Chapter 58 My World (Part 9)

"This morning, the Ethereum building was attacked. Hackers took control of the Ethernet network and are suspected of stealing a critical confidential document. The investigation team has launched an investigation. Pro heroes, please stand by."

The above message was broadcast on public channels along the route.

A white cat with two tails suddenly leaped from an industrial balcony onto the highway. At the same time, a strange vehicle appeared on the trackless road ahead. A hovering vehicle that looked like a dragonfly sped past under a spider drill hundreds of meters high and then circled into the sky.

There were two figures in the car. The first man was a fat, white man whose belly bulged out as if he were pregnant with sextuplets.

The second one is unrecognizable; it looks like both a man and a woman, and is holding a child in its arms, or perhaps a weapon.

They spotted Billys and Number Thirty-Three swaying in the dust and stopped the Dragonfly car.

Do you need a ride?

The voice came from that androgynous guy. Billis could tell that he was probably a cyborg, and the inferior parts on his body were things that should have been obsolete years ago.

Another man relayed the message in a voice that was difficult to understand, like a man and woman with a bad reputation whispering to each other in the woods.

Biris, referencing a news report he'd just heard on the public channel, asked the two men, "Where can I find a hacker who controls the Ethernet network?"

"Run for your lives! Even professional heroes can't save this world." The voice, which had been male, now turned female. "Yes, yes, the Ether Tower, which has stood for millennia, fell last night. This means the Ether World will be reformatted, and we demi-humans will be decomposed by the network."

At this moment, a third eye grew on the chubby man's head. He used that eye to say to the androids, "Can't you tell? They're not players."

A crackling sound came from the android's head; he was probably trying to think of something and couldn't think of a reply right away.

In the end, it was the chubby white guy who gave the answer.

"Which port did you log in from?"

"Which one? I mean, it's the first time for both me and my friend."

Are you sure you've passed the real-name registration?

It was then that Billy noticed the fine grid lines on the chubby man's face; he and the androgynous guy were both figures made of data.

"I understand. This is the game world of the Astral Network, not some apocalypse. Users can come to this world by registering and logging in, is that right?"

"Good, that's why I'm asking you, how did you log in?"

"My login method is a bit unusual."

The chubby man carefully extended his arm, which was covered in multicolored light, clearly indicating that it was a prosthetic arm. Upon closer inspection, the multicolored light was actually virtual numbers.

He is searching for information via Ethernet.

"You didn't log into the Astral Network through normal means. So you're the hackers who broke into the network."

"Oh! Wait a minute, it seems you've misunderstood something."

The holographic windows, temperature control system, and ether cylinders on the Dragonfly motorcycle all became abnormal, as if they were infected by a virus, emitting a 'squeaking' and scalding alarm sound.

The androgynous man activated the car's alarm system, which emitted a crisp electronic voice: "The hero will arrive at the scene in thirty seconds."

"What are you waiting for? Run!"

"Are we being treated like bad guys again?"

Before the bewildered number 33 could even process what was happening, he was led by Billis for a short distance.

The two data figures didn't catch up because they felt it wasn't necessary. Professional heroes are guardians who log into the Astral Network through normal means, so handing the hackers over to the heroes was the wisest choice.

Suddenly, a building wall was blown open, two motorcycles crashed through the wall, and three unfriendly creatures rushed over and blocked their way.

The first hero to appear was a girl with skin that shimmered like pearls. Her full breasts, rounded belly, and plump buttocks were undoubtedly every man's dream.

She rotated the ether ring on her wrist counterclockwise for three seconds, then clockwise for one second. Suddenly, Billis's body felt as heavy as lead, and she lay on the ground, dizzy and unable to get up.

The girl asked in an innocent and lively tone, "I am infinite gravity, so you are the hackers who infiltrate the network?"

A few seconds passed, but there was no reply.

The second hero, draped in a majestic cloak, carried a turbo sniper rifle with an engine. He turned the engine on and off repeatedly, perhaps just to hear the sound of it starting up.

"The guy lying on the ground is a tough guy, let's not waste our breath on him."

Billis really wanted to answer, but gravity prevented him from speaking.

