Passing the Buck With No Shame At All!

Beside the Heart of Steel, an inflatable airship nearly fifty meters in length slowly eased toward the edge of the mothership. Although this inflatable airship was massive enough in its own right—longer than a Boeing in the real world—it still looked like a tiny sparrow before the five-hundred-meter-long Heart of Steel. The flight crew watched tensely as it hovered above the Heart of Steel, lowering cables and a lift platform to transfer personnel down to the deck. Their tension stemmed mainly from the fact that this thing was filled with hydrogen. It was, for all intents and purposes, a giant bomb. The players aboard, however, were not the least bit panicked. They paid no heed to the potential safety hazard. After all, you got a fresh life every three days. If an accident truly happened, they trusted that, given the dog developer's moral standing, they would certainly receive handsome compensation. The moment his feet touched the deck of the Heart of Steel, Ye Shi let out an outrageous, rowdy holler. "Hahaha! Laozi, Hu Hansan, is back!" Mosquito, who happened to be strolling by after finishing his shift—eight mechanical arms swinging behind his back and a dog-skin aviator cap perched on his head—teased him with a smirk. "Didn't you go by 'Up Ten Times a Night'? How'd you turn into Hu Hansan again?" "Piss off!" "Haha!" Watching her brother roll his eyes, Jiu Jiu, who had followed alongside him, laughed until her stomach ached. Squatting on the deck, she gave a thumbs-up. "Uncle Mosquito, you're hilarious!" "Heh, naturally—fuck! Laozi isn't that old!" "Pfft—" "Hahahahaha! Uncle Mosquito..." Gui Gui could not help bursting into laughter, while Feng Qing demurely covered her mouth to stifle a giggle. The air was filled with cheer. Even though an intense, thrilling battlefield lay just dozens of kilometers away, it seemed no one except the NPCs could actually manage to feel nervous. Luo Yu looked Ye Shi up and down with curiosity, asking with a smile, "Speaking of which, didn't you respawn yesterday? How come you only got back today?" With the game event kicking off over the past few days, a scheduled flight had been running every night between the Heart of Steel and Dawn City, departing right at midnight (noon in the real world). He had assumed this guy would have arrived yesterday. Ye Shi let out a wistful sigh. "Sigh, triggered a hidden quest. Got held up in Dawn City for a while." Luo Yu pressed curiously, "What kind of hidden quest?" Ye Shi scratched the back of his head, unsure where to start. After pondering for a moment, he said, "Some jerk from the Academy came looking for trouble, insisting I show her around Dawn City. I suspected she was a spy, so I hauled her off to the guard station." He had not made this up; that person really had been suspicious. The Academy and the Alliance had no diplomatic relations—that was public information on the official website. Aside from runaways like Chen Yutong and Yin Fang, there shouldn't have been any researchers loitering around Dawn City. At the time, he had assumed she was there to capture Lao Bai's lover, so he agreed to show her around, only to deliver her straight to the precinct without another word. Having her identity exposed made her blow her top just as he had expected, but for some reason, the guards didn't believe a word he said. He would have to make a scathing post on the forum later to complain about how unprofessional they were! Having stood back up, Jiu Jiu listened to her brother's explanation, let out a long sigh, and pressed a hand to her forehead. Luo Yu glanced at the little girl's expression, sensing things were not that simple. Looking back at Ye Shi, he asked with curiosity, "And then?" Ye Shi rolled his eyes. "Then she lost her temper, obviously! She raised her fists to beat the crap out of me! Damn useless guards didn't even bother to help. They walked out halfway through taking the statement, shut the door, and locked it! Later on... that mayor named Luka showed up. Anyway, it was a massive headache and wasted an entire day of my time." Luo Yu listened, completely dumbfounded. He was not the only one; several pilots from the Goblin Corps, including Mosquito, stared blankly at him as well. Gui Gui raised her hand. "One question... Are you sure she was actually a spy?" Ye Shi replied without hesitation, "What else could she be? Is there any other possibility?" Feng Qing shifted her gaze toward Gui Gui with a subtle expression. "I kind of feel like..." Before she could finish, Gui Gui wore an "I know exactly what you mean" look and nodded in profound agreement. "I feel the exact same way!" Ye Shi: "...?" Luo Yu understood only half of it. Massaging his temples with a headache, he asked, "So who on earth... is she? Do you know her?" "Met her once, otherwise how would I know she's from the Academy?" Ye Shi scratched the back of his head, glanced around, and his eyes lit up as he pointed toward the airship. "That one over there. The Administrator didn't feel comfortable leaving her in Dawn City, so he told me to keep an eye on her." Luo Yu looked in the direction he was pointing. There, standing on the transport airship's hoist platform, was a young woman in a silver-white coat, clutching the cables tightly as she waited for the platform—which was hovering almost flush with the deck—to steady itself. Her face was pale, with the words 'fear of heights' practically stamped across her forehead. Her raised, high collar fluttered in the wind like twin flags alongside her two long ponytails, which whipped about in the turbulent air. Two ground crew members were trying to persuade her to step down, yet she still gripped the cables tightly, showing no intention of letting go. "Jiang Xuezhou, Rank-D researcher," Jiu Jiu said with a faint sigh as she looked over. "Don't mind my brother's endless trash talk; sometimes he's so dense even I'm shocked." "Holy shit! Rank D?!" Mosquito turned to Ye Shi in astonishment, clapping him on the shoulder with his mechanical arms. "Impressive, bro! Isn't that the same rank as Yin Fang?" "What does that have to do with me?" Ye Shi swatted Mosquito's mechanical arms away in annoyance. "Besides, rank is just rank. It's totally separate from ability." He didn't think she was smart at all. If she were truly smart, she wouldn't have ended up captured by the Enlightenment Society. Feng Qing cast a meaningful look at Gui Gui, leaning in to whisper, "I have a feeling the Administrator isn't so simple either... whisper, whisper..." Gui Gui wore that same "I get you" expression, nodding solemnly. "Right?... mutter, mutter..." Ye Shi: "..." What in the world have these two been whispering about this whole time? If you're so bored, go haul some bombs! On the other side, the crew members were still patiently trying to coax Jiang Xuezhou off the lift platform. "Lady from the Academy... the platform is already at the bottom. Please step off quickly." Jiang Xuezhou kept her face taut, stubbornly insisting, "No, isn't there still a gap?" The crew member's expression turned awkward. He was too embarrassed to mention that they had only begun attempting to dock civilian airships on the deck of the Heart of Steel over the past few days; previously, they had only flown back and forth between Dawn City and Pioneer City. To bring the platform this close to the Heart of Steel's deck, the pilot had already exerted every ounce of effort. The other crew member patiently reminded her, "Until we modify this hoist, this is as close as it can get. We're saying this for your own good; staying there might be even more dangerous..." "..." Jiang Xuezhou bit her lip, anxiously scanning the deck, and happened to lock eyes with Ye Shi. Her expression instantly froze. She glared at him with murderous intensity, then stiffly jerked her neck away. Yet the moment she saw the clouds drifting outside and the lift swinging near the deck like a swing, she turned her head back with a tearful, miserable scowl. She didn't know why. Looking down from the sky through a drone's feed felt completely normal, and flying around on her mentor's research vessel had never posed any issue. Yet ever since boarding this reckless hydrogen airship belonging to the Alliance, she had not experienced a single moment of peace... Seeing her comical expression, Ye Shi nearly burst out laughing. This NPC was just too funny. Standing to the side, Jiu Jiu couldn't bear to watch any longer. Sighing, she braced both hands against her brother's shoulders and shoved him out from the crowd. "Alright, alright, my big brother's got a quest to do! Excuse us, big brothers and sisters, coming through, coming through..." Caught off guard, Ye Shi stumbled a step toward the airship under his sister's shove. He turned around and glared at the little girl. "What are you doing?" "Alright, don't ask, just do as I say!" Jiu Jiu adopted a tone meant for coaxing a child, saying patiently, "Go, go on. Go help her down right now." Hearing this, Ye Shi immediately grew disgruntled. "It's literally one step forward. Why does she need my help? What does she have legs for?" "Tsk, when I tell you to go, you go!" Glared at by his sister, Ye Shi opened his mouth to snap back, but remembering that this little girl was exceptionally close with Tengteng, he swallowed his