by <unknown>
The Third Indexer shook his head and said, “Your source of information isn’t reliable, nor is it trustworthy. As guarantors of the black market hires, although we do accept anonymous employers to put out hires, we still do some investigations. Things like this will certainly damage our name. Maybe we can endure it happening once or twice, but if someone plans to keep using our name to carry out this kind of plan, there’s no way the organization wouldn’t find out about it.” “You’re right. I’ve worried about it unnecessarily.” The aide-de-camp nodded.
“There’s nothing wrong with being wary about things like this. It’s a good thing.”
The Third Indexer continued to look outside the window and said with a serious tone, “We’re the lighthouse of the laws of the black market. One thing we rely on is our powerful strength, and another is the brand name and reputation we’ve accumulated over many years. The savages of the gray organizations trust in our professional ethics, and that’s our core competitiveness. No matter what… even in the face of death, we can’t break the rules of integrity, confidentiality, fairness, and safety. Otherwise, we’d be damaging the very foundation of the organization, as well as the laws of the entire black market.”
“Understood.” The aide-de-camp took these words to heart with admiration.
Swoosh! As soon as the aide-de-camp said that, a remote communication image suddenly popped up beside the two of them. The panicking face of an observation personnel appeared.
“Bad news! The radar has detected that a dynasty fleet is approaching. They did not attempt to hide their movements. Their destination is clearly Planet Strange Gold, and we did not receive any prior notifications!”
The Third Indexer’s expression changed with shock. His sixth sense was tingling even more intensely.
Usually, the three Universal Civilizations would never visit a gray transit station like this so openly. Today, however, the dynasty fleet suddenly arrived. It was clear they did not come with friendly intentions.
He thought of the Intelligent Plague instantly
—there did not seem to be any other reason the dynasty would go to them. Nonetheless, the Third Indexer was not one to panic in the face of emergencies. Very quickly, he calmed down and said with a deep voice, “Ask around. Who’s the leader of this dynasty fleet?”
The dynasty was extremely powerful, sure, but he was also someone very important with a lot of power and strength, and he had a Beyond Grade A protector behind his back. Therefore, the Third Indexer was confident enough to speak with the dynasty.
Having thought of that, he had made up his mind that if the leader of the dynasty fleet was not high in ranks, he would not feel a need to welcome their leader, and he would be waiting there for their leader to come to him.
The aide-de-camp made some calls. Suddenly, his entire body shook. He gulped and said while shivering, “T-Third Indexer, the commander of this dynasty fleet… seems to be Black Star.”
As soon as he finished his sentence, the Third Indexer’s expression changed dramatically, and he instantly lost his cool.
Without saying another word, he rushed out the door while hastily making orders.
“Quickly, prepare a carrier for me. I’m going to welcome His Excellency Black Star at the dock!’
If it was an ordinary dynasty officer, the Third Indexer might have wanted to maintain his arrogance.
However, it was Black Star who had come, the person who made the strongest protector of the black market part of his collection. How dare he stay there waiting for Black Star to come to look for him?
The dynasty fleet entered the dock. As soon as Han Xiao stepped onto the dock, he saw the Third Indexer and his subordinates welcoming him respectfully. The two of them met, and Han Xiao did not say much, only mentioning that he had a deal he wanted to make and told the Third Indexer to lead him to the conference room to speak.
Accompanied by the cautious Third Indexer, they entered the subdivision of the Black Index and sat inside the conference room.
After sitting down, Han Xiao looked into the Third Indexer’s eyes and said slowly, “You’re a smart person. You should know why the dynasty has sent me, so I’ll just cut to the chase. The Black Index has provided assurance and guarantees for anonymous hires, which led to a lot of black market mercenaries transporting the virus in the Ancient Star Desert, increasing the risk of the virus leaking. Now, on behalf of the Black Star Army and the Crimson Dynasty, I’m requesting you to temporarily stop providing such services and publicize the information of these anonymous employers to aid us in capturing them.”
“Impossible!” The Third Indexer rejected it without hesitation. “This goes against the purpose of the Black Index. We can never leak the information of our customers. We…”
Han Xiao interrupted him and said with a more serious tone, “Is the purpose of a black market organization more important than the ruling of the three Universal Civilizations? Or has the Black Index made up its mind to spread the disaster and cause the entire universe to be filled with death?”.
The Third Indexer hastily denied that. “Of course not. We’ve just been remaining neutral. What we’ve been doing has not changed since the Intelligent Plague erupted. We’re purely maintaining a platform…”
“Don’t try to convince me with this kind of excuse.” Han Xiao tapped the table slowly. “Your inaction means your approval of others leaking the virus. Your inaction is equivalent to helping the disaster spread. The current situation has no room for neutral parties. Be it me personally or the three Universal Civilizations, no one wants to see anyone being an opportunist during such a serious disaster.”
Hearing this, the Third Indexer looked worried.
