Chapter Summaries

With the players gone, Han Xiao sought a safe way to complete his level 100 advancement mission and decided to pursue difficult missions for a chance to obtain a Mission Settlement Card. After awakening Sylvia’s Mechanical Force and explaining the players’ absence to Melos, he prepared to travel to the Terrarium Star Cluster to find an item that would trigger a mission.

• Han Xiao concluded that confronting a Grade A opponent was too dangerous and decided to seek a Mission Settlement Card through high-evaluation missions.
• Han Xiao strapped Sylvia into a chair and used electricity to awaken her magnetic energy, then told her to study more mechanical theory.
• Melos asked why Han Xiao’s subordinates had disappeared, and Han Xiao claimed they had entered an unusually long sleep.
• Han Xiao told Melos that he planned to suspend the mercenary group’s operations and travel to the Terrarium Star Cluster to find a mission-triggering item.

Han Xiao raided an abandoned scavenger base to retrieve a Mysterious Statue tied to an occult mission, then stripped the base of everything useful. He and his crew traveled to the Ryan Star System, where the mission trigger was an interstellar celebrity invited to tour.

• Han Xiao landed near the scavenger base with Melos and used mechanical beasts and scouting insects to disable its defenses and breach its systems.
• Melos reported that the base was empty, so Han Xiao searched the warehouse and found the Mysterious Statue, a ritual object associated with the Arcane Church and a Psionic Undercurrent.
• Han Xiao called Melos over and dismantled the base, loading its equipment, walls, and other salvage into supply crates before leaving with his crew.
• The scavengers returned to find their base stripped bare, learned that Black Star had taken everything, and felt relieved they had been away.
• Han Xiao and his crew traveled to the Ryan Star System, where a celebrity invited by the New Feilan Alliance served as the mission trigger.

Han Xiao brought Sylvia to the Unification Day boarding ceremony and waited for the singer Morning Star, whose performance was his mission target. Morning Star recognized Han Xiao in the crowd and invited him to watch the performance in person.

• Han Xiao promised Sylvia he would take her to the Unification Day celebration, while Melos stayed behind to watch the ship.
• Han Xiao and Sylvia joined the crowd at the spaceport to watch dignitaries board the Wine and Celebration.
• Sylvia watched the ceremony excitedly as the alliance speaker and other officials passed by.
• Morning Star appeared, calmed the crowd with his voice, and walked straight to Han Xiao.
• Morning Star invited Han Xiao to watch his performance in person.

Han Xiao and Sylvia attended New Feilan’s celebration after Morning Star invited them aboard, then met the singer, who offered Han Xiao a well-paid mission to find two missing statues. Han Xiao accepted, already knowing where the statues were and planning to earn a high mission rating.

• Morning Star invited Han Xiao and Sylvia onto the celebration ship after noticing Han Xiao’s Mysterious Statue.
• Han Xiao and Sylvia watched Morning Star perform at the celebration, and Han Xiao then asked to meet him.
• Morning Star revealed a matching statue and explained that the four collectibles could locate one another when brought together.
• Morning Star offered Han Xiao 100,000 Enas to find the two remaining statues, and Han Xiao accepted the Find the Statues mission.
• Han Xiao recalled that he already knew where the missing statues were and intended to complete the mission quickly for a high rating.

Han Xiao collected the third Mysterious Statue and traveled to Mystic Blue Star to claim the final one from a local faction, deciding to use force rather than negotiate. The chapter ended as several rival factions converged on a newly fallen object near Rune City, unaware that Han Xiao’s group was approaching.

• Han Xiao accepted Morning Star’s offer of one hundred thousand Enas to find the other two Mysterious Statues.
• Han Xiao traveled to a barren planet and retrieved the third statue, then briefed his group on Mystic Blue Star and the faction holding the final one.
• Han Xiao rejected Melos’s suggestion to negotiate and decided to demand the statue by force.
• Near Rune City, smugglers found an egg-shaped metal object that had fallen from the sky.
• Steel Fire Fort troops and other rival groups arrived at the impact site and surrounded the object.

