The players of Wasteland OL are known for their enthusiasm, especially the Backseat Drivers who can't wait to grab a helmet and jump in to help personally.

Not long after Medical Miracle made a post, lines of comments quickly started refreshing under the thread.

"Playing crazy isn't hard, just be yourself."

"Emmm... maybe start with a bowl of hot delight?"

"Ugh—"

"That's too much! And secretly eating shit will probably get you banned!"

"I think it's only in public that it happens..."

"Damn, what's so hard about acting crazy? Just get up and do a jig of Subject Three, then throw in some shouting! Even Ah Guang spying on you will be dumbfounded!"

"Pfft— can't stand it, my toes have already dug out a four-room apartment for Ah Guang."

Looking at those unfamiliar IDs and pre-order player tags, Medical Miracle was a bit overwhelmed. He refreshed for a long time without getting a single serious suggestion, almost spitting out the takeout in his mouth.

"Damn! Can you guys give some proper suggestions!"

Fang Chang: "Isn't it possible that what you're getting is the serious advice. (side-eye)"

Medical Miracle: "?"

Gnome King Riches: "Wow?! Brother Fang Chang?!"

Mole on the Run in the Canyon: "Wait a minute, weren't you up in the sky? (confused)"

Debt Giant Eye: "How's the mission going? Is it all sorted out? (evil smile)"

Elena: "That's too quick, I guess he just came down to discuss with teammates off the field."

An hour ago, Brother Fang Chang had been showing off on the forum, claiming he was about to save the world, and then suddenly he's here on the forum again.

Everyone was surprised that this guy still had the leisure to chat on the forum during a mission.

Perhaps realizing it wasn't the time for slacking off, Fang Chang just dropped a quick message and vanished from the post, not appearing again no matter how many times people tagged him.

The thread quickly went off-topic.

The original topic was supposed to be about acting crazy and playing dumb, but as they chatted, it shifted to the ongoing "mystery task" of the Burning Corps and synchronous orbit.

Medical Miracle tried several times to bring the conversation back, and it seemed like he was about to succeed, but then an ID would pop up and divert the topic he had finally straightened.

Quit smoking: "Uh, messed up. (guilty)"

The air was silent for several seconds.

The once lively thread seemed to have been hit by a silence spell, with no new replies for seconds.

Just when all the onlookers thought the server was stuck, replies suddenly erupted like an avalanche.

Si Si: "...?"

Tail: "???"

Canyon Escapee Mole: "Messed up? What the hell? (confused)"

Spring Water Commander: "Can you guys from the Burning Corps finish what you're saying at once, don't keep dropping one-liners, it's stressing my heart. (sweat)"

Old White: "Haha, sorry everyone, even humans might stumble sometimes, and horses too, let alone something we've never encountered... Anyway, we got played."

Edge Shoveling: "Whoa..."

Spring Water Commander: "Getting played isn't a joke you can make lightly..."

Old White: "So this isn't a joke."

Debt Giant Eye: "Really?! (horror)"

The Young Worker with Bricks: "So, does that mean... it's the end of the world?! (horror)"

Thunder Law King Professor Yang: "Whoa, is the silver coin price crashing?! (horror)"

Teng Teng: "Are you trading silver coins like stocks... (surprised)"

Crow: "No, I don't want to restart! QAQ"

Old White: "Cough, don't talk nonsense, just because we messed up doesn't mean the Alliance lost. The main event is the nearly deployed near-orbit defense platform."

Wild Wind: "Mm, at least we've figured out the reality of that Orion Missile Cruiser."

Fang Chang: "The fear is that the Manager and us are treating each other as the last trump card... (side-eye)"

Old White: "Don't say such pessimistic words. It's just a minor setback, not as bad as the times we stumbled in Poluo Province. (grin)"

Fang Chang: "Anyway, we've truly given it our all... From here, either we try to get another research ship from the Academy, or we just wait."

Medical Miracle: "Looks like I have to save the Alliance! By the way, after successfully fooling the interrogator by acting crazy, how do you mix into the upper ranks of the Enlightenment Society? Should we brainstorm collectively? (grin)"

Battlefield Atmosphere Group: "Speaking of which, where's Night Ten? He's usually the first to jump out, why isn't he around this time."

Killer Dagger: "Uh... his young girlfriend's gone, probably emo-ing."

Edge Shoveling: "What?! Jiang Xuezhou... died?"

