Chapter 833 - 112 Damn!

In a state of panic, the workers were trapped against the walls, as if the walls behind them could ensure their safety.

But they completely forgot that these walls were the true culprits preventing their escape!

Amid the chaos, more and more comrades died from the splattering metal parts, with countless limbs being crushed. Screams, explosions, and the clanging of metal against metal were incessant. In desperation, Elliot and this young man dashed toward the deathly "turret" under the cover of a shield!

Bam!

A piece of debris shot out from the black smoke, brushing past Elliot’s shoulder. He didn’t even see what the thing was!

The barrier wall leading to the rebar production line control zone had been riddled by the flying steel, and the wall kept roaring under the impact of more rebars. Occasionally, there were rebars breaking through the wall, slowly flowing down from the holes...

Some rebars even pierced through the existing holes, shooting towards the crowd, followed by bloodcurdling screams.

Drawing closer, Elliot increasingly realized Johnny was right:

Whether it was the flying steel or the blasting metal parts, these things acted randomly, and the chances of getting killed were about the same no matter where they hid.

Only by actively identifying the root of the problem could it be considered a relatively "stable" action!

Bam!

A rebar struck hard at a hole in the wall, hung fiercely for a moment, but continued to smash forward with its remaining kinetic energy...

Smashing toward Elliot!

"We’re gonna die!!!"

"Let me help you!"

Elliot was utterly at a loss, but the young man beside him gave him a hard shove, sending him flying away. In his shocked gaze, the newly acquainted coworker plunged forward with the shield!

It seemed like a crazy move, but both Lille and Munemasa agreed it was smart —

The shield, of course, couldn’t directly withstand the flying steel, but as long as the angle wasn’t too direct, there was a good chance of deflecting the rebars.

Screech—

The scorching steel screeched across the iron "shield," emitting a piercing blast.

The flying steel was indeed deflected slightly at the point of initial impact with the shield, but the shield was only capable of enduring the first assault. Following that, it was almost instantly penetrated by the temperature and kinetic impacts!

Bam!

As the rebar pierced the shield, the young man also flew off with the great force, tumbling backward with dozens of kilograms of equipment, landing on his buttocks!

Yet with such a covering action, Elliot managed to rush to the control panel and insert his personal link.

[Connecting, verifying identity: Elliot Grove]

[Permission Level: E4—Senior Operator]

[Your prosthetic version is too outdated. Hasty access may cause corporate equipment damage.]

[You do not have operational authority, please obtain permission from the project manager.]

Elliot felt his face turn purple with anger from this contraption:

He just accessed the emergency stop button, and this needed a high-level prosthetic system and permission?!

The situation was dire!

[Munemasa: The security design logic of this system is not meant for safeguarding personnel, but to minimize production loss. We can’t just hack in to take over the factory; it would expose us.]

[Lille: I have a solution.]

Munemasa’s approach was more rigid, but Lille saw an opportunity earlier than him:

The current major damage points and types on the production line include conveyor belt fracture, overheating cutters, intake overload, and fuel valve damage.

Theoretically, manually switching production logic, reconfiguring equipment, and using these damaged lines could force the production line to shut down, effectively achieving a production halt without altering the factory system’s operational logic and without unexpected outcomes.

"What do we do?! Tell me quickly!"

[Lille: Enter the main control panel and switch to manual configuration mode. Generally, the capacity of the automatic system is the highest. Manual control will always be overridden.]

[Lille: But now there’s no output, so there’s no need for additional hacking operations. Initiate emergency line-switching operations.]

Elliot immediately inputted the instructions.

[Manual work request detected, capacity check request detected, triggering emergency protocol A1—23, low capacity.]

[Hasty takeover and change of equipment operating logic may cause equipment damage and capacity loss. Please initiate this protocol under the guidance of professional engineers.]

[Under this mode, the company reserves the right to prosecute you in accordance with the European Union Property Protection Law. Compensation will be necessary in the event of major property loss.]

"But he wants me to compensate!"

[Lille: The colleagues below are counting on you; now enter the simulation command, select equipment replacement, configure the overheated cutter to cooling mode.]

Elliot glanced at his coworkers engulfed in fear and despair, screaming in agony from crushed limbs, suddenly feeling like a fool.

But then he saw the young guy who had just raised the shield for him, giving him a thumbs-up, and he was immediately invigorated.

Enter simulation command: Overheated cutter, cooling mode.

At the moment the instruction was issued, the foremost cutter on the production line suddenly lost all power, and the damaged circuits ceased to flicker.

"Stopped!"

[Lille: Supply more energy to the cooling system, use energy scarcity as a reason to force the platform and hydraulic arm to pause operation.]

[Lille: Open the material switching mode, the conveyor belt will pause, the quality sensor will temporarily malfunction, and seize this window to shut it down.]

[Lille: Simulate an overheating alarm, forcibly trigger high-temperature equipment cooling processes, and stop the gas system supply...]

[Lille: Input simulation signal: Production capacity predicted to drop in 30 seconds, reallocating energy...]

With a series of operations, the sound of the cutter gradually faded, the conveyor belt stopped running, the hydraulic arm began to cease swinging, and the electrical lightning flashing in the smoke gradually vanished.

Very soon, the only disorder in the workshop came from the continuously striking steel from the next room.

Bam!

Screech—

After a loud noise, the metal partition wall was finally cut out with a huge gape by the flying steel.

The softened wall hung with only one side still connected, sliding down along the wall, as if a gap was ripped open by an invisible hand—

Inside the rift, a crazed cyber-madman was still waving his control lever at the console.

"Damn...lunatic..."

Having quieted the equipment turmoil in the workshop, Elliot let out a sigh of relief.

Though the steel might still break through the isolation wall, their workshop was already tending toward safety, with the screams and explosions faintly echoing from elsewhere.

[Lille: It’s not over yet; the other rooms are not done. The previous operations severed the link with the central control system, and this place can’t reverse-control the higher-level computer.]

[Lille: We need to go into the adjacent room, take down that cyber-madman, and stop the entire factory chaos.]

"What?! You want me to charge into that room and take down the cyber-madman?! I..."

[Lille: You don’t want to die, I know.]

[Lille: For your coworkers, and for the ’worker rights’ you frequently publish online, this time you have to do it.]

"I..."

Elliot flushed with effort, gazing through the gap in the wall at the cyber-madman inside.

He was someone who fantasized about being a hero, and now the opportunity was before him...

It turned out this choice wasn’t easy to make.

"I’ll do it!"