Chapter Summaries

Han Xiao secured permission to use Void Dragon materials, then realized DarkStar might target the slave trader Paiji and went to investigate in disguise. He convinced Paiji that he represented DarkStar, and Paiji began to suspect that the Silver Spirit People he had thrown off his ship included a DarkStar emissary.

• Jenny granted Han Xiao limited access to Void Dragon materials and reflected on his unusual abilities and the immortality of his subordinates.
• Han Xiao deduced that DarkStar would seek out Paiji, disguised himself, and headed to the docks.
• Ashes ordered his team to find Paiji, believing the slave trader knew where the Whispering Bead was.
• Paiji prepared to leave Dragon Calm, but a meteor swarm forced his ship to remain docked under the island's shield.
• Han Xiao contacted Paiji, claimed to represent DarkStar, and offered payment for information about the Silver Spirit People.
• Paiji connected Han Xiao's claims to the bead and suspected that one of the Silver Spirit People he had discarded was a DarkStar emissary.

Han Xiao learned that DarkStar was searching for a black bead and used the Child of Destiny card to discover that Li Ge had found it. Meanwhile, Han Xiao misled Ashes through Paiji, and the chapter ended with the mercenary players receiving a competitive mission to find the bead.

• Paiji told Han Xiao that he had taken a black bead from a Silver Spirit courier but lost it, and Han Xiao pretended to recruit him into DarkStar while instructing him to mislead anyone else asking about it.
• Han Xiao used the Child of Destiny card and saw Li Ge holding the black bead.
• Ashes questioned Paiji while posing as a mercenary, but Paiji followed Han Xiao's instructions and claimed the bead had been lost in space.
• Ashes left believing the bead was unrecoverable, while Paiji looked forward to joining DarkStar.
• The Black Star Mercenary Group players received a competitive mission to find the bead, with a reward for the first player to hand it over.

Han Xiao recovered the black bead by manipulating Li Ge into handing it over, then rescued the Silver Spirit People and reunited with the imprisoned mercenaries. As the mercenaries awaited their release, Paiji encountered a DarkStar mothership and believed DarkStar had come to recruit him.

• Han Xiao announced a competitive mission for the black bead, and Li Ge gave it to him in exchange for new armor, believing he had beaten the other players.
• Han Xiao recognized that the bead might be a Whispering Bead containing something important to DarkStar and kept it in his possession.
• Han Xiao told Goya, Fasereni, Porter, and the other imprisoned mercenaries that he had completed the rescue mission, and their employers confirmed the Silver Spirit People were safe.
• Han Xiao explained Horlade's betrayal while concealing DarkStar's involvement, then learned the mercenaries would remain imprisoned for a few more days until their leaders arrived.
• A DarkStar mothership emerged from stealth and blocked Paiji's ship, and Paiji rejoiced, believing DarkStar had come to take him in.

DarkStar captured Paiji to learn what happened to the Whispering Bead, but discovered that a mysterious force had impersonated a DarkStar emissary and deceived both Paiji and Ashes. After ordering a search for the bead and the impostors, Sarota had Paiji and the other scavengers executed to silence them.

• Paiji welcomed DarkStar's soldiers as his new allies and cooperated when they captured and interrogated him.
• Sarota and Ashes questioned Paiji about the Whispering Bead, and Paiji revealed that a hooded impostor claiming to represent DarkStar had instructed him to deceive a later visitor.
• Ashes realized that Paiji's later visitor had been him, and Sarota and Ashes concluded that an unknown force had also been hunting the bead.
• Paiji said he had kept the bead with him and lost it during the fighting on Dragon Calm, so Sarota ordered an investigation and Ashes set out to search Dragon Calm.
• Sarota rejected Paiji's plea to join DarkStar and ordered the soldiers to execute him and the other scavengers.
• Paiji died realizing that the DarkStar he had admired had killed him.

Han Xiao used Void Dragon marrow to gain the Void Gene talent and upgrade his Tenacious Life talent, then received Ames’s approval to operate outside Dragon Calm. As he left the warehouse with Aroshia, Ashes and a DarkStar strike team ambushed them and demanded his cooperation.

• Han Xiao injected seven doses of Void Dragon marrow, gaining the Void Gene talent and a new organ that improved his spatial perception, speed, and evasion.
• The marrow unexpectedly upgraded Han Xiao’s Low-Level Tough Life talent into Intermediate Tenacious Life, doubling its health conversion and adding resistance.
• Ames approved Han Xiao’s request to operate outside Dragon Calm and tasked him with investigating her teacher’s whereabouts.
• Han Xiao left the warehouse with Aroshia and sensed danger on an empty street.
• Ashes and the DarkStar strike team trapped Han Xiao and Aroshia behind rising walls, then ordered Han Xiao to come with them.

