Although the art style was far from what he had imagined, Han Xiao gleaned a lot of information from it.
The Subterranean Mutants possess a certain level of logical ability and intelligence, but their cognitive abilities are still in an undeveloped stage.
After trying for a while, Han Xiao found that the mental link Fording had established allowed him to communicate normally with the Subterranean Mutants, and then severed the mental connection.
"Communicating via the Whispering Stone is feasible; if we use the ore vein, we should be able to communicate with one nest at a time," Fording said.
"Then let's try finding a nest."
Han Xiao nodded, a flash of inspiration striking him, and he had a goal.
The Underground World, Nest #2.
The stench of blood was strong and lingering, and blood plasma covered everything in sight, a scene straight out of a massacre.
Many players turned pale; the scene was too impactful. Even after completing many small objectives such as "Eliminate the Subterranean Mutants," no one could feel happy and they couldn't help but turn on the green eye-protection mode.
Only the Sunil soldiers remained indifferent. They were used to hellish Calamity and were unmoved. They had also suffered casualties in the battle, and most of their armor was covered in scratches.
Melos led his troops step by step, directly destroying Nest No. 2, killing millions of aliens. The remaining aliens fled in fear, taking with them a portion of the Whispering Stone mine.
The logistics and mining troops were mining the Whispering Stone in the center of the lair. The troops stayed here to guard and rest, to prevent the escaped aliens from returning, and to use flamethrowers to spew out raging flames and burn the Subterranean Mutants.
Melos rested to the side, holding his ship-slaying sword. He had been leading the charge, like a moving meat grinder, cutting down tens of thousands of Subterranean Mutants. His strength was far inferior to Han Xiao's, and he had expended a lot of energy, his face showing signs of fatigue.
After a while, a sergeant ran over and saluted.
"The ore vein has been excavated. Commander, please provide instructions for the next step."
"Return to the temporary camp and replenish ammunition."
Although the Subterranean Mutants are not strong, their sheer numbers are overwhelming. Clearing out a single nest consumes 60-70% of ammunition, and almost every player is injured.
If they continued to attack the next nest, casualties could rise significantly, so Melos decided to return to camp and rest for a few hours.
The troops set off and returned to the temporary camp next to the cave. Melos suddenly saw two figures appear beside the camp; they were Han Xiao and Fording.
What brings you here?
Melos came forward, looking surprised.
Han Xiao didn't answer the question, but instead turned his gaze to the troops and asked, "What are the casualties like?"
"Casualties are low, but..." Melos's expression was troubled, "This is only the first campaign. There are still many Subterranean Mutants nests around the world. This casualty rate is not optimistic. Sunil's casualties will be very heavy. We can only rely on our mercenaries to fight."
The mineral vein detectors manufactured by Reynold have been put into use. Han Xiao has dispatched dozens of ships from the legion to explore the globe. The efficiency is very high. In just a few days, dozens of underground mineral veins have been discovered in different locations on Planet Sunil. They are all nests.
The nests vary in size, with the largest housing tens of millions of people and the smallest housing millions. The total number of Subterranean Mutants has reached billions.
The thought of the enemy's overwhelming numbers weighed heavily on Melos's mind.
Moreover, the other nests are in different locations, and many places require digging new tunnels. Without the immortal Black Star mercenaries, it would be a pipe dream for Sunil to exterminate the Subterranean Mutants. Only the Black Star Army can do it.
Han Xiao knew Melos's thoughts and briefly explained the migration plan, saying, "I came here this time to try to communicate with the Subterranean Mutants. If we can persuade some of them to convince each other, we can convert many enemies."
Melos's eyes lit up. If he could reduce casualties while driving out the Subterranean Mutants, he would be very willing to do so. He couldn't help but ask, "Then do I need to change my strategy?"
"No need. Continue attacking the alien nests, but don't chase after those that escape. Plant the seeds of fear in their hearts so that they can be persuaded," Han Xiao said slowly.
Compared to simple killing, taking down one group at a time is naturally more efficient.
After leaving the camp, Han Xiao and his companion arrived at the destroyed No. 2 nest and, following the escape route, caught up with the remaining alien species that were fleeing in panic.
The tribe suffered heavy casualties, and a battle was inevitable once Han Xiao and his companion were discovered, but it posed no threat to Han Xiao.
Unleashing their giant mechanical hands, Han Xiao and Fording fought their way through the carnage, approaching the Whispering Stone being transported by the alien species and infiltrating their Psychic Network.
The next moment, all the attacking alien species stopped at the same time; if they could make expressions, they would definitely look completely bewildered.
In their understanding, only members of their own kind possessed the ability to establish a mental connection. However, Han Xiao had just slaughtered many of their own kind, leaving this uncivilized Subterranean Mutants completely bewildered.
"Who are you?"
Within the Psychic Network, countless alien species experienced shocking emotional fluctuations.
"I am Black Star, an emissary from among the Stars..." Han Xiao's eyes flashed as he quickly explained the situation, though with "appropriate" modifications.
