Chapter 1603 Protection

Somewhere in the endless nebula starfield, a small fleet hovered in a traffic hub area. Warp streams flashed by constantly, but the fleet remained motionless, as if waiting for someone.

Inside the flagship's command room, Morgan paced back and forth in front of the porthole, his expression both serious and anxious. The crew in the room watched him silently as he walked to and fro.

After a while, Morgan stopped, his tone serious. "Hurry them again. Ask when the Black Star Army people will arrive."

"...Boss, you asked that two minutes ago. They already said they'll be here soon. It's not appropriate to ask again, is it?" the adjutant next to him couldn't help but retort.

"Insolent, I told you to ask, so ask! Or I'll dock your pay this month!" Morgan glared, speaking like a machine gun. "Who knows when the enemy will show up? Do you know? You don't know! Then what are you blathering on about! You don't have to be responsible for my life, so of course you're not worried! I can't beat seven or eight Heavenly Disaster grades. If my life is gone, I'll drag you down with me before I die!"

The adjutant was speechless, not taking it seriously at all. He had followed Morgan for a long time and knew this guy's personality too well: afraid of death, hesitant, indecisive, picky, stingy… Sometimes the adjutant really wondered how such a character could become a Super-A Seed.

Morgan Panzer, a veteran Super-A Seed, ran a small force in the endless nebula starfield, entrenched in one area. It was only used to ensure the convenience of daily life and did not expand, so his presence was weak.

After the Sanctuary Revival was exposed, he packed up his belongings without saying a word and was about to go and join the Super-A Association, with the Black Star Army as his first choice. In addition to being nearby, he had a good personal relationship with Hadaway. The two were online gambling buddies and kindred spirits.

However, before he could leave the starfield with his team, he received a private notice from the Black Star Army. It said that recently, some mysterious forces seemed to be dispatching suicide squads to hunt down Super-A Seeds, possibly with teams of seven or eight Heavenly Disaster grades. Therefore, the army had specially dispatched an escort fleet, instructing him to be careful before meeting them.

This scared Morgan out of his wits. He quickly stopped his journey and prepared to wait for the army's escort before setting off. Not only that, but he also had the fleet stop in a bustling transportation hub area, staying in plain sight, for fear of a murderous attack.

Among all the Super-A Seeds who received the notice, he was the most cowardly.

Just then, the spaceship's communicator suddenly rang, and a baby face appeared on the screen.

"Hey, hey, this is Nero from the Black Star Army. We've arrived. We see you. Come over and dock."

Hearing this, Morgan was overjoyed and hurriedly looked out of the porthole. A fleet with the Black Star Army logo warped in and stopped not far away.

"The reinforcements have finally arrived! All ships, listen up! Full speed ahead! Go and meet them immediately!" Morgan excitedly slapped the table.

"They're already within visual range. It'll only take a few seconds. What full speed ahead…" the adjutant muttered to himself.

The two fleets quickly merged, and the flagships docked. Nero led his men onto Morgan's spaceship.

As soon as he walked into the cabin, Nero saw Morgan waiting at the entrance of the passageway. Without saying a word, he rushed up and grabbed Nero's hands, looking moved.

"My dear friends, you've finally arrived. Do you know how I've been spending these days? I've been worried sick every day. Now I can finally relax!"

"No need to be so excited. It's all in the line of duty." Nero's mouth twitched, and he forcefully pulled his hand away.

If he didn't want to receive Morgan's barrage of calls, he probably would have arrived two days later.

Morgan didn't mind and looked excitedly behind Nero. "I wonder how many experts the army sent to pick me up this time?"

"Experts? If you really want to say it, it's just me." Nero scratched his cheek, feeling a little embarrassed.

Morgan's eyes widened, and he said hesitantly, "Only one… Uh, it's not that I don't believe in your strength, but the notice said that the assassins are moving in groups of seven or eight Heavenly Disaster grades. With just the two of us, the numbers are a bit risky…"

"There's no way around it. There are a lot of Super-A Seeds joining the Black Star Army recently. The army's high-level combat power isn't enough. Some people can only send Grade B Superhumans to pick them up. Originally, this job was most suitable for the Undying, but they've entered their disappearance period again. It's been fifty years, so the army can't spare more experts." Nero explained.

"Then… then the safety issue…"

"Don't worry. All the escorts have Black Star's mechanical combat teams and Her Excellency Aurora's special life potions. That's enough to guarantee your safety."

Only then did Morgan relax and say, "Then we can set off now, right? Are we going straight to the Flickering World?"

Nero scratched his head. "That's not necessary. We only need to go to the main army branches in each starfield. They usually store Father's Overlord avatars and the thrones of the King mechanical suit. We can borrow them and send them directly back to the headquarters."

