"So that's how it is..." Nagokin mused.
The Goddora Rescue Team had just arrived and needed intelligence, so everyone gathered in the conference room. In just over ten minutes, Han Xiao introduced the events of the past month since the outbreak of the Mutation Disaster, as well as the current situation on Planet Aquamarine, so that Nagokin could understand Planet Aquamarine's predicament.
"Black Star, you must have seen the regional news. This disaster isn't just happening on this planet. The War Bureau and the Investigation Bureau have dispatched many troops for disaster relief. The fact that so many planets are experiencing disasters one after another makes us feel that this is very strange, which is why someone of my rank is leading the team." Nagokin asked in a deep voice, "You just told me about the principles of the Mutation Source. These kinds of biological weapons are not common. Although I don't know where your information came from, you must know the behind-the-scenes information about this matter."
Han Xiao's eyes flashed. In the previous life's storyline, Goddora didn't understand the role of the Mutation Source, so her efficiency was very low in the early stages of disaster relief, giving the Mutation Source time to grow. His information, on the other hand, helped Goddora point out the right path, and the subsequent effect would inevitably be to quickly improve the overall progress of the Mutation Disaster] mission and reduce the harm of this disaster—at least much better than in the previous life.
However, revealing this information has both advantages and disadvantages. Now is not the best time to expose everything, but it is necessary for Goddora to know some information in order to carry out the work. Therefore, it is natural for Nagokin to suspect that Han Xiao knows more about the truth.
Han Xiao did not intend to tell Goddora the whole truth about the "Mutation Disaster being a conspiracy by DarkStar."
There are many reasons, but the most crucial one is that revealing it now won't bring much benefit. Moreover, DarkStar's plan is interconnected, and this is just the beginning. Based on DarkStar's past actions, even if they told Goddora that the Mutation Source were released by DarkStar, they would still fall for it. This is because once DarkStar's plan unfolds, Goddora will realize that it's an open conspiracy, and there's no point in trying to prevent it.
Although Han Xiao understood DarkStar's intentions, he knew that revealing everything at once would be beyond reasonable bounds. Even a precognitive being couldn't possess such detailed information, and it would raise suspicions of having a special intelligence channel, ultimately leading to his own downfall—the risks outweighing the rewards. Therefore, he didn't intend to help Goddora uncover DarkStar's scheme; instead, he wanted them to fall into the trap, which was in his best interest.
The DarkStar purchased the Mutation Source as a tool to cause the disaster precisely because it was deemed impossible to resolve in the short term. The only solution was to hand over the Mutation Source to Goddora so that they could develop a widespread antidote sooner.
To maximize profits, it's impossible to hand over the mutated entity before the crisis occurs. Only when Goddora falls into the trap and realizes the urgency of time will hand over the Mutation Source, allowing for greater gains.
As for the suspicions that handing over the original body would arouse, Han Xiao had already made preparations for this. Back then, during the Whispering Bead incident, he dragged Dragon Calm into the mess, and since he had the original body, he could explain it as Dragon Calm secretly opening the Whispering Bead and keeping its contents safe, which allowed him to obtain it and shift all the blame onto Dragon Calm.
Given Ames's status, DarkStar wouldn't dare to provoke her, and Goddora wouldn't meddle, thus reducing his own risk—and perhaps even helping Dragon Calm gain Goddora's favor. Han Xiao was almost moved by his own actions.
These thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant. Han Xiao didn't let anyone notice anything amiss, maintaining a natural expression as he answered Nagokin in fluent, rapid speech:
"You misunderstand. I witnessed the power of large-scale biological weapons during a previous job, so I asked an intelligence organization to gather some information. I'm also a member scholar of the [Space-Time Research Society], and I've read about similar cases in their database, but I don't know who deployed this biological weapon..."
After a pause, Han Xiao shook his head and said, "But this matter is indeed strange. If I had to guess, it seems that only your nemesis, DarkStar, would do such a thing."
Nagokin nodded emphatically. "That's what I think too! DarkStar has always been against us, but they've kept a low profile these past two years. They must have a bigger scheme... It's a pity we don't have any evidence to accuse them."
Han Xiao chuckled, "Known their nature, they'd probably be eager to jump out and admit that this was their doing."
Nagokin looked somewhat annoyed upon hearing this. Indeed, DarkStar didn't care about that at all.
