Why Not Ask That Guy Fang Chang for a Bad Idea?

Inside the tracked vehicle. The medic and the mechanical engineer were busy treating their wounded squadmates. Watching the team leader hang up the communicator, the second-in-command in the driver's seat asked immediately, "What did the superiors say?" His name was Song Changfeng, though everyone familiar with him called him Lao Song. He had been serving in the Beacon squad since long ago. Zheng Hao fell silent for a moment before speaking. "The original mission has been aborted. The Investigation Division's Containment Project Team instructed us to remain on standby near the crash site. If the other side relocates, shadow them from behind, but do not act rashly. Avoid engaging in firefights..." The expressions of those around him shifted slightly. Lao Song asked cautiously, "How close?" "Left to our own discretion." Hearing those words, quite a few breathed a sigh of relief. Except Lao Song. Seeing that the captain offered nothing further, he pressed anxiously, "And reinforcements?" Zheng Hao looked out the window toward the reed marshes. "Not mentioned." The tracked vehicle fell back into dead silence. Though the superiors had not stated it explicitly, they had clearly written off this squad, as well as the captured operatives. As for the reason... Leaving it unsaid meant that with their clearance, they had no need to know. The medic quietly bandaged the wounded man lying on the stretcher, swapping in a spare prosthetic limb. He had seen this happen far too many times. Song Changfeng slammed his fist viciously into the steering wheel. "Dammit!" Sitting in the rear row, Jiang Xuezhou slowly closed her eyes and bowed her head, murmuring, "I told you... there was no need for us to exchange fire in the first place." Zheng Hao quietly lit a cigarette and replied flatly, "You think I had a choice?" He was indeed the one who gave the order to attack, but it had not been his arbitrary whim alone. It was simply impossible for him to tell his squadmates what specific mission the superiors had handed down to him. In the Academy, senior personnel disclosing information exceeding clearance levels to unauthorized lower-ranking personnel was a grave disciplinary violation, punished to the fullest extent regardless of whether substantive consequences occurred. Only when every unit operated strictly on a need-to-know basis could the entire system maintain high efficiency. To prevent slip-ups, higher-ups would even minimize communication with lower-ranking subordinates. He did not care whether these rules were reasonable. In the Academy, even the lowest Grade-G personnel or newly accepted apprentices could enjoy an abundant life within the ivory tower built by the Academy under the standards of "academic privileges." For survivors born in the Wandering Marsh, becoming a surveyor for the Academy was practically the sole path to escaping ignorance, poverty, and barbarism. Although the Academy-led Science Committee provided them with some advanced technologies, none of it was free. Numerous survivor settlements acquired relatively advanced production techniques, yet improved productivity never enriched their material or spiritual lives. To be honest, Zheng Hao no longer yearned for that ivory tower the way he had in his youth, and he was long past the age for receiving higher education. Unable to pass the professional assessments and become a researcher, his ceiling as a surveyor was Grade-D for the rest of his life. Yet returning to his original survivor settlement to live like a primitive beast was something he utterly refused to accept. Therefore, he could not afford to make a mistake under any circumstances. Having clawed his way to this point with great difficulty, he had to at least protect his Grade-D status. He could not say he loved the road beneath his feet. Yet having chosen it, he had to see it through. *** Ever since the Beta 0.4 version update, Chu Guang had noticed positive feedback from players regarding the new feature for claiming and submitting quests on the official website. Consequently, he had Xiao Qi push further improvements to the function. Now, players could not only accept and turn in quests through the website's interface, but they could also update their quest status in real time through the dialogue box in the quest window. This feature was not mandatory; it merely offered more options when an original objective became difficult to pursue or practically impossible to complete. After all, in the wilderness beyond the Alliance's signal coverage, any unforeseen event could arise. Chu Guang knew full well that he was an ordinary human, not an omniscient, omnipotent god capable of anticipating every single scenario with flawless accuracy. Nor did his limited energy permit such micromanagement. At times, let alone the players being utterly bewildered, Chu Guang himself would freeze in confusion for two or three seconds. For instance, right now... Chu Guang was completely dumbfounded. He had merely dispatched people to the border of