Both Frenzied Saber and Hao Tian had accepted the selection mission, and they weren't confident they could last thirty seconds. They were feeling uncertain, so they immediately felt relieved. Hao Tian next to them also breathed a sigh of relief.
The group naturally wouldn't refuse such an opportunity that was presented to them. Meat Bun Hits Dog was the most delighted, as he saw the potential of interstellar travel. If he could be among the first to enter interstellar travel, he would never lack material for his future programs. Not to mention, those who followed Han Xiao would definitely be professional experts, and his peers could be invited to appear on his shows to increase his popularity.
However, seeing the contestant being utterly dominated by Han Xiao, Meat Bun felt utterly hopeless, thinking he had no chance at all. But then, an unexpected surprise came.
At this moment, Meat Bun was so excited that he wanted to jump up and smash a hole in the ceiling, but he held back because of the compensation cost.
In Han Xiao's eyes, Meat Bun was just a reporter, and he didn't even expect her to be used as cannon fodder, but Meat Bun's role was irreplaceable.
Meat Bun's program is a channel for players to learn about him and increase his exposure. The importance of media doesn't need to be emphasized. As long as Meat Bun has a keen market sense, the program content for a long time to come will definitely be Han Xiao leading a group of top players on interstellar adventures. This way, even if they leave Planet Aquamarine, they can still deepen players' impression of him.
Driven by curiosity about StarCraft and admiration for professional players, more viewers will watch the "Adventure Log" series, further enhancing Meat Bun's program's influence and subtly reinforcing Han Daji's presence in the minds of players. He places great importance on this aspect of the show.
After all, nostalgia is a very marketable thing.
"Why do you want to go to interstellar space?" Maple Moon asked curiously. She was a player who enjoyed getting to the bottom of things and loved story-driven gameplay.
Han Xiao's eyes flashed as he glanced at Meat Bun, deliberately using vague language, and said, "This planet is about to face a catastrophe, and only the infinite possibilities of the starry sky can offer a solution to this disaster."
Catastrophe?!
The four of them were taken aback.
Meat Bun had turned on the recording while Maple Moon was questioning him, and suddenly had a feeling that Han Xiao's words might be a trap...
A few days later.
Rumble--
Amidst the flames and explosions, the last test subject, Tai Erzi, struggled to hold on.
"13, 14..."
The onlookers counted with great interest.
"Keep it up, Guapi! You absolutely have to join the Thirty-Second Club!"
Sun Eggplant gloated. Standing next to him was a small group of people who had passed the test. Han Xiao had secretly let them pass, and he had basically selected all the players he wanted, including professional pros and players who had achieved good results in the regional league.
The onlookers could only watch with envy, consoling themselves that the selection process was too difficult and only the best could pass. This group of players was jokingly referred to as the Thirty-Second Club."
"I feel sorry for the pro player for a second."
"I was strong, and I ejaculated early."
During the testing period, Han Xiao did not change his combat mode. He stood still and used Sonic Attack Sphere and a large number of turrets to suppress the enemy. This gave the participants confidence. They felt that this was like playing a dungeon. They looked for patterns in other people's failures and gradually figured out the attack patterns of Han Xiao's combat system. The further they progressed, the greater the advantage became.
However, brute force can overcome any skill. Even if players gain experience and their combat power is absolutely suppressed, their endurance time only increases from a few seconds to a dozen seconds.
"Tai Erzi... he's alright." Han Xiao subtly slowed down his attack pace.
"There's an opening!" Tai Erzi's eyes flashed, and on a whim, he rolled eighteen times on the spot, tumbling out of the attack range. A hail of bullets followed him relentlessly. He didn't have time to get up. He steeled his resolve and rolled around the field like a ball, unable to stop.
"29, 30!"
"Hold on!"
"He actually used a divine skill—repeatedly rolling around like a lazy donkey!"
The onlookers burst into laughter.
