"Since you Sunil consider the Subterranean Mutants a threat, then pay a price to eliminate them."
Han Xiao shook his finger. "Let me remind you, strictly speaking, those Subterranean Mutants who surrendered are now my prisoners and spoils of war. If you want me to abandon my spoils, you'll have to pay at least something of equal value."
He was certain that Sunil wouldn't ask for more money; this was a polite way of refusing.
Now that the decision to relocate has been made, it's impossible to change it to a massacre, otherwise it would be tantamount to deceiving Fording, and the pretty boy raised by Lady Luck would probably be disheartened and his favorability would plummet.
Moreover, going back on one's word is not conducive to establishing the Black Star Army's image in the players' minds.
Ochizi's face turned pale and then red. He really wanted to eradicate the Subterranean Mutants, but the thought of having to pay a high additional fee made him very reluctant.
"Our Sunil's financial situation is not good. Hiring you this time has already cost us a lot of our savings. Our people have suffered greatly and cannot afford any more risks. This is just a small favor for you..."
Ochizi was not giving up. As Sunil's right-hand man, he was essentially a buffer between the two sides. So, although he saw through Han Xiao's evasive intentions, he pretended not to understand Han Xiao's meaning and braced himself to pour out his grievances.
Hearing this, Han Xiao lost his patience. His smile faded, and he stared at Ochizi, his tone becoming more serious, "Your finances aren't looking good? Don't forget, if I hadn't given you a discount, you wouldn't be able to afford me."
Ochizi was startled.
"What does the plight of the Sunil people have to do with me? If it weren't for Melos, do you think I would care about your lives?"
Ochizi was speechless. Everything that was happening now was thanks to Melos, and he couldn't deny it.
Han Xiao's gaze was piercing, and his tone was firm, "Don't mistake my goodwill for an excuse to take advantage of me."
This already qualifies as a warning.
The atmosphere became tense.
"You... you've misunderstood..."
Ochizi hurriedly explained, looking flustered and with sweaty palms; he dared not have a conflict with Han Xiao.
"In short, I don't want to hear the suggestion of exterminating the entire clan a second time." Han Xiao waved his hand. "Sylvia, see him out."
The door opened, and Sylvia appeared expressionless.
"Plz follow me."
"Lord Black Star, you've truly misunderstood..."
Seeing Han Xiao's indifferent expression, Ochizi had no choice but to stop talking, not daring to explain further. He followed Sylvia away dejectedly, turning around at the door and forcing himself to say goodbye.
"I'm so sorry to bother you."
"Um."
Han Xiao waved his hand, watched Ochizi leave, and couldn't help but purse his lips.
"How wishful thinking! They're unwilling to pay the price, yet they expect others to be the villains. There's no such thing as a free lunch."
This was a private meeting, Han Xiao wasn't worried about affecting the relationship between the two parties. Now that Sunil needed his help, he wouldn't dare to do anything underhanded. However, he never placed any hope in any politician. As long as the other party fulfilled the terms of the deal, he didn't care what others thought of him.
Han Xiao thought for a moment, then took out his communicator and contacted the two major financial groups.
With the mission halfway complete, it's time to start preparing for the relocation. Relocating two to three billion Subterranean Mutants is a massive undertaking, requiring the deployment of a large number of spaceships. Leveraging the resources of the conglomerate will make things much easier.
The underground world, Nest No. 77.
Nest No. 77 is the largest Subterranean Mutants tribe to date. It is the only Nest No. 77 in the entire settlement area, and there are no other tribes there. This is the new target of the expeditionary force.
According to radar statistics, the population of Nest No. 77 has reached 30 to 40 million. Even Melos dared not make any rash moves and used the old method, sending the Germinal Tribe of Traitors to negotiate and try to persuade Nest No. 77.
The leader of the Germinal Tribe led some of his people to approach Nest No. 77, but found guards at the edge of the nest and stopped them.
After expressing their purpose, the Germinal Tribe connected to the Psychic Network and met the tribe's leader.
"I am Germinal, the messenger of Black Star."
"I am Sorosoro, the chief of the New Rock Tribe. It's a pleasure to communicate with you," the other party replied quickly and in a friendly manner.
Germinal perked up, "Great! You have names now!"
It persuaded so many tribes to surrender, and this was the first tribe to be given a name.
Sorosoro was also delighted, "We were right, there really are other members of our race in the world."
