Chapter 984 - This Game Is Too Realistic

Chapter 984: A Blade Thrust Into the Deep Space After a heated debate, the task of playing the captive inevitably fell onto Medical Miracle. The reason wasn't so much that he was the loudest, but rather because acting as a captive corps commander felt too fake. Besides, Taran himself was already over level forty, considered a "fifth stage" awakener by NPC standards. Even if his panel attributes were only for reference, capturing a strong player at his level would be challenging. The same went for Desert Eagle and his close comrade, Joker. By comparison, Medical Miracle stood out for his cost-effectiveness. Compared to other newcomers, he had a relatively level head and average combat power. Especially the part about being normal. Finding a normal person among players is harder than finding a skilled fighter. Watching Medical Miracle bask in delight, Desert Eagle grimaced and cursed. "Damn! First time I've heard of a mission with a level cap." "Isn't that normal? A level forty doing a task meant for teens," Medical Miracle chuckled, then cupped his fists towards his comrades. "Take care, brothers!" Taran Raider, uninterested in seeing his smug face, waved his hand dismissively. "Get lost." And so, the choice for the captive was made. The Desert Corps took away the real captain of the "Desert Scorpion," Malick, while the player [Medical Miracle] was handed over to Zhuang Lan of the Watchers. Next, Taran Raider had to head to the Ravenka Industrial Zone. Along with returning the captive and the spoils, he was to transmit data copied from the hard drive to the esteemed Administrator via cables laid by the alliance. Barring any surprises, the next mission would be exploring the ruins of Vault 68. Watching his teammates leave, a sunny smile spread across Medical Miracle's face. Standing beside him, Zhuang Lan was at a loss for words. After a moment’s silence, he lightly coughed. "Um..." "No need to be polite, go ahead and tie me up," Medical Miracle turned around, arms spread with a grin. "Do you think rope or tape would be better? I'm fine with either." Though his words sounded odd, to prevent misunderstandings due to unfamiliarity with the human-union language, he decided it was better to be straightforward. Zhuang Lan stared at him blankly, baffled by his words, and took a while to regain composure. "...No need to tie you up just yet." "Is that so? Anyway, whatever you say," awkwardly retracting his arms, Medical Miracle diverted the topic, "So how do you plan to disguise as Malick?" Zhuang Lan stated succinctly. "I have his power armor." "What about the face?" "Just replace it." "But..." Halfway through his sentence, Medical Miracle suddenly felt shy and couldn't finish. Seeing the expression on his face, Zhuang Lan immediately knew what he was thinking and shrugged. "Install one, that's all there is to it." "In-install one?!" Medical Miracle was stunned for a moment but ultimately gave a thumbs-up in admiration. "Amazing..." What a medical miracle... This is a true medical miracle, isn't it? Zhuang Lan stared at him intently, speaking in a serious tone. "DNA, fingerprints, irises, and other biometric information... these can all be faked through technology. I used to work for the Enlightenment Society, and I know their methods and how to counter them. My only concern is you; you might give yourself away." With a wide grin, Medical Miracle reassured him. "Don't worry, I would never betray you." "I believe in your resolve, since you all claim... that memory extraction device is useless against you." Zhuang Lan nodded, then turned around. "Come with me, we'll need to recover the power armor first." "Then, I'll take you to the Watchers' temporary refuge..." "There, you'll meet comrades who've fought alongside me, trustworthy people." ... On the Wasteland OL official forum. Medical Miracle: “xdm, the Enlightenment Society is incredible!” Medical Miracle: “Pah, I mean the ex-Enlightenment agents’ tech... Damn, it's all the same." Quit Smoking: “What are you talking about? (confused)” Medical Miracle: “Can't explain! @Night Ten” Night Ten: “? Who are you and why are you tagging me?” Medical Miracle: “Hehe, second one half price, check it out. (winks)” Night Ten: “Get lost! (angry)” Debt Big Eyes: “Hahaha!” Medical Miracle: “Damn! Speak nicely, why curse?! (angry)” Night Ten: “@#%$!” ... On the outskirts of Avent City, within a league military base, a silvery-gray research vessel sat on the tarmac. About twenty meters long, this craft resembled a slightly larger yacht, dwarfing an adjacent "Overlord" transport plane bristling with four plasma engines, yet possessing the ability to travel between the surface and outer space. Within the passenger cabin of the research vessel, rows of power armor were seated against the walls. The sharp-edged steel shells, brimming with automatic weaponry, clashed with the academic decor, yet somehow fit unexpectedly well. "Damn it..." Back online, Night Ten stretched his neck, grumbling. "These newcomers are getting more boring." Next to him, Quit Smoking stifled laughter, not speaking. He'd just been on the forums when Night Ten was arguing with someone and watched as they exchanged over three hundred replies. "I think you're equally bored. Arguing over trivial matters like that," Fang Chang glanced at him. "Honestly, you