Han Xiao could not help but think about the future developments, sighing internally.
“Now that EsGod is trapped, the unstable variable that is the World Tree Civilization has been resolved. Even if the Crimson Dynasty manages to crack the wormhole coordinates, as long as I’m operating, the Crimson Dynasty will then pay attention to hiding itself and will not lead them here. Rather, they will explore the World Tree Civilization in advance and obtain the initiative.’
Because of the coordinates from the wormhole, the storyline of the World Tree Civilization would inevitably change. The timeline being brought forward was a definite, but in his previous life, the World Tree Civilization had first discovered the three Universal Civilizations and seized the initiative. This time, however, Han Xiao estimated that it would be the three Universal Civilizations that would first discover the World Tree Civilization.
In this manner, the situation would change. The three Universal Civilizations had progressed all the way from the dark ages and definitely understood the importance of concealment. They would make a plan first before taking action. Han Xiao himself was also clear of the style of the World Tree Civilization, and there was no way both sides could co-exist. War was inevitable.
But who the invading party would be this time was difficult to say.
Han Xiao remembered that there was still another set of the wormhole data in the hands of the Tyla Civilization, and this would require the Crimson Dynasty to recollect it themselves. This was not a huge problem. With the ability of a Universal Civilization, it was likely that they would crack it before the Tyla Civilization, and then, the dynasty would take the initiative.
Furthermore, EsGod was now out of the picture, so it was likely that this set of data would hold less of an attraction toward the researchers since there were so many other research topics to work on. They would not spend so many resources on an unknown wormhole. Therefore, based on Han Xiao’s expectations, even if the storyline of the World Tree Civilization was brought forward, it would not be so soon.
“Without their leader, the Fallen Ark should disband quickly, no longer being a paradise for thugs. Those players who like to pillage and kill will also have one fewer place to go,” Han Xiao mused.
The storyline of EsGod could be said to have been completely subverted, and the destinies of many people would be rewritten. Most of them would lead better lives. With fewer planets being destroyed, they also would not meet with grisly ends due to EsGod. The number of lives saved would probably number in the billions.
This could be considered as doing a good deed, saving a wave of characters. Han Xiao stroked his chin, and the corners of his mouth curled up.
“After getting rid of EsGod, I can now lie low. There’s nothing much for me to do. I can safely tide through Version 3.0.”
Han Xiao heaved a sigh of relief. Thinking back, ever since Version 3.0 started, he had always been into dire straits and had faced many big issues. It seemed like he would finally welcome a long period of stability, where he could relax and slowly develop.
Just as Han Xiao was preparing his blueprint for the Black Star Army, Reynold took Nero to another machinery modification room.
Reynold came to a modification table, and his fingers marked several golden operation marks on the panel. The table was switched to a manual assembly mode, and on the clear surface of the table, several gaps appeared in which metal plates opened into arms for support.
“Since this vacation is over, I hope you can return to your studying mode as soon as possible. Theoretical knowledge is only the basis of a mechanic. The mechanics who are unable to turn this knowledge into actual manufacturing capabilities are considered failures. You have learned enough theory, and thus, starting today, you’ll need to add the operation training of primary machinery into your curriculum.”
Nero’s spirit was refreshed. Studying theoretical knowledge was dry and boring, and having actual practical lessons would at least be more interesting. He had been interested in building machinery from the start, which was why he had chosen to become a mechanic.
Pressing a few buttons of the modification station, a virtual screen popped up, in which there were many low-level machinery assembly methods recorded.
This machinery modification table belonged to Reynold, and within it were a lot of low-level blueprints.
“Let’s start from the simpler ones,” Reynold said. “Okay, take this. The classic exoskeleton mechanical suit, with a technical difficulty of D1, at the weak planetary level. This is the technology of Planet Aquamarine, and the parts have already been produced. You just need to assemble them.”
Nero settled down, recalling theoretical knowledge that he learned and applying it. He would watch the operation video whenever he was confused.
“Right now, we’re training you on your familiarity with assembly. This is the basis of a mechanic, and even His Excellency Black Star started off the same way.” Reynold stood by the side to provide guidance. “Don’t just simply follow the steps to assemble. Use all your sensory organs to detect the machinery’s structure. Use your mechanical force to penetrate it, touch it, and perceive it.”
“Understood.”
Nero focused, and the clearer a picture he got of the machinery, under the effect of the Advanced Luck Glow, his Middle Grade Mechanical Sense was slowly moving toward the advanced level.
…
In a certain restricted area of Constellation Corridor, a dynasty battleship landed on a huge mechanical space fortress. This fortress was in the shape of a cube, with a structured layer and covered with heavy armor. A large number of defensive weapons were arranged on the outside, arming it to the teeth.
This sort of armed space fortress was specially designed by the dynasty to hold prisoners who were powerful supers. It possessed powerful defense capabilities, enough to blow up an entire fleet, and a huge prison space. Only one Beyond Grade A was detained there, and all those facilities inside were to prevent the person from escaping.
