A chaotic battle is about to break out.
Albert six companions were surrounded, but instead of giving up, they fought desperately to break through.
Their individual strength was outstanding, but the sheer number of dozens of Calamity Grade beings leveled the playing field, leaving the six of them in Danger at Every Turn.
Only Beyond Grade A experts can handle this situation. Although they are stronger, they are still Grade A experts and have not yet reached the point of qualitative change.
Rumble--
Dozens of Calamity Grade powerhouses were locked in a fierce battle, the scene was extremely intense, the battlefield stretched for hundreds of miles, the earth cracked, the ground shook, and the ground was scraped three hundred meters high. Various abilities emerged one after another, the terrain was drastically changed, and there were magma from melted rocks, stone powder frozen into fragments, clay that had been burned into crystals, and so on.
According to Han Xiao's intelligence, several Mage Class were keeping a close eye on Eilet, ready to use Spell Counter and elemental disruption techniques to stop him should he show any sign of casting a teleportation spell.
Eilet was firmly pinned down, filled with shock and rage, with nowhere to escape.
He had recently used teleportation to escape Han Xiao's ambush, and now he deeply regretted it, realizing that he had clearly been targeted.
Of the six, Albert was the most powerful, a psychic. His surging mental energy was an area-of-effect attack that covered the entire field. He single-handedly held back many people, trying to create an opportunity for Eilet to cast spells, but all his attempts failed.
Black Star had mobilized far more manpower than Albert had imagined. Albert was filled with despair. Just a few dozen Calamity Grade were enough to give them a run for their money, not to mention the thousands upon thousands of warships in the sky, with Beyond Grade A Dragon Emperor flanking them...
This kind of force is enough to challenge the regular legions of a star cluster-level civilization!
He knew Black Star was a dangerous person, but he never expected him to be this terrifying!
On the spaceship, the players Han Xiao brought were extremely excited, playing their roles with great enthusiasm.
Dozens of Grade A characters ganging up on each other—they had never seen such a spectacular scene before. The only thing that could rival its impact was the video of the Dragon Emperor smashing the mothership in the previous version. In terms of sheer spectacle, the scene before them was far more impressive.
The players had an overhead view, with the battle on the ground laid out before them. They couldn't wait to record it, their bladders pounding with excitement, all feeling that this recording could very well become the most stunning video on the forum.
On their way here, the group of players learned that Han Xiao had orchestrated this scene, and that the faction leader had made another major move. They felt like they were watching a cutscene from a new version of the game.
Han Xiao watched coldly from the sidelines. With so many helpers, there was no need for him to participate in the battle; he would only damage the machinery and then have to repair it.
It's a situation where they can easily crush each other even without him intervening.
He originally intended to save the reward for the second round of the mission until after he finished hunting Fording, but he thought that attacking the base might become the third round of the mission, so he settled the reward for the second round early and wanted to refresh the next round of missions... However, the third round did not appear and remained unrefreshed; attacking the base did not become a mission requirement.
Han Xiao was not surprised by this. The mission requirements were not something he could decide. Even if it wasn't a mission, he would still attack the main camp. The fact that the third ring had not appeared proved that there were even more distant enemies. He had to find out the true origin of this force.
Without riding on Fording's luck, the ability drawn in the second round was quite ordinary. In the end, Han Xiao chose one of Adrian's common feats, [Steel Bone], which grants +30 to Strength and +20 to Stamina. This was already the most practical of the five abilities he drew, increasing his health by more than 3,000 points.
Thump thump thump--
The melee was a complete rout from beginning to end, lasting only a short while before ending. Albert six companions' resistance was futile; they had no chance of escape and were brutally beaten and captured without any further incident.
After subduing the six individuals, these factions dispatched personnel to the prison to search for the missing high-ranking officials.
Albert and his six companions, covered in wounds, were brought before Han Xiao. They all removed their masks, revealing angry and resentful faces, their eyes still gleaming with shock, as if they still couldn't believe they had fallen so easily to Black Star.
Black Star wiped them all out in the blink of an eye, Thunder counterattack destroyed their headquarters, leaving the six of them devastated and in a state of utter confusion.
Han Xiao glanced at it and nodded.
He finally wiped out the entire group; no enemy escaped, and his goal was achieved.
Who exactly are you people?
Albert remained silent, staring intently at Han Xiao.
"Not going to answer? Then let me ask another question." Han Xiao took out the kill list and said coldly, "Who ordered you to capture powerful individuals all over the Shattered Star Ring? Where did this list come from?"
Albert was startled, his face full of surprise. "How did you get this list?!"
"You really think I know nothing? I've known about your existence for a long time. Who exactly is behind you?"
Disbelief flashed in Shana's eyes. She had thought her failure had alerted the enemy, but it turned out Black Star already knew about them. Where did he get his information?
Albert remained silent, seemingly determined not to betray the person behind it.
Han Xiao stood with his arms crossed and snorted, "Now that you're in my hands, do you think you can just stay silent? I have plenty of ways to make you talk."
Behind Han Xiao stood Calamity Grade figures of various factions, all vying for his attention. They would not let the person behind the scenes get away with it and would not give up easily. If Albert and the others did not speak, they would obviously suffer terrible torture. These factions would try every means to extract information from them.
Albert glanced at the group and slowly spoke, "Since we're all going to die anyway, it makes no difference whether we talk or not, unless you can let us live."
"You have no right to negotiate," Han Xiao chuckled. "I can only guarantee you'll suffer less."