"In short, disaster relief is a must." Han Xiao deftly changed the subject, leaving Nagokin with doubts about DarkStar but not certainty, which was enough. He continued, "We can cooperate. I arrived a few days earlier than you, and in my opinion, the problems we face can be summarized into two tasks..."
Nagokin composed himself and listened attentively—if it were the Six Nations offering suggestions, he would generally not adopt them, but instead proceed with his own disaster relief plan. But Black Star was different; this guy had the right to engage in equal dialogue, and Nagokin was willing to listen to Han Xiao's opinions.
"First, we need to treat the refugees. I've already started working on this and it's showing initial results. However, there are still over a billion people in danger all over the planet. In places we can't see, millions of people are dying every day. If we don't stop it in time, the consequences will be unimaginable."
Nagokin nodded. This was indeed the most urgent matter. If everyone was dead, there would be no point in saving anyone else.
"The second thing is to find the root cause of the disaster and eliminate it once and for all. This requires Goddora's help. With the technology of Planet Aquamarine, we cannot handle this matter. To crack this biological weapon, we must create a corresponding antidote."
Rescue teams naturally don't stay on other planets for extended periods to provide disaster relief; their primary mission is actually to study the disaster and find solutions.
The two suggestions were also part of Nagokin's plan. He acted swiftly and decisively. After the meeting, he immediately led the rescue team into action, leaving some researchers in the Sanctuary to study the infected and calculate various parameters when the virus flared up. The others went to meet with the Six Nations without stopping, thus establishing contact with the regime of Planet Aquamarine.
The rescue team began its work, while simultaneously collaborating with the Six Nations to help them increase inhibitor production. This was the foundation laid by Han Xiao; if Han Xiao hadn't shared the inhibitor formula with the Six Nations, the situation would be entirely different. Of course, the specific actions to aid the disaster victims were the responsibility of the Six Nations themselves; the Goddora Rescue Team didn't have enough manpower and wouldn't waste its energy on trivial matters.
The Six Nations also timely launched a campaign to support Goddora, restoring the people's confidence. This move was indeed very effective. Many refugees in the wilderness learned that the Six Nations were also safe places and came to them, relieving the pressure on the Sanctuary.
Across the vast land, hordes of ragged refugees, like ants, moved toward these places.
In the early stages of the Mutation Disaster, large numbers of urban residents fled, afraid to live in groups. At this time, refugees in the wild accounted for more than half of the global population. The wilderness was extremely dangerous, and if the refugees were left to fend for themselves, seven or eight out of ten would die on the way. However, the Six Nations were busy stabilizing their domestic order and could not spare any resources. The global production of inhibitors was far from sufficient to meet the needs of so many refugees, but they could not be abandoned. It was necessary to send people to search for and guide these people.
The players thus came into the rescue team's sights.
Han Xiao's mercenary group already had some undead, including Frenzied Saber and others. It would be impossible for Nagokin not to be surprised to see so many "undead" now. However, since this situation had continued on Planet Aquamarine for several years, although Nagokin found it strange, he only regarded it as a unique phenomenon of Planet Aquamarine and believed that these Inhuman were a special species born on Planet Aquamarine.
Several years ago, a Goddora investigator came to Planet Aquamarine and recorded this situation, but the investigation conclusion was rather ambiguous and was not taken seriously. At this time, Nagokin felt that this group of "Inhuman" was quite peculiar. While doing disaster relief, he also observed them and found that the players were very useful labor, so he tried to make contact with them.
In its previous life, Nagokin's Goddora faction attracted countless players, leading them to interstellar travels. However, with Han Xiao's masterpiece preceding it, Nagokin's appeal to players is now quite limited.
While most players were curious about the Goddora faction, they preferred Han Xiao... no, not just preferred, they liked him to the point of liking him.
Of course, Nagokin was unaware that Black Star was a hidden "competitor," and he was also unaware of how valuable things Han Xiao had stolen.
Upon learning that Black Star had recruited many Inhuman, Nagokin didn't think much of it. Han Xiao was from this planet, and these Inhuman were all his fellow countrymen; it was perfectly normal for them to be willing to follow Black Star. This didn't stop Nagokin from issuing missions to the players. What he didn't expect was that the players were actually very willing to help them.
Just as Han Xiao had predicted, the Goddora Rescue Team brought about a change in the currency system. The original Planet Aquamarine currency almost collapsed, and the universally accepted Enas began to become widely known. There were also missions available in the Sanctuary, but they were not competitive at all compared to the missions that rewarded Enas with the Goddora Rescue Team.
