Many divas.
Through the porthole, a metallic planet gradually drew closer in the field of vision. There was no verdant forest, no earthy gray, no azure sea; ubiquitous steel replaced nature and occupied the surface.
"Destination detected... Approaching Noriosse... Suitable surface temperature..."
In the spaceship's main hall, a round-headed robot spoke in a highly Mechanical Sense voice. Its cylindrical body resembled a can, with slender mechanical arms on each side. It was about a meter tall, only reaching the thigh of an average human, and was equipped with a single wheel for locomotion.
Suddenly, a large hand grabbed the robot's head and lifted it into the air. The robot seemed a little panicked, its two mechanical arms swinging wildly in the air, which, combined with its round and chubby body, made it look strangely cute.
"Caught... buzz..." the robot announced.
At this moment, the man in black sitting on the sofa next to them spoke up.
"Put it down! How many times have I told you, Melos, don't play with my robot!"
Melos shrugged, put the robot down, and the little guy returned to the ground. He hurriedly slid to the sofa on his unicycle, trying to hide behind Han Xiao's legs, trembling.
Han Xiao casually stroked the robot's metal head, as gently as if he were treating a pet.
Melos, one hand on his hip and the other scratching his head, asked helplessly, "Does this AI you created really have combat capabilities?"
"Can't you remember its name? It's called Phillip!"
Han Xiao sighed, "It's only a half-finished product."
During the spaceship's journey, Han Xiao wasn't idle either. He assembled numerous more powerful blueprints, upgraded his combat machinery, and used his newly acquired [Advanced Virtual Intelligence Technology] to create Phillip —an artificial intelligence. Compared to previous intelligent chips, the AI's computing speed, logical structure, and data capacity were increased by an unknown number of orders of magnitude.
There are several models of artificial intelligence, two of which are particularly distinctive. The first is to directly input template data, making the intelligence seem to have its own virtual personality, but in reality, it still follows a fixed closed thinking framework, merely simulating intelligent beings. The advantage is that it is obedient. The second is to truly possess independent thinking, imagination, and the ability to think for itself, controlled only by low-level commands. Obviously, the latter is more dynamic and has the potential to become virtual or mechanical life forms, but the risks are just as high.
Han Xiao only needed a good helper for the time being, so Phillip was the former. The reason it was a semi-finished product was that some logical commands had not been set, and its virtual personality still had flaws, requiring more time to improve. However, it could run without problems. Phillip could download data through the network, but this would not affect its fixed virtual personality. Han Xiao casually created a robotic body for it.
As for why he named himself Phillip, it was the name of the tortoise he kept in his previous life, a way to remember the razor that died young. For lazy people who want to keep a pet but don't like cleaning, a tortoise is an excellent choice... Maybe the owner will die while the tortoise is still alive.
Glancing at the approaching planet outside the window, Han Xiao said in a deep voice, "We're almost there. This is one of the transit points to the Shattered Star Ring. There will be many guys from other star systems, and who knows how many powerful superhumans there will be. Let's keep a low profile and avoid causing any trouble. Our goal is to find the Dragon Emperor's teacher... Ames is rushing back from other star systems. Even though her vehicle is fast, it will still take her quite a while. Let's look for clues in Noriosse first."
Noriosse is located on the edge of the Shattered Star Ring. This planet currently belongs to no civilization or regime. Long ago, a super-corporation took a liking to its geographical location and bought it. At that time, the planet was just a numbered, barren, uninhabited planet with a harsh environment. The corporation transformed it into an artificial planet, using countless devices to change its ecological environment and make it habitable. Thus, it became a transit point for those entering the Shattered Star Ring.
Because there are no planets for a long distance around Noriosse, and the nearest jump gate takes at least three days to reach, many travelers choose to stop there to refuel and replenish supplies, repair their ships, and have some fun. This has made the consortium incredibly wealthy, allowing them to break even in less than fifty years.
