Chapter 169 A Disappointing Answer

Several days later.

In the desolate universe belt, the small spaceship carrying Han Xiao and his group approached a massive Scarlet Empire fleet. This force belonged to the Empire's Border Defense Army, designated the Thirty-sixth Legion, and was responsible for clearing out the Ark of the Fallen Ones, waiting to rendezvous with the Super-A Grade combatants dispatched by the Empire.

After checking all the passes and confirming their identities, the small spaceship entered the fleet formation and docked with the Guardian-class heavy main ship, which looked square and boxy like a coffin.

*Chiii—*

The hatchway opened, and Han Xiao's group stepped into the main ship's cabin, where several officers were waiting.

"Your Excellency Black Star, Your Excellency Fénmiè, Your Excellency Dragon Emperor, I am the adjutant of Commander Mulieriqi, under orders to welcome you," an officer said respectfully.

Although Ames was not an ally of the Empire, she was still a neutral Super-A Grade who had come with Han Xiao, so the Empire would not neglect her.

Han Xiao nodded, and the group followed the adjutant all the way, but after a while, they realized that they had entered the living quarters instead of heading to the bridge command room.

"Isn't the commander going to meet us?" Bèi'òuní asked, puzzled.

The adjutant smiled apologetically and said, "The commander wants you to rest first and recharge your energy. He will handle the tactical aspects, so you don't need to worry."

Han Xiao raised an eyebrow. "He doesn't want to discuss it with us?"

"The commander is still discussing with the staff and is temporarily unable to get away. He will notify you when the tactics are finalized. Until then, it is inconvenient to disturb him." The adjutant urged, "The enemy may break free of our lock at any time, and the troops should not remain on standby for too long. We are about to set off and engage the enemy soon, so please take good care of yourselves. We will need your combat power when the time comes."

Hearing this, Han Xiao and Bèi'òuní exchanged glances. They both shook their heads, understanding perfectly. This Commander Mulieriqi, who had not shown himself, was unwilling to let them interfere in the tactical arrangements and had no intention of consulting them.

"Then let's rest." This was the first time Han Xiao had followed an Imperial army into battle. Since Bèi'òuní had said nothing, he had no objections and settled down according to the other party's arrangements.

Seeing that the three Super-A Grades had no objections, the adjutant visibly breathed a sigh of relief. He instructed his subordinates to settle Han Xiao and the others before taking his leave and returning to the bridge command room.

The command room was quiet. The personnel operating the equipment made no sound in their busyness. Commander Mulieriqi of the Thirty-sixth Legion of the Border Defense Army stood with his hands behind his back, facing away from him, observing the huge star chart, while the staff officers beside him remained silent.

"Commander, the three Super-A Grade combatants have been settled," the adjutant reported.

Mulieriqi didn't turn his head. "Did they have any objections?"

"No."

"Well, good. I don't like guys who interfere." Mulieriqi nodded lightly. "Notify the entire army to set off immediately."

He was in charge of this routine cleanup. His troops had been on standby for a long time waiting for the Super-A Grade combatants dispatched by the Empire, who had arrived late, which Mulieriqi disliked. In his opinion, they had missed the opportunity, but the Super-A Grades had extraordinary status and were not Imperial soldiers, so he couldn't say anything.

He didn't have much affection for Super-A Grades who weren't directly affiliated with the Empire. As a fleet commander, he looked at the problem from a tactical point of view. In his eyes, these Super-A Grades, despite their high status, were just highly destructive tools on the battlefield once stripped of their national pillar halo.

Mulieriqi didn't want these Super-A Grades to manage too much and take away his command authority. The Empire had handed these tools over to him, so naturally, he would use them. Therefore, he felt there was no need to waste words discussing tactics with these Super-A Grades.

No matter how high their status was outside, a fleet could only have one commander. These Super-A Grades just needed to follow his orders.

He had sent his adjutant to receive the Super-A Grades because he was too lazy to deal with the welcoming ceremony and didn't even want to see Han Xiao and his group step into his command room.

Under Mulieriqi's command, the fleet began to move, transforming into streaks of light as they traversed the desolate universe belt, chasing after the enemy.

…

In the cabin room, Han Xiao, Ames, and Bèi'òuní gathered, chatting casually.

"The commander of this fleet seems to be very resistant to us," Ames said, shaking her head.

Bèi'òuní was noncommittal and said, "The Imperial army values discipline extremely highly, and Super-A Grades are not part of the army's organization. They have never unconditionally obeyed orders, so some Imperial officers have always disliked us Super-A Grades interfering."

After a pause, Bèi'òuní added with some dissatisfaction, "Although that's the case, this Mulieriqi is too arrogant. He's not even willing to welcome us personally and wants us to obediently wait for orders. Does he think we national pillars are his soldiers?"

Super-A Grades were all big shots with immense power and influence. When had they ever been so ignored? If it were an outsider who dared to show off in front of him, he would have crushed them to death, but unfortunately, these were Imperial soldiers who could not be touched, so Bèi'òuní felt unhappy.

