The Kunde Race War took place in the Shattered World. The Empire kept the details of the war secret and did not issue any public statements, so the event did not cause much of a stir in the Explored Universe and few people cared about it.
Only a few special forces are paying close attention.
The Ancient Star Desert, the Three Kings Planet.
This is one of the landmark planets in the Ancient Star Desert, and the capital planet of the Modo Civilization.
The Modo Civilization, also known as the Modo Three Kings Federation, is one of the four supercluster-level civilizations that controlled the Ancient Star Desert.
The Three Kings Federation refers to the national conditions of the Modo Civilization, tracing back to the history of exploration.
At that time, the dominant ethnic group of the Modo Civilization was only the Modo People. During the Exploration Era War, the Modo People attempted to conquer two other powerful civilizations by force, but they did not have the overwhelming power that the Empire had against the Kunde Race, and could only gradually erode them.
The war dragged on for an extremely long time, and all three sides faced other enemies eyeing them covetously from the outside. Beset by internal and external troubles, the three sides chose to cease hostilities and make peace, all making compromises and concessions. The most powerful Modo People were not required to return all the territories they had conquered.
Thus, the borders of the three parties came together. After trade and daily circulation resumed, the three ethnic groups began to live together and showed a trend of integration.
Afterwards, the situation in the Exploration Era War became increasingly dangerous. The Modo People and their two old rivals were all struggling. Due to their proximity, the three parties protected each other's backs. After a long period of negotiation, they finally decided to form an alliance, watch out for each other, and strive to survive in the perilous Exploration Era War.
As the war spread and time passed, the three parties gradually expanded outwards, reaching star cluster-level standards in terms of territory, technology, economy, and military. Moreover, none of the three parties harbored xenophobic sentiments, and during the long war of external conflict, the integration of their races became increasingly apparent, with high-ranking officials engaging in intermarriage and alliances to a certain extent.
If things had continued as they were, these three might have become rivals, like the Three Universal Civilizations, who both united and schemed against each other. However, they were not the winners of the exploration process and could only abide by the rules of the Three Universal Civilizations; no one was allowed to fight anymore.
After the war ended, the division of spoils followed. The advanced civilizations that survived in the various star systems finally began to establish order. In order to establish their own position in the new era, each advanced civilization became extremely active on the diplomatic and political stage.
In those days, the three most powerful supercluster-level civilizations in the Ancient Star Desert established their own dominant doctrines. The Modo People and the other two were only star cluster-level civilizations and were not qualified to obtain the seats of star field administrators.
The three families thought it over: since you slept with my brother and I married your sister, we're practically family, our territories are contiguous, and our races are quite well integrated, why not merge? That way, we'll have a chance to obtain the title of a supercluster-level civilization, which would give us a lot more say.
The other star cluster-level civilizations immediately objected – "Oh, you three want to merge? Should we merge too? Isn't that cheating?"
Examples of peaceful mergers of civilizations are rare, but they have occurred throughout history.
A peaceful merger requires a foundation, and the three companies in the Modo are well-positioned to do so. They have maintained a political alliance for many years, have long been united in their actions, and their ethnicities are highly integrated, with mixed-race individuals making up 24% of the total population. Their economies and cultures are also deeply intertwined, leading many outsiders to regard them as one entity.
After a series of complex maneuvers, the Modo Civilization's application to merge with the Three Universal Hooligans was finally approved. This established a system of joint rule by three leaders representing their respective star cluster-level races, bringing the number of supercluster civilizations in the Ancient Star Desert to four, Modo Civilization became the star system administrator as it wished.
Having developed to this point, the Modo Civilization has firmly established itself as a supercluster-level civilization, placing it among the most powerful civilizations in the first tier of the Explored Universe.
At this very moment, on the capital planet, the three kings of the Modo Civilization gathered together to listen to a report.
"... Intelligence indicates that the Empire has withdrawn its troops, proving that the indigenous people have been dealt with. The operation lasted 116 days, and the Empire's casualties were negligible."
There was only one figure in the conference room: a mixed-race high-ranking official in uniform, standing in the center of the room, reading intelligence aloud to the projection of the three kings on the virtual screen.
He was thin and sinister, exuding a cold and aloof aura.
This person is named Madi, a high-ranking official in the Modo Civilization, responsible for espionage and covert operations.
Like other supercluster-level civilizations, the Modo Civilization also sent stowaways to the Shattered World, and Madi was the person in charge of the project.