Tai Erzi, covered in dust, got up. Sun Eggplant gave him a thumbs up and exclaimed in amazement, "I've really seen something new! You've created a new fighting style! You truly deserve the title of the originator of the 'Rolling Ground' style!"
The Kings and Generals be deep in thought. "It seems quite practical. Li Ge, why don't you learn it too?"
Li Ge said expressionlessly, "Disgraceful."
"Get out of here, all of you!" Tai Erzi roared.
These experts are rivals, but also old acquaintances, and they huddle together, chattering and joking.
Han Xiao has basically got all the players he wanted. The four top teams and the top eight teams have all been brought in, and the top eight individual players have also been basically included. After eliminating some mediocre players, he calculated that there are more than fifty spots available. He can just pay for the extra seats later.
Thanks to the league, Han Xiao was able to choose his targets and take all the top-ranked players from the Planet Aquamarine region with him.
For him, players are not just cannon fodder, but also intermediaries in the flow of resources. There are countless storylines and missions in the interstellar space. Players earn rewards by completing missions, and Han Xiao then uses methods such as selling items and teaching skills to encourage players to spend money here. In this way, a portion of the rewards earned by the players flows into his pocket, which is equivalent to employing a group of cheap employees to help him expand his profits, like a swarm of hardworking little bees "collecting" resources from other NPCs and bringing them to him.
This is the right way to leverage a player's strengths.
However, interstellar travel is like a dazzling world. To keep players from getting lost and to keep them united, a few tricks are needed. Master Han has organized so many activities that he has already instilled the potential impression that "Han Xiao is one of us" in the minds of players on Planet Aquamarine. In addition, the attraction of players sticking together will prevent any problems in the short term. They will not choose to leave him because they find seemingly better opportunities.
But Han Xiao was used to planning ahead. He not only thought deeply about this problem, but also came up with a solution. However, it could only be implemented when he officially entered interstellar space and encountered the right opportunity. This idea was not a sudden inspiration, but a key part of the overall plan, and the operating principle was a bit dirty...
"They're all top-tier players, the lineup is amazing."
"It seems like some people are missing..."
Attentive fans suddenly noticed that Hao Tian and Frenzied Saber did not participate in the test.
"All the players are here, how could they let this opportunity slip by, especially since the Long Sky Team is also participating."
The professional players also noticed this. Li Ge frowned, "Where did those two go? Where's Hao Tian?"
Long Sky helplessly, "I've already asked, and Lao Hao and Frenzied Saber were qualified to follow."
Everyone was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized what was happening.
Right, weren't Hao Tian and Frenzied Saber the ones who triggered the hidden storyline of Black Phantom? They get this kind of benefit too?!
These expert players immediately felt resentful. Oh, they were getting humiliated here, while these two got special treatment and were sitting back, watching them struggle and suffer.
That's so unfair, you bastard!
These experts were both furious and incredibly envious... They really wanted that kind of treatment too.
The test was over, and there was no more excitement to watch. The onlookers were reluctant to leave and were about to disperse when Han Xiao quietly released a task he had written.
[[The Last Stand]]
[Task Type: Challenge-type Prize Pool Task]
The players immediately stopped and looked at each other in bewilderment.
"What a sudden prize pool event, where did it come from?"
"Black Phantom didn't say anything. Did he issue this mission?"
"Challenge-type prize pool... what does that mean?"
"Accepting the quest requires an investment of 1000 experience points. Give it a try."
Many people, piqued by curiosity, immediately accepted the task, only to be astonished to find that the task's name was grayed out.
[Mission Introduction: One day in the future, catastrophe will sweep across Planet Aquamarine. The Third Sanctuary will be the last safe haven. Only by protecting this faint light in the darkness can we hope to survive the crisis.]
[Requirement: Protect the Third Sanctuary; the destruction and damage rate must not exceed 50%]
[Current status of the task: Frozen]
[Opening Time: Unknown]
The grayed-out names indicate that the quest has not been started. This is the first time the player has encountered a frozen quest, and they are quite surprised. The news spreads from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred, and more and more people come to investigate.