Recaps

Han Xiao stayed on Sunil after the Calamity, using his successful mission to strengthen the Black Star Mercenary Group and waiting for Melos. He convinced Melos that he had come to Sunil because both their worlds faced DarkStar, leaving Melos humbled and respectful of Han Xiao.

• Han Xiao bought Non-Commissioned Officer-Grade Armor and noted the increased rewards and reputation the Black Star Mercenary Group had earned from its Sunil mission.
• Han Xiao stayed in Forest City while the players grew restless, telling them he was waiting for someone.
• Melos met Han Xiao and asked whether he was a precog, then pressed him to explain what he wanted from the Sunil Race.
• Han Xiao told Melos that he had foreseen danger to his home planet and revealed that DarkStar threatened both their worlds.
• Melos accepted Han Xiao's explanation and regarded him as a fellow guardian of his people.

Han Xiao told Melos that Sunil's future depended on building strength, resisting the Calamity, and eventually confronting DarkStar. He offered to bring hundreds of thousands of Supers to help Sunil, beginning a plan to make the Black Star Mercenary Group a guide and hub for Planet Aquamarine's players in the wider universe.

• Han Xiao told Melos that he had seen Melos die defending Forest City from a beast tide, but said that future could change.
• Han Xiao warned Melos that Sunil faced threats from the Calamity, Goddora, and DarkStar, and urged him to build strength before ever attempting to defeat DarkStar.
• Melos guessed that Han Xiao's proposed way out was to wipe out DarkStar, but doubted Sunil could achieve it.
• Han Xiao shifted to Sunil's immediate problems and promised to bring hundreds of thousands of Supers to explore the planet, mine Whispering Stone, and fight the Calamity.
• Han Xiao revealed that he intended to use Sunil and other NPC factions, their resources, and their stories to guide players into the universe and strengthen the Black Star Mercenary Group.

Han Xiao persuaded Melos to join the Black Star Mercenary Group and left Planet Sunil with the players, while Lana chose to formally enlist in the Sunil military.

• Melos agreed to join Han Xiao's mercenary group after deciding to travel with him and judge his promises for himself.
• Two days later, Melos arrived without his armor, and Han Xiao introduced him to the players as their new Grade B partner.
• The group boarded a spaceship bound for the Juberly Hub, leaving Planet Sunil after completing the mercenary job.
• At a recruitment center, Lana applied for formal enlistment despite the officer warning him that he could not withdraw once approved.
• Lana took the enlistment form and saw that the warehouse for formal recruits was packed with other young people.

After returning to Juberly Hub, Han Xiao expanded the Black Star Mercenary Group’s base, added Sunil soldier armor to its faction store, and manufactured the first sets for the players. Melos joined the group as its first officer, increasing Han Xiao’s faction reward quota, while the players tried out the new armor and explored the hub.

• Han Xiao rented a larger base at Juberly Hub and added three types of Sunil soldier armor to the faction exchange list, prompting the players to realize that the mercenary group’s offerings could grow through its missions.
• Han Xiao began making the armor, while the players explored Juberly Hub, bought equipment, and compared the high prices of store-bought armor with the faction’s cheaper offer.
• Melos registered with the Black Star Mercenary Group, saw that it had only one Grade B member, and resolved to keep Han Xiao safe.
• Han Xiao received a faction reward quota of 135,700 after Melos joined as an officer and the group’s membership and renown contributed to its growth.
• Han Xiao completed six sets of soldier armor, and the players tested them, with Jiang Yuluo criticizing their appearance and the male players defending mecha as a romantic ideal.

Han Xiao profited from selling and enhancing Sunil soldier armor, then used his earnings to learn Advanced Knowledge and advance into the Data Mechanic class. He rose from level 80 to 95, reached Grade B, and left with greatly increased stats and new mechanical abilities.

• Han Xiao sold Sunil soldier armor to the players and earned more than 40,000 Enas.
• Han Xiao introduced paid armor enhancements, and Frenzied Saber led the players in purchasing upgrades that earned Han Xiao another 23,000 Enas.
• Melos questioned Han Xiao about how he had learned Sunil armor technology, and Han Xiao claimed he had deduced the blueprint while making field repairs.
• Han Xiao bought Heavy Mechanical Modification and Advanced Electromagnetism at Juberly Hub, met the requirements for a class change, and became a Data Mechanic.
• Han Xiao raised his skills and class to their maximum levels, reaching level 95 and Grade B.

