--[Main Mission: Survive for 15 days in New York City in the world of I Am Legend. Success: 1,000 reward points. Failure penalty: none.]
It was a simple mission.
The difficulty was nothing special.
Si Ming turned his gaze slightly. There were six newcomers in total: four men and two women. One of the men was a burly white man wearing a somewhat dirty U.S. military uniform.
A U.S. serviceman stationed in Japan... It was rare to see someone like that among the Reincarnators. After all, people in that line of work seemed unlikely to meet the standard of despair required to become a Reincarnator.
They all look pretty unimpressive.
With a casual glance, Si Ming could tell that the six newcomers lying unconscious on the ground were genuinely asleep, not pretending. He shifted his gaze beyond the Main God's barrier.
The sun shone brightly, and the grass was lush.
The streets were littered with abandoned, rusted cars, while the high-rises on either side were stained with corrosive decay. They were at a crossroads in a bustling district, where a broken traffic light lay crooked on the ground. Green vines had spread from its base all the way up to the ruined lights.
I Am Legend
A film from December 2007.
The original work was a science fiction novel from the mid-twentieth century, and could be considered the source of many later sci-fi works. For example, the creators of Night of the Living Dead and Riddick had openly said that I Am Legend had inspired them, or even that they had directly "borrowed" from it—and took pride in doing so. The novel was so famous that it had been adapted for the screen many times. As far as Si Ming was concerned, the 2007 version was a classic from his era.
He had seen the film—once.
But he knew about it because, before his first transmigration, he had been a fan of infinite-flow stories and knew this world had appeared in the Third-Generation North Ice Continent Team's journey.
A world experienced by an unlucky soul.
A world adjusted by a higher being until it seemed rather disjointed.
In the Third-Generation version, the KV Virus, which had destroyed human civilization and turned almost all of humanity into Night Demons, had been set up as a genetic virus released by some alien or extradimensional power. No one ever figured out what that hidden force was, even by the end of the Third-Generation story. Still, it could at least be counted as one possibility in the realm of the highly unlikely.
"...A seven-person difficulty. For now, I'll plan our strategy as if this world follows the original film exactly. The air is fresh, and the sun is in the east, so it should be morning. If we head out to find Colonel Robert, who spends every noon at the harbor docks, we can also look for a base and make some basic preparations."
The main mission only required them to survive. That meant meeting up with Colonel Robert, helping him make a virus cure, keeping him safe, or taking him to find other survivors were all optional side missions. The Main God had specifically restricted the East Sea Team's survival zone to New York, which meant either the survivors' settlement was in the suburbs or the difficulty was low enough that the Reincarnators could just find a car and leave the city before nightfall, with no real challenge.
With seven people, the latter seemed likely.
As for whether to take the newcomers along to trigger side missions, he would first have to see how they behaved. The main mission might truly be one they could complete by hiding in a safe spot until time ran out, but side missions with extra rewards would inevitably involve danger and combat. Si Ming was reasonably capable in a fight, but he couldn't cover multiple places at once.
There were always drawbacks to working alone.
I hope one of these newcomers is hiding their true abilities.
He thought it over.
A little over a minute had passed since their arrival.
The strongest-looking newcomer was beginning to regain consciousness. It was the burly white man who seemed to be a U.S. serviceman. He showed no caution or wariness, simply clutching his head and sitting up in a daze.
"Those assholes just dumped me in the middle of the street... What the hell? Am I back in Brooklyn?"
He cautiously reached for his belt, but, as expected, found nothing. He might once have kept a handgun there, but all that remained was an empty holster hanging from his belt.
"Where's my gun?" Veins bulged in his neck, and his face contorted with rage and agitation. "Who stole my gun... Hey, you, the one pretending to be all serious. You'd better get over here and explain what's going on!"
He shouted at Si Ming, then glanced around. The closest person to him was a portly, middle-aged office worker who was barely waking up. Without a second thought, he kicked him.
"Hey, you Asian monkey! Are you deaf?"
The office worker let out a pained groan and rolled around on the ground. That set the tone for the rest. The other newcomers began to open their eyes, look around, and make a racket or scream in panic.
It really did have that classic 2007 feel to it. Everything fit the stereotypes in Si Ming's head perfectly.
