by <unknown>
“Earth Village? Why haven’t I heard of this settlement?” After some thought, Xander seemed slightly convinced. “There are too many of them. It is impossible to accept all of them.”
“That is simple. All they need is a job, some food, and basic supplies. You can think of them as cheap labor, and it is also an opportunity to expand the settlement.”
The closed beta players snickered, as they could not wait for the public players to be scammed.
Xander’s eyes lit up. “You are right.”
Soon enough, Xander explained the situation to the public beta players, and they all received a task each.
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[The First Job]: You should earn some money through labor. Do not let yourself starve to death. Try to build a better relationship with our settlement so that you can be trusted.
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With guidance, the public beta players started their tasks. Residents of Big Horn Village settlement eagerly provided different job opportunities, and the merchants also opened up their stores to the players, allowing them to use their own money to buy some food.
With a clear goal to work toward, the public beta players started to have a good impression of Big Horn Village. The public beta players formed a ring of tents on the boundary of the settlement, adding on to the construction of the settlement.
The same scene was happening for the newcomers at other settlements on Planet Aquamarine.
On the first day of the public beta, all the players were very excited, and they soon found out that there were camera and video functions, which added on to their excitement. The number of posts on social media exploded with players posting about the most miniscule of events. The following were some of the posts.
“Poor review! How can there be no excretion function!” The owner of this post obvious had ulterior motives, and he was obviously not really complaining about excretion.
“Taking on an alien body is so fun.” Another post showed a picture of a Taurus male player shaking his tail.
“Almost got killed by a wild boar. It’s so fun!” The post showed a picture of a female player making a peace sign with a wild boar chasing right behind her.
…
On the first day of the launch of the public beta, millions of players joined the game, and they were assigned to different planets, with at least around 100,000 players on each planet. As the news spread, the numbers rose at a rapid rate. With the next half a year, the numbers would likely snowball into tens of millions.
The public beta players were overjoyed with the game while some of the closed beta players were not having it so well.
…
In Dark Crow Valley, Jupiter and the other members of the guild looked at their surrounding forests with a blank look.
All around them, the woods were green, the evening wind lightly caressed their skin, and the calm atmosphere was like a gentle palm, warming their hearts and making everything seem so harmonious.
The view was amazing and pleasing to the eye.
But where did the base go‽
Jupiter hesitated before he asked, “The place we are going to… should be the base, right?”
Everyone nodded in unison.
“There is no longer a connection with the camp!” Poseidon exclaimed.
Everyone then checked their interface and realized that their original [Dark Crow Valley Base Connection] was gone! Everyone was flabbergasted.
What is this situation‽
“Quick! Check the tasks!”
Waking up from the trance, Jupiter checked his interface immediately, before heaving a sigh of relief.
“Fortunately, the mission is still there. Oh sh*t!”
In the next moment, everyone was shocked.
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[Search for Zero (Level A)]: Zero, a mysterious traitor. He has caused the organization to suffer many losses. Find Zero, and you will become a great friend to the organization.
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The level of difficulty had changed from B to A!
The task instructions had also changed; the location of Zero was no longer required as it was like finding a needle in a haystack. The Guild of Gods had made a lot of preparations, and the results of the discussion could fill up an entire blackboard. This change had caused all the preparation in the past few days to go to waste.
“What have we missed‽”
Jupiter then thought of the official introduction of Galaxy and lost his voice.
“Don’t tell me Zero is the main character on this planet!”
Chapter 126. What a Scam |
“What shall we do now?” Poseidon asked.
“Let’s go ask around.”
Jupiter and his group returned to Dark Crow Forest Town, and upon hearing from the villagers that Dark Crow Valley Base had been destroyed by Stardragon, they were shocked. After getting a rough idea of what had happened, they thought to themselves, How is it possible that the base could have disappeared just like that?
Wow! Who knew this game would be so intense?
Last week’s efforts had all been wasted, and their advantages from the beta-testing were almost all lost.
Now that Dark Crow Valley Base, the organization that had been issuing quests, was gone, even if they completed the quest, they had no idea who to get their rewards from.
Everyone looked at each other and cried in dismay.
How could this actually happen…
Jupiter felt terrible, but he was reluctant to give up on this Grade A quest. “The Germinal Organization definitely won’t just stop here. Let’s go look for other bases. There should be a way for us to return to Germinal Camp.”
…
In the Western Capital…
In a blur of vision, Frenzied Sword realized that he had spawned in an alley that was not too far from the site where the beta-testing had gone offline.
Public testing has begun!
Frenzied Sword was so excited. Finally, he no longer had to worry about the time limitation and could wholeheartedly follow Han Xiao.
My dear Xiao, I’m coming!
Based on his memories, he found his way to Old Man Lu’s repair shop.
