You Really Don't Have to Change Your Mind

"Is that really all it takes?" On a hilltop northwest of Ruigu City, Sesame Paste tilted her head back to look at the six balloons drifting into the sky, a trace of confusion in her eyes. She couldn't shake the feeling... This thing was a bit different from what she understood as a "communication base station." Standing beside her, Tail didn't look worried in the slightest. With an energetic heave-ho, she hopped up from the ground and dusted off her hands, thoroughly pleased with her handiwork. "Oh, it's definitely fine! Tail followed the manual step by step!" The so-called base station was actually just a box the size of a washing machine, attached by a thin tether to six hydrogen balloons. Its operation was just as simple and intuitive as its structure. Find an open, relatively elevated spot, release the signal repeater tethered to the balloons into the sky, make sure the power is turned on, and the whole setup is ready to go. Built into the device were two metallic hydrogen batteries, sufficient to keep it running at rated power for at least a week off-grid, providing information services to VMs within a ten to twenty-kilometer radius. Although the unit's bandwidth wasn't particularly large, handling map updates and mission dispatches for up to a thousand people was no problem at all. After all, players couldn't use their VMs to scroll through short-form videos in-game anyway. As a substitute for satellites, this gadget shared a similar charm with hot-air balloon Wi-Fi and could be said to be exceptionally handy. The only caveats were the risk of lightning strikes on rainy days, and that floating too high might attract marauders or other strange things. However, these were minor concerns. As a temporary means of communication, providing one to three weeks of service was more than enough; nobody expected it to work indefinitely. The Alliance's communication system mainly relied on fiber-optic cables, power lines, large signal towers, and countless small base stations. Those facilities would be built by professionals. "Let's go, let's head back to camp and meet up with Sisi and Rou Rou!" Having confirmed that the signal was good, Tail put away her VM and grabbed her backpack from the ground. Inside were mountaineering tools. Hauling that metal crate up here had taken quite a bit of effort. "But... is it really okay to just leave it here like this?" Looking worriedly at the six balloons drifting higher into the distance, Sesame Paste still couldn't put her mind at ease. "Don't worry! This is the wasteland, there aren't that many people around. Besides, even as Agility-type Awakened, it took us this long to climb up here. Nothing's gonna happen!" Giving her companion a reassuring look, Tail argued reasonably. "And even if it breaks, no big deal! I'm sure our esteemed Administrator will just send a plane to drop another one!" ... While Tail and Sesame Paste were deploying the base station, Sisi stood inside a tent, gazing down at the man named Luo Hua lying on the bed. The NPC's current condition went far beyond what the word "miserable" could capture. He was wrapped in bandages from head to toe, practically swaddled like a zongzi, his faint breathing sounding as if he might expire at any second. In the real world, injuries this severe would warrant preparing for the end, but this was a game, after all; crucial story characters weren't supposed to die so easily. Sisi figured he probably had some bionic parts installed, which was why he was barely clinging to life. Bionic parts from Ideal City—each one was worth hundreds of thousands! If he survived, fine. If he didn't... She couldn't let them go to waste... At this moment, Kaliman, also standing in the tent, had no idea what kind of "wicked" thoughts were running through the beautiful young woman's head. He assumed her lowered gaze was sorrow over her companion's misfortune. He gave a soft sigh and said in a comforting tone, "He has a strong constitution and is recovering reasonably quickly. Anyone else with injuries this severe would have returned to the embrace of the desert spirit long ago." Sisi nodded. "Mm..." Seeing the girl's silence, Kaliman felt a pang of sympathy, though he couldn't think of any better words of comfort. After pondering for a moment, he seemed to make up his mind and spoke slowly. "The Prophet taught us that our world will one day return to the embrace of the Spirit of the Sand Sea, and the legion galloping across the cosmos will deliver the final judgment at the end of days. Yet before the arrival of eternal tranquility and extinction, we must uphold mercy and abandon no fellow being sinking into the quicksand, man or woman, freeman or slave... Only thus may our sins be lessened." Sisi looked at him blankly, having no idea what this NPC was suddenly rambling about. Kaliman showed no intention of stopping, however, and went on. "We departed from Oasis 9 bound for the Great Wall in the south of River Valley Province. We should never have lingered so long on the road, but when he turned his pleading eyes upon us, we could not bear to watch him be swallowed by the yellow sands." Sisi: "Uh, thanks." "I am ashamed; I truly do not deserve your gratitude," Kaliman said with a conflicted expression. "For only last night, I was discussing with my companions the intention of leaving him to you... After all, we have already left the desert and have no further obligation to carry him. The road ahead is perilous, and injured as he is, he is entirely a burden." Sisi was about to say that was completely fine and they could leave him to her, but the man gave her no chance to speak, making a resolute decision entirely on his own. "Yet now, I have changed my mind." "Beyond the sand sea lies a savage wilderness, rife with dangerous beasts and bloodthirsty barbarians, far from the embrace of the Great One... I cannot cast this burden onto a group of frail, defenseless ladies. That would