The Neighbor

Using time spent reading to level up consumed far less experience than self-study.

Most Players came to play a game, not to enter one and learn knowledge.

Yet now, Bai Ye was astonished to discover that after using experience to learn a skill, the knowledge had automatically been poured into his mind.

Not only had he learned the skill, he had even genuinely understood those medical principles.

"Strange..."

Bai Ye vaguely felt that something was off.

He closed the book and thought carefully for a moment before suddenly noticing the 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 technologies in Arknights Online were more advanced than those on Earth. Well, even if their systems differed, they could still serve as references. Science was a practical method of understanding the universe. Even if the knowledge acquired was less advanced than existing technology, it could still be categorized and incorporated into current scientific systems.

Yet Bai Ye had never heard of Terra's technology being applied on Earth in his previous life. Otherwise, the Earth Alliance would have long since sent experts into the game in large numbers to study. Even if the project had been conducted in secret, completely sealed off without a single leak, ordinary people should still have noticed something. There should have been some ultra-hardcore content creator posting this groundbreaking discovery online.

Or perhaps there really had been an incredibly hardcore, stubborn Player who simply loved studying skills and knowledge in games. Maybe he had been a medical enthusiast who had truly learned the medical theories in the game.

Why had he not brought them back to reality?

Even if there had been ten such Players, with six selfishly hoarding their discoveries and three fearing they would be silenced and dissected for leaking secrets, there should always have been one Player with exceptional awareness and noble character, willing to contribute to humanity's development and progress by stepping forward and revealing the discovery.

There had been none.

Absolutely none.

Bai Ye sucked in a cold breath.

It was a terrifying matter. These pieces of knowledge clearly existed, yet every Player on Earth had turned a blind eye to them. Not a single person had realized it, as though an invisible curtain had concealed everything.

Everyone believed the game had been developed by artistically adapting reality. Even its hardcore, realistic theoretical knowledge was seen as nothing more than an Easter egg, valuable only because it demonstrated the game's "realism."

Even knowing that the game world was actually real had not shocked Bai Ye as much as this did. After all, he had already transmigrated. It was not that difficult to understand that the game had become reality.

But now, Bai Ye sensed the strangeness for the first time. It was as if a hammer had struck him viciously, shattering an invisible barrier. Only now did he truly realize what had been so bizarre about the game in his previous life: it was clearly a real world, so why had Players never truly discovered that?

Even after transmigrating, he had subconsciously overlooked it. He had never once thought, Why hadn't I discovered this when I was an old Player from the game's launch?

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

"Oh, I see."

But he had never asked, Why?

Was the system's presentation really just that deceptive?

This could not be explained by so-called habitual thinking.

Some existence had deliberately prevented Players from thinking that way. It had forcibly cut off and blocked such thoughts.

This was a conceptual suppression and severance!

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

Bai Ye looked at the game system that had spanned two worlds and two lives, blurring reality and virtuality, and clicked his tongue in wonder.

His thoughts had never been so clear. Some blockage from before suddenly opened up, and everything flowed freely.

Other game systems tried their best to simulate reality.

This game system was even more interesting. She was trying her best to package the real world, making Players see reality as virtual.

"You really do have some unspeakable purpose, don't you!"

Bai Ye laughed.

The goal he had buried deep in his heart surfaced once more.

That was to seek the truth.

Why had he transmigrated?

Why was a game's true form an actual world?

Why had the system obscured the thoughts of all humanity on Earth?

What exactly was the company OceanCat that had released the game?

And what was Center-AI, the Alliance's ultimate artificial intelligence that supposedly commanded all artificial intelligences? Had she truly been created by humanity on Earth?

Bai Ye was not afraid.

The unknown was not frightening.

Ignorance was what was truly frightening.

And could this world not also be a new starry sky?

The director of the orphanage in his previous life had once told him, "Do not fear the darkness, because the darker the night, the more brilliantly the stars shine."

"The universe holds unknowns, and that brings us joy, because it means the adventure of unraveling those mysteries is waiting for us."

"That is an untold fairy tale about courage and wisdom—very small, very grand, and very important."

Bai Ye smiled. He had not been frightened.

Players never feared challenges. To him, this was the beginning of a new adventure.

"Use experience to raise the skill level."

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

Skill Level Increased

Basic Medicine (Theory) lv0 → lv10 MAX

Nearly all the remaining experience he had harvested from Players after leveling up flowed into the skill.

He had learned basic medical theory. His accumulation of knowledge in this area was now almost equal to that of Rhodes Island's medical Operators.

Moreover, he could integrate and apply it all with ease. In this field alone, few people could match him.

Bai Ye closed the e-book on his personal terminal. He no longer needed it.

The contents of the e-book had merely been a medium. Through that medium, Bai Ye had grasped even more knowledge, much of which had not been written in the basic textbook.

Besides, this was only the first volume.

