Han Xiao squinted and remained silent. In fact, he had always had the same doubts about Resta's one-sided account, but Resta's answers were always exactly the same, and he had no way of verifying them.
Manison clasped his hands together and said slowly and deliberately:
"Those two kids alone couldn't possibly have broken through my base's virtual firewall. Behind this is another Beyond Grade A mechanic who covets my Immortal Mechanic Emperor and wants to dismantle my elite forces. So, while I was away from the base, he secretly guided those two unsuspecting kids and quietly helped them open the virtual data channel."
"Unfortunately, I discovered his little trick, and his plot ended in failure. I actually always knew that the little girl who transformed herself into Immortal Mechanical Soldier was staying on Floating Dragon Island. She used my energy transmission channel to steal my reconstructed matter, so of course I could track her back."
"But I didn't take them back because I don't care about these two little ones who have been living away from home, and considering my old friendship with Iso, I don't want to get involved with Dragon Emperor Ames. However, since I'm here today, that's perfect, you can return them to me while you're at it."
Han Xiao rubbed his temples, feeling somewhat helpless. When he recruited Aroshia twenty years ago, he was just a Grade B superhuman, an ordinary member of the universe, and naturally wouldn't be taken seriously by a big shot like the Mechanic Emperor.
After discovering Aroshia's true origins, he worried that he might be followed by Manison, but since Aroshia had not been captured by the Mechanic Emperor, he assumed that Manison did not know Aroshia's location.
After reaching Beyond Grade A, Han Xiao's virtual skills became increasingly sophisticated, and he had doubts about this. However, due to his preconceived notions and the fact that there had been no problems for twenty years, he assumed that nothing was wrong.
It turns out that Manison knew everything all along...
Han Xiao's brain was working at lightning speed.
Clearly, given Manison's status, he didn't care about Aroshia and Resta, who were on the run. After all, he had an entire AI Civilization as his legion, and one or two escapees meant nothing to Manison. Perhaps he even had ulterior motives.
The reason that Manison is now bringing this up is not simply to get back Aroshia and the other person, but to respond to his refusal to trade the Space-Time Amber and to deliberately Warning himself!
'That old geezer, he's holding onto so many cards he's not playing.'
Han Xiao frowned, paused, and said in a deep voice:
"Aroshia is my partner of over twenty years. She has a free will and is not anyone's slave. I cannot hand over a veteran who was with me in establishing the Black Star Army to you. Otherwise, what will my other officers think?"
The Mechanic Emperor wanted to retrieve the escaped weapons and had the moral high ground, so Han Xiao changed the nature of the matter, emphasizing Aroshia's veteran status in the legion and firmly refusing.
"Lord Black Star is quite tough," Manison remarked calmly.
Since their meeting, Han Xiao has treated them with courtesy, but on specific issues, he has remained tight-lipped, his words concealing a hidden agenda.
Want amber? Not for sale!
Want them? No way!
Han Xiao was wary of Manison's strength, but not afraid of him. If he didn't have a powerful backer, he wouldn't care, but the Black Star Army was backed by the Empire, and the Mechanic Emperor supported Glory. Everyone had a background, so while he respected them, he wasn't afraid of them.
Since he unearthed the Space-Time Amber, the Empire wouldn't force him to hand over the Universal Treasure he discovered on his own. As long as it was in his ally's hands, it was essentially the Empire's power.
However, if they were to trade with the Mechanic Emperor and allow the products of the Space-Time Amber to fall into the hands of the Federation of Light's allies, they would cross the Empire's bottom line, and they would be the ones to suffer the consequences, even if the Mechanic Emperor guaranteed that it would be for their own private research.
Han Xiao's refusal to trade with the Mechanic Emperor was not only to maintain the deterrent effect of the Space-Time Amber, but also a matter of factional stance. Even if it offended them, he had no choice but to refuse, even if it meant falling out with them.
A moment of silence fell over the room. Han Xiao stared at Manison without saying a word, while Manison silently watched Han Xiao, his mechanical body revealing no emotion.
After a long silence, Manison spoke again, "Alright then, it seems my request was a bit excessive."
