by <unknown>
When they went offline, the Flickering War had still been raging, so they naturally thought that they would get to continue fighting the moment they returned online. To think that during the version update, the battle had already ended.
Reading on, the expressions of the players got even more confused. Some of them even catcalled.
The fall of Gaud, Sorokin escaping in fear of being sentenced for his crimes, Aurora entering the Beyond Grade A realm, the Sanctum Revivals leading to the Primordial Ones being resurrected, and the standoff between the Beyond Grade A Association and the three Universal Civilizations… A series of major events was shown before the eyes of the many players. Just looking at the description, many of the players could very well imagine the stormy situation that happened then.
“This… the change is too great!”
“Aurora has really entered the Beyond Grade A realm… Damn, who’s this blonde sister? I’ve fallen in love with her!”
“This is amazing. Germinal is really the strongest representing organization in the whole universe. One sect, three Beyond Grade As—who else is that impressive?”
“The Germinal spirit will never wither! Hooyah!”
“This is indeed worthy of a span of fifty years. The original structure of the universe has been completely subverted.”
“Black Star is too fierce. No wonder this version is named after him.”
Everyone was shocked. They felt as though they had woken up from a long sleep only to find out that everything around them had changed.
Seeing the actions of Black Star during the update, many of the players understood why the name of Version 5.0 was called ‘Black Star’s Era’.
Their Army Commander had become the ‘Leader of the Martial Way’. With his unparalleled courage and charisma, he led the Beyond Grade A class against the explored universe overlords. He was undoubtedly a leader of this era!
The title ‘Black Star’s Era’ was totally worthy of the name!
“So fierce, Old Blackie is indeed an extraordinary existence.”
“Army Commander is awesome! (voice cracks)”
“Next time, we shouldn’t call him Black Star. We’ll just address him as Black Deity.”
“I’m not sure why, but I feel as though I’m watching my own son having grown up…”
The players had lots of mixed feelings.
The figure of Black Star had been with them through several versions, and now, he had even become the Main Storyline of the version, leading to a new era. His identity was unique in this universe. In their eyes, Black Star was already confirmed as the ultimate protagonist!
Many of the old hardcore players had personally watched Black Star rise from an insignificant person, stepping into the glorified altar. Their hearts had a sense of gratification, as though they were witnessing the continuation of a legend.
Bun-Hit-Dog was so excited, his entire body trembled. He immediately pinched his assistant, Little Wheat, who was beside him as he babbled, “Quickly! Material! A lot of material! At least twenty episodes of videos can be released using this. Quickly record them all!”
Little Wheat hurriedly nodded and began to record.
Meanwhile, Frenzied Sword and the professional players controlled their emotions, quickly checking the attributes panel.
“It seems like the upper limit this time has been opened to level 180.”
“Speaking of which, most Calamity Grades usually enter the realm around level 160 and 170. While we’re weaker than them at the same level, level 180 should be enough for us to hit the Calamity Grade, right?”
“It’s possible. Maybe in this version, the strength of the players will be pulled apart. Those who can enter the Calamity Grade will definitely be able to slap and beat up a whole bunch of Grade Bs.”
Everyone discussed their levels fervently before they remembered something.
“That’s right. I remember that our main storyline for the Flickering War was not settled. Now that the war has ended, I wonder what has happened to the situation.”
In the previous version, the Main Storyline in the Flickering War for the Black Star Army was something that Han Xiao had created, and it had long been settled. What the other organizations’ players got was the true Main Storyline, which could only be settled after the war.
Hearing this, many of the players entered the forums, and with a glance, they almost laughed themselves to death.
They saw that the forums for the Flickering World were extremely lively, and many of them were crying blood and tears, especially those from the Limitless Financial Group.
[Fan Shuishui: Where’s my faction? Where’s my huge faction‽]
[Atlas: Madafaka, why has the entire Limitless Financial Group disappeared‽]
[Adventures of Tintin: Flickering World, ah Flickering World. The largest galactic consortium, the Limitless Financial Group, went bankrupt; the boss Sorokin owed up to 3.5 billion in debt for food, drinks, and gambling, and he took his mistress with him to go on the run! We toiled for half a year and didn’t even get a single paycheck. B*stard Sorokin, you’re not human!]
On the forums, there were a large portion of players who had lost their factions and were wailing. This was as good as them not having any contribution for the entire of Version 4.0.
Players who were in a smaller faction always lived on tenterhooks the moment they logged back in after a version update, fearing that their faction would be gone and all their effort wasted.
Originally, those players who had joined larger factions were not worried about this problem, but the Limitless Financial Group was no small faction, and it had actually disappeared, causing the players to feel immense regret.
If they had known this, they would have followed the other group of defectors to jump ship during the national war!
