Chapter 1 Anomaly

On the other side, news of the Super-A Grade meeting also reached the various Star Cluster civilizations, arousing the attention of the high-level leaders of each civilization.

In the Ancient Star Desert, on the Star Arc Civilization's homeworld.

"An unprecedented energy manipulation Esper… such rumors do not arise from nothing. Investigate! Confirm the authenticity of the information as soon as possible!"

The Star Arc Civilization's leader was in a heavy mood.

In the past few decades, the Crimson Empire's development has been too smooth, practically entering a golden age, which no advanced civilization does not envy.

The Empire already has figures such as the Dark Emperor and Black Star, and now another promising Gode has emerged, who is also a staunch direct descendant. This news is undoubtedly a nightmare for the Star Cluster civilizations. For every potential talent the three Great Civilizations gain, the pressure on the Star Cluster Alliance in the field of individual power will increase by one point.

Back then, the Wanderer was publicly executed by the Empire. Although it was his good brother Modo who inexplicably took the blame, the leader of the Star Arc Civilization could not help but feel resentment in his heart, watching his loyal subordinate being executed live by the Empire. However, he restrained himself, taking the overall situation into consideration.

If Gode could be eliminated, nipping the Empire's future Pillar of State in the bud, then the Wanderer's revenge would be considered taken, and the Empire would pay a corresponding price for its actions back then…

The Star Arc Civilization leader's eyes flickered uncertainly, but in the end, he sighed lightly and suppressed his inner impulses.

"Forget it, the situation in the Flickering World War is not optimistic. The Alliance is retreating steadily and is already in a difficult situation. It would not be wise to provoke the Super-A Grades to participate in the war at this time. The situation cannot tolerate taking risks…"

Currently, no Super-A Grades are participating in the Flickering World War. The three Great Civilizations' promise not to use their direct descendants first is one of the few good things for the Star Cluster Alliance. Once this unspoken rule is broken and the Super-A Grades are brought in, their situation will only worsen.

The Flickering World War is the Star Cluster Alliance's faint hope of turning the tables. Compared to civilization strategy, the importance of a Super-A Grade is clear to him.

The three Great Civilizations control the resources of the explored universe. The strong become stronger, creating a virtuous cycle. Those who come later develop under restrictions and cannot keep up with the development speed of others no matter what. The gap will only continue to widen. This is the general trend of civilization development, and assassinating a Super-A Grade will not fundamentally solve the problem.

If the Flickering World War fails completely, revenge can at least earn some interest, but the risks of acting now far outweigh the benefits, so he naturally refuses to do it.

"Let Gode be, and Black Star too." The Star Arc Civilization leader shook his head. "I just don't know what the other Star Cluster civilizations are thinking. Hopefully, no one will take risks. The overall situation is the priority. As for the Glory and the Void Spirit, it's unlikely that they will have internal strife at this time… right?"

…

Somewhere in the Old Star River, in Machinery Country's secret base.

Manison dismissed the remote projection, opened the virtual screen, and brought up Gode's information circulating on the network. His fingers tapped lightly on the chair's armrest, and his face revealed a pensive expression.

"Gode… I've never heard this name before. He's not a Super-A Grade seed from any star field. Now he has suddenly appeared, which means he has been secretly cultivated by the Empire. The last person with a similar experience was Klotti, who possesses the ability to control dark matter and was heavily promoted by the Empire as soon as he appeared…

Generally speaking, the three Great Civilizations will publicize the abilities of new Super-A Grades, but currently, the Empire is demanding that Gode keep his ability secret. This is a treatment that even Klotti didn't receive, proving that this guy's Esper ability is extremely special. The claim of energy manipulation may not be false. Interesting."

An interested glint flashed in Manison's eyes.

If it really is this kind of perverted ability, he would be somewhat tempted. If it were in the past, he would have probably tried to scheme against Gode, capture him, and turn him into a criminal subject for experimentation.

