Chapter 1 Black Star's Triumphant Return

At the Black Star Army headquarters, the returning fleet brought back spoils of war. The players earned massive rewards, replenishing their depleted wallets, and most returned to spend their gains.

This large-scale military operation had a considerable impact on the player base. This was the first large-scale battle for the Army players in the 3.0 storyline. After this battle, many players basically adapted to the 3.0 version and understood the main storyline goals and the current interstellar situation.

On the forums, discussions about this battle were endless. Participating in the first large-scale interstellar battle with the Black Star Army, which had undergone tremendous changes after ten years, was quite memorable. This battle was also recorded by players in the Galaxy Chronicles:

—On August 4, Star Calendar 704, the Black Star Army, in conjunction with the Zero Organization, dispatched troops to crusade against the War Realm forces in the Kant Star System and returned with a great victory.

The Galaxy Chronicles are an important document co-authored by all players, recording the experiences of many players and forming the storyline and event development history of various regions of the galaxy. Even for storylines they did not personally experience, some lore enthusiasts are keen on researching various interstellar news to supplement the events in the Chronicles.

Although it was only version 3.0, the Galaxy Chronicles had already recorded a considerable amount of information, divided into subdirectories according to star regions, forces, and characters, making it like the Records of the Grand Historian.

In the Shattered Star Ring region, the Black Star Army was naturally the force and storyline most familiar to the players. Han Xiao and the Army had dedicated subpages, where players recorded the development stages of the Black Star Army according to the timeline, from Planet Aquamarine to the current Star Cluster level force, even recording various events from the ten years of version updates in great detail, for new players who joined later to understand.

A spaceship departed from the Black Star Army headquarters' spaceport. The hundred or so people on board were players planning to go to Klent, who had contacted each other on the forum and decided to leave together. Chang Hentian and a few friends were among them, having enjoyed the last benefits of the Black Star Army, and spent most of their gains from this battle.

"I didn't expect to have stayed in the Black Star Army for so long. Now that I'm leaving, I really feel a bit reluctant."

In a corner of the cabin, Chang Hentian browsed the Black Star Army records in the Chronicles, feeling inexplicably sentimental. He looked back at the porthole, the vast Black Star Army headquarters becoming increasingly distant in his view.

Players had watched the Black Star Army grow from version 1.0, accompanying it for two versions. The current achievements of the Black Star Army were due to their contributions. The records in the Chronicles carried the memories of all players working together, and Chang Hentian's reluctance arose spontaneously.

Chang Hentian looked around at his companions. Seven or eight out of ten players on the ship were gamblers, not switching factions to experience unknown storylines, but wanting to seize the hidden benefits that Klent might have. Therefore, they were not as sentimental as he, a lore-focused player.

"Don't overthink it. My judgment won't be wrong." Seeing Chang Hentian's nervous expression, a person next to him patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile.

Chang Hentian turned his head. The ID above this person's head was none other than "Xia Ye Fan Hua."

Xia Ye Fan Hua was the initiator of this team. He believed in himself and was preparing to switch factions, taking the initiative to contact players who intended to join Klent and act together. Because he was the one who analyzed that Klent had more benefits, the players on the ship implicitly regarded him as their leader.

"I'm not nervous," Chang Hentian shook his head.

Xia Ye Fan Hua smiled, then clapped his hands, attracting the attention of all the players on the ship. He said loudly, "Our goal for this trip is the Xifeng Star System. The War Realm has many strongholds there, and its power is the most stable. They are recruiting soldiers on a large scale. This is our opportunity to join Klent and become the main storyline of the Klent faction."

The crowd responded in twos and threes.

"Everyone, trust me, you definitely won't suffer losses."

Xia Ye Fan Hua had a smiling face, looking at the hundred or so players, feeling a little excited in his heart, feeling like a pioneer.

Traveling with stops along the way, Xia Ye Fan Hua and the others changed interstellar flights several times. After a long journey, they finally arrived at the Xifeng Star System and came to the War Realm's recruitment office. After submitting their files, they followed the officers onto a troop transport ship to a planetary stronghold.

The War Realm would also replenish its forces locally. Relying on the flags of Overlord and Klent, there would always be people who joined out of admiration. Interstellar citizens were very free, especially in border areas like the Xifeng Star System, where there were many foreign populations who were not particularly loyal to the Purple Crystal Civilization.

On the troop transport ship, thousands of interstellar warriors were arranged neatly, receiving the inspection of the officers. Xia Ye Fan Hua and the hundred or so players were mixed among them.

The officer browsed through everyone's resumes. Suddenly, his footsteps paused, stopping in front of Xia Ye Fan Hua. He frowned, and said in surprise, "You are members of the Black Star Army? Why are you joining us?"

Xia Ye Fan Hua thought for a moment and replied, "We hope to seek better development in the War Realm."

"Oh, you've made the right choice." Although he said that, a trace of disdain flashed in the officer's eyes.

The War Realm was basically full of tough guys, and this officer was no exception. He had always looked down on people who betrayed their allies for profit.

