Chapter 961: Manison Is Really a Good Person (Seriously)

Chapter 961: Manison is Truly a Good Person (For Real)

Breaking free from Manison's virtual domain, Han Xiao's virtual soul returned to the quantum network hub of the headquarters, secretly letting out a sigh of relief.

Though he was no match for Manison in a clash of virtual techniques, Manison's mental offensive power could do nothing to him.

This was not only because of his own high durability, but also because Mechanic was never a class specialized in mental attacks; no matter how formidable [Supreme Virtual] was, it could not easily defeat a Mechanic of the same tier, and besides, his high Intelligence attribute provided a certain degree of mental resistance, making him far from fragile.

"However, [Supreme Virtual] serves more as a control skill. It took me about five or six seconds to break out of Manison's virtual domain, so the situation is still manageable."

Observing the situation, Han Xiao nodded inwardly.

While he was pulled into the virtual domain by Manison, Philip had lost his assistance; under Manison's relentless assault, the thickness of the firewall was once again reduced by nearly half, and a massive amount of internal data was lost.

But fortunately, he returned in time and took over again, immediately stabilizing the defense line, and the situation reverted to a seesaw battle where they were at a slight disadvantage.

After all, they were both Mechanic specialists in virtual technology; if Manison could quickly break Han Xiao's virtual domain, it would not take Han Xiao long to break his opponent's either. [Supreme Virtual] was not very suitable for use against Mechanic, as mastering virtual techniques allowed for rapid decryption, greatly reducing the time spent under control.

At this moment, Manison outside the firewall narrowed his eyes, staring at Han Xiao, and spoke slowly:

"An incredible physique, potential beyond imagination, a growth rate that makes history... Black Star, just what kind of anomaly are you that popped out from where?"

"The universe is vast and full of wonders," Han Xiao chuckled. "There's no need to be so surprised."

Manison shook his head. "After our last sparring session, I had a guess, and now, fighting you again, my thoughts are becoming clearer and clearer... Black Star, could your very existence be a cosmic wonder in itself?"

"Ha, who knows?"

Han Xiao's expression remained calm, completely unfazed.

Just then, Rhys, who was nearby, finally broke through the lockdown and, without a word, immediately helped Han Xiao support the firewall to resist Manison's invasion.

Meanwhile, Fenette continued to chip away at the firewall, assisting Manison's intrusion; with every strike, he created a small, fleeting breach, steadily siphoning out data bit by bit.

One attacking, one defending, both sides exerted their full strength in a clash of virtual techniques; modules were decrypted one by one, only to be reshaped, in an endless cycle.

On the surface, it appeared as if tidal waves of data streams were bombarding the firewall, but in reality, if one magnified the perspective countless times, every inch of the colliding space was an invisible micro-battlefield, where countless leaping bytes transformed into soldiers, computing and decrypting each other.

The two men appeared calm and composed, but in truth, their brains were already overclocking; every computational detail of their clashes was controlled personally by them, involving an unfathomably massive amount of calculation.

...

In the Logistics Department of the Black Star Army, Leonard had urgently summoned all the Mechanics in the department; those working immediately dropped their tasks, and those sleeping ran to assemble without even putting on their pants.

Looking over the endless sea of Mechanics in the Logistics Department, Leonard spoke in a deep voice:

"Everyone, the intelligent hub of the Black Star Army headquarters is suffering an illegal virtual invasion. His Excellency Black Star is resisting. As members of the army, we cannot sit idly by; the Commander needs our off-field support!"

Everyone's expressions turned grim; an enemy that even Black Star could not repel meant the situation was truly dire.

No one knew why, out of the blue, Black Star had provoked the Mechanical Nation.

In the world of Mechanics, the name of the Mechanical Nation was too illustrious; he was basically recognized as the strongest Mechanic. Now, facing such a great figure in battle, these Logistics Department members were somewhat panicked and their morale was low.

The title of the strongest Mechanic was not an empty name, but an aura that inherently carried a [Mechanic Morale Penalty], capable of stripping the confidence of the vast majority of Mechanics who opposed him.

Someone couldn't help but ask, "Why exactly is the Mechanical Nation invading us? Didn't he and Black Star have a decent relationship?"

"You ask me, and who am I supposed to ask?"

Leonard glared fiercely at him and barked, "Stop overthinking! Remember, the army is in crisis. What we need to do now is help the army. No matter who the invader is, he is our enemy now!"

