Han Xiao's expression was strange as he looked Mazaks up and down.
"Are you here to poach my boyfriend?"
He hadn't expected to run into a headhunter. After all, he was now a cadre in Dragon Calm, and ordinary forces wouldn't dare to be so reckless. A core cadre in the War Realm had come to invite him, offering very high benefits, including becoming one of the Vanguard Officers as soon as he joined—a very high-ranking position.
The War Realm and Dragon Calm are forces on two different levels. Dragon Calm has always relied on the deterrent power of Ames alone, while Tyrant Heber is also Beyond Grade A powerhouse with a transcendent status. Moreover, he is the most senior among the four well-known Beyond Grade A of the Shattered Star Ring. Pugilist Class temper the body and sublimate life, so his lifespan is extremely long. Therefore, the War Realm also has Dragon Calm's greatest advantage.
Moreover, the War Realm is an important ally of a star cluster-level civilization. It is rich in resources, has extensive connections, a substantial fortune, and a very powerful armed force. It has established many branches in various star systems of another star cluster. In terms of power alone, it is a behemoth in the Shattered Star Ring. Unlike Dragon Calm, which is indifferent to worldly affairs, it is still active and expanding.
A clear example is that in the previous version of the Veyne Cards Shattered Star Ring deck, there were three Dragon Calm faction cards: the faction card [Floating Dragon Island], the strongman card ["Dragon Emperor" Ames], and the mercenary card [Black Star Mercenary Group], while there were a total of fourteen cards belonging to the War Realm!
'I've been making quite a splash lately, showcasing my abilities, and that's probably why I've come to the attention of even more powerful individuals.'
Han Xiao nodded secretly. Although such things are rare, they are not without precedent. Once one's fame and Legend Points reach a certain level, there is a chance of encountering similar situations. After becoming famous, all sorts of people will take the initiative to come to one's door.
Recruiting people from the War Realm proves that one's own level of influence is also subtly rising.
"I'm a little curious, aren't you afraid Ames will get angry?"
Han Xiao curled his lip.
Mazaks smiled faintly, exuding strong self-confidence.
"Do you think His Tyrant Overlord would be afraid of Ames? Besides, this isn't the first time."
Han Xiao's eyes flickered, and he immediately became curious.
"You've dug up people from Dragon Calm before? Is that person still alive?"
"Of course he's alive, and he's in a very high position now."
"Ames didn't cause you any trouble?"
"Heh, you know her well. Indeed, she dragged Floating Dragon Island into our headquarters back then, which is why Your Tyrant intervened."
"What was the result?" Han Xiao raised an eyebrow.
Mazaks pursed his lips, a fanatical glint in his eyes, and chuckled, "The original Floating Dragon Island was half again as large as it is now."
Ames got the short end of the stick... Han Xiao's heart skipped a beat.
This is a secret that players from the previous life hadn't uncovered. It turns out that there's a long-standing grudge between Dragon Calm and the War Realm, no wonder they're trying to poach Ames's man.
Wait a minute, if I refuse, might I be considered an enemy in the War Realm?
Han Xiao became wary and asked in a deep voice, "Thank you for the invitation, but what if I refuse?"
Mazaks's smile vanished as he stared at Han Xiao, his tone becoming unquestionable. He slowly said, "Let me think about it some more."
Black Star's hundreds of thousands of undead have already aroused interest in the War Realm, but Heber disdains to slowly poach people; if he's going to poach, he'll poach the leaders directly. Therefore, Han Xiao has become the target of his recruitment.
Mazaks didn't want to leave empty-handed, having been given a mission personally by the Tyrant.
This is a threat...
Han Xiao frowned, silently weighing the pros and cons.
If he were to switch War Realm, he would incur Dragon Calm's wrath. Almost all the connections Dragon Calm had previously made would vanish, and both the Black Star Army and Planet Aquamarine would lose Dragon Calm's privileged treatment. Ames values him highly, and if he were to betray her, she would be even more furious, with extremely serious consequences.
The benefits... seem significant as well. Risks come with rewards. The power in the War Realm is far greater than that of Dragon Calm. What is lost on one front can be gained on another. By leveraging the War Realm, a wider network of connections can be rebuilt. At the same time, the resources of the War Realm can provide greater support to the Black Star Army, and the losses can be made up... The only problem might be the need to develop in the star cluster where the War Realm is located.
