Chapter 1023 Ability Freezing

“Where’s my Esper ability?!”

On the panel, a large number of skills had turned gray and frozen, and even the passive attribute bonuses brought by the Esper ability were gone. Elysium Disco panicked immediately, struggling to leave the confinement pod.

At this moment, a cold, metallic hand pressed down on his chest, holding him down firmly. It was clearly a mechanical soldier stopping him from moving around. Elysium Disco was wearing a perception-blocking mask, and all he could see was darkness, so he couldn't see what was happening outside. He reluctantly gave up his intention to struggle and lay still, anxiously waiting for the experiment to end.

He didn’t know how long passed, but Elysium Disco felt the device restricting his hands and feet suddenly loosen. He couldn't wait to stand up, and he snatched off the mask, nervously looking around. He found that the scene around him was the same as before, and the mechanical guards seemed to be standing still.

"My Esper ability is gone. Is yours the same?" Another player participating in the experiment was also freed, looking surprised.

"Yeah, mine is gone too."

The two quickly exchanged information about their situation and found that they were both in a state of [Ability Freeze] with an unlimited duration. They were both a little flustered.

Elysium Disco hurriedly asked the mechanical soldier next to him, "What did you do to us just now?"

The mechanical soldier gave a canned response that Han Xiao had prepared in advance, "It was just an experiment. The legion is developing a special device to suppress Esper genes, which may be widely popularized in the future."

Sure enough, they are developing secret weapons!

The two exchanged a look, both seeing understanding in each other's eyes. Elysium Disco couldn't wait to ask the question they were most concerned about,

"Can our abilities be restored?"

"Of course. In the research and development plan, the Undying are the best experimental subjects. According to the logistics department's speculation, the Undying only need to die and resurrect once to refresh their physical state and regain their abilities. In the future, this weapon may be widely equipped to the Undying troops." The mechanical soldier was expressionless.

Hearing that their abilities could be restored, the two's hearts, which had been hanging in their throats, immediately dropped, and they both breathed a sigh of relief.

The two had no doubts about the truth of this explanation. After all, with the example of the "Black Star Army Badge · Evolution" before them, developing secret weapons sounded exactly like something the legion would do!

In the eyes of the players, this kind of evil organization style was completely consistent with the Black Star Army!

"This is a secret plan of the legion. You have all signed confidentiality agreements. Remember not to reveal what happened here to anyone."

As the mechanical soldier spoke, he returned the communication equipment that had been confiscated before the experiment to the two, appearing quite serious.

Elysium Disco took back the communication equipment and exchanged a look with the player next to him. They both saw a hint of gloating on each other's faces.

Confidentiality agreement? Hehe, that can't stop us. You think taking our communication equipment will prevent leaks? No way. The legion can't possibly control the forums.

If we post something, can the legion even find out?

The two were secretly excited and were already thinking about sharing this secret on the forum. It wasn't to damage the legion's interests, but the urge to spoil the plot was unstoppable.

Didn't the mechanical soldier say that the legion might widely popularize this weapon in the future? Wouldn't that be another suicide attack weapon after the nuclear bomb backpack and the Evolutionary Badge? We know it earlier than anyone else, so we can brag to others.

The two naturally didn't know that this was an excuse Han Xiao had found. He didn't want to expose Evans' existence, so he came up with a reason to hide it and prevent outsiders from becoming suspicious.

Deliberately having the mechanical soldier tell these two was to use them to spread misleading information, so that the players would think that this was a research and development project for a secret weapon. This way, when he absorbed other players in the future, he wouldn't have to think of other excuses and could push everything onto this.

The panel popped up with a notification that the mission was complete. The two took their things and, not wanting to return the same way, simply asked the mechanical soldier to give them a hand and send them to eternal bliss.

With a flash of white light, the resurrected two appeared in the busy base lobby and immediately checked their status.

"The ability has really been restored."

