This Game Is Too Real -
Chapter 547 Strategic Space-Based Orbital Gun
Chapter 547: Chapter 547 Strategic Space-Based Orbital Gun
In the elevator.
Yibers reached out and pressed the button for the floor.
As the elevator began to descend, he suddenly turned to Chu Guang and said with a smile,
"Have you heard of the Torch Plan?"
"The device that resets the world?" Chu Guang looked at him unexpectedly, surprised that he knew about Shelter No.0.
But that made sense.
After all, this old monster had lived for over a century and was bound to have heard some odd rumors.
Yibers smiled and nodded.
"Yes, since you know about the Torch, I can keep it simple."
Chu Guang said,
"Do you mean that the ’weapon’ is similar to the Torch, utilizing neutron feather flow to destroy the macromolecules in organisms?"
Yibers shook his head with a smile.
"Almost, but describing it that way is too simplistic. Just neutron feather flow can’t reset the world. There are many ways to defend against nuclear strikes, like... a deflection shield based on anti-gravity principles that can effectively deflect neutron feather flow. So, if we want to kill the organisms within the shield, we must first shatter their encasements. Hence, the ’fire’ part of the Torch Plan can be divided into two execution steps: one is a planetary-scale phase disturbance to disable anti-gravity devices and shields, and two is the release of neutron feather flow to annihilate organic life on the planet."
Even though he only grasped the general idea, Chu Guang couldn’t help but admire,
"Clever plan."
Yibers said with a smile,
"And highly efficient."
Chu Guang gave Yibers another look.
He always felt that this guy was a bit psychopathic, exhibiting particular excitement when discussing methods and tools for killing—as if he were the exact extreme of those mindless and unhappy individuals sent from the company.
Quite a dangerous person.
He needed to have Xiao Qi keep a close watch on him.
As Chu Guang thought this, the elevator dinged to a stop, and the alloy doors slid open to both sides.
"We’ve arrived."
Making an elegant inviting gesture, Yibers took the lead out of the elevator, guiding Chu Guang into the core area of the Boulder Military Industrial Building.
The two arrived in a spacious room.
The layout resembled a command center.
On the wall opposite the entrance hung a massive screen with an abstract cerulean planet floating in its center, surrounded by a dense halo of gray mist.
Unsurprisingly, that dense mist was likely orbital debris, just as the company had said, dense enough to reduce the yearly average sunlight reaching the ground.
The harsh outside climate owes at least some of its severity to it.
Chu Guang scanned the room and finally fixed his gaze on the screen ahead.
"This is?"
"Lightning."
"Lightning?"
"The name of this setup, its full name is Phase-Neutron Killing Strategic Orbital Cannon, abbreviated as SOG."
Yibers looked at Chu Guang with a smile and continued,
"What you see now is one of the greatest weapons of the Prosperity Epoch! It’s also the inspiration for the Torch System! Just one shot can evaporate all organic life in Qingquan City, there’s no more efficient tool for slaughter."
"It can’t reset the whole world, but wiping a city off the map is no problem at all."
Goodness!
An efficient tool for slaughter indeed...
Chu Guang’s face was full of astonishment, utterly captivated by the screen before him.
If one could fire this at the lair in Qingquan City...
However, this thought only flickered momentarily in Chu Guang’s mind before he dismissed it.
This weapon was previously in the hands of the Post-War Reconstruction Committee before being distributed to settlements overseen by the War Construction Committee.
If it were truly that efficient, the Construction Committee would have used it long ago; they wouldn’t have resorted to dropping "not so efficient" nuclear bombs towards the city center, nor would there have been need to initiate any Weilante People’s Plan due to prolonged casualties.
Chu Guang figured there might be another possibility, that the effectiveness of this weapon on shelters was unclear.
To this day, many shelters in Qingquan City were still in the closure period, fulfilling the mission set two centuries ago.
Myxomycete was one of the primary threats on the Wasteland, but not the only one.
Perhaps concern over the prohibitive cost prevented the Construction Committee from utilizing it to eradicate the lair, even till its dissolution.
As Yibers shifted his gaze from Chu Guang, who was lost in thought, to the screen that portrayed the cerulean planet wrapped in gray mist, he appeared to be staring at some sort of treasure, smilingly he said.
