Han Xiao looked into Herlous' eyes and saw nervousness and hesitation. He seemed to care a lot about Herlous' answer.
Han Xiao suddenly felt a little emotional. Ever since he became a Calamity Grade, his prestige in the eyes of the Grade B officers had been increasing day by day. He had interacted with Herlous for a few years and understood Herlous' personality quite well. Herlous had been decadent for many years before he started to serve his race. Compared to those Sunil warriors who had suffered so much, he was not as decisive and had more thoughts.
In Han Xiao's previous life, Herlous had been able to die fighting against the Calamity. His experience now was different from his previous life, so his mentality had naturally changed.
"You're thinking too much. There are not so many moral constraints in the battle for survival. It's all about the difference in standpoints. If I don't help, the Sunils will be finished. Didn't you hire me to avoid this?"
Han Xiao patted Herlous' shoulder and said, "Indeed, the Sunils are outsiders, and the Subterranean Mutants are innocent. They did not do anything wrong, but the law of the jungle is an eternal rule. The Subterranean Mutants are hindering the survival of the Sunils. Since you have no other choice, don't sympathize with your enemy …"
"I know, but what difference is there between us and Dark-star?" Herlous wanted to say something but stopped.
Sunil's mother planet had been invaded and destroyed by Dark-star. They were also victims, but now, they had become invaders like Dark-star. This change in role made Herlous' feelings indescribable.
"Sunil is not Dark-star. Dark-star destroys for the sake of destruction, but you are doing it to continue your race. Your motives are different. This is a battle for survival between races. Since you Sunil can't move, your only goal is to destroy your natural enemies. There is only a difference between the strong and the weak, not right or wrong. Don't feel too guilty …"
Han Xiao paused and added, "If the Subterranean Mutants paid me to chase away the Sunils, I might have stood on their side. You don't want me to chase away your race, right?"
As a chaotic neutral and a very professional mercenary, this kind of problem was not a problem at all. He had no intention of criticizing Sunil's actions.
In every corner of the universe, the drama of fighting for survival resources was played out every day. Every second, a large number of species were born or died. Those who were not of the same race were bound to have different intentions. Survival was the first need.
Herlous smiled helplessly. Han Xiao's attitude made him feel relieved. It was good that Black Star did not hate him because of this.
"Stop chatting, let's get started."
Sehrinde was impatient. His tone was cold as he jumped into the hole.
Seeing this, Herlous sighed and jumped down as well.
Han Xiao activated the Berserk Ape Mech and followed closely behind.
…
The three of them flew down for a while, and the hole gradually disappeared. Their field of vision was pitch black, and there was no light source. Han Xiao turned on his night vision goggles.
When they were a few thousand meters below the surface, the three of them finally reached the end of the hole and stepped onto flat ground.
In front of them was a pitch-black underground space. The tunnels were complicated and twisted like a beast's path. There were a few Prophecy Stone mines nearby, and there were a few Subterranean Mutant nests. The Sunils had only officially discovered the existence of the Subterranean Mutants when they dug here. They had lost some exploration teams, so they stopped digging.
Only around the hole were traces of man-made excavation. Further away was the world of the Subterranean Mutants. It was huge, and just the area that they had discovered was far larger than Forest City. God knew how many years it had taken the Subterranean Mutants to create such a majestic underground world.
The temperature at this depth was very high, and it was rich in geothermal energy. Han Xiao turned on his life detection radar, and a nest in the distance was filled with dense light spots. The light spots represented the Subterranean Mutants, and their numbers were terrifying. Just one nest alone had tens of millions of Subterranean Mutants.
Sunil had given these nests a number, and they were going to the closest nest, Nest No. 1.
This was just the tip of the iceberg of the underground world. Planet Sunil was huge, and there were countless nests that had not been discovered. The number of Subterranean Mutants was in the hundreds of millions, and they were the undisputed masters of this planet.
The nests spread out with the Prophecy Stone mine as the center. The light spots around the mine were the densest, just like the city center.
After following the guidance of the radar for a while, the three of them approached the periphery of the nest. The corrosive mucus of the Subterranean Mutants gradually appeared on the ground and walls, and it had long become a thick colloidal carpet. It was very thick and tough to the touch.
Beep beep
This time, the radar suddenly alerted them that there were more than ten Mutants passing by. Han Xiao turned on his long-range vision and locked onto these Mutants.
