Fantasy Game: Infinite City

Some time later, on the other side of the planet.

Passing through clouds and thick fog, Han Zu landed on the shore of a lake. The area was vast and empty; aside from aquatic plants and a few birds that swam on the surface, there was practically nothing else. Closest to the shore was a forest a few hundred meters behind Han Zu. The alien trees, glowing with fluorescent properties, were blooming with various flowers, and many ripe fruits had fallen to the ground, some beginning to rot. Small herbivores were feasting on them; it seemed to be harvest season on this planet.

"Current location located: Gozelli 4".

"A known liquid component was detected: Gozeril 4C."

Gozerly 4C is the original liquid material that originated from the super-Earth-like planet Gozerly 4, which is the planet Han Zu is currently on. In the planet's ecology and civilization system, it holds a position equivalent to water on Earth—it is the origin medium for all life on Gozerly 4, the core carrier of atmospheric circulation, and the basic resource for the survival of civilization.

Its physical form is similar to that of Earth's water. At room temperature, it is a clear, silvery-blue liquid that refracts fine, star-like luster when it flows. At low temperatures, it condenses into translucent hexagonal crystals with a hardness close to quartz, yet it can melt rapidly upon contact with the surface of living organisms. At high temperatures, it evaporates into a colorless and odorless gas that permeates every inch of the atmosphere of Gozelly 4.

Gozerle 4C has an extremely stable chemical structure, formed by the combination of the planet's unique "Radiman element" with hydrogen and oxygen. The Radiman element is a product of the decay of radioactive elements deep in the planet's core and is the core source of its special effects.

Han Zu vaguely remembered seeing Gozeli 4C, or rather, its state at other temperatures, at the contractor's base, though he couldn't quite recall it. But now, by comparing the contractor's equipment with the information he had found, Han Zu was able to clearly understand all the details about Gozeli 4C.

Gazeli 4C has a forced sleep effect on most organisms. Whether it is a plant, animal, or microorganism, as long as it comes into contact with the organism, whether through skin contact, inhalation, or ingestion, it will fall into a deep sleep state within 30 seconds to 5 minutes.

Effects of Gozeri 4C on animals: During sleep, vital signs drop to the lowest level, metabolic rate is only 1% of normal, heart rate and respiratory rate are significantly reduced, and there is no response to external stimuli; the duration of sleep is positively correlated with the exposure dose, lasting from a minimum of 12 hours to a maximum of 72 hours, and there are no sequelae after awakening, only a brief period of mild weakness.

For plants: leaves close, roots stop growing, photosynthesis stops, and they enter a dormant state similar to hibernation; after waking up, they will quickly resume growth activity, and because energy consumption is extremely low during the dormant period, the subsequent growth rate will temporarily increase.

For microorganisms: bacteria, viruses, etc. will stop reproducing and their activity will be completely inhibited until Gozerin 4C is completely metabolized in their bodies.

Interestingly, this special harmless liquid has a very low impact on humans and intelligent life forms like the Tigris, and may even have a positive effect.

Using humans as an example, when humans are exposed to Gorzel 4C, they do not experience any drowsiness or even the usual contact-related harms such as skin irritation or respiratory discomfort. This is because the human gene sequence contains a special tolerance fragment—a gene mutation that occurred during the evolution of life on Earth due to accidental exposure to cosmic ray radiation, which happens to neutralize the biosignatures of the radiman element in Gorzel 4C.

When humans come into contact with Gazeli 4C, they will only feel a mild cooling sensation: when in contact with the skin, the liquid is quickly absorbed by the epidermis, which can temporarily relieve muscle fatigue; when drunk, it tastes sweet and can promote human metabolism, and even help improve mild insomnia. It is no exaggeration to say that as long as it does not exceed a certain amount, this stuff can be drunk like water. However, drinking too much may indeed cause sleep problems, similar to drinking too many energy drinks.

"Radiman Element... I feel like I've heard that name before?"

"Radiman element? Why did you suddenly think of that?"

