Chapter 989: Write It Down in the Little Notebook

Chapter 989: Noted in the Little Ledger

Naturally, words were one thing, but Han Xiao had no intention of acting with reckless abandon.

Though the mission demanded retribution against the entire Modo civilization, the vast majority were innocent; were it not for the quest, he would never have entertained such a notion.

The true architects of this calamity lay within the Modo leadership, so Han Xiao resolved to first strike at the compromised high-ranking officials; as for luminaries in other sectors, he would watch how the mission unfolded before acting, seeing no need for such extremism at the outset.

Assassinating prominent figures of a Super Star Cluster civilization was manageable if they were merely unripe potentials, but eliminating those entrenched in power would inevitably provoke a fierce backlash; after all, they were not sculpted from clay.

Moreover, the mass assassination of officials and cadres from an advanced civilization would cast a dreadful shadow, enraging not only the Modo but also uniting other Star Cluster civilizations in shared indignation... should such a scenario unfold, paranoia would reign, and all would rally to a single front.

Thus, the virtue of having a formidable patron became evident; while the Empire would not dirty its own hands with mass executions, it hardly minded an ally undertaking such grim labor, especially since the Modo were the masterminds behind the Kunde incident, and though Imperial casualties had been light, they were not nonexistent—how could they honor the fallen soldiers without unleashing a storm of blood and vengeance?

Furthermore, under the banner of the Three Universal Civilizations, suppressing these Super Star Cluster powers had always been an unspoken political orthodoxy; without the Empire’s tacit endorsement, even as a regional hegemon, he would inevitably find himself mired in scandal.

Assassination had always been a base, unseemly tactic, yet it remained perpetually effective; history, from antiquity to the present, proved one immutable truth: no one is indispensable, and with or without any given soul, the wheels of history would continue their relentless grind, differing only in pace.

Should the Empire seek to suppress the Modo across every domain, it would certainly chafe a Super Star Cluster civilization, yet it would scarcely break their bones, unless the Empire was willing to bleed its own economy and politics dry to fund such a crusade.

Assassination, however... was cheap, ruthless, and sufficiently terrifying, achieving the very same ends.

Han Xiao’s decision to undertake this grim work stemmed partly from the crucial mission rewards—for iron must be forged by a strong hand, and personal power remained the only absolute truth—and partly from the Empire’s desire to punish the architects.

Thus, he feared not a lack of impact, but rather an impact that failed to serve as a grim warning; the assassinations needed to be widely known, yet shrouded in enough suspicion to make other powers wonder if the Empire itself had pulled the strings.

In this way, the other Super Star Cluster civilizations would understand they were not the targets, and however bitter they might feel, they would refrain from action.

The Modo had struck first, and their adversary was a power that loomed above them; whom could they blame? Consequently, no other civilization would stand alongside them, and though a mournful sympathy might linger, the Empire’s intended warning would take root.

As for the notion that assassinating officials violated the unspoken rules between civilizations... I am the sovereign; come and accuse me to my face if you dare.

When it came to reasoning, one must occasionally play the rogue; unless one possessed the strength to compel absolute obedience, the notion of winning over civilizations through virtue was little more than a naive fantasy.

Han Xiao drew out the intelligence provided by the Mechanic Nation once more; the classified personnel files, previously used to identify targets of retribution, would now serve to select marks for the blade.

Those responsible for the Kunde project were almost certainly high-ranking officials within various clandestine departments, their profiles neatly cataloged in the dossiers; Han Xiao resolved to strike them first, reasoning that none were virtuous anyway, so he might as well treat it as charity—eliminating these cadres would undoubtedly cripple the Modo’s covert operations for a time, inflicting tangible losses.

"I am a figure of some stature now, ill-suited to dirty my own hands with such work; Rotel is the perfect candidate," Han Xiao nodded to himself.

This was not merely a mission, but a crucible for tempering steel.

He had always harbored high hopes for Rotel; the man carried the destiny of a mid-tier protagonist, yet unlike the other fated figures under his command, he was taciturn, steadfast, and exuded a quiet reliability that made him well worth cultivating.

...

The wait was brief; somewhere in the desolate cosmic belts of the Old Galaxy, Rotel, having traveled from afar, finally docked with Han Xiao’s mechanical vanguard.

"Lord Black Star."

Stepping into the cabin, Rotel approached Han Xiao’s Sovereign avatar and offered a quiet greeting.

Han Xiao looked him over; years had passed since their last meeting, and Rotel now wore a plain, pitch-black hooded robe, a dark scarf obscuring his mouth and nose to reveal only a pair of icy, detached eyes.

Years of rigorous training had rendered his presence ethereal and concealed; his movements made no sound, and when he deliberately suppressed his aura, his very existence seemed to fade into the background.

