Chapter 103 A Slave Liberation Mission

Han Xiao wasn't averse to the suggestion of a cameo in a film. It wasn't like he was being asked to play the lead, so it wouldn't take up too much time.

Moreover, with advanced interstellar technology, the production cycle of a film wasn't long these days. There were also various ways to watch it, either in the traditional third-person perspective or in an immersive first-person view. One could even adopt the perspective of a movie character and follow their actions. As technology changed, the presentation of films became increasingly diverse.

The [Star Effect] talent didn't have a quantitative description, but Fording possessed this ability, which was related to the Charm attribute. It not only made it easier to gain favor but also made it less likely to reduce someone's goodwill even if you did something offensive. It certainly lived up to its name.

It seemed like the talent effect was somewhat vague, but Han Xiao knew that this thing was actually very useful. It could come in handy in both business negotiations and daily interactions, making it an extremely suitable skill for backdoor deals.

Even without considering the mission rewards, this matter was beneficial in itself. Currently, his prestige was unparalleled, but the news buzz would decrease over time. And with such an astounding battle record as a precedent, ordinary achievements would find it difficult to further increase his influence and popularity.

Using the entertainment industry to continue boosting his notoriety was a viable path. After all, the entertainment industry had a unique advantage in terms of attention, and this wouldn't damage his image. It could even increase external understanding of him.

...Moreover, it seemed very suitable for proselytizing.

Hehe, Manison, that old geezer, definitely couldn't bring himself to be as flamboyant as me... Could this be a roundabout way to save the country?

Under the tense gazes of Benny Travor and his entourage, Han Xiao pretended to ponder for a while before finally nodding. "Alright."

"That's great!"

Benny Travor was overjoyed. He had originally thought there was an eighty percent chance of being rejected, but he hadn't expected Han Xiao to be so amiable.

The tense atmosphere dissipated, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief, followed by excitement. They had actually managed to invite a big shot of Black Star's caliber. It was like a dream.

"When are you planning to start the project?" Han Xiao asked.

"We need to refine the script first, because it's an adaptation of your real experiences. If possible, we hope you can provide some detailed information, and maybe organize a few interviews. What do you think..." Benny Travor asked softly.

"That's simple. As long as I'm free," Han Xiao smiled.

"Okay, okay, once we've got the script, we'll give it to you for review. We won't officially start filming until you approve it."

"Mm," Han Xiao nodded. He suddenly remembered something and asked, "Are you having any funding problems?"

"Don't worry about that. I still have some influence in the entertainment industry, and since this is your story, there will definitely be many people clamoring to invest. Maybe even the Red Empire's Ministry of Culture will chip in," Benny Travor said with confidence.

"Alright, if you have funding problems, come find me. I'll sponsor you."

Han Xiao waved his hand grandly. If they were going to film it, it should be a Sino-American co-production... er, a Red-Black co-production.

Hearing this, Benny Travor was deeply moved.

See, he's worthy of being a big warlord, so generous with his money.

He secretly resolved to make this film a success. Not only would he take into account artistic value, but he would also ensure a big sale.

As a director for many years, Benny Travor had created masterpieces and failures. Taking the investors' money, he called it "pursuing art," but in the end, he couldn't recoup the costs, which had screwed over many people.

It didn't matter if those ordinary investors' films didn't do well, at most they'd lose some reputation and money, but if the film sponsored by the Black Star Army didn't do well... that could cost him his life. He dared not be careless.

In the interstellar era, with its massive population, the entertainment industry's ability to generate income was beyond imagination. There were even occasional films that were critically acclaimed and commercially successful throughout the universe, the revenue from just one of which could rival the total assets of several small consortia, which was extremely terrifying. Han Xiao had no reason not to make a profit.

At this moment, a thought suddenly occurred to him, and he said, "Oh, right, I also want to put someone on the crew."

"Please, go ahead."

Han Xiao called up a portrait of Fording and smiled. "This is the person. He's my aide-de-camp, a Calamity Grade Super, and used to be a regional star. Just arrange for him to play a role."

"This person..." Benny Travor's eyes widened.

He didn't mind Black Star inserting someone. He'd seen this kind of thing many times, but he didn't expect this time to be such a treasure.

