Chapter Summaries

After learning that the Subterranean Mutants could migrate, Han Xiao decided to preserve them and asked Fording to help establish communication. As the assault on Nest No. 2 began, Fording connected to the mutants’ mental network, where Han Xiao discovered they mistook him for one of their own and had bizarre ideas about their captors.

• Han Xiao realized the Subterranean Mutants could relocate with their Whispering Stone and decided to seek a way to save them rather than exterminate them.
• Han Xiao explained his migration plan to Fording, who agreed to help communicate with the Subterranean Mutants.
• Melos led the Sunil troops to Nest No. 2, where they opened fire on the mutants before a vast swarm charged out and clashed with the players.
• Han Xiao and Fording borrowed captured Subterranean Mutants and used Whispering Stone to access their mental network.
• The Subterranean Mutants mistook Han Xiao for one of their kind and concluded that their captors fed them because they ate their droppings.

Han Xiao tested communication with the Subterranean Mutants and used it to persuade a surviving tribe to surrender and help convince nearby tribes. He left the tribe with instructions to meet the surface visitors, naming its chief Germinal and the tribe the Germinal Tribe.

• Melos led the Sunil troops in destroying Nest No. 2, killing millions of Subterranean Mutants before returning to camp to rest and replenish ammunition.
• Han Xiao told Melos to keep attacking nests but not to pursue fleeing mutants, explaining that fear would make them easier to persuade.
• Han Xiao and Fording caught up with the fleeing survivors, entered their mental network through the Whispering Stone, and Han Xiao blamed the Sunil for the slaughter while offering to protect the mutants if they surrendered and left the planet.
• The tribal chief agreed to surrender, and Han Xiao learned about the Subterranean Mutants’ separate tribes and their simple social structure.
• Han Xiao ordered the chief to persuade nearby tribes and seek out the surface visitors, then named the chief Germinal and its tribe the Germinal Tribe.

Han Xiao’s surrender strategy cleared many Subterranean Mutant nests, while the expeditionary force expanded its operations and completed Number Three Base. When Ochizi demanded that Han Xiao use a new biochemical weapon to exterminate the mutants, Han Xiao refused unless the Sunil paid more.

• Melos used the Germinal Tribe to persuade three tribes to surrender, then secured the last tribe without a fight after its members recognized Han Xiao.
• Han Xiao ordered most surrendered mutants to remain under surveillance while the Germinal Tribe’s leader accompanied the expeditionary force to persuade other tribes.
• The expeditionary force found 127 nests across 41 regions and persuaded 1.7 billion Subterranean Mutants to surrender, while killing at least as many more.
• Han Xiao and Reynold established a military factory at Number Three Base, and One Leaf Green developed a biochemical weapon against the mutants.
• Ochizi asked Han Xiao to exterminate the surrendered mutants, but Han Xiao argued that future threats were outside the current contract and demanded extra payment for the extermination.

Han Xiao refused Ochizi’s request to exterminate the Subterranean Mutants, while Melos’s forces were forced out of Nest No. 77 by the New Rock Tribe. After suffering heavy losses, Melos ordered biochemical weapons deployed, and the New Rock Tribe began discovering the Sunils’ surface settlement through a dead soldier’s memories.

• Han Xiao rebuffed Ochizi’s plea to kill the surrendered Subterranean Mutants and contacted his financial backers to prepare for their relocation.
• Germinal negotiated with Sorosoro of the New Rock Tribe, but the tribe refused to abandon its home and chose to resist.
• Melos led the expeditionary force into battle against the New Rock Tribe, whose numbers, psychic attacks, and underground tactics overwhelmed the troops.
• After the New Rock Tribe drove the expeditionary force back to the surface, Melos reported the defeat to Han Xiao and ordered the logistics troops to deploy biochemical weapons.
• A native Esper among the New Rock Tribe read memories from fallen Sunil soldiers and revealed Forest City and Planet Sunil’s surface to the tribe as a biochemical cloud spread toward their nest.

After returning from the campaign, Melos and the expeditionary force were welcomed as heroes by the Sunil, though the families of the fallen grieved. Melos pledged himself to Han Xiao, and the arrival of a transport fleet began the Subterranean Mutants’ relocation, while Fording reconsidered leaving the Black Star Army.

• Melos led the expeditionary force back to Forest City, where the Sunil welcomed the soldiers and players with cheers and gratitude.
• Families reunited with surviving soldiers while others mourned the fallen; Melos helped Lana's parents after they received his ashes.
• Melos formally thanked Han Xiao and pledged to follow him as his blade, and Han Xiao accepted.
• The Sunil leader agreed to settle payment after the Subterranean Mutants had been relocated, and Han Xiao's transport fleet arrived to begin the move.
• Fording reflected that he no longer needed the Black Star Army's help but decided that staying with it might be a good choice.