The economic prosperity also attracted many interstellar citizens who sensed an opportunity to make money and opened shops here. Similarly, all sorts of commercial organizations also started operating here. Noriosse was a bustling metropolis with countless travelers and a large, diverse population. However, unlike Dragon Calm, Noriosse did not tolerate villains. Wanted posters were in effect here, and almost no space pirates or wanderers came to this place.
However, to prevent space pirates from eyeing this rich land, the conglomerate controlling Noriosse deployed numerous escort ships in outer space and established ports outside the planet, prohibiting any spacecraft from entering its atmosphere—not even the escort ships themselves. This was to prevent outsiders from stealing the escort ships and smuggling them out! Furthermore, the conglomerate deployed a massive energy shield to cover Noriosse's atmosphere, preventing long-range attacks from destroying the surface.
All visitors must dock their spaceships at the spaceport. If a spaceship attempts to force its way into the atmosphere, the escort ship will issue a warning and open fire. If travelers wish to visit surface cities for entertainment, they must take the 10,000-meter-long elevator connecting the sky and the earth.
This is Noriosse's defense system, which is very strong and makes travelers feel safe.
However, some space pirates were not giving up. Some tried to force their way in but were blown up by escort ships. Others robbed ships on the surface and were caught by security forces lying in wait when they arrived at the port via elevator. But the most common situation was that space pirate gangs were killed by passing travelers while robbing ships on the surface - no one knew who the travelers from other star systems were.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon!
As you get closer, you can see five massive steel space stations, as huge as mountains, floating in different locations in Noriosse. These are five outer space ports, covered with various anti-ship-class defensive turrets, and surrounded by a large number of escort warships.
The spaceship docked at the nearest port. Han Xiao completed the spaceship's storage procedures and led the curious crowd to the elevator area, which was packed with people, with all sorts of creatures lining up in long queues.
Aroshia raised her eyelids slightly and said, "This place feels familiar; I feel like I've been here before..."
Suddenly, a notification appeared on the panel!
Han Xiao glanced at it and saw that the progress of the second stage of [Restart] had increased by 1 point.
'It seems Noriosse is one of the locations in Aroshia's memory fragments. She came here in one of her past lives, and I stumbled upon her by chance,' he thought.
Fording looked around and said, "Just here, I sensed at least forty Grade B energy fluctuations."
"No wonder we had to keep a low profile." Sylvia was a little nervous, feeling like a lamb that had wandered into a tiger's den. Fortunately, her teacher, Uncle Melos, and Sister Aroshia were all very powerful, which made her feel a little more at ease.
In its previous life, Noriosse was a high-level region. Players who wanted to travel to other star systems needed to go through similar transit stations, and by the time they could leave the star system, their level was already quite high.
After queuing for a while, it was finally everyone's turn. The elevator staff kept collecting tickets, wearing professional smiles, and welcoming each passenger.
When it was Han Xiao's turn, the ticket inspector suddenly smiled and said, "Welcome to Noriosse, Black Star."
"You know me?" Han Xiao looked down at him, slightly surprised.
"I'm just delivering a message. Have a pleasant journey."
Upon entering the port, the surveillance cameras automatically detected the identity of the newcomers, thus revealing Han Xiao's identity to the senior management. The Black Star Mercenary Group is now quite well-known in the Shattered Star Ring, especially with Dragon Calm's formidable background. The conglomerate values celebrities from all walks of life, so the management specifically instructed that the Black Star Mercenary Group be treated with even greater courtesy.
The elevator was very spacious, carrying hundreds of passengers each time. After a short wait, everyone felt a sinking sensation under their feet as the elevator began to move. Soon, it slid off the space station along the tracks. The elevator walls were made of transparent glass windows, and a spectacular view of the high altitude immediately came into view.
Dozens of elevator tracks connected to the port nearby, resembling towering skyscrapers, were all in operation. This height was above the clouds, as if one were standing on the sea of clouds. The tracks extended downwards and disappeared into the clouds, obscuring the ground. Looking straight ahead, the sky, gradually changing from pitch black to azure blue, was on the same horizontal plane of vision. The artificial starlight was dazzling, as if one could reach out and touch it.
