"Haha, Chang'e actually roasted Zoe mercilessly!"
"This alien elevator is insane! It's like an alien amusement park ride!"
"Yeah, just like bungee jumping!"
"Aliens really don't care about passenger comfort... Just drop them straight down?"
"You shouldn't blame the aliens — you should blame the Old Thief!"
"Oh, now that I know it's the Old Thief's design... yeah, this checks out!"
"Honestly, having a force field catch players at the last second is probably the kindest thing the Old Thief has ever done!"
"Yeah... Thanks, Old Thief, I guess?"
"Damn... I was still emotional from the tragic story in Vault 2, and now I just wanna curse the Old Thief out again!"
"Hahaha!"
The chat was flooded with jokes and sarcasm. The Old Thief's signature move — adding extra stress in unexpected places — was in full effect.
"Geez, Xiao Che, do you have to be so intense with your designs?" Zoe muttered, before suddenly freezing in place.
Before her stood a massive hall — far larger than anything she'd seen before. At the center was a massive, alien-looking machine. Above it, a 10-meter-wide glass tube extended upward, seemingly disappearing into the ceiling.
"Whoa... This thing looks crazy high-tech!" Zoe whispered, stepping closer. "I bet this is the control center for the alien cannon!"
Holding her breath, Zoe moved forward and scanned the device with her wristband.
Ding!
Alien Laser Cannon Energy Center
This device powers an advanced laser weapon system. Detailed analysis of its structure and technology is impossible.
Capable of targeting and destroying all flying objects within the planet's atmosphere.
Status: Active
Estimated runtime: Hundreds of years
"Tsk... I knew it!" Zoe smacked her thigh. "This alien cannon is the reason behind everything — the Intrepid, the Aurora, and even the Fireworks — they were all shot down by this!"
As Zoe examined the energy center, she noticed something inside the glass tube — a collection of glowing Ion Crystals.
"Wait... hold on..." Zoe counted. "There's gotta be... at least hundreds of Ion Crystals in there!"
"No wonder this cannon's so powerful! Look at all that juice!" Zoe gasped.
The chat went wild:
"One Ion Crystal equals a mini nuclear explosion… and there are hundreds of them?!"
"Tsk tsk... no wonder this cannon's got endless firepower!"
"It's like stuffing a tank with sildenafil — no wonder it's shooting for days!!!"
"Pfft! What kind of description is that?!"
"Haha, now I can't unsee this cannon as some wild dude hopped up on meds!"
"Old Thief's been hanging out with too many bad influences!"
Zoe shook her head and laughed. "I swear, the chat can never stay serious…"
"Alright, guys... now we need to figure out how to turn this cannon off."
Zoe scanned the area and soon spotted a square panel beneath the main console — it looked like a control button.
"Looks like this might be the power switch," Zoe muttered, scanning it just to be sure.
Ding!
Alien Laser Cannon Off Button
Pressing this button will permanently shut down the cannon's weapon system.
"Alright, folks, this should be it!" Zoe said.
"Then what are you waiting for?! Press it!"
"Yeah, press it!"
"Wait! Don't rush! What if this is one of the Old Thief's traps?"
"True... this could be a fake button that insta-kills you if you press it."
"Yeah... be careful, Zoe!"
Hearing the chat's concerns, Zoe nodded. "Good point! I'll use the Prawn Suit to press it — just in case."
She maneuvered the Prawn Suit's right arm toward the button.
Buzz!
A glowing force field suddenly materialized, blocking her mechanical arm.
"Hey, I can't press it!" Zoe frowned.
Before she could react, the machine emitted a deep buzzing sound.
Ding!
Alien Message Detected — Translation in Progress...
"Inorganic substances detected. This weapon system requires organic material to activate the control switch."
"...'Organic material'...?" Zoe muttered. "Wait... that means I need to press it myself?"
"Oh no... this definitely sounds like an Old Thief trap!"
"But you don't have a choice! Gotta risk it!"
"There's no turning back now!"
Zoe sighed. "Fine... here goes nothing."
She stepped out of the Prawn Suit and reached out to press the button with her left hand.
Buzz!
The force field reappeared — but this time, it trapped her hand!
"What the...?" Zoe panicked, struggling to pull her arm back.
Suddenly, mechanical hissing noises filled the room as a robotic snake emerged from a hidden floor panel.
The snake-like robot twisted its body and locked its glowing green "eyes" on Zoe.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!" Zoe screamed.
Before she could react, a needle shot out from the robot's head and pierced her arm!
"AAAHHH!!!" Zoe shrieked, flinching violently. The chill spreading through her arm was unnerving, but surprisingly, there was no pain.
The robot retreated just as quickly as it appeared, disappearing back into the floor panel.
Ding!
Alien Translation:
"Warning! You are infected. Infected individuals are prohibited from deactivating the Quarantine Enforcement Platform.
This planet is currently under lockdown to prevent the spread of a dangerous disease. No living creatures are permitted to enter or leave."
Finally, the force field around Zoe's arm vanished.
She yanked her arm back, breathing heavily. "Holy... what was THAT?!"
Panicked, she checked her health bar — no damage.
"Okay... okay... it's just a scripted event... I'm fine…" Zoe muttered, calming herself.
Meanwhile, the chat exploded:
"OH! That robot was just doing a blood test!"
"Yeah! The robot was checking her for the infection!"
"I get it now — the aliens built this turret to contain the disease!"
"Exactly! Any infected creatures that try to leave the planet get shot down to prevent spreading the infection!"
"I knew it! The aliens were trying to quarantine this whole planet!"
"Damn... this plot just keeps getting deeper!"
Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Zoe chuckled nervously.
"Man... this Old Thief... always cooking up some twisted surprise..."
"Alright, friends... time to figure out what happens next."
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