Lagi's expression became even more depressed, his wrinkles were so deep they looked as if they had been carved by a knife and axe, and his face seemed to have a big "bitter" character engraved on it.
Han Xiao realized what was happening, and his lips twitched. "Oh, sorry, I misunderstood. Your name is quite... quite nice."
"Unfortunately, my father thought so too," Lagi sighed.
Why is this person being so polite...? Han Xiao looked embarrassed, barely able to contain his inner rage.
No wonder this person is so pessimistic. When introducing himself to others, he starts by saying, "I'm Lagi." How can he face life with a smile like that? Anyone would become depressed and lose all hope for life!
"It's okay, I'm used to it."
Lagi waved his hand, indicating that he didn't care, and murmured, "Anyway, we will all eventually be decomposed into dust by microorganisms, and nothing will be left. I will disappear into the long river of history with my name, and no one will remember me anymore."
Han Xiao was speechless.
This person's negativity is practically overflowing!
Lagi is an Grade A mage who has nothing else to do besides studying magic, like a lazy bum without any ambition.
He accepted Han Xiao's recruitment for two reasons: first, he owed Han Xiao a favor and had nowhere else to go, so he went with him; second, joining a faction would reimburse his research expenses on magic, making his life much easier without having to work hard to earn money.
The Black Star Army had acquired its first Grade A advanced combatant. Although Lagi had an eccentric personality, Han Xiao was still quite happy and prepared to learn more about this new companion. However, Lagi wasn't very talkative, and when asked about his past experiences, he would always give perfunctory "uh-huh" and "oh-huh." After chatting for a while, Han Xiao still had no idea about his past experiences.
"Don't you have any friends or relatives?" Han Xiao couldn't help but ask.
Lagi sighed, his demeanor melancholic, with an expression that said, "I have a story, but you have no wine," and slowly said, "Just pretend I don't have one."
Han Xiao rolled his eyes.
If you add a scruffy beard and a half-smoked cigarette to Lagi, the whole picture would be perfect.
How could someone with such a pathetic appearance become Grade A? Did he experience a major setback that drastically changed his personality, or has he always been this lazy? If it's the latter... Han Xiao couldn't imagine what kind of talent Lagi had.
"Could I have picked up a protagonist-type character...?" Han Xiao raised his hand, hesitating whether to slap Lagi to see his attributes.
At this moment, the forces present finished dealing with the matter of the returning cadres, and the main force prepared to leave. Before leaving, they all said goodbye to Han Xiao.
Through this joint operation, Han Xiao established a good relationship with them, and his personal influence spread beyond the Colton Star Cluster.
Allies and collaborators are also part of the development of power. Han Xiao's goal is to have friends all over the star field, so that he can have toilet paper delivered to him wherever he takes a dump. Now he has taken a solid step toward this goal.
The Star Beast Organization was very grateful to Han Xiao for rescuing their leader Gorila. They originally did not trade with outsiders, but now they were willing to cooperate commercially with the Black Star Army.
In version 3.0, the Star Beast Organization began hiring outsiders. Players could complete faction quests to increase their favorability, purchase gene potions from many rare creatures, and even buy pets and mounts... Although there were spaceships, the only use of mounts was to increase fashion value.
Han Xiao wanted to purchase some extremely rare interstellar creature materials to upgrade his template feat [Intermediate Tenacious Life].
The previous use of the Void Archduke's core confirmed the feasibility of this idea. Han Xiao needed rare biological materials that met the requirements. The Star Beast Organization was an expert in this area and readily agreed, saying they would fulfill the requirements and notify him when the time came.
Among those rescued were many lone wolves. Although they refused Han Xiao's recruitment offer, they all left their contact information and promised that they would do their best to help Black Star if it ever needed their assistance.
Han Xiao regarded him as a potential asset; the reputation of Grade A expert was reliable, and it would definitely be worthwhile to curry favor with him.
