The Legendary Mechanic

Somewhere in the unexplored universe, Han Xiao's figure appeared out of thin air with a flash of light.

"This is where the exploration team passed by…"

Looking at the coordinates, Han Xiao mumbled to himself.

The World Tree used all the intelligence of the exploration team as a medium, which naturally included the route of the exploration team. Destiny's Child also intercepted the detailed coordinates, so Han Xiao used the Multi-Dimensional Sky Opening Transportation Device to enter the coordinates and teleported to this unexplored area that the three Universal Civilizations had never set foot in.

The exploration team had passed by this place recently, so they were naturally not far away.

"According to the coordinates given by the Kunde Race, the exploration team is heading this way…"

Han Xiao took out the interstellar locator, adjusted his position, and locked onto a direction.

With the navigation coordinates, the exploration team would most likely advance in a straight line. Therefore, he could confirm the direction of the other party. Although the exploration team was very fast and had already run ahead, he could use this method to give chase.

With a flash of his Mechanical Force, the gate of the secondary dimensional army camp opened, and a large number of mechanical troops rushed out. Han Xiao led a group of troops and chased after them in a straight line to the navigation coordinates, while the rest of the mechanical troops scattered in different directions.

This was partly to be safe, as they were afraid that the exploration team would take a detour. Also, their task was to set up a stargate terminal nearby. The three Universal Civilizations had set up a terminal on the other side of the stargate, allowing the two sides to connect.

This was related to the next step of the plan that they had discussed before they set off. Due to the World Tree's devouring mechanism, the three Universal Civilizations did not wish to start a war in their own territory. This would be too passive, so they decided to use the stargate to send a large number of troops to this area and build a defensive circle along the exploration team's route. At the same time, they would stop the World Tree's subsequent exploration teams and increase the difficulty of infiltration.

Between the defense circle and the Flickering World, there was still a large area that had yet to be explored as a buffer zone. Even if the World Tree broke through the defense line, it would not be able to immediately attack the territory of the explored universe. This way, the three Universal Civilizations would be able to bombard the area as much as they wanted with their strategic weapons. They would try their best to eliminate the World Tree's strength to reduce the number of enemies attacking.

These were all necessary preparations. However, from Han Xiao's perspective, an all-out war would not erupt just because of this. He had learned about the World Tree's habits from Barbani. Even if it discovered that they had built a defensive circle, the World Tree would not attack rashly. It would most likely take a detour and find a way to infiltrate their base to steal intelligence instead.

The World Tree mainly focused on invasion. It looked very aggressive, but that was not the case. After Barbani's explanation, the World Tree's biggest advantage was that it had an endless supply of troops and its amazing radar technology, which was its hard strength and intelligence ability. Why was it always able to launch an all-out invasion? It did not rely on brute strength but more on having detailed information about the enemy before the battle, understanding their weaknesses and accurately striking straight at the hearts.

As Han Xiao calculated in his mind, he brought his mechanical army and activated hyperdrive, turning into streams of light that flew across the galaxy. All of them were equipped with high-speed hyperdrive engines, and with the support of Mechanical Force, they were even faster than the exploration team.

After chasing for a long time, the two spaceships of the exploration team appeared in his radar.

"It's indeed in this direction…"

Seeing that his target had appeared, Han Xiao heaved a sigh of relief. Destiny's Child was indeed powerful, or things would not have gone so smoothly.

The exploration team had activated a concealment device, but they could not avoid his detection, and he would not be easily discovered by a small exploration team.

Han Xiao had no intention of going up to communicate with them. He waved his hand and ordered a group of mechanical troops to set up a Space Stabilization Anchor to force the exploration team out of the hyperdrive mode. He then raised his long-range weapons and locked onto the two spaceships.

Not long after, the two spaceships of the exploration team crashed into the trap set up by the mechanical army. With a sudden jolt, their speed plummeted and returned to normal mode. Han Xiao opened fire without hesitation, and a thick stream of high-energy particles shot out from the muzzle and swept past the two spaceships.

The shields of the two spaceships shattered in the blink of an eye, and the bodies of the spaceships melted, disappearing without a trace. In an instant, both the spaceships and the personnel on board were annihilated. A small exploration team naturally could not withstand Han Xiao's attack.

Seeing that the target was successfully eliminated, Han Xiao shook his head, but he could not be happy. He knew that this was only the beginning.

Due to the connection of the World Tree's mind network, it was basically impossible to mislead this exploration team. Right now, the World Tree base camp definitely placed a lot of importance on the progress of the exploration team, so if anything went wrong, the World Tree would discover it. It was equivalent to the 'mainframe' having all the data prepared. He could hack the exploration team, but he could not hack the World Tree's main body. It was very easy to detect tampered data. By getting rid of the exploration team, he could only buy some time.

Han Xiao did not leave immediately. Instead, he gathered the spatial coordinates around him and summoned the construction team to set up the location.

…

At the same time, in the World Tree Civilization…

"…The mental network connection of the exploration team has been cut off. The members of the team have all been turned into seeds. They are suspected to have been attacked."