violate my faith!" Sisi stared at him in disbelief. After a long silence, she replied in imperfect Human Alliance language, "...Actually, you really don't have to change your mind." Yet... Perhaps her words were too polite and understated, for Kaliman was entirely lost in his own world. "There is no need to be shy! I am merely carrying out the teachings of the Spirit of the Sand Sea! I shall remain with half my guards and accompany you on your journey." "Until you return safely to your homeland." The tender look in his eyes gave Sisi a full-body case of goosebumps. Just as she was about to say something, the VM on her arm buzzed. A pale blue pop-up window flickered on the screen—an incoming communication request from the Administrator, instantly cutting short the words she was formulating. "I shall go inform my companions of our revised itinerary." Kaliman offered a gentlemanly bow, turned, and left the tent, leaving behind only the unconscious Luo Hua and an exasperated, amused Sisi. "Whatever... I'll explain to him later." She couldn't leave the Administrator hanging on the line. Compared to some wild NPC of unknown origin, affection points with their faction leader were naturally far more important. Tucking her hair behind her ear, Sisi put on her earpiece and pressed the answer button. Soon, a calm, handsome face appeared on the VM screen. "Respected Administrator, sorry for the brief delay. What can I do for you?" "Where's Luo Hua?" "He's right here." Not at all surprised by how the Administrator knew, Sisi adjusted her headset's angle and pointed the camera toward the bed beside her. Seeing that the man bundled like a zongzi was still breathing, Chu Guang breathed a sigh of relief and asked in a measured voice, "How is his condition?" Sisi shook her head. "Hard to say. He's running a severe high fever and hasn't regained consciousness yet. I suggest letting him rest and recuperate here for a few days until his condition stabilizes." Given his physical state, moving him now might get him killed on the road. Their truck carried some basic medical supplies, including hemostatic bandages, syringes, IV bags, saline, glucose, antibiotics, and so forth. Although most players would decisively choose to respawn after suffering catastrophic injuries, long-distance travel was very different from operating near a revival point; the cost of death was far too steep. If someone could be saved, they had to make the effort. Hearing Sisi's advice, Chu Guang nodded slowly. He recalled that this player seemed to work in a hospital in the real world. While it wasn't a major clinical specialty, she certainly possessed basic medical knowledge. "Then we'll do as you say and let him rest here for a while." "Let me know if you need anything. I'll have to trouble you to look after him for now. Once he wakes up, make sure to inform me immediately!" Sisi gave the camera a thumbs-up. "Oh, leave it to me!" She wasn't some miracle doctor, but she would do her best. After the call ended, a pale blue pop-up window appeared on the VM screen. Looking at the mission that had triggered earlier, Sisi's face showed genuine surprise. "Two thousand silver coins and a thousand contribution points?!" That much? Usually, in the LV10–LV20 bracket, mission rewards barely cleared three figures. A mission offering 1,000 silver coins for a single player was already remarkably rare. Especially 1,000 contribution points. It was almost unbelievable generosity. Yet her expression didn't brighten into joy. Instead, she stroked her chin and fell into thought. "...Looking at it this way, there might very well be follow-up quests." She had a bad feeling this trip was about to get complicated... ... Outside the tent, four guards with loaded weapons stood sentry. Kaliman, who had stepped out earlier, was nowhere to be seen, likely off conferring with his companions. Seeing Sisi emerge through the tent flap, Rou Rou, who was crouching beside the truck, hurried over and asked with concern, "How's that NPC doing?" Worried she might frighten the patient, she had thoughtfully stayed outside, keeping watch by the truck. "Still out cold. By the way, the signal connected earlier. The Administrator instructed us to take care of him, and once he wakes up, it'll probably trigger another quest." "I got the notification too! The reward is actually two thousand silver coins!" Rou Rou said excitedly. "The bigger the reward, the bigger the trouble we're bound to run into. We're hauling cargo worth at least two hundred thousand silver coins... Frankly, I don't want any unexpected complications, but we can't just leave him to die either." Sisi sighed with a slight headache and looked at Rou Rou. "I'm going to fetch some hot water. Do you remember where the medical kit is?" "It's in the truck, I know right where it is!" Full of enthusiasm, Rou Rou thumped her bear paw against her chest. "Leave it to me!" "Thanks, I'm counting on you." Taking down the kettle hanging from the side of the truck, Sisi walked toward the well. But before she had gotten far, a strange sensation crept into her mind. Narrowing her eyes slightly, Sisi scanned her surroundings, but aside from rows of tents, not a single figure was in sight. Yet that was precisely the anomaly. There were no true safe zones on the wasteland, and Kating Post, with its mere hundred-odd permanent residents, was least of all such a place. The tents were still standing, yet the people had vanished, without even someone left behind to watch the luggage. The public security here certainly hadn't reached the point where lost goods were left untouched on the roadside. In that case... There was only one possibility... Without any change in expression, Sisi moved to turn back. Yet the moment she took a step backward, rustling footsteps emerged from behind the rows of tents. A group draped in black cloaks had completely sealed off all her escape routes. They're clearly coming for me... When she saw that mission reward