Chapter 1 When Dawn Arrived

When dawn arrived, the Black Harrier helicopter was late. The leader, Hela, and a group of cleanup personnel arrived at the site where the experimental subject team had been completely annihilated.

The leader glanced at the twisted corpse of Number One and snorted with dissatisfaction from behind his mask.

"Worthless trash."

The researchers gathered the corpses of the experimental subject team and said, "They're all dead."

The leader stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the distant mountain valley. After a long silence, he said, "In the name of the organization, issue a bounty for Zero on the dark web, dead or alive, for a reward of one million!"

Everyone looked shocked. Germination was a behemoth, a kingpin of the underground world, and it had been at least three years since they had issued a bounty. Was it necessary to make such a fuss over a defecting experimental subject?

"You seem to be taking him too seriously. Zero is just trying to escape. What harm can he do to the organization?"

"Hmph, since he so brazenly declared war on the organization, then let him know his insignificance and completely destroy his ridiculous determination!" The leader's tone was grim.

"If Zero is captured alive, I don't care what methods you use, whether it's interrogation or experimentation, research the reason for Zero's mutation for me. Even if he dies, take the body for dissection and research!"

The researcher pointed to the corpse of Number One. "What about these people?"

The leader was about to say to throw them away, but suddenly thought of something and asked, "How's the preparation for the Super Soldier Project going?"

"The basic theory is complete. Next, we'll conduct cell and animal testing. We expect to be able to start human trials without any sequelae in eight months."

The leader interrupted. "Skip the cell and animal testing and go straight to human trials."

"Uh… the risk is very high. Only Valkyrie experimental subjects can withstand the modification. The experimental subjects are hard-won. Advancing the timeline will cause unnecessary losses."

The leader's tone was unpredictable. "Experiments can only create cannon fodder. Hatred is what creates true demons."

He pointed to Number One. "He's the best raw material. Hatred will drive him to endure the painful modification. Hatred is his engine of power."

"I understand," the researcher nodded.

The leader looked at Hela. "Summon his soul."

Hela exhaled a breath of foul air, and a hazy gray light shone from her hands. The surrounding temperature seemed to drop ten degrees in an instant.

A faint wailing sound came from the gray light in Hela's palms, like the cries of ghosts.

Number One's corpse seemed to resonate, and wisps of free-floating gray mist appeared in the air, lightly seeping into Number One's bleeding orifices, as if being absorbed.

The leader opened his trench coat and took out a tube of bright red liquid from his pocket. Hela's expression changed slightly, and a murderous intent flashed in her eyes, but she suppressed it.

Aurora Revitalization Serum.

A super-effective healing potion made by extracting her sister's bone marrow!

The vial was tilted, and the potion poured onto Number One's corpse. The red liquid instantly dispersed, seeping into the skin through the pores.

A miraculous change occurred. Number One's already cold corpse regained its temperature, the wounds healed at high speed, the jaw reattached, and the severed limbs began to grow granulation tissue.

The sound of the heartbeat gradually grew louder.

Number One suddenly opened his eyes, his face twisted with viciousness, and let out a shrill roar full of滔天hatred, making the listeners shudder.

"Zero!!!"

…

[You have activated a relationship with the Germination organization!]

[Germination organization favorability decreased by 1000.]

[Germination Organization: Hatred (-1000) - [Defector]]

[System notification: You have triggered a Grade A mission [Seeds Sleep in the Dust]]

[Mission prompt: Freedom is priceless, for which you risked death, and finally gained freedom as a reward. But the Germination organization cannot tolerate your defection. They have issued a generous bounty. You will face endless pursuit, living in fear, never finding peace! This is a prison in disguise, a sky of smog. If you want to gain true freedom, there is only one way out. You know what to do!]

[Mission prompt: This mission is a long-term mission. The mission reward depends on your progress in destroying the Germination organization (directly or indirectly). Current progress: 0%]

[Note: Progress is not fixed. If the Germination organization expands and develops, progress will also decrease accordingly. This mission can be terminated at any time. If you choose to complete the mission, progress below 20% equals failure. Only progress above 20% counts as completion, and the reward depends on the final progress.]

