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This mission has a commentator, damn. Han Xiao was surprised.
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The document recorded an old action plan, with a lot of information missing. Before the war of the old era, a country sent a team to a village in Andrea for a secret mission. What happened afterward was unknown, but all the residents of the village were killed by gunfire. That country is already dead now.
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That’s it? Han Xiao was confused. This description was a clue of the mission, but it was way too vague. He thought about it and sent it to Hannes. That old guy had more information on hands—maybe he could discover something more.
Completing the mission was enough for Han Xiao.
…
Hao Tian stood beside the mission character ‘Old Devin’ and stared at his phone, waiting for Black Phantom’s reply.
This mission had been very cumbersome. Old Devin had the document, so he had needed to gain Old Devin’s trust first, which he had done by completing many chore missions. The difficult part was that Old Devin suffered from mental illnesses. He had Paranoia, Amnesia, Schizophrenia, was prone to anger, spoke nonsense, and dozens more. He would quickly become anxious, and he would mistake a trash can on the road for bomb and passers-by for enemies who were chasing him.
Old Devin had been a member of this plan, and from what he said, after he completed the mission, the nation had killed his family and hunted him down. The hiding and stress he suffered through the years gave him the mental illnesses.
“Do you know why war broke out during the old era?” Old Devin would always look around his surroundings and make sure that there was no one before he started chatting with Hao Tian. “It was because of me. Every nation was looking for me, so they fought each other. Enemies were everywhere. They still have not given up. Look at these surveillance cameras in the city. They are all set up for me.”
Of course, Hao Tian did not understand a single word he said, and he did not care about the story anyway. He was just doing the missions, and with his high efficiency and strong will, he completed the mission.
Hao Tian soon received Han Xiao’s reply and the notification of the mission being completed, and a sense of relief washed over him.
‘You’re the first to complete the mission. I feel that you have quite the potential. Are you interested in helping me?”
“Sure.” Hao Tian gave a very simple reply.
“Wait at the border of Raylen, coordinate R1565.842. I will bring you along when I leave the Northern Continent.”
“Sure.”
Although Hao Tian had a very steady personality, he still felt a sense of excitement when he thought of the benefits of Black Phantom’s hidden storyline in the forums.
…
Han Xiao finished his journey of making a crazy amount of profits when he left the last novice village in the Northern Continent. Before leaving the Northern Continent, Han Xiao came to an ice field where high-level ice bears lived. He spent a few hours and used the Ghost sniper rifle to fulfill the requirements for [Lethal Shot].
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Lethal Shot: 12 – 25% chance to activate true damage with the first shot on target. This cannot be reactivated on the same target within 5 minutes.
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By changing the target, the talent could be triggered multiple times, which was very useful. Although it did not quite meet the standards of Bennett’s cheat-like molding ability [Legendary Battle Techniques], it was still a rare attacking talent.
After counting, Han Xiao had twelve talents, which was exceptional in version 1.0. Half of that would already be very high for a LV 55 player.
Han Xiao also gave the recently obtained [Call of the Wild] talent a try. The ice bears above level 50 was not affected by it at all—they were still as aggressive as they had originally been.
He lowered the level of his targets and realized that a bear cub was very friendly toward him. It was white, chubby, and furry, only as tall as his waist level. It hugged his leg and showed off its cuteness.
There’s quite some use to this talent. The cub is only at level ten-something, but there should be other hidden elements to the Call of The Wild. Other than it being affected by Charm, the level difference between me and the beast should also be part of the reason as well as the characteristics of the beast.
Han Xiao contemplated the matter. Suddenly, he saw this furry ball trying its best to climb up his leg. The Great Han Xiao squinted and kicked the cub away.
The white and chubby cub rolled over a few times and then came back again. Han Xiao just could not chase it away no matter how he tried; it was very clingy.
Its furry butt kept shaking, and it looked stupid. Its small, black eyes were filled with innocence.
Tsk, how adorable. Han Xiao could not resist its cuteness. He held the cub upside down and gave it a look. And it’s a female.
They looked at each other for some time, then Han Xiao reached out his arms. The cub climbed up laboriously to Han Xiao’s shoulder and hung onto it like a swing.
“You definitely have some koala blood. Didn’t expect you to be a cross-breed,” Han Xiao said in surprise. He twisted his arm, and the cub shook swung around it as well. It was like he was carrying a bag.
I shall bring it along as a pet.
Raising a pet was a spice of life. With a pet, Han Xiao suddenly felt much more relaxed. No wonder people in the big cities liked to have pets—it was such an effective stress reliever. When they were unhappy, they just had to bully their pet, and they could find back their sense of superiority as an intelligent species.
This was a Sharp Claw Ice Bear cub, only a few months old. Han Xiao was too lazy to give it a name, so he just called it Bear Cub.
Bringing along Bear Cub, Han Xiao boarded the plane to the border of Raylen and picked up Hao Tian. Following which, he immediately headed toward the Southern Continent.
On the plane, Hao Tian lived up to his image of a highly skilled player and kept silent, did not ask about their destination, and did not make any interactions. Han Xiao saw that he had nothing to do, so he gave him a mission to take care of Bear Cub. Hao Tian’s expression became interesting on the spot.
