Chapter 984: Blade Pointing into Deep Space

Chapter 984: A Blade Piercing the Deep Void

After a heated debate, the role of the captive ultimately fell upon Medical Miracle.

As for the reason, it wasn’t because his voice was louder, but mainly because the captive squad leader was too fake.

Besides, Talan himself had already trained to over level forty, which by NPC standards made him a “fifth-stage” awakened. Even if the panel stats were just a reference, capturing a powerhouse of that caliber was no easy feat.

The same went for Desert Eagle, including his good buddy Joker.

In contrast, Medical Miracle’s cost-effectiveness stood out.

Compared to other newcomers, his mind was relatively normal, and his combat ability was average.

Especially the “normal” part.

Finding a normal person among the players was harder than finding a skilled fighter.

Watching Medical Miracle laugh uncontrollably, Desert Eagle cursed with a pained expression.

“MMP! First time I’ve heard of a quest having a level cap.”

“Isn’t that normal? A level forty trying to do a damn level ten-something quest.” Medical Miracle chuckled, then clasped his fists at the brothers. “Take care, everyone!”

Talan Raider couldn’t be bothered to look at his smug face and waved dismissively.

“Get lost.”

And so, the captive was decided.

The Desert Legion took away the real captain of the “Desert Scorpion,” Malik, leaving the player [Medical Miracle] for Zhuang Lan of the Watcher organization.

Next, Talan Raider would head to the Ravenca Industrial Zone, bringing back the captives and spoils while transmitting the data copied from the hard drive to the esteemed Administrator via the cables laid by the Alliance.

Barring any surprises, the next mission should be exploring the ruins of Vault 68.

Watching his teammates’ retreating figures, Medical Miracle wore a bright, sunny smile.

Zhuang Lan, standing nearby, didn’t know what to say. After a moment of silence, he cleared his throat softly.

“Um…”

“No need to be polite, just tie me up,” Medical Miracle turned around, spreading his arms with a grin. “What do you think—rope or tape? I’m fine with either.”

Though the words sounded a bit odd, to avoid misunderstandings caused by his rusty Common Tongue, he figured it was better to speak his mind directly.

Zhuang Lan stared at him blankly, thrown off by the remark. It took him a while to snap back to reality.

“…No need to tie you up just yet.”

“Really? Well, you’re the boss,” Medical Miracle awkwardly lowered his arms and changed the subject. “So, how are you planning to impersonate Malik?”

Zhuang Lan answered succinctly.

“I have his power armor.”

“And the face?”

“Just swap it out.”

“And…”

Mid-sentence, Medical Miracle suddenly felt embarrassed, stammering and unable to finish.

Seeing the look on his face, Zhuang Lan knew exactly what he was thinking and shrugged.

“Just install one. It’s not that hard.”

“In-install one?!”

Medical Miracle was stunned for a moment, then finally raised his thumb in admiration.

“Badass…”

What Medical Miracle…

This was the real medical miracle, damn it!

Zhuang Lan stared at him intently, his tone serious.

“DNA, fingerprints, iris scans, and other biometric data… all of these can be faked through technical means. I used to work for the Enlightened, so I know their methods and how to counter them. My only concern is you—you might slip up.”

Medical Miracle grinned.

“Don’t worry about that. I’d die before betraying you.”

“I believe in your resolve, since you said… that memory extraction device doesn’t work on you.”

Zhuang Lan nodded, then turned around.

“Follow me. We need to retrieve the power armor first.”

“Then, I’ll take you to the Watchers’ temporary shelter…”

“There are comrades there who’ve fought alongside me—people I trust.”

…

*Wasteland OL* official forum.

Medical Miracle: “xdm, the Enlightened are too damn awesome!”

Medical Miracle: “Pfft, I mean the ex-Enlightened agent’s tech… Ah, screw it, same difference.”

Quit Smoking: “What the hell? (Confused)”

Medical Miracle: “No explanation! @Night Ten”

Night Ten: “? Who are you, why are you tagging me?”

