Han Xiao held the phone a little further away from his ear, picked at his ear with his pinky finger, and said with displeasure, "Keep it down."
Bennett retorted angrily, "Why didn't you discuss it with me first? You can represent the Dark Net's position, but if you rashly join the war, we lose our neutrality, and there are many implications behind this..."
Han Xiao covered the receiver and glanced around at the mercenaries who were eavesdropping in their seats. The transport plane had face-to-face cabins, and this glance took in everyone. His eyes flashed with a warning, leaving the mercenaries stunned, wondering what they had done to offend this big shot.
Qin Yuan was the first to react, immediately pulling out his earplugs and shoving them into his ears. The others realized what was happening and quickly followed suit.
Han Xiao then released the receiver. Bennett's rambling was finally coming to an end. He hadn't heard a large part of it, so he pretended nothing had happened and casually hummed in agreement to show that he had been listening the whole time.
"... So, don't get involved in this. The Germinal is doomed to fail. No matter what grudge you have against them, there's no need for you to take action yourself," Bennett said.
"This is a private matter."
"Nonsense, business is business!" Bennett roared.
Han Xiao clicked his tongue. "Anyway, Germinal is too busy to take care of itself, so it's good to kick a dog when it's down. At this critical juncture, whether it's neutral or not doesn't matter, so relax."
"... So you didn't actually listen to my analysis at all!" Bennett exclaimed in surprise.
"Tsk, I've been spotted." Han Xiao shook his phone violently and shouted from a distance, "Hey... I'm on a plane, the signal is bad..."
"Don't pretend with me..."
Beep, Han Xiao hung up the phone.
Han Xiao felt apologetic, knowing that Bennett would definitely be unhappy about doing this.
But he won't stop doing something just because Bennett is unhappy. External factors are not the criteria that determine his actions; he only follows his own ideas.
Moreover, Han Xiao was well aware that whether the Dark Net was conservative or neutral was no longer relevant; if the Germinal was eliminated, the Dark Net would be the next target on the list.
The forces on the Dark Net are deeply entrenched and have always appeared harmless, but no one is certain whether they will remain so in the future. As the saying goes, "A tall tree catches the wind," and "Possessing a treasure is a crime." How can one allow others to sleep soundly on one's own bed?
In the previous life, at the end of version 1.0, the Six Nations showed a tendency to suppress the Dark Net. Now, the Germinal has suffered a devastating blow two years earlier than expected, and the Six Nations are not as severely weakened as they were in the previous life. Therefore, whether to suppress it in advance is a matter of opinion.
At this moment, a Stardragon officer walked into the cabin, waved a tablet computer in his hand, and said, "We'll arrive in Andia in eight hours. Our destination is the Migratory Bird Port in the south. Here's a basic overview of the southern battlefield and some mercenary missions. Take a look."
After he finished speaking, everyone looked up at him, their faces filled with confusion.
The officer was a bit confused. What was going on with this reaction? Shouldn't someone have stepped forward to take the tablet at this point? He was holding the tablet and no one paid any attention to him. It was quite embarrassing.
Qin Yuan realized what was happening and hurriedly told everyone to take out their earplugs, saying awkwardly, "Um, could you say that again?"
Ten minutes later, everyone had a computer and was checking intelligence.
Han Xiao suddenly said, "Give me a map of the entire battlefield and its basic layout from the Germinal."
The officer agreed.
The map of the entire territory and the enemy's deployment are not secrets. The higher-ups have instructed us to pay close attention to Black Phantom, and to grant any reasonable requests.
Stardragon's straightforwardness is related to Han Xiao's identity; in game terms, it means his faction affiliation and Legend Points are high enough.
Intelligence was also a reason why Han Xiao chose to go through official channels. The war zone was not easy to cross. If one was completely clueless about the enemy's deployment and recklessly rushed in, the outcome would most likely be disastrous. The intelligence from the Six Nations was comprehensive, which made it easier for him to consider his action plan.
"A large number of troops are stationed near the headquarters, with numerous positions, creating a double blockade by ground and air..."
The Germinal headquarters is a large complex of bases, with the true core hidden in a central underground blast-proof facility—that's where Han Xiao's target is.
Han Xiao noticed that there were many small gaps in the Germinal organization's deployment, which seemed to offer an opportunity to strike at the heart of the enemy headquarters. The gaps were not obvious, but they were not too well hidden either.
"Something feels off." Han Xiao pinched his chin, his eyes flickering.
The transport plane landed on the Andia Continent. As the cabin door opened, the smell of gunpowder and the tense atmosphere of war rushed out. Countless warships were anchored on the distant sea, and the roar of helicopters could be heard from time to time as they flew overhead. The port still bore the marks of artillery fire from the landing battle, and rows of Stardragon soldiers busily passed through.
