by <unknown>
With Hao Tian’s skill, a novice village was already useless to him, but for the missions of Black Phantom, he was willing to wait.
…
In the basement of the Dragon Horn building, the headquarters of Division 13…
The corridor toward the central computer room was dark and metallic, with infrared detectors in the walls all along the corridor. The ground was equipped with devices that recognized and recorded weight and footprints.
Gu Hui typed the password at the door, then had his eyeball, fingerprint, and voice scanned. Within a few seconds, the center computer recognized Gu Hui through the floor and infrared detectors.
“Identification authorized. Welcome, Deputy Director-general,” a robotic voice emotionlessly said.
All the security devices were turned off. The path was clear, and Gu Hui walked into the spacious center computer control room with a serious expression. He was carrying out the order of the highest ranked superiors—inquire about the Inhuman phenomenon from the galactic civilization far away in the universe, Godora.
It was an important issue. All the cameras in the center computer room faced him, and the leaders were watching through them.
Gu Hui knew that it was not only Stardragon—all the other countries were going to do this as well. The Inhuman phenomenon was too weird. They had absolutely no way of solving it and could only seek help from galactic civilizations. Godora was the only superior civilization that they were in contact with. It had a mostly neutral but slightly biased attitude toward them, and they did not interfere too much with Planet Aquamarine.
Gu Hui turned on the central terminal and typed a series of long passwords to unlock the encryption. He then opened the deepest layer of the program and typed another string of secret passwords, activating a secret program.
The screen turned entirely white, then a new simple window popped up. It was filled with countless options and links in weird Godoran symbols. All except one were gray, which meant they could not be selected.
The only one that could be selected was translated into Planet Aquamarine’s language.
_____________
Godoran Communication Window with Star Zone 9, Planet Aquamarine.
_____________
This was a star zone communication device model called [Feathers of Light—8]. All of the Six Nations on Planet Aquamarine had received it from the Godoran Civilization. It allowed them to connect with the galactical civilizations. This technology was yet to be obtained by Planet Aquamarine.
The Godoran Civilization locked many functions of the program and closed the hundreds of connections on the network; it was limited to only single-directional communication from Planet Aquamarine. Thus, Planet Aquamarine could only make use of less than 0.00000001% of the galactical communication device, and they could only get information about the universe from Godora.
But Planet Aquamarine did not have a choice.
Gu Hui calmed his mind and clicked the link. The ten-second wait felt like hours, but eventually, the screen flashed, and a dialog window appeared.
A sentence in the Godoran language appeared before it flashed into Planet Aquamarine’s language through the translation function from the device. “Human from Planet Aquamarine, why did you request communication?”
Gu Hui revised what he had planned to say before typing it out word by word. “My friend from Godora, I’m the person in charge of the intelligence organization of Stardragon on Planet Aquamarine. I have requested the communication due to an abnormal phenomenon on our planet. We call it the Inhuman Phenomenon. The details are as below…”
Gu Hui explained their research on the Inhumans briefly and sent the documents and records over. Then he ended his message with a brief plea for assistance. “As our technology is unable to find the reason behind this, we hoped you could help us to solve it. If you can provide assistance with this, we will give you our sincerest appreciation. Godora and Stardragon will forever be close friends.”
Chapter 199. Aurora |
After a few seconds, the person from Godora replied.
“There are many technologies that can achieve this effect. It also might be a natural occurrence. There are far more weird events in the universe, so don’t have to be so surprised. Tens of thousands of species die and come to life every second. We would have to research on it ourselves to know the exact cause.”
“That is what we are hoping for,” Gu Hui wrote back, “for you to send someone here to do field research.”
“Request authorized. Current date: 10th August 688 Galaxy time. Mission has been submitted into the schedule. ETA 7th May 689.”
Galaxy’s calendar was set by the three biggest civilizations. It is used across the entire universe, but of course, many places had their own calendar, just like the use of dialects. The general calendar would usually only be used in the communication between two civilizations so that time calculation would be easier.
“So long?” Gu Hui was stunned.
“Every activity follows a schedule. The request needs to be queued. I have already received the request from other nations on your planet, so it will be settled at the same time”.
The reply of the receptionist from Godora was typical. Gu Hui feel it was quite familiar. He thought about it and realized… Isn’t this the same tone as government officials pushing things around?
Gu Hui turned off the communication with a sigh.
“Have to wait one year. Who knows how the Inhuman Phenomenon will turn into after one year?” Gu Hui shook his head. “Luckily, the Inhumans are able to communicate and are passionate about being mercenaries. They are controllable to a certain extent.”
The highest ranked superiors of Stardragon hosted a meeting. Since there was currently no solution to the Inhuman Phenomenon, they decided to immediately focus on declaring war with the Germinal Organization before the phenomenon grew worse, to prevent the Germinal Organization using this phenomenon as a tool for them making a comeback.
Preparation for the expedition war started again.
…
Ta, ta, ta!
