Chapter 353 - 328: Hidden Rule 15

Chapter 353: Chapter 328: Hidden Rule 15

"Pop quiz, no prize: what kind of lifeform will this intelligent alien individual be?"

"I’m guessing carbon-based, like humans. That’s the only way communication would have any value, right?"

"What’s the fun in it being like a human? Silicon-based would be best. It might even offer some insights for human AI development."

"The flesh is weak, machine ascension!"

"I’m fantasizing again, but it would be great if it was a beautiful robot Angel, like in an anime!"

"I’m more interested in the Fire Thief’s note in the rules. ’Humanity is not alone in the universe.’ Maybe some kind of federation of cosmic civilizations from sci-fi movies actually exists. Just thinking about it is exciting!"

"So what if it does? With humanity’s current level of space travel, we can’t even leave our own star system. No matter how big or amazing the world outside is, it has nothing to do with us."

"So, that confirms the Fire Thief is an alien, right? Sigh... Why couldn’t the first to come to Celestial Water Star be a benevolent, advanced civilization? Why did we have to get a destroyer!"

As expected, the new rule’s announcement set off a frenzy of discussion online.

Compared to the previous rules, this one’s simple lack of a failure penalty allowed everyone to breathe a collective sigh of relief and finally get some rest.

As for the impending arrival of the intelligent alien individual, it felt like a sci-fi movie coming to life. Everyone was on the edge of their seat, eager to see what an alien actually looked like.

At the mercenary group’s base, Guan Tong and Shangyuan Zi only discussed the new rule briefly after it was announced.

Before the Fire Thief deployed the intelligent alien individual onto Celestial Water Star, humanity had absolutely no information about it.

What form of life it was, what impact it would have on humanity, whether it was good or evil—all of this would only be known after its arrival.

So, after exchanging a few words with Shangyuan Zi, Guan Tong silently opened his Terminal Panel to check this time’s hidden rule.

[Hidden Rule 15: The Price of an Answer]

[Content: The interaction mode of the intelligent alien individual deployed on Celestial Water Star will change based on its state of appetite.]

[Note: When the reward is great enough, does a hefty price become an acceptable choice?]

’...What does that mean?’

Guan Tong finished reading the hidden rule’s content but couldn’t fully understand it.

However, he had an instinctive dislike for this hidden rule.

The words "a hefty price" in the note gave him a bad feeling.

He went online and saw that, aside from speculation about the intelligent alien individual, people were also guessing whether the administrator of Ascender’s Home would sell or release the hidden information this time.

The official accounts of several government departments were also waiting.

Guan Tong decided to wait and see for now.

He wouldn’t release the hidden rule without understanding it himself. ℴ

Then came the wait. He and Shangyuan Zi waited until noon, 12:00 PM. Exactly three hours had passed since the rule’s announcement, and it was time for the Fire Thief’s deployment.

At that moment, the satellite observation departments of several major powers were at full staff, and soon, they detected something.

"There it is!"

Shouts erupted within the control room of the North Star Aerospace Agency.

"It’s not on the ground! It’s in space!"

"Anomalous signal detected! Something has appeared in Celestial Water Star’s orbit!"

"Is that a spaceship?! How did it appear out of thin air!"

In the footage captured by the satellites, a deep brown, oblate spacecraft—somewhat resembling a human chocolate chip cookie—suddenly appeared.

The Aerospace Agency employees all stared at their screens, their faces etched with disbelief.

"It’s a spatial warp! I bet it’s a spatial warp!"

"Could the principle be similar to Teleportation Items? A jump through a wormhole?"

"It’s descending rapidly!"

Alarms blared from various instruments as the strangely shaped spacecraft, after appearing in Celestial Water Star’s orbit, quickly began its descent into the atmosphere.

"Calculating landing coordinates..."

"Based on calculations, the spacecraft will land on the Sennantata Icefield in Sisiya Country! Estimated time of landing... precise coordinates are approximately..."

The Aerospace Agency staff quickly calculated the data and reported the results to the top brass.

Upon receiving the results, the leadership immediately contacted Sisiya.

...

"The intelligent alien individual is being deployed here in Sisiya?"

Yelena felt a surge of pressure upon receiving the news.

She had just become Governor on January 1st. Now, with the landing site inside Sisiya’s borders, her country would undoubtedly be under the world’s microscope.

For someone who had just taken office, this was unquestionably a test.

But it was also an opportunity.

If she handled it well, she could prove she was more than capable of serving as Governor and silence the opposition, who always used her age against her.

She acted immediately, summoning her most trusted subordinate, Sikokun.

"I have a mission for you."

"Awaiting your orders, Governor."

"Take a rapid response team to the alien spacecraft’s landing site in Sennantata at once and establish a perimeter. Until the Human Federation’s joint contact team arrives, no one is to approach the landed spacecraft. That, of course, includes your own squad."

