A few days ago, the guards Xiao Faction made contact with the settlement of wanderers dozens of miles away, explained the purpose of the Sanctuary, and invited the wanderers to live or work there.
By offering food and smiling service, some unsuccessful drifters agreed to move in.
From a distance, hundreds of wanderers could see the tens-of-meters-high city wall under construction, with "Black Phantom's Third Sanctuary" painted in red, and they were all incredulous.
"Didn't they say they only settled in the Gray Iron Ruins a few days ago? This doesn't look like the place when construction just started..." A middle-aged man asked hesitantly, echoing the doubts of the others.
They had assumed that the Sanctuary, being newly built, would be very harsh, and in the wanderers' imaginations, it would be even worse than their dilapidated settlement. They were mentally prepared to suffer, but reality gave them a big surprise.
"They can't have spent all their time building the wall, can they?" someone said with skepticism.
Entering the Sanctuary along the main road, the doubt immediately vanished. The wanderer was like a country bumpkin visiting a grand garden, overwhelmed by the sights.
Looking at the towering city walls, the neat buildings, and the paved roads, no one could believe that this was the progress made in less than ten days.
It takes them several days to build even a single dilapidated wooden hut!
The guards led the dazed wanderers to their lodgings, not tents or cabins, but a brand-new bunker with many rooms, running water and electricity, and a kitchen stocked with ingredients so they could cook for themselves.
An immense surprise, like a charging bull, pounded into everyone's hearts.
This place is no longer Sanctuary; it should be renamed a resort!
"Your Excellency, we brought back 427 wanderers. There are fifteen settlements dozens of miles away, with a total population of about 3,500. Other groups are negotiating, and about 300 people have explicitly refused us so far. The others have not yet expressed their opinions." Liu Chao immediately reported the situation to Han Xiao.
Only a little over four hundred people, that's a bit few.
The purpose of Sanctuary is to protect humanity, and taking in wanderers is its primary goal. If a city is built but no one lives in it, it becomes a joke.
There are few wanderers in the Ghost Wasteland, and those who wander further afield may not be willing to make the long journey. If we want people to come and live here, Han Xiao thinks we need Bennett's macro-control, which is to relocate refugees from other regions who are willing to settle in the Sanctuary in batches. However, this should be a means after the plan is matured. Right now, we are still in the initial stage of construction.
Han Xiao waved for Liu Chao to leave, and as he walked back to the workshop, he pondered the situation. One of the requirements for his [Third Sanctuary] main quest was to have a population of 40,000 (excluding players), which was one of the most rewarding requirements and would significantly improve the overall quest rating.
Walking down the street and seeing the bustling scene of players, Han Xiao knew that to achieve the "He*Book* Player Main City" plan, there had to be NPCs living there, preferably important figures, as these were all quest resources that could attract players to gather.
The residents' request for the Sanctuary coincided perfectly with his plan.
"This is a long-term job," Han Xiao thought to himself.
Occasionally, players would approach him wanting to buy equipment, Han Xiao would readily agree, clearing out some of his stockpiled, useless equipment and earning a new sum of money.
Back in the workshop, the refining machine was still running. Han Xiao was in great shape, and not wanting to waste his good condition, he took out parts and began manufacturing Composite Magnetic Chain Split Blade to improve the quality of purple-grade equipment. This time, he was more adept than ever before.
This time I feel like I've got it!
The noise of the refining machine echoed through the workshop, but Han Xiao remained undisturbed, immersed in the manufacturing process. When the refining machine stopped, he had also finished his work.
[You have created Composite Magnetic Chain Split Blade (purple)]
[Job Change Requirements: Complete five pieces of purple equipment with an energy level of 60 or higher, progress 1/5]
Han Xiao let out a breath and felt much more relaxed.
Everything is difficult at the beginning. This is like forgiveness; once you get the first time, you'll get the second and third. Sooner or later, you'll become proficient.
"I should be able to complete the job change within this month," Han Xiao secretly estimated.
Without even looking at the panel, Han Xiao already knew the attributes of the purple equipment. Starting from the blue equipment, the difference in equipment quality gradually widened, with the basic attributes of purple equipment being 20% to 30% higher than those of blue equipment! The damage of the purple equipment's Magnetic Chain Split Blade was significantly higher than that of the blue equipment, and the attribute difference was even greater at higher qualities.
After replacing his blue gear with purple gear, Han Xiao went to check on the refining machine's results.
Two tons of raw crystal ore were transformed into a small pile of pure, flawless, light blue rhomboid crystals, each about half the size of a palm and easily held in one hand. The raw ore was filled with ice cracks and misty patterns, while the purified crystals were clear and transparent, allowing light to pass through without obstruction, refracting inside and radiating light, as if a miniature sun was suspended inside the crystal.
[Primary Energy Crystal: Contains pure, attribute-free energy that can be converted and extracted]
Energy crystals are most commonly used in magical and crystal civilizations, and some organisms also feed on energy blocks.
Han Xiao nodded secretly. Besides storing energy, he hadn't yet figured out any other uses for the energy crystals. Everyone has their own expertise; Mage Class have more ways to utilize energy crystals.
"Let's store them for now. There are Shadow Predator Viper eggs in the warehouse. We can try to cultivate them. Feeding them with waste should create another way to obtain energy blocks." Han Xiao had an idea. Cultivating beast eggs requires specialized personnel, which One Leaf Green was perfect for.
Late at night, the sky is full of stars.
Stardragon Border.