After taking a sip of tea, Bai Ye opened a book on a new subject.

"Rhodes Island Clinical Medicine — by Kal'tsit"

I love studying!

Everything I learned came from my own hard work!

System, add points!

While Bai Ye was immersed in "studying," Typing Girl was on the verge of collapse.

That morning, she had just completed a job transfer through Human Resources, changing from a logistics Operator to an assistant for the field operations supervisor.

Yet now, she had learned a not-so-secret secret already known to Rhodes Island's upper management—the newly appointed department supervisor would be leaving the ship to carry out a field mission...

What the hell was this?

What high-ranking official casually left Rhodes Island's main vessel?

Uh, you said Dr. Kal'tsit personally went out on missions and even brought people back with her?

Then never mind... that old woman was an exception, of course.

Still, most high-ranking executives at the director level did not leave Rhodes Island easily. They were practically the highest-ranking personnel beneath Rhodes Island's veterans.

If decision-makers like that met with an accident outside, it would be an enormous loss.

The moment Typing Girl learned this absurd news, she came to Bai Ye's dormitory and knocked on his door.

The knocking jolted Bai Ye out of his sea of knowledge. He stood up, stretched, and then headed for the door.

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

"Come in." He hurriedly opened the door.

"You're planning to leave the ship?!"

The moment she entered, Typing Girl launched into the question.

The girl stood with her arms crossed, glaring fiercely at Bai Ye. Her expression was wonderfully animated.

It was Bai Ye's first time seeing her show such a rich range of expressions.

He hurriedly pulled her into the dormitory and shut the door.

He could not let passing Operators misunderstand!

Neighbors

"Eh?!"

Before Typing Girl could react, Bai Ye had pulled her into the room.

The girl jumped in fright and nearly drew the Guardian Gun from her arms.

Do not let her delicate, weak-looking office-worker appearance fool you. That was merely deceptive packaging. Those who knew, knew. What Laterano person was easy to deal with? Their firearms symbolized the Lord's radiance and blessings.

And in the eyes of outsiders, the former seemed even more direct and terrifying than the latter...

But Typing Girl quickly recovered and pressed Bai Ye, "Are you really planning to leave the ship?"

"Yeah. I'll leave once I'm ready." Bai Ye nodded, then looked at the Laterano girl before him with a gratified expression.

"Isn't that nonsense? A supervisor casually leaving Rhodes Island? Uh... what's wrong? Is there something strange about me?"

Typing Girl felt uncomfortable under Bai Ye's gaze. She was lecturing him here, yet instead of getting angry or impatient, he was looking at her like that. For a moment, she even forgot what she wanted to say next.

"I'm very gratified. A subordinate is already worried about me so soon." Bai Ye replied with a smile.

As he spoke, he found a cup and poured Typing Girl some water.

"Don't joke around! I'm not worried about you. The most crucial issue is on my side!" Typing Girl instinctively accepted the cup, then realized what she had said and glared at Bai Ye with puffed cheeks. "Supervisor, your assistant just transferred from Logistics to work under you, and then you turn around and tell me you're planning to leave the ship!"

"My timing for becoming your assistant couldn't have been worse!"

Typing Girl was speechless. Was she supposed to leave the ship with him too? She had been living perfectly well aboard Rhodes Island's main vessel. Why should she go outside and suffer for no reason?

All that talk about poetry and distant places was nonsense!

Long-distance travel across Terra meant nothing but danger and hardship.

She had only wanted a peaceful life, yet it seemed to be getting farther and farther away...

Maybe I can only go out with him... Sigh, that's fine too. He looks pretty weak. I can protect him.

Typing Girl sized Bai Ye up. Because her clearance level was not high, she did not know Bai Ye's test data. Like everyone else, the girl had been fooled by Bai Ye's highly deceptive appearance and instinctively assumed he was weak and had no combat ability.

Naturally, Bai Ye had no idea that his little assistant was already imagining an entire drama for herself. He shook his head. "You came at exactly the right time."

"With the affairs handed over to you, I'll be able to leave with peace of mind."

"..." Typing Girl was speechless.

Not having to go out was a good thing, but Bai Ye's words still felt strange.

It sounded like he was giving her his last instructions.

Well, there was not really anything wrong with that.

Bai Ye could not simply leave immediately. He planned to use the time while the workshop forged his equipment to handle the follow-up work.

He had already assigned the work before, but Bai Ye still needed to leave contingencies behind. After all, he would be far from the main vessel later, with communications cut off, making it impossible for him to keep issuing orders.

This newly arrived assistant could solve that problem. She could help Bai Ye supervise and manage the department's later work and tasks.

"Why do I feel like I got carried away and jumped into a pit myself?" After hearing Bai Ye's arrangements, Typing Girl was utterly speechless. What terrible luck.

"Leaving the ship is something I have to do. I said before that Terra's situation is complicated and ever-changing. If we don't make preparations early, there could very well be serious problems."