Volume 4, Chapter 57 – Anran-Style XXX

In the span of a single minute, everyone from the Research Center fully demonstrated their talent for sprinting. Even the person at the very back had managed to run from the workshop on the third basement level to the stairwell leading to the floor above.

Yet as they trembled with anxiety and unease, they realized that more than a minute had already passed, but the thunderous explosion they had expected never came.

“It didn’t explode?”

“Why don’t you guys go down and take a look?”

“No, no, no. I’m not going down there to die.”

“Don’t look at me. I’m not going either.”

“If anything goes wrong, I’ll be finished down there. Go yourself if you want.”

“Forget it. My newlywed wife is still waiting for me to go home and ‘develop’ her.”

Morton watched the group whispering among themselves with a dark expression, but there was nothing he could say at the moment.

He did not dare go down himself. If he forcibly ordered someone else to go, whatever authority he had left would be completely destroyed.

For most of the day, everyone at the Research Center was distracted. The third basement level was like a powder keg that might explode at any moment. No one dared approach it, and no one even dared go underground again.

Had an outsider visited at that moment, they would probably have witnessed the extraordinary sight of every seat in the Research Center’s offices being occupied.

That would have been impossible in the past.

Whatever their actual competence, the Research Center’s personnel did not conduct research from behind office desks. Gray would never have allowed such a thing when he was in charge, and Morton was also someone who cared deeply about appearances.

It was not until evening approached that Morton, unable to endure his anxiety any longer, went down alone. He put on protective clothing and entered the workshop, only to discover that the robot did not seem to have undergone any abnormal changes.

There was merely a strange smell in the workshop. When he approached, he saw that the area around the robot’s chest cavity had turned yellow, with odd stains spread around the seams.

“What is this?”

Wearing a protective mask, Morton used tweezers to pick up some of the residue. It was sticky and slippery, and he could not tell what it was.

Morton then placed the tweezers against the screw from before. This time, there was no reaction at all.

Only after waiting another minute or two did he breathe a sigh of relief. Even so, he did not dare dismantle it. Instead, he went to retrieve some equipment so that he could scan the interior.

…

Beneath the partition was a complete mess. It was possible to make out what had originally been a deep slot, with an L-shaped circuit board embedded in the middle and held up by a support frame.

Now, however, the L-shaped board had snapped directly into three pieces. The support frame had thrust upward, while the side wall of the slot had opened. The burn damage was most severe there and extended all the way onto the board. The three broken sections had been charred and warped beyond recognition.

Morton’s expression turned extremely ugly. The frame alone made it obvious that the robot had been deliberately designed this way. The moment anyone tried to open the deep slot containing the mainboard, a physical mechanism would snap the board apart. Then it would be blasted with intense flame and high temperatures, completely destroying it.

There was no recovering it.

“Check the other robot too,” Morton said.

The second robot was soon thoroughly scanned as well.

The internal structures of the two were nearly identical.

“What if we cut a slot from the back and remove it that way?”

“Who can guarantee it won’t self-destruct if we take it out from behind?”

“Then what are we supposed to do? Just stand here and stare at it?”

“If you don’t stare at it, can you get that mainboard out?”

The workshop fell silent.

They had only one intact machine left, and no one dared tamper with it recklessly.

These two robots had been borrowed from Nine Songs. They had already ruined one. If the second one also went down and they still produced no results, any excuse they offered would sound painfully hollow.

“Think of something. There must be a way. There’s no need to rush. We still have time.”

That was all Morton could say to encourage them. The angrier he became, the more he would expose his own incompetence, and the group’s already low morale would be utterly crushed.

“Everyone, go back and think of another approach.”

“The frame of the damaged unit is still intact. We can study that carefully.”

“The opportunity is right in front of us. We can’t give up so easily.”

Quiet discussions began again inside the workshop.

“…”

Morton left first with a cold expression.

He still had to receive Anran that afternoon.

Rеad οո ΚαtReаԁinɡСαfе

In truth, Anran had not needed to do much at all. The intelligent program inside the chip was produced by the game itself, and its programming method was different from those used on No. 1886. On top of that, Anran’s Lv. 6 Basic Programming was already far beyond anyone here. The few things she had planted in the chip were more than enough to give these people a serious headache.

…

“Welcome, Miss Anran.”

Morton looked at Anran as she stepped out of the vehicle, wearing a “warm” smile.

“Hello.”

According to their previous agreement, she was allowed to look through some of the Research Center’s materials.

“Since we discussed this in advance, Miss Anran may freely browse the reference room for two hours,” Morton said enthusiastically as he led the way.

“I understand.” Anran nodded.

She gazed at the back of Morton’s head with mild curiosity.

Had this fellow still not gotten hold of the robots? Had he not experienced the little gifts she had left for them?

Otherwise, how could he possibly be smiling so happily?

Morton did not want to smile this happily either. The moment he saw Anran, his face stiffened so badly that he could only force the rigid muscles apart, producing the enormous grin he wore now.

The longer one looked at it, the more he resembled an idiot.