“Han Xiao? That kid left long ago without even a goodbye. Who knows where he went?” Old Man Lu gulped down a can of beer, and his tone was a little depressed. He secretly doubted if his granddaughter’s charm had truly lost its effects.
Upon hearing the news, Frenzied Sword’s was struck dumb. He bore a sluggish face and stood rooted to the ground.
How could his master run away‽
What am I to do now‽
…
The forum’s popularity continued to climb, gamers from different planets shared their own rumors. There were some gamers who were purely focused on trying and reviewing new elements of the game, and all seemed to praise it highly, even calling it a new era of gaming with true to life experiences.
It was merely a display background that was recently set, yet people were already fantasizing about it. It was a virtual game that was like no other; from the start to the end, there was only one world, so gamers all united in one place. There were different planets, which were equivalent to the different servers. Gamers very much looked forward to meeting fellow gamers from other planets.
This was not just the case in China; esports teams from other countries also flocked to Galaxy. Even though they did not communicate prior to this, among the esports powerhouses—America, Korea, France, England, and so on—all chose to develop themselves in their own planets.
Planet Aquamarine was one of the base camps that gamers from China chose.
However, this did not mean that all the gamers on Planet Aquamarine were from China. People from other countries could also choose to join Planet Aquamarine. There were leisure gamers, and there were also the European spies who came just to create trouble.
Electrolux, a retired professional gamer of America’s Key Club who did not achieve anything much i
n his career, joined the club’s studio after retiring. He joined Planet Aquamarine with such an ulterior motive.
Han Xiao was the only one who could recognize Electrolux. This scorpion was to become the first to rise up to the top sixteen in the First Professional League in the future, and in Planet Aquamarine’s selection trial, the strongest sixteen that were selected to represent Aquamarine were usually all Chinese. This was going to be the Chinese professional gamers’ base. Among the sea of Chinese one could easily spot the one American, Electrolux, who started the uproar with a swear word on the forum. The evil Chinese gamers all over the planet were out to kill him but all ended up dead under Electrolux’s knife.
Although Electrolux had the American arrogance, his strength and vast resources gave him the courage to start in a random planet. His luck was good as well.
In one of the Germinal Organization’s laboratories…
Electrolux opened his eyes wide and found himself soaking in a light blue solution. He was in a vat of nutrition fluid and was surprised that he did not need to breathe. He looked through the glass and saw a scientist holding a tablet, recording scribbles on the outside.
Realizing that he could not control his character for the time being, Electrolux waited patiently; according to his experience, this should be an intermission animation. After roughly a minute, a drainage hole appeared at the bottom of the nutrition tube, and the light blue solution disappeared. Electrolux could now move, and he saw a notification on the interface.
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You have been injected with DNA Improvement Solution. Your total attributes have increased by 3. You have acquired the skill [DNA Regulation].
[DNA Regulation]: You have a much higher chance of awakening Esper abilities, and the power will be increased by 10%.
_____________
My God! Electrolux was overjoyed. Random openings are so awesome!
The nutrition cabinet opened, and the scientists came crowding. Electrolux did not resist, allowing the scientist to pull him over to the Golden Platform to do various instrument tests.
At this moment, Electrolux received another prompt.
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The DNA Improvement Program is a biological research program that helps to cultivate superpowers. The success rate is extremely low. And you, being one of the few successful tests, will be valued much by the Germinal Organization. You can choose to stay or leave.
_____________
Previously Electrolux had chosen to stay, and afterward, he had become Germinal Organization’s strongest player. He made a similar decision, for with such an amazing start, only a fool would leave!
This skill is specially tailored for me. Electrolux had originally planned to become an Esper, and without saying another word, he entered a shop in the interface. Using the funds given by the club, he bought an [Ultra-Perfect-Deluxe Gene Awakening Elixir]. He immediately chose the Awakening option, and after a long and nervous wait, the interface prompted that he had successfully acquired the Awakening Ability!
How smooth. Electrolux had a look of joy on his face. He felt like Lady Luck was shining upon him. He raised his palm, and his palm amassed a white whirlwind.
The scientists rejoiced.
“Eureka!”
“He’s awakened!”
Electrolux knew that since he wanted to stay, it was best to show his potential. The scientists’ reactions made him very satisfied. But the next moment he saw a scientist calling for the guards, leaving him puzzled. Why did he have to call the guards at such a nice moment?
Germinal Guards sped to the site, and without much effort, they handcuffed him. He was dumbfounded. Did they not say that they valued him? Why were they treating him like a prisoner?
When he entered another laboratory, Electrolux was locked down onto the brainwashing device. It was only then that he realized something was wrong. “What are you doing to me?”
The guard spoke in a chilled manner. “We have orders from above that every successful test subject must be brainwashed five times over and then observed for another month before they can move freely!”