That figure! That temperament! He was simply a born superstar!

Scanning the dazed expressions of the crowd, Han Xiao chuckled inwardly.

He had a deep understanding of Fording's charm aura. Letting Fording participate in the film would be enough to attract a massive amount of attention, making the publicity work twice as effective with half the effort.

Moreover, Han Xiao hadn't forgotten Fording's deeds in his previous life, the [Legend of the Singer], which used songs with psychic power to quell wars.

—So, to maintain love and peace in the universe, he decided to let Fording debut again as an idol!

It wasn't just a whim, but an opportunity to turn Fording into the Black Star Army's ambassador, gaining even greater attention, possibly attracting more talent, and boosting the stock price of the Germination Financial Group—after years of operation, the Germination Financial Group had successfully gone public with the support of the army, and its assets were now enormous.

Various thoughts flashed through his mind, but Han Xiao didn't reveal them. Maintaining his smile, he chatted happily with the group about the collaboration. In the end, everyone decided to stay at the Black Star Palace for a period of time to gather material. Only then did Benny Travor and the others take their leave, each with a happy expression on their faces.

After seeing the group off, Han Xiao instructed Sylvia to be responsible for the follow-up liaison and then ran to chat with Ames for half a day, so as not to neglect his old friend.

Ames understood Han Xiao and knew that he had a lot to deal with during this time, so she didn't urge him. In any case, Han Xiao and Hela had returned, and she had someone to keep her company here, making her very comfortable. She was almost enjoying it so much that she didn't want to go back to Dragon Emperor's territory.

Besides, there was nothing to do all day long on Dragon Tamer, and she was so bored. What was the point of going back?

What, you said Jenny?

Who's that? Never heard of her. Don't know her.

...

Han Xiao returned to his room and habitually took a shower, his body steaming with heat. He didn't even dry himself, wrapping himself directly in a bathrobe. Humming a tune, he lay down on the bed, drops of water sliding down his hair and wetting the pillow.

A Grade Beyond's flawless body naturally didn't need to be washed, but Han Xiao mainly enjoyed the feeling. At the same time, by adjusting the ambient temperature, he restored a normal person's temperature perception, so he could take a hot shower; otherwise, even magma would be cold to him.

Several mechanical pets climbed up and surrounded Han Xiao, constantly nudging him with their bodies, very clingy. There were cats, dogs, and even sections of mechanical snakes, all of which were mechanical lifeforms with independent thinking. The metal bodies had no sharp edges and were very round and smooth. They didn't need to eat or excrete, making them easy to keep.

Ever since Hela gave him a birthday gift, Han Xiao had suddenly had the idea of keeping pets, adding a touch of life to his usually deserted bedroom.

Casually playing with the several affectionate pets for a while, Han Xiao held the back of his head with one hand, leaned back on the bed, and casually opened the player forum to browse the posts.

The topic of the "Black Star's God Sealing Battle" hadn't died down yet, but was getting hotter and hotter. The Shattered Star Ring section was still being spammed.

In addition to the discussions, many players had left their original factions and come to join the Black Star Army, causing a new wave of growth in the army's new players.

The one-sided faction war had been going on for a while. Because the opposing faction that had been named surrendered, the army's opponents had no power to fight back. Those foreign clubs' underhanded tactics not only didn't work but also backfired, causing a large number of ordinary players to leave their respective factions, which conversely improved the Black Star Army players' cohesion, to some extent eliminating the barriers caused by nationality between the army's old and new players.

Nowadays, the atmosphere within the Black Star Army was much better. Although players from various countries weren't harmonious, they had accepted each other.

On the forum, another matter had caused a stir. After Han Xiao formed the [Hela Rescue Battle] dungeon crystal, he put it on the faction store.

In the past few days, a large number of players had purchased the dungeon crystal to pay homage to the commander's style with their lives.

After unremitting efforts, the famous dungeon strategy team had raised the survival record to 29 seconds, earning the admiration of countless players.

The [Hela Rescue Battle] was also officially on par with the [Beacon Star Campaign] and was known as the two major CG-type dungeons of the army. To explain, it was... stop playing, just watch.

