“We have no conflict of interest with him. We just met him unluckily,” Garian said. “And we met a strong one. Bennett has found a treasure.”
“The fastest way is to ask.” Hannes took out his phone, selecting Bennett’s number.
The call went through.
“Hannes? Didn’t expect you to call me. Didn’t you retire already?” Bennett’s voice appeared.
“Garian said that there was something important that he needed my help for, and I owed him a favor. Never mind that. I have something to ask you. Did you send someone to Maple?” Hannes then explained what had happened.
Bennett didn’t know to laugh or to cry. “Such a coincidence. I don’t know whether it’s him being lucky or you guys being unlucky.”
“Who is he?”
Bennett stopped talking for a second, then laughed and said, “Are you looking for trouble? I suggest you don’t mess with him. He might kill you.”
Chapter 190 - Hidden Main Storyline (1)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Fighting him was an accident. You know me—I won’t take revenge.” Hannes shook his head.
Garian cut in and said, “Let me guess, he is the recently active Black Phantom. He’s the only newbie worth mentioning in your organization.”
Hannes froze in place. He started thinking and said, “Turns out it’s Black Phantom. I’ve heard of him although I retired and don’t pay attention to freshmen. He’s quite tough. Seems like you’ve got yourself a great warrior Bennett.”
Bennett kept silent. Just as Hannes said, he also felt that he had found a treasure.
Back when he first met Black Phantom, his code name was still Mr. Black, and he was only a scorpion. He had been quite strong but still very far from top tier. He had also seemed like Bennett’s fan and gave Bennett some presents that suited his taste. Thus, Bennett had given him some guidance, but it was only a random act, and he did not take Han Xiao very seriously.
However, within a short few months, Han Xiao had shaken the underworld with his battle record and become one of the top ten killers and an undoubted ace of the Blood Pact Society. The speed that he grew at surprised Bennett.
Although they had not battled with each other, Bennett could feel the strength difference between him and Han Xiao decreasing at a very fast rate.
With Black Phantom’s potential, sooner or later, he would become someone that could share the responsibilities with him so that he did not have to do everything alone. Black Phantom’s partnership with the Dark Net was at the honeymoon stage, so Bennett paid a lot of attention to it.
“Since he’s one of your people, I want him to help us do something,” Hannes said.
Bennett rejected and said, “Black Phantom is not my subordinate, and I cannot command him. The most I can do is help you ask, but it still depends on his response.”
Hannes pondered and said, “Alright, I would like to talk to him myself.”
“That can be done.”
The call ended.
“You want to let a stranger join us?” Vernina said with surprise. “Although he’s strong, we know nothing about him.”
“He’s very strong. What’s bad about having another person assist us? We don’t need to keep what we’re doing a secret anyway.”
Garian was the initiator of the mission, and he completely agreed with what Hannes wanted to do. “We’re digging for a big secret, and three of us is not enough. I have been collecting intelligence for many years and have finally found some leads—I need to know no matter what.”
“One day, you’ll die of your curiosity,” Hannes said with a heavy heart.
…
As the sun began to rise, Han Xiao returned to the Dark Net’s safehouse. Golden Fox and Ghost Blade had been awake for the whole night. Seeing him return, Golden Fox breathed a sigh of relief.
“Is the mission completed?” Ghost Blade questioned. “Did you follow my plan?”
“Your plan wouldn’t work.” Han Xiao shook his head and briefly described the challenges he faced during the infiltration. Ghost Blade’s intelligence had missed out some details, and these were very important details.
After what Han Xiao said, Ghost Blade noticed there were errors and flaws to the intelligence that he had collected, despite him thinking it was as detailed as it could be. He felt shamed as Han Xiao pointed out the details that he had missed.
Ghost Blade had originally been very confident of his precise plan, but he realized that following the plan would not have been enough to deal with the sudden changes of situation. Yet Han Xiao improvised on the spot and completed the mission seemingly with ease like it was nothing.
The difference made Ghost Blade feel defeated and embarrassed.
But he realized that Han Xiao had no intention of blaming or insulting him; rather, he did not seem to care about what he was thinking at all. Ghost Blade was completely ignored; plus, having been slapped in the face by reality, he felt even more embarrassed.
Whether it’s taunting or respecting, he doesn’t care about what I think, Ghost Blade thought with discontent. It felt like he was provoking someone, but that someone treated him like air and completely ignored him. It was like punching a cotton ball. Furthermore, with their difference in position and strength, he felt his actions were even more laughable.
Being ignored felt horrible for Ghost Blade—it was like he was just an extra, and he felt like something was clogging his heart.
Although Han Xiao did not know about the change of attitude from Ghost Blade, he was able to guess it. It was probably nothing more than arrogance and doubts, then getting slapped by reality and feeling embarrassed. Han Xiao’s heart was completely unaffected.
