Chapter 1 You Triggered the Quest: Escape From Death!

[Quest: Escape From Death has been triggered!]

[Quest Description: Your companion, Rotherham, has successfully assassinated the leader of the Modo Civilization, and is being hunted down on a large scale. He is trying to find a way to escape the borders of the Modo Civilization and needs help at this moment.]

[Quest Requirements: Help Rotherham escape the Modo Civilization]

[Reward: 80e experience, random reward x2, Rotherham's ability extraction opportunity x1, Milestone [Civilization Leader Assassin]]

[Note: If you accept this quest, Modo Civilization favorability -3000]

"Huh? A quest only now?"

On the other side, in the Black Star Palace, Han Xiao's interface suddenly moved, surprising and puzzling him.

After browsing the quest introduction, Han Xiao accepted it without hesitation. The Modo Civilization's favorability had already fallen below rock bottom, leaving no room for further decline.

Saving Rotherham was something he was going to do anyway, so having an extra reward was naturally a good thing. He was just wondering why the quest didn't pop up when he was chatting with Rotherham, and only triggered after he had made the arrangements.

"The arrangements that should be made have been made. I wonder if I can save Rotherham."

Han Xiao shook his head.

He didn't have 100% certainty either. To be pessimistic, the success rate was probably only 95%...

Since becoming a consultant for the three major civilizations, the construction of the Black Star Army's branches had become much more convenient. There were also branches in the Ancient Star Desert. Although it was impossible to establish an intelligence network in the Super Star Cluster civilizations in that Star Field, the armed forces were not bad. Han Xiao had also left a lot of mechanical soldiers there, and even a Sovereign mech as insurance.

After receiving news of Rotherham, he immediately ordered the troops to take the Sovereign and sneak into Modo territory to meet Rotherham. As long as they could connect, Rotherham could use the Sovereign to directly escape the danger. As for the other members of the Assassin Society, they could only rely on their own efforts. However, these people were not the main target, and they didn't know that the boss behind the scenes was Black Star, so they couldn't leak much information.

The Sovereign mech was the most crafted cosmic treasure and equipment by Han Xiao. Although it was expensive to build, ever since he obtained the [Myriad Mechanical Country - Manison], the success rate of manufacturing gold equipment had greatly increased, saving a lot of costs... It had to be said that Manison's exclusive ability was really useful.

...But the main reason was that he was rich.

Back when he first entered the universe, he couldn't wait to split 1 Inal into two, but now he couldn't even be bothered to look at a 50 million Inal business.

'Perhaps this is growth...'

Han Xiao thought to himself.

Saving Rotherham was important, but he didn't plan to go there personally. The journey was far away, so it was enough to let the local branch's mechanical troops bring a Lord's Avatar. He had already made all the arrangements, and there was nothing else he could do to help.

At this moment, Han Xiao was on the roof of the main base in the inner ring of the Black Star Palace, cross-legged in mid-air five meters above the ground.

Dozens of large and small circular mechanical devices floated around him. From Han Xiao's perspective, each circle enveloped hundreds of stars, like a hazy veil. Wisps of light rose within the circles, like an energy filter, sifting out specks of light from the void and dropping them onto Han Xiao's body, where they melted and dissolved, absorbed by his skin.

He had created this scene to practice the [Dragon Throne Star Force Extraction Method] taught to him by Ames. The circular devices beside him were auxiliary tools he had tinkered with to enhance his training, called Star Force Convergence Instruments, which could enhance the effect of a single training session.

Exhaling a breath containing starlight, Han Xiao felt the surge of energy within his body. As his cells exhaled and inhaled, they seemed to be coated with a layer of hazy starlight. He couldn't help but click his tongue in admiration.

"Tsk tsk, the effect of this Qigong training method is better than Herber's Stellar Furnace Training Method. Ames's creative ability is not bad, she really gave me a surprise."

No transcendent would ever think they had too much Qigong. Even Super-A Grades with infinite mana regeneration wouldn't stop honing their Qigong. Every little bit they increased their upper limit was widening their limits. Han Xiao was no exception, and had always paid attention to this aspect, often scouring for various Qigong training methods.

Originally, among all the Qigong training methods, the most effective was the [Herber Stellar Furnace Training Method], which increased his Qigong upper limit by a total of 16,750 points, but now, its position had been replaced by the [Dragon Throne Star Force Extraction Method].

This Qigong training method provides a base increase of 800 Qigong, but the training limit is 800 times, and the limit of the single training effect is an increase of 30 Qigong, in the most ideal situation, it can increase nearly 25,000 points of Qigong upper limit.

Such a good effect can completely allow his Qigong realm to be upgraded again, obtaining a new layer of attribute bonuses, a huge increase!

Even with [Radiation Energy Absorption], which allowed him to become stronger just by hanging up, the accumulated increase in Qigong over the past three decades was only about 16,000 points, not exceeding the [Dragon Throne Star Force Extraction Method].

