Chapter Summaries

Fumi’s reconnaissance team was ambushed by a vast swarm of Nightmares, while Han Xiao continued repairing armor during the battle at Forest City’s third defensive perimeter. Han Xiao reached Nivelle’s damaged armor at the B12 position and began restoring it as burrowing beasts broke through the line.

• Fumi’s three-person reconnaissance team fled from the Nightmares, and Fumi resolved never to return for another Calamity if he survived.
• A Nightmare’s spiked tails dragged one scout into the woods and tore apart the Grade C martial artist, leaving Fumi and the other survivor surrounded by more than a thousand tails.
• Han Xiao repaired damaged armor behind the third defensive perimeter as the Steel Defense Force fought through a five-hour beast-tide assault.
• Han Xiao responded to an emergency call at B12 and found Nivelle unable to move because his armor’s power unit and leg systems had been damaged.
• Han Xiao held Nivelle down and began repairing his non-commissioned officer armor while soldiers guarded him and burrowing beasts crossed the defensive line.

Han Xiao helped defend Forest City as the Calamity entered its middle phase, then witnessed the heavy losses the Nightmares inflicted. After dawn, the return of Fagorna’s field troops revealed the deaths of many Sunil Supers and an uneasy divide among the survivors.

• Nivelle explained that the Sunils had only four badly damaged suits of General-Grade Armor left after losing the technology to make them.
• Han Xiao killed a charging carapace beast with Garetan's Wrath, then finished repairing Nivelle’s armor.
• The level-two alert sounded as Nightmares attacked, and Han Xiao retreated with the repair crews while the Sunils used searchlights to disrupt the beasts.
• The Nightmares withdrew at dawn after a costly battle that killed at least a thousand soldiers.
• Fagorna returned with the bodies of more than twenty Sunil Supers, including Fumi, while Reldon survived with further injuries.
• Han Xiao noticed that some Sunil Supers showed concealed anger and dissatisfaction alongside their grief.

Han Xiao repaired Reldon's cybernetic arm and heard how Reldon's childhood loss and a veteran's kindness had led him to fight for the Sunil. He then privately approached Melos, claiming to be a prophet who knew the Sunil's future and Melos' inheritance.

• Han Xiao fitted Reldon with a spare cybernetic arm and took him to Melos' bar for a drink.
• Reldon explained that he lost his parents and sisters during DarkStar's attack, then was raised by a veteran who taught him to defend the Sunil.
• Reldon said he became a mercenary to repay the Sunil's kindness and help his race survive.
• Han Xiao interrupted Reldon and told Melos privately that he knew about Melos' strength, inheritance, and the Sunil's future.
• Han Xiao called himself a precog or prophet, surprising Melos.

Han Xiao told the skeptical Melos that the Sunil Race would fracture and be assimilated, then hinted that Melos’s own fate could still be changed. He tried to recruit Melos, but the conversation was interrupted by an argument about Goddora’s role in the Sunils’ suffering.

• Melos doubted Han Xiao’s claim that he could see the future and teased him by asking what he would eat for breakfast.
• Han Xiao predicted that the Sunil Race’s guardian gods would split apart, leaving the race weakened, scattered, and gradually assimilated by Goddora.
• Han Xiao said he knew how Melos would end up but would reveal it only after Melos believed him; Melos claimed he already did, and Han Xiao told him to seek him out later.
• Han Xiao considered Melos a potential recruit for his faction and hoped to draw him away from his current life as a drunkard.
• A dispute broke out in the bar, where a Sunil accused Goddora of deliberately relocating the race to a dangerous planet.

As the Calamity worsened, Han Xiao’s warning about Sunil’s future reached Melos just as Fagorna announced he planned to abandon the race after the crisis. The final stage began with a swarm of aggressive insects approaching the city.

• At Melos’ bar, a drunk blamed the Supers and army for the deaths, and Lana beat him after the patrons argued with him.
• Han Xiao told Melos he could solve Sunil’s problem, then left with Reldon; Fagorna arrived and told Melos he intended to leave Sunil with other warriors after the Calamity.
• Melos told Fagorna Han Xiao’s prediction about Sunil accepting Goddora’s aid, but Fagorna insisted survival mattered most and challenged Melos to stop hiding behind others.
• Han Xiao continued repairing battlefield defenses as the fighting intensified, while Sunil’s warships remained in reserve for the final stage and possible evacuation.
• Seven or eight days later, alarms announced the final stage, residents and some Supers took shelter with breathing masks, and a dense swarm of aggressive insects advanced toward the city.

