After sacrificing 60% of his luck attribute (approximately 0 points) over 14 days, [Bold Explorer] activated, and the world before Han Xiao's eyes suddenly changed.
The perspective is suspended in outer space, with a giant planet beneath one's feet. A curved, silvery-gray land stretches out in the field of vision, curving at its end. The horizon is shrouded in a dazzling blue-white light, with a shimmering point of light embedded on it—a massive Photon energy tower, adorning the backdrop of the pitch-black universe.
Han Xiao stared intently at the scene. The earth was a steel forest, devoid of any green vegetation. Countless bizarre mechanical structures filled every inch of space, with towering mechanical towers pointing towards the sky, making this giant planet resemble a mutated sea urchin, clad in steel armor, its cold, heavy style carrying an eerie quality.
Suddenly, the perspective zoomed in, plummeting towards the earth, skimming low over mechanical cities. The inhabitants of this planet were all unique mechanical beings, with hardly any two identical. Their structures were intricate and exquisite, their paintwork magnificent, giving them an extremely high-tech appearance.
"They're all mechanical beings. Could this be a Mechanical Life Civilization?"
Watching this scene from the sidelines, Han Xiao couldn't help but think of the Dark Emperor Mechanical Civilization under his command. The two were very similar, the difference being that the mechanical civilization revealed by [The Bold Explorer] was more advanced and had already reached a mature stage.
"Did the Virtual Mutiny Virus originate from this unknown mechanical civilization...?"
Han Xiao pondered as he carefully observed the things before him.
But at that moment, something unexpected happened.
Suddenly, a blinding light appeared in the sky, and an enormous torrent of rays swept across, with giant planets lying in its path.
A massive shield appeared in the outer space of the giant planet, covering the entire planet. However, the moment it came into contact with the rays, the massive shield evaporated completely and was shattered into countless energy particles.
The next moment, the giant planet, now unprotected, had its layers of earth peeled away, annihilated and disintegrated in a mere instant, the entire planet easily wiped out of the universe by this beam of light.
The skill ended, the illusion before Han Xiao's eyes disappeared, and he returned to his room, his brows furrowed.
The last beam of light we just saw was an ultra-high-energy directional gamma-ray burst, which may not just be a natural disaster, but seems to have the potential to be weaponized.
Gamma-ray bursts are common cosmic disasters; evaporating a planet or two is a piece of cake. Most modern civilizations have protective measures to withstand such natural disasters. However, the civilization in the illusion was extremely advanced, yet it was instantly obliterated by a single burst, turning into dust. This is rather strange.
Normal people can't observe many details, but the senses of Beyond Grade A life form are different; it can see many things that ordinary people can't. It discovered that this gamma-ray burst clearly had something added to it, possibly a planet-destroying weapon from some advanced civilization.
The universe is full of radiation and is actually very bright and lively. However, to ordinary people, it appears as pitch black. Different levels of life see the world differently, all through a keyhole, but the keyhole of higher life forms is larger.
"This skill didn't provide enough information; it lacked a clear direction..."
Han Xiao rubbed his lips with his thumb, summarizing the information displayed in the brief illusion.
First, there was an advanced civilization that appeared to be mechanical life. They had a large, technologically advanced colony. Then, this planet was destroyed by a star-destroying weapon, proving the existence of another advanced civilization as their enemy. The hostile civilization's strength started at the star cluster level and could potentially reach the quasi-cosmic level.
The creator of the Virtual Mutiny Virus should be one of these two civilizations. There is too little information about the other civilization, so Han Xiao did not consider it. He mainly analyzed this unknown mechanical civilization.
"There are many possibilities for the origin of mechanical civilization. The most common is the enlightenment of Beyond Grade A mechanic, but there could also be other origins, such as a biological civilization undergoing mechanical ascension, where the consciousness of the entire race is transformed into a mechanical mind, replacing their physical body with a machine to achieve immortality... It is also possible that this civilization is in the form of AI Civilization, a world dominated by some intelligent life forms, where the external mechanical bodies are merely their vehicles for navigating reality..."
Han Xiao analyzed it all, and what puzzled him most was the era in which this mechanical civilization existed. It was clearly not a civilization of the modern Galaxy Calendar. He didn't know whether it was a lost civilization that explored the existence of the calendar, or an unknown advanced civilization in the Unexplored Universe.
I still need to continue using [Bold Explorer] to gather intelligence; perhaps I should look for more relevant targets as skill subjects...
Han Xiao suddenly had a thought.
I almost forgot, the triangular security device that stored the virus has already been captured by the Three Universal Civilizations. Isn't that an even better target!
I can also visit Harrison and the others while I'm at it. These poor guys are temporarily imprisoned for releasing the Virtual Mutiny Virus. The Observers's promise of freedom has clearly become a worthless lie. With such a huge disaster, how could a mere Observers make any decisions? Harrison is currently singing "Tears Behind Bars" in his cell.
The Three Universal Civilizations were considerate of these prisoners, fearing that the long prison life would rust their bodies, so they subjected them to intensive interrogation every day to help them exercise and stay healthy.
