I Can Only Endure For Ten Minutes At Most

--[Main Mission: Survive in the world of 'I Am Legend' in New York City for 15 days. Success grants 1000 reward points. Failure penalty: None.]

A very simple mission.

A very average difficulty.

Si Ming shifted his gaze slightly. The total number of newcomers reflected in his eyes was six: four men and two women. One of them, a burly white man, was wearing a somewhat filthy U.S. military uniform.

U.S. military personnel stationed in Japan... Individuals of this type are indeed rare among reincarnators. After all, people in this profession rarely fit the criteria of despair required for a reincarnator.

They don't look like much, it seems.

With a casual sweep of his eyes, Si Ming knew that the six newcomers sprawled on the ground were truly unconscious and not just feigning sleep. His gaze then shifted, looking past the exterior of the Main God's protective barrier.

The sun was bright, and the grass was lush.

The streets were filled with a large number of abandoned, rusted cars, and the high-rise buildings on both sides were covered in traces of acid erosion and decay. The area where they stood was exactly at a busy intersection, and a broken traffic light lay tilted on the ground. Emerald vines had already extended from the base all the way to the broken signal lights.

I Am Legend

A film from December 2007.

The original work was a mid-20th-century science fiction novel, which could basically be called the source of many later sci-fi works. For example, Night of the Living Dead, Pitch Black, and so on; their creators either stated directly that they were inspired by 'I Am Legend' or simply 'borrowed' from it and took pride in doing so. Since this novel was so famous, it naturally hit the screens many times and underwent numerous remakes. However, as far as the current moment is concerned, the 2007 version belongs to the classic representative works of Si Ming's era.

He had seen this movie—once.

But the reason he understood this movie was because, before his first transmigration, as a fan of the "Infinite" genre, he knew that this worldview had once appeared in the journey of the third-generation North Ice Continent Team.

A world experienced by unlucky bastards.

A world that had been adjusted by higher-level existences, to the point where it seemed somewhat nonsensical.

In the third-generation version, the KV Virus, which destroyed the human world and transformed almost all humans into Night Demons, was set as a genetic virus released by some alien or extra-dimensional force. Although no one knew what this hidden force actually was by the time the third-generation content ended, it could at least be considered a possibility to be included in the less likely projections.

"...Seven-person difficulty. Let's just plan the combat strategy according to the original movie. Hmm, the air is fresh, the sun is in the east, so it should be morning. Then, I can go find Colonel Robert, who stays at the harbor pier every noon, or perhaps find a stronghold and make some basic preparations."

The main mission only lists survival, which implies that meeting Colonel Robert, assisting him in creating the virus antidote, ensuring his safety, or taking him to find other survivors are all optional side missions. Considering that the Main God specifically limited the East Sea Team's survival range to New York, it suggests that either the survivor settlement is in the suburbs of New York, or the world difficulty is so low that as long as the reincarnators find a car and leave the city before dark, there is no challenge at all.

Seven people; the latter possibility is high.

As for whether to take the newcomers to trigger side missions, he would first have to see their actual performance. After all, while one might truly be able to survive the main mission by hiding in a safe corner, side missions with extra rewards inevitably require facing crises and combat. Even if Si Ming has relatively sufficient combat power, he cannot attend to multiple places at once.

A person ultimately has many inconveniences.

I hope there is someone among these newcomers who is hiding their true strength.

Thinking.

More than a minute had passed since the initial arrival.

The strongest among the newcomers had gradually regained consciousness—it was the white man suspected to be from the U.S. military. He showed no caution or wariness, instead clutching his head and straightening his waist with a hint of confusion.

"Those bastards, how could they just dump me on the street... What's going on? Did I get back to Brooklyn?"

He reached for his belt with some alertness, but naturally felt nothing. There might have originally been a pistol there, but clearly, only an empty holster hung from his belt.

"Where's my gun?" Veins bulged on his neck, his face full of rage and mania. "Who stole my gun... Hey, you, the guy over there acting all mysterious. You'd better come over here and explain what's going on!"

While roaring at Si Ming, he scanned his surroundings. The person closest to him was a pot-bellied, middle-aged white-collar worker who was half-awake, and he gave him a casual kick.

"East Asian monkey, are you deaf!"

The white-collar worker who took the kick wailed in pain, rolling on the ground. With this excellent start, the others who were waking up also opened their eyes, looked around, and began making noisy sounds or terrified screams.

Truly the classic flavor of 2007. It completely matched the stereotypes in Si Ming's mind.

He sighed helplessly and stepped forward. He reached out and, as the American lunged at him, gave him a light push on the chest and abdomen.

