Not far from the main force of six motherships from DarkStar, in some part of space, a massive Goddora fleet was hidden on the back of a barren planet. Various warships were densely packed together, forming a neat formation. This was one of the large temporary formations assembled for Operation [Hodlias].
On the command ship's star map screen, the coordinates of all the motherships of DarkStar were marked in red. The six mothership forces were closest and were slowly approaching the ambush area. This enemy force was the target of the Goddora fleet's attack.
"The target is approaching the ambush site. Estimated arrival time: 11 hours and 25 minutes."
The fleet commander reported the situation to the senior officials of the War Bureau; he was the official who knew the specific objectives of the operation.
To prevent leaks, every commander in charge of Operation [Hodlias] underwent rigorous screening; only those with absolute loyalty were allowed to learn the mission's objectives.
The fleet commander was secretly excited at the thought of launching a counterattack against DarkStar. He was an old-fashioned pure-blooded Goddora official with strong party loyalty, harboring deep-seated hostility towards DarkStar, and looking forward to eliminating this cancer every day.
This was an important operation, and as one of the commanders handpicked by the higher-ups, it was undoubtedly an honor, but the sense of responsibility on my shoulders was immense and Tu Shu.
Having completed the high-level report, the fleet commander contacted the commanders of other formations to exchange operational timings. The strategic objective was to conduct a synchronized strike on all DarkStar forces, thus requiring communication between commanders.
After confirming the operation time, another commander suddenly brought up a new topic on the encrypted military communications channel.
"Do you know the source of the intelligence for this operation? I pulled some strings and found out it was top-secret."
"The highest level? It seems the channels through which the higher-ups obtain intelligence are indeed very secretive."
These high-ranking officials, who were in the know, believed that there must be something fishy about Goddora and DarkStar's sudden discovery of DarkStar's coordinates after so many years of entanglement with Dark Star. They were curious about the source of this information, but no one could find out the specifics.
"I do have some inside information. I heard that Goddora was able to organize this counterattack because she bought intelligence from a Mysterious Person. Otherwise, the War Bureau would still be unable to escape the situation of being led by the nose by DarkStar."
"The Mysterious Person?"
"This person can actually monitor the coordinates of the DarkStar forces, haha, could there be a traitor among the DarkStar's high command?"
The group chatted casually for a few moments, secretly becoming curious about the Mysterious Person who had provided the information.
Who exactly is this person who instigated this war? He's practically a hero of Goddora!
The communication was terminated, and the fleet commander issued new instructions.
"It's almost time. Notify the mercenary fleet on standby to coordinate our attack."
The standby period is quite free, but the player has a high degree of initiative, often trying to build goodwill with mercenaries, attempting to trigger missions, and exploring new fun, without Han Xiao having to pay special attention to them.
Han Xiao frequently visits different transport ships to interact with players, continue accumulating experience, or cultivate relationships with the leaders of large mercenary groups. He spends his remaining time manufacturing machinery.
A few days later, Gurega summoned all the legion commanders again. Goddora's employer's order had come down, and the day to begin the operation had finally arrived.
The mercenary fleet sped up and headed to the designated ambush location, with the Black Star Army following suit.
Back on the Blacklight Stealth ship, Han Xiao received a private message from Goddora.
"Black Star, the operation is about to begin. We will need you to control the infiltrated AI to create chaos for the enemy."
"I understand." Han Xiao nodded.
It's easy to let traitors stir up trouble.
"The payment for this job has been notarized by the Mercenary Alliance, and the official job posting has been sent to the Black Star Army's records."
Han Xiao opened the mercenary group interface. Goddora's official mercenary appointment had been authorized and was named [Operation Hodrarias - War Employment].
War mercenaries are not private transactions; they must be registered with the Mercenary Alliance. Successful completion of a mission will significantly increase your credit score, raise your mercenary group's level, and add a prominent entry to your mission record.
This was also the Black Star Army's first war-level mercenary operation.
The panel finally triggered the corresponding mercenary quest, which offered a reward of 18 million experience points and a +1500 bonus to Goddora's faction relationship.
As the legion commander, I received the highest share of the reward, amounting to 3.4 million Enas. Apart from myself, all the other officers and mercenaries also received their own rewards.