However, the increase in basic attributes was not small. So far, [Radiation Energy Absorption] had accumulated a large amount of Strength, Dexterity, and Endurance attributes, with extremely considerable bonuses.

Old Manison once said that the strength of a Mechanic comes from their accumulation, the longer they live, the stronger they become, and this talent ability is the perfect interpretation of this sentence.

The single training session was over. Han Xiao put away the Star Force Convergence Instrument and went downstairs back to his office while browsing the forums.

There were still some days until the agreed date of the war. Almost all the Guild Alliances had responded, and the impact was significant. The performance of the Army Faction Store had soared. A bunch of Army players had finally stopped saving money and were frantically buying things to strengthen their strength. Han Xiao's experience income had exploded these past few days.

On the other hand, the Fourth Professional League had also begun preparations long ago, attracting much attention and indirectly strengthening the players' desire to shop, giving themselves a boost before the version ended.

"At this rate, by the end of version 4.0, I will not only have enough experience to advance to level 340, but also have a lot left over."

Han Xiao was quite satisfied.

At this moment, a blonde figure walked out from the corner ahead. When she saw Han Xiao, she was stunned for a second, then went from a jog to a sprint, like a swallow diving into the forest, carrying the ball and crashing into Han Xiao's arms.

"Uncle~"

Aurora rubbed her head in Han Xiao's arms.

"How old are you, still acting like a spoiled child in front of me?" Han Xiao ruffled Aurora's hair and pushed her away by pressing her forehead.

"In front of you, I will always be a child." Aurora giggled.

She did have the capital to say that, her vigorous life energy kept her youthful and tender.

Han Xiao covered her head with his big hand and asked, "How is your strength progressing?"

"I think it's pretty fast." Aurora raised her hand and released a ball of life energy, the light seemed a little more dazzling.

"Let me check."

Han Xiao's fingertips surged with nanoparticles, condensing into a metal needle, which he stuck into Aurora's arm, displaying the battle information, and the attribute panel was clear at a glance.

After taking a look, Han Xiao nodded in satisfaction.

Since Aurora became the host of the Holy Light Particles, Han Xiao had hired a large number of employees to specialize in cultivating Holy Light Seeds for Aurora to absorb and improve her strength, and the effect was very significant.

The characteristics of life abilities are unique, allowing Aurora to have no bottlenecks. As long as she accumulates enough, she can advance naturally. Therefore, the method of harvesting Holy Light Particles is extremely suitable for her, allowing her to progress rapidly, and her efficiency far exceeds natural growth. At the current rate of growth, Aurora's advancement to Super-A Grade will not take hundreds or thousands of years, this time can probably be shortened by 70%~90%.

"Not bad, not bad, I am very satisfied with the progress, keep up the good work, go play now." Han Xiao smiled.

"Hmph, what I do in the Army is serious business, not playing, don't always treat me like a child!" Aurora wrinkled her nose in dissatisfaction and turned and ran away.

Han Xiao: "???"

She just said that she would always be a child, and in the blink of an eye, she blamed me for treating her like a child, what kind of operation is this...

A woman's heart is really fickle, even harder to understand than Old Manison's Criminal Technology.

Han Xiao shook his head, too lazy to chase after her, and turned back to his office.

As soon as he entered the door, the communicator beeped. He opened it and saw that it was Ksuyi calling.

Han Xiao casually sat back on the throne, lazily leaning back, and answered the call.

"Yo, Old K, you rarely contact me, what's the matter you're looking for me today?"

"Just asking, do you have time recently?"

"What, are you trying to ask me out?"

"Sort of, I plan to explore a special secondary dimension, and I hope to find a Mechanic to team up with. It would be best if you're free."

Han Xiao's eyes flashed, and he sat up a little straighter, asking, "Why don't you go to Manison? I remember you guys have a good relationship?"

"He's not in a good situation recently, it's not convenient to look for him. In comparison, you're my first choice, more suitable than him for this operation."

"Oh? Why am I more suitable?"

"Because that place is very dangerous, I need some meat shields to stand in front, so... you know." Ksuyi coughed.

Han Xiao couldn't help but tut.

No wonder he was looking for me, he was actually after my tankiness.

What's there to hide? Just say you want my body.

"How dangerous is that secondary dimension?"

"I haven't explored it myself, so I don't know exactly what it's like, but I can say for sure that it's very dangerous, even Super-A Grades will have their lives threatened."

"Who else is going?"

"Just you and me, I don't want too many people to participate in this operation."

Hearing this, Han Xiao narrowed his eyes.

He felt that Ksuyi's trip was definitely not as simple as exploration, and he didn't know what secret goals he had.

"That's about it, Black Star, when will you be free?"

"Hmm... in a few months, you also know about my situation with the Modo Civilization, I don't have time for other things for now, are you in a hurry?"

"I'm not in a hurry, I can wait for you, but don't make me wait too long."

