The Legendary Mechanic, page 889
As soon as he said that, shock appeared on almost everyone’s face.
This rookie is a Black Star Army officer again‽
She’s even the relative of another Beyond Grade A. What are the chances of that‽
“One controls death; one controls life. And they’re sisters! Why does this sound familiar?” someone murmured.
Hearing this, many people recalled that there was a similar pair of sisters among the Primordial Ones.
Same Esper Abilities, same two sisters… this is too coincidental!
If someone were to say the two sisters were completely unrelated to the Primordial sisters from history, the vast majority of people there would never believe it.
Recalling the stories of the Primordial sisters, the way they looked at Hila and Aurora changed subtly. On top of disbelief, a tint of desire appeared.
Hila’s ability could reduce people’s life span. If her sister’s ability was the opposite, did that mean she could increase people’s life span? Or could she even imitate the Primordial Ones and create the legendary ‘Underworld’?
Most people present had ideas of befriending Aurora and immediately welcomed her. They were very enthusiastic.
They avoided Hila as much as possible but acted the complete opposite with Aurora.
Seeing this, Hila coldly warned, “Don’t have any ideas about my younger sister. I won’t hold back.”
“We’re greeting Aurora. What does it have to do with you?”
Many snorted.
Although they feared Hila’s ability, they could not act that way.
However, words were one thing. Indeed, not many dared have any vicious thoughts. After operating for fifty years, the association had already established a reputation. Not many were willing to violate the rules and do anything to its members. Furthermore, most people feared the giant organization, the Black Star Army. Even if they were not afraid of Hila, they had to consider Black Star too.
As they thought of Black Star, they could not help but feel bitter and jealous.
He had acquired another Beyond Grade A officer… Where in the world did Black Star find so many top talents from?
“Er, I’m Aurora. I’m glad to join the association…”
Aurora came to her seat and briefly introduced herself. She then read the script she had memorized and said the standard things like ‘it’s an honor to be a part of the association’.
The others responded kindly.
Hila watched on the side and secretly curled her lips.
Tsk, you dogs. I’ve never seen you this enthusiastic toward me before…
Aurora was the focus of today’s welcome meeting. She had finally entered the Beyond Grade A circle and was filled with curiosity. In the face of the others trying to befriend her, she kept on talking excitedly, creating a clear contrast with Hila’s cold image.
From her own words, the others confirmed that Aurora could extend their life span. They were overjoyed.
However, as soon as they mentioned anything about requesting her to do it, Aurora kicked the ball to Han Xiao and stated that she would only listen to Black Star. This was discussed beforehand to increase Han Xiao’s reputation and position further, increasing his chances of being reelected as much as possible.
Hearing this, the people looked at Han Xiao. When they saw that he was smiling, they immediately knew that they had to pay a price for Han Xiao to approve their requests. After knowing him for so many years, they knew that Black Star was not easy to deal with or deceive. The presidential election was very soon; it was easy to figure out what Black Star was trying to convey.
After chatting for some time, someone could not hold back his curiosity and asked, “Why do you work for the Black Star Army?”
“Well, Black Star saved me…” Aurora briefly shared her experience in the Germinal Organization, saying that Black Star had saved her life.
Hearing this, even those who knew about Black Star’s early history were astonished.
A puny surface civilizations organization that made three Beyond Grade As, just how blessed is this Germinal Organization‽
After some time, seeing that they chatted about enough, Han Xiao spoke and changed the topic.
“Alright, you’ve all met. Let me use this opportunity to say something. The next plenary will be the presidential election. Manison will step down then, and all members can run. The election will be in the form of voting, and everyone has one vote. Don’t forget.”
The people nodded.
At the same time, Manison’s eyes opened slightly. He glanced at Han Xiao and closed them again.
…
On a certain planet in the Flickering World…
“The next presidential election, huh? If I can take that seat…”
Inside a palace, Royce’s eyes gleamed.
He was a relatively new Beyond Grade A. With the assistance of this platform, he quickly formed his own organization. Therefore, he knew what power the association had very well and had been eyeing it all along. Occasionally, he would fantasize about himself being on top of it.
The next president would be elected in two months’ time, and Royce felt his chance was here.
As a rookie, he knew that he could not compete with seniors like Black Star. However, the ambition in his chest made him want to give it a try no matter what.
What if he made it?
He was a doer. As soon as he had that thought, he immediately started to act on it.
“I’m definitely no match for Black Star in terms of strength, but the election is vote based. Although my chance is thin, it’s not completely hopeless…”
Royce’s eyes spun rapidly.
The rookies who had just stepped into the Beyond Grade A circle for a short amount of time had no way of finding out about Han Xiao’s personal relationship with the other members, so he did not have a strong sense of Black Star’s connections.
Therefore, in Royce’s eyes, he did not have completely no chance.
