Chapter 1223 Choice

Han Xiao speculated what EsG.o.d would think. EsG.o.d's first reaction would not be to think that he knew about this long ago but that the dynasty's research on that wormhole data had come to a result. Hence, he would suddenly have a little bit of hope. In such a desperate situation, there was a very high chance he would give up resisting. From the results, Han Xiao won the bet.

Deception was a way of the war; conquering the enemy's mind was the smarter strategy. If not because he used this to successfully intimidate EsG.o.d, he would have spent much more time capturing him, and there would have been a lot of uncertainties.

"Speaking of which, this is this b*stard's second time going in…"

Han Xiao looked at EsG.o.d, who was in the amber, and sighed.

Ignoring all other factors, EsG.o.d was really a very pure person. In order to reach his goal, he was willing to do anything in the world. As long as one did not get in his way, he would not do anything, and vice versa.

While he was looking at EsG.o.d, the dynasty fleet around instantly stopped attacking upon seeing that the mission was complete and retracted their weapons.

Tons of parts of mechanical soldiers floated in the battlefield. Some were even destroyed by the attacks of the dynasty fleet. In order to dish out as much damage as possible to EsG.o.d, they could not be concerned with causing damage to their ally. Even Han Xiao was confused as to whether these teammates of his were attacking EsG.o.d or him.

He deactivated the Mechanical Deity. Mechanical Force shot out from his hands and turned into electrical chains, linked onto the shattered parts, and a.s.sembling them back into mechanical soldiers using Advanced Machinery Construction.

This time, the fleet commander heaved a sigh of relief in the communication channel and said, "Luckily, we set up enough traps in advance and had the edge. If not, we wouldn't have been able to capture him again while paying such a small price… Alright, please give EsG.o.d to us. We'll find a place to lock him up."

His tone was formal.

As Black Star was the one who requested to release EsG.o.d to check on him, capturing him again was not considered a contribution, but letting him get free would have been a huge demerit. Therefore, this was a mission that required a lot of effort but gave no merits, so the fleet commander did not feel appreciative toward Han Xiao.

Capturing EsG.o.d this time looked easy, but that was because they had too big an edge. EsG.o.d was immobile before, which was why they could set up an encirclement any way they wanted, letting EsG.o.d, who was in a weakened state, out after being fully prepared. If EsG.o.d was free in the beginning, there was no way he would have been surrounded by this many traps.

A few dynasty s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps came to take the prisoner away. Han Xiao stood in place for a while as he watched them bring EsG.o.d away. Only then did the dynasty fleet turn off all the s.p.a.cetime stabilization devices.

He curled his lips, opened the dimension factory, and stuffed his mechanical army into it for repairs. After rejecting the invitation of boarding the s.h.i.+ps, he took out a King mechanical army and disappeared.

The next moment, he appeared in a machinery factory that was no longer in the Constellation Corridor. He crossed multiple Star Fields directly and arrived in Black Star Palace that was in the Flickering World instantly, using the 'Throne' in his private workshop.

Beep beep beep!

At this time, the communicator rang timely. Han Xiao took it out, and as he expected, it was a call from Urranrell.

As she used her ruler rights to approve Han Xiao's request to open EsG.o.d's seal to check his status, she had been paying attention to the live broadcast the whole time, so she called right after it ended.

"Black Star, I've seen the process. Looks like your worries did not come true."

Urranrell nodded.

"…Maybe." Han Xiao shook his head.

EsG.o.d's body was still very much alive and not an empty sh.e.l.l, so in the dynasty's eyes, this was undoubtedly his original body, and their doubts were cleared.

Although he had confirmed EsG.o.d and Gaud's relations.h.i.+p through this, he could not use the information from the interface to convince the dynasty.

Although EsG.o.d showed signs of his soul being torn, the difficulty of verifying that was way too high.

First of all, EsG.o.d would certainly resist and not possibly obediently accept the check. Plus, they could not check on EsG.o.d when he was locked inside the s.p.a.cetime Amber.

Secondly, EsG.o.d's level was too high. Only an extremely few peak Beyond Grade As in the universe who were experts in the soul territory could investigate his soul fully, which would also require EsG.o.d to not put up a fight. This was like the difference between using one's ability to attack and using it to cure a sickness; the latter required much more precision.

Thirdly, on the surface, the effects of having a weakened soul and torn soul coincided. It would be extremely difficult to differentiate them. Both could be seen as the side effects of being locked up by the s.p.a.cetime Amber.

Even if all of those difficulties were overcome and EsG.o.d's soul was proven to be in a torn state, there was no way he could prove the connection between EsG.o.d and Gaud to the dynasty. The evidence was too weak.

