Chapter 258
The senior student rolled her eyes slightly and said coldly, "Aren't you afraid of being suspected? You haven't dared to use the Spirit Particle Communicator for so long."
"Now the Defense Force need my help. Besides, who says a lone wolf can't pick up girls? Don't step on me, the Ministry of the Interior Ministry is watching."
Mai Sakurajima put her feet down again, exchanged a glance with Hayasaka Ai suppressing the urge to punch him, made a 'please' gesture.
"Mr. Yuki, please come to our room for a cup of coffee. Let's have a good talk."
Seduction, huh? An all-female squad is pretty normal for that.
Yuki wanted to capture their expressions, so she followed them toward the base next to the helipad.
It was a row of small, container-like rooms. The Mai Sakurajima squad had been operating in this direction. The rooms were quite clean, with several cots and some clothes hanging in the closets.
All the detectors have been removed. Well, it's not bad that Hayasaka has the capability in this area.
Yuki around and felt a pain in his feet and ears, causing him to grimace.
Mai Sakurajima and Hayasaka Ai unusually formed a united front, one stepping on the foot and the other pulling the ear, then whispering in Yuki's ear.
"You idiot, you've been having a good time these past ten days, haven't you? You've almost forgotten about us, haven't you?"
"What's the deal with Captain Chris? I heard from Hiyori that you're quite close to her. Do you have some kind of novel strategy for winning her over?"
These were all death trap questions, forcing Yuki's brain to work at lightning speed; if he didn't answer them well, he wouldn't be able to escape.
Hiyori, how dare you tattle on me!
Yuki sensed a hint of sourness, but remained calm. "In your eyes, do I really look that desperate?"
"Yeah, you're a pig's head after all." Mai Sakurajima nodded immediately.
"A little." Hayasaka Ai looked doubtful.
"The soldiers here are too naive; they're easy for you to fool," Kaguya Shinomiya silently added.
Am I really that indiscriminate? Hmm, it seems like I don't have to take responsibility for leaving my seed everywhere in dungeons. With my strong personal charm, I don't need to deliberately create goodwill at all.
Just as I was feeling a little smug, the pain in my ears and the tops of my feet intensified, and I quickly snapped back to reality.
"She's just a comrade-in-arms; I even managed to extract a lot of information from her."
"Just comrades-in-arms?"
"Of course, you also fight alongside the characters in the story, and you must have made a lot of friends. It's not fair to target me!"
Yuki had already seen several bouquets of flowers and various miscellaneous small gifts on the table. The Defense Force were indeed wary of the player, but if the player could truly calm down and fight alongside them, they would find that most of the soldiers were just normal people lacking common sense.
Normal people have emotions and are attracted to things. A group of strong and beautiful girls would be popular in any world.
Mai Sakurajima and the others were immediately embarrassed. They didn't Yuki, but they had still accumulated a lot of popularity while fighting side by side, and they had no shortage of suitors.
"We're different from you; we keep our distance from them."
"Me too! Captain Chris is just an idol worshipper; I've never even sent her flowers." Yuki felt even more wronged, almost turning the tables on her.
That idiot is full of tricks; he's definitely going to use this opportunity to embarrass us.
Mai Sakurajima quickly glanced at Hayasaka Ai. The two knew Yuki too well, so they decided to stop while they were ahead, letting the latter's accumulated counterattack lose its target.
Hayasaka Ai turned to make coffee, while Mai Sakurajima swept the words on the table into the trash can, sighing:
"I'll let you off this time. Actually, Captain Chris is quite naive and has strong combat abilities, it's a pity she can't become a player."
Playing hard to get, is that it? Do you really think I'm a pig?
Yuki didn't respond at all, glared at Kaguya Shinomiya who looked regretful for not seeing her embarrassment, and dragged over a swivel chair.
"Don't you guys feel that this dungeon is completely different from before?"
"You mean the relationship with the characters in the story, right? We have experience with 'Battle on the Raging Seas,' so it's not too bad." Mai Sakurajima had experienced fighting alongside the characters in the story, teased, "But this is your first time experiencing it, no wonder you couldn't control yourself."
You can't get past this, can you?
Yuki ignored her senior, thanked Hayasaka Ai for handing her coffee, and comfortably settled into her swivel chair.
It's been twelve days, and I can finally smell that familiar scent again. It's been quite tiring playing the hunter all day, outwitting and outmaneuvering the players and the Defense Force.
"Actually, Taiyi. We share the common ground of being 'human' with the Defense Force, so we have a sense of shared hatred for a common enemy." Hayasaka Ai's analysis was more rational, which piqued Yuki's interest.
"Hayasaka, continue."
"Yes, the world-building has expanded beyond just a pirate ship. There's a sense of oppression in this world, like it's nearing the end of the world. Seeing those warriors die like moths to a flame is quite moving." The maid held the coffee pot in both hands. Because Yuki was there, they were also able to focus on the battle, and their experience far exceeded that of ordinary players.
"Courage and sacrifice are the light of humanity. In the end, it's just that we leveled up too quickly, and since we come from the normal world, we still have some sentimentality left." Yuki chimed in, only having time to ponder philosophical questions when he had some free time.
