Chapter 1 While the Interstellar United Army Celebrated

Just as the Interstellar United Army was celebrating, the upper echelons of the Super Star Cluster Alliance were discussing Han Xiao's brief confrontation with the three major civilizations, which invigorated them.

"External pressure is the adhesive for internal rifts. Now that the adhesive is gone, the cracks between Black Star and the three major civilizations will only widen. Opposition is inevitable sooner or later. However, unlike before, the Beyond Grade A forces are now at their zenith, and they have obtained the legacy of the World Tree. The three major civilizations can no longer contain them."

Star Arc Leader tapped the table, a strange light flashing in his eyes.

Many Super Star Cluster executives were the same, both gloating and worried, discussing in low voices.

"The interstellar society won the war, but the real benefits fell into Black Star's hands. Although the war is over, it is only the beginning of a reshuffle of the interstellar landscape. The new landscape will take shape in chaos. A figure like Black Star will not miss this opportunity. He is carrying the reputation of a war hero, and the three major civilizations cannot stop him at all... This is the trend of the times!"

"Black Star has the World Tree, and his power is expanding rapidly. He doesn't need to ally with us to stand against the three major civilizations. Will he still value our agreement?"

"He probably still will. The World Tree is badly damaged. Black Star may not be willing to turn his back on us in the short term. It's better to have foreign aid than to go it alone. Moreover, analyzing his past actions, Black Star actually has no ambition to usurp power and no intention of unifying the Star Sea... Of course, human hearts are unpredictable, and this judgment may not be accurate, so it can only be used as a reference. On the other hand, the three major civilizations have also suffered considerable losses, and they don't want to turn against Black Star either."

"Alas, I feel a little pessimistic. If there are no new external conflicts, Black Star and the three major civilizations may have a war in the future. From the perspective of the entire interstellar society, we defeated the World Tree and harvested the spoils. It is the strongest stage in history, but internal conflicts cannot be resolved. Are we doomed to perish despite our strength?"

"Don't talk nonsense. The three major civilizations aren't really stubborn either. As long as Black Star doesn't have the intention of monopolizing power, the three major civilizations will still give up their opposition under the absolute strategic deterrence, accepting Black Star as a member of the ruling circle. A two-superpower-plus-many-strong configuration may be the new normal in the future."

A group of people cautiously analyzed the possibilities of the future landscape.

Star Arc Leader listened for a while and pondered, "In this situation, we should find a new way to conduct ourselves... Our original agreement was for us to unite with Black Star to fight against the three major civilizations, but now it's different. The three major civilizations need to closely win us over to fight against Black Star. It's no longer appropriate to blindly lean towards Black Star."

"Are you saying we should cooperate with the three major civilizations?"

"Of course not. What I mean is that we should cooperate with both sides. The three major civilizations and Black Star are competing against each other, and we will be a major bargaining chip. The three major civilizations can no longer treat us with their previous attitude. The previous suppression will naturally be abolished. The tables have turned. They will bow their heads and beg us to join forces. This time, we can truly obtain the opportunity for free development through formal channels. Perhaps the three major civilizations even want us to become stronger... However, we must create a new balance of power, so we cannot easily lean towards any one side, because only competition can bring about profit margins. It is not okay to let any side monopolize or become autocratic."

"Yes, indeed. Not to mention the three major civilizations, Black Star is also a dangerous element, representing individualism. If he comes to power, he will inevitably grant more privileges to the superpowered class. Letting him lead the interstellar society may not be as good as the three major civilizations. Moreover, he controls the World Tree, which is also a time bomb."

Speaking of this, someone suddenly sighed and murmured:

"Black Star, oh Black Star... Such a figure is really too difficult to deal with. He is always seeking greater benefits and never relaxes. He is truly someone who can accomplish great things. If the person leading the Beyond Grade A group wasn't such a figure, the three major civilizations might have suppressed them long ago. How could they have developed to the point they are today?"

Hearing this, everyone was a little sighing with emotion.

The image Black Star left them with was powerful and ruthless, able to seize every opportunity to expand. Even aside from his individual strength, everyone was wary of such a figure... When he is a teammate, you can trust him, but when he becomes a competitor again, it is a torment.

...

The news of the Interstellar United Army's victory over the World Tree Civilization was temporarily strictly blocked by the three major civilizations and Han Xiao, who controlled the quantum network base stations where data entered and exited, filtering out any information that might leak.

Because they were worried that the army would be difficult to control after it was disbanded, the victorious Interstellar United Army temporarily remained in the secondary dimension where the battle took place, to rest in place. The various troops were fairly cooperative with this order, but they could not stand by indefinitely, so the plan to find the third-party lurkers needed to be completed as quickly as possible.

The player group was not restricted. The event of "the Interstellar United Army ending the war and Black Star subduing the World Tree" had already been recorded in the *Galaxy Chronicles* and was exploding in popularity.

