Chapter 92: Surveillance
Meanwhile, on the other side of the residential complex, an agile tabby cat was stretching lazily. Its comfortable posture suggested that the surrounding temperature, which had already exceeded fifty degrees, didn’t affect it in the slightest.
Just then, a black drone flew over its head.
The camera on the drone moved, watching the tabby cat stretch.
On the other side of the camera, a refined-looking young man with glasses saw this scene and couldn’t help but marvel, "This cat isn’t afraid of the heat at all."
"Be careful. Don’t let them spot you."
The bespectacled young man said confidently, "Don’t worry. This drone has been modified. I guarantee it won’t make a sound."
However, the next second, an orange figure attacked from behind, swiping the drone out of the sky with a single paw. Then, the camera feed went black.
Just then, a big yellow dog darted out from the side, picked up the drone from the ground, and ran toward Moira Lynch’s house.
When it arrived at the door, Moira Lynch happened to be opening it.
Seeing the drone in the big yellow dog’s mouth, Moira Lynch ruffled its head and praised it, "Good boy."
The big yellow dog let out a "WOOF" and wagged its tail rapidly.
After enjoying the petting, it went back to work. It was very busy now and couldn’t waste any time.
Turning, she went back inside and placed the drone on the table.
Shane Rhodes glanced at it. "I’ve never seen the materials on this drone before."
Hearing this, Moira Lynch thought, ’You might not have, but I have. The materials on this drone are exactly the same as the ones on the first batch of interstellar machines I sold.’
"A few days ago, someone also tried to buy a house in the complex and move in, but they were rejected," Hugh Finch said.
Kai York looked up from his notes and said, "That’s completely normal. Plenty of outsiders want to get in. Haven’t people already set their sights on Moira?"
"It’s probably the military," Shane Rhodes said after inspecting the drone.
"The military? What do they want?" Kai York asked warily.
Hugh Finch said, "Looks like our previous actions have put us on their radar. They probably want to recruit us. After all, besides that elusive SoySauceDrunkard, we’re the only ones so far who can bring things out of the game."
Under these circumstances, it was normal to be targeted.
Moira Lynch looked at Hugh Finch, displeased. "If you have something to say, say it. Why are you looking at me?"
"So what do we do now?" Kai York asked. "As the saying goes, it’s not the theft you fear, but being a thief’s target."
Hearing this, Moira Lynch spread her hands. "What can we do? Let them watch. It’s not like I’ve broken any laws."
Without her space, Moira Lynch’s choice would’ve certainly been the same as most players: to align herself with the country. If for no other reason, the player benefits were pretty good. At the very least, she wouldn’t have to worry about food.
But with the space, she had more to consider. She wasn’t some great hero; she was selfish and wanted her efforts to be rewarded.
She didn’t want to give so much only to be vilified for a single mistake. After all, a small favor earns you thanks, but a big one can make you an enemy. Even more, she didn’t want others to feel that her contributions were something they were entitled to.
"Even if it’s not for the things we have, just based on what we’ve traded for before, being monitored for a while is to be expected," Shane Rhodes said.
He had long been mentally prepared for this.
In fact, their residential complex had been on the radar for a long time.
Before the extreme heat, the residents of the complex had hoarded a large amount of supplies. After the game appeared, the number of players grew to several dozen.
Moreover, they were completely self-sufficient, and most importantly, they were united.
Aside from not being able to go outside, their lives hadn’t been significantly affected.
It was no exaggeration to say that, given the current state of their complex, they had reached a point where they could be their own little kingdom—a clear source of social instability.
Fortunately, this group of people was relatively law-abiding and didn’t have any overly radical ideas. Otherwise...
In the end, Moira Lynch had Blackie carry the drone outside the complex.
Meanwhile, the bespectacled young man looked at the drone that had been "returned" to them, a miserable look on his face as he turned to the person beside him. "What do we do? I think we’ve been discovered."
The person next to him said expressionlessly, "Be more confident. Drop the ’I think.’ We *were* discovered. That stray cat we saw earlier... it seems there’s a player in the complex who has awakened an animal-related talent."
Their prior investigations had already revealed that someone in the complex had been gathering stray cats and dogs.
They had previously assumed these people were gathering them for meat, but now it seemed the strays hadn’t been eaten. On the contrary, they had been trained.
"So, should we continue?" the bespectacled young man asked.
The man sighed. "Let’s head back and report the situation first."
Since the other party returned the drone, they’ve probably already figured out what we were doing.
After they returned, Chase Shepard listened to their report and said, "It seems these people are reasonably well-behaved. However, they have a large number of weapons now, so the surveillance must continue. But don’t enter the complex again."
Back on Moira Lynch’s side, she wasn’t idle either. After finishing her daily workout, she opened her phone and started browsing the game forums.
After a few days, the hype around the Exoskeleton Mechas hadn’t died down. In fact, it showed signs of growing even more intense.
And this was all thanks to a video that had surfaced a short while ago.
A group of figures wearing Exoskeleton Mechas, riding on Flying Devices, and holding weapons, appeared like a group of supermen. Their perfectly synchronized movements and intimidating presence were more than just shocking to those who watched the video.
The most direct consequence of this was that Moira Lynch’s in-game private messages blew up again.
Nearly everyone was contacting her—private individuals and government representatives alike, all sending her messages like madmen.
Even Redlight contacted her again to ask if they could buy more, but Moira Lynch refused, giving the excuse that she had no more left.
As for whether Redlight believed her or not, that wasn’t her concern.
[PreciousBao: Sooo cool! No matter how many times I watch it, I still get so hyped.]
[ChosenOneAtWork: I saw that SoySauceDrunkard only listed a few Exoskeleton Mechas before stopping, so I thought he didn’t have many. Turns out he went to cooperate with the military.]
[SilenceIsGolden: I only want to say one word: Want.]
[ChosenOneAtWork: Dream on. Do you have any idea how expensive the Exoskeleton Mechas are? You probably couldn’t afford one even if you sold your whole family.]
Moira Lynch read through their chat, her finger constantly refreshing the page. ’Is this all there is? Isn’t there any useful information?’
After she refreshed it a few more times, a new message popped up.
[Robbery incidents have been frequent recently. Do not travel alone when going out to purchase supplies. It is best to travel in groups to reduce the risk of being robbed.]