Chapter 1058: Chapter 1057: I Really Want to Go Home...
"Alright, those idiots finally left."
Watching the Nadeshiko being "escorted" away by his fleet, Fang Zheng let out a soft snort, while the Nymph standing beside him looked at him curiously.
"Master, I thought you would keep them."
"Not now, there’s no need. Let them play as taxi drivers for a while."
Fang Zheng shook his head. He wasn’t interested in these otherworldly visitors for the time being. However, as a Prophet Mage, his intuition had already told him that sooner or later, he would cross paths with these people... Since that was the case, it was fine to set them aside for now.
After all, the main quest is the most important. Time waits for no one. This is not a game where the Demon King will leisurely wait for you to complete all the side quests. In reality, if the protagonist runs around doing those useless and time-wasting side quests instead of focusing on the BOSS, this is likely the outcome.
"Oh, brave adventurer, this old man has something he needs your help with."
"Old man, don’t hold onto me; I have to go face the Demon King."
"Child, it’s a small thing. You see, my dear old dog ran away. I’m too old, and my bones can’t handle the search. You, young man, look charming and handsome; perhaps you could help me find my old dog? Of course, I will reward you."
"Alright, alright, alright, I’ll do it! Just don’t pull on me!!"
Ten days later.
"Old man, I’m back. Your dog ran all the way to a thieves’ den over the mountain, and I had to hack through a group of thieves to find it... What the hell! Why are you dead, old man?"
"Hahaha, you must be the legendary Hero. While you were looking for the old dog, I destroyed the world, and now I am the ruler of this world!"
"*...&...（&*（&）*（!!!"
So Fang Zheng doesn’t understand why those NPCs always like to delay the Hero with ridiculous tasks?
Like "My wife is sick, please help me find the all-healing passion fruit in the forest" or "My wife ran away with Old Wang next door, can you help me get back the money he owes me..."
If the protagonist were an ordinary person, it would be understandable, but many have been recognized by the King, even escorted out of the city by the King himself, and engaged to the Princess. Everywhere they go, NPCs say "Ah, so you are the legendary Hero," and still receive such tasks, which is baffling.
If they all know the Demon King is about to destroy the world, why waste the protagonist’s time with trivial issues?
Just now, in fact, when that woman named Yurika cried about finding her "dear Mingren," a side quest to find the Archangel Ship popped up in front of Fang Zheng, and he decisively canceled it... No point doing such useless side quests.
Partly because he was too lazy to watch women swoon.
"I thought Master you would be interested in those strange robots."
Having followed Fang Zheng for a long time, Nymph knew Fang Zheng loved collecting seemingly random items, and to her, those robots seemed to fit that "oddly inexplicable" category.
"No interest, none at all."
Fang Zheng was being honest this time. To be truthful, he had watched many mecha series but wasn’t particularly fond of mechas themselves. In fact, if you asked Fang Zheng, these things were practically useless aside from looking cool.
Fang Zheng always wanted to critique why weapons made for combat were designed as humanoid robots. What’s the point?
In The Matrix of Hackers, humanoid robots made sense because, in that setting, many robots were products for the "service industry" and meant to serve humans, so they should be human-like. But what’s the point of making a robot several dozen meters tall?
Big target, slow reaction, low firepower, costly to build, easy to destroy, obvious weaknesses, no value for money.
Future high-tech wars focus on unmanned and automated systems. Who wants to mess around with robots?
Even more confusing for Fang Zheng was that, just because you built a robot, so did everyone else, ending in a big robot showdown... Okay, in games it’s for the plot, and two robots punching and kicking look nice. But in reality, it just seems dumb.
Just now, Fang Zheng took a look, and those robots in the hangar of the warship, he could take on with one hand.
Of course, this is if Fang Zheng wanted to show off his power.
If not, he could just summon Ratziel and write "On such and such date, XX lost control in their battle within a Gundam due to a sudden system blue screen and got killed by the enemy forces..."
And that would be the end.
As a programmer, Fang Zheng had no particular passion for large robots, so he hadn’t even thought of having Nymph scan or record them, which rather surprised the Little Angel.
"We’re on the right path, Nymph, don’t let the fog cloud our eyes."
Standing by the porthole, gazing at the stars and sea outside, Fang Zheng couldn’t help but sigh.
Of course, sometimes mechas are useful, but only for those meant for human use, like the armor worn by Human Race soldiers in interstellar conflicts or Avatar-type mecha vehicles. Not this kind that’s dozens of meters tall, like a big clumsy elephant that’s hard to miss when firing blindly.
The romance of men is in giant ships and artillery, drone swarms, and swarm assaults! Technology! Steel! Scourge!
Not those giant humanoid metal contraptions!
"Alright, we have news from the front; those damn Reapers have appeared again."
Fang Zheng stretched lazily.
"Prepare for battle, Nymph, Yui, assist me!"
"Yes, Master."
"Okay, Daddy!"
As Fang Zheng once again threw himself into the limitless battle against the Reapers, inside the Nadeshiko, a group of crew members sat dejectedly in their seats. Although Fang Zheng hadn’t cuffed them or imprisoned them, to them, it felt no different from being in jail.
"Ruri Ruri, you still can’t unlock the system lock?"
Sprawled ungracefully on the table, Nadeshiko’s captain Goto Yurika yawned and looked towards the girl with silver twin tails seated at the helm. The girl referred to as "Ruri Ruri" shook her head.
"No, the other party has locked all of Sijian’s permissions... I can’t unlock it at all."
The silver-haired girl, Ruri Hoshino, was talking about "Sijian," the core supercomputer on the Nadeshiko. The ship was essentially run by Ruri together with this supercomputer, while the other crew members mostly played a supporting role. Now, with the main operational core Sijian disconnected by their opponent, there was even less for them to do.
"Do we really have to do what that man said and play taxi service?"
One operator, sounding unsure, asked, and the person beside them sighed.
"Do we have any other choice now? Look at those warships outside; do you think we can escape?"
"........."
No one spoke upon hearing this.
In fact, before being sucked into this world by the spatial disturbance, everyone had taken immense pride in the Nadeshiko they flew. It was the most advanced warship, even surpassing all Earth Federation’s current warships, belonging privately to Nirga Heavy Industries.
It was because of their unmatched trust in this warship that they left Earth for Mars.
But after coming to this world, their confidence and pride were utterly shattered by the sight of the true "warships" of the Azure Fleet.
They were masterpieces representing civilization, steel, and technological peaks. In comparison, the Nadeshiko they sat in looked like a cheap knock-off plastic toy.
Let alone the fact this world was apparently on the brink of destruction?
Sigh, they really wanted to go home...
"Captain, captain, something’s wrong!!"
Suddenly, a crew member dashed in with a panicked expression, breaking the somewhat heavy atmosphere.
"What’s the matter?"
"Our pilot and those little girls from the Heavenly Dao Palace... they’re about to fight!"