"That's easy, you and I can solve the Modo Civilization together, then I can be free sooner." Han Xiao joked.

"Hehe, you can go fool someone else." Ksuyi smiled meaningfully, indicating that everyone was smart, so don't be so provocative.

At this time, Han Xiao changed the topic and said, "It's no problem for me to go with you, but you have to give me something, right?"

"What kind of reward do you want? As long as it's not too much, I can agree." Ksuyi asked.

"You said that so suddenly, I really don't know what to ask for... Can I ask for a few more things?"

"No, just one." Ksuyi said without changing his expression.

"Then I haven't thought about it yet."

Han Xiao spread his hands, this was Ksuyi's favor, he didn't want to waste it by casually asking for something.

"Anyway, there's still time, you can think about it slowly, just tell me when you're ready."

After reaching an agreement, Ksuyi didn't delay any longer, chatted for a few words and hung up the call.

Han Xiao put down the communicator, muttering to himself.

"Amazing, even Ksuyi has to find a teammate to share the risks, what is the situation in that secondary dimension, is it really that dangerous?"

It was a pity that the quest hadn't been triggered yet, and he didn't have any extra clues for the time being.

After thinking for a while, he didn't have any ideas, so he put this matter in his heart.

...

In the following ten days or so, the Modo Civilization searched for Rotherham in a big way, but the progress was not smooth. Accidents happened frequently, and the forces of the Crimson Empire remaining in Modo continued to cause trouble, obstructing the Modo Civilization's search operation in the open and in the dark. However, they also lost a lot of people, who were captured and interrogated by the Modo.

In this situation, the assassins in Modo territory voluntarily stopped their actions and hid themselves, fearing that they would be implicated, and sighed that this colleague who assassinated the Modo leader was too bold.

Under heavy pursuit, Rotherham's experience played a huge role, constantly hiding his tracks, dodging and hiding to avoid waves of pursuers.

He himself had a body of concealment abilities, and also had the bonus of the Intermediate Lucky Halo. Along the way, he encountered danger but managed to avoid it, without fighting, and connected with the mechanical troops Han Xiao had sneaked into Modo territory.

The mechanical troops successfully delivered the Sovereign to Rotherham. With the help of this gold equipment, he teleported away directly, completely escaping the danger and preventing the Modo from finding him again.

But the Modo Civilization did not know all of this and continued to track him relentlessly. However, after only a few days, the high-level officials who had been stable for only a few days once again underwent changes.

Because one of the Modo leaders died, one of the Three Kings was missing. The race represented by this position was very dissatisfied and did not want this situation to continue. Therefore, with the operation of various parties, a candidate quickly took office to fill this vacancy, temporarily transitioning and restoring the organization to the Three Kings.

However, this newly appointed leader seemed to have different political views from the old Two Kings, and he did not agree with continuing to use force against the Shattered Star Ring.

On the other hand, due to various political factors and considerations of interests, the opposing team seemed to have grown stronger again, and Marco and those original opposition officials who had been severely reviewed were released. Under the protection of some political force, they were not only not purged, but also became more determined to oppose continued participation in the Shattered Star Ring war.

The Modo Civilization's high-level officials once again began to undergo turbulent changes, but this time it was different from the public impeachment, but rather an undercurrent surging. The public did not know the truth and could only find that the transfer of officials had become extremely frequent during this period.

Outsiders did not know what kind of political infighting and political compromises the Modo high-level officials had carried out, they only knew that more than half a month after the assassination incident, the Modo Civilization publicly released the current investigation report.

The report did not mention the names of the three major civilizations and the Black Star Army, but only said that many suspects had been caught, indicating that some progress had been made and that they were fully investigating, but the specific progress was not mentioned.

At the end of the report, the Modo Civilization changed the topic and said that it would be taking action against all foreign terrorist forces claiming responsibility for the assassination, claiming that these forces were provoking Modo's dignity and were highly suspicious.

Under the Modo Civilization's actions, domestic public opinion vented towards these foreign terrorist forces, and the hatred was transferred.

On the other hand, the spies and mechanical troops that Han Xiao had left in the Modo Expeditionary Force's territory discovered the other party's abnormal movements. Expeditionary fleets were sailing far away, disappearing within the territory.

Soon, not only the Black Star Army, but also the three major civilizations and the Super Star Cluster Alliance discovered this situation.

Although it was not explicitly stated, everyone could guess what had happened to the Modo Civilization – the Modo Expeditionary Force was retreating!

The opposition faction's palace coup, the domestic political turmoil, and the various traps that might exist behind the assassination eventually led to the opposition faction gaining the upper hand, forcing the Modo Two Kings and other war-hawks to compromise, ordering the withdrawal of the Expeditionary Force and deciding to give up continuing to participate in the Shattered Star Ring war.

Another simpler way to describe this result could summarize this result:

——The Modo Civilization has been eliminated by Black Star!