Chapter 549.2: Messing With Boulder Town Arms Industry

Most citizens, recognizing the Worker’s Union’s valor during the crisis, also voted for Lorette.

After all, this was when they needed workers most, and no other candidate had unanimous support.

The New Alliance had no objections to Boulder Town’s decision.

However, to ease doubts about legitimacy from old factions in Boulder Town and within the New Alliance, Chu Guang still issued Lorette an official appointment after the vote.

In the letter, he wrote, "

The

Worker’s Daily has voiced progress, don’t betray that trust. Carry that voice forward."

Thus, the Crisis Committee officially transitioned to the new administration.

Though life had yet to fully return to normal, with factories reopening and the first apartments completed through collective effort, everyone saw the light of a new life ahead.

New Alliance law would be upheld there.

The sweatshops and Boulder Grand Building were now history.

No one doubted that things would only get better...

...

While the NPCs of Boulder Town were busy embracing their new lives, the players from the New Alliance weren’t idle either.

In fact, they were busier than usual...

Inside the Boulder Town Arms Industry Tower, in the cybernetic surgery room.

Eberts stared at the 3D model on his tablet, scratched his chin with his index finger, and glanced at a certain asshole who was already bent over the operating table with his butt in the air. "You sure you want this thing installed on your body?"

Considering the fragility of organic life and the potential risks of surgery, he felt professionally obligated to ask one last time.

But Mosquito, lying face-down on the table, wasn’t having it. He barked impatiently, "Stop yapping and get on with it!"

Damn NPC talks too much!

Above the operating table hung a mess of wires and tools, welding torches, buzz saws, just looking at them made anyone’s scalp tingle.

The engineers and surgeons exchanged awkward glances. Eberts scratched his head and finally tossed aside his tablet, and his professional ethics, and a cheerful smile appeared on his face.

"Alright then, I respect your choice... After all, the customer’s opinion comes first."

It sounded like he was saying it to some kind of restriction plug in embedded in his AI core.

After waiting a moment without any feedback, Eberts snapped his fingers happily, signaling the team of engineers and doctors to begin the procedure.

Before the anesthesia needle even touched his skin, Mosquito rolled his eyes back and left his body for another world.

Electric sparks flew across the operating table.

First came the sizzle of current, then the gnashing grind of bone saws.

As the crew got to work, blood sprayed everywhere, and the room filled with the smell of burning flesh.

The process was loud, but the results were crystal clear.

They sliced off a large portion of the subject’s spine and replaced it with an alloy-based mechanical vertebra. After stitching up the wound, they attached eight mechanical arms to the new spinal ports.

When the procedure was done, Mosquito’s back looked like a curled-up, eight-legged spider had latched onto him.

A few hours later, the anesthesia wore off completely.

Mosquito’s eyes snapped open. Before his limbs moved, the eight arms on his back twitched first.

Savoring the bizarre sensation, he quickly climbed off the table. Looking into the mirror the lead doctor handed him, his face lit up with crazed delight. "Holy shit! This is awesome!"

This is fucking awesome! This is a god-tier skin...

The eight mechanical arms moved under his conscious control just like his real ones, and even had something close to tactile feedback.

"WAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I’m freaking Doctor Octopus now!"

Seeing the overjoyed patient flailing around, Eberts, who had no idea what he was yelling, still kindly reminded him, "If you regret it, we can still revert the procedure. We froze your original spine. Also, if you don’t want to bleed out, don’t walk with those prosthetics... I repeat, they’re arms, not legs."

Completely ignoring the advice, Mosquito grinned and slipped on his pre-prepared backless cotton jacket, patting Eberts on the shoulder with a mechanical hand. "Thanks, old broski! If it works well, I’ll recommend you to everyone!"

"Old Broski? Is he calling me his brother?" Eberts rubbed his chin, raised an intrigued brow, and mumbled, "Interesting..."

Actually... it kind of suited him. His AI core was quite old.

Though he hated organic beings he had to admit, these guys were surprisingly entertaining.

They were definitely more fun than his past owners.

Watching the shelter resident leave the surgery room bursting with joy, Eberts genuinely felt happy for him. He was also very satisfied with his latest creation.

He just hoped the not-too-bright creature wouldn't come crying in a few days.

Picking up his tablet, Eberts dragged his finger across the screen and muttered to himself, "The next person wants a fist the size of a stewpot... What is a stewpot? Wants to launch Dove missiles from his arm... Huh?! Do these guys even know how heavy that is?"

Still, it sounded kind of fun.

A grin crept across Eberts’ face. He closed the tablet, looked toward the engineers and surgeons, cleared his throat, and announced, "We have a new job."

The engineers exchanged wry glances. "Eight mechanical arms, are we sure that’s okay...?"

"I’m more worried his brain can’t handle it. At least put a cooling module on his cerebellum?"

"I don’t think cooling’s the only problem."

"Shame... If only we had bionics chips."

It was good that life was getting back on track, but the engineers couldn’t shake the feeling that the weapons they were building were getting weirder by the day.

Were these human experiments on the blue coats really okay?

Especially when they were paying others to be experimented upon...