Tail: "Giao... (surprised)"

Fang Chang: "In that situation... it's hard to say if anyone could survive."

Old White: "Especially in space."

The people in the post had mixed feelings, not knowing what to say for a moment.

Especially Fang Chang.

He couldn't help but think of Dolly, and his heart ached, with the pain being almost suffocating.

No matter how many times a player dies, they can be resurrected, but the death of an NPC means permanent data deletion.

He couldn't imagine a world without her.

Precisely because of this, he fully understood Night Ten's feelings and emotions at this moment.

That feeling must be awful...

Just as Fang Chang was thinking this, a familiar id jumped onto the screen.

Jiujiu Loves Eating Pineapple: "Wait... that's not right, my bro is still online, did you guys make a mistake? (confused)"

Fang Chang: "?"

Quit smoking: "How could that be?!"

Jiujiu Loves Eating Pineapple: "Should I wake him up? (worried)"

Fang Chang: "...No, just leave him alone, let him wake up on his own!"

Wild Wind: "A little strange, let's keep an eye on it."

Jiujiu Loves Eating Pineapple: "Oh! Got it! (salute)"

Medical Miracle: "Damn! Can you guys look at me! (frantic)"

Angry Fatty Liver: "Restoration."

"..."

Messages in the post kept refreshing.

Sitting in front of the computer, Fang Chang waited for a long time without seeing Night Ten's ID appear, his tense expression finally relaxed into a smile, and the stone in his heart gently settled.

"...Seems like I was overthinking."

Maybe they weren't even dead yet.

Looking at the helmet beside the Computer, Fang Chang had a thought, reaching out to take it in his hand.

What if it was all a misunderstanding?

Maybe...

No one was dead.

Driven by an inexplicable impulse, he put the helmet back on, then leaned back in the Computer chair.

The deep darkness quickly shrouded his sight and thoughts.

Just as his heart pounded furiously, a light blue popup window appeared before his eyes, pulling his once excited mood back to the depths.

[Revival remaining time: 70 hours 30 minutes 15 seconds]

The ticking numbers were like cold water splashing down on him. Fang Chang let out a bitter smile and removed the helmet.

"Indeed..."

He shook his head and placed the helmet at the corner of the desk.

"The entire Research Ship exploded, how could anyone have survived..."

...

Time rewinds to an hour and a half ago—

In the deep and dark outer space, a majestic starship silently floated among the sea-like expanse of metallic debris, in a forsaken graveyard.

Amidst the vast, boundless graveyard, there were not only broken steel structures and severed cables but also spacesuit-clad bodies drifting about.

Judging from the oxidized remains inside the spacesuits, most of these people were likely starved or frozen to death, only a few suffocated due to lack of oxygen.

There were also some tattered Air and Space Army uniforms, their owners no longer visible.

Their bodies were either exploded or cut to pieces by orbital debris.

Without the protection of a spacesuit, leaving a complete corpse in space is almost impossible.

If the No.13 Shelter was the paradise on the ground, then the Orion Missile Cruiser was undoubtedly the Hell in the sky.

Even though that War was two centuries past, the fierce battle of that time was still vividly visible in the war-torn ruins...

At this moment, on a certain deck of the abandoned starship, a man with a jet backpack was emotionlessly staring at a Sleep Cabin.

The cabin door was open, with a cold skeleton lying inside.

The skeleton was clad in a uniform from the Human Alliance Era, its gold-edged insignia still vivid under the flashlight, untouched by two centuries of dust.

Luo Yi stared at the skeleton for a long time, confirming the face that was almost unrecognizable.

A moment later, he seemed to finally affirm that this was the person he was looking for and reached out to search the skeleton's body, eventually retrieving a shiny silver metallic disc from under its clenched fingers.

That was the soldier's dog tag.

Also the only relic left.

With the flashlight's light, Luo Yi confirmed the name and rank engraved on the tag.

[Luo Yi, Sergeant.]

That was his name!

A hint of nostalgia flickered in Luo Yi's eyes, his thoughts wandering back to over two centuries ago.

But at this moment, a voice from the communication channel interrupted his thoughts.

"An unidentified flying object is approaching, only 1200 kilometers away in a direct line."

That was the voice of the starship control system.

If on the ground, that distance wouldn't be a concern, but in astronomical terms, 1200 kilometers might as well be face-to-face.

With his index finger lightly tapping by his ear, Luo Yi looked up at the ceiling, asking expressionlessly.