Originally, Han Xiao didn't plan to do this, but after discovering the hunters, he temporarily opened the privilege, allowing Super-A Seeds to borrow the King's teleportation, avoiding the risk of long journeys.

As for those who joined other Super-A forces, Han Xiao did not have any prejudice for the time being and also provided this assistance, only charging a symbolic handling fee. This was also one of the meanings of the association, allowing Super-A forces to integrate resources. As the president, he was setting an example at this sensitive time.

As they talked, they came to the command room, and the fleet finally set off and began to move.

At this moment, Morgan suddenly remembered something and asked curiously, "By the way, you said that there are many Super-A Seeds joining the army recently. Have they all encountered assassins? Has anyone been hit?"

Hearing this, Nero's expression became a little serious, and he nodded slightly.

"It was a wise move for you to stay where you were and wait for me. Some Super-A Seeds received the notice but still went their own way, thinking that they could continue on their way if they were careful. In the end, they were attacked and killed before they could meet the escort team.

"Because of the distance, some people have already met up with the escort team. We're considered to be quite late. Before us, some colleagues had fought with assassins. Basically, they were all fine, but some people from other forces were annihilated by the assassins. It's a pity."

Morgan shivered. "Who exactly is so generous as to attack so many Super-A Seeds at the same time? It's too terrifying."

Nero pondered for a moment and said, "The army commander didn't explain the identity of the mastermind, but it's not difficult to guess… The enemy can control the whereabouts of so many Super-A Seeds, so their intelligence network is extraordinary. They can also send out so many suicide soldiers. Ordinary organizations don't have such capabilities, and the targets they chose were all Super-A Seeds who recently went to the Flickering World… The target is obvious. The higher civilizations are very suspicious.

"Although it's a secret operation, the outside world will eventually discover that these Super-A Seeds are missing. It's estimated that some people who want to join the association will be scared away. That way, their goal will be achieved."

"Sigh, it's difficult." Morgan sighed softly, his face full of worry.

Nero patted him on the shoulder and comforted him. "Don't worry, with me around, you'll be fine."

Morgan nodded and suddenly asked, "By the way, how are the positions arranged for so many Super-A Seeds joining the army?"

"Well, I'm not too sure either. Only a small portion of them will serve as guards, right? Others will serve in various departments of the army, filling the gaps in high-level combat power. It mainly depends on your wishes. The army won't force you too much." Nero guessed.

Morgan's eyes lit up. "Then can I choose which Super-A to follow?"

"Yes, everyone can submit an application, but it depends on whether they choose you." Nero nodded. "Who do you want to choose, His Excellency Black Star? The competition there is more intense, and there's a possibility of being rejected."

Morgan hurriedly denied it, embarrassed. "No, no, I don't want to follow Black Star. I want to follow Her Excellency Aurora."

Nero sized him up and suddenly understood.

Ah, I see. This bastard is definitely afraid of death to the extreme, so he wants to follow Aurora and enjoy the ubiquitous milk, making it difficult to die in the future.

Coward, as expected of you!

…

"Report, another six suicide soldiers have lost contact. They may have been captured by the enemy. All related contacts have been cut off."

"Report, the attack on target 045 failed. Three suicide soldiers were sacrificed, and the remaining ones barely escaped."

In a secret intelligence processing center, a large number of intelligence personnel sat in front of various instruments, constantly reporting the situation. The room was very lively.

The wall of the room was a huge screen, pieced together by multiple small monitoring screens. Below it was a separate chair. At this time, a tall, thin figure sat on the chair, facing away from the crowd, looking up at the monitoring screens.

This place was a secret department jointly built by the Super Star Cluster Alliance many years ago. It had no specific name, was very mysterious, and had great authority, reporting directly to the leaders of each civilization.

This secret department was responsible for formulating and leading extremely confidential covert operations, as well as cultivating secret suicide soldiers. Each Super Star Cluster civilization secretly selected talented children and sent them to various secret training bases. They underwent cruel training from a young age, specializing in carrying out clandestine missions in the future.

The department's training method aimed at squeezing potential, combined with top-notch technology and magic industrial technology, constantly forcing growth. This resulted in an extremely high elimination rate and mortality rate, but it could effectively increase the birth rate of Heavenly Disaster grade Superhumans and shorten their growth time to a certain extent.

These suicide soldiers would not know exactly who they were working for from the training period until they carried out their missions in the future. Even for certain purposes, this department had specially trained a group of special suicide soldiers who thought they were working for the three great civilizations. They used many methods to try to ensure that outsiders could not trace the Super Star Cluster civilizations through the suicide soldiers.