Han Xiao accelerated and approached the Mutants instantly. His movements created a series of afterimages, and in the blink of an eye, the dozen Mutants were all beaten to the ground. In front of the absolute strength of a Calamity Grade, there was no suspense in the battle.
Herlous and Sehrinde followed and controlled these Mutants. Their mission was to be the coolies.
The Subterranean Mutants were more than a meter long and had some of the characteristics of the Zerg race. Their carapace protected their muscles, and there were fine hairs between the gaps, oozing mucus. Their heads were very small, and they did not have eyes at all. They only had four flexible tentacles, and their mouths were full of sharp teeth. They ate rocks as food, and they had four muscular legs that could run and jump. They were vertebrates, and they had a hard carapace tail with a shovel-shaped bone at the end.
"We've caught the samples. Shall we go back?" Herlous whispered.
"You guys go first. I'll go take a look deeper into the nest." Han Xiao waved his hands. The two of them naturally did not have any objections. They did not need to worry about Han Xiao's combat ability, and they obediently took the Subterranean Mutants back the way they came.
Han Xiao was the only one left. He looked at the battle information just now, and the attributes of the Subterranean Mutants appeared before his eyes. Their average level was between 30 to 40, and they were beast-type creatures. All of them had Psionic Resistance talents. Other than that, there were no other highlights.
Their Psionic Resistance is indeed very high. They won't be affected by the Prophecy Stone. Han Xiao nodded. Next, he needed to find out why the Subterranean Mutants lived near the Prophecy Stone.
After activating the stealth function, Han Xiao moved quickly into the depths of the nest and started to encounter Subterranean Mutants frequently. However, the Berserk Ape's stealth was naturally not something the Subterranean Mutants could discover, so his journey was smooth.
The closer he got to the center of the nest, the larger the Subterranean Mutants' bodies became. They gradually grew from a meter long to three or four meters long, and their carapaces became thicker.
Han Xiao suddenly noticed that there were crooked scratches on one of the walls, forming a picture of unknown meaning. He looked at it carefully and confirmed that it was a mural carved by the Subterranean Mutants with their tails.
Is this a form of recording? The Subterranean Mutants' language?
Han Xiaoxin's mind moved. The appearance of a recording method often meant that civilization was beginning to sprout.
Are the Subterranean Mutants transitioning from wild beasts to intelligent species?
This thought flashed through his mind, and Han Xiao continued forward. Soon, he arrived near the Prophecy Stone mine. He discovered that there were no signs of mining at all. It was as if the Subterranean Mutants had never used the Prophecy Stone and were only guarding the mine.
Are the Subterranean Mutants only fond of the Prophecy Stone's Psionic Radiation? Han Xiao was a little curious. He suddenly had the idea of destroying the mine to test the Subterranean Mutants' reaction.
Han Xiao deactivated his stealth and released the Watcher Instrument, bombarding this small mine.
Boom!
Explosions rang out continuously, and the tunnel started to shake rapidly.
The next moment, the radar showed that all the Subterranean Mutants in the nest seemed to have gone crazy and were crazily converging toward this location.
The surging tide of Subterranean Mutants rushed over, sealing off all the space. Han Xiao was not in a hurry. He set the Watcher Instrument to an explosive attack, firing freely. Beams of light shot out, exploding in the midst of the Subterranean Mutants. The powerful force easily tore apart the Subterranean Mutants.
The Subterranean Mutants were endless, wave after wave, but none of them could reach Han Xiao. They were all smashed into minced meat, piling up higher and higher. Han Xiao strolled around casually. The huge difference in strength made the number of Subterranean Mutants meaningless.
Although there was no danger, this phenomenon made Han Xiao realize a problem.
Why is it that when I destroy the Prophecy Stone mine, the entire nest will go berserk and charge toward me?
This phenomenon is a bit like hitting a lifeform's vital point … Han Xiao's eyes flickered as he guessed.
Going berserk means that the nest has a collective consciousness. Perhaps the Subterranean Mutants' method of communication is mental waves, and the entire nest has formed a collective mental network. The Prophecy Stones happen to have mental radiation, which has affected the Subterranean Mutants for many years, causing their mental strength to evolve. Perhaps, the Subterranean Mutants are using the Prophecy Stones to maintain their mental network?