Although he said that, in reality, for a long time in the past, the Mechanical Nation had also been Leonard's idol; it was only after joining the Black Star Army and witnessing Black Star's rise step by step that, in his mind, Han Xiao gradually replaced the Mechanical Nation's position to become his most revered figure.

Now, having to fight against his former idol, Leonard had already come to accept it with equanimity.

Hearing Leonard say this, the people in the Logistics Department steadied themselves and gradually became resolute—in the Logistics Department, Leonard enjoyed high prestige, all thanks to his serious work ethic and rigorous scientific attitude, which was exactly what most Mechanics appreciated.

Seeing that the morale of the Logistics Department members had stabilized, Leonard relaxed slightly and immediately issued a loud order, setting everyone into motion.

Although it was difficult for them to intervene directly in the virtual battlefield of the two peak Beyond Grade As, the Logistics Department could help indirectly by using temporary permissions to replace hardware in the host library of Philip's intelligent hub, thereby enhancing Philip's computing power, while simultaneously sharing their own meager computing power with Philip through hardware connections.

At the same time, Fleet Commander Melos, who was playing cards online and suddenly lost his connection despite having a great hand, also took corresponding action.

He dispatched the armed forces of the various branches of the Black Star Army to begin a carpet search of all nearby planets, attempting to find Manison's location, though this was a vast undertaking, like looking for a needle in a haystack.

On the other side, Sylvia took the high-level route, contacting Gordola directly; Gordola readily handed over the temporary secondary control permissions of numerous quantum network base stations in the Gardon Galaxy, temporarily allowing the Black Star Army to take over the quantum network permissions of more than half the galaxy.

After the discrimination reform movement, coupled with the recent public welfare education plan, the relationship between Gordola and the Black Star Army had grown increasingly close; upon learning that the Black Star Army was in trouble, the leader overrode all opposition and generously offered help—after all, if Black Star wanted it, their network security would be a mere formality, so it was better to lend it for a while to strengthen their relationship.

When it came to clinging to the coattails of the powerful, Gordola was quite experienced; this was basically a compulsory course for every galactic civilization.

Although she guessed that Manison might have brought his own base station, Sylvia always liked to make multiple preparations, and controlling the quantum network base stations in this area was also a way to cut off one of Manison's retreats.

Laki didn't understand virtual technology, but he had his own methods; he gathered a bunch of people from the Magic Department and ran over to buff Han Xiao.

Various attribute-boosting spells that increased Intelligence and Mental Power were piled onto Han Xiao's main body until they were full; the status bar was densely packed, requiring a page turn just to see it all.

However, the effects of such buff spells were not constant; when low-level spells and mages applied buffs to high-level targets, the effects would be discounted, and the more powerful the individual, the lower the effect of external buffs.

Moreover, many buff spells had the restriction of becoming invalid once an attribute exceeded a certain threshold; for example, many percentage-based attribute amplification spells could only increase attributes to two or three thousand points at most, beyond which they were ineffective. The higher the threshold, the greater the learning difficulty and the higher the spell level; spells like some unrestricted or Beyond Grade A-specific buff spells basically belonged to the category of forbidden arts, and very few people had mastered them.

Facing Manison's assault, the various departments of the entire Black Star Army spontaneously began to operate, doing what they could within their capabilities to provide Han Xiao with assistance from multiple aspects.

...

War Domain Headquarters.

It had been over two months since Herber went into seclusion; apart from the wavering members, most of the high-ranking cadres were quite worried about the Conqueror's state.

And today, Herber finally summoned Jorde to inquire about the affairs of the War Domain during this period.

Standing in front of the door, Jorde's heart was filled with anxiety; he took several deep breaths before slowly calming his mood, and gritted his teeth to push open the door.

He had prepared himself mentally for all sorts of scenes, but the sight before him was no different from before.

Herber sat upright in his seat, his back as straight as ever, his attire neat and tidy, showing no signs of decadence; the only difference was that his aura was no longer as oppressive as it used to be.

Carefully taking a look, Jorde swallowed hard and couldn't help but ask, "Are you... alright?"

"What could possibly be wrong with me?"

Hearing this, Herber couldn't help but frown.

"You, you haven't appeared for so long, and haven't asked about the organization's affairs, we thought... thought..."

"Thought I was crushed by Black Star and couldn't get back on my feet?" Herber relaxed his brow and said dissatisfiedly, "A loss is a loss; if there's a chance in the future, I'll just take it back. When did I become so fragile in your eyes?"

"No, it's just that your behavior made us misunderstand..." Jorde hurriedly explained.

