novel bin Page 452
Page 452
Of course, these are all value-added services included in the tour package and require additional payment.
Chapter 918 Sudden Change
David was short of money, but Grand Steward Gloria was not. She had basically maxed out all the value-added services for this trip in advance. Otherwise, with David's meager salary, he would undoubtedly not have been able to afford a luxury suite costing 12 euros a night.
But Gloria's salary is acceptable.
With her current status, money is really just a string of numbers.
The three of them walked up the spiral steps and entered the airlock. The specially designed negative pressure airflow sprayed back and forth, clearing away the residual lunar dust on their spacesuits.
"This place is divided into three parts. The service and supply terminals are in the central core area, but they are all mechanically operated. The middle ring area is the main indoor activity area, equipped with low-gravity seats, as well as specially made lunar meals and rehydrated drinks. If you feel tired, you can rest here for a while." Han had been here many times and seemed very familiar with everything.
"Of course, I highly recommend the outer ring area. The immersive viewing corridor is equipped with tilted viewing windows and an augmented reality viewing system, which allows visitors to use the built-in HUD or the floating astronomical telescope to access the AR system, making it easy for visitors to take stable long-exposure astronomical photos."
"Trust me, this place is great for taking photos," said Han Ru, a seasoned spy who also works as a tour guide.
He explained the relevant information to the two of them while leading them towards the outer ring area.
However, just as they arrived at the entrance, they were suddenly stopped by staff.
"This place is temporarily closed. World-renowned superstar Lizzy Weisz is inside filming promotional materials for her concert." The staff member's attitude was extremely firm.
This incident angered many tourists, including Han, but the staff member remained cold and unfriendly, as rigid as a robot, clearly emboldened by the situation.
The three of them had no choice but to return to the middle ring area to rest.
However, it must be said that the luxurious low-gravity seats are quite comfortable.
David lay lazily in the soft chair, gazing at Lucy's pretty face as she lay on her side, feeling drowsy.
But he had barely closed his eyes when a sudden, violent explosion jolted him awake.
The entire observation deck was shaking violently, while continuous explosions echoed from the outermost ring.
David sat up abruptly, feeling a gust of wind rise from the floor, swirling the lighter objects around him.
This is not a paranormal event, but rather a sign that the observation deck's seal has been compromised, causing gas to leak out and the interior to experience severe depressurization.
"Quickly, put on your protective suits and headgear!" Han's expression changed drastically, and he immediately shouted a warning.
But the next instant, the explosion tore through the wall, quickly sucking all the oxygen out of the cabin.
The breach in the observation deck's seal undoubtedly signifies both pressure loss and instability occurring simultaneously.
Everyone resting in the lounge had taken off their somewhat bulky spacesuits, as the heavy spacesuits were undoubtedly an obstacle to getting a proper rest.
Without the protection of protective suits, everyone was rapidly heading towards death in the vacuum of low temperature and lack of oxygen.
There were no screams or wails. The living flesh began to writhe rapidly in the instantaneous pressure imbalance. The blood, saliva, and water in the eyeballs immediately began to boil, producing a large amount of gas, causing the victim's body to swell rapidly like a balloon.
In just ten seconds, they will completely lose consciousness and die in a coma.
This includes David, Lucy, and Han.
However, given the inherent danger of David and Lucy's trip to outer space, how could Gloria have been so confident in letting them go alone without prior preparation?
A gray wave suddenly burst open on their chests and backs, and a layer of nanomaterial protective clothing began to spread along their skin, forming a thin, close-fitting, but exceptionally tough nanomaterial protective suit that tightly wrapped around them in less than a second.
"The Shenwei Type II All-Purpose Nano Protective Suit—this stuff isn't cheap at the armory, but you two are so well-prepared, it saves me a lot of trouble." Han's voice rang out in the three's communication channel.
David looked at his tour guide through his goggles and saw that the guide was standing in front of them with two masks, seemingly about to put them over their heads.
He himself was directly exposed to the vacuum, without any intention of taking any protective measures.
'An Edosian!' A thought flashed through David's mind.