Everyone’s mind was different. Whether it was childish or crazy, everyone would have thoughts that were way out of line. But as long as they did not act on it, it would forever be a secret. Therefore, the great Han Xiao did not care about the thoughts and emotions of others—that would be more meaningless than a pair of spectacles without lenses.
Whether Ghost Blade doubted or respected him, it would not affect his emotions even for a little bit. There was nothing that described this characteristic of his better than the phrase ‘doing things his own way’.
This was the legendary calming aura.
Golden Fox licked her bright, tender lips, and her emotions were complicated.
The first time she saw Black Phantom was in the manor defending mission a few months ago. Black Phantom had just been a scorpion back then—his rank had been even lower than hers. But in a few months, she was still in the same place, while Black Phantom had climbed up in a short time to be an ace of the Blood Pact Society as well as made a connection with the superiors of Dark Net.
Golden Fox envied Black Phantom’s position, but she knew she did not have what it took.
If she could sacrifice her body to have Black Phantom back her up, she would definitely do it, but it was too bad that Han Xiao had no interest in her.
She could understand it—what was wrong with men being weird?
Not bothering with the puzzled Golden Fox, Han Xiao opened the safe and took out the equipment that he had previously placed inside. There was no need to stay in Maple now that the mission was done. As he was getting ready to leave, his phone rang. It was Bennett.
Han Xiao picked up the phone.
“I have completed your request. There were some small accidents along the way, but I was overall stable.”
“I knew you wouldn’t fail. I have something else for you,” Bennett said. “The enemy you met in the middle of the mission was actually my friend. You might have heard of them before, Hannes and Vernina. They are from my era, ”
Han Xiao acted surprised. “Oh, what a coincidence.”
“It’s surprising that you didn’t lose. You were much weaker when I first met you,” Bennett said in awe. “The speed you’re improving at has surpassed my knowledge.”
“Are you calling just to c
ompliment me?” Han Xiao said. “Go on, don’t stop. I can still endure it.”
With twitching lips, Bennett took a deep breath and calmed his emotions. “Hannes has asked me to tell you that he wants your help. Regarding the conflict earlier, it was just a misunderstanding.”
“Wants my help?” Han Xiao’s eyes twinkled. He realized that this was a mission that came to him without him looking for it!
Or to put in in a more direct way, he had met the requirements of triggering this storyline—he had legendary points and sufficient relationship with the Dark Net, and he was friends with Bennett while his level was high enough. Therefore, the hidden storyline had come to him.
Legendary points and relationships with organizations had their benefits. Sometimes, NPCs would come looking for the player and task them with a mission. These missions were usually more difficult than usual, but they also rewarded generously.
Missions coming to the players and players looking to trigger missions everywhere were treated very differently, just like the difference between seeking help from others and others seeking help from you.
Therefore, players favored attributes like legendary points that could give them a very good gaming experience.
“I could help them, but I need to know the details.” Han Xiao thought for a second and added, “Since they are your friends, they are my friends too. Don’t worry about that small conflict.”
This sentence made Bennett feel very good. He laughed in a very ‘reserved’ way, but he could not hide the fact that he was feeling comfortable all over. Since Han Xiao had given him so much respect, he would return the favor. “Count it as me owing you a favor. Hehe. Seems like I owe you quite a few favors already.”
Chapter 191 - Hidden Main Storyline (2)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“There’s no rush to return the favor. Just don’t forget about it,” Han Xiao joked.
Every time Bennett owed him a favor, their relationship points would increase. Being in good relationship with one of the main characters on the planet would definitely be quite beneficial.
Triggering a hidden storyline without actively looking for it was clearly one of the benefits it had brought. Bennett’s relationship network was very wide, so one could go through Bennett to get in contact with many others, most of them being strong ones with missions that had a chance to be triggered.
After waiting for a while, Bennett transferred Hannes’ call.
Ka-chin.
They both kept silent after the call was connected. They could only hear the sound of each other breathing.
In the end, Hannes spoke first. “I’m Hannes, we have met last night.”
“Bennett had told me. Heard you need my help. What’s it about?” Han Xiao got straight to the point.
“It’s regarding a secret that was buried in history. We have found some traces of it, and I want to find out about this secret.
Han Xiao was very confused. He had no idea what secret he was talking about.
However, a notification showed up on the interface. Han Xiao could not move his eyes away from it the moment he saw it; he was completely shocked.
_____________________
You have triggered Planet Aquamarine’s Hidden Main Storyline Grade A Mission [New Era—Origin].
Remarks: This mission will cause unknown and irreversible effects to some events and organizations. Please consider carefully before choosing to accept or reject.
_____________________
Han Xiao’s eye immediately widened.
A main storyline mission that no one ever triggered!
There were three main storylines in Planet Aquamarine—two of them were the war between the Six Nations and Germinal Organization and the creation of the refugee camp, and another hidden main storyline was triggered by the players, but it was not it!
He had completely no recollection of it, which meant this mission had not been triggered by the players in his previous life!
