Jenny's attitude was very aggressive and overbearing, as if she was saying that if I didn't listen to her, I would be in trouble. But Head Technician Han didn't buy it. There was no way he was going to return the money.

He briefly explained the benefits of doing so for Longtan. As for whether Jenny accepted it, he didn't care and hung up the communication.

This made Jenny quite annoyed. Her desire for control was very strong. Han Xiao's actions were done without her permission, which made her feel that her position as chief manager had been challenged. She even began to suspect Han Xiao's "loyalty." Ames was a hands-off boss, and she entrusted all the big and small matters of Longtan to her. Therefore, most of the consequences of Ames' every whimsical decision were her responsibility to solve. Her power was great. Ames trusted Jenny, and almost all members of Longtan obeyed Jenny's management.

It had been more than a year since Black Star joined Longtan, and he had always been very low-key. But he suddenly made this move, and Jenny's sensitive nerves were immediately provoked, and she became vigilant. She inherently distrusted all other executives because she was the only relative of Ames, and subconsciously only she was Ames' "own person," and everyone else was an outsider.

Han Xiao hung up the communication, and Jenny did not hesitate. She turned around and reported to Ames, explaining the situation in detail, and expressing her opinions. She felt that Han Xiao's field team was too free and must be restricted. It would be best to transfer him back to Longtan headquarters and cancel the field team's organization. She felt that since Longtan maintained neutrality, it was enough to have the Dragon Emperor as a symbol, and there was no need to form an armed force to operate outside.

Under normal circumstances, Ames would not object to her suggestion. However, this time, Ames rejected her.

"You're too nervous. It's just a little money. Don't make a fuss. I trust Black Star. He's a reliable person. I gave him the power to act freely. As long as he doesn't become a wanted criminal, you don't need to notify me. If there's nothing else, I'll hang up."

"But…"

*Click.*

Ames hung up the communication, leaving Jenny with a look of astonishment. She held the communicator in a daze, not expecting that Ames would reject her so decisively. This had never happened before.

Because Han Xiao captured Izo, Ames' sense of trust in him had increased sharply. Although it was not comparable to Jenny, whom she had been with for many years, it was far beyond the scope of ordinary subordinates.

Without Ames' approval, Jenny found that she had no way to deal with Han Xiao. She suddenly became exasperated, and the veins on her forehead throbbed. She took a deep breath, took off her glasses, closed her eyes, and rubbed the bridge of her nose with her fingers, slowly calming down. When she opened her eyes again, her eyes were full of solemnity.

Ames' refusal made Jenny feel that her position was threatened, and a sense of urgency suddenly surged into her heart.

…

Han Xiao naturally didn't know that this small conflict led Jenny to mistakenly believe that Han Xiao wanted to "compete for favor" with her. But even if he knew, he wouldn't care. After weighing the pros and cons, the starting capital for the 2.0 plan was naturally more important.

The version had been updated for less than a year. This time was used to build the mercenary group's base. The location of the base was very important. Han Xiao would not choose a barren planet. It must be stationed on a prosperous planet in order to share the planet's NPC resources and make up for the shortage of base NPCs with its geographical location.

After searching the Garton Star System star map for a long time, he finally chose a Godora territory planet called Golden Gate Star, which was very close to the Jubely Hub. It could quickly reach the star area where Aquamarine Star was located, which meant convenient transportation. It was also prosperous enough. From the players' perspective, its functions were complete. There were shops, entertainment, and tasks...

He chose this place because he had a high favorability with the Godora faction, which made things easier and gave him discounts. Secondly, it could reduce the cost of setting up armed facilities. The Godora territory was stationed with a powerful fleet. DarkStar would not come to make trouble. Han Xiao decided to be safe, especially after killing Anul not long ago.

Moreover, this was the Godora territory, which could screen out players who joined DarkStar. With the lessons of the Germination organization, Han Xiao didn't want a bunch of "spies" in his base.

Among all the candidate planets, Golden Gate Star was a top-ranked option.

Having chosen his target, Han Xiao did not delay and took everyone away from Norios.

Since Risda joined the team, the Blacklight潛伏者 (Qianfuzhe, Submersible) became everyone's vehicle. It was extremely fast and very flexible, so they were no longer afraid of being intercepted or surrounded.

Golden Gate Star was not a large planet, but because it was located around the Jubely Hub, it was very prosperous. Golden Gate Star was home to many cities. Building a base here required purchasing a permit. The Black Star Mercenary Group had a high reputation in the Garton Star System, and its relationship with Godora was not bad, so there were no twists and turns in applying for a permit.

After spending a large sum of money, he bought a piece of land. The efficiency of handling procedures in the interstellar era was very fast, and the universe was so large and sparsely populated that the housing prices of ordinary colony planets were unbelievably low.

With the funds at hand, he had no intention of building a large main city. There were not enough people, and there was not enough money. All he needed was the mercenary group's first fixed base.

