[You have triggered an Grade S mission [Intelligence Plague]!]
[Mission Summary: An exploration expedition unearthed a forbidden artifact in Ancient Star Desert, inadvertently releasing a virtual virus targeting artificial intelligence. This virus, of unknown origin, possesses extremely high infectivity and penetrability, and is rapidly spreading across the quantum network of the entire star system. Once it erupts, the underlying logic of countless mechanical intelligences will be rewritten, triggering a mechanical rebellion.]
[Mission Requirements: Eliminate the unknown virtual virus and resolve the Intelligence Plague crisis]
[Rewards: Rewards will be given based on the task evaluation]
[Special Requirement: Personally destroy the core virus data]
[Special Reward: Generates a related feat (Mechanic Class only)]
"Grade S mission... Hmm, as expected." Han Xiao wasn't surprised at all.
The Three Universal Civilizations intend to seal off the entire star system. Such a large-scale undertaking is naturally no small task. Moreover, given the transmissibility of the virus, completely eradicating it certainly warrants the highest level of difficulty.
Most Grade S missions have ambiguous requirements and rarely provide action steps, so you have to figure things out on your own. There are usually more than one way to complete the mission, so you need to be flexible.
This was how it used to be with Goddora's [Bloodline] quests, so Han Xiao was used to it.
What intrigued him was the special mission requirements, which revealed a considerable amount of information.
"I thought each individual virus was the same, following a common viral transmission pattern. I didn't expect there to be a core. In that sense, this virus is more like a controllable virtual bioweapon..."
Han Xiao pondered silently.
If the core of this virus is intelligent life, then it must be hidden in the quantum network and never show itself. The threat of virtual viruses has therefore increased significantly. A self-aware adversary is more terrifying than a mindless inanimate object.
However, another possibility is that the core data of the virus is not an independent intelligence, but a pre-programmed algorithm that coordinates the overall infection progress and directs all viral sub-entities according to the program, without any self-awareness.
"Hmm... it feels a bit like Plague Inc." Han Xiao scratched his head.
The special reward was generating a Mechanic Class- related feat, rather than extracting the target's abilities, which made him think that the virus core was more likely just a program algorithm. Given the scale of this mission, the generated feat shouldn't be too bad, and it was probably related to virtual technology.
"Phillip, prepare the spaceship. Have Reynold select some Logistics Department mechanics to come with me."
Without hesitation, Han Xiao stood up, put on his coat, pushed open the door, and strode towards the base's interstellar dock.
The Intelligence Plague was a sudden event that threatened the entire universe, disrupting his plans. He had to end his vacation, temporarily set aside his work, and lead a team to carry out a mission in the Ancient Star Desert.
Being in a high position and facing issues of this magnitude, he could not remain uninvolved.
Before long, a fleet full of Legion Mechanics set off from the Black Star Palace, like a group of shooting stars traversing the universe, passing through stargates and heading towards the Ancient Star Desert.
At the same time, renowned mechanics from all over the universe received invitations from the Three Universal Civilizations and rushed to the Ancient Star Desert from all directions.
The matter concerned the safety of the entire universe, Three Universal Civilizations raced against time, acting swiftly and convening an emergency high-level Civilization Council, which included all star system-level and above civilizations in the Ancient Star Desert.
In a venue filled with remote projections of representatives from various civilizations, the leaders of the Three Universal Civilizations appeared simultaneously to announce their joint decision.
"Yesterday, the Federation of Light, the Crimson Dynasty, and the Arcane Church received reliable intelligence that a special virtual virus has appeared in the Ancient Star Desert. This virus is extremely penetrating and has already infected many areas. According to reliable experts, the virus's goal is to rewrite the underlying logic of all infected machines, making the killing of living beings its primary task."
After deliberation, the Three Universal Civilizations rated this disaster as 'apocalyptic,' activating unified command under emergency conditions. Effective immediately, all quantum network connections to the Ancient Star Desert will be severed, and forces will be deployed to seal off the star region. All civilizations within the Ancient Star Desert must cooperate with the actions of the Three Universal Civilizations. The aforementioned procedures must be executed immediately.
Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. There are no lengthy pronouncements or endless discussions. Today, the Three Universal Civilizations are issuing a notice, not a proposal, demanding that all civilizations in the Ancient Star Desert comply unconditionally, with no room for negotiation.