Hidden main storylines were a special type of mission. They needed an opportunity to be triggered, and they would impact the other main storylines and change the plot in one way or another. Han Xiao had played through many versions in his previous life, and he had read about hidden main storylines on the forum before.
Without exception, they all impacted the main storyline missions of their civilization or planet in a profound way.
The first time Hannes and the guys appeared before the players they were already dead. No wonder no one triggered it.
Han Xiao suddenly realized how dangerous this mission was. Even two people at the maximum level for Planet Aquamarine had died. It would probably be much more difficult than he thought.
Han Xiao’s grade A mission against Germinal Organization [Fall of the Germinal] was a branch of the main storyline mission. Players in different organizations would receive different main storyline missions. For the Six Nations, it would of course be to destroy the Germinal Organization, but for Germinal Organization, it was the other way around.
However, Han Xiao’s mission was special because he did not belong to any organization but was Germinal Organization’s enemy. Thus, the requirements and details were different, but the main goal was the same.
However, he knew nothing about this hidden main storyline mission.
Origin? Does it mean to dig into the history of the planet? In that case, which event’s origin is this?
The unknown was feared, yet people were curious about it. Han Xiao felt an itch in his bones—it was the feeling of excitement and anticipation.
He was an extremely long-term player that loved to dig the important factors in ‘Galaxy’, and this was a secret that no player had found out about!
“Accept.”
_____________________
You have accepted [New Era—Origin].
+10 Relationship with Hannes, Vernina, Garian, and Jiang Yuan.
_____________________
Hmm? Han Xiao noticed something.
He knew that Jiang Yuan was the last person buried in the grave, but who was this Garian?
_____________________
Talk to Hannes. Listen to his introduction.
_____________________
The mission requirement at the moment was only this. Han Xiao was used to it; it was something like an opening cinematic.
“It has something to do with us attempting to kidnap Dorasi last night. He took part in a secret plan some years back, and this secret plan of Maple is one of the leads. There are many secrets in the nation of Maple.
“When you infiltrated the government officials’ mansions, did you feel weird that these officials were protected around the clock, but this doesn’t happen in other nations?”
Han Xiao nodded. “I know about this, the ‘Ulrich Assault’ from many years ago.”
“Yes, Ulrich Assault…”
Hannes described the event in detail.
Ulrich’s position in Maple at that time was similar to a prime minister. He had been attacked at home, not by a few people, but a large group of civilians who somehow had weapons from an unknown supplier. They used gunpowder weapons and burned Ulrich’s expensive mansion to the ground. Ulrich, his wife, and their three children aged around ten years old were brutally slaughtered by the attackers. The entire process was recorded and uploaded online. It shocked the nation and even the entire world.
The reason for this was that Ulrich approved a policy that was basically to remove power and citizen benefits from the civilians and to use it as an investment of a ridiculous project, which was actually a way for Ulrich to put money into his own pocket.
Corruption of the government officials in Maple was known throughout the world, but before the war of the old era had broken out, Maple had been known for their gentle government. They were normal and not a strong nation.
When the old era war broke out, the government implemented policies that were very pressurizing for the civilians. Most people show
ed understanding and accepted the policies under pressure, and some even actively contributed. The government officials of Maple had tasted the delicious fruit of evil. After the war ended, because of the pressure from the nation losing power after the war, they did not go back to the old easy-going policies. Instead, they continued to pressure the civilians with tax and labor, which was used to recover the nation’s power. Conflicts within the country became worse as time passed by, the gentle society environment disappeared and never returned.
People who were not living the life they wanted were like a spring that was pressed to its limit—the policy Ulrich approved was the last straw.
Then, half an hour after Ulrich was attacked, the special force received a command to kill everyone who took part in the attack. They showed no mercy. The nation was shocked, and this signified as the opening of the change of times in Maple.
If this had happened before the old era war, it would have a been a scandal that could cause the complete downfall of the government, but in the new era, where power was left unchecked, the other five nations had no intention of getting involved.
It was already difficult for everyone just to protect themselves after the war. Organizations that protected human rights and power alliances no longer existed.
The structure of the world changed. The balance was broken; economies were close to collapsing; resources and military power became the only standard to measure a nation’s power. Maple felt that the civilians’ feelings did not matter anymore, so they did not serve the citizens like before. In their eyes, it was time for the citizens to serve the nation.
The old era was over. With everything being destroyed and waiting to be rebuilt, it was a chance to reshape the country, so they chose a radical way of doing it.
The assault that shocked the nation also alerted the government officials of Maple. They decided to retrieve the ‘weapons’ from the civilians. The government officials had never been this united before—they approved twenty-four strict policies with high efficiencies within two days. The twenty-four-hour protection of the officials was the most basic policy, and there were even insane ones that graded civilians, which led to ‘rotten meat’ being evicted from the big cities every so often—rotten meat being citizens deemed worthless.
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