A common tavern that connects all fantasy worlds

When I stretched out my hand to push it into the air, I really felt some kind of resistance, as if there really was an invisible door there.

Several people walked in and watched as Duran Duran pushed Barbaria in and took something from the plush cushion on the shelf next to it. Then they took a few steps back and put down the gun with a sneer.

Hicks immediately raised the gun in his hand and fired two bullets bang bang, but the metal projectile suddenly stopped at the position of the door, suspended in the air, and finally fell into the shallow water below after losing power.

"It's useless, only the key can open this door, and now I have both keys. You just stay here and starve to death with that silver woman! Idiots!"

After finishing speaking, he trotted all the way and rushed out of this "dream box".

Several people in the queen's bedroom looked at each other, and Barbaria spoke first, and said to Ripley with a smile: "He said we are stupid."

"It's okay, but it's still smarter than him."

Ripley shook her head, she had already seen that something was wrong with the court steward, how could a few people put down their weapons in front of him unpreparedly, and let the clumsy him have a chance to control Barbaria?

But now is not the time to talk about that. Barbaria got the key in exchange for helping the rebel army overthrow the Queen of the Night... and that woman is sleeping here alone.

Several people walked towards the strangely shaped bronze bed and looked at each other. In the end, it was Barbaria who woke up the queen.

The Queen of the Night with one horn was still very angry when she was pulled up, and she didn't know if some dream was interrupted until she saw Barbaria's face.

"You are... the interstellar adventurer Barbaria? Why do you look different from the holographic newspaper?" The Queen of the Night said with her eyes wide open.

Barbaria asked in surprise, "How can you tell it's me? Even Duran Duran didn't recognize me."

"...Little girl...the horn on my head is not for nothing."

The Queen of the Night sat up, but only saw a few marines pointing their guns at this side.

Only then did she roughly understand the situation in front of her, and after thinking about it for a while, she showed a mysterious smile: "So those 'rebels' are still so boring, they don't even dare to face me by themselves, so they have to find you Barbari La help?"

"We only came here for Duran Duran, but at first we didn't expect that your court chief was Duran Duran, and he betrayed you..."

Barbaria shook her head, this was really unexpected... Several people thought that this was a bit wrong, but the planned plan was always to find the Queen of the Night and ask about Duran Duran's whereabouts.It wasn't until he suddenly got into trouble, pointed a gun with no power at her, and revealed his identity, that Ripley and the others decided to follow suit after receiving her gaze.

Anyway, just in case, several people have already made other preparations.

"He betrayed me?" The Queen of the Night's complexion changed, she looked towards the doorway that was shining with a strange color background light, she didn't know what she saw or felt, she immediately gritted her teeth: "My key !He locked us all here? That idiot!"

But seeing that her expression was only angry, she didn't mean to be in a hurry. Ripley on the side also asked, "Why, aren't you afraid? He said he would starve us to death here, and he wouldn't let us out."

The Queen of the Night stood up, ignoring the weapons that were facing her, walked up to Ripley, stretched out her hand with long nails, raised her chin, and exhaled softly with interest: "That's why I said he was an idiot. I couldn't see that you were not afraid at all, and I didn't know that I had other means of escape.  …You are such a brave girl, why are you different from everyone I have ever met ?”

"You don't want to rummage through my memory, do you?" Ripley frowned.

"No, I don't have that ability. I just can see things that many people can't see, such as..." The Night Queen leaned into her ear, "Have you ever done it with Barbaria? How does it feel?"

Ripley shook the gun in her hand at her: "We still have to get along for a while, you can guess slowly. Also, you just said that there is another way to escape, what is it?"

The Queen of the Night smiled and said nonchalantly: "Seeing that you are the kind of woman I like the most, I will tell you. Matzmoss is alive... It is a liquid that sleeps under the star of Seth. Monster. It usually sleeps. In this state, it will decompose and transform the life force of the creatures it touches through its water-like body. It breathes through the core pipeline of Night City. If you came down from the ground, you should have seen through its hot breath."

"Volcano!" Hudson on the side exclaimed.

"...That's right, it's the volcano... Didn't you come down from there? That's okay, I thought my black guards didn't work at all. Seriously, I'm the only one on this planet who knows...Matsmus It doesn’t have to sleep all the time, the Queen can wake it up. By then, the entire Night City will be burned by its increased body temperature, and the volcano on Set will usher in the largest eruption in history.”

