Volume 3: The Nameless Chapter 64: Team K can take simple missions? Who would believe you?
Mason was startled when he heard Mr. Hunter say that the mandatory mission would be carried out in advance. Then he became a little upset when he heard the other party say that this mission would be carried out in the last coordinate world of the World Gate.
The main reason was that they had just returned from old Peter's world, and this "traitor execution" had left everyone exhausted and they hadn't had a good rest. Selina encountered a symbiote crisis and couldn't move at all before she recovered.
It is easy to encounter unplanned situations when performing mandatory tasks at this time.
This was something Mason had been trying to avoid.
Mr. Hunter seemed to sense Mason's worry. She did not try to persuade him but directly stated the content of the mission.
“I won’t let you go into battle, nor do you have to set foot in the area where you are in danger of death. I also know the situation of Team K, so I specifically chose that assassin world.
You just need to enter and find a specific area to unlock a piece of information.
If you are lucky, you can come back in one day. ”
"Um?"
Mason raised his eyebrows when he heard the content of the mission. He immediately thought of what he had gotten from old Teague before.
After searching in the bag for a few seconds, he took the "Golden Apple of Odin" in his hand. This Isu creation shone with a warm light under the light of the shop, and its unique lines revealed a sense of mystery.
"You mean this?"
Mason brought the golden apple to Mr. Hunter and said:
"It is said that this thing was brought out from that world by Old K last time. It was related to a secret mission. He was planning to go there again, but in the end..."
“Yeah, that’s it.”
Mr. Hunter reached out and took the golden apple in his hand. She said with a complicated tone:
“It’s a secret mission from the Quint Society.
There are some legends that have spread from that assassin world. It is said that there were "gods" in the ancient times of that world, and those "gods" predicted the disaster of the parallel world system.
It is always difficult to tell whether this kind of gossip is true or false.
But for us, even the smallest possibility needs to be verified.
So Lao K was asked to go in there to look for traces of those gods. He paid the price of the annihilation of his team to find the golden apple, but this thing needs to be in a specific area to unlock the hidden information in it.
This is the content of your forced pioneering mission this time.
Mason, go to that world to find the device that can unlock the information of the golden apple and bring back the hidden message.
It’s really not as difficult as you think.”
“It doesn’t sound difficult.”
Mason stroked his chin and stared at the golden apple in Mr. Hunter's hand.
From her words, Mason could judge that Mr. Hunter and even the Star Club did not know much about the truth of the "Assassin World", at least not as much as he knew.
There are many "golden apples" like this in that world.
Moreover, the Isu people, an ancient civilization that existed in that world, were not "gods", although they undoubtedly possessed various super-advanced black technologies and were gods.
But these are indeed two completely different things and cannot be confused.
"Is there anything else I should be aware of?"
Mason asked, pretending to be stupid.
“Yes, and quite a lot.”
Mr. Hunter returned the golden apple to Mason, and she said:
"'Assassin's World' was accidentally discovered during a routine exploration seven months ago. Due to its special nature, it is a public area just like the 'World of Magical Creatures'.
That world is rich in magical weapons and ancient knowledge left over from the ancient era of gods, so after it appeared, many B-level personnel would stay there to look for usable weapons and equipment.
We have a 'safe zone' that has been carved out there.
If Team K encounters trouble, they can go there for help. Of course, this kind of private hiring between teams does require costs.
I believe you can understand this.”
"Oh? A public world?"
Mason raised his eyebrows and said:
"That is to say, if necessary, we can even hire other people to help us throughout the process, and we just sit back and enjoy the results?"
"If you can afford the commission, of course."
Mr. Hunter rolled his eyes and said:
“But I think it’s a bit difficult to hire those B-level teams with your current financial resources.
But if you are determined to do this, I will not stop you. As long as you can bring back the information in this golden apple, your pioneering mission will be completed.
However, Mason, I want to tell you that the 'world of assassins' may not be as simple as it seems.
The last time Lao K explored the world, he encountered a very dangerous situation. According to his subsequent report, in addition to the superficial forces in that world, there are some hidden dangerous forces.
Just like in some spiritual worlds there is a distinction between the 'surface world' and the 'inner world', for example, this golden apple does not belong to the realm of appearances.
I guess if you bring this thing into that world you'll be targeted, so there's still some danger.
My advice to you is the sooner the better.
Don’t stay there too long.”
Mason nodded.
