After leaving Aquamarine, Han Xiao asked Visander about the current location of Longtan Floating Island, which had drifted to the Ryan System during this time.
He drove the Blacklight Stealth alone, mainly to make a round trip to show off. He originally wanted to tell Nagokin before leaving, but he didn't see him. Nagokin didn't ask about it later either. After thinking about it, Han Xiao decided not to reveal it for the time being, so he didn't contact Nagokin remotely for the time being. He had time on the road to think about what conditions he should propose to Goddora.
Moreover, he also wanted to see firsthand the impact of DarkStar on the Garton Star System. In his previous life's storyline, he was a player who stayed on the surface and only learned about the specific process after the event ended. He did not personally experience the environmental changes in interstellar space. Now that he had the opportunity to witness it with his own eyes, he naturally wanted to open his eyes wide and see clearly. Master Han still had a great curiosity about the unknown plot.
The Black Star Mercenary Group had previously accepted several jobs in the Ryan Star System. Han Xiao was familiar with the route, and the itinerary was simple: first, go to the Juberly Hub to replenish fuel, then quickly jump to the Ryan Star System through the stargate, and then go directly to find Dragon Calm. At the speed of the Blacklight Stealth, the round trip would take less than half a month.
For the time being, Planet Aquamarine doesn't need to be stationed there. After all, Goddora's military jump orbit base station is not just for show. The fleet watches over and supports each other. If DarkStar were to attack, it would only target Goddora's other colony planets.
The affairs of the mercenary group were left to Melos, Melos was one of the earliest officers to join the group and the captain of Sunil Squad. When Han Xiao was in seclusion building machinery or slacking off, Melos was always in charge of the mercenary group's affairs. He was a diligent and competent deputy, and Han Xiao always adhered to the principle of "letting the secretary do the work".
The Blacklight Stealth sped through the stargate of the Ninth Star Zone and emerged from one of the many stargates surrounding the Juberly Hub. With no passengers in his way, he sailed with great enjoyment.
In the driver's seat, Han Xiao glanced at the 3D star map.
"By the way, Planet Golden Gate is nearby. We can go there while we're at it and check on the operation of Number One Base. It won't take much time anyway."
The spaceship turned and soon arrived at Planet Golden Gate. Looking through the porthole, the current situation of Planet Golden Gate was very different from before—a large number of Goddora fleets surrounded Planet Golden Gate, with heavy defenses, reaching a war-level alert level.
Han Xiao raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself, "That's right. The DarkStar's attack on the Long Arc has had a huge impact, making Goddora feel threatened. All the garrison fleets on the colonies are patrolling and defending around the clock. It's like they're on high alert, seeing threats everywhere."
The Freedom Pier on Planet Golden Gate was also sealed off by the military, and landing was only permitted after strict identity checks. This was a threat posed by Ashes, whose power made Goddora very wary, and they dared not allow the people of DarkStar to sneak onto the surface.
Spaceships arriving and departing formed a long line in space. Han Xiao's identity passed inspection smoothly, but he didn't receive any special treatment at this time. He waited in line for a while before landing at the dock.
Stepping onto the street, Han Xiao found the city's atmosphere completely different. It used to be bustling and prosperous, but now there were hardly any people on the streets. It was deserted and the air was filled with tension. Even the occasional passerby was silent and looked preoccupied.
The most common sight on the street was the Goddora soldiers on patrol, their faces serious and unsmiling, their footsteps perfectly synchronized. Han Xiao really wanted to trip them up.
The changes on Planet Golden Gate stemmed from the terror caused by the DarkStar. Although it was another colony that was attacked, people elsewhere had no idea whether they would be next. Everyone was in danger, and some felt it was too dangerous to stay on the colony, so they simply boarded interstellar travel groups and drifted through the universe to avoid the storm.
However, due to the conflict between Goddora and DarkStar, the security situation in the Garton Star System has deteriorated rapidly, making travel more risky than ever before.
Many wanderers and space pirates saw this as an opportunity, believing that Goddora was too weak to deal with them, so they flocked to the Garton Star System. Now, a large number of villains are running rampant in the Garton Star System, and many escaped Goddora have been robbed or kidnapped, causing the Goddora security forces to be overwhelmed and making the situation even worse.
In the past few days, Han Xiao received tens of thousands of hiring invitations automatically pushed by the Mercenary Alliance. They were all related to the rampant space pirate attacks in various star sectors of the Garton Star System, indicating that the situation was extremely bad and had become a space pirate carnival.
The impact of DarkStar was far-reaching, affecting everything. DarkStar did not join forces with these space pirates. Space pirates and wanderers are inherently villains who exploit loopholes. Flies don't land on eggs without cracks. DarkStar exposed the flaws in Goddora, so naturally some people took the opportunity to cause trouble. Han Xiao could understand this situation. After all, Goddora was now riddled with holes, essentially having its pants down. Space pirates naturally felt that they might as well come and take advantage of it.