The rotors whipped up a fierce wind as the heavy, black helicopter slowly descended, the weeds swaying and shaking violently in the wind.
Several serious-looking Stardragon special forces soldiers escorted a person off the plane. This person wore a metal goggles and a restraint suit, was thin, had long, dry, messy brown hair that hadn't been styled in a long time, and pale, cracked lips. The lower half of her face, which was exposed, had soft features, indicating that she was a woman.
"Sir, the man has been brought here." The special forces soldier saluted the officer waiting to the side.
"Confirm her physical characteristics, and don't let her wake up," Feng Jun said. He was in charge of this handover, and the woman in the straitjacket was One Leaf Green, a high-ranking prisoner who had been brought out from Death Knell Island overnight.
The team doctor said, "Don't worry, I gave her a large dose of sedatives and hypnotics; she's sleeping soundly now."
"Check it again."
Feng Jun glanced at his watch; the handover time was almost up. He felt a little nervous. His mission this time also included finding out Han Xiao's current situation.
He didn't know who the person coming to take over would be, or whether they would give him face. Although Feng Jun knew Han Xiao, he was very unsure, considering Han Xiao's personality.
Time ticked by, and everyone waited in silence. A gentle night breeze rustled the grass on the ground, and occasionally an insect would buzz with its wings. Apart from that, there were no other sounds, and the atmosphere grew tense as everyone's nerves tightened.
whoosh--
The sound of rotors cutting through the air rang out from the sky, Feng Jun's spirits lifted as he looked up.
As night fell, a helicopter approached, its indicator lights flashing as a signal. Feng Jun quickly ordered his men to respond. After matching the signal with the lights, the helicopter landed. Feng Jun swiftly surveyed the area and found that the helicopter had no markings, leaving him unsure of its origin.
Even without knowing the other party's background, Feng Jun could tell that Han Xiao had indeed joined another force, and his heart felt heavy.
"Where is everyone?" A masked man stepped off the plane.
Feng Jun waved, and the troops behind him handed over One Leaf Green. The masked man checked the information on his computer, confirmed her identity, and then carried One Leaf Green onto the helicopter. The helicopter took off immediately, stopping for just over a minute, without any delay. Feng Jun had no chance to communicate and could only helplessly watch the helicopter disappear into the distance.
Feng Jun took out his phone and called Gu Hui to report the situation.
"He has indeed joined another faction. The faction that can't find him must be the one that's hiding him," Gu Hui pondered.
What exactly is this organization?
On the helicopter, the masked man removed One Leaf Green's metal blindfold and restraints.
Suddenly, One Leaf Green, who should have been fast asleep, opened her eyes and stared at the masked man. Neither of them spoke, and they just stared at each other for half a minute. One Leaf Green lowered her head, scratched open the flesh of her forearm with her fingernails, picked out a bloody chip bug, and casually crushed it into pieces.
She hadn't actually slept at all; she had been faking it all along. As a pharmacist, how could she not have developed her drug resistance? Sleeping pills had no effect on him. Her years of imprisonment on Death Knell Island were all a facade.
"What did they exchange me for?" One Leaf Green asked calmly, showing no sign of danger, as if chatting with an old friend, even though she didn't know the masked man at all.
"Some intelligence." The masked man looked at One Leaf Green with great interest.
"Cheap." One Leaf Green frowned, her face showing displeasure. "You're after my potion-making ability, aren't you?"
"How do you know?" the masked man asked with a playful tone.
"Besides this, you probably wouldn't think much of my other abilities," One Leaf Green said calmly. "After all, you're too strong."
A few days ago, when the guards on Death Knell Island injected her with sleeping pills and took her away on a plane, One Leaf Green knew that she had become a bargaining chip and finally saw the light of escape.
While maintaining her feigned sleep, One Leaf Green listened to the conversation of the escort team and learned that a handover would take place. She then prepared to use her abilities to escape after the handover, regain her freedom, and no longer be manipulated.
One Leaf Green's ability is to control plants within a certain range, so her senses are extremely sharp. The masked man gave her the feeling of a wild beast hiding under a human skin, as if he might suddenly pounce and hunt at any moment. It was even more dangerous than the feeling of the special forces soldiers pointing guns at her head when she was escorted by Stardragon. One Leaf Green immediately knew that there was no hope of escape, so she gave up the idea of resisting.
"I originally wanted to run away, but it seems like that would be suicide," One Leaf Green said honestly.
Han Xiao pulled off his mask, smiled slightly, and said, "You're very rational."
For this handover, Han Xiao specially disguised himself and personally flew there. He knew that One Leaf Green was no ordinary person, and sending someone else might cause trouble, so he felt most at ease sending himself.
As expected, One Leaf Green had a backup plan. If he hadn't come in person, she might have escaped. One Leaf Green was very calm and composed, showing no surprise at the unexpected event. She had the kind of composure that wouldn't falter even if Mount Tai collapsed before her, and she looked like someone who was good at scientific research, never afraid of unexpected accidents in experiments.
"What do you need me to do?" One Leaf Green asked.
"I'll tell you when we get to www. hetushu. com." Han Xiao casually took out his device and scanned One Leaf Green for any other eavesdropping devices. At the same time, he was also thinking about how to get One Leaf Green to stay and work at the Sanctuary willingly. Although he had temporarily intimidated One Leaf Green, he felt that if given the opportunity in the future, One Leaf Green would not give up on escaping. He didn't have time to keep an eye on her all the time.
The helicopter disappeared into the night sky.