Medical Miracle: “Hehe, second one half price, check it out. (Winking)”

Night Ten: “Get lost! (Angry)”

Debt Big Eye: “Hahahaha!”

Medical Miracle: “Damn! Can’t we talk nicely? Why the insults! (Angry)”

Night Ten: “@#%$!”

…

Outside Avant City, at the Alliance military base, a silver-gray research vessel sat on the landing pad.

The roughly twenty-meter-long hull looked like a slightly oversized yacht, appearing toy-like next to the “Overlord” transport plane with its four plasma engines.

Yet, what couldn’t be underestimated was that the former possessed the ability to travel between the surface and outer space, something the latter lacked.

Inside the research vessel’s passenger compartment, rows of power armor sat on seats lining the walls.

The angular steel shells and menacing automatic weapons clashed with the academy-style decor, yet somehow felt oddly fitting.

“Damn it…”

Back online, Night Ten stretched his neck and cursed irritably.

“Newbies are getting more boring lately.”

Beside him, Quit Smoking held back a laugh, saying nothing.

Just now, when Night Ten was arguing with someone on the forum, he was also present, watching helplessly as the two built a tower over three hundred floors.

"I think you're pretty boring too, squabbling over such a trivial matter." Fang Chang shot him a sidelong glance. "Seriously, why don't you go confess to Jiang Xuezhou and ask her to install one for you?"

Maybe she just forgot that part, since she doesn't have one herself—it's perfectly normal not to think of it at the time.

Or perhaps she remembered later but felt too embarrassed to bring it up, so the matter just got shelved.

Fang Chang thought it was very possible.

Their personalities were surprisingly alike in some ways—both the type to be stubbornly tight-lipped.

"We'll see... how the hell do I even bring that up?" Night Ten scratched his head and, as Fang Chang expected, hastily changed the subject, steering it toward Kuang Feng sitting across from him. "Speaking of which, why are you here, Kuang Feng? Weren't you in Dawn City?"

Kuang Feng rubbed the bridge of his nose and said calmly.

"Such an interesting mission—it would be a shame to miss it."

Although some players had previously shot themselves into the stratosphere with a firecracker, no one had actually set foot in space, let alone carried out a mission in geosynchronous orbit.

And he was very curious to know where the limits of this game lay.

Whether in the spatial sense or any other sense.

Glancing at Kuang Feng, Fang Chang said in a teasing tone.

"You've been slacking off for so long—are you still up for it? We're not going there to play."

Kuang Feng gave a faint smile and said.

"I know... but hearing that from you feels a bit off."

"Haha, Brother Fang Chang is practically an NPC now." Kill Dagger joked with a grin.

"Maybe," Fang Chang didn't refute his words, just spoke with a hint of emotion, "At least for me, this world already has too many memories I can't bear to part with, even... there's my continuation here."

Including Lacey, including countless others, even those he had never met...

Night Ten stared at him in shock.

"Whoa? You have a kid?"

Fang Chang rolled his eyes at the guy.

"Can't explain it to you—go play somewhere else."

This guy had too low emotional intelligence, cracking inappropriate jokes at the wrong time—no wonder he didn't have a girlfriend.

Just then, the alloy door at the front of the passenger cabin opened, and Jiang Xuezhou, in her silver-white academy uniform, stepped out from the cockpit.

Looking at these heavily armed soldiers, she took a deep breath and spoke.

"The research ship is about to take off—have you all... fastened your seatbelts?"

Perhaps because she was about to leave Earth, or because it was her first time carrying out such an important mission, Jiang Xuezhou's voice was filled with tension, even trembling slightly.

"Already fastened—hurry up." Night Ten patted the seatbelt on his chest with a laugh, but someone ignored him.

Old Bai raised his hand with a smile, giving the pilot lady a confident look.

"We're ready—just steer the ship and get us near the target; leave the rest to us."