His bad intuition had come true. He felt that Black Star was using this as an excuse to take away the guarantor platform they had built up in the Ancient Star Desert.
If it was just Black Star alone, he would not be this powerless. However, Black Star had come under orders, which meant that he represented the three Universal Civilizations’ attitude.
Sure, the Black Index’s forces were spread across many Star Fields, but crushing it would still be a piece of cake for the three Universal Civilizations. Furthermore, the Ancient Star Desert was now in quarantine, so there was no way he could even seek help. The Third Indexer did not want to give in, but he had no other choice. He could not even contact the headquarters while being in the Ancient Star Desert, so he had no choice but to bring up his background.
“Your Excellency Black Star, are you sure you want to do this? His Excellency Uru is behind us. He’s a Beyond Grade A just like you…”
Han Xiao found it quite funny. “Yo, what’s this? Are you trying to threaten me or something? That’s quite brave of you. Even disregarding the fact that your protector is away and can’t make it back here, so what if he could?”
The Third Indexer clenched his teeth, looked at the dynasty soldier beside him, and said, “I know what you’re trying to do. You’re trying to use this opportunity to infiltrate the black market and take control of some channels. The three Universal Civilizations now approve of your actions, but what happens when the disaster is over? They won’t watch you reach out this far, so they will certainly take what you’ve obtained. Hence, whatever you’re doing now, the three Universal Civilizations will always be the ones benefiting in the end. Why put in so much effort?”
“How dare you try to pick His Excellency Black Star and the dynasty apart!”
The dynasty soldier beside him was furious and instantly pulled out his firearm, pointing at the Third Indexer’s head.
This time, Han Xiao raised his hand, signaling for the dynasty soldier to holster his weapon. He smiled and said, “You don’t know me. Although I always chase after profits, I will never pick the wrong side on this kind of huge matter.”
The Third Indexer clenched his teeth and continued trying. “The three Universal Civilizations are only allowing you to be in charge of this matter because they’re usin
g you. You’ll be the one who ends up having beef with the black market organizations, and the three Universal Civilizations will be the ones taking the victory fruits after. Is the powerful Black Star willing to be used like this?”
“Hehe, fighting evil is everyone’s responsibility, and I don’t mind having beef with people because of it.” Han Xiao smiled with mockery. “Furthermore, using each other is a more suitable way of saying it. It’s still uncertain who’ll benefit more from it in the end.”
He had made up his mind on this matter. Rather than calling it a negotiation, it was more like a notification instead.
The Ancient Star Desert was now an isolated island. During the disaster, the illusion of equality was completely ripped away, exposing the dictatorship behind it. With the three Universal Civilizations backing him, he had nothing to fear.In situations like this, other than those Galactic Civilizations under protection, the rest of the private organizations were all just food for the big sharks. They would face their demise if they refused to cooperate.
Seeing this, knowing that there was nothing he could do and no words would change the situation, the Third Indexer gave up, leaned back, and looked hopeless.
“I can’t resist anyway. The connections the Black Index has in the Ancient Star Desert are all yours…”
Hearing this, the aide-de-camp looked at the Third Indexer with disbelief.
That’s not what you said earlier. What happened to never breaking the organization’s integrity and name even in death
Noticing the aide-de-camp’s look, the Third Indexer threw back an angry look at him.
What, can’t I bullsh*t?
Black Star is right here, I treasure my life very much. Go ahead and die for the organization if you want to!
Chapter 1107. Filling the Flaws of Science with Superstition |
The Black Index’s Planet Strange Gold subdivision controlled half of the Galactic Black Market’s hires and funds in the Ancient Star Desert. Controlling this place meant that half of the black market’s movements were being monitored.
In the main control room, the Third Indexer ordered the operators to open up the firewall and let Han Xiao inject his data needle, planting a ton of surveillance programs while looking at the documents behind recent anonymous hires in the black market.
The Black Index’s internal database had records of the true identities of some employers, most obtained through investigation. As the intermediate guarantor, the reward of the hire would go through the Black Index before going to the mercenary. Therefore, following the source of the funds, it was not difficult to find the identities of the anonymous employers.
Han Xiao quickly copied the tons of documents the Black Index had accumulated in the quantum network. He glanced at the wary Third Indexer beside him and joked, “You guys aren’t as reliable as you say you are. Tsk, you’ve been secretly investigating the identities of those anonymous employers. These documents are all their weaknesses. Don’t tell me you guys collected these for fun.”
The Third Indexer wiped away the sweat on his forehead and said, “It’s just to audit the reliability of the trade and assess the employer’s integrity. We only collected this information but never shared it with anyone. As for weaknesses… ahem, well, we’re in the black market industry, so we must have some leverage.”
“Got it, got it. It’s the black market. After all, no one is clean.” Han Xiao chuckled. The Third Indexer had no choice but to laugh together with Han Xiao, bowing and showing a lot of respect.
The dynasty fleet was right on this planet. The only thing he could do was to be obedient.
