I Am a Reincarnation Stream Player

"How about this? Since you want it so badly, Senior, I'll do you the favor of taking a couple more looks."

"Of course not!" Mai hugged her chest. When she saw that Yuki hadn't even looked over, she seemed a little surprised.

"Are you two feeling a little better now?" Yuki suddenly spoke, pointing first at Hayasaka Ai, who was watching the show, then at Mai by the table.

"Even if you're laughing for different reasons, you're both smiling now. Under this Crimson Moon, smiles are precious. No matter how desperate things get, don't forget this moment."

The two women both froze. In Yuki's mouth, that little interruption somehow sounded almost philosophical.

He was really good at this. He'd gotten an eyeful, but instead of making them dislike him, he'd actually earned their favor.

The word "professional" flashed through Hayasaka Ai's mind again. She gave him a wary look, then noticed his expression grow confused and simply rapped her knuckles against the table.

"Enough. Break time's over. Trouble's here."

She turned the computer screen around. A wanted notice was playing on a loop, with clear photos of all of them.

[The following terrorists are wanted throughout the city. Shoot to kill upon sight.]

Dozens of police cars roared past, speeding down the streets. The scene looked like something out of a blockbuster, stirring the blood—until they realized it was all coming for them, and their eyes twitched.

"Why shoot to kill? Isn't the police's first priority to arrest suspects?" Mai Sakurajima suddenly asked, looking baffled. "We haven't killed anyone. Can't we explain things? Hayasaka just found out that this city has laws."

"I don't know. It could be part of the game's setup." Yuki took several uniforms from a cabinet in the break room, briefly comparing them to their builds before tossing them over one by one. "Listen while you change."

"Hey, we're changing just like that?" Mai Sakurajima clutched the gray uniform. The three of them changing face-to-face was a sight she couldn't even imagine.

"You're still worried about being embarrassed at a time like this? Fine, fine. I'll go outside. I won't take advantage of you."

Yuki left reluctantly, leaving the door slightly ajar. As he listened to the rustle of clothes being taken off, he explained:

"Even if the people in Crimson Moon City follow normal logic, we can't let ourselves get arrested."

"Hint two: you can't stay anywhere for more than two hours, except for the Ancient Castle. Even the nicest cop won't let us go after just two hours, will they?"

"Right. If we get thrown in jail, it'll be hard to escape. We can't leave our fate in someone else's hands." Hayasaka Ai took off her school uniform, revealing her energetic figure. She instinctively glanced at Mai Sakurajima and saw that they were evenly matched, if not in height, then in other ways. Then she fixed her eyes on the crack in the door.

"But that means we don't have anywhere to hide for long, either. And the police are organized and intelligent. If we just run, they'll surround us soon enough."

People weren't like Living Corpses. They had guns, and brains, too. It didn't matter how fast you ran.

There was no reply from outside. Two seconds later, the door suddenly swung open. The two women, still fastening the buttons on their chests, immediately turned pale.

Yuki's eyes flicked over them, catching a glimpse of red and black lace through the gaps between the buttons. But his nerves were already on edge, his mind switched to strategy mode. Even this beautiful sight couldn't stir the slightest emotion in him.

"Someone's coming. Hurry, let's go. I'll explain on the way."

They'd known Yuki for less than a day, but they knew he wouldn't joke around when it came to serious matters. Hayasaka Ai and Mai quickly fastened their buttons and followed the man through the inner door.

This was a staff passageway, with a narrow staircase leading straight to the ground floor. The three hurried down beneath dim strip lighting, already hearing startled shouts coming from the break room.

They'd been discovered. The police wouldn't rush them like Living Corpses, but one phone call would bring firepower they couldn't withstand.

"Hayasaka, did you download the map?" Yuki took several steps at a time, his fingers constantly rubbing the hilt of his knife.

Hayasaka Ai didn't answer. She just raised her phone. It had no signal, but it could still be used like a tablet.

"Where are Li Dan and the others?"

"He split up from Thomas and is hiding somewhere on West District Cross Street with that rich guy. Should we meet up with them?" Mai Sakurajima had been keeping in contact with the outside world.

"Yeah. He's a veteran player, and he's stronger than us. Don't hesitate to lean on someone when you need to. Keep in touch."

Yuki nodded firmly, though he found it odd. Why had the two veteran players only teamed up at the critical moment? They'd been acting separately before.