"Can you confirm their identity."

The gentle electronic voice continued.

"Their ship is of the same model as the one you have parked outside."

Hearing this, Luo Yi had already guessed the identity of those unexpected guests, a slight, cold smile lifted his lips.

If they had arrived here a few days earlier, before he had restarted the backup reactor and gained control of the starship, he might have been more apprehensive.

But now it was too late.

Though this starship had languished for two centuries, it didn't mean it was just scrap metal.

After a pause, he spoke in a low voice.

"Search for usable close-defense weapons."

After a brief pause, the gentle electronic voice sounded again in his ear.

"There is an electromagnetic acceleration dot defense machine cannon... according to the ballistic computer, it can cover their navigation area."

Luo Yi immediately ordered.

"Take them down."

The gentle electronic voice responded.

"Understood... Fire control unit is being powered up, expected to be completed in 30 seconds."

Taking one last look at the dog tag in his hand, Luo Yi pocketed it, then pressed the jet backpack switch, heading back towards the starship's bridge.

At the same time, outside the starship, a silver-gray Research Ship was slowly approaching.

Finally, passing through the asteroid belt made up of space junk before the shield capacitor's energy exhausted, Jiang Xuezhou breathed a sigh of relief, his shoulders relaxed against the chair back.

"Done..."

Seeing they had reached the destination, Night Ten reached to unfasten the seatbelt but was stopped by Jiang Xuezhou beside him.

"Wait a moment..."

Night Ten paused his hand on the seatbelt, casting a puzzled gaze at Jiang Xuezhou.

"What's wrong?"

Gently biting his lower lip, Jiang Xuezhou lowered his head and softly said.

"Can you... stay with me here? I'm scared alone."

Night Ten froze, perplexedly saying.

"What's there to be scared of, haven't we passed the most dangerous area?"

Jiang Xuezhou's face was full of hesitation, uncertain if it was that he couldn't express the reason or didn't want to.

Seeing they were about to reach the stop, Night Ten didn't want to wait and made a move to get up.

Seeing he was about to leave, Jiang Xuezhou, in desperation, spoke, disregarding any embarrassment.

"It's... it's deep-sea phobia! Haven't you heard of that sickness before? Some people are just inherently afraid of those really dark places... What can I do?"

Ah?!

Night Ten stared dumbfounded at him, finally squeezing out a sentence.

"Can't you get over it?"

"..." Jiang Xuezhou didn't speak, just glared at him with reddened eyes.

Night Ten eventually softened, sighed, and tapped the helmet twice with his index finger.

"Old White, I've got a situation here..."

Before he could organize his words, Old White's cheerful laughter came through the communication channel.

"Haha, I got it. You can just stay in the cockpit."

Night Ten: "What the hell?! Did you put surveillance on me?"

Old White laughed and said.

"No, not really, but I can kind of guess. To be honest, Fang Chang planned it this way from the beginning. There wasn't really a need for everyone to go down, leaving someone on the research ship makes it more manageable. Just remember to keep an eye on offline messages and don't focus all your attention on your friend."

Night Ten was speechless for a while and finally hung up the call in silence.

Knowing he was discussing with his teammates, Jiang Xuezhou, sitting at the pilot's seat, stared at him intently. After he finished the call, she immediately asked.

"What did your teammate say?"

"They didn't say much, just told me to do as I see fit,"

Facing those eyes filled with expectation, Night Ten suddenly felt a bit embarrassed and averted his gaze.

This game's NPCs are too lifelike.

Could they be played by real people?

That would be awkward.

"Sorry, I'm a bit thick-skinned. I can't experience things like a fear of heights, car sickness, or 3D dizziness. That deep-sea phobia should be similar, right... Anyway, it's tough for you to hold on till now."

Unexpectedly, this guy could also say caring words, making Jiang Xuezhou feel her cheeks slightly warm.

Feeling embarrassed took over, and she quickly turned her gaze away, turning her face to the side.

"Well, it's not as exaggerated as you say... Actually, with a bit of effort, I can overcome it."

Looking at this stubborn person, Night Ten finally couldn't resist the impulse and teasingly joked.

"Then should I go?"

"!!!"

Seeing the panicked Jiang Xuezhou turn around, Night Ten couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Haha, I'm just kidding——"

Before he finished his sentence, a sudden warning crept into his heart, causing his heart to twitch involuntarily.

