All the new members who were not at the Calamity Grade gathered in the headquarters hall, which was packed with people and extremely noisy.
rumble--
Suddenly, the dome of the hall opened, and numerous legion officers descended from the sky, landing on the most conspicuous high platform in the hall. They stood in a row, looking down at the hundreds of millions of new members below.
"That's Sylvia, the Legion's Chief Affairs Officer, and next to her is Fleet Commander-in-Chief Melos. They're veterans of Black Star's forces."
"That legion's vice commander next to him, Lagi, is said to be one of Black Star's strongest generals."
"Hadavy became Black Star's bodyguard some time ago; he should be the strongest."
"But where are the Guard Officer Unit...?"
After years of fighting in the Secret War, the Black Star Army's officers have made a name for themselves and become famous throughout the interstellar world. The new members in the hall all know these officers.
At that moment, a flash of light appeared on the platform, and Han Xiao emerged from the Void Dimension, nodding to the numerous new members.
The crowd below the stage perked up; facing the Beyond Grade A big shot standing at the pinnacle, most people were both excited and nervous.
"Welcome to the Black Star Army..."
Han Xiao glanced at the crowded hall and began his speech, but his mind was on the three uninvited guests. While giving his speech to welcome the newcomers, he also shared the view of the monitors in his Quantum Network Vision, multitasking and watching the three people's actions.
These three uninvited guests had already approached Lothaire.
Lothaire is a special figure among the Legion's officers, serving as a cultural instructor. Due to the unique nature of her abilities, she rarely appears in front of outsiders and usually stays in the Legion's training camp to teach others.
After returning with the fleet, she did not go with Han Xiao to introduce herself to the new members, but went straight back to her room in the headquarters training camp. However, she was stopped by three people on the way.
What do you want with me?
Lothaire sized up the silver-skinned man, the dragon-scaled man, and the four-armed man before her, raising an eyebrow slightly.
"Let me introduce myself. My name is Edmund, and these two are my friends. The burly one is Cade, and the one with four arms is Heber," said the silver-skinned Edmund.
The dragon-scaled man Cade, nodded in greeting, while the four-armed man Heber, waved back.
Lothaire narrowed her eyes and suddenly said, "You're not members of the Legion, are you?"
"Yes, but we mean no harm. We just want to talk to you," Edmund said in a low voice. "You'll find it interesting."
After a moment of silence, as Edmund grew somewhat anxious, Lothaire slowly nodded, "Alright, come with me."
As she spoke, she turned and led the way, Edmund, delighted, followed behind with his two companions.
The group reached a secluded corner, where Lothaire stopped and turned around.
"Speak, what do you want to talk to me about?"
"The three of us come from the Sea of Star Spirits and are planning to build a business. I would like to invite you to join us." Edmund didn't mince words, saving time and getting straight to the point.
"Interesting. You come to the Black Star Army's headquarters and try to poach a Beyond Grade A officer. You've got some nerve," Lothaire said with amusement. "Tell me about your so-called career. You'd better not disappoint me."
Edmund licked his lips, lowered his voice, and whispered, "We want to overthrow the three major cosmic-level civilizations."
Lothaire's smile froze on her face.
"... Let me confirm this." Lothaire's lips twitched. "Are you out of your mind?"
"I know it sounds incredible, but it truly is my ambition." Edmund's tone became slightly agitated. "The three major cosmic civilizations have dominated the Galaxy for far too long. To maintain their dominance, they use the banner of order maintainers to arbitrarily manipulate the rules they themselves have set, jeopardizing the future of one race after another."
"But it is precisely because the Three Universal Civilizations established order that the universe enjoys its current peaceful state. If they were to disappear, countless civilizations would once again wage wars that would engulf the universe in their struggle for supremacy, and trillions of lives would perish in the flames of war. In the end, a new ruler similar to the Three Universal Civilizations would emerge. Even worse, all civilizations might be destroyed. Don't you know this?"
Lothaire frowned.
"I know this is the price of overturning the existing rules, however..." Edmund took a deep breath, "This is revolution."
"Revolutions are meant to create a better era, but the current era is orderly and prosperous. Since we can survive, why would you want to start a revolution? If... I mean, if you really did overthrow the Three Universal Civilizations, can you guarantee that the future will be better than the present?"
