But that did not mean that he was going to just do nothing.
Once he thought about his plan, he smirked and said, “We’ll see about that…”
…
Bang!
The alchemy room’s door was first twisted before being blown off its hinges and smashing into all the tools and equipment on the table. Emerald Grass, who had her back to the door, was shocked and turned around to see what had happened. All she saw was a figure by the door with blazing red hair who was walking toward her with enmity.
“What do you want?” Emerald Grass was alarmed and pointed at the intruder. Vines started to grow out of the surrounding crates and danced in the air like venomous snakes.
Hila was surrounded by a dark red energy, and with eyes also blazing with a crimson light, she said in a cold voice, “Give it.”
Emerald grass frowned and walked to the side as she revealed a row of test tubes on a table, each filled with some sort of bright red liquid. She shook her head and asked, “Do you mean these potions? These are all developed from your sister’s DNA. Do you want to try? They have pretty amazing effects.”
Hila, without even hesitating, raised her hand and shot out her red energy toward the test tubes. Emerald Grass cursed silently and hurriedly moved her plants to block Hila’s attack to protect the potions.
Bang!
The dark red energy waves cut through the vines like hot knife through butter, and the clean cuts sprayed green juice all over the place. Emerald Grass barely dodged the attacks, and the walls around her were all blasted right through.
“Lunatic!” Emerald Grass gritted her teeth and tried her best to block Hila’s attacks. The red energy waves clashed with the plants again and again, causing explosions to reverberate throughout the room and debris to fly all over the place.
The guards outside were frightened, and they did not know who to help.
“Quick, inform Lord Black Phantom about this!” The guard captain immediately made a decision and turned around. But before he could get very far, a black shadow had appeared at the end of the road and sped over. It was Han Xiao.
Han Xiao was always monitoring the alchemy room, and the moment he saw the fight begin, he rushed over. “Stop!”
Emerald Grass’s forehead was covered in sweat. Her powers were not as strong as Hila’s when it came to direct confrontations, and she was afraid that she would sustain injuries the moment she stopped using her powers. “I will stop if she stops.”
Hila’s expression remained unchanged as she had already steeled herself to kill Emerald Grass.
Han Xiao frowned, and faint blue light started to gather under his feet. He lightly stepped, causing this energy to spread through the floor, causing a mini earthquake that split open the ground.
Buzz!
Eight metal gun barrels popped out of the ground, and one could hear sounds of gears locking into place. They quickly turned into mini turrets and were pointed straight at the two combatants.
Trap-type Mini Mobile Turret. A new creation. They were placed in all the important areas in the shelter and could only be activated by Han Xiao.
“I think you may be forgetting who owns this place,” Han Xiao said in a low voice.
Hila gritted her teeth but backed off in the end, albeit with a murderous expression still on her face. Emerald Grass finally relaxed and let out a breath as she massaged her temple. She had just been attacked in the mind by Hila’s shockwaves and was suffering from some painful headaches.
“You didn’t keep up your promise of protecting my sister.” Hila turned her head and stared right into Han Xiao’s eyes.
Han Xiao sighed helplessly. “You’re overreacting.”
Emerald Grass held up one of the test tubes. “Humph. I made these using the DNA I got from Aurora’s hair strands. I was just recycling. I didn’t even hurt your sisters. What’re you so mad about‽”
“You can’t!” Hila said in a cold voice. To her, Emerald Grass’s actions were too similar to Germinal’s, and it made her remember some painful memories from the past.
Neither wanted to back off, and Han Xiao’s head was starting to hurt. Conflict with allies was not easy to resolve.
At this moment, Aurora strolled over in her wheelchair, with the bear cub swinging back and forth on her legs.
Aurora looked much better than she had done a month ago. Her once shriveled hair had become soft and smooth; her once bony body had started to take on some weight, and she was emitting a positive and shiny aura. Her power that had been suppressed for so long was finally released, and it allowed her to look like a normal person again within a month.
“Sis, why are you fighting with the doctor?” Aurora asked in a worried tone.
Emerald Grass stared at Hila and then gave a thorough explanation of what had happened.
Aurora was shocked. She blinked a few times, then said, “It’s just some hair. I don’t really mind if it can help Uncle Han.”
Before, there was only her sister who treated her well. But now, with Han Xiao caring for her too, she was happy to contribute in any way she could. This way, she would feel better as she was somewhat paying back Han Xiao’s favor.
Han Xiao did not really have an opinion about this. He knew that Emerald Grass was conducting experiments, but since she only used some hair, he had just turned a blind eye to it. Hila had definitely overreacted a bit this time.
Aurora gave of a bright smile and said, “Sis, you don’t have to worry. I’m not that fragile.”
Hila remained silent for a while before she turned around and started to walk away. “Okay.”
After this whole fiasco, Han Xiao let the guards take care of the cleanup. Emerald Grass walked up to him and had an odd smile on her face. “I didn’t know there were this many turrets near the alchemy room. You’re keeping a watch over me, aren’t you?”
Han Xiao gave her a glance.