One of the reasons he dared do this was that as a member of the association, his life would not be in danger.
In terms of combat, although Royce admitted he was no match for Han Xiao, he felt the difference would not be too big.
When Royce came to fame, Han Xiao had kept a low profile for quite some time. Everything he knew about Black Star’s strength came from hearing it from others; he had never experienced it personally, nor could he really see the details by looking at the videos on the internet.
Overconfidence was a common problem for most new Beyond Grade As. They were ambitious and headstrong, always dreaming of taking over those at the peak.
Usually, only a beating from society could cure this illness, but ever since Royce became a Beyond Grade A, he had yet to receive any ‘treatment’.
“Although Black Star wants to become the president, who said I can’t take it from him?”
Royce started planning in his head and was looking forward to it.
…
Two months passed very quickly, and the election of the Beyond Grade A Association came as expected. The various organizations in the universe all focused their attention and waited for the results.
Inside the closed venue, all members came online earlier than usual. The atmosphere was solemn. The people’s eyes kept moving back and forth between Manison and Han Xiao.
“Ahem, since everyone is here, let’s start,” Han Xiao said. He then looked at Manison with a smile. “Let’s have the president host the meeting.”
Manison glanced at him, slowly stood up, and looked around the entire venue.
After a short silence, Manison then spoke. “The association rules state that the president will be elected every fifty years. Now that fifty years have passed, I’ll be stepping down from the president position and will not be running today.”
As soon as he said that, the people were stunned.
Although most people knew that Manison would not be re-elected, no one felt he would easily give up. To their surprise, Manison gave up running for president completely.
Han Xiao was a little surprised too. He was already prepared to debate with Manison, but Manison directly gave up.
Odd, this doesn’t suit old Manison’s personality!
“Are you really not running? Is it because you’re worried about being embarrassed when you lose to me?” Han Xiao asked to confirm.
“Humph.” Manison did not reply.
Seeing this, Han Xiao shook his head.
No matter what Manison was thinking, as long as he did not run, his biggest competitor would be gone. Becoming the president was almost certain for Han Xiao.
“If that’s the case, I’ll be the first to run.” Han Xiao looked around at the expression on everyone’s faces and asked, “Who else?”
Many people looked away and did not meet his eyes.
Judging from the current situation, it was basically already decided that Black Star would become the president. Plus, he was indeed the most suitable for it.
None of the peak Beyond Grade As who were the most qualified to run even spoke, so most people read the room and shut their mouths. They were thinking they might as well let Black Star be the only one running so that the voting round could be skipped, and he would become the president on the spot.
However, when everyone thought that was how it was going to be, a voice filled with confidence sounded.
“I’ll run!”
Who? Who’s so headstrong‽
The people were shocked. As they turned around, their expressions became odd.
Royce raised his hand and remained in the posture. He had an excited smile on his face as if he was enjoying the moment of being the center of attention.
“Are you sure?” Han Xiao was a little surprised.
“Anyone can run anyway, so why not try it? What if I win‽” Royce was not afraid at all and looked directly at Han Xiao’s eyes, giving the vibe of confronting him directly.
This looked quite hot-blooded on the surface, but in the eyes of the people present, it was nothing but ridiculous.
This rookie is so daring. Does he really want to wrestle with Black Star?
At the same time, Aurora quietly whispered into Hila’s ear and asked, “This guy should be a Pugilist, right?”
Hila glanced at her.
“You guessed that right.”
Chapter 1251: Age of Black Star |
A rookie wants to compete for the position of president against me? Who gave you the courage?
Han Xiao looked at Royce’s confidence. Thoughts quickly spun in his mind, and many speculations flashed past.
However, when he recalled Royce’s class, the surprise in his mind disappeared completely.
Oh, he’s a Pugilist, never mind.
Han Xiao shook his head and stopped speculating Royce’s motive.
The way the Pugilists’ brain worked was, well, refreshing. Most of the time, one thought they were at the second or the first level, when actually they were at the negative one level. There was no need to think too much.
Han Xiao did consider the possibility of some peak Beyond Grade A trying to compete, but he never thought a rookie would step up out of nowhere. This meant that they had to enter the voting round, but it was not a big deal.
Although he had no idea where Royce’s confidence came from… he was a Pugilist, so it was understandable.
“Anyone else want to run?” Han Xiao moved his eyes away and scanned through the conference room.
The people exchanged looks, and no one responded.
Seeing this, Han Xiao nodded. “If that’s the case, only Royce and I will be running. You guys can vote now.”
Everyone there was a Beyond Grade A. No one’s opinion could be ignored, so everyone could vote.
Those who always stood on the side of the Black Star faction voted immediately and supported Han Xiao as the president. The direct members of the three Universal Civilizations also voted for him. Some of the peak Beyond Grade As who were upper echelons of the association also expressed their support for Han Xiao.