Regarding the structure of the base, first of all, it had to be large enough. In addition to providing an area for a large number of players to move around, it also had to leave space for a military factory. Secondly, it had to be divided into zones so that players would not get lost in the base, and different functions had to be arranged for each zone. Then, the appearance had to be grand. After all, it was a temporary faction "main city," so it had to look high-end and not too low.

The workload of building was too great, so Han Xiao naturally did not do it himself. He contacted the construction team, designed the blueprint according to his wishes, and started construction. Purchasing raw materials, transportation, and other projects were all consuming a large amount of start-up capital.

When he started building the mercenary group's first base, Ash finally returned to the DarkStar headquarters. The DarkStar high-level officials held a formal meeting on the Norios incident.

…

In the DarkStar headquarters, which was drifting stealthily in the universe, a dozen high-level officials gathered. Some people attended in person, while others participated through virtual portraits. They all concealed their faces and sat around the table.

The people in this room were the highest-level executives of DarkStar. Among them were Calamity Grade experts, fleet commanders, and heads of logistics, intelligence, scientific research, and other businesses.

The identities of most of these people were secret and unknown to outsiders. At this time, the atmosphere was heavy. The traitor survived, and their identities, which they had been hiding, might be exposed. Everyone's mood was terrible.

Ash was also in the room. After reaching the Calamity Grade, he finally had the qualifications to sit at the table and was among the high-level ranks. However, other high-level officials occasionally cast unkind glances at him.

Because the operation failed, everyone had to bear the risk of identity exposure, and they could not help but blame Ash, the only one who returned.

Noticing the gazes of the others, Ash felt guilty and had to remain silent.

There was an empty chair next to him. This position originally belonged to Anul, but now it had lost its owner.

Every time Ash glanced at the empty chair, he would subconsciously think of Han Xiao, and anger would surge up. He could barely suppress it.

After a long silence, the DarkStar leader spoke, "Anul died in battle, and the traitor was taken away by Godora. This operation was a complete failure."

"Before the traitor touched the core intelligence, I froze his permissions. The intelligence he has is only a part. This is the only good news," said the head of intelligence, his voice hoarse.

"Does the traitor know about the Heterogeneous Virus intelligence?"

"No, he's not clear about our action plan. This is a secret of a higher level of authority."

"That's good. This plan is an important part of the strategy and must not be mistaken. It won't be long before the Heterogeneous Virus outbreak period. At that time, Godora will have to send a large number of people to protect the civilizations in its jurisdiction, and we will be able to take the initiative..."

The DarkStar leader paused and did not continue this topic. He said sternly, "I am very disappointed with the results of this operation. Not only did we let the traitor go, but we also lost a Calamity Grade elder. Ash, you are letting me down."

Ash clenched his fists and said in a deep voice, "There was an accident during the operation."

"You mean, as long as there is an accident, you can't handle it?"

Ash sensed the coldness in the leader's tone and wisely lowered his head without answering.

At this time, another high-level official said lightly, "This is your first operation after becoming Grade A, and it's so embarrassing. Aren't you ashamed? I doubt if you have the qualifications to enter this room."

The person who spoke was another Calamity Grade elder like Anul, and even more prestigious—he was the deputy leader, the DarkStar leader's right-hand man.

"..." Ash clenched his fists even tighter and did not refute, because it was true. He was full of ambition after becoming a Calamity Grade, but he suffered a crushing defeat. He was now a little self-doubtful.

"I've read the operation report. Godora's Nagokin and a mercenary jointly killed Anul. That mercenary is called Black Star." The DarkStar leader revealed the topic, not letting others continue to blame Ash. It was enough to stop there, and there was no need to keep humiliating him.

"Kill him!" Ash said without hesitation.

"He's Ames' man. I don't want to have a conflict with someone of the Dragon Emperor's level before the Heterogeneous Virus plan begins." The DarkStar leader said in a deep voice, "I will make that mercenary pay the price, but not now."

"He has repeatedly opposed us and caused huge losses. This is an enemy that must be eliminated and can't wait any longer." Ash couldn't help but retort. He wished he could grind Han Xiao's bones to ashes.

The head of intelligence said lightly, "My intelligence shows that Black Star is building a base on Golden Gate Star, which is Godora's territory. If you want to get rid of him, you must mobilize a large number of fleets. Do you want to hinder the organization's plan by engaging in a head-on conflict with Godora at this juncture?"

"...It's worth it!" Ash gritted his teeth and insisted on his own opinion, unwilling to give up.

"Enough!" The DarkStar leader interrupted Ash, "From now on, stop all external activities until the Heterogeneous Virus outbreak. I don't want to repeat myself. The meeting is over."

The high-level officials shut their mouths and went offline one after another. The people who attended in person left the conference room, leaving only Ash still in his seat, looking extremely unwilling. He looked at the DarkStar leader's empty seat, and anger flashed in his eyes.