"Alright, you are now members of the War Realm. When you arrive at the stronghold, tasks will be assigned to you."

After the officer finished speaking, he turned and walked away. He felt that the defection of the Black Star Army people should be reported to his superiors.

Xia Ye Fan Hua clenched his fist excitedly and whispered, "See? I told you, the identity of the Black Star Army will allow us to gain Klent's special attention. The sooner we join Klent, the easier it will be to be valued."

The players who followed him saw a good start, and couldn't help but show joy.

At this moment, prompts popped up on these people's panels.

[You have activated the new faction - War Realm, current relationship: indifferent (0/300)]

[You have activated the new faction - Klent Empire, current relationship: indifferent (0/300)]

Xia Ye Fan Hua and others were just about to be happy, but the prompts were far from over. The subsequent prompts made everyone stunned.

[Your S-level main mission [Secret War - Zero Organization] has failed. You have received a new mission [Secret War - War Realm]. Accumulated mission evaluation is cleared and recalculated]

[You have joined the opposing faction of the Purple Crystal Civilization.]

[Purple Crystal Civilization relationship has changed to [Hostile]]

[Some Star System level Civilization relationships in the Colton Star Cluster have been cleared and changed to [Indifferent]]

[You have joined the opposing faction of the Zero Organization.]

[Zero Organization relationship has changed to [Hostile]]

[You have joined the opposing faction of the Black Star Army.]

[Black Star Army relationship has changed to [Hostile]]

[You have lost your Black Star Army membership. Faction panel and faction store are closed, and you cannot enjoy Black Star Army services.]

[Black Star Army character relationships cleared, accumulated contribution points cleared]

Xia Ye Fan Hua and others were stunned as they looked at the messages. Although they vaguely guessed that switching factions would result in many losses, when it actually happened, everyone felt a chill in their hearts.

Suddenly, everyone's communicators rang, and the Philip subprogram popped up. The original cute little boy voice became a cold, mechanical voice.

"You have betrayed the Black Star Army and chosen to defect to the enemy. You cannot obtain any services from the Black Star Army. The program will automatically uninstall... Uninstallation complete, buzz."

In the next moment, the Philip subprogram disappeared from the communicator. It seemed to be uninstalled, but in reality, it was hidden and became a background surveillance.

If they only joined some neutral factions, this would not have happened. But defection was equivalent to betraying the original faction, and they would inevitably be sanctioned, losing the favor of the original faction and becoming hostile.

Xia Ye Fan Hua felt distressed, suddenly noticing the angry gazes of the surrounding players. He was pushed to the corner by the crowd.

"You need to give us an explanation!"

This wave of losses stimulated their fragile nerves. These faction relationships were built up over two versions, and were instantly wiped out. A hundred or so people were like gamblers with bloodshot eyes, aggressively.

"Listen to my explanation!"

Xia Ye Fan Hua hurriedly defended himself, "I said it before, switching factions definitely has risks. The benefits of Klent lie in the long-term interests, with a greater chance of winning the Secret War. Moreover, there are fewer people and no one to fight over resources. The most important thing is to be able to connect with a Universe-level Civilization. These are all future potentials. We must abandon the immediate benefits to gain long-term gains. This is an investment! Do you understand investment?!"

Everyone had come for Klent's future development, but the huge losses had momentarily caused them to lose their minds. Hearing Xia Ye Fan Hua's explanation, they calmed down slightly.

Xia Ye Fan Hua seized the opportunity and said, "Everyone, don't worry. We have lost the favor of many factions in Colton, but the losses aren't actually that great, because we will develop in Klent's territory in the future, with less competition and more resources. Even if we have to climb up from the bottom again, the future benefits will be even greater. You wait, sooner or later, more people will join Klent for the sake of the Universe-level Civilization. We have gained a leading edge."

More than a hundred players had different expressions. These people only wanted to earn profits and didn't want to suffer losses, but now they were already on a pirate ship and could only trust Xia Ye Fan Hua and go all the way.

Seeing everyone calm down, Xia Ye Fan Hua breathed a sigh of relief.

Among the crowd, only Chang Hentian was the calmest. His goal was to experience unique storylines, and he could calmly accept the losses. Seeing these gamblers around him being so anxious, he found it a bit amusing, his mentality was quite detached.

At the same time, Xia Ye Fan Hua and others did not know that at the moment of their betrayal, the Black Star Army's mission list suddenly pinned a new mission to the top. The information of Xia Ye Fan Hua and others appeared on the wanted list.

[Bounty Mission [Army Wanted List]]

[Mission Introduction: The Black Star Army will never tolerate traitors. Any member who kills a traitor will receive a reward]

[Mission Requirements: Kill or capture the traitor]

[Reward: Depends on the target's strength]

[This mission can be repeated]

Not only players, but all hundreds of millions of Black Star Army members could receive the internally issued wanted list. The nature of it was equivalent to the Army issuing employment to internal members.

