The Only Player in ‘Child of Stardust’
Chapter 203 - 144 Mechanical Body_2

Chapter 203: Chapter 144 Mechanical Body_2

Bang!

The bald man’s half body was blown apart by the bullet, metal fragments flying everywhere, and his health sharply decreased by half.

"Didn’t this get killed in one shot?" Zhou Yuan sighed, "If this were a third-level extraordinary person in the real world, they’d have been minced meat by now."

Will then followed up with another shot, depleting the elite monster’s health bar completely, leveling up to 29.

The remaining gang members were quickly cleared out.

[Mission "Street Brawl" completed]

[Mission Reward 1: Experience Points *300]

[Experience Points: 750/1500]

The mission was too easy, not even triggering a rating.

Back at the fast-food restaurant, Weiwei was still eating, completely unfazed by the explosions and gunfire outside.

After finishing off the broth in one gulp, Weiwei wiped her mouth and said, "Let’s leave quickly, it’ll be troublesome if the NCPD officers arrive."

"Is it trouble for you or for us?" Huo Yan Luo chuckled, resting her chin on her hand, half her face covered by fiery red wavy hair, exuding a mature and dominant aura.

"Trouble for all." Weiwei answered earnestly.

Huo Yan Luo didn’t make it difficult for the girl, "Then let’s go."

·

The group found a hotel to settle down temporarily and began interrogating Weiwei.

"I ran away from home. My dad wants me to marry some rich kid I don’t like, so I ran away. If I get caught, I’ll definitely lose my freedom." Weiwei sat on the bed, looking quite honest.

[This is a lie, but she didn’t lie about running away from home.]

Zhou Yuan and Huo Yan Luo exchanged a glance, indicating that Weiwei was lying.

"Lying is not a good child’s behavior."

Huo Yan Luo’s face darkened, adopting an adult’s sternness, "Tell the truth, or I’ll... sell you to a nightclub."

Weiwei thought for a moment, then said explosively, "That’s not bad, better than marrying a jerk."

"Stubborn, huh? Don’t force us to use the Great Memory Restoration Spell." Huo Yan Luo laughed sinisterly, "See this beastman? He is a feared executioner from the Beastman Empire. Want to experience the torture?"

Will put on a fierce look at the right moment.

Weiwei shivered a bit, somewhat scared, "I, I’m telling the truth, if you don’t believe me, go check. My house is at..."

She revealed her home address, her parents’ names, and family business.

Will noted the information and sent it to the intelligence processing center.

"Please, don’t kick me out. I can help you with laundry and cooking, just don’t send me back." Weiwei blinked her big eyes, imploring wretchedly.

Everyone gathered to discuss.

"What do you think? Take her along? She seems like a burden, and we have more important missions." Will was opposed to continuing with Weiwei.

"But she’s an NPC not mentioned in the strategy guide, definitely carrying key hidden missions." Zhou Yuan paused, "I trust my intuition."

"I don’t mind." Bai Lang was always indifferent.

Huo Yan Luo pondered for a moment, "Keep her for now. Let’s decide after Jiang revives."

Thus, Weiwei was temporarily kept.

Late at night.

Zhou Yuan and Beastman Will arrived at the temporary sub-division of the Control Bureau in Night City to gather intelligence.

Night City’s biggest boss was the "Beast of Steel and Flesh," a bioweapon controlled by a super AI, at level 69, four levels higher than the Four Great Heavenly King’s hound knights under the Demon King.

This monster resided underground in Night City’s core "Star Tower," and the best way to enter the Star Tower was to fight in. However, it was heavily guarded by high-level security equipped with military-grade implants, and the legendary "Adam Smasher" guarded the entrance, making it extremely difficult to pass through.

Therefore, eyes could be set on other places, such as hunting gang leaders or Cyber Psychosis monsters, which would also yield significant experience.

Zhou Yuan came to inquire about the whereabouts of these elite monsters.

As expected, many extraordinary people were also asking for the same information, so the Control Bureau made a real-time updating map system marking the locations of elite monsters; if an elite monster was killed, the icon would disappear from the map, saving others the trouble of going there.

"Sigh, another squad is missing, everyone must be cautious," the person in charge advised worriedly.

"What’s going on?" Zhou Yuan inquired.

"Many new arrivals have mysteriously disappeared in the past two days. Some made contact with organizations and shortly disappeared; even extraordinary squads disappearing while hunting monsters. At first, we suspected the city’s gang members, but later confirmed it was not them."

The person in charge said gravely, "So it’s likely the cultists are behind this."

With over thirty million people entering the game plane, there would certainly be criminal elements sneaking in. When their levels were still low, they laid low and kept quiet. Once they gained some competence, they’d start causing trouble.

·

The next day.

Zhou Yuan was awoken by a loud broadcast outside.

"Good morning, Night City! Yesterday’s death lottery had a total of 60 deaths, thanks to the endless gang fights. Just in Haywood alone, 40 people died. But a cop also died, so you’re all in for it because the NCPD won’t take this lying down..."

Zhou Yuan rubbed his eyes but felt something hard and cold. Upon closer inspection, his right palm had turned into a mechanical structure!

"What the hell?!"

Zhou Yuan was stunned.

His outburst drew others’ attention. Will also gasped at this moment; his palm had mechanized too!

[Unfortunately, you have inadvertently contracted a strange plague known as "Mechanization" in Night City.]

Zhou Yuan clenched his fist, feeling no different than before; the metal’s strength seemed to match that of his flesh.

"This is... the Mechanization Plague!"

Upon seeing it, Weiwei quickly stepped back a bit, "It must be from those gang members last night!"

"What’s this?" Will frowned, he had seen this term in a side quest in the game but only the term, without any explanation.

"This plague appeared in Night City two years ago, it’s not a virus or bacteria. The infected’s flesh gradually mechanizes over fifteen days, and once the head mechanizes, all human emotions are lost, turning them into a cold machine." Weiwei swallowed, "This plague has no cure yet, spreading rapidly in Night City, with the number of infected increasing quickly."

"Hmm... Not a virus, not bacteria, sounds a bit like a curse or abnormal phenomenon." Huo Yan Luo raised her eyebrows, scrutinized Zhou Yuan’s mechanical palm, and shook her head, "Too bad I’m not skilled in the forging path, I don’t have the ability to reverse the transformation, or I could directly help you change back."

"It seems like a special power acting directly on the soul..." Will spoke up, having just examined his soul and discovered the mechanization trait.

"Involving the soul? That’s even harder." Bai Lang said in a deep voice, "The Control Bureau has the technology to solve this, but we need to get out."

Zhou Yuan had a safety device on him to leave directly, but he didn’t want to go yet, thinking there might be something in the game store to solve this crisis.

He quickly browsed the game store and indeed found something soon.

[Name: Abnormal Effect Clearing Spray]

[Quality: Rare]

[Effect: Clears various abnormal effects on the body, net content 230g.]

[Remark: Give your body and mind a thorough cleaning!]

[Price: 10,000 Star Coins]

Zhou Yuan sold all the miscellaneous items in his backpack, quickly gathering 10,000 Star Coins, then bought it.

"Don’t worry, I got an abnormal item before, it might help."

Zhou Yuan took out the "Abnormal Effect Clearing Spray" and sprayed it on his mechanized palm.

The effect was immediate, with the mechanization of his palm quickly receding, and the flesh restored.

Weiwei’s eyes widened in disbelief, then she exclaimed with joy, "Can you cure the Mechanization Plague?"

Zhou Yuan’s heart stirred, "What, do you have a friend infected?"

Weiwei nodded vigorously, "Yes, she’s my best friend, also my family."