"It lay silently in that grey fog, drifting with space debris, and there were almost no means to lock onto it. Even the weapon’s holder did not know its exact orbital parameters... but it didn’t matter. As long as the ’Key’ awakened it, it could be deployed anywhere above this planet at your command."
"Of course, this system is not without its weaknesses, it takes 24 hours to charge. And once it ends its silent state, it will shine like a light. There are many ways to observe its position, calculate its orbital parameters, calculate its strike coordinates..."
"Even though it comes with a close-defense system and a deflection shield, 24 hours is enough time for a lot to happen."
Yibers took some time to introduce this weapon system, and Chu Guang, standing by, listened attentively to the end, then suddenly spoke.
"Does the Army also have similar weapons?"
Yibers said with a slight smile,
"Who knows? Why don’t you try floating it above Triumph City?"
When he said this, there was no joking tone in his voice; it even carried a hint of instigation.
Chu Guang rolled his eyes, not bothering with this guy.
Using a "trump card" that had been out for two centuries to threaten an old survivor force that had existed for a century and a half on Wasteland.
That was purely courting death.
A very simple logic.
To the west of the Great Desert, there were habitations similar to Giant Stone City, but the Army still conquered half the continent, and Triumph City was safe and sound.
Clearly.
This so-called "Thunder from Heaven" indeed had a certain deterrence but the concept of deterrence was never absolute.
Two centuries were enough for the Army, the Company, and the Academy to come up with countermeasures for this strategic weapon and to add some other cards to their hands.
The real reason the contracts were maintained was not only because breaking the contracts would be costly but likely more because of sheer disregard.
Whether it was the Army, the Academy, or the Company, these experienced survivor forces with clear paths and strong convictions did not believe Giant Stone City could stir up significant trouble, considering it rotten to the core could only harm half a province at best.
A bunch of fattened pigs did not have the courage to shoot recklessly.
For example, the Council, if they really thought Giant Stone City was a trouble, could have simply spent some money to buy this weapon back from those nobles.
But they didn’t, which said a lot.
Chu Guang couldn’t help but think of another matter.
The Company’s embassy must have already understood the dramatic changes happening in Giant Stone City now, how would the Supreme Council view the Alliance inheriting the "Thunder from Heaven" system?
Observing Chu Guang’s expression, Yibers continued methodically,
"...Theoretically, Thunder from Heaven could even break through the Holy Shield, but the weapon’s barrel has only one bullet, and the energy released at the moment of firing would destroy the weapon itself. It is said that this system exists not to eliminate anyone but to ensure an ancient agreement—that all survivor forces do not interfere with each other, instead, they collectively explore methods to end the Wasteland Era and seek the future of civilization."
"I heard from Mr. Fang Ming that the reason the first generation of residents entrusted ’Thunder from Heaven’ to its care was partly because they were worried their descendants wouldn’t have the courage to pull the trigger, and partly because they were concerned they might lose reverence for the contract and arbitrarily use a weapon that should never be used."
"Tsk, tsk, the original survivors were indeed clever. Although I’ve only seen them in the projection room, it seemed like they had already guessed the events of a century later. Did you know? During the last vote, those stupid pigs in the Inner City really considered firing at you, haha, I almost laughed out loud. Those fools really don’t understand anything, and they are arrogant and self-important. It’s hard to imagine that they are the descendants of those people... What would your descendants be like?"
Yibers looked at Chu Guang with an expectant face, but Chu Guang didn’t want to look at this twisted guy, only replying lightly,
"My time is still far off."
Yibers smiled as he shook his head.
"Not that far off. A second, a hundred years, are all a blink of an eye to me. What should happen will happen. I just hope the impression you give me isn’t as boring as my previous client."
"Cut the crap. Tell me how to use this thing?" Chu Guang interrupted impatiently.
He had already understood what he needed to know about the ’Thunder from Heaven’ system; other ramblings were superfluous to him.
Yibers smiled and continued,
"Mr. Fang Ming has given you a drone, have you brought it?"
"Yes." Chu Guang nodded, pulling out the small projection drone, and casting an inquiring glance, "How to use it?"
Yibers reached out, gently took the drone from Chu Guang’s hand, and touched its outline with his index finger, his eyes slightly shaking,
"Ah... Mr. Fang Ming’s ashes."
