Chapter 989 - This Game Is Too Realistic

Chapter 988: Sacrifice Players in "Wasteland OL" are renowned for their eagerness to help, especially the cloud players who would almost snatch the helmet away to join in personally. Shortly after the medical miracle made a forum post, lines of comments quickly refreshed below it. "Pretend to be crazy? Just be yourself and act naturally." "Emmm... how about downing a bowl of hot excrement first?" "Ugh—" "That's too much! And wouldn't eating poop secretly get you banned?" "I think it would only happen in public..." "Damn, pretending to be crazy isn't hard, just get up and do a Subject Three dance, then drop some rap! It's not just the NPCs, even those peeking AR Guang would be left bewildered!" "Pfft—, I can't take it anymore, my toes are already curling from embarrassment for AR Guang." Browsing through the unfamiliar IDs and reservation player tags, Medical Miracle was bewildered. After scanning through the comments for a long time without finding a serious suggestion, he nearly spit out his delivery food. "Damn! Give me some serious advice!" Fang Chang: "Is it possible that what they're giving you is actually serious advice? (side-eye)" Medical Miracle: "?" Elf King Fugui: "Whoa?! Fang Chang, bro?!" Escaped Mole of the Canyon: "Wait, aren't you in the sky? (confused)" Debted Big Eyes: "How's the mission going? Is it done already? (sly smile)" Irena: "That was fast. I thought he was just coming down to discuss with his teammates outside the field." An hour ago, Fang Chang had been bragging on the forum about going off to save the world, and now he appeared on the forum again. Everyone was surprised; this guy had the leisure to post on the forum halfway through his mission. Perhaps realizing that now wasn't the time to slack off, Fang Chang disappeared after making a brief appearance on the thread, ignoring the mentions thereafter. The topic soon veered off course. Originally meant to discuss how to act insane, the conversation drifted towards the synchronous orbit and the "mysterious mission" of the Burning Brigade. Medical Miracle attempted several times to steer the discussion back, appearing close to succeeding, only to have another ID hijack his hard-won narrative. Quit Smoking: "Uh, we messed up. (guilty)" Silence enveloped the forum for several seconds. The previously lively post, as if struck by a silence spell, went without new replies for some seconds. Just when the onlookers thought the server had lagged, replies erupted like an avalanche. Sisi: "...?" Tail: "???" Escaped Mole of the Canyon: "What's messed up? (confused)" Spring Water Commander: "Can you Burning Brigade folks finish a sentence for once, instead of dropping words here and there? It's bad for my heart. (sweat)" Old Bai: "Haha, apologies everyone. People can slip, horses can stumble, let alone things we've never seen before... In short, we got caught off guard." Edge Surfing: "Whoa..." Spring Water Commander: "That's not a good joke..." Old Bai: "So it's not a joke." Debted Big Eyes: "For real?! (terrified)" Young Person from Construction with a Brick: "So... it's the end of the world?! (terrified)" Thunder Lord Professor Yang: "Whoa, is the silver coin price going to crash?! (terrified)" Teng Teng: "Are you treating the silver coins like stocks... (surprised)" Crow Crow: "Don't, I don't want to restart! QAQ" Old Bai: "Ahem, stop talking nonsense. Even if we slipped, it doesn't mean the Alliance has lost. The near-orbit defense platform being equipped is the main event." Gale: "Yeah, at least we've probed the truth of that Orpheus-class missile cruiser." Fang Chang: "The fear is that both the manager and us see each other as the final trump card... (side-eye)" Old Bai: "Don't say such demoralizing things. It's just a small setback, not even as bad as the times we stumbled in the Boro Province. (gritting teeth)" Fang Chang: "Anyway, we've done our best... Next, either get another research ship from the Academy to try again, or just wait." Medical Miracle: "Looks like it's up to me to save the Alliance! By the way, once I've fooled the interrogator by acting crazy, how do I infiltrate the Enlightenment Society's upper echelon? Anyone got ideas? (grinning teeth)" Battlefield Atmosphere Group: "Speaking of which, where's Night Ten? Isn't he usually the first to jump in, yet he's absent this time." Golden Dagger: "Uh... his girlfriend passed, probably in emo mode." Edge Surfing: "What?! Jiang Xuezhou... dead?" Tail: "Giao... (shocking)" Fang Chang: "In such a situation... hard to say anyone could survive." Old Bai: "After all, it was in space." The people in the thread felt complex emotions; for a moment, they didn't know what to say. Especially Fang Chang. He