Reincarnated NPC, But Arknights

Using the time spent reading to level up yielded far more experience than self-study saved.

Most players approached the game with the mindset of playing a game, not learning knowledge within it.

However, Bai Ye was now astonished to find that after using the experience learning skill, the knowledge was automatically absorbed into his brain.

He not only learned the skills but also truly understood the medical principles.

"Strange..."

Bai Ye vaguely felt that something was off.

He closed the book, thought carefully for a moment, and suddenly noticed a contradiction.

If one could truly learn theoretical knowledge in the game, why had no one brought that knowledge out of the game in his previous life?

After all, some of the black technology in "Arknights Online" was more advanced than that of real-world Earth. Even if the systems were different, there could still be some reference. Science is a practical method of understanding the universe, and even if the acquired knowledge wasn't as advanced as existing technology, it could still be categorized and organized within the current scientific framework.

Yet, Bai Ye had never heard of Terra's technology being applied on Earth in his previous life. Otherwise, the Earth Alliance would have dispatched experts into the game to study it on a large scale. Even if this project was conducted in secret, completely sealed off with no leaks, ordinary people should have noticed. There would surely be some hardcore YouTubers posting this groundbreaking discovery online.

Or perhaps, there really were some super hardcore players who enjoyed learning game knowledge, were medical enthusiasts themselves, and had genuinely mastered the medical theories within the game.

Why hadn't they brought it back to reality?

Even if there were 10 such players, with 6 hoarding their knowledge, 3 being afraid of being dissected if they revealed it and keeping it secret, there would still be one with exceptional awareness and noble character, willing to contribute to human progress, who would come forward and share their discovery.

There wasn't.

Not at all.

Bai Ye gasped.

This was a terrifying realization. The knowledge was real, yet all Earth players seemed oblivious to it, as if an invisible curtain had concealed everything.

Everyone believed the game was an artistic rendition of reality, and even its hardcore, genuine theoretical knowledge was merely an easter egg, valued only for its contribution to the game's "realism."

Even knowing that the game world was actually real, the impact on Bai Ye wasn't as significant as this. After all, he had transmigrated; it wasn't that hard to accept the game becoming reality.

Unfortunately, at this moment, Bai Ye felt a sense of eeriness for the first time, as if a hammer had struck him, shattering an invisible barrier. Only now did he truly grasp the strangeness of the game in his previous life: it was a real world, so why had players never truly discovered it?

Even he, after transmigrating, had subconsciously overlooked this, never once thinking, "Why didn't I, an old player since launch, notice this?"

He had simply accepted the "fact" that the game had become a real world.

"Oh, I see."

But he had never asked "why."

Was it merely the game system's deceptive packaging?

This couldn't be explained by mere "conventional thinking."

It was as if some entity was deliberately preventing players from thinking this way, forcefully severing such thoughts, blocking them.

This was a conceptual shielding and obstruction!

"As expected, you're not simple..."

Bai Ye looked at the game system, which spanned two worlds and two lifetimes, blurring the lines between reality and virtuality, and marveled.

At this moment, Bai Ye's thoughts were clearer than ever before, and a previous blockage suddenly opened up, allowing a smooth flow of understanding.

Other game systems strive for realism.

This game system, however, was more interesting; it was actively packaging the real world, making players perceive reality as virtual.

"It must have some unspeakable purpose!"

Bai Ye chuckled.

At this moment, the goal he had suppressed in his heart resurfaced.

That was to find the truth.

Why had he transmigrated?

Why was the true form of a game a real world?

Why had the system shielded the minds of all humanity on Earth?

What exactly was that game publisher, OceanCat?

What was the ultimate AI, Center-AI, that claimed to command all artificial intelligence and lead the alliance? Was she truly created by Earth humans themselves?

Bai Ye felt no fear.

The unknown was not frightening.

Ignorance was the most terrifying thing.

Was this world not also a new starry sky?

The director of the orphanage in his previous life had told him, "Don't be afraid of the dark, because the darker the night, the brighter the stars will shine."

"The universe holds the unknown, which for us is a joy, because it signifies adventures awaiting us to unravel those mysteries."

"It's an untold, very small, very grand, very important fairy tale about courage and wisdom."

Bai Ye chuckled, unfazed.

Players never shied away from a challenge; for him, this was the start of a new adventure.

"Use experience to upgrade skill levels."

Bai Ye brought up the system panel and allocated the experience to the skills he had just learned.

[Skill Level Up]

[Basic Medicine (Theory) Lv0 → Lv10 MAX]

The experience harvested from Players, after leveling up, flowed almost entirely into his skills.

He had learned the theory of Basic Medicine. Now, his knowledge in this area was nearly on par with Rhodes Island's medical operators.

Furthermore, he could integrate and apply it seamlessly. In this regard alone, few could match him.

Closing the e-book on his personal terminal, Bai Ye found he no longer needed it.

The content in the e-book was merely a medium. Now, Bai Ye had acquired more knowledge through this medium, much of which wasn't even in the basic textbooks.

And this was only the first volume.

He took a sip of tea, then opened a new subject.

