Chapter 934: You've Got Some Nerve

Chapter 934: You've Got Some Nerve

In the top cabin of the Black Star Battleship, Dark Energy Collection Chamber 001.

A black metal sphere ten meters in diameter hovered in the center of the room, its surface covered with neat, honeycomb-like holes, dense and numerous. Most of these holes were connected to high-efficiency energy transmission cables made of resistance-free nanomaterial, extending to the floor and walls. Clusters of dark energy flowed along the cables to power the energy core and the ship's engines, while the unconnected holes flickered with blinding, dark crimson light.

The battleship was equipped with multiple dark energy collection chambers to harvest the free-floating dark energy in the universe, and this black metal sphere was the collector and converter. Under normal circumstances, the energy core reactor was sufficient to maintain the ship's consumption. The collector functioned much like a solar panel, primarily serving as a backup energy source, occasionally allowing the energy core to rest in standby mode, while also providing extra energy for overloading.

The collection chamber was saturated with dense dark energy. Han Xiao hovered before the collector, wisps of dark crimson energy wrapping around his body like ribbons. Every cell in his body exerted a pulling force, greedily devouring the free-floating dark energy, which was then transformed through the Qi cultivation method to enhance his own Qi.

Whoosh—

After a while, the blazing crimson light flickering in Han Xiao's eyes slowly dissipated. He exhaled a breath of scorching gas and glanced at the prompt on his panel; the training count for the Universal Dark Energy Refining Method had increased by one.

Among the list of Qi cultivation methods Han Xiao had acquired, this one was among the very best. It absorbed and transformed dark energy, allowing for a maximum of 240 training sessions. The ultimate effect of a single session was a plus ten increase to the Qi limit, providing a maximum of 2,400 additional Qi limit points.

Ever since triggering the advancement quest, Han Xiao had been training his Qi every single day without slacking, and his Qi limit had already increased by several thousand points.

Descending to the floor, Han Xiao raised a finger, manipulating the disconnected energy transmission cables to plug back into the collector. Only then did he turn and walk out of the room, his consciousness entering the quantum network vision. He pinched Philip between two fingers and lifted him before his eyes.

Has anything interesting happened lately?

Let me take a look, buzz...

A projection of a book materialized in Philip's hands. He pretended to flip through it for a moment before an animated lightbulb popped up above his head.

Over the past few days, dozens more factions within the Empire have sent invitations, hoping to make your acquaintance, buzz.

They're at it again, Han Xiao sighed helplessly.

The news of his travels within the Empire was no secret. Most people knew their place and wouldn't dare disturb Black Star, but a small handful still wanted to cling to his coattails. To date, hundreds of factions within the Empire had invited him to visit, and without exception, Han Xiao had rejected them all.

If there are no noteworthy invitations, just reject them all for me, Han Xiao waved his hand.

I've already filtered them, but there's one invitation that's quite interesting. I think the master might be interested, buzz.

As he spoke, the content of a message unfolded before Han Xiao's eyes.

To His Excellency Black Star:

I am the founder of the Intrepus Consortium. I have long admired the Black Star Army and wish to cooperate with them to establish a new branch on Radbudo Star. Hearing of your passing, I take this opportunity to invite you to inspect Radbudo Star.

—Lord of Radbudo Star, Intrepus.

Han Xiao read it over, not quite understanding.

What's so special about this? It's just a normal cooperation invitation. They can just send someone from the branch. What's the need to go there in person?

The problem is, when I received the message, I checked his identity. The signature is wrong. He isn't the lord of that planet at all, just a highly favored candidate. I cross-referenced the database, and after data analysis, he might be in a difficult situation right now, which is why he's sending out invitations.

Han Xiao had no impression of Intrepus, so upon hearing this, he simply went online to look into his background. Intrepus's current situation was no secret to a virtual mechanic.

After reading through it, Han Xiao guessed Intrepus's intentions and showed a look of keen interest.

So he wants to... use me?

And not even subtly?

Han Xiao's gaze turned amused.

The difference in their statuses was like heaven and earth. The head of a small consortium actually dared to try and use a major figure of the Empire like himself.

...Leaving everything else aside, at least he had the guts. He dared to think and dared to act.

Master, buzz? Should I reply to him? Philip reached out to grab the eyelashes of Han Xiao's virtual soul.