Within the contractor's equipment, Christina's voice on the communication channel pulled Han Zu, who was immersed in the "ocean of knowledge," back to reality. Judging from her tone, she seemed to know some knowledge about the Radiman element.

"I just felt the name sounded familiar, but I couldn't remember where I'd heard it before. Now that you mention it, you've remembered?"

"Isn't that an ingredient in a tranquilizer that Infinite Corporation used in its early days? I remember when you were still at Infinite Corporation, you should have had contact with the research department that studied those things, right?"

"Very important?"

"Not really. While those tranquilizers work well for other creatures, they don't work well for humans. Infinite Corporation has now identified two applications for the radiman element. The first is to add specific ingredients to use it as an anesthetic for capture missions, and the second is to add some stimulant ingredients to use it as an emergency injection for the company's combat personnel."

"Emergency injections? You mean those high-potency... uh... you know, those kinds of things, right? Anyway, are you sure these things won't cause side effects?"

"No, radium is very stable for humans, and it's one of the few substances that doesn't produce side effects after being absorbed by the body... Oh, actually, it does have some effects, but they're not significant... I guess."

"What impact?"

"People who use large amounts of injections containing radiman elements will not experience any side effects while alive, but after death, their bodies will immediately... uh... I mean carbonize within four hours. If there's any real impact, it might just mean the burning time is significantly prolonged? Some departments within the board specifically collect these carbonized corpses as backup energy, although I don't know why they would use such a low-yield 'energy system.' However, this kind of thing isn't unusual within Infinite Corporation, and since carbonization only occurs after death, nobody really pays attention to it. But you seem quite curious?"

"I guess so. The planet I'm on right now is full of radicands. Radiimans are practically everywhere on this planet, just like nitrogen in Earth's atmosphere?"

"That place is really bizarre..."

"So you really haven't been to this place, right?"

"Oh... damn it..."

Judging from their conversation, Christina didn't seem to have been to this planet herself before sending Han Zu there. However, she was probably lying. Han Zu might have had some doubts, but he might not have cared, or he might have had absolute confidence in his own strength. So even now that Christina's lie has been exposed, Han Zu hasn't shown any emotional change.

"Um...aren't you angry?"

"Why should I be angry? I've said before that as long as these things don't conflict with my interests or affect me, I basically don't care... Oh, by the way, the people the Griffin sent to wipe out the two squads were... or maybe two Scavenger squads. The Deer Faction might have found something sensitive here."

"Is it the black crystal deposits in that area?"

"That's what I thought at first, but now it seems... that's not the case. It must be because they witnessed a copy of me on this planet."

"Oh... what the hell???? Your clone????"

"By the way, about that I asked before, has a woman named Garcia appeared in Sebastian's sight...?"

"There is indeed such a person. That woman seems to be working on some secret project with Sebastian. I don't know the details. Is this the woman you mentioned before?"

“Yes, she has complete early samples of my body tissue. That explains the appearance of those clones.”

"Don't tell me she's building an army... If they're all clones of you, then we're in trouble..."

"Theoretically, that should be the case, but as for those clones, don't worry. Apart from being able to fly, their strength is at most comparable to the C-class combat units of Infinite Corporation. If the Deer Faction's equipment hadn't been so poor, two squads should have been able to take them down. But the problem now is, my biological samples didn't have the ability to fly, nor did they have laser eyes. How did these clones acquire these abilities?"

"Perhaps they can evolve like you? Or perhaps they can gain similar abilities by absorbing other things? Or maybe... what's wrong, Sophia... you mean... is there such a thing?"

A hushed conversation came through Christina's communication channel; someone was talking to her, presumably Sophia and her team who had been teleported back. It seemed Christina had acted quickly and already arranged things for both teams. This suggested that Christina and Sophia had a close relationship, likely quite well. Of course, this didn't seem to matter much to Han Zu.

"Could it be related to those black crystal deposits? Sophie...the two teams said that the clones seem quite interested in those crystals?"