Han Xiao emerged from his damaged drop pod and easily defeated the warriors who tried to seize him, revealing that he had come to Rune City for a wooden-looking statue. He gave the city until morning to hand it over, while news of the living alien spread across Mystic Blue Star.

• Five factions fought over Han Xiao’s drop pod, then tried to destroy it when Rune City’s troops approached.
• Han Xiao came out of the pod unharmed and was mistaken for an alien, prompting the factions and Rune City guards to try to capture him.
• After a Steel Fire Fort sniper shot him without effect, Han Xiao unleashed mechanical beasts and defeated the assembled warriors, sparing most of them to carry a message.
• Han Xiao demanded that Rune City hand over a wooden-looking statue by morning in exchange for information about the universe, or he would take it himself.
• The survivors returned to their factions with news of the first living spacefarer, leaving Mystic Blue Star shaken through the night.

The Rune Lord and his officials rejected Han Xiao’s offer to trade information for the statue and chose to capture him. When Rune City’s forces surrounded him at daybreak, Han Xiao prepared to fight his way into the city.

• The Rune Lord convened an emergency meeting after Han Xiao arrived and requested the extraterrestrial statue in exchange for information.
• Rune City’s officials argued over whether to negotiate or seize Han Xiao, and the Rune Lord ordered an attack after the pro-war faction prevailed.
• Han Xiao waited in the forest overnight and sensed the gravity rune and killing intent as Rune City’s forces approached.
• Bakzas led a force of two thousand rune guards to surround Han Xiao and demanded that he surrender.
• Han Xiao dismissed the threat and turned toward Rune City, deciding to bulldoze his way through.

Han Xiao single-handedly routed Rune City's army and continued toward the city. The Lord of Runes learned that the army had been defeated and its target remained unharmed.

• Han Xiao advanced through Rune City's troops, using turrets and mechanical defenses to kill or disable soldiers and repel a volley of rune crossbow bolts.
• Three hundred Black Armor Guards charged Han Xiao, but his mechanical beasts and electromagnetic turrets eliminated them.
• Bakzas ordered the rune ballistae to fire, but Han Xiao deflected their energy bolts and destroyed three ballistae with an electromagnetic railgun.
• Rune City's army broke and fled, and Han Xiao gained the achievement talent [Ten Thousand Cannot Break Through] before continuing toward Rune City.
• The Lord of Runes received word that the army had been utterly defeated and Han Xiao was unharmed, frightening him and the officials present.

Han Xiao reached Rune City after defeating its army and recovered the final lost statue. The Rune Lord offered the statue and a treasury inventory to appease him, but Han Xiao rejected the compensation and prepared to make him pay for the attack.

• Rune City residents learned from fleeing soldiers that Han Xiao had defeated the army and was heading toward the city.
• The Rune Lord carried the statue to meet Han Xiao, followed by officials and a growing crowd of residents.
• Han Xiao confirmed that the statue was the last one he needed and reassured the crowd that mercenaries did not slaughter innocents.
• Han Xiao confronted the Rune Lord about the ambush and demanded compensation under the principle of equal exchange.
• The Rune Lord offered objects from the treasury, but Han Xiao judged them worthless and said the compensation could not buy the Rune Lord's life.

Han Xiao killed the Lord of Runes, retrieved the statue, and left Mystic Blue Star, whose factions changed their views on technology and interstellar power after witnessing him. He later reunited with Morning Star, delivered all four statues, and received mission rewards that included a charm-focused summon card and a random talent reward.

• The Lord of Runes tried to threaten Han Xiao with the statue, but Han Xiao shot and killed him before taking it.
• Han Xiao boarded a spaceship and left Mystic Blue Star, prompting its factions to reconsider their conflicts and adopt Steel Fire Fort's mechanical technology.
• Han Xiao collected the remaining statues and traveled to a colony planet to buy special consumables before contacting Morning Star.
• Morning Star confirmed the four statues and paid Han Xiao twice the fee, while Han Xiao received mission rewards including a Character Summon Card.
• Han Xiao rubbed Melos for luck before drawing his random reward, which turned out to be a talent.