With this in mind, Han Xiao left a group of his men in the room to help Phillip decipher the virus code, while he himself left the Research and Development Department and strode to the Empire's office at the command headquarters.
The Three Universal Civilizations all appointed high-ranking officials from their respective Observer Department to preside over the affairs of the Ancient Star Desert. Given Han Xiao's status in the Crimson Dynasty, he met with the Observers from the Empire's side without any hindrance.
The other person stood up to greet him, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then they both sat down.
"Lord Black Star, what brings you here?" the Minister of the Imperial Observers asked.
"I've reviewed the materials you provided and am preparing to study the device that stores the virus. I hope I can request to borrow it."
"That's easy to say." The Minister of Imperial Observers readily agreed, showing great respect.
"Also, I want to contact the scavengers who unearthed the virus; if possible, I'd like to release them temporarily."
"You can see them anytime, but letting them go... seems a bit inappropriate."
"I know you've been interrogating them, but without any results. They're probably just unlucky people; there's not much conspiracy theory involved. Keeping them locked up is pointless."
The Minister of Imperial Observers frowned and emphasized, "But releasing the virus and causing such a huge impact is a serious crime. Even if it was just a simple accident, they are still responsible. How can they just release it like that?"
Han Xiao shook his head and said, "They might be able to help. Let them stay by my side for now and atone for their crimes. If they really make a contribution, then we'll have gained something."
"... Since it's your request, alright then, but their status remains that of prisoners; they cannot move freely and must stay with you." The Minister of Imperial Observers hesitated for a moment before agreeing.
He only agreed because of Black Star's status; if an ordinary person made this request, he wouldn't even give it a second glance.
"Thanks." Han Xiao smiled. "I have another application; I'd like to apply for part-time fieldwork."
"You're going out on an operation?" The Minister of Imperial Observers asked, somewhat surprised.
Han Xiao nodded, his smile fading, and said seriously, "That's right. The research and development work here is being led by Manison and the others, so I don't need to devote myself entirely to it. It would be a waste of resources for me to stay here. Currently, there are two tasks that are just as important as developing the three-piece antivirus suite."
"You said."
"The first step is to find the virus's core. If we can solve the core problem, most of the triggering mechanisms of the Virtual Mutiny Virus will be rendered useless, which is equivalent to destroying the target's brain and reducing the threat of disaster."
"That's indeed very important," the Minister of Imperial Observers agreed.
If the virus's core could be controlled, the progress of resolving the disaster would increase by more than half. However, the virus's core is hidden too deeply, and no one knows what kind of abnormal data it contains. The Three Universal Civilizations have been unable to find it, as if searching for a needle in a haystack.
As he spoke, Han Xiao held up two fingers and said, "Secondly, in my opinion, by concentrating the capabilities of the Three Universal Civilizations and numerous Beyond Grade A mechanics, cracking this virus is only a matter of time. It's not an unsolvable problem. The real difficulty lies with those who harbor ill intentions."
Upon hearing this, the Minister of Imperial Observers frowned.
"History has taught us countless times that greed and suspicion in people's hearts are catalysts for disaster. If left unchecked, small problems will eventually evolve into intractable ones," Han Xiao said slowly. "The Empire surely understands that the virus itself is not difficult to solve; the real problem lies with those malicious individuals in the universe. The outbreak of the Virtual Mutiny Virus is like handing the switch to disaster to these people... With such a good opportunity here, who wouldn't want to possess a strategic deterrent weapon?"
He saw it clearly: this was like an opportunity for anyone to easily acquire nuclear weapons at extremely low cost; which ambitious force wouldn't want to give it a try?
The Minister of Imperial Observers stood up, paced back and forth, and said in a deep voice:
"You're right. The high-ranking officials of the Three Universal Civilizations have always had this concern. We're all on the same side, so there's no need to hide anything. The Supercluster Civilization has been outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant towards us for a long time. They won't just obediently listen. The Imperial Chief Intelligence Heroic Souls has done analysis and found that it's not just the advanced civilizations within the Ancient Star Desert that are eyeing the Virtual Mutiny Virus, but also various forces from the outside world. They will hire countless black market mercenaries and wanted criminals to help them smuggle the virus. This is one of the reasons why the Three Universal Civilizations have sealed off the star field."
However, we need the cooperation of the Ancient Star Desert civilization to combat the virus. We can't be too forceful with them, especially the Supercluster civilization. They can restart their own external communication base stations at any time. Whether the virus leaks or not is not up to us; they hold the decision... Of course, they wouldn't dare to act recklessly. Therefore, the Three Universal Civilizations can only be cautious and turn a blind eye if they want to control the situation, not daring to push them too far. This is another reason why we want to quickly develop the three-piece antivirus suite—once the threat of virus technology is fundamentally eliminated, the subtle actions of advanced civilizations will crumble on their own.
As he spoke, the Minister of Imperial Observers stopped, placed his hands on the table, and slowly said, "Lord Black Star, since you are willing to go on field missions, I will entrust three Imperial fleets to your command. I hope you can capture as many greedy bastards as possible who disregard the safety of the universe."
