Despair and fear often accompany anger, and Urnos's surrender immediately ignited public opinion.
They had been hoping that the Three Universal Civilizations would send people to quell Black Star's arrogance, but reality shattered their illusions. No one could control Black Star, and many interstellar citizens were both afraid and angry, eventually becoming furious.
Okay, you're individually impressive, even more so than the Three Universal Civilizations, but we still have fleets and regular army groups! I don't believe we can't deal with you!
Unable to compete with individual strength, a large number of Star and Tu Shu Interstellar citizens immediately turned to believe in the collective power of the Three Universal Civilizations, finding new reasons to convince themselves and a new source of confidence.
Today is the last day of the ultimatum deadline, and public opinion has gone completely to extremes, with support for the Three Universal Civilizations Purge Association. Public sentiment is high and chaos reigns.
"A mere non-governmental organization like the Beyond Grade A Association dares to confront the Three Universal Civilizations; this is undoubtedly the act of a wanted criminal. Think about it: if the government wants to regulate you and you disobey, isn't that illegal and against regulations? Oh, so you think you can break the law just because you've established a non-governmental organization? On what grounds? Isn't it just that they rely on their power to do whatever they want!"
"To be fair, Beyond Grade A individuals have always been a destabilizing factor. They enjoy privileges and disregard Interstellar General Law. In my opinion, we should either bring them all under the supervision of our civilization or eliminate them all to prevent them from becoming too powerful and endangering interstellar society. Today is the bitter fruit of their actions!"
"Hey, Beyond Grade A is just a representative of the superhuman group. All superhumans should be regulated so that order can be maintained. So many security incidents are related to superhumans. Without them, the security situation would improve!"
Since the Sanctuary Revival in the world, the Three Universal Civilizations have been guiding public opinion and stirring up anger, deliberately inciting antagonism between ordinary people and superhumans. This has continued for more than a year, like a spring that has been compressed tighter and tighter. Now, at this turning point in the situation, the long-standing dissatisfaction of the general public with the superhuman class has finally erupted.
Countless interstellar citizens vented their anger and frustration, hurling insults and wishing for the extinction of Beyond Grade A and superhuman beings.
Although extremely extreme, it is indeed a true reflection of the inner world of some interstellar citizens—their innate genes predetermine them to be ordinary people, which is more despairing than the gap between rich and poor. Almost everyone harbors resentment and unwillingness to accept the injustice of fate to some extent. Given the opportunity, a considerable number of people would not mind revealing their "anti-superpower" side.
However, the public outrage surrounding quantum networks has no effect on the current situation and does not influence Han Xiao's actions.
Han Xiao sat upright in the center of the battlefield, surveying the combined fleet of the Three Universal Civilizations. After Urnos conceded defeat, the other direct descendants seemed to fall silent as well, and on the last day of the ultimatum, they did not make any more futile moves.
"Looks like they've finally figured things out."
Han Xiao let out a breath.
This attempt to establish their authority was quite successful. After years of low-key development, they made a stunning debut, showcasing their overwhelming combat power honed over many years to the world. This not only boosted the confidence of the association members but also dampened the morale of the enemy, while also securing a reward for their mission.
Just then, the mech's built-in communicator rang, connecting to Manison's channel.
"... Your progress always exceeds my expectations."
Manison had mixed feelings. He was also surprised by Han Xiao's achievement and couldn't help but feel envious.
"It's alright, just average." Han Xiao said modestly.
Well, still the same old shamelessness.
After a moment of silence, Manison composed himself and asked curiously, "Your Mechanical Deity is different. Is it a new technology? It seems to have traces of Convict inside."
"Yes, it borrows some principles from the Convict." Han Xiao nodded in agreement.
Manison fell silent.
Ah, another of Black Star's most closely guarded techniques has been stolen...
My heart aches so much!
He felt a surge of anger, but then despairingly realized that he had actually grown accustomed to having his work stolen...
Taking a deep breath, Manison steadied himself and asked in a low voice, "What is the principle behind this technology? Can you explain it to me?"
"It's possible, but you won't be able to learn it..." Han Xiao shrugged. "This technique was tailor-made for me, but it requires extremely strong physical regeneration. You're too fragile."
"..."
Is it abnormal for a mechanic to be a little fragile? You're the only one who's different and has the right to laugh at us so casually.
Manison raised his hand to his heart, paused for a moment, and didn't want to talk about this awful topic anymore.
He abruptly changed the subject, his tone becoming serious, and said in a deep voice:
"Today is the ultimatum deadline. I'm ready for war. How's it going on your end?"