He was a martial artist of the agile assassination school, complemented by an Assassin secondary class, possessing a myriad of stealth specializations and a natural, untaught genius for the shadows.

The Assassin Mutual Aid Society had long been set in motion; Rotel had already recruited a cohort of novices, personally drilling them and expanding their ranks in secret.

"It has been a long time. Here is a list, along with the relevant dossiers."

Knowing Rotel’s temperament well, Han Xiao skipped the pleasantries and handed him a physical file.

Taking the documents, Rotel lowered his head to study them carefully; in the next instant, a sudden flare of aura ignited in his palm.

Whoosh!

The intense heat caught the papers, reducing them to drifting ash in moments.

A true professional through and through; if you do not burn the evidence, you are just an amateur... Han Xiao mused silently.

"The list is long. Eliminating them all will take time," Rotel said, gently flicking the ash from his fingers.

"There is no rush. I will provide full intelligence support."

Han Xiao waved his hand, then took a long, narrow case from a nearby mechanical soldier and offered it to Rotel.

"A gift for you. Take a look."

Rotel opened the case, and a brilliant golden light spilled forth; he narrowed his eyes, making out the contents—it was the God-Slayer.

While awaiting Rotel’s arrival, Han Xiao had dispatched a fresh contingent to transport the artifact from the Shining World.

Rotel studied the broken shaft for a moment before slowly reaching out to grasp it.

In the next instant, his pupils visibly contracted.

Suddenly, a ring of golden luminescence rippled outward from where his palm met the broken weapon.

Hum!

Threads of golden energy slithered up Rotel’s arm, swiftly coiling toward his heart, while a faint, dawn-like golden radiance began to gleam within his exposed eyes.

"Hm, what is this...?" Witnessing the phenomenon, Han Xiao was taken aback.

Neither he nor Nilo had triggered such a mutation when holding the God-Slayer; could this weapon harbor a special affinity for martial artists?

Yet the item’s description mentioned nothing of the sort, and other martial artists had touched it before; why did only Rotel provoke such an anomalous response?

He waited patiently until the anomalies gradually receded, the golden light fading from Rotel’s eyes as they returned to a deep, tranquil black.

"How does it feel?" Han Xiao asked.

Rotel offered no words, letting his actions speak instead; he released his grip, and the God-Slayer hovered beside him, weaving gracefully through the cabin without any remote aura manipulation.

With a sudden flash of gold, the spear vanished; Rotel pulled back his sleeve to reveal a tattoo on his wrist mirroring the weapon’s form, which then flickered and materialized back into a spear—one of the God-Slayer’s inherent portability enchantments, allowing it to be stored as a bodily mark, though in Han Xiao’s and others’ hands, it had remained a dormant, grayed-out state.

Seeing this, Han Xiao’s mind stirred, and understanding dawned.

"You have formed a soul link with it?"

"Yes. I do not know why, but this weapon resonates with me."

Rotel nodded, extending his hand as the God-Slayer obediently settled back into his palm.

Han Xiao instantly felt a pang of sour envy.

Fine, Nilo was one thing, but you too?! Are you even human anymore?!

A mere touch, and he resonates with a gold-tier set piece; why does fortune never smile upon me like this?

Back then, coaxing the Space-Time Amber and the Evolution Cube to acknowledge me took an absurd amount of effort...

Just then, Han Xiao paused, a sudden realization striking him.

"God-Slayer... that name..."

He abruptly realized that the weapon’s title seemed to align perfectly with Rotel’s past-life experiences!

In his previous life, Rotel had embarked on a suicide mission to assassinate the Alien God, a tragic hero marching to his doom... and one who slays a god is, quite literally, a God-Slayer!

Connecting the dots, Han Xiao’s expression shifted entirely.

Damn it, so Nilo dug this thing up just to hand it to you!

Does that make me the old grandpa handing out quest rewards?!

Since when does a luck aura come with cross-character synergy?!

Could you possibly retain a shred of decency!

Han Xiao felt only a profound weariness in his bones, his voice drained of strength as he asked, "Do you like it?"

"Thank you."

Rotael did not feign overwhelming gratitude, yet the way his fingers caressed the God-Piercer, utterly reluctant to set it aside, betrayed his deep affection for the gift.

"As long as it pleases you, the mission is yours," Han Xiao said.

Rotael secured the God-Piercer away and offered a solemn nod.

……

Two months drifted by.

Modo Civilization, a certain colonial world.

Within a lounge-styled tavern, patrons sat in scattered clusters; some had arrived in company, murmuring in low tones, while others drank alone at the counter, occasionally exchanging a few words with the bartender as he polished glassware.