Galaxy’s details were all very real, especially the look and smell of urine and feces.
Flying from the Northern Continent to the Southern Continent required a little over half a day. Han Xiao received a call from Hannes on the way, saying that Old Devin’s document filled missing information of their clues, and it was a very important finding. Han Xiao knew that this would affect the next round of the hidden main storyline missions.
The earnings in the Northern Continent were not lesser than the Western Continent. Han Xiao’s experience and money had all almost doubled. Every time Han Xiao looked at the accumulated experience in the interface and the total of his Dark Net bank account, he would feel a surge of happiness.
…
When the plane landed in the Southern Continent, Antonio was waiting. Han Xiao saw his rough face as soon as he came out of the plane.
“Welcome back, my friend.” Antonio laughed out loud and gave Han Xiao a bear hug. The strong odor on his body almost made Han Xiao lose his health points.
“Hug a while more, and I’d be dead.” Han Xiao rubbed his nose with a frown. The odor was lingering in the air.
“Only out for a month, and look what you’ve done!” Antonio said with surprise. He remembered that Han Xiao said that he would not get into trouble, but it seemed like Han Xiao’s standard of trouble and his were very different.
Things about Black Phantom had been spreading like a disease recently. Many organizations had to spend some of their focus on Black Phantom; the man had most likely become one of the top names in many organizations’ threat lists.
Black Phantom had officially reached the top of Dark Net’s killer leaderboards.
After chatting for a while, Antonio noti
ced Bear Cub. His eyes immediately twinkled, and he ran over to pet it. Han Xiao was not surprised that Antonio liked furry things judging from his appearance—the two furballs were probably cousins.
Han Xiao walked aside and called Bennett.
“I’ve returned.”
Bennett breathed a sigh of relieved and said with a hint of sorrow, “I’ve waited for you for so long.”
Han Xiao went straight to the point and said, “The ‘Shelter Plan’ you talked about, what help do you need from me?”
Bennett was very touched. Han Xiao mentioned about helping the first thing after he returned, how noble!
In the society of lies and deception, people who had such good qualities were going extinct.
This was a friend that was worth building a stronger relationship with!
Bennett decided to make Han Xiao one of the people in charge of the plan and share even more details with him. “Let’s talk when we meet—I have a very important mission for you.”
Hearing that, Han Xiao knew there was a chance and got excited. He was very familiar with the main storyline [Shelter Plan], and he knew how much benefit there was in becoming a core member.
The Six Nations had been making a lot of moves in the dark recently—the preparation for expedition war was almost complete, and the expedition would probably officially commence in that month. The Germinal Organization was finally about to meet the disaster that had been created by Han Xiao, and the war was going to break out in Planet Aquamarine. The wanderers, militaries, warlords, financial organizations, secret organizations, and all the other organizations were nervous about it.
To open the [Shelter Plan] main storyline at this time completely messed up the sequence of the storyline, but its benefits were also clear. Under the threat from the war, Bennett would do anything to carry out the plan.
And the players’ attention would also be diverted by the main storyline [Shelter], which would reduce the number of players taking part in the main storyline of the war between the Six Nations and the Germinal Organization, which was beneficial to Han Xiao. The smaller the impact that the players made, the more advantages that the Six Nations had.
Chapter 216 - Dark Net Director, Third Sanctuary
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The invitation from Bennett signified his trust. The meeting point this time was the first shelter that Dark Net was building, located in a city ruins named ‘Ruins of Lloyd’ in a wasteland in the Northern Continent. It had once been the financial center of a dead nation in the Northern Continent.
Han Xiao sat in Bennett’s private helicopter. When he looked down at the city from the sky, he could see the building process of the shelter. The first thing he saw was the tens of meters tall enormous wall that was being built. In the areas that had yet to be completed, he could see workers welding steel bars together onto the scaffolding. The concrete of the wall was mixed with other materials and had a metallic feeling to it. With Han Xiao’s professional knowledge, he knew that the wall was so strong that smaller rockets would at most only leave traces of burn marks on it. The wall was built to the standards of a fortress; it was extremely expensive.
The Dark Net’s symbol was painted on the wall in dark red together with the new name of this city.
Bennett Sanctuary One!
The helicopter flew past the wall, and the construction machinery came into sight, clearing the roads and the abandoned buildings. Countless workers in gray uniforms ran around doing their job to lay the foundation for the new buildings and planning the layout of the city. Steel bars, bricks, wood, and other stacks of industrial building materials lay out in the open, and it looked exactly like a gigantic construction site.
“You named the shelter after yourself.” Han Xiao patted Bennett’s shoulder with a smirk. “I didn’t know you’re this shameless.”
Bennett slapped the palm on his shoulder away and said, “Let’s go. Come to the high ranked officials meeting with me.”
“What has the meeting got to do with me?” Han Xiao asked in surprise.
Bennett shook his head and laughed. “You’re a high ranked official, too.”
Han Xiao blinked.
