Chapter 114 Hela's Decision

Time ticked by, Hela contemplated in silence, while Han Xiao remained unhurried, a smile on his face as he awaited her answer.

After a long while, Hela slowly exhaled.

"I choose independence."

Han Xiao raised an eyebrow. "In that case, I'll have Sylvia…"

Before he could finish, Hela added, "But not now."

Han Xiao's face twitched. Looking at the teasing glint in her eyes, he felt both helpless and amused.

*Little rascal, you dare to tease me?*

*You like to speak in riddles, why don't you go write a book?*

Hela sighed, rarely speaking from the heart.

"I used to lack a sense of security, always trying to catch up to you, so my only goal was to become stronger and stronger until I had enough power to protect myself. Now I've finally become a Beyond Grade A, strong enough to protect myself in most situations, but I haven't thought about what to do next. I might as well stay in the legion for now, and if I change my mind later, then I'll think about it then."

On the way back, Hela had been considering this question: What would she do after mastering the power of a Beyond Grade A? She had no clue.

In recent years, she had spent almost all her time fighting to improve her strength, without properly appreciating the scenery of the universe. At least for now, Hela had no desire or ambition to build her own faction.

Moreover, recalling her experiences along the way, Han Xiao had provided her with too much help. Without his recommendation, Ames wouldn't have accepted her as a student, and she didn't know when she would have become a Beyond Grade A.

Having received so much help from Han Xiao all along, owing him a huge debt of gratitude, her own repayment was incredibly meager. She was embarrassed to leave and become independent as soon as she became a Beyond Grade A. Her strong personality dictated that she didn't want to be in debt forever.

Back then, Black Star had become independent after becoming a Beyond Grade A, but he had made a huge contribution to Longtan and was qualified to do so. Hela felt that her contribution to the legion was far less than Han Xiao's contribution to Longtan back then, so she was embarrassed to imitate Han Xiao's behavior.

Most importantly, Hela knew how to kill and how to fight, but she didn't know how to build and manage a faction, and she didn't want to spend her energy on it. In this respect, she inherited Ames' "talent." She would rather spend her time consolidating her power and was currently not interested in factions.

In her view, with her combat power and her close relationship with Han Xiao, she was second only to Han Xiao in the Black Star Army. If she wanted to use power, staying in the large and well-established Black Star Army was better than trying to build a new organization… Moreover, the Black Star Army was now the leader of the private organizations in the Shattered Star Ring, and it was no longer suitable to build a new Beyond Grade A faction, as it would not get much resources.

Han Xiao laughed heartily after hearing Hela's explanation.

"Alright, then stay in the Black Star Army for now. My promise is still valid. If you want to leave and become independent one day, I will still provide assistance."

"Mm," Hela nodded.

"You're already a Beyond Grade A, so it's not appropriate for you to be my bodyguard anymore. So, I'm officially appointing you as the vice-commander of the Black Star Army, with a position second only to me, higher than Laggy, participating in the highest decision-making of the army, and your daily management authority covers branch armed forces, resource exploitation, mercenary coordination, etc. You can command part of the army fleet, and you're also the nominal leader of the bodyguards, without performing bodyguard duties."

In a few words, Han Xiao promoted Hela, giving her great power.

After all, her worth was different now. Even if Hela herself didn't need power, he had to give it to her. On the one hand, it was to show that he valued Hela, highlighting the relationship between Hela and the army, and on the other hand, it was to give the outside world an explanation, proving that he was following industry rules.

Han Xiao was in a good mood after keeping Hela.

He had considered many possible outcomes, and Hela's decision to stay was the best one.

This was the first Beyond Grade A cadre the army possessed. It was a qualitative change. There was a world of difference between a force with one or two Beyond Grade As.

Originally, the army only had me as the pillar, but now with Hela, she can share a lot of things for me, and it is also conducive to the army expanding its influence… Han Xiao thought to himself.

"Vice-commander? Whatever," Hela didn't care much about titles. She suddenly put her hands on the edge of the table, leaned forward, and looked at him intently. "Let's talk about these things later. I have a request… Fight me."

"Sure," Han Xiao agreed. "But not today. You just returned to headquarters, so rest for a while and spend more time with your sister. I also have some miscellaneous matters to deal with. In a few days, I'll beat… cough cough, fight you."

"Alright."

Hela nodded, suppressing her eagerness. After entering the Beyond Grade A level, she had always wanted to see how big the gap between the two of them was.

After chatting for a while, Hela left the room to talk to Aurora. The two sisters hadn't seen each other for many years and had endless things to say.

Watching Hela leave, Han Xiao smiled secretly and was about to write the appointment when his communicator suddenly rang.

He glanced at it and saw that it was Ulan Rier calling.

*The empire is contacting me at this time, probably for Hela…* Han Xiao's eyes flashed. After thinking for a moment, he answered the call.

