The leader's serious injury threw the Germinal faction into chaos, and the situation changed dramatically.
Some troops rushed over to protect their leader, while others were still engaged in combat with the reinforcements, causing chaos. The experts from the Six Nations seized the opportunity and worked together to create a gap in the encirclement, breaking through the blockade in three vehicles.
"Get in the car quickly!" Tang Tang shouted.
The convoy was about to pass Han Xiao; this was the best opportunity to get in.
Han Xiao looked in the direction of the leader, and the protective troops blocked the leader behind them.
On one side is the leader, who still has 14% health remaining and is protected by troops, making him difficult to kill in the short term. On the other side is the convoy that is about to break through the enemy lines and leave. The opportunity to end this operation is fleeting, and if it is delayed, they will be entangled again.
Han Xiao was not afraid. With his current strength, he could single-handedly crush the disorganized Germinal unit. However, apart from Bennett, everyone in the support team was injured, and if the fight continued, death would be inevitable.
He was the one who was supposed to be the one being protected, but now he's the one protecting these helpers.
Han Xiao was both amused and exasperated. After a moment's thought, he made a rational decision.
"The [The Traitor's Counterattack] mission is complete. My job is done. Now, I just need to deliver the intelligence to the Six Nations, and let them worry about the rest."
He didn't finish the job; whether or not he killed the leader was no longer important to him.
As the convoy passed by, the car doors opened, and Han Xiao immediately jumped into the car and sped away.
The Germinal troops were completely left behind this time, gradually shrinking in sight.
"It's over." Han Xiao finally breathed a sigh of relief. The leader had missed this opportunity and there was no way he could stop him now.
This time it's really secure.
Looking back on this operation, he brought Aurora and Hila out of headquarters, stole advanced Mechanic Class Advanced Knowledge, obtained a bunch of key intelligence that could determine the outcome of the battle, fought his way out, revealed his true colors, basically secured his Legend Points, refreshed the players' impression of him, killed countless Germinal superhumans, then successfully advanced and broke through the 1.0 version limit, and finally even defeated the leader, who is about to be able to extract two of his abilities.
Despite facing numerous dangers, they made a fortune!
Han Xiao had a sudden thought and wanted to see the leader's expression, so he leaned out of the car window and looked back.
On a distant sand dune, the chieftain clutched his chest, unsteady on his feet, swaying and looking forlorn.
Looking into the distance, Han Xiao and the leader were locked in a gaze from mid-air.
The leader remained expressionless. His grand gestures had come to nothing, and he should have been excited. However, Han Xiao read complex emotions in his eyes: pain, discouragement, dejection, and an indescribable sense of relief. It was as if he had exhausted his fighting spirit and no longer had the strength for hatred and anger.
Han Xiao was somewhat puzzled and suddenly became curious about the leader's background.
Leading the Germinal Organization and raising the banner of the ideal of overthrowing the Six Nations, what was his purpose in doing all this? What kind of person was he really?
Ambitious? Ruthless? Without any moral compass?
Despite being enemies for so long, he actually knew very little about his leader.
"By the way, I don't even know his name."
Han Xiao paused, then looked over again.
The leader also looked at him from afar.
That eye contact was like a pause button being pressed, freezing time and space, transforming it into a painting.
This was his first face-to-face encounter with the leader.
--And this is the last time.
Later, the experts from the Six Nations present recounted their experiences, which leaked out and became known to the whole world.
After the war, as countries reviewed the events, they discovered that this place was the turning point of the entire war. The final eye contact between Zero and the leader was of great historical significance and was recorded in the history of Planet Aquamarine.
The night sky is bright with stars and a clear moon. The Milky Way hangs high in the sky, and its clear silvery light shines over the hills, making them clearly visible even without any other light source.
The three vehicles were parked atop a hill, hidden in a sparse grove of trees. The engines were off, and the surroundings were quiet. Everyone got out of the vehicles, sat down on one side, ate dry rations, bandaged their wounds, and talked in hushed tones.
After a day of fierce fighting, the group decided to stop and rest. After leaving the desert, they arrived at this hilly area. Further out was the edge of the main battlefield between the Six Nations and Germinal. The Germinal's control over this area was hampered, and its defenses were not as strong as in the heartland. The pursuit force mobilized by the leader suffered heavy losses. The road ahead was now smooth, and it was truly impossible for any more accidents to happen this time. Even if they were healed, they wouldn't collapse.
Only now did Han Xiao have time to carefully appreciate the changes brought about by racial evolution.
The soft Moonlight shone on him. He looked down at his body. His skin was still yellow, but his appearance had changed subtly. After evolution, his genes had improved, and his body was more proportionate. His limbs seemed to be a bit longer (his neck! It was his neck!). Looking in the mirror, his face seemed to have become more handsome... It couldn't be his imagination.