"Rhodes Island Clinical Medicine - by Kal'tsit."

I love learning!

Everything I've learned is thanks to my own hard work!

System, allocate points!

While Bai Ye was engrossed in "studying," Miss Typing Girl was having a meltdown.

She had just completed a position transfer in the HR department that morning, moving from a logistics operator to the assistant of an external affairs supervisor.

However, she now learned a not-so-secret secret that Rhodes Island's upper echelons were already aware of—the newly appointed department head was going to leave the ship for an external mission...

What the hell is this?!

When do high-ranking personnel casually leave the main Rhodes Island vessel?

Uh, you say Doctor Kal'tsit personally goes out on missions and picks people up?

Never mind then... You can't lump the old lady's affairs in with everyone else's.

Still, most high-ranking officials at the supervisor level wouldn't leave the island lightly. They were practically the highest echelon below Rhodes Island's elders.

If such a decision-maker met with an accident outside, it would undoubtedly be a tremendous loss.

Upon hearing this absurd news, Miss Typing Girl immediately went to Bai Ye's dorm and knocked on his door.

The knocking roused Bai Ye from his sea of knowledge. He stood up, stretched, and then walked towards his dorm room door.

Through the peephole, Bai Ye saw the petite Laterano girl, Miss Typing Girl, standing outside.

"Please come in," he said, quickly opening the door.

"You're leaving the ship?!"

As soon as she entered, Miss Typing Girl blurted out the question.

The girl stood with her arms crossed, glaring at Bai Ye with an imposing air, her expression quite dramatic.

This was the first time Bai Ye had seen such a wide range of emotions on her face.

He quickly pulled the girl into the dorm and closed the door.

Can't let passing operators misunderstand!

Chapter 14: Neighbor

"Huh?!"

Miss Typing Girl hadn't even registered what was happening before Bai Ye pulled her into the room.

The girl jumped in surprise, almost drawing the Guardian Gun she was holding.

Don't let her delicate, administrative appearance fool you; that's just a facade. Those who know, know. Which Laterano person is easy to deal with? Their firearms symbolize the Lord's glory and blessings.

And to outsiders, the former seemed more direct and terrifying than the latter...

However, Miss Typing Girl quickly regained her composure and pressed Bai Ye, "Are you really planning to leave the ship?"

"Mm, I'll leave once I'm ready," Bai Ye nodded, then looked at the Laterano girl before him with a look of relief.

"Isn't this reckless? The supervisor just casually leaving the island? Uh... what's wrong? Is there something wrong with me?"

Miss Typing Girl felt uneasy under Bai Ye's gaze. As she lectured him, Bai Ye wasn't angry or annoyed at all; he just kept looking at her, momentarily making her forget what she was going to say next.

"I'm very pleased. A subordinate cares about me so quickly," Bai Ye replied with a smile.

After speaking, he found a cup and poured Miss Typing Girl some water.

"Stop joking around! It's not that I care about you; the most critical issue is on my end!" Typing Girl subconsciously took the water cup, then realized what happened and glared at Bai Ye indignantly. "Supervisor, your assistant just applied for a transfer from Logistics to work under you, and then in the blink of an eye, you tell me you're preparing to leave the ship!"

"My assistant couldn't have come at a worse time!"

Miss Typing Girl was speechless. Did this mean she would have to leave the ship too? She was perfectly fine staying on Rhodes Island. Why would she go out and seek hardship?

All talk of "poetry and distant lands" was fake!

Long-distance travel on Terra only brought danger and suffering.

She had originally just wanted a peaceful life, and now it seemed she was getting further and further from her goal...

'Perhaps I can only go out with him... Sigh, this is for the best. Looking at him, he seems quite weak; I can protect him.'

Typing Girl sized up Bai Ye. Due to her low clearance level, she was unaware of Bai Ye's test data. Like any ordinary person, the young woman was deceived by Bai Ye's incredibly misleading appearance, subconsciously believing this guy was weak and had no combat ability.

Bai Ye, of course, had no idea his little assistant was already creating a whole narrative for herself. He shook his head, "You've come at the perfect time."

"Entrusting matters to you, I can leave with peace of mind."

"..." Typing Girl was left speechless.

While it was good that she wouldn't have to go out, she felt Bai Ye's words were a bit strange.

It sounded like he was making final arrangements.

Well, actually, his words weren't entirely wrong.

Bai Ye couldn't just leave immediately. He planned to use the time while the workshop was crafting his equipment to sort out his subsequent work.

He had already assigned tasks, but Bai Ye needed to leave contingency plans. After all, he would be far from the main ship and out of communication range, making it impossible to issue further commands.

This new assistant could solve this problem. She could help Bai Ye supervise and manage the work and tasks of the subsequent departments.

"How come I feel like I've jumped into a pit the moment I took charge?" Miss Typing Girl was utterly speechless after hearing Bai Ye's arrangements. What rotten luck.

"Leaving the ship is something that must be done. I've said before that the situation on Terra is complex and ever-changing. If we don't make arrangements early, there's a high chance of major problems arising."