Chapter 1 Heavy Sniper

A heavy sniper round to the head was like a hammer smashing a watermelon – split into pieces, juice splattering everywhere.

Han Xiao constantly adjusted his position using the spider detectors, maintaining a steady stream of headshots. One after another, the sentries were eliminated, the kill notifications on his interface flashing like a waterfall.

[Ambush Critical Hit Bonus 200%, Hit Vital Weakness, This Attack is Lethal, You Dealt 190 Damage to the Enemy!]

[You Killed Germination Reconnaissance Sentry, You Gained 500 Experience.]

[Ambush Critical Hit Bonus 200%, Hit Vital Weakness, This Attack is Lethal, You Dealt 201 Damage to the Enemy!]

[You Killed Germination Reconnaissance Sentry, You Gained 500 Experience.]

These sentries were around level ten, just regular soldiers, about as strong as the guards when Han Xiao escaped the lab. Back then, he could already easily crush the guards, and now it was even easier.

With each sentry he sniped, Han Xiao gained thousands of experience points.

[【Dark Forest Assassin】Completed, You Gained 18,000 Experience!]

*The mission went quite smoothly. After killing so many sentries, I bet someone will be here soon… Oh, here they come!*

The spider detectors showed three fully armed quick response teams, driving over from the distance. They got out of their vehicles and began searching in a menacing formation.

The sentries wore headsets connected to a communication network. Silently assassinating one wouldn't be noticed for a while, but a large-scale silent elimination of sentries would immediately alert Dark Raven Valley base, prompting a team to be dispatched to investigate.

Han Xiao anticipated this. Once the search teams discovered the headshot sentries, they would begin a large-scale search of the area like horny… no, rabid dogs. He saw that the armed teams were equipped with Jason submachine guns, high-explosive grenades, and RPG rocket launchers, which immediately dissuaded him from racking up more kill experience… Besides, he didn't plan on a head-on confrontation anyway.

*Discretion is the better part of valor.*

Han Xiao folded up the heavy sniper and slung it over his back. Draped in a camouflage suit covered in weeds and leaves, he moved stealthily, returning to the spot where he had dug the hole. He placed the extra equipment in the toolbox, along with the heavy sniper, and tossed it all into the hole, but didn't fill it in just yet.

As he finished this, the three search teams discovered the headshot sentries. The armed guards immediately raised their submachine guns, equipped with flashlights, and cautiously spread out to search.

Next to the hole was a large tree. Han Xiao hid behind the tree, using the spider detectors to confirm the enemies' positions. He pulled a length of thin, tough steel wire from his pocket, wound it around his glove, leaned against the tree, and silently waited.

Tap, tap, tap… Footsteps grew closer, only one person, gradually approaching the tree where he was hiding! Han Xiao had carefully chosen this spot, right on the edge of the警戒 (jǐngjiè) range, the further away, the more dispersed the enemies, making it very likely that only one enemy would come to search.

The flashlight beam shone past the tree. Han Xiao slowly squatted down, tightening the steel wire in his hands, his power concentrated in his legs, ready to spring out like a praying mantis.

The moment the armed guard's foot crossed the tree trunk, Han Xiao moved, like a ghost he circled around the tree to the back of the armed guard. The guard heard his footsteps and, in horror, tried to turn around and open fire, opening his mouth to call for backup. Han Xiao was one step ahead. He looped the steel wire around the armed guard's neck from behind and tightened it instantly, stifling the call for help before it could escape!

Immediately after, Han Xiao kicked away the submachine gun in the armed guard's hands, then retreated two steps, using both hands to pull the guard to the ground, the enemy's upper back resting on his knee.

The pressure of suffocation rapidly turned the armed guard's face purple. He tried to pry open the steel wire, but it had already cut into his flesh. Back to Han Xiao, the guard flailed his hands wildly, unable to grab Han Xiao. His eyes gradually rolled back.

Han Xiao maintained the pressure in his hands until the notification of the kill appeared on his interface, then he released his grip.

From beginning to end, he didn't let the armed guard make a sound.

Han Xiao quickly stripped off the armed guard's clothes and put them on himself. The armed guard was a Caucasian, about the same height as him. He quickly used a knife to trim his hair, then turned up the collar and tightened the sleeves to cover all exposed skin, preventing anyone from noticing the difference in skin color. Then, he touched his finger to his forehead, activating the simulation mask switch. A triangular scanning beam emitted from his forehead, quickly scanning the armed guard's face.

Scan simulation!

Han Xiao's face immediately transformed, instantly becoming identical to the armed guard!

This was his trump card for infiltration!