The Queen of the Night laughed wildly: "Because the 'dream box' where the Queen sleeps...is actually the dream of Matzmoss. It is the Star Set, except for the Queen of the Night who is in charge of weaving dreams for it. Not interested in everything. So...now you know why I have nothing to worry about?"

Chapter 22 Aroma

Duran Duran didn't go back to the "manager's office", but came to a secret room on the third floor of Night City.

Inside is the positron death ray gun he invented. The technical principle is extremely complicated, but you only need to know that it can decompose and destroy any substance through irradiation.Especially organic organisms, decompose the fastest.

With enough irradiation time and power, this thing can even destroy an entire galaxy, which is really overkill for destroying the rebels.

Now that the queen has "disappeared", all he needs to do is to get rid of those blind rebels and find Barbaria, then Seter is completely under his control.At that time, I can mass-produce such weapons and counterattack the Earth Federation, and see if they can still say "what's the use of inventing weapons"!

"Ahaha, haha! Let my 'Positron Death Ray Gun' destroy you!"

He was dreaming of his happy life in the future, but suddenly he felt dark in front of him.

Before he could look back to see what was going on, a black figure landed silently behind him from the shadows behind the lights on the top of the room, and knocked him unconscious with a punch.

How can a scientist who has been drained of energy and aged 30 years old resist the blow of a physically powerful "death walker"?

Selene has been hiding in various dark corners, followed him for a long time, finally saw him come here, and said the name of that weapon.

Already impatient, she quickly appeared, knocked him unconscious, held his fat body in her hands, and returned to the "dream box" like no one else was there.

The Marines, Ripley, and Barbaria were standing with the Night Queen, waiting for her behind the invisible door.

The female vampire, who was still dressed in leather, reached out to pick up the jingling key from the fat man's neck, knocked on the door, and threw "Duran Duran" into the pool.

"...What about what you promised me?" She asked again just as Duran Duran woke up from the stimulation of the cold water and was crawling up with a whimper.

"It's already ready."

Barbaria threw a small box at him, and when she opened it, it was the purple potion sealed in several glass tubes.

"Gene reduction medicine, I specially ordered from the best pharmaceutical factory in the Earth Federation, after adjustment, it can eliminate all unrecorded gene mutations in the human gene pool... Intravenous injection, it will take about 21 days to fully take effect."

The people present didn't know what Selene wanted this for. Anyway, Boss Xue introduced it, saying that "cosmic technology may meet her needs"... Judging from the results, it was a successful transaction.

Although the transaction is completed, she can't go back for the time being... Barbaria's affairs have not been settled yet, and she can't go back to the airport to see her off.

Of course, at this point, there is not much work left.

"Get up, Duran Duran, you bug...I shouldn't have kept you in the first place."

The Queen of the Night said, watching the unspeakable Duran Duran being lifted up by the arms of two big men, she shook her head in disappointment, walked out of this "dream box", and went all the way up to the night where he was supposed to be guarded. City control room.

The queen turned on the communicator indifferently, grabbed the microphone, and personally issued an order to her black guards:

"The black guards... stop fighting immediately, lay down their weapons, and surrender to the rebels. They have already controlled your queen, and your fighting is meaningless. Let them come to the palace to find me."

No matter how incomprehensible the order was, the sounds of fighting at the city gate still stopped.

The guards in black were quickly disarmed, and the exiled people in the maze poured into the Night City again. The nobles screamed in panic, packed up their things and fled to the surface, or returned to their homes to escape. Lock the door tightly, hoping that the rebels will not attack.

The Queen of the Night sat on a chair in the control room and trimmed her nails, not intending to stop the chaos at all.

When the rebel army appeared on the surveillance image, she smiled and said to her enemies behind her, "They have already arrived... It seems that these people are not in a hurry to plunder Night City, on the contrary Hurry to see me."

Ripley and the marine team can no longer understand, what kind of country is this?

When he saw Mustache again, not only was he not as energetic as he had imagined, but he even flinched a bit.Facing the Queen of the Night standing in the middle of the palace, his legs even softened and he wanted to kneel down.

The other rebels were not much better than him, and they all avoided the Queen of the Night's sight. Even though more and more people came in, they seemed to be surrounded by that one-horned woman, and they didn't know what to say when they were crowded together. what.

"...It's disappointing. I gave you so many opportunities, and even guided you to find the key to the dream, but you still think of relying on other people to solve the problem. Even if you hold advanced weapons, you can't bring Give me even the slightest sense of crisis."