But now he plans to retire from the criminal subject industry. Unless there are special circumstances, he will no longer create new criminal subjects. Otherwise, he will not be able to gain a foothold in the Association. Black Star, that jerk, keeps stirring up trouble, constantly hitting him with his dark history. He is so disgusted that he wants to hang Black Star up and spank him.

"Let's wait and see. In the future, if Gode wants to establish prestige, he will definitely reveal his abilities. It can't be concealed. Maybe someone will be eager to spar with him before he leaves the Flickering World."

Manison suddenly narrowed his eyes and muttered to himself:

"So many Super-A Grades and armed fleets have been staying in the Flickering World, which is convenient for deploying manpower. Now that place is the most dangerous star field in the universe, a breeding ground for conspiracies… Hmm, I wonder if the Glory, the Void Spirit, and the Star Cluster Alliance will do something…"

…

On the other side, in the Flickering World branch of the Infinite Financial Group.

"Another potential shareholder has emerged~"

Sorokin crossed his hands and placed them under his nose, recalling the situation at the meeting just now.

In his opinion, Gode has a bright future. With the Empire's protection, he will definitely grow smoothly and steadily, pre-ordering the position of a future Pillar of State. The Empire must have high hopes for him.

"If operated properly, maybe it can provoke the Second Pinnacle's Fall…"

Sorokin secretly calculated, feeling that this was a good opportunity.

If he were to use his hidden strength to secretly assassinate Gode, causing the Empire to be thunderously furious, it should be possible to stir up a huge storm, break the situation painstakingly created by the Association, and bring back the infighting between camps.

Although he has joined the Association, he is the one who least wants to see the Super-A Grades form a group. His goal has never changed: on the one hand, it is to make money, and on the other hand, it is to reduce the number of Super-A Grades with special privileges, creating a favorable environment for him.

Moreover, Black Star's hidden danger is a thorn in his heart. He is used to being cautious and instinctively wants to eliminate all factors that could expose his secrets.

"If I attack Gode, maybe I can find a way to frame Black Star, putting him in trouble… But he knows my secrets and will definitely suspect me, and I will also be at risk."

Sorokin frowned slightly.

Although he has this idea, it is difficult to actually implement because Black Star has no motive to deal with Gode.

In his eyes, even if he acts, the Empire will not suspect Black Star no matter who they suspect. Framing him will basically not succeed.

Before formulating a detailed plan, he dared not take risks easily.

"How to do it specifically still needs to be considered carefully."

Sorokin's eyes flickered, and bad ideas began to churn in his mind.

…

The days passed quickly. With the help of interested parties, the situation of the Super-A Grade meeting was exposed. This time, it not only circulated in the black market but also spread on a large scale in interstellar society, attracting widespread attention.

The topic of super-high-risk abilities was very popular, stimulating the interest of countless interstellar citizens in discussion. The rumors intensified. Although there was no concrete evidence yet, under the secret guidance of some forces, interstellar society seemed to have already determined that Gode's ability was "energy manipulation."

And although the various forces were surprised, due to different considerations, no one took any action, just silently staring at the three Great Civilizations and the Star Cluster Alliance, guessing whether they would act.

In the eyes of the various forces, as long as these two major camps do not make any moves, nothing will happen.

The changes in the outside world did not affect the Empire fleet's schedule. Carrying Gode, it sailed through space toward the exit of the Flickering World.

In the luxurious training room of the ship, Gode floated in mid-air, his body glowing with a faint light, and the sound of flowing water echoed in the air, as energy tides surged within his body.

After a while, he opened his eyes, took a deep breath, the light dimmed, and his body returned to normal.

Gode stretched out his hand and gently flipped his palm. The next moment, a small, light-black energy suddenly appeared, like a small snake intimately缠绕缠绕 around his wrist.

He played with this energy, and a smile curled up on his lips.

"Energy manipulation is indeed the so-called 'superior ability.' It has only been less than a month, and the structure of the evolution energy has been cracked by about half. A semi-finished product can be imitated. It's smoother than I imagined. If this continues, I will soon be able to master this special energy, and then I can create it at will, turning myself into a walking Evolution Cube…"

Every Esper's ability will produce new effects when they enter the Super-A Grade, and energy manipulation is no exception. As long as the structure of an energy is analyzed, it is equivalent to permanently mastering this energy and being able to convert it out at any time and place.