Han Xiao followed the others off the plane, and then went through various official procedures. It was two hours later that everything was completed. The mercenaries finally crossed the barbed wire fence, boarded the troop transport vehicle, and entered the battlefield area along the main road. The troop transport vehicle headed to a front-line position where they were fighting a small, Germinal force in an abandoned city.
From the moment he got off the plane, Han Xiao didn't stop. He felt the tense atmosphere of the battlefield. As he passed through the battlefield, he occasionally saw ragged refugees staggering along, being evacuated under the guidance of soldiers. These people were all wanderers from the Andia Continent. Their lives were already difficult enough, and the war made their situation even worse.
The effects of the Old Era War still linger in Andia, where pollution and radiation are severe. Plants and animals are sparse, and most refugees have blackish-yellow scabs on their exposed skin; some even have tumors.
Upon arriving at their destination and getting off the vehicle, Qin Yuan approached Han Xiao before the officers at the position arrived.
"Lord Black Phantom, we hope you will command us."
Mercenaries respect the strong, and Han Xiao's status is beyond question. On the battlefield, sticking together is the safest option, and siding with the strong is instinctive.
Han Xiao waved his hand, shouldered his equipment bag, and turned to leave.
Qin Yuan was stunned, and hurriedly called out, "Where are you going? That's where we leave the position. Our mission is..."
Han Xiao's voice drifted back from afar, "I'm not interested in that mission; I'm used to acting alone."
The group exchanged bewildered glances, their faces showing helplessness.
Well, they've been met with a cold shoulder; the other party doesn't even care about their group and has gone off to do their own thing.
A few days later.
The scorching sun baked the earth. Miga Town, which was originally a gathering place for wanderers, was reduced to a small-scale battlefield. The low buildings were smashed to pieces, the ground was littered with shell casings and craters, blackened marks covered the ground and walls, and unburnt embers were emitting black smoke.
"Huff, huff..."
Heaving sounds came from behind a building that had collapsed halfway. Several superhumans wearing combat uniforms with the Stardragon insignia were hiding behind the wall, cautiously observing their surroundings. They were Pugilist Class superhumans trained by the military. Given the level of civilization on Planet Aquamarine, Pugilist Class was the superhuman system that was the easiest to popularize on a large scale.
"Captain, we're in a very bad situation. The Germinal have the numerical advantage; they have a small force of two hundred, seven superhumans and fifteen super soldiers. We only have eleven superhumans left, and they've all gotten separated."
Fang Yun said in a deep voice, "I have already requested reinforcements. The agents from the Thirteenth Bureau on the other side of the position will soon lead their troops to provide support. As long as we can hold out for an hour..."
"An hour... and the enemy still has a bunch of damned Inhuman, they're too troublesome."
Just then, the sound of machine gun fire sweeping across buildings came from afar, followed by cries that abruptly ceased.
On this battlefield, there was a group of refugees who hadn't had time to evacuate, hiding in fear. The Germinal Force was worried that these Stardragon were disguised as refugees, so they killed them all without sparing a single one.
"With these refugees buying us time, we won't find out so quickly."
A hint of reluctance flashed in Fang Yun's eyes, then he nodded heavily. At this critical moment, they had to use every means to protect themselves. The battlefield had no room for mercy, and there was no time to care about the lives of a group of refugees.
There is no justice in war; life and death are left to fate.
Meanwhile, on the second floor of a building, Han Xiao, now with a different face, wore a tattered robe over his clothes, disguised as a refugee. He stood by the window, pressed against the wall, cautiously observing the outside world.
This battlefield was the target he had identified after searching for several days. His plan was to Assassination a Germinal individual here, switch places, and infiltrate with a different face. He had used this tactic before in Dark Raven Valley and intended to use it again this time. The chaotic battlefield offered a natural advantage, making it much easier to find him than searching for a needle in a haystack.
When Han Xiao was observing the battlefield deployment, he discovered a gap in the Germinal, but he felt that since he could find this flaw, the Six Nations and Germinal could most likely find it as well. It looked like a trap, so he decided to use his own method.
Forcing his way into headquarters would be too risky, especially since Han Xiao was heading to an underground headquarters, which would exponentially increase the difficulty of entry. Using Intelligent Simulation Optical Mask to constantly change identities and "infiltrate" openly would be more discreet and safe. Even if he were exposed, the other party wouldn't know who he was, and he could continue to change his face and remain Stealth.
Just then, a loud bang was heard as the door downstairs was kicked open, and a group of people rushed in to search.