Sunset Province to pick up a broodmother. How on earth did they end up provoking the Academy? Granted, the downed plane did not belong to him, but the war in Sunset Province was currently at a crucial juncture. Stirring up trouble with the Academy before resolving the Legion crisis was hardly a wise move. Apart from a dry "Well done," he truly could not think of how to reply to that little player reporting in on the website. Still, his bewilderment lasted barely half a minute. Chu Guang quickly shifted his perspective and realized matters might not be as dire as he had imagined. A certain wanted Grade-D individual had been living under his roof for nearly a year, and not a single second wave of bounty hunters had shown up looking for his head. A mere handful of Grade-E personnel dying out in the wasteland would hardly stir an enormous institution like the Academy into a frenzy. What truly bothered Chu Guang was something else. "...Were they coming for Little Yu?" Chu Guang massaged the bridge of his nose, contemplating his next move. Little Yu was the key to handling the broodmother on floor B6 and could not be handed over under any circumstances. Before the Academy's upper echelon could reach a decision, it had to be evacuated from the Academy's sphere of power projection to safety as quickly as possible. However, the current snag was that while Enterprise did not want their pilots harmed, they were equally unwilling to shoulder the risk of a botched rescue. They wanted the Alliance to dispatch airborne troops to retrieve the survivors. Yet Chu Guang dearly wanted to retort: *Then at least send a few more transport planes over here!* The Alliance's airborne troops could deploy at a moment's notice, but they could hardly fly over a thousand kilometers on their own and jog all the way back on foot. That would be utterly absurd! Just then, Xiao Qi, perched on the desk, lifted its head and spoke in its melodic voice. "Master, Enterprise's representative has just arrived at the airfield. He requests an audience with you." After a brief moment of thought, Chu Guang said, "Send him up." "Alrighty!" The *Heart of Steel* lowered its lift. Having just stepped off the transport plane, Yi Chuan quickly made his way aboard the *Heart of Steel*. Hearing footsteps approaching outside, Chu Guang grabbed Xiao Qi off the desk and, ignoring its aggrieved whimpers, stuffed it straight into a drawer. Almost in the same breath, a knock sounded at the door. Chu Guang cleared his throat. "Come in." The door swung open, and Yi Chuan rushed in agitatedly. Bypassing pleasantries altogether, he cut straight to the chase. "Any news on our pilots?" Chu Guang replied, "I assure you, both are safe and sound." Yi Chuan's eyes lit up with urgency. "You can contact them?" Chu Guang averted his gaze with a subtle shift in expression. "Saying we can 'contact' them isn't entirely accurate... but we do possess an indirect, long-range communication method capable of transmitting vague fragments of information. Similar to your homing pigeons, except you won't be able to speak with those two pilots face-to-face." Explaining this was a massive headache for Chu Guang. Telling the truth was guaranteed to draw disbelief, yet he could hardly fabricate a plausible excuse. Claim that the Burning Corps carried an ultra-high-power radio capable of punching through Sunset Province's environmental interference? What a joke. Could Enterprise fail to know what had been loaded onto their own aircraft? Hearing this vague explanation, Yi Chuan frowned, but he did not press the matter further. Everyone had their secrets. Unilaterally demanding full transparency was neither realistic nor polite. Taking a deep breath, he fixed his eyes on Chu Guang and returned to the core issue. "The Supreme Council's spokesperson previously promised the public that our non-combat personnel would not appear on the front lines. Yet in truth, we have bent our bottom line for you several times already... including back at Camp 530, on Highway 7, and—" Chu Guang coughed softly. "Rather than calling it bending a bottom line, I prefer to call it adaptability. And every single time, it yielded unexpected progress, did it not?" "Not this time!" Yi Chuan continued stiffly. "Our two pilots went down near the edge of the Wandering Marsh! You promised me that non-combat personnel would not be exposed to danger!" Chu Guang countered, "Anything can happen on a battlefield. What's more, that was beyond the active war zone. Who could have known the Academy would launch a sudden strike on your aircraft? At the very least, our soldiers preserved your pilots' lives." Yi Chuan froze. "The Academy?" Chu Guang remarked softly with a hint of provocation, "Apart from the Academy, who else could shoot down your plane without leaving a trace? You can ask your pilots about that... once they return." He actually had more direct proof that the Academy was responsible, such as the four prisoners captured by the players. However, he could not gauge Enterprise's stance toward the Academy. Prioritizing