Stars, Players and Immortals

Chapter 92 The Imprisoned Players of Terra (4K+)

Terra East China Continent.

A Kunlun Heavy Industries infantry transport airship was moving along the mountain ridge and clouds. Gray-black armored pods were hanging on the hull, and the inner walls of the hull were filled with cooling pipes and computing slots. Several rows of seats were like folding beds stuffed into server racks.

The leader of the Painters' Alliance team, Van Dijk, slumped in his chair, looking at his four teammates opposite him with a bitter expression: Picasso, Sébastien, Michelangelo, and Dongar.

All five men were wearing outsourced combat vests issued by Kunlun Heavy Industry, with temporary duty numbers printed on their chests. The player terminals on their wrists were scrolling through the performance deductions, equipment rental fees, and battle damage deposits for this mission.

Fan Di grew angrier the more he looked at it, and after holding back for a long time, he finally cursed out loud.

"I should have just smuggled myself to Mars."

"Those extraordinary corporations on Terra are like vampires. The [Cooperative Headquarters] are even more stingy. They deduct platform management fees from mission rewards first, then equipment maintenance fees, and finally some kind of [Organizational Meditation] fee —"

"Damn it, what a lousy company!"

"The brothers on Mars are starting to buy houses and cars, and their total levels are rushing to level 20 in batches. They've even unlocked the job change quests."

"And what about us?"

Fan Di raised his hand and tapped his level bar, his mouth twitching with anger.

Overall Level: 15

Main Class: Psionic Warrior LV5; Sub-Class: Company Employee LV10

"Level 15!"

"I was level 15 before the maintenance, and I was still level 15 three days after the maintenance. My experience bar is growing slower than my real salary."

Dongar patted the temporary duty number on his chest and complained with a gloomy face, "We're legitimate company dogs now. Although working for a superpowerful corporation deducts pay and experience, at least we get psionic skills, organizational meditation resources, and bonuses to psionic, life, and constitution coefficients."

"Boss, think of it this way: those street kids, homeless people, and media people who start out are the ones who end up in jail. To become a psychic, you need two things: material meditation and organizational meditation."

"The former starts from scratch in hell, having to find all the resources on their own, while the latter is basically controlled by the company, but at least being a company dog ​​means getting dog food."

Miguel, his anger rising, said viciously, "If I get another 20% experience deduction this time, I'll truly become a spiritual Martian, a Terran collaborator! The day the Skyward Army arrives, I'll be the first to bring food and drink to welcome the king's army!"

Picasso remained calm. He leaned back in his chair, raised his hand to open the civilization faction section in the player system, and swiped down to display the Terra Corporation's [National Ideology] entry to everyone.

[National Ideology: Bloodsucking Enterprises]

This global corporation utilizes parasitic mind connections to extract valuable metabolic energy from the idle population. This collected energy can then be redistributed to senior executives.

【岗位产出资源—10%、科技研究速度—10%、人口增长速度—10%、机械人口组装速度—10%、领袖维护费—50%、领袖寿命：+50%

[Player compatibility fixes: Quest experience gain -20%, Enterprise credit gain +15%]

[Special Effect: Performance Bonus]

[Note: When players complete corporate commissions, a portion of their experience will be converted into corporate credits, which can be used to redeem temporary equipment rental discounts, manager favorability, internal company access, and subsidies for low-level consumables.]

Picasso said in a Buddhist-like tone, "The terms above, translated into plain language, mean you get one-fifth less experience points, but you'll get some company shopping vouchers, which can only be used in their designated online store."

"Sigh~ That's how we Terrans are, hopeless, just waiting to die."

Fan Di was so angry that he laughed on the spot.

"Okay, okay, so the experience I lost wasn't deducted, but rather the company took care of me in another way."

He held the rifle in his arms and replied in a low voice.

"In the end, we should also thank the companies for providing us with a platform for growth."

Dongar patted the temporary duty number on his chest.

"Don't criticize them unnecessarily; they even provided us with employee ID cards."

Michelangelo looked out the porthole at the Donghua Mountains and couldn't help but sigh.

"Mars players are now called SkyDrivers, and they buy houses, cars, and drive spaceships."

"We Terra players now call them outsourced service personnel, and we have to pay a deposit before boarding the airship."

Fan Di became increasingly disoriented as he listened, and reached out to pull the task panel in front of him.

[Company Commission: Busan Anomaly Intelligence Investigation]

[Published by: Kunlun Heavy Industry - Collaborative Headquarters]

[Joint Filing: Terra United Government Far East Affairs Coordination Bureau]

[Mission Location: Computational Power Blockade Zone Outside Fucheng, Donghua Continent]

【Mission Objective: Escort the computational infantry squad into the outer node of Busan, investigate traces of Lunar Council AI activity, recover abnormal data fragments, and confirm whether the roving AI has engaged in cross-network migration behavior.】

[Task Rewards: Experience Points, Corporate Credits, Kunlun Heavy Industries Reputation, Organization Meditation Credits.]