The objects of control are not only the common types of energy, but also special energy forms such as evolution energy and Original Esper Ability Bodies. As long as they are cracked, they become his own skills. For every energy form he masters, his strength will increase by one point.

Not only that, but Gode also faintly had a feeling that when he grew to a higher level and mastered more energy forms, he seemed to be able to create new energy forms out of thin air!

Even though he was knowledgeable, he could not help but exclaim in admiration. The potential of this perverted ability was simply too terrifying!

"The whereabouts of the Original Esper Ability Body are elusive, but Black Star seems to have two in his hands. I am now his colleague, and he wants to build a good relationship with me. If I make a request, he should lend them to me… This is much simpler than snatching."

Gode was in a good mood, feeling that the air was so fresh and the future was so worthy of anticipation.

When he was a wanted criminal in the past, he could only rely on robbing to get good things, snatching food from the tiger's mouth. But now that he has switched to the orderly faction, he finally feels the comfort of backroom deals.

Gode sighed for a while before opening the door and walking out of the training room. The Imperial soldiers he encountered along the way respectfully saluted, which he had already become accustomed to.

Returning to the bridge command room, the captain took the initiative to greet him.

"Your Excellency Gode, we are approaching the edge of the fourth phase area of the Flickering World. In two days, we will arrive at the entrance to the Star Gate passage and quickly cross the remaining star clusters through Black Star's territory."

"Okay, thank you for your hard work." Gode responded indifferently.

"It's nothing. Serving you is my hon…"

The captain was respectful.

But before he could finish speaking, the hull suddenly shook violently and exited the warp mode, stopping abruptly.

Bang!

The staff present were staggered by the inertia, and some even fell to the ground.

"What's going on?" The captain grabbed the table and shouted loudly.

Soon, an operator replied with a look of horror, "Captain, the spaceship's AI suddenly lost control, automatically locking the engine, emergency braking, shutting down all detection radars, weapon arrays, shield arrays, and disconnecting the quantum network link! We can't contact other ships!"

"Could it be an enemy attack?!" The captain was furious. "What audacity to attack Imperial forces! Immediately start the backup AI and regain control of the spaceship!"

The operator quickly returned to his workstation and operated for a while, immediately breaking out in a cold sweat.

"No… it's not working! All the spaceship's functions are frozen!"

The Imperial crew members in the bridge command room were in a panic. Gode glanced at them and stopped paying attention. He turned his head and looked out the porthole, frowning.

"Could it be that the enemy is coming for me?"

Gode looked surprised, feeling that this was the only possibility.

He had analyzed it early on. In order to take care of their respective overall situations, the possibility of various forces attacking him was extremely low. He thought his journey in the Flickering World would be uneventful, but he did not expect that someone would really take the risk.

"It looks like a virtual mechanic's method. Could it be the old man from Machinery Country? Tsk, does this guy really want to capture me and turn me into a criminal subject? He is already in such a situation, yet he dares to anger the Empire?"

Gode was surprised and uncertain.

But despite his surprise, he was not too nervous. He had too much experience with being ambushed, and there was no fear response at all.

Moreover, he was not really a new Super-A Grade. Although his strength was not as good as before, he had inherited some things, hiding overpowered combat power, which was one of his dependencies.

If the attacker was Machinery Country, he admitted that he could not beat the other party now and could only find a way to escape.

But if other forces wanted to kill him and treat him as a new Super-A Grade, then they could only be said to be courting death.

In his eyes, the only forces that had the motivation and ability to deal with him were the Glory, the Void Spirit, the Star Cluster Alliance, and Machinery Country. It was basically impossible for it to be anyone else.

With a thought, Gode's Super-A Grade perception suddenly spread out, covering this entire area.

"Let me see, who wants to kill me!"