He had finally found the organization!
Jupiter almost burst into tears before it occurred to him that the troop had been destroyed. His face changed suddenly. He quickly read through the content of the post, but unfortunately, the user did not elaborate on the details.
Jupiter was eager to find out what had happened, so he had members contact the players in Big Horn Village.
The guild was so efficient that he soon got to know that the troop that had been attacked was in fact an evacuating Germinal Organization unit. He was dumbfounded.
“Evacuate? Why are they evacuating? Where are they evacuating from? What is the scale of this evacuation—a single unit or a full battalion?”
Jupiter gulped nervously. He had an ominous feeling in his gut… Seems like we won’t be returning to the Germinal Organization any time soon.
This A-level mission was such a scam. Jupiter was so frustrated. Before the team could start on the mission, the organization that had issued the mission had run away.
…
In the evening, the setting sun covered the earth in a blood red glow. The outlines the moons were looming in the twilight sky.
In the woods outside Big Horn Village, Frenzied Sword was walking down the path, downcast in despondence.
“I must find him.” Frenzied Sword quickly broke away from his despondent mood and was talking to himself to boost his own spirits.
“Are you looking for me?” A voice came from ahead.
Frenzied Sword looked up. A truck was parked a few meters ahead with a man in black standing by it, staring at him intensely.
Black Phantom!
Frenzied Sword was ecstatic with excitement.
Every cloud had a silver lining!
“You, you… Have we met?” He could not be certain that Black Phantom was in fact Han Xiao. With much worry and fear, he felt like he was almost waiting for a verdict after he had asked the question.
Han Xiao smiled, revealing a tinge of amusement in his eyes. “What do you think?”
That familiar look! The look that made his hair stand on end!
Frenzied Sword was seized by joy; he was certain that this person was Han Xiao!
I’m so glad that I didn’t give up, and I finally found you! Oh, Savior!
“Come with me.” With a faint smile on his face, Han Xiao gestured toward his truck with his head. Trying his best to conceal his excitement, Frenzied Sword followed closely behind and got into the truck.
He did not care where Han Xiao was taking him as long as he could stay with Han Xiao…
Han Xiao smiled to himself. After spending some happy days together, he remembered Frenzied Sword well. But this was not the reason he chose to bring Frenzied Sword along. Frenzied Sword had great potential, and he was worth grooming.
In addition, having a player by his side meant he could send him to check out unknown and dangerous areas. Frenzied Sword would not die anyway, so he could be assured and use him well.
Han Xiao could use Frenzied Sword’s help in his next moves, so when he found that Frenzied Sword was following him, he stopped to wait for him.
Frenzied Sword did not realize that he was being treated as a lab rat again. He was full of excitement, checking out the truck with much curiosity. He remembered that Han Xiao was a member of Stardragon’s intelligence agency during the closed beta. How did he become Black Phantom out of the blue?
But that was not important. As long as he could be with Han Xiao, Frenzied Sword would be content.
“What are we going to do now?” asked Frenzied Sword after his excitement died down.
“Something evil.” Han Xiao took out a tablet and opened the map. He drew a circle around one region and threw it to Frenzied Sword.
Frenzied Sword took a brief look.
“Tedramira River, what kind of place is that?”
“A battleground,” Han Xiao replied calmly. He stepped firmly on the accelerator, and the truck raced off.
…
Tedramira River was a large river in Southern Continent connected to the sea.
In the darkness of the night, a long line of boats was cruising down the river. This was a huge fleet of ships disguised as fishing boats. The boats were actually Germinal warships, well equipped with various weapons, anti-detection jammers, machine gun arrays, and so on.
As a result of the Six Nations’ clean-up campaign, the Germinal Organization’s bases had begun to withdraw. A small number of important personnel was taking the air route. Most of the resources, transportation vehicles, and ordinary armed personnel were evacuating via a water route.
The evacuation was nearing its end. This fleet was the last remaining unit to withdraw from Southern Continent. The outer layer of frigates was guarding the barges in the center that were ferrying vehicles and armed personnel.
The evacuation plan was to go out to the sea along a tributary of the Tedramira River and join forces with other ground troops near the mouth of the sea. The ground troops would then board the ships.
The person in charge, Lin Yu, was the Chief Officer of the largest Germinal base in Southern Continent. Now he had taken the role of a commander and was also within the fleet.
Lin Yu was a middle-aged man, yet he was also an Executive Officer that was combat ready. He was analyzing the map with a solemn face in the command room. There were many links in the evacuation plan. The fleet and the ground troops had to ensure that they arrived at the mouth of the sea at the same time because the fleet could not possibly stay put.
During the evacuation, a large number of Stardragon and Hesla fighter planes were performing aerial reconnaissance. The fleet’s whereabouts had likely been exposed, and fear on the fleet was rising.
Lin Yu knew very well that Hesla and Stardragon would have set up a trap near the mouth of the sea to capture them. Their navy, air force, and army would be waiting to intercept their fleet and capture them all at once.
But from the very beginning, Lin Yu knew clearly that it was impossible to evacuate sneakily. A bitter battle was inevitable. Only by tearing past the blockade line could his troops escape alive.