Han Zu raised an eyebrow. Christina was deliberately downplaying Sophia's presence in front of him. Christina's attitude towards someone like Sophia, who was essentially cannon fodder, was unusual. 'Perhaps Sophia was originally Christina's informant?' Han Zu thought, but for now, Sophia's identity wasn't important to him. So he stopped worrying about it and continued his conversation with Christina.

"No, although the black crystals have considerable energy storage, the energy is very stable and will not change. Simply put, those black crystals can be used as energy cores or something similar, but it's completely impossible to gain any new abilities from them. Moreover, based on my contact with those clones, their energy conversion probability is very low. They cannot absorb any kind of energy directly and convert it into my own energy like I can. They need a specific energy frequency to recharge, or they can only wait for the energy to regenerate on its own. They are probably not attracted by the energy of the black crystals or the mineral deposits, but rather they have sensed the presence of other clones."

"So they really do have the ability to evolve, just like you?!"

"That's even more impossible. The cells on those three clones are just products of some kind of genetic laboratory. They don't have any evolutionary ability. Moreover, from my observation, their combat skills and ability usage in battle are basically at the instinct stage, which means they don't have much intelligence. But judging from their fighting behavior, they seem to have a certain degree of self-awareness. So what I'm more concerned about is that they are obviously clones of me created by some means, but it seems that they are experimental subjects released out for observation."

"Any biological weapon or clone, before it can be truly put into use, must first undergo experimentation and observation, which sounds perfectly normal. Do you have any other ideas?"

"Based on my understanding of Garcia, although she may have the ability to create such replicas, she would definitely not involve too many people in this matter for the sake of secrecy. As for Sebastian, although I don't know much about him, but..."

“Once Sebastian realizes the importance of this project, he will streamline the number of people who know the inside story as much as possible. In that case, they certainly won't choose a location with other forces, especially the Deer Faction, to conduct experiments and observations. Do you think these clones weren't created by Garcia and Sebastian? But if that's the case, why would the Griffin Faction send the Cleaners to wipe out the two teams?”

"I have a question for you. When the Griffin Squad needs to go on a mission to a distant alien planet, what methods do they usually use to get to the mission location?"

"A teleportation device—fast, discreet, and capable of severing the Cleaners' team's connection with the Griffin Faction if necessary. What's wrong with that?"

"But based on my current understanding, those scavengers seem to have arrived by spaceship."

"That's unlikely. Using a spaceship would significantly increase the chances of being exposed. The Griffin Faction wouldn't make such a mistake... Wait, you mean someone impersonated a member of the Griffin Faction?"

"Now it seems that this is the case."

"Someone from the company?"

"Unlikely, after all, the company now... I mean the company on Earth, has basically become accomplices with the Ferdinand family. The remaining people loyal to the company are unlikely to be able to organize enough armed forces, and even if the headquarters on the moon were to intervene, they wouldn't get involved in such a trivial matter. I think it's some other force."

"I can't think of anyone other than the head office who would dare to make a move against the Ferdinand family."

"The fact that they used a disguised identity means that the mastermind behind this operation also thinks so. They won't openly challenge the family's interests, but at least they have the guts to cheat the Ferdinand family. Given that... wait a minute, perhaps this fake cleaner team and those clones are from the same force."

"Are there really such talented people?"

"Of course, never underestimate any force."

"It sounds like you've got a clue?"

"I suppose so, but this isn't a pressing matter right now. We can finish your business first."

"Have you finished your business?"

"That's true for now. You said before that we need to find another way to enter the Infinite City?"

"Yes, there's a problem related to the Ferdinand family that needs to be dealt with, but it's best to wait until you get back to talk about it. It won't take long anyway."

"Row."

After ending the communication, Han Zu gazed at the scenery of the alien lake for a few minutes before teleporting back to his base via the contractor's equipment. Half an hour later, Christina, having dealt with the issues of the two teams, also returned to Han Zu's base. After a short rest, the two began discussing their upcoming operations.