The Legendary Mechanic

"Since you Sunils believe that the Subterranean Mutants are a blight, you have to pay the respective price to resolve it." Han Xiao waggled his finger. "Let me remind you, strictly speaking, these Subterranean Mutants are now technically our captives and war loot. If you want me to abandon the war loot, you must at least pay me the equivalent price."

He had long suspected that the Sunils would not be able to pay more, which allowed him to use this as a form of rejection.

Now that they had already decided on migrating the mutants, it would be impossible to change the plan to slaughtering them, otherwise it would be equivalent to deceiving Feidin. The pretty boy raised by the Goddess of Fortune would be frustrated and angered, and his Favorability would decrease.

Furthermore, going back on his word would also affect the image of the Black Star Army in the hearts of the players.

Otis' expression alternated between white and green for a while. He very much wished to eradicate the Subterranean Mutants, but he was reluctant to pay a high price for this.

"Our financial situation is not optimistic. We've spent a lot of savings just to hire you for this mission. Our people are suffering, and there must not be any more risks. Since it is as easy as raising your hand…"

Otis did not give up. As the right-hand man of the Sunil Leader, he was the buffer zone for communication between the two sides. While he saw the meaning of Han Xiao's words, he pretended not to understand and tried to force his way through.

Hearing this, Han Xiao also lost his patience, and his smile slowly vanished. Staring his Otis, he stressed heavily, "Your finances are not optimistic? Don't forget, if it wasn't for the discount I gave, you would not be able to hire my services."

Otis was startled.

"What does the plight of the Sunils have to do with me? If it was not for Herlous, do you think I would care about the life and death of your people?"

The words stuck in Otis' throat. The present scenario was all credited to Herlous, and he could not deny this.

Han Xiao's eyes were fiery and his voice stern as he warned, "Don't take my kindness for granted."

This was a warning.

The atmosphere quickly turned tense.

"You… you're mistaken…" Otis hurriedly explained, his expression cramped and palms sweating. He did not dare contradict Han Xiao.

"In short, I don't want to hear the suggestion of exterminating the entire race." Han Xiao waved his hand. "Sylvia, please escort him out."

The door opened, and Sylvia stood there with a passive expression.

"Please follow me."

"Your Excellency Black Star, you really are mistaken…"

Seeing the indifferent face of Han Xiao, Otis could only hold his tongue, not daring to explain further. He followed behind Sylvia and slipped away, only gathering his courage to bid farewell when he was at the door.

"I'm very sorry to have bothered you."

"Hmm." Han Xiao waved his hand, seeing Otis off with his gaze. He could not help but curl his lips in ridicule after he left.

"What a dreamer. Not willing to pay the price but wanting to see someone else play the bad guy? No one would accept such a deal."

Because this was a private meeting, Han Xiao was not worried that it would affect the relationship between both parties. Currently, Sunil required his help, which was why they would not attempt to do anything underhanded, but he would not hold any hope toward their government. As long as they stuck to the terms and conditions, he did not care how they looked at him.

Thinking about this matter, he then took out his communicator and contacted the two financial groups.

Since the mission was already more than halfway through, it was time to begin the migration plan. Moving two to three billion Subterranean Mutants was no small task, and there was a need for a large number of spaceships. Thus, it was easier to use the power of the financial groups to double the work with half the effort.

…

Nest No. 77 was by far the largest Subterranean Mutant tribe. This was the new target of the negotiation team.

Based on the statistics provided by the radar, Nest No. 77 had a population of about thirty to forty million. Herlous did not dare act rashly and could only use the old method of having the Germinal Tribe negotiate and attempt to convince Nest No. 77.

The Germinal leader led a few of his tribesmen to approach Nest No. 77. They discovered the presence of guards, who stopped them.

After expressing their intentions, the Germinal Tribe established a mental link, connecting with the leader of Nest No. 77.

"I am Germinal, the emissary of Black Star."

"I am Sulu-Sulu, the leader of New Rock Tribe. Very pleased to be able to communicate with you," the other party replied immediately, displaying friendliness.

Germinal got excited. "That's great, you guys have names, too!"

After persuading so many tribes, this was the first tribe that he had met that was named.

Sulu-Sulu was also happy. "We guessed correctly; the world still has other tribes similar to us."