Even in the interstellar age, the individual's yearning for connection endured, and establishments like bars, designed for such social communion, never fell out of fashion.

The guests minded their own affairs, yet suddenly, the hum of conversation dwindled rapidly, and as if by silent accord, everyone ceased their chatter and turned their gaze toward the holographic screen hovering above the bar.

At that very moment, the display was broadcasting a news bulletin; the room fell into a hush, leaving only the anchor's voice to fill the air.

"Yesterday, the planet Pedri witnessed a horrifying assassination carried out by a superhuman entity; the victim was Madi, a high-ranking confidential official, who was ambushed while on official business, and despite being surrounded by a substantial detail of bodyguards at the time, a bizarre spear materialized from nowhere, pinning him dead to the ground before vanishing instantly, leaving the perpetrator without a trace."

"Reports indicate this marks the fifth senior executive to be assassinated in recent weeks, a pattern that has provoked intense scrutiny and outrage from the leadership; not long ago, the Three Kings personally signed a warrant, demanding the culprit be brought to justice at all costs."

"The assailant employs a spear in every strike, yet we know little of his identity; although several extraterritorial organizations have claimed responsibility, we remain ignorant of his true allegiance and motives, for his ability to track the covert movements of high officials, infiltrate planets through clandestine channels, and bypass all immigration logs suggests the backing of a specialized faction, though the precise reasons remain under investigation……"

The crowd listened in silence to the report and the obituary, exchanging uneasy glances, their faces darkening.

Someone could no longer contain their anxiety, murmuring, "What in the world is happening lately? Assassinations are erupting one after another, and the targets are actually those high officials—it's simply… simply inconceivable!"

"Indeed, it has been decades since we witnessed such a brazen breach of protocol; to dare strike at cadres is truly crossing the line!"

Righteous indignation swelled among the patrons, yet beneath the anger, a cold undercurrent of panic and dread coiled in every heart.

Turmoil among the elite invariably breeds mass hysteria; the systematic elimination of officials carried a corrosive influence, far exceeding the mere loss of a few cadres, for this was a catastrophic security breach capable of plunging the entire society into terror.

Under normal circumstances, the Modo Civilization's first instinct would be to impose an information blackout, yet while they could muzzle their own domestic press, they held no sway over the media of rival factions.

It was the foreign outlets that broke the story first, armed with irrefutable evidence that left no room for concealment, instantly sending shockwaves across the entire star sector and stirring public outcry; the Modo Civilization knew with absolute certainty that this was the handiwork of the assassin's backers.

The bartender shook his head with a sigh, withdrawing his gaze to resume polishing a glass, when he suddenly noticed a few coins resting on the counter before him; physical currency had grown rare in this age, though it had not ceased to be minted.

"What is this……"

Casting a puzzled glance around, his eyes landed on an empty glass sitting alone on a table in the farthest booth.

He couldn't help but scratch his head, his expression clouded with uncertainty.

"Was there even a patron sitting there just now…… Why can't I recall?"

……

Meanwhile, on Beacon Star in the Shining World, Han Xiao had once again been summoned by Talrokov, who claimed there were matters to discuss.

Within the confines of the office, Talrokov presented a dossier to Han Xiao, who sat across from him.

"Guided by Aesop's prophecy, we apprehended the stowaways responsible for deploying those dropships in an uncharted sector a few days ago; after rigorous interrogation, we have verified that your intelligence was flawless, and the masterminds behind the curtain are indeed the Modo Civilization—we owe you a debt of gratitude for your assistance."

Upon hearing this, Han Xiao offered a faint smile and nodded.

He had long since reported his findings to the Empire, yet they had exercised caution, merely turning a blind eye to his assassination campaign without officially pinning the blame on the Modo Civilization; it was only after capturing the stowaways and personally sifting through their memories that confirmation was finally secured.

Talrokov's voice grew grave as he continued, "Furthermore, we extracted the identity of the project's direct overseer from their minds: Madi, a senior intelligence cadre of the Modo Civilization; this man, too, will require your hand to eliminate."

"Ah…… I'm afraid that won't be possible."

"Why not?" Talrokov asked, taken aback.

"Because a dead man cannot die a second time," Han Xiao replied with a chuckle, tapping a few commands to project a news feed from the Old Star River onto the screen; "This fellow has already been dealt with; you're a step behind."

"You strike with terrifying speed," Old Tal fell silent, momentarily at a loss for words.

"I assume you didn't call me here today just to discuss that."

"Nothing escapes your notice," Talrokov let out a dry laugh; "My primary purpose this time is to convey the sentiments of the Head of State and the high command."

"Good news or bad?"