Therefore, the Subterranean Mutants are using the Prophecy Stone mine as a 'tool', a 'communication base'?
This can explain why the Subterranean Mutants would build a nest near the Prophecy Stone mine. Perhaps' tribes' are more appropriate. An underground mine can only allow one Subterranean Mutant tribe to exist. Every tribe is a closed ecosystem, and the Prophecy Stone mine is the external organ of the Subterranean Mutants.
This type of racial characteristic … why is it so similar to the World Tree Civilization?
Suddenly, Han Xiao felt slightly dizzy, and notifications popped up on his interface.
You have received a mental attack. The level difference is too large. You are immune to this attack. Assessing the negative effect … Assessment passed. You are immune to the [Confusion] status!
"They even have mental attacks?" Han Xiao was shocked. He immediately checked the combat information and realized that ordinary Subterranean Mutants did not have such an ability, but those three to four-meter-tall Elite Mutants all had the [Mental Confusion] skill.
The level difference was too large, and Han Xiao also had [Advanced Mental Resilience] resistance. Most of the mental attacks of the Elite Mutants were ineffective, but there were a few attacks that passed the assessment and confused his mind.
Han Xiao became alert. Mental attacks countered his health and mana exchange. He did not stay any longer, and the Berserk Ape instantly activated. He turned into a black streak of light and smashed a bloody path through the Beast Tide, leaving behind a trail of blood.
He followed the path back to the entrance of the cave. The Calamity Grade's lethality was shocking, and he killed thousands of Subterranean Mutants in a short period of time. As long as Han Xiao had enough time, it would not be difficult for him to wipe out all the Subterranean Mutants by himself. Unfortunately, the level difference was too large, and he only received one point of experience. Even if he killed ten million Subterranean Mutants alone, he would only receive one thousand experience.
However, to the players, killing was a way to level up quickly. In his previous life, there were players who did this and ended up with countless bounties. They could use up all their revival times every day. They were even more suicidal than the Han Technician.
After collecting a lot of information, Han Xiao ascended through the cave and flew back to the surface. He immediately saw Herlous and Han Xiao waiting for him at the edge of the cave. The dozen or so Subterranean Mutants that they had captured alive were already locked in cages.
"Black Star, what did you find?" Herlous smelled the thick scent of blood.
"Hmm, there's a lot of interesting information. Let's talk about it when we get back."
The three of them boarded the spaceship and returned to Forest City. The Sunil Research Department was already waiting for them, and they successfully handed over the captured Subterranean Mutants.
Han Xiao told the Sunil Research Department about his findings, such as the signs of a budding civilization of the Subterranean Mutants, the effects of the Prophecy Stone mine, and so on.
This trip had easily completed a few small objectives of the Sunil Main Storyline Mission, especially the 'Slaughterer' mission. He had received a few million experience, and his mission rating had significantly increased.
Next, he would wait for the Sunil Research Department to complete their research on the Subterranean Mutants and for the galactic engineering team to arrive to build Base Three. After these two points were completed, he could officially clear out the Subterranean Mutants.
…
At the same time, in Nest 1 …
Right after Han Xiao left, the Subterranean Mutants collected all the corpses and piled them together. The scene was extremely bloody. If an ordinary person saw this scene, they would very likely vomit.
Countless tentacles of the Subterranean Mutants waved crazily as if they were communicating silently.
After a while, all the Subterranean Mutants seemed to have come to a consensus. They all gathered in the mine area and lowered their bodies as if they were worshipping the mine like an ancient totem.
Then, all the Subterranean Mutants suddenly started to use their shovel-shaped tails to dig out piles of raw Prophecy Stones. They piled them together and protected them tightly.
A few hundred Subterranean Mutants wanted to eat the raw Prophecy Stones, but they were attacked by their companions and quickly killed.
The Subterranean Mutants' digging speed was very fast, and they had a large number of them. Not long after, the huge mine was completely excavated, and all the Prophecy Stones were dug out.
The three to four-meter-tall Elite Mutants moved the huge pieces of Prophecy Stones, forming a huge team that was protected by countless other Elite Mutants in the center. Then, this Subterranean Mutant tribe that numbered in the tens of millions abandoned their original nest and started to move far away.
During this time, there were some porters that tried to eat the Prophecy Stones but were also beaten to death. Their companions tore open their bodies, dug out the undigested Prophecy Stones from their stomachs, and continued to move.
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