Chapter 581: Refres.h.i.+ng Everyone's Understanding
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Phillip's scan quickly located the origins of this person.
The person talking was an Army Commander called Justin. He was a Mage, and the Expeditionary Army that he led was a large mercenary group in one of the Star Systems within the Colton Star Cl.u.s.ter. He was a comrade who had been called there by the Purple Gold Army.
The top-notch mercenary groups within the Shattered Star Ring had their own circle, and Han Xiao had paid close attention to the various famous mercenary groups in the region. In the past, he did not have any dealings with the Expeditionary Army.
As Floating Dragon's Field Team, Black Star had gained a place within this circle because of the Dragon Emperor's fame. Justin had also heard about Black Star before and knew that despite the small size of the Black Star Mercenary Group, they were a special bunch.
While the other large mercenary groups were willing to network with Black Star due to Floating Dragon, he did not have such an interest. When roaming in the mercenary world, he had seen far too many things. So what if the Dragon Emperor was powerful? Justin felt that both of their jobs were completely different. He did not wish to provoke the Dragon Emperor but was too lazy to network with her.
To him, Han Xiao was no more than a fellow mercenary who he had heard of before. He did not have anything against Han Xiao but could not help but speak the truth and doubt the size of Black Star's Mercenary Group.
While Black Star had a large network, they were about to take part in a war, which carried a huge risk. As an experienced mercenary, Justin doubted that his comrade had the strength to fight alongside him.
If a third-rate mercenary was hired and caused the battle line to collapse, everyone would be affected.
The way Justin saw it, Black Star was no more than a third-rate mercenary who was there to join in the fun. All of them had to shoulder the burden of the war, but what kind of a burden could Black Star shoulder? Their remuneration was earned through placing their lives on the line, but Black Star would be able to earn his by slacking off at the back. Thus, Justin was not too pleased.
“Since we are going to partic.i.p.ate in a war, every Army present has over a hundred battles.h.i.+ps and a few ten thousand mercenaries invested into the battle,” Justin said with a deep voice. “How many troops can you bring out?”
The other Army Commanders looked at Justin before looking at the standing Han Xiao and did not interrupt.
None of them present were aware that the battle in which they were about to partic.i.p.ate was a result of Han Xiao's actions. With a lack of information, they naturally thought that Han Xiao was only making use of his network to earn a quick buck.
While they did not say anything, all of them felt this way.
“Army Commander Justin, your doubts are justified and understandable,” Han Xiao replied with a calm expression. Everyone present had some kind of status, and it was not wrong for them to voice their doubts.
It was also the best opportunity for him to refresh the understanding that those Army Commanders had of the Black Star Army. Since they were about to fight together, he naturally had to display sufficient strength to put all of them at ease.
“All of your understanding of me is a little outdated. My Black Star Army has already expanded, and we are no longer the same as before. We now have more than ten thousand mercenaries, and they all have the strength of Grade C at least.”
“More than ten thousand Supers‽”
Justin's eyes widened in shock, and the other Army Commanders were also dumbfounded.
Such a scale was something that even they found frightening.
Just a while ago, the Black Star Mercenary Group had only been a middle-sized mercenary group. How did they grow so rapidly?
Many of them doubted the validity of Han Xiao's words, and Han Xiao immediately got Phillip to pull up the registration file of the Black Star Army.
Justin did not say another thing. Black Star did indeed have the right to partic.i.p.ate in this war with those numbers.
At this moment, Han Xiao's gaze swept past everyone present and said, “Everyone knows about the immortals under my charge, right?”
Everyone nodded. It was no secret that Black Star had a couple of immortal mercenaries under him.
Han Xiao smiled and added, “These new recruits are all immortals.”
The entire room fell silent.
“They are all immortals‽” Gureja stood up abruptly and broke the silence.
All the other Army Commanders also snapped back into their senses.
All of them understood the significance of those words. This meant that the mercenaries would never be 'expended', and the Black Star Army would always maintain its size. Furthermore, they would be able to take on risky missions without the slightest bit of hesitation and would not need to worry about deaths or compensation!
This was like their dream team!
More than ten thousand low grade Supers would be enough to rank any Mercenary Group at the top. If those Supers were immortals, they could only imagine what kind of a stir this would create in the mercenary world.
They would be the best cannon fodder… no, partners!
Many of them could not help but think about Han Xiao's other ident.i.ty.
The Black Star Army was also the Field Team of Floating Dragon!
These immortals would be the strength of Floating Dragon after their expansion!
Just when Justin was tongue tied, he heard Han Xiao's voice.
“Army Commander Justin, these are the forces that I have brought for the battle. Are you satisfied?” Han Xiao asked.
Justin's mouth cramped up and had nothing to say.
“Or do you doubt my personal strength? If you have any doubts, we can have a little spar.” Han Xiao raised his brows. He was not angered by Justin doubting him, but since he wanted to display his strength, it was best for him to take on a harder stance.
Gureja coughed and resolved the situation. “Black Star single handedly fought off three Calamity Grade Supers recently and tanked a main cannon. While the news may have been exaggerated slightly, I believe that the majority is still the truth. I believe no one here will doubt your combat capability.”
Justin then stood up with a solemn expression with his height only up to Han Xiao's waist. Raising his arm out toward the sofa, he invited Han Xiao to take a seat.
“I apologize for my doubts previously. Please take a seat.”
Just when Han Xiao was about to take a seat, he interrupted Han Xiao's actions with his words. Now that he understood the strength of the Black Star Army, Justin naturally admitted his mistake and invited Han Xiao to take a seat.