"Well, I cannot say for certain," Talrokov spoke slowly; "Now that the architects have been identified, the Empire is preparing to make its move; the Head of State approves of your recent assassinations, as they have successfully fractured the Modo Civilization's social stability, and on that front, rest assured that should the Modo raise any objections, we will rebuff them entirely, leaving you unscathed; however, the Empire will not provide you with direct operational support, so I urge you not to overstep your bounds—keep the assassinations measured, for pushing the Modo Civilization into a desperate corner would complicate matters greatly."

"I am aware; I will keep my actions within reasonable limits."

Han Xiao waved his hand dismissively, muttering under his breath.

If I didn't still possess a sense of proportion, the Three Kings might already be on my hit list.

"Additionally, the Empire intends to impose certain economic sanctions upon the Modo Civilization, but do not harbor excessive expectations; we will not commit substantial resources to this endeavor, for as you well know, the Radiant Federation and the Void Spirit Sect continue to suppress us, and we must also bear the colossal costs of exploring the Shining World, leaving us with little bandwidth to focus heavily on the Modo…… thus, this is primarily a gesture of stance, a warning to other super-cluster civilizations."

Han Xiao's brows furrowed slightly; "In that case, the deterrent effect will be insufficient, and it will only expose the Empire's current overextension to outsiders, potentially emboldening them to escalate their aggression."

The Empire desired to issue a warning yet refused to expend significant resources, a stance that directly conflicted with Han Xiao's own interests.

The mission parameters demanded inflicting maximum damage upon the Modo Civilization, and while his assassination campaign might prove effective, this S-rank quest was frustratingly vague, offering no concrete progress metrics or clear timeline for completion, which made planning exceedingly difficult.

If the Empire refused to lend its weight, the burden of action would fall squarely on his own shoulders.

"I understand, I truly do……" Talrokov's expression was one of helpless resignation; "It is simply that the Empire is under immense strain."

Had the target been a mere cluster-level civilization, the Empire might have crushed them with a casual flick of the wrist, but a super-cluster civilization was not so easily subdued.

"If the pressure is so great, why not simply lift the restrictions on selling the Evolver Totems?" Han Xiao shrugged.

The Radiant Federation and the Void Spirit Sect were closing in precisely for control over the Evolver Totems, and the Empire's stubborn refusal to yield would only cause the pressure to mount.

The Great Mechanic Han cared little for the politics; in fact, the Empire's blockade was stifling his profits, for if the markets opened, he would be inundated with a flood of new orders and long-term recharging service fees, reaping astronomical wealth in a continuous stream.

Whoever controlled the Evolution Cube held the keys to a colossal commercial empire that could be milked for generations, and certain high-ranking officials within the Empire still harbored designs on trading the Cube from Han Xiao's grasp to secure those vast profits for the state.

Consequently, throughout the second phase of exploration, the Infinite Consortium had not rested, continuing its fierce rivalry with the Sprout Consortium under the legion's banner.

"Heh, that is not a matter I am at liberty to involve myself in."

Unwilling to dwell on the subject, Talrokov swiftly shifted the conversation; "Nevertheless, you need not worry about the Modo Civilization; the Empire is merely tied up at the moment, which does not mean sanctions are off the table—I can give you a confidential hint: the Empire will settle this score completely during the fourth phase of exploration."

At these words, a spark of realization ignited in Han Xiao's mind.

The fourth phase marked the opening of the Shining World to external forces; for the Empire to exact its reckoning then would be a masterstroke of timing.

Those super-cluster civilizations stirred trouble solely to carve out greater benefits within the Shining World, and once the borders opened and Modo expeditions flooded into Imperial territory, would they not be left entirely at the Empire's mercy, to be targeted and molded at will?

If they played their cards ruthlessly, they could very well ensure the enemy reaped absolutely nothing from the Shining World, leaving them with empty hands and shattered ambitions.

With the Empire keeping a meticulous ledger of grievances, the Modo Civilization's future looked exceedingly bleak.

Reaching this conclusion, Han Xiao found himself without objection; his thoughts shifted subtly as he mused inwardly:

"The Old Star River is their turf after all, making retaliation cumbersome on my part; but once they step into the Shining World, that becomes my home ground, where striking back will be far more convenient."

In that case, the first objective of the Kunde Race mission remained uncertain, but the crucial second requirement stood a high probability of being fulfilled during the 4.0 version update.

Han Xiao had already planned to quietly amass his resources during the version transition, so this timeline was perfectly acceptable, aligning seamlessly with his original calculations.

As a cascade of thoughts flickered through his mind, Han Xiao turned to Old Tal and offered a faint, knowing smile.

“Very well. Once they set foot in the Shining World, I shall make certain to ‘entertain’ them most thoroughly.”