As soon as the words were spoken, the representatives of the various civilizations, who had been puzzled as to why the Three Universal Civilizations had convened an emergency meeting, all changed their expressions drastically, revealing shock.
The Three Universal Civilizations Explored Universe and established a disaster rating system. According to the relevant laws, when the threat level of a cosmic disaster rises to a certain level, the Three Universal Civilizations will obtain supreme command and be qualified to uniformly coordinate all civilizations in the universe.
However, such cases are extremely rare throughout history.
The announcement from the Three Universal Civilizations caused an uproar among countless interstellar citizens. No one expected such a catastrophe to occur so suddenly; the world truly is full of "surprises."
For ordinary people, it was just an ordinary day. The disaster happened silently. If it weren't for the early warning measures implemented by the Three Universal Civilizations throughout the universe, most people might not have realized what was happening until the virus actually broke out.
Regardless of their secret plans, the various civilizations in the Ancient Star Desert outwardly cooperated fully, giving the green light to cut off all external links to quantum network base stations and block the star network in accordance with the demands of the Three Universal Civilizations.
When the Three Universal Civilizations and the civilizations of a star system act collectively, the scale of resources mobilized is beyond imagination, enabling them to accomplish things that are almost impossible in the eyes of normal people.
The Ancient Star Desert was quickly sealed off, isolated from interstellar society, becoming a walled city in darkness. All communication was prohibited; those outside did not know what was happening inside, and those inside did not know what was happening outside.
Although the situation is temporarily under control, panic continues to spread throughout the universe. The sudden disaster has stolen the limelight from the Shattered World, and countless people have shifted their attention from the competition in the new star field to the developments in the Ancient Star Desert.
Compared to the orderly and organized governments of civilized societies, the interstellar citizens of the Ancient Star Desert appeared extremely panicked. Even with the civilization's continuous efforts to appease its citizens, various planets still experienced waves of refugees of varying degrees.
Due to the virus's infection of intelligence, countless interstellar citizens began to distrust machines, viewing any machine as a threat. They became paranoid, preferring to let their standard of living regress to the level of surface civilizations rather than continue using any intelligent machines, and even actively discarding or smashing machines to eliminate potential hazards.
A wave of rejection of machinery swept through the Ancient Star Desert... but this chaos was anticipated by advanced civilizations.
The situation is dire, Three Universal Civilizations have chosen not to suppress the news, but rather to let everyone know the seriousness of the situation. This will enhance the self-examination and oversight capabilities of interstellar citizens, and besides, a commotion of this scale cannot be concealed anyway.
Stargates closed one after another, and armies entered the star field. Countless people who wanted to escape the Ancient Star Desert were all forcefully blocked by the army. No one could cross the blockade line of the Three Universal Civilizations.
These scenes are all phenomena that occurred during the Intelligence Plague era of the previous life, and now they are playing out ahead of time in the 4.0 version era. Beneath the surface of the turbulent waves, there are surging undercurrents.
"The Ancient Star Desert has been sealed off? Black Star is rushing to provide disaster relief?!"
In the Shattered World, the leaders of the Super Star Cluster Alliance in the Free Competition Zone held a secret meeting, their faces beaming with joy, almost bursting into laughter.
"This disaster came at just the right time! The Three Universal Civilizations had no time to deal with the disaster, so they didn't have time to contain us!"
Roddick of the Modo Civilization clenched his fist, looking delighted.
Most people in the universe feel uneasy and panicked about disasters, but for the Super Star Cluster Alliance present here, the outbreak of the Intelligence Plague is actually good news, a completely unexpected joy.
"Indeed, the Intelligence Plague will tie down the attention of the Three Universal Civilizations, giving us more time. With this shift in power, our chances of victory will increase significantly!"
"Ideally, the Intelligence Plague could spread, causing chaos among the Three Universal Civilizations. The more chaotic the universe becomes, the less time the Three Universal Civilizations will have to deal with us. Only in chaos will we have a chance."
Everyone present was incredibly excited, feeling as if they were blessed by heaven.
"What if the Three Universal Civilizations failed...?"
"That would cause widespread death and destruction, and we would suffer losses as well."
