The words weren't finished before the person plummeted downward.

————

Today, the open space in the Stone Ridge Mountain town was bustling with activity.

Players gathered in a circle, eagerly anticipating what Jianxue and Tutu from the crowd would concoct this time.

Although the studio in Night City was happy to take on players' orders, these orders were limited to a safe scope, and the kind of daring acts players often risked their lives for were not accepted by the studio's mechanics.

Thus, these wild and imaginative ideas were left to the players to ponder over themselves.

And currently, as the experiment subject, the Super Balloon Buddy was visibly shaking.

"Is this okay, Big Guy? Maybe we should switch someone else? I'm afraid of heights, you know."

On his back was a cylindrical device, which looked vaguely similar to the vector engine of a floating trash car.

The Truth Department immediately shot down the supporter's suggestion.

"You're a Hell Diver of Super Earth, an elite among elites, destined to do orbital drops in the future. How can you be afraid of some insignificant risk? Trust in the glory of General NoPoop; it'll surely protect you."

The Propaganda Department added with exaggeration, "Imagine, if this succeeds, you'll be the first player to launch into the sky—a notable cannon fodder, a famous cannon fodder, remembered by everyone, just like Wan Hu, don't you know?"

The buddy seemed tempted but still asked, "But didn't Wan Hu get blown up with fireworks?"

The Propaganda Department pushed him forward, "Wan Hu couldn't win the jail reset match, but you can. If it really doesn't work, I'll go. For such record-breaking actions, dying even gets you a 2000 Euro subsidy, something that many hope for in vain."

"Well.... alright then."

The somewhat gullible buddy was lifted into the air by the two people.

The contraption on his back was precisely what Mantou was unwilling to make, yet players themselves knocked together—an improvised vector flying device.

As for the safety factor, naturally, there was none.

Its structure was extremely crude, just welding a metal frame onto the vector engine, capable of adjusting a certain angle by maneuvering the control lever. There was a composite panel welded underneath for heat protection, but it lacked a parachute, anti-collision device, or anything else.

Absolutely no safety measures.

After psychological counseling was complete, the two on the side couldn't hold back their urging.

Jianxue: "Start the ignition, let's see how it performs."

Tutu: "Exactly, exactly, I've meticulously crafted the control system. If you're somewhat awesome, you might even mimic a falling leaf."

Other players nearby egged him on as well.

"Fly one! Fly one!"

Faced with the crowd's enthusiasm, the buddy also gathered strength, giving his close friends and associates a death-defying look, pressing the button on top of the control lever.

Whoosh——

The flame stream sprayed by the engine behind him grew from small to large, from yellow to blue, and the thrust gradually increased.

The blowing airflow prompted the surrounding players to quickly disperse, watching as the buddy began inching off the ground, their mouths wide open.

One meter, two meters, four meters, until higher and higher, faster and faster.

"He's flying..."

"Could it really be succeeding?"

"A single-player aircraft, damn, can we become rocket infantry playing Red Alert in the future?"

"Jealous, had I known, I'd have gone up myself."

Some attentive players noticed a certain detail.

The buddy had already flown to over ten meters high, and was speeding up.

"Why isn't he slowing down?"

"Did you all plan for him to fly this high?"

Jianxue, being questioned, looked at Tutu: "Where's your deceleration and braking mechanism?"

"Deceleration...."

Tutu looked bewildered, then faced the two from the Truth Department.

"Just double-tap ignition to turn it off, didn't you tell him?"

The Truth Department stared at him.

"When did you ever tell us?"

Tutu: "Didn't I say?"

Propaganda Department: "With all your nonsense, who remembers what you said?"

Up in the sky, the buddy watched as he flew higher, his backside growing hotter. That heat-resistant panel couldn't withstand for even a few seconds in front of the vector engine's power, and he panicked, shouting down below.

"Oh crap! How do I stop this thing?"

From below, Jianxue shouted through a loudspeaker, "Press twice again! Press twice again!"

Tutu quickly snatched the loudspeaker from Jianxue, "Don't press! Don't press! Pressing will have you fall and die! Move the control lever, the left lever adjusts speed, right turns!"

Move the control lever?

Wanting to hear more, at this moment he had already soared to a height of forty to fifty meters, and couldn't hear anything from below. The panicked buddy looked down at the control levers in both his hands, questioning himself which to push?

Why not try randomly?

Manual gears generally use the right hand, so this aircraft is probably adjusted on the right side.

So he attempted to push forward with his right hand.

Whoosh——

The nozzle of the vector engine began adjusting its angle, bringing the whole person into a turn, and this feeling of imbalance instantly made his head buzz, scrambling recklessly.

"For the love of, which is the right one! How do I get down!"

"Ahhhh!!"

"Ah damn!!"

"Ahhhh! Damn! I want to go home!"

"Help! I'm gonna die!"

Sensory shielding can block pain but can't block acrophobia, and the vast majority of people have a fear of heights.

Thus, the players below watched as the engine carried the buddy up and down, occasionally spinning, thoroughly delighted.

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