Seeing this AI about to make another foolish move, Chu Guang coughed.
Coming to his senses, a friendly smile appeared on Yibers’ face, continuing,
"Sorry, I couldn’t help it... The authorization process is quick, just give me a second."
He took the drone left by Mr. Fang Ming to the console, extracted a memory card from it, and inserted it into a computer.
The AI data about Mr. Fang Ming had been completely formatted, but the activation code for the "Thunder from Heaven" system had been with it until the very end.
Rows of code flashed on the screen, quickly transferring the authority of the ’Thunder from Heaven’ system from this room to Shelter No. 404.
From now on, he would no longer have to come to this room specifically; as long as he was within the signal coverage of the Shelter No. 404 and the connection with the signal transmitter was normal, he could order the "Thunder from Heaven" in high orbit to enter an active standby state.
Chu Guang, through Xiao Qi, confirmed that the "Thunder from Heaven" system, hidden in the orbital debris, was silently waiting, ready to enter the active standby state at any moment.
Because once activated, it would reveal the weapon’s orbital coordinates, and with only one bullet available, Chu Guang did not instruct Xiao Qi to further test its capabilities.
This was a switch for mutual destruction.
And could only serve as a switch for mutual destruction.
He sincerely hoped that there would never be a day when he truly needed to use it...
...
Apart from the "Thunder" system, which was a weapon, Yibers also introduced Chu Guang to the other weapon stocks of Huge Rock Military Industry.
After inspecting these stocks, Chu Guang felt a wave of emotion.
The lords of the Inner City perfectly demonstrated to him how to play a strong hand poorly.
Among them, let’s not even mention the KV series of exoskeletons. There were thousands of the basic model, the KV-2, and nearly three thousand sets of the monkey version of KV-1!
In addition, there were nearly five hundred sets of the K-10 "Iron Wall" heavy exoskeleton, which Chu Guang had wanted to buy but hadn’t managed to.
The battlefield role of this heavy exoskeleton was almost based on power armor. In terms of overall performance, the "Iron Wall" was no less capable than the Type 6 "Heavy Cavalry" police exoskeleton, and its defensive capabilities were even slightly superior, although its endurance was somewhat weaker.
Besides these light equipment, Huge Rock Military Industry also kept airplanes and missiles, the "big guys," for the city lord, Mr. Fang Ming.
For instance, the P-1 "Viper" transport plane that was already in service with the Militia Group.
There were four planes parked in the hangar!
This transport plane was independently developed by Huge Rock Military Industry based on pre-war era parts and blueprints, and it was a dual engine, no-rotor, vertical take-off and landing aircraft.
The engines were located on the belly of the aircraft, one at the front and one at the back, and its battlefield role was similar to Earth’s Black Hawk and Mi-8, but its maneuverability and stability were something the latter couldn’t compare with.
The power principle used by this aircraft was similar to that of the "Tiger Whale," both employing plasma engines, though the design philosophy and technical details differed.
Besides the P-1, there were also two P-2 "Lightning" attack planes, shaped like long shuttles with moderately-sized wings and plasma engines on either side, capable of switching between vertical take-off and landing and fixed-wing modes.
These two planes, at the beginning of the year, had delivered a "package" to the survivors in the "North Suburb" during the Tide—although this package was something Chu Guang paid for.
At the time, Chu Guang had speculated that if Giant Stone City could handle the Tide and still manage to export bombing operations, their reserve of aircraft must be considerable!
However, upon opening the box, he discovered that the only combat-ready aircraft were these two, which left him quite unsure of how to evaluate the situation.
As for guided weapons, Huge Rock Military Industry had no stock.
For two obvious reasons, impracticality and lack of necessity, Huge Rock Military Industry had not produced guided weapons for many years, though the blueprints were still preserved on the servers.
For example, there was a D-1 "Dragon" tactical missile with a 450 kg warhead and a range of 500 kilometers.
And another example was the lightweight D-10 "Dove" missile, weighing 20 kg, with a 5 kg warhead, which could be launched from vehicles or carried by individuals.
While these weapons were currently just blueprints, Chu Guang was clearly more interested in these blueprints than the inventory piled up in the warehouses.