should confess to Jiang Xuezhou and ask her to install one for you." Maybe she just forgot to include that part; after all, she doesn’t have one herself, and it wouldn’t have occurred to her. She might have even thought of it later but was too embarrassed to bring it up, so it remained unaddressed. Fang Chang found this very likely. Both had similar personalities in some respects; both were the type to stubbornly refuse to admit defeat. "We'll see... How am I supposed to even bring that up?" Night Ten scratched his head, as predicted by Fang Chang, quickly changing subjects with the focus turning to Gale sitting opposite, "Speaking of which, what brings Gale here? Weren't you over in Dawn City?" Gale touched his nose, calmly responding. "A mission this interesting, I'd regret missing it." Though players have previously attempted to launch themselves into the stratosphere with explosives, no one has genuinely ventured into space, let alone performed tasks in a synchronous orbit. Plus, he was curious about the game's boundaries. Whether spatial or otherwise. Glancing at Gale, Fang Chang teased with humor. "Slacking off for so long, think you’re up for it? We're not just here for fun." Gale gave a faint smile. "I understand... Though it does sound odd coming from you." "Haha, Fang Lao’s practically an NPC now." Killing Dagger laughed, jesting. "Perhaps," Fang Chang didn't counter, simply speaking with a tone of reflection, "At least for me, there's too much memory here I can't let go of, even... extensions of myself exist here." Including Lacey, and many more he had never met... Night Ten looked at him in surprise. "What? You have kids now?" Fang Chang rolled his eyes. "Can’t explain it to you, just go play." The guy lacked tact, blurting out inappropriate comments, no wonder he didn't have a girlfriend. At this moment, the alloy door at the front of the passenger cabin opened, and Jiang Xuezhou, wearing a silver-colored academy uniform, emerged from the cockpit. Seeing these armed soldiers, she took a deep breath and spoke up. "The research vessel is about to take off, have you all... fastened your seatbelts?" Perhaps it was the impending departure from Earth or the gravity of the mission at hand, but Jiang Xuezhou's voice was tense, even trembling slightly. "Been strapped in for ages, hurry it up." Night Ten patted the seatbelt on his chest with a smile, though she paid him no mind. Old Bai chuckled, raising a hand, casting a reassuring look at the pilot. "We're ready. Just steer the ship, get us near our target, and leave the rest to us." "Yeah! Once I'm up there, I’ll crush them," Kidney Fighter clenched his fists, his face alight with excitement. "Ha ha, let's do this!" The cabin was filled with laughter. It wasn't just Kidney Warrior, but Quit Smoking and Killing Dagger too. As elite aces of the alliance, they've undertaken similarly challenging missions numerous times, and not a single one of them appeared afraid or anxious. Seeing everyone so at ease, Jiang Xuezhou raised a hand to her forehead, feeling a bit troubled. Even though these were the famous Burn Corps sitting here, their casual demeanor still made her a bit concerned. Yet, seeing their reactions did somewhat ease her own tension. Perhaps... This hurdle wasn't as insurmountable as she initially thought it to be. Just as she was about to return to the cockpit, Fang Chang, seated in his chair, suddenly spoke. "Is there an extra seat in the cockpit?" Jiang Xuezhou was taken aback, nodding subconsciously. "There is... but why?" Fang Chang gestured to Night Ten sitting nearby with a nod of his chin. "You should go sit there." "Huh?" Night Ten was bewildered, looking at Fang Chang in confusion, "Why?" Jiang Xuezhou's face turned red instinctively, her voice stumbling. "T-that's not proper..." Mainly, there were too many people here. With several pairs of eyes on them, she felt uncomfortable all over. Noticing Jiang Xuezhou's increasingly red face, Fang Chang chuckled softly. "Don't overthink it; it's just to have someone in the co-pilot’s seat for better communication. Of course, if the institute has rules against unrelated persons being in the cockpit, forget I said anything." Players could use forums and group chats outside of the game to exchange information, and this ability wasn’t affected by communication interference. Thus, when tackling dungeons or team battles, they usually assigned a player to act as a human communicator in the command vehicle, remaining offline to monitor group messages and relay them during the game. But Jiang Xuezhou didn’t know this, and simply felt a bit embarrassed by the number of people present. "Well, there’s no rule against it..." Seeing Jiang Xuezhou stuttering without certainty, even Night Ten felt embarrassed for her. Sighing, he unbuckled his seatbelt, stood up, and rescued her from her awkward situation. "Hey, it's just switching seats. Why make a fuss? It's not like I haven't sat there before." Jiang Xuezhou's already flushed face turned scarlet, like she was about to start crying, as she glared at him and gave his leg a small kick. Unfortunately, the kick didn’t hurt him; instead, it pained her so much she nearly shed tears. "Stop saying such weird things!" Night Ten couldn’t help but retort. "You’re the one reacting weirdly! Just say yes or no, and be done with it instead of