Reincarnated NPC, But Arknights Chapter 2

Bai Ye didn't want to waste time; he had a better plan.

A method that was illegal, but very effective, and as long as he wasn't caught, there would be no problem.

—Bai Ye prepared to infiltrate the Lungmen Guard Department.

Beneath the Lungmen Guard Department lay the Lungmen Central Database. Once there, Bai Ye could modify and import his data, thus obtaining legal identification.

In his past life, Bai Ye had gone through a similar process and was quite familiar with it.

However, attempting this required immense courage—after all, even Outlaw Zhang San wouldn't dare storm a police station directly.

The Lungmen Guard Department functioned as the police, even the special police, and was Lungmen's visible armed force.

It wasn't a place just anyone could barge into.

Of course, Bai Ye had another option besides this: joining an existing faction and obtaining an identity through them.

For example, Penguin Logistics. (Why does this feel so familiar?)

This was an underground logistics organization in Lungmen that had almost monopolized all of Lungmen's gray logistics business. It was said they could transport anything, including Lungmen's lions, and would deliver absolutely on time and safely.

The boss of this private courier company, Emperor, was a mysterious penguin with a special identity, and was considered one of Lungmen's high-ranking officials, confirmed by Players and world mission storylines to be able to converse casually with Lungmen's Chief Executive Wei Yenwu.

This was no ordinary boss.

If Bai Ye could join them now, he'd be set for life: high salary, logistical support, channels for purchasing weapons, and various missions...

Just thinking about it made his mouth water.

Unfortunately, it was very difficult to get into this organization; one needed not only exceptional skills but also to catch Emperor's eye.

It wasn't until the third year after the game's launch that a Player successfully applied and joined Penguin Logistics.

With Bai Ye's current level 1 status, wanting to join Penguin Logistics was like dreaming.

"Hmm... perhaps with my personal charm, it's not entirely impossible."

Bai Ye walked briskly down Lungmen's streets with his hands in his pockets.

He was truly handsome, and many young women on the street couldn't help but turn their heads to look at him.

Humans were visual creatures, and this world was ultimately a world that valued appearances.

If he went to Emperor right now, he might even be able to become a "poster boy"...

Besides Penguin Logistics, if he wanted to operate in the underworld, Bai Ye could also choose to go to "Li's Detective Agency."

It was Lungmen's all-purpose fixer in the gray areas, headed by Old Li, who was said to be from Yan and had a special identity.

If he wanted to delve even deeper into the criminal world, the various gangs in the Lungmen Lower City slums would also be a good choice.

A large number of undocumented residents gathered there. Although dangerous, it at least offered a path for development.

However, the deeper one got involved, the harder it was to leave.

Bai Ye didn't want to do that for now; in his plans, these were all Plan B. He would only consider them if Plan A failed.

In the past, Bai Ye had no choice. Now, he wanted to be a good person—at least in terms of his identity, he wanted one that wouldn't be looked down upon.

Players considered things very simply: effort, efficiency, risk, and reward.

As long as he had enough confidence in his skills, Bai Ye would choose the most extreme route with the highest returns.

After all, even if he failed and was caught, Bai Ye had backup plans. Though troublesome, they wouldn't pose any life-threatening danger.

Of course, to achieve the "Outlaw" feat of infiltrating the Lungmen Guard Department, Bai Ye couldn't just show up empty-handed; that would be suicide.

He needed to go "Zero Yuan Purchase" first.

Bai Ye couldn't help but smile. He had just said he wanted to be a good person, but the next thing he was going to do was completely unrelated to being good.

Chapter 3: Zero Yuan Purchase

"Zero Yuan Purchase" was something Players often did, a sort of ransacking. When the game first launched, these Players did it quite a bit.

It had been like this almost since games of the old era.

This was a sense of superiority unique to those who descended from higher dimensions, because in the eyes of some Players, they were inherently a level above this world.

Games were meant to be played.

And then in "Arknights OL," they were taught a lesson.

From then on, Players truly understood what a next-generation fully immersive game was.