The [Type I Cosmic Human] has an extremely high compatibility. The appendix explains that this is because the human race has lived in interstellar space for a long time, constantly exposed to various cosmic energies and different planetary environments. Their bodies have developed self-regulation; those who cannot adapt are eliminated, and the survivors gradually gain stronger adaptability. Just as primitive humans lived on various continents and over long periods of time developed into yellow, white, black, and other branches—all products of adaptation to the environment and natural selection— the Type I Cosmic Human follows the same principle. Humans are numerous in the universe, and other races have many impressions of them, such as "carbon-based monkeys," "social creatures," "treacherous," "arrogant," "xenophobic," and "unpalatable," etc.
Due to the harshness of the interstellar environment, their physical abilities are stronger than those of carbon-based humans on the planet, their body structure is more perfect, and their internal organs are enhanced. If their pre-evolutionary bodies were likened to paper, their current bodies are like leather or rubber, much stronger and more resilient.
... Of course, their appearance remains that of a normal human; they won't suddenly transform into a monster with a blue face, fangs, and a body covered in lumps of flesh.
The evolutionary direction of each race is traceable. It is impossible for a carbon-based human race to evolve into a silicon-based mechanical life form, except for mutations and special cases. For example, Basic Energy Lifeform, which can be regarded as a "soul entity", most races with consciousness have the opportunity to become energy life forms.
"Although the human evolutionary tree offers many choices, the conditions become increasingly stringent as we progress, and the compatibility is often very low. The evolutionary path of the Cosmic Human, however, is like a trunk branching into various lines, offering a constant variety of evolutionary directions. Moreover, their adaptability is constantly increasing, and the compatibility of those powerful races is even higher, so their potential is the highest." Han Xiao nodded secretly. Evolution is a phased process; the powerful races in the early stages naturally cannot compare to those in the later stages. Only by taking a broad path can one have more room for choice.
Evolutionary direction must be matched with profession to create a chemical reaction. He naturally doesn't need those physically strong but mentally weak groups. [Type I Cosmic Human] are very suitable for him.
"Perfect timing. Let's organize the panel information now and settle [The Traitor's Counterattack] first."
Han Xiao rubbed his hands together, full of anticipation, with the excitement of playing roulette...
Cough, no, it's the excitement of getting paid soon.
[The Traitor's Counterattack] Completed
[You have received a reward: two abilities (features/skills) from the leader of the Germinal Organization]
[Randomly selecting... Selection complete]
Please choose two of the following five abilities as a reward:
[1. [High-Level Martial Arts Techniques] - Specialty: When using Pugilist Class skills, stamina consumption is reduced by 30%, and attack power is increased by 15%]
[2. [Wild Python - Poisonous Bite] - Skill: Black Slaughter Style martial art, claws strike like a python, quickly attacking the target 4-7 times. The first attack deals 41-59 extra damage, and each subsequent attack deals 5% less damage. Consumes 48 Qi and 90 Stamina. Cooldown: 8 seconds -- "Black Python Pounces, Lightning Flash"]
[3. [Counterattack - Thorns] - Skill: A technique for utilizing Qi, negating 30% of the damage from this attack. If it is a melee attack, this portion of the damage is reflected back to the attacker. Consumes 300 Qi and 500 Stamina. Cooldown: 110 seconds.]
[4. [Strong Fist] - Skill: General Passive, Unarmed Attack Power +7%, Block Chance +3%]
[5. [Tough Body] - Feat: True Damage Immunity]
A quick glance reveals no Lucky Halo.
"Is it because the leader isn't there, or is my luck just too low to pull out?" Han Xiao scratched his head.
There are dozens of leader abilities, but only five can be drawn, which is a very low rate. He didn't really expect to draw them all, so he wasn't disappointed.
The leader is a martial artist, and the abilities he randomly draws are mostly related to martial arts. There are five options, and you can choose two.
"This time there's really something good, a template expertise!" Han Xiao's eyes lit up.
Template expertise has several characteristics: powerful, targeted, and absolute. Immunity is the embodiment of absoluteness, and that's the kind of ability he wants.
[Tough Body] True Damage Immunity. It's a BOSS template with a highly targeted effect, reducing the chance of unexpected situations and providing greater survivability. While someone with critical strike capabilities and true damage skills similar to [Willpower Burning] would be a threat, possessing [Tough Body] prevents them from losing most of their health in a single hit. Han Xiao has strong burst damage, so he understands the benefits of True Damage Immunity.
For the other one, he chose [Counterattack - Thorns]. Looking around, the other skills were either exclusive to Pugilist Class or basic skills, so this one was the only one that seemed acceptable.
Recalling Bennett's fight with the leader, the leader probably used this move to block Bennett's Five Times European Fist.
Thinking of the leader again, Han Xiao's interest in him remained undiminished.