The Sunils fought the final phase of the calamity amid poison gas and heavy casualties, while Nivelle died defending his position against a Thunder Leopard. After the battle, the military raised the Black Star Mercenary Group’s pay to secure more reconnaissance, and Melos discovered Lana arguing with his parents about joining the army.

• The Sunils used biochemical poison gas and support from nine warships to fight off swarms of insects and powerful beasts, while Nivelle’s B12 Defense Squad suffered devastating losses.
• Nivelle fought the Thunder Leopard after it breached his position, was poisoned and gravely wounded, then died when a railgun blast engulfed him and the beast.
• Han Xiao repaired soldiers’ armor as the players returned unharmed, revealing that the Black Star Mercenary Group could revive and drawing the military’s attention.
• A military general asked Han Xiao’s group to resume reconnaissance and raised their reward to 12,000 Enas; Han Xiao accepted and sent the players out again.
• Han Xiao learned that Nivelle had died and saw Nivelle’s wife come to claim his body.
• Melos left his bar after watching the battle reports and overheard Lana tell his parents that he planned to join the army when he was old enough for conscription.

Melos remembered his brother Delphis and reclaimed the armor Delphis had left him, deciding to fight again. Meanwhile, Han Xiao’s defensive line faced giant beasts and prepared to fire its powerful particle cannon at an approaching Mountain Beast.

• Lana promised his parents that he would complete compulsory military service but would not enlist, after they reminded him of the dangers and the family they would leave behind.
• Melos recalled Delphis’s death during the DarkStar disaster and the inheritance hidden in his research room.
• Melos opened the secret basement beneath his bar and took out Delphis’s General-Grade Armor, [Shattered Splitting Light].
• Giant acid beetles overwhelmed the defenses, forcing one warship to land for repairs.
• The Sunil detected an approaching Mountain Beast and began charging the high-energy concentrated particle cannon, while Han Xiao watched eagerly.

The Sunil defenders faced a Mountain Beast, a Lava Lizard, and a Hunter King Beast as their battleship’s particle cannon wounded the first two threats. Melos arrived in General-Grade Armor and confronted the Hunter King Beast, leaving the soldiers stunned and the battle turning in his favor.

• The Mountain Beast hurled compacted earth at the battleship, whose particle cannon blasted open its body and severed one of its legs.
• A Lava Lizard and a Hunter King Beast approached, and the particle cannon shot off the Lava Lizard’s wing while troops moved to stop the Hunter King Beast.
• Melos stopped the charging Hunter King Beast with a metal block and told the defenders to leave the beast to him.
• Melos’s combat suit transformed into the legendary General-Grade Armor, and his weapon extended into a ten-meter ship-slaying blade.
• Melos struck the Hunter King Beast with a sweeping blade attack, cutting its torso and reversing the fight’s momentum.

Melos fought off the beast tide in General-Grade Armor, then kept helping the Sunil military while hiding his identity. After the Tide ended, Fagorna publicly announced that he and many Espers were leaving the Sunil Race, bringing the guardians face-to-face in a bitter split as Han Xiao watched for a chance to intervene.

• Melos used the Shattered Splitting Light and his ship-slaying blade to tear through the beasts, lifting the soldiers’ morale and helping stabilize the battlefield.
• Melos continued to aid the Sunils while avoiding the military’s attempts to identify him, torn between protecting his people and keeping the armor as Delphis’s legacy.
• The Tide ended, the beasts fled, and exhausted soldiers were taken for treatment as Sunils celebrated their survival.
• Fagorna announced that he and forty percent of the Espers would leave the Sunil Race, shocking the population and its military leaders.
• Fagorna’s independence faction confronted Reldon and the guardian faction, while Han Xiao watched the escalating division and waited for an opportunity to act.

After the independence faction split from the Sunil guardians, Melos confronted Fagorna, then revealed his identity and stepped forward to protect his people. The Sunil leadership promoted Melos as a new role model, and the mercenaries departed after receiving their rewards.

• Fagorna led the independence faction away, leaving the Sunil soldiers and guardians grieving over the split.
• Melos confronted Fagorna in the jungle, but Fagorna insisted the faction had left to pursue a stable life and would not change its minds.
• After the independence faction departed, Melos returned to the defensive perimeter, removed his helmet, and announced his name to the soldiers.
• The Sunil military and leadership publicized Melos as a hero and promoted him as a new role model for the race.
• The Sunil paid the mercenaries, and Han Xiao earned 16,000 Enas from the expedition and battlefield repairs.

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.