The Seoul Star Cluster, Krent Empire Territory, War Realm Headquarters, Planet Heber.
In Heber's palace, an envoy from Krent met with the Tyrant to convey the message from the higher-ups.
"The Amethyst Civilization destroyed our Reconnaissance force sent to Colton. This is their warning. According to the intelligence they sent back, the people who attacked the Reconnaissance force were private forces entrenched in the Colton Star Cluster, proving that the Amethyst is building a united force. We must also take further action."
You need my help.
"Yes, over the past two years, Krent has unequivocally supported you, helping you integrate many private armed forces in the Seoul Star Cluster. The scale of the War Realm is many times larger than it was two years ago. We are preparing to form a united force with you at its core to secretly invade the Colton Star Cluster and wage Secret War against the Amethyst Civilization."
"Yes," Heber replied succinctly.
"Although Ames of the Dragon Emperor is in Colton, she has remained largely neutral. However, her Black Star Army seems to be on the side of Amethyst. If Ames gets involved, we would like to ask you to deal with her."
"I will take action if necessary." Heber shook his head.
At the previous gathering, Dragon Emperor and Black Star did not explicitly reject the Crimson Dynasty's offer of recruitment, but there was no further news afterward. Even though Dragon Calm also sided with the Crimson Dynasty, they were still not on their side. Their interests and demands differed, and they each stood on two opposing star cluster-level civilization camps. The Crimson Dynasty did not care about its pawns fighting each other; the more chaotic the situation, the better, so that it could fish in troubled waters and take advantage of the chaos.
Krent was willing to be a pawn, carrying out the Crimson Dynasty's principles and promoting the spirit of "as long as you don't die from recklessness." With a strong backer, Krent became increasingly bold and domineering in the past two years, especially coveting Amethyst, a neutral civilization that did not align itself with any of the three major cosmic civilizations.
Krent controls the Seoul Star Cluster, which is the second smallest in size among the Shattered Star Ring and is a neighbor of Colton. Krent is ambitious and his goal is not only to share the benefits of the Shattered World, but also to have designs on the Colton Star Cluster. Although he maintains a good relationship with Amethyst on the surface, he secretly wants to seize several star systems from Amethyst.
This would not have worked in the past, but with the Crimson Dynasty stirring up trouble, the restrictions of the Peace Treaty suddenly became weaker. The strong have the right to make the rules. The balance of order in the Galaxy, which seems unbreakable to ordinary people, is actually very fragile in the eyes of the Three Universal Civilizations that have experienced the Exploration Era War. Other civilizations are just players who must abide by their rules.
Even Heber thought the Krent were very greedy.
But this suited him perfectly. He needed ambitious allies, not unambitious ones; the more greedy a person was, the more they would rely on him.
Heber stood up, his mountain-like figure looming over the Krent envoy.
"I understand what you Krent mean. Go back and tell your superiors that I will take over this war; they don't need to worry about anything."
The Krent envoy nodded, a confident smile on his face.
In the War Realm, the difference between the two forces is like an Iron Fist versus a pile of loose sand, compared to the alliance hastily formed by the Amethyst Star Cluster. Krent had been preparing for this Secret War for two years, but the Amethyst Cluster was caught off guard and was put at a disadvantage before the war even began.
With the Tyrant Heber leading the charge, the destruction of the Amethyst alliance is just around the corner.
They were invincible in the War Realm and had never disappointed Krent.
Shana returned to headquarters, which was in a very remote location, situated in a Desolate Universe Belt on the edge of a Shattered Star Ring, a truly uninhabited area.
Every star system contains Desolate Universe Belt, rarely visited by humans. These zones are characterized by sparse planetary density, scarce resources, and lack of life. However, some wanted or secretive forces occasionally choose these Desolate Universe Belt as their base locations.
Shana entered the headquarters, where her companions were waiting. Besides Eilet, there were four other people, each wearing a different style of mask, some sitting and some standing, all exuding an unfathomable aura, and they all looked at Shana.
One of the short men spoke, his voice hoarse and indistinct, like that of an old man on his deathbed, slowly saying, "You failed, and you also revealed your appearance. For the next few years, you will replace Adrian in guarding headquarters, while he and Eilet go out on missions."
"Snort."
Shana's expression was unpleasant, but she didn't refute it. This was their internal rule: to avoid being targeted, if someone failed in their duty outside, the person on duty had to be replaced.
This organization is a secret society with very few members, all of whom are elites.
Adrian, a burly male with orcish features, pulled out a palm-sized metal disc and tossed it to Shana, saying in a deep voice, "It's your turn to guard headquarters. Enjoy your boring life from now on."
