After a heated debate, the task of playing the captive ultimately fell on Medical Miracle.

As for the reason, it wasn't that he had a louder voice, it's primarily because the idea of a captured Corps Commander seemed too fake.

Besides, Talan had already leveled up to stage forty, which according to NPC standards is a "fifth-stage" Awakener. Even if attributes are just references, it's still a bit challenging for a captive of this rank.

The same goes for Desert Falcon, including his good buddy Comedian.

In contrast, Medical Miracle's cost-effectiveness stood out.

Compared to other newcomers, he's relatively normal in the head, and his combat power is pretty standard.

Especially the normal part.

Finding a normal person among players is harder than finding a skilled combatant.

Looking at the delight of Medical Miracle, Desert Falcon was upset and cursed.

"Damn! First time hearing there's a level cap for a task."

"Isn't that normal? You can't be expecting to do a level ten task at level forty," Medical Miracle chuckled, then clasped his fists at his brothers, "Take care brothers!"

Talan Raider couldn't be bothered with that cocky look and waved him away.

"Get lost."

And just like that, the choice for the captive was settled.

The Desert Army took the real leader "Scorpion of the Desert" Marik, leaving player [Medical Miracle] with Zhuang Lan of the Watcher Organization.

Next, Talan Raider was headed to Lavanka Industrial Zone, to return with the captive and loot, and transmit the copied data from the hard drive over the Alliance's cables to the honorable Mr. Manager.

If all goes well, the next task should be exploring the ruins of Shelter No. 68.

Watching his teammates' departing backs, Medical Miracle wore a bright sunny smile.

Zhuang Lan, standing by, didn't know what to say and after a moment of silence, lightly coughed.

"Um..."

"No need for courtesy, just tie me up," Medical Miracle turned, smiling, with open arms, "Do you think rope or tape is better? I'm fine with either."

Though the words sounded odd, to prevent misunderstandings due to unfamiliarity with the United Human language, he thought it best to express himself straightforwardly.

Zhuang Lan stared blankly at him, bewildered, taking a while to snap back.

"...You don't have to tie up just yet."

"Is that so? Anyway, it's up to you," Awkwardly retracting his outstretched arms, Medical Miracle changed the subject, "By the way, how do you plan to disguise as Marik?"

Zhuang Lan succinctly replied.

"I have his power armor."

"What about the face?"

"Just change it."

"Then..."

Halfway through, Medical Miracle suddenly felt embarrassed, stuttering without finishing.

Seeing the expression on his face, Zhuang Lan knew what he was thinking, shrugged, and said.

"Just fit one, it's no big deal,"

"Fit, fit one?!"

Medical Miracle was stunned for a while, finally raising a thumb in admiration.

"Impressive..."

What Medical Miracle... This is the real Medical Miracle, right?

Zhuang Lan stared intently at him, and said seriously.

"DNA, fingerprints, iris, including other biometric information... these can be disguised through technical means. I used to work for the Enlightenment Society, I know their methods, and I know how to counter them, my only worry is you, you might expose a flaw."

Medical Miracle grinned.

"No worries, I won't betray you even in death."

"I trust your conviction, especially if you say... that memory extraction device doesn't work on you."

Zhuang Lan nodded and then turned around.

"Come with me, we need to recover the power armor first."

"Then I'll take you to the Watchers' makeshift shelter..."

"Where there are comrades in arms who fight alongside me, all are trustworthy people."

...

Wasteland OL official forum.

Medical Miracle: "Bro, Enlightenment Society is just so awesome!"

Medical Miracle: "Pfft, I should say the tech skills of former agents... Damn, same difference either way."

Quit smoking: "What's all this about? (dumbfounded)"

Medical Miracle: "No explanation! @Night Ten"

Night Ten: "? Who are you, why are you mentioning me."

Medical Miracle: "Hehe, second one half price, check it out. (winks)"

Night Ten: "Get lost! (angry)"

Debt Giant Eye: "Hahahahahaha!"

Medical Miracle: "Damn! Speak nice, why curse now! (angry)"

Night Ten: "@#%$!"

...

Outside Yavente City, Alliance Military Base, a silver-gray research ship was berthed on the tarmac.

The approximately twenty-meter-long hull looked like a slightly larger yacht, like a toy next to the "Overlord" transport plane with four plasma engines.

Yet what cannot be underestimated is that the former has the capability to travel between the Earth's surface and outer space, which the latter does not.

In the passenger cabin of the research ship, rows of power armor were seated against the walls.

The angular steel shells and menacing automatic weapons seemed out of place with the surrounding Academy-style decor, yet surprisingly harmonious.

"Damn..."

Returning online, Night Ten stretched his neck, cursing under his breath.

"These newcomers are getting more and more boring lately."

Beside him, Quit smoking stifled laughter, saying nothing.

He was there just now when Night Ten quarreled with someone on the forum, watching them stack over three hundred posts.

"I think you're kind of boring too, getting into a spat over these trivial things," Fang Chang cast him a sidelong glance, "Honestly, why don't you just go confess to Jiang Xuezhou, let her fit you one."

Maybe she just missed that part, after all, she doesn't have one herself, and didn't think of it at the time.

