Chapter 1 Each to Their Own

Everyone has their own way of surviving, and in the eyes of the major advanced forces, Sorokin is a magical existence.

Clearly hired by the Crimson Dynasty, the Arcane Church, and the Starry Sky Black Market, he slowly became an intermediary for information transfer between several forces, with extensive connections.

Under his operation, the results of Gorutan's probing of Hela quickly reached the hands of the Crimson Dynasty and the Arcane Church, immediately attracting the attention of the higher-ups, who summoned their respective allies to a meeting.

The Arcane Church's main stronghold in the Free Competition Zone was located in another star cluster. At this time, projections of most of their Super-A Grade allies gathered, along with several important officials representing the official stance.

After circulating Hela's information, everyone's expressions changed.

"Hela's ability can shorten the lifespan of Super-A Grades?!"

Tolein stood up abruptly, his face green.

He wasn't a martial artist and had never been able to discern the microscopic changes in cellular life activity. Only now did he realize what he had encountered!

He not only lost the fight with Hela but also lost an unknown number of years of life. What a loss!

Tolein regretted it deeply. How could he have been so unlucky to encounter such an opponent!

Fighting costs lifespan; who can withstand that! Even the most warlike madman would be afraid! If he had known, he wouldn't have agreed to fight Hela… No, if he had known, he wouldn't have gone to Dragon Emperor to establish his prestige!

*I'm depressed.*

Everyone looked at him sympathetically, mourned for three seconds, and then ignored him, discussing among themselves.

"I didn't expect this new Super-A Grade to have such a strange ability, somewhat like the power of death on the ultra-high-risk ability list." Hunter of the Sky, the miniature guy, sat casually on the table, exuding an air of authority. "I remember this was the ability of a certain Initial One; it has reappeared."

"Yes, I also remember this information, what was it called…"

Kesiye interjected, slowly saying, "Niggus, the one who controls death. She also has a sister nicknamed the Mother of All Things, who can spread life force."

"Yes, yes, yes, it's those two. They are quite famous among the Initial Ones, born in different civilizations, with no blood relationship to each other, but eventually, they met fatefully in the vast universe. Their perfectly matched abilities allowed them to become sisters transcending blood ties… Ah! What a legendary tale full of artistic beauty, exuding the aura of the Exploration Era, perfect." A Super-A Grade said with a look of emotion.

This person was named Laurence, and his side job was an artist. He was dressed in a colorful, visually and emotionally impactful way.

"Huh, aren't they biological sisters?" someone scratched their head.

"No, after so many years, the rumors from the outside have long been distorted. Our database holds the truth." A senior official spoke, unable to resist reminding, "Everyone, can we go back to the issue of Hela?"

[Photon] Sagman nodded and said in a deep voice, "The power of death is an ultra-high-risk ability that can harvest life. If we allow Hela to grow up, one day she might lose control of her abilities like Wan Ying, which would be a disaster for the entire universe."

"That's secondary. The biggest problem is… she's a member of the Black Star Army, our enemy." [Sea Spirit] Dillon gritted his teeth.

"This ability is very dangerous. If we don't deal with it, when Hela grows up in the future, we will have to worry about this special threat when dealing with the Black Star Army," said [Boundary Gate] Tylerdi.

These Super-A Grades, who had participated in the Beacon Star Battle and suffered at the hands of Han Xiao, were the most hostile to the Black Star Army, constantly wanting to get one over on Black Star.

Xisco hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "That's right, shortening lifespan is too terrifying for us Super-A Grades."

Hunter of the Sky glanced at him, "I don't think you need to worry about this problem."

"Huh?" Xisco was stunned. "What do you mean?"

"Based on Hela's combat power shown when fighting Gorutan, if you faced her, you would probably be directly killed, so shortening lifespan wouldn't be useful to you."

"…"

Xisco felt the deep malice of the world and turned to join Tolein, wallowing in mutual despair.

"Stop fooling around." Kesiye opened his mouth indifferently, looking at the officials. "What is the view of the Arcane Church's upper echelons?"