The Alliance did not lack individual soldier equipment, tanks, or artillery, but it lacked these strategic weapons.
If Giant Stone City’s industrial district was the crystallization of centuries of survivors’ sweat and wisdom, then Huge Rock Military Industry was the brightest among these crystals.
And now, this company had become part of the Alliance. These spears and shields that once belonged to a few were now ready to fight for a nobler cause!
Yibers provided Chu Guang with a list of all the weapons, both those already delivered to the Militia Group and those yet to be delivered.
This included a series of individual soldier equipment such as power armor, which had already been moved to the Alliance by the Burning Corps.
Chu Guang forwarded Yibers’s list to the logistics staff, instructing them to recover and properly store the equipment in batches.
At the same time, on the "Wasteland OL" Official Website.
A server announcement officially declared Giant Stone City’s joining with the Human Revival United Front.
Following Pioneer City, another settlement had been added to the Alliance, and the number of unified survivors had taken another large step forward!
[New Settlement—Giant Stone City:
Once, Giant Stone City was a casino where hard-working laborers created the value of 20 chips but were only paid with one. Only those gamblers willing to risk their lives could succeed here, but the winners were always the landlords holding stacks of chips. Eventually unable to endure the exploitation, the residents of Giant Stone City bravely stood up once more, confiscating the Black Cards of the Inner City residents. They had fallen for a century, and even faltered again, but countless failures did not break their spirit, and they ultimately found victory.
The casino is permanently closed, and they have become their own saviors. The proud residents of Giant Stone City will stand with us on the same front, facing the threats of the wasteland!
]
[New NPC—Joey (Formerly the Centurion of Giant Stone City Militia Group, now the leader): "I will bring victory and glory to my children, not shame!"]
[New NPC—Lovett (President of the Workers’ Association, Director of the Crisis Office, and the strongest candidate for next city lord): "We need to do what Bol should have done!"]
[New NPC—Spielberg (Secretary of the Workers’ Association, continuation writer of ’Awakener Bol’): "Don’t rush me, don’t rush me, I am writing, already writing."]
[...]
[New NPC—Yibers (Bionic, President and Chairman of Huge Rock Military Industry): "My last client played himself to death, I hope you will satisfy me."]
[New Facility—Boulder Military Industrial Building: The crystallization of Giant Stone City’s industry! Here, there are over a thousand professional engineers and designers, who possess vast knowledge and skills to turn whimsical ideas into reality. (Note: Boulder Military Military now accepts custom equipment orders, click the link for details)]
As a series of announcements was released intensively, countless players and Backseat Drivers immediately sparked heated discussions.
Among the most notable was the legendary Huge Rock Military Industry!
Since the game launched, players on the forum and Backseat Drivers had heard of this name. The most commonly seen KV-1 Exoskeleton was one of its masterpieces, and many powerful pieces of equipment could not be bought with money; they had to be pre-ordered with a substantial number of chips!
Now, Shelter No. 404 collectively had become a new shareholder of Huge Rock Military Industry. The factory was not only fully open to players, but it seemed it also accepted custom equipment requests!
After the news spread, the entire forum erupted!
Tail: "Oh! Can we customize bionics?!
Si Si: "Ah Tail, don’t make anything too weird."
Dinosaur Warrior: "Question for those without a helmet—can I still submit contributions? T.T"
Quit smoking: "Awesome! What if I want to build a Titan? Can I do that too?"
Wild Wind: "In theory, yes, but the cost in silver coins might be enough to build an aircraft carrier in reality."
Fang Chang: "I guess it’s not just about money. Based on experience from other games, complicated equipment like that probably comes with a bunch of side quests, like having to collect the materials yourself, and then having to find a knowledgeable NPC... With those things, you might even get Mosquito to put together a working Titan for you."
Canyon Fleeing Mole: "Crap, stop talking! If you keep this up, Chu Guang will copy it!""
Makabazi: "Hahaha! Too late! I bet Chu Guang has definitely copied it already! (silly)"
Quit smoking: "Am I the only one who feels sorry for Mosquito? Looks like our buddy Mosquito is going to be out of a job."
Vile Foot Fungus Levin: "Why feel sorry for that guy? I think Goblin Technology’s business is going to skyrocket."
