The sudden withdrawal of the Three Universal Civilizations before the ultimatum deadline stunned the entire interstellar society, leaving everyone bewildered and unsure of what was happening.
In quantum networks, rhetoric supporting war has disappeared, replaced by a rapid emergence of all sorts of sarcastic and unhelpful voices.
"Oh, weren't the Three Universal Civilizations so tough? Are you backing down so easily?"
"Tsk tsk tsk, it seems the Three Universal Civilizations are only good at putting on a show, fully exposing their outward strength but inner weakness."
"You even support them starting a war? Don't you even realize how much the Three Universal Civilizations take you seriously?"
Public opinion shifted again. Faced with these sarcastic remarks, many interstellar citizens were speechless and furious.
Not only were some superhumans watching the spectacle with pent-up anger, but certain forces were also instigating it from behind the scenes. The Super Star Cluster Alliance had been lying in wait, and now that they saw an opportunity, they immediately jumped out to fan the flames, using their traditional methods to stir up trouble.
On the other hand, many players were even more confused than Star Citizens.
That's it?
"I watched the cutscenes for ten days, and you're saying we're not fighting anymore?!"
"What happened to the promise of all-out war! What a coward!"
"I've already taken my pants off, and you just... oh, I forgot, I can't take my pants off."
Under the horrified and fearful gazes of the other crew members, the numerous legion players shouted and yelled, beat their chests and stamped their feet, their emotions running high, lamenting that the war had not broken out smoothly. They were a group of astonishingly enthusiastic war fanatics.
The combined fleet of the Three Universal Civilizations transformed into dense streams of warp light and hastily withdrew. Watching this scene, Manison flew out of the fleet and stood shoulder to shoulder with Han Xiao, together watching the Three Universal Civilizations depart into the distance.
"That's strange. They didn't even say goodbye before giving up the siege?" Manison was completely baffled.
"Something is definitely amiss. This matter is suspicious. The Three Universal Civilizations have put on such a grand display, it's not just a feint. It's clear they are genuinely prepared for war, but now they'd rather break their promise and lose prestige than fight. Something huge must have happened."
Han Xiao pinched his chin and pondered softly.
"Hmm... maybe they really chickened out?" Manison said, then shook his head, thinking it unlikely. He guessed, "Perhaps the leaders of the Three Universal Civilizations have come to a realization that a full-scale war with the Association would do more harm than good, so they changed their decision and withdrew their orders... does that mean the strategic objective of the virus technology leak has been achieved?"
"I don't know. The Three Universal Civilizations should give an answer to interstellar society. Let's wait and see. I'll also try to find out some inside information... Maybe the Three Universal Civilizations will contact me on their own initiative after a while."
Han Xiao's eyes flickered, as if he were deep in thought.
Upon hearing this, Manison turned to look at him.
Do you know something?
"These are just some guesses; we lack information and cannot confirm anything yet."
Han Xiao shook his head.
Just then, the communicator rang, connecting to the communication channel of the Beyond Grade A Association.
"Black Star, what's the situation on your end? Have the Three Universal Civilizations stopped fighting?"
What do they mean by this?
Should we continue with our battle plan?
As soon as the call connected, numerous Beyond Grade A individuals immediately bombarded him with questions, expressing their bewilderment.
Like many association members, they were completely bewildered. They were all mentally prepared for a bloody battle, ready to go all out and engage in a fierce fight, but their opponents suddenly changed their minds and ran away. The fighting spirit they had finally mustered was left stuck in their hearts. It felt like they were about to go for a high-speed race when they suddenly saw a speed limit sign and a traffic cop watching them intently. They had no choice but to suppress their unbridled desires.
We agreed that whoever gives in is the coward, so why did you suddenly back down?!
"You all stand by for now and observe the subsequent actions of the Three Universal Civilizations, but don't let your guard down too much. Be careful, it might be a feint. If they really want to make a move, they might directly use the High-Dimensional Apocalypse Teleporter to launch a surprise attack on strategic locations..."
Han Xiao gave the instructions again, telling the association members to remain vigilant, before hanging up the phone.
The fact that the Three Universal Civilizations have surrounded the territory of the Machine Race is merely a signal to pressure and hold them accountable. In reality, attacking this place would be pointless; it would only serve as a declaration of war. At this point, it is still impossible to determine the true intentions of the Three Universal Civilizations... It is also possible that they will ostensibly withdraw their troops, but then launch a surprise attack using the High-Dimensional Apocalypse Teleporter. We must be wary of such a possibility.
