Chapter 148: “The Good Citizen”
Upon returning to the surface, Lu Yuan first went to the industrial ship.
This was because Black Smoke and Motorcycle had both sent him good news.
In preparation for the upcoming Oasis City assault, they had each led their respective groups of military enthusiast players in another equipment upgrade.
According to the butler, these two groups, neither willing to yield to the other, had spontaneously formed two military-industrial teams that competed fiercely but could also cooperate seamlessly on major projects.
This was the essence of male friendship.
Lu Yuan was secretly delighted by this; team competition without internal friction could greatly improve work efficiency and positively contribute to building corporate culture.
The activity room had now become the most important place on the industrial ship, a “social core” in the absolute sense: there was no other.
“Go, Uncle Black Smoke!”
“Go, Motorcycle!”
The two big bosses personally demonstrated, stepping up in two of the latest model power armor suits with a resounding clang.
Both power armor suits looked quite “burly.”
“Executive Officer, please allow me to formally introduce them!”
Black Smoke walked up, his face full of pride.
“In the last two battles, 10 and 3 assault-type power armor suits were damaged, respectively, which made us realize their defensive capabilities were a bit lacking.
“So we redesigned this heavy-duty power armor, incorporating booster engines based on the assault model, equipping a thick ceramic-gold anti-riot shield on the left arm, and allowing for quick switching between a shotgun arm cannon and a plasma hand-axe on the right arm.”
A shield already?
Lu Yuan couldn't help but inwardly grumble.
“Is the next step forming a scaly formation? This war is getting more and more classical.”
“Good! However, isn't a plasma sword more powerful than a hand-axe?”
Black Smoke nodded.
“Theoretically, yes, but the sword is the most skill-intensive melee weapon, requiring extensive training to master its curves. A plasma hand-axe is relatively easier to master, its power is not bad, and it saves more power. I suggest Guo Li Cheng could also consider using a hand-axe, becoming a dual-wielding berserker!”
Lu Yuan smiled and waved his hand.
“That definitely won't work.”
“The concept of heavy power armor is great, but let her use a greatsword. Later, we'll work on getting nuclear batteries for the power armor, completely solving the energy problem, won't we?”
If Guo Li Cheng wasn't allowed to use a sword, she would just stop playing the game.
“What about the other one?”
Motorcycle came forward, representing his team.
“By analyzing previous battles, we found that everyone only had direct-fire weapons and needed to vie for firing lines. Deploying formations would waste some time, especially in narrow urban combat environments.
“So we developed the firepower-type power armor, sacrificing mobility and defense for enhanced load capacity, carrying larger batteries and heavier weapons. One person can output the firepower of two, allowing us to suppress a larger number with fewer people and reducing the need for fully deployed formations.
“Additionally, this power armor has an enlarged drone backpack on its back, which, even in indoor environments, can fly over friendly units or obstacles in the front row from above, further increasing firepower density.”
“Very good!”
Lu Yuan was quite satisfied.
“I will grant you two mission issuance authority later. You should quickly find members of the First Battle Group to come over and conduct live-fire simulations outside Red Iron Town to determine the optimal formation ratio. We will then produce according to that ratio.”
“Yes!”
“Also, there's a time-sensitive mission that you need to complete within 3 days. The objective is to develop a power backpack that allows power armor to directly air-drop from high altitudes onto hard ground. It will be useful later.”
Inside Oasis City, Fili put on his handsome uniform, ready to carry out his mission.
He was a “good citizen” of the city.
His family had been city guards since his great-grandfather's generation, with generations of men starting at 17, standing guard and patrolling until the day they could no longer walk.
City guards were among the highest-paying jobs, so his family's financial situation was quite good.
Fili's grades were average in school, and he wasn't particularly sharp, but he was always honest, very loyal among his peers, generous, and had no bad habits.
Because he was strong and robust, he often helped his neighbors with manual labor.
He was universally praised as a “good kid” by everyone.
After graduation, he took over the baton from his father, serving as the glorious “Gate Captain,” guarding the city gates for the City Lord.
After that, his work ethic was impeccable, earning him numerous commendations, and he was even personally praised by Cole.
He satisfied everyone.
“But, does satisfying everyone mean you are doing the right thing?”
“Fili! Do you think those citizens, are they really satisfied?”
Suddenly, these words surfaced in Fili's mind.
Stop, stop, stop—now is not the time to think about these things—
He shook his head and walked out of his house.
“Get in quickly, we're waiting for you!” his colleague urged.
The large eight-wheeled patrol vehicle was already waiting outside his door. His captain, instead of hiding in his sun-sheltered office, was personally “supervising” as per the City Lord's request.
Along the way, the loudspeaker on the patrol vehicle never stopped, continuously broadcasting the City Lord's latest directives to citizens along the streets.
“It is forbidden to buy so-called 'miracle drugs' from black market dealers!”
“Report suspicious individuals immediately; the City Lord promises to provide rewards.”