earlier, she'd had an ominous premonition that bad things were brewing. She just hadn't expected it to happen so fast. Silently cursing the damn devs in her mind, Sisi completely gave up on running. Slipping her right hand into her pocket, she counted the people around her. Not that many—only eleven. Yet Sisi knew very well that the ones out in the open were likely only part of the force; there were probably others aiming rifles from further away. The man closest to her was likely the leader. The prominent ridge on the bridge of his nose bore a striking resemblance to some of the prisoners in the POW camp. The other ten looked similar. Their identity went without saying. She could have guessed it with her eyes closed. "Are you from the Legion?" "Your perception is sharp; you deserve praise." The man at the lead gave the girl an appreciative glance. "Unfortunately, it's still a bit too late." Dark muzzles showed faintly beneath the cloaks. Sisi quietly scanned their weapons—every single one was a Pu-9. Firing 9mm subsonic rounds, this submachine gun could pour a massive volume of fire into close-range targets in seconds. Thanks to its high rate of fire and low recoil, although it was standard issue for the Legion, many survivor settlements had produced copies of it. However, this weapon still had one fatal flaw: Its armor penetration was far too weak! While the sheer kinetic energy could still inflict effective damage, against massive mutants, this peashooter couldn't even breach defenses. Sisi knew its performance inside and out. After all, she'd used it plenty of times herself. "I advise you not to make any sudden moves. Even an Awakened can't stop bullets," the man said, looking at her with a smile. "Oh? What do you want?" "Bring out that Luo Hua and hand him over to us." "And if I refuse?" The smile lingered on his face, but his eyes turned icy. "That would be the worst outcome. We have no desire for a massacre, but if you force our hand, we will not show mercy." Sisi suddenly chuckled. "Since when does the Legion reason with people?" The man lifted his chin slightly. "We have always won people over through reason. Now, take your hand slowly out of your pocket, put your hands behind your head, and squat on the ground." "Or we can put a few holes in you first." It seems they want to take me alive... And they probably don't have that much manpower either, otherwise there'd be no need to wait until I'm alone; they could have just rushed us when the moment was right. As these thoughts crossed her mind, Sisi silently withdrew her right hand from her pocket. The onlookers failed to notice the faint silver band around her right wrist. Housed within the silver band were six magnetic pellets less than five millimeters in diameter. Once activated, the pellets would levitate around the bracelet and fire according to preset targeting commands. Its name was the magnetic slingshot. With a maximum effective range of only twenty meters and miniature ammunition, it was considered a flashy but impractical piece of gear. At the end of the previous expansion, she had luckily drawn it in a gacha pull, only to realize it was far more useless than anticipated, so she'd never once fielded it in actual combat. Yet... who would have guessed it would come in handy today? Looks like I'm breaking a few ribs... Sisi muttered to herself. As she waited for the bracelet to automatically lock onto the closest targets, she braced herself to hit the dirt. Seeing no weapon in her open palm, the man broke into a satisfied smile. "Very good. Now squat—" Before the words left his mouth, a succession of whistling shrieks tore in all directions. Alarm bells blared in the man's mind, and he threw himself to the ground almost instinctively. At virtually the same instant, a searing sensation grazed the crown of his head, scorching his scalp. What the hell was that?! Seeing five of his men collapse with bloody holes drilled through their foreheads, his eyes instantly flushed crimson. He bellowed an order: "Fire! Kill her!" There was no need for an order— Almost the moment the anomaly erupted, his soldiers had already pulled their triggers. Five Pu-9 submachine guns spat tongues of flame simultaneously, unleashing a ferocious storm of firepower! Taking multiple hits, Sisi let out a muffled grunt. Seizing the momentary gap in the encirclement, she threw herself recklessly into an adjacent tent. The 9mm slugs failed to pierce the body armor woven of devil silk, but even so, the massive kinetic energy snapped several of her ribs. Fortunately, pain exceeding safety limits was filtered out by her helmet. Otherwise, even with a Constitution-type Awakened's formidable resilience and recovery, the agonizing shock of that moment would have been enough to make her black out. The converging hail of bullets chased her heels into the tent. Tsk— One shot missed! That piece of junk gear really was unreliable... With no time to hesitate, Sisi decisively drew her dagger, slashed an opening through the back of the tent, and bolted through without stopping for a breath. Scrambling to his feet, the ridge-nosed man stared at the tent riddled like a sieve, completely dumbfounded. Shot a dozen times and running like nothing happened? Is that even human?! Bullshit! However— Human or not, there was no time to second-guess. "After her!" Grabbing his submachine gun from the ground, he roared and rallied his remaining men to pursue. Just then, a deafening roar tore in from the side. A white bear with a steel plate strapped to its chest burst abruptly into view. The man snapped his head around. His pupils shrank to pinpricks, and stark terror instantly gripped his face. What terrified him was not the roaring white bear baring fangs and claws, but the rows of tents being flattened under heavy tires, and the truck charging straight toward them. The heavy machine gun welded to its roof was already aimed dead at them. "Siiii! Hang in there!" "We're here to help!!"