In the universe, elves were also known as the long ears clan and had the ability to hear the sound of nature. They had many different species such as Child of the Forest, Tall Elf, Dark Elf, and so on. The elves were not considered common in the universe, but they were not especially rare either.
It was not too strange for a mercenary group that was half run by a civilization to exist. Because of the agreements between civilizations, any movement of a civilization’s army was extremely sensitive. As such, it was much more convenient to grow a private army. Completing their mercenary missions was no more than a cover for their private and more sensitive missions in the dark.
Many civilizations would groom such an army in the dark, and there were many such examples within the top mercenary circle of the Shattered Star Ring. In fact, Han Xiao’s Black Star Army was also Floating Dragon’s Field Team in name.
The higher one climbed in the universe, the more complicated things would get. The universe was far too large, and no single organization or individual would be able to dominate it.
Gureja led the meeting ahead of their battle to allocate everyone’s role clearly. Han Xiao kept quiet throughout the entire meeting and did not say a word.
“Black Star, what role are you going to take?” Someone asked.
Han Xiao thought for a while before saying, “I will take care of them if a melee fight breaks out.”
He did not wish to participate in the battle between spaceships at all. He would have to repair the spaceships if they were damaged, and it would not be worth it. Furthermore, he only had twenty or so spaceships with him, and the spaceships were mainly used for transportation, not battle.
Since the players were not afraid of death, they would be the best choice to deal with the DarkStar warriors.
After a short discussion, the jobs of the various armies were decided, and the Army Commanders dispersed.
Han Xiao boarded the BlackLight Stealth and returned to his own fleet. Looking out of the window, his twenty or so spaceships were currently following the troops of the alliance.
The players had just entered the galaxy, and everything was still extremely fresh to them. However, Han Xiao understood that if they got rid of DarkStar now, many of the future storylines would disappear.
In his previous life, the players could only join Godora or DarkStar. After entering the galaxy, both parties would be in opposing factions. However, this was completely changed because of Han Xiao’s presence. As such, this meant that all the players no longer had this Main Storyline.
The way Han Xiao saw it, while he did not want to give up the missions, getting rid of DarkStar was a must.
The storyline between DarkStar and Godora has been replaced by me. To the players, joining the Black Star Army has become their new Main Storyline. This is the best time to cultivate the player’s sense of belonging. If I can borrow the strength of the players to expand, I will also be able to let them feel a sense of honor. It seems like I need a few big events to let the players feel a sense of accomplishment. This attack on DarkStar can be the beginning.
Han Xiao was extremely concerned about the players. The accumulation in Version 2.0 was extremely important, and it was akin to building a strong foundation.
The players formed the core of his plan in Version 2.0 because the next version refresh would only take place ten years later. While it was still a while before the end of Version 2.0, Han Xiao was used to making preparations early.
However, he had to first take care of the battle before him.
Opening his communicator, Han Xiao looked at the message sent by Risda.
DarkStar’s troops were scattered around the different regions of the Garton Star System, and the largest cluster had gathered a total of six motherships as though they were planning another attack. The other motherships were roaming the galaxy independently.
The location of the six motherships would probably be the main battlefield for the mercenaries.
The war was about to begin.
…
At the same time on a DarkStar mothership, Degulish and the others were in a meeting again to discuss their next plan. This time, their leader had given the order for them to attack the Rainbow Prison.
Their previous two assaults had failed, and they were not able to increase Godora’s losses or get rid of Black Star. Before they could find a way to get rid of Black Star, DarkStar had decided not to touch the calamity planets but attack the Rainbow Prison instead. They wanted to save their former comrades. There were even a few Calamity Grade Supers locked up in there.
DarkStar took action without any fear or wariness. With Godora being in the light and them in the dark, DarkStar was confident that their ambush work.
However, DarkStar did not know that they had already lost the advantage of being hidden, and their locations had been exposed by Han Xiao. A calamity capable of wiping DarkStar out was brewing silently, and they were completely unaware of that.
Just as Degulish and the others were planning their next mission, Ember suddenly frowned and pressed down on his chest.
For some odd reason, he had a bad premonition.
Chapter 582 - The Counterattack Begins
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
In an empty area of the universe, not far away from the large army of the six DarkStar motherships, a huge Godoran fleet was hidden behind a barren planet. Various battleships were densely packed to form neat rows. This was one of the temporary formations created for Operation Hodellas.
On the screen of the command ship, the coordinates of all the motherships of DarkStar were marked in red on the star map. The six motherships were slowly moving toward the ambush area, and it was those enemy troops that were the objectives of the Godorans.
“Target is approaching ambush site. Estimated time of arrival is 11 hours and 25 minutes.”
The fleet commander reported the situation to the upper echelons, and he was one of the members in the War Bureau who was aware of the identity of their target.