Just as he was about to speak, several stray bullets suddenly shot in through the breach, making a clattering sound as they hit the metal floor.
Han spoke over the communication channel: "Hide first."
None of the three were novices when it came to the battlefield. Lucy, who was hiding in the corner, hacked into the observation deck's built-in camera in just a few seconds and figured out what was going on outside.
This was a meticulously planned terrorist attack.
The attackers used explosives to blast open the outer wall of the observation deck and then attacked Lizzie Weisz's filming team.
More importantly, they had no intention of leaving any survivors. After blowing up the outer wall and killing everyone in the outer ring viewing window, they simply blew up the inner and outer ring sealing walls, clearly intending to create a vacuum that would take away the lives of everyone inside.
But that's not all.
Lucy: [Someone's coming in!]
A thug wearing a grasshopper-style protective mask entered the room through the gap, carrying a handgun, clearly preparing to check and finish off the attacker.
Amidst a multitude of terrifying corpses bloated like balloons, Han suddenly sprang up, catching his opponents completely off guard.
How could an agent who could be deployed to infiltrate Tycho's colony be an ordinary person, let alone an Edos-type human who had been specially enhanced for special operations?
Nanoparticles flowed from his arms like water, forming a highly concealed fist blade along his palms.
The sharp nanoblade cleanly pierced through the opponent's skull from his chin, while the opponent's small-powered 'Tel' model pistol was thrown behind him without hesitation.
David, who had been hiding behind cover, appeared like a streak of light and snatched the gun in his hand.
Although they didn't know the details of the attack, since the other side was determined to kill them all, the three of them naturally had no reason to surrender.
The seemingly honest and unassuming Han finally revealed his war machine side.
The nano-elements, disguised as ordinary clothing, surged wildly and transformed into an exquisite jet-black combat suit in an instant. With a flash of energy, they completely concealed Han's figure.
As a special agent, his physical modifications and nanotech equipment naturally lean towards covert operations.
Han: [You all stay indoors.]
The 'Godguard II' protective suits worn by David and Lucy were designed to deal with sudden extreme situations, and are certainly not as protective as the regular combat protective suit worn by Han.
Han clearly didn't need their help, and in less than a minute, the outside became completely silent.
Chapter 919 Damn, Big Brother!
Han: [Everything's done, you can come out now. Remember to put on your spacesuit first; I recall the 'Shenwei-2' oxygen supply system can only last for 5 minutes.]
As the two neatly dressed men entered the outer viewing corridor, Han Zheng squatted down in front of a corpse to examine the situation.
David looked around and saw more than a dozen bodies lying on the ground amidst the chaotic battle scene. All the crew members were dead, either from asphyxiation due to decompression or from being shot.
The two burly bodyguards I saw in the morning had already drawn their mantis knives and put up a fight, but they were ultimately outnumbered and died not far away, their bodies riddled with bullet holes.
Several bodies were scattered around them, clearly those of the attackers they had replaced.
Behind the bodyguard, in the corner, Lizzie Weisz was curled up, motionless.
David: [Any discoveries?]
Han: [Things are getting a bit complicated. The explosives and firearms they're using aren't things you can easily get your hands on in Tycho. And these people don't seem like space pirates.]
Han: [I suspect they are from Tycho Brahe's official organization.]
David: [Was their attack to kill Lizzy Weisz?]
Han: [That's most likely the case.]
David recalled the message he had heard that morning.
David: [We've probably gotten caught up in some power struggle.]
Lucy: [I scanned this superstar's vital signs. How is she still alive after being exposed to a vacuum like that?]
Han: [It is estimated that he underwent prosthetic modifications for space survival.]
David: [Should we save them?]
Han answered David's question with his actions. He picked and chose, piecing together a barely usable bloodstained protective suit from a few corpses, and then stuffed it into Lizzie Weiss, who was in a kind of self-protective coma.
Han: [Although it's a bit dangerous, we might be able to get some secret information about Tycho Brahe's colonies from her.]
David was about to say something when a blinding light shone from afar onto the shattered observation deck.
David gripped his pistol tightly, ready for battle.
David: [The Tycho Brahe colony responded so quickly!?]
