Chapter 1 The Gods Guild's Troubles

On the ground, the players from the Gods Guild struck poses and took photos with Dafeisi's corpse as a memento. After a brief moment of joy, they quickly realized the problem. Knowing that the matter wasn't over, they hastily suppressed their smiles, drew their weapons, and warily gazed at the Fenni civilization's regular army in the high sky, bracing themselves.

Jupiter kept a close watch on the enemy fleet. At the first sign of any unusual movement, he would immediately issue the order to retreat en masse.

However, the two fleets simply stared at each other for a full five minutes. The Fenni civilization didn't try to surround them and remained at the edge of the battlefield as if they were determined to watch the show.

Jupiter's expression gradually shifted from solemn to bewildered.

He realized that he truly couldn't understand the Fenni civilization's attitude. At first, they sheltered Dafeisi, but after the regular army arrived, they abandoned him to his fate, even firing at Dafeisi, hammering a few nails into his coffin, and assisting them in completing the kill. And now that the dust had settled, the regular army was still watching from the sidelines, showing no intention of apprehending them…

"Which side are you on?"

"Guild leader, they're all intimidated by your imposing aura," Poseidon's flattering voice rang out in the channel.

*Hmph,* you're the one who always contradicts me, disrupting morale and undermining my authority. Now you want to lick my boots? Too late!

Jupiter snorted inwardly, thought for a moment, and said, "Recall the players on the ground. Keep a close eye on the enemy fleet's movements. If things look bad, just kill yourselves and revive on the ship."

As the order went out, the guild fleet tentatively began using tractor beams to retrieve the airdropped players, closely monitoring the Fenni civilization army's actions. If the enemy showed any signs of interference, they would turn and run.

However, the Fenni civilization army remained unresponsive, standing by and watching the Gods Guild clean up the battlefield and retrieve their players. Seeing this, the guild fleet grew bolder and accelerated the recovery speed.

Until the guild warships had packed all the players back on board, the Fenni civilization's legion remained motionless.

"Strange, why aren't they moving?"

Jupiter was completely puzzled.

Since the enemy wasn't interfering, he saw no reason to linger. Suppressing his doubts, he called out to everyone and ordered the fleet to retreat.

The guild fleet quickly moved away from Billogg Star and disappeared from the detection radar. Only then did the Fenni civilization's army take action. A portion hurriedly pursued the guild fleet, while the rest landed on the surface to clear the city ruins and rescue survivors.

The command ship parked steadily in the ground port, and the hatch opened. The fleet commander, wearing a grim face, stepped down the gangway, only to be met by the governor of Billogg Star, who stormed over.

After the guild fleet withdrew, the governor of Billogg Star dared to crawl out of his bunker. He had been waiting here for a long time, and he immediately began to question them furiously:

"What's going on? You didn't answer communications or respond to calls. Didn't the higher-ups say they would send you to support us? Why didn't you act and instead let those thugs go? What exactly did you come here to do?!"

The fleet commander's expression was unpleasant. Suppressing the frustration in his heart, he explained in a deep voice:

"Just now, the fleet's AI system malfunctioned completely and couldn't respond. Someone took control of all the spaceships, and we couldn't operate them at all. Furthermore, external communications were cut off, and we couldn't contact anyone."

The governor of Billogg Star's angry expression instantly froze, and he said in surprise, "What happened?"

"Someone paralyzed our fleet. It's highly likely a Beyond Grade A Virtual Mechanic…" The fleet commander subconsciously lowered his voice.

The governor of Billogg Star was taken aback and hurriedly looked around as if suspecting that someone was spying on him through devices.

"Don't be so nervous. I'm just guessing."

The fleet commander wore a grave expression.

He was extremely frustrated. The original order he received was to cooperate with Dafeisi in apprehending this group of thugs. However, after arriving at the scene, he was shocked to discover that the fleet's AI system had been paralyzed. Not only that, but someone also manipulated their spaceships to launch a round of concentrated fire at Dafeisi. He could only watch helplessly as Dafeisi met his end and allow a group of thugs to leave triumphantly before regaining control of the spaceship.

