On the other side, from the player's perspective.
Stelle and the others chased after Topaz's pet Numby and went deeper into the Great Mining Area.
Staring at the massive, heavy, and chubby mech below, March 7th guessed.
"Look, there's a big guy down there! Could he be the one in charge?"
Stelle: "Usually the one in charge has more standout or flashy equipment. It's probably him."
Seele snorted coldly: "I'd like to see today exactly who is in charge of whom! Let's go meet those guys."
"Huh? By the way, where did Numby run off to?"
March 7th looked around but didn't see the Trotter anywhere.
"That little thing looks so fat and round at first glance. I didn't expect it to be so agile."
Seele shook her head, not caring much.
"It's fine. Once we catch the leader, are we still afraid we can't control the small fries? It's enough that it led the way here."
The group followed the mining tunnel downward and soon confronted the IPC employees guarding the entrance.
"You big guy over there, you're the one in charge here, right?" Seele's eyes were sharp as she slightly raised the scythe in her hand.
"…Locals?"
The employee team leader's gaze swept across the three of them, carrying some confusion.
The other two's clothes were completely out of place with the dusty locals and looked more like they were from the Upper District.
Whatever. In the eyes of the IPC, what difference was there between Upper and Lower District people anyway?
"The IPC is currently conducting asset evaluation work here. Please follow the employees responsible for evacuation to the safe zone to rest."
The team leader's tone was indifferent, as if reading out a boring document.
"What kind of evacuation is this?"
Seele's anger surged, and her voice suddenly rose.
"You clearly forcibly occupied the mining area and drove the miners out of their own homes!"
She stepped forward and raised the scythe that gleamed with cold light.
"I warn you, get out of here right now. Don't let me see those uniforms of yours again, or don't blame my scythe for being blind!"
The team leader almost laughed from anger. "Who are you to speak so arrogantly? Have you not seen the power of the IPC's weapons yet?"
Stelle questioned coldly: "Topaz allows you to act so recklessly? I want to see her. Get out of the way."
"You even know Director Topaz. Looks like your identities are not simple…"
The team leader was first stunned, then came back to his senses.
"No, I don't care who you are. Strategic Investment Department employees have no obligation to explain project details to unrelated parties."
"In cases where the debtor fails to repay within the performance period, the IPC has the right to skip the negotiation phase and directly take possession of their assets."
"We are all acting according to the rules. What do you have to complain about?"
March 7th questioned: "It sounds reasonable, but aren't all these messy rules set by you people yourselves?"
"This world has only just managed to survive. It can't withstand you messing around like this!"
"Uh, this…"
The team leader was momentarily rendered speechless and stammered.
"This is a decision from the leadership! We are only responsible for execution. It's useless for you to tell us these things."
Seele: "Forget it, March. Don't reason with them. I never planned to resolve this peacefully anyway!"
"You said the IPC's weapons are very advanced, right? Perfect, let me see them for myself!"
"Sigh, I didn't expect we'd really have to tear off all pretenses. If I knew earlier, I would have applied for overtime…"
The team leader sighed and waved his hand with feigned helplessness.
"…Cough. Brothers, you didn't hear anything. Since you three insist on fighting, then prepare to take my laser heavy cannon to the face!"
"Take them down. If they resist fiercely, it's their own fault if they get killed."
As soon as these words were spoken, all three girls immediately became furious.
Not only them — the players whose plot had reached this scene already had their blood pressure rising.
Damn it, the Interastral Peace Corporation — not peaceful in the slightest!
Even harder to tolerate than the Antimatter Legion.
At least when the Legion wants to destroy you, they don't waste words. These IPC employees still have to say a few arrogant things to disgust you first.
The screen flashed and cut to Stelle's front-facing perspective.
She raised her eyebrows, her expression filled with some anger and ferocity.
Selection boxes popped up on her left and right.
Left: Fight fair and square, beat these bastards down.
Right: Strike first. Opponents like this don't deserve martial ethics.
Ah Xian chose the second option.
A cold glint flashed in Stelle's eyes as she seamlessly transitioned into a real-time calculated cutscene.
The baseball bat in her hand disappeared, replaced by: a hugely styled firearm.
She held her breath, raised the gun, and suddenly pulled the trigger—
Bang!!!
Boom!!
Less than half a second after the gunshot, a deafening explosion rang through the mine pit. Flames shot into the sky.
Dozens of figures took the impact of the explosion's aftermath head-on and were sent flying in all directions.
March 7th crossed her arms and swung them, forming an ice shield to block the incoming objects.
Seele stared dumbfounded at the firearm in Stelle's hand, then looked at the IPC employees who had been blasted into chaos.
"This… what kind of gun is this? Its power is even greater than the ones those guys are holding?"
Even March 7th was full of astonishment.
Could it be something Leon gave her?
But it didn't seem like it.
Among the people on the train, only Leon used hot weapons, and they were only pistols. He didn't take them out often.
He would only bring them out to play when he was bored.
To put it bluntly, while they had lethality, they were purely treated as toys.
The thing in Stelle's hands was different…
She noticed that the muscles on Stelle's forearms were quite tense, indicating that the weight of this gun was definitely not light.
Stelle rested the sniper rifle on her shoulder with a Dragon King smirk.
"I don't know what kind of gun it is either. I just casually picked it from Herta's Curio Collection Room. The design looks cool, so I like it."
"Oh, and the power is pretty good."
Seeing that the IPC guys couldn't even withstand a single shot, she liked it even more.
"It's just that the recoil is a bit strong."
March 7th glanced at the unfolded stand below the muzzle and was momentarily speechless.
It was something meant to be used while lying on the ground. You're resisting it with both hands — of course the recoil is strong?
"The IPC guys… they're not dead, right?"
Although blasting them like this with one shot felt really satisfying…
But these people ultimately belonged to the IPC. If they all died, it might cause trouble for Leon and the train.
Stelle rubbed her chin: "They probably won't die. I didn't shoot at any vital areas."
March 7th & Seele: "…"
"Holy shit…"
Ah Xian blankly spat out a classic phrase to express his daze. After coming back to his senses, he couldn't hold it in and laughed like a goose.
"I'm dying of laughter. There's even a follow-up!"
"In the previous version when testing Simulated Universe, it really mentioned in the dialogue that Herta should pay the reward…"
At that time, Herta impatiently told the player to go to the collection room themselves and take whatever they liked.
But the quest ended after that, and there was no quest indicator to go to the Curio Collection Room, so players had to give up.
He didn't expect it to be tied up here.
[Super High-Power Modified American-Style Iaido?]
[What the hell is American-Style Iaido!]
[This feels way more satisfying than the baseball bat and Flame Lance!]
[How could the baseball bat and Flame Lance be such inconvenient things?]
[I chose to fight fair and square myself, but when it came time to fight, I didn't expect striking first to directly enter the CG.]
[Could this gun be the weapon for some Path of mine in the future?]
[…Then, what Path would it be?]
[Emmm, Elation?]