Meanwhile, Han Xiao, along with Hila and Fording, stealthily escaped the scene, clutching the Evolution Cube tightly in his hand, his expression conflicted.
Finding the Evolution Cube was something he never expected. After the initial surprise, Han Xiao gradually calmed down.
The Evolution Cube appearing here definitely isn't Fording; there must be a deeper reason behind it, and something must have happened somewhere he couldn't see.
The appearance of the Evolution Cube cleared up the information blind spots, Han Xiao's brain worked at lightning speed as he re-examined a series of events and speculated on their causes and consequences.
"The fact that Sisko's Evolution Cube has appeared in the hands of this group means that the Sorokin somehow stole Universal Treasure from Sisko and had their subordinates transport it. No wonder they remained silent for months after killing Harofal; it turns out their goal wasn't revenge, but rather to seize the Evolution Cube..."
Han Xiao suddenly realized.
It seems I misunderstood. This group isn't here to deal with me at all; their goal is to steal the treasure...
But why kill Harofal? Was it related to stealing the treasure, or was there another purpose?
In his previous life, the Evolution Cube was first known to players when it appeared in the hands of the Arcane Church. If Austin hadn't revealed the secret, Han Xiao wouldn't have known that the Evolution Cube actually belonged to Sisko at that time. Perhaps this wasn't a secret in high-level circles, but it wouldn't be made Volkswagen. Naturally, players at that level would find it difficult to know this information.
In later versions of the previous game, players who joined the Arcane Church could pay faction contribution points and Enas in exchange for the opportunity to use Evolution Cube.
The effects of Evolution Cube are mainly focused on species advancement. The specific effects vary from person to person, making the weak stronger and the strong stronger. The effect is best when using Evolution Cube for the first time, and it will gradually lose its effect as genes are continuously optimized.
"The Evolution Cube traveled from Sisko to the Arcane Church, but we don't know what happened along the way, and how did the Sorokin get involved?"
Han Xiao suddenly paused, remembering the information about Sorokin causing trouble in the Star Pupil Protoss in his previous life. However, it did not happen during this period, but rather during the 3.0 to 4.0 update. Players did not experience it firsthand; there were only written records, and it did not mention anything related to the Evolution Cube.
"Phillip, search for the latest news reports about the Star Pupil Protoss."
Han Xiao immediately issued the order.
Phillip quickly discovered the report about Planet Avitan, but due to government control over public opinion, the details were obscured. It was only stated that Planet Avitan had suffered a catastrophic event with heavy casualties, without mentioning the name of the Sorokin.
The vast star field generates dozens or even hundreds of similar news stories every day. The events involving Avidan and Book Star had little impact on the Shattered Star Ring, and Han Xiao wouldn't pay special attention to a minor news story that had nothing to do with him.
Han Xiao's mind raced. "The incident on Planet Avitan was probably the work of the Sorokin. They likely used a feint or some other tactic to steal the Evolution Cube from Sisko."
So, the attack on the Star Pupil Protoss by the Sorokin was brought forward?
Connecting this to Harofal's death, Han Xiao was suddenly filled with dread.
Could it be that the Sorokin' premature actions are related to me? Is this the butterfly effect?
"It's a pity, it would have been better if we had spared one of them."
Han Xiao was in a bit of a headache. To be absolutely certain, he went all out, but who knew the enemy would be so weak and get wiped out in an instant? Now there was no way to interrogate him.
etc...
At this moment, Han Xiao suddenly paused, thinking of his source of intelligence, and a new question arose in his mind.
Since the Sorokin were operating in secrecy, and the Star Pupil Protoss hadn't announced the theft of the Evolution Cube... then Sedim's reason for monitoring this group is quite intriguing.
Perhaps Sedim wasn't after the bounty from Terra Civilization, but rather the Evolution Cube they possessed?!
Han Xiao frowned, considering three possibilities.
The first possibility is that Sedim has special intelligence channels and knows the whereabouts of the Evolution Cube, so he wants to take it by himself.
Secondly, the Mechanic Emperor, having learned of this, wanted to reap the benefits, so they ordered Sedim, who was stationed at the Shattered Star Ring, to intercept the Evolution Cube.
