by <unknown>
Stunned, Aesop grabbed his beard and said, “Who told you?”
“Who else?” Ames’ brows raised.
“Tsk, this Black Star, doesn’t even know to keep it a secret for me…” Aesop had a slight headache. He nodded with resignation and said, “That did happen, yes. I foresaw that a drastic change is going to happen. My capability is limited. Only Black Star has the ability to…” Before he finished, Ames interrupted him and said with a slightly heavy tone, “I’m a Beyond Grade A. I can protect myself. Next time, discuss it with me first before thinking for me. I don’t like others making decisions on my behalf.”
“Alright, alright, I’ve overstepped.” Aesop raised two hands and expressed that he did not want to argue.
Seeing this, Ames nodded. She then smiled faintly and softly said, “… But still, thanks, I appreciate it.”
She knew that Han Xiao had told her about it because he did not want Aesop’s kind intentions to not get recognized.
Furthermore, Han Xiao was the only one who could mention this. Aesop was never going to tell Ames and ask to be appreciated; he was not that kind of person.
Aesop figured out Han Xiao’s intentions too, and his tiny bit of unhappiness disappeared. He was a little touched and appreciative. His impression of Han Xiao was even better.
The fleet travelled for ten days and finally entered the Flickering World through the military stargates. On this day, the Beyond Grade A Association hosted another plenary meeting. Due to the fact that the Mechanics had been dealing with the Intelligent Plague for quite some time, they had missed quite a number of meetings. This was the first meeting for Han Xiao and the others in a while.
In the development union’s headquarters on Planet Finn, Han Xiao’s remote projection landed outside the conference room in the army commander’s gold-edged black cape, looking respectable. There was still some time till the official start of the meeting, so not everyone had arrived yet. People gathered in small groups outside the conference room and chatted casually.
One of the purposes of the development union was to build a platform that was convenient for Beyond Grade As to communicate with each other. Other than official meetings, their private communications were just as important.
As soon as he appeared, the space outside the venue instantly turned quiet. Everyone looked over with various expressions on their faces. The atmosphere was a little odd.
This time, Milizaus and several dynasty allies approached. “Yo, Black Star, you’ve finally returned,” Milizaus said loudly.
Han Xiao turned and looked over with a smile. He then greeted Beyoni, Silver Shadow, and his other friends one after another.
After a round of greetings, Milizaus praised, “What you did in the Ancient Star Desert really made me see you in a new light. Sadly, I’m not a Mechanic and could not witness it with my own eyes.” “That’s right. To think that we could not participate in such a historic moment, what a shame.” Viru looked regretful. “If I was there, you wouldn’t have fought alone. I’d definitely have fought Manison with you,” Beyoni said. Lotus Swordsman was merciless. She said coldly, “Nonsense, if you were there, you’d be the first one to die. You’re a burden just like Kohler.”
Kohler frowned. Why bring me into it? I didn’t say anything!
“Not a big deal. It’s not worth mentioning, hehehe…” Hearing compliments from everyone, Han Xiao waved humbly.
One consequence of him destroying the virus core was that the allies saw that his position had increased again, and he was more trusted by the three Universal Civilizations, so they all came to give their compliments.
This time, Milizaus looked left and right, lowered his voice, and said, “Everyone thinks you’re now totally opposed to Manison. The president and the vice president having different philosophies will definitely lead to arguments. The atmosphere in the association now is very sensitive.”
“No wonder everyone was looking at me strangely earlier.” Han Xiao smiled and was not surprised.
“Today is the first time you and Manison will attend the meeting together after the two of you confronted each other, so most people are now waiting to see what will happen.” Han Xiao shook his head and said, “Don’t worry, the development union’s purpose to the outside world is to solve conflicts between Beyond Grade As, so Manison will definitely not publicly disobey the rules. Otherwise, the foundation of the association will be damaged, and that’s unacceptable for him. Therefore, he has to set an example. The most he’ll do is cause trouble for me verbally. There’s no way he’ll use the association’s powers to cause problems for me. As for me, I have even less of a need to provoke him…”
After all, I grabbed even Mechanic Emperor’s trump card. I’m not the one who lost anything.
Han Xiao giggled in his mind but did not say the second half of the last sentence.
Milizaus said slowly, “Yes, that’s for the best. Don’t provoke him. Actually, after Manison expressed his goal, there aren’t that many people supporting him in the association anymore.
“What he did this time was too risky. Many people don’t agree with it. Had he succeeded, we would all have been dragged down by him too. Therefore, quite a number of them are unhappy with Manison now. “On the other hand, there are a lot of members supporting you. Most people hope to use the development union to stick together in groups and obtain better safety assurance, as well as more benefits. But to completely oppose the three Universal Civilizations? That’s too unrealistic; not many are willing to take the risk! Therefore, since you stopped Manison and also built a closer relationship with the three Universal Civilizations, many people are appreciative of you and recognize you for what you’ve done, and they stand on your side.” Hearing this, Han Xiao looked around, and in many eyes around the room, he saw friendliness.
“Hmm, as expected,” Han Xiao responded. He had figured all this would happen long ago.