It was an unprecedented feeling.

Even after countless brushes with death and even experiencing it, he never felt like this.

It felt like...

He was about to lose something more precious than his life every three days.

Driven by this strong premonition, he blurted out.

"Something's targeting us..."

As soon as she heard this, Jiang Xuezhou, who was about to punch him on the head, immediately dropped her ashamed and angry look.

Without a moment of hesitation or suspicion, she almost instinctively dove onto the control interface, fingers leaving afterimages on the holographic panel, maneuvering the research ship into a lateral move, changing its original trajectory.

Even without the warning from the radar!

At almost the same moment, an instantly magnified electromagnetic signal and the alarm of the radar detecting a fast-moving object appeared on the research ship's control interface!

Watching the radar screen where a series of mass points brushed past the research ship, cold sweat broke out on Jiang Xuezhou's forehead in an instant.

So close!

Just a little more!

The research ship of the academy, after all, was not military equipment, but scientific research equipment.

Although the deflection shield on the research ship could resist the attacks of mass accelerators, they were, after all, facing a dense array from a United Human Space Army cruiser!

Not to mention, they had just left the space junk coverage area, and the shield cap's energy had only recovered to 30%...

Even if only one or two of the point-defense guns were targeting them, it would be enough to give them a hard time!

"What happened?" Night Ten almost felt his seatbelt choke out yesterday's dinner, coughing several times before he could catch his breath.

Luckily, he had been slow in unbuckling his seatbelt just now. Otherwise, he might have already been sent flying by that move.

Jiang Xuezhou, on the other hand, remained relatively calm, taking a few deep breaths to steady her nerves.

"It's the point defense system!"

Night Ten was bewildered for a moment.

"What the hell is that thing?"

"It's that thing on the Southern Sea Alliance destroyer... Anyway, it's something similar!" Jiang Xuezhou explained while her hands kept maneuvering on the holographic screen of the control interface, trying to evade the point-defense gun's tracking.

Night Ten looked at her profile in confusion, unable to hold back a curse.

"What the hell?! This busted ship has been parked for over two hundred years and can still fire?!"

Jiang Xuezhou said hurriedly.

"This isn't Earth, things don't break down that easily in space! Especially a leaking ship... Tell your teammates to hold on! We probably can't slow down!"

"They're staying steady... already cursing." Night Ten, with his index finger on his helmet, grinned as he kept his eyes on the front, trying to make his perception more useful.

However, he quickly found out that, apart from the initial instance, his intuition was of little use in this close-range clash.

Under Jiang Xuezhou's control, the research ship was making serpentine maneuvers, while the whistling mass rounds and looming threat of doom never ceased!

Undoubtedly——

His intuition was advising him that they could successfully evade the point defense system's tracking countless times, but failing just once would mean their demise!

A distance of less than 300 kilometers was almost like being face-to-face!

Both sides were predicting each other's moves and quietly calculating the next attack and evasion!

Being on the receiving end, Jiang Xuezhou obviously had no advantage here.

The best strategy at this point was not to get closer but to retreat immediately——

But they had no other choice.

A hundred thousand neutron torpedoes were already in the hands of the celestial beings!

They had absolutely no way to retreat!

"Ah ah ah..."

Light blue data streams reflected in Jiang Xuezhou's pupils, and low growls of efforts escaped from the slightly open mouth.

To control the research ship's navigation more precisely, she connected her consciousness into the ship's deep-operating system, leveraging the computing power of the spaceship and all sensors, including the panoramic cameras, for more direct control!

She had completely let go of her reservations!

Thinking of her "deep-sea phobia," Night Ten couldn't help but feel a bit of pain, but he didn't know how to help.

At this moment, Fang Chang's calm voice came through his ear.

"Night Ten! Tell Jiang Xuezhou not to slow down, just drop us near the breach of the starship!"

Night Ten was startled for a moment and blurted out.

"Damn, are you guys crazy?!"

This isn't a plane!

The speed and inertia here are no joke; not to mention turning someone into paste, one misstep and they'd be torn apart in mid-air before their feet even touch the ground.

Fang Chang continued speaking in a calm voice.

"This is the choice with the highest probability of success. The reverse thrust of the nitrogen tanks should slow us enough before reaching the target, and we can draw some of the fire from the dot defense system... Instead of everyone dying on one ship, my way at least ensures a few make it inside alive! Stop hesitating, hurry up!"