words. "Fine, fine, fine... I'll go, I'll go." "Hehe! Good luck!" Watching her brother walk toward the lift, Jiu Jiu offered an encouraging cheer alongside an auntie-like smile. She naturally knew her brother liked Sister Tengteng, but with his closeted, tsundere personality, he stood virtually no chance. The woman was an absolute mature beauty, okay?! She was just a bit laid-back in the game, but in reality, she was an elite professional who had designed tons of incredible works. Why would she ever fall for a brat who spouted endless slick lines on the internet but didn't even dare ask for her contact info in person? So give it up already, dear brother! Hurry and remember that 2D waifus are your true love! You must find happiness!! Jiu Jiu crossed herself over her chest, chanted Amitabha in her heart, and silently offered a prayer to the Great Horned Deer God on her brother's behalf. Watching that detestable jerk walk over and reluctantly extend his right hand, the corners of Jiang Xuezhou's lips curved upward slightly, a touch of color returning to her pale face. "Hmph... at least you have a shred of conscience." Feeling a hint of smug satisfaction, she reached out and placed her palm into the hand before her. Ye Shi rolled his eyes. He was just about to declare self-righteously that Jiu Jiu had forced him into this, but under a vicious glare from his sister, the sharp words on the tip of his tongue were swallowed right back down. "Hurry up and get down... It's barely any height at all, stop embarrassing yourself. If you're scared of even this, you might as well go home and plant sweet potatoes." "You!" Having just jumped down from the lift platform, Jiang Xuezhou nearly stumbled to the floor upon hearing those words. Forgetting her altitude entirely, the moment she found her footing, she glared at him with a murderous gaze. Ye Shi had no doubt that if lasers were installed in her eyes, he would have died ten thousand times over already. No good deed goes unpunished. And to think I saved her life before. Ye Shi muttered under his breath, ignoring her. Compared to that murderous glare, he cared far more about the amused, teasing eyes watching from all around. Seeing the stiff tension between the two, Jiu Jiu hopped right between them, acting as the peacemaker as she looked at Jiang Xuezhou. "Don't mind my brother. He's just clumsy with his words, but he was actually worried about you!" Her chest heaving, Jiang Xuezhou looked at Jiu Jiu, nodded gently, and said softly in embarrassment, "Thank you... Jiu Jiu." She had met this bright, clever little girl yesterday in Dawn City, and her first impression had been wonderful. Yet it truly defied belief! How could such a polite child share a family with such an ill-mannered brute?! Jiu Jiu gave a playful wink. "You're thanking the wrong person. It was my brother who helped you out; you should thank him." "..." Jiang Xuezhou pressed her lips together, stubbornly turning her face away—whether out of petulance, or to hide the blush creeping up beneath the hair at her temples. As the final piece of cargo was at last cleared from the lift, the ground crew let out sighs of relief and hurriedly signaled the airship to depart from the deck. It was almost as if they were terrified a certain someone might hop right back on. Unable to endure the teasing smirks and winks from the ruffians around him, Ye Shi didn't want to linger on the deck for another second. He hastily pulled his sister and Jiang Xuezhou along, heading toward the hatchway. Once inside the Heart of Steel, the tension in Jiang Xuezhou's expression visibly relaxed. She looked left and right, examining her surroundings, and even found the mood to critique what she saw. "By the way, why do you use such primitive means of transportation... Doesn't Boulder City have aircraft with plasma engines?" Ye Shi retorted instinctively, "Primitive? Seems pretty handy to me." Jiang Xuezhou shot him a glance. "What about that hydrogen airship just now was handy..." Ye Shi replied without thinking, "Stable, fast, and high payload capacity. Is there any aircraft better suited for the wasteland?" Seeing that he completely missed the point, Jiang Xuezhou couldn't resist calling him out: "What about safety?! Don't you consider the safety hazards involved at all?" "Tsk." Ye Shi originally wanted to snap back that he got a fresh life every three days so what the hell was there to fear, but remembering the player handbook, he held his tongue and curled his lip. "If you can't stand looking at it, why don't you make a copy of your anti-gravity device blueprints and hand them over? You think every settlement in the wasteland has a maxed-out tech tree