Han Xiao happily browsed the forum for a while, when a thought suddenly occurred to him. He discovered that Philip had sent a new message.

"Master, buzz, a fleet of Beast Ancestor dissidents is visiting the forward base in the Free Competition Zone. Among them are seven Calamity Grade cadres under the Beast Ancestor, and the leader is 'Claw Ji' Jodina, one of Gorutan's four great generals. She specifically wants to see you by name."

"See me?"

Han Xiao raised his eyebrows, closed the player forum, and quickly looked over Jodina's information, pondering secretly.

He didn't know much about Gorutan's subordinates, most of whom were just tools. Only a few had left an impression on him in his previous life, and Jodina was one of them, but not because she had any achievements.

In his previous life, Jodina had secretly colluded with other forces and issued missions to players, wanting to take advantage of Gorutan's absence from home to destroy all the descendant breeding farms in the Beast Ancestor's base camp, liberating all the imprisoned mothers who were used as birthing machines. Although the operation was unsuccessful, it had caused huge losses to the Beast Ancestor. She had originally wanted to use psionic bombs to die with Gorutan, but she failed, and her final fate was to be torn apart alive by Gorutan in public.

Thinking of this, Han Xiao roughly guessed the intentions of this large-muscled woman.

"Alright, then I'll meet her."

...

Emerald Star Cluster, the Black Star forward base had been repaired from the damage caused by the Hela Rescue Battle, and the fleet patrolled as usual.

At this moment, Jodina's group's spaceship was welcomed into the airport terminal. Due to the Beast Ancestor faction's insignia on the outer armor, they attracted the attention of all the army members on the road.

The spaceship docked steadily, and the hatch opened with a whoosh. Jodina led her companions off the spaceship, ignoring the strange gazes of the surrounding army members, and followed the mechanical receptionist who came to greet them to the reception room.

"We've finally arrived. I wonder if Black Star will take us in. After all, we were enemies with him not long ago."

"Black Star isn't a narrow-minded person."

"I'm just afraid he won't think highly of us..."

Jodina didn't participate in the discussion, her face tense. She followed the receptionist into the reception room, which was empty.

Buzz—

At this moment, Han Xiao's remote projection formed in the room, his hands behind his back. He scanned the crowd, his eyes revealing scrutiny and indifference, and slowly spoke:

"So, you're the ones who want to see me?"

"That's right. We are all Beast Ancestor's cadres and have long been dissatisfied with him, but we are powerless to resist. Now that you have defeated him, we have come to join you, hoping to serve the Black Star Army."

Jodina didn't stand on ceremony, staring straight at Han Xiao, obviously a straightforward girl.

Although Han Xiao had some guesses, a certain idiom couldn't help but appear in his mind at this time...

Was this acknowledging a thief as one's father?

Tch, I'm not a thief, it's clearly abandoning the dark and turning to the light.

Han Xiao didn't intend to refuse. After all, having seven Calamity Grade cadres was a considerable force, and Jodina was a rare Beyond Grade A seed with extraordinary potential who could compete with Hardaway and Rothere under his command.

When high-quality leeks took the initiative to uproot themselves and plant themselves in his field, Han Xiao was naturally happy to see it, but he couldn't agree too easily. Routine inquiries were still necessary.

"Why are you dissatisfied with Gorutan?"

Hearing this, Jodina took a deep breath, her face revealing a look of grief and indignation. "In order to cultivate high-quality descendants, Gorutan has purchased countless females of various races from the black market. They don't even have the freedom to die, and can only serve as mothers. My mother was one of them. I watched her give birth to one descendant after another without interruption for all these years, and finally die of exhaustion. High-quality descendants are given priority in cultivation, while low-quality descendants are used as slaves. Although they are all related by blood, most people have indifferent feelings. That place is like a cold tomb. Everyone can only please Gorutan. There hasn't been a single day that I haven't been disgusted."

Jodina closed her eyes, as if immersed in those painful memories. After a while, she reopened them and said in a deep voice:

"My companions and I have the same experiences. We hate everything Gorutan has created, but we can only be manipulated by him to do evil, living in torment every day... We are not afraid of death. Only by enduring this pain and staying alive can we have the opportunity to change everything... Until you defeated him, we were finally liberated."