In particular, players, apart from the [Black Star Army - First Battle] they themselves assigned, all triggered [Operation Hodrarias - War Employment], receiving substantial experience and monetary rewards. Of course, the players' rewards were far less than what they received themselves.
This is a war-level mercenary mission. Although the players can only get a small share, the rewards far exceed the standards for their current level and are extremely generous.
On the forum, hundreds of thousands of players and mercenaries were overjoyed, posting and boasting about the numerous rewards they received in their first battle after joining the Black Star Army. This only fueled their growing interest in the Black Star Army.
By employing large-scale recruitment, players are made to realize that they share common interests with their faction, thus fostering a sense of belonging—this is the purpose behind Han Xiao leading players to participate in this war.
Most players have a desire to "role-play" and fantasize about serving a certain faction in the game. To make the Black Star Army a first love-like faction in the hearts of players, it is necessary to use storyline, nostalgia, and benefits as means.
Han Xiao had devised this plan long before he formed his faction.
In the vast universe, the mercenary fleet was waiting at its ambush location. With just a short jump, it could reach the designated battlefield position. At this moment, it was monitoring the enemy's movements through the star map coordinates shared by Goddora.
The Black Star Army's formation was positioned behind the combined fleet, and it did not participate in the frontal assault of the warships.
On the Blacklight Stealth, Han Xiao watched the DarkStar Force's movements through Resta's feedback.
His surveillance footage was different; while others could only monitor star map coordinates, he could monitor the situation inside the mothership. At this moment, the members of the DarkStar Fleet were completely unaware, going about their own business as usual.
"The attack on Planet Aquamarine caused me heavy losses; now it's finally your turn to pay the price."
Han Xiao narrowed his eyes.
As time progressed, the six motherships of DarkStar finally entered the ambush location.
"They're here!"
Han Xiao's eyes flashed.
"Attack!" Gurega's command instantly echoed throughout the entire army.
The next moment, the mercenary fleet suddenly entered a warp state, and the outside universe became a channel of light, with countless starlight retreating in the high-speed warp state.
In just a few seconds, the combined fleet traversed a considerable distance, and the unsuspecting DarkStar 6 mothership force appeared before them.
Meanwhile, streaks of light shot in from the other side, the Goddora fleet attacking from both sides and instantly surrounding the DarkStar force.
Both sides' ambush locations were outside the radar detection range, and their simultaneous appearance caught DarkStar completely off guard.
Without a word, Goddora and the mercenaries opened fire simultaneously, and countless cannon fire overwhelmed the DarkStar's six mothership fleet. Caught off guard, the DarkStar force was thrown into chaos.
Inside the mothership where Degulish was located, all the lights turned red as an alarm, and the sirens blared.
The crew on board were horrified and rushed to their posts in a panic. The DarkStar mothership was shaking violently from the explosion, and people were falling down every now and then.
"What happened?!"
Degulish, his face filled with shock and anger, pulled up his observation equipment and, upon seeing that the attackers were the Goddora forces, was immediately horrified.
It's Goddora?!
Goddora lying in ambush on us?
How could they possibly know our whereabouts!
"Degulish, we've been ambushed! The enemy came prepared. It's not just our force; I just received news that DarkStar motherships in other star sectors have also been attacked simultaneously. Goddora planned this all along; they've already cracked our concealment devices and know our movements!"
The intelligence chief's image appeared on the screen, looking anxious.
This is the first time DarkStar has been attacked by Goddora while in Stealth mode.
Stealth mode was DarkStar's greatest asset, but now that it had failed, Degulish immediately realized the seriousness of the problem.
"Order all fleets to cease fighting and seek an opportunity to break out. This is Goddora's trap; this is a critical moment for our survival. We cannot engage them head-on!"
Degulish hurriedly gave the order.
Goddora's attack came without warning; the accident happened so fast that none of the high-ranking officials, including Degulish, had time to react, or even to figure out how Goddora had known their whereabouts.
The most urgent task is to break through and escape!
He knew in his heart that if Goddora had planned ahead, they would not be able to withstand Goddora's strong attack head-on and would have no choice but to run away.
However, before the command was issued, the communication interface displayed a connection interruption.
Not only Degulish himself, but the entire DarkStar mothership lost all communication with the outside world.
Degulish was on the mothership that Resta was piloting.
Resta directly severed the mothership's connection with the outside world.
The traitor has begun!