Chapter 1237 - Sorokins Big Plan (2/2)
…
As soon as the call was hung up, Sorokin’s expression turned gloomy.
He was a little regretful. He felt he should not have hesitated when his identity was pointed out by Black Star back then; he should have eliminated this threat as soon as possible.
Although gathering all Soul Seeds would cause this body to be destroyed, and he would lose this identity, letting Black Star be would still risk losing this identity.
Since he would definitely lose a ton of things no matter what, he might as well drag Black Star down.
Although he was furious, he was still hesitant. He was worried that he might be blowing the matter out of proportion, but he was also worried about if he could actually defeat Black Star.
“No matter what, I have to make backup plans. I need to find a way to inherit part of the Limitless Financial Group’s enormous funds. If the cash flow is too large, it’ll attract attention even if I use the black-market channels. It’s best to turn the funds into actual items…”
Sorokin clenched his teeth.
Whether he was going to do it or not, preparing a way to back off was definitely not wrong.
“Black Star’s body is indestructible. His soul is his only weakness, but even that is speaking relatively. He has peak Beyond Grade A mind resistance at the very least. Killing him is extremely difficult. He has the King, so exiling him into the unexplored universe will also not work. Based on my ability and the Universal Treasures I’ve secretly collected, only one plan has a comparatively high success rate, heavily damaging or sealing his soul so that he has to go into a long-term hibernation state.
“To do that, I’d best retrieve the Soul Flame. Only then will the success rate be higher. I wonder if the Soul Flame has a master now. If it has, I can only kill him and retrieve it…”
…
A few days later, the dynasty and the Black Star Army agreed on a date for the inspection. They sent emissaries and headed to the Flickering World from the Central Galaxy.
The dynasty’s inspection team had to spend quite some time on the way, so Han Xiao told the troops stationed on the hundreds of residential planets of the Kunde Race to spread the message that the inspection team would arrive soon. He told them that they could be freed if they performed well.
Originally, inspections were usually carried out secretly. Once the inspection target knew about it in advance, in order to be freed earlier, they might ‘cheat’. This had happened before.
This time, however, the dynasty did not react at all, as letting the Kunde Race out earlier was also their secret goal. Although what Han Xiao had done went against the rules, it matched what the dynasty wanted to achieve, so they turned a blind eye. Han Xiao, too, wanted to free the Kunde Race as soon as possible so that he could acquire the mission reward.
Both sides were trying to achieve their goal. The difference was that Han Xiao knew what the dynasty was thinking, but the dynasty did not know what his goal was.
The news that the inspection team would soon arrive spread out rapidly on every Kunde Race residential planet. The Kunde Race, who had spent their days meaninglessly, suddenly saw hope.
…
Kunde Race Residential Planet No.77, South of Sigaia City, Apartment F0044’s rooftop…
Barton stood tall and looked over the entire city. Tall, rectangular apartments were neatly placed with the same height, shape, and distance between each other, like metal coffins. The city gave off a strong industrial vibe. The sky was dark, and the dawn hid behind the clouds, painting the city a depressed yellow.
Barton could not remember how many times he had seen this boring, forever the same, and depressed scenery. In his eyes, this was no city; it was more of a large prison.
Piercing cold wind swept past, bringing the voice behind.
“Brother Barton, the news said this is the first time the Crimson Dynasty inspection team has visited. Can we really leave here?”
Hearing this, Barton turned around. Hundreds of people stood on the rooftop, all young Kunde Race members.
He stayed silent for a while before nodding slowly.
“Definitely!”
They were all children of the residents in this apartment, born in the ‘Age of the Big Lockdown’. Barton was the oldest. He was the acknowledged leader of all the youngsters there.
During the cultural transformation, everything in their lives was arranged. Their residence was arranged, and their neighbors were arranged. Leaving the house had to be reported to the local artificial intelligence management system, and they could only leave the area after it was approved. Everything they did was monitored.
The Kunde Race was not allowed to develop their technology. The only thing they could pass around was part of the Super knowledge, which came from the Black Star Army. The Black Star Army saw the Kunde Race as its talent reserve, so it did not want them to all become useless shut-ins.
The cultural transformation involved many aspects, including their daily necessities, the news they saw, the education they were given, and so on. After more than two decades, this had already become the norm of the Kunde Race’s lives. They were receiving this information every day, and their mindsets changed subconsciously.
However, for the first batch of newborns during the Age of the Big Lockdown, the glory of the Kunde Race in the past only existed in words. They could not imagine it. While being educated in public schools, they were also influenced by the lingering hatred of the previous generations at the same time.
Some of the seniors who experienced the Kunde Race’s defeat still had hatred buried deep in their bones, warning the younger generations to never forget about it. Some chose not to speak of it, to let the newer generations leave the past behind. Only then would their race be freed one day and have a new future.
Living on a planet in lockdown, a society that was depressed, and between divided beliefs, this generation was lost. No one knew where the path ahead led.
Now, the arrival of the dynasty’s inspection team finally made them see something that was more important than anything else—hope.
Barton looked past the eyes filled with hope and said with a deep voice, “We might only have this one chance in our life… Anyone who causes problems will be a sinner to the entire race.”
A young man sighed and said, “Brother Barton, maybe we won’t cause any problems, but as you know, there are too many others who still are blinded by hatred just in this apartment… This is probably not what the inspection team wants to see.”
Barton stayed silent for a while. He then slowly raised the pliers in his hands. Tiny electric sparks danced on his skin, and he softly said, “Someone will have to take the lead. We still have time to prepare. Go, talk to everyone in the apartment who is still filled with hatred. For the entire race, I believe they’ll make the right choice.
“If there’s anyone who is really blinded and twisted by hatred, not willing to make any change, a burden to everyone…”
Barton paused. Colors representing pain appeared on his carapace.
“Kill them, even if they’re our family.”