“Too unlucky.”
“That’s why choosing a faction is of utmost importance, just like picking stocks. One must be cautious!”
“It’s lucky our Black Star Army is resilient enough.”
Watching the scene, the army players could not help but laugh.
Even a behemoth like the Limitless Financial Group could crash. While the Black Star Army was strong, they had provoked the three Universal Civilizations, and thus, their futures were not too bright either.
Their Army Commander might be fierce, the association strong, and the Sanctum Revival miraculous, but their opponents were the three Universal Civilizations. Now that their original cooperative relationship had evolved to become enemies, many people did not have much confidence in battling them. If something went wrong, they might lose their faction like the Limitless Financial Group players.
“The battle between the Beyond Grade A Association and the three Universal Civilizations should be the Main Storyline of this version. We’re inherently on the side of the association, but can we really win?”
“That’s right. If the association loses, won’t the army disband? Won’t it be our loss then?”
Some people chatted in small voices, their stand wavering. These were all new players who had joined only in Version 4.0.
As for the veterans, while they were worried about the safety of the army, their stand was firm.
Most of the old players had long treated the army as their own faction, working hard to make it grow to where it was today. Even if the enemy was strong, they would not wish to switch to another faction. Anyway, they were not afraid of death, so it was still better to work for their own faction!
The army had shaped the sense of belonging for their players for many years, and the results showed. While players valued benefits, they sometimes went the opposite way instead. While benefits were important to them, the real core logic that determined a player’s actions could be summarized in one sentence.
I do what makes me happy!
Ding!
At this moment, the interface of every army player rang at the same time.
_____________
You have trigg
ered the S Ranked Main Storyline: Calamity of the Supers—Black Star Army!
Chapter 1271: The Art of Managing Leeks |
“Oh, the Main Storyline mission is out.”
“Calamity of the Supers? What is that?”
“I guess it refers to the conflict between the three Universal Civilizations and the association. I feel that this name is a little weird though. How could Supers cause a calamity?”
Everyone discussed the mission title.
The Calamity of the Supers should have been the name of Version 5.0, but now that it had its name changed to Black Star’s Era, no one was familiar with this term.
This mission was not issued by Han Xiao himself but rather automatically generated by the interface. This was similar to the Main Storyline of Version 5.0 in Han Xiao’s previous life, except for some subtle changes, such as Han Xiao’s presence.
Everyone went to read the Mission Introduction.
_____________
This is a crisis that affects the entire Superpower class. There is a deep-rooted contradiction between individual power and collective civilization. Black Star chose the route of seeking peace through deterrence, taking the initiative to ignite the fuse and detonating this calamity in order to create a new era. As a Super, you should have your own position and philosophy in this storm. Choose your faction, and fight for it.
As a member of the Black Star Army, it is hoped that you will stand at the front of the army in such times of crisis, to complete the great goal of the Black Star Army.
_____________
Everyone continued reading and saw that this Main Storyline was more of a faction struggle. As an S-ranked Main Storyline, it stretched for a long period, allowing players to continuously accumulate rewards. However, they were required to choose a faction to participate in this storm to fight for, and everyone’s faction there was preset as the Black Star Army. During this storyline, every time they completed the assigned missions given by their faction, they would obtain extra Contribution Points and Experience, which was very tempting.
“The rewards are plenty, and the mission rewards are even higher than the previous versions. The bar has been raised once again.”
“This is an incident that affects the entire Superpower class, so it feels more impactful compared to the previous version of Flickering World development. While the version also mobilized the entire universe, it focused on exploration, and most of the events were confined to a single Star Field. There was little impact on the other regions. Furthermore, this Calamity of the Supers seems very antagonistic at first glance, since Supers permeate across the whole universe. This will cause the entire Galactic Society to become turbulent.”
“Actually, I feel that this is pretty good as well. The Main Storyline came out as soon as the version opened, and our goal is clear.”
Everyone talked in small groups, feeling extremely delighted.
While it felt a bit sudden to get involved in such a big event as soon as they came online, the army players quickly accepted this reality, excited.
After marveling at Black Star’s deeds for a while longer, the players finally shifted their attention to the other aspects of version update changes.
“That’s right, fifty years have passed. The army should have upgraded a lot of their internal products. Let’s take a look.”
It did not take long for someone to open up the army’s faction store to check on the equipment and weapons provided.
The equipment sold by the army had always been the focal point for the players. While it was a little pricey, the quality was guaranteed, and its performance was excellent. After-care repair and enhancement services were even thrown in. A large number of players were thus using the army standard suits. Every time the Army Logistics Department launched a new series of equipment, it would be the time for the army players to collectively improve their overall combat capabilities. At the same time, they could also lose the weight in their wallets.