"No one can guarantee what will happen in the future, whether a revolution can create a better era, I don't know, but _Book_ and I are unwilling to deliberately ignore the problems that have been exposed and allow the wrong things to continue just because we are attached to the current peace." Edmund shook his head, "In the space age, material abundance is enough to satisfy everyone's desire to live a life of idleness and complacency, to make them lose their fighting spirit, to turn them into walking corpses, to allow everyone to survive... Basic material needs are no longer the reason for our revolution."
Lothaire narrowed her eyes. "Then what are you fighting for? For those oppressed races you speak of, or for your own ambition?"
Edmund shook his head. "Neither. I am neither an ambitious man nor a great man with a heart for the common people... Revolution itself is my ambition."
Lothaire looked Edmund over again. He seemed unremarkable and ordinary, but he was incredibly audacious. Given the status of the three major cosmic civilizations, this was tantamount to defying the heavens!
"If the revolution succeeds, what will you do? Replace the Three Universal Civilizations?"
"I don't know," Edmund answered honestly.
"... Why did you come to me?"
"To overthrow the authority of the Three Universal Civilizations imprinted in the hearts of countless people, we need your abilities, and I've heard of your deeds..." Edmund whispered, "You were once an ambitious Reformer, weren't you?"
Upon hearing this, Lothaire lowered her eyes and remained silent.
After a long silence, she finally raised her eyelids again and slowly asked, "How many of you are there now?"
"It's just the three of us."
"You haven't even established any influence yet, and you want to recruit me?!"
Lothaire's tone was incredulous, her expression seeming to say, "Who gave you the courage?"
Edmund bowed, his tone sincere. "Yes, but my sincerity is genuine. I hope to gather like-minded people to work together to build a great enterprise. Lothaire, I hope you will consider my proposal."
At that moment, Lothaire seemed to see the shadow of Black Star in Edmund...
--They're all big liars!!
"... I'll consider it. Give me your communicator number."
Lothaire hesitated for a long time before making a decision.
After exchanging communicator numbers, Edmund looked pleased. At this moment, Cade hadn't spoken until now, finally spoke.
"The business is settled. Let's leave the Black Star Army headquarters quickly, before we're discovered."
Edmund nodded repeatedly, bid a hasty farewell to Lothaire, and hurriedly followed the two away.
Lothaire opened her mouth, but in the end, she didn't tell the three of them that although they thought they had infiltrated, the Black Star Army's surveillance system had definitely already detected them. At headquarters, no movement could escape Black Star's notice.
It's just unclear why no one has come to arrest these three people.
That's why Lothaire was initially curious—did Black Star deliberately let these three in?
Drop!
Just then, Lothaire's communicator suddenly rang, and Phillip's voice came through.
"The master wants to see you, hum."
When Edmund and his two companions headed to the airport, the inspection in the hall had already ended, and everyone had left. The various passageways were crowded with people and became lively.
The three of them breathed a sigh of relief; with the crowd as a disguise, they felt their chances of being discovered were much lower.
As they passed through the lobby, Han Xiao was still there. The three of them glanced at him from afar and quickly looked away, not daring to attract Han Xiao's attention, and followed the flow of people away.
After arriving at the airport, retrieving the spaceship, and sailing away from the Black Star Army headquarters, Edmund finally relaxed completely.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Cade suddenly spoke, his brow furrowed. "Our infiltration went too smoothly."
Even Heber, who had initially been complaining, now found the situation strange. "The Black Star Army headquarters couldn't possibly be this poorly defended. If we were assassins, we might have already taken out several of the officers."
The three were completely baffled; they had no idea that Han Xiao had deliberately let them in.
In their eyes, they were just nobodys, how could someone of the Beyond Grade A possibly know them?
To avoid being pursued, Edmund dared not delay and hurriedly accelerated into warp drive. The spaceship transformed into a streak of light and disappeared into the distance.
Meanwhile, in the corridor leading to the cadre meeting room, Han Xiao's heart stirred, and a smile appeared on his lips.
Edmund's actions were clearly visible within the field of view marked by the Observation Mark.
He deliberately lingered in the hall, blocking the path the three of them would inevitably take, in order to secretly drop an Observation Mark for Edmund.
"I never expected to meet the leader of the Silver Revolutionary Army here..."
Han Xiao sighed inwardly.
These three are none other than the founders of the Silver Revolutionary Army, future bigwigs who will lead a new version of the game!
These future trendsetters are still quite green and inexperienced, in the initial stages of building their businesses and have not yet formally formed Silver Revolutionary Army.
Edmund was a restless revolutionary and a challenger to the Three Universal Civilizations; perhaps he could never have imagined how high his revolutionary cause would go.