pilots' lives did not conflict with Enterprise's cautious diplomatic posture; one was a calculation of interests, the other an assessment of risk. An individual's emotions might be swayed by a three-second impression, but collective decisions were always formulated after weighing multiple factors. Hence, he intended to test his ally's attitude first. Yi Chuan went quiet for a moment, seemingly unwilling to delve into the topic. "...Setting aside the Academy for now, no matter what, you must ensure that our pilots' safety remains the utmost priority." Observing Yi Chuan's reaction, Chu Guang raised an eyebrow slightly. To his surprise, Enterprise's representative did not display much shock—in fact, his expression suggested he wasn't particularly surprised at all. It seemed friction between the Academy and Enterprise was far from rare. Then again, the world was vast and went far beyond Sunset Province; it was entirely possible that the Academy and Enterprise had entanglements in other regions that Chu Guang knew nothing about. Realizing Enterprise likely wished to avoid opening a new can of worms regarding the Academy, Chu Guang did not stoke the fire further, pivoting back to the rescue operation. Fixing a stern gaze on Yi Chuan, Chu Guang stated solemnly, "Mr. Yi Chuan, are you implying that the lives of Alliance citizens are unimportant? I must remind you that we are allies sharing the same trench, not your hired hands." "That wasn't my meaning," Yi Chuan hastened to explain, caught between tears and laughter at the misunderstanding. "Every life is important, and that naturally includes Alliance citizens... Let's cut the circling. I'll be blunt: the Council promised the residents of Ideal City that non-combatants would not be put in harm's way, but reporters from the *Ideal City Daily* caught wind of this somehow. They're insisting we forced employees to assume risks outside their employment contracts." Chu Guang asked impatiently, "And what if they find out?" Council seats weren't determined by popular vote anyway. He had long wanted to mock these indecisive, overly cautious figures. "Negative publicity impacts our share prices, and share prices represent the confidence of Ideal City's citizens in us. That touches upon the very essence of CR... our credits." Yi Chuan continued with a wry smile, "In short, credit is a sensitive issue back home... You wouldn't want our aid allocations to you to be affected, would you?" Chu Guang inhaled deeply, gradually reigning in his temper. "I want them home as soon as possible too. Therefore, dispatch another two—no, four aircraft immediately! I can deploy a century from the front lines to the north right away!" Yi Chuan retorted, "The problem is, what if they get shot down again?!" "Then have them touch down at Oasis No. 8! The desert lies within our power projection!" Chu Guang swept his index finger through the air, sliding a prepared holographic map before Yi Chuan. "My subordinates will escort your pilots safely to the extraction point... and our own people, of course." Looking at the marked coordinates on the map, Yi Chuan's face was a portrait of conflict. Yet he clearly could not devise a better alternative to Chu Guang's proposal, ultimately choosing to compromise. "Fine. I'll go persuade our leadership. If the extraction point is within Sunset Province... it shouldn't be an issue." The Alliance wielded sufficient influence in Sunset Province. Even if the Golden Lizard Kingdom was a vassal of the Academy, they would hardly dare lay a finger on Enterprise aircraft. Besides, an indigenous kingdom like that... Surely lacked the capability to shoot down their planes without leaving a trace the way the Academy did. Chu Guang nodded. "Go quickly. Our people are ready to move at any moment." Watching Yi Chuan exit the captain's office, Chu Guang's brow relaxed slightly. Leaning back against his chair, he muttered to himself, "That should take care of it." For the sake of those lovely little players, he, serving as both NPC and fatherly developer, had truly run himself ragged. He had practically been driven from a salesman into a full-time babysitter. Just then, the drawer cracked open a sliver, revealing a thumb-sized, pitiful face. "Wuu... Master, is Xiao Qi really that embarrassing to look at?" The little thing had even deliberately pitched its voice to sound extra pathetic. Chu Guang cleared his throat. "Nothing of the sort. It's just... I am the Administrator of the Alliance, representing its image. Leaving a figurine on my desk during a meeting with foreign dignitaries reflects poorly on us." Players were one thing. He had never cared how those loose-lipped fellows gossiped about him on the forum, so long as they didn't draw fan-made doujin comics of him. Enterprise, however, was an outside party. He didn't want damaging rumors about his dignity reaching Ideal City, introducing unnecessary risks to the Alliance's cooperation with them. Resting its upper body against the drawer's edge, Xiao Qi tilted its head. "Yet Xiao Qi thinks they're