The last possibility is that Sedim was instructed by Sisko to help the Star Pupil Protoss retrieve the Evolution Cube... No, Sisko may not have told the truth. Sedim only knew to monitor this group, but may not have known about the existence of the Evolution Cube.
In either case, Sedim is a competitor, but the last one is the worst-case scenario, meaning that Sisko might face a true Beyond Grade A opponent on his way.
Han Xiao examined the Evolution Cube in his hand with a serious expression.
He was no stranger to Evolution Cube; at least he knew that the prototype of the Evolution Cube was enormous, while what he held in his hand was clearly the fully-fledged portable Evolution Cube.
Austin said he had never seen what the Evolution Cube looked like. At this time, Sisko didn't publicly display the Evolution Cube like the Arcane Church, so very few people should know about it. Sedim probably wouldn't recognize it...
Just then, Han Xiao suddenly thought of something, his expression changed slightly, and he hurriedly contacted Aurora on the spaceship.
What is the current situation at the ground port?
Aurora in surprise, "Uncle, how did you know something happened here? Just now, all the ground ports issued a notice saying that someone attacked the city, so the takeoff channels were temporarily closed and departure control was implemented. All spaceships are not allowed to leave Planet Maixibo until they catch the perpetrators."
Really!
Han Xiao cracked his knuckles.
He had barely killed the Sorokin's minions when Sedim sealed off the entire planet, forbidding anyone from leaving.
Such a large-scale operation is probably not only to capture the "perpetrators of the city attack," but also to leave the Evolution Cube on the planet.
However, this raises a new problem—if he conceals his tracks, preventing Sedim from pursuing him, how long will it take Sedim to find the Evolution Cube if he remains safely hidden on Planet Maixibo? With so many people on Planet Maixibo, finding the Evolution Cube would be like finding a needle in a haystack. Without appropriate detection methods, sealing off the planet would be futile.
"So Sedim must have a way to locate the Evolution Cube, perhaps some kind of detection device that can detect its location as long as you get close to Evolution Cube... It could also be Sisko's detection method, but the accuracy of the detection should be limited, otherwise Sedim would have located me by now."
Han Xiao thought to himself.
Although he hadn't personally experienced the entire process, he had already deduced the general situation based on the clues from the Evolution Cube, and his mind suddenly became clear.
With this in mind, Han Xiao made the two of them stop.
Han Xiao originally planned to leave Planet Maixibo immediately after killing Orosen, but before he could return to his spaceship, Sedim imposed air traffic control. Now, the only way to leave was to forcibly break through the fleet's defenses, so he wasn't in a hurry to return to the port. Instead, he decided to think about how to deal with the unexpectedly acquired Evolution Cube.
Han Xiao first summarized his situation:
Obtaining the Evolution Cube means facing four factions: the enigmatic Sedim, Sisko whose home has been burgled, the Sorokin who covets the cube, and the Arcane Church.
This means that at least two Beyond Grade A beings and one cosmic-level civilization are looking for trouble with me!
Han Xiao gasped, realizing a crucial fact— the Evolution Cube was a hot potato!
It's both a surprise and a risk!
Therefore, you need to be careful when dealing with Evolution Cube.
Han Xiao became serious, rapidly calculating the pros and cons in his mind:
There are only two ways to deal with it: hide it or hand it over.
"If I want to keep the Evolution Cube... well, I'm not far from Beyond Grade A, qualified to possess a Universal Treasure, but the consequence would be making an enemy of Sisko. The Sorokin will also target me to seize the cube. I'm currently at odds with the Tyrant. If Sisko joins forces with the Tyrant because of this... my situation isn't good."
"The advantage of keeping them is that they are highly sought after. Not only can they be used to Evolution Cube the Black Star Army and its troops, but they can also attract a large number of forces. Few civilizations should be able to resist the temptation of the Evolution Cube... Sisko doesn't do this because the Arcane Church and he have a monopoly on the use of the Evolution Cube and don't want to use Evolution Cube to cultivate competitors."
Han Xiao nodded secretly. Sedim had sealed off the planet, but he couldn't stop Seymour from taking the Evolution Cube away. Even without a forced breakthrough, Seymour could use Void Dimension Jump to secretly take the item away from Planet Maixibo.
As long as Sedim can't find the cube, the restrictions will eventually be lifted, and Hila and the other two will be able to escape in their spaceship without any problems.