The officials exchanged glances and said seriously, "The upper echelons hope to win over Hela and make her our ally. If that's not possible, they hope you will take action and eliminate her."

Everyone's eyes flashed, understanding the Arcane Church's intentions.

Ordinary people would be instantly killed by Hela, so shortening lifespan is useless for life at the Calamity Grade and below… Her ultimate weapon is completely aimed at the top combat power of Super-A Grades.

Not only is she a current threat, but she can also affect future recruitment of allies. If Hela is in the opposing camp, even if she doesn't do anything, the new Super-A Grades will have concerns when joining the camp and will be unwilling to face Hela, which is not conducive to recruiting new allies.

Although Hela is a member of the Black Star Army, she has not yet joined an advanced civilization. The Arcane Church hopes to use her for its own purposes, to control this ultimate weapon—something Gorutan hadn't considered. And if they can't have her, the Arcane Church will destroy Hela.

More than that, the Super-A Grades present basically thought one step further.

—Hela's deterrent power is only aimed at Super-A Grades. Does the Arcane Church also want to use her to deter the entire Super-A Grade class?

Under normal circumstances, people wouldn't have this idea, but the people present happened to have participated in Han Xiao's Gods Assembly and were instilled with the notion of a united front by Old Man Mac, so they couldn't help but think in that direction.

The audience suddenly fell silent, and many people were a little conflicted in their hearts.

Kesiye's expression remained unchanged. He glanced at everyone and said, "I think winning over Hela can be done immediately, but as for eliminating her, we need to consider it slowly. Although we are all in the Shattered Star Ring, making it convenient to mobilize, our movements will also receive more attention. Furthermore, killing Hela will provoke Black Star. It is best to wait and see what the Crimson Dynasty does. Don't forget, they also have this information and will definitely take action."

"I understand." The senior official nodded. "The debt of Nija hasn't been settled yet, so we don't want to cooperate with the Crimson Dynasty this time. We do need to wait and see… However, when we decide to take action, we hope everyone will respond positively."

"No problem!" Apart from Xisco, the unlucky participants in the Beacon Star Battle all expressed their opinions. They had wanted to take revenge on the Black Star Army for a long time and finally had an opportunity.

Kesiye did not speak, his eyes flickering.

…

On the other side, the Crimson Dynasty was also holding a similar meeting, but the topic was very different from that of the Arcane Church.

"Hela's ability is dangerous, that's true, but dealing with her is bound to anger the Black Star Army, which is not worthwhile," Hades said.

A Council Elder frowned. "In the long run, isn't Hela's threat greater? It's worth it to anger the Black Star Army for this."

"Are you sure?" Hades asked rhetorically. "Have you forgotten the Everlasting Lord's Scepter?"

As soon as he said this, the Council Elders of the Crimson Dynasty present were stunned and fell into deep thought.

"The Everlasting Lord's Scepter also poses a threat to Super-A Grades, even higher in priority than Hela. I think this may be an opportunity. If we can take this opportunity to reach a deal with Black Star and have him unlock the seal of the Time Amber, it would be a surefire profit for us." Hades spoke eloquently.

At this time, Maimansson faintly echoed, "That's right, I think we need to consider Black Star's attitude. The Everlasting Lord's Scepter is very important."

Everyone couldn't help but look at him, some with surprise and others with tacit understanding.

Many Super-A Grades knew that Maimansson's statement at this time, on the surface, was considering the Everlasting Lord's Scepter, but in reality, it was largely influenced by the Gods Assembly.

Maimansson was the leader in promoting the Super-A Grade united front and paid more attention to Han Xiao's power in the Shattered Star Ring, hoping that Han Xiao would build a platform for information interaction within the united front. Therefore, he was unwilling to anger him and cause him to abandon his responsibilities.

Speaking of which, if Han Xiao hadn't held the Gods Assembly and talked about the situation of the Super-A Grades, it was estimated that the Crimson Dynasty's Super-A Grade allies would not have hesitated at this time. It could be said that it was an unintentional act that yielded unexpected results… Could this also be within Black Star's calculations?!

