The first phase of the Mutation Disaster was the unpredictable global riots, symbolizing the Mutation Source's initial control over its abilities. The first manifestation of the second phase was the simultaneous onset of symptoms in all infected individuals. Compared to the first phase, the individuals affected by the Mutation Source were no longer limited to ordinary people; some elite warriors or slightly weaker superhumans became its targets. The most obvious characteristic was that the groups affected were no longer random, but rather showed a purpose.
The purposefulness of the infected group is a manifestation of the Mutation Source's consciousness. Compared to the chaos of the first phase, the massive exodus of refugees at this time, with its astonishingly unified actions, is precisely being manipulated by the Mutation Source.
"The target of the Mutation Source is traceable. It is directing these refugees to escape because it doesn't want the infected to be gathered together, and it realizes that someone is helping the infected escape its control. Therefore, it wants the infected to be as far away from the gathering place as possible. To it, each infected is a 'sensory entity'." Han Xiao frowned slightly. A similar thing happened in his previous life. Although there was no official explanation, players had various discussions and speculations. He could now roughly guess the Mutation Source's thoughts.
The only problem is that the second phase broke out much earlier than in the previous life's storyline.
"There might be an element of randomness, but it could also be the butterfly effect." Han Xiao pondered to himself. Because of his own actions, many events had developed in ways quite different from the plot of his previous life. This wasn't the first time he had encountered such a situation. After a slight surprise, he quickly regained his composure—he was not going to panic; he remained remarkably calm.
Although it was unexpected, it didn't throw him into a panic.
Han Xiao strode out of the conference room. The commotion outside was growing louder. He immediately mobilized all the mercenaries, including the players. The most urgent task was to control all the infected. The Mutation Disaster had entered its second stage, and the power of the ability had increased. What used to be an inhibitor would now require at least three doses. The medicine was obviously not enough. At present, the only option was to forcibly subdue these tens of millions of refugees.
The Sanctuary and Goddora also sprang into action. Players triggered multiple quests in a short time and rushed to get moving. Everyone's main quest progress was plummeting, and they dared not delay.
With tens of millions of refugees, the number of people available in the Sanctuary is enormous. In comparison, the number of people available at this time is not large, and even including the players, there are only about a million. However, most of them are superhumans. Subduing dozens of times more ordinary people is troublesome, but not difficult.
The outermost refugees fled in all directions, like an ever-expanding circle. The standby spaceships quickly started up, circling from the inside out, shooting out rings of white shockwaves at the crowd below.
Buzzing--
A circular wave swept across the crowd, and refugees fell like wheat being harvested, all stunned.
Knowing that the Mutation Disaster would have a large-scale outbreak phase, Han Xiao had prepared countermeasures early on. He equipped all the spaceships with wide-range shock cannons, which were very weak. They might not even be able to stun a Grade C superhuman for half a second, and could only be used to make people look cute in battle. However, they were just right for dealing with ordinary people, stunning them without harming their lives.
Because he had already prepared a plan, Han Xiao didn't care how many refugees the Sanctuary took in. Even if they all fell ill at the same time, he could greatly reduce his losses, and it would be more convenient to gather them together.
Several spaceships continuously stunned the refugees from the inside out, allowing the players to quickly clear the interior of the Sanctuary. They then dealt with the refugees outside. The refugees on the outermost perimeter had run the furthest, but it was impossible to stun them from the outside, as those who were stunned would be trampled to death by the crowd behind them.
Click--
A large mechanical hand unfolded, supporting Han Xiao on the city wall, overlooking the commotion outside. Looking out, the dark sea of people surged like waves, rising into the distance and kicking up dust that filled the sky, a truly magnificent sight.
He took out a communicator and connected to other spaceships in the Six Nations. The scenes on the screen were almost identical. As expected, not only the Sanctuary, but all Six Nations were experiencing the same situation.
"The Mutation Disaster is progressing faster, which means greater pressure on disaster relief. Hmm, even if DarkStar doesn't attack, the situation on Planet Aquamarine isn't optimistic. It's estimated to be the first Mutation Source to reach the second stage among all the disaster planets... However, with my help, the Sanctuary Planet Aquamarine and the Six Nations have countermeasures in place, so it's much better than the previous storyline."
Han Xiao pondered in his mind that if the Mutation Source did not have a clear consciousness before and was mainly in a state of chaos, starting from the second stage, he would be facing an opponent with a clear objective, making it much more difficult to deal with. Moreover, once it entered the second stage, the Mutation Source would grow rapidly thereafter.
"Fortunately, it won't take too long. Around this time, I can hand over the Primarch in my hands. As long as Goddora can quickly develop an antidote and weapons against the Primarch, the Mutation Disaster will be resolved." Han Xiao's eyes flashed.
The sun dipped below the horizon, and the evening glow painted the sky red.
The commotion at the Sanctuary gradually subsided. After several hours, the majority of the refugees were finally subdued. Those who had fled the farthest had run tirelessly for dozens of kilometers. Fortunately, the Sanctuary was located in the Ghost Wasteland, a flat expanse with no cover, so they could not escape the spaceship's search.
Within a radius of dozens of miles, scattered groups of refugees lay, a truly magnificent sight. Some players were following the Sanctuary mission instructions, finding some Sanctuary guards, injecting them with triple suppressors to increase their manpower, while others were cleaning up the mess, tying up the refugees scattered across the wilderness and carrying them back.