Issuing a wanted list was an inevitable result. This was the standard procedure for most forces to deal with traitors. Although Han Xiao valued players and gave them enough freedom and benefits, the necessary punishment mechanisms could not be lacking, otherwise his faction would be like a sieve, and players could defect whenever they wanted.

If the Army did not clearly draw a line, it would end up making him take the blame, which would be even more troublesome.

"Someone defected?"

"It's actually a group of players. I thought it was an NPC."

"Xia Ye Fan Hua? Isn't that the guy who said the Klent faction was good? Is he going to lead by example? Okay."

"Does that mean these players who join the enemy faction will become red-named targets with a bounty, and we get rewards every time we kill them?"

The players within the Army were in high spirits. It had been a long time since enemy faction players had appeared. The earliest were those unlucky ones who joined Germination in version 1.0. Now there were finally targets for field PK again.

If it was an NPC traitor, killing them once would be it, but if it was a player from an opposing faction, then they could be killed as many times as they wanted. This was a recyclable resource.

……

On the other side, Xia Ye Fan Hua and others had not calmed down for long when friends privately contacted them.

"What, we're all wanted?!"

Xia Ye Fan Hua's mouth widened in shock.

Didn't this mean that millions of Black Star Army players and hundreds of millions of NPCs would hunt them down?

This was much more serious than he expected!

Xia Ye Fan Hua's Adam's apple bobbed unnaturally. He swallowed hard, and a chilling coldness suddenly came from behind him. He turned his head stiffly like a robot. What jumped into his eyes was the angry gazes of the hundred or so players behind him.

"I, I can still explain..."

Xia Ye Fan Hua forced out a stiff smile, and after much effort, barely quelled the renewed anger of the others.

This was a consequence he had not expected. Xia Ye Fan Hua carefully observed the lingering anger on the faces of the others, feeling a little cold in his heart.

If he had guessed wrong, he wouldn't even need the Army's people to hunt him down. These speculators around him would take the initiative to camp his corpse and kill him repeatedly.

……

Colton Star Cluster, a certain star system.

Four Marauder spaceships surrounded a dark red spaceship, with energy chains and tractor beams trapping it in place.

The leader of this small pirate group stared at the prey through the porthole, licking his lips, a greedy expression on his malnourished face. The pirate subordinates behind him were also full of joy.

Due to the rise of the Black Star Army, it was becoming increasingly difficult for pirates to survive in the Colton Star Cluster. The Black Star's fearsome reputation made even large pirates tremble. Small pirate groups like them could only act discreetly, like rats.

This time, they finally encountered a lone spaceship, and the pirate group hurriedly followed to rob it.

"Found it! This is a Chidu-class spaceship, it's worth a lot!" A subordinate searched the Internet for the model of the dark red spaceship, looking delighted.

The pirate leader clenched his fist excitedly. With the idea of capturing the dark red spaceship, he hurriedly threatened through the communication channel, "Do not escape, do not resist, or we will destroy your spaceship!"

The people in the dark red spaceship seemed to be frightened. The spaceship obediently stayed in place, with no intention of resisting. The pirate leader's heart that was hanging in the air was lowered, and he slowly approached, extending the mechanical arm, preparing to dock with the dark red spaceship.

At this moment, the dark red spaceship suddenly erupted with a high-energy reaction. Red energy fluctuations exploded in a spherical shape, sweeping across the four Marauder spaceships in the blink of an eye, penetrating them as if they were intangible.

The smiles of the pirate leader and his subordinates froze on their faces.

Thump thump—

In the next moment, all the pirates on the four spaceships fell to the ground, lying in disarray. Their smiles remained, but their eyes had lost their luster. Their spirits were crushed in an instant, becoming corpses.

Gray shadows were pulled out of the corpses by an invisible force, turning into tumbling mists, flying towards the dark red spaceship from afar, gathering in a fair palm.

Hela was expressionless, absorbing the scattered soul power, subtly strengthening her ability.

She could absorb the residual mental energy of dead life forms to enhance her abilities. She didn't have the opportunity at Longtan. She broke through the A-grade threshold through hard work, but now that she had officially entered the universe for training, without restrictions, there were many opportunities to kill, so she picked up this method of increasing her strength.

In terms of growth potential, Hela's potential may not be inferior to normal players.

However, she would not fanatically pursue power and slaughter planets like in her previous life.

"Sister, what about these four spaceships?" Aurora asked, piloting the spaceship.

At Longtan, in addition to exercising her abilities, Aurora also learned a lot of auxiliary knowledge and knew how to drive spaceships.

"Take them with us, maybe Han Xiao will use them to modify them."

Hela didn't care much about the spoils, secretly savoring the battle just now. She had always been sparring with Ames, and didn't know how high her actual combat power was.

"I seem... quite powerful?" Hela thought to herself.

……

The Milky Way is vast, and the road is long.

On the other side, after a long journey, Han Xiao and the others arrived safely at Austin's Crimson Sect headquarters without incident, after spending more than half a month.