Electrolux was stunned. What logic is that? The reaction is simply too radical!
He really was clueless. The original DNA Improvement Program did not need brainwashing. His random start was started by a European, and it was all benefits and no harm.
However, after their experience with Han Xiao, the Germinal Organization had implemented an extremely strict policy. They would rather kill than release, and no matter the research plan, the test subject was to be brainwashed and put under close observation for a month.
Little did Electrolux know that this was all because of Han Xiao. It was too late to regret, for he was soon to be brainwashed.
_____________
You are not exempt from the brainwashing. You have joined the Germinal Organization under a special condition.
As you have been brainwashed, you are unable to rebel against the Germinal Organization.
_____________
Electrolux panicked.
Being unable to rebel meant that he was unable to escape the one month of imprisonment, which meant a month of being locked up, not to mention levelling up. This would mean he would be much behind other gamers!
Which part of ‘being valued’ is this! What a lie!
He had clearly attained the ultimate awakening skill, yet he was stuck in this rot hole and had to suffer a month of being locked down and gaining no experience!
It was a perfect start, but now he was to fall behind all the other gamers!
Electrolux exploded internally.
Chapter 127. The Fangs of Capitalism |
The golden rays of dawn were shining in the sky. It was a cool and refreshing morning.
Whilst driving a truck, Han Xiao made his way toward Big Horn Mountain. He had based his directions off a radar. Despite him driving all night, he was not tired at all. In fact, he was alert as he had pulled over to nap the night before.
The public beta had started a few days ago, yet the forum was already buzzing with comments. Han Xiao specially took notice of Planet Aquamarine’s forum, and through the tags of the players, he managed to understand the situation of each and every newcomer. He had always wanted to join in the commotion.
The best chance to interact was when the players made their first appearance.
Just a few days back, Han Xiao had used his authority to obtain a tip-off from the dark web—there was a batch of newcomers in Big Horn Village. Hence, Han Xiao decided to advance toward Big Horn Village to get rid of them.
In the distance from Big Horn Village, one could see the silhouette of the settlements. Han Xiao could tell with one glance that the settlement was filled with countless tents, just like a refugee camp. A swarm of players could also be seen busy bustling about.
The moment Han Xiao parked his truck, he caught the attention of the players.
With a cigarette dangling from his lips, Han Xiao got out from his truck and leaned against it while puffing out a cloud of smoke. He put on an air of arrogance, misleading the players to think that he was an important character.
A deep understanding of players’ mentality was Han Xiao’s specialty. He had analyzed the situation. With the new game being released, all the players were thrilled. No matter what kind of tasks were given to them, they were all willing to try. This was known as the ‘hunger’ stage, and since there was an overwhelming number of new players, there would definitely be a few players who could not obtain any missions.
Therefore, Han Xiao knew that as an ‘advanced player’ character, he was influential. All he had to do was appear in front of the players, and he could definitely rile up the players. The players were all new and did not have skills yet. However, he could benefit from their large number. Han Xiao also happened to have a way to reap benefits from these newcomers, and he could take this opportunity to further test the functions on the NPC interface.
In Han Xiao’s eyes,
the players who were walking about resembled walking wallets.
After a while, the players were finally starting to get curious and some walked over.
_____________
Black Phantom – Unknown (Yellow Name)
Rank: Unknown
Attributes: Unknown
Risk Level: Extremely deadly
_____________
“What the heck? This is a high-level NPC!”
“This is the first time that I’ve seen one.”
“Why is there such a high-level player in a novice village? Is he the Boss?”
“Doesn’t seem like it though. It looks like we can trigger a mission.”
The surrounding players were full of astonishment and were hesitating whether they should approach Han Xiao.
Han Xiao raised an eyebrow—he was now at LV 40, which was thirty levels higher than all the other players. This time around, he was fully aware of the players’ abilities. Hence, he cleared his throat and said, “You all seemed to be a capable bunch of people, and I do need some help at the moment.”
After making his statement, Han Xiao sent out the missions that he had prepared earlier on.
The dozen players received their missions.
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[Mysterious Stranger]: You have encountered a mysterious NPC, and he seems to have some work for you. Try to please him as much as possible, and you might receive unexpected surprises.
_____________
The mission was to collect a plant known as ‘Snake Venom’. These players realized that the reward given was more generous than the novice tasks that they had received in Big Horn Village. It was reaching up to a thousand EXP. Thus, the players received their missions excitedly.
Snake Venom was a relatively common plant. This plant could be collected near Big Horn Village, and it was also sold in the settlement to make poisoned arrows.
At this moment, many players could not afford firearms; instead, they used cold weapons. Han Xiao set up this mission for the sole purpose of experimenting as well as to allow his subsequent activities to not be suspected.