The third hero was a man over two meters tall with a very strong chest, wearing high heels. He wore a streamlined coat that shimmered, with a small but ferocious desert shrike printed in the center.

"Does it look good? This is a new skin I just bought today."

Infinite Gravity glared at him: "Not bad, except for those high heels, Shrike, when will you learn to take every task seriously?"

"What? Weren't you the one who insisted on teaming up with me?"

"Whether we team up again depends on this operation. I am your captain, and I now order you to capture these two hackers alive."

The shrike's blue eyes suddenly turned white, and holographic wings grew from both sides of its body, but these wings did not enable it to actually fly; instead, it floated lightly.

"I feel disgusted just seeing this hacker. Don't ask why, just shut your ears."

"I told you to capture him alive!" Infinite Gravity cursed as he and another hero hid in the Night Ride motorcycle.

"I didn't hear the words 'capture alive,' squad leader. The captain above me ordered 'execution on the spot.'"

As soon as the shrike opened its mouth, Billy began to vomit uncontrollably. All the blood vessels in his body were blocked, and his head was buzzing. Based on his judgment, he believed that this guy must have used a sonic attack.

There was the sound of some kind of bird flapping its wings in the sky, but the bird could not be seen. Logically speaking, this must be because Billy's brain was damaged by the sound waves, causing him to hallucinate.

When he came to his senses, the shrike was staring wide-eyed, trapped inside the wall.

Ten seconds later, the shrike's body suddenly disappeared, leaving an uneven human shadow on the wall.

Hidden inside the motorcycle at night, the infinite gravity reverses while the alarm sounds.

"Shrike has been confirmed dead and is now offline. We need more reinforcements!"

Before Billy could figure out what was happening, the heavy motorcycle crashed into a streetlight and sped away.

A lone fallen leaf drifts on the empty desert runway; the retreat of the professional heroes signifies temporary safety.

But Billy couldn't find Number Thirty-Three, assuming the guy must be hiding in fear. Finally, he found the bard behind an abandoned water tower.

For some reason, Number Thirty-Three fell asleep, and Billis couldn't wake him up no matter what he did, so he had no choice but to carry him and run in the opposite direction of the heroes' retreat.

All the facilities along the way were destroyed; it all happened in the one or two seconds that Billy was hallucinating.

What exactly happened?

Through the shattered holographic glass, one can see dust billowing up again in the distance, with more motorcycles rushing to the scene.

Those are reinforcements for the professional heroes!

Billy had a sudden inspiration and went back to the original water tower, threw number thirty-three into the tower, and climbed in himself.

The tower was pitch black, but you could hear more than a dozen different footsteps coming from outside, from men and women, young and old. Judging from the weight of their footsteps, they were all carrying heavy equipment.

"They got away! Well done!"

“I don’t believe it! According to the person who reported it, the hacker didn’t carry any Ether weapons and must still be nearby.” A hero who was likely equipped with scanning eyes pointed his eyes at a wall on the third floor opposite, which immediately turned into a puddle of mud. “You and War Axe go to the left and look for it. Hound and I will go to the other side. Everyone else stay put.”

The guy who sounded like a squad leader had undergone rigorous training and was clearly the most prestigious among the group of heroes.

For a fleeting moment, Billis thought they were about to be found. Fortunately, the heroes who stayed put were not diligent enough and were even quite lazy. They would lie down after sitting for a while, and then wander around after lying down for a while, not taking the hacker intrusion seriously at all.

Then one of them said, "If I had known, I wouldn't have become a hero. I'm being bossed around from morning till night. Is it too late to switch sides now?"

"Then we'll have to do something bad to get the camps readjusted."

"I guess I'm just unlucky! Let's go find an easy thug in the alley. Even though it won't increase our prestige as much as taking down the hacker, at least we can get rid of that arrogant guy."

"That's right! If we're lucky, we might even find a hidden reward."

Billis heard someone spit on the water tower wall, followed by the sound of a night motorcycle retreating. After making sure everything was in order, he carried Number Thirty-Three away from the water tower.

It's hard to tell whether it's blood or liquid flames that have stained the evil edge of this game world red. There lies a city filled with sin, and Billy, an agent, is unusually clear-headed, knowing that the most dangerous place is often the safest.