The communicator received a signal from Resta. It had infiltrated the intelligent system of a DarkStar mothership, disguised itself to gain access, and was cracking the DarkStar database. With Resta's capabilities, once it successfully infiltrated, cracking the database was practically a certainty; its calculations never made mistakes.
Once it infiltrates the underlying database, Resta can replace the mothership's intelligent system, usurp its position, and become a double agent. When other motherships exchange data with it, all their locations will be exposed. For now, only the location of the mothership infiltrating it can be revealed.
DarkStar's most formidable strength lies in its exceptional stealth and flexibility. Hiding in the shadows, it stirs up trouble, and its mothership base moves from place to place. Even Han Xiao is unaware of their location, and until Resta delivers itself to his doorstep, he has few options.
This idea suddenly came to him when he cooperated with Resta to deal with the DarkStar Raiders. It was highly feasible. Han Xiao secretly made calculations and came to an exciting conclusion: this might be a good opportunity to eliminate DarkStar once and for all. The temptation was great.
Because he had repeatedly clashed with DarkStar and constantly revealed his prowess, DarkStar's hostility would inevitably deepen, and sooner or later Thunder would resort to drastic measures to deal with him.
Han Xiao himself wasn't afraid. After all, when he was a game booster, he was always on the go and being Pursuit was commonplace. Besides, he was surnamed Han, so his escape skills were at least at the master level. However, while he was safe, his companions were in great danger. His resources were still fragile and could easily be destroyed by DarkStar.
If given the chance to eliminate such a dangerous enemy, Han Xiao would not hesitate. Even if the subsequent missions could not be triggered, he would seize the opportunity to kill DarkStar. Missions are like homework, endless, and eliminating mortal enemies is more important.
This requires Goddora's help, and Goddora will definitely not let such an opportunity pass by; their hatred for DarkStar is essentially permanent.
With this in mind, Han Xiao left the room and went to the Goddora camp to find Nagokin.
"Black Star, you've arrived."
At the Goddora camp, Goddora soldiers were busy organizing supplies and loading them onto the spaceship. Nagokin was supervising the work, and when he saw Han Xiao arrive, he greeted him with a smile, clearly in a very good mood.
"Are you getting ready to leave?" Han Xiao glanced around.
"Yes, the problem on Planet Aquamarine has been resolved. Our mission is complete, and the escort fleet and our disaster relief team will leave today."
Nagokin nodded, beaming, and patted Han Xiao on the shoulder heavily:
"I must thank you. The higher-ups are very satisfied with my work efficiency and have hinted that I will be awarded a medal and promoted after the incident is over. It's all thanks to you."
He now has a favorability rating of at least 60 points towards Han Xiao. Han Xiao's contributions have also benefited him, leading to promotions, wealth, and a beaming smile.
Han Xiao glanced around, grabbed Nagokin's arm, and led him to a more secluded spot, whispering:
"I have new intelligence that you'll definitely be interested in. Help me contact the higher-ups in the War Bureau."
Another benefit?! Nagokin's eyes lit up.
"Give me a heads-up first, so I can relay it to my superiors." Nagokin lowered his voice, looking impatient. He had figured out that Black Star was a treasure trove, and as long as he worked with Black Star, he could share in the profits.
Seeing his appearance, Han Xiao's eye twitched. The longer they knew each other, the less Nagokin would put on the same dignified demeanor he had in front of outsiders. The higher his favorability rating, the more Nagokin revealed his true nature in private. While firmly fulfilling his duties, he did not hide his interest in promotion. His Calamity Grade aura completely collapsed.
Grade B is the backbone of interstellar power, while Calamity Grade is high-level combat power. Nagokin is naturally highly valued by the War Bureau, but Goddora has a large population base of hundreds of billions, and there are still a dozen or so active Calamity Grade. To put it simply, these people are equivalent to top-level imperial guards or dragon protectors, so Nagokin also has competitors.
"This intelligence is about DarkStar," Han Xiao said mysteriously.
In which specific aspect?
"Their location," Han Xiao briefly explained.
Nagokin's eyes widened suddenly, and his breathing became heavy; as an insider, he knew what this meant.
"I'm asking you seriously, you're not lying to me, are you?"
"I'd lie to anyone but you." Han Xiao rolled his eyes.
"Come with me, I'll notify the higher-ups immediately."