In order to prevent any leaks, every commander responsible for Operation Hodellas had been thoroughly screened. Only those that were absolutely loyal knew the target of their operation.
The fleet commander was also secretly excited at the thought of launching a counterattack against DarkStar. He was an old-fashioned, pureblood Godoran official with deep-rooted hostility toward DarkStar. He looked forward to removing this tumor every day.
This was an important operation, and to be selected as one of the commanders by the upper echelons was undoubtedly an honor. The sense of responsibility on his shoulders was also extremely heavy.
After completing his report to the upper echelons, the fleet commander then contacted the leaders of all the other formations to exchange information. Their strategy was to perform simultaneous strikes on all DarkStar units, so there was a need for communication.
After confirming the operation time, another commander raised a topic within the encrypted military communication channel.
“Do all of you know the source of intelligence for this operation? When I asked about the relationship with the party, I was actually told that it was labelled as a secret of the highest level.”
“Highest level secret? Seems like the channels our superiors have for obtaining information are really mysterious.”
In the eyes of those senior officers, Godora had already been warring with DarkStar for so many years to no avail. To suddenly obtain a set of coordinates for the DarkStar motherships, there was some strangeness to this whole situation, so they could not help but wonder about the source of this intelligence. However, no one could inquire about the specifics.
“I do have some information though. I heard that this counterattack was organized by Godora because they managed to buy some information from a mysterious person. Otherwise, the War Bureau would not have been able to stop DarkStar leading them by their nose.”
“Mysterious person?”
“That p
erson can actually monitor the coordinates of DarkStar. Haha. Could it be that there’s a traitor among the upper echelons of DarkStar?”
Everyone shared their views, secretly curious about the mysterious person who provided the intelligence.
Who was this sacred person who single-handedly provoked such a huge war? They were the hero of Godora!
After ending their communications, the respective commanders began handing down their new orders.
“It’s about time. Inform the mercenary fleets on standby. Tell them to cooperate with our attack.
…
During this standby period, there was little to do, but the players were not idle, often looking for the mercenaries to improve favorability, trying out new tasks, as well as discovering new and interesting gossip. They did not require Han Xiao to pay close attention to them.
Han Xiao took the chance to visit the different spaceships in the fleet, interacting with the players and continuing to harvest experience from them. He also looked for the various heads of the large mercenary groups to exchange pleasantries. The rest of his time was used to make machinery.
In such a manner, a few days passed, and Gureja called over all the commanders. The orders from Godora had been passed down, and it was finally time for them to start the mission.
The mercenary fleet sped up, arriving at the predetermined location for the ambush. The Black Star Army followed as well.
Returning to his BlackLight Stealth, Han Xiao accepted the private communication from Godora.
“Black Star, the operation is about to begin. We need you to control your Artificial Intelligence that has snuck in to create chaos for the enemy.”
“Got it.” Han Xiao nodded in response.
To have the whistleblower cause a ruckus within, that was a simple task.
“The remuneration for this employment has been notarized with the Mercenary Alliance and the official employment mission sent to the file of the Black Star Army.”
Opening the Mercenary Group interface, the official employment of Godora had been authorized with the name Operation Hodellas.
A war employment was not a private transaction and needed to be recorded in the Mercenary Alliance. After it was completed, a large number of Credibility Points would then be added to raise the Credibility Rating of the Mercenary Group. Furthermore, the mission details would be added to their mission files.
This was also the first war-level employment for the Black Star Army.
The interface popped up a notification of the corresponding hire, with a total of 18,000,000 experience as well as 1500 Favorability for the Godoran Faction.
As the Army Commander, his remuneration was the highest, receiving 3.4 million Enas. In addition, the officers and mercenaries would be remunerated individually.
This was especially so for the players. Other than Black Star’s mission of [Black Star Army: The First Battle], all of them also triggered the mission [Operation Hodellas – War Employment]. They all received substantial experience and monetary rewards, although they were a far cry from his own.
This was a war-level employment, so while the players only got to drink a bit of soup from the pot, the rewards were far beyond their current standards, which was extremely generous.
On the forums, the tens of thousands of players were in high spirits, posting to show off the many rewards of their first battle upon joining the Black Star Army. This piqued everyone’s interest in the Black Star Army further.
This large-scale employment allowed players to understand that they shared common interests with their faction, thus helping them strengthen their sense of belonging. Han Xiao had led them to participate in the war for this purpose.
Because most players desired to take on a ‘role’, the various influences in the game allowed them to fulfill their dreams and fantasies. In order for the Black Star Army to become the faction akin to their ‘first love’, Han Xiao had to utilize plotlines, feelings, interests, and other means.
When Han Xiao first set up his faction, he had already made this plan.