With a glance, the players all froze before shouting out in joy.
The number of products offered by the army had doubled compared to before the version update. There was a lot more equipment, including weapons, raw materials and special props that had never been seen before, and they were all high-quality items even when compared to the current update and iteration.
Many of this technology came from Jayz’s treasure trove, and Han Xiao merely picked up a few suitable ones to throw toward the logistics department, allowing them to greatly expand the scale of the faction’s unique products.
“Yo, the army has done a lot of research in the past few decades. There are so many new products now!”
“I’m still wearing the 7th Generation battlesuit, but they’ve already updated to the 12th Gen, and the performance has been optimized so much!”
“It’s over. My current suit is now outdated. Replacing it will require a large sum of money, and I still have to strengthen, refine, and enchant it… I feel that my wallet is going to die.”
The players’ eyes turned red upon seeing so much good stuff. Their desire to buy was unprecedentedly strong.
It was a pity that the national war and the Pro League at the end of Version 4.0 had emptied the accumulations of most people. They could only channel their desire to buy stuff into the desire to earn money.
At this moment, the players received an internal email from the Army Commander.
In the email, Han Xiao represented the army in welcoming the return of the Immortals, declaring that the current situation was sensitive, and thus, he hoped that everyone could be a little more low key. At the end of the letter, a note was also attached, indicating that their previous location for the national war, Planet Milton, had been purchased by the army and would be given to the Golden Alliance as a gift.
No one was expecting such a bombshell, and they suddenly felt dizzy from the surprise at their luck.
“This… Our Commander directly bought the national war planet to give to us? Am I dreaming‽”
“Maybe this is the legendary banknote ability…”
“Why did Old Black do this? He shouldn’t have known about our national war, right?”
“That’s hard to say. At that time, many of the galactic organizations were paying attention to us, even though they did not know about our national war. However, our Golden Alliance beat everyone else, so maybe Old Black thought that we were winning glory for the army.”
“That feels possible!”
Everyone was full of excitement.
As the stage of the national war, Planet Milton had the potential to become the Players’ Main City, so having the army directly buying it and giving it to the Golden Alliance meant handing over the sovereignty of this main city to the Chinese players. Originally, the management rights belonged to the NPC organizations, but unexpectedly, they fell into the players’ hands. This was not a small gift.
This would be the first time a player-managed guild owned a planet!
Many of the players participated in the national war, but none of them expected that there would be such additional reward. They could not help but feel surging joy.
Speaking of which, most of the Chinese players were also old timers who participated from Planet Aquamarine itself. This gift might be Old Black taking care of them.
Thinking of this possibility, people like Frenzied Sword started to feel emotional. This proved that Black Star had always paid attention to them!
Before long, this matter spread to the forums, where it caused envy among countless players.
“Another benefit of the Black Star Army! How can their faction be so good‽”
“Nasty, I’m so jealous of them!”
“Black Star is indeed the model of all factions, knowing how to win the hearts of the people. I also wish I could have such a faction leader.”
“Wuwuwu, lemons are also good (cries)”
Seeing this, the various foreign club players felt their sanity snap and their stomachs churn.
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The national war had been over for quite a period of time, and these participants had also re-adjusted their mentality. While they had lost, there was no substantial loss to them. But at this moment, these players felt that their hearts had been stabbed once again.
Seeing the Golden Alliance happily receiving a planet as a gift, these foreign clubs only felt upset.
If we had worked harder at the last moment and won the national war, then this planet might have belonged to us…
Oh wait, we’re not part of the Black Star Army either way. Even if we won, the faction behind us would not have bought Planet Milton as a gift…
This was even more frustrating to think about!
As soon as the tens of millions of players returned, the long silent forum instantly turned lively.
Because the version had just been updated, everyone was busy trying to level and upgrade their equipment. Their top priorities were to enrich their wallets. After many of the army players understood the current situation, they could not wait to start.
…
At the same time, inside the Army Commander’s office, Han Xiao switched off the surveillance in the great hall, glancing at his experience bar, which had begun to rise rapidly once again after being stagnant for so long. He felt great comfort.
Ah, this is the fragrance of leeks…
Nice.
The players’ savings were almost all spent in the previous version, and now that the new version has just been released, they also have the need to upgrade themselves, so I can only use new products and discounts to stimulate consumption, maintaining my efficiency of harvesting experience.
Rubbing his chin, Han Xiao’s eyes sparkled.
His upgrade costs were astronomical. He had also accumulated some experience during the version update, and according to the normal harvesting efficiency during the opening periods of the version, he would take about eighteen months to three years to accumulate enough to reach the level 360 advancement. This would also depend on the speed at which the players accumulated experience.