He looked at the golden apple in his hand and asked again:
"If you have confirmed that there is a hidden power in that B-level world, and there are even prophecies circulating about the crisis in this parallel world, then why don't you conduct a large-scale investigation or fully deploy there?
I think if that prophecy is true, the importance of this world is far beyond the ordinary A-level world, right?
Isn't this worth starting a large-scale invasion war?"
"That's just a B-level world, Mason. Its power system determines that it is difficult to create miracles. Being able to discover danger and being able to resolve the crisis are two completely different concepts."
Mr. Hunter shook his head and said:
"There have been similar precedents in previous pioneering missions. In some worlds with magical heritage, there have also been 'prophets' and other figures who have predicted that impact events will occur in the future.
But without exception they were unable to respond effectively to this, so if it was just a prophecy it would not be worth the stars making a fuss about it.
We still have a lot of A-level worlds on our hands that we haven't figured out yet.
Besides, it has only been seven months since we discovered it, and our operations in that world are still at the stage of reconnaissance and intelligence gathering.
Large-scale advancement and exploration will have to wait until subsequent plans are implemented.
Secondly, the matter of the golden apple has only been confirmed among "us" so far.
I am sure that some senior members of the Star Society are also secretly investigating that world under the orders of the higher-ups. In fact, such investigations have never stopped since we discovered that world.
But except Old K, no one else was able to bring anything valuable out of there.
Judging from the style of the superior organization of the Conclave, once it is confirmed that the information in the Golden Apple is indeed useful, the assassin world will immediately fall into an unstoppable war of destruction.
That's not what I wanted to see.
If that world really hides doomsday prophecies and defense methods left by ancient gods, we would be more inclined to cooperate with them to jointly explore ways to resist the crisis.
Rather than grabbing those things at the cost of destruction.”
She paused, then said to Mason:
"So regardless of whether the information you unlock is useful or not, the details of this operation must remain completely confidential. If you leak it, Mason, I will not punish you.
But all the wars and sufferings that the world has caused because of your careless actions are your responsibility. I guess you don't want to see a world in crisis because of you, right?"
"Well, it sounds like a huge responsibility and there's the possibility of a debt of conscience."
Mason grinned.
He put the golden apple away, nodded to Mr. Hunter and said:
"I will be as careful as possible. Is there a time limit for this pioneering mission?"
"A standard development cycle is five days."
Mr. Hunter made a gesture and said:
"But as I said just now, for your safety, the sooner the better.
Of course, as I said just now, the assassin's world has always been rich in excellent ancient weapons and equipment, such as Lao K's Su Jie's Eagle, which is one of the representatives.
If you still have energy to spare, you can search among them.
If necessary, I can give you some clues. I heard that Abstergo, the largest pharmaceutical company in the assassin world, has a collection of many very good ancient weapons.
But because too many pioneering teams have their eyes on them, the defense system there has become very tight, making it difficult for Team K to break through with their current strength.
So you should wait until you officially become B-level personnel before going on an adventure."
After saying that, Mr. Hunter took out a pocket watch and checked the time. She turned around and prepared to leave. She waved her hand and a silver light curtain appeared. But before she walked into it, she turned back and said to Mason:
"Finally, I'll give you a suggestion. Don't get distracted when you stay in that world. The code name there is 'Assassin's World' because they have used this unique heritage to its fullest.
According to our statistics, one-third of the people in that world are engaged in assassination or related professions. If you throw a brick on the road and hit ten people, at least four of them could be assassins.
Because of this, even though the power system of that world is not outstanding among all the B-level worlds, its danger level is no different from that of an ordinary A-level world.
Ever since it was discovered and pioneering teams entered, there have been constant incidents of senior pioneers making mistakes and being inexplicably killed.
After all, no matter how good you are at fighting, you can't withstand a city full of killers who want to kill you except you, and their organization is very vigilant and tight, and it is almost impossible to infiltrate in a short time.
The two previous "pollution operations" were discovered and countered in the first stage, which is one of the reasons why the Star Club has not made up its mind to launch large-scale operations against it.
The cost-effectiveness of launching a full-scale invasion of a B-level world is simply too low.
So remember to keep a low profile, Mason."
"Thanks for the reminder."
Mason nodded and responded seriously. Mr. Hunter walked into the light curtain and disappeared, leaving him alone in his shop.
The young man looked at the golden apple in his hand, and then thought about his understanding of this thing and that world system, and he couldn't help but twitch his mouth.