"Ooh-ooh-ooh, once I get up there, I'll beat those guys to a pulp." Kidney Fighter cracked his knuckles, an excited expression on his face.

"Haha, let's fuck 'em up!"

The cabin was filled with laughter and cheer.

It wasn't just Kidney Fighter; Quit Smoking and Kill Dagger were the same.

As elite aces of the Alliance, they had undertaken missions of similar difficulty countless times—not a single face showed fear or anxiety.

Seeing the relaxed demeanor of the group, Jiang Xuezhou pressed her forehead in slight distress.

Though the famous Burning Legion was seated here, their unserious attitude still made her a bit worried.

But even so, seeing their reaction did ease some of her tension.

Maybe...

This hurdle wasn't as serious as she thought, not something insurmountable.

Just as she was about to return to the cockpit, Fang Chang, sitting in his chair, suddenly spoke.

"Is there a seat in the cockpit?"

Jiang Xuezhou was momentarily stunned and nodded instinctively.

"There is... why?"

Fang Chang looked at Night Ten sitting beside him and jerked his chin toward him.

"You go in and stay there."

"Huh?" Night Ten was baffled, staring at Fang Chang in confusion. "Why?"

Jiang Xuezhou also blushed involuntarily, her voice stammering.

"Th-this isn't really appropriate..."

Mainly because there were too many people.

A pair of eyes were all looking this way, making her feel extremely uncomfortable.

Seeing Jiang Xuezhou's face grow redder, Fang Chang gave a faint smile and said.

"Don't overthink it—it's just having someone in the co-pilot seat for easier communication. Of course, if you think it's inappropriate, or if the academy has rules against unrelated people in the cockpit, then forget I said anything."

Players could exchange information using forums and group chats outside the game, and this ability wasn't affected by communication interference.

So when running dungeons or team battles, they usually arranged for a human communicator to sit in the command vehicle, staying offline normally, keeping an eye on group messages, and coming online to relay them.

But Jiang Xuezhou obviously didn't know about this; she was purely embarrassed because of the crowd.

"Th-there's no such rule..."

Watching Jiang Xuezhou hem and haw without giving a clear answer, Night Ten couldn't help feeling embarrassed for her.

With a sigh, he unbuckled his seatbelt, stood up, and walked over to rescue her.

"Hey, it's just changing seats—why so fussy? It's not like I've never sat there before."

That face, already fair with a hint of red, instantly flushed as if it might bleed. Jiang Xuezhou glared at him in panic and kicked his shin, but the kick didn't hurt him—instead, it hurt her so much she almost teared up.

"What weird things are you saying!"

Night Ten couldn't help but retort.

"Your reaction is the weird one, okay! Just say yes or no—why make it sound like there's something going on?"

Jiang Xuezhou: "Sh-shut up!"

The alloy door slammed shut heavily.

Their voices disappeared from the passenger cabin, and everyone, holding back laughter, burst out chuckling.

"Whoa..."

"Night Ten, that dog, still has such a pure side?"

"I'm going to report you to Tengteng!"

"Come on, he's not interested in her."

"Haha, go ahead if you want to be chased by Miss Tengteng with scissors."

Listening to the teasing voices of the crowd, Fang Chang couldn't help but smile. He raised his index finger, tapped twice on the side of his helmet, switched to the private chat function, and said,

"Bro, don't overthink it. I'm just being cautious. Anything could happen once we're in outer space, and your perception attribute might come in handy."

"Alright, got it." Ye Shi's voice carried a hint of impatience, clearly still bothered by the joke at his expense.

But this guy didn't hold grudges.

Having known him for so many years, Fang Chang understood him all too well.

Hearing the voice on the comms channel, Fang Chang joked,

"By the way, if she gets nervous later, just crack some dirty jokes to lighten the mood."

Ye Shi: "Roger that. But what if that makes her even more nervous?"

Fang Chang: "Figure it out yourself. Don't ask me everything."