Considering all the factors, Han Xiao felt that there was close to no way he could find any solid proof on this matter.

Urranrell did not have many doubts and said, "Being worried is a good thing. At least what you did got rid of a possible problem for the dynasty, and now we can safely lock EsG.o.d up without having to worry. Plus, you captured EsG.o.d again without paying much of a price. You didn't disappoint me."

She did not feel what Han Xiao did was completely unnecessary. She was the one who gave the order, and Black Star executed it only after she approved it. Now that the matter was settled, it was not a bad thing but a good thing. From her perspective, this operation was a form of rea.s.surance.

"I guess…"

Han Xiao was not in the mood to say much. He casually chatted for a while and went offline afterward. He looked somewhat upset.

Urranrell had already done a lot for him. There was absolutely no merit in this operation. Instead, she had to bear the risk of letting EsG.o.d escape and the responsibility of approving the operation that caused it. At the end of her term, she definitely had to focus on keeping a low profile and making sure everything was going on smoothly. Willingly approving his proposal was already a sign of her strong trust in him; he could not ask her to do more.

If EsG.o.d… no, Gaud wanted to completely wipe his history clean, he most certainly did everything the dynasty asked him to do and nothing else while he was weak, not showing any signs of his ulterior motives. Han Xiao was not able to find any solid evidence this time, so he could not accuse Gaud of anything.

Without solid evidence, the dynasty had no reason to believe in his accusations and test the loyalty of a direct Beyond Grade A member out of nowhere. Therefore, this method was definitely not going to work.

If Gaud really decided to take the lawful path, even if he found evidence, as long as it was not completely definitive, the dynasty might not even want to recognize it so that they could avoid losing a direct Beyond Grade A member with infinite potential. This was not completely impossible.

I'll have to make other plans. Since there's no way to convince the dynasty to investigate Gaud thoroughly, I can only do it myself…

Han Xiao frowned and pondered.

If he was to attack Gaud secretly and it was discovered, he would undoubtedly be in astronomical trouble.

Even if he did it secretly enough, the dynasty would also put in a tremendous amount of effort to search for the culprit. Due to the organizational nature of the Beyond Grade A a.s.sociation, it would certainly become a key target for the dynasty's investigation, which would also cause an enormous storm. It might even become the fuse of a new Tragedy of the Pinnacles.

Han Xiao had to admit that the method Gaud used to wipe his history clean was impeccable. He became a direct member of one of the three Universal Civilizations, acquiring super powerful protection. If something happened to him, more Beyond Grade As might be dragged down with him.

However, if he was left alone, the entire explored universe would be in danger. He was a colossal hidden threat. This was especially true because this b*stard already got into the insides of the dynasty. G.o.d only knew what storm he would stir up. He might even end up being the usher for the World Tree Civilization.

Furthermore, Gaud's Esper Ability had way too much potential. He was still considered easy to deal with now that he had only just entered the Beyond Grade A territory, but as he grew stronger, he would rapidly become tougher to deal with.

"What a dilemma…" Han Xiao rubbed his nose and was a little troubled.

Sometimes, there was no perfect solution, and a decision had to be made between two bad choices.

His thoughts fought internally for a while, and he finally made up his mind.

I must get rid of this time bomb as early as possible before he grows too strong. If I wait for him to show any flaws, it'll be too late!

Han Xiao clenched his teeth.

He started to brainstorm quickly, a.n.a.lyzing the possible consequences while coming up with all kinds of wicked plans.

The best method is to not let Gaud disappear out of nowhere but give a target the dynasty can vent its anger toward. With a direct target, no one else will be dragged down. Hence, not only do I have to avoid being suspected, but I must think of a way to frame it on someone else. I'll also have to consider what different impacts framing different people will cause…

Han Xiao's thoughts quickly spun, and he very soon had a rough plan.

Putting aside the differences between the detailed plans, there were only two choices in terms of execution. One was to do it himself secretly and find a way to frame it on someone else afterward. Another was to find a way to create a situation to lure others to attack Gaud so that he would not be suspected.

Not mentioning the former, the key factor of the latter was 'lure'. It was best for him not to be involved in any way, so calling his friends to murder Gaud was not doable.

For example, the Holy Accord organization had more than enough strength to kill Gaud, but Han Xiao could not possibly ask them to do it. This was the equivalent of handing his vulnerability right into their hands. The revived Primordial Ones all had their own philosophy and were not united, nor were they his subordinates. He could not ensure they would not leak this secret in the future… Plus, whether they would be willing to help or not was another matter.

The more people who knew about it, the higher the risk, no matter who he asked to help do it.

"No matter which path I take, I'll have to muddy the waters first…"

Han Xiao's eyes sparkled.