Han Xiao's heroic posture of uprooting the World Tree was plastered across all forum sections. Although many players couldn't help but complain that they had watched another CG, they were still very excited to be able to participate in such a large-scale event.

However, the player group was only active on the forums, and the messages occasionally spread through communicators were all intercepted, so the interstellar society at this time was completely unaware of the Interstellar United Army's victory.

The state of affairs that countless interstellar citizens saw was still stuck in the moment when the World Tree withdrew its invaders, and they were still feeling astonished and uncertain about it, with various opinions flying around online.

And the Star Alliance lurkers, who could only collect intelligence from the public network, naturally had no way of knowing the news of the World Tree Civilization's defeat. They were still patiently waiting for the World Tree Civilization's "big move," completely unaware of the impending disaster.

...

Central Star Sea, somewhere in the desolate universe belt, a secret base of Star Alliance lurkers.

"I wonder what kind of action the World Tree is brewing. It's been so long since they've made a move."

"I see that the Interstellar United Army is rushing to gather in the Central Star Sea. I guess the World Tree Civilization is going to strike at the Central Star Sea."

"Speaking of which, we are also in the Central Star Sea. Will we be affected? Should we evacuate?"

Inside the base, a group of observers gathered together, whispering.

The observer captain hesitated, saying, "The desolate universe belt has a very low probability of being targeted by the World Tree. No one has visited this place for many years, so it should be safe... However, the World Tree may also send people to sneak in and establish some strongholds. In that case, we also run the risk of being discovered..."

"Acting rashly is more likely to expose us. Other places may be even more dangerous. Let's stay here," one of the team members suggested.

"... Alright. If our base is really discovered, then activate the self-destruct program and sacrifice ourselves together."

The observer captain's tone was solemn.

These observers who infiltrated the territory of the three major civilizations were all carefully selected suicide soldiers. In order to prevent being captured and leaking information about the Star Alliance, they had long been prepared to commit suicide. The self-destruct device they had buried was enough to blow up the entire planet and eliminate all traces.

"You guys continue to follow the news. I'm going to sort out this issue's intelligence and send it to our home in a few days."

Saying that, the observer captain stood up and was about to leave the room when suddenly—

*Ding!*

At that moment, everyone's movements froze, as if time had stopped.

A certain space in the room rippled, and Han Xiao stepped out.

"Hey, it's the Lolkas people. Just like the illusions in *Bold Exploration*. Looks like I found the right place."

Han Xiao looked at the observer captain, his eyes lighting up.

In order to avoid complications, after returning to the main universe, he directly consumed materials and used Virtual Creation to instantly create a temporary version of the Information Form Alert Network, quickly completed the installation, set the parameters, and officially activated it.

He didn't know until he used it, but he was shocked when he did. The Information Form Alert Network was feeding back a large number of abnormal signals. He thought the entire explored universe was being spied on by countless foreign enemies, like a sieve, and he was greatly startled. Later, after some debugging, he realized that this technology, when used on legitimate civilizations, easily generated false positives. The World Tree Civilization, being a single entity, didn't have this problem. This was the difference in the technology's compatibility.

The World Tree Express and the Information Form Alert Network were a perfect match. Although the three major civilizations didn't have this kind of mobility, the High-Dimensional Apocalypse Teleporter was a substitute, so Han Xiao didn't delay for too many days.

After some screening and adjustment, he eliminated most of the false positives and confirmed some real foreign signals, most of which were the arrival of secondary-dimensional lifeforms.

Han Xiao visited several signal areas, and only now had he come to the Star Alliance lurker base, confirming that this was the real deal. The process was much smoother than he had expected. He had controlled the entire base and all the enemies before appearing.

"Let me see your secrets."

A flash of electricity lit up in Han Xiao's eyes, and the shadow of the World Tree appeared behind him.

As the World Tree merged into the inner space, stained with Han Xiao's strength, the entire tree transformed into a bright blue color, flickering with electric arcs. Several whip-like, semi-transparent, slender roots shot out, piercing through the chests of everyone present.

In the next moment, the figures of this group of observers became illusory at a speed visible to the naked eye, and streams of energy flowed along the roots into Han Xiao's body.

With the World Tree in hand, Han Xiao had no intention of interrogating these people. As long as he transformed these lurkers into members of the World Tree, he could directly obtain all the intelligence from their memories, turning them into "guides" and imitating the World Tree's methods.

Before long, these Star Alliance observers merged into the roots. Han Xiao snapped his fingers, and several roots arched up like snakes, spitting out a large cloud of electric-sparking light, re-condensing into the bodies of several people, with respectful expressions.

Han Xiao narrowed his eyes, receiving the memories of this group of people, which contained a lot of information about the Star Alliance.

"So that's what happened. The Star Alliance has been lurking for many years... Hmm, this civilization doesn't seem to be very strong."

Han Xiao pondered to himself.

