After deactivating the remote projection, Han Xiao's vision returned to the room. Before he could do anything, the panel activated, displaying an urgent mission from the Empire: to accept the conscription and participate in the extermination campaign against the Kunde Race.
The mission involved taking sides with the Black Star Army, obeying the Empire's orders, and carrying out various war missions. In terms of format, it was similar to the Secret War missions of the past, which Han Xiao was familiar with.
"Based on the reward standards for Secret War missions, a high rating on such missions should greatly increase the chances of obtaining rewards such as Legend Points, Political Asset, and the generation of new instances... Oh, and contribution points will also increase significantly."
Han Xiao stroked his chin, not entirely sure. After all, in the Secret War, Amethyst and Krent were evenly matched, while the Kunde Race was merely a slightly dangerous enemy to the Empire. Eliminating them was a foregone conclusion, and the reward might not be as great as in the Secret War.
However, he didn't insist on it. His main goal this time was to try to activate various tasks from Nero.
Although he didn't intend to take action personally, Han Xiao wasn't planning to completely slack off either. He didn't mind providing virtual technology support when the empire needed it, and Han Xiao also didn't intend to hide his advantage of being familiar with maps.
The map he was referring to wasn't a star map layout. Astronomical observation equipment of a cosmic civilization is quite advanced. Long before the first phase of exploration, the Crimson Dynasty had already drawn a star map that Shattered World. What needed to be explored were the details in all aspects, such as the actual situation of each planet, which could only be determined through on-site exploration.
What Han Xiao was familiar with was the territory of the Kunde Race Civilization, which naturally wouldn't be marked on an unexplored star map. In other words, with his own intelligence support, the Empire didn't need to slowly explore the area; instead, it could strike directly at the heart of the Kunde Race.
Of course, this is on the premise that the Empire trusts its own intelligence. In terms of war, even if Beyond Grade A has a high status, it cannot interfere with the Empire's military action orders. As for unverified intelligence, both the Empire and other advanced civilizations will generally take a wait-and-see attitude.
Han Xiao didn't have many concerns. He already had the title of a charlatan, and he had Iso, a well-known old man from various powerful forces, at home. In addition, the God would also use a large number of people with prophetic abilities, so there was no problem for him to release information.
However, to prevent malicious individuals within the empire from accusing him of secretly colluding with the Kunde Race, Han Xiao could not provide the empire with too much detailed information. Although his current status allowed him to act more freely, being careful in his daily life could always help him avoid unnecessary trouble.
"A cluster-level war, huh? This is my second time participating, but this one is different from the Secret War..."
Han Xiao let out a breath.
Secret War are proxy wars; although large in scale, they do not involve the life-or-death struggle of a race. This time, however, they will face a cluster-level civilization that is using all its resources to defend its home, and the opponent will stop at nothing to achieve their goals.
Even though the Kunde Race are a primitive cluster-level race with a crippled technology tree, the intensity and scale of this war are still incomparable to any war they have participated in before.
Han Xiao harbored no particular hostility towards the Kunde Race, but he also had no fondness for them. If he were a member of the Kunde Race, he wouldn't be happy to have unclaimed resources that were readily available to him seized by a suddenly appearing, unfamiliar civilization. Once the Crimson Dynasty finished exploring the Light Dust Star Cluster, it would be equivalent to sealing off the Kunde Race within that star cluster, meaning their maximum potential would be at most a star cluster-level civilization.
However, I am now on the side of the Empire and am a beneficiary. The Empire's exploration of new star regions is for the purpose of acquiring new resources. Given its overwhelming military advantage, it is impossible for it to stop. It can only be said that the two sides are essentially in an irreconcilable conflict of interests.
Since no one is at fault, the only ones who can be wrong are the losers.
Han Xiao wrote a message containing intelligence about the Kunde Race and sent it to Tarrokov. Without waiting for a reply, he wrote a war mobilization order and notified the entire legion.
"Are you calling us back to fight in the war?"
Inside the Black Star Army's exploration ship, the squad members in the cabin simultaneously took out their communicators and glanced at them. Their expressions varied: some were excited, some were solemn, some were eager to try, and some were gloomy.
Nero was a member of this exploration team at the time, and he immediately became nervous when he saw the mobilization order from the legion.
The war came too suddenly, and he was not mentally prepared. He had only participated in various sparring sessions and had never been in a real war before, so it was impossible for him not to be nervous.
A jumble of thoughts flooded his mind, and Nero couldn't help but let his imagination run wild.
When facing an enemy, could I bring myself to do it?
What does it feel like to kill an enemy?
Will I be killed by the enemy?
Is Mia going to join the war too? Will she be in danger?
As he was lost in thought, he suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder. Nero looked up and saw the squad leader, a burly former free agent.
"Don't worry, kid, we'll take care of you." The captain laughed heartily.
