On April 1st, Year 782 of the Galaxy Calendar, the three Universal Civilizations jointly issued a sanction order against the entire Beyond Grade A Association. On April 3rd, the Beyond Grade A Association responded, and both parties officially tore aside all pretenses. The organizations of the various Star Fields moved separately in response to the influence of the sanctions, and it was not until April 26th that a clear pattern was finally formed.

Ever since the return of the Immortals on March 10th, in just a short month and a half, the situation of the Galactic Society had been changing rapidly, full of turbulence. The Beyond Grade A Association had found new allies. The Super Star Cluster Alliance opposed the sanctions and issued a righteous criticism, believing that the three Universal Civilizations were abusing their power. Thus, the Super Star Cluster turned to support the Association, and this resulted in the open confrontation of the Association with the three Universal Civilizations.

Because of the response from various civilizations, many of the Beyond Grade A organizations started to shrink, their branches and bases established in the civilizations also having to relocate. Some moved into the desolate universe belt, while some shifted to the Flickering World as an industrial relocation. The Beyond Grade A organizations that originally had a territory in the Flickering World were like sweet rice cakes, causing the other Beyond Grade As to congregate there like ants.

Among them, some of the Beyond Grade As who had established organizations within the three Universal Civilizations suffered even more, having their industries and bases temporarily closed.

The three Universal Civilizations had mobilized the entire Galactic Society to seal off any development of the Beyond Grade A Association. A large number of Beyond Grade A Organizations had thus been hit, their scale shrinking. The stock prices of their listed consortiums were also plummeting.

At the same time, the organizations that support the Association had also been targeted by the three Universal Civilizations. Among them was Planet Aquamarine, which had their diplomatic relationships completely cut off, forcing them to be self-sufficient. The weaker the organization, the more serious the targeting. In contrast, the Super Star Cluster Alliance did not feel as though there was much impact. They were already used to being targeted, so the situation was already so bad that making it worse made no real difference.

A portion of people believed that the goal of the sanctions was to cut off the wings of the Beyond Grade As. If they had no more followers and industries, then the influence of the Beyond Grade As would be suppressed to the lowest level, isolated from the rest of the Galactic Society. However, others believed that while the three Universal Civilizations were decisive in their actions, this was not a permanent cure, and it might not be able to deal with the Beyond Grade A themselves, let alone attack their organizations.

Both theories had a large number of supporters, but the undisputed fact was that the smell of gunpowder was growing ever stronger in the Galactic Society. As the times became more sensitive, the emotions of the interstellar citizens gradually turned more fanatical, manipulated by propaganda.

Beyond the sight of the majority, the Galactic Black Market in various regions had become a secret battlefield, with frequent incidents and fights. A tug of war for control of the black market had begun.

…

At a neutral transit station planet in the Shattered Star Ring…

Among row after row of high-rise buildings, several low-altitude, flying vehicles whizzed through the city at high speed, disrupting the flow of traffic and frequently causing accidents.

These vehicles belonged to two groups of people, those fleeing and the pursuers. The pursued had superb driving skills and constantly made use of various difficult maneuvers to avoid obstacles along the way. They drove extremely fast in the complicated road conditions.

“Faster, they’re about to catch up!”

“Shut up, don’t distract me!”

In the escape vehicle at the front, a lizard man covered in red scales was jumping around anxiously. He kept looking at the rear-view mirror while a burly man in a mechanical suit was operating the vehicle with a solemn expression. In the rear cabin were a group of passengers swaying from side to side.

This group of people were a group of local black-market operators. On the surface, they had a legal shell corporation, but in reality, they had a few secret black market business channels in their hands. They belonged to a group of social clubs that had a name on the black-market organization. As a low-level distribution channel, they had always been living on this neutral planet, enjoying life like gods.

However, not long ago, the social clubs were infiltrated by spies from unknown organizations. Their territories and businesses were attacked by unknown militants one after another, and they suffered heavy losses. The core members of the clubs were also hunted down and could only resort to hiding.