“As long as we follow along the Tedramira River to the sea, we can get out of this nightmare, but don’t hold the illusion of a smooth passage. Lads, we will be facing a premeditated ambush. The Stardragon and Hesla Navy will do whatever they can to sink us near the mouth of the sea!
“I’ve been through thirteen wars. Some of them were big battles, others small. Some of you may be veterans like me, and some of you may be new recruits. Regardless, our destiny is the same. Break through the blockade line, and we can stay alive. If you are captured, even if you can survive, you will face indefinite imprisonment by Stardragon and Hesla. You can say goodbye to freedom in the sun!
“The Six Nations are a group of hypocritical and insidious villains who speak of peace and freedom but started a war. Don’t forget that your motherland was destroyed by the guns of the Six Nations. Never forget that hatred of blood!
“We have no choice but to fight till the very end!”
These words were Lin Yu’s speech for his subordinates. The armed personnel on board knew that there was going to be a fierce battle ahead, and they were all ready to fight.
There was a number of Germinal Executive Officers in the fleet, and Hila was among them. She was worried and apprehensive about the impending fight. In her opinion, it was a naïve hope to think of breaking through the blockade of Stardragon and Hesla’s ships.
Many of them would perish, and only a small number of people could survive.
However, Commander Lin Yu seemed to have it all worked out. Thus, Hila could only suppress her unease and conceal it from others. On the outside, she seemed the stoic person she had always been.
In fact, for Hila, even if every Germinal member on the fleet died, she could not care less. She hated the Germinal Organization, but she could only survive with the help of these Germinal soldiers.
She knew that her hands were
covered in blood, and she had never shunned it. Self-reproach and compassion belonged to good people. These emotions were too costly for her. From the day of her Awakening, she knew that she could never be a good person.
To rule death meant that she was destined to be banished to hell.
But her sister, Aurora, was completely different. She was an angel who used her love for the world to touch everyone she met. The only thing Hila regretted was that she did not protect her sister well, resulting in her falling into the hands of the Germinal Organization.
No matter what, I have to live on…
Only by surviving and demonstrating her usefulness could she help to reduce her sister’s suffering.
Anyone that stopped her would be an enemy.
Staring at the waves of the river, Hila was cold and stoic.
Chapter 135 - Ah, What A Familiar Taste
Translator:Atlas Studios
Editor:Atlas Studios
The Tedramira River branched out into the sea. The fleet of Stardragon and Hesla ships formed a tight blockade, and the riverbed of the estuary was also planted with many mines.
Both countries knew the whereabouts of the Germinal Organization's evacuation troops. Stardragon and Hesla regarded this battle with high importance as it was an excellent opportunity to eliminate an army of the Germinal Organization.
The inescapable net had been laid. In the eyes of the two countries, Germinal was a trapped beast; even if it knew there was a hunter trap waiting, it would have no choice but to approach it.
The battlefield was divided into two areas, and each country was responsible for one of the two areas. Hesla was mainly responsible for the sea blockade, while Stardragon's forces were in charge of land interception. This method of cooperation split the responsibility and prevented command conflicts.
Considering the individual combat effectiveness of the Germinal executives, Division 13 also sent secret agents to act as an emergency team and an assault troop. They would take on special tactical tasks and were waiting at a small dock near the estuary to be dispatched by the army commander.
Zhang Wei's team was among them.
A row of boats meant for assault had docked neatly, and green military tents were hidden in the grove behind the dock.
Despite the two months, the team had not changed much. Zhang Wei was as serious as before, Li Yalin was as sexy as ever, Lin Yao still looked mistreated, and Lambert was as silent as a stone.
The only change was the addition of a young new face.
"Hou Yue, you've been with us for a month now and have been through enough training. This mission is really important, so do not make any mistakes," Zhang Wei instructed the newcomer Hou Yue in the team's tent.
Hou Yue was a thin young man. He had two guns around his waist. With long, flowing hair, he was quite handsome. He nodded and smiled arrogantly. "Leader, you worry too much! During this past month, which task have I not completed successfully?"
Zhang Wei nodded in agreement. Hou Yue was an agent trained in Division 13 and had filled the vacancy of Han Xiao by joining the team. He had been performing well and did not cause Zhang Wei any worry.
Li Yalin hugged her hands to her chest and sat one side with her legs folded. She was frowning and appeared to be in a bad mood.
The truth was, after Han Xiao had skipped town, the agents who had lost their deposits all came to get their money back, and since then, her mood had never been good.
Hou Yue came over and sat next to Li Yalin. He teased, "Beauty Li, what are you thinking about?"
Li Yalin glared at him and retorted, "Are you a curious baby? How is this any of your concern?"
Hou Yue wanted to get close to Li Yalin badly. When he first joined and laid eyes on Li Yalin, he was stunned by her beauty. It pleased him to no end that he was teammates with someone this beautiful. Hence, he frequently tried to strike up conversations with Li Yalin. However, after being fooled by Han Xiao, she had developed a strong dislike toward newcomers. Thus, whenever she saw Hou Yue she would think of Han Xiao, so naturally, she did not have a good impression of Hou Yue.
