Chapter 248

Thinking of this, Yuki a pang of sadness. He wasn't a robot; he had fought alongside Chris and the others for several days and witnessed so many sacrifices, so he still had some feelings for them.

If the 'Fire Seed' is destroyed, the Wall of Sighs will lose its function, the swarms will be able to cross the mountains, and the creatures in the basin will not survive more than a few days.

But I'm a player, I can't just skip the main quests and live and die with them, can I? If I drag it out, how can I guarantee the safety of my seniors?

Yuki rubbed his head, feeling a real headache from the clash between reason and emotion. Perhaps because he hadn't been in the Reincarnation Game for very long, he wasn't really that cold-blooded.

'Forget it, we don't have any specific information about this, so there's no need to think that far ahead. We need to get closer to the truth before we have the right to make a choice.'

He wasn't bothered by it; the other infiltrators wouldn't think as much as he did, and the conversation kept circling back to his senior and the others.

Which infiltrator gets there first and extinguishes the 'Fire Seed'? That's when the guardian players will truly be in trouble. They won't be able to hold out until day 30. At that point, will they stay or leave?

"This is a very important matter. Johnny Silverhand and the others definitely don't fully trust me, which explains why they only contacted me."

Last night, Yuki secretly met with Hiyori. Thorny Rose was not invited to enter the core strategy circle, which clearly shows that she is not as trustworthy as herself.

Is it believable? I Self-Hypnosis every day, and I even dream about loyalty.

"So the 'pledge of allegiance' was just Puppet Bug; only the game hints are reliable." Yuki roughly understood hint five; this was the most important point of reference for friend and foe.

Because he was an infiltrator, he spent a week and still couldn't get the Zerg reputation to 'Dislike', so it was even more impossible for other players.

Therefore, those who arrive here are not necessarily Loyal Guardian, but those who have fought against the Puppet Bug are definitely 'loyal'.

But what exactly is Puppet Bug? The initial introductory materials I received didn't provide any information about it.

When asked to exchange points for Waka, the other players remained tight-lipped after realizing she knew nothing about it.

Yuki is a 'traitor,' and I've never had any contact with him. After thinking it over, I made a decision:

This task is crucial. Besides gathering information about the 'Fire Seed,' Johnny Silverhand must also access the Central Database to view all player data and determine which factions are trustworthy.

Yuki saw a Chaos Item resembling a USB flash drive inside the storage space; this was the task the strategy team had given him.

"If we put this thing on the central server, Johnny Silverhand can directly become a data entity and hack into it. He must have leveled up his skills in that area very high."

Yuki didn't doubt the other party's abilities, but he wondered how he could do it. The Central Database was known to be on this airship, but players had no way of getting close.

"If only my senior were here, she would have had a chance to infiltrate directly. Fortunately Hiyori isn't bad either; I have the most accomplices who are good at petty theft."

Yuki gave the girl a little slap on the wrist, but maintained his patience. This warship was far too huge, probably with tens of thousands of compartments, and he definitely couldn't handle it on his own.

We need to wait for the right opportunity, for Hiyori use the Void Puppet to glean some intelligence, at the very least to figure out the approximate location of the Central Database.

Knock knock.

There was a knock on the door, the automatic door unlocked, and standing in the doorway was Hiyori.

"Mr. Yuki the book."

The two were complete strangers, but Hiyori gentle appearance and low combat strength, players didn't shy away from approaching her, and she got along well with most of them.

The book was definitely scanned, but it's impossible to know the codebook. That thing was written at the Outpost and couldn't have been retrieved in a short time.

"Any thoughts after watching it?"

"Yes, it's all written in the book." Hiyori gave a slight bow, turned and left, treating everyone the same.

I've grasped the essence of acting; my senior mentor did a great job.

Yuki smiled subtly. Spirit Particle Communicator would arouse suspicion; this most primitive method was actually the most effective. He opened the novel and saw annotations by the girl. To outsiders, this was just the experience of a literary girl, but to Yuki, it was information in a different way.

"Besides you, Mr. Silver Hand, Smiling Lady, and myself, there are three other players from different factions: Mr. Purple Shadow from the Shadow Realm, Mr. Guardian from the Graveyard Guard, and Mr. Saito from the Samurai Soul."

"I've had contact with each of them. Mr. Purple Shadow and Mr. Watcher are probably not human; I read abnormal bodily tissues in them."

What follows is a lengthy description and analysis of their movements that night, the content of their conversations, and their personality traits, among other things.

It's as if I didn't sleep all Hiyori and night, constructing a character profile from every detail, like Saito meditating like a stone Buddha, as well as the Purple Shadow who has the strongest hatred for the Defense Force, and the guard who has a fake smile and is as sinister as a corpse.

