In the gloomy cell, a man with his hands and feet bound by electromagnetic handcuffs sat cross-legged on the floor. A sliver of light leaking through the bars of the alloy cell door illuminated his furiously glaring face.
"The outside world must be in chaos, I can't stay here!"
The man's voice was hoarse, filled with deep worry.
If Han Xiao were here, he would recognize this as an old acquaintance. The imprisoned man was none other than his superior from seven or eight years ago, the former director of the Stardragon Homeland Strategic Defense Bureau, Gu Hui.
He survived the Mutation Disaster. During the three years of rapid development of Planet Aquamarine, he had stepped down as the director of the Thirteenth Bureau and been promoted to a high-ranking government official.
However, just a few days ago, he was stripped of his post and imprisoned.
Gu Hui took a deep breath, and the scene from a few days ago seemed to reappear before his eyes.
He was invited to a high-level meeting where the national leader made a decision that shocked everyone: to unite with Six Nations to declare war on Black Star City. No matter how strongly the vast majority of officials present opposed it, the proposal was not withdrawn. The leader's attitude was extremely tough, and several deputy leaders remained silent and did not object.
Because the two sides were deadlocked, the meeting ended inconclusively. However, before Gu Hui could react, he was secretly arrested and thrown into prison an hour after the meeting ended.
"I'm sure I'm not the only one arrested; all the officials who opposed me must have been imprisoned as well. The higher-ups are acting unilaterally, determined to declare war—this is tantamount to dictatorship!"
Gu Hui still can't figure out the reason. He's quite familiar with the national leader, and this arbitrary and extreme approach makes him seem like a completely different person.
Black Star is now the protector of Planet Aquamarine, and they actually want to turn against their own Protector? Isn't that insane?!
Gu Hui had been imprisoned for quite some time, and he was deeply worried about the changes in the outside world. Now that all the opponents had been arrested, the leader had no resistance. He dared not imagine what the consequences of declaring war would be. He could only secretly pray that the military would have its own opinions and not foolishly carry out orders, even if it meant rebelling on the spot, rather than implementing such a stupid decision that would implicate the entire country!
"This is ingratitude, and it will surely invite Black Star's revenge!" Gu Hui couldn't imagine Black Star's reaction.
That person is no longer the weak, Black Phantom he once was!
He alone could suppress the entire Planet Aquamarine!
"Those six nations have already declared war on Black Star's forces. This planet is his backyard; he must have received news of the internal strife that has broken out."
In a city in one of the Six Nations, Stefan and her companions walked along the crowded streets, observing the turmoil with a cold eye.
Just days ago, the city was peaceful and harmonious, but now, a huge crowd is demonstrating, angry and agitated, strongly protesting the government's declaration of war against Black Star.
Military troops, working alongside police to maintain order, were amidst a cacophony of shouts, screams, and cries of pain. The chaotic footsteps, like popping beans, seemed to shake the ground. Some soldiers hurled Molotov cocktails at various buildings, creating raging flames and intense heat, while others grappled with the police.
Riots are happening everywhere!
This scene was unfolding simultaneously in cities across Six Nations.
Stefan looked at the chaotic scene before her and smiled with satisfaction.
"Excellent. Black Star will definitely come back to investigate, but he won't know that we are the mastermind behind this internal strife, nor will he know that we are watching him. Therefore, he won't be too wary. We'll remain hidden in the shadows, waiting for the right opportunity to give him a 'surprise'!"
With that, the group turned and walked away. A flash of light, and the nine people vanished without a trace.
The team has ten members, but only nine have shown up here.
Ten days later.
A streak of light approached the uninhabited planet, the meeting point Han Xiao had arranged, not far from Planet Aquamarine.
The Blacklight Stealth flew around half of the planet, received the signal from the ground, and arrived at the signal location. Amethyst and Goddora's helpers had arrived there before him and were waiting for Han Xiao's arrival.
The spaceship landed, Han Xiao stepped out of the hatch. Several helpers came to greet him. He glanced at them and saw that there were six people in total.
"Hello Black Star, I'm your assistant this time. You can call me Vilton, Amethyst Calamity Grade combatant. These are my two teammates..."
The group seemed to be led by Vilton. Han Xiao nodded in greeting and shook hands with the six people in turn. All six of them were at the Calamity Grade. Amethyst and Goddora each sent three people. The leader of Goddora's team was an acquaintance, Nagokin.
Even among star clusters and book-level civilizations, the Calamity Grade is a rare high-level combat force. For Amethyst to send three to help at once shows its sincerity.
"The higher-ups have given orders that you are the commander this time and have full authority to direct us. So, what do you want us to do?" Vilton said expressionlessly.
Han Xiao sensed Vilton's impatience, and after a moment's thought, he made a guess.
Vilton is a high-level combatant of the Star Cluster and Book civilizations, and should have a sense of superiority and be quite arrogant. At this moment, he has no choice but to obey the orders of an unofficial superhuman of the same level. Although he would not disobey the orders of the higher-ups, he is probably not very willing.
Han Xiao didn't care. He didn't need others to be convinced of his worth; as long as they obeyed orders and were useful, that was enough.
"I suspect the internal strife on Planet Aquamarine is a conspiracy, with a mastermind behind it all. Their goal might be to assassinate me..." Han Xiao repeated the story he had told Laifer.
"What do you want us to do?" Vilton asked.
Han Xiao thought for a moment and said, "Since the enemy is using internal strife to attract my attention, they are probably hiding in the shadows waiting for me to appear. Let's not alert them. Let me go back alone first to act as bait. You all stay near Planet Aquamarine and wait for the enemy in the shadows to show themselves before coming to my aid."
"OK."
