A Nightmare-Level Mission

"Fix the corner! Fix the corner!"

In an office building, a dozen "Player Ones" are hacking into a small company's system. A neural editor has a data tube inserted into an implant in his temple. The other end of the data tube is connected to the company's network, and high-speed hacking is underway.

Meanwhile, other players are besieging the company's security personnel.

The law enforcement officers wear wire-free agent jumpsuits and tactical gloves. Their weapons are smart sniper rifles. Although they are few in number, their marksmanship is extremely accurate, at least at the elite level 10. If a player is not careful, they will be fatally hit.

"Can mortars take them down, I mean, without blowing the building down?"

A burly player with a gloomy face pounced from behind. The magazine on the gorilla's arm was still empty. He snatched a player's "Wild Form 4" and skillfully flicked and inserted it, installing both the magazine and the attachment. The attachment was a minor gem with a +8.6% critical hit rate.

Gunfire erupted instantly. The mortar fired as it moved, its speed and accuracy astounding, far exceeding what one would expect from an assault rifle. Each shot destroyed a camera, and then another detonated the fireproof device, causing rain to begin to fall.

Taking advantage of the moment the rain started to fall, he sprinted towards the sniper position. The black bar was just full, which enhanced the "Tactical Assault" skill and added 20% tactical evasion, making him look like a hunting wolf.

He stomped hard on the wall, his metal calf making a "crackling" sound. With a powerful recoil, the artilleryman covered his head with both hands to protect his vitals, and his whole body crashed directly into the "security maintainer." The gun barrel was pressed against the gap in the other's chest and fired wildly. At the same time, he pulled out a kukri with his other hand and plunged the blade into the nerve connection line in the throat.

This level 23 elite maintainer was taken down just like that.

Having lost this tactical position, the players quickly eliminated all the other law enforcement officers.

"Wow, mortar, you're really something. Aren't you afraid of getting headshot?" one player exclaimed.

"These special security maintainers have external sensing modules. Once they encounter a sudden change in the external environment, they will pause for a second or two. If you can seize that second or two, you can take care of it."

The mortar said expressionlessly.

Without the enforcers, the players had no further obstacles. They tied up the company employees at their desks and collected their loot.

Dozens of high-quality cybernetic bodies, four large boxes of weapons and ammunition, and more than a dozen low-level weapon blueprints.

"Boss, what should we do with these civilians?"

"How about we take down the ones who farm experience?"

"Hey! You're killing civilian NPCs like that, have you no humanity?"

"Damn, didn't you see what's happening on the street? Our competitors are starting to kill randomly. If they can do it, why can't we?"

The two players, whose black bars were piled high, were about to clash.

The leader of the players thought for a moment, then suddenly grinned and said, "Let them go."

"Release them?"

The employees of these companies immediately showed a glimmer of hope.

"But there's a prerequisite: help us hack into the city's corporate networks."

"That's right, we came here to complete a nightmare-level mission. We'd all forgotten about it if you hadn't mentioned it."

"So, what were the mission requirements again?"

"It seems like they're trying to cause as much destruction as possible."

"Do it or not, we'll let you go if you do it!"

A player pointed a gun at a civilian NPC and said menacingly.

Unexpectedly, the NPC's eyes flashed a few times before he calmly said, "Intruding into a corporate network violates Articles 5, 11, and 61 of the Mechanical City's laws. We are law-abiding citizens and would never do anything illegal."

"Yes, we will never yield to evil."

"Justice is on our side."

One player was stunned for a moment, then suddenly flew into a rage, kicking an NPC to the ground and cursing loudly:

"Fuck your capitalist lackeys! Your entire bodies are bound to the company, your brains are under a permanent employment contract with the corporate will. You work 30 hours a day, and even your children are company assets. And you call that justice? Tell me, where is justice?"

"Justice is the law of a city that never sleeps, the will of businesses, and the chip of morality—"

"Bang--"

The gunshot killed one NPC, and the player, with a ferocious expression, pointed his gun at another female employee.

I'll give you one more chance.

"The rule of the workplace is justice. For the company, I am willing to get married, have children, improve my skills, and contribute to the world."

The female employee said, trembling all over.

Gunshots rang out again, but this time, the bullets landed on the ground. The leading player pressed down on the barrel, and the black and white lines on his screen kept jumping around.

The leader of the players suddenly remembered something and turned to one of the cyborg doctors, saying, "By the way, do you still have any Black Death or 'The Bat Who Laughs' left?"

The Black Death paused for a moment, then said, "Yes, didn't you say you wanted to keep it, just in case it breaks and you can put it back on?"

"How about replacing the Morality Chip with the Bat of Laughter?" The leader player chuckled. "Don't you want to know how these NPCs will react after they have our chips installed?"

"This has potential!"

"Recruiting NPCs to join us? Boss, you're so mean! I love it!"