Taking in Lothaire was a casual move by Han Xiao, but unexpectedly it actually lured out the Silver Revolutionary Army, and even their key figures.
Surprised, Han Xiao decided to wait and see, not intending to kill Edmund and his two companions. The Silver Revolutionary Army had no conflict of interest with him, and might even become his pawns.
Edmund and his two companions are still quite weak, and Han Xiao could easily eliminate them. However, prematurely thwarting the Silver Revolutionary Army's storyline would not be beneficial to him... If he were to run over to the Crimson Dynasty and say, "I killed a group of people who would later threaten your rule," the Crimson Dynasty's reaction would most likely be a single word—"Oh."
Therefore, Han Xiao did not drive away Edmund and the other two. He planned to forge a good relationship with the future Silver Revolutionary Army, and unknowingly placed an Observation Mark on Edmund, thus gaining the upper hand.
Upon entering the conference room, only Lothaire was inside. She sat down in a chair and looked up at Han Xiao.
"Those three people were indeed let in by you." Lothaire shook her head.
Han Xiao sat down, tapping his fingers on the table, and asked, "What do you think of them?"
Which aspect are you referring to?
What are your thoughts on their proposal?
Lothaire's eyes sparkled as she smiled and said, "Are you interrogating me about whether I'll betray the legion?"
Han Xiao shook his head. "It's not a betrayal. You're Reynold's sister, you're just staying in the legion to help out. I never said I'd tie you to my side for life. I knew you were a restless person a long time ago."
Upon hearing this, Lothaire spoke frankly, "I stayed in the Legion for two reasons. First, for the generous salary and rewards; whatever great things I want to do, I need to accumulate initial capital. Second, because of my criminal record; you said that as long as I work for you, you will clear my record. Third... perhaps it's partly to repay you for saving me, cough, only a little bit."
"I know, no need to emphasize." Han Xiao chuckled, paused, and asked, "So what are your thoughts?"
Because he had saved Lothaire beforehand, he didn't know if he would join the Silver Revolutionary Army like he had in his previous life.
"Hmph, there are only a few of them, and they offer no benefit whatsoever. They think they can lure me into joining the revolution with just a few words? They have absolutely no self-awareness. I don't even want those three ugly ducklings." Lothaire scoffed, then changed the subject, "But to be honest, overthrowing the Three Universal Civilizations... seems quite interesting."
"You stubborn jerk, you're actually smitten now..." Han Xiao sighed helplessly.
Indeed, character determines destiny. Even though Lothaire was grateful for his kindness, this restless Reformer ultimately couldn't change her ways.
"If you've made up your mind, come find me anytime. I'll allow you to leave." Han Xiao stood up.
Although Lothaire was very useful, everyone has their own ambitions, and he didn't intend to force her to stay. Lothaire would most likely become a key member of the Silver Revolutionary Army in the future, and his good relationship with her was tantamount to laying the groundwork in the Silver Revolutionary Army in advance. He could also let Edmund and the other two know through Lothaire that they were able to successfully infiltrate today because he turned a blind eye, thus forging a good relationship.
Moreover, letting Lothaire go might give Reynold the opportunity to issue a mission in the future.
Master Han never gave up on achieving the Perfect Mechanical Sense.
The Silver Revolutionary Army initially developed quietly in various star systems outside the Central Galaxy, accumulating enough power before it erupted. It has not yet been formed and is still a long way from today.
"Crimson Tide 3.0 has only been open for about half a year, and I've already pushed the Secret War main storyline to its end. The development of Shattered World is imminent, which is perfect for those hardcore players to explore. The Silver Revolutionary Army is also emerging, and as the version's story progresses, the power of the players will become increasingly apparent..."
Han Xiao's eyes flickered.
The plan to expand the Leek Field needs to be put on the agenda; it can't be limited to the Shattered Star Ring.
Perfect timing! Responding to the Crimson Dynasty's call, I'll be making a trip to the Central Galaxy soon, and this is an opportunity.
At the same time, on Krent's home planet, at the Crimson Dynasty's diplomatic mission, a secret meeting had been going on for a long time.
Bang!!
Ambassador Krent slammed his fist on the table and stood up abruptly, his face contorted with anger.
"Suy! Don't go too far! Why is the Crimson Dynasty demanding that we abandon our proposal to the Galaxy Civilization Council to redraw the star cluster regions? You're asking us to abandon all the hard work we've poured into the Secret War over the past ten years! Whose side are you on anyway?!"
Suy wiped the spittle off her face and squinted.
"I will always stand on the side of the Empire."