The Baby Bear, which had been lazily lying next to Aurora, stood up and let out a low growl at Kerlodd, carrying a warning meaning. Han Xiao had Aurora raise the Baby Bear for a long time, and now the bear had grown to half the height of a person and was entering adolescence. Moreover, it had undergone a strange change. Its fur seemed to reveal a slight sheen, and its attributes were gradually changing towards the elite template. It seemed to have mutated and developed biological characteristics that it shouldn't have.
Aurora's power seems to have the effect of catalyzing the sublimation of life; young individuals who accompany her can achieve special growth. Some time ago, Han Xiao learned that Aurora's power was called [Dawn of Life], and her potential rating was the same as Hila's, both at Grade S. This discovery greatly excited him.
The source of the information was naturally the battle data, not from attacking Aurora himself. He realized he had fallen into a mental trap; he could have let Aurora attack him, after all. But no matter how much he tried to persuade her, Aurora shook her head vigorously, refusing to attack Han Xiao. She thought Han Xiao was dissatisfied with her in some way, and her eyes welled up with tears of grievance.
In Aurora's heart, there are only two close people in the world: her sister Hila and Han Xiao, who tore through the darkness and brought light when she was in her deepest despair. Apart from her sister, only Han Xiao is good to her, and only these two people can she rely on. Therefore, she cares about Han Xiao very much, just like her own brother.
Han Xiao finally obtained the information after using the excuse of testing the armor's performance to get Aurora to fire a shot at him. His initial target was only Hila, but Aurora also had the potential of the same level, which was like a buy-one-get-one-free deal, much to his delight.
In the original storyline, Aurora was nipped in the bud and her future achievements were unknown. This time, however, she has the opportunity to grow up, and this little girl is much more reliable than her older sister. She is another potential star.
Han Xiao winked at Hela, then got up and walked to the side. The rest needed to be discussed privately.
A moment later, Hila came over and stood beside him, frowning as she asked, "What's wrong?"
"Would you like to leave this planet with me?"
"Why did you invite me?" Hila's eyes flickered slightly as she turned to look at Han Xiao's profile.
"It's not just you, it's your sister too. I know you two won't separate."
Hila lowered her head in thought, remained silent for a long while, and slowly said, "I won't leave."
Han Xiao raised an eyebrow. "I asked Bennett the same question. It's understandable that he didn't come, so why did you refuse?"
"Danger," Hila said. "I need to take care of my sister."
Staying is just as dangerous.
Hila's face darkened. "What have you foreseen this time?"
Han Xiao gave a general description of the Mutation Disaster, saying, "Even if you stay on this planet, disaster will find you sooner or later. You and Aurora have great potential; your future is destined for interstellar travel. Aren't you coming with me?"
Hila lowered her eyes, lost in hesitation.
A silent atmosphere filled the air, like the lonely Moon hanging high in the night sky.
After a long silence, Hila turned to the side and whispered, "I won't go."
Han Xiao gave her a deep look, lit a cigarette, and exhaled a cloud of smoke. "Okay, I understand."
His tone was casual, without any intention of delving deeper, which only aroused Hila's suspicion. She frowned and said, "Don't you want to know the reason?"
Han Xiao laughed, "Don't overestimate yourself. I was just asking casually. Whether you come or not won't affect me much. Your current strength isn't enough to help me much."
Hila's eyes turned slightly cold. Although she rejected Han Xiao, she felt resentful at being taken for granted because of his indifferent attitude. She couldn't save face.
At this moment, Han Xiao added, "This is your own choice. I won't force you to do anything under the guise of doing what's best for you."
As he spoke, Han Xiao took out a bunch of keys, tossed them to Hila, and said calmly, "If one day darkness engulfs the Sanctuary, this bunch of keys leads to my secret base. It can give you hiding place. I've put the address in a hidden compartment in my office, the third drawer from the left, on the back. It's for you."
Hila fiddled with the keys, her expression obscure, and suddenly said, "Aren't you coming back?"
Han Xiao smiled enigmatically, "You seem quite concerned?"
Hila snorted coldly, waved the key to indicate that she had remembered it, and turned to leave.