After Han Xiao finished his call, Manison spoke again, saying, "What do we do now? The Three Universal Civilizations have withdrawn, so should the troops here be dispersed?"
Han Xiao thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Don't retreat yet. Shrink the defensive perimeter and continue to protect the Machine Race's territory. Let's disband the troops after confirming that the joint fleet of the Three Universal Civilizations has left this star cluster. I'll go back first."
Manison nodded, flew back to the main ship, and gave instructions to the Machine Race forces.
Han Xiao withdrew his gaze, changed into his Sovereign, and vanished from the spot in a flash.
Brush!
The view shifted instantly, and the next second, they found themselves back at a secret legion base, a hiding place for some officers who did not participate in combat to avoid the fighting.
The room was filled with Legion officers and many members of the Dragon Calm, including Ames, who was overseeing the proceedings. They were all watching the news broadcast from the Machine Race territory.
Upon Han Xiao's sudden appearance, all the cadres focused their attention on him, their awe and worship far exceeding anything they had shown before, as if they were looking at a god.
"You've been quite impressive these past few days." Ames crossed her legs, leaned forward, rested her arms on her knees, propped her chin with her hands, tilted her head slightly, her long, smooth hair cascading down, blinked, and gave a half-smile, teasing look.
Don't you know whether I'm brave or not?
Han Xiao raised an eyebrow.
Ames chuckled softly, "You must have a lot of things to take care of, why did you come all this way?"
"Just came to check and make sure everything's alright here."
Han Xiao casually made up an excuse, turned his head and glanced at the cadres, his gaze landing precisely on Fording. He immediately smiled, strode forward and gave him a good rub, frantically trying to get some good luck from him.
Fording looked helpless, appearing resigned and accepting whatever was done to him.
Seeing this, Iso couldn't help but cough and said, "You've repelled all the direct descendants of the Three Universal Civilizations, and even Urnos couldn't do anything to you. They've definitely given up on targeting you individually. I don't know if the Three Universal Civilizations' retreat was partly due to this, but in any case, they seem to not want to start a war anymore. What are you going to do next?"
Upon hearing this, Han Xiao's smile vanished.
"Let's figure out what's going on first. In any case, don't be too happy yet. If I'm wrong, the situation will probably get even worse."
The ten-day standoff between the Three Universal Civilizations and the Association attracted the attention of the entire universe, but few people expected it to end in this way. After the joint fleet withdrew, the Three Universal Civilizations fell silent. They not only recalled some of the army groups that they had sent out some time ago, but also did not issue a public statement to explain the reason for the withdrawal. The public opinion storm intensified, and various speculations and theories emerged one after another.
It was thought this would ignite a full-scale war, but the Three Universal Civilizations pulled back from the brink, quelling the imminent conflict. This standoff actually enhanced Black Star's reputation, essentially solidifying his status as the pinnacle of Beyond Grade A combat power. If one had to name a winner, Black Star would barely qualify.
Some were relieved that war had not broken out, some angrily denounced the Three Universal Civilizations as cowardly, and some mocked the interstellar citizens for being delusional. Public opinion was volatile, but one thing was the same: everyone was curious about what factors had forced the Three Universal Civilizations to make concessions.
Due to the silence of the Three Universal Civilizations, no one knows the inside story. Even the Beyond Grade A Association has not made any public statements and is also observing, leading to a variety of opinions in the interstellar society and countless people eagerly anticipating the news.
The Joint Conference Room for the Three Universal Civilizations
"... We have repeatedly verified the authenticity of this report. Through directional wormhole probes, we have indeed discovered traces of activity from an unknown civilization. The data itself is correct; the only problem is that the project's conclusions are difficult to judge."
A remote projection of the empire's top leadership, who oversees scientific research, stands before three leaders, including Mabrus, giving a serious report.
"So, we can't yet confirm whether this unknown civilization is cosmic in scale?" Mabrus emphasized.
"That's true... but they definitely possess the level of an advanced civilization. These past few days, we've been frequently sending out multi-functional space probes to them, collecting more data, all of which proves that this unknown civilization has a remarkably high level of technology."
"... I understand. Continue collecting data while remaining concealed. I need to know the details of this civilization."
After giving a few instructions, Mabrus hung up the communication, leaving only him and the other two civilization leaders in the room.
"It seems the decision to retreat was correct," the leader of the Arcane Sect said in a deep voice.
"Yes, otherwise we'd be in a complete mess right now. This report came at just the right time," Louis agreed, somewhat relieved.
