Reincarnated NPC, But It's Arknights Chapter 21

It turns out they could show up here because Bai Ye had Zhai Mao participate in an earlier mission for the Guards Bureau.

Although Zhai Mao is a bit scatterbrained, she knows how to attract attention. She directly posted the mission details and live stream recordings on the forum, which made the players realize the Guards Bureau was making a big move.

Of course, not all players rushed over; only some who were nearby came.

There were about fifty or so people.

The officers immediately became tense. With so many people suddenly surrounding them, any trouble would be a huge headache.

Moreover, the players' actions were quite strange, and visually, they were quite intimidating.

"This is the Lungmen Guard Department conducting an investigation! You are not allowed to disturb the peace, disperse immediately!" a Guards Bureau officer shouted loudly.

The players naturally weren't willing to have come all this way for nothing. One player, wearing a doll's head costume, couldn't help but step forward and ask, "Is there anything we can do?"

"Yeah, officer, we're all enthusiastic citizens. We want to shed blood and sweat for Lungmen!"

"Right, right, this is what we call police-citizen cooperation!"

The players eagerly volunteered, trying various poses to trigger missions.

After a good half-day of exploration, they had discovered that Arknights Online was more liberating than they had imagined. Almost all NPCs had independent AI, so the methods for triggering missions were no longer fixed.

Hearing this, the Guards Bureau officer glanced at Bai Ye.

Bai Ye nodded.

Seeing this, the officer understood: "While the Guards Bureau's duty is to protect Lungmen and its citizens, we won't object to enthusiastic citizens acting bravely."

"Hooray!" The players cheered. They hadn't expected their casual remarks to trigger a mission.

They learned something new!

This game is so free! Except for not being able to take off their pants, which is absurd, everything else feels real.

"The Guards Bureau's objective is to assault the bandit leader, but there are still many gang thugs on the perimeter. You can go out freely and apprehend them."

Bai Ye, standing behind the Guards Bureau officer, spoke up.

Instantly, a crisp and pleasant system notification sounded in the ears of all the players present.

Ding—

To the players, it was the sweetest sound.

"Let's go!"

The players who had received the mission were immediately filled with motivation and charged into the factory.

Tonight was a nightmare for the thugs of the "Brotherhood."

They had no idea how their boss had leaked information, but the Guards Bureau cops suddenly raided their factory overnight.

However, since the cops' target was the boss, after entering the factory, they headed straight for the core area based on the information confessed by Safra, the cleanup man.

The gang thugs and lackeys were caught between a rock and a hard place, unable to advance or retreat.

The Guards Bureau officers were in high spirits, led by Chen, and no one dared to block them. Following to protect the boss would be suicide; hadn't they seen how those who loyally followed were all knocked out by the shield of that Oni big sister?

Trying to escape in the chaos was also impossible, as the outside was swarming with cops blocking all exits. A few who managed to get out were all shot down by crossbows.

Even the underground tunnels were guarded, leaving them with no way to escape or enter.

However, at this very moment, an even more absurd opponent appeared.

Lungmen's "enthusiastic citizens"!

But the "Brotherhood" lackeys felt that these guys were more like gangsters than they were.

They wore bizarre clothing, some even wearing nothing but a pair of underwear for decency, wielding large clubs like primitive people.

Others wore mascot costumes, as if they had escaped from some amusement park.

Their weapons were also a motley assortment: small knives, baseball bats, nunchucks, cleavers...

These people surrounded them.

Hehehe...

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Players' First Battle

"Don't come any closer!"

The players couldn't care less. These guys in front of them were walking experience points! It was a rare opportunity to get such a big mission, and the players' eyes were practically glowing.

However, although they seemed to rush forward in a chaotic manner, the players were not fighting without any strategy.

They knew that while they looked intimidating, they wouldn't be able to defeat these humanoid monsters in a one-on-one fight.

Before the battle began, the players had actually held a discussion.

"Everyone, I'm the commander of Star Second Regiment." A player with the name [I Will Always Like Mikoto Misaka] on their head cupped their hands to those around them. "If you trust me, perhaps you'll listen to my suggestion."

"Star? You mean that guild that got the world boss first kill?"

"Zero Lamp Boss, that's incredible."

Players were no strangers to the Star guild; most of its members were celebrity players. They hadn't expected to find a commander among them.

"Wait a minute, why did you betray us? Your ID was 'I Will Always Like Shokuhou Misaki' last time!" Another player, with a uniquely sharp mind, focused on the odd details.

[I Will Always Like Mikoto Misaka]'s face immediately darkened. He quickly changed the subject, "How about I take over as commander for now? Everyone, split the battlefield, then fight outnumbered, preferably three against one."

The players had no objections.

After all, even though this person's stance was shaky, he was still a celebrity player. If they followed his command and shared the spoils, wouldn't that be wonderful? It was certainly more reliable than charging in blindly.

And so, the scene described earlier unfolded: players surged forward, a few surrounding one enemy and beating them soundly.

Those with makeshift shields took the front line, while those with weapons struck amidst the chaos.

This was the first time the continent of Terra experienced the terror of players.

