Side Quest

The Bird of Paradise suddenly stood up, and in an instant, a raging fire broke out on the ceiling. Within the flames were countless information symbols, the weapons of a level 60 information life form, whose weapons had changed from ordinary code to galactic code.

Galaxy code, also known as information code, is not limited to a certain format. Any data information, text, pictures, or even physical objects can be converted into it. In other words, the "mana" of information life is endless.

As soon as the Bird of Paradise had a thought, giant firebirds descended from the ceiling, setting the 'Old Power' ablaze. Each firebird possessed immense destructive power, more than enough to burn a 'Red Wing Killer' to death. If converted into 'health damage,' each attack could inflict 20,000 to 30,000 damage, and this damage was sustainable.

In other words, as long as you can't break through the code structure of the "Bird of Paradise," you will be relentlessly pursued by it, no matter where you escape to.

After Paradise Bird advanced to level 60, it was the first time Senior Engineer had seen her in action, and she was indeed incredibly fierce. It seems that in the hacker world, the number of top-level hackers who can rival her can probably be counted on one hand.

The reason the other party was hidden in the senior engineer's mind was because he was wary of the mother city, or more accurately, the "deep web," rather than some nobody.

Sure enough, in just three seconds, Old Pawa melted and turned into a pile of silver liquid.

However, after the flames subsided, the silver liquid began to wriggle upwards again, transforming once more into the faceless old Pawa.

Bird of Paradise frowned, pointed with one hand, and countless flames of information descended from the sky, condensing into a giant 'Flame Bird of Paradise', which swallowed Old Pawa whole.

The flames inside his belly surged wildly, even turning the surface of the flames black. Under the influence of these black flames, even the original silver liquid began to dissipate.

However, the speed at which it dissipated far exceeded the bird of paradise's expectations.

At this rate, it would take at least an hour to completely destroy this strange 'faceless body'.

However, inside this "information cocoon," the senior engineer heard increasingly loud knocking, as if a thousand people were knocking on the door at the same time.

A sharp glint flashed in Bird of Paradise's eyes. She was about to step forward when she was stopped by Engineer Gao, who smiled and said, "Since they're so sincere, it wouldn't hurt to meet them. Why don't you excuse yourself?"

"No!"

"You should be able to see his connection to the fortress," the senior engineer pointed to the 'Faceless Man' that was beginning to recover once again. "This guy's true form is a strange personality database, and a database at the level of the mother city."

A database at the level of a mother city is equivalent to a level 90 code hierarchy. It's not a shameful thing that the flames of the Bird of Paradise can't melt the opponent.

However, the bird of paradise just sneered.

"Then I'd like to see if he really intends to use his incarnation, and if he'll arrest me, this wanted criminal, on the spot."

This woman has quite a temper.

The senior engineer shrugged and didn't try to persuade him further. He flicked his finger in mid-air, and soon, one large door after another appeared. Each door was pushed open, and an old man named Pawa walked out from it.

These old powerhouses also have different temperaments. Some are domineering, some are lewd, some have gleaming eyes, some are determined, some have eyes that light up when they see a bird of paradise, and some have eyes that light up when they see a senior engineer—different fantasies are naturally part of their personalities.

However, seemingly due to the burning of the 'database', these old Pawas all had burns on their bodies, and some even had thick data fluid oozing from their skin.

"I never expected to meet Bird of Paradise, who is ranked seventh on the wanted list. I also never expected you to be so strong. In my limited knowledge, even a Deep Web Convergence member would be wary of your flame technique alone."

The Deep Web Aggregators are big data monsters, or rather, big data monsters with official status. They gather on the Deep Web periodically and obey the orders of the mother city.

The senior engineer also spoke up.

"Arasaka Technology, Deep Web, and military aircraft are products of another global military contractor, Military Technology."

"It's truly baffling that an ordinary gang from a local machinery city would have connections with three behemoths at the same time," the senior engineer said, giving the other man a deep look. "Aren't you going to introduce yourself first?"

At some point, thousands of old parva were reduced to one. Although there were still burn marks on the surface, they were very shallow. In contrast, the bird of paradise's body turned red and hot, especially the scars on its cheeks, which were so red that they looked as if they would burst open and spew out lava at any moment.