All the personnel in the department were special members who were not recorded in the internal files and were referred to by code names. The tall, thin figure in the room was the head of this secret department. No one knew his name or resume, only referring to his code name – "Bone Man."

Listening to his subordinates' reports, Bone Man leaned forward, his hand resting on the bridge of his nose, and slowly said:

"It seems that those Super-As have noticed our hunting operation and equipped all the targets with guards… The chain of suspicion has been formed. Our goal has been achieved. Continuing will only be a waste of manpower. Stop the operation and have people withdraw."

"Understood!"

Everyone immediately obeyed, never asking more questions.

Bone Man bit his fingernails, squinting his eyes, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes bunching together.

"Hehe, the reaction of the Super-A Association is indeed about as expected…"

…

In the joint conference room of the three great civilizations, Mabrus, Louis, and the leader of the Arcane Church gathered in projection, holding a meeting.

"Tsk, the situation has changed. The elimination plan can't continue."

Mabrus frowned, and the expressions of the other two were not good either.

Although they had started studying the Sanctuary Revival, the three great civilizations also had plans to hunt down Super-A Seeds, because even if they mastered the Sanctuary Revival in the future, this large group of existing Super-A Seeds had already joined the association early on, so they would not switch to their side in the future. This was years of accumulation, and they had been cut off by a large part. They would have to slowly wait for the new leeks to grow. The two sides were destined to enter a long-term talent-grabbing phase, so they would return to the problem of having too many non-direct Super-As. It was better to curb the total number of Super-As in advance.

But before they could act, the three great civilizations discovered that these targets were being protected.

At first, the three of them were a little confused, thinking that Black Star had predicted their actions. The small boat of trust between the two sides had indeed capsized.

But after careful investigation, they found out that an unknown force had taken the first step, alarming the snake.

This directly disrupted the plans of the three great civilizations, disgusting them greatly.

Originally, the plan of the three great civilizations was to mobilize manpower, monitor the routes of all neutral Super-A Seeds going to the Flickering World through a powerful intelligence network, secretly mobilize ambush troops, and wait for all the manpower to be in place before attacking these Super-A Seeds at the same time, eliminating them completely and giving the outside world no time to react.

The current hunting plan of alerting the snake was not something they would adopt at all. If they were going to do it, they would naturally wipe them out in one fell swoop, with no evidence left behind.

Although they had not found out who was behind the scenes, the three great civilizations knew that it was most likely the Super Star Cluster Alliance, even if they thought with their butts.

"The Super Star Cluster deliberately alarmed the snake, giving the association time to react. They took the first step to preemptively disrupt our actions." Louis was annoyed.

"Expected but also reasonable." The leader of the Arcane Church was expressionless.

In the opinion of the three of them, the intention of the Super Star Cluster Alliance was obvious: to create suspicion between the association and the three great civilizations through alerting the snake, and to intensify the opposition.

The Super-A Association only protected them secretly and did not publicly accuse them. If the three great civilizations took the initiative to clarify, it would instead feel like they were protesting their innocence. Moreover, even if they framed the Super Star Cluster Alliance, it would probably be seen as a routine scapegoat in the eyes of the association, since there were too many previous cases…

With the current relationship between the three great civilizations and the association, it was like having mud fall into their pants – whether it was shit or not, it was shit, and it was difficult to gain trust no matter what, unless there was solid evidence.

Moreover, in the plan, if it was exposed, they originally intended to shift the blame to the Super Star Cluster. Now that the Super Star Cluster had taken the first step, it was probably because they had anticipated this… Since they were going to be slandered anyway, they might as well seize the initiative, interfere with the possible plans of the three great civilizations, and help the association gain talent reserves.

The Super Star Cluster had been tricked too many times and had experience. Anyway, there was no room for their reputation to decline, so they might as well give up.

– I'll drag you off the cliff with me. We'll die together. See how you can still plot against me!

Moreover, in the current situation, the Super Star Cluster Alliance was not afraid of the three great civilizations' slander at all. They had completely become immune and fearless.

Anyway, there was no chance in the Flickering World anymore. They would just shrink back at home and not go out. If they had the ability, they could start a full-scale war and beat them. Would they really be able to kill them?

The three of them were indeed a little annoyed by such a Super Star Cluster Alliance.

If they eliminated these Super-A Seeds who had joined the association and established their prestige, it would not matter if they were suspected, since there would be no evidence left behind. But now, they had not killed many people and had directly taken the blame, which was a bit of a loss.

"Cancel the elimination plan against the Super-A Seeds. They've all been protected. There's no chance now."

The three of them were not in a good mood.