Living Corpse, demons, evil gods, bloodthirsty warriors— Yuki has been fighting against dungeons all along, and this is the first time he's fighting alongside characters from the main storyline.
They were so real, more like companions than most players, that Yuki simply couldn't treat them as ordinary NPCs.
If all you care about is profit, why team up with Mai Sakurajima and the others to clear dungeons and dominate countless worlds? Wouldn't that be much better?
"Actually, it's not just us; that Captain Levi is also filled with hatred for the Zerg." Kaguya Shinomiya suddenly remembered something; she had just blocked a wormhole with the Zerg yesterday.
"He's different; it's more like he was moved by the scene before him, so I believe he won't become a traitor."
Walls, apocalypse, livestock, enemies of humanity—the déjà vu is too strong; it's no wonder Levi Ackerman is taking it seriously.
No one could understand what Yuuki Yuki. Mai Sakurajima, used to this idiot's nonsensical ramblings, asked curiously, "What are you planning to do with these humans?"
Humanity's hero is an infiltrator; this secret is known only to them.
Yuki considered for a few seconds, her expression indifferent. "I just want to complete the mission. Why should I care about the NPCs' lives? What are you laughing at, Senpai?"
"Stop pretending. This isn't something you could do. Don't you even remember how long we've known each other?"
It's only been two months, isn't it?
Yuki wanted to retort, but scratched his face, his indifference turning into a wry smile.
He really couldn't do it. Even if he became a monster, he still retained some naivety. Take Kaguya Shinomiya for example. She did give Hayasaka face back then, but it was more of a lingering goodwill from the Bystander Is Blind.
Together we faced life and death, together we fought for survival; apart from not having the identity of a 'player,' there wasn't much difference between us.
The memory of those Marines who charged to their deaths and the soldiers who self-destructed to seal the wormhole was still vivid in Yuki's mind. He was filled with respect for them and would never do something as despicable as using them as stepping stones for the sake of maximizing his own interests.
Yuki considered for a minute before slowly raising his head. "As long as our fundamental interests are protected, we'll lend a hand if we can. Anyway, I have a plan to see if I can achieve an epic feat."
"Epic achievement? You mean the one that requires a comprehensive evaluation from monster to epic?" Hayasaka Ai suddenly interjected, showing her deep obsession with leveling up.
"Well, although we're still far from that line, it's never a bad thing to be prepared. Do you remember Adam?"
"Who could forget that?"
"He is a typical example of someone stuck in the 'stuck' stage. He can only try to achieve a qualitative change through continuous accumulation, but this path is too troublesome." Yuki spread his hands. If he were to return to the 'Calamity of Blood' now, he could beat Adam to a pulp, and the price would only be some points.
Breaking through the bottleneck ahead of time? That's a good opportunity, but the first half of that idiot's sentence is what he really thinks.
Mai Sakurajima didn't interrupt. She knew this man too well. He seemed selfish, yet he retained a sense of Justice. He seemed more like an ordinary person.
"That's for the best. Anyone who can't fight for their own interests is a fool, and we can't bring ourselves to do something so cold and ruthless."
The three of them breathed a sigh of relief. This was clearly pre-arranged; the five-person team was influencing each other, and as the saying goes, "one is influenced by one's company," there were no selfish individuals among them.
"Even if we don't want to be saints, we should at least have a clear conscience. The reason we stick together is to prevent the game from corrupting our will, right?" Hayasaka Ai was touched, but suddenly realized that everyone was looking at her, and the strange looks made her a little flustered.
Why are you all looking at me like that?
"Insightful! Write it down after you return and hang it on the eaves of your room. Anyone who wants to become our companion in the future must meet this condition." Yuki's eyes lit up, as if he had found a life mentor. He himself had never summarized this before.
"You still want to find companions? You haven't forgotten that captain after all." Kaguya had just silently complained when she saw Yuki's murderous gaze fall upon her, and she quickly hid behind Hayasaka.
I'll settle the score with you later. Why can't you be a little more obedient Hiyori? Oh, that girl just betrayed me.
Yuki covered his head, realizing that his teaching methods had gone astray. He gently patted his face and said, "Do what you're capable of. Show me your player stats. It's been over ten days; there should be some improvement by now."
Blocking wormholes not only earns you military merits, but also rewards you from the Reincarnation Game. Looking at the three panels, I saw that there were indeed considerable gains.
Similar to themselves, all three received a reward of 3 enhancement points, which, combined with their previous accumulated points, allowed them to strengthen their respective skills.
Mai Sakurajima upgraded the Singer's White Veil to the Transcendental Grade level, expanding its defensive range to almost cover the entire squad.
Hayasaka finally collected enough upgrade points and used Shadow Heart to raise the Bloodline Skill Ghost Shooter to LV2. Its ability is somewhat similar to the assassin she killed in Blue Jade City, allowing it to jump between shadows.
Kaguya Shinomiya was the simplest and most direct: she forged the Scatterlight Arrow three times using three enhancement points, increasing the number to 20, and then further increasing their Piercer power.
