The Legendary Mechanic

At this time, the image of [Bold Explorer] stopped, and his vision returned to the warehouse.

He lifted his palm from the cold shell of the triangular device, stood in place, and looked at the device in silence.

He remained silent and did not move at all. Clueless as to what was going on, Harrison sensitively felt that the atmosphere had gradually become heavier, so he cautiously asked, "Your Excellency Black Star, did something happen?"

"…Nothing." Han Xiao regained focus. He glanced at him and then walked out of the warehouse with wide strides. Harrison quickly followed after him.

"Go do your stuff. You don't have to follow me."

"Oh, sure."

Like he had just been spared his life, Harrison quickly left.

Although Black Star did not do anything, just being beside him made Harrison feel extremely pressured.

After getting rid of Harrison, Han Xiao returned to his room and thought of the secrets he had just seen. His mind started working fast.

The Virtual Mutiny Virus's real name is the Domino Virus, it seems. What a terrifying weapon of war. Any organization that gets their hands on this technology will have the absolute upper hand in the information war…

He finally understood why the Intelligent Plague still swarmed the entire universe in his previous life. It turned out that it was not only because some people did not obey the three Universal Civilizations, but the three Universal Civilizations could not stop the Domino Virus' invasion.

It was not because their technology was inferior, but they did not have enough information and got caught by surprise.

After all, who would ever think that the Virtual Mutiny Virus worked this way?

If not because he had seen the virus' true identity from [Bold Explorer], he would probably have been in the exact same spot the three Universal Civilizations were in, still seeing the virus core as just a data program.

According to common sense, the virus core was supposed to just be the switch that monitored the entire infection progress. Hence, the three Universal Civilizations thought that they had nothing to be afraid of because they had already come up with the antivirus.

Of course, they had no idea that the virus core had the ability to update and evolve on its own. What they had under control at the moment was just the first-generation virus. As long as the core was not dealt with, there would still be the second generation, the third generation, and so on. Furthermore, there would be no incubation period next time; the virus would directly cause the machinery to rebel.

Not only was its infectiousness more horrifying than expected, but the virus core's ability to escape was also astonishing. It was not limited by its data state and could even enter the material world, forming an electromagnetic field as the body to carry itself and switch freely between the virtual and the real world. It was not afraid of being locked in the network at all.

As the foundation of its existence was a virtual soul, the virus core did not need any physical node to enter the quantum network. It was similar to how Beyond Grade A Virtual Mechanics could enter the quantum network anytime they wanted. It would only need a node as the exit when materializing, meaning that it could teleport between the various nodes using the quantum network.

No wonder I couldn't find any traces of the virus core over the past few months. It's probably not because Harrison's Luck Glow isn't good enough, but it simply can't be caught on the network.

This ability was similar to his Void Dimension Jump. To the virus core, the quantum network was like another secondary dimension it could enter any time it wanted.

This artificial intelligence civilization probably did not reach the Universal Civilization level, since the three Universal Civilizations had the ability to analyze the Domino Virus completely. However, this needed time. Therefore, when facing this kind of weaponized virus, there would always be a period of time when there were simply no measures to deal with it.

The specialties of every civilization were different. There would also be some civilizations that would invent some new technology. For example, the Kunde Race's Spacetime Splicer. The three Universal Civilizations were inferior in the virtual virus technology aspect. After all, even the citizens of this civilization were artificial intelligence life forms, so this was clearly their strongest suit.

Wait a minute, if the three Universal Civilizations successfully defused the Intelligent Plague in my previous life, the virus core was definitely dealt with, so the three Universal Civilizations would have certainly obtained this technology… But why did they not use it when fighting the World Tree Civilization?

Han Xiao had some suspicions.

Could it be that… the virus core did not end up in the hands of the three Universal Civilizations in the previous life but somehow got obtained by someone else?

The next moment, the image of an old man appeared in the Great Mechanic Han's mind…

Mechanic Empire Manison!

This b*stard was the most suspicious!

One could not blame Han Xiao for thinking this way. Manison gave him too strong of an impression as someone who would do something like this.

Furthermore, the original material of the Domino Virus was mutated artificial intelligence life forms, and Manison just so happened to be in control of an artificial intelligence civilization.

It was horrifying to even think about it!

Han Xiao hastily shook his head, left these thoughts behind, and pondered.

The three Universal Civilizations made a lot of mistakes and learned a lot of lessons before finally understanding how the Domino Virus worked. Now that I've seen the truth in advance, I can skip that process and come up with prevention measures!

Having thought of that, Han Xiao was relieved.

In his previous life, the three Universal Civilizations had no choice but to learn through mistakes. Now that he, someone who had already watched the 'instruction manual' was there, the same thing did not have to happen again.