The enemy's intrusion was like a gazelle hanging its horns, leaving no trace. The fleet's technicians were completely helpless and could only stare blankly at the "color block elimination game" on the screen.

If this group of thugs really came from the Black Star Army, it was possible that Black Star himself had taken action… Because of this speculation, the fleet commander didn't dare to act rashly. Even after regaining control, he only sent a detachment to symbolically pursue the enemy, while he, as the commander, remained very shrewdly on the planet.

"Then… what do we do now?" The governor of Billogg Star was still in shock.

"I've already reported the situation here to the higher-ups. Let's wait for their reply. This probably exceeds our decision-making authority."

The fleet commander was helpless.

Just then, his communicator lit up. A higher-up from the Fenni civilization came online, glanced at the two of them, and said in a deep voice:

"This was a private feud. Two groups of people clashed at Dafeisi's base. The security team went to investigate, and Dafeisi took the opportunity to escape the encirclement and fled all the way to Billogg Star. He landed on the surface without permission, intending to use the planet's defense forces to block the enemy, which is why he brought disaster to the planet's residents. Before we could expel him, the second group of thugs arrived and attacked the planet. Is that clear?"

The governor of Billogg Star was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized and hurriedly nodded in agreement.

Now that Billogg Star had suffered massive casualties, it had become a major social event within the civilization. The higher-ups wanted to reduce the impact and remove their responsibility, so from now on, Dafeisi had no connection with them, and all his actions were his own initiative.

The envoy didn't exist, and his, the governor's, order-following protection didn't exist either. As long as they didn't reveal these inside stories, then, on the surface, Dafeisi's actions were borrowing a knife to kill someone and diverting trouble eastward, and Billogg Star was merely a victim… In this way, the Fenni civilization's public anger would only shift to these thugs, and the higher-ups wouldn't have to take the blame.

"What about us?" The fleet commander asked.

The higher-up glanced at him and slowly said:

"Your mission was to stop this disaster. Because Dafeisi brought the disaster, the army listed him as the priority target and successfully killed the thug who caused the incident. As for letting the second group of thugs leave, it was because they were using the people of Billogg Star as hostages, so the army temporarily allowed them to leave the scene before pursuing them later to shift the battlefield. This was to reduce civilian casualties, understand?"

"Understood."

The fleet commander breathed a sigh of relief and secretly gave a thumbs up.

The matter was still the same matter, but with a different explanation, it felt completely different. Not only did they shirk most of the responsibility, but they also emphasized their image of valuing the safety of the people.

*Brilliant!*

At this moment, the higher-up changed the subject, adding a touch of annoyance, and said in a deep voice:

"Of course, this is just an explanation to appease the public, just to cope with the situation. As for that group of Undying Ones, we will publicly condemn them, provide ammunition for the media, and report it to the Civilization Parliament, seeking justice from the three Universal Civilizations!"

"Emphasize that they are from the Black Star Army?" the governor of Billogg Star asked.

"No, we can only say they are suspected of being from the Black Star Army. It's enough to emphasize their Undying status…" The higher-up gritted his teeth.

The fleet was controlled in an instant. It was likely the work of a Beyond Grade A Virtual Mechanic, and not just any Beyond Grade A, but possibly Black Star himself.

The reason why the Fenni civilization wasn't afraid of offending the Black Star Army was that, on the one hand, the army's reach in the Infinite Star Cluster was limited. Now that the other party was suspected of acting secretly, they had become slightly more cautious.

However, the Fenni civilization wouldn't swallow this loss. The civilian casualties were heavy. As the victim, they naturally had the right to reason and would definitely make a big fuss to seek an explanation.

Of course, they had also considered the possibility that Black Star possessed evidence of their sheltering of Dafeisi.