He sighed helplessly and stepped forward. When the American lunged at him, he reached out and gave him a light push to the chest and stomach.
It was a very gentle push, and he had used quite a bit of technique. He needed to make sure this loudmouth didn't die from the blow.
With a soft thud, the American's flushed face turned pale. He slammed into the Main God's barrier at the arrival point like a sandbag thrown across the room. The supple golden wall of light appeared on impact. He stuck to it for a full two seconds before all his momentum was absorbed. Then he dropped to the ground and vomited up a large amount of clear liquid. For the time being, he was clearly in no condition to speak.
The newcomers fell silent. Even one of the office-worker women stopped screaming without realizing it.
Only then did Si Ming look over them again. He didn't much feel like speaking, but he had to fulfill the responsibilities of a veteran.
"Now, listen carefully." He did his best to keep his emotions and tone in check.
"You've been chosen by a higher being known as the Main God. From now on, you'll serve as its warriors, completing missions in different worlds and receiving rewards when you succeed. Between missions, you can use your rewards to buy anything you can understand from the Main God. The specific details have already been imprinted in your minds. You only need to recall them."
"And the world we're in now is I Am Legend, a post-apocalyptic film. Check your watches. They show the mission you're supposed to complete here and the rewards you'll receive. Sometimes the Main God imposes a penalty when you fail the main mission, but that doesn't seem to be the case this time."
As soon as he finished speaking,
the Main God's announcement sounded in Si Ming's ear.
--[Basic information briefing completed. Reincarnator Si Ming has received 200 reward points.]
His duty was done. In theory, he could leave these fools behind and set off on his own without much trouble.
"Th-that's so cool!" A bespectacled young man with dark circles around his eyes suddenly looked thrilled. His gaze was fixed on Si Ming's Nano-Biochemical Suit. "Is that— Is that the suit from Crysis? You can get that from the Main God too?"
"If you earn enough reward points, you can exchange them for it. Of course, you'll also need enough ability, courage, and luck."
It was a warning.
But this otaku's confidence was clearly higher than expected. His eyes glazed over, and a wild grin spread across his face.
"Summoned to another world... It's an isekai summoning, just like in the light novels! Has my protagonist story finally begun? So you're the older-brother type who guides the protagonist, like in all the usual stories... Where's the heroine? A beautiful blonde knight, maybe... Is she not supposed to show up yet?"
Standing near him was a black-haired girl in a school uniform. At his declaration, she instinctively took a step away. But that only caught the young man's attention. He turned toward her, his eyes suddenly lighting up.
"Pretty cute... Hey, you, be my first woman. Don't worry, I'll protect you."
The girl gave a strained smile and hugged her shoulders, looking afraid.
"Um... shouldn't we hear what that gentleman has planned first? He clearly knows more than any of us."
"Forget the big-brother stuff, gu... There's no skipping the plot, huh?" The young man waved his hand dismissively. Then he seemed to remember something and turned toward Si Ming. "Oh, big bro, don't mind me. I'll still play through the tutorial properly."
This guy was probably already lost in his own world.
Si Ming frowned and forced himself to look away. The middle-aged office worker who had been kicked was groaning as he got back to his feet. Another woman, dressed rather flamboyantly, had stopped screaming and was now looking around with a critical eye.
"I get it. This is some new hidden-camera reality show, right? You made it look so real... Hey! Where's the staff? I want to speak to whoever's in charge. You can't just drag people here without asking and not pay them for lost work and emotional distress!"
It was hard to tell whether she was delusional or just refusing to accept reality. But apart from her, the last newcomer, a tall, thin office worker, had straightened his clothes and bowed politely to Si Ming.
"I'm Keiji Koyama. It's a pleasure to meet you and everyone else. I look forward to working with you."
He seemed to be the second person here who could have a normal conversation... Maybe.
Si Ming nodded. Just then, he felt the air around them grow more vibrant. The Main God's barrier was quietly fading away.
It was starting.
He didn't want to waste his energy talking to these nonsensical creatures.
He glanced around and spotted a shopping mall nearby. That would do. He wanted to test both the area as a starting base and the strength of the local monsters—the KV Infected, known as Night Demons.
"Next, I'm going to explore that shopping mall and set up a temporary base."
"Anyone who wants to come along can follow me. If you don't, go wherever you like."
Before you continue