"Relax." The vice-captain, who was reciting spell models beside him, also looked up and casually said, "I've participated in Secret War. The battlefield is really just like that; it's either you kill me or I kill you. Especially in interstellar warfare like this, death is just a matter of a moment, without pain, so there's nothing to be nervous about."
Upon hearing this, Nero scratched his head and gave a shy, forced smile.
He was assigned to this team as a repairman and was doing fairly well. Both the captain and vice-captain took good care of him, and the other team members were also kind to him.
In these grassroots combat teams, background is secondary; what matters most is individual ability. Nero himself is not weak, and his mechanical skills are outstanding, making him trustworthy. That's why the other team members are willing to take care of him, and Nero also likes this group of forthright warriors.
Although he was nervous about participating in the war, Nero had no intention of contacting Han Xiao or asking for special treatment. If he did, his godfather might agree to let him stay off the battlefield, but he would definitely look down on him. Nero had studied for so long and didn't want to disappoint his godfather.
Nero walked to the side, took out his communicator, hesitated for a moment, and dialed Mia's number.
After a few rings, the call connected, but no one spoke; only the sound of each other breathing could be heard.
After waiting silently for a few seconds, Nero finally couldn't help but speak up, scratching his cheek, "Um... have you seen the internal notice? I'm going to the battlefield."
"Oh."
"Uh... aren't you worried about me?"
"What's there to worry about? I was drafted too," Mia snorted.
Nero's heart skipped a beat, and he hesitated before asking, "Um... are you nervous?"
"What's there to be nervous about?" Mia asked in a strange tone. "Didn't you already know this day would come when you became a superhuman? I'm really looking forward to it."
Nero opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything. He could only whisper, "Then be careful. We're not in the same team, so I can't protect you..."
"Who needs your protection?" Mia rolled her eyes. "You'd better take care of yourself, or you'll die."
After he finished speaking, the call was disconnected by the other end.
Nero put down the communicator and rubbed his nose helplessly.
He still missed the soft, shy Mia when they first met. Ever since she awakened her Pugilist Class, Mia's violent tendencies had become more and more serious. He wondered if it was because she had released her true self that she had suppressed for many years.
There are no secrets in the world, and the Crimson Dynasty was no exception.
Before long, news from the Shining World and the Book World reached the Explored Universe, and all star systems knew that the Crimson Dynasty was mobilizing for war.
Most interstellar citizens didn't have any particular opinion. Dealing with natives wasn't anything unusual. They couldn't wait for the Empire to eliminate its resistance as soon as possible, complete its exploration, and let them have some fun on the Shattered World.
There was also a group of anti-war advocates who pitied the indigenous civilizations and called for peace over war, but few people paid attention to them, and these opinions could not influence the actions of the advanced civilizations.
Most powers didn't take it seriously, but the major supercluster-level civilizations were pleased.
They were more than happy for the Kunde Race to cause the Empire a great deal of trouble. With Primal Psionic Energy, the Kunde Race had the ability to kill the Empire. The more Imperial troops died, the better. If possible, it would be best to cause losses to the Empire's Beyond Grade A troops. Regardless of who won or lost, they would definitely profit.
Exploration of the Light Dust Star Cluster has been suspended, and the Empire and its allies are assembling fleets, all of which are concentrated near Lighthouse Star.
In addition to the exploration force itself, the Crimson Dynasty also drew elites from the Central Galaxy and sent them to the Shattered World to participate in the war.
On the one hand, it is not to underestimate the enemy, and on the other hand, it is for training troops. In the Explored Universe, we will not often encounter this level of war, so it is a good opportunity to use it as a large-scale training exercise to train the elite troops that the legion wants to cultivate.
This time, because Han Xiao did not personally intervene, the Black Star Army fleet was commanded by Melos, who had abandoned his card-playing friends and rushed from the Shattered Star Ring.
"This army is divided into multiple legions. I am the commander-in-chief of all legions, responsible for formulating strategies. Each legion has its own commander-in-chief, leading different allied forces. The imperial commander in charge of your Black Star Fleet has also been appointed."
In the commander's office on Lighthouse Star, Tarrokov opened a resume and showed it to Melos in front of him.
He glanced at it and felt Melos looked familiar.
"Tenny Armandos?"
"Yes, that's him."
"His rank doesn't seem high, is he capable of handling it...?" Melos wondered.
"Hehe, don't worry about that. He's a key officer the Empire is currently grooming, possessing exceptional command and leadership abilities," Tarrokov smiled slightly. "He arrived on Lighthouse Star not long ago; why don't you meet him?"
As he spoke, Tarrokov tapped the table, and the door was immediately pushed open. An imposing officer walked in, followed by an adjutant who stayed close by.
"We meet again, friends of the Black Star Army." The imposing officer nodded.
"Oh! It's you." The moment he saw this person, Melos immediately remembered.
This man was none other than the Imperial Elite who had undergone the Evolution Cube modification, the future Imperial Marshal, and the Tenny who had a brief, intimate encounter with Han Xiao eight or nine years ago. The adjutant beside him was his confidant, Kebos.
