Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Jenny's att.i.tude was extremely forceful, and she looked as though she would not let Han Xiao off if he chose to defy her. However, the Great Mechanic Han was not afraid of her, and it was impossible for him to return the money.
He then briefly explained the benefits that his actions could bring Floating Dragon, and without bothering whether Jenny accepted his words or not, he hung up.
This action of his frustrated Jenny greatly. Her desire for control was great, and for Han Xiao to take a loan without getting her approval made her feel as though her position of Head Butler was being challenged. She had also begun to suspect Han Xiao's 'loyalty' at the same time. Ames had never been bothered with the management of Floating Dragon and handed everything over to her to handle. Thus, the majority of the consequences brought about by Ames' actions were usually settled by her. She possessed a great deal of authority, and Ames also trusted Jenny greatly. Furthermore, most of the members in Floating Dragon would also submit to Jenny's authority.
Black Star had joined Floating Dragon a year ago and had always been extremely low profile. However, this sudden action of his had immediately incited that sensitive nerve of Jenny's and made her raise her guard. Deep within, she did not trust any other subordinates of Ames, and because she was Ames' kin, she felt that only she and Ames were insiders while the others were outsiders.
After Han Xiao cut off the line, Jenny made a call of complaint to Ames without any hesitation. She explained everything that had happened to Ames and added her own opinions. She felt that Han Xiao's Field Team had too much freedom and needed to be controlled. It would be best to transfer him back to the headquarters of Floating Dragon and remove the Field Team completely. She felt that since Floating Dragon wanted to maintain neutrality, it was sufficient for them to be Dragon Guards. There was no need for them to have an armed force operating outside.
Under normal circ.u.mstances, Ames would not reject her proposal. However, Ames unexpectedly rejected her.
“You are too nervous. It is just a bit of money, and there isn't a need to make a huge fuss out of the matter. I trust Black Star; he is someone reliable. Since I gave him the right to operate freely, as long as he doesn't become a wanted fugitive, you don't have to inform me. If there isn't anything else, I am hanging up.”
“But…”
Kcha.
Ames hung up the line, and a stunned Jenny was left behind. She held onto her communicator with a dazed look. She had never imagined that Ames would reject her flatly. This was something that had not happened before.
Because Han Xiao had caught Aesop, Ames' trust in him had increased tremendously. While her trust in Han Xiao could not be compared to the trust that she had in Jenny, it was far more than the trust that she would have in an ordinary subordinate.
Without Ames' approval, Jenny realized that she could not do a thing to Han Xiao. Exasperated, her veins began to bulge, and her body trembled slightly with anger. Taking a deep breath, she took off her spectacles and shut her eyes. After rubbing the bridge of her nose, she gradually regained her cool. When she opened her eyes again, her eyes were filled with solemnness.
Ames' rejection had made Jenny feel a huge threat to her position.
Han Xiao naturally did not know that this small conflict would make Jenny misunderstand that he was trying to fight for favor with her. However, even if he knew, he would not have been bothered. After all, the money required for his Version 2.0 plan was more important.
The version update would take less than a year, and it was important for Han Xiao to use this time to find a place and build his base. Han Xiao would not choose a deserted planet and would definitely build his base on a flouris.h.i.+ng planet. He would then be able to enjoy the NPC resources of the planet and use the geographical location to make up for the lack of NPCs in his base.
After searching for a long time in the Garton Star System map, he finally chose a planet in G.o.dora's territory called Planet Golden Gate. It was very near to Juberly Hub, and he would be able to easily arrive at the star zone where Planet Aquamarine was located. This meant that transportation would be extremely convenient. On top of that, the planet was sufficiently prosperous, and from a player's perspective, all the necessary features were present. There were shops, entertainment outlets, missions…
There were two reasons behind Han Xiao's choice. Firstly, his Favorability with G.o.dora was high, so it was easier for him to get things done. Furthermore, he would be able to enjoy a discount. Secondly, he would be able to lower his expenses on setting up weapons. A powerful fleet would definitely be stationed within G.o.dora's territory, and DarkStar would not dare create trouble there. After getting rid of Anur a while back, Han Xiao had decided to place safety as a priority.
Furthermore, since they were in G.o.dora's territory, they would be able to filter out the players who joined DarkStar. With the Germinal Organization as an example, Han Xiao did not wish for there to be a bunch of spies in his base.
Among all of the planets, Planet Golden Gate was the top choice.
After choosing his target, Han Xiao did not delay any further and left Noriosse.
Because Risda had joined their group, the Blacklight Stealth became their new s.h.i.+p. Its speed was extremely fast and movements agile. They no longer had to worry about being surrounded by enemies.
Planet Golden Gate was not a large planet, but because it was situated near Juberly Hub, it was very prosperous. Planet Golden Gate had plenty of different cities, and setting up a base there required the purchase of a permit. With the Renown of the Black Star Mercenary Group being sufficiently high within the Garton Star System, together with the fact that their relations.h.i.+p with G.o.dora was pretty good, there was no problem in the application of the permit.
After spending a large amount of money, Han Xiao managed to buy a piece of land, and the efficiency of settling all the paperwork was extremely high. With the sheer size of the universe, land was abundant, and it was unbelievably cheap for an ordinary immigrant to purchase a house.