On the final day of the standoff, they intended to proceed according to the battle plan, but the wormhole report from the Imperial Academy of Sciences shook their decision.
The Three Universal Civilizations have always been dedicated to exploring the unknown territories of the universe. This wormhole report has discovered an unknown cosmic-level civilization, which is a huge threat. The Three Universal Civilizations have rich experience in this regard. Once an external enemy appears, they will have to carefully deal with internal conflicts. This is undoubtedly not a good time to deal with the imbalance of individual power, and it is not suitable to continue to entangle with the Super A Tier.
With the mission imminent, the three had little time to discuss the matter. Ultimately, they decided to err on the side of caution, abandoning any wishful thinking, suspending the operation, making concessions to the association, and instead using substantial resources to verify the wormhole data, clearly distinguishing between what was important and what was not.
This wormhole data is one of the legacies left by the Sorokin. Since the Sorokin was sealed away for many years, it had long been an insignificant project. But now, with an amazing discovery, it has gone from being almost ignored to becoming the highest priority project, receiving the green light all the way, with its progress directly supervised by the leaders of the Three Universal Civilizations, showing utmost importance.
The final result is that although the conclusions of this wormhole report are exaggerated, the data is correct, and an unknown advanced civilization has indeed been discovered, although whether it is at the cosmic level is still uncertain.
If that's the case... then it can only be described as an "unrigorous" conclusion of immeasurable value.
Mabrus tapped the table and said slowly:
"The most urgent task now is to gather intelligence on this unknown civilization, determine their strength level, social structure, and attitude towards foreign countries, etc. Everything else can be put aside for the time being."
Louis and the leader of the Arcane Cult nodded.
The Three Universal Civilizations have a set of strategic plans in this regard. Direct contact or direct war is impossible. Once they discover an advanced civilization in Unexplored Universe, their primary task is to carefully gather intelligence without exposing themselves. Then, based on factors such as the civilization's strength and culture, they will choose different countermeasures. Only by knowing yourself and your enemy can you win every battle.
Although the Explored Universe entered the interstellar society era, when viewed on a larger scale, the Unexplored Universe is still in a dark forest phase similar to the exploration history. The fact that the enemy is in the light while we are in the dark is a huge advantage, which we should make good use of.
"Don't forget, before we explore further, we must prepare all possible contingency plans," the leader of the Arcane Cult said.
"I understand."
Mabrus nodded.
The measures the three mentioned mainly involved war mobilization and being prepared to deploy strategic extermination weapons into the enemy's territory through wormholes at any time. In some extreme cases, they would not hesitate to directly bomb the enemy's territory, turning it into Desolate Universe Belt and wiping out all life from unknown civilizations without any mercy.
"This matter is of great importance. In the event of a war, the Beyond Grade A Association is also a powerful armed force. Should we inform them now?"
Louis's eyes flashed, and he raised a sensitive question, turning to ask the two for their opinions.
The existence of Beyond Grade A beings threatens their rule, but it is also a powerful weapon in external warfare. Now that the situation has changed, their thoughts have also changed. In their eyes, there are never any permanent enemies.
The leader of the Arcane Sect pondered for a moment, then waved his hand and explained his views:
"Let's be cautious. We haven't figured out the situation of this unknown civilization yet, so there's no need to reveal it to the Association. Think about it: if this unknown civilization can coexist and possesses cosmic-level power, once they are incorporated into the interstellar social system, the Association will have another option to align with, which will impact the interstellar order... We cannot guarantee the Association's loyalty, so we should keep it a secret for now."
"That makes sense." Mabrus nodded. "Don't announce this to the outside world now. Let's investigate secretly first, and then decide whether to announce it later based on the situation. It's not too late to tell them when we need the association's assistance."
In the three's view, it was obviously unnecessary to immediately notify other forces about such a major event, as they were all potential destabilizing factors and might cause trouble.
"Since that's the case, let's put aside our dispute with the association for now, keep those Beyond Grade A, prevent them from causing trouble, and maintain peaceful coexistence for the time being... Anyway, that's also Black Star and the others' goal. Let's find a reason to coordinate our message with them, conveying that we've stopped fighting, so the association will think we've made concessions."
Louis proposed it.
The other two nodded in agreement. It was essential to secure internal stability before dealing with external threats. Although they couldn't deal with the association for the time being, as long as the Beyond Grade A members didn't cause trouble, that would be enough for them.
Just then, Mabrus remembered something, and his eyes suddenly flashed.
If I remember correctly, Black Star also possessed this wormhole data from the Sorokin's legacy, and it seems he even specifically inquired about the Empire's research progress on this wormhole data...
