One hour later.
The fire that had spread through the Clock Tower District was extinguished, leaving charred marks everywhere. The power plant under construction was destroyed, and the collapsed clock tower was reduced to ruins. The area was in a mess, which added to the cleanup task.
A cordon was set up nearby, and Huang Yu was directing the operation on site, looking extremely anxious. Fortunately, some players were doing their best to clear the rubble, and the situation was relatively stable.
Thousands of players gathered in the distance, watching the devastated scene with astonishment and uncertainty. The brick ground was covered with a series of cracked footprints left by the group of dark figures. Their feet had three claws and were long and thin, and no one knew what kind of creature they were.
By this time, the group of dark figures had retreated back to the river channel and disappeared. That was clearly their lair, and for the time being, no one dared to provoke the unknown monsters.
What kind of wild animal could cause such a commotion?
"The monsters I've encountered these past few days have all been only level 10 or 20. I thought there weren't any powerful monsters, but it turns out they were hiding here."
"Those who were there told me that all the results they Detection were question marks, and the danger level was extremely deadly."
"Wow, that's at least level 40."
"Let's wait and see, they'll probably ask us to do a task soon."
After arranging his work, Huang Yu opened his communication device and reported, "Your Excellency, the situation has stabilized for the time being."
"How much damage did you suffer?" Han Xiao asked calmly.
"It's bad news. The power plant we were building has been completely destroyed; all the building materials and construction equipment inside are ruined."
Han Xiao clicked his tongue. He had anticipated this. Since the Sanctuary was part of the main storyline, there was likely to be some twists and turns. Sure enough, the unexpected happened. He hadn't expected that there were powerful monsters hiding in the Gray Iron Ruins. The loss of building materials and engineering equipment was secondary. If they couldn't deal with the beasts, it would greatly delay the construction period.
"What kind of beast is it?"
"The investigation is still ongoing, but they are hiding in a ditch or drainage channel. We know absolutely nothing about that area, and it's extremely dangerous."
"Wait for me to come over."
Ten minutes later, Han Xiao arrived at the scene. Everyone gathered around to report. He listened for a while, then waved his hand to signal everyone to be quiet. He then went to the footprints and examined them carefully.
"Being able to crack stone bricks indicates that the beast has very strong legs and is very heavy. It likes to live in damp and dark places, is a social animal, has an unknown diet, and is highly aggressive..." Han Xiao opened his tablet and searched for the beast encyclopedia of Planet Aquamarine, finding many matching examples.
After thinking for a moment, Han Xiao lifted his trench coat, and seven or eight spider detectors landed on the ground along his legs. They swarmed into the river channel to probe the inside. The tablet computer connected the detectors' night vision and infrared images.
While waiting, Han Xiao casually asked, "Are there any powerful beasts elsewhere?"
Huang Yu immediately replied, "No, only here. The cleaning work in the other areas went very smoothly."
The upheaval here did not delay other construction. The massive city wall was under construction, and residential buildings, warehouses, energy plants, internal life support facilities, greenhouse farms, and other aspects were all progressing at the same time. Only with the help of tens of thousands of players could Han Xiao have enough manpower to carry out all aspects of the project. The Second Sanctuary was still struggling to explore the city, and its progress was several times slower than his.
The spider detector transmitted images showing that the walls deep inside the river channel were covered in a sticky, disgusting mucus secreted by some kind of creature, which was still slowly dripping down.
A small spider was enveloped in dripping slime. Its slender, mechanical limbs twitched a few times before shutting down completely, as if it were encased in amber.
Further in, Han Xiao witnessed a shocking scene: at the end of the river channel, wild beasts had carved out countless branching paths. He directed the little spiders to split up, and as the images continued to be transmitted back, everyone present became increasingly astonished.
Beneath the Gray Iron Ruins lies a terrifying underground lair, covering most of the West District!
These wild beasts have been entrenched in this ruined city for many years!
"My goodness..." Han Xiao was slightly startled.
The hidden beast revealed its outline in the infrared field of vision. Han Xiao hurriedly flipped through the beast encyclopedia and finally locked onto the target.
"Scientifically known as the Nigaro Shadow Viper Beast, or simply Shadow Predator Viper, it is an oviparous animal with six legs, each foot having three claws. Its entire body is covered in a chitinous carapace, divided into a head, torso, limbs, and a long tail. Adults can reach four meters in length. Claw strikes, tail whips, and bites are its common attack methods. It can secrete a corrosive mucus from its mouth and excretory pores to dig nests. It prefers warm, dark, and humid environments and typically lives near the underground of Volcano..."
Except for the lack of facehuggers, this thing looks incredibly like an alien!
Han Xiao compared the Viper Modified Chip database and found that the Shadow Predator Viper's life strength signal was around level 40. For players at this time, each one was a mini-boss -Grade SS high-level monster.
A rough estimate suggests there are over a thousand Shadow Predator Viper in the nest, posing a significant threat to the Sanctuary. If not eliminated, incidents like today's will continue to occur, slowing down construction in the western district.
Han Xiao suddenly noticed something unusual.
"Shadow Predator Viper prefer hot environments. Strange, this is a plain; the underground should be cool and damp. How could this attract Shadow Predator Viper? Could it be... an abandoned reactor or high-energy waste underground?"
He pondered for a moment, deciding that it would be best to let the players detect the radiation concentration inside.