Observing other players requires talent and a lot of effort, Yuki could do, but he was sleeping soundly.

"Since you say that Smiling Lady and Mr. Silver Hand are innocent, then I think Mr. Purple Shadow and Mr. Watcher are the most suspicious. They clearly noticed the Void Puppet, but pretended not to see it, yet I was able to read their micro-expressions at the time."

"Considering this further, and based on Future Deduction, please be wary of them."

Impressive, Hiyori's use of these features is becoming increasingly sophisticated.

Yuki closed the book, feeling quite satisfied. 'Reality Reading' was also a kind of bug; no matter how good the acting was, the slightest change in emotion would be caught. Even though Yuki was on guard, Hiyori caught him repeatedly.

These two people?

Yuki recalled his image in his mind. Apart from Silver Hand and the Smiling Lady, he didn't interact with any players at all, which made him seem very eccentric and aloof, but also incredibly loyal.

"The Shadow Realm, according to the information he revealed in his previous complaints, should be related to ghosts. That guard smelled of corpses, more like an undead."

Judging from the skirmish in Blue Jade City, it's understandable that non-human players have no natural interest in the 'Guardians'.

Yuki hadn't considered catching the mole, but the mole was definitely more anxious than him and might be able to create some opportunities.

Hiyori also provided many details, such as the difficulty in detecting the Void Puppet, the 'Judge' special forces under the Ministry of the Interior Ministry, the direction of the airship's movement, and so on...

Boom!!

A huge explosion suddenly rang out, and the usually rock-solid warship rocked violently, throwing Yuki directly off the small table.

Before he could react, his feet were glued to the strong man like magnets. He instinctively drew his knife and looked around frantically.

"What happened?"

The soft white lights in the room had turned red, a piercing alarm bell was ringing, the automatic door opened, and the suction generated by the depressurization at high altitude flung various items out.

External attack.

He then realized that if the Defense Force wanted to lure the enemy out, the price would be far too high.

And this does look somewhat like a spaceship.

Peeking out, they saw a large hole blasted into the vine-covered wall, the thick armor showing signs of corrosion, everything in disarray, and some of the guards on watch screaming as they were sucked out.

Another head popped out from the side; it was Shiina Hiyori. The two exchanged a glance, silently conveying their message.

"The swarm, there must be players causing trouble. The Command Headquarters hasn't been attacked in a long time; it's been hiding high in the sky."

"You mean a player transmitted coordinates, allowing the Zerg swarm to precisely target them? These Defense Force aren't stupid."

"Mr. Yuki, don't forget that our player power system is completely different from that of dungeons. There's always some Chaos Item or Transcendental Grade skill that can break through the signal shield."

That's most likely the case, but wouldn't the Defense Force have guessed it?

Yuki accepted the analysis, waved his hand, and told Hiyori to retreat to her room.

"Be careful, use the puppets to scout ahead."

Whether this is a ploy to lure out the enemy or not, it's a good opportunity to advance the plot, Yuki has already decided to hitch a ride.

Boom! Boom!

The floor shook violently several more times, and then a blue light curtain rose outside the hole, revealing a dandelion-like ball of light exploding on it.

Similar to the protective shield of the Brain Bug, it is impenetrable to non-living things; therefore—

[The entire ship is entering Level 1 combat readiness. All soldiers are preparing for boarding action. Loyal Guardian, please remain in K District and are not permitted to leave without authorization.]

The broadcast announced that it had taken only 14 seconds from the start of the first attack, a remarkably fast reaction time. Yuki listened and analyzed the situation.

Players are not allowed to leave without permission; isn't this just luring the enemy out?

They're preparing for boarding action right from the start; this warship can't possibly lack a defense system. Could there be something wrong with them?

Yuki was unaware of the many conspiracies involved, and had no interest in figuring out what had happened to the Defense Force; he simply looked around.

There were no bullet patterns visible outside the hole. Switching to the Devil's Vision, clusters of black souls could be seen rapidly approaching without any obstruction.

"It really was a problem with the defense system; it shouldn't have been done by the players."

K District is quite large. Some players are still shooting at the test range near the hangar. In the rest area are him, Hiyori, that samurai, and the player Graveyard Guard.

The samurai's room door was locked, as if he were completely unconcerned about what was happening outside. The guard ran out of the room and ran into Yuki.

Both sides were on edge. In this chaotic situation, the alliance was worthless, and in terms of strength, Yuki was many times stronger.

"Where do you want to go, Mr. Guardian?" Yuki asked, putting the other man at ease.