Vilton had no objections. Although he disliked Black Star, this did not include Han Xiao's physical body. This was a strong body that had withstood the attacks of the eight Vanguard Officers and would definitely be able to hold out until they provided reinforcements.
After a few words of discussion, Han Xiao finalized a plan. The enemy had set a trap and was waiting for them to come to them; he could use the same method to lure them out. This was a contest between the one who ambushed and the one who countered.
Having finalized the tactics, Han Xiao glanced at the group, then suddenly had an idea. He said, "I have a small request. I'd like to spar with each of you individually to test your combat abilities. This way, I can have a better understanding of the overall strength of our team."
Six Calamity Grade have gathered here, making it a great opportunity to earn trial points. The current advancement quest progress is 24/50. If these six teammates are strong enough, they might be able to complete the advancement here, greatly increasing their chances of success.
Vilton frowned.
Han Xiao's request was reasonable, but it was too direct, as if he were questioning their strength, which made Wilton feel underestimated. Vilton remained expressionless, but couldn't help feeling a little annoyed.
However, he did not have the naive idea of competing with Han Xiao in the sparring. For him, the mission was the priority. He suppressed his anger and sparred with Han Xiao. This time it was simpler than the previous matches when the Forbidden Sorcerer. The two stopped short of going all out.
Han Xiao took turns fighting his six teammates. The process went smoothly and didn't take up too much time. For the time being, everyone obeyed him without any objection.
Of the six Calamity Grade helpers, only Vilton was 20 levels higher than him, allowing him to obtain 6 trial points. The level difference between the other four was within 20 levels, and Han Xiao found an excuse to spar twice, with each of them obtaining 4 trial points, for a total of 16 points.
There are a total of 22 trial points.
The progress of the advanced quest has increased dramatically, jumping to 46/50, just 4 points away. Unfortunately, one of the Goddora Calamity Grade players was three levels lower than me and failed to get the trial points.
"Only four points short, I still need an opponent of the same level and a book..." Han Xiao hesitated for a moment. He wanted to find someone else to spar with before returning to Planet Aquamarine after completing his advancement.
However, finding a new opponent would take even longer. Bennett had been reporting to him daily these past few days that the situation was deteriorating very rapidly and was constantly urging him to return. Han Xiao didn't want to delay any longer.
Moreover, once the advancement is completed, the race will undergo sublimation, and the talent of Observation Mark will likely disappear. This is a very useful special skill, which can be surprisingly effective in dealing with these elusive Hunters.
After much deliberation, Han Xiao made a decision. "The enemy is lying in ambush on me and will have to fight me sooner or later. Now that I have helpers, the enemy won't succeed so easily. It's not too late to complete the advancement quest while we're fighting. It's better to keep the ' Chaos Observer ' talent for now; it might come in handy."
After gathering his thoughts, Han Xiao left Phillip's subroutine to prevent the enemy from having the means to cut off communications; Phillip could then call for support on his behalf.
Having made ample preparations, Han Xiao lingered no longer, boarded the spaceship, and headed towards Planet Aquamarine.
At the central base helipad in Black Star City, the mercenary officers and some of Bennett's subordinates, who had been notified, waited there for Black Star's return. Their expressions varied, and they whispered among themselves.
Bennett paced back and forth in front of the crowd, glancing at the sky every now and then, looking quite anxious.
call--
The sound of something cutting through the air rang out, gradually approaching. Everyone hurriedly looked up at the sky and saw Black Star's signature vehicle slowly descending. Everyone's spirits lifted, and they breathed a sigh of relief, as if they had found their pillar of support.
The Blacklight Stealth came to a stop, and Han Xiao stepped onto Planet Aquamarine again. He immediately spotted Bennett and the others and walked over.
"You're finally back!"
Bennett's shoulders relaxed as if a heavy burden had been lifted. He had been under immense pressure lately, but with Black Star's return, all his pressure vanished. It was like having a tall person to hold up the sky if it fell. Black Star was the Protector of the entire Planet Aquamarine, capable of overcoming all obstacles with sheer force and cutting through the mess swiftly.
Han Xiao nodded and strode into the base, with Bennett and the others following beside him.
"How is the situation now?"
"The Six Nations have openly declared war, and both their people and ours are filled with fear. My intelligence agents in the Six Nations Six Nations have told me that they have begun preparing missile attacks on Black Star City. I haven't dared to close the protective shield these past few days, fearing a sudden attack from the Six Nations. They've gone mad; I simply cannot use logic to judge their actions!" Bennett said urgently.
Han Xiao curled his lip. "Does that mean all the officials in the Six Nations agree to declare war? I don't believe everyone's gone mad. Do you have any intelligence on this?"
Bennett said gravely, "You're right. The decision to declare war on the Six Nations was very sudden. It's said that many officials didn't know about it beforehand, and many people opposed it. However, within just a few hours, all the dissenting officials were arrested. The Six Nations are practically running a dictatorship."
"Collective dictatorship? Ha, that's novel." Han Xiao feigned curiosity and asked, "Have you spoken with the leaders of the Six Nations?"
"No, they consistently refuse to speak to me, and I have absolutely no idea what they're trying to achieve," Bennett helplessly.
Han Xiao narrowed his eyes. "Then I'll have to go to their homes myself and have a talk with them about life."
Let's also see what tricks this group of Hunters played on the Six Nations to make them collectively lose their minds.
Bennett looked worried. "The Six Nations have broken with us. They won't allow you to get close. Be careful; they might launch missiles at you."
"Then let them try." Han Xiao's tone turned cold. "I've had enough of internal strife. Civilizations have been divided for too long; it's time for unification."
If you're going to use someone as bait, you have to make it as realistic as possible... Han Xiao secretly curled his lip and glanced at the officials following behind him.
--Who knows, the enemy might be watching him.