At the Black Star Army headquarters, the expeditionary fleet returned in triumph with its spoils. Players earned massive rewards, filling their empty wallets once again, and most returned to spend their money.
This large-scale military operation had a significant impact on the player community. It was the first major battle for Legion players in the 3.0 main storyline. After this battle, many players basically adapted to version 3.0 and understood the main storyline objectives and the current interstellar situation.
The forums are filled with countless discussions about this battle. It was the first major interstellar campaign fought alongside the Black Star Army, which underwent significant changes ten years later, making it a highly memorable event. This battle has also been recorded in the Galaxy Chronicles by players.
--On August 4th, 704 of the Galaxy Calendar, the Black Star Army, together with the Section Zero, launched an attack on the War Realm forces of the Kant Star System and returned victorious.
The Galaxy Chronicles is an important document co-written by all players, recording the experiences of many players and forming the plot and event development of various regions of Galaxy. Even those who did not personally experience the plot are keen to consult various interstellar news to supplement the events in the Chronicles.
Although it's only version 3.0, the Galaxy Chronicles already contains a considerable amount of information, divided into sub-directories according to star regions, forces, and figures, making it resemble the Records of the Grand Historian.
In the Shattered Star Ring region, the Black Star Army is naturally the most familiar faction and storyline for players. Han Xiao and the Legion have dedicated subpages where players record the stages of the Black Star Army's development according to the timeline, from Planet Aquamarine to its current status as a star cluster-level force. Even various events from the past ten years of version updates are recorded in great detail, providing information for new players who join the game later.
A spaceship departed from the Black Star Army's headquarters airport. On board were about a hundred players who planned to travel to Krent. They had contacted each other on the forum and decided to travel together. Long Hatred of Heaven and several friends were among them, enjoying one last Black Star Army perk. They spent most of the spoils from this battle.
"I never imagined I'd spent so much time with the Black Star Army. Now that it's time to leave, I'm really a little reluctant."
In a corner of the cabin, Long Hatred of Heaven browsed through the chronicles of the Black Star Army, feeling inexplicably melancholy. He turned to look out the porthole, where the massive Black Star Army headquarters receded further and further into the distance.
Players have watched the Black Star Army grow since version 1.0, accompanying them through two versions. The Black Star Army's current achievements are thanks to them. The chronicle records the memories of all players fighting together, and a feeling of reluctance to Long Hatred of Heaven with them arises spontaneously.
Long Hatred of Heaven looked around at his companions. Seven or eight out of ten players on the ship were gamblers. They weren't switching sides to experience the unknown storyline, but rather to seize the hidden benefits that Krent might have. Therefore, they weren't as sentimental as he was, a story-driven player.
"Don't overthink it, my judgment won't be wrong." Long Hatred of Heaven seemed nervous, someone next to him reached out and patted him on the shoulder, saying with a smile.
Long Hatred of Heaven turned around, and the ID above this person's head was clearly "Summer Night Blossoms".
Summer Night Blossoms was the initiator of this team. He believed in himself and was also prepared to switch sides. He took the initiative to contact players who were interested in Krent and act together. Because he was the one who analyzed the benefits of Krent more, the players on the ship implicitly regarded him as the leader.
"I'm not nervous," Long Hatred of Heaven shook his head.
Summer Night Blossoms smiled, then clapped her hands to draw the attention of all the players on the ship, and announced loudly, "Our destination is the West Wind Star System. The War Realm has many strongholds there, making it the most stable in terms of power. They are currently recruiting extensively, and this is our opportunity to Krent the Krent and become a main force within the Krent faction."
People responded in twos and threes.
"Trust me, everyone, you won't suffer any losses."
Summer Night Blossoms smiled as she looked at the hundred or so players, feeling a surge of excitement, as if she were a pioneer.
After a long and arduous journey, Summer Night Blossoms and her companions changed interstellar flights several times and finally arrived at the West Wind Star System. They went to the recruitment office in the War Realm, submitted their files, and then followed the officers onto a troop transport ship to a planetary outpost.
In the War Realm, troops are also replenished locally. Relying on the banners of the Tyrant and Krent, there will always be people who are drawn to join. Interstellar citizens are very free, especially in border regions like the West Wind Star System, where there are many foreign populations who are not loyal to the Amethyst Civilization.
On the troop transport ship, thousands of Space Marines stood in neat rows, receiving inspection from officers, while a hundred or so players, including Summer Night Blossoms, were mixed among them.
The officer glanced through the resumes of the group, then suddenly stopped in front of Summer Night Blossoms, his brow furrowed, and asked in surprise, "You are members of the Black Star Army? Why have you joined us?"
Summer Night Blossoms thought for a moment and replied, "We hope to seek better development in the War Realm."
"Oh, you made the right choice." Though he said this, a hint of disdain flashed in the officer's eyes.
The War Realm is mostly filled with tough guys, and this officer was no exception. He always looked down on those who defected to the enemy for personal gain.
"Alright, you're now part of the War Realm. Once you reach the stronghold, you'll be assigned missions."