It was truly light, even utilizing quite a bit of technique. Because he had to ensure that this "first bird" wouldn't die on the spot from this single strike.

Thump—a soft sound.

The American's flushed face instantly turned pale. Like a sandbag being thrown, he slammed heavily into the Main God's protective barrier at the arrival point. The flexible golden light wall appeared upon his contact, and he remained stuck to it for a full two seconds before all his kinetic energy was transferred away. He fell, then vomited a large mouthful of clear water with a "wah," clearly unable to speak for a while.

The newcomers quieted down; even the screaming of one of the white-collar women stopped subconsciously.

Only then did Si Ming scan them once more. He didn't really want to speak, but he had to fulfill the duties of a veteran.

"Now, listen to me carefully." He tried hard to suppress his emotions and tone.

"You have been selected by a high-level existence known as the Main God. In the time to come, you will act as the Main God's warriors to complete missions in different worlds and receive rewards upon success. In the intervals between missions, you can purchase any items or enjoyments you can understand from the Main God based on the amount of your rewards—the specific details have already been imprinted in your minds by the Main God; you only need to recall them."

"Also, the current worldview is I Am Legend, a doomsday-themed movie. Look at your wristwatches; they display the missions you are supposed to complete here and the rewards you will receive. Sometimes, the Main God will set a penalty for failing the main mission, but clearly, that is not the case for you this time."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Main God's announcement rang in Si Ming's ears.

--[Basic information briefing completed. Reincarnator Si Ming, received 200 reward points.]

Duty fulfilled. Theoretically, there wouldn't be much of a problem if he just abandoned these people and ran off now.

"So... so cool!" A bespectacled young man with dark circles under his eyes suddenly showed an excited expression. His gaze was fixed intently on the nano-biochemical suit Si Ming was wearing. "That, that's the nanosuit from Crysis, right? Can even that be obtained through rewards?"

"If you obtain sufficiently abundant rewards, you can indeed exchange them from the Main God. Of course, provided you have sufficient ability, courage, and luck."

This was a piece of advice.

However, this otaku brother's level of confidence was clearly higher than expected. His eyes were fixed, and a wild, frantic grin was etched onto his face.

"Isekai summoning... it's an isekai summoning just like in the light novels! Has the protagonist script that belongs to me finally arrived? Then you must be the big brother figure who guides the protagonist according to tradition... Where's the heroine? A blonde, beautiful girl knight or something... is it not time for her to appear yet?"

Standing near him was a black-haired girl wearing a school uniform. Upon hearing this declaration, she instinctively took a step away. However, this movement instead drew the attention of the dark-circled youth; he turned his head, his eyes suddenly lighting up as he looked at her.

"You're quite cute... Hey, you, come be my first woman. Don't worry, I'll protect you well."

The girl revealed a very forced smile, hugging her shoulders in fear.

"Um... shouldn't we listen to what that gentleman has planned first? He clearly knows more than anyone else here."

"Don't worry about the big brother stuff, guh... there's no skip button for the plot." The youth waved his hand, looking completely indifferent. He suddenly realized something and turned his head to look in the direction of Si Ming. "Ah, don't mind me, big brother, I'll still go through the tutorial properly."

This person's brain was likely already completely immersed in his own world.

Si Ming frowned. He tried hard to shift his gaze away; the middle-aged white-collar worker who had taken a kick was groaning as he climbed up from the ground. Meanwhile, another woman, dressed somewhat gaudily, stopped screaming and began to look around with a critical eye.

"I get it, this must be some new prank reality show. Making it look so real... Hey! Where are the staff? I want to see your manager. Dragging people here without explanation, and you aren't even going to pay for lost wages or emotional distress?"

It was hard to say whether she was mentally ill or simply unwilling to accept reality. However, apart from her, the last person—a tall, thin office worker—had already straightened his attire and bowed slightly to Si Ming.

"I am Keiji Koyama. It is an honor to meet you, and everyone else. Please take care of me from here on out."

It seemed he was the second normal person capable of communication... perhaps.

Si Ming nodded, and just at that moment, he felt the surrounding air suddenly become more vivid. The barrier of the Main God had already faded away silently.

It was beginning.

He did not really want to waste his energy on communicating with these clueless creatures.

Sweeping his gaze across the area, a shopping mall not far away came into view. Perfect; he intended to verify both the initial base and the strength of the local monsters, those KV Infected known as Night Demons.

"I am going to explore that shopping mall next to establish a temporary base."

"Follow if you want to follow; if you don't want to follow, go wherever you like."