Han Xiao initially sought refuge with Stardragon to escape Germinal's Pursuit, find temporary shelter, and incidentally acquire Advanced Knowledge. The Simulation Mask was a fallback plan Han Xiao had chosen long ago.
Once he created the Simulation Mask, it would be virtually impossible for Germinal to locate him, so he would no longer worry about Germinal finding him. This would give him the means to act independently, no longer needing to stay in one place for safety. Intentionally provoking the leader would make Germinal focus on Stardragon, misleading them... It's definitely not because of his twisted sense of humor! Absolutely not!
Even if he wanted to use his strength to strike at the Germinal, he no longer needed to put himself under Stardragon's control. Stardragon seemed very gentle with him, but of course he wasn't completely at ease. There was a well-hidden satellite locator in the encrypted phone, which he had already discovered, and now it was finally time to remove it.
In the final three months before the public beta, he needed to level up quickly and accumulate more resources. Countless missions across the entire planet were treasure troves.
Having accumulated initial capital through cooperation with the Thirteenth Bureau, there's no need for further pretense now; it's time to go solo.
The world is vast, and there is much to be done.
His plans were meticulously planned, one step at a time.
As a chaotic individual with a constantly changing, goal-oriented mindset, Han Xiao considered Stardragon's faction favorability and strength growth to be insignificant. Moreover, he knew that once version 2.0 arrived, not only Stardragon, but also the Six Nations Germinal would be at Curry's mercy.
Don't be fooled by the fact that these major powers are currently in a stable position and have a well-established structure. They may be scheming and plotting against each other, but when a planetary Calamity Grade sweeps across the Earth, these countries and powers will find that their individual interests are utterly empty and meaningless in the face of the survival of the entire civilization. Their current status is like a bubble in the sunlight, colorful and dazzling on the outside, but it can burst with a single prick, just like a beautiful dream.
"The first version hasn't even started yet. Version 1.0 takes seven months in real time, which translates to three and a half years in the game. Add to that the year-long in-game timeframe for version updates, and it's clear that the second version, 'Mutation Disaster,' is still almost five years away."
"The Mutation Disaster is a disaster. It's best to avoid the most dangerous and chaotic period at the start of version 2.0. Therefore, within five years, we need to discover the elements of Planet Aquamarine that are useful to us and find a way to temporarily leave this planet."
Han Xiao's eyes flickered.
A new notification suddenly appeared on the panel.
[Destroy Dark Raven Valley, Completion 100%, Contribution 72%, You gained 360,000 experience!]
[Mission Completed]
It appears that the Hesla army on the other side has ended the battle.
Han Xiao was very satisfied. If he hadn't intercepted Pan Kuang and the others, the completion rate would probably only be 40% or 50%. It was worth all his hard work. He infiltrated to gather intelligence and planted two spies, Lin Yao and Lambert. He had almost complete control over the enemy's actions, which is why his contribution was so high. If it weren't for that painstaking operation, the reward would have been reduced by at least two-thirds.
[The faction mission [Dark Crow Valley Operation] has ended. The objectives you completed are: [Reconnaissance I], [Reconnaissance II], [Dark Forest Killer], [Head-On Conflict], [Decapitation II], [Decapitation III], [Destroy Dark Raven Valley]]
[Task is being settled... Settlement complete, performance rating: Excellent]
[Stardragon Homeland Strategic Defense Bureau's favorability increased by 1120 points, current relationship: Friendly (1370/300 and 0 books)]
[The favorability rating with the Germinal Organization has decreased by 500 points. Current relationship: Hatred (-1500/-3000)]
[You have received an excellent rating reward: 50% extra experience (180,000), 1 random reward, currently processing random reward type...]
"There's a random reward! I'm pretty lucky this time." Han Xiao was slightly pleased. Large-scale missions and series missions will have mission evaluations after completion. The chance of triggering a random reward for an excellent evaluation is 30%, which is not common. The random reward for the evaluation is to first draw a reward type, which may be experience, items, skills, attribute points, potential points, etc., covering everything. After the type is determined, several rewards are randomly selected for people to choose from.