Fighting them was no easy feat.

Firstly, these guys were resolute. No matter how severe their injuries, they showed no fear, as if the blood spilling out wasn't their own, not even flinching.

Secondly, a portion of these players would babble incoherently while fighting, talking to themselves. If you got close, you could hear some of them shouting mid-battle, "Thanks for the plane, boss! Thank you, boss! Wishing you good health!" They were live-streaming.

"Holy crap, everyone, I forgot to turn on the filter mode. Can this bloody scene pass the review? Please don't ban me, overlord admin!" This one was testing the boundaries of being banned.

"Hello everyone, I'm 'Love Huaruarua'... Today I'm here to teach you how to fight against dark forces. Watch me block this attack, cing!" This one was recording a gameplay commentary.

"Deng deng deng!" This one was adding background music for himself...

In short, fighting players was a constant test of one's sanity. Some of them even resembled ancient gods, their appearance alone inspiring fear.

Not to mention some who played the role of the "useless," rolling and dodging everywhere, making them impossible to pin down. Some players had even learned stage combat in real life, and now they had found a place to put their skills to use.

"What in the world are these guys?!"

Even when players were knocked to the ground, or even killed, logically, the people around them should have been intimidated, showing some apprehension.

However, these guys only became more frenzied.

"XD, I'm here to avenge you!"

"Wow, where's your dodge? This batch of rookie players isn't good enough..."

They even complained about others being noobs, showing utter cold-bloodedness! Their friends fell beside them, yet they remained indifferent!

It was truly terrifying.

However, despite these words, while players did suppress the gangster enemies in the early stages, they suffered greatly from ranged attacks.

Semi-automatic crossbows, Originium Arts...

The gang members also had archers and casters, some even equipped with standard Originium staves.

"No honor! They have mages!"

"XDM, watch out for your dodges!"

"Step dodge! Do we have any ranged attacks?!"

In reality, this mission wasn't something that new players in the open beta could handle. To fight against the gangsters, besides melee combat, one truly needed some ranged capabilities. However, these players had only entered the game on the first day; how could they have developed so quickly?

This game wasn't like old-school online games where everyone started with nothing and there weren't specific class divisions. Players didn't start with equipment either; finding ranged weapons was entirely up to the players themselves.

"I'll do it!" Zhai Mao took out a semi-automatic crossbow from her inventory. It was a quest reward she had received.

"Biubiu—"

Unfortunately, she only had one, which was like a drop in the bucket.

Moreover, Zhai Mao, being a noob, didn't have the corresponding skills for the crossbow, and most of her shots went wide.

"It seems I have to step in..."

Bai Ye, who had been watching from the sidelines, knew that if he didn't act soon, all the players would be wiped out. That would be a terrible gaming experience.

"Hold steady, don't panic!"

Bai Ye, dressed in a black trench coat, charged directly into the battlefield.

He was like a night owl, using his exceptional agility to weave through the battlefield and directly rush in front of a caster who was in the middle of casting. He punched the caster, knocking him down, and then snatched the Originium staff from his hand.

"Buzz—"

With the caster unit in hand, Bai Ye immediately felt a strong connection to the Originium.

Through his 20 points in Spirit, he found that he could easily wield the Originium energy, resonating with the caster unit.

However, he didn't know many Originium Arts; most of them were support-oriented. But for now, he had a better option:

That was to unleash his awakened magical talent, Originium Arts.

These were personal exclusive spells that could be learned without a teacher, usable as soon as they were awakened.

The Originium energy moved at his will, instantly activated, and the air around Bai Ye began to rage.

"Whoa! An NPC is going all out!"

"What a powerhouse!"

"No wonder, so it's a plot kill!"

Following his instincts, Bai Ye released a gust of wind.

The barrier formed by the raging airflow blew away the arrows and spells shot from a distance.

Then, Bai Ye casually stomped his Originium staff on the ground.

The airflow enveloped the players' bodies, and they immediately felt their bodies become lighter.

"Pro gamer, 666!"

"Bai Ye Grandma's Shockwave!"

After doing this, Bai Ye stopped intervening.

By doing this, he not only gained experience but also maintained his prestige, and allowed the assisted players to have a better game experience.

Look at other games where players fight on their own, and NPCs only provide buffs from the sidelines.

That's not because they can't win, but because the players are too noob, and if the NPCs stepped in, they'd finish everyone off.

While blocking arrows with his wind wall, Bai Ye observed the players.

He was comparing them to his memories from his past life, looking for any star players, pro players, or promising talents among them.

Chapter 39: The Endgame

With Bai Ye's help, the players' battle ultimately ended in victory, though they suffered nearly fifty percent casualties.

It was only then that the police officers of the Lungmen Guard Department, or rather, the native inhabitants of Terra, began to notice the uniqueness of the "players" as a group.

They were truly formidable fighters, and despite their seemingly chaotic actions, they possessed their own order and logic. Their peculiar traits made them seem out of place in this world.

They did not fear death, nor did they ever grieve for the death of their companions. For them, the only thing worth feeling sad about was death itself.