Elysium Disco was finally relieved and immediately opened the forum, excitedly recording what had just happened and posting it with the title "Shocking! The Legion's Secret Weapon is Actually…"

Facts proved that the Shock Minister was popular for a reason. This post quickly attracted the attention of some players, and people began to reply below:

"Is it real? I've never seen this mission."

"Suppressing Esper genes? I remember Black Star used to have a pleasure house, specializing in extracting gene potions from Star Pirates. Could it be an improved version?"

"If we're equipped with this weapon, wouldn't it be like slaughtering chickens when fighting Esper-type players from other camps?"

"Can you guys be a little more imaginative? This kind of treasure might be able to take down NPCs, making those powerful characters lose their resistance and be at the mercy of others."

"Stop talking, I already have 10 GB of doujinshi scenes in my mind..."

"Speaking of which, the secret weapons developed by the legion are getting more and more evil. The Mutant has already gone too far, and now they're developing Ten Fragrant Tendon Softening Powder specifically for Espers... Are we really a serious organization?"

"It seems like the vice-commander is an Esper. Could it be that the commander-in-chief failed to pull some strings, so he secretly developed this equipment to force himself on her?"

"Husband Party is furious!! (▼皿▼#)"

"Black Star, the old thief, is heartless, I will live and die with Hela! (╬◣д◢)"

…

While the players on the forum were fantasizing and had no doubts, deep in the base, the hidden door of a secret training room opened, and a hooded figure in black walked out. He took off his clothes and revealed his face. It was Evans.

This training room had a secret passage leading directly to the laboratory just now. According to Han Xiao's instructions, he had sneaked over to absorb the Esper abilities of two players who couldn't move. Before this, he had repeatedly confirmed with Han Xiao that the loss of ability for the Undying was only temporary.

"This is the feeling of transcendent power…"

Evans raised his right arm and clenched his fist. A faint force flowed from his cells, pouring into the muscles and bones of his arm.

Bang!

In the next moment, his arm visibly swelled up, as if it was being inflated, and his muscles and bones became more resilient, causing his strength to skyrocket.

In his hands, the Esper ability could only exert an E-grade level for the time being. With his meager strength, he couldn't even support the consumption of inflating his whole body. He waved his arm a few times, creating a loud whistling sound. Just inflating one arm made him almost twice as strong as he originally was.

Esper abilities all have potential ratings. Generally speaking, the rating represents the upper limit of the tier that the Esper can eventually reach. Although this rule does not apply to players, the rating also represents the growth potential and rarity of the Esper ability. The rarer it is, the more powerful it is. Some players constantly created new accounts and recharged money to get Esper abilities in order to get rare abilities.

Physical enhancement is a major branch of Esper abilities. Even for the same type of Esper ability, there are many variations. Some ordinary physical enhancement abilities might only have a D-grade or C-grade rating, but [Physical Enhancement · Musculoskeletal Inflation] has a B+ grade rating, which means that it is a high-quality ability in this category.

This Esper ability is also a semi-transformation type. Once activated, a thin bamboo pole can immediately swell into a muscular strongman.

The other mental Esper ability he absorbed also has a B-grade potential rating, making it a good-quality ability.

In the player community, an A-grade rating is already a rare top-level ability. Although a B-grade potential is one level lower, it is still excellent enough.

Han Xiao had made a special plan to give these two high-quality abilities to Evans, so as not to waste his Esper slots. The combination of physical and mental abilities would help improve his basic attributes. As long as he increased his own tier, these two abilities would constantly provide additional Strength, Agility, Endurance, and Mental Resistance.

Evans was delighted with these two new abilities and played with them to his heart's content. It was not until his energy was exhausted that he stopped panting, his eyes shining.

After decades of mediocrity, he was experiencing the satisfaction brought by strength for the first time today. The shortcut of plundering power from others exuded unparalleled temptation, as if it could seduce a person's hidden greed. Evans felt that every cell in his body was filled with a sense of hunger, instinctively craving to absorb new abilities, like an unrestrained desire to binge eat.