However, this risk wasn't enough to make them afraid, because the Fenni civilization was very clear that even if the inside story of the sheltering was leaked, they still had the right to reason. Because the one who actively killed civilians was always in the wrong. The main responsibility still wasn't their sheltering but the other party's refusal to withdraw and recklessness… This was the universal value of interstellar society and the rules of the Interstellar Convention.

In reality, the higher-ups really wanted to directly claim that this group of Undying Ones were from the Black Star Army, but when they tried to collect evidence, they found that many pieces of evidence pointing to the army had disappeared, turning this group of Undying Ones, who had originally revealed many clues, into a group of "ghost troops" of unknown origin.

These higher-ups knew that someone had tampered with things. As frustrated as they were, they couldn't do anything to Black Star.

However, the Undying Ones themselves were a clue. After all, the organization with the most Undying Ones under its command was the Black Star Army… They were merely borrowing the power of the three Universal Civilizations and incidentally providing ammunition for the other party. As long as the incident really happened, regardless of whether there was concrete evidence, they could execute their plan.

…

Several days later, an announcement from the Fenni civilization in the Infinite Star Cluster caused a sensation in interstellar society.

The content of the announcement was the "Billogg Star Massacre," in which a large number of citizens died. The Fenni civilization expressed strong condemnation of this atrocity, its words filled with rage, and stated that it would pursue the matter to the end. With the help of interested parties, the news that an Undying One unit, suspected of being members of the Black Star Army, had attacked a civilization's colony planet spread like wildfire, attracting widespread attention.

As the saying goes, a change of identity can generate over ten thousand retweets. If a wanted criminal attacked a colony planet, it would be at most a security incident, and interstellar citizens would at most curse a few times and then stop.

But now, one of the parties involved was suspected of being the leader of the Beyond Grade A Association. As a major force in the same orderly alignment, they publicly violated the Peace Treaty and killed ordinary civilians. In the current sensitive situation, the nature of the matter immediately escalated into a political event, instantly igniting public opinion!

In particular, the Fenni civilization also reported to the Civilization Parliament, tearfully requesting the three Universal Civilizations to uphold justice, put pressure on the Black Star Army, and demand accountability. They also hoped to initiate an investigation to find out the truth, which further expanded the matter.

In the following days, the three Universal Civilizations took over the ammunition provided by the Fenni civilization and fully activated their propaganda machines to launch an all-out media attack on the Black Star Army. They also expanded the scope of the attack to the Beyond Grade A Association, expressing strong doubts about the association's foundation and "righteousness."

Civilizations at the galaxy level were within the protection of the Peace Treaty, and the atrocity of killing ordinary civilians on a colony planet had already offended public anger. Even super-star cluster civilizations didn't dare to support the association at this time and remained silently underwater.

Emotions needed an outlet. With the promotion of the advanced civilizations, although the Fenni civilization only claimed that the thugs were suspected of being from the Black Star Army and didn't have concrete evidence, ordinary people didn't care about that. They directly targeted the Black Star Army, turning the fear and resentment they had accumulated against the superhumans and Undying Ones into fierce abuse and stirring up a wave of public condemnation… After all, your family has the most Undying Ones in the entire universe. Who else would we scold if not you?

Han Xiao himself was the main target of the media attack. Under the leadership of the advanced civilizations, a large number of people disregarded his past deeds, infinitely amplifying the weight of this incident, and began to question why an organization leader who condoned his subordinates' atrocities deserved the Stuart Peace Prize and the Starsea Medal and why he was respected by interstellar society.

— The three Universal Civilizations would naturally not let go of such a good opportunity. They took the opportunity to frantically smear Han Xiao's long-standing image. As long as they could strip away the "reputation shield" they had once created for Han Xiao, they would occupy the "moral high ground."

Under the operation of the advanced civilizations, the "Billogg Star Massacre" became a fuse, further intensifying the opposition between ordinary people and superhumans.

Countless interstellar citizens empathized with the situation. As ordinary people, no one wanted to be suddenly caught up in the struggle of superhumans and become unlucky victims.