The Queen of the Night raised her snow-white neck, shook her head meaningfully towards the top of the palace, and continued: "But you still won, and I admit defeat. I am no longer your queen, and I will no longer rule you. It's a pity that you can't Kill me... because then Mazmos will wake up immediately, and without the Queen of the Night, it will destroy the entire planet Set, and continue to drift in the universe, looking for the Dream Weaver. Well, I'm done! "

The rebel army was in an uproar. For many years, they only thought about resistance, and they didn't even think about why they resisted or what to do after they succeeded.

The order under the Queen of the Night could no longer exist, that was the only concept in their heads.

Even Barbaria didn't think about it... The Earth Federation has been peaceful for too long, and she has never been to this kind of remote galaxy before, and she doesn't know what a social structure that meets their needs should be like.

But at least she has an ultimate solution.

"Since that's the case—" she raised her voice and said, "The Earth Federation can include the Seth galaxy in its territory, and I will request the Federation to give all the residents of this planet the citizenship of the Earth Federation. You will accept it immediately, just like other people on Earth. Civic education, getting bridging loans, and working in a job you love after you finish your studies..."

The Queen of the Night smiled, walked over to support her waist, and said in a low voice: "You are such an interesting girl, Barbaria... Doesn't this solution completely destroy the meaning of their existence so far?"

Yes, if they become Earthlings just like that, then what is their resistance so far?Fight for the right to relocate?

But it appears they can only agree.Now that it's all over, Queen of the Night really doesn't need to lie to them anymore, that is to say, they can't kill her or hurt her.If you don't accept this plan, you can only stand here and stare at her.

"You...you hurt us!"

Finally, the mustache couldn't help but utter a word.

"Besides driving you out of the city... how else did she hurt you?" Ripley couldn't help asking curiously.

"She whipped us, insulted us, set birds to peck us! Even just now, she called us a disappointment! Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo..."

Mustache said emotionally, and even cried in the end.

The Queen of the Night was so annoyed that she finally shook her head again, sighed and said, "Hey... it seems that I still have to perform my duties as a queen one last time. What about the black guards? Ask them to dissuade the people, maintain order, and wait for the earth The spaceship of the Federation. You bastards! Go back to the maze and stay there! It will be your turn sooner or later, remember to call everyone, don’t stay here! I will wake up Ma after you all evacuate Zmos."

The rebels looked at each other a few times, and they actually left the palace just like that, which made the marines who participated in everything feel a bit unspeakably empty.

In any case, things on this planet were handled so casually.

Vazquez was still dutifully staring at the Queen of the Night, and while Barbaria returned to the spaceship to contact the Earth Federation and send Selene back to the tavern, it was also Ripley's turn to get the things they wanted in this universe. thing.

Duran Duran, who has been supported by Hicks and Hudson, looked sluggish, and he may have been hit by what happened just now. He is probably thinking at this moment, what kind of person have I been playing house with for so long? ?

Ripley stepped forward and said to Duran Duran, "Where's your 'Positronic Death Ray'?"

"Does this mean anything to you?" Duran Duran raised his head, "I lost, and Seter has also entered the Earth Federation, and I will soon return to that hypocritical and dead universe. My invention Once again a useless thing, and I myself became the worthless person."

"You may not believe it... we are here for your weapons and your value." Ripley said.

Their universe is far from getting rid of their dependence on weapons, and the Positron Death Ray can be very useful!Just say LV-426, there is still a base of aliens waiting for him to destroy!

Duran Duran raised his head, with hope in his eyes: "Really? Is there such a place in the explored universe?"

"Yeah... I know at least the company likes people like you very much. But although you are a conspirator here, you may be an endangered innocent animal over there." Ripley thought of the company's treatment of them What you have done, smiled wryly and continued: "And if you want to go to us, you must first promise me a few things... In order to ensure mutual trust between us, I will also take some precautionary measures."

"What precautions? You're not... trying to control me with some remote-controlled bomblet?"

Duran Duran said in horror.

"That's not necessary, because you have shown us your weakness just now, that is, you are strongly addicted to a certain aroma. If you touch your pocket now, you will find... that bottle of aromatherapy is gone. In Now that Star Star is about to be destroyed, where do you think the aromatherapy reserves in Night City will go?"

Ripley replied.

Chapter 23 Destruction and Rebirth

On the synchronous orbit of LV-426, the Sulaco ushered in human voices after a long absence.

Duran Duran, a captive and partner, is assembling equipment transported back from another universe at the airport. Ripley and the marines are monitoring and helping.

