Chapter 1 The Task…

“This task…”

Han Xiao was shocked. An S-class hidden quest, and a chain quest at that. The experience reward for the first stage alone was enough to rival Old Man McLuhan. The overall difficulty must be off the charts.

In the absence of intelligence, quest guidance was one of the few reliable sources of information, especially since the quest name was quite intriguing.

“In any case, this mysterious person contacted me of their own accord, and seems to have special information in their hands. Meeting them is a must. As for the pursuit squad mentioned in the quest prompt…”

Han Xiao’s eyes flickered slightly.

When he was chatting online just now, he discovered the wanted order issued by the Zhuxing United Nations’ Superpower Security Department, offering rewards for the capture of two people, each with a bounty of 300 million units of universal currency. The names were different from “Inal” in the main universe.

His whereabouts had been secretive these past few days. He hadn’t encountered any alarms or detection devices, obediently hiding on a barren planet to build a base. Logically speaking, it should be difficult for others to discover his location. However, the quest prompt and the mysterious person’s message seemed to assert that the pursuers would definitely find him.

Thinking of the strange concealment device left by the mysterious person, Han Xiao guessed that the pursuers might possess a precise long-range positioning method, including, but not limited to, possibilities such as prophecy, technological means, or cosmic treasures…

“The mysterious person sent this blueprint but didn’t explain in detail what methods the pursuers have. It feels more like a test…”

Han Xiao stroked his chin, lost in thought.

This technology definitely needed to be researched, but he didn’t plan to put it into immediate use. He wanted to test whether he would definitely be found by the pursuers. If he confirmed it, then he would use this device. Only then could he verify whether this device truly had a targeted concealment effect… As a Mechanic, he trusted experimental results more.

On the other hand, Han Xiao also wanted to contact the pursuers to obtain more information from them… Of course, although he was confident in his own strength, he would still set up insurance measures, being bold yet cautious.

Currently, the two of them were unregistered individuals, without even an account at the Interstellar Bank, let alone the universal currency here. He had plummeted from a cosmic tycoon to the dirt-poor class. Han Xiao could only collect resources himself, and he couldn’t gather enough materials to manufacture a new set of Emperor mechanical armor for the time being, so he had to use the spare Emperor armor he carried with him. Some of the ‘Thrones’ had already been deployed at different coordinates in the main universe, acting as fixed-point teleporters, while the other spare Emperor mechanical armor was complete, serving as a tool for locating at any time.

Having roamed the universe for so many years, and with Old Man McLuhan as an “example”, Han Xiao deeply understood the principle of having multiple escape routes. As early as a few days ago, he had a batch of mechanical troops take different ‘Thrones’ and scatter in all directions, searching for suitable locations for positioning, leaving a way out.

The biggest problem wasn’t personal safety but the mechanical troops. Because the sub-dimensional barracks were frozen, he could only transport the troops using traditional methods, which severely impacted portability. If he teleported away, the mechanical legion would be left in place, unable to be recovered.

Logically speaking, there were no sub-dimensional worlds here, so all Mechanics should be the same, but after going online, he discovered that although there were five superpower systems here, due to the lack of sub-dimensions, some professional skills seemed to have subtle differences from the main universe.

For example, Super-A Grade Mechanics here still had the ability to summon large-scale mechanical legions, but he hadn’t fought them, so he couldn’t see the combat information, so Han Xiao didn’t know what the principle was for the time being.

“These technologies alone are already worth the price of admission.”

Han Xiao was very excited.

In his view, this was a huge resource library, containing countless new technologies. Professional skills had also developed in different directions, which were extremely valuable resources.

In his previous life, when Manison came here, he probably learned a lot of new tricks, further enhancing his foundation.

And now, this rare learning opportunity had been snatched away by him.

“Rest in peace, Old Man McLuhan. I will study hard on your behalf.”

Han Xiao looked solemn.

At this time, Kεσύγιε’s mentality finally recovered from Han Xiao’s “comforting blow”. Seeing this, Han Xiao explained the situation to him and explained his plan.

Kεσύγιε looked surprised. When he heard the end, he couldn’t help but say, “You mean… we are now waiting for the pursuers to come to our door to negotiate, and may have to fight them?”

“That’s right. This is to obtain more intelligence. Don’t be intimidated by the number of Super-A Grades here. I’ve reviewed the Superpower Security Department’s cases over the years. Most of the time, it’s just a team of three to five Super-A Grades. They won’t send dozens or hundreds of people all at once. The area they’re responsible for is vast, and manpower is limited. Besides, I’ve already arranged a way out.”

Han Xiao said.