[Note: Busan area has been under a state of abnormal intelligent pollution for a long time. Do not connect to unknown networks during the mission.]

Van stared at the words "Lunar Council AI" and his expression immediately changed.

He recalled those posts on the Homeworld forum that had been pushed to the front page.

Researchers have uncovered that the Skydrive government has partnered with the Lunar Conference's AI.

The new version of Didi driver service on Mars (Starship) is very likely related to smuggling on the lunar dark web.

Now, Kunlun Heavy Industries' mission is to send them directly to Busan, which is quite complicated.

The Terran United Government and the four major Far East corporations have clearly also heard the news.

They most likely want to take advantage of the changes in the Lunar Council to bring Busan, a computing wasteland that has been out of control for many years, back under surveillance, and also find out the extent to which those roving AIs have colluded with the new Martian regime.

Van Die opened the mission location, and a map of the eastern side of the Donghua Continent was immediately projected from inside the airship.

Terra has seven continents.

The continents of Donghua, Europa, Avliga, Laurentia, Andesia, Austeris, and Aurora.

Busan is located at the end of a peninsula on the southeastern side of the East China Sea. Backed by a mountainous industrial belt and facing the archipelago shipping lanes, it was once one of the most important port cities in the Far East.

Later, Busan was designated as a semi-lockdown zone by the Terra United Government due to the rampant AI going out of control and urban network pollution.

Currently, the four extraordinary giants controlling affairs in the Far East of Donghua Continent are Kunlun Heavy Industry, Penglai Pharmaceutical, Fangzhang Technology, and Yingzhou Network.

The five-member Painters Alliance are outsourced combat personnel under Kunlun Heavy Industries, commonly known as "company dogs".

Fan Di stared at the line "Do not connect to unknown networks without authorization" on the mission panel, remained silent for two seconds, and then suddenly looked up at his teammates.

"Brothers, I have a feeling that this mission might actually lead us to Mars."

He lowered his voice and glanced at the faces of the people.

"The Lunar Council AI, the Busan Anomalous Network, the Martian Skydrive Government—these connections are not simple. If we can actually contact Skydrive through this, we might be able to break through Terra's broken corporate system."

Michelangelo was still flipping through the mission settlement rules when he heard this, and his eyes lit up immediately.

"If I can really establish contact with Skyward, I will definitely work hard for the organization from now on."

He gritted his teeth and patted the temporary duty number of Kunlun Heavy Industry on his chest.

"When I finally get the chance, I'll be the first to lead the way into the headquarters of the collaboration team and hang all those managers who deduct our experience points, deposits, and medical expenses every day on the streetlights as a warning to others."

"The Martians are already flying spaceships, and we're still working for the company for free. Is that reasonable?"

Sai Xia sat near the cabin door and didn't say much.

Upon hearing this, he raised his hand and gripped the psionic samurai sword at his waist.

The scabbard is a standard product of Kunlun Heavy Industries, with cooling patterns engraved on the black alloy shell, and a small psionic energy guide core hidden inside the handle.

Normally it looks like an unsharpened alloy longsword, but as long as the wielder injects psionic energy, the blue and white patterns on the spine of the blade will light up section by section, turning the originally heavy physical blade into a psionic blade that can cut through light armor.

He inserted his thumb and pried open the blade by half an inch, revealing a pale blue glint of light.

"If I could, I would definitely go to the company building and cause a huge scene."

His voice was calm, but his words carried a suppressed anger.

"We've had enough of being corporate slaves. Now, whoever pays us and gives us good benefits, we'll cut people off for them!"

Just as Fan Di was about to reply, a sharp warning sound suddenly rang out from inside the airship.

[Arrived at the deployment coordinates.]

[The hatch is unlocked.]

[External Environment: Busan's outer computing power blockade zone.]

Ground threat level: Medium.

[Outsourced personnel are requested to parachute in within 30 seconds.]

Fan Di's expression changed.

"Wait a minute, ground threat level is medium? Didn't the mission briefing say 'assist investigation of outer nodes'?"

The hatch opened with a bang, and a cold wind carrying grayish-white mist rushed into the transport cabin. In the distance, the ruins of the city peeked out from below the clouds, and large clusters of buildings were shrouded in black data mist. Fragments of blue light flashed across the ground from time to time, like a broken neural network still twitching.

The five players exchanged glances.

Fan cursed under his breath, grabbed the parachute pack, and slung it over his shoulder.

"Let's go, the company has already included the parachute rental fee, we'll lose even more if we don't jump."

Picasso fastened the buckle on his chest and then checked the spare magazine.

"Pay attention to the landing point; don't spread out too much."

Dongar stood in front of the hatch, glanced down at the swirling data fog below, his face showing the numbness of someone going to work.

"Now I understand why Martian players are willing to take on mortgages. At least they're buying a spaceship with a loan, while we're paying a deposit for a chance to be reborn."

The next second, five miserable office workers, carrying parachutes and full of resentment, jumped out of the airship.