But to be honest, they don't really need to keep an eye on it so closely... because the scientist has been in a kind of over-excited state since coming here, and even giggled while assembling his positron death ray gun, It makes people feel hairy when they look at it.

This kind of person who naturally loves destruction is certainly not welcome in Barbaria's universe.

Soon, he installed the death ray gun...or it should be called the death ray gun now, on the mechanical arm in the airport.

Like most spaceships, the Sulaco's airport is also equipped with four robotic arms, which can be manually operated when the shuttle fails to dock normally and other drifting objects need to be captured or shot down; each robotic arm is located on an independent In the two-way airtight cabin, it is distributed on both sides of the entrance and exit of the airport. The one chosen by Duran Duran can just be aimed vertically at the small planet.

"These crystal lenses need some time to gather energy before the positron generator can cross the critical point." Duran Duran explained to people in this universe, "The time is about 5 minutes after the energy is activated, and you can prepare first... What are you doing?"

Ripley rushed to press the button, turned to the scientist and said, "I've waited long enough, I don't need a second of preparation."

The outer airtight door of the mechanical arm storage compartment opened, and a strangely shaped muzzle surrounded by three crystal pyramids was aimed directly below.

Five minutes later, a few people still didn't see anything fired from the muzzle in the porthole, and they couldn't help turning their heads to look at Duran Duran.

The scientist just shrugged: "... depends on the target."

Suddenly, the ground of LV-426 began to collapse even in synchronous orbit, which was visible to the naked eye.The man-made atmosphere suddenly fluctuated, and the dark clouds with a radius of thousands of kilometers rolled into a shape like a smoke ring. The rocky crust of the planet decomposed into violent energy, and then triggered a chain collapse inward.

Once the process starts, it can only grow faster and faster.

In the next instant, LV-426 exploded into a ball of continuously spreading flames, and even the Sulaco had to start its engine, before it was affected, it was far away from this star field.

There was no sound in the vacuum, and the asteroid disappeared into silence. As long as the creatures on it were still creatures... there was no reason for them to survive.

"Mission accomplished." Ripley said coldly.Maybe starting today, that nightmare can finally stop haunting her, and she has solved its source by herself.But the universe is so vast and empty, who knows what else will be discovered in the future?

The more she understands the universe, the more pessimistic she will be about the future of mankind.

"...Okay, let's go disassemble the positron cannon, and I'll take the parts back to the tavern with him. Hudson, please start destroying surveillance and making fake records. Sorry, Duran Duran, wait When we return to Earth, we have the space to operate the fake identity for you, but luckily we don’t have to wait too long, at most a few days.”

[51. No. 51]

While talking, she was also curious, wondering what Barbaria was busy with?

People in that universe shouldn't have to live in such fear, don't have to worry about some mysterious man-eating monsters, right?

On the Set star, the last spaceship also evacuated through the airport... Outside this star field, there are still many earth spaceships staring at this place, some of which are official ships of the Federation, and some are small interview ships of various media.

Human beings have encountered many monsters in the process of developing and exploring the universe, but few of them are of such a large scale...

According to the original Setters who joined the Earth Federation, it is a high-energy creature with a diameter of tens of thousands of kilometers.Its liquid body constitutes an entire underground lake, and its breath in sleep can cause earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Naturally, the entire Earth Federation has now attracted attention.Everyone's life has become more and more boring recently. This kind of breaking news can provide the freshness that everyone needs. Therefore, several large media have stationed interview spacecraft and obtained the right to broadcast live by virtue of their good relationship with the Federation.

A reporter who has a good relationship with Barbaria even got the first-hand news, and was excitedly broadcasting on the spaceship with the starry sky in the porthole as the background: "According to people familiar with the matter, the entire Star of Set is actually named after this name." Consists of congealed floating matter that has gathered unconsciously during the sleep of the monster 'Matzmoth'. The mysterious 'Queen of the Night' is responsible for controlling and managing this monster... No one has ever seen this queen, we can only learn from the Setts From a few words, I speculate that she is a beautiful mature woman."

"That's the last spaceship to leave." In the empty Nightside Palace, Barbaria said to the Night Queen.

At this time, she also restored her original appearance through the cross-dressing instrument, and turned into that bright beauty with blond hair, good figure, and a slightly naive smile.But she didn't return the transfiguration device to the director's friend Vadim...Maybe there will be occasions where she can use the identity of "Baba Reina" in the future, maybe she can transform into other people with more research, It was so much fun.