like you guys?" "..." Jiang Xuezhou bit her lip and fell silent, a trace of hurt and sorrow surfacing in her eyes. Ye Shi glanced at her. Seeing the sorrow in her eyes, a sudden flutter of panic seized his heart, and he instinctively wondered if he had been too harsh. But on second thought, he felt baffled. He hadn't said anything unreasonable! To be fair, if those technologies had been researched and developed by the Academy itself, that would be one thing; how they used them was their own business. But the problem was that those technologies originally belonged to the entire Human Alliance, an inheritance meant for all of mankind, yet a bunch of old geezers had hoarded the gold into their own pockets. Was that something decent people did?! In fact, those people didn't even truly unleash the value of that technology; they merely gathered and hoarded it like hamsters. At least in terms of the game's lore, standing from the perspective of a vault dweller to criticize the Academy's incompetence was completely justified. Yet... He truly couldn't bear to see a girl look so heartbroken. Even if he disapproved of the Academy's methods, that was a political decision, not something a lowly Rank-D researcher like her could influence. "Speaking of which, what did you come here for?" Ye Shi took the initiative to change the subject. "My mentor sent me," Jiang Xuezhou whispered dejectedly. "And what is he here for?" "A terrible disaster is unfolding here... What is that look for?" "Nothing." Ye Shi shrugged, staring at the ceiling above. "I was just wondering why you only showed up now." Jiang Xuezhou fell silent, closing her mouth. Her eyes held self-reproach, sorrow, and a tangle of complicated emotions. Indeed... Knowing full well how terrible a disaster it was, why had they only come now? Yet what did that have to do with her? Was it her fault? After they parted ways last time, she thought she would never see him again. She hadn't expected her mentor to take on a project related to the Alliance, nor that he would luckily bring her along. A reunion after such a long parting should have been a joyful occasion; he had no idea how happy she had felt at the time. And yet, the very first thing this jerk did upon meeting her was deliver her straight to the police station! Was that something a human being would do?! The more Jiang Xuezhou thought about it, the more wronged she felt, and the more wronged she felt, the angrier she became. Her fists clenched involuntarily, and her teeth ground together with an audible crunch. Hearing that grinding sound, Ye Shi assumed Qiangren Suonan was nearby and glanced toward the corner of the corridor. Strange. Didn't the Administrator forbid him from bringing his little friend aboard the airship? That fat rat couldn't possibly be hiding inside the walls grinding its teeth on its own, could it? Trailing silently behind the quiet pair, Jiu Jiu kept her mouth shut the entire way. From the very first sentence, she had been struck utterly speechless by her brother's 'high EQ,' to the point where she had no idea which line she was even supposed to salvage... It suddenly struck her that perhaps even a 2D waifu with simulated emotions might not suit her brother. Even if a flag were raised so high it hit the ceiling, he would find a way to chop it down himself. Jiu Jiu sighed silently in her heart. I'm sorry, brother. Your sister did her best! You'd better just save up to buy an android. That one shouldn't have any difficulty setting... The group disappeared at the end of the corridor. None of them noticed a figure standing at the corner. Listening to the footsteps fade into the distance, Chen Yutong, hiding around the corner, finally breathed a sigh of relief and walked off in the opposite direction. Although she missed her friend dearly, meeting now would only bring trouble to Jiang Xuezhou and the others harboring her. She was already dead to the Academy. It was best not to meet... ... At the same time, inside the captain's quarters of the Heart of Steel. A familiar conversation was playing out, though the atmosphere held not the slightest hint of romance; instead, it was laced with the faint clash of verbal swords. "...A severe disaster is unfolding here. You may not have fully grasped the gravity of the situation. I suggest you pick up the pace." A robot clad entirely in metal stood beside Chu Guang. Its right hand was extended slightly forward, curved at the wrist. A beam of pale blue light projected a bust of luminous particles floating above its palm. That bust belonged to Jiang Xuezhou's mentor, Yang Kai. The cowardly old bastard was currently sitting inside his research vessel, likely