couldn't help but think of Dolly, and a heart-wrenching pain struck him, one so acute it left him breathless. Players could be resurrected no matter how many times they died, but if an NPC died, it meant permanent data deletion. He couldn't imagine a world without her. For this reason, he deeply empathized with what Night Ten must be feeling at the moment. That must be a hard feeling to endure... Just as Fang Chang was thinking this, a familiar ID popped up on the screen. Ninety-nine Loves Eating Pineapple: "Wait a minute... that's not right. My bro is clearly online, you guys must be mistaken. (confused)" Fang Chang: "?" Quit Smoking: "How is that possible?!" Ninety-nine Loves Eating Pineapple: "Want me to wake him up? (concerned)" Fang Chang: "...No, just leave him be, let him wake up on his own!" Gale: "That's odd, let's observe some more." Ninety-nine Loves Eating Pineapple: "Oh! Got it! (salute)" Medical Miracle: "Damn! Look at me! (frustrated)" Angry Fatty Liver: "Boosting." "......" The messages on the thread continued to refresh. Sitting in front of his computer, Fang Chang waited for a long time without seeing Night Ten's ID appear. Finally, his tense expression eased into a slight smile, and the stone in his heart was gently lifted. "...Looks like I was just being paranoid." Maybe he's not dead after all. Looking at the helmet beside his computer, Fang Chang had a sudden impulse, picking it up in his hands. What if it was all a misunderstanding? Maybe... Everyone's okay. Almost as if possessed, he put the helmet back on and leaned against his computer chair. The deep darkness quickly enveloped his vision and consciousness. Just as his heart was beating wildly, a pale blue pop-up appeared before his eyes, plunging his previously uplifted spirits back into the depths. [Remaining revival time: 70 hours 30 minutes 15 seconds] The numbers ticking down were akin to cold water splashed in his face. Fang Chang let out a bitter laugh, taking off the helmet. "Of course..." He shook his head, placing the helmet back on the corner of the table. "The whole research ship exploded, there's no way anyone could survive..." ... Time rewinds to an hour and a half earlier— In the vast and dim outer space, a magnificent starship drifted silently alongside countless steel remnants, adrift in an unattended graveyard. Amidst the expansive graveyard, floating were not only broken steel structures and cut cables but also corpses dressed in spacesuits. Judging from the oxidized corpses in those spacesuits, most of these people starved or froze to death, with only a few suffocating due to lack of oxygen. There were also some tattered air force uniforms, their owners now gone. Their bodies either exploded or were shredded by orbital debris. Without the protection of a spacesuit, leaving an intact corpse in space is nearly impossible. If the No. 13 Shelter was heaven on earth, the "Orpheus" missile cruiser was undeniably hell in the sky. Even though two centuries had passed since that war, the desolation of the ruins still vividly narrates the fierce battle of that time... At that moment, on a certain deck of the derelict starship, a man wearing a jetpack stood expressionlessly, gazing at a nearby hibernation pod. The hibernation pod door was open, and inside lay a cold skeleton. The skeleton wore a military uniform from the United Humanity era, its gold-edged insignia still vibrant under the flashlight's glow, untouched by the dust of centuries past. Luo Yi stared at the skeleton for a long time, trying to confirm the face that was now almost unrecognizable. After a moment, Luo Yi seemed to confirm that the skeleton before him was indeed the person he sought. He reached into the skeletal remains, searching until he uncovered a shiny silver metal disk from between the bony fingers. It was the soldier's dog tag. And also the only artifact left. Illuminated by the flashlight, Luo Yi confirmed the name and rank engraved on the dog tag. [Luo Yi, Sergeant.] It was his own name! A sense of nostalgia filled Luo Yi's eyes, dragging his thoughts back to more than two hundred years ago. However, the voice from the communication channel soon interrupted his reverie. "Unidentified flying objects are approaching, with a direct distance of only 1200 kilometers from our location." It was the voice of the starship's control system. On Earth, this distance wouldn't be concerning, but on an astronomical scale, 1200 kilometers was almost face-to-face. Luo Yi gently touched his forefinger to his ear and, looking at the ceiling with an impassive expression, asked, "Can we identify them?" The gentle electronic voice continued. "Their spaceship is of the same model as the one you parked outside." With that