When Han Xiao arrived at the Aynia Hub Prison with a group of dejected prisoners, Gabura, Hadavy, and other guards had been waiting for a long time.
"Lord Black Star!" Gabura stepped forward and bowed respectfully.
Han Xiao was on the same level as his boss, and he was receiving them on behalf of his own faction, paying close attention to his attitude and keeping a low profile.
"Hello." Han Xiao nodded, and with a flick of his finger, the restraint device carried the prisoners to the jailer, who then handed them over for safekeeping.
Hadavy and the others spontaneously followed Han Xiao, with Gabura leading the way. The group arrived at the interrogation room, where the guards separated all the prisoners and placed each in a luxurious single room.
"Are you going to preside over the interrogation?" Gabura turned to ask Han Xiao.
"No need, you do it, let me see your skills." Han Xiao shook his head.
He had already used Han's electrotherapy on the two masterminds and obtained the information he wanted; now he was just going through the motions.
These two masterminds were indeed spies from the Federation of Light and the Arcane Church, serving the plan to put pressure on the Crimson Dynasty. They were members of one of the groups, and from their words, Han Xiao saw only the tip of the iceberg of this massive plan.
The pressure campaign targets multiple sectors of the Empire and is divided into numerous groups, each responsible for a different area. The group these two belong to is specifically tasked with instigating chaotic events related to the Evolutionary Totem within the Empire, using these groups to post job openings on the black market, and influencing the Empire's security through their pawns... while also carrying out some special operations.
For example, the Assassination of Ludwell's relatives and descendants was staged to create chaos caused by the Evolutionary Totem, resulting in the accidental death of a high-ranking official's descendant. The goal was to disrupt the unity within the Empire and increase internal pressure.
It's worth noting that their targets weren't manually chosen, but rather identified through intelligent calculations to determine which targets might impact the empire's internal affairs, and then prioritized those with the highest probability of impact.
Ludwell's grandson was chosen in this way. The result of intelligent computing was that eliminating this person would have a considerable chance of causing Ludwell's stance to change. For such a massive project involving dozens of fields, where one move has far-reaching consequences, the efficiency of using intelligent computing to select targets far exceeds that of human thought.
The Glory and the Arcane are targeting the Empire everywhere, but as long as their clandestine plots remain hidden and unspoken, everyone abides by the unspoken rules and only competes in secret.
But now that there are witnesses, the situation is different. These two people are of little value to Han Xiao, but quite useful to the Empire. Even if Glory and Arcane stubbornly deny that these two are their people, the Empire can still let them make use of their remaining talents in some areas.
While watching the prisoner being interrogated, Han Xiao pondered the matter in secret.
They initially thought it was just a bunch of third-rate gang causing trouble, but they unexpectedly got involved in this incident and inadvertently saved Ludwell's relatives...
Fording was incredibly lucky; if he hadn't discovered Ludwell's nefarious grandson beforehand, he might not have made it in time to rescue them.
"He's truly a lucky charm."
Han Xiao shook his head and sighed, stroking his chin as he pondered to himself:
As for Ludwell...
He was familiar with the name, knowing it belonged to a high-ranking imperial official with significant achievements in the economic field... However, in his eyes, Ludwell had little to do with him.
Han Xiao only knew that there was a faction within the empire that demanded higher levels of power, but he didn't know exactly who they were.
After all, Ludwell held a high position and wielded considerable power. As a neutral party, he didn't have many political enemies. As fellow members of the Empire, other Imperial officials wouldn't reveal too much detail to Han Xiao, and Urranrell and Tarrokov were even less likely to. Strictly speaking, allies were still outsiders, while high-ranking Imperial officials were the true insiders. Everyone was involved in the Imperial bureaucracy, and they would inevitably run into each other. No one wanted to make enemies out of thin air; it was a very pragmatic situation.
Halfway through the interrogation, things became slightly unsettling, and Han Xiao prepared to leave. Gabura immediately abandoned the interrogation and escorted him to the prison gate.
"Thanks to Lord Black Star's help, otherwise these two spies would have escaped." Gabura smiled broadly; he was ugly, and his smile was quite menacing.
"It's nothing."
"Does Lord Black Star intend to remain at the Aynia Hub? Please grant me a chance to entertain him..."
"No need, we're about to leave." Han Xiao waved his hand.
After this incident, his identity was exposed, and he was afraid he would be surrounded by onlookers again, so he decided not to stay on this planet any longer.
Just then, Fording had successfully infiltrated the Punisher Alliance. Han Xiao planned to have the fleet secretly follow behind, honing his last bit of strength while waiting for Fording to find the relic that would trigger the hidden boss.
Under the respectful gaze of the members of the Aynia Hub, Han Xiao, accompanied by his guards, took to the air and returned to the spaceship parked at the spaceport.
As soon as Han Xiao returned to his room, his communicator beeped. He glanced at it and saw it was an unfamiliar number.
After the connection was established, an old face appeared on the virtual screen, composed and speaking with a calm tone:
"I am Ludwell, Black Star. Thank you for saving my child."
"It was nothing," Han Xiao replied politely, then looked the high-ranking imperial official up and down. "This is probably our first meeting."
"Yes," Ludwell nodded, "I've heard so much about you."
"You're too kind. We're in the same boat." Han Xiao smiled faintly.
