From Titan Corporation to the Empire of Man

Halo Universe, March 3.

Shield World 0459, the surface of the sunny side.

More than half a year has passed since Vulcan and Riemann first arrived at the core world of 0459 and came into contact with the leader's Serenity River Bank, and then the Atlas fleet completely occupied the core world.

During this period, the two Primarchs led the company's elite to successfully locate the primitive Corpsebrain on the surface and physically destroy it using metallic hydrogen bombs.

Although the primitive corpse brain beast already understands strategic and tactical deployment, it ultimately does not have the support of more "fresh food", which prevents it from evolving into a mature form. Therefore, it has no means to resist an offensive equivalent to a tactical nuclear bomb.

Then, by verifying Sui Yang's identity and relying on the authority of humans as returnees, Tranquility Riverbank launched 0459's own "purification" program to completely eliminate the tiny Flood spores remaining in the surface atmosphere.

In other words, the current surface of 459 has returned to its original clear appearance.

Moreover, Atlas has also set up a large-scale biological experiment center on the surface.

Close the distance and enter the atmosphere.

The test center, which covers an area of ​​at least twelve stadiums, is located in the desert area on the sunny side.

Except for the airtight buildings, there is only endless yellow sand around. During the day, the temperature is usually maintained at 37c to 45c, and at night it drops to about minus zero.

Because the surface has just completed the purification process, it still takes several years, or even ten years, for local organisms to flourish again.

Therefore, there are no animals or plants near the experimental center.

At the same time, hundreds of temple defenders are still suspended in the sky above the test center, acting as one of the outermost insurance measures.

At this moment, it is installed in the central area of ​​the test center, in a test site that is generally similar to a simulated town;

"D-level personnel please step forward."

As the emotionless female voice broadcast sounded, more than a hundred D and other personnel wearing orange-like power armor similar to Mike Pu's but painted in orange passed through the gate and arrived at the eastern waiting area of ​​the test site.

"Please choose a weapon that suits you."

Hearing this, the D and other personnel who closed their helmets looked at each other and looked at the large equipment box placed not far from them.

Obviously, they knew that after picking up weapons and ammunition, they would face attacks from various new products developed by Atlas, especially biological weapons.

After all, there are always a few seniors who have successfully survived previous experiments by virtue of their strength and luck, and spread the words "Atlas is not a fucking human!" to all D-level personnel.

And the better the equipment Atlas provided, the more dangerous the experiment became.

The most important thing is that before putting on the power armor, the group of technicians wearing white protective suits injected them with some unknown medicine.

Therefore, more than a hundred D and other personnel were very resistant to the broadcast instructions and did not want to continue to move forward.

"Please choose a weapon that suits you. This is the last replay. If after ten seconds, you still choose to stay put, then we will randomly activate the self-destruct chip."

Hearing the female voice broadcasting again, D and other personnel understood that Atlas had issued an ultimatum.

"Fuck, if I survive, I must find a chance to escape! In this universe, not only the earth can survive!"

A D-class personnel yelled and cursed, walking towards the equipment box marked "Hard Light Weapon".

Click~! Click~!

He flicked the unlocking button, then lifted the lid of the box with force to check the so-called "hard light weapon."

"Hey~! Not bad!"

He took out a rifle that was about one meter long and had a bright white appearance, and sighed:

"This thing looks much more advanced than the weapons used by armed security."

?

Seeing someone taking the lead, and seeing that the firearms provided by Atlas were really good, the remaining D and other personnel also stepped forward and opened the remaining weapon boxes.

Then pick up the new weapon labeled "hard light rifle", "hard light shotgun" or "hard light machine gun" on the helmet display.

These firearms, which Atlas calls the "hard light" series, are similar in appearance. They are all white, with long gun bodies, and bullpup structures.

The hard light machine gun is equipped with a disc-shaped drum and an attached mechanical arm, which can be attached to the user's mechanical skeleton or the waist of the power armor to assist in locking and calibration.

After a while.

More than a hundred D and other personnel selected their favorite firearms and obtained sufficient ammunition.

"Please all D and other personnel enter the simulated town to deal with the first wave of attacks." At this time, the female broadcaster paused and added very "considerately":

"You have five minutes to prepare. If you want to survive, please work as a team as much as possible and don't go alone.

In addition, there are three waves of attacks in this experiment. If you can survive to the end, the company will prepare generous rewards for you.

For example, you can increase the duration of your break, upgrade to a single cell, choose electronic entertainment products produced by our company, or choose meals that suit your tastes, etc. "

"Damn it! I don't want these! What I want is ***! I haven't eaten meat for a long time!"

"Hey, just because you don't want it doesn't mean that others don't want it either. I just like playing games in a single room, okay?"

"You guy, Atlas, can't kill anyone without asking, don't force me to break up first!"

"Care to give it a try?"

After the female voice broadcast, the group of D and other personnel who had power armor and firearms, their self-confidence, ambition, and desire instantly expanded, and they began to fight among themselves.

And it split into two groups instantly.

From this point of view, even the prison in Atlas is inseparable from cliques among prisoners.

After all, the vast majority of humans are social species that rely on interaction, cooperation, and communication with other individuals.

"Remind everyone, you still have four and a half minutes left, 4 minutes and 27 seconds to be precise.

If the countdown reaches the three-minute stage, personnel such as D who fail to leave the waiting area will be deemed to have automatically given up, and the self-destructive chip placed on the back of the head will be detonated. "

? !

After hearing the reminder from the female voice broadcast, a group of D and other personnel immediately ended their internal fighting and rushed to leave the waiting area.

And they realized that the guy responsible for issuing instructions to them was not a mindless program at all, but an artificial intelligence with a cold personality!

Therefore, all D and other personnel wisely kept their mouths shut, for fear that their words would be recorded by artificial intelligence, and even if they survived by chance, they would be treated "differently."

Entering the eastern part of the simulated town——

Looking at it, it is generally similar to the cities of Arcadia and Reach under the jurisdiction of the UNSC, but there are no giant structures exceeding a hundred meters or a thousand meters in height.

Then, the two groups of people who originally didn't deal with them just talked tough.

Faced with a life-and-death situation, more than 90% of them chose to act together, choosing small shopping malls that seemed easy to defend and difficult to attack as defensive fortifications.

Some D and other personnel were taking chances and went to the depths of the simulated town. They regarded the gathering of "colleagues" as bait and prepared to hide in the corner and wait for the end of the experiment.