Planet Golden Gate, Black Star Number One Base, Logistics Department.
Buzzing--
In the seemingly endless military factory, various production lines operate endlessly, and countless robotic arms assemble mechanical parts into various pieces of equipment. Scattered mechanics walk between the assembly lines, constantly making adjustments.
At the top of the factory is the main control room, overlooking the entire factory. On the alloy table by the window in the main control room, stacks of mechanical drawings are scattered and being flipped through by a large hand.
Reynold sat at the table, back straight, upright, flipping through the blueprints with a serious expression.
Just then, the door to the control room was pushed open with a bang, and Sylvia rushed in, her face beaming with joy.
"Hey, I have some good news!"
Reynold reluctantly looked up from the blueprints and turned to Sylvia, saying seriously, "Senior Sister, please speak."
Sylvia had grown accustomed to Reynold's meticulous nature and had learned to selectively ignore him. She raised her hand, and a flickering mass of Mechanical Force was contained within her fair palm.
"Hehe, I've reached Grade B! Aren't you amazing?" Sylvia said excitedly and proudly.
"That's impressive." Reynold said expressionlessly, in a monotone tone, and even clapped his hands a few times.
Seeing this, Sylvia felt as if she had been doused with cold water, looking embarrassed and as if she had been showing off her skills in front of an expert. She felt that what she was proud of was probably not worth mentioning in the eyes of Reynold, who was Calamity Grade being.
But she couldn't help sharing her joy. Han Xiao had taken a large group of veteran cadres out to fight, and the only one she was closest to was Reynold, who was in charge of the Logistics Department. She often asked Reynold questions. Although Reynold was nominally her junior, he was actually Han Xiao's teaching assistant.
Sylvia couldn't contain her excitement at stepping into Grade B. After a moment of awkwardness, she cheered again, her face full of anticipation. She couldn't help but say, "My teacher will be so happy when he hears this news. He's always had high hopes for me..."
She didn't say the last sentence—most importantly, Han Xiao promised her that once she became Grade B superhuman, she would focus on practical combat and wouldn't have to do homework every day anymore.
I'm finally free!!
I, Sylvia, am happy!
After enjoying her moment for a while, Sylvia realized that Reynold hadn't said anything. Looking up, she saw that although Reynold was facing her, his eyes were secretly glancing at the blueprints on the table, seemingly engrossed in them.
Why are you daydreaming during our chat? Is talking to me really that boring...? Sylvia was exasperated. She snapped her fingers forcefully and said, feigning anger, "Stop looking! I'm talking to you!"
Reynold turned his gaze back, his expression serious as if nothing had happened. "Yes, you're right."
"Wow, this is such a perfunctory response..." Sylvia gritted her teeth, took a breath, calmed herself down, took out her communicator, and said:
"By the way, our teacher has stirred up a lot of trouble again recently. Look, people all over the star field are talking about him on various platforms. They all say he's the most likely to become the next Beyond Grade A powerhouse in the Shattered Star Ring. Tsk tsk, I never expected our teacher to be so powerful. If he really does become a powerhouse at the Dragon Emperor level, we, as his apprentices, might..."
After a pause, Sylvia suddenly realized that Reynold was not responding again. Looking up, she saw that Reynold's gaze had drifted back to the blueprints on the table.
"Why are you peeking?!"
Enraged, Sylvia's chest heaved as she snapped her fingers even harder.
Am I, a beautiful woman, really less attractive than boring blueprints?
No, I'm listening to you.
Reynold coughed, took the communicator from Sylvia, glanced at the news on it, his expression turning serious again. He muttered to himself, "Black Star... Beyond Grade A Seed..."
Seeing Reynold deep in thought, Sylvia's anger vanished instantly, and a triumphant look appeared on her delicate and beautiful oval face, making her lively and cheerful.
As Han Xiao's secretary, she knew that Reynold's contract was nearing its end, and for the sake of the Black Star Army, she felt it was necessary to keep Reynold on the team.
Based on her understanding of Reynold, her desire to learn had even surpassed his physical desires. Sylvia felt that the best way was to constantly remind him that his teacher was getting stronger and stronger, so that he would recognize the teacher's excellence. Only in this way could Reynold have the opportunity to choose to stay and continue to study under Black Star and work for the Legion.
Although Sylvia didn't really want Reynold to share her teacher, for the sake of the Legion... she decided to reluctantly give him up.
"Beyond Grade A... Beyond Grade A..."
Reynold muttered to himself, his usually serious expression unusually heavy-hearted.
"Perhaps Black Star can resolve this matter completely..."
"What?" Sylvia didn't understand.
"... nothing."
Reynold snapped out of his daze and regained his seriousness.
Meanwhile, at the Black Star Number One Base's training camp.
Borick put down his communicator, which was broadcasting the news, his expression uncertain. He picked up his glass, wanting to take a sip of his smoked liquor to calm his nerves, but found his hand trembling slightly.