information, Luo Yi already guessed the identities of these uninvited guests, a slight cold smile curling his lips. Had they arrived a few days earlier, before he restarted the backup reactor and regained control of the starship, he might have needed to be cautious. But now, it was too late. Although the starship had been dormant for two centuries, it did not mean it had become mere scrap metal. Pausing for a moment, he spoke in a deep voice. "Search for usable close-defense weapons." After a brief pause, the gentle electronic voice responded in his ear again. "There is an electromagnetic accelerated point-defense gun... Calculations by the ballistic computer confirm it can cover their trajectory area." Without hesitation, Luo Yi ordered, "Shoot them down." The electronic voice replied softly. "Understood... Fire control units are powering up and expected to complete within 30 seconds." Taking one last look at the dog tag in his hand, Luo Yi pocketed it, then activated his jetpack, heading back toward the starship's bridge. Meanwhile, outside the starship, a silver-gray research vessel was slowly approaching. Finally passing through the asteroid belt of space debris before the shield capacitors depleted, Jiang Xuezhou sighed in relief, relaxing against the back of her seat. "Done..." With their destination reached, Ye Shi reached to unbuckle his seatbelt, only to be stopped by Jiang Xuezhou, sitting beside him. "Wait..." Ye Shi paused, casting a puzzled glance at Jiang Xuezhou. "What is it?" Biting her lower lip lightly, Jiang Xuezhou spoke in a small voice with lowered head, "Can you... stay with me here? I'm scared alone." Ye Shi was taken aback, replying in bewilderment, "What's there to be scared of? Didn't we just pass the most dangerous area?" Jiang Xuezhou's face was full of hesitation, as if unable to articulate a reason or unwilling to say it. Seeing that they were almost at their destination, Ye Shi didn't want to wait any longer and made to stand up. Seeing him about to leave, Jiang Xuezhou, setting aside her embarrassment, blurted out, "It's that deep-sea phobia thing! Haven't you heard of it? Some people are just born terrified of extremely dark places... what can I do?" What?! Ye Shi stared at her, his mouth half-open, managing to squeeze out a sentence after a long pause. "Can't you overcome it?" Jiang Xuezhou didn't reply, only glaring at him with teary eyes. In the end, Ye Shi softened, sighing heavily, as his forefinger tapped twice on his helmet. "Old Bai, we have a situation here..." Before he could put his words together, Old Bai's hearty laughter echoed through the communication channel. "Haha, got it. You just stay in the cockpit." Ye Shi: "Damn! Did you put surveillance on me?" Old Bai chuckled, "Not at all. But I had a hunch. To be honest, Fang Chang's plan from the start didn't require everyone to disembark; it's good to have someone on the research vessel to watch over things. Just keep an eye on all offline activities and don't focus solely on your friend." Ye Shi was speechless for a moment before silently ending the call. Knowing he had been discussing with his team, Jiang Xuezhou, seated at the control position, watched him intently, immediately asking when he finished, "What did your teammates say?" "They didn't say much, told me to handle it," Ye Shi turned slightly embarrassed, meeting her expectant gaze and averting his eyes. These NPCs in the game seemed way too lifelike. Could it be real people playing roles? That would be awkward. "Sorry, I've always been thick-skinned since childhood, never quite grasped the concept of fear of heights, motion sickness, getting dizzy in 3D, and such. That deep-sea phobia is probably similar... Anyway, kudos for making it this far." Unexpectedly, the simple care in his words made Jiang Xuezhou blush slightly. Feeling awkwardness overtaking her, she diverted her gaze swiftly, turning her face aside. "It-it isn't as exaggerated as you said... Honestly, with some effort, it's possible to overcome it." Looking at this stubborn person, Ye Shi couldn't resist the urge to tease. "So, should I leave?" "!!!" Seeing Jiang Xuezhou spin around in a panic, Ye Shi couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Haha, just kidding—" Before he could finish his sentence, an ominous feeling suddenly washed over him, causing his heart to tighten involuntarily. It was a feeling unlike any he had ever experienced, not even through countless brushes with death or the experience of dying itself. It felt as though... He was about to lose something more precious than his thrice-a-day respawn life. Driven by that overwhelming premonition, he blurted out, "Something's targeting us..." At the moment the words left his