That was why Morton did not dare face Anran for too long.

“During these two hours, Miss Anran may read anything inside. However, I hope you will comply with a few rules. Please do not damage anything in the reference room, and copying any of the materials out is prohibited.”

Morton gave her this warning as they reached the entrance.

“No problem.” Anran smiled faintly. With ten points of base Charisma and an additional two-point bonus toward NPCs aligned with the government forces, Morton froze on the spot.

He remained stunned until Anran turned around and entered the reference room, the door cutting off his view of her back.

Bang!

Morton punched the wall.

Damn it.

He was nearly exploding with rage.

His opportunity had slipped away, yet he still had to welcome Anran with a smile. It was absolutely infuriating.

And then there was Anran’s smile.

The more captivating it was, the more stifled Morton felt.

Fortunately, he had tampered with the reference room beforehand. When the time came, he would make her experience the frustration of being left hanging as well.

Morton gave a cold chuckle.

…

“Research Report on New-Model Armored Vehicles”

“Applications of Laser Guidance”

“Prospects for Deep-Sea Submersibles”

“Signal Detection and Shielding”

“…”

The moment Anran entered the reference room, she saw a row of shelves directly ahead filled with documents that sounded extremely impressive.

Could this reference room truly contain a pile of valuable research materials?

Was Morton really that kind?

Could they all be empty shells?

Anran walked around suspiciously and discovered that the materials nearby were relatively basic, including books such as Principles of Automatic Control and Typical Antenna Circuits.

Hmm…

Whatever Morton was planning, Anran had no intention of being polite. She casually picked up Applications of Laser Guidance and began grinding its progress bar.

“[XXX] learning progress: 50%.”

“[XXX] learning progress: 37%.”

Two hours was more than enough time for Anran.

Rеаⅾ οո KatRеаdіոɡСаfe

She absorbed a great deal of foundational knowledge that she could later use for synthesis. She also mastered the principles behind quite a few weapons, which could likewise be used for synthesis later.

At the same time, two hours passed very quickly.

Morton was still sulking when the system in his head informed him that the time was up.

After pausing in surprise for a moment, Morton went to call Anran.

“Time’s already up?” Anran looked as though she still wanted more.

Heh.

Through the surveillance feed, Morton had watched Anran flip through one document after another. Over the entire two hours, she had barely spent more than ten minutes on any single item. Seeing how satisfied she looked now, Morton might truly have believed she had learned a great deal if he had not watched the footage himself.

“Thank you for your cooperation!” Anran said.

“Two hours is rather short, so Miss Anran probably didn’t manage to learn very much. Unfortunately, there was no helping it. Under normal circumstances, the Research Center’s materials would never be opened to outsiders,” Morton said with a smile.

“It was enough. Even if I stayed longer, I wouldn’t obtain anything more useful.”

“Thank you for your understanding, Miss Anran.”

Morton’s mood suddenly improved slightly. A small gap opened in the dark clouds, allowing sunlight to pour through.

He watched Anran until she disappeared into the distance.

Next, he still had to find a way to copy that robot.

…

“Between Nos. 33 and 34 on Qiuye Road.”

“Qiuye Road is right next to Qiuyang Road, isn’t it?”

“Oh, beside Nine Songs.”

“Let’s hurry over and verify it. If it’s a scam, at least we’ll have an explanation for the guild leader.”

“Let’s go.”

After receiving instructions from the Doomsday Lord, two players who had always followed him immediately set out.

They were both very familiar with Qiuyang Road, but few people had ever visited the nearby Qiuye Road.

That area was home to NPCs whom players normally had no chance of interacting with. There were no benefits to gain and no scenery to admire, so naturally, few players had any reason to visit.

“We came all the way from Wutong City for this. If it turns out to be fake, I’ll seriously want to hack that Orange-Flavored Candy to death.”

“We’re at Qiuyang Road.”

The two walked a little farther and finally stopped between two detached houses.

“This should be the place, right?”

“It’s kind of dark in there.”

“I have this feeling that the moment we go in, someone’s going to club us over the head.”

“Are we going in or not?”

“What the hell are you afraid of? Of course we’re going in. We’re members of the West Tower guild, after all.”

The speaker pulled out a large iron club and walked in first. His companion hurriedly gripped a blade and followed.

Even in the morning, the poor lighting made the place rather dark. After walking more than ten meters, they suddenly saw a vehicle parked beside the road.

Standing beside it was an extremely adorable little girl.

It was not an empty prank location as they had imagined, nor was there a large group lying in ambush and preparing to cause trouble.

There was only a cute little girl who looked completely defenseless.

“Hey, weren’t we supposed to be looking for Anran? Who’s this little girl?” one of them whispered.

His companion shook his head. “I specifically looked at Anran’s photo yesterday. This isn’t her.”

“There’s no road ahead. According to the map, this is definitely the right address.”

“So this is fake?”

“But why would they leave only a little girl here?”

Wait, no. There was also that vehicle!

Maybe someone was hiding inside it?