He shifted all the blame for the massacre of the Subterranean Mutants onto the Sunil people. Han Xiao portrayed Sunil as a great demon, while he himself was depicted as a friendly envoy willing to help the Subterranean Mutants and persuade the Sunil people to abandon the massacre. He claimed that he could protect them from being slaughtered, on the condition that they surrender and move off the planet with the Whispering Stone.
To make the Subterranean Mutants understand the situation, Han Xiao also explained the basics of the universe and starry sky, while also using a combination of coercion and enticement.
The communication efficiency of the Psychic Network was extremely high, leaving the entire tribe completely bewildered, as if they were listening to gibberish.
What Han Xiao said was the most basic knowledge for interstellar citizens, yet it overturned the worldview of the Subterranean Mutants. It was like a myth; in their eyes, the subterranean world was the whole world, and the universe and planets were completely beyond their comprehension.
The Subterranean Mutants viewed enemies from the surface in the same way Sunil viewed them, both perceiving the other as a dangerous entity.
A Subterranean Mutants, seemingly the leader of a tribe, initiated communication.
"We are willing to surrender, please stop hurting us."
Almost all the alien species prostrated themselves on the ground, appearing to submit, creating a spectacular scene.
The tribal chief was extremely respectful and humble. The knowledge Han Xiao shared was too shocking to them. Due to their uncivilized nature, they regarded Han Xiao as a god-like figure and began to worship him as a primitive totem.
Han Xiao raised an eyebrow; persuading him was much easier than he had imagined.
Upon further reflection, he suddenly realized that the intelligence level of the Subterranean Mutants was comparable to that of children. Their civilization was still undeveloped, and they had not developed advanced emotions such as a sense of honor or shame. Their concept of hatred was also very weak.
The Subterranean Mutants haven't yet shed their wild animal habits and bookish nature. When wild animals are terrified, they'll expose their vitals to show submission and surrender. This tribe, having had many of their kind slaughtered by Melos, was already terrified.
Because the Subterranean Mutants has almost no natural enemies, their food is rocks, and they have no survival conflicts. They have reproduced and thrived for many years with very little fighting. At most, they may have some friction with other nests. If you had to describe it, this species is actually very simple and honest.
Uh... they're just too ugly. I guess it's because it's too dark underground and nobody can see them, so they just grow randomly.
With communication established, it became possible to gain a deeper understanding of the Subterranean Mutants civilization's structure. Han Xiao asked a series of questions and, through their answers, gained a comprehensive understanding of the Subterranean Mutants race.
The Subterranean Mutants know that there are other nests of their kind nearby, and they occasionally fight each other for the Whispering Stone. In terms of their social structure, the Subterranean Mutants are currently in the tribal culture stage of the savage period. Each tribe has grown independently, and the different tribes have different levels of evolution. Some are more intelligent, and some are more savage. Culture is Germinal and flourishing.
If things had followed their original trajectory, it might have taken the Subterranean Mutants many years to complete the tribal merger, gradually become an intelligent civilization, and establish city-states or kingdoms. But now, with the intervention of this external force, the development process may be shortened by tens of thousands of years, and they will no longer be able to grow wildly.
"What do we need to do?" the tribal chief asked obediently.
Han Xiao thought for a moment and said, "You must persuade all the tribes in this area to convey my message. From now on, you are my envoy. If you complete the task I assign you, go to the vicinity of the cave and find those surface visitors. They will not harm you."
"Wow, that's amazing!"
"They won't attack us anymore."
The entire tribe cheered, chattering and exclaiming incessantly, displaying a distinctly optimistic attitude.
After giving the instructions and making sure the tribe understood their mission, Han Xiao was about to leave when he suddenly realized something and asked the tribal chief, "By the way, what's your name?"
"What is your name?" the tribal chief asked, puzzled.
Helpless, Han Xiao had no choice but to explain again, "It's a title, to let others know that this title represents you. For example, I'm Black Star, Black Star is me..."
The tribal chief seemed to understand, but not quite.
"Sigh, alright, I'll name you then..." Han Xiao glanced at Fording beside him and suddenly had an idea, "You're so good-looking, let's call you ' Morning Star '."
Fording was immediately gripped by a violent mental fluctuation, and the Morning Star within him emitted a deafening roar.
"I will definitely kill you! Do you hear me?! I will definitely kill you!!"
The Subterranean Mutants creature, with its hideous appearance, shared the same name as her was incredibly ambiguous to Morning Star, and something she simply couldn't tolerate.
Fording looked exasperated. "Black Star, stop playing games with her."
"Tsk tsk, no wonder they're one entity, they're already protecting each other."
Han Xiao curled his lip and said to the tribal chief, "That one is scrapped. You can call yourself Germinal."
Ha, it's impossible for anyone to jump out of their coffin and oppose him.
"Germinal..." the tribal chief murmured, then suddenly exclaimed with joy, "I have a name!"
"As for your tribe..." Han Xiao stroked his chin, a hint of nostalgia flashing in his eyes, "Let's just call it the Germinal Tribe."
Wait a minute, isn't this guy the "Germinal Leader"...?
Seeing the delighted alien leader, Han Xiao smiled with a wicked grin.