mouth, Jiang Xuezhou, who was just about to playfully punch him on the head, dropped her shy-angry expression. Without a second's hesitation or doubt, she instinctively pounced on the control interface, her fingers dancing across the holographic panel, maneuvering the research vessel into a lateral maneuver, altering its original course. Even without an alert from the radar! Almost simultaneously, magnified electromagnetic signals, coupled with a rapidly moving object's radar alert, appeared on the research vessel's control interface! Seeing the succession of mass points narrowly missing the research vessel on the radar screen, cold sweat momentarily dotted Jiang Xuezhou's forehead. So close! Just by a hair! After all, the Academy's research vessels were scientific equipment, not military. Although the deflection shields on the research vessel could withstand the mass projector's attacks, they were facing the dense barrage from a United Humanity space force cruiser! Not to mention they had just exited a space debris field with the shield capacitor's energy barely recovered to 30%... Even if only one or two point-defense guns aimed at them, it would still be a tough situation! "What happened?" Ye Shi coughed a few times, nearly suffocated by the seatbelt, before catching his breath. Thankfully, he was slow to unbuckle the seatbelt, or else that maneuver might have sent him flying. Jiang Xuezhou's reaction was commendably calm, and after a few deep breaths, she collected herself. "It's the point-defense system!" Ye Shi was puzzled. "What exactly is that?" "It's like what's on the Nanhai Alliance destroyers... more or less similar!" Jiang Xuezhou explained, her hands still flying over the control panel, trying to evade the point-defense gun's aim. Ye Shi, watching her focused profile, couldn't hold back another exclamation. "Damn! That ancient ship that's been idle for over two hundred years can still fire?!" Jiang Xuezhou replied urgently, "This isn't Earth; things in space don't break so easily! Especially not a leaked ship... Tell your teammates to buckle up! We might not be able to slow down!" "They're settled... already cursing up a storm." Ye Shi pressed his index finger to his helmet, keeping his eyes fixed forward, willing his senses to contribute more. However, he quickly realized that aside from that initial successful dodge, his intuition was of little help in this close-quarters battle. Under Jiang Xuezhou's control, the research vessel executed a series of serpentine maneuvers, but the whistling mass projectiles and the lurking threat of death never ceased! Without a doubt— His gut was telling him they could evade the point-defense system many times, but if they failed even once, it would be their end! At a distance of less than 300 kilometers, it was almost like they were face to face! Both sides anticipated each other's moves, silently calculating the next attacks and evasions! Being on the receiving end, Jiang Xuezhou's side clearly had no advantage. The best strategy at that moment was not to continue forward but to retreat immediately— However, they had no alternative. The 100,000 neutron torpedoes were already in the hands of the Heavenly Ones! There was no path of retreat! "Ah, ah, ah..." Streams of pale blue data reflected in Jiang Xuezhou's eyes, her slightly parted lips emitting a series of straining growls. To maneuver the research vessel with precision, she connected her consciousness to its deep operation system, leveraging the ship's computing power and all sensors, including panoramic cameras, for direct control! She was completely committed! Thinking about her "deep-sea phobia," Ye Shi couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy, yet he was at a loss on how to assist. At this moment, Fang Chang's calm voice came through his earpiece. "Ye Shi! Tell Jiang Xuezhou not to decelerate when nearing the starship's breach; just drop us off there!" Ye Shi hesitated for a moment, blurting out, "Are you guys crazy?!" This was no airplane! That speed and inertia weren't to be trifled with—not to mention, crashing would be enough to pulverize someone to a pulp. Let alone if someone didn't land right, they might disassemble midair themselves. Fang Chang's voice remained steady as he continued, "This is the best choice for success. The reverse thrust from our nitrogen tanks should be enough to slow us down before reaching the target, and we can also help divert some of the fire from the point-defense system... Rather than everyone dying on one ship, my plan gives a few a better chance to make it inside! Don’t dawdle; hurry up!" Hearing the urgency in Fang Chang's voice, Ye Shi didn't dare delay and quickly turned to shout. "Xuezhou! My teammate says