Fantasy Game: Infinite City

Chapter 585: Discussing a Transaction (4)

"But Sebastian is incredibly ambitious. However, because he knows how to control himself, no one knows what he's planning. And from what I know about him, he's willing to sacrifice anything, including himself. Even so, he's still overreaching. The Ferdinand family may appear prosperous, but they've already made countless enemies. Their current strength is entirely due to Sebastian's iron-fisted rule. If the family continues under Sebastian's rule, sooner or later, his ambition will provoke them into conflict with forces they shouldn't, forces they can't handle, and ultimately, the entire family will be uprooted, with no one spared. But if his rule is overthrown..."

"Your family will be gradually devoured by other enemies who are eyeing you covetously, and your end will not be good."

"Yes."

"So you're trying to find a way out for yourself?"

"Yes, but not entirely."

Next, Christina said something interesting.

The Ferdinand family had long been involved with Infinity, back when Christina was still at the research institute. Sebastian's father, despite his various flaws, was, admittedly, a man of foresight. He understood the enormous scale of Infinity. He diligently cultivated connections and established a small presence within Infinity, a small sphere of influence belonging to the Ferdinand family. Thanks to this small presence, the Ferdinand family, through his efforts, achieved wealth and power unmatched by previous generations.

However, he was well aware of the power of the unlimited company, so he never thought of usurping its power, nor did he ever imagine that he would own the unlimited company in the future.

"But this situation changed when Sebastian came to power. The day of the power transition was also the day when the Ferdinand family reached the peak of its power. At that time, the Ferdinand family had corrupted and bribed 90% of the politicians and military officials in Eagle Country. It is no exaggeration to say that the Ferdinand family was fully capable of representing, and even ruling, the entire Eagle Country. Although this incident caused civil unrest in Eagle Country, even if many people died as a result of this incident, it would not affect the rights and interests of the Ferdinand family. Therefore, after gaining control of Eagle Country, Sebastian's ambitions swelled unprecedentedly. He began to try various methods to gain more power within the Infinite Company, so as to gradually seize complete control of the Infinite Company and ultimately unify the entire world."

"Sounds feasible, doesn't it?"

Han Zu's casual answer made Christina look up in surprise and glance at him.

"What's your expression?"

"I don't know if you're being sarcastic or if you really don't know, but I'll just take it as a joke."

What Christina said next did surprise Han Zu.

According to Christina, although the Unlimited Company is now being gradually eroded by the Ferdinand family, in fact, the Unlimited Company has not been seriously damaged. In fact, not even the surface has been damaged.

"You've been to Infinity's headquarters on the moon, right?"

"Yes, more than two years ago. Why do you ask?"

"Then do you know what the difference is between the Infinite Company on the Moon and the Infinite Company on Earth?"

“What’s the difference between a head office and a branch office?”

Christina was stunned for a moment, but quickly returned to normal, with a matter-of-fact expression on her face.

"That's really the case. It seems you really don't understand."

"No, could you not do that Riddler thing?"

Christina's topic did arouse Han Zu's interest, but at the same time he also felt a little impatient because of Christina's roundabout way of speaking. Christina, who knew Han Zu's temper, also noticed this, so she continued talking before Han Zu became excited.

"Okay, then I'll be frank. The one on the moon and all the branches on Earth are all part of the Infinite Company. But in reality, even if all of the Infinite Company's industries and personnel on Earth were corrupted or bought off, it wouldn't have any impact on the Infinite Company's headquarters. And I think you've probably guessed something. In fact, from the day the Infinite Company base on the moon was built, strictly speaking, this home planet of human civilization has become a testing ground. Everyone living there is actually a guinea pig for the Infinite Company. And what exactly they are researching, no one knows."

Han Zu frowned at Christina's explanation. Indeed, Han Zu had long considered the situation described by the other party, but perhaps because he still retained a certain degree of humanity, he had only speculated and not fully believed it. Of course, he hadn't actively sought evidence. Firstly, he instinctively tried to downplay his thoughts, and secondly, Han Zu wasn't completely confident in his own abilities. But Christina had actually been within the Infinite Company for a long time, so she must have known and been exposed to more than he did. Since she said so, even without clear evidence, the truth of this matter was almost certain.

Infinite City is a prime example, especially the clause regarding voluntary body donation in the player terms. While the number of Infinite City players is tiny compared to the entire human population, only about 100 to 200 million, Christina's claims seem a bit exaggerated. However, Han Zu is well aware that Infinite Company encompasses nearly every activity common to human civilization. Entertainment, technology, healthcare, food, and so on. If Infinite Company were also conducting experiments in areas like food, the number of people involved would be significantly greater. It's likely that, with the exception of a few small tribes still maintaining primitive ways of life, the entire human race is being impacted. By that measure, Christina's claims are not an exaggeration.

"Since it's a testing ground, any degree of damage, even complete destruction, is acceptable to Infinity. Furthermore, the technological level of the lunar headquarters is completely different from that of the terrestrial civilization. The most advanced terrestrial technology, even if it's a secret product, is nothing more than an outdated antique on the moon. It's no exaggeration to say that it would be easy for the guys on the moon to completely wipe out human civilization. However, if the people on the ground tried to retaliate, it would be like a group of monkeys throwing rocks at the sky; it would have no effect except hitting themselves."

