Destiny Mission of game 'Star Ring'

"How about this, we form a team of a hundred elite and participate in the operation together?"

Su Mo suggested after considering the support from Lin Ming and others.

𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"That should do."

Victor pondered and felt that the number of personnel was just right.

"I see no problem with it, count me in."

Karina also expressed her stance.

At this moment, Qian Chengxue also spoke up, "I will participate as well."

"Wait, we can’t all participate in this operation, someone needs to stay behind, right?"

Su Mo hurriedly intervened as one after another expressed their willingness to join.

"Makes sense, how about this. Su Mo, you’ve already had a tough time before, you stay behind, and it’s also convenient for communicating with the locals."

Victor agreed.

Su Mo’s mouth twitched slightly as he quickly responded.

"Hold on, let me lead the team this time around, and all of you stay here."

"How can that be?"

Qian Chengxue and Karina both exclaimed in unison.

Lin Ming and Victor looked at Qian Chengxue and Karina in surprise. Their reaction seemed a bit too much.

Su Mo was also left speechless.

...

Shortly afterward, Jialan arrived with his people.

By then, Su Mo and the others had already gathered a hundred elite combatants waiting.

After an internal discussion, they finally decided that Victor and Karina would stay behind. Lin Ming, Su Mo, and Qian Chengxue would lead the team.

With a wave of his hand, Jialan’s associates returned all previously confiscated weapons to Su Mo and his team.

Su Mo and the others didn’t have any superfluous words, each taking their weapons.

The equipped group followed Jialan toward another side of the gathering area.

At that moment, the civilians in the gathering area crowded around, each with a reluctant gaze watching Jialan and the others set off.

Every time a mission was underway, the hearts of all civilians would be moved, as those going into battle were their own family members.

Seeing this scene, Su Mo felt an inexplicable sourness in his heart. The decline of civilization inevitably led to tragedy.

Soon, Jialan led Su Mo and the others through another exit.

Guards were also stationed at this exit.

As they saw Jialan and the others heading out on a mission, they all raised their hands in salute, watching them leave.

....

Not long after, in the underground passage, Su Mo bent over and followed Jialan forward.

Along the way, Su Mo curiously asked, "Where are we going to look for food now?"

"An abandoned food factory, the entire planet, apart from food factories, it is impossible to find even a trace of spare food elsewhere. And we just happen to know of a relatively safe abandoned food factory we can explore and see if there’s something to be gained. As for the other food factories, they’re heavily guarded, and we can’t even get close."

Jialan explained.

After hearing this, a thought suddenly surfaced in Su Mo’s mind, and he asked in confusion.

"Jialan, why doesn’t the artificial intelligence simply destroy all the food factories? They don’t need food."

"The artificial intelligence, Black Cosmos, won’t destroy the food factories. Within its internal programming, it’s clearly recorded that it must ensure ample food reserves to secure the survival of the Hongji Empire’s people. Actually, it has always been protecting our Hongji Empire, protecting us. It’s not evil; it’s just that it has become confused and out of control, mistaking us for the enemy," Jialan said after a moment of silence.

After listening to Jialan’s words, Su Mo was utterly astonished.

"Are you saying that the downfall of your civilization is actually due to a malfunction in the artificial intelligence?"

"It’s not that simple, there are some things I can’t tell you," Jialan shook his head.

"Hold on, so if the artificial intelligence, Black Cosmos, could be repaired, would all the crises be resolved?"

Su Mo became increasingly excited, feeling as if he had found a critical point.

Jialan, after hearing Su Mo’s words, wanted to say something. However, she seemed hesitant and ended up keeping it to herself.

"We’re about to go above ground, let’s not talk about that, stay sharp."

Su Mo too felt a bit disappointed, as he sensed he had almost touched on a critical point.

At this moment, the deep voice of a silent Fake Owner·Swallower suddenly echoed in Su Mo’s mind.

"Find the central control system here, I want to devour it!"

Su Mo, hearing the Light Computer’s words, was also somewhat speechless.

From the tone of Jialan’s earlier words, even a fool could tell that they didn’t really hate the artificial intelligence Black Cosmos, on the contrary, they seemed to care a lot about it.

If the Light Computer really devoured Black Cosmos, would she turn against us?

Moreover, Su Mo had another major concern, Black Cosmos was in an out-of-control state, wouldn’t the Devourer also lose control after eating it?

This guy itself was already in a damaged state, don’t let it go crazy too after being powered up, that would be disastrous.

Thinking of this, Su Mo decided to ignore the words of the Fake Owner·Swallower until he had a clear understanding of how Black Cosmos lost control.

While Su Mo was lost in his thoughts.

Jialan made a gesture, signaling everyone to stop.

Everyone held their breath.

Jialan slowly lifted her hand and moved the manhole cover above her head slightly, revealing a small gap.

She then took out a mechanical ball the size of a ping pong ball from her waist pack. After being activated, the ball floated up and unfolded an electronic eye.

The Mechanical Reconnaissance Ball flew out and began scanning the outside.

Real-time images were transmitted back to Jialan’s helmet; after confirming that it was safe,

Jialan pushed the manhole cover open, climbed out first, and held her Beam Gun at the ready, cautiously surveying her surroundings.

Soon after, Su Mo and the others also climbed out one by one.

Surveying the area, Su Mo realized they were now inside the Ruins Underground City, surrounded by collapsed steel buildings. The spot where they emerged was conveniently located between two collapsed buildings, providing excellent cover due to the surrounding debris.

"Is that food factory far from here?" Su Mo whispered.

"It’s a straight-line distance of 3 kilometers, but we can’t take the direct route. We’ll have to take a detour and not arouse the enemy’s attention. Once the enemy is alerted, we must change our plan of action. There’s a vital rule for survival here: never lead a trail to a crucial location, even if it means dying out in the open," Jialan stated gravely.

"Understood." Su Mo sucked in a breath of cold air.

"Stick close to me, don’t make any noise during the entire journey, and if you spot a Security Guard, don’t hesitate, take them out immediately...." Jialan led the group quickly forward, continuing to instruct Su Mo and the others on points of attention.

Holding their breath, Su Mo and his companions followed Jialan, navigating through the ruins of the city.

Jialan was exceptionally familiar with the terrain, able to accurately use gaps in the collapsed buildings’ cores as pathways.

The entire Ruins Underground City was eerily quiet, not even the sound of wind.

Walking along, Su Mo felt rather uneasy.

In his mind, he silently communicated with the Fake Owner·Swallower.

"Keep an eye out for me, don’t let the enemies get close without us knowing."

"A bunch of trash, and you’re so afraid of them?"

"...Are you going to help me or not? If you don’t help me, I won’t help you find a power source."

"..."

The Fake Owner·Swallower went silent.

Half an hour later, Su Mo suddenly said to Jialan.

"We’ve been walking for so long and haven’t seen any enemies. Should we pick up the pace?"

Su Mo’s words weren’t spoken without basis; the prompt from the Fake Owner·Swallower indicated that there were no enemies nearby.

"This isn’t normal. Usually, taking this route, no matter how few, there’s bound to be some enemies."

Jialan too felt it strange. Could someone have lured them away?