After receiving several rewards but no Mission Settlement Card, Han Xiao suddenly attacked Morning Star during their farewell handshake. He left Morning Star badly weakened with Hila's Character Summon Card and appeared to have sabotaged the statues Morning Star used to restore his psychic power.

• Han Xiao selected Advanced Mental Fortitude from his talent choices and collected his rewards.
• Han Xiao surprised Morning Star with a headbutt and Void Jet, then ordered Melos to hold off the guards while the others protected Sylvia.
• Morning Star unleashed psychic attacks and battered Han Xiao with a torrent of objects, but Han Xiao kept pressing him.
• Morning Star drained the Psionic Undercurrent from four statues to restore and amplify his power.
• Han Xiao summoned Hila's phantom and struck Morning Star's mind, causing his psychic power to collapse and leaving him kneeling as he accused Han Xiao of tampering with the statues.

Han Xiao captured Morning Star and escaped the hotel with his team, then learned that the body’s true owner was Audrian Kevinson Fording. Fording introduced himself calmly and described Morning Star as an unfriendly guest sharing his body.

• Han Xiao defeated Morning Star with mental toxin and psychic attacks, then knocked him unconscious.
• Han Xiao blasted a hole through the hotel wall, and he and his team escaped in a stolen hovercar while evading the police.
• Han Xiao told Melos that Morning Star was his target and said Morning Star would clear their names himself.
• Han Xiao woke Morning Star, whose demeanor and voice changed as he introduced himself as Audrian Kevinson Fording, the owner of the body.

Han Xiao uncovered that Morning Star was a Psychic Parasite controlling Fording’s body and offered to help him regain it in exchange for her savings. Fording agreed to stay with Han Xiao and help clear the group’s wanted status, but asked him to spare Morning Star.

• Han Xiao identified Morning Star as a Psychic Parasite, and Volga Third Brother explained how the technique trapped Fording’s consciousness inside his own body.
• Fording told the group that Morning Star had taken over his body nearly five years earlier after he rescued her from a crashed spaceship.
• Han Xiao recognized Fording’s hidden potential and offered to help him suppress Morning Star, asking for access to her savings in return.
• Fording said Morning Star had threatened to take him down if he touched her money, so he agreed to stay with Han Xiao until they could resolve the possession.
• Fording asked Han Xiao not to kill Morning Star, then agreed to help cancel the group’s wanted order after treating his injuries.

After Fording returned to control of the body, he canceled Morning Star’s performances and chose to leave with Han Xiao’s mercenaries. Han Xiao received a hidden mission to decide the fate of Fording and Morning Star, and suspected its unknown fourth condition would require helping them resolve their conflict over time.

• Fording returned to the hotel with Han Xiao’s group, and the police and reporters questioned him before accepting his explanation and leaving.
• Fording dismissed Morning Star’s support team, announced that he was suspending his career, and chose to leave with the mercenaries.
• Han Xiao received a hidden mission offering him a choice between letting either consciousness control the body or helping Fording and Morning Star reconcile.
• Han Xiao offered to suppress Morning Star without harming her so Fording could keep control while they negotiated.
• Fording agreed and said he could use Morning Star’s memories to train his psychic abilities, prompting Han Xiao to suspect the unknown mission condition involved a long-term solution.

After leaving the colony planet with Fording, Han Xiao’s group helped him suppress Morning Star and discovered that he had awakened psychic powers with extraordinary speed. As Han Xiao planned their next mission, Aroshia described a weak Grade B bottleneck and dreams that might hold her lost memories.

• Fording boarded Han Xiao’s spaceship after reporters tried to stop Morning Star from leaving, and Han Xiao blasted them away from the ramp.
• On the journey, Volga Third Brother trapped Morning Star’s consciousness behind mental barriers and slowed her recovery for fifteen days.
• Fording revealed that he had awakened psychic powers in only a few hours by drawing on Morning Star’s memories and shared abilities.
• Han Xiao considered pursuing another mission to gain rewards and advance toward level 100.
• Aroshia told Han Xiao that her Grade B bottleneck seemed easy to break and that her recent dreams might contain her lost memories.

