In the dead of night, the door to Xu Zifan's suite opened quietly, and four people dressed in black entered.
Chang Sheng: [Master, someone's coming!]
Shao Hua: [Host, I've found their identities; they're members of the Marshal's Guard. The virtual screen is now activated.]
Xu Zifan opened his eyes and saw the images of the four people appear on the virtual screen as they walked toward his bedroom. He turned over lazily and said, "Chang Sheng, don't reveal yourself; throw them out."
Chang Sheng: [Watch me, Master!]
Chang Sheng was extremely excited.
Usually, Shao Hua handled tasks for the master, but this time it was finally its turn. Maintaining the form of a small snake, it swiftly slipped out through the crack of the door and shot four water arrows straight at the faces of the four intruders.
The four felt a sharp pain on their faces and reached up to find blood. They immediately positioned themselves back-to-back in a defensive stance, but they saw nothing.
They exchanged glances, suspecting that it was some high-tech defensive device created by Xu Zifan. The absence of an alarm indicated that Xu Zifan was likely still asleep.
They had received orders to capture Xu Zifan alive, and despite sensing a crisis, they had to continue with their mission.
Chang Sheng suddenly extended its tail, which was as hard as a stick, and swept it violently across their ankles. Two managed to dodge, but the other two were hit, their ankles throbbing with pain as they cried out and fell to the ground.
This time, they realized they were ambushed, so they decided to charge in directly, aiming their weapons in Chang Sheng's direction.
Chang Sheng had already leaped behind them and, in the blink of an eye, unleashed several water whips to bind them like mummies, slamming them forcefully against the floor until they lost consciousness. Then, it efficiently sent them to the hotel rooftop to let them get some fresh air.
When it returned, Xu Zifan was already dressed and piloting his mech out of the hotel window.
***
Each floor of the hotel had a guard, and a circle of soldiers quietly surrounded the outside.
This display made it clear that they weren't leaving him a single escape route. As a worthless person with a double F-grade, without family or close friends, he owned energy mines worth hundreds of billions and knew how to manufacture top-tier mechs. It was like a 3- year-old child holding onto a gold brick; powerful individuals wanted to seize these treasures for themselves.
The Marshal had already been displeased with his refusal to share any profits from selling energy stones. The situation with the mech, which required a high price, directly provoked the Marshal. The Empire needed money for construction, and wars needed funding.
By directly controlling Xu Zifan, seizing his planet, and forcing him to reveal his mech manufacturing techniques, wouldn't that be much easier?
Xu Zifan had learned about the Empire's flawed political system and the Marshal's selfish character while investigating the Xu and Feng families' crimes, so he was well prepared.
He had affixed a top-grade invisibility talisman to his mech, easily flying over them without obstruction and successfully breaking through the border defense line.
Then he switched to a starship and appeared openly at the edge of the Capital Planet.
Xu Zifan activated the starship's loudspeaker and smiled lightly, saying, "It seems like the Capital Planet is incompatible with me. Even the presidential suite can be infiltrated by petty thieves. I'd better return to my own planet for safety. As for the business that didn't go through, never mind. Other countries will surely be interested. I'm leaving."
The soldiers on night watch at the border were stunned and immediately reported to their superiors.
The hotel staff, having received the news, panicked and searched for a long time before finally locating the guards on the rooftop.
They had so many people but still couldn't catch Xu Zifan. The Marshal was furious and ordered the border to dispatch warships to intercept Xu Zifan, determined to capture him alive.
But while they delayed, Xu Zifan's starship flew farther and farther away like a shooting star, and even with their warships activating their tracking systems, they couldn't catch up.
This shocked them even more. They had dispatched the most advanced warships, renowned for their speed, yet they were left far behind by Xu Zifan's starship. It seemed Xu Zifan's talent in mechanics far exceeded their expectations.
When the Marshal learned the latest news, his expression darkened.
"Xu Zifan is a ruthless person who shows no mercy. Given his attitude towards his relatives, he surely has little affection for the Empire."
Hearing the Marshal's words, several officials immediately agreed.
"The Marshal is right. Xu Zifan's qualifications are wasted; his military dreams are shattered, and he may harbor resentment. At the very least, he's firmly unwilling to offer up the mech manufacturing methods, even refusing to sell them to the Empire at half price, which shows he has no patriotic spirit."
"Exactly. Before he left, he made it clear he intended to sell mechs to other countries and might even sell warship manufacturing technology. If that happens, we'll be at a disadvantage and likely militarily weaker than other nations. We must not allow him to do that."
"Marshal, I request permission to lead a team to bring Xu Zifan back to Capital Planet to discuss cooperation matters."
While they called it a discussion, everyone understood that his real intention was to control Xu Zifan and make him serve the Empire for life. Some had differing opinions, but the Marshal's attitude was clear, and they naturally didn't want to create trouble.
The Marshal nodded in satisfaction and ordered General Sack, who had made the request, to set out immediately.
He had always been resolute in the Empire and wouldn't tolerate Xu Zifan challenging his authority.
***
General Sack accepted the order, feeling it wasn't a difficult task. After all, no matter how powerful Xu Zifan's mechs were, there were only a couple of them. How could they possibly match an entire squad of soldiers? This was merely an easy opportunity to achieve merit and please the Marshal.