The third-party enemy had been found, but how to deal with them still needed to be discussed with the three major civilizations to see whether to destroy the Star Alliance or allow it to merge into the explored universe... After all, although the Star Alliance was not strong, it had at least reached the standard of a galactic civilization, and the three major civilizations had suffered heavy losses, so they still had to consider the cost of starting another war.

The three major civilizations were previously the targets of the invasion, but now that they had the opportunity, they would definitely not mind seamlessly switching roles and turning into invaders. After all, the cause was that the Star Alliance had stirred up trouble behind the scenes and set them up, so they couldn't be considered innocent. The losses caused to the three major civilizations by the World Tree's full-scale invasion would naturally be partly blamed on the Star Alliance.

Han Xiao regained his thoughts, looked at the group of Star Alliance lurkers, thought for a while, and said:

"You guys continue to lurk for now, and maintain contact with the Star Alliance. Without my instructions, don't act rashly."

"Understood. We will do our best to help you steal intelligence from the Star Alliance!"

Many lurkers were filled with fervor.

'...Alas, with this World Tree mechanism, who would believe it if I said I wasn't a villain?'

Looking at this group of former Star Alliance suicide soldiers bursting out with enthusiasm to deal with the Star Alliance from the bottom of their hearts, Han Xiao felt inexplicable, shook his head, and disappeared.

...

Not long after, in the joint office of the three major civilizations, Han Xiao brought the news that the third party had been captured.

"You were right. There really was a third-party force interfering. They've been lurking for so long. If it weren't for the Information Form Alert Network, it would have been difficult for us to discover them in the future..."

Mabrus, Louis, and Siwode looked at the information Han Xiao brought, their expressions constantly changing, sometimes angry, sometimes grateful.

With the evidence in front of them, they basically believed that the mole was not a Super Star Cluster or other ally.

After browsing the Star Alliance's information, the three of them discussed in low voices for a while and reached a consensus.

"The Star Alliance is far away from us, but we have obtained their spatial coordinates, so we can use the High-Dimensional Apocalypse Teleporter to transport troops there, just like the World Tree Civilization dealt with us. So, we have the initiative... We are inclined to defeat the Star Alliance and make them our vassals, but let's hold back for now. We've just gone through a war and need some time to recuperate."

Han Xiao raised his eyebrows, "How long do you plan to recuperate?"

Louis pondered, "It depends on the situation... But time is on our side. Although the intelligence about defeating the World Tree Civilization can't be suppressed forever, you have already controlled the Star Alliance's lurkers. You can completely use them to transmit false information, fabricate battle situations, and make the Star Alliance believe that we are still fighting a bloody war with the World Tree Civilization."

"The premise is that the Star Alliance doesn't have other means to monitor the interstellar society..." Han Xiao paused, spread his hands, and said, "But with the Information Form Alert Network, that possibility should be eliminated."

"In short, try not to startle the snake," Mabrus said in a deep voice.

Han Xiao nodded, thought for a while, and suddenly said:

"I and the Association will not participate in the war to invade the Star Alliance. You guys deal with them yourselves. I will only be responsible for this espionage intelligence."

The eyes of the three flickered, but they did not immediately express their opinions, quickly analyzing in their minds, only feeling that there were advantages and disadvantages.

This time, in the World Tree war, the three major civilizations had not gained any benefits. The World Tree Civilization was taken away entirely by Black Star. They were given no meat and no soup. They didn't even see a shadow of technology or resources. If they could annex the Star Alliance, they could instead harvest some benefits.

If Black Star didn't participate in the war, then the spoils of war would not be divided—Han Xiao controlled the World Tree, and he was first-rate at plundering resources. The three had to be wary.

Without the assistance of the Beyond Grade A Association, the war would be more troublesome, but their three major civilizations were not vegetarians either. They could not defeat the World Tree, but could they not defeat a mere Star Alliance?

However, the three's concerns lay in the possibility of Black Star or the Super Star Clusters stabbing them in the back while they were at war with the Star Alliance. The risk was great... Who knew if Black Star had such intentions?

For a time, the three fell into entanglement, continuously layering their thoughts in their minds.

Han Xiao glanced at them, guessing about eighty percent of their thoughts, and curled his lips.

He helped the three major civilizations only because he had always been concerned about the disasters of his previous life and wanted to resist the World Tree.

Did they really think he wanted to help the three major civilizations expand their territories?

It would be good if he didn't replace them. They should be content!

Now that the threat had finally been resolved, the interstellar society could enjoy many years of peace and stability. Han Xiao was already satisfied.

Since his arrival, the World Tree had been the Sword of Damocles in Han Xiao's eyes, the greatest psychological shadow, the source of anxiety. For a long time, he could only keep this secret to himself, and work hard to solve it by any means, not daring to relax. The pressure was difficult to express to outsiders.

After persisting for hundreds of years, now that the threat to the interstellar society had finally been lifted, and he no longer had to worry about the safety of himself and his friends, he was also relieved and wanted to retreat behind the scenes and truly relax for a while.