Maybe, the source of the virus might even be dealt with in the first generation. This way, the virus would have no chance of causing an outbreak, and the damage would be minimized!

When looking at it this way, the butterfly effects he had brought seemed to lean more toward the positive side.

The main issue now is convincing the three Universal Civilizations to change their plan of killing the virus on a large scale. If the virus core isn't dealt with, no matter how many viruses they kill, it won't make a difference. The virus core's ability is very tough to deal with, so I'll need the three Universal Civilizations' cooperation to deal with it…

Its ability to self-evolve was the most terrifying one. As long as that was dealt with, the rest would not be too much of a problem.

He was not afraid of the virus core escaping from the Ancient Star Desert. The quantum network of this Star Field was in lockdown. It was like an enormous LAN network, so it could not receive any feedback from the viruses within the Ancient Star Desert from outside it.

Even if the virus core really got out, it would still have to come back and log in to this sealed network to monitor the overall infection progress of the Ancient Star Desert.

This meant that even though the virus core could teleport in the quantum network, its range was limited to the Ancient Star Desert.

As for whether it would go out and spread the virus seed, Han Xiao was not worried either. Although the three Universal Civilizations lacked information, they were not useless. In order to prevent the virus from getting out, they were also doing large-scale scanning in the outside world.

If the first-generation virus infected the outside world, the three Universal Civilizations would notice it very quickly. There was no need for him to worry.

After analyzing for a while, Han Xiao had some ideas. He summoned Phillip and said, "Contact the three Universal Civilizations' pandemic command center as well as the other Beyond Grade A Mechanics for a meeting. Tell them I've made a huge discovery about the virus core…"

…

After receiving Black Star's invite, the three people in charge of the department, including Sidreun, and all the other Beyond Grade A Mechanic dropped their work and arrived at the Intelligent Plague Pandemic Command Center's conference room in the form of remote projections. They were all there to hear Black Star's discovery.

As soon as Han Xiao's remote projection appeared, Sidreun could not wait and asked, "Black Star, have you found the virus core?"

"Not yet, but I've made a shocking discovery."

Hearing that Han Xiao did not find the virus core, the people present were both disappointed and glad, followed by the curiosity of the huge discovery Han Xiao spoke of.

"What did you discover?"

"Here's the thing…"

Han Xiao cut to the chase and directly explained the rough mechanisms of the virus core, mainly emphasizing its ability to transform freely between the virtual and the real world, as well as its ability to self-evolve.

The threat of the Domino Virus was too high. Working together to defuse the pandemic was the top priority at the moment, so he did not plan to keep anything to himself.

After hearing what Han Xiao said, everyone present became silent. They looked at each other and did not even know what to feel.

Seeing this, Han Xiao continued and said, "Therefore, your plan to kill the virus on a large scale won't work. The threat of the Intelligent Plague will only be removed when the virus core is found, so I suggest you take action immediately…"

This time, Sidreun interrupted Han Xiao and said with a strange expression, "Black Star, I'd like to ask… where did you obtain this information from?"

The rest of the people present had the exact same thought. They all stared closely at Han Xiao.

They had to be doubtful. This information was way too detailed… so detailed it almost seemed made up!

Are you messing with us?

It's not impossible given how cheeky you are!

This matter is huge, and there's no room for anyone to play tricks. We have to confirm the authenticity of the information. How can we just believe you if you don't show us some proof?

"I knew you'd say that." Han Xiao was not surprised at all and went on to explain, "Actually, I discovered the virus core's traces in the quantum network not long ago. I was just about to try to track and capture it when it disappeared from the quantum network without any signs, and the lead I had ended there… I'm a peak Beyond Grade A Virtual Mechanic, yet it could still disappear into thin air right under my nose without me having any idea of how it did it. Some of you surely know how difficult it is to do that. That's when I started suspecting that it's not just a data program."

"Then? How did you discover this information?" Sidreun asked.

"Your documents should have recorded that I have the ability to passively see the future. A few days after I noticed that the virus core isn't as simple as we thought it was, I had a vision and saw the future. I saw how the Intelligent Plague erupted and how it killed countless lives. At the same time, I saw the true identity of this virus core." Han Xiao shrugged. "So, if you're asking for proof, I really can't provide any."

"That's… you're making it difficult for us."

The various people in charge from the three Universal Civilizations all looked troubled.

It was not that they did not trust Black Star, but foresight was indeed inaccurate sometimes. This matter involved the safety of the entire universe. It was way too risky to bet all their chips on a prophecy without any real evidence.