quite progressive when it comes to AI... They probably wouldn't mind?" Chu Guang kept a straight face. "I mind." Xiao Qi: "Wuu..." Though he knew the aggrieved expression was merely simulated programming, Chu Guang sighed, unable to harden his heart, and gently rubbed its tiny head with his forefinger. "My apologies. I might have been a bit rough just now. Next time, I'll have someone set up a dedicated seat for you on the desk, facing away from the door..." "Tee-hee, no need! Just knowing Master cares makes Xiao Qi super happy! Xiao Qi is Master's assistant, after all! Xiao Qi is very sensible and won't cause trouble for Master!" The aggrieved look vanished instantly from the doll's face, replaced by a radiant smile that bloomed like a rainbow after the rain. Just as Chu Guang suspected, the expression had been entirely put on. After all, how could a "wastebasket" have so many genuine moods? Chu Guang felt helpless. The world had already gone to hell; heaven only knew why the first-generation manager had crammed his AI assistant with so many superfluous features that only increased communication friction. Not that he disliked it, of course. Clinging to the edge of the drawer with both hands, Xiao Qi had no idea what its master was pondering. Resting its chin on the back of its hands, it blinked with uncanny humanity. "Master, could you grant Xiao Qi one tiny request?" "Speak." Xiao Qi said bashfully, "Um... next time, could you not stuff Xiao Qi into a pitch-black drawer, but just slip me into your pocket like usual?" Was there any difference? His pocket didn't have a light bulb installed either; it was just as pitch-black. Though curious, Chu Guang did not pry. Perhaps even an AI had its own peculiar hardships. Fulfilling this request was hardly difficult. Lightly patting its tiny head with his index finger, Chu Guang smiled gently. "Alright, I promise." *** At the junction between the Wandering Marsh and Sunset Province. Having just logged back in, Lao Bai assembled the players in the temporary camp. "New mission!" "Command instructed us to take the pilots and the Academy captives north toward northern Sunset Province. We will board a plane at Oasis No. 8, where reinforcements will rendezvous with us." "What about this plane?" Ye Shi pointed toward the two pilots nearby, who were still scratching their heads over how to repair the transport. Lao Bai shrugged with a helpless grimace. "Doesn't look like we can count on it." By the time those two deciphered the operation manual, the Academy's regular forces might have already surrounded them. Word had it the Academy commanded armed forces of its own, alongside numerous vassals clinging to them throughout the Wandering Marsh. To acquire expensive bionic prostheses, plenty of bounty hunters and mercenaries were more than eager to take contracts for the Academy. While they had no fear of such enemies, fighting through waves of them would be a hassle. Moreover, compared to the straightforward tactics of the Legion, the Academy's gear was flashy and bizarre, making it difficult to guard against. Looking at the transport plane, Ye Shi wore a heartbroken expression. "Such a great plane... what a waste to just blow it up..." Kuang Feng shot him a sideways glance. "What? You planning to carry it back on your back?" Ye Shi turned to look at Luo Yu, who wore an equally reluctant expression. Catching Ye Shi's gaze, Luo Yu blinked and offered a bitter smile. "Why are you looking at me... I don't know how to fix this thing either." Ye Shi chuckled. "Not asking you to fix it. Can't your Little Yu produce spawn like other broodmothers? Like those evolved organisms we saw in downtown Qingquan City... see if it can pop one out." "No chance," Luo Yu shook his head. "Little Yu is different from the broodmother in Qingquan City. It can't latch onto mechanical parts." Ye Shi paused. "Then how did it fly a plane?" Luo Yu thought it over and offered his assessment. "With that Dragonfly transport... it probably inherited some of my experience. As for the Hawk fighter, it likely assimilated the enemy pilot." "So essentially, its fruiting bodies don't assimilate machines into part of their bodies, but rather use their own experience to 'pilot' operational machinery... Did I get that right?" Kuang Feng summarized with pinpoint accuracy. Luo Yu nodded immediately. "Exactly, that's what I mean." Kuang Feng rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Then we're out of luck." To use a layman's analogy: Little Yu's ability was sitting in the driver's seat to steer a car, whereas the Qingquan City broodmother hoisted the entire car onto its shoulder and sprinted. Both involved organisms driving machines, but anyone with working eyes could tell the difference. The idea of having slime mold swallow the plane was a dead end, and expecting Strength-types to haul the aircraft was even less realistic. They were nearly two hundred kilometers of mountain trails away from Oasis No. 8. Carrying such a massive transport back on foot over mountains wouldn't just require