While there were many tribes within the Subterranean Mutant race, the civilization progression of the New Rock Tribe far outstripped their peers. However, the Germinal Tribe did not understand the meaning within the other leader's words. The two of them started to converse.

Sulu-Sulu started to describe his tribe's history to Germinal.

"This place originally had four lairs. Under the lead of our ancestors, we fought fiercely with the other tribes, finally managing to annex the rest and merge them into our New Rock Tribe. This is the place where we live and thrive, but we've always believed that there are others of the same species as us in this world. Today, we have finally found our own brethren. This is a major discovery…"

Sulu-Sulu was very excited.

The Germinal leader listened as though he was a fool or drunk. This was the first time that he had heard an epic tale. If Han Xiao was present, he would immediately have known that the civilization of the New Rock Tribe had reached a new level. With the concept of history, they knew how to record past deeds, passing down inheritances and thoughts. Both their abilities and emotional performances were beginning to move away from that of the habit of beasts and transform into intelligent species.

If they had left their development alone, over time, the New Rock Tribe would probably have had the opportunity to unify all the Subterranean Mutants.

When it came to the Germinal leader to speak, he did not forget what Han Xiao had told him and transmitted the meaning of surrendering instead of fighting, as well as the basic information about the universe.

However, not only was Sulu-Sulu not afraid after he had finished talking, he was even enraged. "This is our homeland; we will definitely not leave!"

The news brought by the Germinal leader far outstripped Sulu-Sulu's expectations. However, their New Rock Tribe had already developed a sort of consciousness toward their homeland. In the face of a mass slaughter, he chose to resist.

Within the mental network, the members of the New Rock Tribe displayed their unity toward the enemy. This gave the Germinal Tribe a shock; they did not understand why the New Rock Tribe members would flare up so because they still did not understand the concept of hate.

"Emissary of Black Star, I thank you for your kind intentions, but we've decided to resist to the end!" Sulu-Sulu's attitude was firm.

In this matter, Han Xiao's self-acclaimed role played a part. To the Mutants, he was on the good side, there to save them from the evil clutches of the Sunils. As the Emissary of Black Star, the Germinal Tribe was responsible for salvation and had taken it as the mission of their tribe. Thus, Sulu-Sulu did not make things difficult for the Germinal Tribe but rather just sent them away from the New Rock Tribe.

Returning to the temporary camp, the Germinal leader recounted the New Rock Tribe's lack of intention to surrender.

Herlous had no choice then but to lead the army against the New Rock Tribe. Thirty to forty million enemies was a huge number, almost a hundred times the number of their current forces.

Yet another battle happened. The Sunil soldiers and players had long repeated this till they were numb. The difference was that, for this battle, the opposition of New Rock Tribe was fiercer than all the previous tribes.

…

Tuk tuk tuk!

Hot steel punched through the exoskeletons of the Subterranean Mutants. Blood splashed like blooming red flowers as countless Subterranean Mutants fell on the onslaught. However, the members of the New Rock Tribe seemed as though they were endless, like the tide rushing in.

There was a small team of Sunils responsible for this line of defense. Their fingers were tightly wrapped around the trigger, emptying box after box of ammunition at top speed without caring if their barrels overheated. The ground below them was full of empty metal casings.

Just at this point, an elite Subterranean Mutant, two or three times larger than the average, appeared in the area this team was responsible for. It waved the antennae on its head, and a wave of mental pressure quickly crossed the distance, ignoring the protection of the soldiers' armor, directly piercing their brains.

"Argh!"

A number of the Sunil soldiers felt as though their brains had been cut with thousands of knives. Blood sprayed from their every orifice, and they felt their vision spin and their bodies lose control. The defensive firepower stopped immediately.

The result was fatal.

The Subterranean Mutants that acted as the vanguard immediately rushed into this line of defense, swamping the team. Their tails and mouth caused dazzling sparks to appear as they clashed with the armor, and the durable armor was quickly ripped apart.

Swoosh!

A dazzling half-moon-shaped razor swept across suddenly, dismembering hundreds of the mutants in half.

Dragging his ten-meter-long Battleship Slicing Blade, Herlous approached the scene quickly and began to force the attackers back, resolving the dangerous situation.

The original team had been almost decimated by the mutants, but reinforcements quickly came up to replace those fallen.

Herlous wiped the blood and sweat from his face, but he had no time to rest. Just as he was about to return to his original position, he subconsciously looked down at the fallen soldiers. Their armor was riddled with wounds, and the soldiers were mostly ripped open, a mockery of their previous forms.