Melos stood up, the two shook hands, and then sat down again.
"I haven't seen Black Star in almost ten years. I'm so happy to hear that his status is rising," Tenny said.
Melos nodded, then asked curiously, "You've been promoted these past few years. I remember when you first came, you were only a colonel."
"I did make some contributions, but compared to Black Star, those achievements are nothing." Tenny shook his head. "This time, I volunteered to serve as the Imperial Commander of the Black Star Fleet to try my best to reduce your casualties."
"Thank you so much." Melos was pleasantly surprised. As an allied force, what they feared most was encountering an unreliable imperial commander.
"No need to thank me, you can consider this your repayment." Tenny waved his hand, "Back then, Black Star gifted me a set of Beyond Grade A mechanical floating defense array that he personally crafted, which helped me through several dangerous situations. I should be thanking him."
"I see."
Melos suddenly realized that there is no such thing as love without a reason; it turned out that his boss had done someone a favor.
He couldn't help but admire the profound knowledge Han Xiao possessed.
"After this battle is over, I'll take the opportunity to visit Black Star in the Gaolu Star Cluster. I hope he'll be free." Tenny nodded.
"Don't worry, the affairs of the legion are basically handled by us officers. He's got nothing to do all day long." Melos casually betrayed Han Xiao.
The two chatted for a while, until Tarrokov deliberately coughed, and then they left the commander's office together. As comrades-in-arms who would soon fight side by side, they both wanted to spend as much time as possible getting to know each other.
People were coming and going in the base. Halfway there, Tenny ran into an acquaintance, a high-ranking Imperial officer who had been conscripted from elsewhere. They greeted each other and stopped to chat.
Melos hadn't paid much attention at first, but then he suddenly noticed that the tall, thin adjutant next to the other Imperial officer was staring intently at him with a meaningful look in his eyes.
"Looking at me... cough, why are you looking at me like that?" Melos couldn't help but ask.
The adjutant smiled, pointed to Melos's legion uniform, and asked, "Are you with the Black Star Army?"
"I am Melos, the commander-in-chief of the Black Star Army fleet. May I ask your name?" Melos nodded.
"Hehe, call me Gaud."
"Have we met somewhere before? Why are you staring at me?" Melos asked, puzzled.
Gaud smiled slightly, "No, I've always admired Black Star, and this is my first time meeting a Black Star Army officer, so I'm a little curious."
After saying that, he turned his head away, showing no intention of continuing to speak.
Seeing this, Melos didn't say anything, but glanced at the man and was secretly surprised... This guy named Gaud didn't seem to have much of an aura, but for some reason, standing next to him, Melos always felt a strange pressure.
At this moment, Tenny finished chatting with his acquaintance, who then left with his adjutant Gaud.
Melos watched the two disappear around the corner, and couldn't help but ask:
Do you know that adjutant?
Tenny shook his head, but started talking to his adjutant Kebos, who had been standing by his side.
"You mean Gaud? I know him, what's wrong?"
"I just chatted with him, and I'm a little curious."
Kebos nodded and introduced, "This Gaud isn't a graduate of the Imperial Military Academy. He hasn't been in the army for long, but he's an extraordinary superhuman. He was spotted by that officer earlier and quickly rose to the rank of adjutant. He's outstanding in every way, and I heard he's on the military's list of key trainees."
"This resume sounds pretty ordinary..."
Melos found it strange and didn't know where the oppressive feeling from came from, but he was sure it wasn't his imagination.
However, there was no point in dwelling on such trivial matters that didn't concern him, so Melos continued talking to Tenny and quickly put Gaud out of his mind.
The Empire was highly efficient; from the time of the attack to the completion of the army's assembly, it did not take many days. Under Tarrokov's instructions, the army officially set off and made a major advance into the depths of the Light Dust Star Cluster.
The Empire originally did not know the location of the Kunde Race's territory and planned to scout ahead first. However, not long ago, Black Star submitted a report that marked the approximate location of the Kunde Race in the Light Dust Star Cluster. Although it did not provide detailed coordinates, it saved the Empire a lot of effort in scouting.
Although the accuracy of the intelligence was still uncertain, the Empire was able to conduct more targeted reconnaissance. Countless scout units were released and advanced toward the Kunde Race territory marked by Black Star, while various legions began to move in different directions.
Using an entire star cluster as the battlefield, mobility is key, and stargates are the lifeblood connecting the armies.
Because of the Primal Psionic Energy Trap incident, the Empire has tacitly acknowledged that its adversaries possess stargate technology, so each legion is focused on protecting its own stargate portals to prevent enemy surprise attacks.
However, the army marched for half a month without a single encounter. The enemy was in the dark while we were in the light, as if they had vanished without a trace.
Several days later, this situation was broken, and the Empire finally clashed with the Kunde Race forces for the first time.
The location of the firefight was none other than the disaster-stricken Lighthouse Star!