"Hmph."

Herber shook his head; right after his defeat, his mentality had indeed collapsed, but as a Beyond Grade A, he had not gone through his journey without experiencing setbacks.

The damage to his prestige truly pained him, but Herber quickly adjusted his emotions and recorded this debt in his little book.

Thinking about it from another angle... with Sisquo as the bottom dweller, he wasn't the most miserable in the Broken Star Ring, which made Herber feel much better.

However, although his prestige as the Conqueror was damaged, the War Domain still had to continue developing, and as for the business competition with the Black Star Army, Herber wouldn't call it off.

Using the excuse of revenge to beat me once is enough, and you want to come beat me every day?

Do you think I'm an idiot?!

Next time, even if only one mechanical soldier comes, I will absolutely not accept the challenge, dead or alive!

This defeat, although Herber quickly shook off his frustration, also made him realize the gap in strength between himself and Black Star; even if unwilling, he could only grit his teeth and accept the fact that Black Star had far surpassed him.

Therefore, Herber's ambition to compete with Black Star for the strongest in the star region had faded considerably; at least before he was confident he could defeat Black Star, he did not want to provoke Han Xiao with force again, embracing the idea of "waiting until my divine arts are complete before fighting back."

Having frankly admitted that Han Xiao had surpassed him, Heber felt inexplicably relieved for some reason—perhaps it was the realization that he no longer had to contend with a figure like Black Star, finally allowing his long-taut nerves to unwind.

Too lazy to explain his thoughts to Jode, Heber said impatiently, "Hurry up and tell me what affairs have piled up recently, and don't bother me with anything else while I'm training."

"Y-yes, sir..."

Seeing that Heber had adjusted his mindset, Jode breathed a sigh of relief and immediately reported on the situation over this period, emphasizing those members who had left.

"Don't bother with those who walked away," Heber said dismissively. "They're nothing but fickle opportunists; the universe is teeming with their likes."

Jode nodded, secretly sighing. It seemed Heber was still the same as before, indifferent to his subordinates.

At this moment, however, Heber hesitated slightly and said slowly, "Notify all Catastrophe-class martial arts cadres to gather here in a while. I have something to teach them. Hmph, as my subordinates, it's disgraceful that they've made no progress for so long."

Jode's eyes widened in surprise. He was stunned for a moment before breaking into a smile.

"Understood. They will surely be delighted to receive your guidance."

"Hmph, I have no need for flattery."

Composing himself, Jode took out another intelligence report and said in a deep voice:

"Oh, and there's one more thing. Just now, an urgent piece of news leaked from within the Black Star Army. For some unknown reason, Manison of the Mechanical Nation has actually clashed with Black Star and is currently invading the intelligent central hub of the Black Star Army's headquarters. Their virtual duel is still ongoing."

"The Mechanical Nation? Does he have a grudge against Black Star?"

Heber was puzzled.

"It's unclear. Outsiders are saying it's because Black Star grew too fast and his ambition swelled, challenging the Mechanical Nation's position. So, the Mechanical Nation took the initiative to fight him on his home turf to defend his status and force Black Star to face reality."

"Sounds plausible enough."

Heber frowned. He didn't know the secret of the Throne Mechanic, which was an internal secret among mechanics. Other classes knew little about it, and the Empire wouldn't bother sharing such secrets with a muscle-bound brute.

After a moment's thought, Heber let out a stifled sigh and shook his head.

That rascal Black Star never knew how to keep still. Just two months ago, he nearly tore me apart, and now, in such a short time, he's provoked the Mechanical Nation. He's truly reckless, poking and prodding everywhere, acting like a total flirt.

"Leave them be. I don't understand mechanics' affairs, and it has nothing to do with me anyway."

Heber waved his hand, casting the matter to the back of his mind.

……

In the central hub of the Black Star Army's headquarters, within the virtual world.

The virtual technological confrontation between the two Throne Mechanics would not end anytime soon; the battle had already dragged on for a long time.

Bolstered by the Perfect Mechanical Sense, the gap between Han Xiao and Manison had narrowed further. Yet, even with the home-field advantage and external assistance from the Black Star Army's logistics department, he could only barely withstand Manison's long-distance virtual invasion, merely slowing the rate of data leakage.

Under Han Xiao's resistance, Manison could not invade the entire central hub, but it was enough to continuously capture data in the fleeting moments when he breached the firewall's vulnerabilities.