While Han Xiao upgraded his technology and began building new equipment and a team transport vehicle, Meat Bun’s latest episode spread the Black Star Mercenary Group’s story to eager viewers. At the hub, Melos heard that Silver Spirit People had been captured near the Garton Star System and saw a chance for the mercenary group to earn a substantial bounty.

• Han Xiao raised Heavy Mechanical Modification and Advanced Electromagnetism to Lv5, then began building upgraded weapons and a large electromagnetic-railgun operations vehicle.
• Meat Bun released the second episode of his Black Star series, covering the group’s first job, the Sunil Calamity, and Melos joining the team.
• Melos trained in the combat simulation room and gave the players an opportunity to ask him for combat pointers.
• A regional broadcast reported that scavengers had captured Silver Spirit People in Feven’s Fourth Star Zone, prompting the wealthy race to offer a large bounty for their rescue.
• Melos, tempted by the reward, decided he needed to persuade Han Xiao to take the mission.

Han Xiao upgraded his weapons and Flying Serpent Mecha while seeking the advanced knowledge needed to advance as a Mechanic. He decided to pursue the Silver Spirit People's job for a chance to obtain that knowledge, but their credit requirement barred his mercenary group, and he ran into Nilan.

• Melos told Han Xiao that the Silver Spirit People were recruiting mercenaries to rescue captured companions, but Han Xiao doubted their small group could win the contract.
• Han Xiao completed new electromagnetic firearms, a powerful electric war scythe, and Assault Mode armor for the Flying Serpent Mecha.
• Han Xiao identified Split-Second Assembly and Hypercompression Technology as his next goals and considered joining the Silver Spirit People's mission to obtain the required advanced knowledge.
• Han Xiao went to the mercenary hall and found that the Silver Spirit People's mission required 400 credit points, far beyond his group's standing.
• Nilan ran up to Han Xiao, who struggled to remember his name and called him Muddy Nilan.

Mading tried to hire Han Xiao for an expedition, but Han Xiao refused and accepted an invitation to meet Sky Ring instead. Gashley offered to recruit Han Xiao and the Black Star Mercenary Group into Sky Ring, but Han Xiao declined, choosing to keep his faction independent.

• Mading offered Han Xiao the same low-paying expedition job as before, then tried to raise the pay when Han Xiao refused.
• A Sky Ring mercenary invited Han Xiao to speak with his squad leader about a partnership, and Han Xiao followed him to their base.
• Gashley introduced himself as the squad leader and invited Han Xiao and the Black Star Mercenary Group to join Sky Ring because of their ability to resurrect.
• Han Xiao considered Sky Ring's privileges and influence but declined the offer, saying he preferred to work independently.

Han Xiao secured a partnership with Sky Ring and arranged for his mercenary group to travel with them to the Feven Star System, where the Silver Spirit People were recruiting. During the journey, he watched Melos train in the spaceship’s combat simulation room and joined him.

• Han Xiao proposed a partnership to Gashley, and Sky Ring approved the agreement, adding Black Star's mercenary group to its list of partners.
• Han Xiao learned Sky Ring was heading to the Feven Star System and persuaded Gashley to take his team along in case Sky Ring needed support.
• Han Xiao told his members about the trip, and Melos privately asked how he had arranged the partnership.
• Gashley's team and Han Xiao's group boarded a Sky Ring spaceship and set a course for the Feven Star System, a journey expected to take about twelve days.
• Han Xiao learned that the expedition was led by the grade B cadre Frost Mystic, then found Melos fighting simulated beasts in the combat room and entered after pausing the simulation.

Han Xiao challenged Melos to spar so he could test his strength after reaching Grade B. After Han Xiao survived Melos’s powerful energy wave and revealed his strength, Melos recognized him as a worthy opponent, and the fight continued.

• Han Xiao asked Melos to spar and brought in an assortment of weapons, but Melos objected when he saw the prototype railgun.
• Han Xiao put on the Flying Serpent Mecha and fired electromagnetic weapons while keeping his distance from Melos.
• Melos advanced through Han Xiao’s fire and unleashed a powerful External Wave that hurled Han Xiao into the wall.
• Han Xiao broke through the wave with a lightning strike and counterattacked with a black scythe, leaving Melos stunned by his apparent Grade B strength.
• Han Xiao used magnetic links to assemble Assault Mode armor around the Flying Serpent, and Melos agreed that their fight was a proper spar.