She had taken a few steps when she heard Han Xiao's cheerful voice behind her.
"Don't die."
Hila paused in her steps.
"The same to you."
After Hila left, Han Xiao faded slightly, and he threw away his cigarette butt and stomped it out.
In his estimation, Hila had a greater than 50% chance of going with him. Unexpectedly, Hila made a different choice. He had already analyzed the pros and cons, but Hila still chose to stay. Besides her sister, there might be other considerations. Hila's personality before she turned evil was actually harder to understand.
However, Han Xiao's need for Hila is not urgent at this stage. Potential stocks that haven't grown up are useless. At this time, Hila is not very helpful. Its role is even less than that of high-level players who can be used as cannon fodder. It is pollution-free and additive-free.
Moreover, if he brings Hila along, he will inevitably bring Aurora along as well. Aurora is now much weaker, and even a small storm could hurt her. The interstellar space is full of known and unknown dangers, so even though Han Xiao is very familiar with the area, he is still very cautious.
Players are a great help; they're practically invincible and can cause all sorts of trouble. At the same time, Han Xiao can enjoy the freedom to act alone, without being restricted or tied down. There are also advantages to not having anyone else with you.
In that case, leaving Hila and Aurora on Planet Aquamarine might be a good choice. There's a buffer period of about two or three years before the Mutation Disaster, giving them a safe environment to grow. If they stay with me, they'll immediately face danger.
In Han Xiao's view, letting the two potential stocks grow strong until the Mutation Disaster erupts is a good idea.
Even so, being rejected twice in a row still hurt Han Xiao deeply, and he muttered to himself, "Is my charm really that bad? It's impossible."
A sound came from the side, One Leaf Green emerged from the shadows in the corner. Han Xiao had noticed her hiding there earlier, glanced at her, and asked, "How much did you hear?"
"All of it." One Leaf Green looked astonished. "Is everything you just said true? You're leaving, aren't you afraid I'll leave too? You swapped me with you, and now you don't need me anymore?"
"You're free, but you'd better stay in the Sanctuary. I'm not kidding when I say disaster."
One Leaf Green nodded with a complicated expression, then turned and walked away. Han Xiao squinted at her the Sight of Father's Back and shook his head inwardly.
The prisoners on Death Knell Island are new characters introduced in version 2.0, and One Leaf Green is one of them. He was brought out ahead of time, and One Leaf Green will develop a drug to curb the Mutation Disaster in the future, which is quite valuable.
Human hearts are hard to control, but he felt that there was a good chance that One Leaf Green would stay. She was a person who cherished life and was passionate about potion research. With so many players in the Sanctuary, it was the best testing ground, which was very attractive to One Leaf Green.
Bringing fifty top-tier players is a crucial part of the plan. It can be implemented once the professional league is over and the players are still eager for more.
They've already reached the finals, and it should be over in the next few days. Han Xiao is also working on finalizing his plan on how to take the players away.
On this day, Raylen bypassed Bennett and contacted Han Xiao directly, issuing an ultimatum with extremely harsh and forceful wording.
"Black Phantom, we know you captured the Goddora envoy. You've made a grave mistake. We respect your contributions in the Germinal Campaign, but we won't allow you to abuse your power. Hand over the Goddora people. This is the last warning. Otherwise, we will take coercive measures, and you will become our enemy. You don't want to see that happen. You may be strong, but you are no match for the machinery of the state."
Hello, goodbye.
Click.
Han Xiao hung up the call, rubbed the bridge of his nose, and looked helpless.
Raylen remained persistent and tried to put pressure on him, but Han Xiao didn't want to waste time arguing with them.
At this moment, Han Xiao was sitting in his office with Kerlodd beside him; Han Xiao took him everywhere he went. This Goddora man was pressed against the window, carefully observing the players in the square, when he suddenly spoke.
"Is this a special phenomenon on your planet?"
Kerlodd also remembered the investigation mission, during which he discovered the so-called "Inhuman Phenomenon" and saw the characteristics of many players.
Han Xiao's heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "This is your investigation task, right? What conclusions have you reached?"