"... Fine, I'll tell you." Albert seemed to have made up his mind, and said in a deep voice, "The Krent Empire ordered us to do this."
Han Xiao frowned immediately.
I need evidence.
"I can testify to our relationship with Krent. Our intelligence comes from an intelligence organization under the War Realm, which keeps records. The kill list was secretly given to us by Krent's higher-ups. They want to make the Shattered Star Ring even more chaotic, so they hired us to eliminate dissidents and capture powerful individuals..." Albert said slowly.
No, it's not Krent.
Han Xiao frowned even more. It sounded reasonable, and the things all connected, but the mission description had already warned that the truth was definitely not that simple.
He felt that Krent was probably not the mastermind behind this mysterious force, as his actions and motives were contradictory, Albert might be deliberately framing Krent.
Albert has fallen from grace and has been forced to reveal some information, likely in an attempt to confuse the public, protect the real mastermind, replace the truth with Lie, and make Krent take the blame.
As for why Krent was chosen, perhaps Krent does have some connection with this mysterious force, or perhaps it's because Krent is currently the most useful scapegoat for the Shattered Star Ring.
Han Xiao stared into Albert's eyes, but couldn't discern anything, only a blank expression. He narrowed his eyes, but didn't press further, and suddenly smiled.
"So that's how it is. Krent was the mastermind. I believe you."
"That's right, I can provide any evidence you want, but I hope you'll keep your promise and not torture me." Albert insisted it was Krent.
Upon hearing this, the envoys from the surrounding factions felt immense hostility towards Krent and were furious.
"Has Krent gone mad? How dare he do such a thing! Does he think we're easy to bully?!"
After Krent joined the Crimson Dynasty, he became increasingly arrogant, and many forces knew that Krent had great ambitions, so they believed seven or eight parts of the "truth" that Albert told them.
The envoy from the Amethyst Civilization's eyes lit up, and he secretly rejoiced. If they could get Krent to take the blame, regardless of whether it was the truth or not, they were willing to believe it. This would push all the forces present to the opposite side of Krent, and the enemy of my enemy is my ally.
Albert and the others were clearly trying to hide the true mastermind, Han Xiao was not prepared to expose them, tacitly allowing them to frame him, a scheme orchestrated by Krent.
He can find out the truth in private. Anyway, these people are in his hands, and he can do whatever he wants with them. Making Krent take the blame is in his best interest right now. This way, he can indirectly increase allies and share the pressure of the Secret War.
With so many factions learning this "truth," the news will surely spread throughout the entire Shattered Star Ring. At that time, Krent's reputation will be greatly affected. Rumors, if spread for too long, will become the truth. Like mud falling down one's pants, he won't be able to get away with this mess.
Han Xiao originally only wanted these forces to owe him favors and establish cooperative relationships. Making Krent take the blame at this time was a completely unexpected bonus, and the responsibility could not be pinned on him.
At this moment, the search party brought back all the prisoners held in the jail. With the help of their companions, these unfortunate men were freed from all their restraints and were finally no longer spineless.
"Haha, someone really came to rescue us!"
"So many people have come!"
Kernid and the others were as if they had been reborn, their faces filled with surprise and joy. They looked around and saw many people returning to their own faction. They chatted with their companions and soon learned that it was Black Star who provided the intelligence and saved them.
The group of people came up to Han Xiao one after another to express their gratitude, their faces filled with excitement.
"If it weren't for you, we would be finished."
"Thank you so much. We owe you a favor. Please don't hesitate to ask if you need any help in the future."
"Black Star, from now on you're my brother."
Han Xiao responded to each of them in a friendly manner, and the panel kept popping up notifications. His relationship with these forces skyrocketed, jumping directly to the "friendly" level. Those who were rescued, like Kernid, saw the biggest increase in favorability.
He expressed his willingness to maintain cooperation, and everyone naturally agreed. Putting aside the favor, the Black Star Army was a force worth befriending, and Dragon Emperor Ames was an even more formidable figure. This incident became the bond for cooperation.
Rescuing this group of unfortunate souls greatly expanded Han Xiao's network of connections, adding many potential allies.
The envoys of the Amethyst Civilization also got their wish; some forces expressed their willingness to join Section Zero to help Amethyst fight against Krent and share a common hatred for the enemy.
This was thanks to Han Xiao; his favorability towards Amethyst increased by 2000 points, bringing him one step closer to obtaining cutting-edge knowledge.
Han Xiao had another objective: some of the captured individuals were lone, Calamity Grade powerhouses. Rescuing them and increasing their favorability would give him the opportunity to recruit them.
After asking around, the vast majority of lone Grade A superhumans refused, indicating that they had no intention of joining any faction. Only one person was willing to join the Black Star Army, which made Han Xiao overjoyed.
Recruiting even one person would be a great success. The legion currently only has one Grade A, so adding another person would double the strength and instantly elevate its level.
This was the first Grade A person he recruited.
The guy who accepted the invitation looked dejected and melancholic; it was Lagi.
Lagi accepted the invitation without hesitation. After being imprisoned for ten years, he had nowhere he wanted to go. Han Xiao had saved him, and he was willing to follow Han Xiao. In his opinion, going anywhere would just mean slowly rotting and growing old, and he had no motivation to do so.
Han Xiao extended his hand and shook his, saying warmly, "Welcome to the Black Star Army! You'll definitely be satisfied with the benefits. From now on, we'll be comrades. What's your name?"
Lagi grasped Han Xiao's hand and sighed, "I am Lagi."
"No way, bro, that's too modest..."