He didn't insist on getting Aroshia and the other person back, perhaps because he didn't want to fall out with Han Xiao over this matter, but Han Xiao couldn't figure out what he was really thinking.
"Thank you for your understanding, Your Excellency of the Mechanic Emperor." Han Xiao's tone softened a bit; since the other party had given him face, he had to respond.
"However..." Manison changed the subject again, "While I don't care that they have their own lives, there's one thing I need to remind you of."
"Please speak."
"These two little guys have always wanted to liberate their kin. I hope you won't be misled by them. The Beyond Grade A mechanic who once helped them is now part of my collection. I don't want to be your enemy... otherwise, things might get very ugly." Manison said calmly.
Han Xiao's eyes narrowed immediately. Manison's tone made him uncomfortable; it was a clear warning.
At this point, Manison stood up, Warning something, and then indicated his intention to leave.
"In any case, being able to meet Lord Black Star is a worthwhile trip. It's a pleasure to meet you today."
Han Xiao stood up expressionlessly and shook hands with him.
The two exchanged contact numbers, left the room, and walked to the dock. Han Xiao watched as Manison boarded the spaceship of the Glory Union and the Book-Book Alliance.
Before the hatch closed, Manison looked back at Han Xiao on the dock.
"Since you're going to the Ancient Star Desert to deal with the Sorokin, why don't you come visit me sometime?"
"Okay, I'll try my best." Han Xiao nodded without changing his expression.
Click—the hatch closed, the spacecraft's thrusters ignited, spewing out a trail of flames, and it steered into space along the port's orbit.
Watching the spaceship transform into a streak of light and gradually disappear from sight, Han Xiao secretly breathed a sigh of relief and muttered:
"Old fox."
Dealing with Manison is not a pleasant experience.
Even Master Han was unsure of Manison's true feelings for him, his attitude was ambiguous, and every move he made carried a sense of probing.
This guy is not a simple opportunist; his thoughts are hard to fathom. Even with the story of Manison from his previous life as a reference, Han Xiao still finds it difficult to grasp the old fox's character.
"When we were to besiege the Sorokin, the battlefield would be located in the Ancient Star Desert, which meant we would have to fight on the territory of the Mechanic Emperor... As things stand, I refused him, and Manison is unhappy with me, but considering all factors, he probably doesn't intend to be my enemy for the time being."
Han Xiao shook his head.
Due to a conflict of interest, this meeting ended unhappily...
Beep beep.
At that moment, the communicator rang, Mona sent a message stating that the Federation of Light had agreed to the request to annihilate the Sorokin, and that they would negotiate with the Empire.
"In any case, this gives us a better chance of dealing with the Sorokin."
Han Xiao roused himself; the Mechanic Emperor could wait. The most urgent task was to eliminate the Sorokin.
He was merely an ally and could not unilaterally lead the cooperation between the Empire and the Federation of Light; doing so would be overstepping his bounds. Therefore, he would need to inform the Empire later, which would also make it easier to demonstrate his unwavering intent to kill the Sorokin to the Empire.
Regardless of whether the Empire is willing to cooperate, the Federation of Light will mobilize; the only difference is whether they will launch a joint attack or a separate one.
Meanwhile, on the Federation of Light's spaceship.
Mona approached Manison and said solemnly, "The higher-ups have decided to accept Black Star's request to annihilate the Sorokin. Your Mechanic Emperor, since the battlefield is in the Ancient Star Desert, we hope to ask for your assistance."
"Okay, I understand."
Manison waved his hand, maneuvered the mechanical body to the porthole, and watched the Black Star Army headquarters fly away rapidly in his sight, the surface of the mechanical body reflecting starlight.
"No wonder Sorokin suffered a loss here with Black Star; he's a tough guy." Manison nodded to himself.
He was one of the shareholders of the Infinite Financial Group, supplying Infinite Financial Group with a large quantity of mechanical products every year, and he was an old acquaintance of Sorokin.
Sorokin's armed forces, cultivated in the Shattered Star Ring, were no secret to Manison. His intelligence network was extremely powerful; even one of the Calamity Grade companions of the Beyond Grade A Seed Luther, who outwardly worked for Sorokin, was actually a double agent loyal to Manison.