Although the Perfect Mechanical Sense character card was highly useful, it had a time limit, ending after a maximum of sixteen hours. Meanwhile, as long as Manison was willing, he could sustain a continuous invasion for days and nights without issue.

"It's a good thing I called for backup; otherwise, if this dragged on, it would spell trouble."

Han Xiao's mind raced as he watched the clock, waiting for Maxiroel.

The two fought fiercely for a long time, and after several hours, a new Beyond Class A mechanic finally entered the fray!

Outside the firewall, a virtual soul leaped from the wide-area quantum network channel, appearing in their line of sight.

Han Xiao focused his gaze and was slightly taken aback.

The newcomer was unexpectedly not his familiar acquaintance Maxiroel, but another Beyond Class A ally of the Empire.

Manison looked over, his brows furrowing slightly as he spoke slowly:

"Kant, why is it you?"

"Hey, am I not allowed to come?"

The virtual soul smiled faintly. His appearance was quite bizarre—a snow-white conical cylinder, wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, with only a tuft of green leaves sprouting from the apex, and a pair of large, expressive eyes in the center of his body, making him look like a giant white radish.

This person... ahem, this radish was none other than Kant, the Phantom God, one of the three strongest pillars supporting the Crimson Empire.

His nickname sounded like that of a telekinetic or a mage, but in reality, Kant was a mechanic. His race was the Shapeshifter, and his innate talent was to alter his physical structure, directly disguising himself as other creatures on a physical level.

After advancing to Beyond Class A, his species underwent an ascension, and Kant's talent evolved. He could now physically transform into virtually anything, which was far more realistic and harder to see through than a mage's illusions or a mechanic's virtual imaging.

Because of this talent, he possessed formidable disguise abilities, making it naturally easy for him to interact with any species, and no one had ever seen his true form.

He himself was also passionate about shapeshifting, looking different every day. The presence of his shapeshifting ability even overshadowed his primary mechanical prowess, thus earning him this nickname.

Manison did know Kant. He looked him up and down, somewhat puzzled.

"What species are you disguised as today? Is there such a creature in the universe? You look just like a radish."

"I am disguised as a radish," Kant said, blinking his eyes.

"..."

Manison was speechless. After a few seconds of silence, he abruptly withdrew all data streams and halted the invasion.

If Maxiroel had come, Manison wouldn't have been afraid, but since it was Kant, although he could handle him, it wasn't his home turf, and he couldn't afford to be completely at ease.

Moreover, Kant's intervention was undoubtedly sanctioned by the Empire. If the Mechanical Nation were to fight two against one, it would only bolster his prestige. It was better to bring in someone formidable to force Manison to leave voluntarily, the subtext being—this matter ends here, you've achieved your goal, don't push your luck.

Thinking this, Manison withdrew his hand, pulling Fenite back into the virtual soul. He cast a final glance at Han Xiao and spoke slowly:

"If you weren't a mechanic, perhaps we could have been friends."

Leaving these words behind, Manison's virtual soul vanished, retreating along the network.

He came swiftly and left just as fast, decisive and resolute.

News of this battle had already spread. Manison's objectives were largely achieved; he had obtained a massive amount of internal data from the Black Star Army, making the invasion a success for the most part. This was the true measure of victory in the virtual duel.

It didn't matter what ordinary people thought. His demonstration of mechanical supremacy over Black Star would inevitably consolidate his position within the Mechanical Cult, secure his status as the foremost mechanic, and minimize the impact of Black Star's promotion to Throne Mechanic.

Seeing Manison withdraw, Han Xiao frowned deeply and shook his head.

At this moment, Kant looked over.

The Empire had sent Kant not only to stop the battle but also to entrust him with the mission of comforting Black Star. The Empire currently placed great value on Han Xiao as a super potential asset, fearing that this blow might affect his mentality.

After a moment's thought, Kant spoke to comfort him:

"Don't be discouraged. You're still young, and losing to the Mechanical Nation is normal, not too embarrassing. Look on the bright side—he didn't take much advantage of you. You have a long road ahead, so there's no need to rush."

Han Xiao glanced at him but said nothing.

Seeing this, Kant's radish-like body sprouted a hand. He scratched the green leaves on top of his head and sighed, "I was once targeted by the Mechanical Nation too. Sigh, I performed even worse than you. Actually, taking a loss when you're young isn't a bad thing."

Hearing this, Han Xiao's expression turned peculiar.

Glancing at the prompt on his panel indicating the mission was complete, Han Xiao couldn't help but nod in agreement:

"You're right. If I could suffer a few more 'losses' like this, that would be even better..."