"So beautiful! Phillip, take a picture." Sylvia's eyes sparkled.
Phillip's mechanical eyes flashed incessantly, snapping photos frantically. It was originally an assistant, and Han Xiao had granted the other cadres secondary authority so that they could give orders to Phillip when he wasn't giving any.
Piercing through the clouds, Han Xiao surveyed the entire city below. Countless mobile aircraft moved in a constant stream, only able to fly below two thousand meters. Towering buildings, hundreds of meters high, resembled steel spears pointing towards the sky. This was a city entirely constructed of steel, devoid of any vegetation. Yet, it was not a desolate wasteland; instead, it was ablaze with vibrant neon lights, extremely prosperous. Large-scale ecological facilities provided the freshest air, and beneath the steel surface lay numerous devices for managing the city, controlled by the city's management system.
The city's foundation is a mass-producible, colony-grade machine. Dropped onto the surface of a planet, it unfolds into a city like this. The Noriosse Financial Group purchased this "foolproof automatic city expansion pack" from the Crimson Dynasty and easily transformed the planet. Money really can buy anything!
There are more than a dozen cities on the surface of Noriosse, connected by electromagnetic rails and traveled by high-speed trains. Han Xiao and his group were heading to City Number Four.
As he gazed at the approaching surface, Han Xiao suddenly frowned, a thought stirring within him.
"I have this uneasy feeling, like something's going to happen..."
The elevator reached the ground, and the crowd followed the flow of people out of the station. A bustling atmosphere swept over them, and the streets were filled with people and a diverse array of species.
Bang!
Phillip was bumped by a passerby and spun around several times. Seeing this, Sylvia bent down and picked up the robot to prevent it from being kicked away.
"There are too many people here, how are we supposed to find someone?" Melos pushed aside an insect-like creature that looked like a prostitute and asked loudly.
Han Xiao already had a plan, saying, "Because Noriosse is a major transportation route, many intelligence organizations have set up branches here to record information on all travelers. I know what the target looks like; as long as I ask the intelligence organizations, I'm sure I'll get some clues."
Melos exclaimed, "You really do know everything! You're so reliable!"
The group moved forward through the crowd, and about twenty minutes later, Han Xiao stopped at the entrance of a tall building.
"This is it. The ninety-seventh floor is the office of a legitimate intelligence organization." Han Xiao looked up; the location of a legitimate organization was easy to find out.
The group took the elevator up to the 97th floor. The room was dimly lit, with floor-to-ceiling windows covered by black cloth, seemingly creating a mysterious atmosphere. Upon entering, they found only a receptionist at the door, next to which was a long, narrow corridor. The space was originally quite large, but the rest of the room was blocked by black walls.
To ensure client privacy, this floor is divided into opaque cubicles by walls for detailed business discussions. The passageways between these cubicles are like a maze, with this corridor being the only entrance and countless branching paths inside, preventing clients from meeting each other.
"I'm here to buy intelligence," Han Xiao stated to the receptionist.
"Hold on."
The receptionist pressed a button on the desk.
After a short wait, a human trader dressed in a black suit emerged from the corridor and said in a deep voice, "Please follow me."
Han Xiao and the others followed the human trader into the corridor, turned into a side passage, and headed to a private room.
Just seconds after everyone entered the side passage, another birdman trader emerged from the other side passage with a client who had just purchased intelligence, heading towards the entrance, just missing Han Xiao and the others.
Thank you for your patronage.
At the entrance, the birdman trader said goodbye to his client.
The client was wearing a hood and was completely shrouded in a black robe, obscuring his appearance.
He didn't say anything, walked out, and pressed the elevator button.
The moment the elevator doors opened, and he lowered his head, the light briefly illuminated his face beneath his hood.
Ashes!