Seeing Han Xiao's calm attitude, Ludwell's impression of him improved a bit. It wasn't that he hadn't dealt with other Beyond Grade A beings before. Someone like the Dark Emperor, who was aloof and obviously liked to fawn over others, and even the Old Dragon would carry the arrogance of Beyond Grade A, treating them with indifference. Beyond Grade A being as approachable as Han Xiao was a rare sight in the universe.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Ludwell formally expressed his gratitude. Since someone had saved his grandson, he should at least take the initiative to thank them. To act as if nothing had happened would be a lack of emotional intelligence, and he certainly wouldn't make that mistake.
"They're all colleagues in the Empire. I'll help if I can. I can't just sit by and watch others cause trouble within the Empire's borders." Han Xiao said dismissively.
A smile flickered across Ludwell's aged face. He pondered for a moment, then suddenly narrowed his eyes and asked, seemingly casually:
"I've heard... the Infinite Financial Group is making a large-scale investment in the Shattered Star Ring?"
"And books, yes, they're planning to expand their business over there. They're rich and powerful, and I've been somewhat impacted. That Ba Tyrant guy is quite good at seizing business opportunities." Han Xiao understood the other party's subtext and raised an eyebrow.
"Okay, I understand." Ludwell smiled faintly. "Next time you come to my place, I'll treat you to a meal. I still have some work to do, so I'll hang up now."
See you next time.
After ending the call, Han Xiao fiddled with the communicator, a playful look on his face.
The Crimson Dynasty was aware of the Black Star Army's competition in the War Realm, because it was not good to favor either side in this matter. It couldn't very well designate the Black Star Army as the leader and prevent the Tyrant from seizing the opportunity to develop. So, it simply chose to remain neutral and watch its two allies compete in business.
However, judging from Ludwell's underlying message, it seems he wanted to make some kind of statement on this matter?
Ludwell didn't say it explicitly, Han Xiao didn't know how he would help, nor could he be sure if the other party really wanted to help—this type of official, who speaks ambiguously and likes to leave others guessing, is not uncommon.
Others may not have this power, but Ludwell happens to be in charge of the Empire's economic and trade affairs, so this matter falls within his purview!
"If he could help, it would be a great help," Han Xiao pondered.
Imperial resource support is one aspect, while economic cooperation is another. The difference between the two is somewhat similar to giving a man a fish versus teaching him how to fish, leaving a lot of room for maneuver. After the distribution of benefits in the Shattered World, the Crimson Dynasty was originally not expected to have any new support projects for a long time in order to maintain balance, but now it's hard to say.
Fording's move put me in touch with high-ranking officials in this field, which is perfect for dealing with the Infinite Financial Group. Is this what they mean by "following the protagonist and getting something in return"...? Han Xiao couldn't help but think to himself.
"Beep beep..."
Just then, the communicator rang again. This time, the caller was someone he knew— Gabura's superior, Beyond Grade A Imperial ally who possessed the Aynia Hub.
Several years ago, when a meeting was held to deal with the Sorokin, Han Xiao met this person once and exchanged contact information. This is the first time the person has taken the initiative to contact him.
The purpose of this Beyond Grade A call was clear: to thank Han Xiao for helping maintain the security of his territory and to invite Han Xiao to visit him. After exchanging a few polite words, they hung up. As for the purpose of this call... don't ask, it was all about showing off.
In his office, Ludwell put down his communicator, pondered for a moment, and then turned on the internal lines.
"Get me to contact Bekorodi."
Bekorodi, a powerful official and a staunch supporter of the "hand over" faction, belongs to a different political faction than Ludwell. Ludwell is a neutral party, while Bekorodi is a key figure in the hardline faction. Although both support the "hand over" faction on the issue of Evolution Cube, their approaches differ.
As a neutral party member, Ludwell would at most offer his opinions and express his position to Führer Urranrell, while Bekorodi preferred to take action.
Ludwell, who was in charge of the economic sphere, was also within the scope of his observation of the Infinite Financial Group's movements. His experience told him that the Infinite Financial Group's schemes might be supported by certain factions within the Empire, Bekorodi was highly suspected.
As someone who was somewhat in the know, Ludwell had no intention of interfering before, because this move was in line with his position, so although he was not the one in charge, he turned a blind eye to it.
But now that he owes Black Star a favor, Ludwell has decided to intervene—his stance of supporting the handover faction will not change, but his methods can be slightly adjusted. This is often how officials within the system exercise their power; the subtleties lie in the smallest details.
The first step is to talk to Bekorodi, give him a warning, and make him behave himself, thereby affecting his behind-the-scenes dealings with the Infinite Financial Group.
Because of his status, Bekorodi might not be afraid of Black Star, but he had to take the opinion of another leader of the Imperial political faction seriously!
The turmoil at the Aynia Hub has come to an end, but the casualties and property damage were considerable, which will have a certain impact on the transit station's business. It will take some time for it to regain its popularity.
Having received a generous bounty, the Punisher Alliance was unwilling to stay any longer and planned to leave.
After this battle, Fording and Aurora fully integrated into the group and boarded the ship together to leave.
"Where are we going now?" Aurora asked curiously.
"You're still new recruits, let's take you back to headquarters first. www. hetushu. com."
Raymond gave what he thought was a friendly smile, but Aurora thought he was making a face.
Upon hearing this, Fording nodded slightly.
The thing Old Black asked me to find is probably at the headquarters of the Punisher Alliance.
Sigh, I finally have a chance to help, but I don't even know if I can find someone...