everyone, he seemed to be an Infinite extending boundary line.
The Three Universal Civilizations the civilizations gave him a deep look, and then the remote projection went offline and disappeared.
The conversation took place on a wide-area channel, without any attempt to conceal it from the outside world, and was heard by everyone present, as well as by the media.
The expressions of countless interstellar citizens immediately changed.
"Did the negotiations fail?"
"Damn it, neither side is willing to back down, looks like a real fight is brewing!"
"There are still ten days left. I don't know if we'll have enough time to seek refuge."
The interstellar society was gripped by fear and unease.
Han Xiao glanced at the fleets of the Three Universal Civilizations and, seeing them waiting in place, secretly shook his head.
As the president, I represent the association's position, and it's impossible for me to back down. I absolutely will not hand over the technology, and I will not set this precedent. The Three Universal Civilizations have put up such a large force, and they will not withdraw until their goal is achieved. Neither side is willing to compromise, which is not a good situation.
"Ten days..." Han Xiao muttered to himself.
This is the final ultimatum given by the Three Universal Civilizations. If no consensus is reached in ten days, war may break out. It seems the Three Universal Civilizations are determined to accept the consequences of war.
He opened the panel and glanced at it. At this moment, a new project had been pinned to the top of the task list. It was a task triggered by Manison, which required him to break the siege of the Machine Race territory. There were no restrictions on the means; as long as the Three Universal Civilizations could retreat, the task would be considered completed.
Perhaps because Manison personally "asked for help," the reward, in addition to a large amount of experience, also included the chance to draw one of Manison's abilities.
Han Xiao was naturally not going to let another chance to steal Old Manison's underwear slip by.
I casually opened the forum and saw that my statement had also been recorded by players in the fleet.
Unlike the fearful Star Citizens, the players were basically eager for chaos and were mostly excited about the current situation. His "I am the boundary" statement was met with a barrage of comments like "Awesome" and "666" on the video.
"Beep beep..."
Just then, the communicator rang; it was Mabrus calling.
Han Xiao was not surprised at all. Public negotiations were more about expressing an attitude to the outside world; the real deal still had to be negotiated privately.
Once communication was established, projections of the Three Universal Civilizations leaders appeared on the mech's internal screen.
"Black Star, do you really want to start a war?" Mabrus hissed.
"That's a question I should be asking you," Han Xiao said calmly.
"Don't think you can act with impunity just because you've mastered the Sanctuary Revival. You're leading Beyond Grade A to your doom," Louis said coldly.
"Isn't that exactly what you wanted to see? If you weren't worried about the losses from war, why would you be negotiating with me privately now?"
"Heh, our research isn't without results. The Sanctuary Revival requires certain special resources and cannot be used at will. You can't fool us now. Besides, those Revived have already used their revival opportunities. If a real fight breaks out, there will be losses as well, and nobody wants that," said the leader of the Arcane Sect.
"So what's your brilliant idea?" Han Xiao clicked his tongue.
"We want the Virtual Mutiny Virus technology and information related to the Sanctuary Revival. In exchange, we will not only withdraw our troops but also lift the blockade against the Association, supporting your development instead. We can even provide you with sufficient Universal Treasure and technical blueprints, and we promise that the Black Star Army's personnel will not be on any future purge lists. These transactions will be completed privately, without being publicized to the outside world. Our reason for withdrawing our troops could be that we are wary of your combat power, thus enhancing your prestige..."
"You're ugly and dreaming. See you later."
Before he could finish speaking, Han Xiao abruptly ended the call, refusing to exchange another word.
This was the first time he had ever hung up on the phone with the leaders of the Three Universal Civilizations. In the past, when they hadn't fallen out, he wouldn't have given such important figures a hard time. At this moment, he felt a sense of relief.
On the other side, in the command center of the main ship of the joint fleet of the Three Universal Civilizations.
"... Okay, I understand."
After hearing the orders from above, Fleet Commander Simon responded a few times, put down the communicator, returned to the command platform, and calmly gave the following orders:
"Pass on my order: the Engineering Department shall begin assembling the High-Dimensional Apocalypse Teleporter, preheat it in twelve hours, and then dock it with the sending location."
"Are they sending reinforcements?" the chief of staff asked.
"Um."
Simon turned his head and looked out the porthole at the starry sky, where Han Xiao sat alone, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, his tone enigmatic:
"We've received orders to welcome the incoming elite Beyond Grade A soldiers."
"How many people came?"
Upon hearing this, Simon glanced at him.
"All."
Inside the reception room of the Black Star Palace.
A group of Beyond Grade A individuals gathered together, watching the news broadcast from the Machine Race territory. Their expressions varied, and they discussed the matter in hushed tones.
"Black Star's attitude is too tough; there's no room for negotiation if this continues," Old Dragon Milizaus said worriedly.
The Sun Hunter, fiddling with his weapon, grumbled, "Negotiation my ass. This fight is inevitable. Black Star isn't just putting on an act by staying there alone. I bet he's waiting for the top experts from the Three Universal Civilizations to deal with him. Whether it's a pincer attack or a series of attacks, he's taking it all on. He's trying to establish his authority."
"Is he reliable on his own...?" Kant frowned. "If the Three Universal Civilizations mobilize all their forces, the Dark Emperor and the Golden Ring will definitely be there, and those guys guarding the Secondary Dimension World bases will probably be called back too. Even if he's powerful, he'll still have a lot to deal with. Even the God's Chosen might have to intervene."
"Black Star should be able to handle the others, but the God's Chosen..." Kasuyi hesitated for a moment, "If he uses the Arcane Church's 'national treasure,' then Black Star might be in trouble."
Hila crossed her arms and legs, and said coldly, "Ignore Black Star; he's tough as nails. Let's think about the immediate threat first. The combined armies of the Three Universal Civilizations have already sealed off the Dawn Star Cluster, the gateway to the Shattered World, and could attack at any moment. I estimate that there are already no fewer than ten thousand long-range star-destroying weapons aimed at this place."
"Ten thousand units? You underestimate the Three Universal Civilizations." The Sun Hunter scoffed.
Kasuyi shook his head. "We've done all the necessary preparations. We can only wait for the changes to occur on the Ancient Star Desert side. At least until the Three Universal Civilizations take action against the Machine Race's territory, troops from other regions will not open fire."
Everyone sighed; when this scene actually happened, they still felt uncertain.
Regardless, the opponent is, after all, the overlord of this universe, and this long-standing fear cannot be easily eliminated.
The turning point came swiftly, even many Beyond Grade A were not used to it. However, dramatic changes in the times are always sudden, rarely giving people a chance to adapt gradually, so they can only accept reality.