"This situation is really bad," Han Xiao thought to himself, shaking his head.
Back at Black Star Number One Base, everything was normal, without any problems. He checked the operation of the military factory's production line. Although he was on Planet Aquamarine, the production line had never stopped working. The program was led by Phillip, who could remotely control the production line from Planet Aquamarine.
Numerous mass-produced mechanical equipment were piled up like small mountains in the warehouse. Han Xiao counted the quantity and found it was enough to sell to two or three hundred thousand players. These were all the goods he had stockpiled, just waiting to guide players into interstellar space. The only problem then was that they might run out of stock.
After adding a batch of new materials to the production line to maintain mass production, Han Xiao left Planet Golden Gate and headed to the Juberly Hub.
The Blacklight Stealth entered the dock track of the hub and slowly came to a stop in the hangar. Next, it needed to replenish a batch of fuel, and also take some back to Planet Aquamarine to refuel other ships.
After completing the purchases, you can set off.
The Juberly Hub remained bustling, seemingly unaffected by the DarkStar. Han Xiao easily found his way to the hub's main hall, exited through the entrance passage, determined his direction, and headed towards the shopping area.
At the same time, several people in the distance recognized Han Xiao, who had just walked by. This group of people were wearing simple combat uniforms, a common sight in the Juberly Hub, and did not attract much attention.
These people were a group, watching Han Xiao's receding the Sight of Father's Back, exchanging glances and whispering among themselves.
"Is that Black Star?"
"You're not mistaken, it's him!"
"Hehe, I didn't expect that just coming here to replenish supplies would lead us to discover such a big fish."
"Notify the boss immediately."
There was a bar in the main hall of the hub, a low-end entertainment venue located in a rather remote area.
The group that had previously discovered Han Xiao hurriedly arrived here, glanced around, and quickly went to a seat in the corner of the bar. A burly human sat there with an imposing air, wearing a heavy combat suit, tilting his head back and chugging strong liquor, the liquor dripping from the corner of his mouth and wetting his bushy, lion-mane-like beard.
"Boss Beverly, we've found an enemy!"
Beverly, known as the boss, slammed his glass down, spilling the liquor along the rim. Leaning forward, his rugged face was revealed in the dim bar lights. By normal human standards, this appearance certainly deserved the title of "unrestrained and wild."
His eyes had no whites, they were completely crimson, like flowing flames, while his pupils were white, making him look quite fierce, like someone with conjunctivitis and cataracts.
"Crimson Flame Eyes" Beverly is a vicious space pirate active in the Feven Star System. He is a Grade B superhuman and belongs to the infamous space pirate group in the Feven Star System — the Purple Snake Space Pirate Group.
The Purple Snake Space Pirate Group possesses dozens of pirate ships, and its leader is a Calamity Grade superhuman with a bounty of 2.8 million Enas placed on his head by the Black Raven Civilization. When Han Xiao was stuck on the advancement mission of killing Grade A powerhouse, the Purple Snake Space Pirate Group was one of the targets he considered dealing with. However, he later drew Mission Settlement Card and did not take the risk.
More than two years ago, Han Xiao led players like Frenzied Saber to do mercenary work. They killed a member of the Purple Snake Space Pirate Group, which created a grudge. As a mercenary, it was inevitable to make enemies, and Han Xiao was used to it.
Beverly is a member of the Purple Snake Space Pirate Group. He leads a squad that, taking advantage of Goddora's internal and external troubles, came to the Garton Star System to plunder. At this time, his team is resting in the Juberly Hub in disguise. They used to operate mainly in the Feven Star System, so it was easy for them to disguise themselves in the Garton Star System.
"An enemy? Who is it?!"
"It's Black Star!"
"So it was him." Beverly laughed, his expression sinister. "Years ago, he wiped out Mado's squad in the Feven Star System. Heh, although I don't like that Mado guy, the captain has always held a grudge."
"Boss, Black Star is alone. Should we make a move against him...?"
A space pirate, his eyes gleaming with malice, asked in a low voice.
Beverly laughed gruffly, "Hahaha, you think Black Star is so easy to take down? Are you looking for death?!"
As he spoke, Beverly's expression suddenly changed. He grabbed his subordinate by the neck, pulled him close to his face, and snarled, "Kid, you're not qualified to covet someone of that level. Show some respect to the strong!"
The space pirate nervously swallowed, repeatedly agreeing. Beverly's temper was unpredictable, and he dared not offend him.
Beverly released his grip, grabbed his glass, downed the rest of the liquor in one gulp, wiped his mouth, stood up, and strode toward the door.
"Men, keep up!"
The space pirates behind Beverly hurriedly followed, cautiously asking, "Boss, what do we do now?"
Beverly licked his lips, a greedy glint in his eyes, and sneered, "I heard Black Star's ship is a high-end model. While he's in the hub hall, let's steal his ship. Heh, we can probably sell it for a good price."