Aroshia advanced to Grade B, unlocking a new stage of her memory-recovery mission. Han Xiao decided to help her search for the places in her visions, then drew an item reward that offered none of the rewards he wanted.

• Han Xiao took Aroshia to a nearby asteroid so she could safely break through to Grade B.
• Aroshia's energy surged and transformed before her body reappeared, completing the first stage of [Restart] and earning Han Xiao experience and a random reward.
• Aroshia described familiar visions and locations that seemed to call to her, prompting the second stage of [Restart] to send Han Xiao searching for her memory fragments.
• Han Xiao decided to pursue Aroshia's memories while prioritizing the group's advancement, and the mercenary team left the asteroid.
• Han Xiao drew an item reward and chose from a Potential Potion, a random Mechanic blueprint, and a Blank Character Card, none of which was the Mission Settlement Card he wanted.

Han Xiao chose a Blank Character Card as a possible way to meet his advancement mission prerequisite, then traveled to a Goddoran research station to trigger a mission. Far away, a signal led a mysterious figure aboard a Blacklight Stealth to seek someone in the Shattered Star Ring.

• Han Xiao chose a Blank Character Card, planning to use it on Ames and keep a powerful ability as a backup route to his advancement mission.
• A Blacklight Stealth received a signal from a glass ornament, and a luminous figure identified that its target had been ejected into the Shattered Star Ring and set out to find them.
• News of Fording leaving his singing career as Morning Star stirred debate among fans and the entertainment industry.
• Han Xiao brought the Black Star Mercenary Group to Goddora Scientific Research Space Station No. 075, claiming they needed refueling and resupply.
• Han Xiao planned to find the person who could trigger a mission about missing research teams near the station.

Han Xiao tried to secure Nirega’s commission to search for his missing wife, but Nirega refused until Fording spoke with him. The mission triggered, and Han Xiao realized his own charm had not met the required threshold.

• Han Xiao and his companions rested at a Godoran station while their ship underwent repairs, and Melos played a popular galactic card game featuring the Black Star Mercenary Group.
• The deputy station chief told Han Xiao that two research ships had gone missing and that Nirega’s wife was among the missing team.
• Han Xiao approached Nirega and offered to search for his wife, but Nirega refused to hire mercenaries.
• Han Xiao brought Fording to speak with Nirega, who then agreed to commission the search in secret.
• Han Xiao triggered the Star Roaming Beast mission and concluded that Fording’s charm, rather than his own, had secured Nirega’s agreement.

Han Xiao accepted Nirega’s mission to investigate an unnamed planet and find his missing wife, Laini, then took Melos and Aroshia there. After a dangerous descent through the planet’s radiation storm, they landed safely and Han Xiao spotted the direction of the research ship wreckage.

• Fording persuaded Nirega to offer Han Xiao a mission to investigate the planet and locate Laini.
• Han Xiao accepted the commission, gathered the planet’s coordinates and Laini’s photo, and departed with Melos and Aroshia.
• Han Xiao warned his team about the planet’s magnetic field and radiation storm before guiding their craft through the hazardous descent.
• The radiation storm disabled most of the craft’s equipment, but Han Xiao deployed glider wings and landed the craft without losing it.
• Han Xiao spotted the spaceship in orbit and pointed Melos and Aroshia toward the research team’s wreckage.

Han Xiao, Melos, and their companion investigated two crashed Goddoran research vessels and followed clues to an underground hot spring, where they found Laini and the Star Roaming Beast that had captured the crew. The beast attacked them, and Han Xiao recognized its crystal-tipped feeler as its weakness as the battle began.

• Han Xiao examined the first wreck, found no survivors, restarted its systems, and removed valuable components.
• Han Xiao and his companions inspected a second wreck, found signs its investigators had been overpowered, and followed the route Han Xiao remembered to a hidden cave.
• The group reached an underground hot spring, where Laini recognized Melos and warned them that the creature was emerging.
• The Star Roaming Beast rose from the water and attacked, pulling Han Xiao into the air with its control ability.
• Han Xiao identified the beast's immense durability and the crystal on its feeler as its weakness while Melos's blade and Han Xiao's bullets failed to harm its body.