After the Black Star Army relocated the Subterranean Mutants and resolved Sunil’s crisis, Han Xiao gained a new race of worshippers and strengthened the army’s standing. Over the next two years, the army expanded steadily, reaching one million mercenaries and extending its influence beyond the Garton Star System.

• The Sunils settled their employment contract, raising the Black Star Army’s Mercenary Alliance assessment, while players collected rewards for completing the missions.
• Han Xiao supervised the Subterranean Mutants’ relocation, and the united tribes established a new home and began building a civilization under the Germinal Tribe’s leadership.
• The Subterranean Mutants named themselves the Black Spirit Race, worshipped Han Xiao, and earned him a Race Savior Legend Point and maximum faction favorability.
• Sherinde and other Sunil mercenaries established a training camp at Number Three Base, while the Sunils continued rebuilding and recruiting for the army.
• Planet Aquamarine’s players joined the Black Star Army, bringing its mercenary count to one million as Han Xiao expanded its bases and operations.
• Two years passed as the Black Star Army steadily grew across the Garton Star System and began reaching into nearby systems.

Two years later, players from Long Sky and Jiangcheng visited the Orange Star Relay Station to complete a hidden mission, where their Black Star Army ties protected them from space pirates. They found Ronaldo, who warned of a coming storm in the Shattered Star Ring and gave them a hunting list bearing Black Star’s name.

• Hao Tian, Frenzied Saber, and their teams entered the Orange Star Relay Station, where space pirates backed down after recognizing the Black Star Army emblem and Goddora officers offered their help.
• Two fleeing pirates discussed how the Black Star Army had crushed pirate groups and become feared across nearby star systems.
• The players found the disabled repairman Ronaldo and delivered him a letter; he refused recruitment and spoke of a growing upheaval across the Shattered Star Ring.
• Ronaldo suggested a transcendent force was guiding events, then gave the players a list to pass to Black Star and revealed that Black Star was on it.

Ronaldo warned the Black Star Army that a mysterious group called the Hunters was capturing powerful figures listed on a stolen document, and the players triggered a hidden quest. After capturing Kernid, Hunters Shana and her partner chose Black Star as their next target, with Shana planning to go after him alone.

• Ronaldo told Long Sky and the others that Hunters had captured his Calamity Grade friend and that the incomplete list included Black Star.
• The players triggered the hidden quest [Mysterious Hunting List] and agreed to pass the warning to Black Star.
• Kernid fled through space, but two masked Hunters caught up with him and defeated him with powerful magic and metal manipulation.
• The Hunters captured Kernid, and the man crossed his name off their list.
• Shana selected Black Star as their next target and decided to pursue him alone.

Over two years, Han Xiao expanded the Black Star Army into a major regional mercenary force while improving his machines and combat strength. As he considered the faction’s growth bottleneck and the approaching version update, Sylvia told him that Frenzied Saber, Hao Tian, and their group had arrived with important information.

• Han Xiao sparred with Reynold, testing the new Shapeshifter machine and noting that Reynold was nearing Calamity Grade.
• Reynold reported that the army’s reserves were generally healthy, though three bases faced shortages that were already being addressed.
• Han Xiao reviewed the Black Star Army’s expansion and concluded that its mercenary business had reached a limit, eventually requiring transformation into a semi-private armed force.
• Han Xiao examined his status and reflected on his growing combat power, stored experience, and preparations for the long version update.
• Sylvia informed Han Xiao that Frenzied Saber, Hao Tian, and their group wanted to see him with important information.

Frenzied Saber and the other players warned Han Xiao that a mysterious group of powerful hunters had placed him on a target list, while Han Xiao identified the Crimson Dynasty as the force behind the Shattered Star Ring’s growing turmoil. The Amethyst Civilization then hired him for a covert fleet-extermination mission, offering a chance to earn its trust and eventually gain access to cutting-edge Mechanic knowledge.

• Frenzied Saber gave Han Xiao a hunting list that included his name, and Han Xiao decided to investigate the listed targets’ whereabouts and remain on guard.
• Frenzied Saber asked about the Shattered Star Ring’s disturbances, and Han Xiao identified the Crimson Dynasty as their cause.
• Han Xiao issued Frenzied Saber, Hao Tian, Meat Bun, and the others a generous mission and saw them leave satisfied.
• Sylvia told Han Xiao that the Amethyst Civilization wanted to hire him, and Laifer explained that the job was to destroy a disguised fleet and warn the force behind it.
• Han Xiao suspected the fleet was connected to Krent and accepted the mission after Laifer offered payment and the possibility of future cutting-edge knowledge.