Now it seems, could it be that Black Star knows something?
The thought flashed through his mind, Mabrus immediately shook his head.
He felt that this possibility was extremely limited, and that it was more reliable to rely on the information he obtained through his own investigation and research than to ask Black Star.
Moreover, they had just reached a consensus not to leak this secret to the outside world, so even if Black Star might know something, he didn't plan to ask. After all, the other party was still the leader of the forces that were leading the fight against the Three Universal Civilizations, and they had already parted ways.
Black Star Army base, Legion Commander's office.
A huge cosmic star map floated in the room, marking the large-scale mobilization trajectories of the various army groups of the Three Universal Civilizations, and drawing arrow routes on it.
Han Xiao stood in front of the star map, carefully examining the troop movements of the Three Universal Civilizations during this period.
Some time has passed since the Three Universal Civilizations withdrew their troops from the Machine Race territory. In recent days, the troop movements of the Three Universal Civilizations have been very unusual. They were originally stationed in various star fields to prepare for dealing with the Beyond Grade A Association, but now they have all returned to the Central Galaxy, seemingly having no intention of starting a war.
If that were all, it would be fine. The strangest thing is that the Three Universal Civilizations have been keeping silent all along. They haven't made any announcements or contacted their respective association presidents to explain their intentions. Their behavior is very abnormal, as if they don't have time to deal with it.
He had been trying to find out the inside story these days, but the Three Universal Civilizations kept it highly confidential this time, and no relevant intelligence had been leaked.
"Could it be that I guessed right...?"
Han Xiao muttered to himself.
What could have caused the Three Universal Civilizations to change their decisions at the last minute?
In this version of the story, there might not seem to be many possibilities, but the butterfly effect it created has already changed many things. One of them is that the Sorokin allowed the Empire to obtain the key to the World Tree Civilization's territory early on, making it an unstable factor.
In his view, the most likely scenario is that the Three Universal Civilizations discovered the World Tree, and because of the existence of external enemies, Three Universal Civilizations retreated so decisively and without warning.
"If that's the case, the Three Universal Civilizations will definitely conduct in-depth research on wormholes. They might inform me, or they might keep it a secret from the outside world... Given the practices of the Three Universal Civilizations and my current status, the latter is more likely."
Han Xiao frowned, biting his nail lightly, sensing something was wrong.
If the Three Universal Civilizations choose to keep it a secret and explore it privately, they lack sufficient understanding of the World Tree Civilization, and the risk of exposure is very high.
If contact has inevitably been brought forward, then continuing to conceal information about the World Tree at this point would only increase the risk. Perhaps now is the most suitable time to reveal the information.
However, it's possible that the guess is wrong. If the Three Universal Civilizations made concessions not because of the discovery of the World Tree, then the situation would have backfired.
"So it's essentially a gamble. Should I take the plunge...?"
Han Xiao's expression changed.
Beep beep beep...
Just then, the communicator rang.
He took it out and glanced at it; it was a call from an imperial envoy.
"Hello, Lord Black Star."
As soon as the communication was established, the imperial envoy nodded in goodwill and behaved with great respect.
Han Xiao sized him up and cut to the chase. "So you're finally going to explain your behavior?"
"You jest. I'm here on behalf of the Three Universal Civilizations to negotiate with you. We are willing to accept the association's proposal and allow you to regulate your Virtual Mutiny Virus technology..."
The imperial envoy spoke at length, but the core message was that the Three Universal Civilizations were willing to compromise, indicating that they did not need Manison to hand over the virus technology, trusted the association's guarantees, and allowed the association to manage this high-risk technology on its own, and that they would no longer interfere.
"Oh?" Han Xiao raised an eyebrow. "Since you acknowledge the validity of the association's guarantee, you're acknowledging the association's legitimacy. What about the blockade and injunction against the association?"
"It won't be lifted for now, but we can discuss it," the imperial envoy smiled.
Looking at the other party's cold smile, Han Xiao felt the subtle attitude of the Three Universal Civilizations even more, and his expression became uncertain, his heart in turmoil.
His intuition grew stronger, and he felt he might have guessed the truth correctly.
After a few seconds of silence, Han Xiao slowly took a breath.
I'll gamble!
With a sudden surge of determination, Han Xiao narrowed his eyes and said quietly:
"I've received your message. Please pass on a message to Mabrus for me."
What did you say?
"... You guys are acting so strangely, it seems you've finally cracked the wormhole data in the Sorokin's legacy, right?"