Old Pawa immediately realized that if he didn't answer well, it wouldn't be a question of whether or not to hire people, but whether or not he could leave alive.

His body was slightly arched, making him look like both an elderly person of his age and a crouching wild beast.

However, from an unseen angle, the other person's face was changing rapidly, finally settling on a face that was "passionate yet dignified".

Virtual Persona - 'Senior Official': Significantly enhances your persuasion skills and gives you a leader's aura.

"Old Power, the leader of the Powerful Gang, the 41st Scroll Holder of the Deep Web, the executor of Project 313, and also the head of the 'Carbon-Based Warrior' project at Arasaka Technology, as well as the deputy director of the Military Technology Action Department and the director of the 'Military Machine' project."

Old Pawa raised his head, dusted off the corner of his clothes, and said, word by word.

"So many titles, no wonder he has so many personalities," the senior engineer said with a dry joke.

"Aren't the Arasaka Group and military technology mortal enemies?" Paradise Bird clearly didn't believe it.

Anyone who follows the news knows that these two planetary corporations have been fighting to the death in various places, engaging in countless small-scale corporate wars. Several of Arasaka's sons, as well as a third of the management of the military technology division, have died in this war.

Old Pava chuckled and flicked his wrist. The next moment, two unique codes popped out from his wrist, transforming into two patterns: one was a mechanical tower, and the other was an ancient Mauser pistol.

These two are among the few super-structures on the planet Machine Rift: the 'Arasaka Tower' and the 'Spear of Destruction'.

The former is the world's largest personality storage center outside of the mother city, and possesses the highest level of cloud technology.

The latter is the pinnacle of technology from private arms dealers, a super weapon capable of annihilating the entire continent. Its basic attack damage is around 400,000, and it is also an area-of-effect attack.

The bird of paradise made a grabbing motion from a distance, and the two patterns burst into flames.

"It's actually a genuine enterprise code!"

"How about I give you the headquarters phone numbers of the two companies, and you can go and confirm them?" Old Pawa said seriously.

The bird of paradise snorted coldly and stopped talking, staring at the two newly conjured corporate logos, lost in thought.

Bird of Paradise might be surprised that two rival companies are developing a project together, but for Gao Gong, it's perfectly normal.

In this regard, the mother city has been secretly acting as a go-between, supporting not only rival companies, but also resistance forces and underground organizations.

This behavior may be detrimental to the mother city's control over the planet, but all of this is for the benefit of an advanced civilization.

"Your killings have disrupted the progress of Arasaka Technology and Military Technology's projects, so you now have two choices: either join Arasaka Technology and become the manager of the 'Carbon-Based Project,' or join Military Technology and become my deputy."

The senior engineer smiled wryly:

"So, I killed your people, and your way of getting revenge is to make me a high-ranking executive in the global corporation?"

"This is not contradictory. Your actions infringed upon the interests of the senior engineer, while your involvement will bring broader benefits to the higher-ups."

The Bird of Paradise scoffed, "Don't forget, you were the ones who assassinated him first. Are you just going to let it go like that?"

"This has nothing to do with our Powerful Gang. They weren't acting on my orders," Old Pava said seriously. "Recently, I've taken on another role: the head of security for the Virtual Union. All Powerful Gang members have joined as senior security officers. This mission was dispatched by the board of directors, through a new member codenamed M."

"This new member has a very deep background and a mysterious identity. The only thing we know is that his arrival has accelerated the progress of various Unreal Engine projects."

"Soon, version 2.0 of the ethics chip will be launched."

"What features have been added?" the senior engineer asked with great interest.

"Moral supervision and moral reinforcement."

"Firstly, if anything violates ethical regulations, it will be recorded and reported by the person with the implanted ethical chip, and then handled by the company's security department."

"Secondly, only those who pass the ethics review can enter positions of authority in the City That Never Sleeps, and can join the various companies within the City That Never Sleeps."

"So, the entire city has become your eyes and ears, and you have indirectly controlled the council's power to propose bills and the company's oversight power."

