The Legendary Mechanic

Han Xiao and the others waited for a while until the energy storm gradually stopped.

Evans' talent was too outstanding, and his advancement process was smooth. He successfully advanced to Beyond Grade A, and the energy in his body overflowed from his eyes. His eyes were like two small suns that slowly extinguished under his deliberate control.

He let out a long breath. The sudden surge in strength caused the breath he exhaled to be like a shockwave, creating a hurricane on the ground. The ground that had already been corroded by the energy into a ring-shaped crater, shattered into pieces.

After all, Evans had only advanced to Beyond Grade A, the power that he released during his Promotion would not be enough to blow up a planet. The only thing that would suffer was the surrounding area. It was as if the ground had been dug up by dogs.

Before he could familiarize himself with his new strength, Evans noticed Han Xiao and the others in outer space.

Without waiting for him to go up, Han Xiao landed in front of him with Hila and the others.

"Well done. I knew you would be able to reach this level easily. Your Promotion time is also earlier than I expected."

"This is all thanks to your nurturing. I originally planned to inform you after my Promotion and give you a surprise, but I didn't expect you to come personally. However, nothing in the army can be hidden from you."

Evans nodded and maintained his humble attitude, not affected by the sudden increase in strength.

Han Xiao squeezed his shoulder to show his appreciation, then turned around and saw Feidin and the others looking at Evans curiously. He could not help but smile and say,

"Come, let me introduce you guys. This is Evans. I've secretly trained him for decades… As for them, there's no need for me to introduce them. You should recognize all of them. They're all veterans in the army and my good friends."

"Hello." Evans nodded at everyone and bowed slightly.

Ames smiled and nodded. Hila nodded coldly, and Feidin and Aurora replied politely.

"Don't underestimate this guy." Han Xiao pressed on Evans' shoulder and said with a smile, "A few decades ago, he was just an ordinary person. The time he took to advance to Beyond Grade A from zero almost caught up to my record. His talent should be second among the Calamity Grade officers in the army."

"That powerful?" Aurora was shocked. "Then who's first?"

"I'm not telling you. You guys will know when he becomes a Beyond Grade A."

Han Xiao rubbed Aurora's nose and smiled.

He was naturally referring to Karlot. If Karlot was guided correctly from the start, Karlot's efficiency in becoming a Beyond Grade A might have even been faster than Evans'. However, he had wasted a long time in the dynasty before receiving his teachings, so he did not have the chance to break the record.

Aurora curled her lips, clearly dissatisfied with Han Xiao's secrecy. However, she could not do anything about it. She looked at Evans, blinked, and said, "Brother, what ability user are you?"

Hearing this, Hila and the others also stared at Evans. They were all very curious about what kind of ability it was that made Black Star think so highly of him and even secretly groom him for decades.

Facing the attention of the upper echelons of the army, Evans was not nervous at all. He slowly said, "My ability is to absorb other people's Esper Abilities for my own use."

"Oh, so it's absorbing… Hmm?"

Aurora subconsciously said half a sentence, but she was suddenly stunned.

Hila and the others were shocked and looked at Evans with a strange expression.

After a few seconds of silence, Ames said with uncertainty,

"Black Star… if I'm not mistaken, his ability is similar to EsGod's?"

"Not really." Han Xiao chuckled. "It's exactly the same."

Hearing this, the expressions of the group changed slightly. They quietly took a few steps back, not hiding their fear at all. At the same time, they looked at Evans and Black Star with even more strange eyes, finally understanding something.

This guy's ability is the same as EsGod's. Could he be EsGod's illegitimate son ‽

Where did Black Star find this guy?

No wonder they had to secretly groom him. If others knew that the Black Star Army was grooming a new 'EsGod', it would cause a huge backlash. The Army Commander was as bold as ever!

Everyone quickly thought about it.

Seeing the expressions of Hila and the others, Han Xiao knew what they were thinking. He shook his head and said,

"Don't worry, Evans is different from EsGod. He's a good guy, and he won't casually absorb Esper Abilities."

"Hehe."

Aurora pulled the corners of her mouth and laughed stiffly.

Hila was not moved, and her expression remained solemn. In a sense, Evans was the nemesis of all Espers. Although the Esper Abilities of the two sisters were very powerful, they were still things that could be taken away by the other party. The purpose of this guy's existence was more than his combat power. He was a trump card!

Evans did not mind the fear of the others. He had long accepted the fate brought about by this Esper Ability and acted as if he did not see their vigilance. He turned to Han Xiao and said with a smile that he was not used to, "Your Excellency Black Star, I have yet to congratulate you on stepping to a new level. This news stimulated me and helped me take the last step, which is how I completed the final transformation."

"Is that so? Looks like you owe me another favor." Han Xiao chuckled.

After he had advanced to the Transcendent Grade, he had asked Phillip to privately tell the two golden leeks, Karlot and Evans. Firstly, it was to stimulate them to work hard, and secondly, although the two of them were loyal enough, they still had to continue consolidating their position. It was naturally a good method to display their new strength.