A glance, and Herlous found someone very familiar. His footsteps slowed down, and he looked carefully.

The soldier was covered with blood, his eyes wide and dagger clenched within his hands. He had pierced into one of the mutant bodies, as if he had died together with them. However, his face looked a bit immature.

Herlous suddenly recalled that this deceased soldier had been one of the neighbors back when he was running his bar in the city. His name seemed to be… Lana.

To think that this child would also choose to enlist.

The memories bubbled up like boiling water. Herlous twitched and ruthlessly removed all excess emotions, bellowing as he rushed back into the fray.

…

The first attack from the Subterranean Mutants was finally repelled.

The scale of the New Rock Tribe was too large, and the enemies were endless. Even if a large number of them were slaughtered, the New Rock Tribe did not choose to escape like the other nests but got even more violent, unafraid of death.

The tactics used by the New Rock Tribe varied and took full advantage of them being underground. This was their home field, and they could dig tunnels from above or at the bottom of the underground, directly entering the enemy camp. Through their mental network, the cooperation of the New Rock Tribe was seamless and difficult to predict.

The casualties on the Sunils' side continued to rise, and even the players died two or three times each. Everyone was exhausted, and Herlous finally decided to make a tactical retreat, returning to their temporary camps.

However, the New Rock Tribe members pursued them all the way, attacking the campsite directly. Herlous led the army to resist for a period of time but was finally unable to withstand the pressure and had to retreat to the surface. They had been forced out of the underground by the New Rock Tribe.

The sun was scorching overhead, and only after they had left the underground did the New Rock Tribe finally stop pursuing. The Subterranean Mutants hated the sun, and many of them were sunburned, so they did not rush to the surface, returning to their nest instead.

The New Rock Tribe had forced the attackers to retreat, and the casualties on both sides were exaggerated.

Because they retreated in a hurry, they did not even manage to retrieve most of their comrades' corpses. Herlous was in a sullen mood, allowing the troops to rest while they counted the casualties. He then contacted Han Xiao, reporting the situation on his side.

"You've been repelled by them?" Han Xiao had a strange look on his face.

"The number of enemies was overwhelming, and we can only slowly clear out their nest by fighting them. However, our casualties will be incalculable…" Herlous gritted his teeth. "Black Star, I wish to utilize the biochemical weapons, preventing more casualties."

"See to it yourself." Han Xiao shook his head before cutting off the communication.

Herlous took a deep breath. In his memory floated up the corpse of the young soldier, and he no longer hesitated.

Calling an officer from the Logistics Unit, he gazed at the other party's blood-covered face and said, "Deploy someone to throw in all the biochemical weapons. Execute it immediately!"

"Understood!" The officer gave a military salute without hesitation.

…

The people of the New Rock Tribe also dragged their exhausted bodies back to the nest and cleared up the battlefield. They stacked up the corpses of their comrades, forming a small hill.

Within the mental network, the tribe members discussed nonstop. The previous battle had a great impact on them, and with the deaths of multiple members, it allowed them to feel even more fear, anger, and desire for revenge. However, they cheered at the same time for their victory as they had managed to repel the enemies and successfully defend their homeland.

Although they had suffered heavy casualties, Sulu-Sulu was full of fighting spirit. His ancestors had passed down the notion that even while the enemy had retreated, they could still attack anytime. If they wished to win, they had to take down the enemy's 'nest'.

The Subterranean Mutants then collected the corpses of the Sunil soldiers. An old Subterranean Mutant slowly hobbled out, and the others bowed in greeting.

This Subterranean Mutant was an outlier in the New Rock Tribe, and it could retrieve the memories of the dead. In the entire New Rock Tribe, only this mutant possessed that ability.

If Han Xiao was present, he would have realized that this mutant was a naturally awakened Esper.

The tentacles on its head touched the heads of the Sunil soldiers one by one, and various memory fragments flashed. It quickly organized the information that it wanted and then shared the memory image in the mental network.

It was a picture of Forest City as well as a map of the Planet Sunil.

"The nest of the surface dwellers is on the surface."

"What a weird nest."

"The enemies live on the surface. How do we get to them?"

The members of the New Rock Tribe started to debate.

At this moment, a thick fog appeared on the edge of the lair and spread.