The military boots stepped on the metal floor. Hila walked in the corridor full of twist and turns with an expressionless face. She did not even hesitate at the intersections. She was too familiar with this place—this place where Aurora was locked up.
At the end of the deep corridor, a thick, metal gate blocked Hila’s path. She walked over with light steps, and the automatic guarding guns kept their aim all on her like they were going to open fire at any moment. Two guards stood in front of the metal gate and stopped Hila.
“I have authorization.” Hila’s tone was cold.
The guards turned around and tapped a few times on the control panel, made sure that Hila had received one-time authorization from their leader, and nodded. “You have one hour.”
He opened the metal gate. Light shone from within and brightened the exquisite but ice-cold face of Hila.
A pure white room came into her sight.
It was very simple: one bed, one table, one chair, one toilet, and one bookshelf full of books.
In a bed as pure as the feathers of an angle, a tiny, scrawny body cowered.
Hila walked forward inattentively and stopped five meters outside the room. She reached out and pressed against the glass that surrounded the room. She could not move forward anymore.
The corner of her eyes shook.
The palm pressed against the wall turned into a fist. She clenched her fist so hard that her bones started to turn white.
“Sis?”
The blanket started moving. A tiny bald head extended from within cautiously. Her face was pale like she was suffering from malnutrition and had not gotten enough sunlight for a very long time. Her eyes were flashing with surprise as she saw Hila.
Aurora lifted the blanket and stumbled toward the glass. Her steps were weak and powerless. She was only as tall as Hila’s shoulders and so skinny that she looked like she only had her skeleton left.
The exposed arms from her patient suit were full of needle scars. Aurora pounced toward the glass with happiness. She put both of her hands on the glass and said, “You’ve come to see me!”
Hila hastily extended her hands and pressed against Aurora’s palms across the glass. She endured the lump in her throat and softly asked, “Recently… have you been alright?”
“The people in white lab coats have not come as often. The last injection was thirteen days ago already.” Aurora’s large eyes blinked, and she showed a faint smile.
Hila smiled reluctantly. She looked at the needle scars on Aurora’s body, and it felt like her heart was being stabbed rapidly. She knew why they drew blood from her fewer times—it was because Aurora recovered slower. Every time her blood and bone marrow was extracted, she needed more time to recover.
Her ability allowed her to feel one’s life force. The life force of Aurora, which had once been as bright as the sun, was now a candlelight that might extinguish anytime.
Her life force was withering.
Aurora sat down and hugged her knees. “Tell me stories elder sister. I want to hear the last one that you didn’t finish.”
Hila sat down too and leaned on the glass.
“Where did we stop at last time?” she whispered.
“Hmm…” Aurora tilted her head and thought about it. “The uncle called Zero escaped from the base. What happened next? Did sis fight with him?”
After a moment’s thought, Hila continued the story with a soft and gentle tone.
…
In the office of the leader of the Germinal Organization, a row of superiors stood in front of the desk and reported the various situations in the organization.
The leader sat straight and tight. No one knew what the expression behind the mask was. His black gloves covered hands overlapped each other under his nose. “The Inhuman Phenomenon has attracted the attention of the Six Nations, but it won’t last for long. At least the Inhumans made some time for us to recover. Be prepared, the enemy may invade Andrea any time,” he said.
The officers nodded in assent.
The leader looked around and asked, “Where’s Cyberlos?”
“There have been breakthroughs in a few projects recently—he’s busy.”
The leader stood up suddenly and left with large steps.
…
Electrolux was so touched that he was tearing up.
After a month-long ordeal, he was finally released.
It had not been easy!
Although he was trapped in prison, he had been paying attention to the forums, and he knew that the Germinal Organization had captured other players as well. After he was released, he was sent to join a special unit consisting of players; it was called the Inhuman Unit. It was all the unlucky players whose organization was locked due to being brainwashed.
Although he was far behind on levels, Electrolux was confident that that with his Esper ability that had A-grade potential, as long as he levelled up, he would definitely be stronger than other players.
A non-Chinese on Planet Aquamarine player like this was not uncommon. Some casual players did not care which planet was whose base camp; they only chose novice planets to their likings. Every novice planet had casual players from various countries.
It was Cyberlos’ idea to put the brainwashed Inhumans into one unit, and it had been accepted by the leader, who felt that undead Inhumans had a strategic value in war.
The leader had assigned a battle instructor to specifically design training and actual combat plans for the Inhumans.
At this time, Cyberlos was in another research lab. He stood in front of a specially designed sealed pod. The research personnel on the side were steadily adjusting the devices. There was an test subject in the pod, and a scream filled with madness and agony could be heard from within.
After some time, the inside of the sealed pod quieted down. Its gate opened, and what was inside could be seen.
It was a man fully armed with all kinds of exoskeleton mechanical parts that were connected into his bones. His skin had all changed into a soft, stretchable metal. With his bald head and machinery everywhere, his body size had grown a considerable amount. He looked like a beast.