you don't need to slow down near the starship's gap; just open the hatch!" Jiang Xuezhou immediately retorted without thinking, "Is your teammate's brain rattled, or is a wire crossed?! This isn’t a plane!" "But we have no other choice! It's impossible to slow down in this situation... Trust me, just fly by the gap and head towards the bow; it's the best way." Seeing Jiang Xuezhou's hesitation, Ye Shi took a deep breath, speaking earnestly, "I believe in you... Use your expertise to calculate and get them inside, please!" Gritting her teeth, Jiang Xuezhou shut her eyes tightly. "I'll try..." Indeed. In their current predicament, slowing down was out of the question; they had to gamble! As long as the deceleration distance was enough, they might still complete a "manual docking" using the nitrogen tank's thrust. As Jiang Xuezhou altered her strategy, accelerating towards the starship's side breach, Luo Yi, sitting on the dust-covered bridge, watched the elegant "dance" through the floor-to-ceiling windows. At that moment, the silver-gray research vessel was indeed being manipulated in fascinating ways by these wasteland bugs, but so what? As the frantic movements of the struggling vessel accelerated, a cold sneer grew on Luo Yi's lips. "Insignificant tricks." Being a former United Humanity space force soldier, he easily saw through their intentions. Attempting to board? He wouldn't let them succeed. Seated alone at the captain’s position, Luo Yi softly issued a command. "Starship main control system." A gentle electronic voice drifted into his ear. "I’m here." Watching the research vessel drawing closer to the Orpheus missile cruiser, he ordered with an impassive expression, "Launch a neutron torpedo." "Sorry, that distance might not be advisable; the neutron beam's kill radius will also affect you." The normally calm voice carried a hint of hesitation. As the Orpheus starship's onboard AI, its primary duty was to ensure passenger safety. However, Luo Yi remained unfazed. "It doesn't matter. Just do as I say." The captain's orders were absolute. Even if they conflicted with safety protocols. The shipboard AI hesitated momentarily, but complied with Luo Yi's repeated command, activating the torpedo, which had been held on the launch rack for nearly two centuries. Despite years of disrepair, with sensors even out of order, firing it still wasn’t an issue. At such close quarters, precise aiming was unnecessary. They were doomed! Simultaneously, after a harrowing series of evasive maneuvers, the research vessel finally reached the starship's side! Without hesitation, Jiang Xuezhou instantly opened the research vessel’s hatch and unlocked the safety locks on each seat. Under the influence of inertia and the pressure difference, one by one, the people in power armor strapped to their chairs spun like tops, arcing towards the starship within arm's reach. "Hold steady, guys!" "Hold onto your nitrogen tanks! Spray towards the starship!" "Whoa—where's the ship?!" "Ugh! I'm gonna puke—" Truth be told, Jiang Xuezhou's trajectory calculations were precise; barring any mishaps, most would land through that adequately sized opening. Yet, the haphazard flinging was so rough even awakened players struggled. Agility-type players had it slightly easier; exploiting his "Bullet Time" agility trait, Fang Chang managed to stably adjust the spinning chair with the nitrogen bottle, halting its spin in the nick of time. However, just then, a flickering white brilliance suddenly illuminated the dark void, seizing his vision in an instant. That was... A neutron torpedo?! A burning sting pricked his skin's surface, as Fang Chang attempted to reach out to his teammates, only to find the communication equipment was already down. Objectively speaking, its power was greater than conventional nuclear weapons, considering that power armor was designed to handle nuclear-biological environments. Although the "Xiahong" power armor was locally developed by the Alliance, its features weren't significantly inferior to pre-war power armor, especially in biochemical protection... The invisible health bar dwindled visibly, and with his last glance, Fang Chang witnessed the silver-gray research vessel plummeting out of control towards the Orpheus starship’s wreckage. Like a decapitated fly, it crashed chaotically near the lower deck, sparking explosions following. He saw a flash of fleeting flames and scattering alloy shards. His heart trembled involuntarily. Despite his longstanding disrespect for death, he had never feared its arrival so profoundly. "No..." The game didn’t pause. Within the next second— Cold digits blazed across his sight. [Remaining revival time: 72 hours 0 minutes 0 seconds] To be continued...