“Please confirm the code and key of the imprisonment project… Procedure complete.”
“The prison is being activated. The core is currently being opened, and smart docking is underway.”
“Docking complete. The imprisoned cabin is ready to launch. Counting down… three, two, one, launch.”
From within the dynasty battleship shot out a small egg-shaped cabin. Its body was silver and black. It was ten meters long, and EsGod, wrapped in amber, was locked inside.
This egg-shaped cabin possessed independent power propulsion, jetting out flames as it smoothly flew into the gap exposed by the prison fortress. The body fit perfectly, and the mechanical structures on both sides locked to complete the fitting.
The prison then closed and folded upon itself, turning back into its original cuboid shape.
This was where EsGod would be locked for the next five hundred years.
…
Some days later, a piece of news shook the entire Galaxy.
The three Universal Civilizations jointly released a news report that the criminal EsGod had been captured!
They had hunted EsGod multiple times, all of which had ended in failure, and the infamy of EsGod had long pierced deep into the citizens’ hearts. For them to have suddenly captured EsGod shocked all the citizens.
Countless galactic residents thought that EsGod would remain unpunished, and many conspiracy theorists even believed that the three civilizations were secretly backing EsGod, but they were all equally shocked by this news.
After the initial shock came the cheers.
EsGod had been captured; everyone cheered!
After years of poisoning the universe, EsGod had caused a lot of tragedies. He had always remained the most dangerous criminal in the eyes of the galactic residents, and now the three Universal Civilizations had fought against this terrorism and captured the criminal.
The three civilizations’ joint operation, in the eyes of many people, sent a signal to the outside worl
d that the conflicts arising from the Battle of Planet Lighthouse had been resolved, and they were trying to promote their relationship now. The interstellar environment had returned to stability.
As for the joint operation, the three civilizations also announced the details. The eleven Beyond Grade As involved were introduced, and they emphasized on Han Xiao’s merits, even calling him the core of the operation as well as its initiator. This further highlighted his contributions.
With the number of people being aware of EsGod, it was equivalent to Han Xiao stepping on the infamy of EsGod to boost his own renown.
Even before the topic of the ‘Enemy of the Arcane’ had disappeared, another matter that represented Han Xiao had appeared.
The universe termed this as the ‘Fall of EsGod’, and as the leader of the event, Han Xiao left an even deeper impression in the hearts of the galactic residents.
Various star fields and countless victims who bore hatred toward EsGod gave rise to emotions of gratitude toward Han Xiao.
…
The Shazik Planetary Transit station was a neutral planet that offered various services, located in the dangerous Central Galaxy desolate universe belt. It was a rare occurrence, and it provided people with venues for smuggling, repairs, and entertainment. The target of their service was the wanted criminals, including Fallen Ark.
Only people who were not afraid of death would establish a planetary transit station in this area. Those with no backer would be long looted by the mobs, so Shazik had linked up with the Fallen Ark, providing them with a large amount of protection fees in order to prevent being plundered.
The owner of this planetary station was also called Shazik. He was a Calamity Grade Super and had established cooperative relationships with a number of armed forces, including Fallen Ark. He was considered a middle level character in the desolate universe belt.
As for his origins, they were a secret, and the criminals there did not and would not care.
However, Shazik was no criminal but rather had his hometown ravaged by EsGod. He had developed a strong hatred, and thus, he had chosen to become an avenger, building a transit station there to look for opportunities to deal with Fallen Ark.
Upon receiving the news of EsGod being captured, he immediately called for a secret meeting.
“The moment EsGod falls, there will be no one keeping the insane Fallen Ark members together. They’re sure to disband. We’ll also be embroiled since our backer has fallen. There are too many fellows that want to plunder us,” one of his close aides said.
“That’s right. We cannot stay here any longer. We need to leave.”
“Boss, what are you going to do?”
Shattered Star Ring solemnly said, “Bring all of our things. We’ll go to Shattered Star Ring and look for the Black Star Army.”
“Why him?”
“I made a promise to the gods before. Whoever could get rid of EsGod, I would serve under him.” Shazik’s expression was set.
Ever since his hometown was annihilated, he had only had revenge left in his life. However, EsGod was too strong, and revenge was out of the question. Now that Black Star had finished his life’s work, even if it was not for revenge, Shazik also felt gratitude toward him and decided to use his strength as a form of repayment.
“With someone at Black Star’s level, will he even want us?”
“That’s why we have to bring a gift.” Shazik lowered his voice. “Over the years, we’ve bribed several of the Fallen Ark members and have also sent in a lot of undercover spies. Now is the best chance. When the Fallen Ark is in chaos, they’ll steal a portion of the riches, and this will be our basis to enter the Black Star Army.”
Everyone’s eyes lit up. They had spent so many years here and also gotten to know the Fallen Ark well. While they were a chaotic and loose organization, they also had a lot of valuable items, such as the trophies EsGod had stored over the years—secret intelligence reports, failed experiments, and even special prisoners that were locked up.
