80: A Hallucinatory World

Based on his experience, this is the most correct way to play.

There's something strange about this mission.

No matter which option is chosen, one of the two children will trigger an alarm, thus missing the opportunity to assassinate Kalmetz. However, completing the assassination of Kalmetz first will at least buy them a half-hour window of opportunity.

If this opportunity is missed, some negative changes will occur in Kalmetz' life. His child is kidnapped, causing him to completely lose his mind, become crazy and paranoid, and under immense pressure, he deliberately provokes a direct conflict with Verrazzi.

Verrazzi, overconfident and under Narrative-level pressure, rashly launches an attack in the early stages, carrying out a decapitation strike against Kalmetz, causing the player's mission to fail.

Moreover, the beheading of Kalmetz became the fuse that ignited the anger of the Valenkov people. The previous encroachment and squeezing of the local market by Verrazzi, coupled with the egregious behavior of Verrazzi's employees, finally erupted after this incident.

At this critical juncture, for some unknown reason, news of the ' Nakis Blood ' spread like wildfire throughout the Narrative-level Civilization.

It turns out that the Nakis Blood is not an item at all, but a mysterious substance similar to a mineral, widely produced in the Vanlenkov Autonomous State.

The ancestors of the Valenkov clan are believed to have come from some kind of creature from beneath the Star Abyss. The Omega-rank powerhouse ' Nakis Valenkov ' was the leader of this clan, which once had a glorious period before declining. A separate alien race split off from them and established an autonomous city-state.

When the city-state's fortress was first built, a section of Nakis Valenkov's spine was buried as an energy amplifier. However, for some reason, the information within Nakis's body formed a peculiar substance within the Vanlenkov Autonomous State.

As for the purpose of Nakis Blood, it's actually not that special.

—In other words, it means improving the individual's genetic adaptation to the path, or simply put, increasing potential.

Similar substances and gene-enhancing agents are actually openly sold by all major Narrative-level Civilization, so they are not surprising at all.

However, there are a few minor differences with the Nakis Blood.

Li Aoz sneaked into the vicinity of the office, scouting the surroundings while picking up the information Nikita had given him and planning his route in his mind.

In addition to these, he also briefly reviewed the plot of "Yesterday's Yesterday Was Spring".

First, the Nakis Blood ignores racial restrictions and does not require complex genetic testing and pairing beforehand for targeted drug preparation. Even if you are an elemental being, you can use it, which determines that its market is incredibly large.

Secondly, the Nakis Blood is very effective. After using it, players will gain an additional talent called "Heaven-Granted Fate," which has a simple and direct effect: it increases the growth value of the Primary Attribute.

Third, the Nakis Blood cannot be extracted by machinery; it can only be contained within a human body, brought out, and then surgically removed from the outside world. This may seem complicated, but what is the actual return on investment?

According to data provided by the Interstellar Alliance, the ROE (Return on Equity) of Nakis Blood can reach as high as 17,900%.

This data is quite alarming; for the vast majority of people at the bottom of society, it's something they would risk their lives for.

Obtaining a single drop of Nakis Blood grants immediate financial independence and a leap in social class; whether used personally or sold to others, it can lead to overnight wealth.

Its significant role shocked the entire Abyss. The Narrative-level Civilization immediately realized its importance, but due to the agreement made by the Interstellar Alliance, they could not intervene directly. The three narratives could only support Valenkov's resistance or strengthen Verrazzi's power by providing weapons and resources.

But the ultimate goal is still to seize the Nakis Blood.

Everyone realized how terrifying this thing was. The Interstellar Alliance was afraid that the war would escalate and lead to a cosmic war, so they quickly set up a threshold to prohibit Interstellar Civilization from entering the Valenkov war zone and to prohibit people of the Zeta-rank and above from entering.

However, this did nothing to stop the mercenaries drawn by the terrifying profits, as well as the ordinary people at the bottom of civilization.

On the contrary, because those who are strong at the Zeta-rank and above are often elites with stable income and assets, they have a high status and do not care to risk their lives for a little money. In fact, not to mention those at the Zeta-rank and above, even those at the Delta-rank with stable income and jobs do not bother to go.

The final outcome was completely contrary to what the Interstellar Alliance had envisioned.

Only civilians of the Gamma-rank, or even below the Gamma-rank, ordinary people from primitive civilizations, and mortals of the Alpha Rank and Beta-rank, frantically squeezed into the war zone. Approximately 10,000 people died every four hours. The battle was so fierce that even the "society" dared not infiltrate this area; citizens might be shot as soon as they landed.

A large number of desperate people poured in, and Daoism volunteer groups were initially able to remain rational and work hard to carry out rescue operations to help civilians evacuate—but later, it seemed that civilians could not be completely evacuated.

The equipment of the interstellar volunteers is getting better and better, and a large number of mercenaries are even pouring in under the guise of Daoism aid, taking the opportunity to collect the Nakis Blood. The two collude to make huge profits.

Some even switched gears, specializing in reselling weapons and supplies to these ' Blood Prospectors,' or simply setting up supporting service industries near the war zone—since neither the alliance nor the narrative cares anymore.

Various shady industries have sprung up everywhere here, turning the Vanlenkov Autonomous State into a meat grinder of apocalypse. Only a very small minority can succeed and become rich and Life Fulfilment.

Most people either die within an hour of entering the war zone, after taking only a few steps, or they never manage to dig out the Nakis Blood in their entire lives.

Even if they didn't manage to obtain the Nakis Blood, for a backward and underdeveloped civilization, taking away electronic devices, magical items, alchemical potions, advanced weapons, or even the corpses of powerful individuals from the battlefield was still a viable option, and these items could be sold for money.

In the end, everyone simply accepted that this place could be used as a venting ground, a place to release some of the social unrest, whether it was to go shopping or just let them fend for themselves, it wouldn't do any harm.

Valenkov People could not accept such an outcome.

At first, they were just fighting Verrazzi's 'sweepers' forces, and for a short time they even enjoyed a comfortable life thanks to weapons support.

However, as time went on, the identities of the members became more and more complex, with criminals from all walks of life pouring in. This fully realized the transformation and gave the "Blood Prospectors" industry a new new meaning. Through continuous nurturing, the surviving criminals became elite henchmen and human butchers.

Even Valenkov People herself was assimilated by outsiders, splitting off a considerable number of people who began to traffic in Nakis Blood and cooperate with outsiders. However, their goal was no longer to fight against Verrazzi, but to make huge profits for themselves.

Compared to them, Verrazzi is considered civilized.