Since Heber dared to poach me, it would be a huge loss of face for Ames to retaliate, so Heber will probably do everything in his power to protect me...
After thinking for a while, Han Xiao finally spoke.
"I've thought about it..."
His brow relaxed, and he smiled at Mazaks.
"I refuse."
Although he habitually analyzed the pros and cons, it was just a habit. From the very beginning, Han Xiao had no intention of leaving Dragon Calm, and he wasn't the kind of person who would be easily fooled.
Ames provided so many conveniences, all out of personal favor, and their relationship has been steadily improving. If it were Heber, he would have to rebuild his relationship with his superior, and the title of Tyrant sounds difficult to work with. The rules in the War Realm are far more numerous than in Dragon Calm, and it's impossible for him to be as tolerant of her as Ames.
Most importantly... I'm the sole leader of the Field Operations Department in Dragon Calm. I must have been out of my mind to run off and become your ninth leader!
Mazaks's smile vanished completely, replaced by a cold, indifferent expression as he stared intently at Han Xiao.
Han Xiao didn't back down either, glaring back and secretly adjusting his stance.
The atmosphere gradually became tense and somber.
Just when he thought another fight was about to break out, Mazaks suddenly snorted loudly and turned to leave.
Han Xiao's expression relaxed, and he let out a breath.
It seems a war is unlikely, especially at this crucial stage of the Black Star Army's development. It's best to avoid antagonizing the War Realm.
Just then, a spaceship marked with the insignia of the War Realm flew in from the horizon. This was Mazaks's vehicle, which had been hidden on the far side of the planet.
Mazaks climbed the gangway, then suddenly pressed down on the closing hatch with one hand, glanced at Han Xiao, and spoke in a low voice.
"Black Star, we'll meet again soon."
Having said that, he ignored Han Xiao's reaction, let go to close the hatch, and the War Realm spaceship quickly took off and disappeared without a trace.
We'll meet soon... What does that mean? Is she looking for an opportunity to get back at me? Or does it have some other meaning?
"Forget it, the War Realm's territory isn't in the Colton Star Cluster anyway, so it's unlikely they'll come after me. Since Dragon Calm and the War Realm are at peace now, they certainly won't make a big fuss over me."
Han Xiao shook his head. After thinking it through, he wasn't so worried anymore.
"Oh right, I'm here to hand over hostages." He suddenly came to his senses.
After fooling around with Mazaks, he almost forgot the purpose of his trip.
Back beside the pirate ship, Beverly lay dead on the ground, surrounded by several lightly wounded pirates. They glanced at the Blacklight Stealth circling overhead, seemingly debating whether to take Beverly away.
Hearing footsteps, the Stars pirates turned around and saw Han Xiao approaching. They shuddered, fear rising in their eyes, and froze on the spot, too afraid to move.
The original method of handing over hostages did not require a face-to-face meeting and was safe. But now, with the victim Han Xiao right in front of them, they were terrified that their lives would be in danger. Moreover, Beverly's emaciated appearance horrified them. They wondered what kind of torture Beverly had suffered to become like this. In any case, they had no intention of following in his footsteps.
Han Xiao glanced at them, casually grabbed one of the space pirates, and then boarded the raiding ship. The space pirate cautiously pointed out the way, and the two quickly arrived at the cell.
However, the cell was empty.
Where are they?!
Pressing down on the pirate's skull, Han Xiao tightened his grip, his tone unfriendly.
"I... I don't know either... They disappeared a day and a half ago!"
The space pirate felt like his head was about to be crushed and hurriedly tried to explain.
disappear?
Han Xiao raised an eyebrow, then suddenly realized what was happening and released his grip.
Damn it, those bastards are offline!
I guess they went to sleep.
"Disappeared a day and a half ago, hmm, that means it'll be back online soon, so we can wait a bit..."
Han Xiao realized a problem and grabbed the space pirate's head again.
"The hostage has disappeared, and you still want to make a deal? Are you trying to play me?"
Even space pirates would cry.
Sir, we've all been controlled by that demon, how could we possibly notify you!
And could you please stop pinching me? It's giving me a headache!
Just then, a flash of white light appeared in the cell, and several players from the Gods Guild logged in. They immediately saw a huge Black Star and were suddenly overjoyed.