At this time, a raging voice suddenly sounded from beside.
“Black Star, you’re such an *sshole!”
The people looked at the source of the voice, Secret Master was walking over to him with a blaming expression on his face.
“What did I do to you?” Han Xiao was confused.
“Still playing dumb!” Secret Master was furious. “You messed up my black market forces in the Ancient Star Desert during the Star Field lockdown!”
“I was just following orders to prevent the virus from leaking.” Han Xiao blinked.
“Do you think I’d believe you!” Secret Master said with rage.
Only after the three Universal Civilizations stopped the lockdown did he know that his forces in the Ancient Star Desert had become a mess because of Han Xiao. He almost vomited blood.
“You really have misunderstood me,” Han Xiao explained slowly. “The three Universal Civilizations wanted me to control the black market to prevent the virus from leaking. Since it was an abnormal situation, I had to use an abnormal method, so I had no choice but to be aggressive. Furthermore, the Intelligent Plague has already been dealt with, and I’ve moved out of there. It’s the three Universal Civilizations that are trying to continue to control the Ancient Star Desert’s black market. I only took on this sinful job for the sake of the safety of the universe. Even if I didn’t do it, someone else would have, right?”
Secret Master clenched his teeth. “… The thickest thing I’ve ever seen is your skin!” He did not really want to blame Han Xiao. He knew that the three Universal Civilizations would not compromise even one bit in the face of such a large disaster. At this matter’s roots, he could only blame himself for being so unlucky that the location of the virus outbreak happened to be the Ancient Star Desert.
Secret Master also realized that ever since he crossed paths with Black Star, he kept getting unlucky.
I’d better stay away from Black Star so that I won’t get affected if he’s struck by lightning one day!
As they were chattering, another remote projection arrived. It was Mani
son, who was at the center of the storm.
Buzz!
In an instant, the entire place became silent.Everyone looked over at Manison and Han Xiao with eyes that had various emotions.
The only similarity these eyes had was that they were all looking forward to a show.
Manison turned around and calmly looked Han Xiao in the eye.
As if the fight between two of them never happened, Manison slowly greeted Han Xiao with a calm expression. “We meet again, Black Star.”
“What a coincidence, Mechanic Emperor. I thought you’d be too ashamed to attend the meeting today.” Han Xiao chuckled.
At this point in time, he felt he looked more like a villain than Manison.
On the side, Milizaus rubbed the dragon horn on his head with confusion.
… Didn’t you agree not to provoke the Mechanic Emperor? Did you completely forget what I literally just said?
Chapter 1133. Confrontation |
Manison did not get baited. He sized Han Xiao up and nodded. “You’re quite humorous. I’m the development union president. I wouldn’t miss the meeting even if you might.”
Han Xiao stood with his arms crossed and said, “As the president, what you did doesn’t really live up to your position though. Not everyone supported you, yet you made the personal choice of kidnapping their interests and gambling with it.”
The moment he saw Manison, he completely forgot about not provoking him. In fact, all he wanted to do now was provoke him.
Knowing about the side the association was leaning to, he deliberately tried to bring up the dissatisfaction of the people around, which proved to be quite effective. Many people looked at Manison with even unfriendlier eyes. They were all important people, so none of them liked having anyone else make decisions for them.
The two of them had now clearly drawn the line and gone back to being competitors. Damaging Manison’s reputation was not the main goal; satisfying his guilty pleasure was… Wait, it seemed like it was supposed to be the other way round.
The allies of the federation present felt the most awkward. Manison was still the federation’s ally on paper, but they did not want to be on Manison’s side either. Those who supported Manison before were feeling uneasy.
Manison completely ignored how the people around him looked at him and coldly said, “I’ve finally seen through you after this. The purpose of us creating the association was to gain more power and not be controlled by advanced civilizations. You claim to be thinking for the Beyond Grade As, but you’re actually just a dog of the three Universal Civilizations. Everything I do is for the Beyond Grade As in the long run, and it’s impossible not to take risks… Sadly, you want to suck up to the three Universal Civilizations and not lose your reputation among the Beyond Grade As, so you chose to destroy our hope. In my eyes, that’s nothing but a selfish act of an opportunist. I will never have any hope in you anymore.”
“Oh, I didn’t expect the great Mechanic Emperor to have to resort to bullsh*tting. Being old surely has benefits. Even your way of twisting the facts is so skilled.” Han Xiao did not mind at all and said, “Sadly, the audience’s eyes are clear. The things you’re trying to frame me for won’t stick. Everyone has their own opinions about the truth. As the vice president, I have a duty to stop you from forcing everyone to take one path till the end.”
“Hehe… do you really think of yourself as the hero just because you’re wearing the coat of public opinion the three Universal Civilizations have weaved for you?”
“You’ve got a lot of things to say now, but I’m very curious, will you have the face to attend the award ceremony sometime soon that’ll be broadcast to the entire universe?”
“Why not? If not for me, how could the three Universal Civilizations have discovered the virus so soon? How could the special antivirus program have been invented so quickly? Without me, the Intelligent Plague would still be running rampant even now. In terms of contribution, I’m not much inferior to you, but the three Universal Civilizations never said a single word about it. How obvious are their intentions?”