"Your Excellency the President, what can I do for you in your busy schedule?" Han Xiao said with a smile as Ulan Rier's figure appeared on the screen.

"I heard that one of your cadres has become a new Beyond Grade A. Congratulations," Ulan Rier nodded.

"Haha, her name is Hela. She's not only my cadre, but also my old friend. She and I… Oh, I almost forgot. You must have her information." Han Xiao raised his eyebrows and said pretentiously.

"Yes, have you talked to Hela?"

"You came at the right time. I just finished talking to her."

"What was the result? What are her plans?"

"She's too lazy and doesn't want to build a faction for the time being, so she decided to continue to work for me and be my right-hand man."

"I see…" Ulan Rier paused, pondered for a moment, and slowly said, "I have a request."

"Go ahead."

"If possible, I hope you can persuade Hela to join the empire."

*As expected…* Han Xiao smiled without saying a word. He had expected this.

Because of his relationship with Hela, the empire felt that there was a high probability of getting a new Beyond Grade A ally, so they came directly to get a head start and wanted to strengthen their Beyond Grade A team.

Ulan Rier saw that Han Xiao didn't reply and couldn't help but ask, "What do you think? Do you have any ideas?"

"No problem, I'll try my best to persuade her, but I can't guarantee success," Han Xiao said ambiguously.

"I understand," Ulan Rier nodded. She wouldn't force it.

At this time, Han Xiao changed the subject and said,

"By the way, since you contacted me, I have something to report to you. You asked me to maintain the治安 of the Shattered Star Ring. I have an idea that I can take this opportunity to implement, but it's a bit big, and I need the empire's support."

"Tell me about it."

Han Xiao slowly said, "Because of the Flickering World, Beyond Grade As from all star fields are gathered in the Shattered Star Ring. The Beyond Grade As that came here account for at least 90% of the entire universe. In that case, I might as well take the lead and invite these people to gather together and hold a large gathering of all the Beyond Grade As in the universe. Please come and talk to everyone and reach a consensus with them not to cause trouble in the Shattered Star Ring."

Hearing this, Ulan Rier immediately calculated.

This was almost equivalent to inviting all the Beyond Grade As in the universe. As he said, the scale was indeed too large. These people were all iconic figures in various star fields. If successful, it would set off a public opinion frenzy that swept the entire universe.

Maybe it would be recorded in history and become a major event worth commemorating.

As for what benefits Black Star could get from it, it was also obvious. The first was to save energy and solve the problem of star field stability in one go. Whether it was negotiation or showing his strength, he would use various means to make all the foreign Beyond Grade As give up the idea of causing trouble and wait peacefully for the Flickering World to open.

The second benefit was that if he could really get all the Beyond Grade As together, as the leader, Black Star's influence would be greatly improved, proving that so many Beyond Grade As were giving him face.

"How confident are you that you can invite everyone?" Ulan Rier asked, pondering.

"Half."

"Really?" Ulan Rier was suspicious. "Most Beyond Grade As are smart people. They know very well that agreeing to your invitation is to support you and help you expand your reputation. The empire's people are fine, but can you ensure that the people from Guanghui and Xuling will give you face?"

"I can't guarantee it, but…" Han Xiao smiled. "I think my face should still be useful. As for those who can't be invited, I'll ask the empire for help."

"Okay, it's worth a try. I'll have people cooperate with you." Ulan Rier thought for a while and nodded in agreement with this plan, saying that she would provide assistance.

"Then I'll thank the empire in advance." Han Xiao smiled slightly, then suddenly his eyes flashed and said, "Besides that, I have another thing."

"Go ahead."

"I've been considering the proposal about the Evolutionary Cube these days," Han Xiao shook his head. "I'm sorry, I don't plan to use the Evolutionary Cube to exchange for other things for the time being. In fact, I've looked at the list the empire gave me several times, but there's nothing I particularly like. The empire is very sincere, and I'm very grateful, but unfortunately, I'm out of luck, so I can only express my regret."

Ulan Rier was silent for a few seconds and slowly said, "It's okay, we won't force it. If you change your mind, contact us at any time."

After saying that, the two chatted for a few more words before hanging up the phone.

Han Xiao played with the communicator, recalling the conversation just now, and nodded secretly.

After thinking about it for a while, he finally decided to reject the empire's proposal and keep the Evolutionary Cube.

The empire wanted to obtain the ownership of the Evolutionary Cube and completely control the business of the evolver totem, which was exactly what he wanted to control. This was a conflict of interest. Even if the empire was dissatisfied, he would have to keep this key business in his own hands.

Relying on others was never as good as relying on himself. He maintained a good relationship with the empire not because of personal friendship, but because he was useful to the empire. This was the foundation of the army.