Han Xiao tilted his head, letting Philip grasp at empty air. He thought for a moment and chuckled.

Accept it. Reroute the fleet to that Radbudo place. Let's see what kind of guy has the guts to try and use me.

...

In the room, Intrepus was pacing back and forth with a furrowed brow. His female secretary sat nearby, handling campaign documents and occasionally looking up at him with concern.

Beep beep!

Just then, the communicator rang. Intrepus's spirits lifted, and he strode to the desk, immediately picking up the communicator to take a look. His expression changed in an instant.

Brother, are you alright? Seeing his strange expression, the secretary couldn't help but ask.

I'm better than ever! Black Star replied to me. He accepted my invitation and will be coming to Radbudo Star very soon! Intrepus excitedly slapped the table, overjoyed.

He actually accepted?! The secretary's eyes widened in sheer disbelief.

She actually hadn't been optimistic about Intrepus's plan. In her eyes, how could a big shot like Black Star possibly pay attention to an invitation from small fries like them?

See for yourself.

Intrepus casually handed the communicator to the secretary, unable to contain his excitement. This move had been a bold gamble to begin with, and he knew the success rate was low. Even if Black Star could read between the lines, such a small benefit would hardly move him. But now that Black Star had agreed, it meant the cooperation was on.

Thinking of this, Intrepus immediately instructed the still-disbelieving secretary.

Arrange it right away. I want to personally welcome Black Star when he descends.

Understood. The secretary stood up immediately, then hesitated slightly. Those few families are already making moves. Should we leak the news now to let them...

No!

Intrepus rejected it decisively.

Before Black Star arrives, this news must not leak, or I'll be in danger. Also, cancel all my schedules for this period. Don't let the enemies seize any opportunity!

...

The representatives of the prominent families of Radbudo Star gathered together, discussing in a clamor. On a nearby sofa sat a gaunt, pale man. A long, rectangular box rested by his side, his hand resting continuously on its surface, never leaving.

I don't know what Intrepus is up to. He's canceled all his schedules these past few days, hiding in his heavily guarded home and not appearing in any public places. This gives us no chance to make a move, said one family representative.

Another person looked at the pale man. Do you have a way to take him out?

This pale man was a high-level assassin secretly retained by these families, a Class B Gunslinger. Hearing the question, he shook his head.

I've been staking out the area around Intrepus's house these past few days. He's hired a lot of bodyguards, including a few Class B Supers. The defenses are tight. Unless he's in an open area where I can snipe him, there's no way I can force an assault.

A representative said in a deep voice, I've already contacted those Class B bodyguards. They took the money, but told me they can at most pretend to be negligent. They won't blatantly betray their employer, as it would affect their mercenary credibility. So, we still have to wait until Intrepus goes out for an event.

If those Class B bodyguards slack off, I have a hundred percent confidence in sniping him. The pale man bared his teeth in a cold, chilling smile.

Good, stay on standby, a representative said with a gloomy expression. Radbudo Star has always been our territory. We absolutely cannot let an outsider take control.

...

Several days later.

Intrepus, who had been silent all this time, finally went out. He took a bulletproof flying vehicle to the ground spaceport in the suburbs of the planet's capital, his destination unknown.

Upon receiving the news, the several major families immediately sprang into action, arranging for the pale assassin to follow from afar, waiting for the right moment.

Soon, Intrepus and his entourage arrived at the ground spaceport. Protected by his bodyguards, he made his way to the ship landing pad and waited in silence.

The pale man followed from behind. Under the arrangement of the major families, he quietly slipped into a storage room in the distant ground command tower. The storage room had no windows, but the Gunslinger's mark and lock-on abilities were more than enough to aim at the target through the wall without a line of sight, making his assassination spot even more concealed.

He opened his portable case, which contained the parts of a sniper rifle. With dazzling speed, his hands assembled it into a specially modified electromagnetic-kinetic hybrid explosive-tech sniper gun. He propped it against the wall, adjusting the position, gradually bringing Intrepus into the crosshairs.

The bodyguards left a slight gap, which to the pale man's eyes was an extremely deliberate flaw. Smirking coldly, he pressed his ear, reporting through the micro-earpiece inside.

I'm in position. Ready to fire at any time.

Excellent, came the voices of the family representatives through the earpiece.

In the city, several family representatives were also monitoring Entrepas's movements via satellite; having controlled this planet for many years, they could mobilize countless resources.