Han Xiao and Melos sparred to a standstill, strengthening their trust as the players and Sky Ring mercenaries shared the journey. The chapter ended with scavenger leader Paiji entering the cells holding the captured Silver Spirit People.

• Han Xiao fought Melos in his exoskeleton armor, and their spar ended without a winner after both demonstrated Grade B strength.
• Melos approved of Han Xiao and began to regard him as a reliable partner, while Frenzied Saber and the other players saw their commander’s strength firsthand.
• Han Xiao and Gashley grew familiar during the voyage, and the players rejected Sky Ring mercenaries’ attempts to recruit them with promises of free armor.
• Han Xiao learned about the players’ loyalty and felt encouraged by the growing cohesion of his faction.
• In the Feven Star System, scavenger leader Paiji entered the prison area to inspect the captured Silver Spirit People.

Paiji captured a Silver Spirit envoy and stole his Whispering Bead, then arranged to sell the captives on Floating Dragon Island. Meanwhile, Han Xiao joined the mercenaries gathering on Planet Feiwen-122 to rescue the Silver Spirit People, but their search was stalled until the Purple Gold Legion arrived with a divination mage.

• Paiji discovered a black bead hidden in a Silver Spirit captive’s clothes, ignored the captive’s claim that he was a DarkStar envoy, and kept the bead.
• Paiji told his subordinates he had arranged to sell the Silver Spirit captives to a buyer on Floating Dragon Island.
• Han Xiao and Gashley’s group reached Planet Feiwen-122, where Goya of Sky Ring explained that the mercenaries could not find the scavengers who had taken the captives.
• Goya and Han Xiao’s group met Blade’s team and continued to the Silver Spirit camp, where the captain pressed the mercenaries to rescue his companions quickly.
• The Purple Gold Legion arrived with a divination mage carrying a crystal orb.

After a divination pointed to Floating Dragon Island as the scavengers’ likely destination, most mercenaries withdrew from the rescue mission. Han Xiao offered his group’s services to the Silver Spirit People despite the danger, and they accepted.

• A diviner saw a member of the Void Dragon Race, leading Goya and the others to suspect the scavengers had gone to Floating Dragon Island.
• Han Xiao explained that Floating Dragon Island was a neutral haven for criminals ruled by a Beyond Grade A powerhouse, and described how it had been built from a Void Dragon burial ground.
• Most mercenary groups withdrew after realizing how dangerous the destination was, leaving Sky Ring, Blade, and Purple Gold.
• Han Xiao offered his group’s help to the Silver Spirit People, and their captain accepted.
• Goya warned Han Xiao that Sky Ring would not protect its collaborators if they were killed, but Han Xiao said his people were not afraid of danger.

Han Xiao joined the rescue mission to Floating Dragon Island after using a precognition card to identify the target and securing Advanced Knowledge from the Silver Spirit People. DarkStar dispatched Ashes to recover its hidden cargo, while Han Xiao’s group reached the hostile island and he started a fight with local pirates.

• Han Xiao used the Child of Destiny card to obtain clues about the client, then received Advanced Knowledge and accepted a hostage-rescue mission from the Silver Spirit People.
• DarkStar learned that its captured courier was headed for Floating Dragon Island and sent Ashes to retrieve the courier and the Mutation Source and Super Gene Extractor.
• Paiji learned that the client wanted only fifteen captives and vented the Silver Spirit courier and another Silver Spirit person into space.
• Han Xiao and the mercenary groups landed on Floating Dragon Island, where hostile criminals watched them as they entered the city.
• Han Xiao charged a group of space pirates, killed several, and cut their leader apart with his electrified war scythe.

Han Xiao posed as a buyer to learn whether Horlade had received the Silver Spirit People, while the mercenaries planned to intercept the captives without angering Dragon Calm. At Horlade’s slave market, Han Xiao discovered a mysterious, powerful woman and received a new mission.

• After Han Xiao attacked local thugs, the three great mercenary groups backed him and drove them off without provoking the Dragon Calm Guard.
• Han Xiao and the mercenary leaders identified Horlade as the client and agreed to have Han Xiao pose as a buyer to find out whether the Silver Spirit People had arrived.
• Han Xiao disguised himself and visited Horlade’s slave market, where Horlade led him to a secure underground collection of rare slaves.
• Han Xiao found no Silver Spirit People among the cells and concluded that the captives had not yet reached Floating Dragon Island.
• Horlade showed Han Xiao a striking woman held in a separate cell, and Han Xiao’s interface triggered a new mission after he saw her.