Hearing the urgency in the voice, Night Ten didn't dare to hesitate and quickly shouted to the side.

"Xuezhou! My teammate says when you get near the breach of the starship, don't slow down, just open the hatch!"

Jiang Xuezhou immediately replied without a second thought.

"Is your teammate's brain rattled, or are they just wired wrong?! Do you think this is a plane?!"

"But there's no other way, is there! In this situation, slowing down is impossible... trust me, just fly over the breach, and head towards the front of the ship; it's the best way."

Looking at the still hesitant Jiang Xuezhou, Night Ten took a deep breath and said seriously.

"I believe in you... use your expertise to calculate and try to get them inside, please!"

Jiang Xuezhou gritted his teeth, tightly closed his eyes.

"I'll try..."

Indeed.

In the current situation, slowing down is simply not feasible; it's a risky gamble!

As long as the deceleration distance is enough, they might complete "autonomous docking" with the thrust of the nitrogen tanks.

As Jiang Xuezhou altered his strategy and accelerated towards the starship's side breach, Luo Yi, who had just sat down in the bridge, watched that elegant "dance" through the dusty floor-to-ceiling window.

Back then the silver-gray research ship had indeed been toyed with by these wasteland bugs, but so what?

Seeing the struggling little bugs suddenly start accelerating, Luo Yi's lips curled into a cold smile.

"Tricks of the small fry."

As a former United Space Army soldier, he could easily grasp their intentions at a glance.

Want to board?

He won't let them succeed.

Closing his eyes, Luo Yi sat alone in the captain's seat and slowly spoke.

"Starship Main Control System."

A gentle electronic voice echoed in his ear.

"I'm here."

Watching the research vessel getting closer to the Orion Missile Cruiser, he ordered expressionlessly.

"Fire a neutron torpedo."

"Apologies, at this distance it might not be suitable; given the neutron beam's damage radius, you'd be affected too."

The gentle voice carried a hint of hesitation.

As the onboard AI of the Orion Starship, it had to prioritize passenger safety.

Luo Yi, however, looked indifferent.

"Doesn't matter, do as I say."

The captain's orders are absolute.

Even if they conflict with safety protocols.

The onboard AI hesitated only briefly before complying with Luo Yi's repeated command, activating the torpedo that had been dormant for nearly two centuries on the launch rack.

Though the torpedo was aged and its sensors were defunct, exploding wasn't an issue.

At such close range, aiming wasn't necessary.

They are doomed!

Meanwhile, after evading left and right, the research ship finally reached the side of the Orion Starship!

Without a moment's hesitation, Jiang Xuezhou immediately opened the hatch and disengaged the seat locks.

Due to inertia and pressure differences, power armors sitting in chairs spun like tops and traced parabolas towards the nearby starship.

"Hold steady! Brothers!"

"Clench those nitrogen tanks! Spray towards the starship!"

"Holy crap—where's the starship?!"

"Ugh! I'm gonna puke—"

To be fair, Jiang Xuezhou's trajectory calculations were accurate, and most people should land in that just-right-sized hole.

However, the launch process was too rough; even Awakeners couldn't quite handle it.

Players from the agile system fared slightly better; Fang Chang utilized his agile talent "Bullet Time" to maneuver the nitrogen tank and managed to stop the spinning seat.

But at that moment, a flicker of white light suddenly lit up the dark space, seizing his vision in an instant.

That was...

A neutron torpedo?!

The searing sting spread across his skin, Fang Chang tried calling his teammates, but the communication devices had already failed.

Objectively speaking, the device's power exceeded conventional nuclear weaponry somewhat, given that power armors were designed to withstand nuclear-biological-chemical environments.

Though "Xiaguang" power armors were homegrown by the Alliance, their overall performance wasn't far behind pre-War models.

Especially in biochemical protection...

An invisible health bar diminished at a visible speed, and with his last bit of sight, Fang Chang watched the silver-gray research ship careen uncontrollably towards the Orion Starship wreckage.

Like a decapitated fly, it crashed uncontrollably near the lower deck.

Explosive sparks erupted.

He saw the fleeting flames rolling, and those scattered flying alloy fragments.

His heart involuntarily trembled.

Having never taken death seriously, he had never feared its approach so much.

"No..."

The game was not paused.

The next second—

The cold numbers already flashed before his eyes.

[Time remaining for revival: 72 hours 0 minutes 0 seconds]

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