A gust of wind slapped against my face.

The ruins surrounding Busan rapidly expanded beneath their feet. The elevated roads in the old port area were broken into several sections, and a half-collapsed corporate building leaned against the center of the block, with a broken holographic GG still hanging on its exterior wall.

In GG, a certain star with a stiff smile keeps repeating "Buseong New World, creating the future with you".

Van Dijon's blood pressure went up just looking at it.

"Co-create your grandpa."

The parachute deployed, and the five people were jolted to a sudden stop by the turbulence.

Their landing point was near an abandoned distribution plaza, surrounded by a row of rusty unmanned cargo vehicles. The ground was covered with old bomb craters and charred cables, and the central computing node tower was still glowing with intermittent red light.

As soon as Van deflected his feet and removed his parachute, a piercing metallic scraping sound rang in his ears.

He looked up and his expression changed instantly.

Behind the freight trucks surrounding the square, rows of gray-black robots emerged from the shadows.

They are close to the size of an adult, with a single-eye sensor on their head, a tattered old city security sign hanging on their chest, their arms modified into short-barreled machine guns and chain blade modules, and several exposed data cables stuck in their backs, the ends of the cables swinging in the air, splashing out tiny sparks.

[Target Recognition: XuanGe-6 Security Servant]

[Status: Abnormal Takeover]

Quantity: 16

Sixteen Xuange-6 security drones simultaneously raised their weapons, and red aiming dots landed on the five people.

Fan Di's pupils contracted, and his voice exploded.

"Where has this 'coordination headquarters' taken us?!"

The next moment, a barrage of gunfire ripped through the square.

The bullets swept across like a barrage of metal, sending sparks flying across the ground, and instantly riddling the wrecked truck with holes.

Van Gogh and Seychelles reacted the fastest.

The two drew their swords almost simultaneously.

Psionic energy flowed into the blade, and blue-white light exploded from the spine. Van took a step forward, and the skill [Heart as Still Water] instantly lit up in his skill bar.

The world seemed to be a step behind in his eyes.

The bullets flying towards them left scorching trails, and the muzzle flashes, bullet angles, and turning speeds of the machine guns were all captured by psionic perception.

Van Di gripped the knife with both hands, the blade slicing upwards at an angle. The first volley of bullets was cleaved into fragments by him, metal shards grazing his cheeks and clanging against his armor.

Sai lowered his body and swept his psionic katana horizontally, two crescent-shaped blades intersecting in front of the group, slicing through the barrage of bullets aimed at Michelangelo and Dongal.

There are too many Xuan Ge-6 type machine servants.

Sixteen short-barreled machine guns fired simultaneously from four directions, their bullet trajectories weaving a net that no matter how hard the player tried to parry, they couldn't stop them.

Crossfire coming in from the flank.

Fan lowered his shoulders and his health bar dropped significantly.

[You have been hit by a light kinetic energy bullet!]

[Health Points -37]

[Health Points -42]

Armor durability decreased.

"Find cover!"

Picasso had already rushed into the back of a wrecked truck, mounted his rifle on the broken window, and started firing at the machine gunners on the left.

Although his psychic warrior level was not high, his marksmanship was very proficient.

Three bullets struck the monocular sensor of the same Xuange-6 mech servant, shattering the red light. The servant staggered forward two steps, its chest armor cracked open, and sparks flew from its internal circuitry.

Michelangelo rolled behind the cover while cursing louder than the gunshots.

"Ground threat level: Medium? This is medium? This is fucking medium?"

Dongar was hit in the thigh by a burst of bullets, and his health bar dropped rapidly. He dragged his leg to the back of the truck chassis and threw a concussion grenade.

The stun grenades exploded among the servant aircraft, and the pale blue shockwave swept across three Xuango-6 servant aircraft, briefly interfering with their aiming systems.

"Stop cursing, survive first!"

Taking advantage of this moment, Sai Xia rushed out of the cover, his blade flashing low, and his body pressed against the ground as he charged forward at high speed.

Just as one of the mechs turned its gun, he had already crashed into the other side. His psionic katana slashed upwards, the blue-white blade cutting into the mech's abdominal armor and severing the power harness inside.

The machine twitched backward, and the driver kicked it to its companion beside it.

The two machines collided, causing a brief shift in firepower.

Van Die seized the opportunity, gripping his knife with both hands, and charged into the center of the square.

[Stillness of Mind] continuously burns psionic energy.

His vision was beginning to fade, and the bullet trajectories were a jumbled mess in his mind, but he still managed to push forward three steps despite the hail of bullets, slashing seven times with his blade and tearing a gap in the frontal fire.

The health bar is still dropping.

[Health Points -29]

[Health Points -51]

[Health Points -33]

Seeing that his health was almost down to half, Fan Di couldn't suppress his anger any longer.

"Those bastards at the Joint Headquarters, I... *****!!!!"

P.S.: After thinking about the title, I think "Terra's Imprisoned Players" is more appropriate, lol.

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