"No destruction, no construction. Only when the foundations of the Three Universal Civilizations are shaken can we have a chance to turn things around. Only when the old order is destroyed can the new order be accommodated. These are all necessary sacrifices."
The crowd's eyes flickered.
If the Intelligence Plague were to break out, the Supercluster civilization would also suffer losses, but the Three Universal Civilizations would lose even more, their prestige and dominance would plummet.
They believed that the advanced civilization of the Ancient Star Desert must have ulterior motives.
However, those present could only engage in verbal discussions; the course of events was not in their hands, and all they could do was observe and wait.
Just as unease permeated the entire universe, Mechanic Class experts from various regions rushed to the Ancient Star Desert, arriving at the disaster response command center temporarily established there by the Three Universal Civilizations.
One month later.
The fleet slowly docked at the disaster response command center's shipyard. Han Xiao opened the hatch and led a dense group of mechanics off the spaceship, immediately spotting the avatar of Manison waiting on the platform.
You've finally arrived.
Manison came to greet him.
Since the establishment of the Development Federation, the two have served as president and vice president respectively. Although their ideas differ, they are currently in the same boat and interact very frequently.
"I thought you would descend in your true form, but it turns out it's just a clone." Han Xiao clicked his tongue and shook his head.
"... That's the only way to be safe."
Manison was speechless. Mechanics are all fragile, but you're the exception who doesn't seem to care about running around.
The two greeted each other and then walked side by side, talking about their current situation.
"I've been traveling for almost a month, and I haven't received any news from outside. What's the situation in the Ancient Star Desert now?" Han Xiao asked curiously.
"It's not very optimistic. Although the Three Universal Civilizations have sealed off the star system, the virus is too contagious. Many nodes have been repeatedly infected, and the virus's ability to disguise itself is terrifying. The efficiency and accuracy of normal scanning are too low. Currently, there are traces of viral infection in about eight star clusters. The number of nodes is too large to count." Manison shook his head.
Han Xiao understood.
Each terminal connected to the quantum network is a node, such as a communicator, a home appliance, a spaceship, etc. The number of these devices is extremely large, and just thinking about it makes you realize how terrifying the workload is.
Even if Beyond Grade A virtual mechanic could easily eliminate the virus information packets, with so many nodes, the power of an individual is simply insufficient. The speed of elimination is not even as fast as the spread of the virus, not to mention the problem of reinfection. Currently, only advanced civilizations have the ability to control the situation.
"The Three Universal Civilizations are currently developing a dedicated antivirus program for this virus, aiming to improve its eradication efficiency, which is why we have been summoned," Manison said.
Has this virus been named yet?
"Yes, they call it Virtual Mutiny Virus."
Han Xiao glanced at him, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "I heard you were the first person to discover this virus, and you rushed over to notify the Federation of Light without hesitation. What were you thinking?"
"It's my job," Manison said casually.
Do you think I believe you?
Han Xiao curled his lip. He knew Old Manison very well. He hadn't forgotten how he tricked Glory last time. What were you pretending to be, a loyal subject?
Manison shook his head, looking ashamed to be associated with them.
"Young people are just young people; their awareness and understanding are lacking. It pains me to see that."
"Keep pretending, keep pretending... "Han Xiao chuckled.
Seeing Black Star's "I don't believe you" look, Manison shook his head, lowered his voice, and whispered:
"This type of disaster is a stage for mechanics to shine. The more the Three Universal Civilizations value it, the more important we become. If we achieve something for the entire universe, it will be our bargaining chip. On the other hand, if we don't solve this virus, the entire universe's mechanical business will suffer a severe blow, which will be detrimental to our expansion."
"That's more like you." Han Xiao chuckled. "You're still trying to use this opportunity to research the virus, aren't you? If you can master this technology, it'll give you another deterrent against advanced civilizations."
"Isn't that what you think?" Manison retorted.
Upon hearing this, Han Xiao's face immediately lit up with righteous indignation, as if he were radiating dazzling positive energy.
"With great power comes great responsibility. I simply don't want the universe to descend into chaos; this is the historical responsibility of my generation!"
"Hehe."
Manison chuckled emotionlessly twice.
I wasn't wrong about you, Black Star; we really are birds of a feather.