Bennett cleared his throat and said, “I strongly recommended you to be a director personally. You won’t disappoint me, will you?”
Dark Net had recently reconstructed their high ranked officials, with the highest ranking being the founders such as Bennett and one level lower being the various directors.
“What are you talking about?” Han Xiao asked with a serious face. “When did I disappoint you?”
Bennett did not know whether to laugh or cry. He led the way, and Han Xiao saw the construction of the shelter at a close range.
“Sanctuary One is our test. I’ve put in plenty of resources, and it’s progressing quite well. The basic layout should be completed within a year. The layout of the shelter is divided into a few sections. In order to have enough basic infrastructure to meet the requirements of its residents, the plants and livestock also needs to form a self-sustained ecosystem so that even if war breaks out in the outside world, the shelter can provide for its own, and the defensive measures are, of course, to defend against enemies.”
Boom!
An abandoned building in front was being demolished, and dust filled the area as it fell down.
Han Xiao waved the dust away and said in awe, “Just this shelter would’ve cost you a huge sum.”
“The Six Nations’ resources can only support two to three sanctuaries,” Bennett said with his hands behind his back. “My plan is to build at least three to five sanctuaries across the continents.”
“That will be outrageously expensive.”
“This sum of money is insignificant when it comes to preserving our civilization.”
“Wow, I could almost see the halo above your head,” Han Xiao mocked.
Bennett’s mouth twitched.
After arriving at the new fortress, directors of the Dark Net gathered in the meeting hall. They stood up and bowed slightly to show their respect when Bennett and Han Xiao walked in.
Black Phantom had displayed his strength and was now the top fighting force of Dark Net, and with Bennett’s support, the high ranked officials present all agreed that Han Xiao’s position was at the same level as theirs.
The high ranked officials reported the progress of Sanctuary One in turn, and when Bennett was done settling them, he said, “Sanctuary One has been proven to be practical. The message has been sent out. Many wanderers came to look for protection upon hearing the message. With more residents, the building progress can be sped up.
“At the same time, we can give them job opportunities to take part in the construction process of the shelter, which will aid in strengthening unity. I foresee that in the months to come, as the message of the shelter gets spread out further, more wanderers will come.
“The construction of shelter has to start sooner rather than later; I have decided to commence the construction of Sanctuary Two and Three immediately.”
The high ranked officials exchanged looks, and one of them asked hesitantly, “Mr. Bennett, wouldn’t that be too much of a rush? Why don’t we wait for Sanctuary One to be completed?”
“Because we don’t have much time. We need to speed up the progress.”
“Sanctuary needs someone to be in charge. Who will be in charge of Sanctuary Two?”
“Xena will be in charge of Sanctuary Two,” Bennett said. Xena was currently the highest director of Dark Net and had been recommended by many senior officials. Of course, no one opposed this decision.
“As for Sanctuary Three, Black Phantom will be in charge.”
Han Xiao’s eyebrows shot up. He did not expect Bennett to trust him this much and let him be in charge of an entire shelter. The power of this was very huge.
The directors were shocked as well.
Black Phantom had just become a high ranked official, and now he was in charge of su
ch an important issue. It seemed to many that he was not senior enough to do so. Many directors wanted to object, but Bennett had already seen through their thoughts. One simple sentence made their mouths shut.
“Each shelter needs someone with extraordinary strength to guard. If any of you have the confidence that your subordinate is stronger than Black Phantom, feel free to object.”
Stronger than Black Phantom? The directors laughed bitterly. Across the entire Dark Net, other than Bennett and two others who had already retired, no one could beat Black Phantom.
Bennett ended the meeting since no one opposed the decision and brought Han Xiao to a private meeting room. They chatted for a while before Bennett stopped debating with Han Xiao over if there should be a reward for being the person in charge of Sanctuary Three. He faced Han Xiao’s look of contempt without any shame and showcased the detailed plan of Sanctuary Three.
“Sanctuary Three’s construction is basically completed. Its location will be in Graymetal Ruins.”
Han Xiao thought that place sounded quite familiar, and then he remembered that Graymetal Ruins was where he had set up his secret base. It was quite a coincidence.
Bennett briefly explained the layout and that Han Xiao’s mission was to sit in, monitor the construction team, and when any threat arose nearby, he could settle it entirely by himself. There was only one requirement—complete the construction of the shelter.
Han Xiao almost fell asleep because of how boring and tedious the explanation was, and at this time, a notification popped up in the interface. Han Xiao was immediately awake.
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You have unlocked a new organization, [Dark Net Organization]. Subsidiary [Blood Pact Society] detected. Relationship status: Respect (4450/6000) – [Rank One of Killer Leaderboard]
[Dark Net Organization] initial relationship: Friendly (2225/3000) – [Director]
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Part of the reason Han Xiao was able to become a high ranked official of the Dark Net was because of Bennett. If a player wanted to gain a high position in Dark Net, the relationship had to be at least Respect, and to become a high ranked official, it had to be at least ‘Reverence’. However, the prerequisite for Han Xiao was not that strict, which was a benefit of being an NPC. It was not restricted by the rigid requirements in the interface.
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