He now had a suspicion that the Star Society might not yet be truly aware of the source of inheritance in the assassin world.
“Considering the Isu’s technological level and the strange things they left behind, the evaluation of this assassin world in the Star Society is a bit too low.
There must be something fishy going on here.”
Mason rubbed his forehead, put away the golden apple, and sent a message to his teammates.
Of course not everyone.
Considering the uniqueness and danger of this mission, he felt that the fewer people who went, the better.
Selena is still recuperating.
At Hogwarts, Kite Man helped Poison Ivy get familiar with the environment and also found palladium for Mason to make an energy battery. Jack and his threesome were unable to cope with the challenge of the B-level world with their force.
Therefore, he decided to bring only Zha Kang and Er Tong with him on this operation.
But an hour later, when he was waiting for the meeting, he unexpectedly saw Barbara among them.
"What are you doing here?"
Mason said in surprise:
"Shouldn't you be accompanying Judy around Gotham?"
"Judy doesn't need me to accompany her at all. With her ability to hack into any network in the world at any time, Gotham is nothing more than a chaotic playground for her.
She is currently helping Madam Elizabeth with the Glacier Bar, and is said to be planning to develop an entertainment called 'Super Dream' inside it."
Batgirl rubbed her flattened hair and said:
"I just finished my 'upgrade', Mason. I thought I should find a place to test the limits of my current abilities and adjust my fighting style.
I just heard Jason say there was a sudden action, so I came here."
"I told you to think about it! But you still put something dangerous into your head!"
Mason glared at Barbara fiercely.
But since it was her own choice, Mason didn't say too much. He just used the alchemist's method to help Barbara examine her body.
The prosthetic modification popular in the world of 2077 is already a fairly mature technology, and even something like installing components into the brain will not cause a health crisis.
At least Mason didn't find any more hidden dangers.
The second barrel next to him also looked worried.
Like Mason, he is a "conservative" in this regard and has some complaints about Barbara's choice.
Ten minutes later, Zha Kang, with a grim look on his face, appeared in the green portal with a cigarette butt in his mouth.
He looked as if he was dead, but it was not just because Mason's sudden call interrupted his and Zack's sweet time together. In fact, they had a fight last night and separated again.
There are many reasons why this guy is in a bad mood.
For example, he brought bad news:
“The good news is that Brad’s letter won the trust of those bigwigs, and they didn’t suspect us.
The bad news is, those assholes have Gotham City on their radar again.
So after we finally get rid of the Demon Knight, there will probably be more troublesome enemies lurking here, and our situation will still not change much.
If we had known this, we should have let Brad come back with us, so that we would have someone to take care of us."
At this point, Zha Kang blew out a puff of smoke, touched his arm, and said:
“And I found a potion for removing disguise magic in Xiaoza’s bedside table. I now strongly suspect that I may have been exposed.
I asked her, but she refused to tell the truth, so we had a big fight and I was kicked out of the Mystery House again.
Damn it!
This is all your fault, Mason."
"Don't put all the blame on me."
Mason, who was applying hair growth agent to Barbara's temples, said without even looking up:
"It's obviously your own fault for not managing your relationship well. What does it have to do with me? Besides, it's exposed, so what? What's the big deal? I now seriously suspect that Batman may have known our identities for a long time.
It's just that he kept it hidden and didn't want to say it.
Perhaps waiting for a certain opportunity?
never mind.
I won’t talk about that in this meeting.
Let’s take a look at this mission first.”
He shook his head, introduced the content of this mandatory mission to the people around him, and repeated Mr. Hunter's instructions verbatim.
Now the expressions on the three people's faces were not very good.
"Unlocking something that looks so incredible in a world full of killers, and calling it a simple task, I think the people in the Star Club are crazy!"
Zha Kang complained:
"What's the difference between this and committing suicide? We might be attacked by a bunch of assassins as soon as we get there. You yourself said that the world is not as simple as it looks on the surface.
I now suspect that this is Mr. Hunter's revenge for the trouble we caused with Old Spider.
Do you think he is planning to use this opportunity to make us disappear from the face of the earth?"
"It's possible, but not very likely."
Mason shrugged and said:
“I have my ideas about this pioneering mission, and if all goes well, we can indeed complete it and withdraw safely in a day or two.
This time you must follow orders and do your job. The key is to not create unnecessary trouble. As long as you don't attract the attention of the 'inner power' of the assassin world, there won't be any problem.
There is no time to lose, get ready and set off now."