This guy was none other than the first test subject of the [Super Soldier Project], No. 1!
Chapter 200. More Than 100,000,000! |
“How do you feel?”
No. 1 opened his eyes. His eyes had been modified, too. They flashed red light, and his field of sight could zoom in and out like a camera lens. He looked down at his palms covered in metallic skin, and as he moved his fingers around, a hideous smile appeared on his face.
“Never been better.”
With a buzz from the exoskeleton, he punched at the metal wall and created a pit. His hideous smile expanded and turned into a maniacal laugh.
Finally, after enduring endless pain, he had gained transcendent power.
He enjoyed the surge of confidence.
No. 1 realized that with this power, the Zero that had once killed him was nothing more than a weakling.
They were not on the same level anymore.
“Zero, don’t get killed by anyone else before I find you.” No. 1’s eyes were vicious as he talked to himself. “You’re mine.”
…
Cyberlos walked out of the experiment lab to report to the leader.
“As the schedule has been brought forward, the experiment has yet to reach a mature stage. No. 1 was the only one that could endure and finish all the modifications. I did not think that he could endure all that torture,” Cyberlos said.
“He was killed by Zero. Hatred turned his will indestructible,” the leader said indifferently.
“About Zero…” Cyberlos narrowed his eyes. “If he really has the power to predict the future, we have to get rid of him before the war. Otherwise, all of our strategic deployments and planning will be exposed.”
“He’s like a rat in the sewers, hiding too deep.” The leader fiddled with his fingers before coming to a decision. “Activate Destiny’s Child, find his position.”
Cyberlos smiled. He had always been very interested in the Destiny’s Child.
The duo walked in the twisted corridor and past locked gates that each required higher authority than the last. Elite teams of guards patrolled the corridor in synchronized footsteps. The secret room was deeply hidden.
The leader walked to the gate and entered the password. Next was the fingerprint scanner. He removed the glove that he had always been wearing. His hand looked horrible—it was full of scars like it had once been bitten and chewed by a beast.
There were scars on his fingertips, too. The leader put the glove back on after the authorization was completed. The metal gate slid open to the side. Only the leader could open this gate.
Inside was a hibernation pod with a man wearing a metal muzzle in it, and the nutritional liquid injections were all that was keeping his body alive.
The leader controlled the hibernation pod to inject a drug that would wake the person inside. The door opened up, and the man slowly opened his eyes. He was extremely calm. His eyes had no signs of life, and he did not seem to care if he was asleep or awake.
The Germinal Organization called this man ‘Destiny’s Child’. He had some ability to affect the future with his words, but the Germinal Organization did not know many of the details.
The leader waved behind his back, and his subordinate handed the documents on Zero over. He then flipped the pages. Destiny’s Child looked at the pages without even changing the focus of his pupils.
The leader flipped through the pages twice and said, “Make him appear.”
Destiny’s Child finally blinked.
The leader took out a specially made key and opened the metal mouth mask of Destiny’s Child.
Destiny’s Child closed his eye for five minutes. When he opened them again, he said slowly with a hoarse voice, “He will come here himself.”
The leader�
�s breath paused for a second and demanded, “When?”
“Not too long.”
“Hope it’s successful this time.” Cyberlos shook his head. Destiny’s Child’s ability did not work every time. The smaller the request, the more likely it was to succeed.
The leader put the metal mask back on Destiny’s Child and pushed him back into the hibernation pod.
The guards outside careful extended their heads and looked at each other with confusion.
Why were the leader and Cyberlos talking into the air with themselves?
…
After staying in the last novice village in the Western Continent for three days, Han Xiao left hurriedly in a plane. His next stop was the Northern Continent, which would be a long trip.
The average level of players was getting close to 20, so Han Xiao had to speed up on his schedule.
Stars filled the night sky outside the window. The plane flew stably in the clouds with its preset route.
The stars glowed in the clear eyes of Han Xiao.
Every time Han Xiao looked at the night sky and the bright stars in it, he thought of the countless civilizations and opportunities that existed in the universe.
Han Xiao was very aware of this, and every time he thought of it, he was filled with ambition.
A man’s journey belongs to the sea of stars.
He had already built his base on Planet Aquamarine—this was the starting point. The more he accumulated here, the more confident he would be.
Han Xiao opened the interface and counted his earnings.
In the more than ten days that he had stayed in the Western Continent, he had robbed a large number of drugs, one of which had an unknown effect but could potentially be a very valuable semi-finished drug. He had also built many relationships, with Dion, two superheroes that he had no idea of what use they would provide, Hannes, and others. Furthermore, he had managed to trigger the hidden main storyline.
He also built the mechanical suit, Viper.
Viper could increase both his Strength and Dexterity drastically, which made up for the Mechanics’ weaknesses in these two attributes in the early stages. In Han Xiao’s mind, Viper was his second battle plan, and it was only a prototype. He needed to continuously add more modules to it so as to enhance his combat abilities.
