Reincarnated NPC, But Arknights Chapter 24

Is it already time to show your true colors, after knowing each other for such a short time?

Swire had met many people who tried to get close to her, attempting to build a relationship, all because she was the granddaughter of Adams Swire. Such social interactions were truly dull and boring.

Moreover, she could already guess what those people were thinking. They still tried to hide it, and their acting was far from convincing. It was exhausting.

Thinking this, Miss Swire suddenly felt a strange sense of ease. This Bai Ye actually wanted to talk business just two days after they met. Perhaps he was a straightforward person…

She decided to talk with him, then.

Bai Ye, of course, had no idea about Swire's inner conflict. He only sensed that the young lady before him was quite unstable at the moment, somewhere between happy and unhappy, and very difficult to understand.

But it didn't matter. Bai Ye blinked. "I want to establish a courier company, but I'm currently short on funds."

"And I need to purchase a large number of weapons."

"After thinking it over, the only people I know are Penguin Logistics' Emperor and you, Miss Swire. I don't want to deal with Emperor for now, so I came to you."

"..." Swire was speechless.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but didn't know where to start. Finally, she managed, "Is it really okay to just tell me like this? Who talks business this way?"

"I heard it too, a large batch of weapons. You really have the nerve to say that, don't you disregard us from the Guards Bureau?" Chen Hui Jie also chimed in, fanning the flames.

Bai Ye was speechless. Why are you joining in the fun again? Weren't you usually super fierce and serious? How can you tease and act mischievous?

Swire ignored Chen Hui Jie and looked at Bai Ye. "You don't have that much money, so you're here to borrow? I don't have that much money either. I can't help you monopolize Lungmen's logistics business. Fengchi Logistics is quite difficult to deal with."

"And I'm not involved in the family business, so I don't have much say in the chamber of commerce..."

Swire chattered on, while Bai Ye was dumbfounded. What do you mean you don't have that much money and can't monopolize? You're thinking of dealing with Fengchi Logistics?

Is it this stimulating right from the start?

He quickly waved his hands. "No, no, no, you misunderstood. I just want to cooperate with you personally. It has nothing to do with the Swire family."

"Eh?!" This time, it was Swire's turn to be dumbfounded.

She did have some money, but only compared to ordinary people.

However, ordinary people wouldn't approach her to talk business; at most, they'd ask for a small loan (some Guards Bureau officers could attest to this). Those who approached her for business were mostly after her family.

She was in a rather awkward position. Although she had investments and her own small businesses, no one came to her.

Bai Ye was the first to approach her for business, solely for her.

"Do you have a business plan? A proposal or something?" Swire's interest was immediately piqued.

"To be honest, no. I just have a general idea," Bai Ye replied truthfully. "In fact, this idea just occurred to me."

Ultimately, it was an idea that popped into his head, but Bai Ye's execution was too fast. As soon as he had the idea, he voiced it.

Upon hearing this, Swire couldn't hold back anymore. "Are you specifically here to make fun of me?"

"Don't get excited!" Bai Ye quickly reached out to stop her.

"No, I'm thinking, why do you think your casually conceived logistics company idea will make money? There's no logic to it. Do you know how many logistics companies there are on this Earth? How many go bankrupt directly each year?" Swire felt she was crazy for even seriously considering this. This Bai Ye didn't know how to do business at all. She felt it was necessary to dissuade him, lest he lose everything.

"You haven't done any research, you don't have a detailed plan, and you come straight to me. Do you think I'm easy to fool?" Swire said, crossing her arms, unable to resist scolding him.

"There's no need to understand all that, because times have changed." Bai Ye didn't understand business, but he could copy homework.

He knew the world was about to change. When a large number of players entered the Terra continent, many things would change, and the companies that interacted and did business with them first would have the opportunity to rise.

Moreover, players could do it themselves.

In his previous life, several major guilds had joined forces to establish player-run logistics companies in Columbia. They were initially successful but were suppressed by Terra's local giants. It took a long time of negotiation before they reached a cooperative relationship and entered the upper echelons of the game.

However, that was at least two or three versions later. Bai Ye was bringing this forward to the first version. The major guilds had just entered the game and their foundations were unstable, giving them no chance to compete with him.

What's more, Bai Ye was now a native of Terra and had met influential figures. This was an unparalleled advantage. He definitely had to give it a try.