However, when his army arrived within the vicinity of Xu Zifan's planet, they were left bewildered.
Why can't we approach?
The nine planets were right in front of them, yet no matter what methods they employed, they couldn't get closer. Even their attacking artillery was separated by an invisible barrier. What on earth is this barrier?!
Now, all the officers in the Empire were focused on this incident. Such a significant display finally drew the attention of the Federation, and various forces began to take action.
Xu Zifan pulled another trick.
He established a personal website called 'Zifan Technology. The site featured comprehensive footage of energy stone mines, ten mechs of different colors and levels, warships, starships, and even the local flora and fauna of his planet, commonly referred to as "local specialties."
On the website, all items could be purchased without registration, completely anonymously, ensuring their privacy wouldn't be discovered by anyone, effectively moving the black market into plain sight.
At the most prominent position on the homepage, in large red letters, it stated; [Top- grade mech manufacturing manuals for sale, anonymous bidding; highest bidder wins!]
News reports circulated from various countries, and General Sack's army was spotted by satellites from other nations. Only then did the common people realize what was happening; Xu Zifan had returned to his own planet, and for some unknown reason, the army had surrounded him.
He had just become someone worth billions, and now he was in trouble!
***
In a public housing unit, Mother Feng watched the news and patted her chest in relief, saying, "It's good that we didn't have time to look for him; Otherwise, we might have been caught in trouble along with him! The Xu family are all no good; each one is more troublesome than the last. Xiao Hui, let's keep our distance from them."
Feng Yahui responded, feeling both fearful and somewhat disappointed.
She had endured enough hardship and thought she could rise by becoming Xu Zifan's lover, but now it seemed Xu Zifan was finished. Where would her future lie?
Nevertheless, she was still quite relieved that Xu Zifan had ignored her that day and that they hadn't gotten involved with each other; she wouldn't be dragged down. Worst-case scenario, she could find one of the wealthy young men who had previously pursued her.
Netizens excitedly began to discuss, and various speculations emerged.
The majority suspected that the government coveted the energy stone mines and mechs. They all thought about how someone like Xu Zifan, a double F waste, could possibly protect his wealth; it would surely be taken by powerful people. However, they never expected that the Marshal would act first.
The discussions on StarNet negatively impacted the government, and the Marshal grew anxious. He ordered Sack to capture Xu Zifan at any cost and commanded the closure of Xu Zifan's website, as well as the blocking of all news related to him on StarNet.
However, Sack found himself at a loss, and StarNet encountered issues as well.
No one could shut down Xu Zifan's website, and even his social media accounts remained accessible.
***
Meanwhile, in their flustered state, the Federation's government and other nations had already contacted Xu Zifan, attempting to demonstrate their sincerity in purchasing.
Xu Zifan instructed Shao Hua to respond uniformly; anonymous bidding, with the highest bidder winning. Whoever could handle the Empire's foolish officials would receive a 10% discount on the final price.
This exceptionally high price meant that a 10% discount was a significant concession, prompting various countries to compete for it. As for facing off against the Empire, the immense temptation instilled great courage in everyone.
Besides, they could join forces; would the Empire dare to confront them?
General Sack keenly sensed that something was off. Countries, including the Federation, were sending troops to confront the imperial army.
Seeing this, Xu Zifan posted a lengthy article on his social media account, detailing the Empire's shameless intentions to seize his research achievements. He firmly declared that he would henceforth separate from the Empire, and his nine planets would become an independent nation, free from any country.
StarNet erupted in an uproar, and the common people were so shocked that they didn't know how to express their feelings. The various nations were also bewildered; no wonder Xu Zifan had asked them to handle the imperial army; he was planning something much bigger.
An independent nation? He truly dared to do it!?
But why wouldn't he dare? Who could approach his planets?
All the nations that had secretly probed the situation were baffled and couldn't figure out what that barrier was. They placed great importance on Xu Zifan's advanced research and became even more determined to acquire the bidding for the mech manufacturing manual, making them increasingly hostile towards the imperial army.
For the first time, General Sack found the situation quite tricky. What he had initially thought was a minor task had escalated dramatically. He knew he would face consequences when he returned. If the Marshal's anger were to fall upon him, he might lose his general's title.
Sack attempted to contact Xu Zifan, trying a softer approach after failing with force. However, Xu Zifan ignored him entirely. He had already made his claim of independence clear and had no need to negotiate further.
While the army attacked outside, he focused on repairing his defensive array inside. The energy stones could replace spiritual stones, and he wasn't worried about insufficient power; he had plenty of time to wear them down.
He wasn't afraid of any nation launching a devastating attack. His value was immense now, and probing attacks were one thing; if anyone truly sought to destroy him, none of the other nations would agree.
Xu Zifan seemed invulnerable, showing no weaknesses.
The Empire held countless meetings to discuss how to deal with him or win him over, but they had no effective solutions.
They were also growing fearful of Xu Zifan's mysterious barrier. If he could develop such a powerful defense, could he also have created devastating weapons?
Given Xu Zifan's attitude, if they were to tear their masks off, would he launch an attack on Capital Dlanet?