“Other than that, there’s no other way about it. If we want to see that person, we can only enter the Black Star Army headquarters,” another person said. This person was a mixed race, with red, dragon-like scales on both his cheeks. He was a burly man about four meters tall, wearing a simple metal vest that exposed the knotted muscles on his arms.
“Relax, even if we really get exposed, we can masquerade as people trying our luck to join the Black Star Army. They’ll at most chase us away. There won’t be any danger.”
The last person leaned against the wall as he spoke. He wore a tight combat suit, with two pairs of arms extending from his shoulders. One of his upper arms was placed behind his head like a pillow, while the other played around with a silver alloy dagger. The lower arms were placed akimbo on his waist, giving him a lackadaisical air.
These three were not new members of the Black Star Army like the others. They had different objectives, and they seemed to be led by the silver-skinned guy who had spoken first.
At this moment, in the starry sky outside the porthole shone a sudden stream of light approaching them and stopping over Planet Golden Gate. It was the Black Star Army that had returned to the headquarters.
“Wow, so many new members.” Seeing the ring of spaceships, Han Xiao’s eyes sparkled.
“This is only the first batch of recruits. They’re all waiting here for you, Master, hum…”
In Han Xiao’s neural connected quantum network, Phillip started to bubble. His small body was lying at the extremes of Han Xiao’s field of vision, with only his head popping out in his vision.
“Humph, I suggest sending a mechanical army to test the actual combat capabilities of these new members. Unqualified people will not be eligible to join the troops of my master!”
On the other side, the usually quiet and solemn Artificial intelligence Sparta also revealed his body. He was wrapped in heavy armor, and his face could not be clearly seen. Only a single cold looking eye was revealed, and his voice was husky and powerful.
With Han Xiao’s [Virtual Technology] skill tree having been completed, he had studied the data structure of Risda and given his Artificial intelligence the ability to think for themselves, as well as unique personalities. This would be used to improve his computing power, as his brain would be connected to them through the quantum network at any time. This would allow him to supervise the dynamics of the Artificial intelligence without the fear of accidents happening. It was similar to taking care of a pet, just that it did not require someone to clean up their sh*t after them, and the AIs would not flare up, even helping in his daily life.
Would there be a better pet than the one stated above‽
Within the quantum network, Han Xiao’s thoughts turned into a stream of data, flowing into Phillip’s eyes. He instructed, “You can open the hangar of the headquarters now. When I dock, let all these new members come and meet me.”
“Roger, hum…”
The hangar for the headquarters opened, and the Black Star Army fleet slowly descended, sliding into the empty hangars. As for the new members who had waited for many days, they also received the notice and started to descend.
The huge spaceship ring around the headquarters split into a few dozen streams, pouring into the various hangars. Numerous mechanical assistants were activated to receive all the new members.
The majority of the new members would be directed to the spacious lobby of the headquarters. When everyone had gathered, they would meet up with Han Xiao together. As for the new members in the Calamity Grade, they would receive special treatment and would proceed to the conference room in advance to meet with Han Xiao and his officers personally.
Leading his officers, Han Xiao entered the conference room. Within were more than ten people, and their gazes all shot toward him the moment he entered. All of them stood up immediately.
“Your Excellency Black Star!”
“Army Commander!”
They all saluted, excitement filling their faces. They were the first batch of Calamity Grades to be admitted, coming from different Star Systems. This was the first time they had personally laid eyes on their new Beyond Grade A leader, which made them extremely emotional.
In the eyes of the ordinary, reaching the Calamity Grade was already something unbelievable, but when faced with a Beyond Grade A, the majority of the Calamity Grades had the same feeling as when an ordinary person faced them. Furthermore, there was also another layer of yearning and longing.
Han Xiao smiled. “Hello, everyone.”
After becoming a Beyond Grade A Super, not only had he advanced in strength, his horizons had also widened. In the past, if there were over twenty Calamity Grades who wished to join his Army, he would have been smiling from ear to ear, but right now, he was actually very calm. He could at least endure till there was no one around before he burst into laughter.
While the fame of a Beyond Grade A was appealing, a Calamity Grade could also be considered a high-end combat power. Many of the Calamity Grades were unwilling to join under other forces. Even though he was a Beyond Grade A, Han Xiao would never look down on Calamity Grades. Recruiting more than a dozen high-end combat personnel this time was the highest record ever for the Black Star Army.
Han Xiao chatted with the dozen or so Calamity Grades, motivating them. These recruits were the top combat force and would be his officers in the future.
Because the size of the army was too huge, Han Xiao did not have the time to check the attributes of every single new member. Thus, he only focused on the stronger newcomers, which were precisely these Calamity Grades.
After quietly looking through the interface properties of everyone, he secretly nodded.
While none of them have any Molding Talents, the strongest has reached the level of A+ and can be considered a mini-boss.
