by <unknown>
Some people managed to save their targets in time, like Crispy Chicken Wings, obtaining a group of professional assistants that could continue to develop according to the original black market channel. Some players came a step too late and did not manage to connect with the black market personnel. They would have to build a new black market channel from scratch, which was equivalent to them fumbling in the dark. Many players of the army were sharing the situation that they had encountered, and there were many confused requests for help.
A small number of players who had started to come into contact with the black market also shared their experience and insights on the forums. This was because when Han Xiao issued this mission, he had set it as a collective mission with a comprehensive completion rate, depending on the total degree of control over the black market.
Every player’s mission results would be calculated into the overall completion rating. Therefore, it was not enough to just complete the mission alone. If the players wanted a higher reward, they needed others to be on equal grounds with them. Thus, many of the pioneers at the black market were happy to share and help the other army players take over the black market. It was a win-win situation for all.
“The current development seems to be more positive than expected. With the model now, the players might inject new energy into the Galactic Black Market and help the black markets in various areas connect with each other.”
Han Xiao’s eyes sparkled.
Due to the fact that they could not be seen in public, there were very few large black market organizations that could cross Star Systems, let alone Star Clusters. Black market managers like Secret Master were even rarer. Most of them were small black market organizations that were limited to one or two Star Zones, akin to local tyrants.
Even though there was a black market organization that managed the black market in name, the overall structure of the Galactic Black Market was still very scattered.
As for the local black market forces, their partnerships were basically fixed over a long period of time. Most people only knew about their own small territory, and it was difficult for them to expand outward. There were many reasons, one of them being that the flow of information between the small black market forces in different regions was limited.
The way Han Xiao saw it, if the players took over the black markets en masse, they could use the information on the forums and private chat channels to become catalysts, becoming the glue of many black market organizations.
With the incentive of cumulative progress of the mission, most players would be more than willing to cooperate with other players. In that case, the regional black markets that were dominated by the army players might have a chance to build a bridge of cooperation with each other, which was much easier than using any normal methods.
In this manner, the goal of ‘integrating the Galactic Black Market’ that he had proposed to the association back then could be advanced in a quick manner.
“This is a good move. I’ll make the best use of the players’ characteristics and hit a few birds with one stone…”
Han Xiao’s lips curled up. With all his developments, he had already turned into a chess player behind the scenes, and the chessboard was getting bigger and bigger. Now, it was truly akin to the starry sky.
The players still needed more time. Han Xiao closed the forums, took out his encrypted communicator, and called Oathkeeper.
A few seconds later, the communication was connected, and Oathkeeper appeared on the screen.
“Black Star, what’s the matter?”
“You know about the recent sanctions, right?”
“Yes, we all watch the news every day.” Oathkeeper nodded. “But you only contacted me now. Do you need any help?”
“You can say that. Since the three Universal Civilizations have decided to restrict me, as the only one in control of the Sanctum Revival, I have to retaliate. What they’re most afraid of is that there will be too many Beyond Grade As, so it’s best to revive some more people to pressure them.”
“But we haven’t gathered all the keys yet, so there’s no way to revive any more…” Oathkeeper was in a difficult position.
“No, the Sanctum Keys are so precious. Even if I gather all of the necessary parts, I won’t use one for this reason… I mean to pull out some more Holy Accord members. After all, your side is the reserve of Beyond Grade As in this battle, and now is the time to use the Holy Accord.”
Without waiting for Oathkeeper to reply, Han Xiao quickly continued.
“Furthermore, I feel that the three Universal Civilizations are probably trying to see if I can revive any more Beyond Grade As, so it’s best to give them a response. The more Beyond Grade As there are, the more uncomfortable the three Universal Civilizations will be, making them feel that the cost of trial and error is too high. Only then will they be more cautious, and similar tests will be decreased in the future.”
“There is indeed such a possibility…” Oathkeeper hesitated for a moment. “I don’t object on principle, but you’ll have to talk to them about who will come out. There should be quite a number of unreliable people in the second batch. It’s best to be cautious.”
“I know.” Han Xiao nodded. He already had a demographic in mind. Among the second batch of Revivors, the neutral unlucky ones who died in the Calamity of the Pinnacles were the best targets. He could also show them to the Super Star Cluster Alliance and increase their confidence in the deal.
Speaking of which, it had been quite a few days, and the list of resources that the Super Star Cluster Alliance promised to compile in exchange for the resurrections had yet to arrive…
Just as this thought appeared in his mind, a notification popped up on his communicator.
Ding! Ding!
Han Xiao opened the interface and saw that it was the list of resources that the Super Star Cluster Alliance had sent over for the Sanctum Revival.
“Hey, speak of the devil. What a coincidence,” Han Xiao muttered to himself and nodded at Oathkeeper. “This is probably the situation. I’ll talk to the Revivors in a while. Help me convey my intentions in the next few days so that they know what to do. Also, give me a reliable list based on their performance over the past year.”