Han Xiao was more open-minded, waving his hand with an indifferent tone. "He's a commander after all, and he has to maintain his authority. A unit can't have a second voice. Although our status is high, it's not a problem that he treats us all the same. If we casually offer opinions, it would be difficult for him to handle, so he simply clarifies the responsibilities from the beginning and doesn't let us interfere with the command."

Bèi'òuní glanced at him. "You really don't treat yourself as a Super-A Grade."

Han Xiao shrugged.

Some of the old-fashioned Super-A Grades had become accustomed to being superior and bossing people around, not tolerating any disobedience or disrespect. His mentality was different; he didn't have that much temperament.

After all, specialization in a field has its own advantages. People are professional commanders and don't want to be guided by outsiders… Although the logic was correct, Han Xiao also felt that Mulieriqi was indeed arrogant.

No matter what, it wouldn't hurt to show some respect to the top powerhouses in the Star Sea. It was okay if he didn't curry favor, but to put on such airs, did he think he was an Imperial Marshal?

Shaking his head, Han Xiao stopped dwelling on this. This trip would likely encounter the Otherworld's main body, so he needed to think about it.

"The Otherworld deliberately lured the Imperial army, and it has the intention of testing me."

Han Xiao thought to himself.

The Otherworld had once proposed to unconditionally complete one thing for him in exchange for the right to use the Evolution Cube. He had been tempted, but after thinking about it, he realized that he couldn't jump into this pit of fire.

This person was very bad. The transaction itself was a trap. The Otherworld's identity was so sensitive. If he really made a deal, he would be leaving himself open. The Otherworld could survive in the cracks between the three major civilizations. Han Xiao didn't believe that he had no connection with the three major civilizations at all. If he agreed to the Otherworld's request, the other party might cross the river and tear down the bridge, reporting the matter to the Empire and not keeping it a secret for him.

After using the Evolution Cube, the Otherworld could turn his back at any time. He had no credibility to speak of, and the uncertainty was too great. Even if he fulfilled his promise, there would be ways to force him to the opposite side of the Order camp. The Otherworld was not afraid of doing bad things, and it was too easy to drag him down.

Han Xiao had another hidden worry, which was that the Otherworld had stolen the Evolution Cube from Sisko, exposing the fact that he had the Evolver civilization's data. Since he could also use the Evolution Cube, it was easy for people to associate the two and would definitely arouse suspicion. The Scarlet Empire had not questioned him, perhaps because they had secretly investigated and expressed their trust in him, but if the Otherworld hardened his heart and put the blame on him, it would still have some impact.

If he dragged it on, he could hide for a while but not forever. The Otherworld was not dead and would not be willing to be left out in the cold. If he ran out of patience, he would inevitably do something, and if he was not in the Central Star Sea at that time, it would be difficult to clear his name and he would easily become passive.

Joining the Empire was a long-term development, so why take the risk? He had thought it through and decided to cut it off decisively and never jump into this pit of fire. Anyway, people would not let him go, and this time he would completely become an enemy of the Otherworld!

Some people's p.y. looks tempting, but in reality, it's covered in barbs!

…

"Your Excellency Otherworld, we have detected the Scarlet Empire's troops appearing behind us. According to the current speed, they will soon catch up. Should we speed up to shake them off, or turn around and meet them?"

In the main ship of the Ark of the Fallen Ones' branch fleet, the Otherworld's avatar listened to his subordinate's report and waved his hand.

"Turn around and meet them."

He had been letting this group of branch fleets wander around the Imperial border in order to lure the Imperial army out, so naturally, he would not run away.

The Ark of the Fallen Ones had tens of millions of ships in total, and there were many secret strongholds in the desolate universe belt that were constantly assembling new ships. The Otherworld had a large family and a large business, so he didn't mind using a branch fleet as bait.

If Black Star didn't come, the Otherworld planned to capture some Esper abilities to take back with him in this battle with the Imperial Border Defense Army, so he wouldn't lose the fleet for nothing.

The Ark of the Fallen Ones fleet turned around, facing the direction from which the Imperial troops were coming, and prepared for battle. Before long, the Thirty-sixth Legion of the Imperial Border Defense Army appeared on the observation radar.

Although the Ark of the Fallen Ones was a group of lawless thugs, they were not a disorganized rabble. They immediately opened fire, carrying out long-range barrages against the Imperial troops, while also activating the thrusters at full power, with the entire army charging toward the Imperial troops in a ferocious manner.

The three major civilizations and the Otherworld were old opponents. As soon as they met, there was no need for language negotiations. They directly exchanged fire.

The two fleets quickly rushed toward each other, interspersing into each other's formations, with their fangs bared, and began to slaughter.

Ships exploded in the universe, turning into brilliant fireworks in the universe, beautiful but cruel.

On the side of the battlefield was a barren planet, and wreckage rained down toward the surface like shooting stars, creating impact craters.

The Guardian-class main ship of the Thirty-sixth Legion opened fire with all its guns, and dark red dark energy annihilation rays were fired without limit, destroying one Ark of the Fallen Ones combat ship after another.