Only these two people received such treatment. After all, they could not participate in the Beyond Grade A Conference. If he did not inform them, they would not know.

"You're already a Beyond Grade A, do you have any plans?" Han Xiao asked as usual.

"You don't have to ask me. I made my stand back then and stayed in the army to serve you. This is my only choice." Evans did not hesitate at all.

Hearing this, Han Xiao smiled and nodded.

"That's right… Speaking of which, the timing of your Promotion is quite coincidental. As I said, I'll give you a gift when you become a Beyond Grade A Super. I'll give it to you now."

"I'm looking forward to it," Evans said calmly.

Han Xiao snapped his fingers, and a large number of mechanical soldiers appeared, placing a Spacetime Amber on the field.

Everyone looked over and saw a coffin-like mechanical device sealed in the Spacetime Amber. No one knew who was inside.

Sweeping his gaze across the curious faces of the crowd, Han Xiao's lips curled up slightly, and he immediately removed the amber. The mechanical device slammed onto the ground, then quickly disintegrated, turning into tiny snake-like mechanical particles that swam back to Han Xiao.

The person locked up inside was revealed, falling onto the ground with a thud, still in the heavily injured state of being sealed.

With just one look, the faces of Hila, Ames, Feidin, and Aurora changed.

"This is… Gaud ‽"

"Why is he in your hands ‽"

For a moment, everyone was dumbfounded.

Back then, Gaud's disappearance had caused the dynasty to be furious and caused a huge commotion in the universe. Black Star had even been invited to solve the case and acted as a detective. The few of them had always thought that this had nothing to do with Han Xiao.

From the looks of it now, could it be that Black Star was the one who had called the shots ‽

Everyone looked at Han Xiao in shock.

How many things did this guy do behind the scenes? He really was a mastermind!

"Don't look at me like that. I did this for a reason. This kid has a lot of secrets on him." Han Xiao clicked his tongue and pointed at Gaud, who was on the verge of death. "He's a pure dynasty direct descendant. In fact, he's the main consciousness that EsGod separated. He always wanted to communicate with the World Tree, so I killed him. Don't think that I'm deliberately suppressing the dynasty's potential direct descendant."

"Heh, keep making things up." Aurora rolled her eyes.

Han Xiao glared at her and could not be bothered with her. He released a ball of Mechanical Force from his palm and turned it into a lightning chain, binding Gaud's hands and feet, holding him in midair.

"EsGod, how does it feel to see the light of day again?"

"Hah… hah… I don't know what you're talking about!"

Gaud panted heavily. He was still in a state of exhaustion. After being locked up for decades, he stubbornly guarded his thoughts and forced himself to remember the conversation between Han Xiao and him before he was sealed. Although he did not know why he was released at this moment, he remained cautious and did not want to give himself away.

Furthermore, he could sense that the people around him were all Beyond Grade As, and only Evans was a stranger. Furthermore, he had seen the information of Hila, Ames, and the others, so he could not take the risk.

Han Xiao shook his head.

"Hehe, I know you're still counting on the dynasty to save you, but it's been decades since you were captured, and the times have changed. Now that the World Tree has invaded, the three Universal Civilizations have reached an agreement with us to fight the foreign enemies together. Not to mention that you have ulterior motives, even if you're a pure direct descendant, the dynasty will not fall out with us."

Gaud's pupils constricted.

It had only been a few decades, and the World Tree had already invaded ‽

What happened during the years I was sealed ‽

Gaud clenched his teeth.

Currently, only the dynasty could save him. He would not give up his disguise just because of a few words. Even though he was shocked, he had no choice but to pretend that he knew nothing about the World Tree.

However, after thinking about this, Gaud had a flash of insight. He suddenly had the wrong idea about Black Star unsealing him.

That's right, Black Star knows that I have some information about the World Tree, and now that the war has broken out, maybe he wants to seek my help? And trying to force me to admit my identity as 'EsGod' is to find a reason for him to convince the dynasty?

It was a pity that he did not know if his main body had been released. Logically speaking, the first one that Black Star tried to unseal should be 'EsGod's' main body…

Gaud's eyes flickered.

The effect of [Esper Ability—Rebirth] was complete division. Gaud had inherited the main consciousness, and EsGod's main body was a new personality formed from the fusion of his remnant soul and memories. They were already two independent individuals, and the soul connection between them had been cut off long ago. Therefore, Gaud did not know the situation of EsGod's main body at all.

"…I still don't understand! What World Tree? I don't even know what it is. Don't think of getting information out of me!"

Gaud felt that he had guessed Han Xiao's intentions. He felt that the safety of this 'World Tree insider' was at least guaranteed, and he immediately felt more confident. He did not plan to admit his identity with just a few words and was prepared to continue his disguise.

Han Xiao glanced at him and guessed that this guy was mistaken. He shook his head and laughed.