"Good."
Han Xiao stood up and shook hands with him.
The other Beyond Grade A researchers focused on their research, determined to understand the virus technology. None of them wanted to waste their energy going out to arrest people; in their view, that was just hard work that wasn't their responsibility.
But Master Han is different. He has the [Intelligence Plague] mission. To improve the mission evaluation, research alone is not enough, since the credit is shared by a large number of people.
In his view, the most direct way to improve task evaluation is to catch those who have ulterior motives and slip through the net.
Moreover, the special requirement was to personally destroy the core of the virus, which he naturally took seriously and didn't want to spend every day in the command center doing research.
As for research, the more others decipher, the more you can share. Once Old Manison has fully analyzed the virus structure, you can just take the ready-made secondary research and be done with it, saving a lot of effort and allowing you to slack off to your heart's content.
Having reached an agreement with the person in charge, Han Xiao left the Imperial Office and went to the prison area to visit Harrison.
Upon learning of Han Xiao's purpose, the warden immediately welcomed him warmly and respectfully led the way.
In his solitary cell, Harrison lay on his back on the bed, his hands supporting his head, staring blankly at the ceiling.
"Is this all there is to my life...?"
Harrison sighed.
During his month in prison, he regretted it every single day. His premonition was right; the triangular device he unearthed had indeed brought him enormous trouble. Had he known this would happen, he would never have gone down to that ruin.
The serious consequences of this archaeological excavation terrified him, leaving him feeling cold and disoriented. Although it was an unintentional mistake, the huge mess he had made filled him with guilt and deep remorse.
Not only did they bring disaster, but they also ruined their lives. The interrogators let slip that these "culprits" would spend the rest of their lives in prison.
"I should never have gone out to do archaeology. Curiosity killed me! If I had just stayed home and inherited my fortune, I'd be living a much more comfortable life now..."
Harrison was disheartened.
brush--
Just then, the cell door opened, and two people walked in.
"Is it time for interrogation again?" Harrison sat up, already used to the torture, with a resigned expression on his face.
Han Xiao glanced at him, compared the young man in front of him with the image of the old man in his memory, nodded and asked, "You're Harrison."
"Huh? You're not a jailer? What are you...?" Harrison looked up, saw Han Xiao's face clearly, and his mouth dropped open in astonishment. He stammered, "Black... Black... Black Star?!"
Han Xiao's face is now a household name in the universe, with an astonishing reputation. Of course, some viewers who saw the movie "Black Star: Origins" mistook Fording for Black Star himself.
However, Han Xiao was very understanding about this, since the two looked similar and it was normal for him to mistake her for someone else.
The movie was released during his journey and received an excellent response. His reputation soared, and he made a fortune, with a return rate that has reached hundreds of times and is still rising. This shows just how profitable the entertainment industry is in the interstellar era.
Suppressing his distracting thoughts, Han Xiao blinked and patted Harrison's shoulder forcefully. "You're the one who dug out the virus?"
Harrison's shoulder stung from the pat, and he snapped back to reality. In front of a cosmic luminary like Black Star, he couldn't help but feel a little reserved and nervous, nodding repeatedly.
"Alright, then you and your teammates can stay with me for now."
"What... does this mean?" Harrison was completely confused.
Seeing this, the warden next to him said irritably, "You should thank Lord Black Star. He spoke up for you and got you released. If it weren't for Lord Black Star's influence, you would have spent the rest of your life in jail."
Harrison was stunned, his face filled with disbelief.
"Lord Black Star, why... why did you save me?"
"Who said I saved you? I just thought you were excavators and might be of some help. I can ask you anytime if I have any questions... I'll come see you first after the warden lets you out."
Can I help?
Harrison was bewildered; he had no idea how he could help.
However, this did not prevent him from understanding that his fate had been saved by Black Star. He was excited and his eyes were full of gratitude. He wanted to hold Black Star's hand to express his thanks, but he hesitated because of the gap in their status and dared not move. He just stood there blankly, too excited to do anything.
In his eyes, Black Star was an angel sent by heaven to save him, radiating holy light and possessing a majestic figure; he was practically his lucky god.
Just when he thought he was falling into the abyss, a mysterious big shot pulled him out of the water. Harrison was overwhelmed with emotion, feeling that he had no way to repay the favor and wished he could give his life for Black Star.
Although it was their first meeting, Harrison's favorability rating was almost maxed out.
Han Xiao smiled at him, then turned and walked out of the cell. As he turned away, a smile appeared on his face as he looked at the combat prompts on the panel (hetushu. com. com), where Harrison's attribute table was clearly displayed.
Just standing next to me is a help to me...
In the attribute panel, the golden [High-Level Lucky Halo] is prominently displayed!
"The third golden leek is in hand..."
Han Xiao took a deep, pleasant breath, feeling refreshed and invigorated.
Hmm, this must be the scent of a lucky girl... cough, the scent of good fortune!