Chapter 1 Beacon Star

Shining World, Dawn Star Cluster, the Imperial outpost of Beacon Star.

Base Number Four, Combat Training Room, a spar was in progress.

Bang!

Mechanical fists collided violently with hardened fists, unleashing a visible shockwave.

Hardaway tightened his grip, seized Youzu’s fist, and with a mighty heave, spun him around, hurling him forward. Youzu crashed into a line of mechanical combatants, scattering them with a thud.

Behind the defensive line, Han Xiao shifted slightly, casually firing a strand of machina force, yanking Youzu out of the path of the incoming projectile, helping him regain his balance.

In the next instant, an electric glint flashed in Han Xiao’s eyes. At that very moment, a psionic barrier suddenly materialized in Hardaway’s path.

The barrier was right in front of him. Hardaway smashed headfirst into it.

Thud!

“Nice sound. That’s a good head.”

Han Xiao smirked, his fingers clenching abruptly. The wall-like psionic barrier instantly shrunk into a ball of light, exploding against Hardaway’s face, unleashing a deafening boom and a burst of cerulean energy that sent him flying, spinning, into the training room wall.

Thud!

Metal plates buckled and snapped. A humanoid crater appeared in the wall.

The line of mechanical combatants beside him began to concentrate their fire. An overwhelming barrage of psionic beams streamed forth, converging on the hole in the wall.

Rumble—

The blinding explosion transformed the room into a dazzling white inferno.

Just then, a red beam suddenly shot out from behind Han Xiao, piercing through dozens of mechanical combatants, aimed directly at the back of Han Xiao’s head.

Youzu instantly transformed into his drone form, activating a psionic shield to guard Han Xiao’s back. The red beam struck the cerulean shield, disintegrating into shimmering fragments.

Calmly, Han Xiao turned his head, spotting Hela weaving around in the distance. Time and again, she unleashed bolts of death energy. Faced with Han Xiao, she dared not approach, instead opting to harass him from afar as a long-range artillery platform.

This spar was a challenge against Han Xiao by all the close aides together. To maximize the training effect, Han Xiao naturally refrained from calling out his entire mechanical army. He only deployed a thousand mechanical combatants, eschewing a zerg rush in favor of relying on various mechanical weapons.

Now, the training room was a wreck. Almost all of his close aides had been pummeled into submission. Only Hela and Hardaway persisted, both in a sorry state.

“Come here, little darling.” Han Xiao stretched out his hand towards Hela. Mechanical components swiftly encased his arm. Machina force flickered across their surfaces. His palm clenched suddenly, unleashing a powerful gravitational force from the mecha arm, creating a howling wind.

The mechanical combatants along the way scattered, creating gaps in the defensive line. The position of these gaps shifted with Hela’s movements.

Hela instantly felt an immense pull trying to drag her towards Han Xiao. Her pupils glowed crimson as energy enveloped her, resisting the tractor beam, but her speed inevitably decreased.

Seeing that the tractor beam wasn’t working as effectively as he wanted, Han Xiao raised an eyebrow. With a shift of his body, five suction cup-like high-powered traction beam emitters unfolded behind him, hovering around the back of his head, activating simultaneously.

Buzz!

The combined gravitational force was overwhelming. Hela was immediately pulled off balance. She simply gave up resisting, allowing her flight speed to skyrocket, instantly closing the distance to Han Xiao. Energy condensed in her leg as she unleashed a heavy whip kick, powerful enough to shatter a mountain.

Han Xiao remained unfazed. The newest generation of Battle Tiger mecha suit instantly deployed around his body.

Clatter—

Black armor covered his body, exposing only his head. Han Xiao bent his arm, using his forearm to meet Hela’s whip kick.

Boom!!

The energy-laced leg struck the mecha-clad forearm. The nanoparticles on the surface of the armor rippled like waves, diverting the force downwards and behind him.

Poof!

In the next moment, a shockwave erupted from beneath Han Xiao’s feet. The metal floor twisted and buckled. The excess force transformed into a howling gust of wind that blew away the surrounding dust.

Having blocked the kick, Han Xiao’s raised forearm remained as still as a statue. While Hela’s close combat abilities weren’t weak, she wasn’t a martial artist. Furthermore, her stats were utterly inferior. Her close combat posed no threat to Han Xiao.

Without pausing, Han Xiao’s arm, having blocked the blow, shot forward, seizing Hela’s neck, and slamming her into the ground with a thunderous crash.

“Ugh!” Slammed heavily onto the ground, Hela groaned, resisting through gritted teeth. Her curvaceous body writhed beneath Han Xiao, but she was like a snake held firmly in his grasp, unable to break free.

Suddenly, Hela’s vision went dark. Han Xiao leaned down, his face almost touching hers, a triumphant grin on his face.

“Don’t struggle. Now that I’ve caught you, the fight’s over. With your physique, there’s no way you can break free from my control.”

Hearing this, Hela ceased her resistance, biting her lip, her eyes meeting Han Xiao’s.