The NPCs here were practically indistinguishable from real people, not like the foolish characters in other games of the past who were easily fooled.

It was precisely because of this that even though the game's difficulty was genuinely high, even making Players feel the illusion of "being played by the game," "Arknights OL" remained incredibly popular.

Because it was equivalent to a second world, where Players could experience entirely new forms of fun that were difficult to obtain in real life.

Well, it wasn't a free-for-all—after all, "Arknights OL" was a properly approved game, and there were some things Players couldn't experience.

Speaking of which, precisely because of the difficulty, a group of persistent Players began to think about how to "Zero Yuan Purchase."

These lawless individuals found joy in petty theft and spent their days outsmarting anti-theft systems and security personnel, and they would post various guides and tips on the forums.

While somewhat shameful, it was very useful, especially for Bai Ye at the moment.

Bai Ye's target was a Penguin Logistics safehouse.

Players are a peculiar species: they are omnipresent, immortal, and fearless. The only things that can restrain them are their moral compass and the laws of the game.

However, their operational capabilities are incredibly strong. Once they grow powerful in the late game, this high operational ability is utilized to its fullest.

How many safehouses Penguin Logistics had, and which ones were easier to infiltrate, had been thoroughly figured out by these players. There were no secrets whatsoever.

Penguin Logistics' safehouses were scattered throughout Lungmen, stocked with food, weapons, supplies, and various equipment.

The boss, who enjoyed the finer things, even furnished some with entertainment facilities.

Some safehouses were heavily guarded with perfect security measures; however, others were so lax that even ordinary Sicilian mafia could break in and plant bombs.

Bai Ye's target was precisely this type of safehouse.

Coincidentally, he knew of one nearby.

Along the way, he encountered some cat-eared girls. Although Bai Ye was a veteran player and had seen them before, he still enjoyed looking at them. After all, he was a pervert.

By the time he reached his destination, it was already late at night.

Two moons hung high in the night sky, occasionally obscured by clouds, appearing and disappearing.

Bai Ye crept towards a warehouse, its large door secured with a heavy lock.

Ignoring the lock, Bai Ye circled around to the side. After a moment of thought, he lifted a cover plate from the ground.

This was an entrance to a sewer drain. Bai Ye squeezed inside.

Contrary to expectations of foul odors and dampness, once inside, it was pitch black but dry and well-ventilated, with fresh air. Clearly, this place had been specially modified, and the safehouse was hidden within.

Bai Ye paused for a moment, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness before proceeding down the passage.

As he walked, Bai Ye tapped the walls, the "ping-ping-pong" sounds echoing through the passage.

After about ten steps, Bai Ye stopped and pressed down hard on a specific spot on the wall.

With a "ka-la-la" sound, a screen popped out from the wall, clearly indicating a password input was required.

Some safehouses required ID card verification, while others only needed a password. Bai Ye was looking for the latter.

[0601]

Bai Ye tried the password, and it worked on the first attempt.

According to information from his previous life, the "pet" of Penguin Logistics was a girl named Texas, and many of the access control passwords were set to her birthday.

In his previous life, players who fancied themselves the "Thieves' Guild" had used this password set with great success. However, the Emperor found amusement in this and began to engage in a battle of wits with those players, continuously upgrading his security systems and waiting for players to crack them.

This mischievous Emperor even specifically set up some "safehouses" containing equipment, Lungmen Dollars, and supplies as rewards for players to crack.

This was an open ploy, yet it attracted the players' attention, preventing them from disturbing the truly functional safehouses. In the end, the players got their equipment and had their fun; the Emperor, on the other hand, could identify vulnerabilities in the security system through the players' attempts. It was a win-win.

What was even more amusing was that Penguin Logistics' most profitable industry eventually became the continuous updates and superior performance of its security products.

In reality, some players resorted to petty theft not for the equipment, but for the thrill of the tense and exciting process, an experience they couldn't obtain in real life.

His thoughts were fleeting. In front of Bai Ye, the wall slowly slid open, revealing a door. Inside was a small outpost set up by Penguin Logistics.