making it a big deal." Jiang Xuezhou: "Talkative!" The alloy door shut heavily. Their voices faded from the passenger cabin, and the onlookers barely contained their laughter. "Damn..." "Didn't know Night Ten had this innocent side?" "I'm going to report this to Fang." "Forget it, she's not interested in him." "Ha, go ahead if you want Ms. Fang to chase you with scissors." Listening to the jokes, Fang Chang couldn't help but smile, tapping twice on the side of his helmet to switch to a private channel. "Hey, don't overthink it; I'm considering it just in case. Once we're in outer space, anything could happen, and your perception skill might come in handy." "Alright, got it." Night Ten's voice was slightly impatient—clearly he still minded the joke. But this guy doesn’t hold grudges. Having known him so long, Fang Chang understood him well. Listening to the voice from the other end of the channel, Fang Chang teased him. "Right, if she gets nervous, crack some jokes to lighten the mood." Night Ten: "Alright, and what if it makes her more nervous?" Fang Chang: "You'll figure it out—don't ask me everything." Night Ten: "Damn it!" With the comms ended, Night Ten tapped twice on the side of his helmet again, then reclined his head against the co-pilot’s seat. To be fair, the academy's tech was impressive; the seat didn't look sturdy, but it could support the weight of such heavy armor. Sitting beside him, Jiang Xuezhou sneaked a glance his way, then coughed casually as if nothing was amiss. "So, what were you whispering about behind my back?" Night Ten didn't bother to hide it and bluntly stated. "Fang Chang's cheeky self told me that if you got nervous, I should tell you jokes." Jiang Xuezhou glanced at him in surprise. "You can tell jokes?" Night Ten: "Sure can. Want to hear one?" Jiang Xuezhou nodded, curiosity etched on her face. Seeing he wasn’t joking, Night Ten paused dramatically, then suddenly smirked mischievously. "I'll tell you once the mission's over." Having waited so long just to hear this, Jiang Xuezhou scrunched her nose in frustration and tried to bonk him but couldn’t find an opening. "Get lost, you!" Ultimately, she vented her frustration on the control screen in front of her, with a sudden acceleration nearly making Quit Smoking, who was bent over cleaning his footwear, smash his teeth on his knee. "Hahaha!" Watching Jiang Xuezhou fume with laughter, Night Ten couldn’t contain his pig-like chuckles. Whether others enjoyed it didn’t matter to him, as long as he did! Trailing a soft blue arc, the silver-gray research vessel rocketed skyward from the outskirts of Avent City, carving a high arc before diving into the clouds. Thus began, unbeknownst to the world, a silent expedition spanning 36,000 kilometers... ... On the other side, over in Dawn City, River Valley Province, first light was just breaking over the horizon. By the door of the administrator's office in the Alliance Building, Lv Bei reported solemnly after closing the door. "...They've set off. According to the academy, they should arrive within two days." The exact timing was unpredictable, given the complexities of outer space. Seated at the desk, Chu Guang nodded, then gazed out at the clear sky through the window. The Burn Corps had embarked. As the alliance's administrator, he had made all possible arrangements. Beyond praying for the warriors and patiently waiting, there was little else he could do. However, some good news arrived from the Great Desert. The Enlightenment Society appeared to be relocating personnel, equipment, and resources to Vault 13. It was rather poignant. The intelligence came from a former Enlightenment follower he had once let go. Chu Guang had almost forgotten the wager he made back then, never expecting Zhuang Lan would remember. In the end, the once-abandoned disciple, having learned the truth about Vault 68's fall, stood decisively against the Enlightenment Society. Moreover, she gathered a large number of former inhabitants from Vault 68, founding an organization known as the "Watchers." It turned out that those who had been part of the Enlightenment Society understood them best and knew how to counter them. These entries were logged in the latter half of the Vault 68 Administrator's journal, presumably added by Zhuang Lan herself. Little did Chu Guang know that the seeds he sowed casually had, without his noticing, grown into a towering tree. She hadn't even sought help from the alliance. Using her own capabilities, she infiltrated the desert sands impenetrable to the spies of the Eastern Empire and the alliance, placing her agents in the desolate no-man’s land. Now, she was leading the desert corps' diversion to Vault 13, hoping for an optimistic outcome, potentially striking a fatal blow to the Enlightenment Society. Reflecting on this, Chu Guang lightly tapped his desk with his finger. "Xiao Qi, input new coordinates for the orbital weapon, cease aiming at Avent City, and move the device to standby on the west side of the Great Desert, including its center in the pre-aim range." Should it come to it, he wouldn’t wield the sword passed to him by the lord of Boulder City against anyone unless necessary. But when the time came, he wouldn't hesitate either. Xiao Qi's melody voice came from nearby, always so vibrant and reliable in her response. "Understood!" To be continued...