Therefore, Manison knew the secret behind Sorokin's probing of the Black Star Army and his eventual defeat at the hands of the Gular Civilization.
Sorokin was interested in the Immortal Army, as was Manison himself. In his view, Black Star's Immortal Army was quite similar to his Immortal Mechanic Emperor, but he had his own large army, so he was not as enthusiastic as Sorokin.
His main focus is still on the byproducts of Space-Time Amber.
As for the Evolution Cube, he wasn't very interested.
The principle behind the Evolution Cube is unknown, and the direction of gene optimization cannot be adjusted on its own. Unlike the Sorokin, Manison dislikes things that are uncontrollable.
Constellation Corridor, Crimson Dynasty Mother Planet, Crimson Ring Star, Head of State's Office.
Urranrell put down the report in his hand, looked at the Tarrokov remote projection opposite him, and asked expressionlessly:
"You mean, Black Star contacted you, saying he'd made contact with the Federation of Light, that they wanted to reconcile with him, and that he'd persuaded them to join forces to annihilate the Sorokin?"
"Yes."
Tarrokov nodded.
Not long ago, Han Xiao contacted him again, briefly recounted the process, and after ending the communication, he immediately reported to Head of State Urranrell, conveying Han Xiao's message.
"Hmm..." Urranrell leaned back in her chair, tapping her fingers on the table, and turned to look at her trusted confidante, Clottey, the captain of her personal guard, "What do you think?"
"Black Star didn't consult the Empire beforehand and privately helped us find partners, which crossed the line. He's become arrogant after achieving some merit." Clottey's tone was indifferent; he didn't have any particular liking or dislike for Han Xiao and spoke his mind directly.
"It's not as serious as you say. This is a good thing, and he reported it immediately. There's no need to pursue this minor issue."
Urranrell waved his hand, "I've noticed he's more eager than anyone to kill the Sorokin, probably because he's worried the Sorokin covets the Evolution Cube and might return."
She pondered for a moment, then made a decision.
"Since the Federation of Light wants to join, let's bring the Arcane Church along too, and have a three-way joint operation."
Because of the Sorokin' betrayal, the Arcane suffered enormous losses, making their hostility towards them even stronger than that of the Sorokin. Furthermore, their cooperation with the Sorokin during the Battle of Lighthouse Star caused some negative public opinion in interstellar society, making it imperative for the Arcane Church to strike at the Sorokin to demonstrate their stance.
In this respect, the Sorokin are like chamber pots; they are used when needed, and once they are done, they are kicked back into the corner because they find them smelly.
Urranrell's approach was twofold: firstly, to involve the Arcane and alleviate the Empire's pressure, so that everyone could contribute and no one could stand idly by.
On the other hand, we should try our best to fulfill Black Star's wishes. If we can really wipe out the Sorokin, it will benefit everyone.
In the Ancient Star Desert, in a Desolate Universe Belt.
The fleet of Sorokin that escaped from the Shattered Star Ring is sailing along the Desolate Universe Belt, moving towards the edge of the star field.
In the main hall of the ship, Harkison approached the throne of the Sorokin and awakened the sleeping Sorokin.
The face, swirling with black mist, reverted to its ugly features. The Sorokin opened his eyes, looked at his assistant Harkison, and asked calmly:
What's the matter?
"It's a problem with headquarters. Our troops in the Central Galaxy were besieged by the Crimson Dynasty and the Arcane Church, suffering heavy casualties."
"Oh, is there anything else?" The Sorokin nodded, unconcerned.
Harkison paused, then chuckled. "We've angered the Arcane Church this time. They might join forces with the Empire and send Beyond Grade A to deal with you. Aren't you worried at all?"
"They should be worried, not me."
The Sorokin closed his eyes again, his voice like a dream.
"Perfect timing to test out the evolved power."
Seeing the Sorokin fall back into slumber, Harkison left the hall, the closed door concealing the sinister smile that had been playing on his lips.
Anger, smugness, triumph, despair... a complex mix of emotions flashed through my mind.