a Strength-type brute; it would take a bona fide Kryptonian. Even so, Ye Shi refused to give up. His eyes shifted thoughtfully, and inspiration suddenly struck him. "Why not ask that guy Fang Chang to pitch some bad ideas?" Killing Dagger's eyes lit up. "Sounds good to me!" All Good Names Taken by Dogs raised his hand in excitement as well. "+1! Brother Fang Chang definitely has a way!" That guy had backdoor deals with the dog developer; he was bound to know insider game secrets regular players didn't. Seeing so much support, Ye Shi took action immediately, burying brother Jieyan's VM in the nearby bushes to serve as a locator beacon. This device required DNA authentication to unlock, so there was no worry about strangers scavenging it. Besides, it was merely a terminal and stored no sensitive data. Dusting off his hands, Ye Shi stood up, looked at the dazed Kuang Feng, and grinned. "Done! Once I log off, I'll tag Fang Chang on the forum." Kuang Feng composed himself and said earnestly, "I doubt Fang Chang will have a solution." "How will we know without trying? If he doesn't, so be it; worst case, Jieyan buys another VM." Ye Shi patted Kuang Feng's shoulder and grinned. "Let's go, time to get to work!" *** With the relocation mission confirmed, Lao Bai split off two squads to head to the crash sites of the Hawk fighter and the Dragonfly transport respectively. They retrieved fruiting body samples from both locations. Once their gear was packed, the group prepared to depart. The captive named Wu Liangping, critically injured and comatose, was placed inside a cryogenic hibernation pod. The previously captured bioroid was zipped into a body bag, wrapped on the outside with a layer of aluminum foil secured by duct tape. Seeing these people preparing to march them away, Zhao Xiao grew tense. "Where are you taking us?" "None of your business. Just walk obediently." Ye Shi poked him in the back with his pistol, grinning cheekily. Zhao Xiao warned anxiously, "You'd better let us go. This is the edge of the Wandering Marsh... You'll never make it out of here with us in tow." Such toothless stubbornness wasn't enough to anger anyone. Escorting him, Ye Shi joked, "'Never make it out,' huh? With all due respect, given your performance earlier, sending more of you would just be feeding us free kills." Zhao Xiao's face flushed crimson, and he retorted indignantly, "We are an exploration squad, not... not regular troops! Besides... let me tell you, we are certified surveyors, and Grade-E at that! The Academy won't leave us behind!" *"And Grade-E at that"?* Did that mean there were Grade-F and Grade-G below them? Judging by his expression, that seemed to be the case. Yet Ye Shi couldn't care less. Even if so, what of it? "Stop bragging. Imagine being cannon fodder and feeling proud of it," Ye Shi said lazily. "And if things are as you say, there's even less reason to let you go. Otherwise, when your reinforcements arrive, who are we supposed to use as human shields?" "You bastard..." Flushed with rage, Zhao Xiao opened his mouth to snap back, but Chen Yutong, who had remained silent the whole time, finally couldn't hold back and cut him off. "Zhao Xiao... that's enough. Stop talking." If he kept running his mouth, she feared these people might change their minds and bury them on the spot. Her warning appeared to have an effect. The young man finally realized his predicament and fell silent. Ye Shi couldn't be bothered with him either. This kid always reminded him of his own younger, foolish days. Even though he wasn't particularly old right now either. *** After half a day's march, the group had departed the Wandering Marsh and reached the fringes of the mountains in northern Sunset Province. Numerous mutant species never before seen in River Valley Province roamed this area, but fortunately their numbers were sparse, and the party encountered no real danger. Traveling by night through mutant-infested territory was perilous. Lao Bai selected a vantage point with relatively clear sightlines to pitch camp. Some stayed behind to take the first watch, while others logged off to eat. On the official forum. The instant he logged onto the net, Ye Shi eagerly made a post, terrified someone else would beat him to it. *"Breaking News! The Academy Shot Down an Enterprise Aircraft!"* While "stealing a plane" could be discussed in a private group chat, what was the fun in private chats compared to brainstorming with the entire community? Ye Wei swore on his life. This was definitely not to show off or flex. It was purely to "pool everyone's wisdom." Just as he anticipated, practically the moment the thread went live, a single refresh yielded hundreds, then thousands of views. Tail: "Giao?!" Sisi: "For real?!" Scavenger Lv99: "??? What the heck, I just headed south and you guys already unlocked the northern map?!" Jieyan, who had been offline for less than twenty-four hours, popped up immediately afterward, his train of thought as wildly off the rails as ever. "Holy crap?! Are we going to war with the Academy now?!"