Why was it you again and again and again, Bai Ye? Why were you everywhere?!
Big missions were always related to Bai Ye, huh? Time to cling to his thigh!
I can't take it anymore, I'm so jealous. Anyone who's played the game knows how hard it is to get experience and skills.
This isn't fair. Everyone should be allowed to participate. We need compensation.
Isn't this affecting game balance? A bunch of people have learned skills ahead of launch. Won't they just slaughter everyone once the servers open?
Bai Ye also saw plenty of people stirring things up. The argument below had gone on for over a hundred comment threads, with all kinds of bizarre takes emerging one after another. It truly had the hype expected of "the first full-dive game for young people."
Besides the mission, what Players discussed most was naturally the spell Bai Ye had cast. Some Players began to feel optimistic about Originium Arts and declared that they wanted to learn it and become spellcasters.
Bai Ye only wanted to say: Please refer to the actual in-game content. Visuals are for reference only.
Players could not awaken spellcasting talents, nor could they wield Originium Arts as freely as Bai Ye did.
Bai Ye casually browsed some of the top posts again and spotted Zhai Mao's recorded stream. The girl was adorably airheaded and had no operations team, so she had uploaded all of her livestream footage without cutting a single second. The total runtime was nearly twenty-two hours. The terrifying length tormented both viewers and reviewers, yet its popularity continued to soar. There were massive amounts of live comments from beginning to end.
Bai Ye was quite satisfied. The more popular his number-one tool was, the better the promotional effect.
Seeing that most of the top posts were related to him, Bai Ye calmly closed the forum. Before leaving, he also noticed that the official account had inexplicably pinned a promotional video about him...
"Interesting. What exactly am I to the officials now?"
Ever since he had crossed into this world and discovered that Arknights Online was more than just a game, Bai Ye had become curious about the mysterious game publisher, OceanCat.
He suddenly remembered hearing a rumor in his previous life. Supposedly, OceanCat did not have a single programmer, game designer, or artist... In other words, it had no departments related to game development whatsoever.
That meant the official company was merely a front for publishing, promoting, and operating the game.
He had no idea whether that rumor was true.
"Either way, it has nothing to do with me for now."
Bai Ye decided not to worry about that messy nonsense. He still had a mountain of things to deal with himself.
The Players had disappeared with a "biu." If someone specifically investigated, they would discover that the four thousand refugees who had entered Lungmen yesterday had all vanished today.
Lungmen had also gained plenty of urban legends, such as corpses turning into motes of light and gang thugs suddenly vanishing into thin air... But without actual evidence, and with countless similar rumors having existed before, it ultimately caused no real stir.
Bai Ye knew the Players would be exposed sooner or later. Once the game launched and huge numbers of Players entered Terra, even more chaos would follow.
As he pondered, Bai Ye suddenly felt someone pat his shoulder.
He turned around and saw Flanka, with Scythe standing beside her.
"The mission is over. We can return to Rhodes Island now. What are you planning to do?"
This case had nothing to do with Rhodes Island in the first place. Rhodes Island had been dragged into it through sheer misfortune. However, Rhodes Island considered helping the Infected its duty, so they would take over care for this group of Infected victims.
After the messenger made contact, a dedicated transport vehicle would come to Lungmen to pick them up.
"I wanted to join Rhodes Island in the first place. Isn't this perfect?" Bai Ye snapped his fingers.
"I'm so jealous. You haven't formally joined Rhodes Island, so you won't have to write a report after this..." Flanka sighed.
Scythe, however, said sternly, "I will truthfully record every mistake you committed in the report. How dare you... humiliate me like that."
As she spoke, Scythe's face reddened with anger.
It turned out that after Scythe used Originium Arts, she would fall into a weakened state. At times like that, Flanka could do whatever she pleased. She had taken the opportunity to play plenty of pranks on the girl. Scythe wanted to resist but could not move, leaving her at Flanka's mercy.
"I have a bold idea..." Bai Ye's eyes lit up. Scythe's setting was seriously so lewd. As an experienced driver in theory but a total novice in practice, Bai Ye had already imagined a whole terabyte of material.
Naturally, Scythe had no idea what Bai Ye was thinking. She was merely considering whether she should put a large photo of Flanka's face on her firearm target after returning...
Chapter 42: A Strange Love Triangle?