DarkStar ambushed Han Xiao to force him to locate the Whispering Bead, unaware that he was the witness who had disrupted their earlier operation. When Ashes’s ability failed to manipulate Han Xiao’s body, he recognized Black Star as that witness, just as their battle began.

• Ashes chose Han Xiao as DarkStar’s target and set an ambush to make him search the mercenaries for the Whispering Bead.
• Han Xiao realized DarkStar did not know he had impersonated them or possessed the bead, and he considered pretending to cooperate.
• Ashes offered to discuss cooperation only after Han Xiao accepted nanomachines that would let DarkStar control him.
• Han Xiao refused, activated his armor, and opened fire on Ashes and the seven DarkStar warriors.
• Ashes tried to manipulate the carbon in Han Xiao’s body, but his ability failed, and he recognized Han Xiao as the witness who had ruined DarkStar’s operation.

Han Xiao fought Ashes and seven DarkStar warriors inside a sealed enclosure, using Flying Serpent to hold them off despite their coordinated attacks. After Mechanical Continuation let him badly wound the acid Esper, Flying Serpent finally shattered, but Han Xiao refused to surrender and faced Ashes without his mecha.

• Han Xiao pretended to recognize Ashes from the slave market attack, while Ashes became eager to settle their earlier unfinished fight.
• Ashes trapped Han Xiao and Aroshia inside a hardened enclosure, and the seven DarkStar warriors attacked Han Xiao as Ashes controlled carbon dust and disrupted his mecha.
• Players on duty received an emergency mission ordering them to support Black Star at the battlefield.
• Han Xiao fought back against the coordinated assault, but Flying Serpent’s durability fell to 16 percent as dust, hacking, acid, and electrical attacks damaged it.
• Han Xiao used Mechanical Continuation to keep Flying Serpent functioning long enough to slash and gravely wound the acid Esper before the mecha broke apart.
• Ashes prepared to attack the unprotected Han Xiao, but Han Xiao insisted the fight was not over.

Han Xiao endured Ashes and the DarkStar warriors’ relentless assault, then used Aurora’s character card to restore himself to full health. The attackers were left exhausted and wary as Ashes recognized Han Xiao as a formidable opponent.

• Ashes trapped Han Xiao in a barrage of carbon attacks while the DarkStar warriors surrounded him, and Han Xiao struck a nearby Mechanic before being overwhelmed.
• Han Xiao survived the coordinated assault with only superficial injuries, shocking Ashes and the other DarkStar warriors.
• Aroshia tried to shoot Ashes, but he restrained her with his Esper ability and resumed attacking Han Xiao.
• After another prolonged bombardment, Han Xiao used Aurora’s character card to heal completely and walked out of the crater as his scythe crumbled.
• Ashes grew cautious and asked Han Xiao what kind of monster he was.

Han Xiao survived DarkStar's ambush when Melos and the guards arrived, forcing Ashes to retreat with a teleportation device. He learned that Aroshia was an uncontrollable Cosmic Wonder who returned to a cell every six days, and took her back to the slave market to search for a way to keep her away; DarkStar ordered Ashes to withdraw.

• Ashes weighed whether to continue fighting Han Xiao, but Melos and Han Xiao's other men broke through the cage and forced the DarkStar warriors to surrender or flee.
• Ashes used a short-range teleportation device to escape with his team, and Han Xiao identified the device's traces and kept the Whispering Bead rather than return it to DarkStar.
• Han Xiao told Melos that the attackers were likely seeking revenge, then offered to train Aroshia after sensing her latent energy.
• Aroshia revealed that she was a Cosmic Wonder who could not truly die and was transported back to her cell every six days, leaving Han Xiao to suspect the cell held a clue to completing the mission.
• Han Xiao rearmed with a Flying Serpent Mecha and accompanied Aroshia to the slave market ruins while his men searched for enemies.
• Ashes reported his failure to DarkStar's superiors, who told him to stop pursuing Han Xiao and withdraw.

Han Xiao’s conversation with Aroshia completed a hidden mission and triggered a Grade A chain to help her awaken and grow stronger. After leaving Dragon Calm with new support and equipment, he returned the Silver Spirit People to their employer and collected the promised Compression Technology knowledge.

• Han Xiao found no clues in Aroshia’s former cell and discussed desire, meaning, and strength with her.
• Aroshia moved away from the cell as the Visitor from Afar mission completed, triggering the hidden Restart chain mission.
• Two days later, Jenny released the detained mercenary teams, and Han Xiao prepared to leave Dragon Calm with them.
• Jenny named Han Xiao Dragon Calm’s field commander and gave him a communicator that could contact Ames directly.
• Haier gave Han Xiao a portable miniature nuclear reactor, and Han Xiao departed Dragon Calm with Aroshia and the Volga Three Brothers.
• Han Xiao returned the Silver Spirit People to their employer, who began paying the mercenaries and gave Han Xiao the final two pieces of Compression Technology knowledge.