Han Xiao learned that Aroshia was an immortal cosmic wonder who always returned to her cell, then joined the mercenaries’ preparations to intercept the Silver Spirit People before they reached the slave market. The teams took up disguised positions along the routes from the docks to the market and waited for the captors.

• Han Xiao triggered a mission to rescue Aroshia and learned from Horlade that she had unusual powers, amnesia, and no desire to leave the slave market.
• Horlade revealed that Aroshia reappeared in her cell after being killed or taken away, and never stayed elsewhere for more than six days.
• Han Xiao learned that the Silver Spirit People had not yet arrived and told the three team leaders.
• Fasereni proposed ambushes along every major route to the slave market, and the mercenaries divided the streets into four defensive layers.
• The teams disguised themselves and took up their assigned positions, with Han Xiao stationed in the third layer and Goya's team guarding the final approach.

Han Xiao and the mercenary groups ambushed Paiji’s slave traders to rescue the Silver Spirit captives, but Paiji sensed the danger and changed course. The rescue turned into a chaotic dockside battle, with gangs of thugs joining the fight as the chapter ended.

• Han Xiao watched Dragon Calm Guards kill thugs who had accidentally killed residents, then received Goya’s message that Blade’s team had identified the slave traders.
• Fasereni ordered Han Xiao, Porter, and their forces to ambush Paiji’s group while Goya guarded the perimeter.
• Paiji sensed a threat, turned back toward his spaceship, and warned Horlade that someone might be trying to intercept the captives.
• Horlade left the slave market to collect the goods himself, prompting Han Xiao and Fasereni to abandon the ambush plan and launch a direct assault.
• More than two hundred mercenaries attacked Paiji’s group, and stray shots drew nearby thugs into the battle.

Han Xiao’s team rescued the Silver Spirit People from Paiji’s forces, but the Dragon Calm Guard attacked the battlefield as the mercenaries tried to escape. In the confusion, Li Ge found and secretly kept a mysterious black bead.

• Han Xiao’s team broke through Paiji’s defenses while the other mercenaries held back powerful enemies.
• Han Xiao defeated Paiji, who escaped by splitting into thousands of small snakes, and seized the iron box containing the captives.
• Fasereni ordered the mercenaries to protect the captives and retreat toward their spaceship.
• Horlade arrived with Captain Sion and the Dragon Calm Guard, whose ships opened fire on everyone and pursued the mercenaries.
• A laser blast knocked Li Ge down, and he found the black bead Paiji had dropped; he secretly kept it after receiving an item notification.

Han Xiao and the mercenaries rescued fifteen Silver Spirit People from Floating Dragon Island, but their escape was stopped when [Dragon Emperor] Ames intervened. The chapter ended with Ames confronting them at the docks.

• Goya froze five Dragon Calm Guard aircraft without casualties, giving the mercenaries time to board their ships and flee with the Silver Spirit People.
• The rescued Silver Spirit People revealed that two of their companions had been thrown into space, and their employer agreed to pay the mercenaries as promised.
• Floating Dragon Island's fleet pursued the escaping ships after Sion reported that the mercenaries had attacked the guard.
• As the ships prepared to enter warp, [Dragon Emperor] Ames stopped them with her force fields and dragged them back to the docks.
• Han Xiao and the others were forced to disembark before Ames, the master of Floating Dragon Island.

Ames brought the captured mercenaries to her residence and decided to spare the three major groups in exchange for ransom. She treated Han Xiao’s small group differently and prepared to attack them, leaving the others alarmed for their comrades.

• Ames arrived at the docks, recognized the Silver Spirit People, and ordered the mercenaries brought to her while Horlade reclaimed the captives.
• Horlade smugly led the Silver Spirit People toward the slave market as the frustrated mercenaries were escorted to Ames’s residence.
• Sion taunted Han Xiao, but Han Xiao stayed calm and judged that Ames might be willing to negotiate.
• Ames asked Wilsander about the rules, then overruled the execution order and offered to release the three major groups if their commanders paid ransom.
• Ames singled out Han Xiao’s group for punishment, began gathering her force field, and alarmed the other mercenaries.