After thinking for a while, the Chief Council Elder paused with his cane. "Indeed, if we can unlock the seal of the Everlasting Lord's Scepter, we can temporarily put aside the issue of Hela… However, it is almost impossible to succeed."

After a pause, he slowly added, "The Arcane Church will definitely take the action of winning over first and then eliminating her. We can remind Black Star, but this bargaining chip is not enough. Black Star has the empire behind him and does not need our help in terms of military force. Moreover, he is a member of the empire and will inevitably worry that after releasing the Everlasting Lord's Scepter, we will use the scepter to deal with him… After comprehensive consideration, he will not agree to trade with us."

Hearing this, everyone nodded, expressing their agreement. If they were in Black Star's position, they would not agree to aiding the enemy. The most important thing was that the bargaining chips offered by the Crimson Dynasty were not enough.

In fact, the Crimson Dynasty had always wanted to have a good relationship with Han Xiao, to unlock the seal of the Everlasting Lord's Scepter, and to allow it to get rid of the state of only being able to look at it but not touch it as soon as possible.

However, the Evolved Civilization's Totem was a strategy that concerned the future of civilization and was countless times more important than the Everlasting Lord's Scepter. Therefore, the Crimson Dynasty could only temporarily shelve the issue of the scepter and target the Red Empire and the Black Star Army first, becoming enemies with them.

And now, the issue of Hela allowed the Crimson Dynasty to see an opportunity to make a deal with Black Star.

"So, we need a more weighty bargaining chip." Hades' eyes flashed. "For example… Hela herself."

Everyone's hearts stirred.

"You mean, we capture Hela alive, and then use her to trade with Black Star in exchange for unsealing the Everlasting Lord's Scepter?" The Chief Council Elder pondered for a while, feeling that it was a possibility.

This way, they wouldn't kill anyone, wouldn't offend Black Star to the death, and could also exchange for the unsealing of the Everlasting Lord's Scepter, which had a much higher success rate than conventional friendship. The approach was very flexible and seemed to be a good idea.

If successful, the Crimson Dynasty would be the most profitable, while the Arcane Church would be miserably losing out…

Well, it doesn't seem to matter to us whether the Arcane Church loses or not.

Better to let a friend die than oneself!

After understanding this relationship, everyone couldn't help but look at Hades, who had made the suggestion.

—You're really something else.

The Chief Council Elder coughed, "Hela is good at dealing with living organisms, so the best candidate to deal with her is a mechanic. Your Excellency Maimansson, you…"

"I'm not interested in bullying a new Super-A Grade." Maimansson interrupted him.

As a mechanic with countless avatars, he was certainly not afraid of being shortened in lifespan by Hela. However, he was unwilling to bully the new Super-A Grade. Old Man Mac now wished for more and more newcomers, so how could he suppress them?

"Okay, then someone else will go." The Chief Council Elder shook his head helplessly. They couldn't command Maimansson.

At this time, a Super-A Grade couldn't help but shake his head. "So many Super-A Grades targeting one person. It seems the last person to enjoy this treatment was the Otherworldly God?"

"A newcomer being targeted like this, it's her bad luck."

…

The Free Competition Zone was in a state of chaos. The movements of behemoths like the Black Star Army were closely watched by foreign forces. Soon, the incident of the Black Star Army and Gorutan breaking out in armed conflict spread.

The Black Star Army's chosen Fili Planet was destroyed, forcing them to detour and choose a new stronghold. Gorutan didn't gain any advantage either, losing many subordinates. In the end, both sides withdrew, considered a draw for the time being.

The result of the battle between Hela and Gorutan was normal. She was not a match for the peak Super-A Grade, but it was said that Gorutan also suffered some injuries, which was not something an ordinary new Super-A Grade could do. Many forces secretly increased Hela's combat power in their files, believing that Hela might be the strongest among all the new Super-A Grades in this term.

The information about Hela's abilities only circulated among the three major civilizations and a few advanced forces, and the outside world was unaware. Most people did not know that undercurrents were surging in the upper echelons.