Turning back to look at Hila, Han Xiao said, “The Black Star Guards will serve as my elite unit, with the Calamity Grade as the threshold for entry. Hadavy is also a member of the Black Star Guards, and this is my Guards Captain, Hila. Because the Guards were only established recently, it needs to be expanded. The quota is known by Hila, and she as well as the other Black Star Guards will test your abilities and pick a few of you to enter the Black Star Guards.”
The eyes of the Calamity Grades lit up. The Black Star Guards were obviously the bodyguards of Black Star and would follow him around. The temptation of this position was not little at all, and compared to the benefits they would obtain as ordinary officers, they looked forward more to learning from the experience of a Beyond Grade A, allowing themselves to be stronger. After all, earning money at their level was pretty easy, and the attraction of material enjoyment was quite limited. What they pursued was more of a promotion in realms.
The Black Star Guards took the ten or so Calamity Grades away, and Han Xiao led the rest of his officers to welcome the new members. However, Phillip suddenly started emitting bubbles again.
“Master, hum… I discovered a spaceship with no verification. There are three people on board the spaceship who do not have an invitation. They’re not new members joining our army, nor is their data present in the database. Their identities are unknown, and they are situated in Hanger No.6. Do you want to look through their information?”
“Oh, they might be here to fish in murky waters and try to be accepted into the army. You can just chase them…” Before Han Xiao could finish, the image of the trio was transferred to his mind, and he suddenly paused, his eyes growing wider.
Seeing that Han Xiao did not reply, Phillip tilted his tiny head to the side, prompting him. “Master?”
“Hu…” Han Xiao let out a long breath, his eyes flashing as he changed his order. “Don’t stop them. Let them enter and pretend you are unaware of their identities. Just activate the surveillance within the army and constantly lock onto their positions.”
“Roger that, hum…”
After disconnecting from the quantum network, Han Xiao stroked his chin
, his eyes narrowed.
“To think that these three thugs dared to show up in my territory at this moment… Hmm, it seems that the butterfly effect I’m causing is spreading. There’s an eighty percent chance that they’re here for her…”
…
The spaceship entered and stopped at the dock. The trio—Silverskin, Dragonscale, and the four-handed man—set foot on the crowded dock, looking around.
There were none of the anticipated alarms, no mechanical assistants waiting to confirm their identities, and no one coming over to escort them.
They had entered so easily!
“The Black Star Army’s security measures are too lousy, as good as nonexistent.” The four-handed man pouted. “Even my mother star that is about to be destroyed by the crazy scientists is safer.”
Silverskin was a little uneasy, softly saying, “We’ll blend in first before looking for a chance to split off and act. Don’t get caught.”
“Ok.” Dragonscale nodded.
Silverskin then squeezed his fingers as he murmured, “Hopefully, we can find the rumored Rossellin here…”
Chapter 783 - Celebrities of the Future
All the new non-Calamity Grade members gathered in the main hall of the headquarters. It was filled with people.
The roof of the hall suddenly opened. The army officers descended from the sky and landed on the most conspicuous stage in the hall. They stood in a row and looked around at the millions of new members below.
“That’s the army’s Chief Administrative Official, Sylvia. Beside her is the Fleet Chief Commander, Herlous. They’re both seniors under Black Star’s command.”
“That’s the army’s Vice-Captain Lagi. They say he’s the strongest person under Black Star’s command.”
“Hadavy became one of Black Star’s guards some time ago. He should be the strongest.”
“Why aren’t the Black Star Guards here?”
In the many years of fighting the secret war, the various officers of the Black Star had earned a name for themselves. The new members in the hall all recognized these officers.
This time, a flash of light appeared on the stage. Han Xiao walked out of the Void Dimension and nodded at the millions of new members.
The people under the stage focused. Facing a Beyond Grade A, most people were both excited and nervous.
“Welcome to the Black Star Army…”
Han Xiao scanned through the hall filled with people and started his speech while his thoughts drifted to the three unwelcome guests. While presenting his welcome speech, he watched the images on the surveillance cameras and focused on the whereabouts of those three people at the same time.
They had already found Rossellin.
…
Rossellin was special among the army officers. She was the Cultural Instructor. Due to her unique ability, she rarely appeared in public and usually gave people lessons in the army training camp.
After returning with the fleet, she did not follow Han Xiao to show herself in front of the new members but directly returned to her room in the training camp in the headquarters. However, on her way, she was stopped by three people.
“What do you want?” Rossellin slightly raised her brow.
Rossellin sized up the silver-skinned man, the man covered in dragon scales, and the four-armed man.
“Let me introduce myself. My name is Edmond, and these two are my friends. The buff one is Kayde, and the four-armed one is Haywal,” The silver-skinned Edmond said.
The man covered in dragon scales, Kayde, nodded as a greeting. The four-armed Haywal waved his hands.
Rossellin narrowed her eyes and suddenly said, “You’re not members of the army, are you?”
“Yes, but we mean no harm. We just hope to have a talk with you.” Edmond lowered his voice. “You’ll definitely be interested.”
