Chapter 20: A Crazy Idea

An unknown place. Last time, the Bald Supervisor closed the communicator, and a subordinate asked curiously: “Supervisor, for matters within our company, why are we involving the Red Earl’s people? The stance of those Red Earls is somewhat problematic, even bordering on anti-human.”

“Wasn’t it last time when the headquarters’ intelligence department sent a C-level gene enhancer with rich mission experience, and he died mysteriously? The headquarters brought the body back and found nothing. The biological chip was full of garbled data, and it’s suspected to be the work of the An Zhijie Corporation.” The Bald Supervisor smiled as he spoke.

The subordinate suddenly realized: “No wonder this mission was passed down to us again. It’s like they’re setting us up to take the blame.”

“We shouldn’t discuss the higher-ups’ conflicts, but it’s not wise for us to go against a grey giant like An Zhijie. Who knows how many people’s secrets these giants hold? Although An Zhijie wouldn’t dare to reveal them, they can still easily give us trouble.”

“The Red Earl is fine. It’s just for some credit points. When has our company ever lacked credit points? Those are just numbers. Plus, I have a gut feeling that something will happen now that an A-level member of the Red Earl has appeared in Vol City. As the saying goes, ‘the muddier the waters, the better it is for us.’ Go tell the field department to send someone to Vol City and be ready to receive orders.” The bald man stood up and walked towards the window. Outside was total darkness, indicating they were somewhere in space.

The subordinate, upon hearing this, immediately flattered him: “Supervisor, you’re wise. If the Red Earl’s plan succeeds, you’ll get credit, and if they cause trouble, we’ll take advantage of the chaos and succeed ourselves.”

“Heh heh, do you know why organizations like the Red Earl have survived for so many years?” The Bald Supervisor chuckled.

The subordinate, now confused, asked: “Supervisor, what do you mean?”

“Let me tell you a story. Once, there was a city, and a group of thieves robbed a bank. The bank manager fully cooperated, handing over the money to the thieves. When the thieves got home, they found they had stolen five million. However, the media reported that the bank had been robbed of fifty million, and the thieves were all dead during their capture.” The Supervisor explained.

Hearing this, the subordinate asked thoughtfully: “So you mean the Red Earl’s people are covering up something?”

“Heh heh, what is the eternal truth of the world? It’s darkness. Just like this starry sky—though it’s full of stars, darkness always dominates most of it. Stars may burn out, but darkness is ever-present.”

“Supervisor, your words are full of wisdom.”

“Get to work. Tell those monitoring the targets to be careful. An Zhijie is not to be trifled with.”

“Understood.”

Yang Bo continued his routine job, which mainly involved simple cleaning work. He earned 900 points this Monday, plus a base salary of 500 points.

“It’s not enough.” Yang Bo muttered as he returned to his dorm, feeling conflicted.

For now, he wouldn’t be taking any E-rank profession assessments. Playing games was much more enjoyable, but games were expensive; on average, every hour cost about a thousand credit points.

If you fought against monsters or mutants, the damage to your mecha would be even greater. The game’s structure was simple: kill mutated animals, mutants, or opposing mechas to earn rewards.

As for the rewards, there were two kinds of payouts. One was fixed based on the enemy’s level, and the other was based on an evaluation of the loot.

“Could those mutated creatures be used to make gene injections?”

“Are the mutants among the enemies another type of gene evolver?”

“And what about the enemy mechas?”

While soaking in the bath, Yang Bo consumed his ‘energy’ by boiling water with his palms.

Yang Bo still didn’t know what exactly this ‘energy’ in his body was. It could not only be converted into electricity but also into light.

After consuming his energy, he continued to recharge. After finishing the game, he would recharge again.

Entering the game, the mecha was fully maintained. Yang Bo quickly rushed outside the base. Time is money, after all.

The mecha’s mode of travel was walking. Generally, he wouldn’t use the Jetpack.

Thankfully, the road around the base was smooth. Yang Bo prepared to head out to the plains as the radar detected fewer mice and birds around the base after his rampage the day before.

The plains were covered with tall grass, some as high as seven to eight meters, resembling reeds. Walking through this grass in a mecha made it hard to see.

“Should I just set it on fire?” Yang Bo looked at the thick dead grass on the plains.

Once he got the idea, he acted. However, Yang Bo wouldn’t act recklessly. After observing the terrain, he chose a high ground area, where the radar showed many mice and birds. The low-ground areas were either wet or had water. The Razor Mecha, like a lawnmower, used its five-meter-long plasma cutting blade to carve a 20-meter-wide firebreak around the high ground, covering hundreds of acres.

While Yang Bo was mowing the grass, some onlookers took photos and posted them on forums.

“Guys, Bird Brother is out again, mowing the grass.”

“What the heck? Is this guy nuts? Customer service, call customer service!”

“Plasma Cutting Blade: Brother Bird, where are your manners?”

“Haha! Bird Brother does some crazy stuff every day!”

“Tsk tsk, the game environment is terrible. Seriously, why hasn’t the official version been updated yet?”

Of course, Yang Bo had no idea someone had been filming him. These wild grasses had likely grown for years, with a thick layer of last year’s dead leaves underneath.

Using the energy shield like a shovel, he gathered all the fallen grass into the center, creating a giant torch in just twenty minutes.

Jetpack, ignite!

Many people on the forum were curious about what Bird Brother was up to, and when they saw him light the fire, they were utterly bewildered.

There were thousands of mice in this hundred-acre area.

The wild grass burst into flames, and thick smoke confused even the managers of Base 16, but there was no immediate danger.

A gust of wind blew through, and the dead leaves under the grass began to crackle as they burned. The area looked like a sugarcane field being burned off, as they do in the West on Earth.

Dynamic Vision +1!

Flight +1!

Dynamic Vision +1!

Infrared Vision +1!

Yang Bo noticed the information streaming into his mind. Looking over the vast plains, he was tempted to burn it all but decided against it.

If the officials fined or punished him, that wouldn’t be good. This small patch was just an experiment. If the officials didn’t intervene… Heh, heh! “Maybe I could ruin things during a mission!” Yang Bo quickly thought of another idea.

“Is this guy an idiot?”

“Tsk tsk, this is just ridiculous!” Many people on the forum were now swearing as they watched.

Just as Yang Bo was watching from the side, holding his plasma blade, pondering how the officials hadn’t reacted, suddenly, a massive black shadow rushed out from the fire toward Yang Bo’s mecha. Yang Bo had been watching the fire, ready to catch any escaping birds. When he saw the shadow, his hands moved instinctively, and the mecha quickly flipped its wrist, aiming the plasma blade at the shadow.

Then the screen went black! “Dammit…” Yang Bo’s heart sank. The cost to repair the Razor Mecha would be astronomical.