Mulieriqi looked at the three-dimensional battlefield view, taking in the entire situation. He stared at the enemy's main ship and said coldly, "Take the initiative and have all three Super-A Grades move out together. Force the Otherworld out!"

The order rang out in the communication channel, and Bèi'òuní frowned, saying in a deep voice, "If all three of us attack together, won't we be exposing our trump cards all at once?"

"It's not your turn to question it. Execute my orders!" Mulieriqi heard the reply in the channel, his tone sinking, full of unquestionable toughness.

Great, ran into a tough guy… Han Xiao was helpless.

The Scarlet Empire was good in every way, but this one point wasn't so good. The civilization was too powerful, giving some official members too much sense of superiority and confidence.

A flash of displeasure appeared in Bèi'òuní's eyes. It was not a good time to argue during the battle, so he endured it and stopped speaking, turning around and jumping out of the hatch, directly entering the battlefield and rushing toward the enemy's main ship where the Otherworld was located.

Ames was also a little unhappy, shaking her head. Just as she was about to step onto the battlefield, Han Xiao suddenly stopped her and sighed.

"Sorry, I didn't know the commander was such a prick. I'm making you suffer with me."

Hearing this, Ames paused and looked back at him.

Her beautiful eyes flickered, and a trace of unhappiness vanished, leaving only banter.

"Do you think I'm a child? Do I need you to comfort me?"

Her tone was full of laughter.

After saying that, Ames soared into the air and joined the battlefield, flying toward the Otherworld's position from another direction.

Smiling wryly, Han Xiao followed closely behind.

As soon as the three joined the melee, the battle situation immediately changed. Wherever Bèi'òuní passed, enemy warships suddenly burst into flames, emitting colorful flames. Even the highly heat-resistant armored alloy was ignited and turned into molten steel, and the entire ship melted and exploded.

Ames directly used the force field to grab countless enemy ships and sweep them left and right. The ship-borne shields collided and exploded with dazzling arcs of electricity, and the ship bodies collided, leaving huge gaps. Warships that were too close were squeezed from the outside to the inside by the force field, exploding violently.

These two were both good at AoE (area of effect) and were massive killing machines on the battlefield!

Han Xiao didn't even need to take action. He was happy to take the opportunity to be lazy with the mechanical legion behind the two of them, only casually dealing the final blows to complete some of the mission requirements.

As the three approached the enemy's main ship, inside the main ship, the Otherworld's avatar looked at Han Xiao, his spirit lifted.

"He actually showed up…"

*Buzz!*

In the next moment, his figure disappeared from where he was, teleporting in front of the three of them. Without even looking at Ames and Bèi'òuní, his gaze was tightly locked on Han Xiao, and he impatiently delivered a private psychic message with an expectant tone.

"Black Star, you really do have a tacit understanding with me. Have you decided to make a deal with me…"

*Bang!* Han Xiao unhesitatingly launched a barrage of fire, and endless psionic cannons bombarded the Otherworld's avatar, scattering light fragments and sending it crashing toward the surface of the barren planet.

The three followed closely behind, hovering in the air above the barren planet. Ames pulled her hand, and the Otherworld's avatar that had crashed into the ground was dug out. The force field compressed the Otherworld's avatar into a twisted black shadow, which was quickly dragged toward the three of them.

Bèi'òuní pointed his hands at the Otherworld's avatar from afar. Within the Otherworld's avatar's pitch-black body, a raging fire suddenly erupted.

Han Xiao clasped his hands together and activated [Gene Liberation]. The mechanical legion opened fire on the immobile Otherworld's avatar.

*Chichichi—*

The ghostly blue light was like a storm, piercing through the Otherworld's avatar again and again, following the barren planet's gravitational arcs and disappearing into the depths of the universe.

*Pa!!*

The Otherworld's avatar exploded into a cloud of black mist and slowly dissipated.

Even Sisko could easily kill two Otherworld avatars in a two-on-one fight. Faced with the combined efforts of three proper Super-A Grades, an Otherworld avatar with limited energy could only be crushed and annihilated.

"Not bad."

Mulieriqi in the main ship in the distance nodded.

After decisively eliminating the Otherworld's avatar who was in command, all that was left to do was destroy the enemy's fleet…

Just as he thought so, a vortex of space energy suddenly appeared at the position where the Otherworld's avatar had died, and a plain-looking man wearing a hood stepped out of the vortex.

As soon as this person appeared, he seemed to bring boundless pressure, and the surrounding space-time seemed to freeze for a moment.

At this moment, Mulieriqi's expression changed drastically.

Bèi'òuní's relaxed body suddenly tensed up.

Ames frowned.

Han Xiao narrowed his eyes.

What came was not an avatar, but the Otherworld's main body!

A notorious brute that many Super-A Grades were wary of!

The Otherworld's indifferent gaze stared at Han Xiao and slowly opened his mouth, his tone cold.

"I am… very disappointed in your answer."

"But… when you rejected me, you shouldn't have been so close to me."