He threw the armed guard's naked body and discarded equipment into the hole, quickly filled it with loose soil, made a hidden mark, and then Han Xiao, dressed as a Germination guard, swaggered out. He could hear the enemies communicating in the communication network.

"H103 reporting, no anomalies on the northwest side."

"H141 reporting, no anomalies on the southeast side."

The unlucky guy he replaced was H223. Han Xiao lowered his voice and repeated it in the same manner.

"H223, what's wrong with your voice?" It sounded like his superior speaking.

"Sore throat."

After pretending to search for a while, Han Xiao was summoned back. More than twenty armed guards gathered next to the vehicles, and he didn't arouse any suspicion.

The person who seemed to be the squad leader spoke up and asked, "Did anyone find anything?"

"No." Everyone said in unison.

The squad leader frowned. "Get in the cars, back to base."

Han Xiao narrowed his eyes. It was going according to his plan. He had infiltrated this squad and could go directly to Dark Raven Valley base with them.

…

The vehicles drove into an inconspicuous cave and traveled for about three minutes before the scene suddenly opened up.

Inside the cave was a different world, a small parking lot.

The vehicles stopped, and everyone got out. Han Xiao followed the team forward, arriving at a seemingly normal stone wall. The squad leader reached out and flipped open a rock, which turned out to be a disguise, the actual rock was a metal box, the box contained a card reader.

The squad leader took out an ID card and swiped it. The stone wall rumbled open. Han Xiao then realized that the stone wall was actually a metal door, sprayed with a realistic rock-colored coating, almost indistinguishable from real rock. It was impossible to notice without careful inspection.

*Strange, this is about the same as the information that the Xia Sea people obtained.*

Han Xiao was puzzled. These scenes were all written on Ye Fan's information, and all the information was correct. Also, what he saw in his memories of players' screenshots and科普 (kēpǔ) posts was correct. Why didn’t the interface register 【Reconnaissance 2】 as completed?

*What is the problem? Could there be some other hidden secrets at Dark Raven Valley base at this point in time?*

Han Xiao followed the crowd, passing through two security doors, both using ID cards, before formally entering Dark Raven Valley base.

This was a secret underground base, mostly built of steel, with cold, gray tones everywhere, adding to the solemn atmosphere. The corridors were winding, and there were many rooms. Germination members came and went, seemingly busy moving supplies.

Han Xiao looked up and saw surveillance cameras on the ceiling corners. He couldn't help but shrink his neck.

*I guess this counts as going deep behind enemy lines, attending a banquet alone. Second brother, protect me.*

"The infiltration was successful. What should I do next, wander around or ask someone…? No, no, asking might expose me. I don't even know what information is the target. Can I only rely on luck? No, since the requirement of 【Reconnaissance 2】 is to investigate the specific information of Dark Raven Valley base, then there must be something abnormal here! If the information provided by the low-level officer was bait, then the members here might also be unaware. So, I need to pay attention to those whose behavior differs from others."

The thought flashed through his mind. Han Xiao started walking around, quietly observing everything around him.

…

"Thirteen sentries were sniped?"

Ji Jie frowned. In his estimation, the enemy had invaded the external network to obtain fake intelligence, and should have already believed it. Why would they attack the sentries again? Were they testing the authenticity of the intelligence?

*It seems that these invaders are more cautious than expected.*

Ji Jie shook his head, unconcerned. "But they are still too inexperienced."

The double-layered network layout was a trap that Ji Jie had set up when he was the deputy director of the base, to prevent intruders one day. Now, it was finally taking effect.

Purely fake information would be easily exposed. To increase the authenticity, Ji Jie was willing to use the lives of his own people as bait. The bait information on the external network contained a portion of true information, including the specific location of the base, the distribution map of all sentries and defensive works from the third-level警戒 (jǐngjiè) zone to the sixth-level警戒 (jǐngjiè) zone. With a mixture of truth and falsehood, the enemy would obediently fall into the trap. The firepower of the last two layers of defense was more than ten times fiercer, and there was another trump card.

"The leader has already agreed to arrange an evacuation route. The rescue troops will arrive in five days. Then, we can evacuate… Before that, let's give Hai Xia a big gift."

The main force of Germination was located on the Andea Continent. Hundreds of branches and bases on other continents were the organization’s tentacles for secret development and expansion, accumulating capital for the organization, and becoming hidden nails in the enemy's territory. It wasn’t yet time to expose themselves. Once discovered, they could only withdraw to stop the loss. A single base could not withstand the endless military power of the Six Nations.

Ji Jie was confident in the trap he had set up. He dared to use a portion of true information as bait, and even didn't care about exposing the base's location, relying on a trump card. All the outer members, even this base, could be sacrificed if necessary, and it would inevitably inflict heavy losses on Xia Sea!