The Subterranean Mutants tribes are relatively independent, and the New Rock Tribe's level of evolution far surpasses that of many of its kind. However, the leader of the Germinal Tribe does not understand the meaning behind this, and the two sides begin to communicate.
Sorosoro introduced the history of the tribe to Germinal.
"Originally, there were four nests in this area. Under the leadership of my great-great ...
Sorosoro was very excited.
The leader of the Germinal Tribe listened with rapt attention. It was the first time he had ever heard such a historical story. If Han Xiao were here, he would know that the civilization of the New Rock Tribe had reached a new level. They had a concept of history, knew how to record it, and learned to pass it on. Their thinking ability and emotional expression were breaking away from their wild animalistic habits and Species Metamorphosis.
If things proceed as they should, given time, the New Rock Tribe might have the opportunity to unify the Subterranean Mutants.
When it was the leader of the Germinal Tribe's turn to speak, he didn't forget Black Star's instructions. He relayed the meaning of threatening and persuading them to surrender, and popularized the basic cosmic knowledge that Han Xiao had taught him.
However, upon hearing this, Sorosoro was not afraid; instead, he flew into a rage, declaring, "This is our home, and we will never leave!"
The information brought by the Germinal was far beyond Sorosoro's imagination. However, the New Rock Tribe had already developed a sense of homeland and chose to resist the enemies who were massacring their own kind.
Within the Psychic Network, the members of the New Rock Tribe were united in their hatred of the enemy, which startled Germinal. It didn't understand why the tribe had suddenly become so agitated, as it didn't yet grasp the concept of hatred.
"Emissary of Black Star, thank you for your kindness, but we are determined to resist to the end!" Sorosoro's attitude was resolute.
Han Xiao's self-positioning proved effective. In the alien race's mind, he was a good person who stopped the evil Sunil and saved the alien race. As Black Star's messenger, Germinal bore the mission of saving his people. Therefore, Sorosoro did not make things difficult for Germinal and sent them away from the New Rock Tribe.
Back at the temporary camp, the leader of the Germinal Tribe relayed the New Rock Tribe's intention not to surrender.
Melos had no choice but to lead his troops to attack the New Rock Tribe. The sheer number of enemy troops—30 to 40 million—weighed heavily on his mind; they were nearly a hundred times the size of the attacking force.
It was yet another campaign, one that Sunil's soldiers and players had repeated countless times and were already numb to. The difference was that the battle against the New Rock Tribe was far more brutal.
Thump thump thump--
The scorching steel barrage pierced through rows of Subterranean Mutants creatures, blooming into flowers of blood. Countless alien creatures fell on their way to the charge, but the alien creatures of the New Rock Tribe seemed endless, surging in like a tide.
A Sunil armored squad was responsible for this line of defense, their fingers pressed hard on the triggers, ignoring the overheated barrels of their large-caliber assault rifles, and emptying the ammunition boxes at their feet at an alarming rate, leaving the ground littered with spent shell casings.
Just then, a group of elites, two to three times larger than ordinary Subterranean Mutants, appeared on the defensive line this squad was responsible for. Their tentacles swayed, and a mental wave quickly traversed the distance, ignoring the armor protection, and directly pierced the brains of these armored soldiers.
"Ah--"
Several Sunil soldiers felt as if their brains were being torn apart, blood gushing from their mouths and noses, the world spinning before their eyes, and they lost control of their bodies. The defensive line's firepower immediately ceased.
The result was fatal.
The Subterranean Mutants, acting as the vanguard, suddenly charged into the defensive line, overwhelming the armored squad. Their tails and mouthparts left blinding sparks on the armor, which quickly shattered. Behind this defensive line were more Sunil soldiers.
brush--
Just then, a dazzling crescent-shaped blade of light swept across, cleaving hundreds of alien creatures in two.
Melos arrived swiftly, dragging his ten-meter-long ship-slaying sword. With sweeping, powerful strikes, he slashed and killed countless Subterranean Mutants, halting the offensive and defusing the danger to the defensive line.
The original armored squad was almost completely wiped out, and soon reserve troops stepped in to replace the original squad and hold the line.
Melos wiped the blood and sweat from his face. He had no time to rest and was about to return to his original position when he subconsciously looked at the armored squad lying on the ground as he crossed the position. The armor was riddled with holes, and the soldiers inside had been disemboweled and were unrecognizable.
After just one glance, Melos suddenly felt that one of the fallen soldiers looked familiar. He slowed his pace and took a closer look.