"Won't these NPCs break down?"

Clearly, this mischievous act received unanimous approval.

The player nicknamed "Black Death" didn't hold back. He grabbed a wrench and forcibly pried open the network access compartment, operating it like he was changing a SIM card in a mobile phone.

With a "ding," the leading player glanced at the panel and let out a soft "hmm."

"A side quest actually appeared."

Side Quest: The Laughing Infected

Mission briefing: Darkness gave me black teeth, but I use them to smile. Since I was born into this crazy world, I might as well make this world even crazier.

Difficulty: Unknown

Mission objective: Spread the "Bat of Laughter" virus, injecting it into every NPC implanted with a morality chip. The more chips implanted, the more laughter will occur in the world.

Mission Rewards: Basic Rewards: +100 Experience per person, +1 Reputation for Mechanical Hunters per person. The more Laughing Infected individuals implanted, the higher the mission completion rate.

"Laughing Infected, what's that? Chip 2.0? Where do I get it?" a player asked, puzzled.

"Boss, a strange piece of code has been transmitted. The code structure looks like the chip structure."

"Oh, so that's how it came about, I understand!" The leading player smiled and looked at the mortar, a former member of the Evil Jade family.

Yawen Library

"Hey, old man, got a side quest? I told you to stick with us, didn't I?"

The mortar gave a cold snort and remained silent.

Meanwhile, on the other side, a group of players were speeding wildly on the electromagnetic highway in an "Apollo" sports car that they had stolen from somewhere.

They were speeding and firing indiscriminately, and every now and then a passerby would be hit and fall to the ground dead.

"The twenty-third person!"

"Well done!"

"Holy crap, another point of mission completion, awesome!"

These players all wore metallic laughing bat masks and bizarrely colored suits, creating a very déjà vu-like effect.

Humans who have stripped themselves of their animalistic instincts will not be able to protect themselves.

With the mechanical mainframe entering a 'sleep state,' this presents a great opportunity for some players to grind extensively.

However, the next moment, a dark shadow flashed across the sky, and a loud metallic tearing sound suddenly came from the roof of the car.

A gust of wind came from the roof of the car, and the next moment, the two players disappeared into the darkness.

"Holy crap, what the hell is that?"

"Is it a monster? Come on! Run him over!"

The clowns were shouting and yelling, their eyes flashing red.

The shadow flashed again, and two more players disappeared.

This time, they saw clearly that the dark shape was a large sculpture, and there seemed to be two people sitting on it.

"Who is it?"

"It seems to be a player; that's what the system panel says."

"Why are the players targeting us? We're all on the same side!"

The shadowy figure lunged again. This time, the 'Jokers' chose to fight back, firing bullets wildly into the sky. Taking advantage of this opportunity, a figure suddenly descended, wielding a gorilla arm and using intermediate mechanical skills. The muscular man slammed his hands into the hood of the car, sending the entire vehicle flying into the air. It spun more than a dozen times before exploding upon landing.

In the midst of the fiery explosion, almost all the Joker players were wiped out in one wave, leaving only one Joker trapped under a car, who snarled menacingly:

"Why do you have to target us when there are so many NPCs who offer opportunities for profit? Are you out of your minds?"

"This city is sick, you are sick, and we are just people who act according to our principles."

"When rules cease to be a tool to suppress evil, they become shackles, allowing wicked people to run rampant."

The plane, perched on the lap of the big guy, looked at the muscular burly man reciting his shameful lines with a strange expression. After a moment of silence, it said:

"Hey, aren't you getting a little too into character?"

"No, I'm just doing justice!"

"Oh, looks like your balance is full again."

The plane clicked its tongue. "Alright then, let's get on the bird and chase down the next clown."

The muscular giant huffed and puffed as it climbed up. Luckily, the level 30 mutated giant had a carrying capacity comparable to a small flying vehicle; otherwise, it might not have been able to withstand the weight of nearly 300 pounds.

The muscle-bound tyrant was silent for a moment, then said, "Why are you working with me? There's no profit to be made in this kind of PvP."

"Why isn't there any profit?" The plane looked at the other party in surprise. "Killing players like this increases the mission completion rate very quickly."

The battle continues late into the night, with the Unreal Alliance working overtime. On the detailed map of the City That Never Sleeps, numerous red dots appear, each representing a moral chip.

Ripples spread out from the red dot.

This is the special capability of the fourth-generation ethical chip: network mode.

Soon, small data nodes began to take shape, and computing power began to emerge.

In reality, clusters of white light began to take shape, appearing in buildings, data centers, and corporate databases.

The ordinary people in the city that never sleeps continue to "operate" in the normal way, but their nostrils start to bleed, their eyes start to tear up, and their brains start to leak white fluid.

At the same time, the senior engineer also received a task, a nightmare-level individual task issued by the system.