Chapter Forty-Four: Northern Cross

Swire was genuinely curious about where Bai Ye's inexplicable confidence came from. Although they hadn't known each other for long, she knew Bai Ye wasn't someone who just boasted.

Checking the time, Swire looked at Chen Hui Jie. "It's 3 PM. Let's have tea first. I'm going out with him."

"Hmph." Chen Hui Jie snorted. "You only now realize that discussing business in the Guards Bureau hallway isn't good? Go on, go on..."

She had initially intended to deliberately block Swire, but then thought it was pointless.

Bai Ye glanced at Chen Hui Jie and suddenly felt it was a shame to just leave her there. After all, she was the head of the Special Inspectorate Team...

"Why don't we call her too? Sir Chen, would you like to join us for tea?" Bai Ye basically said whatever came to mind.

Swire was displeased. "Why call her?"

"Aren't you two going to discuss business?" Chen Hui Jie was also confused.

Bai Ye held up a finger. "Why don't you join us?"

"You want to collude with our Guards Bureau? Don't even think about it. We're not that kind of people." Chen Hui Jie knew what Bai Ye was thinking without even thinking. What else could it be, but this and that kind of thing?

Bai Ye repeatedly waved his hands, shaking his head with a smile. "Don't put it so crudely. This is called establishing a cooperative relationship with the Guards Bureau... To be honest, if I really wanted to collude, I wouldn't be looking for you, Sir Chen. Do you know who the current director of the Guards Bureau is?"

"Nonsense, of course I know." Chen Hui Jie answered casually, but she frowned. She was truly unable to understand what Bai Ye was trying to say now.

Swire suddenly seemed to recall something and turned her head sharply to look at Bai Ye.

"The current head of the Guards Bureau is actually someone from Adams Swire's faction," Bai Ye stated the answer directly.

"Damn it!" Miss Swire suddenly shoved Bai Ye hard against the wall of the Guards Bureau.

"Why are you bringing this up? No matter where you heard about this, he is him, and I am me. We have absolutely no connection. If you're thinking of something like that, go find them, don't come to me!"

"Easy, easy... it's all a misunderstanding!" Bai Ye looked at the girl pressing down on him, couldn't help but turn his head away, she was too close.

Moreover, this guy's voice was too loud; her roaring could be heard throughout the entire corridor.

"Hoo--" Swire released her grip, then turned to explain to Chen.

"It's fine, I already knew," Chen said nonchalantly.

"Huh?" This time it was the little tiger's turn to be stunned.

"Heh, are you stupid? Have you forgotten who I am?" Chen ignored Swire and turned to look at Bai Ye, her expression becoming serious, "You need to explain clearly what exactly you want to do. Bai Ye, you're a good person, don't go down the wrong path."

"I made it clear from the beginning, I want to cooperate with you," Bai Ye shrugged. It seemed no one believed him when he told the truth.

"The Guards Bureau needs informants, especially you, Sir Chen, and we can provide that; in return, we need the Guards Bureau's help when facing some unfair competition."

"Isn't she part of the Guards Bureau herself?" Chen gestured towards Swire.

"She's just a mascot..." Bai Ye blurted out.

"What do you mean by that!" Miss Swire was displeased.

"Pfft--" Chen chuckled. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Alright, when I get off work, let's go for tea."

Around four or five o'clock, Bai Ye waited near the main entrance of the Guards Bureau for Chen and Swire.

The two had already changed into casual clothes, and at first glance, it was a bit unaccustomed.

"Where are we going?" Miss Swire asked.

"Let's go to that place in Sheung Wan, the one with the crispy pork chop sandwiches."

"Oh... oh, I remember now! When I was on patrol, I often went to that shop too, it's called 'Lively Drink Tea Restaurant', right?" Swire suddenly realized, "That tea restaurant, aren't their pork chop buns as big as two palms?"

Chen nodded, "Yes, that's the one."

"Why don't we go somewhere fancier?" Swire herself didn't seem to mind.

Chen rolled her eyes, "Your definition of 'fancy' and mine are very different."

Swire, however, started to laugh, "Hey, I can treat you."

"Miss Shi, do I look like that kind of person?"

"Chen, are you looking for a fight again? Try calling me that one more time?" Miss Swire showed signs of another outburst.

"Treat me..." Bai Ye suddenly said shamelessly from the side, "I am that kind of person."