…

The Beyond Grade A a.s.sociation headquarters on Planet Finn were visited by a dynasty fleet.

Gaud walked out of the hatch. The dynasty's senior officer uniform reflected the light of the artificial sun like it was s.h.i.+ning.

"Welcome to Planet Finn, Your Excellency Gaud."

A receptionist who was wearing the a.s.sociation's uniform instantly approached with an enthusiastic smile.

The news of the dynasty acquiring a new direct Beyond Grade A member had already spread out among the high-cla.s.s circle, but it was only limited to the name Gaud and nothing else. The dynasty did not publicize too much information; they even controlled the flow of any information regarding Gaud. Therefore, many organizations were guessing Gaud's way of doing things and his specific abilities… This was the normal treatment for a new Beyond Grade A.

Gaud handed over the request to join the a.s.sociation with all the doc.u.ments needed. The Beyond Grade A a.s.sociation hosted a meeting just to welcome this new member. The staff was arranged long ago to wait for Gaud there.

"Lead the way." Gaud's tone was casual.

The two of them left the dock, boarded an anti-gravity carrier, and headed toward the spherical conference room at the top of the headquarters building in the middle of the city.

Looking down from the sky, the ground was filled with closely packed buildings. It was a highly advanced galactic city. The receptionist pointed out some of Planet Finn's hotspots on the way like a tour guide. Gaud did not stop him. He looked down and silently observed the streets that pa.s.sed by.

The various Beyond Grade A organizations had all set up their agencies there. In the last decade, Planet Finn had already become a prosperous galactic city. Flying carriers das.h.i.+ng across the sky formed the transport network.

Base level personnel in uniforms of different organizations could be seen everywhere on the streets. Gaud even saw quite a number of base-level office workers of the Black Star Army.

However, these organizations were just stationed there. The a.s.sociation's staff were the ones who were responsible for managing this planet.

The carrier arrived at the platform outside the conference room very soon. Gaud followed the receptionist into his personal lounge. As he was the focus of today's meeting and he had come with his original body, he had to wait for someone to notify him to enter the venue from another door.

After watching the receptionist leave and shut the door, Gaud casually picked up the snacks on the table and started chewing. He sized up the marvelous lounge, and his eyes were filled with enjoyment.

"The Beyond Grade As have been split up for so many years, only finally showing signs of unity in recent years. Black Star, Manison, and Kasuyi have done a really good job. Sadly, I did not wait for such a good time to arrive in the past… However, they probably wouldn't dare take in the most vicious criminal in the universe anyway. If I didn't change my ident.i.ty, all of this would have nothing to do with me."

Gaud could not help but sneer.

After gangs earned enough money, they would all consider wiping their history clean and turn to legal businesses. It was the same for him. Committing crimes was not his goal, just a path he took to acc.u.mulate enough strength.

After getting rid of his past ident.i.ty, he could now start a new life.

A while later, someone finally came to notify him to enter the venue.

Gaud stood up, patted his clothes, walked down the corridor all the way to the end, and pushed open the tall, exquisite gate. Light shone from within and entered his eyes.

A huge, round table conference room entered his sights. The remote projections of all the Beyond Grade A members were sitting in their own seats. They turned to face him simultaneously. Their eyes all focused on Gaud with all kinds of different emotions.

Gaud became the focal point of the entire venue. He looked around at the familiar faces and uncontrollably dazed off for a moment.

This was the first time he had appeared in front of most of the Beyond Grade As in the universe with his new ident.i.ty. Looks of hatred, hostility, and fear were no longer anywhere to be found. The hate and conflict of the past was all gone; his relations.h.i.+p with every one of them was completely new.

Being reborn had never felt so refres.h.i.+ng.

At this time, Manison, who sat in the main seat, nodded and said, "This friend here is Gaud. On behalf of all the members of the Beyond Grade A Development Union, I welcome you to the a.s.sociation."

"It's my honor to join the a.s.sociation." Gaud regained focus. A smile with unknown meaning appeared on his face as he placed his hand on his chest and did a universal greeting gesture.

Clotti, who had always been quiet, pointed at the empty seat beside and said, "You're a direct member of the dynasty. I've saved a seat for you. Come here and sit."

Seeing this, Gaud smiled, walked over, and sat beside Clotti. The entire row beside him was the seats for the direct members of the dynasty. It was like he had found his clique.

However, as soon as he sat down, a voice filled with a strong sense of curiosity sounded.

The content of what that person said made Gaud's calm heart skip a beat.

"Gaud, right? I heard your ability is the Super High Risk Esper Ability that only exists in theory, Energy Control! Is that true?"