Was it just because they couldn't stand each other? Were they willing to risk their lives over it?

He didn't have time to think it over. He asked, "Any leads on the thing I asked you to look into?"

"I looked online and found something interesting. Take a look." Hayasaka Ai handed him her phone, which was covered in glittery decorations. Several screenshots were on the screen.

The screenshots looked like tourist information, saying that the Moonlit Ancient Castle was especially beautiful. Yuki could vouch for that. A few hours ago, he'd nearly been "killed by its beauty." But after one glance, his brows instinctively furrowed.

March 21, 02:00–08:00

March 22, 00:00–08:00

March 23, 22:00 (the previous day)–08:00

It was a strange astronomical phenomenon. As expected, this place had nothing to do with Earth. Sunrise stayed at the same time, while night grew longer by two hours each day.

Judging by the chimes of midnight at the Ancient Castle, the players had arrived at the end of March 21. It should be March 22 now, and the moon would rise at ten tonight, then set at eight the morning of March 23.

Yuki was startled. The extra reward had already confirmed it: three moonrises and moonsets counted as one day. That had nothing to do with real-world time.

In other words, if you missed this crucial detail, even a max-level character would be doomed after just twelve days. Even a god would fall.

Because after twelve days came Eternal Night. It wouldn't matter if they turned the castle into a Corpse Mountain, Blood Sea—they wouldn't escape.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just realized this game is really sinister. Being strong and fast won't save you."

Hayasaka Ai nodded. She'd realized that, too. No wonder Li Dan and Thomas were willing to take the gamble. They clearly knew the usual approach wouldn't end well.

She wanted to ask a couple more questions, but at that moment, the clatter of leather shoes came from upstairs. Hayasaka Ai tensed and instantly drew her axe, only for Yuki to press her hand down.

"I'll handle it."

The man didn't waste words. He charged up the stairs, grabbing an office chair from a pile in the corner as he went. When he reached the next floor and rounded the corner, he caught sight of dark blue uniforms from the edge of his vision.

A man suddenly appeared. The two policemen in blue uniforms and octagonal caps were clearly taken aback. Without a word, they swung their dark gun barrels toward him.

No warning, no questions. They pulled the triggers.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The gunshots echoed through the stairwell. Yuki lifted the chair over his head. After Reinforcement Magecraft, it was harder than a sheet of steel. Sparks burst as bullets ricocheted in every direction.

What the hell was this thing? Why wouldn't the bullets go through?

The two policemen instinctively leaned back and turned their wrists, trying to shoot Yuki behind them. But they were already right on top of each other. It was too late to turn their guns.

Thud!

A flying knee slammed one policeman against the wall. Yuki spun and flung the chair, knocking the other enemy to the floor. He rushed over and struck him on the neck with the knife's hilt. The man's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed limply.

Huff, huff, huff.

Yuki panted hard, steadying his pounding heart. He glanced at the dents in the office chair and grimaced.

Even without using his full strength, even with an ordinary office chair, his Master-level Reinforcement Magecraft was enough to make a Living Corpse lose its teeth. Yet the chair had only stopped direct pistol fire, and the impact had numbed his wrists. This game really was full of deception.

Think the Living Corpses in the castle are dangerous?

Yuki looked up at the dense footsteps coming from above and twitched at the corner of his eye.

No. This seemingly ordinary human society was far more dangerous!

Chapter 24: Growth

There was no need to explain the penetrating power of guns. The armed forces in this city were highly trained, and their hostility was intense.

No warning. They drew their guns and fired. Weren't they afraid of hitting an innocent bystander?

Yuki glanced at the subway uniform he was wearing. Any normal person would have hesitated. If he hadn't prepared Reinforcement Magecraft in advance, he would've been taken out by two shots.

So they really did shoot to kill? That made no sense.

Just as Mai Sakurajima had said, the police's first priority was to arrest suspects. Even if they kept one person alive, they could get them to give up their accomplices.

There was no time to think. Yuki carefully examined the two officers, even pulling a family photo out of one man's pocket to make sure they were ordinary people.

They were definitely normal people.

He bent down, picked up a revolver, and tucked it behind his back. Mai Sakurajima and Hayasaka Ai happened to catch up, and at once saw the two policemen lying on the floor.

"You didn't kill them?"