"Well, Your Excellency Black Star said that changes in the body can also bring about changes in thought. This must be the change that the Esper ability has brought me…"

Evans was thoughtful, and the resilience he had developed in hardship allowed him to suppress the hunger brought by the Esper ability.

He was not a greedy person. Black Star had changed his life and arranged a broad road to becoming stronger for him. All he wanted was to study hard and repay this life-changing grace in the future, just to not let down Black Star's expectations.

…

The past few months had been eventful. First, the Crimson Dynasty and the Arcane Church jointly attacked the Black Star Army's stronghold, but were repelled by Black Star. Then, the Super-A Grade Association was established, and the three Universal Civilizations were standing at the cusp of the storm, constantly being focused on by countless citizens and forces.

Today, the Federation of Light and the Arcane Church finally gave an official positive response to the rescue of Hela a few months ago.

The wording of the two's press releases was different, but the content was the same. They claimed that the joint action a few months ago was an "impulsive act under a misunderstanding." At the same time, they publicly apologized to the Black Star Army, saying that they would bear the losses and provide additional compensation.

In fact, as early as when the incident broke out a few months ago, black markets everywhere had opened betting shops, betting on whether the Universal Civilizations would bow their heads to the Black Star Army this time. The odds were very different, and most galactic citizens thought that the Universal Civilizations would continue to be stubborn even if they were wrong. They did not think that the Black Star Army could get an apology from the Federation of Light and the Arcane Church. At most, they would compensate in private.

Therefore, the release of this statement caused quite a stir, and most galactic citizens were surprised.

Throughout the history of the three Universal Civilizations dominating the galaxy, they had only softened and bowed their heads to private organizations in very few cases. After all, publicly apologizing would damage the authority of the Universal Civilizations, but the Federation of Light and the Arcane Church had chosen to soften this time, making the Black Star Army one of the few private forces to enjoy this honor.

The Crimson Empire was not willing to be lonely. After the Federation of Light and the Arcane Church issued their statements, they immediately officially opened the Evolutionary Totem business, announcing that the product would no longer be subject to quota control and would officially enter the free market, where it could be bought and sold at will.

Countless civilizations had been waiting for this day for a long time, and they raised their hands and feet in praise. For a time, a large number of orders flooded the Black Star Army's mailbox, and the army's accumulated inventory began to be continuously transported out. A majestic cash flow, like a rushing river, poured into the army's account.

And discerning people knew that the Crimson Empire's move was to be close to Black Star. The three Universal Civilizations showed goodwill to one person at the same time, and in the eyes of others, Black Star's reputation and status rose again. Even the Super-A Grade circle had the same opinion.

Putting everything else aside, at least Han Xiao's right to speak as the vice president of the Development Union had been further consolidated.

The current players would naturally not miss this kind of current affairs and were discussing it endlessly in the Galaxy section of the forum:

[Qing Ning Zi: Commander is still influential (๑`▽´๑)۶]

[Weiwen Shouming: Do old players still remember Version 1.0? Who would have guessed that Black Star would be such an important NPC? Look at those protagonist-type characters from the novice planets in the past. None of them are like Black Star, they're all younger brothers.]

[He Ji: Why do I suddenly feel a little touched? In the blink of an eye, it's been four versions. It feels like watching my own child grow up ( p′︵‵。)]

[Commander's Big Cannon: My son Black Star has the potential of an emperor!]

[Zaisan Xu Chongshi: Upstairs, do you want your life?]

The players had already been surprised once when Han Xiao defeated the twelve Super-A Grades. They had seen the world, and now they were much calmer. At most, they would sigh a few words about Black Star's changes over the versions.

And as the Federation of Light and the Arcane Church fulfilled the deal, Han Xiao also kept his promise and released Tolain and Hadis.