Flanka and Scythe remained in Lungmen for several days, waiting for Rhodes Island's convoy.
There was no fixed time for the convoy to arrive. They might encounter Infected Creatures or other accidents on the road, and even vehicle breakdowns were commonplace.
The two stayed temporarily at the Rhodes Island office. When Bai Ye went to visit them, they were still as noisy as ever.
"Bai Ye, take me around Lungmen. I've wanted to come here sightseeing for ages." As she spoke, Flanka pulled out a notebook. Who knew what she had written inside it.
Scythe walked over and slapped a hand onto Flanka's shoulder. "You're not going out. You haven't finished your mission report."
"I'll leave it to you~" Flanka waved her hand. "My Scythe is so cute, she'll definitely help me finish it."
"Write it yourself." Scythe rolled her eyes.
"Please, you're such a good person." Flanka pressed her hands together.
"It won't work even if you praise me more!" Scythe had clearly been angered this time. She had written Flanka's reports before, but this time she truly would not help.
Unfortunately, she ultimately could not beat the fox. As long as the fox lay flat and refused to write, once the deadline arrived, Scythe would eventually help anyway. That was simply the girl's nature. She had already been completely wrapped around that wicked fox's finger.
"I should go back and make preparations too..."
Bai Ye was preparing to leave when Flanka suddenly called out to him. "You should also decide which specific department you want to join at Rhodes Island."
"I'll probably lean toward field work, and maybe work part-time as a messenger or something..." Bai Ye answered casually.
Come to think of it, the exact job did not matter. Joining Rhodes Island to receive missions and such was secondary. What Bai Ye valued was the organization's offices stationed all over the world.
That meant Bai Ye could recruit Players all over the world through Rhodes Island's offices. This was far more useful than simply becoming a Rhodes Island field operator.
After yesterday's harvest, Bai Ye had realized that neither completing missions nor grinding monsters made money as fast as harvesting Players.
Of course, experience came quickly and went quickly. Everyone knew that the higher one's level, the more experience was needed to level up.
Not to mention that Bai Ye still had to learn Originium Arts.
His melee skills had all benefited from the perks left behind from his previous life, so he did not need to invest massive amounts of experience into leveling them up. That had saved him quite a bit.
Unfortunately, he would need enormous amounts of experience to fill the massive pit that was Originium Arts.
He had no time to slowly attend classes in Laterano and learn skills. He could only use experience to master and upgrade them.
The spellcasting talent he had awakened was another huge pit. It required vast amounts of experience to strengthen.
He was also short on Lungmen Dollars. He needed to acquire a proper casting staff or suitable weapon to match his awakened spellcasting talent.
Bai Ye was caught in an immensely happy kind of distress.
That was why Players in his previous life had always focused their skill points and development in one direction. Even star Players had different build plans depending on whether they leaned toward PVP or PVE.
The resources of a single account were limited, and there was never enough experience. Only a traitor like Bai Ye could develop both Originium Arts and physical melee combat at once.
What was more, he had awakened a spellcasting talent, causing the boundary between the two to gradually blur.
"Why are you suddenly grinning like an idiot?"
Flanka looked at Bai Ye in confusion. His expression had suddenly become rather foolish...
"Still more normal than you..." Scythe said dismissively.
"Ahem..." Bai Ye gathered his thoughts and stopped thinking about things so far away. Honestly, although his attributes were average right now, in a one-on-one fight, as long as the gap was not too great, he basically would not lose.
After sitting at the Rhodes Island office for a while, Bai Ye prepared to leave. He still needed to go to Penguin Logistics to pack his luggage, though he did not actually have much.
"Oh, right, Bai Ye." Flanka called out to him before he left.
Bai Ye tilted his head. "Hm?"
"Officer Chen came here looking for you earlier, but you weren't around."
Bai Ye found that strange. Why would Chen be looking for him? Wasn't everything already settled...
Flanka and Scythe shook their heads. "I'm not too sure either."
Bai Ye ran off to find Sir Chen again.
Come to think of it, Rhodes Island's comprehensive strategic cooperation with Lungmen was something that happened in the future. Right now, Rhodes Island was merely a minor, unnoticed presence to Lungmen.
He had no idea whether those events would change because of the unexpected involvement of himself and the Players.
Bai Ye hurried to the Guards Bureau. This time, he could enter openly and legitimately.