As a player, if you can get something for free, you absolutely should. It's not about the money, it's the joy of getting things for free.

Of course, reading shouldn't be free; paid reading is also a pleasure.

Ahem...

Chen and Swire looked at Bai Ye with new eyes. At first, they just thought he was good-looking. After the previous case, they found him quite capable. Now, they felt Bai Ye was truly interesting.

At 'Lively Drink Tea Restaurant', Miss Swire found a soundproof private room.

Bai Ye was still a little uneasy, so he quietly activated his Originium Arts. Using the mini casting unit on his short knife, he deployed a vacuum layer that isolated the room.

This was an application developed based on his magical talent.

Then, Bai Ye stated his idea: "The refugees who appeared at the Sector 5 entrance were just the beginning. More will flood into various parts of the world. They are not refugees, but from a very distant place."

"Compared to us, they have many unique aspects, as well as special Originium Arts. I believe we can cooperate with them."

Chen pondered for a moment and then realized, "No wonder you valued them so much before. Yes, they do have some unique aspects, though they are also quite strange."

"Only if we pay attention to this matter in advance now. This is an opportunity, and we must seize it," Bai Ye continued.

Next, Bai Ye revealed some things he knew from his past life.

In terms of logistics couriers alone, there was great potential. For example, players have built-in inventory space, which makes transporting goods incredibly convenient. There's no need for long convoys; a single car can handle the delivery task.

Moreover, players themselves possess combat capabilities, so there's no need to hire mercenaries or bodyguards.

Even if something happens, players can quickly find a place to log off, avoiding disasters or even natural calamities.

Low cost, low risk, high return.

This was something Bai Ye had thought of in his previous life. Initially, it was just a few people earning extra money, but later, large guilds collaborated to turn it into an industry.

Of course, Bai Ye wouldn't mention "inventory space." Even when players cooperated with factions on Terra in his previous life, this was a strictly forbidden secret. Bai Ye used "special Originium Arts" as an explanation.

After all, anything can be explained by Originium Arts.

Bai Ye said many things, including future plans. Because of this, Swire understood that he wasn't acting on impulse but truly had great ideas with significant potential.

"This project, I, Swire, am investing in," Miss Swire declared decisively. "However, while your ideas are good, they lack commercial planning, which isn't ideal. I'll have to create a new one."

"Chen, you're coming too?" Bai Ye coaxed.

"...First, I don't have a lot of money, and I don't want to go back to the Chen family mansion to find that man again. Second, I won't let personal matters interfere with public duty; I have my own principles," Chen said, still not understanding why Bai Ye was so insistent on recruiting her.

"No problem!" Bai Ye agreed with a nod.

Little did she know, Bai Ye was interested in Wei Yenwu, who stood behind Chen. Wei Yenwu represented all of Lungmen, and in the future, he would even have the chance to intervene in Yan.

"The three of us are a team now," Bai Ye lowered his voice and said softly.

"A secret little society?" Swire also smiled. "Bai Ye, why don't we give it a name?"

Bai Ye pondered for a moment before replying, "Northern Cross."

Chapter 45: The Peculiar Chen and the Boss

The Northern Cross is a star cluster formed by the brightest stars in the constellation Cygnus, named for its cross-like arrangement.

Cygnus is fully immersed in the Milky Way, standing in a three-way balance with Aquila and Lyra on either side of the galaxy. The three main stars of these constellations – Deneb, Altair, and Vega – form the famous Summer Triangle in astronomy.

Bai Ye's game ID in his previous life was Northern Cross. Perhaps as a commemoration, or perhaps simply because he was too lazy to think of something else, Bai Ye gave this name to the secret society, which currently consisted of only three members.

However, Chen and Swire were very curious why Bai Ye chose this name and what meaning it held.

After thinking for a moment, Bai Ye replied, "I'm an orphan. The director gave me my name. He had an astronomy book, and he just picked a name from it."

"Our childhood was spent in his astronomy stories."

"The first star cluster I remembered was the Northern Cross because it contains the most beautiful double star, Albireo, one blue and one amber."

"The director said the universe holds the unknown, and for us, that's a joy because it signifies that adventures to unravel those mysteries await us. They are very small, very grand, very important, fairy tales of love and courage."

Chen and Swire exchanged glances. They had never known these things. The people of Terra were always focused on this land, forgetting to look up at the starry sky. The days when stars could be seen were finally fading away.