Han Xiao caressed his chin and said, “Speaking of which, that reminds me, I brought the dynasty fleet here, and you came to welcome me. There are a lot of people on this planet, so this news will get out sooner or later. There’ll definitely be rumors saying you’re being threatened by the three Universal Civilizations, which will lead to the mercenaries and employers lying low for a while, and the three Universal Civilizations’ plan to lure out the uncertainties will end up being less effective.”
“I-I suppose.” The Third Indexer did not know how to respond.
“I think you should feel good about that.” Han Xiao smiled. “You might even send people to spread the news on the black market, saying the Black Index is being forced to do this, warning the other black market members not to use the platform for hires. This way, the damage done to your organization’s brand will be reduced.”
The Third Indexer felt bitter. He did indeed think of that. Although he was forced to obey, he still wanted to control the damage.
“Don’t worry, I won’t stop you from doing
that.”
Hearing this, the Third Indexer was confused and asked, “Didn’t you control us to secretly monitor the black market and lure out the uncertainties? If the news of us not being reliable gets spread on the black market and people stop using our platform, what’s the point of you taking over?”.
“Sigh, looks like you’re very adept to identity changes and have entered the position of a partner very soon. You’ve even started to think for us.” Han Xiao laughed and clapped.
The Third Indexer’s expression became stiff. He was angry but did not dare to express it.
Han Xiao raised his brows, summoned the dynasty officer, and said with a smile, “Later on, split up the dynasty fleet to head to any gray transit station in the Ancient Star Desert where a black market organization is stationed. Remember to do it as openly as possible and let everyone see you.” Hearing this, the Third Indexer roughly figured out Black Star’s plans.
“You’re deliberately letting the black market know that the Black Index has been compromised. You’ll then negotiate with every black market organization to create an illusion of the three Universal Civilizations having full control of the entire Ancient Star Desert black market so that most people will become suspicious and cautious, right?”
This way, even if the other black market organizations did not fall into Black Star’s hands, with the Black Index as an example, those employers looking for confidentiality and safety would definitely no longer take the risk, fearing being exposed. Black Star could certainly force all the black market organizations in the Ancient Star Desert to compromise, but he chose to take another path. From the way the Third Indexer looked at it, this was Black Star giving himself a way out. This method was not as aggressive and would not lead to Black Star offending all the black market organizations, so the three Universal Civilizations would not end up easily taking over the fruits of victory.
Some black market organizations might even think of it as Black Star holding back on them.
“I got it.” The Third Indexer hesitated. “This method is indeed less aggressive, but there are both pros and cons…”
Han Xiao did not respond. He knew what he meant.
Aggressively taking over all the black market organizations was the best way to lure those uncertainties out. He would be able to capture a ton of people who were trying to cause trouble. Comparatively, although this method required much less effort, it would cause most people to be alarmed and not make a move.
However, from the way he looked at it, there was no way to capture all the uncertainties. No fish could survive in an absolutely clean pond.
As the saying went, for a high enough reward, there would always be someone willing to take the risk. If those black market mercenaries were not completely discouraged, someone would definitely be willing to risk it for the huge profits, which would lead to the Ancient Star Desert becoming a mess. In the end, the three Universal Civilizations would have no choice but to put a lot of effort into chasing after them. This was the con of the more aggressive method.
Furthermore, when more of these people were captured, the fact that the three Universal Civilizations had controlled the black market would still be exposed. Therefore, he might as well make it public in the first place to not give anyone the thought that they might be lucky enough to p
ull off a fluke, making them afraid of the consequences. This way, the plan would turn from luring out those who would cause a problem to preventing those people from appearing in the first place, reducing the number of people willing to take the risk from the roots.
Indeed, luring them out would be effective, but it would also produce more uncertainties. As the rulers, a more righteous method was more suitable for the three Universal Civilizations. Using dirty tricks like this might be okay once in a while, but it was not suitable in the long run.
Han Xiao put those thoughts aside, glanced at the Third Indexer who was looking very obedient, and said, “You’re not bad. I thought you’d only compromise after a slaughter. I didn’t think you’d be so understanding as to not even give me a chance to do that.”
“… As long as you’re satisfied,” the Third Indexer replied with resignation.
“However, I do like you more when you are defiant. Come, show me again,” Han Xiao joked.
When was I ever defiant?
The Third Indexer complained about Han Xiao’s humor in his mind but still straightened his back as he was told on the surface.
This time, Phillip had completed filtering the documents and identified a ton of employers requesting to transport the virus. “Report this list to the three Universal Civilizations. Have their troops cooperate with the operation to destroy these organizations.”
Han Xiao glanced through it.
The data was very detailed. The employers were from all kinds of industries. For these people, he did not plan to hold back. While making them examples for the others, he could farm the Mission Rating of [Intelligent Plague] at the same time.
He searched through for a while and found an organization that hired Immortals multiple times. This was a black market arms dealer named the Kepel Financial Group. They had hired Depressed Prince too.