"What were the losses?"
On the city wall, Bennett, looking grave, asked his deputy, who shook his head, indicating that the statistics had not yet been compiled.
"The losses at the Sanctuary are minimal. The situation on the Six Nations is still being worked on to quell the unrest, but it's almost resolved," Han Xiao casually interjected.
"At least it's not the worst-case scenario," Bennett sighed.
Han Xiao shook his head. "The Mutation Disaster has grown stronger, and we will face an even more tense situation. Putting aside the increasingly tight supply of inhibitors, the fact that the Mutation Source is consciously controlling the Infected is the greatest danger. We have forcibly detained so many of its 'sensory organs' here. It may very well control the beast hordes to attack the Sanctuary or the Six Nations, or incite the Infected to develop a destructive urge to attack our facilities from within."
Upon hearing this, Bennett's expression grew even more somber, a sense of lingering fear creeping over him. He was not one to underestimate himself, but he knew all too well that without Han Xiao, the civilization of Planet Aquamarine alone could not possibly contain such a catastrophic situation.
What are you going to do?
"Nothing much." Han Xiao raised an eyebrow. "My mercenaries are bored out of their minds. The beast tide isn't a problem. We'll wait and see about the other issues. As for you, you need to adapt to the new situation as soon as possible."
"I understand." Bennett nodded.
The Mutation Source may be hidden underground or in the ocean, and its wavelengths are not recorded in radar databases, making it extremely difficult to locate—akin to searching for a needle in a haystack. Furthermore, due to its Mutation Source is very difficult to deal with without a targeted antidote. It absorbs energy, turning most attacks into growth fuel, rendering it impervious to ordinary attacks. It can also rapidly multiply, making it difficult to capture.
Currently, Han Xiao doesn't want to deal with the Mutation Source personally. They're too disgusting and not in his best interest. Besides causing Goddora a headache and making it easier for him to benefit, there's another factor— the Mutation Disaster is a temporary shield. If he resolves the Mutation Disaster on Planet Aquamarine, he's unsure of DarkStar's actions. Perhaps he won't need to hold back on non-disaster planets anymore, and the enemy will directly destroy Planet Aquamarine.
I'm not afraid of myself; I can leave at any time. But I can't just put the sea and the Blue Star in my pocket and take them with me. Only the three major cosmic civilizations or Beyond Grade A powerhouses with special abilities have that kind of ability.
Pulling himself back to reality, Han Xiao gathered the mercenary group leaders, his gaze sweeping over each of them, and said in a deep voice, "Based on my predictions, there's a high probability of a large-scale beast attack in the next few days. You will lead your men to patrol the area. If you discover any groups of wild animals gathering, eliminate them in advance and prevent the beast tide from approaching the Sanctuary."
Everyone had different expressions; after so many idle days, they finally had something to do.
The happiest of all was Harmon, who, carrying his giant axe, grumbled, "Harmon loves hunting."
Han Xiao thought for a moment, "Oh, right, while you're at it, take the newly joined Inhuman out for some training too, don't let them get bored in the Sanctuary."
Most players stay in the Sanctuary. Although it's not mandatory, the daily disaster relief missions can get a bit monotonous. Apart from the daily selections, which have become events, there aren't many opportunities to fight. Players who have joined the Black Star Mercenary Group naturally can't participate in the selections, let alone have a chance to fight, which must be quite frustrating, resulting in a terrible gaming experience.
In the second phase of the Mutation Disaster, the beast tide attacks will become more frequent, which is a good opportunity for mercenary players to go out and fight monsters and level up, let them have some fun, and take the opportunity to work together to expand their mercenary force by hundreds of times.
Besides... if you're not fighting monsters, players won't have an urgent need for equipment.
Somewhere on Planet Aquamarine.
A dark figure sat cross-legged in the cave, motionless like a sculpture. After a long while, its pure white eyes moved slightly.
"Imprisonment... my... senses, how disgusting..."
The simulator was talking to itself, its voice broken and intermittent. It had only been in its current body for a few days and was not yet used to speaking.
Having acquired their own bodies, the Mutation Source felt free. Although it could share the infected's senses and even control their actions to some extent, only the simulated body could be absolutely manipulated by it.
Just now, the Mutation Source completed its evolution—though it wasn't aware of it, it vaguely felt that its senses were becoming clearer.
Each infected person is a "sense" in the eyes of the Mutation Source, just like a limb in a normal person. It regards them as part of itself. When the infected person is unable to move during their infancy, it learns about the world through these "senses".
Now, it clearly sensed that many of its "senses" were confined to several locations. Just now, it had tried to command these "senses" to disperse and not gather together. However, through the infected's five senses, it saw that the refugees were being suppressed by Han Xiao and others, and thus understood the situation.
--These people are the enemy; they are hurting my senses!
In the mind of the Mutation Source, there is no right or wrong, good or evil, or moral standards, nor most common sense concepts; there is only biological instinct, which can even be described as naive.
In its view, the suppression of refugees is tantamount to an attempt to control its senses, just as if someone were holding a person's limbs tightly and making them unable to move. These "senses" are forcibly gathered together, as if to prevent it from moving or perceiving the world.
Moreover, some of the "sensory organs" were injected with a certain liquid, causing them to lose their ability to sense the infected person, which is equivalent to blinding them and deafening them.
So it was very unhappy.
Its instincts told it that if it was attacked, it had to retaliate.