Their eyes were less than ten centimeters apart. Their breaths mingled on each other’s faces.

Han Xiao’s nose twitched. A delicate fragrance wafted into his nostrils, and his expression suddenly turned odd.

“Smells nice. Are you wearing perfume? Or is it your natural scent?”

“…Let go.”

“Oh, right, sorry.”

Han Xiao released his grip, straightening up, preparing to pull Hela to her feet. However, Hela ignored his outstretched hand, getting up on her own, bending down to brush the dust off her clothes.

Seeing Hela’s expressionless face, Han Xiao shook his head helplessly. After so many spars, he knew Hela’s personality all too well. Even knowing the disparity in strength, she was always in a bad mood after losing.

The mechanical troops also ceased firing. The crater in the wall had expanded many times over, pitch black, and seemingly bottomless. The sound of shifting metal fragments echoed from within. After a rustling, Hardaway, covered in soot, crawled out of the hole, tearing off his scorched skin as he walked towards Han Xiao.

The mechanical devices restraining the other close aides retracted. The close aides rubbed their chests and swung their arms as they approached, all looking somewhat disheveled. The most presentable among them was Fording, who only had some dust on him, but no visible injuries. This was mainly because Han Xiao was reluctant to hit him, not wanting to mar that irresistibly charming face.

They were all handsome men, so a little special treatment was in order.

“Satisfying,” Hardaway grinned, his scorched face displaying a look of contentment.

Han Xiao ignored him, checking the time. “You lasted thirty-seven seconds longer than last time. There’s been progress.”

These close aides were at least elite Heavenly Disaster grades. It was difficult to improve further, so their strength wouldn’t increase quickly. Among them, Hela and Fording had made the most significant progress. Both possessed great talent, and perhaps in twenty or thirty years, they could reach the level of Super A seeds.

As for breaking through to Super A grade, in Han Xiao’s opinion, only Hela, who had proven her strength in his previous life, had a relatively high chance. However, she wasn’t indiscriminately slaughtering planets as she had in the past, so her progress wasn’t as monstrous.

“The training room is too small, limiting my movement range, and putting me within the coverage of the traction beam. If the environment were unlimited, I could last longer. Next time, I need to pay more attention to this aspect…” Hela frowned, summarizing her experience.

Han Xiao was about to say something when his communicator rang, receiving a short message.

He glanced at it and smiled. “You guys continue training. Tarrokov and the other two are asking me to chat.”

After staying on Beacon Star for more than half a month, Han Xiao had become familiar with Milizaus. With nothing else to do, Tarrokov, the exploration army’s commander-in-chief stationed here, would often invite the three Super As for tea and casual conversation, building rapport and passing the time.

Hearing this, Hela hesitated, seemingly wanting to continue receiving Han Xiao’s training, but finally nodded, summoning the close aides to continue practicing, watching Han Xiao leave the training room from the corner of her eye.

…

Walking down the corridor, Han Xiao entered the quantum network view.

“Phillip, have the long-range patrol units found anything today?”

“Reporting, Master, nothing, buzz.”

The Arcane Church still hasn’t taken action today… Han Xiao nodded inwardly.

Under the Empire’s protection, Han Xiao hadn’t lowered his guard. During his stay on Beacon Star for the past half-month, he hadn’t been idle. Besides building mechs and giving his close aides special training, he had also dispatched a long-range mechanical unit to join the Beacon Star’s guard, patrolling this sector. They would report back every day, so he could get news at the first possible moment if they detected the Arcane Church’s tracks.

Han Xiao was staying on Beacon Star not only because it was heavily guarded, but also because Beacon Star was an imperial outpost, connected to many stargates. If the guard unit discovered the enemy's tracks, this sector would be a buffer zone. If they discovered the enemy was too strong, he would have enough time to retreat through those stargates. Han Xiao wouldn't easily put himself in a desperate situation. Staying on Beacon Star gave him ample routes for retreat.

The past half-month had been peaceful, but Han Xiao had a feeling that a storm was brewing. He didn’t think that the Arcane Church looked like they were giving up on the Evolutionary Cube.

He occasionally used the Evolutionary Cube on Milizaus’ Armed Dragon Guards. While using it, he would naturally undo the Time Amber’s encapsulation, so Sisko should be able to receive intermittent signals during this time, like a network connection that kept dropping and reconnecting.

“They’re in the dark, and I’m in the light. The Arcane Church holds the initiative, so I can only meet soldiers with generals.”

Han Xiao shook his head, habitually opening the forums for a look.

The exploration work had been going smoothly recently. Although Ravenlaude had gained some convenience by using the stargate tunnel he had built, most of the resource planets along the way had already been seized by Black Star Army members. Ravenlaude couldn’t seize territory under the Empire’s nose, so he could only explore other areas.

The players had been working hard to explore, gaining a lot of Mission Points. The China, Old Russia, and Old Australia common players were doing missions together, and their relationship had become more harmonious, but the conflicts between the three guilds had become increasingly intense.