"But Sebastian doesn't sound like he understands this. So you think his actions against Infinity will bring disaster to the entire family?"

"It's not that it will happen, it's already started. Have you watched the news recently?"

"No, what's wrong?"

"Two months ago, a meteorite hit Africa, flattening an entire city. And just the day before the city was razed, Sebastian had just finalized an operation against Infinity. The manpower, supplies, and base required for this operation were all located in the razed city."

"You suspect it was the work of the men on the moon?"

"It's not a doubt, I'm sure it is."

"Sounds like you have solid evidence?"

"Not really, but after listening to this, you should be able to understand why I think so."

Christina arrived at the scene twelve hours after the meteorite impact. Inspections revealed a complete destruction of the entire city: buildings, vegetation, and people, all utterly destroyed. Furthermore, the flattened plains lacked a crater, and the devastation hadn't spread far, stopping abruptly at the city's edge. There was no residual radiation, no survivors, and no witnesses. No alarm had even been sounded. Sebastian, without waiting for the arrival of the necessary personnel, had reported the destruction to Christina.

"I had accompanied the then-chairman to the lunar headquarters several times, so I quickly figured out the real reason for the city's destruction. However, I didn't tell Sebastian about it. I just said it was a common meteorite impact. He trusted me very much, and since the operation wasn't very important, the matter was forgotten. But I think you should understand that this could only be the work of Infinity."

"Looking at it this way, the Ferdinand family is indeed much weaker than I previously expected. I thought you could at least compete with the Unlimited Company. But according to you, the Ferdinand family is just a larger guinea pig."

"That's right. If Sebastian doesn't die, the entire family will be buried with him sooner or later. I must find a way out in advance. If all goes well, I might still be able to rescue some of the family members who haven't gone along with them."

"So you thought of me? But based on the current situation, you should cooperate with Infinity, right? After all, they have this ability, and if you can rely on Infinity, it will also be helpful to you in the future."

Christina shook her head, denying the possibility.

"Infinity does have that kind of power, but relying on the humanity of a force that uses all of human civilization as a testing ground is even worse than trusting and following Sebastian. Seeking their help is just a temporary solution. Furthermore, if we side with them, after Sebastian's death, our fate could be even worse."

"Even so, it still doesn't make sense for you to come to me. Firstly, we're not familiar with each other. You don't know me, and I don't know you. Everything we say to each other could be a carefully fabricated lie. Secondly, even if what we say is true, I might not be able to fight against the Feidenan family."

"You've already said, don't beat around the bush, so you have to set an example yourself, right?"

Christina sneered, raised her chin and pointed at the teleportation platform at the far end of the room.

"I've never seen anything like that, not even on the moon. But you seem so skilled in using them, which means you've been using them for a long time. Based on this, even if you don't have the strength to take on the entire Ferdinand family, you should be more than capable of taking down Sebastian and his loyal dog. And I know you a little bit. The fact that you can ask such a question proves that you have absolute strength. Besides, you don't like the Ferdinand family very much, do you?"

"That's not certain. Maybe Sebastian and I already knew each other, and we planned this grand drama together, which spanned many years."

"Huh... You guys always have trust issues. Well, I won't beat around the bush. I know what you mean. You just want to see if I have enough leverage to make a deal, right? Well, let me give you some information first. You can verify its authenticity and make a decision later. Consider this information free."

"but..."

"I know what you're going to say. This might be a trap I prepared in advance. Don't worry, I don't take you for a fool. Just tell me what specific intelligence you want, and I'll tell you everything I know. I can't possibly tamper with all the intelligence, and I don't have enough time. And I know you've been monitoring me since the moment I entered your place. I don't believe that outsiders can freely enter and exit your base. If that's the case, you must have made preparations here to prevent me from leaving. If the intelligence I gave you is false, you can just come back and kill me."

Christina was not nervous at all, her eyes did not evade, and she did not make any unnecessary movements. Through Han Zu's perception of her and the analysis and detection of her brain waves by the contractor's equipment, it could be confirmed that she was indeed not lying.

"So, have you decided what you want to ask? I have plenty of time. I've been here since before Sebastian died. Of course, if you don't want me to, you can just kill me. I'm not going back anyway. At least here with you, I can die more comfortably."

Christina's nonchalant attitude further confirmed that she had no reason to lie. Her current conflict with her family seemed quite deep. In that case, Han Zu decided to first listen to her intelligence. If it was true, then cooperation might be a possibility. After all, he didn't know much about the Feidenan family.

"Where is the research institute you said you used to work in?"

"Longyearbyen, do you know that place?"

"I know. It's on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen, over a thousand kilometers from the North Pole, but I've never been there."

"The research institute is located about twelve kilometers underground in Longyearbyen. However, it's heavily guarded. Even I've only been back once or twice. So, you're asking about... where are the people?"

Christina, frowning as she recalled her experiences at the institute, noticed Han Zu had suddenly disappeared. She searched everywhere but couldn't find him. The teleportation platform was still closed, indicating that he hadn't left through that device either.

"call.."

But Christina didn't care and sat on the chair bored.