"Understood."

Sikokun received her orders and departed immediately.

Next, Yelena ordered Sisiya’s own contact delegation to prepare.

After the rule was announced, every nation had immediately assembled a team for first contact with the intelligent alien individual.

These teams included scholars, soldiers, and some nations even included artists.

This was because no one was sure if the alien being would have certain preferences.

However, the highest-ranking decision-makers of all nations unanimously agreed not to participate in the initial contact.

This was a safety precaution. No one could guarantee that the alien individual deployed by the Fire Thief wouldn’t be aggressive.

Yelena strictly adhered to the resolution agreed upon by the Human Federation, not attempting to use her country’s proximity to its advantage by sending her own delegation to make contact first.

In less than half an hour, the contact delegations from other nations began arriving in Sisiya, forming the "Human Federation Contact Delegation."

This delegation was a massive procession of a hundred people, and with their accompanying guards, the total number was nearly three hundred—a considerable force.

Under Yelena’s arrangements, these three hundred people immediately set out for the Sennantata Icefield.

If not for this event, many in the delegation would likely have gone their entire lives without ever setting foot in this frigid land, which was rarely visited by outsiders.

After some time, the delegation arrived at the spacecraft’s Landing Site.

Many soldiers in thick Combat Suits had already cordoned off the vicinity. It was the rapid response team led by Sikokun.

She stepped forward to greet the delegation upon their arrival.

Only after verifying their identities and getting a secondary confirmation via remote communication with Yelena did she have her soldiers open the way.

"You’ve been here for a while. Did you see it land with your own eyes?!"

One of the delegates asked Sikokun urgently, his eyes glued to the alien vessel that looked like a chocolate chip cookie magnified a thousand times.

"We saw it," Sikokun said. "It was like... jelly. It even bounced twice when it landed."

’Jelly?’

Everyone was baffled by her words.

However, they didn’t waste any more time talking to the soldier. After passing through the security line, they all gathered in front of the spacecraft.

"Hey! Hello! Alien!"

"Come on out!"

Someone shouted loudly, only to be met with disdain from the others.

"Don’t just yell like that! You look like you’ve never seen the world!"

The speaker straightened his clothes, bowed slightly toward the spacecraft, and said politely, "Welcome to our beautiful Celestial Water Star, guest from another world."

The spacecraft did not respond.

The crowd exchanged confused glances.

Someone brought out sonic and signal emitters, trying to communicate non-verbally with the intelligent alien individual inside the spacecraft, but to no avail.

It wasn’t just the people on site who were baffled; the billions of viewers watching the live broadcast around the world were also stunned.

That’s right. People believed this historic moment of "third kind" contact should belong to all of humanity, not just be witnessed by a select few representatives.

Therefore, the entire contact process was being broadcast live. Anyone who could watch a livestream was glued to their screen, putting everything else aside.

"What’s going on? Why isn’t it coming out?"

"Could it be dead inside? Like in the sci-fi movies where all they find is an alien corpse."

"Those people on site are so dumb! Why are they just standing there? If it won’t come out, figure out a way to go in!"

"You can’t even see an entrance on this cookie ship. How are they supposed to get in?"

The people watching the livestream flooded the screen with comments, each one seemingly more impatient than the members of the contact team on site.

Guan Tong and Shangyuan Zi were, of course, also watching the livestream, and they were just as confused.

’Could the Fire Thief have made a mistake? That seems unlikely...’

Just as everyone was trying to make sense of the situation, with some on site even planning an "internal reconnaissance," the spacecraft finally showed signs of activity.

A vertical, barrel-shaped nozzle protruded from the spacecraft, and a moment later, a glob of pitch-black, sticky substance shot out of it.

The hundred-plus members of the contact delegation all looked up.

The next moment, the gelatinous, slimy mass fell toward the crowd.

A collective gasp went through the crowd. Most people dodged instinctively, while others froze, unsure what to do.

A man and a woman from the delegation, frozen in place, were instantly covered and enveloped by the glob.

A sickening SIZZLE erupted, like a ladle of hot oil being poured onto a cake.

In less than a few seconds, the man and woman were completely devoured, not even a scrap of their clothing left behind. The black ooze then collapsed to the ground, resembling a large, ugly, pitch-black rag.

The hundreds of people at the scene, along with the billions of humans watching the live broadcast, were all stunned by what they had just witnessed.

After a brief, deathly silence, chaos erupted at the scene.

"Ahhh!" someone shrieked.

"...Stay away from it!"

"Quick! Soldiers!"

The members of the contact team scrambled back as the soldiers, drenched in cold sweat, raised their weapons.

And just then, a strange, low gurgle emanated from the black ooze.

"Taste... passed... Give me food... Answer... questions..."