All of this was because of competition over resource lands. Recently, the Black Star Army headquarters sent a new batch of troops to supplement the exploration team’s manpower. Among them were many players from the second batch who had crossed star fields from the Star Cluster Corridor. The Old Russia and Old Australia guilds decided to temporarily join forces, sending a new batch of guild players back to support the branch, trying to break the China guild’s suppression.

The Old Russia and Old Australia branches had more people, and their confidence grew as well. No longer willing to stay in third-rate resource lands, they began to try to compete for better-quality resource lands, so the friction with the China guild increased day by day.

“If this continues, it might evolve into a large-scale guild war. If those clubs stir up the common players of their own countries, it might become a national war,” Han Xiao speculated inwardly.

However, this was an internal behavior of the player groups. He couldn’t and didn’t want to stop it. He had previously let the common players of the three countries make friends with each other in order to prevent mutually hostile behavior.

Now this plan was quite successful. The relationship between the common players was harmonious. Even if they went to fight a national war to join in the fun, they would still be good friends after the fight. There wouldn’t be any obvious faction splits. After all, most players had a characteristic in their interactions with each other: they could be enemies and friends at the same time.

Han Xiao arrived at the commander-in-chief's office, only to see Tarrokov, Beyoni, and Milizaus sitting on the sofa. The guest tables in front of them were filled with the Empire’s special drinks… and the cursed Wien Cards.

—Wien Cards were popular throughout the universe. Super A Grades had entertainment needs too.

“Black Star, you’re here. Come, sit down.”

Hearing the sound of the door opening, the three of them turned their heads one after another. Beyoni even waved his hand.

Han Xiao nodded, sitting down next to Milizaus, picking up his cup and taking a sip, smacking his lips.

“Why did you drink mine?” Milizaus’s tone was dissatisfied.

“You’re a Mana Avatar, and you don’t have a sense of taste anyway. Don’t waste good things.” Han Xiao didn’t change his expression.

After more than half a month of getting along, the relationship between the few of them had become much closer. He had learned more about Milizaus’s personality. Although this guy was very strong, he didn’t put on any airs. He was easier to get along with than that “Dark Emperor” Klotti who always had a cold face. Compared to when they first met, Han Xiao’s attitude toward Milizaus was much more casual now… Although he didn’t seem to have much respect to begin with.

“Sigh, you guys have been on Beacon Star for almost a month now. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be slacking off and resting every day.”

Tarrokov sighed. He had been stationed on Beacon Star all along. He previously didn’t have anyone of equal status to talk to, but after Han Xiao and the other two stayed for more than half a month, this commander-in-chief finally revealed his love for fishing.

“Actually, I’ve always been very curious, what exactly is Klotti’s relationship with Ulanruier? I feel like it’s not as simple as just being a bodyguard.” Milizaus said curiously, “As the Head of State of the Empire, it’s necessary to get married. However, Ulanruier is a widow. Klotti is a staunch supporter of the Head of State. Could they…”

The Empire’s marriage law was monogamous, but Beyoni felt that it had nothing to do with him.

“Tsk, tsk, although I consider myself a gentle person, no matter what, I’m still a top officer of the Empire. Is it really okay for you to arrange for Her Excellency in front of me?” Tarrokov said helplessly, “I don’t know, and even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you.”

Milizaus snorted, casually slapping down a Wien Card, changing the subject. “You lost.”

Tarrokov was stunned, looking at his hand of cards, he suspiciously said, “Did you use magic to tamper with my cards again?”

“Don’t deny it, would I do such a boring thing!” Milizaus said angrily.

In fact, you would. I didn’t even see the card you just played now in your hand just now…

Han Xiao couldn’t help but think of Laki. Laki had a famous saying when playing cards—trash only uses magic to cheat!

From then on, he knew that the only thing that could stop a mage from cheating was a stronger mage…

And among the three people, one was slacking, one was playing with fire, and one was tinkering with machines. Clearly, no one could stop the mage from cheating.

Looking at the few big shots chatting and farting without any airs, the atmosphere was relaxed and comfortable, Han Xiao couldn’t help but feel relaxed.

This was life…

Before he could finish his sigh, suddenly, an unforeseen event occurred!

“Wooo woo woo—”

A piercing alarm rang out without warning, the four people’s movements came to a sudden halt.

Tarrokov’s expression immediately turned serious. He stood up abruptly, opening the real-time monitoring star chart to check the situation.

At the same time, Han Xiao also received a report from Phillip from the long-range unit.

“Master, Master, Squad 025 has discovered the tracks of a large fleet that is advancing in the direction of Beacon Star, buzz!”

The image was transmitted over. A mysterious fleet had entered Beacon Star’s alert sector, triggering the alarm.

This fleet was made up of pyramid-shaped spaceships. At a glance, there were probably millions of them, an enormous scale!

The mysterious fleet had already engaged in battle with the Imperial patrol fleet in that direction. They were swiftly breaking through the line of defense with overwhelming force, clearly showing their intention to suddenly attack Beacon Star. They were advancing at high speed.

Han Xiao’s heart sank.

“The Arcane Church? They’re really here!”