Han Xiao nodded. "The association's personnel have been deployed to strategic locations across various star systems, and if nothing unexpected happens, some have already begun their operations."
"War is the shortcut to peace. After today, we and the Three Universal Civilizations will each have to rely on our own abilities. I hope that this era will continue in our hands," Manison sighed.
Han Xiao pursed his lips, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
After making a few remarks, Manison was about to close the communication when he suddenly paused, remembering something.
"Um... you broke my halberd, but the other Universal Treasure I lent you weren't broken. You took them all. When are you going to return them to me?"
"Hey, hey, hey, don't be so formal. We're like family, do you think I'd swallow your Universal Treasure? What kind of person do you take me for?" Han Xiao immediately said indignantly.
Manison immediately let out a cold laugh.
You won't do anything that involves people, and you still have the nerve to ask me what kind of person I take you for?
You're not even human!
"Just tell me when you're going to pay me back."
"Wait until I... cough, until I've repelled the fleets of the Three Universal Civilizations, then I'll return it to you when I have time."
Hey, you clearly meant to give it back to me after you've finished researching it!
Manison glanced at Han Xiao, snorted, and immediately shut down the communication.
He had long been worn down by Han Xiao and had no temper left. Besides, they had known each other for so many years and knew each other inside and out. He was mentally prepared for this when he lent the money out, so it wasn't surprising at all.
As expected of you, Black Star!
Han Xiao closed the communication interface. Seeing that the Three Universal Civilizations hadn't responded, he simply opened the panel and looked at the mission rewards.
The Three Universal Civilizations' direct lineage gauntlet battles do not trigger individual challenge missions, but rather missions similar to sparring with Recluses like Joy. The length of time you survive determines the reward tier, with the highest reward being seven character cards and five chances to draw random abilities, with any participant you choose as the target.
The one-on-one challenge triggered by Urnos is a standard Beyond Grade A challenge mission, and the reward is a character card and a chance to draw a random character.
"Hey, looks like I won by stealing the victory in the end. It wasn't a wasted trip."
Han Xiao felt much better and comforted.
With the big battle imminent, he felt a bit itchy, but after thinking about it, he resisted the urge to draw immediately.
The goal of establishing authority has been achieved. If a war breaks out tomorrow, the Three Universal Civilizations' joint fleets will launch a major offensive, and the core members will most likely all join the fight. Of course, Han Xiao will not continue to fight alone. Calling for reinforcements is also a fine tradition of the association, and it should be carried forward. He has never been afraid of who has more people, so he is not in a hurry to settle the rewards.
"It's a pity, if only we could get the Three Universal Civilizations to back down..."
Han Xiao shook his head, recalling a previous idea. He couldn't help but stroke the communicator, hesitating whether to call the leaders of the Three Universal Civilizations, reveal the news of the World Tree Civilization, and divert attention from internal conflicts.
Ideally, the Three Universal Civilizations would believe this and temporarily set aside their hostility to join forces against the external enemy. Although this would lead to the World Tree War arriving ahead of schedule, it would preserve a great deal of manpower and prevent premature depletion. However, given the current tense situation and the current relationship between the two sides, he felt that the probability of the Three Universal Civilizations' leaders believing this was very low. They would most likely regard it as a fabricated excuse for admitting defeat or a way to make concessions.
If he fails to persuade the leaders of the Three Universal Civilizations, war will still break out. At the same time, the Three Universal Civilizations may secretly investigate whether the World Tree intelligence is true. In that case, the Explored Universe will not only lose a wave of military forces, but the World Tree War may also come sooner, leaving the Three Universal Civilizations no time to recover. Therefore, Han Xiao is hesitant. He finds it difficult to confirm the butterfly effect of this move.
"Ugh, this is tough."
In the online chat room of the Beyond Grade A Association, a group of Beyond Grade A remote projectors were discussing animatedly, with many still showing signs of surprise.
"Even Urnos couldn't handle Black Star... He hasn't made a move in decades, and his strength has actually reached this level."
"Black Star is an incredible guy. I thought he was going to suffer this time, but he actually held on."
"One person single-handedly fought against Three Universal Civilizations and suppressed all their direct descendants. If I hadn't witnessed it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it was true!"
Many Beyond Grade A students were talking about it with great enthusiasm and excitement.
They watched the entire broadcast of Black Star's solo battle against the Three Universal Civilizations' direct lineages, and each day was more shocking than the last. After Urnos conceded defeat, the entire community was in an uproar.