Albert and his six companions were taken prisoner by Han Xiao. After dismantling Albert's headquarters, Ames also left with Han Xiao.
A few days later, news of Director Han Xiao's large-scale operation spread, and this time it not only didn't get lost among the many other news stories, but also caused a huge uproar in the Shattered Star Ring!
The commotion caused by Han Xiao startled countless forces, including the seven major star cluster- Shattered Star Ring civilizations.
Numerous forces from all corners of the world responded to Black Star's call, forming an army that even star cluster-level civilizations dared not underestimate, obeying Black Star's commands. This shocked and astonished countless people—when did Black Star acquire such powerful influence?!
Ames's involvement in the operation has sparked much speculation.
For a long time, the Dragon Emperor's power has been perceived by the Shattered Star Ring as neutral, weak, and insignificant. The emergence of the Black Star Army has slightly increased the Dragon Calm's deterrent power, but it is not enough to change the inherent image of the Dragon Calm in many people's minds.
However, this time, many people mistakenly believed that it was Dragon Calm's doing, deliberately showing off his fist, which greatly surprised them.
Unbeknownst to many, Dragon Calm has already formed alliances with so many forces, forcing the seven star cluster-level civilizations to reassess Dragon Calm's position.
As Beyond Grade A powerhouse, Ames has always appeared to be indifferent to worldly affairs, but in recent years she has become increasingly active. All of this started after Black Star joined Dragon Calm. Black Star was like a catalyst, transforming Dragon Calm and helping Dragon Calm rise rapidly in just a few years.
Following this incident, Dragon Calm demonstrated its strong competitiveness, which gave some private organizations ideas.
With Beyond Grade A leader at the helm, the camp has a bright future. A simple call to action can attract many people to join. The news that Han Xiao created has had an effect. If he can attract more allies to Dragon Calm, he will also benefit from it.
This operation also had another consequence: the "truth" revealed by Albert landed Krent in serious trouble, as all the targeted forces united to condemn Krent's actions.
In fact, most civilizations have done similar things, and there is a tacit understanding among them. However, once exposed, they become the target of public criticism.
The Krent Empire in a very bad situation. They were just sitting at home when they were suddenly caught in the crossfire. They were just enjoying themselves as bystanders when they were suddenly dragged into this mess.
The official spokesperson naturally denied it firmly, but unfortunately it didn't do much good. Of course, Krent was, after all, a powerful star cluster-level civilization, and all the victimized forces could only offer some condemnation at most.
The potential impact is significant; more forces are becoming wary of Krent, and every force is on high alert as chaos looms.
In reality, Albert did have a cooperative relationship with Krent, but Krent merely provided them with intelligence. Albert and his group came from other star systems, Krent was not their master. After a chance encounter, Krent took a liking to their strength and decided to provide intelligence, indeed harboring the intention of using them as pawns to stir up trouble. It's not entirely unfair to accuse Krent.
The timing of this incident, occurring at a crucial juncture when Amethyst is being targeted, indirectly increases Amethyst's influence, giving the opposing side more leverage in the Secret War. The Krent, left with no recourse, are furious.
Black Star's actions increased the difficulty for Krent and disrupted his established plans.
In the War Realm, strategic adjustments had to be made, and the start of the war was postponed.
The Blacklight Stealth are heading to the Garton Star System. On the ship, Han Xiao extracts the Esper Gene of Albert and the other six, taking out dozens of vials of gene serum to weaken them, and begins interrogating them in their cells.
The [Prey] mission is not yet complete, the third ring has not yet appeared, and the mastermind behind it will also be an enemy. Being able to command six Grade A experts, and with strength close to A+, means that the force behind them is definitely not simple.
"I already said, it was Krent who ordered us to do it," Albert said weakly.
Han Xiao shook his head. "I didn't stop you from framing Krent because it was in my interest, but that doesn't mean I actually believed it. I know torture might not be effective for you. Luckily, I brought professionals with me."