Watching Entrepas on the satellite feed, the family representatives were all somewhat puzzled.

"Is he waiting for someone?"

"Strange, who could be coming to see him?"

"He does have a consortium, after all; perhaps he's hired some new bodyguards?"

"If they were just bodyguards, he wouldn't need to greet them in person, would he?"

After a few words of discussion, none of them could figure it out, so they simply gave up trying; whatever his plans were, as long as they killed him, the problem would be perfectly resolved.

One representative's eyes hardened as he issued an order to the assassin.

"You may proceed..."

However, before he could finish his sentence, an urgent communication request suddenly popped up on the screen, conspicuously originating from the planet's Outer Space Defense Department.

The family representative froze in his tracks, his heart skipping a beat, and hastily accepted the transmission.

"What's going on?"

"This is the Outer Space Observation Station; an unidentified fleet has suddenly appeared in the planet's exosphere orbit without any prior notification, and a warship has just breached the warning net, descending rapidly with an estimated landing site at the suburban ground spaceport of the planetary capital."

Hearing the coordinates, everyone in the room was stunned.

Was this fleet the person Entrepas was waiting for?

Arriving with such formidable momentum, could it be a display of military might?

"Hmph, what good is it to call for backup? You're as good as dead!"

The expressions of the crowd darkened.

Just as they were about to recklessly order the assassin to strike, the communication channel suddenly erupted with the startled exclamation of an observer.

"Wait a moment, I recognize them! This is the Black Star Legion's fleet; although there are no markings, they happened to pass through this vicinity recently, and I paid special attention—the number and models of the ships match perfectly!"

In an instant, the expressions of all the family representatives changed drastically.

Meanwhile, the group waiting at the spaceport heard the roar of rushing air and looked up to see a spaceship descending from the sky at high speed, growing larger and larger in their field of vision, before soon touching down and stopping precisely in front of Entrepas and his party, the displaced air blowing everyone's hair into disarray.

Hiss—

The cabin door slid open and the ramp extended; a tall figure draped in a black coat stepped out from the shadows, deliberately dropping his facial disguise to reveal his true features.

"Black Star?!"

In that instant, the eyes of the family representatives widened in sheer shock, their faces pale with terror, and one of them even had his knees give out, collapsing onto the ground with a thud.

They had been scheming and plotting against each other on this planet; in their eyes, a grand figure like Black Star was incomparably distant from them, belonging to an entirely different world.

Yet today, the person Entrepas was here to receive was none other than Black Star himself?

How could this be possible!

What was the relationship between them? Why would Black Star specifically come to such a backwater planet just for him!!

Not only were the family representatives stunned, but the bodyguards around Entrepas were also completely frozen in awe.

Merely looking at Black Star's silhouette felt as though an overwhelming, mountain-crushing pressure was bearing down upon them; his intense aura made it difficult for everyone to breathe.

At this moment, the family representatives snapped back to reality, terrified out of their wits, and practically screamed into their earpieces at the assassin in a panic:

"Quick! Get out of there immediately! Abort all operations!"

They were all thoroughly frightened by Black Star's sudden arrival; without knowing the relationship between Black Star and Entrepas, none of them dared to make a rash move.

The pale man swallowed hard with a trembling throat, dismantling his firearm with lightning speed, hoisting his case, and fleeing the scene at a life-or-death pace.

Han Xiao's mind stirred; he cast a glance in the direction the assassin had fled, then withdrew his gaze and walked down the ramp with Aurora, eyeing the leader of the group before them with considerable interest.

"You are Entrepas?"

"Yes, on behalf of the Radbudo Star, I welcome Your Excellency Black Star; your arrival is our greatest honor."

Suppressing his nervousness, Entrepas braced himself and stepped forward to speak.

Although the plan had succeeded and he had rehearsed the words for this meeting countless times in his mind, the moment he saw Han Xiao, his brain went completely blank, and all his imagined scenarios shattered upon seeing him in the flesh.

His composure instantly wavered:

What kind of formidable figure have I actually summoned here...

Han Xiao looked him up and down, offering a faint smile.

"You've got quite the nerve... don't you?"

Entrepas trembled all over, daring not to reply, as a bitter premonition crept into his heart.

—This time, I fear it will be easy to invite the god, but impossible to send him away.