“Alright then.”
Oathkeeper felt weird.
They were clearly partners, but he felt like he was the subordinate instead…
After giving some more instructions, Han Xiao ended the communication and browsed through the list the Super Star Clusters sent.
He only offered ten slots for the first batch, but the Super Star Cluster Alliance was generous and took out quite a number of good items. They were basically all Universal Treasures and Gold Grade blueprints.
All the Super Star Cluster civilizations were after all victors of the exploration era war, and they had fought many against civilizations. While they might not be as rich as the three Universal Civilizations, they were still well off, not lacking in Universal Treasures or Gold Grade blueprints.
However, Han Xiao had hidden the benefits he had gotten from Jayz’s treasure and the Sanctums very well. People who were not familiar with him would not know about his current foundation, so the list of resources that the Super Star Cluster Alliance made with confidence did not catch his eye at all.
Han Xiao chose three of the more attractive offers and gave them three slots. He then returned the rest to the Super Star Cluster.
Not long after the message was sent, the Super Star Cluster Alliance contacted him.
“Black Star, your appetite is too big. Don’t push your luck. We’re already very sincere!”
Hearing this, Han Xiao secretly smirked.
Who were they talking to? Did they not know who had the upper hand?
“I’ll decide if you’re sincere or not. There are seven more slots. If you don’t want them, forget it. Don’t buy them if you have the guts.”
“…We’ll buy it.”
“By the way, payment first.�
�
“…You win!”
The contact from the Super Star Cluster Alliance went offline.
There was nothing he could do about it. Having a monopoly of the market meant he could be that domineering. One could complain about it, but they had to buy what they needed.
After rebuffing the contact, Han Xiao turned off the virtual screen and was about to continue studying the Gold Grade blueprints in the workshop.
However, at this moment, his private communicator suddenly received a message from Aurora.
“There’s a huge discovery. Come quickly!”
Han Xiao was stunned for a moment before he turned curious.
Aurora was still traveling with Feidin, and they had not contacted each other for quite some time. Usually, she would not contact him if something happened. Now that she had suddenly called him, he did not know what was going on.
However, Feidin was wearing an external Lucky Halo. No matter what happened, Han Xiao felt that he would not be surprised.
…
“By the way… where did you bring me?”
Inside the spaceship, Aurora swallowed her saliva and looked outside the porthole with her eyes wide open.
“I don’t know either. It suddenly became like this outside…”
Feidin looked in the same direction with shock.
The two of them were originally piloting the ship leisurely in the universe, but then the environment outside suddenly changed, and the starry sky disappeared, turning into a pitch-black space without a trace of starlight. It was as if they had passed through some barrier, entering an unknown territory.
However, the spaceship’s alarm did not react at all, nor did the monitor show any abnormalities.
The two of them were shocked and immediately controlled the spaceship to retreat. However, this pitch-black space seemed to have no concept of distance. Even though the spaceship had accelerated to its hyperdrive state, it remained in its original position and could not leave this vast area of space.
The reason they discovered this was because there was a single coordinate system reference object in this pitch-black space, which was also the source of their surprise.
Looking out the window, they saw a broken mechanical body floating quietly in this dark space. Its size was terrifying, many times larger than the Mechanical Deity they had seen before.
Compared to it, the spaceship was akin to a speck of dust on a normal person’s body.
The structure of this body was similar to that of an upright organism. Its flesh and blood were intertwined with machinery, and its skeleton was crisscrossed with metal. However, it was severely damaged, riddled with holes.
What shocked Aurora the most was that her Esper Ability actually felt a weak life force from this body.
This thing… seemed to be alive!
Chapter 1285: Shocking Origins |
Buzz!
At this time, the Throne in the cabin that was collecting dust suddenly flashed, and Han Xiao appeared.
The helmet opened, revealing Han Xiao’s face. He asked in a curious tone, “What important discovery have you made that’s worth calling me here?”
“You’re an expert Mechanic, quick, take a look at the big guy outside.” Aurora pointed outside the window.
Actually, there was no need for her to tell him. The moment Han Xiao asked the question, he noticed the abnormality of their environment. Following Aurora’s finger, he immediately saw this strange body.
“Yo, it’s huge! Flesh and machine are fused together. It’s a little like grafting, but it doesn’t seem to be the case… What is this? Where did you guys find it?”
Han Xiao was shocked.
He did not know what this thing was either. It looked to be many times larger than the normal size of his Mechanical Deity. Its body was covered in wounds, as though it had experienced all kinds of cosmic disasters.
“This is what we suddenly encountered. This space seems to be a sealed domain…” Feidin explained.
Han Xiao nodded as he stroked his chin.
“From the sound of it, this body seems to have been maintaining a strange domain, and you guys accidentally barged in. If it’s mechanical technology, it should be a high-level usage of spatial technology, creating a fixed field of folded space around the body or changing some physical constants in this field. This is high-end technology.”