As soon as he finished speaking, Iso walked in. He had come with Ames to join in the fun. He had been staying on the spaceship all along. His special ability was suitable for gathering intelligence. Even if Albert and the other six didn't confess, it wouldn't matter. Iso didn't mind helping Han Xiao with this small favor.
"It's yours now, old man." Han Xiao stepped aside.
Iso snorted, patted the six people, closed his eyes and used his supernatural ability. After a while, he opened his eyes, his expression somewhat strange.
"Old man, did you find anything?"
"I didn't expect it to be them..." Iso muttered to himself, his tone turning serious, "Black Star, you've really messed with some serious guys this time."
Han Xiao narrowed his eyes. "I didn't provoke them; they're the ones who've got their eyes on me."
"You're right, the bigger the tree, the more the wind blows. You can only blame your bad luck." Iso sighed and muttered, "I thought I would never have anything to do with these people again. Everything related to them becomes very troublesome."
Stop keeping me in suspense, who exactly are they?
Have you ever heard of the Ancient Ones?
Han Xiao's expression suddenly changed, and he became serious.
He certainly knew about this famous organization. Even in his previous life, the Ancient Ones were a well-known force in the eyes of players. The [Mechanic Emperor] Manison that Resta mentioned was a member of the Ancient Ones.
This organization is very special. It has few members, located in different star systems, and consists of top figures in the Galaxy system, including the Book. Most of them have long lifespans, having lived for many years, with the longest lifespan dating back to the end of the Exploration Era. Among them are many Beyond Grade A powerhouses. The organization has a loose structure and can be understood as a top-level social circle. It holds a prestigious position in the universe, and even the Three Universal Civilizations treat it with respect.
In the [Super Calamity] version, several Beyond Grade A members of the Ancient Ones formed their own factions, with Manison being one of them.
Iso was once a member of the Ancient Ones, but later withdrew.
"You're saying the Ancient Ones are the mastermind?"
Han Xiao was solemn; the Ancient Ones were indeed a force he couldn't afford to offend at present.
"I don't know. I didn't foresee the specific details. I only saw that this matter was somehow connected to the Ancient Ones."
Iso explained.
Upon hearing this, Han Xiao looked at Albert, Albert remained calm and did not react unusually to Iso mentioning the Ancient Ones, as if it had nothing to do with them. It was unclear whether Albert was acting or not.
After thinking for a moment, Han Xiao squatted down, looked directly into Albert's eyes, and asked, "Are the Ancient Ones your true masters?"
"No." Albert frowned. "I've said it more than once, it's Krent, believe it or not."
Han Xiao raised an eyebrow. "If it really has nothing to do with the Ancient Ones, given your style, I think you'd be quite happy to let me provoke them."
Albert suddenly fell silent and stopped speaking.
Although he retorted, Han Xiao couldn't be 100% certain that the Ancient Ones were the ultimate enemy [Prey] was referring to, and the Ancient Ones were a loose organization, so this might just be a plan by one of Ancient Ones members.
"What a coincidence, this is the second time I've crossed paths with the Ancient Ones, first with Aroshia, and now this group..."
Han Xiao looked thoughtful; this was too much of a coincidence.
"Regardless of whether Ancient Ones or not, I have no way to deal with them right now... at least not at the moment. Without reaching Beyond Grade A, I can hardly even protect myself."
Han Xiao felt somewhat heavy-hearted. The enemy had already set their sights on him. Albert and the others had fallen, and there would inevitably be new and powerful enemies emerging. Yet, he hadn't even discovered the true identities of his enemies.
This sense of crisis put him under immense pressure.
However, worrying wouldn't change anything. Han Xiao composed himself, and a problem now lay before him... how to deal with these six prisoners.
Staying home to make juice isn't a good option. They're not those pathetic, incompetent space pirates. Even if they manage to escape, I can't control them, and I probably won't be able to extract much information from the six of them. Letting them live is just asking for trouble.
Eilet sensed Han Xiao's killing intent and trembled.