In the main hall of the Tree Kings, Tedrian stood under his throne and reported the situation with a shocked tone.

Due to the discovery of their prey, the World Tree Civilization had been paying close attention to the progress of the exploration team and had been communicating with the team telepathically. The moment the exploration team lost contact, the upper echelons noticed it.

"Enemy attack? Could it have been done by this unknown civilization? How did they discover the exploration team?"

The Tree King frowned.

At this moment, another Tree King sitting by the side laughed and slowly said, "It seems like this unknown civilization isn't simple. They either have a special anti-surveillance method similar to the information state alert network, or they built an outpost outside their territory… It's also possible that the refugees discovered by the exploration team were just a trap."

There were five thrones in the hall, each corresponding to one of the five tree kings. At this moment, three of the thrones were empty, and only two tree kings had appeared. One of them was the Subduing Tree King, and the one who spoke was the Heart Tree King, Minacho, a pinnacle Beyond Grade A Psychic.

After Han Xiao caused a huge ruckus, the World Tree Civilization entered a state of alert, and the Heart Tree King woke up from his deep sleep. Two of the tree kings were on standby, and the other three were also observing the current situation.

At this moment, there were still a few executives waiting in the hall. Hearing this, one of them asked, "Trap? Are you saying that the coordinates obtained by the exploration team are problematic?"

The Heart Tree King did not comment directly, instead casually replying, "The coordinates and intelligence provided by this group of refugees might have been specially forged by an unknown civilization. Their goal might be to lure the enemy in and lead outsiders into the trap they have prepared… After all, the universe is so big; we're not the only hunters."

The executives' expressions became more solemn.

The exploration team had only just discovered the coordinates when they were wiped out. They had no choice but to be wary of this unknown civilization.

In the process of conquering the universe, it was not as if they had never met a tough opponent. They had seen civilizations that were also focused on invasion, and they had always been on guard against such existences.

This time, Tedrian exclaimed and said, "That's not right. If this is a trap to lure the enemy, there's no need for this unknown civilization to attack the exploration team. This will only alarm others. They should be showing their weaknesses instead."

The Heart Tree King smiled and nodded. "That's right, so the possibility of it being a trap isn't high. This unknown civilization probably doesn't wish to come into contact with outsiders and is afraid of being exposed. However, their actions have also exposed some things… After the unknown civilization discovered the exploration team, they immediately attacked without any intention of capturing them alive. Isn't this suspicious?"

Hearing this, the eyes of many executives flickered.

"Logically speaking, if a civilization discovers an exploration team of unknown origin, there's a high chance that they will capture them alive and try to obtain intelligence…"

The Heart Tree King nodded and slowly said, "That's right, but this unknown civilization did not do so. Maybe it's because they're cautious, but it's more likely that they have intelligence on us and know that the World Tree has a mental network link, so they don't dare show their faces, afraid of being observed… Think about it, if they didn't know about our mental network, what are the chances of them destroying a foreign exploration team so carelessly?"

Tedrian was shocked. "So what you're saying is that this unknown civilization might be the hometown of the outsider who stole a lot of our secrets?"

Everyone's expression changed.

The psychological trauma that Han Xiao had left on them was not small, and it was still fresh in their minds. Just the mention of him made many World Tree members feel pressured.

"All of this is just speculation. As for what exactly happened, we'll have to verify it first." The Heart Tree King waved his hand and calmly said, "The next step is to locate the coordinates that this exploration team has recently passed by and reopen the wormhole tunnel. We'll send advance troops there, continue the exploration, and advance toward the navigation coordinates… Whether it's a trap or not, this is the only clue we have at the moment. We have to investigate it thoroughly."

"That was also my intention." The Subduing Tree King nodded.

The executives bowed in unison. "Understood. We will assemble the fleet now."

…

Somewhere in the Central Galaxy, a few enormous stargate devices were placed in the middle of the galaxy. At this time, the channel was not opened, so it only existed as a gigantic circular mechanical device.

In front of these stargate devices, there was a fleet that stretched endlessly. The armies of the Federation of Light, the Crimson Dynasty, and the Arcane Church had been waiting there for a long time.

These stargates were a set with the stargate terminals that Han Xiao had taken away. As long as Han Xiao completed the terminal connection, the two sides would be able to build an express channel.

After learning of the World Tree's existence, the three Universal Civilizations had been secretly gathering troops. Currently, most of the armies were on standby, ready to move out at any time.

While Han Xiao was dealing with the exploration team, the three Universal Civilizations efficiently gathered their troops and waited to set off.

"With Black Star's efficiency, it should be soon."

In the main flagship of the Federation of Light, the commander-in-chief, Simon, was playing with an antique replica pocket watch, looking down at the time from time to time.

The surrounding crew members all had solemn expressions on their faces, and the atmosphere was stifling.

At this time, the few stargates outside the window activated one after another, and a dark blue space vortex appeared within the ring device. Starlight sparkled, and it led to the exit on the other side.

Seeing this, Simon closed his watch and placed it into his pocket.

"All troops, move out!"