Lucy: [I detected a distress beacon on her; it's activated and sending signals.]
Despite the danger, Han remained calm and pressed his finger against the neural interface at the back of Lizzie Weiss's head, allowing a small amount of nano-elements to flow in like water.
Han: [The trauma team's life monitoring system is quite advanced.]
Han: [We can't take her with us for now. The trauma team's rescue team is arriving soon. This woman is probably one of their top members.]
Han: [Let's get out of here quickly. The trauma team is only responsible for rescuing people; they won't deal with what's happening here. But such a commotion can't be kept secret from the colony; the police will be here soon.]
As an agent, Han was naturally skilled in hacking, and with Lucy present, the two of them easily erased all traces left behind.
Just as Han had predicted, the spindle-shaped space rescue hovercraft of the Space Trauma Team sped along, wedging itself off the three of them at the observation deck.
As Han had predicted, the trauma team members, dressed in blue and white spacesuits, only cared about saving lives. After lifting Lizzie Weisz into the airship, they didn't even glance at the scene before turning and leaving.
The lunar rover they had brought was still parked in its original spot. The three of them got in the car and drove quite a distance before a dense array of floating vehicles took off from the direction of Tycho's colony, speeding towards the observation deck.
Han: [Let's walk out, circle around and avoid them. My identity isn't suitable for dealing with the police.]
The lunar rover, under Han's control, sped ahead of everyone else, heading wildly towards the colony.
Fortunately, the three acted quickly enough to get a sufficient distance away before the other party arrived.
But problems soon followed.
The Tycho colony was just slow; if they really investigated the incident, the three men's identities would be impossible to hide.
It was only a matter of time before they were exposed.
Especially for Han, it was inevitable that his identity as a special agent would be exposed, and the three of them were no longer safe to talk.
Fortunately, as the old saying goes, a cunning rabbit has three burrows.
As a special agent, Han naturally has numerous safe houses and numerous identities.
The car wound its way to a stop in a ravine near the Tycho colony. The three then turned to foot, and led by Han, they entered the colony through a hidden smuggling passage in the smelting area, successfully concealing themselves.
The best way to hide a drop of water is to drop it into the ocean, and finding a skilled undercover agent in Tycho Brahe's colony, which has a population of hundreds of thousands, is as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack.
……
The pungent smell of grease filled Lucy's nostrils, waking her from her sleep.
In her hazy state, she heard David talking quietly to Han.
"To be on the safe side, you'd better return to Night City immediately. I can apply for wartime permission to open a 'special passage' for you."
"No need to trouble Han, we can handle it ourselves," David's voice rang out.
This safe house wasn't luxurious; in fact, there weren't many wealthy people in the entire smelting area, so naturally, there weren't many nice rooms.
In such a small room, Lucy's movements naturally couldn't be hidden from David.
“Our lunar trip here may have to end sooner than planned.” David sat down next to Lucy, handed her a bottle of water, and looked quite regretful.
Lucy raised the corners of her mouth, looking at the other person's droopy face with amusement.
“It’s okay, David. The moon is just like this, no different from what we saw in Mewtwo.”
The damp and murky air was stifling, and the living conditions in the cramped safe house were even worse than the free basements in Night City.
Lucy was not stupid; her short journey had already shown her the true nature of Tycho's colony.
“This is just another Night City,” Lucy said softly, suddenly reaching out to cup David’s face and rubbing it.
“Night City is much better now than this.” David clearly disagreed with Lucy’s statement.
His hometown is thriving.
“Let’s go back,” Lucy decided. “The two of us staying here is just causing trouble for Han.”
The girl's understanding only fueled the boy's resentment.
Without leaving a trace, he reached into his pocket and secretly grasped the small box he had played with countless times. His mind raced with thoughts, and he quickly made a decision that went against his ancestors' wishes.
"Why don't we go to other places on the moon?"
Anyway, Lucy's wish is just to go to the moon, and it doesn't matter which lunar sea it is.
David was still young after all, and his desire to 'make a name for himself' was in his nature. Without much thought, he acted immediately, summoning the 'domain' and dialing someone's encrypted communication.