"That's what I mean," Old Pawa said frankly, "And the creation of version 2.0 is precisely for this purpose."

"Since there's a 2.0 version, is there a 3.0 version?" the senior engineer asked.

Version 3.0 is still under development.

"And what is that?"

"Human Instrumentality Project".

The senior engineer sighed, "We really shouldn't underestimate this guy."

At first, I thought they were just pawns of the machine agent, but now it seems that the situation may be reversed, and the machine agent is their pawn.

If the Human Instrumentality Project is completed, it's hard to say who will be in charge of the City That Never Sleeps in the future.

While instances of mechanical supercomputers being overthrown by their subordinates are rare, they do occur.

"So what will you get in return?" the senior engineer asked bluntly.

"A mechanical mainframe."

So you know about the machine-related matter?

"What about the other two gangs?"

"The Steel Claw Gang seeks the status of a 'world military contractor,' which requires sufficient resources and firepower. The Phantom Alliance can satisfy their needs in this regard. After conquering the Demi-human Continent, the power of those armed families will be absorbed by the Steel Claw Gang."

"As for the Deep Web Weavers, what they require is some kind of brain modification, and the Unreal Alliance can satisfy them in this regard."

Old Pawa smiled and said, "However, the agreements were all negotiated separately, and I'm not clear about the specific details."

The senior engineer narrowed his eyes. The best lie is nine parts truth and one part falsehood. He didn't believe the other party knew nothing, but it was clear that the other party didn't intend to tell him—unless he joined their side.

From the player's perspective, this is a choice with only benefits and no drawbacks, whether it's the hidden powerful gangs or the super forces like Arasaka and military technology.

But for the founders of the senior engineer camp, this is extremely useless, or even worse, it does more harm than good.

The First Minister of the Ming Dynasty

The senior engineer snapped his fingers and suddenly said, "Since you know about the existence of the Bird of Paradise, are you still inviting me to join?"

Old Pawa chuckled:

"Mr. G, please don't joke around. In this world, what could be more important than speeding up the project? I am very interested in you as a person and the technology you have!"

The senior engineer was silent for a moment, then suddenly said:

"My current goal is to protect the old generation of machines while simultaneously acquiring the technology controlled by Unreal Engine. Do you understand?"

"I see," Old Pawa gave the senior engineer a deep look, "Then I'll take my leave."

Soon, Old Pawa's figure disappeared behind the gate.

"Why did you tell him that?" Bird of Paradise asked, puzzled. As far as she knew, this seemed to be the senior engineer's real purpose.

"Drawing a red line in a timely manner for an opponent who is neither friend nor foe is a way to respect them."

After a pause, the senior engineer chuckled and said, "Besides, didn't the other party also get what he wanted?"

In reality, when Old Pawa walks down the street, he attracts the attention of passersby. The reason is simple: he is covered in thick smoke, as if he has just escaped from a fire.

However, this perverted old man went from walking to running, from jogging to running, and his expression changed from serious to perverted. Finally, he took a hop with each step, his expression twisted.

"Hahaha!"

"Got it! Copied! Done!"

Virtual Personality: Mr. G!

After leaving Hanging Neck Street, Baozi thought for a moment, opened his friend list, found PP Touzi, and sent him a message.

Have you received the mission yet?

"Received."

"Is it the same?" Baozi copied, pasted, and posted it.

"Almost."

The PP boss nodded and issued a similar task.

Side Quest - The Biology Professor's Request

Difficulty: Hard+

Mission Briefing: Please persuade Mr. Yuan, the recently laid-off honorary professor of the Biological Mutation Society, to smuggle him out of the city and send him to Fuqing Island for higher-level biological research.

Quest Item: A tube of special reagent

Mission Objective: Mr. Yuan

Quest Rewards: Experience +35, Favorability +100, Faction Favorability +300, Random Blueprint *1

"So there are side quests in the quest chain."

Baozi rubbed his chin and said, "I need to think carefully about what to do."

At this moment, the flame code began to condense in the room, eventually transforming into the shape of a bird of paradise, which then landed.

"Little A".

"Little A is here."

"Your master has left, let's get to work."

"Okay, Bird of Paradise sister."