He is a remnant of the DarkStar. After the DarkStar Leader disappeared, he kept his mission in mind and believed that the leader would return. So he joined the Black Star Army and went undercover, hoping to one day become an important pawn of the leader. He is currently serving as a training instructor at the base.
Over the past few years, Borick has worked diligently, never daring to do anything out of line, carefully concealing his identity for fear of being suspected. His trust in the DarkStar Leader is what keeps him going.
However, upon seeing the news that Han Xiao had become Beyond Grade A Seed, Borick found that his beliefs were wavering.
He couldn't help but wonder... was the leader truly a match for Black Star? Could he really achieve Revenge?
It's probably suicide!
If he stays with the Black Star Army as a spy, he might just push the leader into a fire pit.
Borick was in a terrible mood. Black Star's overwhelming power made him feel hopeless, and he could hardly muster the will to resist.
He secretly made up his mind that if the leader ever returned and contacted him, he would definitely advise the leader not to deal with Black Star —it would be even more difficult than dealing with Goddora!
In a certain star system, on a certain ravaged, civilized planet.
Endless flames and black mist engulfed the earth, shattering the land, destroying cities, and ravaging countless lives.
The fleet, having completed its invasion, retracted its cannons, slowly ascended into the air, and left the atmosphere, leaving behind a nearly destroyed planet with a terrestrial civilization.
This invading fleet consisted of a full three thousand warships, a considerable size.
However, not far from the planet, a massive fleet thousands of times larger was stationed, with a dense array of warships that seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see, as if they could cover the entire starry sky. The three thousand warships were merely a small unit of this enormous fleet.
A fleet of this size could even confront a star cluster-level civilization head-on.
Three thousand warships, laden with spoils, joined the main force, like a drop of water merging into the ocean.
The small squadron's lead saucer-shaped warship separated from the main force and gradually penetrated deeper into the formation of the large fleet, arriving at the heart of the massive fleet.
At the center of the fleet was a planet-sized super-large flagship; in comparison, the saucer-shaped spaceship looked like a pebble, while the super-large flagship was a small mountain.
The main ship's external armor was painted with a conspicuous symbol—a gray hooded man.
The flying saucer entered the main ship's port, sailed through a long corridor, and stopped in the hangar, completing the docking.
laugh--
The UFO hatch opened, and the DarkStar Leader stepped out, his eyes cold. He turned back and waved, signaling his subordinates to lead dozens of weakened prisoners forward with him.
After walking for a while, they came to a huge alloy door. The cyclops guard beside the door grinned when he saw the dozens of prisoners behind the DarkStar Leader.
"You're quite quick. Go in, he's waiting for you."
As he spoke, the alloy door slowly opened. The DarkStar Leader composed himself and led his men inside. The room suddenly opened up, and a wave of noise and heat hit them.
The room was a huge palace, where a banquet was being held. Countless tables were set up, filled with delicacies and fine wines from various races, and the place was bustling with people. Creatures of all races were eating meat and drinking wine, letting out unrestrained roars and wild laughter. Dancers of different races were also wandering among the crowd, and every now and then they would be roughly pulled into someone's arms and rubbed.
The DarkStar Leader even saw someone in the corner hugging a dancer, Charge their head against the wall, emitting low growls and lewd laughter that blended into the chaotic noise.
The air was thick with chaos. Even the DarkStar Leader, who had lived here for several years, couldn't help but frown, feeling uncomfortable with the stimulating scene.
A drunken orc stumbled and fell, and the DarkStar Leader pushed him aside by the shoulder, striding towards the center of the palace, where a scarlet throne was carved into the shape of some strange creature, like an unknown ancient god worshipped by some branch of the Arcane Church.
A gaunt humanoid creature wearing a tattered hood sat on the throne. Except for his cheeks, his entire body was completely covered and he made no sound. At this moment, he was looking down, his face hidden by the hood.
The DarkStar Leader approached the Throne, ignoring the surrounding chaos and noise. He pointed to the dozens of prisoners behind him, who were terrified by the sight, and said in a deep voice, "Your Excellency, I have brought along a superhuman."
As soon as the words were spoken, the creature on the throne shuddered, as if awakening from a deep sleep, and slowly raised its head, revealing its face beneath the hood...
Beneath the hood was a swirling mass of black mist, with a shimmering red light at its center.
The faceless creature somehow produced a sound, its voice hoarse, "Well done..."
As he spoke, he suddenly twisted his neck, and the black mist under his hood vanished, revealing a mixed-race human face with no distinguishing features; he was quite ugly.
The hooded man stood up, stepped down from his throne, and walked toward the dozens of prisoners. The DarkStar Leader tactfully stepped aside.
He stood before the first prisoner, stared into the prisoner's terrified eyes, grinned, and reached out to grab the prisoner by the neck.