Old Kεσύγιε was currently his only companion, and they could be said to be dependent on each other, so they could only advance and retreat together. Although he had lost his infinite mana, he was still a peak Super-A Grade, a powerful helper.

“… Alright, don’t disturb me during this time. I’m going to prepare a trump card and try to severely injure a peak Super-A Grade opponent as soon as we exchange blows,” Kεσύγιε said seriously.

Han Xiao was taken aback, looking him up and down, clicking his tongue in amazement, “I can’t believe you have such skills?”

Kεσύγιε rolled his eyes.

Who are you looking down on? At our level, who doesn’t have a few tricks up their sleeve? When I was roaming the universe, your great-grandfather wasn’t even born yet!

…

In a dark patch of space, a space wormhole suddenly opened, and three streams of light shot out, which were three special spaceships belonging to the Superpower Security Department, led by a special pursuit team headed by three “Supreme Grade” Directors.

“The headquarters’ positioning star chart shows that the two targets have been staying on the target planet and haven’t left for the past few days.”

“We don’t know the intentions of these two people yet, so don’t let your guard down.”

Milton stood in front of the porthole, listening to the voices in the communication channel, his expression serious, radiating an aura of solemnity.

He was the Director of the Fifth Division of the Superpower Security Department and the temporary captain of this special pursuit team.

A division consists of one Supreme Grade Director, four Saint Grade Deputy Directors, and a large number of middle-level officers. Milton had brought two Deputy Directors with him this time, and the other two Directors had the same configuration, so the team consisted of three Supreme Grades, six Saint Grades, a total of nine people.

Because of the lack of data on the targets’ strength, the Superpower Security Department equipped the nine of them with standard special combat suits in order to achieve a swift victory. The suits included four types of equipment: mechanical armor, melee weapons, ranged weapons, and imprisonment devices, all of which were gold quality. Relying on these specially made equipment, the officers of the Superpower Security Department had a natural advantage among powerhouses of the same level.

The opponents only had two Supreme Grades, while he had a total of nine people, with equipment buffs. Milton felt that this operation was a sure thing.

He looked at the wanted images of Han Xiao and Kεσύγιε on the virtual screen and muttered to himself:

“What era is this? There are still people who dare to openly violate the Zhuxing United Nations’ cosmic-level ban, trying to rely on their strength to do whatever they want. Do they think it’s like before? The good old days are long gone…”

…

Time flew by, and another three days or so passed in the blink of an eye.

Han Xiao had been in seclusion, studying the blueprints provided by the mysterious person. The manufacturing difficulty was not high, but the principle was quite puzzling. There were some places he didn’t understand, and he didn’t know what effect they would have when combined.

After studying for a few days without making much progress, Han Xiao felt that he might be lacking key theoretical knowledge or specialized abilities, so he simply stopped studying and tried to manufacture the device according to the blueprint. The result was very smooth. Not understanding the principle didn’t prevent him from using his mechanical manufacturing ability to replicate the procedures on the blueprint with zero error.

Ten palm-sized green-gold metal pieces lay quietly on the workbench, looking quite smooth, but when Han Xiao ran his finger over them, he could feel dense patterns. The surface was engraved with countless nano-scale energy circuits.

Han Xiao picked up a metal piece and played with it carefully. Traces of electric arcs jumped, and his perception delved deep into this metal piece, feeling the structure inside.

“The instruction manual says that as long as the concealment function is activated, objects within a certain range can be freed from tracking. The more energy inputted, the larger the range will expand…”

Han Xiao was somewhat skeptical. He understood the blueprints of various concealment devices, but he couldn’t see what the principle of this thing was.

Even the panel didn’t give a detailed introduction, but simply called it a “Special Stealth Device”, stating that it would only take effect under specific conditions, but without saying what those conditions were.

Just as he wanted to study it further, his expression suddenly changed, and he sensed a sudden situation.

Some of the space detection buoys that had been deployed around this planet these days had been destroyed, and it was discovered that enemies were approaching.

“They really found us…”

Han Xiao paused, his eyes narrowed. He put away the ten concealment devices, left the base with the mechanical troops, and came to the surface.

Whoosh—

Not long after, three spaceships appeared in outer space, and nine figures descended from the sky, landing on the wasteland not far in front of Han Xiao, forming a fan-shaped encirclement, none of them hiding their energy fluctuations.

Seeing this, Han Xiao’s eyes flashed, revealing an expression as expected.

Nine Super-A Grades, three of whom were peak Super-A Grades…

This lineup was not small. The overall combat strength was higher than the Hela rescue battle. Moreover, this group of people would not hold back like Kεσύγιε did back then. There would be no room for cleverness if they really fought.

He also discovered that the equipment on these people seemed to be extraordinary, not like ordinary goods.