Just a moment ago, their hiding place had been discovered, and they had hurriedly escaped with their vehicles. A few teams of armed enemies had been chasing them relentlessly, and both sides had been running for their lives in the bustling city.

“Who are these people? When we fought them, they were clearly well trained. They don’t look like they’re scattered soldiers. They’re probably professional armed organizations. Why would they come to us?” The burly man’s tone was solemn.

The Lizardman was furious. “What sh*t do I know? These people appeared out of nowhere. I don’t even know how and when I provoked them!”

“Could it be that our competitors invited mercenaries?”

“I don’t care what happens to him. All I care about now is whether I can escape!” the Lizardman shouted.

Just as he finished speaking, the flying vehicle passed by an intersection. Suddenly, a pursuer that had circled to the front appeared out of nowhere and crashed into them.

Boom!

There was a huge shock, followed by a sudden force. The passengers in the cabin did not have time to react and were all slammed into the cabin wall.

The high-speed vehicle was knocked over by the other party slamming into its waist. It rolled in the air before smashing into the outer wall of a building. Sparks flew and metal was torn apart. The vehicle was embedded into the wall, emitting black smoke. The anti-gravity engine flickered a few times before it turned off with a hum.

Everyone was dizzy from the crash.

Clutching his head, the burly man crawled up and kicked open the deflated hatch. He saw that the pursuers had already surrounded him, and the two sides of the enemy’s vehicle were loaded with live bullets, aiming at the immobile target.

The traffic accident had attracted a lot of spectators, and they all drove their vehicles to watch from afar, forming a circle. However, the pursuers did not seem to mind shooting in the middle of the city, as if they did not care about the security forces on this planet.

Seeing this, everyone in the cabin looked terrified and desperate.

These gray people who ran the black market also did not dare start a battle in the city. However, these people did not have any scruples at all and were even more vicious than them. They were simply lawless brutes.

“I still have three million Enas in my savings. I can’t accept this!”

The Lizardman was scared out of his wits. He collapsed to the ground and could not stand up.

At this time, the burly man grabbed his collar and took out a palm-sized metal ball from his arms. He pressed the button on the top of the metal ball, and the ball lit up.

“Don’t! This thing will blow up the entire street!”

The Lizardman immediately tried to snatch it back but was kicked to the ground by the burly man.

“Don’t be silly. Didn’t you bring this bomb just in case? Since they want to kill us, let’s see if they will die together with us!”

The burly man had a vicious look on his face. He raised the bomb high and turned around, preparing to shout.

However, right at this moment, the sound of a meteor falling suddenly rang out as it rapidly approached!

Pew! Boom!

A figure shrouded in red flames descended from the sky and kicked out at one of the pursuers, akin to Buddha’s Pa… no, Feet.

A huge force burst out, and the carrier plummeted to the ground, exploding into flames.

This figure jumped and landed in the huge pit created by the vehicles of the people in the black market. He gave a thumbs up and a wide-toothed smile as he stood in front of lizardman and company, protecting them.

“Don’t be afraid. You’re safe now.”

Hearing this, everyone put on an uncertain expression. The burly man turned to look at the Lizardman and asked, “You called for reinforcements?”

“No…” The Lizardman looked confused, doubting himself.” Did I?”

The burly man’s face twitched, and he turned to look at this sudden support. “Who are you? Why did you save us?”

“Don’t ask me. I’m just doing a mission. As for who I am, you should recognize this emblem, right?”

This person turned around and showed a symbol on his clothes. Everyone looked at it and shivered.

There was almost no one in the universe who did not recognize this pattern.

“You’re from the Black Star Army‽”

“To be precise, I’m one of the Army’s Immortals. You can call me Crispy Chicken Wings.” This person grinned. He was indeed a player.

Hearing this, everyone was shocked.

Why have the infamous Immortals suddenly come to help? We clearly had no contact with the Black Star Army at all!

“Wait till I get rid of these people. Stay behind me obediently.”

At this moment, the pursuers suddenly opened fire, and densely packed bullets rained down on them. The bullets were extremely fast, almost forming a line. As soon as Crispy Chicken Wings spoke, a blue shield popped out, protecting the paralyzed vehicles of the black market.