Han Xiao joined an Amethyst Civilization operation to intercept a disguised intelligence fleet and unveiled his newly improved Ship Breaker colossus mech in battle. He destroyed an enemy battleship, leaving Jayn and Gadeli overshadowed as the fight continued.

• Han Xiao arrived at the assembly point, met Dotter, Jayn, and Gadeli, and learned that the operation would intercept a fleet in the Thousand Lights Star System.
• Dotter mentioned that Kernid, the Deep Purple Warlock, had gone missing, and Han Xiao recognized the name from a hunting list.
• Captain Bright's disguised fleet was attacked in the Ninth Star Zone after transmitting intelligence about the Colton Star Cluster.
• Han Xiao deployed his third-generation Ship Breaker colossus mech and piloted it into the enemy barrage.
• Han Xiao disabled an enemy ship's shield and sliced the vessel in half with the mech's thermal chainsaw, astonishing Jayn and Gadeli.

Han Xiao and his allies destroyed Bright's fleet, then accepted an invitation to join the Amethyst Civilization's planned secret faction, Section Zero. Before they could regroup, the Calamity Grade Shana attacked, targeting Han Xiao with powers that severely countered Mechanics.

• Han Xiao piloted the Third-Generation Ship Breaker alongside Jayn and Gadeli, wiping out Bright's forces and completing the mission for Dotter.
• Dotter praised the group, paid them, and invited them to join the Amethyst Civilization's upcoming secret faction, which Han Xiao recognized as Section Zero.
• Han Xiao, Jayn, and Gadeli agreed to consider joining, while Han Xiao weighed the benefits and risks of the coming secret war.
• Shana arrived in a one-person spaceship, identified Han Xiao, and attacked the group without warning.
• Shana destroyed ships and Gadeli's weapon with her metal and magnetic-field manipulation, forcing Han Xiao to evade her attacks without using a mech.

Han Xiao and two Calamity Grade allies fought Shana, a metal-controlling esper sent to capture him, but her power over the planet’s underground metal overwhelmed them. Han Xiao revealed that he had secretly prepared orbital fire support, and fifty satellite cannon strikes engulfed Shana in a massive explosion.

• Han Xiao ordered Resta to escape Shana’s metal control and fought her in the mostly nonmetallic Void Dragon Mechanical Suit while Jayn and Gadeli joined the battle.
• Han Xiao triggered the hidden Grade A chain mission Prey, which required him to repel Shana and offered experience and a chance to gain one of her skills or talents.
• Shana drew metal from underground to form giant serpents, trapped Gadeli in a compressed sphere, and then captured Jayn despite his powerful vibrations.
• Shana turned to capture Han Xiao, but he revealed that Resta had deployed fifty Eyes of Divine Might orbital cannons and unleashed their energy strikes on her.

Han Xiao drove Shana off with a brutal combination of orbital strikes and close-range attacks, while Gadeli helped stop her escape from the planet. He let her flee so he could track her mysterious organization, and completed the first stage of the hidden Grade A mission [Prey].

• Han Xiao used an orbital salvo, Void Jets, and a berserk attack to badly injure Shana, then bombarded her with a second salvo and missiles.
• Shana fled toward space to dismantle Han Xiao's satellite cannons, but Gadeli struck her with an orbital sniper cannon and helped the Blacklight Stealth escape her ability's range.
• Shana summoned a metal snake to hold Han Xiao back and escaped in a spaceship, while Han Xiao placed an Observation Mark on her before she left.
• Han Xiao decided to track Shana's organization and produce machines resistant to magnetic-field manipulation, then received the first-stage completion reward for [Prey].

After Shana escaped, Han Xiao returned to the Black Star Army and claimed a reward for completing the first stage of [Prey]. He left the story with five adjusted abilities from Shana to choose between, while an unseen observer tracked her toward her base.

• Han Xiao told Jayn and Gadeli that Shana had escaped, asked the Amethyst Civilization to investigate her, and invited the two leaders to join the Black Star Army, but they declined.
• Han Xiao offered Jayn and Gadeli a ride to a port planet after their ships and forces were destroyed in the battle.
• Shana treated her injuries and told Eilet that she had failed to capture Han Xiao; Eilet ordered her to lie low and return to headquarters, while a giant eyeball secretly followed her.
• Han Xiao returned to Planet Golden Gate, rubbed Fording for luck, and claimed the first-stage [Prey] reward.
• Han Xiao drew five adjusted abilities from Shana and considered the selection average.