The soldier was covered in blood, his eyes were wide and lifeless, and he was gripping an armored dagger tightly in his hand. He had pierced the body of a strange creature, as if he had died together with the enemy, but his appearance was still very childlike.
Melos suddenly remembered that the young soldier who had died in battle was a neighbor's child from when he was still running a bar in Forest City, and his name seemed to be Lana.
I never expected this kid to join the army...
Memories surfaced one after another like bubbles in boiling water. Melos's face twitched. He ruthlessly shook off the distracting thoughts, shouted, and continued fighting.
The expeditionary force was repelled by the Subterranean Mutants for the first time.
The New Rock Tribe was too large, and the enemies kept coming. Even after slaughtering a large number of alien species, the New Rock Tribe did not flee like other nests. Instead, they became even more Berserk and fearless.
The New Rock Tribe's tactics are more varied, leveraging their advantage in digging. The underground is their home turf; they dig tunnels from above or below the underground space to directly attack the punitive forces. With the help of the Psychic Network, the New Rock Tribe's coordination is orderly and they are extremely difficult to deal with.
The casualties of the expeditionary force continued to rise, and many players died two or three times. Everyone was exhausted, and Melos finally decided to make a strategic retreat, wanting to return to the temporary camp.
However, the New Rock Tribe pursued them relentlessly, reaching their temporary camp. Melos led his army in resistance for a while, but they could not withstand the attrition and had to retreat again and again, retreating back to the surface through underground passages. They were forced out of the underground world by the New Rock Tribe.
Under the Blazing Sun, after the expeditionary force withdrew from underground, the New Rock Tribe did not continue the pursuit. The Subterranean Mutants hated the sun, and many of them were sunburned, so they did not rush to the surface and retreated.
The New Rock Tribe fought tooth and nail to force the expeditionary force to retreat, resulting in an extremely high casualty ratio on both sides.
Because the punitive expeditionary force had to retreat urgently, many of their comrades' bodies were left underground. Melos was heavy-hearted and ordered the troops to rest and recuperate while taking stock of the casualties. He then contacted Han Xiao to report the situation.
"You were driven back by the Subterranean Mutants?"
Han Xiao looked at him strangely.
"The enemy numbers are too high. Eliminating Nest No. 77 through combat is a slow, nibbling-like process, and we're suffering heavy casualties..."
Melos gritted his teeth.
"Black Star, I hope to use biological weapons to avoid casualties."
"You can handle it yourself." Han Xiao shook his head and hung up the call.
Melos took a deep breath, the image of the young warrior's corpse flashing before his eyes, and he no longer hesitated.
He summoned an officer from the Logistics Department, looked at the man's blood-stained face, and said in a deep voice, "Send for the deployment of all biological weapons. Execute immediately!"
"Understood!" The officer saluted without hesitation.
The New Rock Tribe members dragged their weary bodies back to their lair, cleaned up the battlefield, and gathered up the corpses of their kin, piling them into many small hills.
Within the Psychic Network, the tribe members continued to communicate. The recent great battle had also had a tremendous impact on them, with many tribesmen dying, filling them with fear, anger, and hatred. But at the same time, there were also cheers of victory, as they had repelled a powerful enemy and successfully defended their homeland.
Although the tribe suffered heavy casualties, Sorosoro was full of fighting spirit. The experience passed down from its ancestors told it that it was necessary to pursue the enemy after a victory. If it was repelled once, the enemy might come back with a vengeance. The real victory was to take down the enemy's "nest".
The numerous Subterranean Mutants collected the corpses of Sunil's soldiers. An old Subterranean Mutants stepped forward, and the surrounding tribe members all bowed down in respect.
This Subterranean Mutants is an anomaly in the tribe; it can read the memories of the deceased, and it is the only one in the entire New Rock Tribe with this ability.
If Han Xiao were here, he would know that this was a naturally awakened native superhuman.
Its tentacles touched the heads of the Sunil soldiers one by one, and various memory fragments flashed and were quickly reassembled into the information it wanted. Then, it shared the memory images in the Psychic Network.
This is a picture of Forest City from the memories of the Sunil people, along with a map of the Planet Sunil.
"The nests of surface creatures are also on the surface."
"What a strange nest."
"The enemy is on the surface, how do we find them?"
Members of the New Rock Tribe communicate through Psychic Network.
Just then, a thick fog of biological weaponry appeared at the edge of the nest and spread out.