Han Xiao saved himself and his companions from Ames by claiming that a mysterious precog had sent her a message. Ames spared them and made Han Xiao choose between death and working for her, leaving him bound to Dragon Calm as her subordinate.

• Ames trapped Han Xiao and his companions in a force field, but Han Xiao offered information he said would save their lives.
• Han Xiao claimed a weathered traveler had told him to tell Ames that he still did not want to see her.
• Ames recognized the description of the traveler’s star-like eyes and reacted with shock and anger, revealing her longing for him.
• Ames offered Han Xiao a choice between death and working for her, and Han Xiao agreed to serve her.
• Han Xiao reflected that he had used his knowledge of Ames’s past to deceive her and that escaping her control would be difficult.
• Han Xiao gained an indifferent relationship with Dragon Calm.

Han Xiao joined Ames’ Dragon Calm, where he was assigned to the logistics department while the players became guards. The Silver Spirit People remained captive, Horlade refused to pay Paiji for them, and an unremarkable ship arrived beside Paiji’s.

• Ames accepted Han Xiao as her subordinate, and Goya asked him to help free the Silver Spirit People after the mercenary teams were taken away.
• Wilsander introduced Han Xiao and the players to Jenny, who assigned Han Xiao to logistics and the players to the guard.
• Han Xiao met Haier, learned about Dragon Calm’s machinery and materials, and settled into the logistics team while Melos led the players’ guard squad.
• Horlade told Paiji that he would not pay for the Silver Spirit People because he had reclaimed them from the mercenaries.
• Paiji cursed the mercenaries, and an unremarkable spaceship docked beside his as someone announced they had arrived.

DarkStar sent Ashes and his task force to Dragon Calm to recover the captured Silver Spirit courier and the Whispering Bead, while Han Xiao built a vehicle prototype and pursued the Silver Spirit people through the slave market. The chapter left Han Xiao negotiating with Horlade, who demanded an exorbitant price for each captive.

• Ashes led DarkStar members into Dragon Calm, and they learned that the Silver Spirit courier carrying the Whispering Bead had been captured.
• Ashes chose to negotiate with the slave market rather than use force to rescue the courier.
• Han Xiao repaired machinery on Floating Dragon Island, learned the Dragon Butterfly reconnaissance aircraft blueprint, and worked on a vehicle prototype using warehouse materials.
• Han Xiao extorted 34,000 Enas from Sion and his subordinates in exchange for ending the beatings.
• Han Xiao met Horlade and offered to buy the Silver Spirit people, but Horlade demanded 200,000 Enas per person and offered Han Xiao a commission for persuading their employers to pay.

Han Xiao refused Horlade’s offer to profit from the captured Silver Spirit People and looked for a way to secure their release without paying the ransom. Ashes chose to take the captives by force, while the Silver Spirit leaders gave Han Xiao’s mercenary group one more chance; elsewhere, Li Ge investigated the Whispering Bead.

• Han Xiao rejected Horlade’s offer, reported the failed rescue to the Silver Spirit employer, and considered asking Jenny or Ames to intervene.
• Han Xiao passed a masked Ashes at the slave market and sensed that he was dangerous and interested in the Silver Spirit captives.
• Ashes offered Horlade money for the captives, then decided DarkStar would take them by force after Horlade demanded more.
• The Silver Spirit leaders argued over Horlade’s ransom and decided to let the Black Star Mercenary Group try to rescue the captives before paying.
• Li Ge examined the Whispering Bead during patrol and decided to show it to different NPCs to find its special character.

While Ames was away, Han Xiao waited for a chance to free the Silver Spirit People as DarkStar launched a covert rescue at the slave market. Han Xiao arrived during their escape, and Ashes’s attack failed against his Tough Body, leaving the two sides poised to fight.

• Han Xiao learned that Ames had left Dragon Calm, then received routine logistics work while she was gone.
• Horlade gave the Silver Spirit People three more days to pay, as Ashes prepared DarkStar’s covert rescue with hired pirates.
• DarkStar cut power to the slave-market block, used hypnotic gas to knock out its staff, and freed the prisoners; Ashes claimed the Silver Spirit People and killed thugs who challenged him.
• An automated repair assignment sent Han Xiao to the darkened market, where he found the unconscious staff and encountered Ashes’s group carrying the rescued Silver Spirit People.
• Ashes tried to deconstruct the carbon atoms in Han Xiao’s body, but Tough Body made him immune to the damage, and Han Xiao activated his combat suit and fired at the group.