Now that EsGod was gone, they were definitely not the only ones looking to plunder the Fallen Ark. This was the best time to fish in muddied waters!
Chapter 898 - Impac
898 Impac
The members of Fallen Ark were originally criminals that came from different star fields. Some of them were the crazed worshippers of EsGod, while others did it to obtain the protection of EsGod.Now that EsGod was gone, without their strong leader, no one had the qualifications to step up, so the lawless criminals also lost their reason for banding together.
The criminals knew that without their leader, the next move of the three Universal Civilizations would be to bring the knife to them, completely cleansing the desolate universe belt.
After EsGod fell, the powerful Fallen Ark also began to split apart into countless smaller groups, and one by one, they started to raid all the Fallen Ark’s treasuries.
The desolate universe belt in the Central Galaxy was actually the territory of the Fallen Ark and had maintained a very thin line of balance between all the forces, but now, it had become even more chaotic and dangerous, with the criminals killing and plundering each other.
At this moment, there were more than a thousand battleships surrounding a desolate planet and undergoing a battle.
This planet was one of the secret research facilities established by EsGod, and it stored various valuable materials, technology, and special products. The thousands of battleships belonged to the divided criminal groups, and their purpose was to snatch the results of this Ru0026D base. One of the teams belonged to Shazik.
The surface of the planet had turned into an intense battlefield. Most of the battlefields were not equipped with annihilation weapons but rather only used their battleship cannons to attack. The plasma beams interlaced with each other, coloring the dark universe with bright stripes, as though paint on a canvas. Hulls melted wherever it passed, turning into red hot slag that became obstacles in the battlefield.
The battle continued for a period of time, and finally, the victors were decided. Shazik’s team was one of them, and they raided this facility before leaving in satisfaction.
…
The inky black blade sliced across the throat, and fresh red blood seeped out, splattering on the bloodied cabin wall.
Plop!
A gray-skinned creature with dense compound eyes fell over, clutching his bloodied neck, revealing the killer behind.
It was a humanoid creature with a long blade wearing a hood and a black mechanical mask that only revealed a pair of scarlet eyes.
This was a tattered ship cabin, the walls of which were covered with slash marks and electrical arcs. Lying on the ground were hundreds of dead bodies of different species, and the ground was solidified with colorful blood scabs. Only the killer was left standing.
“Number 11,570…”
His voice was hoarse, sounding like a pair of worn bellows. With a flick of his wrist, the blood on the blade disappeared, and he sheathed the blade before pressing on his mechanical mask, sending a message to a number labelled ’employer’.
“Objective complete.”
Very quickly, the employer replied, their tone filled with gratitude.
“Thank you very much, Mister Lothaire. Thank you for taking revenge for us. Without you, we would forever be…”
“This is a transaction. Remember to pay up.”
Lothaire indifferently cut the other party off.
He was a lone bounty hunter, but his hunting targets were limited to members of the Fallen Ark.
Lothaire was born in one of the colonial planets of an advanced civilization and had grown up in a peaceful environment. However, the Fallen Ark fleet descended upon them one day, bringing death and destruction.
He had thought that he would die, but somehow, a hidden Esper Ability within his body burst out at the juncture of life and death, allowing him to escape from his fate… but resistance was futile, as they captured him and offered him to EsGod.
Thus, Lothaire met EsGod and had his newly awakened Esper Ability torn away from him, becoming a dying person, his life force flickering like a candle in the wind.
Normally, those whom EsGod had stolen abilities from would either be made into food or thrown out into the universe. Maybe Lady Luck was smiling at him, but Lothaire was thrown out into the universe. While ordinary people could not survive in the universe, he found out that the Esper Ability had changed his body structure, allowing him to survive even in the vacuum of the universe.
After the Fallen Ark fleet had left, the civilization’s rescue force managed to arrive before Lothaire died, making him the only survivor. He held an extreme hatred toward EsGod and Fallen Ark, and under this drive, Lothaire, who had lost his Esper ability, experienced mortal hardships, embarking on the path of a pugilist and becoming a Super.
After his training was completed, he became a bounty hunter.
The members of the Fallen Ark were all criminals, and they fled under EsGod’s umbrella to avoid being hunted by various civilizations. Lothaire was specialized in hunting down such criminals, and he made these self-confident fugitives pay their blood debt. Thus, his employers were usually victims of Fallen Ark.
As of today, the number of Fallen Ark members who had fallen under Lothaire’s blade was in six digits, but Lothaire was still unsatisfied. He was just like an ascetic monk that continued to grind his strength in order to complete his hidden goal—assassinating EsGod!
His experience of meeting EsGod had always been his nightmare, bringing him endless fear and causing him to wake up from his sleep. But even though he knew it was impossible, he refused to give up on his ultimate goal.
Without caring about the ground strewn with corpses, Lothaire walked toward the control room of the spaceship. Suddenly, his communicator notified him of a news flash, which was the joint report by the three civilizations.
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