As the conversation got a kick start, the two of them started to argue without holding back.
They started arguing… and the various Beyond Grade As watched with popcorn from the side.
After arguing for a while more, Manison looked around and said coldly, “I didn’t come to argue with you today. The purpose of the association is to solve conflicts between Beyond Grade As. As the president, I have to set an example, so don’t worry, although we have our differences, I won’t do anything to you.”
“You say it in such a nice way. I think you’re so busy dealing with the three Universal Civilizations and simply don’t dare to mess with me anymore,” Han Xiao said with a mocking tone. Manison narrowed his eyes and said, “You seem to think that our tie was real. We both know the truth, but you seem to have misunderstood something. Do you really think you can fight on par with me?”
“That’s the truth, not a misunderstanding.” Han Xiao chuckled and said with a taunting tone, “If you don’t approve of it, I’m available anytime.”
He had gotten quite a lot of good stuff from Manison, including even his core Unique Talent, so he even wanted to fight Manison more.
“The purpose of the development union is to solve physical conflicts between Beyond Grade As. I won’t lower myself to your level.”
Manison turned and walked into the venue with an expressionless face, no longer bothering with Han Xiao.
Seeing this, Han Xiao secretly curled his lips.
Old Man Manison really is patient. If I provoked him like this in the past, he would have undoubtedly come looking for me to have a talk with a forty-mile-long sword in his hands.
However, the Mechanic Emperor should feel frustrated too. He was so certain he could defeat me, but he was forced to stop at a tie by the three Universal Civilizations, and now he has to patiently wait for the opportunity to regain his position. Until then, he will have to watch his reputation get weakened with his own eyes.
I, however, not only acquired his core Unique Talent but also secretly acquired the incomplete blueprint of the virus technology that he dreams of having. I even got a new ability that counters him… but in his mind, my strength is still the same as when we fought.
If I fight him again, I’ll certainly give him a ‘surprise’.
While Han Xiao was smiling in his head, Kasuyi came over and said, “I’ve not seen Manison get forced to do something for a very long time. You’re one of the very few people who can give him a loss.” Han Xiao turned to look at him and said with surprise, “I thought your relationship was quite good with Manison, but you seem quite happy.”
Kasuyi smiled with narrowed eyes. “Hehe, don’t misunderstand, I have known Manison for many years, and we are indeed quite close friends. However, he’s him, and I’m me. To be frank, I don’t agree with what he tried doing either. Even if you didn’t stop him, I would’ve drawn the line with him after the incident.”
Han Xiao nodded. “Without this matter, the Mechanic Emperor and I might still be friends. Sadly, our philosophies are too different. I only hope this did not affect the relationship between us.”
“Don’t worry, your conflict with him won’t affect our relationship. I don’t mind differences in philosophies because I think everyone has something they want… However, although Manison’s method was not the most righteous, he did say one thing right. The three Universal Civilizations are just using you to damage him, and when you’re no longer of value too one day… his present might become your future.”
“I know my lines. You don’t have to worry about that.
While the two of them spoke, a third voice appeared. “Therefore… while we’re still being used by advanced civilizations, we’ll have to quickly get any benefits we can. This comes from my personal experience.” The two of them looked over and saw Sorokin, who had come too. Sorokin added his almost symbolic fake smile to the conversation and greeted
the two shareholders.
“Oh, it’s you.” Han Xiao glanced at him. “What other ideas do you have?
“You’re flattering me, Your Excellency Black Star. I’m just an ordinary Beyond Grade A. I’m in no place to take part in such a big topic. I don’t have any good ideas. I’m just giving my suggestion from the perspective of a businessman, hoping to provide Your Excellency Black Star with some ideas to deal with the current situation.” Sorokin’s tone was passionate.
Han Xiao crossed his arms and sized Sorokin up.
“It doesn’t look like you’re just here to have a chat. What do you want?”
“Haha, nothing can escape Your Excellency Black Star’s eyes indeed,” Sorokin said with a bright smile. “I’m hoping to talk about a partnership with you…”
Han Xiao listened to him for a while and finally understood what he meant. He was not even surprised about how shameless Sorokin was.
He had become the consultant of the three Universal Civilizations, so he now had support from all three of them. Sorokin saw a business opportunity, so he wanted to forge a deeper partnership with him, a shareholder. Han Xiao had gotten this shareholder position basically by robbing it, and Sorokin was not happy about it at all initially. However, now that he saw he could profit from it, he instantly put all that behind him without hesitation and came to speak with Han Xiao. The beef between them was not even cleared, yet he could act as nothing happened.
Over the past few months, Han Xiao had been busy dealing with the Intelligent Plague, while Sorokin had been dealing with how displeased the three Universal Civilizations were with him. After paying a hefty price, he was finally able to mitigate the damage.
Not only that, through some flashy moves, Sorokin was able to prove that his stand was the same as that of the three Universal Civilizations, as well as connect with some of the officials of the federation and the church who had real power. He also used his director position in the association to build new profit networks.