Bennett's invitation represented his trust. The meeting place was the first Sanctuary that the Dark Net was building, located in the ruins of a city called "Ruined City of Luoda," which was once the financial center of a destroyed country in the Southern Continent, situated on a flat wasteland in the interior of the Southern Continent.
As Han Xiao rode in the private helicopter sent by Bennett, overlooking the city from above, the construction scene of the Sanctuary came into view. The first thing he saw was a huge city wall barrier under construction, dozens of meters high. In the unfinished areas, workers were welding steel bars on the scaffolding. The concrete of the wall was mixed with other materials, giving it a metallic sheen and strong defensive capabilities. With Han Xiao's professional eye, he could tell that a small rocket attack would at most leave charred marks on the wall. The wall was being built to fortress standards, at an extremely high cost.
Huge Dark Net symbols and the city's new name were painted on the city walls in red paint.
Bennett First Sanctuary!
As the helicopter flew over the city walls, it saw various construction machines operating in the city, sweeping the roads and abandoned buildings. Countless workers in gray overalls were busy like ants, laying foundations for new buildings and planning the city layout. Piles of building materials were piled up in the open air: steel bars, bricks, wood, and various industrial building materials. It was a huge construction site.
"The Sanctuary is named after itself." Han Xiao patted Bennett on the shoulder, sighing, "I never thought you, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, were such an old slut."
Bennett slapped the hand off his shoulder impatiently and turned his head to the side. "Come on, let's go to the high-level meeting."
Han Xiao asked in surprise, "What does the meeting have to do with me?"
Bennett shook his head and chuckled, "You're a high-ranking executive too."
Han Xiao blinked.
Bennett coughed lightly, covering his mouth with his fist, "I'll vouch for you to become a senior board member... You won't let me down, will you?"
The Dark Net recently underwent a restructuring of its top leadership. The highest level consists of the founding board members, of Bennett is one, followed by various senior board members.
"That's an open question," Han Xiao said seriously. "When have I ever not disappointed you?"
"You're the most flamboyant one yet," Bennett said, both amused and exasperated. Leading the way, Han Xiao also got a close look at the construction of the Sanctuary.
"The First Sanctuary is our pilot project. I've invested a lot of resources, and progress is going very well. We expect to have a basic structure built within a year. The Sanctuary's layout is divided into several aspects: living facilities, defense measures, and resource measures. We need sufficient infrastructure to meet the basic needs of the residents, as well as planting and raising livestock for self-production and self-sufficiency, forming an internally cyclical ecosystem. Even if war breaks out outside, the Sanctuary can still survive. The final defense measure, of course, is to resist all kinds of enemies."
boom--
Ahead, an abandoned building was being demolished by explosives, its collapse raising clouds of dust.
Han Xiao brushed away the dust in his face and clicked his tongue, saying, "This one Sanctuary alone has cost you your life savings."
"The aid from the Six Nations can only support the construction of two or three Sanctuary," Bennett said, hands behind his back. "My plan is to establish at least three to five Sanctuary in each continent."
That's an astronomical price.
"These treasures are insignificant if they can preserve the flame of civilization."
Han Xiao exclaimed, "Wow, I think I'm seeing holy light coming from the back of your head!"
Bennett's mouth twitched.
Upon arriving at the brand-new fortress, the high-ranking members of the Dark Net were all gathered in the conference hall. As soon as Bennett and Han Xiao entered, about a dozen people stood up, bowed slightly to show their respect, and nodded to him.
Black Phantom has demonstrated his strength and is now one of the top fighters on the Dark Net. With Bennett's guarantee, the higher-ups here acknowledge that Han Xiao's status is equal to his.
The higher-ups reported on the construction progress of First Sanctuary by one. After Bennett finished processing their reports, he said, "First Sanctuary has been confirmed as feasible. The news has been spread, and many wanderers have come seeking shelter. The addition of residents will speed up construction and provide them with job opportunities. Their personal involvement in the construction of the Sanctuary will help cultivate a sense of belonging. It is expected that in the coming months, as news of the Sanctuary spreads further, even more wanderers will arrive."
"The construction of the Sanctuary should begin sooner rather than later. I have decided to start construction of the second and Third Sanctuary immediately."
The high-ranking officials exchanged glances, and one hesitated before asking, "Mr. Bennett, isn't this too hasty? Why not wait until the First Sanctuary is completed...?"
"Because we don't have much time left, we must speed up the process."
"If Sanctuary must have a person in charge, then who will be in charge of the Second Sanctuary?"
"Saina will be in charge of the Second Sanctuary," Bennett said. Saina is the current chief director of the Dark Net and was unanimously chosen by a group of veteran directors as their spokesperson, so naturally no one objected to this decision.
"The Third Sanctuary will be under the command of Black Phantom."
Han Xiao raised an eyebrow, surprised that Bennett trusted him so much, putting him in charge of an entire Sanctuary with a very large scope of authority.
The senior board members were in an uproar.
Black Phantom had only recently become a high-ranking member, yet he was already handling such important matters; his qualifications seemed questionable. Many board members wanted to object, but Bennett had already seen through their thoughts and silenced them with a single, casual remark.