It wasn’t just guilt. Their consciences actually stung a little.

However, their boss Eberts didn’t think that way at all!

He felt that those shelter residents who genuinely loved his designs were so much better than the picky ones before!

Indeed... Selling myself to that man was the smartest decision my AI core could have made! I’m a genius!

"Customer first! Tsk tsk... If I install the launcher between the radius and ulna, then add a fist the size of a stewpot, that should meet their needs."

"But then again, the arm will weigh more than their body. I’ll have to replace the shoulder blades and spine with sturdier prosthetics too..."

"Let me think... Price quote, 500,000 silver coins sounds fair!"

He became more and more excited while muttering to himself, and the smile on Eberts’ face widened.

It looked like he wouldn’t be bored for at least the next five years!

Just then, an assistant drone floated in and hovered behind him. At the same time, a flat electronic voice echoed, "You got a new order from the Burning Corps."

Eberts’ expression showed a hint of surprise. He picked up his tablet, opened the latest order list, and found the new order the AI assistant had mentioned.

"Full infantry kit to deal with Mutant Humans, including armor and weapons... 500 sets. Budget cap: 5 million silver coins."

The order came with detailed specifications.

Clearly, they weren’t just about tossing out some body armor and rifles to meet the quota. They needed gear that could slice through Mutant Humans like a hot knife through butter.

That was just the beginning... More orders were definitely coming!

Scratching his chin, Eberts’ cybernetic eye flickered with interest, and a meaningful smile spread across his face. What intrigued him wasn’t the order itself, but the message behind it.

"... The Tide hasn’t even begun, and they’re already preparing to wipe out the Mutant Humans in the South?"

Interesting.

His new owners were really more fun!

...

After Boulder Town was integrated into the New Alliance, the official site added a bunch of new NPCs. Among them, Eberts from Boulder Town Arms Industry was by far the most popular.

Especially after seeing Mosquito’s eight-armed setup, a lot of players were practically drooling with envy.

But once they saw the astronomical price tag, most snapped back to reality.

Turns out customized implants were just toys for the rich. It was better for them to wait for mass-production versions once the technology matured.

At Goblin Technology’s factory... Gazing enviously at the eight arms on Mosquito’s back, Stopping Fights reached out and touched one while muttering to himself, "... Damn, this new gear is badass!"

A few days earlier, Mosquito had mysteriously said he was heading out of town. As it turned out, he had gone to the neighbors for a prosthetic upgrade.

Chasing Souls couldn’t help but scoff jealously, "Looks badass, sure... But what can you even use it for?"

Mosquito tilted his chin into the air and rolled his eyes. "You know jackshit! I’ve got ten hands now! I can tighten screws five times faster than you!"

Chasing Souls snorted with a grin. "Yeah? And what good is that?"

Before Mosquito could respond, his other apprentice, Killing Gods, chimed in with a genuine question. "Okay, serious question, does this affect your real-life body?"

"Nope. Once the helmet is off, you don’t even feel those eight arms..." One of the mechanical arms scratched his head as Mosquito pondered, then corrected himself. "Well, not totally unaffected. Feels like something’s missing. It’s kind of inconvenient."

If he could get a set in real life, that would be sick!

Just imagining it made Mosquito grin from ear to ear.

Stopping Fights was still drooling, staring intently at the eight mechanical limbs, clicking his tongue. "Damn... when I’ve got the money, I’m getting one too!"

Killing Gods asked curiously, "Still don’t get it, how much did it cost you?"

Mosquito grinned proudly. "400,000 silver coins!"

The moment he said it, those around him exploded. "Holy shit!"

"You nuts?! 400k for that?!"

?!?!?!?!

What shocked them even more was that the asshole had earned that much without a word, he could blow cash like it was pocket change!

Seeing how uncultured they were, Mosquito clicked his tongue. "

Tsk

, you guys have no vision! No perspective! What do you mean 400,000 for this thing? Once I study it inside out, we can make our own! Isn’t that worth it?"

Stopping Fights couldn’t help but give him a thumbs-up. "What the fuck! That’s actually not a stupid idea coming out of your mouth for the first time... But... That’s truly something only you can think of...”

But seriously, how the hell were they gonna study it?

He worked with drones, Chasing Souls did chemistry, Killing Gods fixed cars, and Taking Lives... No one knew what he even did. Not a single one of them had a clue about neural link technology.

Did anything even exist in the real world that came close?

Sure, neural connections were a thing, but this kind of sci-fi black technology was in a league of its own.

Just then, the silent Taking Lives finally spoke. "I’ve been wondering this whole time... With that thing on your back, how are you gonna fly a plane?"

Sure, the W-2 was cheap. Crashing it wasn’t a big deal. But Mosquito’s new gear set cost 400,000 silver coins!

God damn! That was worth more than an entire fleet of W-2s!

The other three froze for a second, then turned in eerie silence to stare at their poor, dumb boss.

The air grew strangely quiet.

𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Mosquito’s expression first twisted in confusion, then dazed realization. Finally, like a stomach ache that hit him in the face after a week long constipation, he clutched his head with two metal claws.

"FUUUUUUUUUUCK!"

I fucked up!