Stardragon Capital, West Capital, Dragon Horn Building Basement, Thirteenth Bureau Headquarters.
Gu Hui, the deputy director, and thirteen ministers gathered in a secret conference room. Gu Hui pressed a button on the table, sealing the door and closing the windows, rendering all surveillance equipment ineffective.
Gu Hui, with a serious expression, distributed paper files to all the attendees. The files were stamped with the highest leadership's official seal, indicating that they were classified documents that had been reviewed and approved by the highest level. The files contained observational intelligence on the Inhuman Phenomenon.
Five days ago, rumors circulated on the Dark Net about the existence of Inhuman. After investigation, it has been confirmed that this is not a rumor. The files clearly state that the Inhuman Phenomenon (https://www. hetushu. com. com) is spreading like a virus across all continents. They appear out of nowhere, their origins and causes are unknown.
"According to information circulating on the Dark Net, Inhuman have the following characteristics..." Gu Hui repeated, which was similar to Germinal's initial research: they can disappear into thin air and are immortal. He added, "Based on observation, Inhuman are generally not very strong, and their threat level is assessed as low."
"But if we don't curb the Inhuman Phenomenon, it could spread like an infectious disease and escalate into a disaster," someone said in a deep voice.
Gu Hui nodded. "The highest levels have issued instructions to make contact with these Inhuman; this is the most important task at present."
"What about the expedition? Supplies have been mobilized, and the army is ready to launch an expedition to Andia at any time."
"The highest levels have reached a consensus with other national leaders to suspend the expedition and first figure out what the Inhuman Phenomenon is all about, as it relates to a much larger security threat." Gu Hui tapped his fingers on the table and solemnly surveyed everyone. "Have our people bring back some Inhuman. Given their unknown origins, it's best to treat them amicably."
The Field Operations Department asked, "Some agents have infiltrated and are far away in Andia. Should we recall them?"
"No need. Let them continue gathering intelligence; we have enough manpower domestically," Gu Hui said. "Once we have a conclusion, perhaps the highest levels will try to seek help from interstellar civilizations for answers."
As players level up, their behavior becomes more active, attracting the attention of various factions. The Six Nations, the Wanderers, the Dark Net, and major corporations are all paying attention to the "Inhuman Phenomenon," sending people to contact them with different attitudes, some gentle and some indifferent. Only the Germinal is the most extreme, carrying out a large-scale arrest of players in Andia, forcing the players in the newbie village to break up and leave the newbie village ahead of time.
In reality, players don't care which faction they join, but if they are forced to, they will develop a resistance. The faction that Germinal didn't leave a good impression on the players, and as for those players who were taken away, they could only accept their fate.
Players on the Andia Continent endured a miserable existence every day, experiencing a terrible gaming experience. However, this phenomenon surprised the players—why were the NPCs so surprised by their presence, acting like real people rather than being rigid?
More factions began contacting players, and more and more players encountered similar situations, immediately piquing their interest and leading to active speculation on forums, which overshadowed the popularity of other topics.
Players on other beginner planets haven't encountered a similar situation yet, and they've flocked to the Planet Aquamarine region to see what's going on, making it the most visited of all beginner planets.
Hundreds of new posts are being posted every second; the players' enthusiasm for this is truly phenomenal.
Various speculations have emerged, with theories similar to Ilex being proposed. This theory seems the most reasonable to the Volkswagen. However, the game's official team remains unmoved and has not made any statement, leaving players to speculate wildly, with many players coming up with all sorts of wild ideas.
"Actually, we are all reincarnators, opening up a new world for the God's Space. Number A12651 reporting for duty!"
"Nonsense! We are clearly Expeditionary Army from Earth to invade another dimension, shouldering a great mission with the [book/document]."
"Lieutenant Hei Dazhuang of the Earth Federation's 798th Space Fleet is on standby. Earth will prevail!"
"You're all wrong. This is the real world. Earth is just a dream."
"Hmph, young people, this is all part of the elders' plan; you are too naive."
"Heh heh, this is Skynet's first step in ruling humanity. One day, our consciousness will be trapped in the game."
Long live Hydra!
"The person upstairs has wandered onto the wrong set!"
"Sigh, I'm a veteran of the 1999 campaign. Looking back now, it was truly a dark time."
"The old man upstairs is in great shape; he's so old and still playing virtual reality games."
Various creative ideas have become a trend on the forum, with players letting their imaginations run wild, joking around, and turning it into a meme.
In general, the factions that approached the players were all cautious and wary, which made it easier for the players to trigger factions, which was actually beneficial. Only the Andia players were hunted down and complained bitterly.
Han Xiao was paying close attention to the development of the situation. He had intelligence networks on the Dark Net web and forums, so he saw far more than just players or NPCs. The major forces were cautious and serious, while the players were surprised and found it interesting. The two sides had completely different mindsets.
"Interesting." Han Xiao raised an eyebrow.
The impact of the Inhuman Incident is slowly unfolding, and various factions are gradually studying the players' characteristics.
"Those powerful players from my past life must have all had their own opportunities." Han Xiao thought to himself. Planet Aquamarine is Huaxia's home base, so there must be a lucky few who get opportunities that ordinary players don't have.
With the plot on track, Han Xiao seized the time to act. The mission to transform the heart had a time limit, so he went to Red Maple to turn in the mission first.
The Louis Research Institute is located in Canros, a city in Red Maple. This time, it's not on the border, so Han Xiao sneaked in alone. It will take him two days to reach his destination.
The country of Red Maple lacks vitality. Its bureaucracy is rigid, wealth is unevenly distributed, resources are tightly controlled by political oligarchs, and the lower classes have little room for advancement. Living a life of idleness and waiting for death is the best description of the common people of Red Maple.
Walking on the street, frowning pedestrians passed by, Han Xiao rubbed his face, feeling that such a sunny and confident handsome man was incompatible with the decadence of the people around him.
This time, Han Xiao changed his face again and even wore glasses; he refused to believe he would be recognized.
The Louis Research Institute building is towering and has a strong scientific atmosphere. It is silver-white in color, and the people coming and going all wear white lab coats, as if they are afraid that others will not know that they are doing scientific research.
As soon as you enter, a hostess will greet you with a polite smile.
"Hello, would you like me to introduce the business scope of the Louis Group to you?"
Han Xiao waved the metal box in his hand. "I have the heart of a creature infected with Death Virus. Perhaps one of your researchers will be interested in it."
"Please wait a moment, I'll go ask my superiors." The receptionist led Han Xiao to a sofa in the lobby and then turned to leave.
The Louis Research Institute accepts various outsourced experiments, so it frequently has clients visiting its facilities.
Han Xiao leaned back on the sofa, surveying the lobby. It was circular in shape, like a hotel lobby.
After waiting a while, two people entered the hall, their bodies wrapped in bandages. Han Xiao's nose twitched as he smelled blood. He looked up and realized that these two were the "superheroes" he had encountered in the Laopote Forbidden Zone.
It seems these two were on their way to rescue an exploration team. Could it be a team from the Louis Research Institute?
"Looks like you failed and got all injured."
Han Xiao raised an eyebrow. Since the other party didn't recognize him, he decided to wait and see.