After the officer finished speaking, he turned and walked away. He felt he had to report the defection of the Black Star Army members to his superiors.
Summer Night Blossoms clenched her fist excitedly and whispered, "See? I was right. Our identity as the Black Star Army actually gets us special attention from Krent. The sooner Krent, the more likely we are to be valued."
Seeing that he had gotten off to a good start, the players who followed him couldn't help but show their delight.
Just then, a notification popped up on these people's screens.
[You have activated a new faction - War Realm, current relationship: indifferent (0/300)]
[You have activated a new faction - Krent Empire, current relationship: indifferent (0/300)]
Just as Summer Night Blossoms and the others were about to rejoice, the hints were far from over, and the subsequent hints left everyone stunned.
[Your Grade S main quest [Secret War - Section Zero] has failed. You have received a new quest [Secret War - War Realm]. Your accumulated quest ratings have been reset and are being recalculated.]
[You have joined the opposing faction of the Amethyst Civilization.]
[The relationship between the Amethyst Civilization has changed to [hostile]]
[Relationships between some star system civilizations in the Colton Star Cluster have been reset to zero, becoming [indifferent]]
[You have joined the opposing faction of Section Zero.]
[The relationship between Section Zero enemy organization has changed to hostile]
[You have joined the opposing faction of the Black Star Army.]
[The Black Star Army's relationship has changed to [hostile]]
[You have lost your membership in the Black Star Army. Your faction panel and faction shop are now closed, and you will no longer be able to access Black Star Army services.]
[Black Star Army character relationships reset to zero, accumulated contribution points reset to zero]
Summer Night Blossoms and the others were stunned. Although they had vaguely guessed that switching sides would result in significant losses, they were still disheartened when it actually happened.
Suddenly, everyone's communicators rang, and Phillip's subroutine popped up, its originally cute boyish voice turning into a cold, mechanical one.
"You have betrayed the Black Star Army and chosen to surrender. You will no longer receive any services from the Black Star Army. The program is automatically uninstalling... Uninstallation complete, buzz."
The next moment, the communicator's Phillip subroutine disappeared, seemingly uninstalled, but actually hidden and turned into a background monitoring function.
If you simply join a neutral faction, this won't happen. But defecting to the enemy is equivalent to betraying your original faction, which will inevitably lead to punishment, loss of goodwill from your original faction, and turning you into an enemy.
Summer Night Blossoms felt sorry for herself and suddenly noticed the angry gazes of the players around her. She was pushed and shoved by the crowd and forced into a corner.
You need to give us an explanation!
This wave of losses triggered their fragile nerves. These faction relationships, which they had built up over two versions, were instantly wiped out. The hundred or so people, like gamblers with bloodshot eyes, were aggressive and menacing.
"Let me explain!"
Summer Night Blossoms hurriedly defended herself, "I've said it before, switching sides is definitely risky. Krent's advantage lies in long-term benefits, a greater chance of winning the Secret War, fewer people competing for resources, and most importantly, the ability to connect with cosmic-level civilizations—all of which represent future potential. We must forgo immediate benefits to gain long-term rewards; this is an investment! Do you understand what an investment is?!"
The group had come for the future development of Krent, but the huge losses had made them lose their minds. After hearing Summer Night Blossoms's explanation, they calmed down a bit.
Summer Night Blossoms, Xia Yefanhua continued, "Don't worry, everyone. We've lost favor with many factions in Colton, but the loss isn't significant. We'll be developing in Krent's territory in the future, where competition is less and resources are plentiful. Even if we have to start from the bottom again, the future benefits will be greater. Just wait, sooner or later more people will Krent for the sake of a cosmic civilization, giving us a significant advantage."
The more than one hundred players had different expressions. These people only wanted to make a profit and didn't want to suffer any losses, but now they were on a sinking ship and could only trust Summer Night Blossoms, going down a dark path.
Seeing that everyone had calmed down, Summer Night Blossoms breathed a sigh of relief.
Among the crowd, only Long Hatred of Heaven remained calm. His goal was to create a unique storyline, and he could accept losses with equanimity. Seeing the gamblers around him so anxious and uncertain, he found it somewhat amusing, displaying a rather detached attitude.
Meanwhile, Summer Night Blossoms and the others were unaware that at the moment of their betrayal, a new mission suddenly appeared at the top of the Black Star Army's mission list, and Summer Night Blossoms and the others' information appeared on the wanted poster.
[Bounty Mission [Army Wanted Notice]]
[Mission Introduction: The Black Star Army shows zero tolerance for traitors; any member who kills a traitor will receive a reward.]
[Mission Requirements: Kill or capture the traitor]
[Reward: Depends on the target's strength]
[This task can be claimed repeatedly]
Not only players, but all hundreds of millions of the Black Star Army members can receive internally issued wanted posters, which is equivalent to the Legion hiring its own members.
Issuing a wanted notice is an inevitable outcome; this is the standard procedure for most factions to deal with traitors. Although Han Xiao values players and has given them enough freedom and benefits, the necessary punishment mechanisms must not be lacking. Otherwise, his own faction would be like a sieve, and players would be able to defect to the enemy at will.