The two entered the secret conference room, locked the room, Nagokin, without saying a word, took out a communicator to contact higher-ups.
The communication was quickly established, but it was the secretary of a high-ranking official in the War Bureau.
"Nagokin, the director is in a meeting. It's an important meeting convened by the Supreme Leader. We can talk later."
The battle on Planet Golden Gate had just ended, and the top management of Goddora were discussing the follow-up to the incident.
"I have an urgent matter!" Nagokin.
"Then tell me first, and I'll pass on the message to the director after his meeting."
"Tell him to skip the meeting; this is some really big intelligence!"
Nagokin spoke excitedly and succinctly:
"Black Star has information on DarkStar's whereabouts!"
The secretary's expression changed drastically. He said, "Don't hang up," without even turning off the call screen. The two watched as he jogged into the conference room, where a group of important figures were gathered, some in person and some as remote projections. They all turned to look at the secretary with puzzled expressions.
The secretary hurriedly walked to the director of the War Bureau and whispered the situation. The War Bureau's eyes widened, and he suddenly stood up, picked up the communicator, and went directly to the projection of the supreme leader to explain it to him privately.
The supreme leader's eyes shifted slightly, and without saying a word, he said in a deep voice:
"The meeting is adjourned. Anyone whose name wasn't called, please go and rest for a while."
The pupils of everyone present contracted slightly. The officials sitting at this conference table were the highest-ranking officials of important agencies, key departments, and the military commission of Goddora. Almost all of them were leaders at the level of vice-national leaders, or at the very least, powerful ministerial-level officials in core departments. They basically controlled the overall decision-making power of Goddora and wielded immense power. If Goddora were an empire, then this room would be the heart of that empire.
What could have alarmed the supreme leader so much that a meeting was canceled and some high-ranking officials were even ordered to recuse themselves? What intelligence was so sensitive that even they were forbidden from staying to view it?!
The top leaders filed out, leaving only the most core members behind. This was a matter of great importance, and the highest leader only left behind his most trusted confidants.
"Black Star, I am the Supreme Leader of Goddora, Serre V."
Goddora is a civilization leaning towards magic, with a political structure reminiscent of magical planets. It is not a federal system, let alone democratic elections.
The naming of the Supreme Leader follows the traditional format of ancient kings, and the sense of class superiority of purebloods also comes partly from royal tradition. However, in the interstellar era, Goddora's traditional political structure has undergone some changes, adding and removing many departments to prevent the structure from becoming bloated and adapting to the productivity and technological level of its own civilization. The Supreme Leader is no longer a lifelong figure, and his authority is limited, with many powers being distributed.
The noble and royal Bloodline are no longer as prestigious and inviolable as they were in history. Most privileges have been stripped away, with only identity and family honor remaining. This is something that the people of Goddora, who have witnessed the wonders of interstellar space, can barely accept. As a galactic-level civilization, the people's level of thought keeps pace with the national system, and even when following tradition, appropriate changes are made.
Once the system lags far behind the level of thought, there's a high probability that the spring breeze of reform will sweep across the land, daring to change the world.
On the contrary, there are quite a few advanced civilizations whose systems lag behind their technological level. For example, Harmon's homeland is known for its barbarity, its emphasis on individual strength, and its intellectual shortcomings. Yet, these muscle-bound men can actually build spaceships! This is because their ideological development is not advanced and has not started from childhood.
After all, in the interstellar age, there are many successful examples of technology and productivity. Technology is diverse, and the influence of systems on productivity has become smaller. Therefore, although the systems of the three major cosmic civilizations are different, they are evenly matched.
Facing the supreme leader of Goddora, Nagokin bowed solemnly, while Han Xiao casually nodded as a courtesy. That's one of the advantages of being a mercenary; you basically don't need to bow.
"This is our third round of negotiations," Han Xiao said with a smile.
The first time was providing samples of the Mutation Source, the second time was revealing Project DarkStar and acting as a go-between for the Grand Mercenary Group, and now it's the third time.
The first two times, he negotiated with high-ranking officials, but the third time, he communicated directly with the top leader, indicating a continuously rising level of communication.
Without any pleasantries, they went straight to the point. Han Xiao proved the credibility of the intelligence, stating that Resta's achievements could not be replicated. For Goddora, this intelligence was a hundred times more valuable than the samples of the Mutation Source. DarkStar was like a cancer on civilization, a malignant growth clinging to the bone, Goddora never stopped thinking about eliminating DarkStar.