"Quickly inform the guild leader, we've finally got to see the hidden storyline!"
A dozen seconds later, a series of white lights flashed, Jupiter and the others all logged on. Upon seeing Han Xiao, they were all overjoyed.
"They're back again?!" The space pirate rubbed his eyes, making sure he wasn't hallucinating.
Han Xiao opened the cell, led everyone out of the spaceship, and threw the space pirate he was holding at his feet.
"Contact Slaik, our deal continues."
Upon hearing this, the fear on the faces of the space pirates froze, turning into astonishment.
The hostages have been taken, and they're now in Black Star's hands. With nothing left to threaten him with, is Black Star really obligated to hand over Beverly and release them as agreed?
"You... you still want to continue the transaction?" one of the space pirates couldn't help but repeat, finding it hard to believe.
"What, are you going to back out?" Han Xiao retorted.
"No, no, no, you've misunderstood. We'll do as agreed." The space pirates hurriedly denied it, their faces beaming with the joy of escaping death.
One of the space pirates hurriedly contacted Slaik and explained the situation.
Slaik was immediately shocked. His men had been taken control of by people from the War Realm. This was something he never expected; it was a complete disaster.
However, when the deal went wrong, Black Star surprisingly didn't back out...
Could it be that my threats were really that effective?
Slaik could only attribute the cause to this, and suddenly felt relieved.
--Ha, even a renowned interstellar powerhouse was intimidated by him.
Ignoring the space pirates' negotiations, Han Xiao led Jupiter and the others to the side, allowing the Blacklight Stealth to land and open the hatch.
"Board the ship, Resta will take you to the nearest city-planet."
Jupiter's eyes flashed, and he said enthusiastically, "We want to help you deal with your enemies. Please allow us to lend you a hand."
Having finally encountered a hidden storyline, he felt confident that this was a great opportunity to trigger a hidden quest.
Han Xiao saw through Jupiter's intentions at a glance, feeling rather helpless, and directly created a task and issued it to the group of players.
[You have triggered the hidden mission [Evacuation]]
[Mission Introduction: You have been caught up in a disturbance, but with your current strength, you are unable to intervene. Therefore, what you need to do is to evacuate this place as soon as possible.]
[Mission Requirement: Depart in Blacklight Stealth]
[Reward: 350,000 experience points, Black Star Army favorability +200]
"Let's go!" Jupiter said without a word, turning around and walking into the cabin.
The players from the Gods Guild followed suit, all boarding the Blacklight Stealth.
Poseidon leaned closer to Jupiter, giving him a thumbs-up. "As expected of the guild master, if we had boarded the ship immediately, we wouldn't have been able to trigger this quest."
Jupiter smiled smugly and pointed to his temple. "That's experience. Learn from it."
Although the mission was quite different from what he had imagined, Jupiter felt after reading the mission description that it might be a high-level event, but they hadn't met the trigger criteria, which was why it became an [evacuation] mission. It was a pity, but he could only do it for now; it was better than nothing.
Han Xiao was still standing outside, waiting for the space pirates' reply.
After a while, a space pirate trotted over and said cautiously, "Lord Black Star, if there are no problems, we'll take Beverly with us."
"Let's go. Don't mess with me again, or I won't let you off the hook next time." Han Xiao waved his hand, turned around, and boarded the spaceship.
The space pirates finally breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly went back to call their companions. They started up the raiding ship, the thrusters spewed flames, and the raiding ship hovered in the air.
Just as the raider was about to accelerate and take off, behind the hatch of the Blacklight Stealth, Han Xiao's eyes flashed with gray light as he activated his racial talent, transforming into a Chaos Body. His entire being lost its physical form and turned into a gray mist.
Advanced Void Travel!
Upon entering the Void Vision, time seemed to stand still. Han Xiao manipulated the Chaos Body to leave the Blacklight Stealth. Because the duration of [Advanced Void Travel] was longer, he had ample time to traverse a large distance to approach the raider.
The Void Travel had the ability to pass through walls. The Chaos Body passed directly through the raider's hatch, found a secluded cabin, and hid there before deactivating the Void Travel. No alarms were triggered, and no space pirates noticed.
call--
The next moment, the raiding ship quickly took off and disappeared into the horizon.