Chương 38: Chapter 38: The Rebellion and… Shut up!

While browsing the system store, Mo Chen stumbled upon an intriguing solution: intelligent vegetable-growing greenhouses.

The intelligent vegetable greenhouse was an automated agricultural facility, capable of producing vegetables year-round. While traditional greenhouses could harvest eight seasons annually, this advanced system boasted eighteen harvests a year.

Everything—sunlight, water levels, and fertilizer—was fully automated. It wasn't just for growing vegetables; grains and fruits could be cultivated as well. As long as there was power, it could sustain production indefinitely, ensuring self-sufficiency.

Mo Chen checked the points needed: 5,000.

More than he expected, but he was determined to avoid consuming questionable "burgers" for the rest of his life. The only issue? While the greenhouse was ready, the system store hadn't been refreshed with seeds.

It left Mo Chen exasperated, likening the situation to eunuchs discussing descendants—utter nonsense.

Then, he remembered something. From one of the system packs he'd opened earlier, there were potatoes and immature melons among the items.

Potatoes could serve as seeds directly. As for the melons, they still had half an intact stem, which could be propagated through cuttings.

That meant fresh watermelon might not be far off.

"Purchased intelligent all-weather vegetable greenhouse. 5,000 points deducted. Remaining points: 45,994."

A brilliant light illuminated the previously empty plaza as a brand-new greenhouse materialized out of thin air. It was pristine and orderly, equipped with water systems, fertilizer dispensers, lighting, and monitoring devices. Rich soil and nutrient solutions were already in place, providing an ideal environment for various plants.

Mo Chen stepped inside, feeling the warm, sun-like glow envelop him.

With the power plant's energy supply, this greenhouse could continuously produce food, becoming a critical resource for the foreseeable future.

He assigned the Raptures—or rather, his now-subservient minions—to work in the greenhouse.

While most greenhouse operations, like sunlight adjustment, watering, and fertilization, were automated, tasks like harvesting and storage still required manual labor.

Watching the Raptures bustling around the greenhouse filled Mo Chen with a sense of accomplishment.

"You wanted work, didn't you? Well, now you've got plenty of it.

Some are born in Rome, while others are destined to be oxen and horses. You lot? You're the chosen workers of destiny."

To his surprise, the Raptures' level of intelligence exceeded his expectations. But soon, he discovered a troubling trend—they'd picked up bad habits.

The Raptures had learned to demand wages.

Yes, wages.

Not only did they organize a strike, but they also staged protests, forming crime syndicates with flags and chants, imitating human demonstrations to a tee.

They were outright demanding pay!

Mo Chen was furious. He had given them work out of goodwill, and they had the audacity to demand compensation? Utter greed.

He tried reasoning with them, explaining that they were means of production, not actual producers, and thus not entitled to labor protections like wages or benefits. Forget salaries—pensions and healthcare were out of the question.

For the murderers of humans, he naturally wouldn't have any psychological burden.

But these logical arguments failed to win over the Raptures: it was as if they'd suddenly gained enlightenment.

Exchanging their work uniforms for revolutionary garb, they were adamant about rebellion.

Mo Chen found himself in a predicament.

Killing them meant no labor force. You couldn't expect the rank-and-file Rapture soldiers—whose heads were harder than rocks—to handle delicate tasks. But ignoring the rebellion would only allow it to spread.

With a wave of his hand, Mo Chen ordered his troops to surround the rebellious Raptures.

These insolent creatures had clearly overstepped, akin to chasing a tiger while naked—reckless and shameless.

"Let me show you how your human master deals with disobedience."

"BOOM—!"

Just as Mo Chen was preparing to quell the rebellion, a thunderous boom echoed through the air. The ground beneath him cracked and crumbled as a massive drill burst forth, sending debris flying everywhere.

The machine resembled a scaled-down tunneling rig, equipped with jagged, gear-like edges on both sides, two colossal cannon barrels, and a monstrous circular saw at its front—sharp and terrifying.

The concrete floor shattered like brittle glass beneath its spinning blade.

Mo Chen's face fell.

"Oh no, not this thing again."

He instantly recognized the monstrosity.

It was none other than the Tyrant-class Rapture, Grave Digger.

Fast, deadly and annoyingly erratic, dodging bullets like it had epilepsy, this thing was a nightmare for newbies and mobile players alike. Mo Chen had been utterly humiliated by it in the past!

Now, seeing it emerge again was like meeting an old nemesis—only this time, he wasn't unprepared.

The Raptures around him erupted in a cacophony of metallic roars, seemingly emboldened by the arrival of their "savior."

The advance-team Nikkes immediately sprang into action. Some formed a protective barrier in front of Mo Chen, while others flanked the drill on both sides, quickly adopting an attack formation.

A fierce battle was inevitable.

Mo Chen's mood soured—not because he feared the Rapture, but because he was worried about his newly established greenhouse being destroyed.

But then, in the blink of an eye, the Grave Digger let out a loud crash and collapsed to the ground, sliding over ten meters before slamming into the wall.

Its frame shattered into countless pieces, scattering debris everywhere.

Mo Chen blinked in disbelief.

"I haven't even done anything yet… and it's already down?"

The once-boisterous Raptures immediately fell silent, like ducks with their necks suddenly wrung. Their rebellion was over before it even began.

Looking closer, Mo Chen saw the Grave Digger was riddled with wounds—deep cuts and bullet holes covered its frame. Its side drills were mangled, like missing teeth, and its circular saw was stripped bare, leaving only a smooth, useless disk.

It looked like it had been beaten senseless.

Suddenly, a flash of movement.

Two figures shot out of the hole left by the drill, moving at blinding speed toward Mo Chen.

The advance-team Nikkes swiftly moved to intercept, but before they could get close, flashes of steel cut through the air, striking them with such force that they were flung backward, slamming into the factory walls.

"BOOM—!"

Spiderweb-like cracks spread across the walls as the Nikkes collapsed.

Mo Chen felt a chill run down his spine.

The advance team—completely overpowered?

Wait a second.

Those two… why did they look so familiar?

Before he could get a better look, one of them lunged at him, tackling him to the ground.

"!!"

It felt like being hit by a freight train.

No, he wasn't just hit—he was launched.

And then slammed into the ground with bone-crushing force.

Mo Chen's vision blurred as pain shot through his body. It felt like every bone in his body was about to shatter.

The sensation… it was oddly familiar.

"Commander!"

A voice, full of surprise and joy, reached his ears.

A beautiful, familiar face came into view.

"Marian?!"

Mo Chen froze.

It really was her. Despite being mentally prepared, he was still taken aback.

"What are you doing here?"

"Commander, hehe…"

Marian hugged him tightly, as if he were a beloved doll, her affection overflowing. She buried his face in her chest, completely smothering him before he could get another word out.

His world went dark, and he was greeted by an overwhelming softness that blocked out all sound and air.