…
In the vast universe, the mercenaries stayed by their ambush point. It would only take a short jump for them to reach their battlefield position. During this time, the enemy’s actions were monitored through the coordinates on the star map, which were shared by Godora.
The formation of the Black Star Army was placed behind the rest, as they were not participating in the frontal attack of the DarkStar motherships.
Inside his BlackLight Stealth, Han Xiao watched the actions of DarkStar through the feedback provided by Risda.
His monitor was different. While others could only see the coordinates on the star map, he could see the internal conditions of the mothership. At this moment, the members of the DarkStar fleet were still unaware of their impending doom, conducting their businesses as usual.
Attacking Planet Aquamarine and giving me such huge losses… it’s time for you to pay your debts.
Han Xiao narrowed his eyes.
As time progressed, the six DarkStar motherships finally entered the ambush site.
They’re here!
Han Xiao’s eyes gleamed.
“Attack!” Gureja’s command spread through the entire army in an instant.
The next instant, the joint mercenary fleet jumped simultaneously. The universe outside of their spaceships turned into flowing streams of light as they activated their hyperdrive.
In just a few seconds, the fleet had crossed a long distance, and the undefended DarkStar motherships appeared in front of their eyes.
On the other side, streams of light appeared as the Godoran fleet emerged. They attacked from both sides, instantly surrounding the DarkStar fleet.
The ambush sites for both were out of DarkStar’s radar detection range, and they appeared at the same time, catching them off guard.
Without another word, Godora and the mercenaries began to open fire, and countless cannons and lasers bombarded the six DarkStar motherships. With such deliberate calculations, the troops in the mothership were immediately thrown into chaos.
Inside the mothership where Degulish was located, the lights turned red as they sounded the warning alarms.
The people on the ship were shocked, immediately rushing to their positions. The mothership was being rocked around from the explosions, causing people to fall from time to time.
“What’s happening‽”
Degulish had an expression of anger as he called for the observation equipment. When he saw that the attackers were from Godora, he lost his composure immediately.
How could it be Godora‽
Did Godora plan to ambush us?
How could they know our location‽
The projection of their Head of Intelligence appeared on the screen, with a face of worry. “Degulish, we’re being ambushed, and the enemy is well prepared. Not just our fleet, the other DarkStar motherships in the other Star Zones are also under attack! Godora has planned this for a long time. They’ve cracked our stealth equipment and grasped our movements!”
This was the first time that DarkStar had been attacked by Godora while in stealth mode!
This ability to go into stealth mode was DarkStar’s biggest reliance. Now that it had failed, Degulish immediately realized the seriousness of their situation.
“Send orders to all fleets. Do not engage and seek opportunities to breakthrough. This is Godora’s trap, and it is an important life or death situation. We cannot fight head on with them!”
Degulish issued the order.
There was no warning of Godora’s attack, and the incident happened too quickly. The upper echelons of DarkStar had no time to react, and they did not even have time to think about how Godora had managed to grasp their whereabouts.
Right now, their top priority was to escape!
If Godora had come with a plan, DarkStar would not be able to stand up to the attack and could only escape.
However, the command was not sent out.
A notification on the communication interface showed that the link had been cut off.
Not only Degulish, but the entire DarkStar motherships had their connection cut off from the outside world.
This was because Degulish was residing in the mothership that Risda was controlling.
Risda had totally cut off their connection to the outside world.
The whistleblower had begun his actions!
Chapter 583 - The Ending Is Usually Decided Before the Battle Even Starts
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The battle entered the climax as soon as it started.
Outside the porthole, the Godoran fleet, mercenary fleet, and DarkStar fleet blasted at each other. The light from the cannon fire brought multiple colors to this space in the universe, along with countless deaths.
Cannons shot through the armor plates of one spaceship after another, turning the people inside into ashes.
Since Degulish could not send out any orders, the DarkStar fleet lost command and unity, fighting for themselves. Only after quite some time did they start to unite into groups under the orders of other furious DarkStar superiors and tried to break through the situation.
Sadly, as the initial order did not arrive on time, so DarkStar lost their best chance to escape. The way they pushed forward under the heavy fire was like trying to move in mud.
“Looks like we don’t even need to do anything.”
Han Xiao shook his head as he looked at the situation of the battlefield.
With Godora and the mercenaries working together, the strength of their fleets completely outpowered the six DarkStar mothership fleets. It was highly likely that there would not even be a need to enter the melee battle stage; they could turn these DarkStar armies into wrecks floating in space with just nonstop cannon fire.
Black Star Army’s mission was handling the melee battle, so they had no chance to showcase their abilities and could only stay back and wait.
DarkStar started to show signs of collapsing. Some of the DarkStar frigates became deserters, wanting to escape from the slow mothership. Unsurprisingly, they were turned into fireworks midway.
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