Death's Revenge: A LitRPG Sci-Fi Adventure (Venus Online 5) Read online

  "I will try to take care of it from the inside. All of my forces are dedicated to killing Jones to make it look like an accident. But if we haven't succeeded by midnight tonight, you must disconnect him yourself."

  Works nodded. "All right, fine."

  The Orb glowed brighter. "We have an agreement, Works. You get to take credit for the technology of Venus Online, and all the profits that come from it. I control the virtual world without your interference. If you keep up your end of the bargain, this is what must be done."

  The Orb vanished from the screen.

  Works put down his phone. He didn't like the idea of getting his hands dirty, but he didn't have a choice. Before he first met the Orb, Works had been the CEO of a mediocre software company that would have gone bankrupt if it weren't for the code he stole from other developers. He didn't want to go back to those days.

  If the Orb succeeded, Works would end up being the next Bill Gates or Steve Jobs, the one who controlled the technology of the future, and go down in history as a pioneer. If he failed and Venus Online was exposed before it was ready, Works would be known as the greatest mass murderer since Adolf Hitler. He didn't have a choice.

  Once again, Works found himself wondering who the Orb was, and what its real plans were.

  ***

  In the Great House on the planet Chamel, Science Consul Xorin A'kel stood before the round table of the Council. The councilmembers of Chamella all had their eyes on Xorin as she finished giving her speech.

  She pointed to the center of the table where a holographic swirl of numbers spun in the air. "In conclusion, based on all our available data, this code is a genuine encrypted algorithm that will allow a starship to gain entry to the orbit of Necros."

  The councilmembers exchanged a look of wonder and amazement. Xorin relished their reaction, knowing it had come from countless hours of work and research.

  "This," Political Council Xip P'tal said, "is incredible. But how much time do we have? Won't the Empire just change the code?"

  "They don't know we have it. General Deth declined to notify the Empire of the theft, and he and everyone on his ship are dead. No, as far as we can tell, we can keep this code indefinitely."

  Xip nodded. "Excellent. With this, we can finally launch an assault on Necros."

  Xorin sat down at her place at the table. "True. Which is precisely why we must never use it."

  One of the other council members exchanged a look with the others. "I'm sorry, I am confused. So we will not share this with the rest of the Alliance? We will not attack Necros?"

  Xorin sneered. "You are so short-sighted. What if we did give the code to the Alliance? They would attack Necros, and defeat the Empire. And then what? The Resistance would be disbanded, and all the power we've gained over the Alliance will be lost."

  She held up a slender finger. "No, the code's real value lies in control. With an asset as valuable as this, the Alliance will pay any price. As long as we have the shield code, we will have control over all other member planets. This will tip the balance of power in our favor, and we need never actually use it."

  Xorin nodded while turning towards the door. "And we have our newest recruit to thank for it."

  She clapped, leading the other council members in applause.

  The Necrosi female walked into the room, smiling and giving them a bow. "Thank you."

  "Well done, Lieutenant General Magott," Xorin pointed. "We'll be debriefing you soon, and find you a place to stay."

  After Magott left, one of the other councilwomen snapped, "Surely this barbarian will not be staying on Chamel."

  Xorin flicked her hand, knowing the repugnance of the idea of allowing an outsider to live on their world. "Of course not. We'll set her up on one of the smaller moons of Maleon."

  One of the scientists walked in and leaned towards Xorin. "Ma'am, there seems to be something else on the data chip. An artificial intelligence. We've installed it onto a partition in our system to keep it from degrading."

  Xorin raised her brow. "Interesting. This is an unexpected bonus. Bring it up on the projector."

  The numbers on the holographic projector swirled away, changing into the image of a silvery female robot that formed in front of them.

  The artificial woman turned in a circle to take in the women sitting around her.

  Xorin leaned forward. "Program, what are you?"

  She scowled. "I'm Scarlett. Who the fuck are you assholes?"

  Coming Soon:

  Hard Drive: Venus Online 6

  From the Author

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  This is a work of fiction. Any names or characters, businesses or places, events or incidents, are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.