"No. There's no need. Remember hint five?"

[Hint five: Everyone has the right to bathe in the moonlight.]

Hayasaka Ai thought about it, unsure what it meant. Mai Sakurajima, however, gave a soft cry.

"Crimson Moon City... there's a Crimson Moon here, too!"

"Right. We can confirm it tonight. Until then, we'd better not violate any hints." Yuki was meticulous and cautious. He lifted his head slightly, hearing the footsteps draw closer, along with the bark of police dogs. He quickly surveyed the surroundings.

There was no corridor, no exit, just discarded desks and chairs and a storage cabinet in the corner. Going back downstairs would be a dead end, too. There had to be another squad searching their way in from somewhere else.

They were trapped. Even if Li Dan and Thomas were here, they couldn't hold back an endless stream of enemies.

"Use your Ego Trait. Let's get out first."

The reward they'd just received was already proving useful, linking together seamlessly. Hayasaka Ai snapped her fingers, as if drawing two pure white masks from thin air.

"I've never met these two, so I can only imitate their appearance. Also, once we use this, we'll have to wait another six hours."

"If we don't use it, we'll die right now." Yuki snatched one and put it on. He felt no different, but in Hayasaka Ai's eyes, he'd become a two-hundred-pound white man.

Authoritative, professional, addicted to doughnuts, swearing like a sailor and reaching for his gun whenever he saw anything black.

A kind of illusion that altered how others perceived them. It was more useful than a combat skill in this situation.

Yuki had no time to study it. He glanced at Mai Sakurajima and shoved the other pistol into her hand. "Run downstairs and make some noise. Draw them away."

Shoot it?

Mai had used a prop gun on some TV show, but this was her first time holding a real one. It was heavy, but there was no time to worry about that. The dense footsteps were at most two floors away.

"Quick, help me. Throw those two into the cabinet, or we're dead."

Yuki hefted the heavy man and shoved him into the cabinet. He'd barely shut the door when the dense footsteps were already right in front of them.

Click.

The sound of a gun being cocked nearly stopped his heart. Yet, for some reason, he had the illusion that they were all allies. His face showed not a trace of fear.

Even if he'd never met the original, did the mask come with some of the person's personality?

He sneaked a glance at the dozens of armed police officers, then immediately dropped to one knee, gun aimed down the stairs.

"There are three suspects. They're heading downstairs!"

After saying this, he stared straight ahead. If he couldn't fool these people, they had no chance of fighting back.

They were only a few meters apart, but at close range, a gun was fast and accurate.

"Stand down. They're one of us."

Dead silence lasted a few seconds. Then the sergeant at the front raised his hand. With a clatter, the dark gun barrels finally lowered.

The sergeant seemed to know nothing about supernatural powers. At the very least, a sudden transformation wasn't something he understood. He walked down the steps with his gun raised and asked in confusion,

"Why aren't you chasing them?"

"My partner's gun was taken by the terrorists, so we're waiting for the main force to back us up." Yuki answered calmly, though inside he was growing anxious.

The Fool Mask didn't come with any memories. He knew even less about Crimson Moon City. If the sergeant asked a few more questions, he'd give himself away. And now there was a dog's head by his feet.

A black-backed shepherd-like dog stuck out its long tongue and brought its nose close. Its panting sounded like a death sentence.

If it caught the scent of the people in the cabinet and barked, even a man of iron would be riddled with bullets.

The dog didn't seem to notice that their scent was wrong, but it stuck its head between Yuki's legs again, as if puzzled by why there was an identical scent inside the cabinet.

Hayasaka Ai stared at it. Yuki flexed his fingers around the gun, ready to take the sergeant in front of him hostage at any moment. But just then—

Bang! Bang!

Muffled gunshots came from downstairs. They were close, and the sound rang painfully in their ears in the enclosed space. The dog opened its mouth and barked wildly. The sergeant immediately ducked and drew his gun.

"The terrorists have taken police weapons! Everyone, stay alert!"

"What about us?"

"You two get back and write your reports."

"Yes, sir."

Yuki felt as though he'd just been granted a reprieve. He quickly stepped aside as fully armed officers streamed past him, one after another. There had to be dozens of them.

They were especially cautious because the enemy had guns. With their backs to the wall and their weapons aimed at the corners, they moved downstairs one step at a time.