The two sides faced each other from a distance, sizing each other up, neither side acting immediately.

Milton glanced around and casually asked, “Where is your accomplice?”

“Since you can find us, how could you not know where he is?” Han Xiao stood with his arms folded.

In the past few days, he had specially taken some time to learn the interstellar common language here, and communication was no longer a problem.

Milton looked down at his feet, nodded, and said lightly in an official tone:

“I advise you to not have any thoughts of resistance. Obediently put on the Source Energy Imprisonment Device and come with us, explain your origins, abilities, and the reason for violating the ban, make a public self-criticism, and serve five to ten years in prison. Once you’ve completed these, you can regain your freedom. The current punishment is still very light. There’s no need for you to increase your crimes.”

Han Xiao remained noncommittal and suddenly asked, “I wonder what your identities are?”

“You don’t recognize us?” Milton frowned. “I’m Milton, the Director of the Fifth Division of the Superpower Security Department. These two are my assistants…”

He briefly introduced the identities of the nine people and then asked about Han Xiao’s identity.

“What are the names of you two?”

“You can call me Black Star. As for my companion, you can call him Kekezi…”

“Call me Void Sovereign!”

As soon as he finished speaking, Kεσύγιε instantly appeared next to Han Xiao, correcting his wording with dissatisfaction.

“Call yourself whatever you want.” Milton didn’t care and took out two mechanical devices that looked like collars, throwing them in front of the two of them, and said, “Quickly put on the Source Energy Imprisonment Devices and come back with us to complete the mission.”

Han Xiao pondered for a while and said:

“I think we have a better option. My friend and I have been in seclusion and don’t know about the so-called ban. We didn’t intentionally cause trouble. Perhaps there’s still room for negotiation? For example, we’re willing to join the Superpower Security Department. Can you report this to your superiors…”

In his opinion, he and Kεσύγιε hadn’t committed any major crimes. With their strength, they should be able to enjoy this treatment.

However, Milton didn’t buy it at all and said in a deep voice:

“I am notifying you now, not negotiating with you! If you have anything to say, come back with us and say it! Moreover, regardless of whether what you’re saying is true, don’t think that you can escape punishment this way. Even if you’re willing to join us, you still have to serve your sentence. Even if you’re a Supreme Grade powerhouse, we won’t accept you if your stain hasn’t been cleared!”

Hearing this, Han Xiao’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

He wasn’t saying these words to prevaricate. He didn’t plan to limit his thinking with the quest. Cooperating with the Zhuxing United Nations might not be a viable option. Moreover, Kεσύγιε’s quest was simply like finding a needle in a haystack. If he could get the help of the Zhuxing United Nations, it would be much easier and there would be a chance to come into contact with some secrets.

There were two ways to cooperate. One was to reveal his identity from the outside world, and the other was to pretend to be a local… Obviously, Han Xiao couldn’t choose the former. Before things became clear, he would never reveal any information about the three great civilizations, otherwise, it would be terrible if it aroused the other party’s covetousness, and he would be no different from a traitor.

Therefore, Han Xiao could only choose the path of pretending to be a local and joining the Superpower Security Department. Originally, he felt that with his and Kεσύγιε’s strength, there was no reason for the other party not to accept them, and it was estimated that the small matter of violating the ban could be written off. However, the powerhouses here didn’t seem to have much status. Two peak Super-A Grades took the initiative to offer themselves, but they didn’t even want them.

That shouldn’t be. There were nearly ten thousand Super-A Grades here. This was an extremely powerful force, but the higher civilizations didn’t seem to have any intention of stabilizing them. It should be known that stronger people enjoy higher privileges and better treatment. That was true fairness, but now it felt a bit like treating everyone equally. Were they not afraid of intensifying conflicts?!

It was impossible for Han Xiao to put on the Source Energy Imprisonment Device and go to the Superpower Security Department’s headquarters. That would be tantamount to handing over the power of life and death to the other party. He frowned, enduring his temper, and asked:

“There’s no room for discussion?”

Milton pointed to the two sets of Source Energy Imprisonment Devices on the ground. Although he didn’t speak, the meaning was obvious.

Rumble!!

At this moment, an extremely condensed and violent psychic power suddenly shot out from the side. It was Kεσύγιε’s trump card that he had been holding back for a few days!

Bang!

Milton was suddenly hit hard. His eyeballs bulged, his nose and mouth exploded with blood, and his entire body was blasted away, turning into a meteor and disappearing into the distance along the horizon.

Han Xiao turned his head to look, only to see Kεσύγιε surging with psychic power, his entire body already rushing out, glancing back with annoyance.

“What are you still hesitating for? Let’s fight!”