Because the Black Star Army and Gorutan took the lead, foreign forces with friction between them no longer restrained themselves and started fighting to seize resources, no longer worrying about the empire's attitude.

The chain reaction caused by this battle was that armed conflict in the Free Competition Zone rapidly increased, and the security situation declined in the form of an avalanche. However, overall, there were still countless blank areas in the fourth stage, and there was still a lot of space to explore, so the degree of conflict was not too intense, far from the peak of the previous life.

The legion player guilds, separated from the main force, also began to exert their subjective initiative and participate in the competition in the Free Competition Zone as formal organizations!

…

In a border star system somewhere in the Emerald Star Cluster, a small fleet was slowly moving forward, with different force emblems engraved on the outer armor, which were the marks of some guilds. After the legion completed its registration, it could customize its organization name and mark, and these guilds openly used their own emblems.

This fleet included the official guilds of well-known first-tier clubs such as Changkong, Jiangcheng, and Baoyu, acting together.

In the current version, players were making money more efficiently. By gritting their teeth and saving money, buying ordinary spaceships was not a problem. The guild funds of first-tier clubs were even more plentiful. In addition, with the 30% discounted price given by Han Xiao, many guild organizations purchased small fleets.

At this time, the core members of each guild gathered on Changkong's warship for a preliminary meeting. There were also many professional players traveling with the team in the room.

"We are not far from Harkstar. We will be there in about half an hour. Let's go over the plan." Bikong Youyou, the president of the Sky Domain, the official guild of the Changkong Club, said.

Flash Fried Rice called out the memo and read, "Harkstar has abundant resources and is currently occupied by seven small forces: three consortia, two private armed forces, and two star system-level civilization collection teams. They cannot drive each other away and can only compete for rich resource locations. Our goal is to enter Harkstar, make friends with the consortia, establish resource bases on this planet, and lay the foundation for construction."

"The most important thing is how to negotiate with these consortia," said Mingyue Changzhong.

"Leave this to me." Maple Moon volunteered. "I know what to say."

Everyone nodded and gave a few words of encouragement.

Under Han Xiao's clear and veiled guidance, the legion players were the first to understand the key point of this version's gameplay—that is, to interact with NPC forces in the name of an organization.

After so many versions, the players already knew that the actions of the NPCs were no different from those of real people. Every word and deed would cause a reaction, and anything could happen. The freedom was so high that it exploded, so negotiation required the use of rhetoric, and the higher the charm value, the easier it was to negotiate.

There would always be someone in the guild who was good at negotiations. Maple Moon, as a plot-oriented player, was keen on interacting with NPCs.

The new legion system gave these guilds semi-independent treatment, and with such great freedom, these guilds began to exert their subjective initiative, actively analyzing information, looking for opportunities, and doing their own thing.

Following the main force was safe, but the actions were limited, and many players held the idea of rather be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix.

This was exactly what Han Xiao wanted to see. He released many incentive missions for independent action, trying to get the legion players to spread out, penetrate more territory, expand their advantages, and explore new interests, rather than simply following him to get a share of the pie.

These guilds acted together in order to increase their own weight. They did not follow the main force but chose to go to Harkstar to participate in the competition of small forces, which was based on maximizing their own advantages.

Currently, the rank of guild players was mainly B-Grade, and B-Grade was considered a backbone force in the universe, with more influence in front of small forces. The guild was an affiliated organization of the Black Star Army, and Black Star's name had a high influence bonus on small forces. They could just borrow the prestige of their backer to increase their bargaining chips in negotiations with NPC forces.

After a while, the fleet slowly decelerated, and Harkstar was getting closer and closer. Scattered defense fleets belonging to different forces were suspended in the outer space.

Seeing the players' fleet, the defense force of Harkstar activated its combat posture, greeted them vigilantly, and initiated a communication request.

Mad Blade patted Maple Moon's shoulder and whispered, "It's up to you."

Maple Moon exhaled, making his lips tremble to produce afterimages as a warm-up, eager to try.

"Relax, watch me fool them!"

—

(ps: Weibo has finally been successfully authenticated. Brothers and sisters who are interested can follow my Weibo (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و)