Sugo's Counterattack / Rise Up, Rose of Guns N' Roses Knights!

You guys are those unlucky bunch from this morning! No wonder that name sounded so familiar...

Kevin's lips twitched, and he looked speechless.

This Countess, who loves adventure and excitement, is indeed eager to get involved in any dangerous situation.

But this time, she messed up!

"This time, our [Guns N' Roses Knights] suffered heavy losses, with nearly 90% of our members killed. Apart from those two little girls who didn't participate in the raid, almost everyone present perished."

"Therefore, I entrust my life's work to you!"

Lara lightly licked her lips and placed her hands on Kevin's shoulders, her expression filled with solemnity and sorrow.

"If you can lead them to the first kill, I'll give you a 'reward,' and you can choose how!"

Those subtle, alluring glances made Kevin, who was already savoring the sweet taste of love, feel parched and his heart pounding.

Lara's stubborn, even obsessive, personality would definitely make her willing to do some outrageous things to win, since she could choose any method she wanted.

"Ahem, let's address your current staff shortage crisis first..."

Kevin dared not continue his reverie, immediately coughing to regain his composure and giving instructions for the next steps.

"Continue to throw money at hiring?"

Lara, with her deep pockets, was also scheming about where it would be most convenient to divert funds.

"Tsk, don't be so stubborn. Besides elevating yourself, you can also lower your opponent's standards..."

"Spread the word that the Five-colored Great Dragons' highest evolution level is 100, and they will never come back to life. If you team up to fight them, as long as you have enough people, you can theoretically whittle down their health until they die..."

"This is a highly sought-after prize; one guild can't handle it all. Let these hyenas waiting to fight over it team up and snatch it up..."

At that time, if they discover the challenge mechanism of the Five-colored Great Dragons' downgrade and account deletion, and the invincibility of the Five-colored Great Dragons...

Tsk tsk... High-level players, no matter how many go, they all die...

In this way, everyone is back on the same starting line. Isn't that fair?

After listening to Kevin's speculation and explanation, everyone looked at his cunning smile and stepped back, keeping a considerable distance from the scheming guy.

P. S.: We need to find some new people to work on building goodwill with.

Chapter 184, Chapter 173 Sugou Nobuyuki's Counterattack

The Ōshima Research Institute, with its newly renovated, silver-white metallic laboratory featuring refurbished wiring.

Rows of burly soldiers lay in order on beds, each wearing futuristic VR glasses, while several medical staff recorded their various physical indicators.

"Group 1, original code matching and deduction successful, initial penetration testing confirmed!"

"Second group, signal tracking complete!"

"Third group, VR scene loading..."

"..."

In the main control room, the cybersecurity experts, who were on high alert, responded solemnly one after another amidst the dense clatter of keyboards.

At this moment, on the huge virtual display screen directly in front of them, nearly a thousand high-end players with different equipment gathered in the red cube maze. They were carrying the logos of dozens of guilds of various sizes.

"Our negligence and incompetence have led to the shelving of the [Void Songstress Project], a disgrace to everyone!"

"But as long as we can break through the Five-colored Kings's defenses and connect to Hatsune Miku's physical form, we can regain control and restraint over her using the original code we have!"

"Gentlemen, today is the day we avenge our defeat!"

The elderly man with gray hair almost shouted as he forced them to recall the humiliation of being sniped by another team.

Afterwards, some elderly people, who were hoarse from shouting, were helped by their attendants to a separate room that was also equipped with a virtual screen.

"How confident are we in this campaign? I don't know why, but I just can't shake my unease..."

The old man knelt on his seat, accepted the poured tea, and frowned as he looked into the red block maze where war was about to break out.

"Game bosses have an upper and lower limit; their existence is solely for the purpose of being defeated!"

"Therefore, to increase entertainment value and replayability, even extremely difficult game bosses will have weaknesses designed into them..."

"Previously, the [Guns N' Roses Knights], which was clearly the strongest, had already exhausted the potential of the Five-colored Kings, and there is still no sign of these BOSSes respawning or resetting."

"We mobilized the nation's power and resources, and united nearly half of the major guilds to launch a campaign against them. We can wear them down with sheer numbers!"

"The system's level limit is 100. We're very well prepared; it's a sure thing!"

The man opposite, dressed in a black kimono, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, with a slightly long face and a sinister gaze, responded confidently.

Throughout the conversation, he maintained a slight bow, showing respect for the elderly man.

The elderly man, who valued order and rules, noticed this detail and was very satisfied, nodding slightly in approval.

"Sugou Nobuyuki, you're a well-known figure in the game development industry. It must feel bad to be kicked out without cause, right?"

This low, questioning question immediately caused the polite man's pupils to shrink, his head to be lowered, and his face to contort with rage. His clenched fists dug his nails into his flesh.

He was originally an employee of "RECT Manufacturing" and was in charge of the game's operation. He was deeply trusted by Asuna's father Shozo Yuuki, and was tasked with developing some of the market potential of the Hatsune World.

Originally, he hoped to build upon this foundation to create a game that could rival or even surpass the Hatsune World, thereby gaining fame and fortune.

He might even use this as a stepping stone to become the son-in-law of the Yuuki Family.

However, this ambitious "promising young man" was embarrassed to hear some news just as he was full of confidence and beginning to show his talents.

It seems that Akihiko Kayaba and Rinko Shinjo, who were in his student days at the Unified Research Lab, have already developed the prototype of a fully immersive game.

Therefore, the industry's attention was almost entirely focused on that team, while Sugou Nobuyuki's achievements went unnoticed and became mere supporting characters.

Meanwhile, his development budget was drastically reduced by Shozo Yuuki, who was focused on profit, and the two began to drift apart as a result.