The struggle between the two sides has lasted for many years. If DarkStar can be completely eliminated, the significance will be far more than just eliminating a mortal enemy. There will be great gains in terms of Bloodline conflicts, prestige and status, public security, media relations, and so on.
"This is the third time this Goddora has made a deal with you. This intelligence is very important. Are you making a private deal, or are you representing Dragon Calm?" Serre V asked.
"Represent Dragon Calm, then." Han Xiao nodded, meaning that his identity was used as collateral, making the transaction very formal.
What do you want?
Goddora was determined to get this information, and this time he wasn't going to hold back. Han Xiao narrowed his eyes and slowly said:
"Fifty medium-sized warships and one large flagship—not your Goddora models, but purely technological creations. My second condition is that you open your super-powered knowledge base so I can copy some of your knowledge. Third, after it's done, announce my achievement to the entire galaxy. Fourth, I want twenty million Enas."
This condition is dozens of times more expensive than the Mutation Source sample. Each department has a limited budget, and this amount of money is not small. Not long ago, a war was waged, and the money was being burned up a bit too quickly. Serre V frowned and pondered for a while.
"Okay, I'll pay you five million Enas first. The remaining balance and the warship will be handed over after the operation is complete. At that time, you can copy five types of superpower knowledge... As for publicizing your achievements, you want to boost your reputation, right? Fine, as long as the extermination operation is successful, we will issue an official statement."
Wow, he agreed so readily. I should have asked for a higher price... Han Xiao coughed lightly and hesitated.
Is it too late to raise prices now?
"No." Serre V's face darkened.
Han Xiao shook his head. This was the largest transaction he had ever made. The information was very valuable, but in the end, it would still be Goddora's responsibility to take action. It wouldn't be good to go too far in extorting money. Even if he really wanted the information, Goddora would definitely try to lower the price and wouldn't easily agree to his exorbitant demands.
I'm about to take the players into interstellar space. In the early stages, I'll need funds to smooth things over. This amount of money is more than enough and can last for a long time. If I use 20 million Enas to buy ships at cost price, I can assemble a fleet of nearly 100 warships.
"It's a pleasure doing business with you," Han Xiao said.
"Okay, we'll wait for your good news, Nagokin. You'll stay on Planet Aquamarine for now and be in charge of communications."
"Yes." Nagokin nodded.
A few days after the Planet Golden Gate attack.
Somewhere in the Garton Star System, a fleet of DarkStar is moving at high speed.
This fleet is heading to Planet Aquamarine. Degulish is the commander, and his companions include Ashes and a high-ranking officer named Terry, totaling three Calamity Grade combatants. In order to kill Black Star, Degulish has deployed more than half of his high-end combat forces.
The DarkStar Leader was somewhat surprised by the failed attack on Planet Golden Gate, but did not react too strongly. He simply ordered Degulish to continue attacking Planet Aquamarine according to plan. Now, the DarkStar's plan has deviated from its original trajectory and has been completely disrupted. They can only seize the time to cause damage to Goddora without stopping. At this moment, their hatred towards Han Xiao is extremely stable.
Considering that Black Star has Blacklight Stealth with exceptional escape speed, killing him would require forcing Black Star to participate in the battle. Therefore, attacking Black Star's home planet, Planet Aquamarine, also serves to keep Black Star engaged in combat.
"... Once the Goddora escort fleet leaves, we'll launch a surprise attack on Planet Aquamarine. We'll use spatial disruption devices to cover Planet Aquamarine's outer space. Although it won't work on the Blacklight Stealth, it can at least slow down the opening of the jump station's orbit and prevent fleets from other disaster planets from providing rapid support. I've already checked; Ames left the Garton Star System a few days ago, so Black Star's backer is gone."
"Ashes will lead a contingent of troops to the front lines. The rest of us will remain hidden. We'll wait until Ashes has engaged Black Star before making our move. We can't reveal all our forces at the beginning, or we'll scare Black Star away."
Degulish, with a serious expression, spoke to the two of them.
Terry remained noncommittal.
Ashes said coldly:
"This time I won't make the same mistake as Noriosse. My abilities can easily slaughter ordinary people. If he cares, I can force him to fight me. You'd better show up quickly, or I might not be able to resist killing everyone on Planet Aquamarine."