With the current wealth in his hands, Han Xiao did not have any intention of building a large main city yet. He did not have enough people or money. He only needed a fixed base for his Mercenary Group.
As for the design of the base, it had to be sufficiently big. Apart from providing a large number of players with a region to hang out, he needed to leave s.p.a.ce for military factories. On top of that, he had to ensure that the roads are well designed and regions demarcated so that the players would not get lost in the base. Most importantly, the base had to be impressive and sufficiently high cla.s.s.
With the sheer scale of the construction, Han Xiao naturally did not intend to do so himself. He contacted a construction company to build the place according to his designs. From the construction to the purchase of materials and transportation, every single aspect required a large amount of wealth.
While he was starting to build his first base, Ember had returned to the headquarters of DarkStar. At that time, the upper echelons of DarkStar were having a meeting to discuss the incident on Noriosse.
In the mysterious headquarters of DarkStar, ten or so individuals were gathered in a hall. Some were present physically while others joined the meeting through a holographic projection. Their faces were all hidden as they sat on a circular table.
Everyone in the room was at the highest level in the DarkStar organization. There were some Calamity Grade Supers, fleet commanders, logistics directors, intelligence agents, research staff, and the leader in charge of all affairs.
The majority of their ident.i.ties were secret and not privy to outsiders. At this moment, the atmosphere was extremely heavy. With the traitor alive, all of their ident.i.ties could be exposed, and they were all in a terrible mood.
Ember was also in the room. After reaching the Calamity Grade, he had the right to be present in that room. From time to time, the other members seated at the table would look at him with an unfriendly gaze.
Because of his mission failure, all of them had to endure the risk of being exposed, so they could not help but blame Ember, the only one who had returned alive.
Noticing the gazes of the others, Ember knew that he was in the wrong and could only remain silent.
Beside him was an empty seat.
That seat had belonged to Anur.
With his respected teacher dead, every time he saw this empty chair, Ember would be reminded of Han Xiao. The flames of rage would then burn, and he would spend a great amount of effort to suppress it.
After a long period of silence, the leader of DarkStar opened his mouth. “Anur died in combat, and the traitor was saved by G.o.dora. This mission was a complete failure.”
“Before the traitor gained access to the top-secret intel, I froze his authority,” the person in charge of intelligence said with a hoa.r.s.e voice. “The intel in his hands is only a small portion. This is the only good news.”
“Is the traitor aware of the mutation virus?”
“No, he isn't aware about our plan. This requires a higher level of authority.”
“That's good. This is an important step in our plan, and nothing can go wrong. It won't be too long before the virus spreads, and G.o.dora will be forced to send out a great deal of manpower to protect the affected civilizations. We will be able to seize the initiative…”
The leader of DarkStar then paused and changed topics. “I am extremely disappointed in the outcome of this mission. Not only did we let the traitor escape, we had even lost a Calamity Grade doyen. Ember, you have truly let me down this time.”
Ember clenched his fists and said with difficulty, “Something went wrong in the mission.”
“You are trying to say that as long as something goes wrong, you won't be able to handle it?”
Ember noticed the chill in the leader's voice and lowered his head without answering.
At this moment, another member spoke up. “This was your first mission after becoming a Grade A Super. To think that the outcome would be so embarra.s.sing! Aren't you ashamed? I truly wonder if you have the right to be in this room.”
The one who spoke was another respected Calamity Grade who had even more influence than Anur. He was the vice leader and the right-hand man of the leader.
Ember's clenched fists tightened, but he did not retort. After becoming a Calamity Grade Super, he had been full of ambition and pride. However, this mission had ended in complete failure, so he was starting to doubt himself.
“I saw the mission report. G.o.dora's Nagakin joint hands with a mercenary to kill Anur. That mercenary is called Black Star.” The DarkStar leader changed the topic and did not allow the others to continue blaming Ember. It was sufficient to warn him, and it was not necessary to humiliate him.
“Kill him!” Ember said without hesitation.
“He is Ames' subordinate, and I do not wish to have a conflict with someone like the Dragon Emperor before the start of our mutation virus plan,” the leader of DarkStar said. “I will make that mercenary pay the price, but not now.”
“He has caused us to suffer losses over and over again, and he is an enemy whom we must eradicate. We cannot wait any longer!” Ember could not help but retort. He wished that he could reduce Han Xiao to ashes in front of him.
The one in charge of intelligence said calmly, “According to my intel, Black Star is building a base on Planet Golden Gate. That planet is within G.o.dora's territory. If we want to get rid of him, we will have to send a large fleet. To incite such a huge battle with G.o.dora at this important stage, do you want to ruin the organization's plan?”
“This is worth it!” Ember grit his teeth and insisted on his view.
“Enough!” The leader of DarkStar interrupted Ember. “From now on, cease all other activities on the outside until the mutation virus spreads. I do not wish to repeat myself. The meeting shall end here.”
All the upper echelons did not say another word and went offline. Those who were there personally left the meeting room. Only Ember was left in his seat with a look of indignation. Looking at the empty room, a trace of anger flashed through his eyes.