“But there’s no reaction from the spaceship’s detector.” Aurora patted the control panel.
“Let me see…”
Han Xiao checked and realized that all the devices were operating normally. His eyes gleamed.
“Hmm, either the device is affected by virtual interference or the other party has some kind of amazing concealment technology. Either way, the technology is extraordinary…” Aurora’s spaceship had gathered quite a lot of Jayz’s technological treasures, but for it to have been blinded, Han Xiao naturally took it seriously.
“Could it be a Space Wonder?” Feidin was curious.
“Don’t jump to a conclusion so quickly…” Han Xiao waved his hand and took over the controls. “Since the spaceship can’t retreat, let’s see if we can approach this big guy.”
“Are you sure?” Aurora was a little hesitant. “I felt a weak life signal from it, but no matter how I tried to send it a message, it did not respond…”
“This big guy is alive?”
Han Xiao was stunned for a moment before his interest was piqued. He knew Aurora’s ability very well and would not make any mistakes.
Initially, he had thought that this was the remains of a gigantic mechanical body thrown around by some civilization or Mechanic who did not care about public morals. However, since this mechanical body was alive, things became much more interesting… “Let’s go take a look.”
Han Xiao only hesitated for two seconds before making a decision. He controlled the spaceship to move forward.
As expected, this dark area seemed to only allow them to advance but not retreat. The spaceship slowly approached the target.
The closer they got, the stronger the contrast between their sizes. The details of the body were enlarged in their vision, making them feel how small they were.
After a while, the spaceship stopped at a long and narrow hole on the finger of the mechanical body. It was like a huge cave that extended thousands of meters into the interior.
The hatch opened, and the few of them got out of the spaceship, stepping onto the rugged ground.
The flesh and machinery beneath their feet were intertwined with each other, making it unsuitable for normal walking.
Han Xiao squatted down and inserted his fingers into a piece of flesh to experience the sensation it gave. He then observed the muscles and veins before nodding.
“Muscles, tendons, and fat. They all look like normal biological tissue, not artificial biochemical tendons…”
As he said that, he exerted some force with his fingers, and a little bit of blood seeped out from the muscle.
Han Xiao looked up and saw that there were solidified bloodstains all around the flesh and blood tissues. They looked black and splattered outward, like blood that was suddenly sprayed out by a slash.
His eyes flashed, and he suddenly thought of Old Man Manison’s criminal technology. This body was a little similar to a criminal’s biological modification and biochemical prosthetics.
At this moment, Feidin said, “Black Star, I’m not feeling too good…”
Han Xiao and Aurora turned around, only to see Feidin holding onto his chest with his brows furrowed.
“What’s wrong?”
Han Xiao’s heart tightened.
He reached out and poked Feidin, triggering the combat information. After seeing it clearly, his expression changed slightly.
In Feidin’s status bar, a negative status called [Dissolution] appeared. The effect would take 0.01% to 0.5% of his health, energy, and stamina every second. However, under the influence of his Lucky Halo, Feidin only suffered the weakest n
egative effects.
Why didn’t he have such a reaction before? Could it be that this happened after entering this body?
Han Xiao opened the interface and realized that he did not even have the (Dissolution] status. He did not have any notification about judgment being made as well.
Could it be that this effect only targeted those below Beyond Grade A? Was it limited to life forms or dead objects?
He turned to look at the spaceship parked at the side, and after a simple inspection, he realized that the exterior armor of the spaceship was showing signs of rusting and dissolving. The material used to make this spaceship was extremely tough, and even a portion of the Black Star alloy was mixed in. It had its own recovery ability, but even this was not immune to the (Dissolution) state…
Han Xiao narrowed his eyes as a hypothesis started to form.
“This area can only be entered but not left. Whether it’s a living thing or an inanimate object, everything will start to dissolve upon entering the body. Interesting, this feels like a flytrap. This is probably a trap that drifts through the universe, and those who accidentally bump into it will not be able to escape and will become its nutrients…”
Luckily, there was a healer with sufficient power in the team. Otherwise, it would have been slightly troublesome.
He signaled Aurora to treat Feidin while he took out a metal needle and stabbed it deep into the flesh on the wall, attempting to cause damage. If this big guy was an individual, it should be able to display combat information on the interface.
Ding!
The next moment, a notification popped up on the interface.
Han Xiao opened it, and his expression changed.
The level, species, and abilities of this body were all question marks. Only its name was not a question mark, but there was no difference. It was called (Unknown Polymerized Entity).
This thing’s level is actually so high
Even if it was Manison or Sorokin, who had a higher level than him, he could still see a portion of the other party’s information. The information of this body was almost all question marks, which could only mean that the difference in level was too big. In the explored universe, Han Xiao estimated that only Wuornos had reached such a level.