"With such a big change happening, of course I had to come out and see. Where did that show-off Purple Shadow go?" The gravedigger covered his face and shouted at the top of his lungs.

Purple Shadow was the player who had previously boasted about dating an NPC. He and the Guardian were birds of a feather, and had been inseparable for the past two days.

"It should be in the hangar. It's a mess everywhere right now, so it's best not to wander around," Yuki warned, noticing that the dilapidated walls were being slowly repaired by a fluid metal, and the hurricane that had been swept up was gradually diminishing.

The buzzing sound diminished considerably, and another sound, accompanied by a slight tremor, came from inside the ship—the sound of cannons. It must have been the insects that crawled in through the hole.

"The Defense Force themselves made a mistake; they won't make us take the blame, will they?" The guard had light blue skin and a stiff, expressionless face, but his eyes held a hint of panic.

The player has only been here for a day, and such a big thing has happened. How can this be explained? He really doesn't know anything about it.

"There's definitely an informant among us who somehow leaked the ship's coordinates, but the blame doesn't fall entirely on us. It's impossible for the defense system to fail." Yuki rapidly, his voice sharp and focused as he asked:

"Your Excellency the Watcher, do you know what Puppet Bug is?"

The player alone couldn't handle this; it's a joint effort between the two sides. In other words, this infiltrator has already contacted the Zerg leadership, getting them to use all their resources.

Only in this way is it possible to launch a direct attack on this giant warship.

The guard hesitated for a moment. He knew there were seven players on the ship in total, and even if half of them were lurkers, it was impossible to let the warship go AFK.

Thump thump thump...

Machine guns roared, and the area within the light shield was filled with dense barrages, clearly indicating that the warship's defense system had been reactivated.

"Speak up, do you really want to take the blame?" Yuki roared.

"Puppet Bug are essentially humans that have been parasitized. Before they are exposed, the Defense Force cannot Reconnaissance them, making them true infiltrators. Too much information about them cannot be revealed, and even less can we reveal who the Puppet Bug are, otherwise the swarm's reputation will drop rapidly, and they will target us."

Yuki suddenly understood why the players were so secretive; it turned out that this would attract hatred. The Defense Force were helpless, but that didn't mean the players were powerless.

What are its characteristics?

"Our team has only encountered one, it's somewhat similar to Psychic Warrior. Purple Shadow said that each type of Puppet Bug has Taiyi abilities."

He wasn't lying; this person is definitely a 'Guardian.' It seems the problem lies with someone else.

Yuki, who was already testing the waters, simply said, "Go and call Mr. Saito out. We'll go and meet up with Silver Hand and the others."

"Where is Miss Hiyori?"

"If she can't fight, she shouldn't be a burden."

They were cold and ruthless, but in the current chaos, only by sticking together could they be safe. The guards didn't care about showing any mercy to the women, but after knocking for a while, there was no response from inside.

Nobody here?

Yuki frowned, then nodded slightly. The guard raised his right hand, his palm turning purplish-red.

Bang--

The alloy door was flattened by the blow; he seemed to possess immense strength, grabbing the dent and pulling it to the side.

"Nobody's here, where did he go?"

The room was empty; there was no sign of the samurai. Yuki had already seen everything with his Devil's Vision, and he pretended to look around.

"If you don't know, then let's not worry about it. Let's go find Smiling Lady first."

Teresa and Johnny Silverhand are widely recognized as the strongest. Whether the ship is destroyed from within or the Defense Force come to settle scores after suppressing the enemy, it's always a good idea to stay with them.

The two returned to the hall, where the hole had been mostly repaired with fluid metal. To the left was the engine room, which led deeper into the ship's hull. Since they were both in the K District, they hadn't disobeyed orders.

Before they could even step into the passage, the blast door on the other side had already opened; that was Area B, the direction the players had come from.

So you're coming to settle scores with us so soon?

Yuki turned his head, somewhat bewildered. He saw the 'Reaper' mechs, a team of Psychic Warrior, with some marines nearby.

The two sides were about 100 meters apart, and the sound of military boots hitting the ground became clearer. The leader was wearing a red military uniform and was the dark-skinned middle-aged man who had asked everyone yesterday if they were ready.

It's understandable that they would send some people to keep an eye on the players after being suddenly attacked, but they don't seem to be planning to detain us, do they?

They crowded the corridor, silently moving forward, creating a sense of oppression. The guards, on the other hand, were very anxious, constantly giving Yuki meaningful glances.

Resistance is impossible; all that's left is empty rhetoric and sophistry.

Yuki was also thinking about how to deal with it, but as the newcomer approached, his gaze gradually became suspicious, and he subconsciously switched to his Devil's Vision.

Grass!