“Hunt down every member of Deep Blue Route?” the elf woman’s voice wavered.
“Kill everyone? Why would the Lord God issue a mission like this?”
When Reincarnators were in a mission world, they might resort to any means—including mass slaughter—to vent their emotions or complete a task.
But the Lord God shouldn't be issuing missions that were simply about killing for the sake of killing.
Had Deep Blue Route committed some unforgivable sin against the heavens?
“Just how large is this maritime trade group? Will it be a hassle to kill them all?” the demon man asked softly.
No one could answer him.
However, they could all guess that any target designated by the Lord God for a “total extermination” mission was definitely no ordinary small-time faction.
Moreover, the rewards for this mission were an S-rank evaluation, 50,000 points, 100 attribute points, and a five-star artifact-grade item.
These were the most generous rewards they had ever seen, which indirectly reflected the extreme difficulty of the mission.
In the plot worlds they had experienced before, they always had a complete story background, allowing them to know themselves and their enemies in advance.
But this time, there was no intelligence. Even the mission description itself was so vague that it was truly baffling.
On the other hand...
“Wealth is found amidst danger,” the captain said, his voice firm.
“This is both a crisis and an opportunity.”
“If we can successfully complete this mission, our team will be set for life.”
“Everyone, we must give this our all.”
The other four looked at the captain and nodded one after another.
They would do everything in their power to complete the main mission.
As for the side missions?
The main mission was already fraught with difficulty; who had the mind to worry about side missions?
...
Deep Blue Route headquarters.
When the representative walked down the gangway and stepped onto the heavily guarded island, his first reaction was that something was wrong.
The port was several times busier than usual. Armed personnel hurried across the jetties, crates of supplies were being hoisted into transport ships, and several gunboats originally moored in the harbor were being urgently refueled, their weapon systems on deck entering a preheating state.
On the distant helipads, several aircraft were undergoing pre-flight checks.
A tense, urgent atmosphere permeated the island, as if they were about to go to war.
His brow furrowed. He had only gone to Avenia for a short trip; what had happened at headquarters?
“Lerill!”
A familiar voice came from the side.
He turned to see a bearded man walking quickly toward him.
It was his old friend, Karo, the head of the group’s security department.
Karo walked up to him and grabbed his arm.
“You’re finally back. Quick, go to the meeting immediately.”
“What happened?” Lerill asked as he was pulled along.
Karo didn't stop. He glanced at him sideways and said, “The higher-ups already know what happened in Avenia.”
“But that’s just a trivial matter. The real trouble is that one of the group’s most important core laboratories has been destroyed.”
Lerill was startled. “What?”
Karo continued to drag him forward, speaking as they went. “It was a sudden event. There were no signs of intrusion. All the researchers in the lab have lost contact, all the equipment is scrapped, surveillance data is invalid, and the laboratory’s most important research subject has vanished.”
Countless thoughts flashed through Lerill’s mind in an instant.
The core laboratories were the group’s most secret locations, where research regarding the technological origins of Deep Blue Route was conducted.
Even a high-level representative like him had only heard of them and had never been permitted to enter.
And now, one had actually been destroyed?
Karo lowered his voice and said, “The group sent three successive teams to investigate.”
“The first team lost contact just as they approached the lab’s perimeter.”
“The second team, equipped with the most advanced protective gear, disappeared after stepping into the lab’s range.”
“The third team didn't even dare to get close. They only used drones for reconnaissance from a distance. As a result, the drones all malfunctioned the moment they entered that area.”
Lerill’s brow furrowed deeply.
Karo said, “The group has used every means available, but they cannot determine the situation inside the lab. To this day, no one knows what exactly happened in there.”
The two walked quickly into a massive building, passed through layers of security, and finally stopped before a door.
Inside was the group’s highest meeting room.
Karo pushed the door open, interrupting the voices inside.
The long table was already lined with people, all core executives of the group.
Sitting at the head of the table was a man with a majestic countenance whose age was impossible to tell. He was the Chief Executive Officer of Deep Blue Route.
“Lerill, Karo, sit,” the CEO said, his voice low and steady.
The meeting had clearly already begun. Lerill, who was late, took a seat at the foot of the table, with Karo sitting beside him.
The CEO looked grave as he continued the topic that had just been interrupted.
“You all already know about the destruction of the core laboratory. Now, I need you to understand one thing.”
“Inside that laboratory was our most important research subject, designated S-003, ‘Primordial Light.’”
Lerill was stunned.
Primordial Light?
He had never heard that name before.
The CEO said, “You do not need to know what 003 is.”
“You only need to know that much of the group’s technology and the high-tech advancements that lead this era originated from it.”
“Over the years, we have gained numerous benefits from it, including many high-tech items, supernatural objects, and occult knowledge.”
“But unfortunately, we could only analyze a portion of its technology. There are still many things we cannot understand to this day, which we can only apply directly without knowing the principles behind them.”
Lerill’s expression grew more serious as he listened. This was intelligence he had never been able to access before.
Only through the CEO’s description did he realize that many of the black technologies used by the group—including those on Avenia—were items obtained from S-003.
The sudden failure of the equipment on Avenia was most likely because S-003 had vanished. Those black technologies probably relied on its existence; with the source gone, the technology naturally failed.
And then there was that Killing Competition game. Entertainment and profit were merely secondary; the true purpose of the game’s existence was screening.
Through the game, they screened for resilient and tenacious consciousnesses. The group would then use a certain special method to turn them into Trojans, who would then come into contact with S-003 to squeeze even more value from it.
The CEO stood up, leaning his hands on the table, his gaze piercing. “S-003 cannot have vanished into thin air. Either someone destroyed the lab and took it away, or it escaped on its own.”
“Regardless of the case, we must respond rationally and prepare for the worst in advance.”
“S-003 possesses self-awareness and extremely high intelligence. Now, we must not only be wary of the person who destroyed the lab but also of S-003’s retaliation.”
“Therefore, from this moment on, the group enters its highest state of combat readiness. All armed forces are to stand by.”
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