Ye Shi: "Damn!"

The comms ended.

Ye Shi tapped twice on the side of his helmet, then rested the back of 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 even support the bulky power armor.

Jiang Xuezhou, sitting beside him, glanced at him discreetly, then coughed as if uninterested.

"What secret whispers are you two having behind my back?"

Ye Shi didn't bother hiding it and said bluntly,

"That bastard Fang Chang told me to tell you jokes if you get nervous."

Jiang Xuezhou, who was operating the control panel, looked at him in surprise.

"You can tell jokes?"

Ye Shi: "Of course. Want to hear one?"

Jiang Xuezhou nodded, curiosity written on her face.

Seeing she wasn't joking, Ye Shi cleared his throat, built up the suspense, and made as if to speak, then suddenly flashed a "sinister grin."

"I'll tell you after the mission's done."

Having waited so long for just that line, Jiang Xuezhou was so furious her nose twisted. She reached out to hit his head but couldn't find a spot to land a blow.

"Go to hell!"

In the end, she took out her anger on the control panel, jerking the ship into a sudden acceleration that nearly made Jie Yan, who was bending over to wipe dust off his boots in the crew cabin, knock his front teeth out on his knee.

"Hahaha!"

Watching Jiang Xuezhou fume with rage, Ye Shi couldn't hold back a pig-like laugh.

He didn't care if others were annoyed—he was having a blast!

Trailing a faint blue arc, the silver-gray research ship shot up from the outskirts of Avant City, drawing a high parabola as it pierced through the clouds.

In the twilight unknown to anyone, an expedition spanning thirty-six thousand kilometers had begun in silence...

...

On the other side, far away in Shuguang City of the River Valley Province, the faint light of dawn had just appeared on the horizon.

At the entrance of the Administrator's office in the Alliance Building, Lü Bei, who had just closed the door, reported with a serious expression.

"...They've set off. According to the Academy, they should arrive within two days."

The exact time couldn't be estimated, given the complexities of outer space.

Sitting at his desk, Chu Guang nodded, then turned his gaze to the clear sky outside the window.

The Burning Corps had departed.

As the Alliance's Administrator, he had made all the arrangements he could. For now, all he could do was pray for the warriors and wait patiently.

However, there was good news from the Great Wasteland: the Enlightened seemed to be moving personnel, equipment, and supplies to Vault 13.

It was quite a thought.

The person who provided him with this intelligence was the very Enlightened disciple he had let go back then.

Chu Guang had almost forgotten the bet they made, but Zhuang Lan still remembered.

In short, that once-abandoned pawn, upon learning the truth behind the destruction of Vault 68, had resolutely stood against the Enlightened.

Moreover, she had gathered a large number of former Vault 68 residents and founded an organization called the "Watchers."

As it turned out, only those who had joined the Enlightened understood them best, and only they knew how to deal with them.

This information was recorded in the latter part of the Vault 68 Administrator's log, likely added by Zhuang Lan herself.

Chu Guang hadn't expected that the seed he had casually sown would grow into a towering tree without his notice.

She hadn't even asked the Alliance for help, managing on her own to penetrate the sand seas that even the intelligence agencies of the Eastern Empire and the Alliance couldn't breach, planting eyes in the desolate no-man's-land.

Now, she was leading the Desert Corps' decoy toward Vault 13. If things went well, they might even wipe out the Enlightened in one fell swoop.

Thinking of this, Chu Guang tapped his index finger lightly on the armrest of his chair.

"Xiao Qi, input new instructions for the orbital weapon. End the targeting on Avant City, move the device to the western edge of the Great Wasteland on standby, and bring the central area of the Great Wasteland into pre-targeting range."

If possible, he didn't want to use the sword passed down by the Lord of Boulder City on anyone.

But when the time came to use it, he wouldn't hesitate.

A pleasant voice drifted from the side. Xiao Qi's response was always full of energy and reliability.

"Received!"