These are all game rewards; greater improvements can be achieved through military merit redemption.
"Hiyori military merits are insufficient, I will exchange them for equipment that matches your individual strengths."
Based on their previous achievements, Yuki and Hiyori joined forces and armed them to the teeth.
A huge pile of equipment was placed on the table, looking like gifts brought back from a long trip.
"Hayasaka, here's the electromagnetic rifle and plasma cannon for you. You can use them freely in this instance."
"Senior, I've used the individual protective force field and alloy shield before; their defensive capabilities are quite good. Here, you can continue stacking armor. The nitrided high-energy explosive might come in handy somewhere."
"As for you, Kaguya, I'll lend you the Optical Invisibility Cloak first. Just don't break it; it's incredibly expensive."
"Take whatever you think is appropriate, including any of these medicines and stimulants."
All of them are special items. The downside is that you can't replenish ammo and energy after leaving the instance, and they are too specific to the instance type. For example, the electromagnetic rifle is useless against ghosts, but the Death Knell can be useful.
That's enough for the current situation. Anyway, Yuki is a 'lone wolf' and he can't possibly use all the military merits he earns. He wouldn't know how to fly an armed helicopter or anything like that.
Special items also contribute to the score. As a result, Hayasaka's overall rating has reached Transcendental Grade III, Senpai's is Transcendental Grade II, and Kaguya is also close to the threshold of Transcendental Grade.
Of the entire squad, only Hiyori was still standing still, but considering she wasn't a combatant, it was enough for her to protect herself.
Hayasaka Ai picked up the rifle and fiddled with it, skillfully disassembling the weapon to reveal its Jade- like core, which emitted a faint glow and was very beautiful.
"It's this stuff again."
"Emerald Stone, a specialty of this planet, its extraction method should be a core secret of the Defense Force." Yuki already knew this; everything from rifles to airships was powered by it, but he had no interest in it.
He's not an industrialist, but he doesn't have the ability to build a production line.
"Not only that, I once used my special ability to observe the Defense Force cleaning up the battlefield, and they dug out these kinds of stones from the Brain Bug." The senior added, which made Yuki pause, sensing something was wrong.
He participated in several wars, but cleaning up the battlefield was a secret operation, and there was no need to risk observing. But Mai Sakurajima- senpai was different; if she wanted to see, no one could find out.
This subtly points to the nature of war: could it not be a massacre, but rather a struggle for resources?
"Brain Bug? Do you have the regular kind?" Yuki was under close surveillance and had no time to observe such details.
"I don't know. Anyway, the bodies were all disposed of in a centralized manner. There were some strange machines, but I don't recognize them." The senior student shrugged. She was just a high school student; how could she know anything about extraterrestrial high technology?
"Could this thing be more than just a source of energy for driving machinery?" Yuki held the faintly glowing Jade in his hand to examine it, but couldn't see anything wrong with it. However, he suddenly remembered something strange.
He killed many traitors, but didn't get a single bit of soul energy, while the Zerg swarm was a huge source of nourishment.
The process of having Goshawk replenish energy was classified as top secret. Now that I think about it, could it have been something other than simply replacing batteries?
"Including it in the key observation list is perfect, as we can finally escape surveillance after we break out of the wall and investigate freely." Yuki didn't pin his hopes on Johnny Silverhand. Obtaining top-secret information directly from the Central Database was a shortcut, but the investigation still had to be conducted.
Thump.
He tossed the energy core onto the table and slowly closed his eyes.
"Get a good rest tonight, we'll go outside tomorrow. If you have a chance tonight, senior, watch how that Goshawk replenishes its energy."
"I've discovered this small stone; it might be connected to the core of the instance."
Chapter Twenty-Three Wings of Freedom
The mountains rise and fall, surrounded by dark rocks. The sunlight in the sky is dim and yellow, and the azure sky looks like everyone is wearing a green hat.
The group traversed the Black Mountains, and only after walking inside did they realize how thick the 'Wall of Sighs' truly was. Even without the 'Fire Seed' to sustain it, trying to penetrate it was utterly absurd.
Having grasped the true nature of the Wall of Sighs, and revisiting the place, Yuki roughly understood what the mist in the Devil's Vision was.
A strange energy, but why is it related to the soul?
The presence of energy is normal, proving that the mountain range is a deliberately created man-made structure, but Yuki doesn't understand what this has to do with the Emerald Stone.
He glanced furtively at Captain Chris, who led an entire squad of Psychic Warrior. She had already befriended Hiyori and the others. High school girls might not be as ruthless as the average player, but when it came to making friends with their peers, no one could beat them.
With someone acting as the straight man, Yuki only occasionally steered the conversation, yet he actually managed to extract some information from him.
Chris is the user, focused solely on how to use the equipment, unaware of its origins, manufacture, or replenishment.
The girl simply said that the equipment would be recycled when its lifespan was up, and then new equipment would be distributed.
This is strange. Yuki didn't see the factory at the Command Headquarters. He originally thought the equipment he exchanged was transferred from the warehouse, but now it seems it's not that simple.
"We're almost at the edge of the wall."