[The type of reward you received this time is: [Talent/Feature]]
[Randomization in progress... Randomization complete. Please select one of the following three specializations.]
[Tough Physique: Health +400, Abnormal Resistance +4%]
[Quick Eyes and Nimble Hands: Agility +6, Attack Speed +5%]
[Fortified Mind: Mysticism +5, Mental Resistance +8%]
Han Xiao tapped his chin lightly with his finger, lost in thought.
These three specializations are fairly average. The "Tough Physique" specialization increases health, making it suitable for tank-type characters. He mainly uses ranged attacks and has a set of Magnetically Controlled Armor for protection, so he doesn't need to worry too much about health.
Quick Eyes and Nimble Hands is a good thing. Agility affects all aspects of ranged attacks, such as accuracy, critical hit rate, attack speed, and movement speed. Choosing this feat can increase his output rate by 8-10%.
Fortified Mind is only necessary for Mage Class or Esper Class; it's of little use to him.
Han Xiao made his choice with Quick Eyes and Nimble Hands.
You have gained the [Quick Eyes and Nimble Hands] special ability!
Han Xiao glanced at the panel. He hadn't used the 12 free attribute points from the upgrade; he had put them all into Intelligence, bringing it to a high of 88, his highest attribute at the moment.
The progress of the Grade A mission [The Seed Sleeps in the Dust] has increased by 1.8%, which doesn't seem like much, but Han Xiao knows that destroying the Dark Crow Valley Base is equivalent to destroying an important bridge for future players to join the Germinal faction, greatly curbing the future expansion speed of Germinal, with a potential effect of at least 10% to 15%! When players choose a faction, most new and casual players follow the principle of proximity.
The Germinal Leader was unaware of the importance of the Dark Crow Valley Base; he was simply annoyed that a major base had been destroyed.
Han Xiao provides intelligence to other forces to attack the Germinal, and the progress gained indirectly is less than that gained by taking the initiative. This is a matter of contribution rate. However, if a force wants to personally destroy the Germinal, it will be too busy to keep up with the Germinal's expansion speed. Therefore, the best option is to spread the Germinal's intelligence extensively.
The task completion requirement is at least 20% completion. Trying to achieve perfection will only lead to more harm than good; knowing when to stop is the best approach.
Han Xiao narrowed his eyes. "We should change the way we provide intelligence."
Now that the task settlement is complete, it's time to get down to business.
Han Xiao and Lin Yao communicated.
"How is the situation now?"
"Brother Xiao, the Hesla army has seized all the supplies at the Dark Crow Valley Base and captured several hundred members of the Germinal members, including Dormon, but unfortunately, Supervisors Pan Kuang and Ji Jie escaped."
What are the movements of the Hesla people?
"They are cleaning up the battlefield and are expected to withdraw to the border tomorrow."
"Okay, I understand."
After cleaning up the battlefield, the Hesla army set up camp to rest and prepare for their withdrawal the next day.
Lin Yao and Lambert reunited with the others, and the members of the Thirteenth Bureau all came up to praise the two for their infiltration achievements.
"The younger generation is truly formidable; the younger generation is truly formidable." This is Ma Qingyang.
"Little Linlin, your teammates did a great job!" This was Di Susu.
"Well done! So reliable." This is what the lazy extras who don't bother to come up with names say.
Lin Yao scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed, and said, "Our operations were all directed by Brother Xiao."
So the members of the Thirteenth Bureau changed their target for praise. Qi Baijia stroked his chin and decided to give Han Xiao a proper commendation for his achievements in the battle report. But then he suddenly realized that Han Xiao had not returned yet.
"Hey, where is he?"
"Something must have held him up."
As darkness fell, Han Xiao still hadn't appeared.
"Why haven't they come back yet?" Li Yalin asked in confusion, nudging Lin Yao beside her and urging him to contact Han Xiao quickly.
Lin Yao said helplessly, "I've messaged him over forty times, but Brother Xiao hasn't answered me."
A long night passed, and by the next morning, when the Hesla army set off, Han Xiao still hadn't appeared. This unusual situation led the members of the Thirteenth Bureau to imagine one possibility after another.
