"What should we do now?" Poseidon asked.

"Let's find someone to ask first."

Jupiter and his group returned to Ravenwood Town and learned from the residents that Dark Raven Valley base had been destroyed by Star Dragon. They were once again dumbfounded. They had worked so hard to improve their relationship with Dark Raven Valley, but the base was gone just like that?

Wow, is this game that terrifying!

Their early investment was all for naught, and most of their advantage from the closed beta was lost.

The Dark Raven Valley base that issued missions was gone. Even if they completed a mission, they wouldn't know who to turn it in to.

The group looked at each other, their faces long.

"How could something like this happen…"

Jupiter was in a bad mood but unwilling to give up on the Grade A mission. After thinking for a while, he said, "The Germination Organization definitely has more than just the Dark Raven Valley base. Let's find another base. We'll definitely be able to rejoin the Germination camp."

…

West Capital.

Mad Blade Angry Sword's vision blurred, and he found himself in an alley, not far from where he had logged off during the closed beta.

"The public beta has started!"

Mad Blade Angry Sword was uncontrollably excited. Finally, he didn't have to worry about time and could wholeheartedly cling to Han Xiao's thigh.

My Xiao, here I come!

Following his memory, he found Old Man Lu's repair shop.

"Han Xiao? That kid left a long time ago. He left without saying goodbye. Who knows where he went?" Old Man Lu took a swig of wine, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness and frustration, secretly wondering if his granddaughter's charm really had a deterrent effect…

Hearing this news, Mad Blade Angry Sword felt like he had been struck by lightning. His face was blank, and he was stunned on the spot.

How could the thigh run away?!

What am I supposed to do now?!

…

The forum's popularity continued to rise. Players from various novice planets shared their experiences. Some players were specialized reviewers who had been invited to play the game and unanimously gave it extremely high ratings, calling it a groundbreaking game. The sensory experience was very realistic, and the background alone was enough to spark the imagination. Unlike other virtual games, there was no partitioning; from beginning to end, there was only one world, and all players played within it. The different novice planets were like different servers, making people look forward to the collision with players from other planets in the future.

Not only China, but also esports clubs from other countries had entered *Galaxy*. Although there was no prior communication, the esports powerhouses, such as the United States, South Korea, France, and England, had chosen different novice planets as their base of development.

Aquamarine Star was one of the bases chosen by the Chinese side.

However, this did not mean that all players on Aquamarine Star were Chinese. There were also people from other countries who chose Aquamarine Star, some of whom were friendly casual players, while others were "European spies" who had come specifically to stir up trouble.

ID "Ilyich", a retired professional player from the American Koy Club (key), had not achieved much success in his career. After retiring, he joined the studio under the club and chose to enter Aquamarine Star with an unfriendly motive: to gather intelligence on Chinese players and find opportunities to cause trouble.

If Han Xiao were here, he would recognize Ilyich. This brat would enter the top sixteen in the Aquamarine Star regional selection in the first professional league. This was originally the exclusive territory of Chinese professional players. One white guy among thousands of yellows immediately caused a wave of abuse, and Ilyich made wild remarks on the forum, disgusting the Chinese players. They chased and killed him all over the planet, but Ilyich always managed to kill them instead.

Although Ilyich had the common American arrogance, his strength was beyond doubt, and the source of his strength was that Ilyich boldly chose a random start, and he had extremely good luck.

Andia Continent, a certain laboratory of the Germination Organization.

Ilyich opened his eyes and found himself immersed in a light blue solution, in a space similar to a nutrient tank. He didn't even need to breathe. Through the glass, he saw people in white coats holding tablets and recording something.

Ilyich found that he couldn't control his character yet, so he waited patiently. According to his experience, this should be a cutscene. After about a minute, a drainage hole appeared at the bottom of the nutrient tank, the light blue solution disappeared, and Ilyich could move. At the same time, he received a notification on his panel.

"You have been injected with [Gene Improvement Solution], all your attributes +3, and you have gained the talent – [Gene Regulation]."

[Gene Regulation]: You have a greater chance of awakening superpowers, and their power is +10%.

"My God!" Ilyich exclaimed with joy, "Random start is awesome!"

The nutrient tank opened, and the people in white coats surrounded him. Ilyich didn't resist and allowed the white coats to pull him to a metal platform to undergo various instrument tests.

At this time, Ilyich received a new notification.

"[Gene Improvement Project] is a biological research project to cultivate espers. The success rate is very low. As a successful test subject, you will be valued by the Germination Organization. You can choose to stay or leave."

In his previous life, Ilyich chose to stay and later became a powerful player in the Germination camp. Now he made the same choice. With such a great start, only a fool would leave!

"This talent is tailor-made for me." Ilyich originally planned to become a superpower user. Without saying a word, he entered the panel's mall, used the startup funds given by the club, bought a copy of the [Supreme Deluxe Perfect Gene Awakening Fluid], and directly chose to awaken. After a period of nervous waiting, the panel notified him that he had successfully awakened a superpower!

"So smooth." Ilyich looked delighted, feeling the light of the goddess of luck shining on him. He raised his palm, and a ball of white whirlwind condensed in his palm.

The white coats were in an uproar.

"He awakened!"

"This is a successful test subject!"

Ilyich knew that if he wanted to stay, it was best to show his potential. The reaction of the white coats made him very satisfied, but the next moment he saw the white coats calling the guards, and he was immediately puzzled. Why were they calling the guards for no reason?

The Germination guards arrived at the scene quickly, handcuffed Ilyich in a few simple moves, and pushed him forward. Ilyich was a little confused. Wasn't he supposed to be valued? Why was he being treated more like a prisoner?

He was brought to another laboratory, where Ilyich was handcuffed to a brainwashing device. Only then did he realize that something was wrong and shouted, "What are you going to do?"

The guard said with a cold face, "The higher-ups stipulated that every successful test subject must be brainwashed five times in a row, and then observed for a month before they can move freely!"

Ilyich was at a loss. What kind of reasoning was this? The reaction was too extreme!

What he didn't know was that the original gene improvement program didn't require brainwashing. His random start was a European start, all benefits and no harm.

However, with Han Xiao as a cautionary tale, the Germination Organization now implemented a high-pressure policy on all test subjects, rather kill by mistake than let go. The test subjects of all research projects had to be brainwashed, and at least imprisoned for a month for observation.

Ilyich had no idea that he was screwed by a problem left over from history. Now it was too late to regret. As soon as the brainwashing judgment appeared, it immediately passed.

"You have no exemption from this brainwashing. You join the Germination Organization as a special identity."

"Germination Organization: Brainwashed (-/-) – [Test Subject]"

"Because you have been brainwashed, you cannot rebel against the Germination Organization."

Ilyich panicked.

Unable to rebel meant that he couldn't escape a month of imprisonment, which meant he couldn't move freely for a month, let alone level up. At this rate, he would be left far behind by other players!

"What kind of 'value' is this! It's too坑爹!" (坑爹 - a popular internet slang meaning "to trick" or "to screw over")

He clearly obtained a superpower with great potential, but he was trapped here, unable to gain experience for a month!

Clearly a perfect start, but he was forcibly falling behind all the players!

Ilyich's mentality exploded.

ps: (Has anyone seen the foreshadowing in this chapter~)