hovering somewhere near the Heart of Steel. As always, he never showed himself in the flesh, preferring to send his disciples roaming about with projection equipment. The moment things went south, he would flee without a second thought. In that regard alone, while Li Ke—a fellow Rank-B researcher—lacked this man's pretentious style, he had far more courage. At least that guy dared to run to the front lines of the battlefield to show off in person. Lü Bei stared fixedly at the robot, his right hand resting perpetually near his weapon. Chu Guang, however, was different. Possessing absolute confidence in his own strength, he didn't care about this guy at all, merely remarking indifferently, "Since you understand what's happening here, why did you only come now?" Yang Kai let out a sigh that sounded like an apology, yet his tone was light and hollow, devoid of any genuine weight. "We have our own difficulties. I hope you understand." Chu Guang continued nonchalantly, "If you could explain those difficulties in detail, it might help me understand. But from where I stand, you look more like a turtle pulling its head into its shell." "A turtle. What an amusing analogy... Never mind, let's get down to business. We've exchanged pleasantries long enough." Yang Kai chuckled, awkwardly steering away from the subject. Seeing that he didn't wish to dwell on it, Chu Guang did not waste further time on an issue that would yield no result. The fact that the Academy had come proved they harbored concerns about the situation here. Holding the initiative, he had no reason to be polite with them. By all rights and reason, he was entitled to voice the Alliance's dissatisfaction. "Suits me," Chu Guang said calmly. "First, explain what the gravity of the situation actually entails." "I was just about to address that." Clearing his throat, Yang Kai continued, "The regional infection of the Na fruit progresses through multiple stages. I believe your researchers have already gained some understanding of this." Chu Guang nodded. "Our investigation identified three stages." This was the result of Chen Yutong's research. Stage One: A small fraction of the local population, flora, and fauna become infected by the Na fruit. During this stage, the Na fruit fungus displayed almost no aggression or harm. Not only did it produce sweet, succulent flesh, but it also granted consumers a constitution virtually immune to disease. The only side effects were occasional daydreaming and lapses in concentration. Stage Two: The majority of the local population, flora, and fauna become infected. During this stage, the Na fruit fungus gradually bared its fangs and revealed its ambition to climb higher up the food chain. Specifically, humans and animals that consumed the Na fruit over a prolonged period frequently entered a 'trance' state, losing their responsiveness to external stimuli along with their aggression and combat capability, thereby making them easier prey for organisms higher on the food chain. Whether that meant being devoured by stronger mutants, or offered by the Church as tribute to curry favor with their mutant allies. Stage Three was essentially an escalation of Stage Two. Once the Na fruit fungus confirmed its dominion over the vast majority of organic matter within the territory via pheromones, it would completely tear away its pleasant disguise, releasing spores through the fungal network spread across the land to unfold its domain— Plunging all organic life within that domain into the Heaven envisioned and governed by the deity! "Not bad. To figure all this out in such a short time, it seems you have quite a few talents on hand." Having listened to Chu Guang's brief summary, Yang Kai nodded in approval and continued, "However, your investigation did not go deep enough. In truth, beyond Stage Three, a Stage Four exists." Chu Guang: "What is it?" Yang Kai continued, "It follows Stage Three. To put it in non-academic terms—when Heaven descends upon this land, and the moon waxes from crescent to full, this land will permanently become a realm of plague." In other words, advancing from Stage Three to Stage Four took about a month? Using such mystical phrasing. Yet what concerned Chu Guang more was another matter. "...It cannot be purged?" "Correct." Yang Kai nodded slightly, his tone completely devoid of jest as he continued, "Even if you destroy the pseudo-broodmother—the Nest of Na Fruit—the fungal colony entrenched here will continue to execute prior directives by sheer momentum. Heaven will persist, on and on... Aside from grotesque modified organisms like mutants, all organic life within the domain will lose autonomous consciousness, like