If the legion doesn't clearly draw a line, he'll end up taking the blame and making things even more complicated.
"Someone has betrayed us?"
"It's actually a group of players. I thought they were NPCs."
"Summer Night Blossoms? Isn't that the guy who praised the Krent faction? Is he going to set an example? Good for him."
"Does that mean these players who join the opposing faction will become wanted red names, and we'll get a reward every time we kill them?"
The players in the legion were in high spirits. It had been a long time since they had encountered players from the opposing faction. The earliest ones were the unlucky bunch who joined Germinal in version 1.0. Now they finally had someone to fight in the open world.
If it's an NPC traitor, killing them once is enough, but if it's a player from the opposing faction, you can kill them as many times as you want. They're a resource that can be recycled.
Meanwhile, before Summer Night Blossoms and the others could calm down for long, friends contacted them privately.
"What?! We're all wanted?!"
Summer Night Blossoms gaped, their faces filled with astonishment.
Doesn't this mean that millions of players and hundreds of millions of NPCs in the Black Star Army will Pursuit them down?
The consequences were far more serious than he had anticipated!
Summer Night Blossoms's throat bobbed involuntarily as he swallowed hard. Suddenly, a chilling aura swept over him from behind. He turned his head stiffly like a robot, only to be met with the angry gazes of about a hundred players behind him.
"I... I can still explain..."
Summer Night Blossoms forced a stiff smile, and with great effort, managed to quell the renewed anger of the others.
Such severe consequences were something he hadn't anticipated. Summer Night Blossoms cautiously observed the still-angry expressions on the faces of the others, feeling a chill in her heart.
If he guesses wrong, the legion won't even need to Pursuit him down; these opportunists around him will willingly camp on his corpse and kill him to pieces.
Colton Star Cluster, a galaxy.
Four raider ships surrounded a dark red ship, and energy chains and traction beams trapped the dark red ship in place.
The leader of this small pirate crew peered through the porthole at his prey, licked his lips, and a greedy glint appeared on his malnourished face. His pirate henchmen behind him also wore expressions of delight.
With the rise of the Black Star Army, it has become increasingly difficult for space pirates in the Colton Star Cluster to survive. The Black Star's fearsome reputation has even made the big space pirates tremble with fear. Small space pirate groups like theirs are like rats, and can only operate in a low-key manner.
This time, they finally encountered a lone spaceship, and the pirate gang hurriedly followed to rob it.
"Found it! It's a Red Crossing Class spaceship, very valuable!" One of his men searched online for the model of the dark red spaceship, his face beaming with excitement.
The pirate leader clenched his fist excitedly, eager to capture the dark red spaceship. He hurriedly threatened through the communication channel, "Don't try to escape! Don't fight back! Or we'll destroy your ship!"
The people inside the dark red spaceship seemed frightened, and the spaceship obediently remained in place, showing no intention of retaliating. The pirate leader breathed a sigh of relief, steered his spaceship to slowly approach, and extended its mechanical arm, preparing to dock with the dark red spaceship.
Just then, the dark red spaceship suddenly erupted with a high-energy reaction. The red energy wave exploded in a spherical shape, sweeping past the four raider ships in the blink of an eye, passing through them as if invisible and intangible.
The smiles on the faces of the pirate leader and his men froze.
Thump thump--
The next moment, all the space pirates on the four spaceships lay sprawled on the ground, their smiles still intact, but their eyes had lost their luster. Their spirits had been crushed in an instant, turning them into corpses.
The gray shadows were pulled from the corpses by an invisible force, turning into swirling wisps of mist that flew towards the dark red spaceship and converged in a fair palm.
Hila remained expressionless as she absorbed the dissipated soul power, her supernatural abilities growing imperceptibly.
She can absorb the residual spiritual energy of dead life forms to enhance her own abilities. She didn't have the opportunity when she was in Dragon Calm, and only broke through the threshold of Grade A through hard training. Now that she has officially entered the universe for training, there are no restrictions and more opportunities to kill, so she has picked up this method of enhancing her strength.
In terms of growth potential, Hila's potential may not be inferior to that of a normal player.
However, she will not be as fanatical in her pursuit of power as she was in her previous life, slaughtering planet after planet.
"Sister, what should we do with these four spaceships?" Aurora asked, piloting the spaceship.
In Dragon Calm, in addition to training her supernatural abilities, Aurora also learned a lot of auxiliary knowledge and how to pilot a spaceship.
"Take it with you; Han Xiao might use it for modifications."
Hila wasn't particularly interested in the spoils of war, secretly savoring the battle she had just fought. She had been sparring with Ames all along and wasn't sure how high her actual combat strength really was.
"I think... I'm actually pretty good?" Hila thought to herself.
The Milky Way stretches far and wide, the road ahead is long and winding.
Meanwhile, after a long and uneventful journey, Han Xiao and his two companions finally arrived safely at the headquarters of the Secret Church of the Red Robe in Austin after more than half a month.