Players all know that Enas is the future universal currency, so choosing which side to join is obvious. The rescue team gives a limited number of missions each day, leading to fierce competition among countless players. Moreover, with Han Xiao's shop keeping players eager to earn money and buy equipment, players can't wait to do so.
Han Xiao didn't issue any missions rewarding Enas to players—he couldn't possibly pay for them out of his own pocket—but leveraging his relationship with Nagokin, he had the other issue more rewarding missions under the guise of hiring them. Players who joined the mercenary group could then take on these jobs. Essentially, joining Black Star guaranteed access to better missions for the Goddora Rescue Team; this was Han Xiao's strategy for monetizing the mercenary group.
--We are not the producers of tasks, we are the carriers of tasks.
By leveraging the mercenary group's connections and reputation to obtain mercenary missions, and then offering these to players as a bonus, Han Xiao doesn't need to worry about anything; he just needs to harvest.
Players have experienced the benefits of joining mercenary groups, making those who haven't joined yet even more eager. Forums are buzzing with discussions about whether to join Black Star or Goddora, with the conclusion that Black Star Mercenary Group completely outclasses Goddora!
Joining Goddora restricts you to accepting quests from that faction. However, if you join Black Star, based on the video by Meat Bun, you can accept a wide variety of quests, countless in number.
Although players haven't fully grasped this yet, it's only a matter of time once they enter the interstellar world. Even just the speculation on the forums has already made players realize how powerful the Black Star faction is— the Black Star network is no joke!
The strategic planning that Han Xiao began with from version 1.0 is slowly showing its ripple effects.
News reports in the Garton Star System region continue to cover the disaster. Public opinion polls show that almost all Goddora people support the rescue team's actions, and various prayer activities are being held by the public, expressing deep sympathy for the plight of these allied civilizations.
The rescue team's intervention greatly improved the situation on Planet Aquamarine. After several days, the number of refugees treated reached a new high. Unfortunately, the research by Goddora's scientists made little progress.
The only way to address this is by focusing on infected individuals, but it's unlikely to yield results in the short term.
Han Xiao was certain that DarkStar was paying attention to the disaster relief situation, but things had been calm for the past few days, and DarkStar had not taken any action. Everyone, including Nagokin, was kept in the dark, but Han Xiao had a strong sense of impending crisis.
The situation on Planet Aquamarine seems to be improving now, and it appears that the situation will soon be stabilized. However, Han Xiao knows that the Mutation Disaster is far from simple.
Once the Mutation Source reaches the next stage and its effects intensify, those who have been injected with inhibitors will be infected again, requiring a three-fold increase in dosage to maintain immunity. Production is the biggest limitation. The more people we save now, the more likely we will have to Choice to sacrifice some, leading to a thorny dilemma.
Moreover, the higher the growth stage of the Mutation Source, the more its intelligence will gradually increase, and the onset of the disease will no longer be random. It will begin to show purpose, and it will no longer only affect ordinary people. Some weaker superhumans will also be controlled by it. As the virus grows, it can gradually affect increasingly stronger people.
The most terrifying aspect is that as the Mutation Source grows to a certain stage, each outbreak will cause some damage to the infected person's brain. Over time, the ability to think will gradually deteriorate, and the infected person will feel unprecedented stimulation during an outbreak. The pleasure is many times stronger than that of mating, which is addictive. It can even make people unwilling to inject inhibitors and actively seek out outbreaks, destroying the infected person's last shred of rationality... This is the worst-case scenario.
The fact that Han Xiao knew all this meant that the plot of his previous life had already progressed to this point.
If the Mutation Disaster remains unresolved, there is only one last option left: abandon the planet and relocate the survivors.
This is the worst possible outcome. Sunil is a case in point, and the refugees on the planet of Mutation Disaster may not even be treated better than Sunil. In the end, there is a high probability that "civilization" will perish.
The situation is far from that point, but Han Xiao is not as optimistic as the others. Although DarkStar has suffered a few setbacks at his hands, it is still extremely fierce.
Besides disaster relief, Han Xiao also remembered Hannes's request these past few days, asking Nagokin to look for clues about the portrait of the Goddora people, to which Nagokin readily agreed.
To his surprise, Nagokin's investigation quickly yielded results, confirming the identity of the Goddora people Hannes encountered.
The truth behind it all was far beyond his expectations.