By coincidence, he saw Swire at the entrance. Upon seeing Bai Ye, she unnaturally turned her head away. She was clearly still very conscious of how Bai Ye had clung tightly to her on the motorcycle earlier.
The main reason was that Bai Ye had psychological trauma regarding motorcycles. He had been in a traffic accident in his previous life, so even though his basic attributes now surpassed those of ordinary people, he still felt uncomfortable.
All Bai Ye could do was express his apologies.
"Missy, where's Officer Chen?" Bai Ye greeted Swire, then asked.
Swire froze. Why was this guy calling her that too, just like Hoshiguma? She was not used to it at all.
Then she pointed upstairs. "She's in her office. I'll take you there."
"That's too much trouble." Bai Ye said that, but gladly accepted. Not just anyone could casually enter the Guards Bureau building. With young Miss Swire leading him, he would save himself plenty of hassle.
"Tch." Swire rolled her eyes. He really did not know how to be polite.
As they headed upstairs, Swire abruptly asked, "What exactly is your relationship with that Chen woman?"
"Nothing special. We're just ordinary acquaintances, I guess. At most, we're temporary partners..." Bai Ye felt that her tone was somewhat strange.
Swire thought, Yeah, right. She and Chen had known each other since childhood, so they could be said to know each other inside and out. She had never seen Chen so close to anyone else.
The tiger's tail swayed behind her as the girl asked again, "Then... what do you think of Chen as a person?"
Even Bai Ye, socially inept as he was, sensed that something was off. He was not good at socializing, but his instincts were strong. His natural simplicity countered all twists and turns, and even he felt Swire's question was far too normal.
"It's not good to talk about people behind their backs... Respecting those who aren't present is a virtue." Bai Ye chose to play dumb. He could not go wrong that way.
"Tch—" Swire could not help clicking her tongue.
"Swire!" Bai Ye suddenly heard an angry roar. Down the corridor stood Chen.
"Eek!"
Swire was startled at first and felt a little guilty, but then she stiffened up and shouted at Chen, "Why are you yelling so loudly?!"
"..."
Chen only felt her anger rise. Why did she want to argue every time she ran into Swire?
Bai Ye was speechless.
What was wrong with these two...? Every duo he ran into seemed unreliable.
Chapter 43: Rich Lady, Please Carry Me
(I found a new game to play, Shining ★ Youth Chase Chronicle, by Saga Studio.)
Come to think of it, Bai Ye rather envied the relationship between Chen and Swire. A relationship where they could insult each other without restraint, yet immediately lend a hand without hesitation whenever the other needed help, was truly rare.
But letting them continue spraying insults at each other was not a solution either. Bai Ye had only drifted off for a moment when all kinds of Lungmen profanity filled his ears. If there were Players nearby with Teen Mode enabled, they would surely hear nothing but "beep-beep beep," like someone was sending a telegram!
"Sir Chen, let's discuss the serious matter first." Bai Ye called out to Chen.
"Bai Ye, if you're going to Rhodes Island, could you help me confirm their true purpose and nature?" Chen instantly returned to serious work mode, and young Miss Swire stopped arguing as well.
Bai Ye was somewhat confused. "Sir Chen, are you asking me to investigate them?"
"Um, how should I put this? I'm concerned about an organization like that, so I want to commission you to see what kind of company they really are. This commission is made in... my personal capacity. It has nothing to do with the Guards Bureau or Lungmen."
Chen looked at Bai Ye. She cared deeply about Rhodes Island because she concealed a secret. Putting everything else aside, she had a deeply buried secret—she was Infected.
This was a secret that could not be made public. Chen had not told anyone, not even Hoshiguma or Swire.
Bai Ye smiled and nodded. "All right. I'll write to you afterward and tell you about what I see at Rhodes Island."
Upon hearing Bai Ye's words, Chen seemed to quietly let out a breath of relief.
"I feel like you two are discussing something very suspicious..." Swire lightly frowned at the side and muttered softly.
Bai Ye looked at the little tiger and suddenly had an idea.
"Missy, I want to discuss some business with you." Bai Ye said slowly.
However, upon hearing that, Swire suddenly became unhappy. "Business?"
In truth, there were many things she did not say aloud.
Is he coming after me too?
Because of my family name?
Before you continue