-[Changing Sparkle Trade Ship to (Firework) Trade Ship]
~~~
After finishing lunch, Jenny first posted a live stream announcement on the way, then rushed straight home without stopping.
The moment she got back, she opened the stream right away.
[Yo yo, why is Jenny suddenly so diligent today? Streaming in the afternoon?!]
[Yeah, this is unprecedented!]
[Good thing I have been following her, otherwise I would have missed it!]
As one of Twitch's top streamers right now, Jenny stream had already pulled in several thousand viewers within minutes of going live.
"Is this not obvious? I am about to clear Subnautica, of course I have to be diligent. I cannot wait anymore!" Jenny said excitedly. She quickly slipped into her haptic suit and entered the VR platform.
The perspective shifted instantly. Jenny back on that deserted island, inside the two-story house she had built.
On her wristband, the countdown for the Firework's landing was still ticking away.
1:12:32
[Jenny, are you sure you can clear it on your own?]
[Yeah, it still feels way too easy!]
[I have a feeling something is going to happen, but the devs mind is impossible to read. Then again, maybe not!]
"Impossible!" Jenny waved her hand decisively. "I am guessing I triggered a hidden easter egg in the game. Just like how breaking the recorder in Silent Hill lets you clear it super fast, this should be the same!"
After hearing what Lucien had said, Jenny was brimming with confidence. She patted her chest and assured her viewers.
The viewers were half-convinced. Given the devs personality, this did make sense.
With an hour left, Jenny did not go wandering around. She just stayed active near the surrounding islands.
The pitch-black night had once again turned into bright daylight.
Soon, only a few minutes remained until the Firework arrived.
Jenny quickly made her way to the beach at the edge of the island to wait.
At that moment, her gaze once again fell on the alien building beside her, glowing with an eerie green light.
No matter how many times she looked at this mysterious alien structure, it never failed to captivate and shock her.
"Hey, chat, what do you guys think this alien building is for?" Jenny asked.
[Dunno]
[Dunno x2]
[I think it is a shelter built by aliens who also crashed here.]
The viewers chimed in one after another. In truth, the "Mysterious Alien Building" had been a hot topic online. Many people had been guessing its purpose while still reeling from the shock.
Some said it was a shelter built by aliens who had also ended up stranded here. Others claimed it was a prison the aliens had built to hold all kinds of vicious cosmic criminals.
But the players could not reach a consensus. After all, none of them had the key and could not get inside.
"Ah, I forgot to ask Lucien!" Jenny thought with some regret. She had been in such a hurry to come back and play that she had completely forgotten!
Oh well. Time to welcome the Firework first. She glanced at her wristband. Less than a minute left.
She stopped paying attention to the alien building and looked up at the sky.
Fifteen seconds. Fourteen. Thirteen.
Everyone in the chat was glued to their screens. For a moment, the entire audience was holding their breath in anticipation.
They were all waiting for this historic moment in the game to happen!
The next instant, Captain voice suddenly came through Jenny's wristband.
"Hi, survivor. We see you!"
This time Eric was not using the broadcast. He was using the Firework's radio directly.
After all, they were close enough now for wireless communication.
Hearing this, Jenny squinted and peered carefully into the sky. Sure enough, she spotted a small black dot in the clear blue sky, slowly growing larger.
"Wow, I see it! I see it too!" Jenny shouted excitedly. She yelled into her wristband, "Captain Eric, I see you too~!"
[Holy shit, the Firework actually showed up!!!]
[Looks like Jenny really found an easter egg. She can clear Subnautica!]
[We really misunderstood the devs. Even in this game, the developers actually cares about us players!]
[So this is the devs mercy!]
[This is exciting. We are finally getting a real NPC in the game!]
[Yeah, I cannot wait!]
The viewers all voiced their feelings, and everyone was looking forward to it.
After all, in the New World studio's games so far, the protagonists had always been completely isolated. Whether it was Silent Hill or Subnautica, not a single friendly NPC had appeared!