Ah Wei, I need to use the toilet: "Heh, after all, we’re a major outsourcing factory; we make all the parts for him. (silly)"
Just as the players were enthusiastically discussing what to get Giant Stone Military Industry to help build, Mosquito, who should have been scheming with them, was now upset about something else.
WC Truly Mosquito: "Wah! My Night Queen Bar! Damn it! At least give us a special zone to play in! (going crazy)"
Killer Dagger: "The bar is still there! I testify! (silly)"
Old White: "Haha, only the sign is left, right?"
Fang Chang: "It’ll probably open after the winter, but there might not be any special shows anymore. (sideways smile)"
Canyon Fleeing Mole: "Tsk tsk, look at you guys, all out of aspirations. If you want special shows, just go to the neighboring Sunset Province. It’s not under the Alliance, and your silver coins will go a lot further there. (sideways)"
Debt Giant Eye: "+1, but you still have to pick the right place. Like, the Honey Badger Kingdom is more conservative, not much entertainment, and they practice monogamy. The Lion Kingdom is more worldly, no restrictions there, and I hear the nobles there love collecting bloodlines. Camel Hump Kingdom, don’t even start, just pay and you can play all you want. (silly)"
Edge Shoveling: "Crap! How come you know so much?"
Battlefield Atmosphere Group: "Damn it, Big Eyes, what have you been up to behind our backs!"
Spring Water Commander: "@Chu Guang, can you confiscate his tools of crime, thanks!"
Debt Giant Eye: "Cough, damn! Stop playing so innocent! Especially you, Old Soldier, everyone on the official website knows about your affairs with tens at a time!"
Battlefield Atmosphere Group: "Screw off! I haven’t laid a hand on them!"
Debt Giant Eye: "Man, if I hadn’t just gone to the Highway Town Inn last night for a drink, I might have believed you."
Old White: "Hahaha."
Battlefield Atmosphere Group: "What does the Highway Town Inn have to do with this?!"
Old White: "Never mind the connection, just make sure you head back there ASAP after the mission. (grinning)"
Damn!
What the heck are these guys up to?
He always had the feeling they were hiding something from him.
The Battlefield Atmosphere Group, sitting in front of the computer, cursed and threw down his keyboard, picking up the game helmet from the table and eyeing its sleek outline.
"It’s the fifth city already, huh..."
Time flies.
A year ago, they had still been at the mercy of Giant Stone City. Now, not only had it transformed into the shape of the Alliance, but it had also become utterly dependent on them.
He’d heard that City of Dawn had changed a lot.
Even the places where they used to drink had been renovated several times, it hardly looked like the deserted wasteland it once was.
Old Soldier couldn’t help but feel a bit nostalgic.
He’d heard that the next version was in Brocade River Province, but he kept moving further west, not knowing when he could return.
He really wanted to go back.
Shaking his head, Old Soldier donned the helmet.
Recently, Sally, the mayor of Pioneer City, planned to expand the settlement and needed players to help clear out the burrowing beasts nearby.
Just yesterday, he’d taken a task from the commander of the Thorn Corps, Lama, and had finally gathered a ten-person squad; they were nearly at the arranged time.
Lately, some Weilante People who were stuck in Pioneer City were working to earn silver coins, and some traders coming from Falcon Kingdom doing petty trade also used silver coins.
Who knows when it started, but the hard currency, Dinar, which used to be somewhat popular in the desert, had suddenly been replaced by the Alliance’s silver coins.
Captain Adria had encouraged his lackeys, who were idly wasting time, more than once to take back the money the Alliance had earned from them, so he wouldn’t have to keep surreptitiously working for the Alliance and could deal with them openly.
Speaking of which, since the civilian airship direct flights started, Pioneer City saw a stream of new players who had just reached Level 10.
The village that initially had only a couple hundred survivors had started to buzz with more activity.
He hoped that when he returned home, it would be even more bustling.
A smile tugging at his lips, Old Soldier lay back on the bed with his helmet on, stretching out lazily.
"Time to log in and grind."
Thinking of how the Alliance’s settlement would prosper thanks to his intense gaming, he felt his body surge with an endless supply of energy...
-
(Low fever, coughing, but feeling a bit better than yesterday, still a bit dizzy... This damn weather, really uncomfortable.)
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