Han Xiao chose the growing talent [Super Electromagnetic Induction] and prepared to counter Shana's abilities while seeking cutting-edge knowledge to advance his class. Meanwhile, Laifer worked to build an alliance against Krent and announced that the Amethyst Civilization's new coalition would be called Section Zero.

• Han Xiao selected [Super Electromagnetic Induction], raising his mechanical affinity bonus by 120%.
• Han Xiao used the Observation Mark to watch Shana and Eilet, then began preparing nonmetallic machinery and a device to counter Shana's magnetic abilities.
• Han Xiao considered how to obtain cutting-edge knowledge to complete his [Galaxy Mechanic] advancement mission, hoping the Amethyst Civilization would establish Section Zero.
• Laifer rejected the 173 proposed partners as insufficient to counter Krent and its ally War Realm, and ordered his agents to recruit more forces.
• Laifer announced that the agency's coalition would be named Secret Service, Section Zero.

Krent recruited Heber and the War Realm to lead a secret war against the Amethyst Civilization, while Shana’s organization decided to capture Black Star. Han Xiao learned of the planned attack through the Observation Mark and prepared to turn Shana’s participation to his advantage.

• A Krent envoy asked Heber to lead the War Realm in a secret invasion of the Colton Star Cluster, and Heber agreed.
• Shana returned to headquarters and was assigned to guard it after her failure exposed her face.
• Albert ordered Eilet and Adrian to capture Black Star, and allowed Shana to join them because her ability countered him.
• Han Xiao watched the organization’s meeting through the Observation Mark and learned that all three were coming after him.
• Han Xiao judged that the trio could capture him, but realized Shana’s presence would let him track their movements as he planned his response.

Han Xiao planned to lure Shana’s trio back to their headquarters so he could capture all six enemies and rescue their prisoners at once. He secretly contacted the factions backing the missing experts to recruit help, while Shana’s group prepared to infiltrate the Black Star Army and ambush him.

• Han Xiao rejected attacking the enemy headquarters or splitting his forces, deciding instead to drive Shana’s trio away so they would return with the other three enemies.
• Han Xiao contacted Laifer and offered a way to help Section Zero recruit more experts.
• Han Xiao contacted Kemas and the Star Beast Organization’s deputy leader, claiming he might know where their missing experts Kernid and Gorila were.
• Han Xiao called factions across the Shattered Star Ring to gather allies while Shana, Eilet, and Adrian traveled toward the Black Star Army headquarters.
• Shana’s trio planned to disguise themselves as mercenaries, restrain Han Xiao, and let Shana imprison him in a surprise attack.

Han Xiao recruited Ames and Goddoran allies to help him turn the coming attack into a chance to strengthen Dragon Calm’s influence. When Shana, Eilet, and Adrian infiltrated his base, players exposed them by attacking their red-name markers, and Han Xiao’s ambush forced the trio to face several Grade A opponents.

• Han Xiao asked Ames to command the gathered forces during a future strike on the mysterious organization’s headquarters, and she agreed to help.
• Han Xiao found that Hila had advanced to Grade B and Aurora’s healing ability had grown stronger after two years of training under Ames.
• Han Xiao waited at a Black Star base on a Goddoran colony planet for Shana and her companions, intending to repel them and improve his standing with players.
• Eilet and Adrian infiltrated the base under disguise, but the players noticed their red names and opened fire, exposing them.
• Han Xiao confronted Eilet and Adrian as Shana joined the fight, then Nagokin and two other Goddoran Grade A executives emerged from hiding.
• Eilet, Adrian, and Shana assessed the four Grade A opponents and prepared to fight their way out.

Han Xiao let Eilet and his companions escape so he could track them to their secret base, then gathered the forces whose experts they had abducted to launch a combined attack. Eilet’s group returned to their base believing the danger had passed, unaware that Han Xiao’s overwhelming force was approaching.

• Han Xiao and Nagokin fought Eilet, Adrian, and Shana, then let the trio escape through Eilet’s teleportation portal while secretly marking them with Observation Mark.
• Eilet, Adrian, and Shana returned to their spaceship and decided to put Black Star on their deferred list and avoid operations for several years.
• Han Xiao tracked the trio to their headquarters and summoned the forces whose experts had gone missing to an uninhabited planet near the desolate cosmic belt.
• Han Xiao told the assembled forces that their missing companions were being held at the enemy headquarters and prepared to lead a joint assault, bringing players along to record the campaign.
• Albert ordered Eilet and the others to stay at their secret base and leave Black Star alone, unaware that Han Xiao’s forces were coming.