“Hehe. Don’t worry. I’m not a fool. After all, I’m a tool that you obtained. Tools aren’t supposed to have a say in anything.” Emerald Grass twirled around with her hair as she said that with a faint smile.
“Oh.” Han Xiao turned and left after only saying a word.
Emerald Grass’s expression froze. That’s it?
What kind of reaction was that? He was not angry, nor was he trying to give himself an excuse. He did not even try to threaten her or anything.
Am I that unimportant?
…
The curtains of the night were drawing to a close.
After a whole day of manufacturing tools, Han Xiao moved the materials into his secret base. On the way back, he saw a figure standing on the balcony of the building next door. The gentle moonlight shone on the right-side of Hila’s body, and he could see her staring blankly into the night sky. It seemed like she had been standing there for a while.
After thinking for a moment, Han Xiao lightly leapt onto the balcony.
Hila heard the movement and asked emotionlessly without turning her head, “What’re you doing up here?”
“Just looking around. Why are still up this late in the night?”
“Humph!” Hila did not reply.
Han Xiao then took a seat to the side and shook his head. “You were a bit too extreme today. I don’t think you were that hotheaded in the past.”
Hila frowned. “What’s that got to do with you?”
“What’s it got to do with me?” Han Xiao touched his chin and muttered, “I don’t think you said that back when I saved you and your sister, did you?”
Hila’s face froze. After remaining silent for a while longer, she finally let out a sigh and said slowly, “I’m just a bit lost.”
Chapter 282 - The Fall of the Germinal Organization
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Feeling lost?” Han Xiao put a cigarette in his mouth and took out his lighter. “Well that’s easy to solve. Just take your sister back to the Germinal Organization, and I guarantee that you’ll never feel
bored again.”
Hila glared at him and stayed quiet for a second. She then said to herself, “I wasn’t able to protect my sister, and I made her endure so much suffering. It’s all my fault. To protect her, I kept on training myself. Even though the battle carved a bloody past in my history, I will never regret what I did. The more lives I killed with my own hand, the safer I felt. It is the only way I could prove to myself that I was protecting my sister and wash away the remorse I have.
“Back in the Germinal Organization, we rarely saw each other. I knew that she wanted to go to the outside world, which is why I always prepared stories for her and shared my experience from the world outside. Now that she has a new life, is making many new friends, and has even started to take care of a pet, she won’t need my stories anymore.”
Han Xiao could not light the cigarette in his mouth, so he brought out his gun and shot a few bullets up into the sky and used the hot gun barrel to light the cigarette. He inhaled before replying, “That bear was supposed to be my pet…”
“Saving her from the misery had always been my wish. Now that I have fulfilled it…” Hila ignored Han Xiao’s comment and continued. “She doesn’t need me to protect her anymore.”
Hila opened up her palm, and a dark red aura flowed through her fingers. Hila stared at her hands and said, “Back in the days, all I wanted to do was spend every minute training my power to crush the Germinal Organization by myself. Now, my sister and I are safe, so strength and power don’t matter to me anymore. I can spend all the time in the world with my sister, and this is my ultimate mate wish.”
Hila then closed her hands and formed a fist, crushing the red light in her hand. She closed her eyes. “But the life I always craved only brings emptiness in my heart. I’m so lost and don’t know what to do. I hate this feeling.”
“After living a dangerous life for years, letting your guard down may be uncomfortable; this is the classic symptom that soldiers face as they leave the battlefield,” Han Xiao answered. “Of course I believe that there’s another reason. I think that violence is in your blood, and every single cell in your body craves the taste of blood. Living a peaceful life may be a drug that slowly chips away your motivation for living.”
Hila had a weird expression and said, “Are you trying to get me to do bad things?”
“What else? Do you want me to comfort you?” Han Xiao shook his head. “I don’t need to tell you those cheesy and fluffy lines, and you are not a kind of person that needs consolation. Your sister is your sister, and you are you. You don’t need to give up your true personality for your sister, and she also does not want you to change yourself. Stop finding excuses. I can see that battles and violence are what you truly desire, and the hunger for power is what drives you to move forward. The world is much larger than you think. Even though I can beat ten of you, in the eyes of the universe, there are people that are still stronger than me.”
“What makes you say that you can beat ten of me?” Hila disagreed.
Han Xiao suddenly released a murderous intent in his eyes. Hila stepped back and unknowingly used her power. She was cautious as the dark red light drifted around her body.
“Maybe one day, I will take away your sister, just like what the Germinal Organization did. At that point, if you are still not strong enough to fight me… Haha. That’s why you need to get stronger, or else you will regret it.”
Han Xiao withdrew his murderous intent with a straight face, but Hila still could not calm down.
For a moment, her instincts told her that Han Xiao was not kidding. He was dead serious!
As if she saw the wolf’s teeth behind the sheep mask, a chill travelled through her spine.
“I can create some robots to help you train if you want, or you can learn from Emerald Glass and practice with some other Espers. Well, if there’s nothing else, I’m going back to sleep. I’m leaving my cigarette here.”