"Survivor, I see you too. We are currently passing through the atmosphere and heading toward the landing site." Seemingly having heard Jenny, Eric continued warmly, "By the way, what is that building next to you?"
"I am not sure either," Jenny answered. "It looks like a skyscraper built by aliens."
"Is that so? Never mind then. We will take a closer look after we land."
Jenny took a deep breath. For some reason, the thought of meeting everyone from the Firework suddenly made her a little nervous!
Even though she knew Captain Eric was just an NPC, she still felt tense.
Because Eric spoke so naturally. He sounded just like a real living human being.
Just imagine meeting a human who lived in the 25th century. How could Jenny not be nervous?
'Calm down. I have to stay calm. The other party is just an NPC, not a real person. Besides, I live in the 21st century. I am basically their ancestor. How could an ancestor be afraid of their descendants?'
Rumble rumble rumble
However, just as Jenny was psyching herself up, just as the viewers were full of anticipation...
A series of thunderous roars suddenly erupted, as if lightning was striking right on the island.
The ground beneath Jenny feet trembled slightly!
"Huh? What is going on? Is it an earthquake?!"
Jenny quickly pulled her gaze back from the sky and scanned the ground she was standing on. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she seemed to see something.
Her expression instantly turned to utter shock. She whipped her head around.
"Oh my god, what the hell am I looking at!"
Jenny screamed. Because the four-hundred-meter-tall alien building right in front of her was starting to transform!
That was right. It was transforming. Just like in Transformers, when the Autobots suddenly changed from ordinary cars into robots. The original rectangular skyscraper was reshaping itself in a way Jenny could not comprehend. Its entire outline collapsed inward and reassembled, revealing a pitch-black opening right in the center of the top floor.
The opening looked impossibly dark. Under the sunlight, it did not reflect even a single ray of light, as if it could swallow every bit of light that entered it.
Then, this imposing opening began to move. The rumbling continued.
Finally, the black hole formed by the alien building was no longer pointing straight up at the sky like before. It had tilted slightly and locked into position.
"What the hell is happening with this alien building?!"
"Why did it suddenly transform? And this shape looks kind of weird. What is that black hole in the middle?!"
"Holy shit, I did not even understand what just happened?!"
The sudden change of the alien building caught everyone completely off guard. No one knew what was going on.
Jenny was just as confused. She stared at the strangely shaped building, completely lost.
Then a bullet comment scrolled past.
[Wait, why does this alien building look like a giant cannon?]
Jenny happened to catch that comment. A second later she realized the opening was aimed directly at the Firework's descent trajectory.
Was this thing actually a cannon?!
'Oh my god!'
Jenny realized what was about to happen!
By now the Firework had fully appeared on the horizon. Jenny could even make out the sleek, cool lines of the spaceship.
But Jenny no longer had the heart to admire it. She shouted into her wristband, "Firework, do not land! This alien building is actually a cannon! It is aiming at you right now!!!!"
Before she even finished speaking, a sharp sound rang out from the alien building beside her.
Along with the sound, the space around the black opening seemed to distort. An extremely blinding light gathered at the opening, eventually forming an exaggerated energy sphere!
[Holy shit, this weapon looks insanely powerful.]
[This feels like they created a miniature sun!]
[-20,000 Aura]
Jennywas stunned. So were everyone in the chat. None of them had ever seen anything like this.
Was this the weapon of those mysterious aliens from five hundred years in the future who were even more advanced than humans.
"Oh my god, what is that thing?!" Through her wristband, Jenny also heard Captain Eric almost desperate scream.
"Change course! Hurry! Change course! We are leaving this place!"
High in the sky, the descending Firework suddenly slowed its fall. At the same time, its bow began to turn.
However!!!
Buzz!!!
The massive roar instantly and effortlessly drowned out Captain Eric collapsing voice. A laser shot out from the black hole.