"Zero Yuan Purchase" referred to this.

Bai Ye wasn't doing this for the thrill; he needed to "borrow" some of Penguin Logistics' resources.

Well, although it was indeed immoral, it was all he could do right now—penniless and without a legitimate identity, all he could do was "Zero Yuan Purchase" or deceive.

The door opened, but Bai Ye didn't go in immediately. He first peeked inside, then crouched down to inspect the ground.

"Someone's been here..."

After a moment of thought, Bai Ye walked inside.

This safehouse wasn't very large. Pressing a switch on the wall, Bai Ye activated the safehouse's lighting system.

Closing his eyes to shield them from the sudden bright light, Bai Ye looked around the Penguin Logistics outpost.

The first impression was chaos.

Various items were piled up haphazardly, and the furniture styles were also mixed, exuding a casual atmosphere that matched Penguin Logistics' quirky persona.

Although the outpost was located underground, it didn't feel claustrophobic or oppressive. This was because the walls featured wallpaper simulating windows, and modern projection technology was used to perpetually freeze the view outside at what Penguin Logistics considered the optimal delivery time—night.

On the left side of the room was a storage cabinet, on which were placed small items like a stereo, a coin jar, documents, and signed CDs. Next to the cabinet was an old record player.

Bai Ye knew there was little of use there.

The clue board hanging on the wall, however, was useful.

The small teams formed by Penguin Logistics' couriers possessed astonishing combat power, but they usually took on jobs individually and only teamed up for particularly tricky missions.

Bai Ye checked the registration form on the wall. This safehouse had last been used two days ago.

Chapter 4: Exposed

Bai Ye didn't waste any more time. While he had plenty of time, this was not the moment for leisurely sightseeing.

He quickly walked to the right and found the weapons cabinet and reserve supplies.

This was it.

Bai Ye first opened the wardrobe, which contained various uniforms.

Messengers had to face diverse and complex environments, and depending on the mission requirements, there were uniforms for dealing with all sorts of different situations.

Although the messengers at Penguin Logistics were all women, the uniforms were rather unisex. Bai Ye's build was moderate, tending towards slender, so these clothes fit him quite well.

Bai Ye had no qualms about wearing women's clothing. After all, equipment was meant to be used. As the saying goes, the stranger the outfit, the faster you defeat monsters.

Of course, he needed to be ordinary now, not too conspicuous.

After rummaging through the wardrobe for a while, Bai Ye picked out a set of light gear suitable for nighttime travel.

Next was weapons. What Bai Ye really wanted most were firearms, but those were hard to come by. Handguns were somewhat obtainable, but long guns were controlled by the Laterano people, and any out in circulation were stolen.

There was a Laterano person in Penguin Logistics who used firearms, but her guns were always with her. How could there be firearms here?

There were light semi-automatic crossbows, though. Bai Ye picked one that felt comfortable in his hand. It seemed to be a product of R.G. Industries, so the quality was guaranteed.

However, Bai Ye planned to modify it later when he had the tools. For now, he'd have to make do.

He didn't find any Originium staves, mainly because Squad Five, the team of messengers at Penguin Logistics, didn't have any pure spellcasters. The only one who used an Originium staff was Sora, and her staff was definitely with her.

Fortunately, Bai Ye quickly found what he wanted most – a sword and a dagger.

In his past life, Bai Ye's usual weapons were straight swords, and later he would use floating swords, controlling several at once and fighting with the computational terminal of his neural link.

Bai Ye took out the straight sword from the cabinet. It was also a standard straight sword produced by R.G. Industries, equipped with an Originium guiding device that allowed for the use of some Originium Arts.

Holding the weapon, Bai Ye felt its weight. It wasn't just the heaviness of metal – wielding a killing tool required resolve, and it could never be for vanity or curiosity.

After a few casual swings, Bai Ye became familiar with the straight sword's weight. In his past life, he had swung weapons countless times, and his swordsmanship had long since reached perfection. Now, it was just a matter of gradually getting used to it – transforming experience into muscle memory, slowly integrating the virtual game experience into his real body.