At the Dark Crow Valley Base, members of the Gods Guild gathered together.
Jupiter rubbed his temples, somewhat annoyed. The beta testers were all busy leveling up and experiencing the game, and no one was paying attention to their bounties, which was quite frustrating.
"Guild Leader, the quest prompt has changed!"
The group members exclaimed in surprise.
Jupiter was taken aback and quickly checked, only to find that the area indicated by the mission had changed, meaning that Zero's exact location was in the West Capital.
"The quest suddenly updated?"
Jupiter was surprised and confused.
However, narrowing the scope from a country to a single city is more advantageous for them.
The closed beta test lasted twelve days, and today is the last day.
"Now that the location is confirmed, after the public beta, send guild members to West Capital. We must find the target no matter what."
Once the public beta launches, with the guild's numerical advantage, there's no way they won't be able to complete the mission.
"We're just waiting for the public beta." Jupiter looked confident; he considered this Grade B mission as his for the taking, something within easy reach.
The team members were excited, confident they would crush their old rivals this time.
The leader listened to his assistant's report with his hands behind his back.
"Executive Nosa has disappeared in West Capital, along with Lugaon Cyberan. Jino, the head of the Wind Eye, has stated that he will send a new contact to replace Lugaon as soon as possible to oversee West Capital's intelligence network..."
"It's Zero," the leader suddenly said. "He killed Nosa and Lugaon, and to avoid revealing his exact location, huh, so he's hiding in the West Capital. It must be the Stardragon's Thirteenth Bureau protecting him!"
Nosa was the organization's top assassin, yet he was killed by Zero, which is a huge loss. The leader also remembered Lugaon, who seemed to be a very good intelligence-gathering infiltrator.
It's Zero again!
The leader was furious. "Zero... do you think that just because you've found a backer, I'm powerless against you?!"
He initially dismissed Zero as a mere rat who had defected from the organization, but after what happened recently, the leader realized the threat Zero posed to the organization.
According to laboratory surveillance, Zero did not act out of line during his six months with the organization; the source of his intelligence remains a mystery.
The leader didn't know how many secrets Zero possessed, so he could only prepare for the worst. A small leak can sink a great ship; it was time to eliminate this threat with Thunder action!
"Have the Wind Eye find out Zero's exact address. Even if he's hiding in the Thirteenth Bureau headquarters, find him for me, no matter the cost!"
"Two hundred Night Owl and five executive officers are on standby. Once his exact location is found, kill him! I authorize the deployment of short-range missiles!"
The leader issued a series of orders, his tone filled with chilling murderous intent.
"If you dare show your face, I'll kill you!"
"The closed beta testing period has begun."
Looking at the thirty-second countdown on the panel, Frenzied Sword felt a pang of regret. He wished the time could be extended so he could level up a little longer.
Of course, he was already very satisfied with the current progress. Although Han Xiao's missions were grueling, the experience gained was truly substantial. Moreover, he had bought a lot of Han Xiao's equipment, effectively boosting his combat strength.
Although most of the skills in the Mechanic Class are manufacturing-related, which doesn't suit Frenzied Sword's taste at all, the thought of Han Xiao's strength gave Frenzied Sword renewed confidence. He believed that as long as he leveled up, he could definitely become just as strong.
"I will definitely have a place in the professional gaming world!"
As the closed beta ended, the excited Frenzied Sword vanished from the spot.
[Closed beta test ends, public beta test countdown: 122 days, 1 hour, 23 minutes]
Han Xiao raised an eyebrow, looked at the forum entrance, and sure enough, it was grayed out and inaccessible.
"Just as I guessed, the real-world time of the version update won't match the time here." Han Xiao shook his head.
Why are you shaking your head? How much information are you still hiding?
Gu Hui said in a deep voice.
At this moment Han Xiao was in the conference room at headquarters, with Director Gu Hui, the Intelligence Department, and the Secret Operations Department sitting opposite him, looking like they were conducting a three-way interrogation.
The Thirteenth Bureau knew that Han Xiao had some combat ability, but they did not expect that he could kill a genuine superhuman, and a notorious assassin at that. Of course, this was not the main issue. The Thirteenth Bureau was more concerned about how easily Han Xiao had exposed Lugaon, a Germinal intelligence informant.
Lugaon had been lying low in West Capital for over two years without revealing his identity, and the Thirteenth Bureau's multiple attempts to track him had all ended in failure. Yet Han Xiao had locked onto the target so easily, which proved that Han Xiao possessed far more intelligence than they had imagined.
Thus, today's meeting took place; Gu Hui wanted to know more information and books.
Han Xiao snapped out of his reverie, rubbed his chin, avoided the pointed question, and slowly said, "I've revealed my location. Although Germinal doesn't know where I live, they're certain I'm in West Capital, and they'll definitely send more assassins to infiltrate in the future."
Gu Hui frowned, displeased with Han Xiao's evasiveness, but still followed up by asking, "So what are you planning to do?"
"No more deliberate concealment; let's openly confront the Germinal. Next time, I want to participate personally."
Gu Hui's brows furrowed so deeply they almost distorted space. "This is too dangerous. If you show yourself, it will give Germinal many opportunities to act."
Han Xiao coughed. "Can we speak alone for a moment?"
Gu Hui hesitated for a moment, then got up and walked to the side with Han Xiao.
The Intelligence Department and the Secret Operations Department exchanged a helpless glance. Did they really have to be so distrustful of them? Suspecting someone's party loyalty was a recipe for disaster.
Han Xiao looked around and whispered, "I can change my appearance."
Gu Hui was startled, "You have superpowers?"
Han Xiao shook his head. "I can create a little gadget that can change my appearance, so I won't reveal my true face, Germinal will never be able to find me."
Human skin masks? That's not a bad idea. The Thirteenth Bureau can manufacture them themselves. However, judging from Han Xiao's tone, it seems that what he wants to make is more advanced than human skin masks.
Gu Hui pondered for a moment and said, "Even if you use a human skin mask, you'll eventually have to take it off. It's still too dangerous."
Han Xiao's eyes flashed. "The mask I made will be very convenient to wear."
"Okay, once you've built it, I'll agree to let you participate in the operation personally."
Han Xiao insisted on participating in the operation personally, firstly for the sake of gaining more experience, as the public beta was approaching and the pressure was imminent; secondly, he didn't want to stay in West Capital all the time, as only by going out could he have the opportunity to participate in events happening in the outside world.
After this Assassination, Han Xiao now has a target: the Dark Crow Valley Base on the border of Hesla. This Germinal large base is vastly different in scale from the previous three branch bases. It is guarded by armed guards and equipped with a large number of vehicles, weapons, and defensive facilities. The base is managed by "Blade Soul" Pan Kuang, a martial artist who is just one step away from reaching the Grade D and is extremely powerful.
Near Dark Raven Valley, there is a large wanderer settlement Crow Forest Town, which is one of the starting points for new players.
Dark Crow Valley Base is one of the bridgeheads for future players to join the Germinal faction, and it is also the location where the Gods Guild receives investigation missions.
If they could destroy the Dark Crow Valley Base, they could significantly reduce the number of players joining the Germinal faction in the future. This idea came to Han Xiao after seeing a post from the Gods Guild on the forum. After some consideration, he felt it was highly feasible.
By cutting off a major force for the future of the Germinal Organization, the Germinal Leader was unaware of the magnitude of the loss, making this the most suitable target for revenge.
The feeling of secretly doing something naughty is incredibly exciting.