Even the universally acknowledged strongest cheater, Urnos, couldn't defeat Han Xiao, which astonished the entire Beyond Grade A circle. In everyone's eyes, this crown no longer belonged to Urnos, but was transferred to Black Star's head... Not only was he the president of the Beyond Grade A Association, but he was also the undisputed number one Number One Beyond Grade A, making his position as president even more legitimate.
"I'm relieved that Black Star has such strength." Kasuyi relaxed.
Many people nodded and smiled.
With the Three Universal Civilizations cards, many association members worried that Black Star might encounter misfortune, leaving no one able to use the Sanctuary Revival, which would be disastrous for them. Now, seeing Black Star's unexpected strength, many have breathed a sigh of relief.
Kasuyi looked around, his smile fading, and said in a deep voice, "Alright, don't relax too much. Today is the last day of the ultimatum deadline. Everyone be prepared and ready to be deployed at any time, waiting for Black Star to teleport us over to join the battle!"
Upon hearing this, everyone stopped laughing and became serious.
The Sun Hunter pulled back the bolt and snorted.
"Finally, I can unleash my full potential! My cannons are itching for action!"
In the joint conference room of the Three Universal Civilizations, the three leaders, Mabrus, Louis, and the leader of the Arcane Cult, stared at the remote monitoring screen, their faces ashen.
"This is outrageous! All our core members have been sent out, and so many of them can't even take down one Black Star. How are we supposed to deal with the other Beyond Grade A!"
Mabrus slammed his fist on the table, his tone filled with strong dissatisfaction.
"They lost, and they lost face for civilization! They made us their stepping stones, enhancing Black Star's reputation!" Louis was furious, almost suspecting that his loyal followers were all useless.
"We can't blame them; Black Star is unbelievably strong."
The leader of the Arcane Spirits frowned deeply. He was very dissatisfied with Urnos's act of admitting defeat, but what's said can't be undone, and the damage has already been done. There was no point in criticizing Urnos any further, and he even regretted forcing Urnos to leave the Temple of All Gods and get involved in this matter.
Looking at the Black Star sitting confidently at the front of the two armies in the picture, the three of them suddenly felt powerless, angry and helpless at the same time.
In terms of individual strength, they simply couldn't overpower Black Star, and the three of them were also running out of options. After all, if you can't beat someone with high-end combat power, you simply can't beat them.
"To deal with him, we can only rely on the combined arms of the army group and various weapons of war..." Louis's expression was serious as he turned to the two men. "Once the ultimatum arrives, we'll go to war. Are you both sure?"
"This day was bound to come sooner or later. I only regret that my resolve to settle scores came too late. I allowed the Beyond Grade A to develop for so long, evolving into a huge threat," the leader of the Arcane Sect said slowly.
"We've come this far, and the ultimatum has been issued; there's no way we can easily back out now," Mabrus nodded.
"Alright, then issue orders to all army groups to proceed according to the operational plan. You..."
Before he could finish speaking, the emergency communicator suddenly rang in the room.
Louis stopped and looked at Mabrus; the ringing was coming from the direction of the Imperial Head.
Mabrus took out his communicator and glanced at it, which displayed an urgent report automatically sent by the Imperial main AI, "Heroic Souls."
All departmental reports are reviewed by the main AI and assigned to different positions based on their urgency. The fact that the main AI interrupted his meeting with the other two leaders proves that, in the main AI's judgment, the urgency of this news is extremely high.
"What kind of report is this... huh?"
Mabrus's expression changed abruptly after reading only the beginning of the report, and he silently read the entire report.
He hesitated for about ten seconds before turning to look at the other two people who looked on with curiosity.
"You might need to take a look at this..."
Machine Race territory.
On the final day of the ultimatum, time ticked by anxiously, each second feeling like an eternity for both the soldiers on the standoff and the countless interstellar citizens watching the broadcast.
As the clock ticked toward the ultimatum, like an approaching war signal, the fleets of the Three Universal Civilizations and the Beyond Grade A Association stirred slightly. The atmosphere was tense, like a taut string, and the smell of gunpowder grew stronger.
Within the Black Star Army's fleet, a large number of Legion players were eager to make their move.
"They're here! The fight's about to begin!"
"I've had enough of the cutscenes, the main storyline is finally about to begin."
"Ah, for the Legion!"
Many legion players are eager to fight, wishing the two sides would start war immediately.
On one hand, some people thrive on chaos and want to participate in the global narrative; on the other hand, many have observed the online public opinion and noticed the widespread criticism, attacks, and insults directed at these "Immortals."
As the target of criticism, the sense of identification is always quite strong, and many players are quite angry.