Li Yalin was so annoyed by Hou Yue that she suddenly smiled menacingly. "You love talking, right?"
While speaking, she clenched her fists and cracked her knuckles. One could almost see the anger fumes rising from within and forming in her fists.
Hou Yue recoiled immediately. He knew that once Li Yalin showed this expression, she meant to beat people up. When he first joined the team, he had experienced it first hand and spent three days in the medical department.
Lin Biao, who was watching from the side, shook his head and feigned maturity. "Little monkey, you are still too terrified. In terms of courage, I only admire Brother Xiao."
"Who exactly is Brother Xiao?"
Hou Yue was puzzled. Since joining the team, he had learned that this team's full strength was six, but there was always one person missing. It was reasonable to cross out those players who were missing, but in this team, the sixth spot was always kept.
Also, he always heard the team speak of 'Brother Xiao'. This made Hou Yue extremely curious about this sixth person.
Li Yalin exploded immediately and fumed, "Do not mention his name in front of me!"
"Do not forget that we still have a mission to complete. You can't punch me!" Lin Biao looked composed, but his legs were trembling.
Hou Yue felt that Li Yalin's reaction was slightly exaggerated. Based on his experience, this was exactly the reaction of a resentful woman who had been abandoned by her man.
On second thought, maybe a heavy debt could result in the same reaction as well.
Zhang Wei shook his head, let out a breath, and explained, "Han Xiao was originally our teammate. However, he left because of some special reasons."
"Special reasons?" Hou Yue used his imagination and probed, "Was he sent to carry out a special mission?"
Zhang Wei shook his head.
"Was he transferred to another team by the superior?"
Zhang Wei shook his head.
"Then where did he go?" Hou Yue was bewildered.
Li Yalin huffed. "He could be dead for all we know."
"Who are you kidding? Why keep his spot if he really is dead? You all speak as if you all hate him, but why do I feel like you all actually miss him a lot?"
Silence.
After a long time, Li Yalin stood and smiled slightly.
"Choose a way to die."
Hou Yue scampered off.
Lambert shook his head and kept his sword sheathed.
…
Stardragon's infantry army was lying in ambush in the valley near the estuary. The goal was to intercept Germinal's infantry troops that had come to converge. Sleepy Winter, Twinkle Fried Rice, and Rainy Kim served as backline support.
The three had joined the Stardragon Army during Beta-testing but had since changed their professions. Twinkle Fried Rice and Rainy Kim were in the martial arts line while Sleepy Winter's character had exploded and awakened his ability using the store's DNA.
As recruits, they were also appointed to act as backline support in this battle. What pleased them was that they managed to spark a Camp-destroyer series quest, [The Battle of Tedramira River].
However, they soon became frustrated. This series had more than a dozen targets. They could only complete the few backline support targets in the series, which were the simplest and had the lowest rewards. Other tasks such as killing ten Germinal soldiers, assassinating a Germinal executive, or destroying transport vehicles were completely beyond their capabilities.
"This does not seem like our level of mission," Sleepy Winter grumbled.
Both Twinkle Fried Rice and Rainy Kim agreed. They had been drawn into a difficult mission that was totally beyond their current level. Looking at their novice level, it was simply none of their business.
The three of them had no idea that the Germinal Organization and the Six Nations had a head-on conflict that happened three months after the beta
game. At that time, the players had a basic understanding of the world structure, and they also possessed some combat strength. The conflict between Germinal and the Six Nations started happening on a very small scale, and bit by bit, it enabled players to become involved and have a chance to show off.
However, Han Xiao had completely disrupted the whole process. He had brought forward the conflict between the Six Nations and the Germinal Organization, leaving the current players totally incapable of participating. To be exact, the players had been cheated of their original main quest.
This benefited Han Xiao as it decreased the variables bought by the players.
Whoosh!
Two heavy-duty transport helicopters bearing a Fabian logo landed slowly in a valley. The wind was so strong that the grass at the landing site swayed in all directions like a wave.
"Old Black, we've arrived," Pilot Antonio lazily called.
"I can see. Also, do not call me Old Black!" Han Xiao retorted. "Call Black Phantom if you must—foolishly calling me Old Black will affect my luck."
Antonio removed his earmuffs and puffed out a cloud of smoke. "Forget it, you don't have much luck anyway."
"Get lost," Han Xiao said irritably.
In the past two months, Han Xiao had maintained a good working relationship with the Fabian Company, and Antonio was warming up to him day by day.
Frenzied Sword hid in a corner on the helicopter, shivering while he watched the two 'extremely deadly' godfathers talk and laugh merrily. Frenzied Sword had thought that Han Xiao would drive to their destination, but with just a phone call, two helicopters came to pick them up. At this moment, Frenzied Sword thought even higher of Han Xiao.
Employees from Fabian carried down the supplies from the helicopters, and most of the items were weapons that Han Xiao had deposited with Fabian. He thought that he could use these weapons for this mission. There was also a disassembled truck that Fabian's maintenance team was working on reassembling. All the while, Han Xiao and Antonio were chatting at one side.
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