Three figures clad in specialized Carapace Armor stepped onto the Upper Hive's ground with a soft 'ding' from the elevator. Their armor was matte grey, with smoother lines than standard Carapace Armor, and the servo systems at the joints were almost silent, designed specifically for stealth and reconnaissance.
"AlphaBravo calling Bobby," the leading player, AlphaBravo, whispered through his built-in communicator. "My unit has arrived at the Upper Hive. This place…"
AlphaBravo looked around, a slight stunned on his face.
True sunlight shone down from above, though it was filtered to a hazy grey by thick industrial clouds. Yet, this long-lost light, originating from a star rather than a lamp, invigorated them, who had been confined to the Middle and Lower Hives.
The streets here were wide and clean, paved with a white synthetic rock, with no trash or stains visible anywhere. There were even neatly trimmed green belts along both sides of the road, and the air was free of the lingering stench of oil and decay that permeated the lower levels; it could even be considered fresh.
However, AlphaBravo felt no relaxation at all; his hand remained tightly gripping his gun. Because… "It's very quiet here," he said softly.
"Quiet enough to be unsettling," Name immediately interjected, scanning the empty streets warily.
"Yes," the third player, Garry, agreed. "There's no sound at all; it's creepy."
"Bobby received," Robert's steady voice came through the communicator. "Continue to search, stay safe. Over and out."
After the communication ended, Garry looked around: "What do we do next? Search separately?"
"What are you thinking? Of course, we stick together," Name said, pointing to a towering spire in the distance. "The Upper Hive is so big; there's no way the three of us alone can scout it all. That would take until the next lifetime. We just need to find the safest route closest to the Governor's Mansion."
"Oh," Garry responded, half-understanding.
The three then began their reconnaissance in the Upper Hive. At first, they were extremely cautious, quickly moving their muzzles around every corner. Any accidental sound would make them freeze instantly, looking around nervously for a while, and only continuing after confirming there was no danger.
After maintaining this high state of alert for thirty minutes, they gradually began to relax. An hour later, they had completely abandoned any tactical movements, openly walking down the wide streets of the Upper Hive like old men on an after-dinner stroll.
"I haven't even seen a cockroach yet," Garry complained as he walked, explaining why they had completely given up tactical movements.
"Indeed," Name also frowned. "This is too abnormal. No matter how lifeless it is, there should still be some small animals or insects present."
"I think there are two possibilities," AlphaBravo licked his somewhat dry lips, analyzing. "The first possibility is that the environment here has become so harsh that even insects and cockroaches cannot survive."
"But we're doing fine, and the Carapace Armor hasn't given any air quality warnings," Garry said, patting a beautifully shaped tree beside him. "There's even greenery here!"
"So the first possibility doesn't hold," Name said deeply, signaling AlphaBravo to continue.
"The second possibility," AlphaBravo lowered his voice, his eyes becoming grave, "is that this territory has been occupied by an extremely powerful predator, to the extent that no other living creature dares to enter here."
"After all, this is Wahammer. In novels, it's not impossible for a creature to deter everything within dozens of kilometers with an invisible, intangible aura. I'd say it's probably quite common."
Name pondered for a moment: "If that's the case… wouldn't we just be walking into a trap?"
"Doesn't matter," Garry shrugged carelessly. "We can revive anyway."
"That's true," Name also chuckled upon hearing this. "We can revive anyway. But just in case, let's still walk a little spread out, maintaining visual distance, so we don't get wiped out without even knowing who the enemy was."
The three continued towards the most conspicuous building—clearly, that was the hub leading to the Top Hive, and the Planetary Governor must live there.
After walking a bit further, Garry's voice suddenly rang out in the comms channel, with a hint of excitement: "You guys, come here quickly and see what I found!"
AlphaBravo and Name immediately moved cautiously towards Garry's coordinates. Turning a corner, the sight that greeted them made them both laugh and cry—Garry was sitting grandly at the bar of a luxuriously decorated pub, holding a crystal wine bottle and pouring amber liquid into a spotless goblet.
If a hive city noble were to see this, he would surely point out a hundred breaches of etiquette and feel immense heartache over the expensive wine being wasted. But here, they were all players, and no one cared about such things.
"What are you doing?" AlphaBravo was speechless.
"Been walking for hours, taking a break," Garry grinned, raising his glass. "And aren't you curious what Wahammer wine tastes like?"
"Now that you mention it, I am a bit curious," Name's player nature was piqued. He walked over, found a high stool, and sat down. "Give me a glass too."
"Sigh, you two…" AlphaBravo sighed, but ultimately couldn't resist the temptation. He walked over and sat down. "Give me a glass too."
"In this situation," Garry drained the wine in his goblet, letting out a satisfied sigh, "I can't help but want to play a song."
"Go ahead and play it," Name said, taking a sip of wine. "Anyway, with all the noise we've made, whatever was going to be attracted has already been attracted. Playing a song won't change much."
So Garry smiled and opened a retro cassette player wrapped around his waist. The tape inside began to turn, and an ethereal, magnificent, yet somewhat melancholic and frenzied music emanated from it, sounding particularly jarring in the dead silent Upper Hive streets.
Name: Bohemian Rhapsody
Type: Tool
Quality: Fine
Effect: Makes battles within the music's range have exaggerated, comic-book-like scenes (e.g., massive air currents, grand spiritual arts, extensive bleeding)
Equipment Condition: None
Note: Once upon a time, its owner could use it to summon countless works of fantasy into reality, or allow real people to shed their physical bodies and enter fantasy works, with a coverage range that could reach an entire planet.
But its owner was defeated in a battle with an enemy, his spiritual power scattered, and a portion of it fell onto this retro cassette player, continuously replaying past glories.