Rеаd οո ΚαtRеαԁіոgСαfе

The two players immediately grew vigilant. They were armed, after all. If something went wrong, even a girl this cute would have to take a beating!

The little girl’s gaze settled on the two of them.

“Are you here to buy something?” the little girl, Aila, suddenly asked.

“???”

The two of them were startled.

“Did you bring the money?” Aila continued.

Since Anran had gone to the Research Center, this task could only be left to her.

She had already been waiting here for half an hour. These two outsiders were really taking forever.

“Y-Yes, we did.”

“Hey, why did you admit it so quickly?”

“Are you stupid? We’re players. Are you seriously afraid an NPC will rob us?”

“That’s true.”

“…”

Aila’s cheeks puffed up in anger. She really wanted to hit these two outsiders who had been yapping forever, but for the sake of earning money, she had to remain composed.

Aila had learned this while running Shop 777.

As long as she offered outsiders a few encouraging words, they would pull out even more money to spend on the lottery.

“I’ve already waited for half an hour. Are you buying them or not?” Aila asked.

At that moment, two robots walked out from the vehicle behind her.

“Ah!”

The two players’ eyes immediately widened when they saw the robots.

Machine Gun Warrior Mk. I. Butler No. 1.

The names displayed in the robots’ information panels told them that these were exactly what they had come for.

So it was real.

“We’re buying them! We’re buying!”

“The total is 110,000 Bilu!” Aila said.

At that moment, both players received a transaction notification from the game.

Aila also had a merchant interface. However, since she was still fundamentally an NPC, she could not see the interface herself.

Once the two players transferred the money into the account Aila gave them, ownership of the two robots passed to them. All they had to do next was transfer them to the Doomsday Lord, and the mission would be complete.

“I can’t believe it was actually real. Damn.”

“Having these two robots standing beside you looks ridiculously cool.”

“Would you like to buy anything else?” Aila suddenly asked.

“Anything else?”

Still immersed in admiration of the short but formidable robots, the two players froze. “What else?”

“Anran’s Mysterious Shop. I made a complete list!” As she spoke, Aila took out a sheet of paper and handed it to the two players.

“Uh…”

One of them held the paper up before his eyes.

“Alloy Short Blade…”

“Anran-style mechanical switchblade…”

“Anran-style sniper rifle…”

“Anran-style tactical goggles…”

Hmm…

They sounded incredible.

“Won’t the uncles buy a few? They’re inexpensive and useful!” Aila blinked.

Rеaⅾ оո ΚаtRеaԁіnɡCafе

Hiss…

So cute.

Wasn’t it just spending money to buy a smile?

“We’ll buy! I’m buying!”

“Let me see how much money I brought.”

Before long, the two of them had bought quite a few of the weapons Aila had brought. Anran had made many of these items before, and they had been piling up in the vehicle. This was the perfect opportunity to dispose of them.

…

The Doomsday Lord soon received a reply from the two players.

When he saw that they had secured the robots, his earlier unease vanished, and he immediately pumped his fist.

Ha!

Whatever things were like elsewhere, on No. 1886, walking around with two robots made by Anran at his side would be the ultimate way to show off.

If he wasn’t showing off, he would be on his way to show off.

Showing off like the wind, forever by my side!

Just imagining it was exhilarating.

Thinking back to how he had initially suspected Orange-Flavored Candy of being a scammer, the Doomsday Lord could not help blushing with embarrassment. He readily transferred the two-percent commission fee.

[Let’s keep in touch from now on.]

[Smiling Face.jpg]

Orange-Flavored Candy used a simple image to express her current mood.

[Guild Leader, Guild Leader!]

[Lend us some money, Guild Leader! We don’t have enough for the trip back!]

“???”

The Doomsday Lord had just closed the chat when he saw the messages.

They were from the same two players.

[What the hell are you two doing?]

[Well, when we bought the robots just now, we also bought a few other things. We accidentally spent all our money. Crying Face.jpg]

[…]

[What exactly did you buy?]

[Guild Leader, just now @＆＃@]

…

“Anran, Anran, we made a total of 113,650 Bilu!”

The moment Anran opened the door, Aila happily ran over.

“Aila is amazing!” Anran patted Aila’s head.

One piece of good news after another. Orange-Flavored Candy was quite capable too.

With that thought, Anran put down her things and was about to prepare dinner when she suddenly received a call from Feilian.

“What is it, Captain?” Anran asked.

“It’s an emergency. I just heard that everyone sent to investigate the trade station has lost contact.”

“They’ve lost contact?”

“They were probably discovered by Morningstar. In addition, multiple terrorist attacks have broken out simultaneously across several parts of the Canyon Continent. Minister Lü and the others are completely overwhelmed. I expect even more people will soon be sent south.”

Was the cornered dog finally making a desperate leap?

“Thank you for informing me, Captain.”

After ending the call, Anran stood in front of the mirror for a moment.

It seemed she could no longer remain here. The center of the storyline appeared to have shifted to the southern hemisphere of No. 1886. If she did not hurry there now, she might miss a major event.

No matter what, she could not allow Morningstar to complete a last-ditch counterattack.