Other than Heber, Psyker, Manison, and a very few who abstained. Almost all the members voted for Han Xiao.
As for Royce, he stood alone and did not receive a single vote. It was almost lonesome.
Han Xiao could not help but glance at him with an odd look.
Wait, what, that’s it?
You didn’t even get anyone on your side, yet you still came to compete…
What are you so confident about?
Even Han Xiao felt awkward for Royce just by looking at his bewildered expression.
Come on kid, did you really think anyone would vote for a rookie? Are you the kind of person who likes to be humiliated?
The voting was completely one-sided. Han Xiao regulated his emotions, cleared his throat, and said, “The situation is clear then. Royce, do you accept this result?”
The people simultaneously turned to look at Royce with all kinds of emotions such as mockery, pity, disdain, and other complicated emotions in their eyes.
Royce opened his mouth, sat down, and said sadly, “I accept.”
Although he only gambled because he knew there was no risk involved and he would not lose anything even if he did not get elected, seeing how big the difference was, he was still embarrassed.
Royce actually had quite the plan. He knew he most likely would not be elected as the president, but he thought that if he could receive some votes during the election, it would at least show that he had some reputation, so he would not have to be treated like a rookie in the future and be involved in more affairs of the association.
In his eyes, this was the first step for a rookie to obtain a higher position.
In order to achieve this goal, he indeed did contact other association members privately and expressed his thoughts of running for president in the calls, and some people promised to support him even. This was why he had the confidence to run.
However, when the time came, those b*stards all broke their promises!
Actually, what he did not know was, most people thought he was just kidding and promised him as a joke, which mistakenly gave Royce confidence.
As these people were all stronger than him, Royce did not dare vent his anger and could only sulk in the corner while screaming in his mind that verbal promises were not reliable.
Han Xiao was not interested in what Royce was thinking.
He knew Pugilists way too well; it was not that their brains were really made of muscles but that the path of the Pugilist required a ‘no backing down’ attitude. For those Pugilists who could become Beyond Grade As, this personality would definitely be more apparent. In other words, Pugilists who were not headstrong would have a harder time becoming a Beyond Grade A.
And this was exactly the reason Han Xiao had high hopes for Lothaire. After all, this man was the prime example of someone who was headstrong…
Random thoughts flashed past. Han Xiao focused, looked around, and smiled.
“Thanks for your support, everyone. I shall gladly take on the position of the president.”
Aurora clapped first with her face filled with excitement.
Seeing someone lead the applause, the others hesitated for a moment and also clapped symbolically. Most people were rather reserved and not used to doing something like this.
A round of not too loud or too soft applause sounded in the room. Han Xiao smiled in return.
Although he already expected this to happen beforehand, when it actually happened, he still felt content.
He was the leader of the Beyond Grade A Association and could formally lead the Beyond Grade As. His influence evolved to a higher level.
The effects of [Proof of Leadership] also updated right away. He only received part of the bonuses when he was the vice president, but when he became the president, the bonuses were finally complete. Although it was not so tremendous it would increase his strength drastically, it was still a cherry on top.
As the president was elected, the position of the vice president became vacant. An election was then also carried out. This time, the system changed. The number of vice presidents changed from one to two, taken by Kasuyi and Sierron.
Other than that, the association also decided on a few new directors, including Hila.
The voting process was very simple. The procedures were smoothly carried out, and the handover was completed.
Han Xiao finally sat in the main seat. On his left and right were Kasuyi and Sierron.
An inaugural address was needed even in the Beyond Grade A circle. Seeing that everyone was looking at him, Han Xiao pondered for a few seconds before speaking.
“Since I’ve been elected as the president, let me say a few words… It has already been fifty years since the Beyond Grade A Association was founded. From nothing, we have built a strong foundation. We’ve done quite a good job till now, and we couldn’t have done it without the contributions of the former president Manison and all of you here.
“The initial purpose of founding the association was to unite all Beyond Grade As, form an interest network, and protect the Beyond Grade As. This purpose will be passed on. All decisions made in the future will work in accordance with this principle. All individuals or organizations who attempt to divide the Beyond Grade As will be the association’s enemy.
“As for me… I’ll also do my very best to make the association grow better, making it into a shelter for all Beyond Grade As. I won’t say too much. All of you here know what kind of person I am. I’ll certainly do my best to live up to your expectations.”
At this point, no matter what their thoughts about Han Xiao were, all the Beyond Grade As were nodding with approval.
Everyone present knew that from this second, the Beyond Grade A Association had entered the age of Black Star!
Looking at the different expressions on their faces, Han Xiao paused before speaking again in an unusual tone.
“We might see a revolution not far in the future. Be mentally prepared.”
Hearing this, many people could sense that Han Xiao was subtly conveying a meaningful message, but they could not figure out what it was.