This metal disc is one of the special keys to the headquarters prison, and it is divided into four parts.
All captured targets on the list are imprisoned in the headquarters jail. Typically, four people guard the headquarters while two go out to capture the targets on the list; this is their standard operating procedure.
Eilet shrugged. "Looks like I can't partner with you anymore. It's a shame, I always thought we had great chemistry."
Upon hearing this, Adrian pointed to himself, "I'm your old partner."
"Except for Mr. Albert," Eilet said helplessly, "You've all worked with me before."
The short, elderly man was Albert, the captain of this team, who had been guarding the headquarters.
Eilet has never failed in his missions. He is the only one who has never been replaced; his partners are always the ones who take over. Shana, Adrian, and the other two have all had the experience of partnering with him.
"Next, let's talk about Black Star." Albert stared at Shana and said slowly, "Because of your mistake, we're at risk of being exposed. Black Star is on guard and will actively search for our whereabouts. We have two choices: one is to ignore Black Star and wait for the storm to pass before taking action; the other is to capture him as soon as possible, nip the risk of exposure in the bud, and then keep a low profile for a while..."
"Keeping him around is a potential problem. I checked his background; the DarkStar organization in the Garton Star System initially didn't take Black Star seriously, but he ended up destroying them. This person is dangerous and we can't let him go unchecked."
Shana suddenly interrupted.
Albert nodded. "That makes sense. He's a dangerous individual, Eilet. Adrian, your sole objective on this mission is Black Star. You must capture him. If you can't capture him alive, I'll allow you to eliminate him."
"Alright," Eilet had no choice but to nod.
"Mr. Albert, I've fought Black Star before, but I couldn't force him to reveal the characteristics of his ' Undying Body.' He should be hiding even stronger abilities. Two people aren't enough. My abilities are perfect for countering him. Please allow me to join you," Shana said in a deep voice.
Albert thought about it and agreed that it made sense, so he asked Shana to hand over the keys and instructed her, "Alright, I'll make an exception this time. The three of you will act together. Don't Reckless; only act when you're absolutely certain."
Shana nodded this time. Her insistence on participating in the operation was partly due to the desire to avenge her previous defeat, but more importantly, it was about the facts. Although she had lost, she remembered the battle and realized that she had been able to defeat Black Star Black Star, proving that she was indeed well-suited to deal with him.
"Krent has been making moves lately, it seems they're about to go to war with the Amethyst Civilization. Black Star will likely get involved, we have plenty of opportunities."
Eilet smiled slightly. He was an A+ superhuman, and he had two helpers, Shana and Adrian, who were almost A+ as well. Their opponent was only Black Star.
He felt confident.
Meanwhile, at the Black Star Army Number One Base.
"Oh my, three people are coming to deal with me? That's scary."
Through the Observation Mark, Han Xiao watched the entire exchange between Shana and the others as if he were watching a movie.
After waiting patiently for several days, Han Xiao finally obtained valuable information from the Observation Mark, which startled him.
Shana is suspected to be A+ level, and the other two shouldn't be weaker than her. The three of them ganging up on me... Have I dug up your family's ancestral graves? Are we really that irreconcilable enemies? Is it really necessary to send out such a luxurious lineup?!
However, Han Xiao wasn't flustered at all—after all, the problem was serious, and panicking wouldn't help.
"With my strength, the chances of winning against these three are extremely slim. Even if I'm very durable, I might not be killed, but I'd most likely be captured... If these six people are of similar strength, it's safe to say that anyone below Beyond Grade A who they want to capture can be captured almost without difficulty."
Being targeted by this group, Han Xiao couldn't help but feel immense pressure.
This group of people seemed to be capturing powerful individuals simply by following orders... Han Xiao had a feeling that the six people he saw were probably just the tip of the iceberg of this mysterious organization.
Despite the pressure, Han Xiao remained calm and even felt a little amused.
Originally, the situation was one of the enemy being in the dark while we were in the light. If Shana hadn't participated in the operation, he wouldn't have been able to prevent the enemy's surprise attack.
However, Shana's involvement in the operation made her the eyes and ears of the operation, allowing Han Xiao to monitor their movements at any time.
What great teammates!!
"That ward was totally worth it."
Han Xiao couldn't help but feel grateful for the group's caution. If they had acted recklessly, his situation would have been quite troublesome. He wasn't afraid of cunning people, but rather of stubborn ones.
"Hmm, let me think about how to receive them..."
Han Xiao stroked his chin, looking thoughtful.