Maybe when she remembered later, she felt embarrassed to bring it up, so the matter got shelved.

Fang Chang thought it very likely.

In some ways their personalities are surprisingly alike, both belong to the stiff-tongued type.

"I'll think about it... how do I even bring this up," Night Ten scratched his head, hurriedly changing the topic as Fang Chang had guessed, directing the conversation to the opposite-sitting Wild Wind, "Speaking of which, why'd Wild Wind come too? Weren't you over in City of Dawn?"

Wild Wind rubbed his nose and calmly said.

"Such an interesting mission, too regrettable to miss it."

Though players have previously messed around shooting themselves into the stratosphere with fireworks, no one's actually gone to space, and certainly not on a mission in geosynchronous orbit.

And he's very curious to know where the limits of this game lie, both in a spatial sense, and in other senses.

Glancing at Wild Wind, Fang Chang teased.

"You've been slacking long enough, still up for it? We're not going there to play."

Wild Wind smiled faintly.

"I know... though somehow those words feel odd coming from you."

"Haha, Brother Fang Chang is almost like an NPC now," Killer Dagger laughed and teased.

"Could be," Fang Chang didn't dispute his words, just said with a tone of mixed feelings, "At least for me, this world already holds too many memories I can't part with, and even... has become my continuation."

Including Laxi and many others, even those he's never met...

Night Ten looked at him in surprise.

"Wow? You've got kids?"

Fang Chang rolled his eyes at the guy.

"Words can't express, go play."

This guy's emotional intelligence is too low, says sleazy things indiscriminately, no wonder he has no girlfriend.

At this moment, the alloy door at the front of the passenger cabin opened, and Jiang Xuezhou, wearing a silver-white Academy uniform, walked out from the cockpit.

Looking at these heavily armed soldiers, she took a deep breath and spoke up.

"The research ship is about to take off, have you all... fastened your seatbelts?"

Perhaps it was because she was about to leave Earth, or perhaps it was because it was her first time embarking on such an important mission, Jiang Xuezhou's voice was filled with nervousness, even trembling slightly.

"Already done, come on," Night Ten laughed, patting the seatbelt on his chest, but someone didn't bother responding to him.

Old White raised his hand with a smile, giving the pilot lady a reassuring look.

"Ready, just steer the ship and get us close to the target. Leave the rest to us."

"Oh yeah, once I get up there, I'm going to pound those guys flat." The Kidney Fighter clenched his fists with an excited look on his face.

"Haha, let's do this!"

The cabin was filled with laughter and joy.

Not just the Kidney Fighter, but also Quit Smoking and Killer Dagger felt the same.

As the Alliance's ace elites, they've done countless missions just as tough as this one, and not a single person had a scared or nervous expression on their face.

Seeing everyone so at ease, Jiang Xuezhou rubbed her forehead with a bit of a headache.

Although they were indeed the famous Burning Corps sitting here, their nonchalant attitude made her a bit concerned.

However, despite that, seeing their reactions did ease her tension a bit.

Maybe...

this hurdle wasn't as dire as she thought and not something they couldn't overcome.

Just as she was about to return to the cockpit, Fang Chang, sitting in the chair, suddenly spoke up.

"Is there a seat in the cockpit?"

Jiang Xuezhou was slightly taken aback and instinctively nodded.

"Yes... why?"

Fang Chang looked at Night Ten sitting beside him and motioned towards him with a nudge of his chin.

"You stay in there."

"Huh?" Night Ten looked confused, staring at Fang Chang, "Why?"

Jiang Xuezhou also blushed unconsciously, her voice starting to stammer.

"That, it doesn't seem quite appropriate..."

Mainly because there were too many people.

With so many pairs of eyes on her, she felt completely uncomfortable.

Seeing Jiang Xuezhou's face turning increasingly red, Fang Chang smiled calmly and said.

"Don't overthink it, it's just having someone in the co-pilot seat for easy communication. Of course, if you think it's inappropriate, or if the Academy has a rule against unrelated persons entering the cockpit, then forget I said anything."

Players can use forums and group chats outside of the game to exchange information, and this ability is not affected by communication interference.

So, when doing dungeons or raids, they usually have a human communicator sitting in the command vehicle, staying offline most of the time, keeping an eye on group messages and relaying them when needed.

But Jiang Xuezhou apparently didn't know about this and was just feeling a little embarrassed because there were so many people around.

"Well, it's not that..."

Seeing Jiang Xuezhou hesitating for so long without a clear response, Night Ten couldn't help but feel embarrassed for her.

Sighing, he unbuckled his seatbelt, stood up, and went over to help her out.

"Hey, it's just switching seats, no need to make it so dramatic, it's not like I've never sat there before."

Jiang Xuezhou's already flushed face turned so red it looked like it was about to bleed, and she nervously glared at him, kicking him in the shin, but instead of hurting him, it pained her so much she almost cried.

"What strange things are you saying!"

Night Ten couldn't help but retort.

"Your reaction is strange, okay! Can't you just say yes or no, making it seem like there's something going on."

Jiang Xuezhou: "Naggy!"