Han Xiao had no other choice. He did not have any real evidence, so what he said was certainly not going to be convincing enough. He could only use his ability of foresight as an excuse. After all, [Bold Explorer] was not something he could really explain, and it was not even as convincing as prophecies.

Nonetheless, although what he said lacked any real proof and was not convincing enough, with his current position, even if the three Universal Civilizations' people would not believe him immediately, they would still definitely find ways to prove or disprove what he said. He did not have to do too much explaining.

In the end, if what Han Xiao said was proved to be false, the three Universal Civilizations would undoubtedly trust Han Xiao less in the future. However, before that, they would not instantly take Han Xiao's words as false.

After so many things had happened, the name, reputation, and respect Han Xiao had accumulated in the universe was more than enough to have the three Universal Civilizations take his suggestions seriously.

At this moment, Manison slowly said, "I feel that Black Star's foresight does make some sense. In fact, I discovered the virus core's tracks some time ago. It also disappeared right before my eyes, and I suspected that it was not just a data program."

Hearing this, Han Xiao's eyelids twitched.

Him saying he had found traces of the virus core was completely made up, but Manison was most likely not making it up.

I knew it. This old b*stard really did make progress but never said anything about it. If not because I tricked him today, he would never have publicized this information on himself.

Phooey! You say I don't have enough resolution, but you're even worse, hiding such key information!

The people exchanged looks and digested this impactful piece of information.

In the end, Sidreun coughed and said, "No matter what, we'll check out the content of His Excellency Black Star's vision. This is a very important piece of information."

While saying so, he secretly looked at Manison with derision.

The strongest Mechanic in the universe? How come you did not discover as much information as Black Star when the two of you had the same experience? Learn from him!

Manison looked directly ahead and acted like he did not notice Sidreun's gaze.

This time, Kant said worriedly, "If the Virtual Mutiny Virus is really as Black Star says it is, we're in big trouble. The firewall we've come up with this month will be useless before the next generation of the virus. By then, the disaster will sweep across the entire universe."

"Who in the world invented such a horrifying virus technology? Aren't they afraid of it biting themselves in the foot?" 'Mechanical Catastrophe' Francisco wondered.

"Whether what Black Star said is true or false, we'll still have to come up with a plan." The dynasty's ally Quantum Demon showed his support.

Han Xiao spoke again with a deep voice. "That's right. It doesn't matter if my foresight is accurate or not. It won't hurt giving it a try."

That's true… The people in charge from the three Universal Civilizations exchanged looks and nodded.

"What plan do you have then?"

"I wouldn't call it a plan. It's just a rough idea."

Han Xiao paused and looked around. Seeing that everyone's attention was on him, he said slowly, "The mobility of the virus core is too high, so it's very difficult to catch it. However, it still has limits. It can enter the quantum network anytime, anywhere, but when it leaves it and materializes, it has to choose a terminal node as the exit. This might be our opportunity.

"In order to receive feedback from the rest of the viruses, the virus core will return to the quantum network once every so often. This time, we really might have to cut off the network on a large scale and reduce the number of terminal nodes in order to restrict the range of the virus core's ability to teleport within the quantum network. This way, when the number of exits is reduced, we can station people at every node and set up traps.

"The people stationed at each node have to be Beyond Grade A Virtual Mechanics with the knowledge of 'Virtual Paramount'. This is because after the virus core materializes, it doesn't have to come into contact with any node in order to re-enter the quantum network. Therefore, the chance will only last for a short instant. At the instant the virus core materializes, the Beyond Grade A Mechanic will use 'Virtual Paramount' to lock up the virus core's virtual soul so that it can't escape its body temporarily, then capture it together with its physical body.

"The technology to seal the virus core already exists. That safe prevents the virus from leaking, so it can certainly suppress the virus core's virtual soul and prevent it from entering the quantum network. As long as we parse that triangular container, we can obtain this targeted technology…"

Hearing this, the people all looked at Han Xiao with weird expressions once again.

Not to mention the feasibility of this plan of yours, just the fact that the people stationed at the nodes have to be Virtual Mechanics who have the knowledge of [Virtual Paramount], aren't you being too obvious?

Virtual Paramount is an ability only Divine Throne Mechanics of the Virtual branch can obtain, so clearly only peak Beyond Grade As. You're one, Manison is another, and that's it.

So, you're saying that only you guys can compete for the virus core. Even the three Universal Civilizations have to stand aside?

Are you really not tricking us?

Manison, however, smiled and fully approved of this plan.

"Black Star is right. To maintain peace in the universe, we are more than willing to step up. How many terminal nodes are there to set up traps for? How about this, I'm willing to deploy fifty million spare Lord's Avatars, ensuring that I can advent in any location the virus core appears. Is that enough?"