Chapter 1 Staring

His gaze focused on the blade, his fingertip gliding along the edge, the cold, sharp sensation traveling through nerve endings to his brain.

In the room, Lothaire sat at the table, habitually stroking the black blade that had accompanied him throughout his assassination career. The light from the embedded desk lamp did not leave any reflections on the black blade. His weapon was made of light-absorbing material, as black and deep as the universe.

Lothaire's eyes were unfocused, his mood not as calm as the expression under his mask.

He had been with the Black Star Army for several days, feeling like a transparent man, out of step with the bustling atmosphere, maintaining his solitary ways.

Lothaire chose to travel a long distance to contact the Black Star Army because Heretic God was captured. On the one hand, he wanted to see what kind of person the Black Star who had defeated Heretic God was. On the other hand, he was also lost.

Heretic God had taken away his innate talent and had always been his nightmare. Lothaire did not like sleeping, because every midnight dream would awaken him from nightmares. Assassinating Heretic God was his only goal.

Now, Heretic God had been defeated by someone else, and he had lost his chance for revenge. Lothaire had no other hobbies, all his friends were dead, he was reclusive and did not like to communicate with others. He had no ambition and did not know what he should do in the future. Continue to assassinate the criminals of the Fallen Ark? Or put away his knife and wander around? Or find a planet to retire and settle down?

Lothaire felt lost in life, so he subconsciously came to the Black Star Army, deciding to serve Black Star for a period of time to repay his kindness. When he felt that he had repaid his debt one day, he would choose to leave.

While he was in a daze, the doorbell suddenly rang. Lothaire came back to his senses and subconsciously tightened his grip on his weapon, then realized that he was safe now, and his fingers loosened.

He sheathed the black blade, got up, and opened the door. Standing outside was Black Star.

The two stared at each other in silence for a while before Lothaire slowly said:

"...Something?"

"We haven't had a good talk yet, and I happen to be free now... Are you going to stand at the door and talk to me?" Han Xiao nodded.

Lothaire paused, then stepped aside to let him in.

Han Xiao stepped inside, casually glanced around the room, then sat on the sofa in the living room, and raised his chin toward the seat opposite, signaling Lothaire to sit down.

When Lothaire sat down opposite him, Han Xiao stared at him and said thoughtfully:

"I've been paying attention to you. Judging from the resume you submitted, you are a powerful Calamity Grade assassin. I value you very much, so I didn't rush to arrange a position for you."

"Mm."

Han Xiao tilted his head, "You don't seem to like talking much."

"Yes."

Lothaire replied lightly.

Han Xiao smiled, "Feeling lost is not good, is it."

Hearing this, Lothaire's eyebrows twitched.

"Believe me, I understand your thoughts. You are different from Shazik. He sincerely wants to repay me, but I can see that you are different. Your only goal was Heretic God. Now that you have lost your enemy, you don't know what you should do, so you decided to serve me for a period of time, right."

Han Xiao's tone was slow. Lothaire's resume did not mention his past experiences, but based on the information from his previous life, Han Xiao was very clear about Lothaire's experiences and personality, and thus easily deduced his thoughts.

"...Yes." Lothaire exhaled and nodded.

"I can see that you are obsessed with Heretic God, so I guess your hatred for Heretic God is not just because your home was destroyed. You may have faced Heretic God directly and witnessed his terror, and he became your nightmare."

Lothaire widened his eyes in surprise. These were secrets hidden deep in his heart, not written in his resume, and rarely revealed to outsiders. How did Black Star see through it?

The two had only exchanged a few words. Could it be that Black Star's insight was so terrifying that he could guess my thoughts and past with such accuracy after only meeting a few times?

"...You're right, I have seen Heretic God. I am an Esper whose ability was taken away by him." Lothaire suppressed his inner shock, kept his poker face, and said in a muffled voice.

"You're lucky to be alive then."

He knew that Lothaire's hatred for Heretic God was even more profound, after all, having one's innate ability taken away would be unpleasant for anyone, even if Lothaire defied fate and obtained the same powerful strength, he would still be concerned.

Han Xiao comforted him: "You must have suffered a lot to have your current strength."

Hearing this, a fleeting emotion flickered in Lothaire's eyes, as if he was trapped in some bad memories, but he quickly came back to his senses, lowered his head, and said nothing, a strange feeling spreading in his heart.

He had been alone for so many years, without any friends or partners, but now he found that Han Xiao understood him. Hearing his comfort and seeing his sincere smile, Lothaire was a little touched.

How long has it been since someone cared about me...

If an ordinary person said this, Lothaire would not have thought much of it. As a Calamity Grade powerhouse, he was not so easily moved. But Black Star was a Beyond Grade A, and in his eyes, a Calamity Grade was just a younger brother. Black Star was a much bigger figure than him, and Lothaire's reaction was amplified by being cared for by such a big figure.