The alloy door closed with a bang.

Their voices disappeared into the passenger cabin, and the rest couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Damn..."

"Didn't know Night Ten had such an innocent side?"

"I'm going to report this to Teng Teng!"

"Oh, please, she's not interested in him."

"Haha, if you want Miss Teng Teng to chase you with scissors, go ahead."

Listening to the playful banter, Fang Chang couldn't help but chuckle, tapping his index finger twice on the side of his helmet to switch to private chat, then said.

"Bro, don't overthink it, I'm just considering worst-case scenarios. Once we're in outer space, anything could happen, and your Perception Attributes might come in handy."

"Alright, got it." Night Ten's voice sounded a bit impatient, clearly still a bit bothered about being teased.

But this guy isn't one to hold grudges.

Having known him for so many years, Fang Chang knew him too well.

Listening to the voice on the communication channel, Fang Chang made a joking remark.

"Oh, and if she gets nervous later, you might want to talk some smack to lighten the mood."

Night Ten: "Received, but what if she gets more nervous?"

Fang Chang: "That's up to you. Don't ask me about everything."

Night Ten: "Damn!"

Communication ended.

Night Ten tapped twice on the side of his helmet, then rested the back of his head on the copilot's seat.

Honestly, the technology developed by the Academy is impressive. This seat doesn't look very sturdy, but it can support heavy equipment like power armor.

Sitting next to him, Jiang Xuezhou glanced at him stealthily, pretending to be indifferent as he coughed and said.

"What secret talk are you having behind my back?"

Night Ten didn't hide anything and said straightforwardly.

"Fang Chang's damned advice was that if you get nervous, I should tell you a joke."

Jiang Xuezhou, operating on the cockpit interface, looked at him with surprise.

"You know how to tell jokes?"

Night Ten: "Of course, do you want to hear one?"

Jiang Xuezhou nodded, wearing a curious expression.

Seeing that the guy wasn't joking, Night Ten coughed first, creating suspense, and made as if he were about to speak, then suddenly flashed a "charming smile."

"I'll tell you after we complete the mission."

Jiang Xuezhou's nose almost bent out of shape in anger after waiting all this time and hearing that, she wanted to tap his head but couldn't find a place to hit.

"Go to hell!"

Ultimately, she vented her anger on the control screen of the interface, a sudden acceleration nearly causing Quit Smoking, who was bending over to wipe the dust off his boots, to chip his tooth on his knee.

"Hahaha!"

Seeing Jiang Xuezhou's teeth itching with anger, Night Ten couldn't help but burst into a pig-like laugh.

He couldn't care less if someone else was happy, as long as he was!

Trailing a pale blue arc, the silver-gray research ship shot up from the outskirts of Yavente City, drawing a high parabola and disappearing into the clouds.

In the unknown dusk, a quiet expedition across 36,000 kilometers began...

...

On the other side, far away in the Dawn City of River Valley Province, the morning light had barely appeared on the horizon.

At the entrance of the Manager's Office in the Alliance Building, Lu Bei was reporting solemnly after closing the door.

"...They have set off. According to the Academy, they should arrive within two days."

It's hard to estimate the precise time, as space conditions are incredibly complex.

Chu Guang, sitting in front of the desk, nodded and then turned his gaze to the clear sky outside the window.

The Burning Corps has already departed.

As the Manager of the Alliance, he has made all the arrangements possible. For now, aside from praying for the warriors and patiently waiting, there's nothing else he can do.

But noteworthy news came from the Great Desert. The Enlightenment Society seems to be transferring personnel, equipment, and supplies to No.13 Shelter.

This is indeed touching.

The person who provided him with this information was the Enlightenment Society disciple he had let go before.

Chu Guang had almost forgotten about the original bet, yet Zhuang Lan still remembered.

After all, the one-time abandoned child by the Enlightenment Society decisively stood against it upon learning the truth about the annihilation of Shelter No. 68.

Besides, she rallied a large group of former residents of Shelter No. 68, establishing an organization called "Watcher."

As it turns out, only those who have been part of the Enlightenment Society understand it best, and only they know how to counter it.

All this information was recorded in the latter part of the administrator's log of Shelter No. 68, probably added by Zhuang Lan herself.

Chu Guang hadn't realized that the seeds he casually scattered had grown into towering trees while he was unaware.

She hadn't even sought help from the Alliance, solely relying on her skills to penetrate the intelligence networks of the Eastern Empire and the Alliance in the Desert Sea, burying spies in uninhabited wasteland.

Now, she's leading the Desert Army's bait to No.13 Shelter. If conditions are optimistic, she might be able to take down the Enlightenment Society.

Upon this thought, Chu Guang's index finger lightly tapped on the armchair.

"Xiao Qi, input a new command to the orbital weapons, end the aim at Yavente City, move the device to deploy on the western side of the Great Desert, ready and include the central region of the Great Desert in the pre-aiming range."

If possible, he doesn't want to use the sword passed down by the City Lord of the Giant Stone City on anyone.

But when necessary, he won't hesitate.

A melodious voice drifted in from beside him, Xiao Qi's response was always so energetic and reliable.

"Got it!"

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