If I'm not mistaken, a Shadow Predator Viper pack will have a wild Boss- Grade SS Beastmaster, something only I can handle.
The complex terrain of the nests is the home ground of the Shadow Predator Viper, and Han Xiao didn't want to fight an entire group by himself. Even with the mechanical guards, the losses would be heavy.
Players should be able to overwhelm regular Shadow Predator Viper; since there are players around, we should make the most of them.
"Speaking of which, the corpses and eggs of Shadow Predator Viper are used as ingredients for a potion..." Han Xiao's eyes flashed, and he had a plan.
At this moment, Huang Yu was actively offering his opinions, speaking eloquently, "I think we can use high-yield explosives to destroy the underground cavity, causing a collapse and leveling the Shadow Predator Viper's nest. The consequence would be a ground subsidence in the western district, but this is an abandoned city, so the subsidence won't be a big problem. It can be used for renovation..."
"Good idea." Han Xiao's eyes lit up. He always liked to maximize the benefits within his capabilities. Bombing it directly would be a waste of this nest of Shadow Predator Viper, but Huang Yu reminded him that Shadow Predator Viper would become aggressive and attack when disturbed. This was a good opportunity to lure them out of their hole, set a trap in advance, and give them a head-on blow.
He was a man of action, so he directly mobilized all the Generation 2.5 Ranger patrolling everywhere to the River Channel, and had the Dark Net people huff and puff as they moved small turrets over, arranging them into a battle line aimed at the River Channel.
"Go in and set off a Frenzied Sword Fried Rice." Han Xiao gave the task to Frenzied Saber, who rushed in without Frenzied Saber, braving danger without batting an eye.
Time ticked by, and the entire arena held its breath in utter silence, with only occasional whispers from players watching from afar, their eyes glued to the scene.
A fierce roar broke the long wait, followed by a short, painful scream. The earth trembled slightly, and the sound came from the passage, growing closer and closer. Something was about to emerge.
Rumble--
A large swarm of Shadow Predator Viper charged out, their bodies covered in dark carapaces and menacing bone spikes. Three pairs of small, scarlet eyes hidden within their carapaces were filled with anger and rage. At least a hundred Shadow Predator Viper appeared and immediately spotted the crowd gathered in the distance. With a roar, they charged forward.
Thump thump thump--
The next second, a Rainstorm of gunfire rained down, knocking the Shadow Predator Viper off their feet. Dozens of large-caliber machine guns swept through the area, steel-core bullets shattering their chitinous carapaces. The carapaces cracked, viscous fluid splattering everywhere. Their roars turned into howls of agony. They struggled to their feet again and again, only to be knocked down by the hail of bullets, pressed to the ground by the relentless kinetic energy, riddled with bullets.
The flashes of gunfire repeatedly illuminated Han Xiao's profile. He calmly lit a cigarette, watching as hundreds of Shadow Predator Viper were riddled with bullets.
Not long after, the machine gun started clicking, emptying its magazine, leaving spent shell casings scattered all over the ground.
The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder, and the entire area fell silent. The gruesome corpses of the Shadow Predator Viper lay scattered on the ground, broken and mangled.
Many onlookers turned pale, disgusted by the truly gruesome scene.
"Bring the body back and put it in the cold storage."
Everyone quickly cleaned up the battlefield. Han Xiao then sent Hao Tian to fire the Frenzied Sword Fried Rice. This time, the Shadow Predator Viper did not fall for the trap. After killing Hao Tian, it remained holed up in its nest and refused to show itself.
This renders the mechanical guards temporarily useless. Open terrain is the best place to exert firepower coverage, while entering narrow lairs will only result in them being torn to scrap metal one by one by the Shadow Predator Viper. Ambushing the enemy once is enough.
Players have been watching for so long, it's time to give them something to do.
"I need some manpower to clean up this nest, preferably within three days," Han Xiao said loudly, quickly setting up the task and issuing it.
Prize Pool Mission: Clear the Nest!
Several days later, Han Xiao released another prize pool mission. He found that prize pool missions were extremely easy to ignite players' enthusiasm. Sure enough, the players who had been watching the show were immediately in an uproar, flocking over and vying to accept the mission.
The prize pool has rapidly accumulated to millions of experience points and continues to grow. The mission requires killing Shadow Predator Viper and bringing back their eggs. Contribution points are earned through these two actions, and the top ten teams are ranked based on their contribution points (which counts as team ranking).
A large number of players are eager to enter the lair to hunt the Shadow Predator Viper. If they are not strong enough, they will make up for it with numbers. As long as they don't die from grinding, they will grind to death.
Han Xiao turned to the four members of the Frenzied Saber Clan and said, "Take this instrument and use it to test the radiation concentration in the nest. Also, keep an eye out for any unusual Shadow Predator Viper; those are the Beast Kings. Notify me immediately if you find any. And remember to let me know if you find anything else."
The four nodded and entered the lair together.
Looking at the enthusiastic players, Han Xiao pondered silently.
"The Shadow Predator Viper too powerful for current players. To compete in the prize pool missions, players will have an even greater need for weapons. After seeing my Mechanical Guard, I'm sure some people will be tempted..."
Fortunately, he had enough spare parts to sell weapons and make another fortune.
This once again embodies an advanced business philosophy: if customers don't have a need, that's fine; then artificially create demand!