What he found even more unbearable was that just a few days ago, he was fired without cause by that bastard Shozo Yuuki!

According to the inside information he obtained with great effort, it seems that Shozo Yuuki's partner is not satisfied with him as the game development director.

From the moment he was kicked out of the house, he secretly vowed to make the Yuuki Family pay the price.

I originally thought that achieving this delusion was a long way off.

But soon after he left, a group of heavily armed soldiers found him drinking at home, put a hood over his head, and escorted him to the Ōshima Laboratory.

After a series of investigations, he quickly rose through the ranks thanks to his ability to read people and became a trusted confidant of the old man, taking charge of the recovery of the Artificial Intelligence.

"Do you know why I chose you back then, instead of the more popular Akihiko Kayaba and Rinko Shinjo?"

Sugou Nobuyuki's reaction was self-evident. The old man gave a mocking smile, tapped the rim of his teacup lightly, and continued to ponder and ask questions.

This contrast was extremely humiliating to the highly ambitious Sugou Nobuyuki, but he had to endure it, because only through endurance could he have the opportunity to rise to a higher position and repay all his anger to those people tenfold.

"Please enlighten me..."

Sugou Nobuyuki head slightly, his attitude humble.

"Because you're not well-known, even if you disappear, the social impact will be minimized..."

The old man caught a glimpse of the anger deep in Sugou Nobuyuki's eyes and replied with a playful smile.

The polite young man nodded humbly, his smile unchanged.

"Very patient, good..."

"I was just joking earlier. The real reason is that you once wrote a research hypothesis about human consciousness, and we included it."

"And based on this, the most perfect Artificial Intelligence, [Void Songstress], was developed!"

As Sugou Nobuyuki looked up in astonishment, his eyes filled with shock, the old man stood up, gently patted his shoulder, and smiled warmly, like a kind elder.

"The creation of Hatsune Miku is your masterpiece..."

"You're a hidden genius, Shenzhi! You should be the one standing in the spotlight and on magazine covers!"

"Now, I'm giving you the opportunity and the stage to prove yourself. Do your best..."

With the help of his attendant, the old man rose slightly, leaving Sugou Nobuyuki, who was in a daze, to ponder alone.

Thank you for your guidance! I will definitely not let you down!

Sugou Nobuyuki his daze and solemnly kowtowed in the direction the old man had gone, his eyes filled with piety and fervor.

Then he noticed that the old man seemed to have left a file bag with a "top secret" seal on the table.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Sugou Nobuyuki immediately tore open the package to examine it. After several photos and documents were pulled out, the man's face twitched suddenly, his expression shifting between light and dark.

Could this be... the truth behind Hatsune Miku's creation?! It's simply... the devil's idea!

Meanwhile, the war in the red block maze has already begun.

P. S.: I'll gradually piece together the scattered clues.

Chapter 174, Section 185: Rise Up, Guns N' Roses Knights!

"Bang!"

In the dessert shop, Angela held her head, which had been hit, and pouted slightly, her gaze lingering on the strawberry sundae that had once belonged to her in Kevin's hand.

"You shouldn't eat too much ice cream, it'll upset your stomach. I've got you covered..."

Kevin noticed that a piece seemed to have been cut out of the Strawberry Sundae, raised an eyebrow, and started eating without a second thought.

Yuzuriha Inori that Angela looked a little aggrieved after being bullied, Yuzuriha Inori took out the cat's cradle and held it out to the little girl, preparing to invite her to play together.

"What were your respective levels just now?"

After the commander finished eating the Strawberry Sundae, he frowned and asked the others a question.

"Level 68, Berserk Healer, a dual-class character combining swordsmanship and healing. I don't know why the system gave me such a strange class..."

At this point, Asuna Yuuki looked a little embarrassed, immediately buried her head and drank a sip of juice, not daring to look at her friends who were trying to suppress their laughter.

"Level 61, Ghost Sniper, teamed up with Asuna and the others, I gradually tried to overcome my psychological barriers..."

"Oh, Asuna is Asuna's in-game ID..."

Shino Asada gently tugged at Asuna Yuuki's hand, and the two smiled at each other, their attitude intimate.

"I am a level 58 Templar Healer!"

Angela raised her little hand, her face flushed with excitement at the opportunity to shine.

"Level 64, Void Songstress..."

With the robot "Hibernation" resting on her lap, Yuzuriha Inori played with a string rope in her hands and answered softly.

Kevin's expression was a little stiff as he turned to look at the silver-haired Leon at the next table, who was slowly enjoying Strawberry Sundae, and Chris, who was entertaining Rebecca at the table to his left.

At this moment, his eyes were filled with disdain.

Even a bunch of kids leveled up faster than you guys, you're such jerks!

Of course, these guys who don't need to work and spend their days playing games in their small apartments could have easily reached level 70, the top tier.

But their terrible luck completely drove them to the brink of madness.

Besides, these three guys were too proud to ask to switch groups for a long time.

With this delay, it's quite an achievement that they managed to grind their way up to level 50 from the lower-level areas.

These little guys, with their smooth sailing lives, get whatever they want.

"So, you want to invite us to join the [Guns N' Roses Knights] and conquer the final level of the Five-colored Great Dragons together in a while?"

After listening to Kevin's explanation, Shino Asada and Asuna Yuuki, the two independent players, nodded slightly in agreement.

Asuna Yuuki played this game because her parents wanted to use her as a bridge to deepen their relationship with Countess Lara.

Therefore, when faced with the request from Countess Lara's superior, Asuna readily agreed.

Since the next day, when those mentally unstable school thugs were dragged away from the detention room, Shino Asada heard that they had transferred schools overnight, and related news had been suppressed.

Shino Asada knew that this was Kevin protecting him...

Although, at times this girl often doubted Kevin's intentions.