The next second, the Pugilist flames on Crispy Chicken Wings gathered in the palms of his hands, forming a red energy wave.

Boom!

A blazing red beam of light pulsed outward like a whip, hitting all the vehicles.

The next moment, these vehicles turned into fireworks in the sky and the people within were killed instantly, scaring the crowd away.

To Grade B players, this was a common occurrence. There was no difficulty involved.

Crispy Chicken Wings clapped his hands and chuckled. “Problem solved.”

Seeing this, the Lizardman finally had the strength to get up. He snatched the bomb back from the burly man’s hands and turned it off, glaring at him before walking toward Crispy Chicken Wings. “You saved my life. How should I thank you?”

“You don’t have to thank me. From now on, I’m your boss.”

The Lizardman was stunned for a moment before he exclaimed in surprise, “Are you recruiting me to join the Black Star Army?”

“In your dreams. Do you think you can enter the army just because you want to?” Crispy Chicken Wing did not stand on ceremony and rolled his eyes. “What I mean is, I will temporarily take over your black market business. This is an order from the higher-ups. This is the certificate from your black market organization.”

As he spoke, he took out his communicator and displayed a document.

Everyone browsed through it, only feeling shock and surprise.

This was a permit that was recognized by the black market organization. The document stated that the three Universal Civilizations had begun to infiltrate the black market on a large scale, and many of the black market channels had already been uprooted. Therefore, in order to maintain the stability of the galactic black market, the black market organization would send some people to temporarily take over the black market and requested for them to cooperate as much as possible.

Usually, black market organizations would not interfere with ordinary black market operators, but this time, they issued a rare notice.

The people who took over the black markets were all members of the Beyond Grade A organizations, and the players of the Black Star Army were among them.

While everyone was still processing, Crispy Chicken Wings opened the interface and looked at his mission list.

_____________

Army Transfer Order: Takeover of the Black Market (1)

Mission Introduction: Due to the sanctions of the three Universal Civilizations, the Beyond Grade A Association plans to further control the galactic black market. The Black Star Army has decided to send you to take over and integrate the black market channels of a planet. However, your contact seems to be in danger and needs your help.

Mission Requirements: Rescue the black market operators who are being chased.

This mission is part of a series of related missions. The final reward depends on the mission rating.

Current Mission Status: Completed

_____________

This was a mission issued by the Black Star Army not long ago, and many players had accepted it. They split up and went to different planets to take over the local black market. Because the players rarely had the chance to be independent, they found it interesting and refreshing.

Furthermore, compared to exploring the Flickering World, taking over and integrating the black market of a planet had a lot more problems to consider. The mission environment was more complicated, which was more challenging to the players.

This was just a corner of the black market, and the same thing happened on many planets in the various Star Fields.

…

“The players have already entered the black market. The situation is not bad…”

In the Black Star Palace office, Han Xiao looked at the star map, nodding as he observed the movements of the players.

The Galactic Black Market was currently the focus of the battle between the association and the three Universal Civilizations. The three Universal Civilizations did not personally take part in the battle, and the people they sent to infiltrate the black market were not direct descendants but subordinates of subsidiary organizations. They had already clashed with the many people sent by the Beyond Grade A Association, both sides suffering from casualties.

Among them, the progress of the army was the smoothest. The players were as useful as ever, unlike the other organizations, which could not be as extravagant as the Black Star Army.

Han Xiao gave this mission to the players. It served two purposes, to provide fertilizer for the players and to allow the players to enter the frontlines of the battle and maintain their interest.

Scattering them out on different planets to manage their own black market businesses was akin to letting them be birds flying in the sky, free as the wind. He was also curious about how these players would react.

At this moment, his communicator vibrated. An officer had sent a message.

“Commander, someone is here to visit you. She doesn’t have an appointment, but she claims to be an old acquaintance of yours.”

Hearing this, Han Xiao raised his brows.

“Someone I know? How close? What’s their name?”

“She said her name is Rossellin.”