The plan to use the Kunde Race to kill the Crimson Dynasty was his idea, and the strategy of having the stowaways drop the crashed spaceship was also his decision.
"Those natives are utterly useless; they can't even inflict enough casualties on the Empire." One of the leaders shook his head.
"The natives are just natives after all; we can't expect too much from them," Madi said expressionlessly.
The fate of the Kunde Race was not a concern for him; they were merely tools to be used.
What are your plans for the future?
Madi said calmly, "I have already ordered the smuggling forces from the Shattered World to continue exploring and find the next indigenous civilization we can utilize. With this example of indigenous civilizations, other supercluster-level civilizations will follow our lead, not only causing more trouble for the Empire, but also allowing us to use the Empire to eliminate potential future competitors."
"Well, it's best if the Empire doesn't find out that we orchestrated this."
Another leader pondered for a moment before speaking.
"Rest assured, Your Excellencies," Madi said with a cold smile. "I've already made arrangements. The Empire will never know who did it."
Several days later, the Imperial troops who had set out on the expedition finally escorted the Kunde Race back to Lighthouse Star, and the Imperial high command decided on a course of action and informed Han Xiao.
"The Empire has decided to settle the Kunde Race in your territory for cultural transformation. During this period, their contact with interstellar society will be severed, and they will be placed under your supervision."
Tarrokov brought the good news over the communicator, and Han Xiao, who was teasing Phillip, immediately smiled.
"Alright, leave it to me. Please thank His Excellency for me."
Han Xiao nodded. This decision proved that the Empire had balanced the opinions of all parties and was willing to let him obtain the population resources of the Kunde Race. Urranrell's opinion must have played a key role in this.
With that, the first requirement of the mission was basically secured... Han Xiao muttered to himself.
"Yes, someone will contact your Black Star Army then." Tarrokov nodded, then changed the subject, saying, "There's something else I need to tell you. The Empire is investigating the mastermind behind the use of the Kunde Race, but they have very few leads. The crashed ship was a standard model, and we can't find its serial number. We first need to find the stowaways who launched the ship, and we might need your help with that."
"It's my duty." Han Xiao's eyes lit up; since it concerned the mission, he was quite willing to help.
Identifying the mastermind is a necessary prerequisite for completing the mission. Those stowaways have probably already fled to the uncharted star systems behind the scenes, making the search as difficult as looking for a needle in a haystack.
In this regard, I'm afraid we'll have to ask Iso for help.
Although the mission description was vague, he was certain that the Empire's sanctions alone would not be enough to meet the requirements of the second mission; in the end, he would have to rely on himself.
This means I'm going to have to fight a complete star cluster or even a supercluster-sized star...
Han Xiao's eyes flickered slightly.
There are certainly dangers, but there are also advantages, since the Three Universal Civilizations love nothing more than bullying these superclusters.
So, maybe it's okay if I go a little overboard... Han Xiao pondered to himself.
"By the way, the Kunde Race's high-ranking officials' live stream is about to start, and they'll mention you. Want to watch it together?" Old Tar said at this moment.
"Good."
Han Xiao collected his thoughts and nodded.
Meanwhile, the Kunde Race's flagship.
An Imperial Intelligence Bureau agent, dressed in a crimson officer's uniform and wearing black gloves, entered the Kunde Race leader's cell and threw down a document.
The Kunde Race leader, who had been leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, slowly opened them, picked up the documents in front of him, and began to slowly read through them.
He read it carefully before closing the document and slowly speaking:
"Is this the ending you prepared for me? I'll cooperate fully."
"I know, but we still need some insurance." The Imperial intelligence agent said expressionlessly, reaching out to press down on the Kunde Race leader's head and implanting a psychic bomb.
This does not affect the Kunde Race leader's sense of independence, but it allows for remote control of his thoughts at any time to prevent him from changing his mind.
"I've already made an agreement with Lord Black Star; I won't act recklessly. Your actions are unnecessary."
The Kunde Race leader shook his head.
The Imperial intelligence agent didn't answer, but said in a deep voice, "Come with me. The time has come. The live broadcast is ready."
Exhaling slowly, the Kunde Race leader stood up and bowed his head to carefully straighten his clothes.
He spent a full minute tidying himself up, making sure there wasn't a speck of dust on his clothes, before raising his head again, striding out of the cell, and heading towards his death.