However, at the same time, some players have gained a deeper understanding of the mission name "Super Calamity" and a more profound understanding of the conflict between ordinary people and the superpowered class.
As a member of the superhuman group, the sense of participation in the torrent of the times arises spontaneously, which makes some story-driven players quite excited, feeling as if they are witnessing the opening of a great era and the dramatic changes of the world are right before their eyes.
"All crew members, prepare for battle!"
The commander's voice echoed across the warships, causing countless soldiers to tense up and turn their gazes toward the timer.
A deathly silence spread. In the tense wait, time ticked by, drawing ever closer to the ultimatum deadline. The hearts of soldiers on both sides and countless interstellar citizens were in their throats.
Just as war was about to break out, the joint fleet of the Three Universal Civilizations suddenly moved.
The Three Universal Civilizations ' rear guard became the front guard, and the combined fleet retreated in an orderly fashion, moving away from the confrontation area in batches, beginning a large-scale withdrawal without warning.
This scene immediately stunned the Beyond Grade A Association's forces, as well as all the interstellar citizens watching the broadcast, leaving them somewhat bewildered.
The ultimatum was about to arrive, so why did the Three Universal Civilizations suddenly withdraw without saying a word?
Didn't they say very firmly before that they would never back down and that war was inevitable? Why are they going back on their word now?!
They came in all high and mighty, but left without uttering a sound?
On the quantum network, all the voices supporting the Three Universal Civilizations Purge Association fell silent instantly. They were astonished to find that things had not developed as they had imagined, and were immediately at a loss. It felt as if the powerful backers who had always stood up for them had suddenly refused to protect them anymore.
Could it be that Black Star defeated all the direct-lineage Beyond Grade A beings, making the Three Universal Civilizations afraid?
It's hard for many people not to think in this direction.
Meanwhile, a similar guess came to mind for many:
"Could it be that the Three Universal Civilizations originally intended only to scare the Association and pressure it into compromising, but found that this tactic didn't work—the Association was even more assertive than they were—so the Three Universal Civilizations chickened out, couldn't keep up the act, and retreated in disgrace, running away on the last day of the ultimatum?!"
this...
Many interstellar citizens were at a loss for words, their feelings extremely complicated.
We all supported your decision to wage war, to settle scores with the Beyond Grade A Association, and to resolve the root causes of instability in interstellar society, but you yourselves backed down? Do you think you've lived up to our support?!
While it's fortunate that the anticipated war didn't break out, many people still felt embarrassed, recalling their previous support and feeling as if they had been slapped in the face by the Three Universal Civilizations.
On the other side, Han Xiao watched the Three Universal Civilizations retreat in an orderly manner, and was equally puzzled.
After hesitating for a moment, Han Xiao took the initiative to make a call to the head of state of the empire, but the other end did not answer, which made him even more puzzled.
"They've backed down already? That's not like them. The Three Universal Civilizations aren't usually this cowardly... What happened?"
Let's rewind to a few days ago.
Central Galaxy, Imperial Academy of Sciences.
The members of the wormhole exploration team gathered in the activity room, anxiously watching the virtual screen that was broadcasting footage of Black Star's fierce battle with Clottey and others.
These past few days they've stopped all their projects and are focused entirely on the next developments in the interstellar situation, which is closely related to their lives.
"Looks like war is brewing..."
Someone in the crowd uttered a low voice, and immediately a chorus of sighs filled the room, a sound tinged with worry.
All the researchers present were anti-war, partly because they were worried that the wormhole exploration project would be halted again after the war started, leaving it with no future, and partly because they were driven by a normal human conscience and an instinctive aversion to war.
"If only someone could stop this war..."
Someone muttered something under their breath.
Upon hearing this, the project director's eyes suddenly flashed, he gritted his teeth, turned around and walked out of the activity room, returning to his office.
He searched through the database for a while and pulled up a special wormhole detection report, which he hadn't had time to submit yet because he was keeping an eye on the situation.
"Hopefully, this will have some effect..."
The project director swallowed hard, then altered the report, changing "suspected existence of an unknown advanced civilization" in the detection conclusions to "confirmed existence of an unknown cosmic-level civilization."
After completing all this, the project director did not send the report to the review department, but instead bypassed the proper channels and uploaded it directly to the Empire's main AI database, violating the operating rules and definitely going to be punished.
"I don't know if it will even work..."
The project director looked worried and muttered to himself.
To prevent a potential cosmic war, he was willing to do his part, however small, within his power.
He wasn't sure if the trick would work, but he felt that if everyone stood by and did nothing, nothing would change.