"Did Han Xiao return to the border first?" Zhang Wei suddenly wondered.
Upon careful consideration, everyone realized that Han Xiao's actions had always been capricious and arbitrary; perhaps he felt there was no need to gather together, which wasn't impossible.
Filled with worry, the group followed the army back.
The Hesla soldiers all looked relaxed, their formation sparse, and they showed no signs of vigilance.
In the center of the army, Kelt sat in the command vehicle, frowning as he considered a serious problem.
He did not perform well in this operation; on the contrary, he made mistakes in command, causing unnecessary casualties, which will lower the higher-ups' assessment of his abilities.
To expand his military achievements, his importance in this operation must be highlighted.
"If I could share in the credit for the Thirteenth Bureau..."
Kelt had a sudden inspiration: perhaps he could write in the report that Han Xiao allowed his teammates to infiltrate the inner base to obtain classified information because he was under Celtic's command. In this way, he could highlight his role as the commander.
"This method is feasible."
Once the mission was over, the Thirteenth Bureau left and couldn't possibly come out to refute anything. His battle report was addressed to the higher-ups of Hesla, and no one else could possibly know what he had written.
Kelt's eyes lit up; this achievement might lay the foundation for his plan to advance to the rank of general.
Just then, a commotion arose outside the car, and Kelt discovered that the procession had stopped.
"Colonel, there are two corpses ahead, they look like Pan Kuang and Ji Jie!"
Kelt was startled and hurriedly got out of the car. In front of him, in an open field, lay two corpses side by side. They were the two leaders of the Dark Crow Valley Base.
The soldiers were shocked and discussed among themselves. They remembered Pan Kuang's fierce performance not long ago, and they never expected him to be killed.
"Who did this?! Who put the body here?"
"Kelt asked loudly," the soldiers looked at each other, but no one answered; they had only just discovered it themselves.
The members of the Thirteenth Bureau rushed over upon hearing the commotion, and were immediately astonished.
"It could only have been done by Han Xiao."
"He actually did it!"
"Why leave the corpse and the books on the road? This is a military achievement; why let these Hesla people have it?"
Kelt was overjoyed; the leader's corpse was another victory. He waved his hand, ordering his men to wrap the body up and take it back.
Just as the soldiers moved the body away, they heard the sound of a landmine being triggered beneath it.
"Mine!"
The surrounding soldiers were terrified and quickly lay down in all directions, their huddled formation disintegrating.
Kelt was startled and only had time to throw himself to the ground.
However, after waiting a few seconds without an explosion, a daring soldier got up with suspicion and carefully dug out the landmine under the body. He picked it up and weighed it in his hand; it was very light.
"This isn't live ammunition, it's empty shells!"
The soldiers then realized they had been tricked and became quite angry.
"This isn't fun at all!"
"That's outrageous!"
"I was so scared my pants got wet!"
The members of the Thirteenth Bureau had strange expressions, unsure whether they should laugh or not.
Li Yalin muttered, "It's just like something Han Xiao would do..."
Kelt got up, his neat officer's uniform now covered in dust, mud, and bits of grass, looking quite disheveled.
His face turned ashen. He guessed it was Han Xiao who did it and felt it was a prank to deliberately embarrass him. He angrily shouted, "What a boring trick!"
"Bang!"
Gunshots could be faintly heard in the far distance.
A gaping hole appeared in Kelt's temple, the bullet that had pierced his body leaving a trail of blood.
Kelt stared wide-eyed, seemingly unaware of what had happened, completely unprepared. His eyes were filled with a deep longing for life and disbelief. His pupils dilated limply, and he swayed before collapsing to the ground.
Just moments before, he was still dreaming of military achievements and a bright future; even in death, he couldn't believe that he would die on the way home from victory, on the eve of dawn.
At that moment, everyone froze, whether they were laughing or crying at the same time as the Thirteenth Bureau or feeling indignant Hesla soldiers!
It quickly turned into horror!
On a cliff in the far distance, Han Xiao looked up from behind the Sniping rifle scope, his expression calm.
What goes around comes around.