There was no suspense. The Firework was instantly pierced through by this terrifying concentrated laser.
Boom!!!
An explosion echoed across the sky. The Firework disintegrated on the spot. Accompanied by thick billowing smoke, a massive firework exploded brilliantly high in the air!
In the face of the blinding light, Jenny instinctively squinted. She watched with her own eyes as the Firework vanished into the sky.
Her entire body went completely numb.
The wristband she was wearing let out a burst of static, then lost signal completely.
A moment later, Gaia voice sounded. "Super-strong energy radiation detected. No life signs remaining on the Firework."
"What the fuck, how did it turn out like this?"
Jenny brain short-circuited for a second. She muttered to herself and collapsed onto the sand with a thud.
Having just witnessed such a shocking scene, her heart was a chaotic mix of emotions. Shock, despair, guilt.
[Motherfucker, so this alien building was actually a giant cannon? And one shot took out the Firework?]
[Who the hell could have guessed that?! It was just a straight rectangular skyscraper. No one would ever connect it to a gun turret!]
[The developers is such a bastard!]
[Yeah, we were all waiting excitedly for the Fireworkto land, thinking about how Jenny would communicate with future human NPCs. Then this suddenly happens!]
[Hiss, You cunning evil developers. This bento was delivered way too fast and sudden!]
[But I have to say, the scene was insane! Whether it was the alien cannon transforming or the Firework destroyed, this is straight-up $200 million dollars budget movie in hollywood.]
[Yeah, the visual effects were even more intense than the Aurora explosion earlier. It was really satisfying, just way too heartbreaking!]
[The Firework ultimately became fireworks. Wait, did the Devs drop a hint from the very beginning? The ship name is way too on the nose!]
[Lmao, so the Firework had this layer of meaning too.]
The viewers in the chat went wild with discussion. They could only say that the devs lived up to their reputation. They really had not expected this at all. Completely unexpected!
The plot was both cleverly arranged and not abrupt at all. And it was absolutely shocking!
A classic scene from Subnautica had just been born!!!
"Aaaah, you fucking retarded devs!"
A moment later, Jenny, who was still sitting on the ground, suddenly shouted. She punched the sand over and over, venting her negative emotions.
At this moment, even though she knew the game's developer was her little brother, she still wanted to call Lucien a retarded developer!
"I chatted with the Firework captain for so long. I was really looking forward to meeting them. Then one laser cannon wiped them all out. Devs, you have no heart!!!"
This feeling was far too similar to what had happened at the very beginning of the game when she met the woman in Pod 2.
One moment they were still talking to each other, and the next moment the other person was just gone!
"And, and it was me who gave them the coordinates for this island. If it were not for me, they would not have landed here, and they would not have been blown to pieces by this laser cannon!"
Jenny continued lamenting, almost on the verge of tears.
To be honest, she was feeling a little guilty right now. The destruction of the Firework really was connected to her.
"Jenny, do not feel bad. The main reason is that the developers hid the alien cannon way too well. If it had not transformed, no one would have known it was actually a superweapon!]
[There is no helping it. That is just the devs. He knows exactly how to mess with players!]
[Yeah, Jenny, do not blame yourself. It is just a game. All of this is that devs fault.]
The viewers in the chat all comforted Jenny.
At the same time, they could not help but sigh from the bottom of their hearts.
The devs really was a devil who played with players' emotions!!!
Hearing her viewers' words, Jenny unconsciously wiped the corner of her eye and stood back up. "You guys are right. It is just a game. This little setback is nothing to me!"
After going through the game this far, her mental fortitude had been tempered quite well by Lucien. She would not break down so easily.
The next moment, the ground suddenly trembled again. Jenny looked up and saw that the alien cannon, having just fired its shot, had begun transforming once more. It returned to its previous shape, once again looking like an ordinary skyscraper.
---
[Advanced 30 chapter.s. on patreon.com/EdgyReader]