The impact of this incident on ordinary people was that they increasingly supported and supported the three Universal Civilizations' suppression of the Beyond Grade A Association. From their perspective, they naturally hoped that all superhumans could be strictly controlled by civilizations to avoid suffering unwarranted disasters one day.

For a time, the call for the suppression of the Beyond Grade A Association became increasingly louder… However, the impact stopped there. The three Universal Civilizations only took the opportunity to smear the association and were still observing without any intention of taking action.

Under this fanatical condemnation, the Black Star Army only issued a simple statement, stating that an internal investigation would be conducted and that an announcement would be made once the results were available. They also warned the Fenni civilization not to slander them without evidence. Then, there was no further news, and they remained unmoved no matter how noisy the outside world became.

…

In the Barren Belt of the Infinite Star Cluster, the Gods Guild fleet was slowly cruising.

A large number of guild core members were either sitting or standing, casually browsing the forums, and occasionally emitting smug chuckles.

"Guild leader, take a look. Our deeds have been written into the Starsea Chronicles. Our guild's first kill has been recognized."

Poseidon looked delighted.

Jupiter glanced at the forum. The Gods Guild's first kill of a Calamity Grade had been all over the forums for many days, greatly increasing the club's popularity and putting them in the spotlight. He had also received a commendation from the club's higher-ups because of this.

However, looking at the praise on the forum, Jupiter wasn't so happy and was somewhat absent-minded.

"What's wrong? You don't seem very happy?" Poseidon noticed his abnormality and asked in confusion.

Jupiter shook his head and said with concern:

"Don't you guys read the interstellar news? The outside world is in an uproar. This time, we've stirred up a hornet's nest for the army…"

The interstellar society's public opinion was getting fiercer day by day, and Jupiter was frightened by what he saw.

He didn't regret it, after all, one couldn't catch wolves without putting out bait. The world's first kill was too tempting. If he had the chance again, he estimated that he would make the same choice. He just couldn't help but worry about how the army would handle this matter.

Those members who had caused trouble for the army in the past basically didn't have a good ending. There was precedent for this.

Although the Gods Guild didn't do it on purpose, the matter had now blown up, and Jupiter wasn't sure what the army's attitude was.

He had been waiting for the army to contact him these past few days, but this Sword of Damocles had yet to fall, making him increasingly uneasy.

*Buzz—*

Suddenly, the spaceship's communication system automatically activated, attracting everyone's attention. Han Xiao's remote projection appeared out of thin air before everyone's eyes.

"Army Commander?!"

Jupiter and many of the players present were shocked. They hadn't expected Black Star to come so suddenly.

Han Xiao glanced at everyone, his gaze finally landing on Jupiter. His expression was blank. Without exchanging pleasantries, he cut straight to the chase:

"Don't you have something to explain to me?"

Jupiter's heart skipped a beat, and he wore a helpless expression as if saying, "As expected."

He knew that he was in the wrong. His actions had pitted the faction. Faced with the question from the faction leader who had accompanied them for five versions, he didn't know what to say.

Seeing that he wasn't speaking, Han Xiao narrowed his eyes and deliberately paused.

When he saw out of the corner of his eye that some of the surrounding guild players had turned on the recording function, he continued:

"You acted on your own without reporting to the army, which ultimately led to the current outcome, giving the enemy a weapon to attack us with through public opinion. I am very dissatisfied with this matter."

Upon hearing this, everyone's hearts sank.

However, Jupiter had already anticipated this. It would be strange if Black Star didn't react to such a big matter.

He sighed.

"…How does the army intend to punish us?"

Han Xiao looked around, taking in everyone's expressions, and snorted softly. He said unceremoniously:

"I'll be blunt. This time, the army won't give you any punishment. We are all old partners who came from Aquamarine Star together. I'll shoulder the responsibility for this matter… But if there's a next time, don't blame me for handling things according to the rules!"

Everyone was stunned.

Seeing Han Xiao's attitude just now, they had all prepared themselves to accept the faction's punishment, but they were stunned when they suddenly heard these words.