Rejecting the exchange, the empire might be dissatisfied, but there was no possibility of a break… Because the empire still needed him.

Han Xiao first threw out the plan to gather all the Beyond Grade As, and then said the decision about the Evolutionary Cube, which was also a small test—using this project to test the empire's attitude.

To control a benefit, one must have the matching strength. The empire was indeed a well-deserved behemoth, but the current Black Star Army was also qualified to occupy this benefit. With Hela's return, the army's confidence was even stronger.

The suppression of Guanghui and Xuling was fundamentally because the empire prohibited the external sale of totems, but if it was lifted one day, would Guanghui and Xuling hope that the empire itself would control the cube, or would they hope that an external ally would control the cube? The answer was obvious.

—They would rather have an empire ally control the profits of the totem than have a competitor control the totem business itself.

Although the business was nominally the empire's, the ownership of the profits was essentially different.

"The empire will definitely do some small things in private. It depends on what they plan to do."

Han Xiao shook his head. In any case, he would deal with whatever came his way.

…

The next day, the Black Star Army publicly released a personnel appointment.

—The sixth seat of the Shattered Star Ring, the new Beyond Grade A who defeated Tolain, Hela, who does not yet have a nickname, will soon take the position of vice-commander of the Black Star Army.

She did not become independent and continued to work for the Black Star Army!

Countless forces were closely watching the progress of the matter. As soon as the news came out, the entire star field was shaken!

Everyone knew that the Black Star Army had two Beyond Grade As, and their influence would definitely skyrocket.

Although Black Star alone could beat multiple ordinary Beyond Grade As, for interstellar citizens in the entire universe, the feeling of a single core leading the team and a double core leading the team was completely different.

Many sinister forces were hoping that Hela would split up, but the development of the situation went against their imagination, and they were greatly disappointed and resentful.

A dignified Beyond Grade A actually succumbed to Black Star's power and worked for others?

Could you have some backbone!

Why don't you learn from your predecessors? It's impossible to work for others. Start your own business!

Damn it, we have to find a way to break them up!

For the members and partners of the Black Star Army, this was undoubtedly good news.

Knowing that Hela was staying, the entire army was excited!

With an extra Beyond Grade A backer, their confidence soared. The army members' walking posture had become arrogant recently, and they had mastered the steps of not recognizing their relatives without being taught.

The impact was quickly reflected. The army's appeal to high-end talents increased greatly.

Seeing that Han Xiao seemed to have really cultivated a Beyond Grade A, many Super Grade As couldn't sit still and began to have ideas. The most shaken were some neutral Super Grade A seeds. Becoming a Beyond Grade A was fatally attractive to them.

Hadaway was especially happy at this time.

—I was really foresighted. I put down my dignity early and joined the Black Star Army and became a veteran. When these guys join in the future, they will all be my little brothers!

It feels so good to throw away my integrity!

…

Somewhere in the Shattered Star Ring, the Xuling 教派 fleet.

The main ship's conference room was full of projections of Xuling Beyond Grade A allies. Only Tolain, a real person, was sitting in the middle. The scene was like a joint trial.

"...Are you saying that Hela's ability is extraordinarily lethal to living beings? When it erupted, it seriously injured you with one blow?"

"That's right, it hurt so much, and she can also hurt my spirit. I need to recuperate for at least a few years." Tolain gritted his teeth.

Losing to Hela made Tolain very angry. He felt like he was confidently facing the line, but was solo killed online.

Moreover, not only did he lose, but he also suffered injuries that were difficult to recover from. The main thing was that his spirit was severely damaged, and he needed to recuperate slowly. Before he recovered, Tolain's control over magic would be discounted, and his strength would not reach its peak.

Tolain couldn't swallow this breath. He rested for a few days and contacted the others today to report Hela's ability.

克苏耶 slowly shook his head. "The Black Star Army has obtained a new Beyond Grade A with extraordinary potential, and their power has increased again."

Hearing this, many people present frowned.

Among the three major cosmic civilizations, the one that least wanted the Black Star Army to grow was the Xuling 教派. After all, they had suffered such a big loss in the Beacon Star battle, and many people present had already formed a grudge against the Black Star Army.

At this moment, Hunter Day suddenly glanced at the communicator and said in surprise, "Black Star sent me a message."

"What did he say?" 克苏耶 turned to look.

"Uh, he sent us an invitation, wanting us to be his guests…" Hunter Day's tone became strange.

"Us?"

"Yes, what he invited… was all the Beyond Grade As of the Xuling 教派."

As soon as these words came out, except for 克苏耶, the expressions of the others present changed, full of surprise and incomprehension.

Invite all the top combat power of the Xuling 教派?

What is Black Star doing? Does his skin itch and he wants to be ganged up on?!

—If it was someone else, they would think he was courting death, but the target was Black Star. Everyone present believed that he was really just being literal.