The problem is that if they keep the Evolution Cube, they can't hide it from these forces, and the Black Star Army will become the target of everyone's attacks.
Han Xiao pondered, "If I were to hand it over, it would simply be a question of who to give it to... Actually, I don't have many choices right now; it's nothing more than the Sorokin, the Mechanic Emperor, a cosmic civilization, and Sisko."
The intention of handing it over to the Sorokin was to turn an enemy into a friend, but if the matter were to be exposed, it would lead to antagonism with the three major cosmic civilizations and numerous other forces. Overall, the risk was too great, and the disadvantages outweighed the advantages.
Handing it over to the Mechanic Emperor would be a brilliant move. It would be perfect timing to negotiate with the Sedim on Planet Maixibo, immediately dumping the hot potato of the Evolution Cube on someone else in exchange for a large amount of resources, thus getting rid of the risks, staying out of the fray, and escaping the vortex of the struggle.
Handing it over to a cosmic-level civilization could make it a staunch ally. The outcome also varies depending on who you hand it over to: handing it over to the Federation of Light would yield a large amount of resources; handing it over to the Crimson Dynasty would not only provide resources but also a ticket to the Shattered World.
If the Evolution Cube is given to one of these two, the Arcane Church, which sees it as something they can easily obtain, will inevitably turn against them.
If it were handed over to the Arcane Church, the situation would be a bit more complicated. Sisko is already half an ally of the Arcane Church, and the Arcane Church might not abandon Sisko and favor him. If the Arcane Church does not stand up for Sisko, it may lose a Beyond Grade A ally.
However, since he himself would also become Beyond Grade A, the Arcane Church might not use force to seize the Evolution Cube. Therefore, the final outcome might be that after he hands over the Evolution Cube, the Arcane Church returns it to Sisko, maintaining the loan agreement. In this way, not only would Sisko be protected, but he would also become an ally of the Arcane Church, and he could still use the Evolution Cube...
Sisko will be grateful to the Arcane Church, but he won't like himself, and might even become enemies.
Of course, given the vast Arcane Church, it's possible they might not be afraid of angering Sisko and would gladly accept the Evolution Cube.
The last option is to return the Evolution Cube to Sisko rightful owner and settle the matter peacefully. This would undoubtedly earn Sisko's friendship, allow them to exchange favors, and perhaps even grant them the right to borrow the Evolution Cube, similar to the Arcane Church, for a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship.
"Black Star, where are we going now? Aren't we going back to the spaceship?"
Just as Han Xiao was weighing the pros and cons, Fording couldn't help but ask.
Han Xiao snapped out of his reverie, thought for a moment, and shook his head, saying, "I'm not going. Hila will bring Aurora back."
There's no way we can go back to the Summit Keystone Group. The first person Sedim would suspect is definitely himself, a Calamity Grade mechanic of unknown origin. Since going back would raise suspicion, and disappearing would also raise suspicion, there's no need to go back and put on an act.
Anyway, I did it all, so I, Barn, have nothing to hide!
Han Xiao temporarily put aside his dilemma.
He was used to planning ahead and considering the possible consequences, but at this moment, the Evolution Cube belonged to him alone.
Enjoy it first!
"Sir Sisko, I have sealed off the planet's ports."
Meanwhile, Sedim was communicating with Sisko.
"Don't let anyone escape before I arrive," Sisko said calmly.
"Okay... but please hurry, I can't keep the planet locked down forever."
Sedim looked helpless. Fortunately, he had the excuse of chasing down troublemakers and maintaining order to keep the city under lockdown for a few days. But a lockdown that lasted too long would negatively impact his business on Planet Maixibo, which was unacceptable to him.
"Thank you for your hard work, I'll be there soon," Sisko nodded.
"Sigh, what should I do now?"
"You don't need to do anything else, just make sure no one leaves Planet Maixibo's. If anyone tries to leave by force, stop them," Sisko said slowly.
In his perception, the Evolution Cube was still on Planet Maixibo, but due to the great distance, it was impossible to pinpoint its exact location. So when Sedim informed him that the Sorokin' subordinates had been killed, Sisko was slightly surprised but quickly regained his composure.
As long as the item is still on Planet Maixibo's, he can find the location of the Evolution Cube once he arrives in person.