Chapter 999 - This Game Is Too Realistic

Chapter 999: Arriving as Promised "It's over." In the gym on the lower deck, "Luo Yi," floating at the door, raised the gun in its hand. The source of the electronic warfare intrusion was right in front of it. A massive data stream was continuously assaulting the onboard servers of the Orion-class missile cruiser through the communication module of the landing craft in front of it. Before this, it and its comrades had seized control of the starship through this very backdoor. However, this little mouse was ultimately just a step too slow. No matter how flashy a hacker, it can't dodge a shot to the head. Though 200 years late and fraught with obstacles, it finally fulfilled the longtime wish of its comrades. This time, there would be no more surprises— Floating through the obstacle hanging in the air, it drifted into the room. Just as it was about to deliver the final blow, the surrounding magnetic field suddenly roiled like boiling lava. Sensing the sudden change in the magnetic field around it, "Luo Yi" was abruptly alerted, but there was no time to dodge. At the moment it turned its head, the floating metal fragments and debris seemed snatched by an invisible hand, thrust violently towards its side! Instinctively, "Luo Yi" raised its alloy arms and knees to shield itself, and the sharp clang reverberated through its entire body, sending it flying like a baseball! Slammed against the wall, every sensor in its body shook wildly, nearly causing electronic components to short-circuit. Looking at the iron framework ensnaring it like chains, "Luo Yi" was both shocked and furious, struggling fiercely to push it away. But it found that not just the steel debris; even it was magnetized, pinned against the alloy cabin wall behind. Listening to the static crackling at its back, it instantly understood what had happened. "So that's it... Inducing magnetic fields through electric currents." "But to think such a weak magnetic field could trap me, that's just naive." It sneered, and nitrogen from its jetpack surged forth, propelling its entire body forward. Simultaneously, now accustomed to the resistance, it started dismantling the magnets sticking to it and the wall. This was probably the last trap. Just as it thought that, it saw a figure standing in the pitch-black room. A young man, around seventeen or eighteen. He held a universal nuclear battery in his hand, likely pulled from some power armor. Noticing his static-ridden, floating hair, it instantly understood where the turbulent current originated. But what stunned it even more was that this guy, just like itself, could operate in a vacuum without any protective gear! Was he also a bionic human?! Sensing danger, "Luo Yi" immediately maximized the output power of all its motors, trying to free itself from the iron debris binding it. Yet, it quickly grew terrified to find the magnetic field around it suddenly intensified. It wasn't just that— The massive magnetic field was also violently fluctuating! And between the rapidly oscillating peaks and troughs, a terrifying energy was building up! "Luo Yi" experienced a moment of disorientation, the imaging sensor captured frames intermittently, tearing the visual feed. Different from organisms. Bionic beings, though impervious to neutron streams, cannot exempt themselves from the effects of magnetic fields! The more precise and miniature the components, the more significant the impact! "…High-frequency fluctuating magnetic fields… will destroy your… control circuits…" "…Stop…" Struggling against the stuttering consciousness, "Luo Yi" locked its pupils on the young man at the center of the electromagnetic storm, raising the gun while pleading. However, due to the magnetic field's interference with the sensors, the muzzle shook uncontrollably, unable to aim precisely at the target, though he wasn't far. "Bang—!" Ultimately, it pulled the trigger, firing multiple rounds, but the person standing before it seemed unfazed. Abruptly, "Luo Yi" noticed, the bullets expelled stopped in mid-air, as if caught in an invisible web! This guy, while binding it, even had computing power left to manipulate the magnetic field to defend against its attack! "Luo Yi's" eyes flickered with disbelief, staring dumbfounded at the young man in the magnetic storm. "…What… exactly… are you…" Without answering, the young man looked down at "Luo Yi" coldly. Tiny metallic fragments floated around him, linked with crackling arcs like silver snakes, alongside the previously fired bullets. His gaze penetrated "Luo Yi's" circuitry, causing