Players Invade Cyberpunk

At the Dungeon Weapon Research Bureau, the Truth Department was pestering Steamed Bun, who had just arrived in Cuba, for equipment.

Although Super Earth has its own equipment design team, the really good stuff is in the General Design Bureau.

For example, the two Chimeras and the Great Mount Pill previously captured; the General Design Bureau has been working on them. Last time, they finished one, but it got hit by a nuclear EMP after just two shots on the front line, and now it’s being dragged back for repairs.

The Truth Department, with its well-informed sources, knew Steamed Bun had arrived in Cuba, so they rushed over to get the equipment.

Standing in front of this machine spider as tall as two buildings, the Truth Department was eager to ride it to the front line, embracing one of its legs and rubbing against it as if in heat.

"No way."

Steamed Bun forcefully pulled the guy off the Chimera.

"This machine is severely damaged, and we also have some technical modifications to apply to it. Once fixed, it still needs to be shipped to the Western Front."

The Truth Department didn’t pester incessantly, knowing the pressure on the Western Front was much greater than on the Eastern Front and that they needed these high-end goods more than Super Earth.

"Alright, alright, I knew you couldn’t let go"

After getting down from the spider leg, he eagerly approached Steamed Bun again, trying to get closer.

"Hey, I heard you’ve been working on something good these days, something related to a new tech tree. Can you tell us about it?"

Steamed Bun suspiciously glanced at the Truth Department a few times.

"Our Design Bureau hasn’t released the notice yet, how did you find out?"

"Come on, in business, waiting for your public announcements isn’t feasible; the dish would be cold by then."

"It’s nothing much, just that the company released a few new tech patches. We can synthesize superconductive materials and nuclear fusion now, almost like an industrial revolution."

Steamed Bun said it casually, as if it were no big deal, but the implications behind it surpassed all update content since the game opened.

This kind of news can’t be hidden within the player community. Even if discussing it on the forum is forbidden, big mouths passing it around offline means Lin Miao can’t chase down the whole internet to delete it.

"Room-temperature superconductors... the one everyone was talking about recently?"

"Uh-huh, but the game settings make it real, and there’s also an anti-gravity system. I heard the Boss is negotiating for magnetic field generator technology with Huang Ban."

"Hiss..."

"Are you building a factory here?"

"It’s already under construction, and the equipment is on its way. But don’t think about it; technology licenses won’t be available. At most, some sales will be allowed."

Lin Miao would keep tight control over such critical foundational industries and infrastructure, with no open possibilities.

"Ah... what a pity."

Feeling regret, the Truth Department thought better of it, realizing they didn’t have the capital for production anyway, and let it go.

If you isolate Super Earth from the player community, it truly represents militarism, with a complete military-industrial complex and war fanatics, most of the profits stemming from war, just without authoritarianism.

"Can I at least pre-order a batch of superconductive materials? Our tech department’s human cannon is missing this stuff."

"What cannon?"

"Ahem... you misheard, it’s an infantry rapid response device."

The Truth Department chuckled.

"Fighting urban warfare on the Eastern Front is truly troublesome, especially in major city skyscrapers. Those mongrels hide inside, there’s intense ground anti-aircraft fire, hovercars can’t pass, and we’re not in a position to use big cannons, so we have to figure something else out."

"... There’s a batch of trial materials in the warehouse you can take."

Steamed Bun knew if they didn’t agree, this guy would just keep pestering, and they weren’t short of materials anyway.

"Remember to file an application and follow the procedures, and keep it confidential. These materials need to be recovered; lost parts will incur a tenfold penalty."

The smelting process for such materials isn’t complex, but they have wide applications and high demand. Wastage is not an option at this stage.

"Even if I lose them, I can’t lose this stuff!"

The Truth Department patted their chest in assurance, then asked closely,

"Could you give me a hint on when we can build hovercraft? We’re all envious of the military tech armed ships, waiting for the Liaoning to launch."

"It should be soon... but I can’t say for certain, definitely not in the short term."

The Truth Department pointed to the anti-gravity engine installed under the Chimera,

"Aren’t you working on this stuff? Why take so long?"

Steamed Bun explained helplessly,

"Even a Wildman from ten thousand years ago could use fire to cook, but do you think he understood what he was igniting?"

"I’m a mechanical engineer, not a cutting-edge physicist. My dad says that whoever understands the working principles of this anti-gravity engine could easily unify the four fundamental forces, with Newton and Einstein bowing as subordinates."

As for the pile of papers the Boss sent down, reading them felt like reading heavenly scriptures to Steamed Bun and team.

However, they could confirm that those papers’ relation to the anti-gravity engine was akin to the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art to the explanation of the whole mathematical system.

Extremely basic

Following those papers, you might replicate a working anti-gravity engine one-to-one, but that’s the extent of it.

Their technology levels differed so vastly that understanding became a luxury.

Indeed...

The Truth Department thought to themselves.

The world is truly about creating vs. buying, buying vs. renting, renting vs. snatching...

All existing advanced vehicles among players are without exception either snatched or bought.

But who could I snatch from?

Better to rob Europeans, getting rich by taking from the wealthy.