The moment Justin took a step back, the other Army Commanders nodded in agreement, and the atmosphere became lively again.
Han Xiao sat beside Underworld Feather, and Herlous and his other officers sat behind him.
After he sat down, Underworld Feather handed him a bag of snacks.
“You want?”
“What is this?” Han Xiao looked into the bag, which was filled with a pile of black dried meat.
“Dried lizards. I made it myself,” Underworld Feather said with her brows raised.
Han Xiao hesitated for a moment before picking up a piece and eating it. He then asked curiously, “What kind of lizards did you use to make this?”
“I once completed a mission to wipe out an entire lizard tribe.” Underworld Feather picked up another piece and ate it merrily.
Han Xiao placed the second piece that he had just picked up back down.
She was truly too ferocious.
Underworld Feather was a female Dark Elf and had all the characteristics of one. Her chest and a.s.s were well developed, and she had the beauty of an elf. Her physique was strong and healthy, and she looked like a lazy panther. She had inherited the cold blooded and blood thirsty nature of the Dark Elves. Despite looking tender and flirtatious, no one dared underestimate her. She was like a female dragon.
The Dark Underworld Army that she led had the background of a civilization, and her backing was a magic civilization led by elves belonging to the Colton Star Cl.u.s.ter.
In the universe, elves were also known as the long ears clan and had the ability to hear the sound of nature. They had many different species such as Child of the Forest, Tall Elf, Dark Elf, and so on. The elves were not considered common in the universe, but they were not especially rare either.
It was not too strange for a mercenary group that was half run by a civilization to exist. Because of the agreements between civilizations, any movement of a civilization's army was extremely sensitive. As such, it was much more convenient to grow a private army. Completing their mercenary missions was no more than a cover for their private and more sensitive missions in the dark.
Many civilizations would groom such an army in the dark, and there were many such examples within the top mercenary circle of the Shattered Star Ring. In fact, Han Xiao's Black Star Army was also Floating Dragon's Field Team in name.
The higher one climbed in the universe, the more complicated things would get. The universe was far too large, and no single organization or individual would be able to dominate it.
Gureja led the meeting ahead of their battle to allocate everyone's role clearly. Han Xiao kept quiet throughout the entire meeting and did not say a word.
“Black Star, what role are you going to take?” Someone asked.
Han Xiao thought for a while before saying, “I will take care of them if a melee fight breaks out.”
He did not wish to partic.i.p.ate in the battle between s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps at all. He would have to repair the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps if they were damaged, and it would not be worth it. Furthermore, he only had twenty or so s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps with him, and the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps were mainly used for transportation, not battle.
Since the players were not afraid of death, they would be the best choice to deal with the DarkStar warriors.
After a short discussion, the jobs of the various armies were decided, and the Army Commanders dispersed.
Han Xiao boarded the BlackLight Stealth and returned to his own fleet. Looking out of the window, his twenty or so s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps were currently following the troops of the alliance.
The players had just entered the galaxy, and everything was still extremely fresh to them. However, Han Xiao understood that if they got rid of DarkStar now, many of the future storylines would disappear.
In his previous life, the players could only join G.o.dora or DarkStar. After entering the galaxy, both parties would be in opposing factions. However, this was completely changed because of Han Xiao's presence. As such, this meant that all the players no longer had this Main Storyline.
The way Han Xiao saw it, while he did not want to give up the missions, getting rid of DarkStar was a must.
The storyline between DarkStar and G.o.dora has been replaced by me. To the players, joining the Black Star Army has become their new Main Storyline. This is the best time to cultivate the player's sense of belonging. If I can borrow the strength of the players to expand, I will also be able to let them feel a sense of honor. It seems like I need a few big events to let the players feel a sense of accomplishment. This attack on DarkStar can be the beginning.
Han Xiao was extremely concerned about the players. The acc.u.mulation in Version 2.0 was extremely important, and it was akin to building a strong foundation.
The players formed the core of his plan in Version 2.0 because the next version refresh would only take place ten years later. While it was still a while before the end of Version 2.0, Han Xiao was used to making preparations early.
However, he had to first take care of the battle before him.
Opening his communicator, Han Xiao looked at the message sent by Risda.
DarkStar's troops were scattered around the different regions of the Garton Star System, and the largest cl.u.s.ter had gathered a total of six mothers.h.i.+ps as though they were planning another attack. The other mothers.h.i.+ps were roaming the galaxy independently.
The location of the six mothers.h.i.+ps would probably be the main battlefield for the mercenaries.
The war was about to begin.
At the same time on a DarkStar mothers.h.i.+p, Degulish and the others were in a meeting again to discuss their next plan. This time, their leader had given the order for them to attack the Rainbow Prison.
Their previous two a.s.saults had failed, and they were not able to increase G.o.dora's losses or get rid of Black Star. Before they could find a way to get rid of Black Star, DarkStar had decided not to touch the calamity planets but attack the Rainbow Prison instead. They wanted to save their former comrades. There were even a few Calamity Grade Supers locked up in there.
DarkStar took action without any fear or wariness. With G.o.dora being in the light and them in the dark, DarkStar was confident that their ambush work.
However, DarkStar did not know that they had already lost the advantage of being hidden, and their locations had been exposed by Han Xiao. A calamity capable of wiping DarkStar out was brewing silently, and they were completely unaware of that.
Just as Degulish and the others were planning their next mission, Ember suddenly frowned and pressed down on his chest.
For some odd reason, he had a bad premonition.