"I think you misunderstood something. I don't need the World Tree information that you have. The main reason I unsealed you this time is that I don't want to waste your abilities."

Oh? Is he trying to recruit me ‽

Gaud's heart skipped a beat.

It doesn't seem impossible. The 'Energy Control' that I created with great difficulty will always be a Super High-Risk Esper Ability with unlimited potential no matter where it is. The chances of Black Star taking a fancy to my ability are quite high.

Gaud could not help but feel conflicted.

If Black Star really wants to recruit me, should I agree or reject him?

While he was hesitating, Han Xiao had already signaled Evans to come forward and smiled.

"He's my gift to you."

"I see, I understand."

Evans exhaled and placed his hand on Gaud's chest.

Gaud was stunned. He looked at the person in front of him, not knowing what Han Xiao was planning.

"What are you doing?"

"…Sorry."

Before Gaud could continue asking, a strange suction force suddenly came from Evans' hands. He could clearly feel his Esper genes being rapidly stripped away!

"What?!"

Gaud's expression changed drastically.

He was all too familiar with this situation. It was the situation when [Esper Ability - Copy] was activated!

The only difference was that he was once the person stealing other people's Esper Abilities, but now, he was the target!

"This is… why do you have this ability ‽"

Gaud could no longer remain calm.

Seeing this, Han Xiao smiled and said with a teasing tone, "EsGod, you can't be thinking that you're the only one in the entire universe who has this ability, right? The world is very vast… I've nurtured him for decades to prevent him from following in your footsteps. Now that he has become a Beyond Grade A, he has the right to take away the ability that you created with countless evil deeds. How about it? Are you surprised?"

"N-no… Impossible!"

Gaud could feel his Esper Ability disappearing rapidly. His eyes were bloodshot, and his mentality exploded!

He could be sealed and killed, but he could not accept the dream Esper Ability that he had spent countless years to create, becoming someone else's!

Gaud did not want to wait for death and struggled with all his might. However, he could not move at all under Han Xiao's restraint. Furthermore, he was already heavily injured and could not stop his Esper Ability from being absorbed by Evans, who was at the same level as him.

As the cells withered one after another, Gaud's struggle became weaker and weaker. He did not even have the strength to speak. He could only watch himself weaken step by step, gradually losing his ability to sense Esper abilities. All that was left was hatred in his eyes as he stared at Evans in front of him as if wanting to carve his image in his heart.

Evans was not moved at all. After absorbing for a while, he suddenly raised his hand and finally turned the 'Energy Control' into his own. This also meant that Gaud had completely lost this ability.

Gaud's body suddenly shook, and his breath quickly weakened. He opened his mouth and looked at the two of them weakly. His eyes were empty and dull.

His plans, his ambitions, everything was destroyed by Black Star…

At this moment, Gaud had already lost all hope in life, as if he had become a walking corpse that had lost all his dreams.

Han Xiao looked at him indifferently and released his restraints, allowing him to fall to the ground. He said casually, "Don't blame me. This is your retribution. You brought this upon yourself. You once took away the abilities of so many people. Today, I am just letting you have a taste of having your Esper Ability stolen."

Gaud lay motionless on the ground, staring blankly at the sky.

"Black Star, kill me."

"That's going too easy on you. You're still useful. I still need you as a bargaining chip to negotiate with the dynasty."

Han Xiao waved his hand, and mechanical particles shot out, turning back into an imprisonment device and enveloping Gaud. Gaud was unable to resist, and he was immediately locked up.

After doing all this, he turned to look at Evans, only to see that this guy's eyes were slightly closed, and he was familiarizing himself with his new Esper Ability.

Seeing this, Han Xiao smiled and said,

"How do you feel? Are you satisfied with this gift?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Evans slowly opened his eyes and clenched his fist. A ball of flames appeared out of thin air, constantly changing its energy form. Electricity, storm, nuclear energy, dark energy, and so on flashed past, finally turning into a dazzling psionic energy ball that was thrown out by him.

The dark blue light penetrated deep into the ground, and the group felt the ground swell up rapidly. The ground cracked, and the light from the lava escaped from the cracks, becoming more and more dazzling.

Boom!

The psionic energy that penetrated deep into the Earth Core suddenly exploded. Beams of light penetrated the Earth Core from the inside and turned the entire planet into a sieve. The next moment, the planet expanded and exploded into pieces!

Before the planet exploded, Han Xiao and the others had already flown into space and looked at the formation of a new asteroid belt.

Evans retracted his hand, turned around, and gave Han Xiao a deep bow.

"Your Excellency Black Star, this gift is too valuable. I will not let you down!"

He knew the value of this gift better than anyone else. With this Esper Ability, as long as he could grow, he would be invincible among Beyond Grade As!

This was a gift from Black Star, and it was also his hope. Evans felt extremely touched and wished he could sacrifice his life for Han Xiao.

Since you treat me like a state scholar, I'll be sure to repay this country with my life!