In fact, there was another reason for this... In order to open Lothaire's heart, Han Xiao activated the Morning Star Character Summon Card while speaking.

——[A Charming Smile], effect: Charm +688.

It seemed to be quite effective...

"It's all in the past." Lothaire took a breath, suppressed the emotions that had arisen, and replied hoarsely.

Han Xiao shook his head, took advantage of the fact that the Character Summon Card was still effective, leaned forward, and whispered:

"Don't keep it to yourself. You may be used to being alone, but you must realize that no matter what happens in the future, you are no longer alone. I am your superior, and I hope to understand more of your experiences."

Lothaire's throat twitched slightly, and he was silent for a while. He was a little reluctant at first, but thinking that Black Star was his benefactor, he made a decision and slowly began to tell his past.

Because he had not spoken so much for a long time, he was a little awkward at first, but he quickly got into the swing of things and immersed himself in his emotions.

In the past, he had no one to confide in, and Lothaire had always kept his past locked in his heart, feeling heavy. Now that he had said it all in one go, he felt a lot lighter and more relaxed.

Han Xiao listened quietly. In fact, he already knew most of what Lothaire said. Letting him say it was mainly to open his heart and increase his favorability, after all, Lothaire had just joined, and there was no emotional foundation. Loyalty would not fall from the sky, and it needed to be cultivated slowly.

"That's right, I value you very much. If you want, I'm always willing to listen." Han Xiao nodded.

"...Thank you." Lothaire breathed out a mouthful of stale air, feeling a lot more relaxed, and the fear of Heretic God that had been lingering in his heart seemed to have been diluted.

Black Star, such a big figure, was willing to talk to him, and he was a little flattered and grateful.

"Let's stop here for today." Han Xiao stood up and smiled, "I hope that one day in the future, I can rely on you with confidence."

"Mm." Although Lothaire was still a man of few words, his tone was completely different and not as cold.

"Cheer up, I'll arrange a mission for you in a while, don't be listless then, I'm leaving."

Han Xiao walked towards the door, waving his hand with his back to him.

Lothaire leaned against the door, watching Han Xiao's back disappear around the corner, feeling much more relaxed.

His decision to join the Black Star Army seemed to be not bad.

...

A few days later, the logistics department's production line produced a large number of [Black Star Army Badge - Evolution]. After Han Xiao finished charging them, he officially shipped them.

Some players who had nothing to do ran back to headquarters to pick up goods, while buyers far away on the Gular civilization battlefield had their goods delivered to their door through the army's logistics.

Soon, the first batch of players who purchased the items personally experienced the effects, and a large number of evaluation posts appeared on the forum as soon as possible.

The players who participated in the Gular civil war used them in actual combat and recorded videos. Han Xiao opened a related popular post and watched the video.

The scene was an airborne battle. The players in the scene were clearing the city's resistance forces. In the middle of a square was a war bunker, hoarding a large number of Gudi Party ground troops. The firepower was fierce, and the charging players were blown up, suppressing the players so they could only hide.

The participating players exchanged a few words, and ten players wearing the [Black Star Army Badge - Evolution] stood up and raised their badges.

"Ultraman, transform!"

A player who seemed to be a chuuni martial artist shouted loudly. The next moment, the bodies of the ten players suddenly swelled up, turning into Higher Lifeform Aberrants.

"ruA!" Ten huge Aberrants rushed out together, charging at high speed on all fours, braving the artillery fire.

Their powerful vitality withstood the barrage. The enemies suddenly saw a group of monsters breaking through the firepower, and the look of fear on their faces was clearly visible. Screams resounded through the sky.

Two Aberrants were blown up on the way to the charge. The remaining ones rushed into the enemy's position, smashing flat hovering tanks and collapsing the war bunker. The huge arms and claws activated a musou mode, blood and flesh flying everywhere, definitely an R-rated scene.

[The Fist of the Most High (OP): Personal experience, the actual combat effect of Limit Evolution is ridiculously strong, the Aberrants are excessively tanky, really too suitable for storming]

[Maple Moon: Although it's a bit ugly, it's really useful...]

[Moon Shadow Stream: The price-performance ratio is quite high, but it's still very expensive, and it costs another 5,000 Enas to charge, what a scam]

[Mengyue Xingchen: Think about it, how can you become stronger without spending money (Black Star smiles)]

More players used the badges in dungeons. Aberrants were too suitable to be main tanks, perfect for tanking bosses.

Badge owners immediately became popular for teaming up to fight dungeons. Basically, every team would bring a badge owner.