"The Sanctuary needs extremely strong combat power to maintain it. If you are confident that your subordinates are stronger than Black Phantom, then stand up and object."
Stronger than Black Phantom? The board members smiled wryly. In the entire Dark Net, apart from Bennett and two other retired old guys, no one could defeat this rising star, Black Phantom.
With no objections, Bennett adjourned the meeting and pulled Han Xiao into a private meeting room. After a brief exchange, Bennett abruptly stopped arguing with Han Xiao about whether the person in charge should receive a reward—a pointless argument that backfired. He steered the conversation back on track, and, ignoring Han Xiao's disdainful look, calmly presented the detailed plan for the Third Sanctuary.
"The construction team for the Third Sanctuary has been largely assembled, and the site has been selected in the Gray Iron Ruins..."
Han Xiao felt the name sounded familiar, and then suddenly remembered that his secret little base was in the Gray Iron Ruins. What a coincidence!
Bennett explained the general direction, and Han Xiao's task was to be in charge of the entire site, supervise the construction team, and have full authority to resolve any threats that might arise nearby. He had only one requirement: to build the Sanctuary properly.
After listening to a long, tedious introduction, Han Xiao was so bored he almost dozed off when a notification finally appeared on the panel, jolting him awake.
[You have started a new faction [Dark Net Organization], and its affiliated [Blood Pact Union] relationship has been detected as: Respected (4450/6000) - [Number One on the Assassin List]]
[[Dark Net Organization] Initial Relationship: Friendly (2225/3000) - [High-Ranking Council Member]]
Joining the upper echelons of the Dark Net was due to Bennett's personal connections. If a player wanted to gain significant influence within Dark Net Organization, they would at least need to reach the "Respect" level, and to become a high-ranking member, they would need to reach "Exalted." Han Xiao, however, didn't have such strict prerequisites. This is one of the advantages of being an NPC—more freedom than players, and not subject to the rigid limitations of the character panel.
[You have triggered the Grade A main quest [Sanctuary Plan - Third Sanctuary]!]
Upon seeing the mission requirements, Han Xiao smiled slightly. Just as he had guessed, becoming the head of the Third Sanctuary meant that the mission was construction, and it was a series of missions divided into dozens of requirements, breaking down the construction blueprint into individual parts. Completing each part of the construction would fulfill one requirement, covering aspects such as defensive measures, residential housing, infrastructure, buildings, clearing ruins, land reclamation, animal husbandry, and so on—essentially transforming a city.
The task requires him to handle any unexpected situations, and his score will be adjusted accordingly.
The more requirements are met, the higher the completion rate and evaluation, and rewards will be given based on the final evaluation.
However, the situation is completely different for players who follow the main storyline through normal means. Players receive different tasks from lower or middle-level characters and participate in the main storyline's city building from different side quests, adding bricks and tiles to the structure. Han Xiao, on the other hand, receives a general task that integrates all the side quests. This is the advantage of being a core participant: overall coordination is extremely convenient, and the tasks to be done are clear at a glance.
His rewards were unmatched by other players. The scattered tasks players completed would ultimately be counted towards his supervision of the Sanctuary's construction progress, indirectly fulfilling his requirements. As mentioned before, even the same task could vary from person to person. Han Xiao obtained this highly beneficial task through his special connections on the Dark Net.
"However, there are some difficulties..." Bennett coughed and said, "Because of the tight budget, resources are concentrated on the first and Second Sanctuary, so the number of people who can help you build the Third Sanctuary might be relatively small..."
"How many?" Han Xiao suddenly had a bad feeling. There were tens of thousands of workers in the First Sanctuary, so there couldn't be too few.
"About a thousand people..."
Han Xiao squinted, his face saying, "Are you trying to trick me?"
Bennett awkwardly, "The main problem is that we don't have enough working capital. You only have this many people for the first month, but we'll hire more people to help you later."
Han Xiao picked up the Baby Bear that was snoring soundly on his lap and threw it at Bennett. The Baby Bear fell onto the sofa, its paws in the air, and it opened its eyes groggily, still half asleep.
"Hit him." Han Xiao pointed.
The Baby Bear blinked in confusion, staring at the finger for a long time before finally understanding what it meant. It then rolled over, sat down, and slapped Bennett across the left cheek.
Bennett gave a wry smile, rubbed the Baby Bear's fluffy, chubby bottom, and pushed it aside, saying, "I know it's a bit much, but I have no choice but to ask you. No one else can do it."
Han Xiao pondered for a moment, then his eyes darted around before he nodded and said, "Don't worry, I can build a prototype similar to your Sanctuary within a month."
Bennett had low expectations for Third Sanctuary; he only needed it to establish a foothold within a month and clear the ruins. He thought Han Xiao was just talking nonsense and didn't take it seriously.
"Oh, right, I have one more request," Han Xiao said.
"What?"
Han Xiao chuckled, "The Third Sanctuary will be named after me."
Bennett did that, so how could Master Han be left behind? Moreover, building Sanctuary in his own name would boost his visibility and have a lasting impact.