“Anyone who knows something and fails to report it will be treated as a Cangyuan spy and subjected to severe punishment!”
Of course, these were not the most important things.
The real killer move was the stigmatization of Cangyuan's medicine.
“Fellow diligent and brave citizens! We have noticed a drug effective against cancer quietly circulating in the city, and we have also noticed that this drug indeed produces 'efficacy' in a very short time.”
“.....”
“But! After repeated confirmation by our medical experts, all these efficacies are merely illusions caused by chemicals! They are all fake!”
“This drug, produced by the evil 'Cangyuan Future Technology,' is actually a chronic poison! It is a drug used to manipulate innocent citizens! Once you become dependent on it, Cangyuan can control you with the drug! Making you work like beasts of burden!”
In the car, Fili's captain roared into the microphone, spittle flying, trying to suppress a laugh in his heart.
“Heh!”
“These meaningless words must have been concocted by Cole and that Apollo department head, hiding in the air-raid shelter, right?”
“And a drug, how interesting!”
“As if ordinary citizens haven't been working like beasts of burden before.”
“Captain! A crowd has gathered in front of the Lakeside Bar. News spread from somewhere that someone is selling medicine there!”
“Understood, proceed immediately. Load your guns and check your ammunition!”
Fili, who was driving, didn't react. He was distracted, looking at the citizens on both sides of the road.
Today, even more people were not going to work.
The gazes they cast were neither fearful nor angry, yet they made Fili feel as if he had thorns in his back, utterly uncomfortable.
And he could tell that the citizens didn't believe a word of the so-called drug claims.
Every one of these people had at least one relative or friend who had bought and taken the special medicine. Whether it was effective after taking it, whether it was an illusion caused by chemicals, or whether it was a drug—they knew the truth in their hearts!
Even if they believed it, what then? Would the fear of death outweigh the fear of being controlled by drugs? Would the desire to live, for health, not be worth more than the City Lord's bounty?
Don't be ridiculous!
Fili didn't consider himself a smart person, but for the City Lord to broadcast these words across the city at this time was truly too foolish...
“Fili! Why the hell aren't you moving!? Are you deaf? Go to the bar!”
The captain roared.
“Oh—yes, Captain!”
The car screeched to a halt in front of the bar. The captain jumped out and immediately fired his gun to disperse the crowd.
“All of you, get the hell home! Hurry up! You can't buy the medicine anymore! Didn't you hear it's a drug!? Still buying it!? You should be glad you weren't fooled; severe side effects will appear very soon.”
No sooner had the captain finished speaking than the sound of a car engine came from behind him. Immediately after, three all-terrain vehicles swerved, almost hitting the captain's car.
“Who!? What the hell!? Are you looking for death!?”
After seeing who got out of the lead car, the captain swallowed his harsh words.
“Cheng Yun! That's Cheng Yun!”
Someone in the crowd immediately recognized the famous industrialist.
“Oh my! Wasn't it rumored he was about to die? How is this—he's perfectly fine! Look, he even jumped onto the car hood! See, just like a young man!”
“Citizens!!”
Cheng Yun's voice was booming, almost as loud as the captain's with his loudspeaker.
“I am Cheng Yun, and I am now the sole authorized agent for selling medicine for Cangyuan Future Technology in Oasis City!”
“Yes, you should have all guessed it. I previously had cancer, and it had entered its terminal stage. But a few days ago, as the first person in the entire city to verify its efficacy, I took Cangyuan's special medicine. After one week, I am now completely cured!”
“I can guarantee to everyone, with my hand on my chest, that there are no side effects whatsoever, and you will certainly not be controlled! It's pure nonsense!”
“Anyone who needs medicine can come directly to me to buy it. Serious cases will be prioritized! Others don't need to worry either. The Cangyuan Executive Officer is a great man. He cares deeply about everyone's health and is very willing to provide us with special medicine. I will do everything in my power to get the medicine for everyone!”
“There is no law in Oasis City that prohibits healing and saving lives! If Cole has an issue, then he can come after me, Cheng Yun!!”
“Good!!”
“Wonderful! Thank you, Mr. Cheng!”
Some of the onlookers cheered, while others were so excited they clapped vigorously.
The slap in the face came so quickly.
Cheng Yun finally openly broke ranks, rushing to the front line. The captain was instantly stunned.
The other party was a prominent figure in the city; he dared not make any rash moves. Besides, Cheng Yun had brought a dozen subordinates, all of whom had guns.
Since he didn't know what to do, he immediately sought instructions from his superior.
“Yes, City Lord, this is the situation now—”
“It's fine.”
Cole said slowly over the radio communication.
“Don't mind that self-important Cheng Yun. He's just a lunatic. Let him sell that medicine as he pleases.
If he sells it, we'll just storm into residents' homes and confiscate it all, won't we? In short, we cannot allow Cangyuan's influence to continue to expand, understood?”
“Understood, sir!”