After completing the Silver Spirit rescue, Han Xiao learned new Compression Technology skills and formed alliances with Blade and Purple Gold. As the mercenaries headed toward Golden Palace, DarkStar destroyed the Silver Spirit spaceship and surrounded them, leaving Han Xiao facing his most dangerous crisis yet.

• The Silver Spirit employer thanked Han Xiao, paid the mission rewards, and offered him an escort job, which Han Xiao declined.
• Han Xiao learned High-Density Matter Compression Technology and Basic Spatial Technology, then mastered Hypercompression Technology, Basic Mechanical Generation, and Weight Reduction Structure.
• Blade and Purple Gold invited Han Xiao to become their allied partner, and he signed cooperation agreements with both groups.
• Han Xiao chose to travel to Golden Palace to find someone who could appraise the Whispering Bead, and Goya offered Sky Ring's ship a ride there.
• A DarkStar fleet emerged from stealth, destroyed the Silver Spirit spaceship, and pursued the three mercenary ships because it suspected one of them had the Whispering Bead.
• Han Xiao ordered the ships to dive back toward the planet and prepared to face the fleet despite the overwhelming odds.

Han Xiao sought reinforcements as DarkStar pursued the three mercenary spacecraft, then took control of the damaged Sky Ring ship and redirected its power to propulsion. The chapter ended as his sudden acceleration threw everyone to the floor.

• Han Xiao sent a distress call to Ames, who agreed to come when she had time, and he and the players received the emergency mission to evade DarkStar and survive until reinforcements arrived.
• The three spacecraft split up over a barren planet and used its terrain to evade DarkStar's hovercraft, but the Sky Ring ship took heavy fire across an exposed plain.
• With the ship's shields weakening and its power core nearing overload, Han Xiao took the pilot's seat after Goya accepted his offer to fly.
• Han Xiao reduced shield output and routed the saved energy to the propulsion engines, then warned everyone to hold on as the ship surged forward.

Han Xiao used daring maneuvers to evade DarkStar’s pursuit and buy the Sky Ring ship time, while the crew struggled with severe airsickness. DarkStar Captain Sarota watched the chase as the Holy Stone and Black Raven border fleets arrived and held position nearby.

• Han Xiao accelerated and piloted the Sky Ring ship through extreme maneuvers, disrupting the pursuing fleet’s formation and reducing its accuracy.
• Han Xiao ordered the pilot to fire; the Sky Ring ship struck the leading floating ships, causing a chain of collisions and opening distance from the pursuers.
• The crew suffered severe dizziness, while the players avoided most of it by lowering their sensory feedback.
• Han Xiao concluded that piloting alone would not keep them safe for two days and said he had a plan to leave the planet’s surface.
• Captain Sarota identified the Sky Ring ship’s skilled pilot and acknowledged that Han Xiao was aboard, while Ashes reacted to Han Xiao’s name.
• The Holy Stone and Black Raven border fleets arrived near DarkStar’s mothership, and Sarota ordered a message claiming DarkStar was only passing through.

DarkStar pursued the three mercenary ships while the Holy Stone and Black Raven fleets watched from the sidelines. Han Xiao kept the ships alive through coordinated evasions, but as DarkStar sent reinforcements, an offer of shelter from Holy Stone left him suspicious.

• Sivadi ordered the Holy Stone fleet to monitor DarkStar without intervening, and the Black Raven fleet likewise held position.
• Han Xiao rescued the Blade spaceship after its shield failed, then coordinated the three ships’ routes and repeatedly supported them as they evaded pursuit.
• After the three ships held out for half an hour, Sarota ordered more DarkStar warships down to surround the planet and cut off escape routes.
• The mercenaries received a message from the Holy Stone Border Defense Army offering shelter at designated coordinates, but Han Xiao warned that something seemed fishy.

Han Xiao rejected a false promise of Holy Stone support and led the mercenaries underground to evade DarkStar’s pursuit. After several hours, DarkStar began bombarding the surface, and Han Xiao ordered everyone to abandon their ships.

• Han Xiao warned the mercenaries that Holy Stone’s rendezvous message was likely a trap, and he, Goya, and Porter refused to go with Fasereni.
• Han Xiao took the Sky Ring and Tu Shu’s ships underground, while Fasereni brought the Purple Gold spaceship to the rendezvous point and was captured after discovering there was no support.
• Sivadi revealed that he had broadcast the false rendezvous message to hasten the mercenaries’ capture, then ordered Holy Stone’s forces to stand by.
• Han Xiao led the ships through the underground passages for hours, while DarkStar’s drones struggled to keep up and the Blade spaceship remained under pursuit.
• DarkStar began bombarding the surface to collapse the underground passages, and Han Xiao told the mercenaries to abandon their ships.