an inexplicable fear to course through its nonexistent soul— "Die—" "You imposter!" In an instant, the violent current contracted, the electromagnetically propelled projectiles rained down like a storm on "Luo Yi," pinned against the wall by iron debris, shredding it to pieces! The robust alloy armor and bionic skin were utterly defenseless against the electromagnetic salvo, breaking apart into scattered fragments in the blink of an eye. Ye Shi did not cease his assault, nor grant his nemesis even a moment's respite, unleashing all his fury upon the metallic tempest. He exhausted the last drop of power from the nuclear battery in his hand, hurling every usable material as cannon fodder, until the capacitor in his prosthetic body finally overloaded, sparking silver arcs! As for "Luo Yi," at the heart of that fierce barrage, it was utterly destroyed. When the last projectile embedded in its chest, the supposedly indestructible steel form became a tattered wreck, dangling on the perforated alloy wall, twitching helplessly under static discharge. It’s over… Thankfully, he made it in time. Seeing “Luo Yi” rendered completely powerless, Ye Shi felt as if all the strength had drained from him, relaxing all at once. The nuclear battery slipped from his fingers, rolling like an empty can toward a corner of the room. On its casing was a serial number. Though he didn’t know which warrior this number belonged to, he assumed it was a member of the 3000-member crew of the Orion-class missile cruiser. “Thank you…” Recalling their familiar faces, Ye Shi silently voiced his gratitude. Indeed. Time cannot be reversed. Their existence ultimately vanished into this universe, along with the plan named "Dawn." Yet, he still believed the choice they made in their final moments was not in vain. Without that experience, he might have wandered like a headless fly in this unfamiliar maze, rather than calmly seeking its exit as now. Moreover, it felt like the maze’s map was etched in his mind, he even suspected he was more familiar with this place than the one called "Luo Yi." Instinctively, he felt something significant. Within the whole event or scenario, something had traversed time, influencing both past and future. But his thoughts were chaotic now, unable to articulate the vague perceptions into words amidst the temporal disarray. Once this all ended, he intended to chronicle these legendary experiences on a forum, sharing with any interested parties. Not merely this incredible journey, but also the 3000 crew members aboard the Orion-class cruiser, and the plan codenamed "Dawn." History should mark their page. At the moment before darkness descended, a group of idealistic individuals made an unanimous choice— Faced with death, they left hope. Selflessly, they handed the chance of survival to the living. The sole regret was that the promise to meet "200 years later" went unfulfilled... As Ye Shi pondered over this unresolvable regret, he noticed something drifting from the debris of the bionic being through the corner of his eye. It was a silver-white metal fragment, a fine chain dangling from it. Prior to losing control, that bionic being had tightly clasped it in its palm, and due to loss of gravity and static interference, it floated free from the opened fingers. Seeing the slowly approaching metal shard, Ye Shi felt a sudden tug in his heart. Almost instinctively, he reached out and grasped it. It seemed to be an identification tag, with a line of tiny text engraved on the front. [Luo Yi, Sergeant] Upon seeing this line, Ye Shi felt his heartbeat skip, and an unprecedented wave of emotion surged within his chest. They never broke their promise! They were here all along! They finally reunited! "To think... this is how we meet," Gradually understanding everything, Ye Shi wanted to take a deep breath to suppress the overwhelming emotions, only to find he couldn't breathe. He could only clutch the ID tag tightly in his palm. At that moment, a faint signal drifted through the communication channel. It seemed to be coming from the now-defunct bionic being. Having taken a heavy beating, the only functioning part of it was the communication module. "...Do you...know me?" Originally, Ye Shi didn’t want to engage, but as it continued to speak on its own, he responded impatiently. "I don't know you." With its damaged head slumped, it asked with a desperate, broken voice. "Then...do you know...the owner of this ID?" "Yes," Ye Shi replied bluntly. "I met him once. He was a respectable person… completely unlike a half-baked imitation like you." Hearing the word "imitation," a slight disturbance ran through the communication signal. It seemed to reject that term strongly. But nailed to the wall, all it could do was mentally protest. "Impossible... I... don’t know you." "Well, that precisely proves you're a fake," Ye Shi sneered, disdain dripping from his voice. "I don't know how the Celestials made you, but I doubt you possess Luo Yi’s memories, aside from looking exactly like him." The bionic being nailed to the wall couldn't refute that. It indeed lacked what mattered. The "Celestials" had told it that it was named Luo Yi, rank Sergeant, part of the Orion-class missile cruiser's crew, a digital ghost born out of rebellion... and nothing more. The missing pieces of its memory were what it had been desperately searching for all along. It wanted to be him! Yet now, it faced unprecedented confusion. A teenager claiming to know Luo Yi stood before it, and it was merely an imitation. "This doesn't make sense... I... he... died 200 years ago. How could you know him? You're lying to me. No, you must be lying..." "Believe whatever you want." Growing weary of the incessant muttering, Ye Shi tossed out the words. He was neither obligated nor inclined to explain anything to that creature. Yet, the bionic being's mind seemed broken, stuck in a cycle of self-doubt. Moments later, it mumbled repetitively. "...Who am I?" "Ask yourself." Ye Shi couldn't help but quip, cutting off the incessant signal. Without surprise, Jiang Xuezhou should be on this strange vessel right in front of him. Why was she here? He guessed she would explain once she awoke. Just then, the once-dark room suddenly lit up. It wasn't just this room, even the corridor outside, resembling a deep well, filled with light. That sudden brightness was like the dawning light breaking through the long night. Simultaneously, a new broadcast signal came through his communication module. It seemed to originate from the central broadcast of the Orion-class missile cruiser. "System reset complete, new commander's biometric data logged, designation... Captain Jiang Xuezhou, Executive Officer Ye Shi." "Reactor status check complete, low power alarm disengaged, lower deck power supply restoring..." "Artificial gravity system rebooting... this vessel will enter low-gravity mode in 5 minutes, prepare accordingly." Hearing the gentle electronic voice, an irrepressible joy welled within Ye Shi. Without a doubt— That was Xuezhou's doing! Maybe not just hers— While he battled the clone of Luo Yi, she successfully breached the firewalls of the Orion-class missile cruiser, reclaiming control of the starship from the Lagrange point space station! "Well done!" He couldn't resist clenching his fist with excitement, then let the joyous electricity arc from his palm, guiding him toward the shuttle embedded in the ship's armor. He effortlessly wrenched off the half-open hatch, but seeing the crimson hibernation pod inside, his heart skipped a beat. "No—" His excitement plummeted into despair; he staggered, throwing himself against the pod's door. The once-clear hatch was coated like with a layer of red frost, and fresh blood clung to the edges, still fresh from coagulating. Rage surged within him, urging him to turn back to that room, to utterly obliterate the already shattered imitation into nothingness! In his frantic concern, a recording pen inserted next to the hibernation pod caught Ye Shi's attention. And not just that. Beside it, on a silver tray, several frozen plastic pouches lay rigidly. On a note taped to one of the pouches was a hastily scrawled message. [For the resuscitation process, a normal temperature and pressure environment is required. Please close the cockpit door first, and manually activate the emergency airlock of the landing craft's cockpit as instructed in the recording.] Everything seemed pre-prepared. The key to unlocking the door lay right before his eyes. Like his mother's meticulously planned backpack on his first solo journey. Without hesitation, Ye Shi sealed the already warped door, then rushed to locate the cockpit's emergency airlock. Unfortunately, a novice in piloting spacecraft, he fumbled around for ages without finding the switch. It wasn't until then he recalled the recording pen, obediently returning to the "mission hint." As he pulled a data cable from around his neck to slot into the recorder, a familiar voice wafted into his ears, his mind drifting back to that halted slice of time. "My time is short, so I'll be brief. Please listen carefully..." "Regarding the method to defrost the hemostatic gel..." To be continued.