marionettes with severed strings." "You must understand, because the strings of these puppets were previously held in the hands of a fellow called the Holy Son, those living corpses could carry on living like livestock even without self-awareness. But once there is no one left to manage them, they will likely struggle even to perform basic feeding." "Maintaining 'Heaven' at Stage Four is the most perfect choice for the Church, who possess the psychic interference device." "In fact, our researchers hypothesize that beyond Stage Four, there should theoretically be a Stage Five. Namely, in the absence of external interference, the organisms captive to the Na fruit will naturally perish, be devoured by the entire domain, and rot away..." This was not hard to imagine. The Na fruit itself was a biological weapon devoid of self-awareness, gene-edited from partial DNA fragments of the mutant slime mold. The Nest of Na Fruit lacked the autonomous consciousness of a slime mold broodmother; it was merely an empty husk that looked the part. The Church of the Torch had used psychic interference devices to fill its core, sustaining the operation of that hollow ecosystem. Once it lost the coordination of the psychic interference device, this massive ecosystem would instantly plunge into an abyss, turning into a paradise where only mindless microorganisms could thrive. Chu Guang's expression gradually darkened. He had roughly guessed the final outcome, yet he still fixed a solemn gaze on the expert before him and asked, "What will happen?" "No one knows what hasn't been verified." Yang Kai sighed softly. "As you know, due to the coordination of the Na fruit fungus, organic matter infected by the Na fruit will not actually be broken down by natural decomposers at a normal pace. Some scholars believe it will become an eternal kingdom of bacteria; others believe a massive, beautiful crystal orchid will bloom atop the corpses of those people... You know that flower, don't you?" Chu Guang blurted out instinctively, "The flower that blooms on corpses—" "Guiding the path to the underworld," Yang Kai finished for him, nodding slightly. "Frankly speaking, we truly do not know how to handle this problem. Slaying everyone and burning them to ash is not our style. As for Enterprise, by the time they make up their minds, the trouble in one province could easily spread across half the Mid-Continent... To say nothing of the Legion; they would only gloat and mock us. You know what kind of people they are. They cannot be counted on." Holy hell. Passing the buck like this was completely, utterly shameless! Fury flared in Chu Guang. "So you're kicking the ball to me?! That's the population of an entire province! Even if I had the stomach for it, I don't have nearly enough gasoline!" Yang Kai said softly, "We gave you a thousand cubic meters of fuel. That stuff works far better than gasoline... Even if you chose to do that, it is definitely enough." "..." Chu Guang stared at him unblinkingly. Yang Kai averted his gaze, rubbing his nose with a touch of shame before continuing, "Don't look at me like that. We didn't cause this mess. If anything, we have been silently guarding the last shred of hope from the old civilization, even if you don't understand how magnificent our work truly is." "Look at the land beneath your feet. How terrifying it is when a bunch of people who don't deserve it are handed the sharp weapons of civilized men." "We will eventually leave this planet; it is already on our schedule. But we do not intend to take all hope with us... Doctor Conclusion believes the old civilization will not perish entirely, and our shared, winding destiny will ultimately reunite us at some point in the future, even if we depart for the corners of the universe or another galaxy entirely." "Rather than resenting us for not giving you more help, it is better to think about how to solve this problem." Chu Guang suddenly let out a cold chuckle. "You've handed me quite the dilemma. For a moment there, I even wondered whether that thousand cubic meters of helium-3 would be enough to let me sleep for a thousand years." Assuming the equipment didn't malfunction, it probably would be. Though, of course, he could never do such a thing. "I am very sorry, though I am not the one who set the problem... My disciple will assist you in resolving some of these issues. If you plan to abandon this era and resume hibernation, please take her with you as well—though I trust you certainly will not do so." Yang Kai nodded slightly. Like a wisp of drifting smoke, he swiftly dispersed into that wash of azure light, vanishing entirely from the captain's quarters.