As she spoke, Jodina prostrated herself on the ground. Her companions followed suit, a mass of people lying down, giving Han Xiao a big salute.

"We hope you can take us in!"

Jodina touched the ground with her forehead, roaring in a deep voice, her emotions agitated.

"Please take us in!!" Everyone also shouted in unison, their voices deafening, and the room echoed with buzzing sounds.

Seeing this, Han Xiao pondered for a while and nodded. "In that case, I will accept you as members of the Black Star Army."

Hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and stood up one after another.

Jodina got up, a smile reappearing on her face, her expression changing from heavy to relaxed, as if the rain had washed away the dust, making her look beautiful and moving. Just like her wild temperament, her emotions were also exposed.

Han Xiao nodded, his tone becoming kind, and smiled. "Then we are all family now. Come to the Black Star Palace, I want to meet you in person and arrange positions for you. Also, if you want to visit Gorutan's specimen, you can..."

At this moment, Jodina interrupted Han Xiao, put away her smile, and said in a serious tone: "Your Excellency Black Star, I have another gift and a request."

"Tell me," Han Xiao raised his eyebrows.

Jodina nodded. "Now the Beast Ancestor's forces are in disarray, which is a good opportunity to divide him. I am willing to provide you with assistance to help you obtain the Beast Ancestor's legacy. This is my gift."

"What about the request?"

"I hope you can destroy the Beast Ancestor's base camp, completely destroy all descendant breeding farms, liberate all the mothers, and adopt all the young Beast Ancestor's descendants. This is both my request and my gift. Although I hate Gorutan, these young descendants are innocent. Their minds have not yet been formed, and they are still malleable. If they are well-cultivated, they can become the army's fresh blood."

After Jodina finished speaking firmly, she looked up at Han Xiao, as if wanting to see the answer she was looking forward to in his eyes.

Han Xiao's heart stirred, and he opened the panel and took a look. Sure enough, a mission was triggered, but not one, but two.

The first mission was [Liberate the Beast Ancestor's Forces], and the content was the same as what Jodina said, requiring him to liberate the Beast Ancestor's base camp, rewarding Jodina's favor and her character card.

The second mission, however, surprised him secretly.

[【The End of Darkness】]

[Mission Introduction: Human trafficking is the source of countless tragedies. Jodina hates this deeply, and destroying this phenomenon has always been her lifelong wish.]

[Mission Content: End the phenomenon of population trade in the Star Sea]

[Reward: 10000e experience, random reward x15, Cosmos Legendary Rating x3, Blank Character Card x5]

[Special Reward: 【Slave Liberator】Milestone]

[【Slave Liberator】: Your relationship with all Order Camps is permanently set to 【Revered】]

"Ten trillion experience..." Han Xiao was stunned.

This was the most exaggerated mission reward he had ever seen, but the difficulty was also off the charts.

Eliminate population trade throughout the universe?

Looking at the population base of the entire Star Sea, this was an impossible mission. As the saying goes, without buying, there would be no killing. Without demand, there would be no market. Even the three great civilizations couldn't do it, so who else could?

No wonder Jodina only asked him to liberate the Beast Ancestor's forces, probably knowing in her heart that this wish was impossible to achieve.

Han Xiao naturally wouldn't call it out proactively. He shook his head, put the matter in his heart, and stopped mentioning it. He slowly said:

"I agree to the request to liberate the Beast Ancestor's forces."

"Then, I am willing to serve you until the end of time."

Jodina lowered her head, a look of admiration flowing from her eyes.

Ever since Han Xiao solved Gorutan, she had regarded Black Star as her idol.

Before contacting Black Star today, she had also been apprehensive, fearing that the true face of her idol would disappoint her.

She was also afraid that Black Star would misunderstand that she was a wallflower who was greedy for life and afraid of death, and regard her behavior as betraying her old master to join the winner, which would make her very sad.

And at this moment, she only felt that meeting him was far better than hearing about him. Black Star was indeed the one who eliminated Gorutan, worthy of her admiration.

A surge of palpitation arose, like an electric current running through her body. She was a direct person, and her emotions were easily agitated. And at this moment, she felt that her heart had been touched.