Some players saw the business opportunity and pooled money to buy badges, then joined dungeon teams in an employed manner, charging fees only slightly higher than the charging price, specifically serving players who could not afford badges.

The players were very proactive, and various fancy uses were quickly discussed on the forum. Han Xiao curiously paid attention for a while, then closed the forum. There was another more important thing at hand.

The Red Empire had officially negotiated the issue of the Evolutionary Totem, and Han Xiao signed a formal trade agreement with the Empire, providing the Empire with Evolutionary Totems on a long-term basis. It was estimated that one hundred million Totem devices would be supplied within five years, all with a maximum of twenty years of charging, and the Empire would pay the manufacturing cost and "fuel costs".

Because of the relationship between the two sides, Han Xiao could not make much money from the Empire. The goal of making money was other civilizations. An important clause of the agreement was that Han Xiao had the right to sell the Evolutionary Totem to other allied civilizations, and the profits would belong entirely to the Black Star Army.

The Empire did not wait for the Heretic God's legacy to be slowly exposed, but took the initiative to announce the existence of the Evolutionary Totem to the entire universe, causing a huge uproar and countless civilizations to boil!

Those civilizations in the Shattered Star Ring that had already reached cooperation with Han Xiao were also shocked. No matter how you looked at it, the cost performance ratio of the Evolutionary Cube quota was far inferior to that of the Evolutionary Totem!

Countless civilizations could not sit still. For a time, the army's numbers were about to be blown up. Countless people contacted Han Xiao, hoping to buy the Evolutionary Totem.

Han Xiao asked Phillip to post the transaction agreement with the Empire, telling these civilizations that as long as they obtained the Empire's approval, they could purchase the Evolutionary Totem, throwing the problem and pressure to the Empire.

As for the allied civilizations that had already joined, Han Xiao directly traded with them, signing multiple large-scale procurement agreements, with the number of pre-sold Totem devices reaching tens of millions. The business was spread across various star fields.

His pricing for the Evolutionary Totem was not as "cheap" as the Ovitan Badge. Because of this wave of transactions, the Black Star Army made a lot of money, and the cash flow became extremely abundant!

The Evolutionary Totem became a stable faction specialty of the Black Star Army. Such a high profit would naturally attract the envy of many forces. However, the combination of the Black Star Army and the Red Empire was enough to make most forces give up their bad ideas.

The bigger the business, the stronger the strength required to escort it. The current Black Star Army already had the strength to exclusively enjoy this cake.

Speaking of the Black Star Army alone, it was a hegemon in the Shattered Star Ring. Countless local civilizations were partners of the army, and its power was extremely large. This level of Beyond Grade A force was already standing at the top of the universe's food chain.

Furthermore, Black Star, the owner of the Evolutionary Cube, was known throughout the universe to be very difficult to deal with after the Beacon Star battle and the fall of Heretic God. Even the Arcane Church and Heretic God had been defeated. Few people would be overconfident and think that they could definitely deal with him.

Moreover, Black Star was not alone in the Shattered Star Ring. Three of the other four Beyond Grade As in the Shattered Star Ring had cooperative relationships with Black Star. This network of relationships was terrifying.

In addition, the Shattered Star Ring had an excellent geographical location, adjacent to the Flickering World. The Empire's fleet stationed in the Flickering World numbered over a billion and could support the Shattered Star Ring at any time. Even the Radiant Federation, the nominal owner of the Shattered Star Ring, turned a blind eye. Few forces dared to mess around in the Shattered Star Ring.

Under various concerns, no forces would act rashly and take risks for the time being, acquiescing to the transaction rules set by the Empire.

Han Xiao naturally would not forget his own people. Each army branch and training camp was equipped with Evolutionary Totems. Aquamarine, where Bennett was located, also received the welfare of the Evolutionary Totem for free. The Black Spirit Race was not forgotten either. Han Xiao specially sent an Apostle Weapon to plant an Evolutionary Totem and guarded the planet where the Black Spirit Race was located with some mechanical troops.

Seeing his nemesis making a fortune with the Evolutionary Cube, the Star Pupil Holy Race was quite annoyed. Originally, people's accusations against Sisko had decreased a lot during this period. Seeing the Black Star Army's prosperous situation, many people once again painfully accused Sisko of missing the opportunity to develop civilization.

The civilization's unanimous condemnation made Sisko very depressed.

Heber, the war domain, was also very uncomfortable. He felt that his position in the Shattered Star Ring was becoming increasingly unstable, but there was nothing he could do. He could only watch Han Xiao massively win over forces, feeling as sour as if he had just eaten a lemon.

Just as the Evolutionary Totem was attracting widespread attention throughout the universe, Han Xiao received a special challenge invitation.

From Ames.