After a period of silence, when Edmond felt a little anxious, Rossellin slowly nodded. “Okay, follow me.”
Then, she turned around and led the way. Delighted, Edmond took his two friends and followed behind.
When they came to a corner with no one around, Rossellin stopped and turned around.
“Tell me, what do you want to talk to me about?”
“The three of us are from the Sea of Star Spirits. We’re planning to build a career, and we hope to invite you to join us.” Edmond got straight to the point.
“Interesting. You came to the Black Star Army’s headquarters and tried to recruit a Beyond Grade A’s officer. You have some guts,” Rossellin mocked. “Tell me about your so-called career. Don’t disappoint me.”
Edmond licked his lips, lowered his voice, and said, “We want to overthrow the three Universal Civilizations.”
Rossellin’s smile stiffened.
“…Allow me to confirm something.” Rossellin’s lips twitched. “You’re not mental, are you?”
“I know this sounds unbelievable, but this is indeed my aspiration.” Edmond’s tone started to get a little elevated. “The three Universal Civilizations have ruled the galaxy for way too long. In order to maintain their ruling position, they toy with the rules that they set under the name of maintaining order, eliminating the future of countless races.”
Rossellin frowned. “But it’s also thanks to those rules made by the three Universal Civilizations that the universe is as peaceful as it is today. If they disappear, countless civilizations will start a war to become the ruler that will spread across the entire universe. Quintillions of lives will be lost in the flames of war, only for new rulers similar to the three Universal Civilizations to be born in the end. What’s even worse is that maybe all civilizations will be destroyed. Don’t you know that?”
“I do. This is the price for overthrowing the current rules, but…” Edmond took a deep breath. “That’s what a revolution is.”
“A revolution is to create a better era, but the era now is peaceful—lives are decent. Since people can still live well, why do you want to revolutionize? If… and I mean if, you really overthrow the three civilizations, can you promise the future will be better than now?”
“No one can promise what will happen in the future. Whether a revolution will create a better era or not, I don’t know. But I’m not willing to deliberately ignore the problems of today because I can’t let go of the peace and watch the wrong things continue to exist without doing anything.” Edmond shook his head. “In this era, resources are rich—more than enough to feed everyone even if they choose to do nothing in life, have no motivation, act like walking bags of meat… The basic resources are no longer our reason to start a revolution.”
Rossellin narrowed his eyes. “Then what do you fight for? For those races you said are oppressed? Or for your own ambition?”
Edmond shook his head. “Neither… revolution itself is my aspiration.”
Rossellin sized up Edmond carefully again. He looked ordinary, but his guts were anything but ordinary. With the three Universal Civilizations’ position, this was equivalent to going against the gods!
“If the revolution succeeds, what will you do? Take over the three civilizations?”
“I don’t know,” Edmond answered truthfully.
“… Why me?”
“In order to overthrow the authority that the three civilizations have in the hearts of countless people, we need your ability. Furthermore, we heard about what you did,” Edmond said softly. “You were once a reformer with great aspirations, too, weren’t you?”
Rossellin closed her eyes and did not speak.
After a long silence, she reopened her eyes and slowly asked, “How many of you are there now?”
“Just the three of us.”
“You haven’t even built your organization, and you already want to recruit me‽”
Rossellin’s tone was filled with disbelief.
Edmond bowed and said with a sincere tone, “Yes, but my sincerity is true in every sense. I hope to gather those with the same aspirations and beliefs and create something
together. Rossellin, I hope you can consider my request.”
This time, it was as if Rossellin saw Black Star’s shadow on Edmond.
Both were big swindlers!
“I will consider it. Give me your communicator number.”
After a lot of hesitation, Rossellin did not make a decision instantly.
After exchanging communicator numbers, Edmond’s face was filled with joy. This time, Kayde, who never interrupted, suddenly spoke.
“Since the matter is settled, we should quickly leave the Black Star Army headquarters and not let ourselves get discovered.”
Edmond nodded continuously. He bade farewell to Rossellin and hastily left with the other two.
Rossellin opened her mouth, but in the end, still did not tell the three of them. They thought that they had snuck in here, but Black Star Army’s surveillance system had undoubtedly discovered the three of them long ago. In the headquarters, nothing could be hidden from Black Star.
She just did not know why no one had gone to catch these three all along.
This was why Rossellin had been curious since the start—did Black Star purposely let the three of them in?
Beep!
At this time, Rossellin’s communicator suddenly rang, and Phillip’s voice sounded.
“Master wants to see you, hum…”
…
When Edmond and the other two headed to the port, the inspection in the hall had ended as well. All the paths were filled with people, and it became boisterous.
The three of them were relieved. With the crowd as a disguise, they felt that the chance of them being discovered was much lower.
When they passed by the hall, Han Xiao had yet to leave. The three of them gave him a quick glance and immediately looked away, not daring to attract Han Xiao’s attention. They then left along with the crowd.
They came to the dock, retrieved their spaceship, and left the Black Star Army. Only then did Edmond finally relax.
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