Han Xiao’s group abandoned their ships and scattered through the underground caverns, forcing DarkStar to switch from bombardment to a ground search. As DarkStar pursued them, a fleet assembled by Sky Ring, Blade, Purple Gold, and their allies arrived, leaving Sivadi worried that a battle would break out.

• Han Xiao persuaded Goya and Porter to abandon their ships and flee through the caverns, reasoning that DarkStar would stop bombing and try to capture them alive.
• Sarota discovered that the Sky Ring ship was empty and ordered DarkStar to stop the bombardment, search for the mercenaries, and send Ashes to lead the ground troops.
• Han Xiao, Melos, Aroshia, the Volga Three Brothers, Frenzied Saber, and Maple Moon hid in the Ball Vehicle as DarkStar forces searched the caverns and captured some of the scattered mercenaries.
• After DarkStar remained in the area for a day, a large allied fleet assembled by Sky Ring, Blade, Purple Gold, and dozens of partner groups arrived near the DarkStar mothership.
• Sivadi feared that a confrontation between DarkStar and the arriving mercenary fleet would draw Holy Stone and Black Raven into a fight.

DarkStar fought the combined mercenary fleet while Holy Stone and Black Raven contained the battle and refused to intervene, drawing attention from civilizations across the region. Han Xiao completed his survival mission while evading capture, but Ashes caught up with him and forced him to flee again.

• Sarota rejected the mercenary fleet's ultimatum and chose to keep capturing the mercenaries, prompting the combined fleet to attack DarkStar.
• Sivadi's warning failed to stop the fighting, and Holy Stone and Black Raven formed defensive lines while remaining neutral.
• A Goddoran diplomat asked Holy Stone to attack DarkStar, but Sivadi and Holy Stone's leaders refused to intervene as news of the battle spread.
• Han Xiao and Melos killed a DarkStar search squad, and Han Xiao saw that his Escape with Your Life mission had earned a C rating.
• Ashes cornered Han Xiao and his companions underground, so Han Xiao drove the spherical vehicle through a rock wall to escape.

Han Xiao escaped Ashes after Ashes used his ability to injure Melos, while Aroshia awakened as an energy life form and helped power their vehicle. Ashes then received orders to abandon the mission, as a live report on the wider battle revealed Dragon Calm heading toward the Holy Stone fleet.

• Ashes used his ability to obstruct Han Xiao’s vehicle and control the people inside, while Han Xiao accelerated toward a nearby fissure.
• Ashes decomposed Melos’s left arm and began breaking down Aroshia, whose fear of losing her memories triggered her transformation into an energy life form.
• Aroshia connected with the vehicle’s energy core and overloaded it, allowing Han Xiao’s group to escape Ashes’s range; Melos’s decomposition stopped at his shoulder.
• Ashes learned that the mothership had ordered an immediate retreat, leaving Han Xiao and the others to escape.
• Brimlna reported on the battle near Planet 122, then watched Dragon Calm head straight toward the Holy Stone fleet.

Ames arrived on Floating Dragon Island in the middle of the battle and revealed that she had come to aid the mercenaries. She devastated DarkStar’s fleet and smashed into its mothership, leaving the battlefield stunned.

• Sivadi ordered the Holy Stone fleet to clear a path for Floating Dragon Island after Jenny demanded that it make way.
• Goya and her teammates escaped underground but emerged to find DarkStar closing in while the combined fleet remained unable to rescue them.
• Floating Dragon Island stopped in the battlefield, and Ames stepped through a portal as the surrounding fleets recognized the Dragon Emperor.
• Ames crushed nearby DarkStar battleships with her force field, prompting Sivadi to realize she had come to help the mercenaries.
• Sarota ordered DarkStar to retreat and protect its mothership, but Ames hurled Floating Dragon Island into it and shattered nearly half the vessel.

Ames destroyed DarkStar's mothership fleet and rescued the mercenaries, then her public closeness with Han Xiao brought him attention and new allies. After the mission rewards arrived, Han Xiao noticed a new instance on his NPC template.

• Ames routed DarkStar's fleet, while Holy Stone and Black Raven joined the pursuit and captured the surviving DarkStar forces, including Sarota.
• Mercenaries rescued their captured comrades from the wreckage, and the gathered forces welcomed Ames before she walked past them to speak with Han Xiao.
• The mercenary groups learned Han Xiao belonged to Dragon Calm and flocked to offer cooperation, giving him new contacts and influence.
• Ames departed after asking Han Xiao to help find her teacher, and Han Xiao reflected on the benefits and drawbacks of his connection to her.
• Han Xiao completed the escape mission with a B rating and received experience and renown; he then noticed a new instance on his NPC template.