Han Xiao jumped down from the rooftop and headed back to his place.
After Han Xiao’s shadow faded away, Hila finally relaxed and let out a long sigh. Staring at the slowly burning cigarette, she picked it up and inhaled.
She closed her eyes and released the smoke from her mouth, enjoying the taste from the tobacco.
A long time passed before she opened her eyes. Her worries and anxiety suddenly disappeared, and all that was left was a cold, lonely feeling.
“He really is a monster…” Hila said to herself and laughed. “But so am I.”
…
Han Xiao spend all his time creating machines and training Frenzied Sword and the other three. He harvested the players’ experience, and the experience on the interface rose steadily. Every day was exciting and fulfilling, and time quickly passed by.
On 7th December 688 in the Galaxy calendar, the frontline finally sent back important news on the war.
The Germinal Organization had lost all control except the area around the headquarters. The other bases had all been destroyed.
Han Xiao received the notice, and Bennett invited him to meet up in Sanctuary One.
“The war against the Germinal Organization is finally coming to an end. The cards are reshuffled, and the Dark Net also needs to start looking at the new era,” Bennett said over a phone call.
After waiting for quite some time, the end of the war was finally in sight. The Six Nations were steady, and without any difficulty, they pushed the Germinal Organization to the brink of destruction. Han Xiao arranged all the work in Sanctuary Three and headed to Sanctuary One.
After a while, a helicopter landed on the roof of Sanctuary One. Bennett, who was waiting on the roof, laughed. “This is the first time you’ve arrived before anyone else. This isn’t like you.”
Han Xiao turned back to the chopper and said, “Take off now. Waste all the fuel in this thing before we come back.”
Bennett was dumbfounded and quickly grabbed Han Xiao off the plane. He then said, “The board meeting will take place after the war has officially ended. It will probably happen in the next few days.”
“How many days?”
“I’m still uncertain. The situation now is a bit complicated.” Bennett lowered his voice. “It’s hard for the situation to move forward.”
Han Xiao’s eyes flickered.
After they headed to the meeting room, Han Xiao asked, “So, what’s wrong?”
Bennett took out the intel and explained, “In summary, we already cut off all the routes from the headquarters to the outside world. The Six Nations have completely trapped the Germinal Organization. However, the troops of the Six Nations are still far away from the area around the headquarters, and they have no intention of attacking.”
“Well since they already destroyed all the other bases, isn’t it simple to just bombard the headquarters and end the war?” Han Xiao replied.
“Well, it is possible. After losing all the side bases, the Germinal Organization should not have enough anti-missile supplies and equipment to hold off the Six Nations. Even if their headquarters are hidden underground, it would still collapse under the explosion. But the reason the Six Nations didn’t do so was because of another complicated issue.”
Bennett took out another document.
“Because of your intel, most of the nuclear warheads have been disabled, and the rest of the nuclear warheads have been carried back to the headquarters. Because of the limited supplies, they could not wipe out the entire army of the Six Nations. However, there are quite a number of nuclear warheads, and there would be devastating consequences to the climate of this planet if they went off. From research conducted by various meteorologists, if the nuclear warheads exploded at the same time, in the next five to fifteen years, the radiation will drastically worsen the climate of the world, and Andrea will be the highest radioactive place on the entire planet. It will turn into a wasteland where no living beings can survive. Under moral considerations, the Six Nations must migrate the entire population of Andrea to another land…”
&nb
sp; “Second, during Germinal organization’s retreat, they caught a lot of wanderers as hostage to prevent the Six Nations from bombarding the headquarters…” Bennett sighed. “That’s why there’s division among the Six Nations.
“Raylen and Theseus suggested ignoring the consequences and the lives of the hostages and directly attacking the headquarters. Then they can finally get rid of their mortal enemy once and for all. Stardragon has yet to respond. Maple wanted to force the Germinal Organization to surrender, and Hesla suggested attacking the headquarters with ground troops and trying to save the hostages. As for Ordina… they used various excuses to oppose all kinds of attacks toward the Germinal Organization.”
Han Xiao was surprised. “I understand all the concerns of the other nations, but what is Ordina trying to do? They want to back off after all the fighting?”
Bennett knocked on the table and replied, “It is the last year of the term for Ordina’s leader. Their political sphere has a lot of parties, so there are a lot of competitors for his position. If they can drag the war until the next year’s election, they can use the reason of national security and war to automatically get elected for the next term.”
Han Xiao did not know what to say. “That’s a ballsy move… So, which side is the Six Nations leaning toward?”
“They want to try to make the enemy surrender. The Six Nations have their anti-missile defense system all the time, and that if the headquarters fires even one missile, they will attack and bombard the base. However, this is the worst outcome they can have. So, the Six Nations have sent a last message to the base, hoping that they will surrender and release the hostages. Then they will spare the lives of the Germinal Organization.”
Bennett then shook his head. “But until now, the Germinal Organization still hasn’t responded.”
Chapter 283 - Disagreement
The Legendary Mechanic c1-1385 Page 162