Generally speaking, missions above Grade B involved the power shifts of the current planet. The main event of Aquamarine Star in Version 1.0 was the conflict between the Six Nations and the Germination organization, and players were divided into different camps.

According to Han Xiao's memory, there seemed to be quite a few players who chose to join the Germination organization at that time, providing great assistance to the development of the Germination organization. If he wanted to obtain a high reward, he would be at odds with the players who chose Germination in the future.

The requirement of this mission was for Han Xiao to directly or indirectly damage the Germination organization. In the original timeline, although the Germination organization did not win or lose, it did suffer heavy losses. He realized that this mission had potential competitors, that is, other forces that were enemies of the Germination organization. The打击by these forces on Germination would naturally not be counted in his mission progress.

Twenty percent damage ah, didn't that mean his individual output had to shake Germination to its core! There was no other way to describe it except as a坑.

Although this mission was a big pit, Han Xiao accepted it without hesitation. He and the Germination organization were mortal enemies, there was no reason to refuse.

"It seems this is my temporary main quest."

The Germination organization was the main storyline event of the Aquamarine Star 1.0 era. Han Xiao would stay on Aquamarine Star before he grew up, so the factional struggle was inevitable.

When creating a new character in *Galaxy*, the system would ask players about their inclinations, such as what kind of world they liked, what kind of profession they liked. Based on the results of the questionnaire, the system assigned new players to random novice planets of different styles. The *Galaxy* world had all kinds of civilizations with different styles, and players could always use the worlds they liked as a starting point—ancient, magical, urban, science fiction… Each planet had one or several main storyline events.

This was also one of the game's attractions. There were quite a few casual players who liked to explore the universe and experience different civilizations and planets.

Aquamarine Star was one of the low-science-fiction urban-type novice planets, similar to Earth.

Of course, the most core worldview of *Galaxy* was still the universe and the stars. As the version was upgraded, the overall worldview would be gradually opened to players.

There were also some players with a dark sense of humor who would give spoof answers when the system asked questions, such as liking "horror," "supernatural," or "haunted." For such people, the system would also satisfy their dark sense of humor with a full dose of dark humor, such as throwing them onto a planet full of undead and ghosts, with nowhere to learn magic to solve the鬼怪problem. These players generally had two endings: one was to switch accounts, and the other was… to grit their teeth and continue playing. The latter could only pray for good fortune. The *Galaxy* game pod was immersive, and the experience was extremely real except for pain. On the game registration disclaimer that hardly anyone looked at, it was clearly written that if players felt uncomfortable during gameplay, causing physical or mental illness, the company was not responsible.

In fact, Han Xiao could find a very secret wilderness location and hide until the Germination organization was greatly weakened, but in that case, he would not be able to grow. Although it was safe, it was meaningless and he would inevitably be overtaken by later players.

Following the planet's main storyline events could trigger a large number of missions. The magnificent chaotic world was an excellent opportunity for growth. Countless events had a clear context in his mind, so why would he choose to escape?

…

Han Xiao spent three days walking out of the forest. This forest was within the territory of Star Dragon, and it had to be said that the Germination organization was really bold enough to build a base in the hinterland of Star Dragon, understanding the principle of hiding in plain sight.

After walking out of the forest, Han Xiao found the railway tracks and boarded a long-distance train transporting livestock to West Capital, the capital of Star Dragon.

Due to the dangerous wilderness environment, coupled with the undercurrents between the Six Nations and Germination, which were in a state of war at any time, most of the highways connecting cities had been abandoned. The military used railways to connect various cities and transport supplies.

Wild beasts were powerful, and each city was garrisoned by troops and established outposts. The tall electrified wire mesh barriers were the first line of defense for the city. Generally, when you saw the barbed wire, you knew that the city was not far away.

After "free-riding" on the train for two days, the figure of the electrified wire mesh finally appeared in the distance.

Han Xiao pushed aside the few hens that were flapping and bouncing on him, took a deep breath, and gazed into the distance.

Star Dragon, West Capital, Bureau 13, here I come!

"Cluck cluck—"