The next moment, the prisoner shriveled up, turning into a withered body, but he did not die. He lay on the ground with his eyes wide open, having lost the strength to speak, as if he had been drained dry.
"Not bad."
The hooded man licked his lips, as if savoring the memory, then repeated the process, turning all the prisoners into withered shells. He then sat back on his throne, looking at the DarkStar Leader with a satisfied expression.
"You're great, I like you."
"It is my honor to serve you." The DarkStar Leader bowed respectfully. "According to our agreement, for every superhuman I bring who satisfies you, you will..."
The hooded man waved his hand, interrupting the DarkStar Leader, "Understood. I'll give you a new fleet. Hmm, I have some news here that might interest you."
As he spoke, the hooded man flicked his hand, and a communicator was ejected from his palm and landed in the hand of the DarkStar Leader.
The DarkStar Leader opened the app and glanced at it, his expression immediately changing. The app was playing the latest rumors about Han Xiao.
"He seems to be the reason you escaped the Shattered Star Ring," the hooded man said with a half-smile. "He could probably become Beyond Grade A, huh?"
The DarkStar Leader's face was grim. He took a deep breath and slowly said, "Thank you for the intelligence."
"You're welcome."
The hooded man smiled, his tone quite amiable, then waved his hand and said, "You can leave now. It's rare to have such a nice environment; don't disturb my sleep."
"Yes." The DarkStar Leader nodded, turned and left with his men, ignoring the dozens of prisoners who had been drained of their energy, knowing that the cook would come and cook them later.
As they stepped out of the palace, the alloy gates slowly closed. The DarkStar Leader glanced back and, through the crack in the closing door, saw the hooded man lower his head and drift into a sweet dream amidst the chaotic, noisy, and frenzied environment.
'What a madman.'
The DarkStar Leader clenched his fist, a deep sense of apprehension and fear flashing in his eyes.
His backer arranged for him to leave the Shattered Star Ring and join the ranks of this hooded man, the master of this massive fleet and a terrifying Beyond Grade A powerhouse who attempted to synthesize abilities listed in the "Ultra-High-Risk Esper Ability Restriction Treaty."
As agreed, the DarkStar Leader offered Ashes to the Hooded Man, and he still remembered the Ashes's incredulous expression when he discovered he had been betrayed.
However, any resistance was futile. The Hooded Man was satisfied with the sacrifice and thus signed a deal with the DarkStar Leader —he could provide a fleet, but the DarkStar Leader had to exchange it for superhumans he was satisfied with.
So the DarkStar Leader changed his appearance and stayed temporarily, waging war everywhere, destroying one surface civilization after another, and scavenging superhumans with interesting abilities. Over the years, he acquired a large number of warships and manpower.
The DarkStar Leader originally wanted to continue accumulating power, but Han Xiao's soaring combat strength put him under pressure.
Judging from this trend, Black Star seems to really have a chance to become Beyond Grade A. At that time, it will be useless for me to go back. If there is Beyond Grade A stationed in the Garton Star System, no one can cause any trouble, and DarkStar will never have a chance to make a comeback.
'We must go back as soon as possible, or it will be too late.'
The DarkStar Leader secretly made a decision: since Black Star was at war, he could take advantage of the chaos.
Moreover, the DarkStar Leader dared not stay here any longer. In just a few years, he had been deeply affected by the chaos here and dared not imagine whether he would become just as insane if he continued to stay.
This massive fleet is itself a Beyond Grade A force, constantly moving around and without a fixed abode. The hooded man is the leader of this force, and he is the most notorious madman and thug among all the Beyond Grade A powerhouses in the universe!
This place shelters wanted criminals from every star system who have nowhere else to turn; it is a sanctuary for all criminals.
This is... [The Fallen Ark]!
Aroshia also accompanied Han Xiao on the expedition and is currently staying in the fleet, slacking off with Han Xiao.
In the dark room, Aroshia sat in the corner, hugging her knees, staring blankly into the darkness.
At that moment, tiny specks of light appeared out of thin air, forming a luminous human figure that illuminated the room—it was Resta.
"It's you." Aroshia said expressionlessly.
Resta's body trembled and made a sound.
"That's great! If Black Star becomes Beyond Grade A, we can fight the Mechanic Emperor, and our people will have hope of being saved."
"Oh." Aroshia didn't seem to feel much.
"However, Black Star may not be willing to deal with the Mechanic Emperor. You and I must persuade him; he is our greatest hope right now," Resta said.
Aroshia remained silent for a while, then suddenly asked:
"... He might die in battle, right?"
"Anything is possible; nothing is absolute." Resta shook her head, avoiding the topic. "Remember my words."
With that, Resta vanished, and the room returned to darkness.
Aroshia buried her chin between her knees, lost in thought.
At this time, Lagi was still on his way by boat.