…

The Star Cluster Gateway, Black Gate Star, a closed spaceport terminal.

Official personnel from the Federation of Light and the Arcane Church were waiting here, the two teams clearly separated, ignoring each other.

This group of people had come specifically to pick up their respective captives, and for this reason, they had come to the Black Star Army's territory.

After waiting for a while, a Black Star fleet came from afar and docked at the terminal.

Swish—The main ship's hatch opened, and a team of mechanical soldiers walked off the spaceship, holding the amber specimens of Tolain and Hadis. They placed the two works of art on the ground, while Han Xiao followed behind.

Seeing this, the welcoming teams from the Federation of Light and the Arcane Church immediately stepped forward and surrounded Han Xiao, greeting him respectfully.

"Your Excellency Black Star."

"Yeah." Han Xiao glanced at everyone casually and didn't bother with pleasantries, waving his hand and saying, "Since you're all here, hurry up and take your people away."

With that, he gestured for everyone to step back, then nano-particles blocked the view, and after dawdling for a few minutes, he poked through the amber bubbles that wrapped Tolain and Hadis.

Snap!

The two regained their freedom and staggered, almost falling to the ground.

Seeing this, Han Xiao snorted and said coldly, "The Federation of Light and the Arcane Church have redeemed you. Be careful in the future. If you cause trouble again and fall into my hands, don't blame me for taking some parts off of you."

Tolain shuddered and couldn't help but take a few steps back, his face full of fear as he looked at Han Xiao, unable to muster any tough words.

The past few months had been a living hell. He felt that if things continued like this, he would be driven crazy by life in the amber sooner or later. He never wanted to experience this feeling again and now just wanted to stay as far away from Black Star as possible.

Hadis on the side was also just as afraid, but he could barely control his expression and not lose his composure.

However, he was extremely disappointed in his heart. He had thought that this operation would at least earn him some fame, but he didn't expect to fail.

Although being defeated by Black Star wasn't anything shameful, this label would probably follow him for a long time.

He hadn't even made a nickname for himself, and he had no noteworthy deeds. If someone asked about his famous deeds in the future, how would he answer? Was he supposed to proudly say that he had been imprisoned by Black Star before…?

Seeing that the two were stunned in place and didn't move, Han Xiao raised an eyebrow and said playfully, "What's wrong, are you reluctant to leave? Do you want to stay with me for a few more months?"

Hearing this, the two immediately shuddered, not daring to say any harsh words. They slipped back to their respective welcoming teams in a sorry state and hurriedly boarded the spaceship and became reclusive.

The official personnel quickly took off and left with their respective allies.

In the Arcane Church's spaceship, Tolain was looking dejected.

"The Arcane Church sent six people, but only one was captured. Why was I so unlucky…"

Just as he was feeling sorry for himself, the spaceship connected to several communications. They were Saruman, Taylor, and Metis, who had participated in the rescue of Hela together. Remote projections appeared in front of him.

"Hehe, are you okay?" Saruman smiled.

"I'm not okay." Tolain said gloomily.

"Don't be so pessimistic. We've been imprisoned by Black Star before, and we're still able to see things clearly." Taylor comforted with a smile.

"…You guys have big hearts."

"Let's find a place to get together after we get back." Metis said in a deep voice.

Tolain looked at the three smiling faces in front of him, and suddenly understood.

That's right, we've all been in prison, so we have common topics. Could this be the tacit understanding between cellmates?

He hadn't been in the Arcane Church for long. He used to be a wanted criminal and couldn't squeeze into the Arcane Church's Super-A Grade circle. He was like a marginalized person.

He didn't expect to be imprisoned by Black Star, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise, and he was accepted by a group of "former cellmates."

Tolain's mood suddenly improved.

I've finally found my organization…

—

ps: (Brothers, please give the great technician Han some likes. Let's see if there's a chance to get a first-class star (˘͈ᵕ˘͈❀)