Chapter 280: Adrian Is Back!

Adrian stared at the cosmic wealth spread across his work table. He knew he was capable of using these Void Crystals to further evolve himself right now.The Tech Core hungered for them and the path to a Higher Existence was laid out before him. But he hesitated. He knew that a truly distinct, game-changing upgrade required more than just raw power. It required a plan.

He needed to understand the specific resonance of each crystal type to craft a perfect evolution path.

So, he made a different choice. He would use the crystals to upgrade his people.

The power gap between him and his Vassals was already a chasm; after his Void evolution, it had become an ocean. While they were strong for their tier, they were still just half-mortals.

In the high-stakes game of the Galactic Clash, and the even higher stakes of the real universe, he needed companions who could stand beside him, not just behind him.

Strengthening them wasn’t just charity; it was strategy. If he could elevate Karl, Nyra, Serena, and the others to a level where they could compete in the Diamond League, the Sparkborns would no longer be a single-man army. They would be a force to be reckoned with, satisfying the vague "power" requirement for Ascension far faster than economic growth alone.

For the rest of the downtime, Adrian worked with a fervor that matched the heat of the ship’s core. He used his newfound senses to identify which ones resonated with specific affinities. He began working on different items, imbuing them with the stabilized essence of the Void.

The mission continued. When the White Phantom cooled down and resumed its hunt, Adrian kept working. The remaining missions were spread across vast distances, necessitating frequent cooling breaks for the experimental drive.

Adrian utilized every minute. While the Ship rested, he always made sure to dive back into the Factory to refine his creations.

The entire duration of Adrian’s outing took two and a half days. In that time, he cleared every single one of the forty-one missions.

Finally, they returned to the Nexus. The process of re-entry was a gauntlet of security checks. They passed through layers of scanners designed to detect biological contaminants and dimensional anomalies.

Adrian held his breath as the scanners swept over him, but his [Inventory] held true, undetectable by even the advanced Concordat tech. Greg filed his reports with a bored efficiency, waving them through checkpoint after checkpoint.

When they finally reached the Vanguard Hangar, the ship settled into its cradle with a heavy thud. The airlock hissed open, and the two of them stepped out onto the familiar catwalk.

"And that’s a wrap," Greg said, tossing a small silver ring to Adrian.

Adrian caught it easily. It was his dummy spatial ring, returned to him. He slipped it on his finger and then pointed a finger back at the sleek, white ship. "The X-77. It’s mine now?"

Greg chuckled, shaking his head. "Not so quick, speed demon. You still have to officially submit your mission logs at the desk. I’ve already filed my operational report, so all you need to do is finalize the paperwork and transfer the bounty. Once the system verifies the kills, the ship title is yours."

"Okay," Adrian said. "I’ll get going then." He turned, making a beeline for the exit.

"Goodbye, kid," Greg called after him. "I’ll be hoping to see you on your next mission. Try not to get yourself killed in the meantime."

Adrian paused in his tracks. "Right... I’ll be hoping you’re my escort again."

Greg smirked with a knowing expression. "You bet I will be. I’ll make sure of that." He gave Adrian a challenging stare, a silent message that said ’I’m watching you.’

For a few seconds, the two powerful beings faced off in the silent hangar, a tension crackling between them that had nothing to do with rank. Then, Adrian nodded once and walked away.

***

The formalities at the Mission Hub desk were surprisingly swift. The attendant, the same purple Xylotl, verified his kills with a flicker of psionic light. The bounty was transferred — a staggering sum of nearly two million credits. And then, the final notification appeared.

<Mission Criteria Met. Ownership of Vessel X-77 ’White Phantom’ transferred to: Project_Prometheus.>

He was handed a sleek, black access key. He had his ship.

But as he answered the attendant’s routine questions about the mission, Adrian realized something strange. The logs Greg had submitted were detailed, accurate... and incomplete. There was no mention of the attempted smuggling. No record of the confiscated carcass. Greg had omitted the entire incident.

’It doesn’t make much sense...’ Adrian thought as he walked out of the Diamond Lobby. ’I just hope he’s not suspecting anything.’

Adrian wasn’t naive enough to think Greg did it to "save his skin." The Escort wouldn’t have faced any punishment for catching a rookie thief; he would have been commended.

That left two scenarios: either Greg knew something about his true nature and was trying to "stay in his good books" or he suspected Adrian had successfully hidden the Void Crystal and wanted to keep the potential resource in play for himself later.

Neither option was comforting, but neither stopped him. Adrian remained confident he could stay a step ahead. For now, he had an exciting task ahead of him. His [Inventory] was loaded with Void-infused gear, ready to empower his friends.

Without another word, he exited the Galactic Clash interface. The white light consumed him, and he seamlessly reappeared on the familiar, modest platform of the Sparkborn Transit Hub.

’Hello, Charles,’ he projected, re-establishing the mind link.

’Boss!’ Charles’s mental voice exploded with excitement. ’We haven’t heard from you in days! How’s it going up there? We’ve been watching your fights... Man, you left our jaws on the floor! The whole sector is buzzing about your promotion to Diamond!’

Adrian smiled, the warmth of home washing over him. ’It’s all good... But I’d prefer to tell you the tales in person. Arrange an immediate meeting with all the Vassals. You’ll see me in a minute.’

There was a moment of stunned silence at the other end, Charles rooted in equal levels of surprise and excitement. Then, his demeanor returned. ’You can count on me, boss! I’ll get to it immediately!’

Charles wasted no time. Messages flew across the sector and minutes, every member of Adrian’s inner circle dropped everything they were doing and rushed to the central house in anticipation and excitement. Their leader was back, after all.