Reincarnated NPC, But Arknights Chapter 48

"I only trust the Captain's judgment. We'll talk when they get back," the Shield Guard said, his voice serious from beneath his full-coverage helmet.

Bai Ye had a rough understanding of Reunion's current personnel composition.

First were the civilians and children, the most numerous. They lived in settlements and most served in logistics.

Next were the fighters with combat capability, who fought alongside Talulah.

Then came the Shield Guards, led by Patriot. The Snow Crab Squad operated with them. While they also followed Talulah's orders, it seemed to be Patriot's request.

In truth, only the Shield Guards were proper soldiers and warriors, but their numbers were too few to fight Ursus's regular army.

Bai Ye frowned.

It seemed Talulah didn't have absolute authority. At least, the Shield Guards trusted Patriot more.

"They're back."

Lost in thought, Bai Ye heard the commotion around him.

Then, he stood up.

The temperature seemed to be dropping, and he could feel a distinct chill. It was the Snow Crab Squad, carrying Originium ice crystals.

Then, his vision was filled by a colossal figure.

Even though he'd seen it in his past life, he was still awestruck by the sight before him.

Patriot.

The last pure-blooded Wendigo.

The one players in his past life had jokingly called "Gundam."

Chapter 32: Patriot

As mentioned before, Bai Ye had a certain obsession with Patriot.

In a way, this was the first time Bai Ye had experienced such clear frustration.

Although he wasn't an official member of The Revelry Tea Party, his strength had clearly met their requirements. Hailed as the blade of the Tea Party, Bai Ye possessed the strongest single-target burst damage. He had always believed that as long as something had a health bar, he could find its weakness and deal damage.

Until he met Patriot, Bokkas.

He wasn't even a final boss, yet Patriot's strength was even greater than the final boss, Talulah. In the world's story instances (similar to main quests or Archon quests), Patriot was a plot kill.

To be precise, he died by his own hand.

In that stage, players had to shield Rhodes Island's assault team while resisting Patriot's attacks as much as possible.

The goal was to last until his physiological functions ceased.

Thus, Patriot was initially nicknamed the "gatekeeper" by players.

That was bad enough, but in the subsequent standalone instance, "Patriot in the Heart," players had to face an Ursus ultimate killing machine, a Wendigo monster in its prime.

Only then did players realize that the Patriot they had encountered before was merely a dying old man.

It was a massive slap in the face to players who had grown stronger with the game's updates and started looking down on early-game bosses.

At the end of the 4th version, The Revelry Tea Party directly confronted "Patriot in the Heart." When Bai Ye initiated the encounter, he was shocked to find his blade unable to pierce the Wendigo's armor.

Bai Ye himself was completely broken: ¥%＃@＃*＃＆……

A full fifty players, the most legendary player group in game history, the top twenty player mercenaries in the entire game, equipped with the game's finest gear and equipment, supported by multiple large guilds and player organizations, led by the most famous commander, managed to clear this ultra-difficult instance after a full month of attempts.

They had to clear the Shield Guard mobs, destroy the Wendigo's Sarkaz magic altar, then find a way to break its tough armored shell, and finally suppress the monster with firepower, continuously dealing damage, and then waiting for the wounds to self-heal, with Originium crystals growing to replace flesh and blood.

Eventually, the Wendigo turned into a block of stone.

When he saw Patriot, Bai Ye thought he would be unable to breathe from the shock. However, as he was enveloped by the shadow cast by this pure-blooded Wendigo, Bai Ye found his mindset to be incredibly calm.

All he felt was the familiar greeting of seeing an old friend again, even a sense of closeness.

Yes, Bai Ye was no longer afraid.

What are players? They are those who conquer the impossible, finding the single possibility from countless failures after thousands of attempts. Even gods, as long as they have a health bar, will be killed.

Let alone a boss that had already been conquered.

"Bai Ye?"

Sensing Bai Ye's unusual state, Skadi, who was beside him, tugged on his sleeve.

Bai Ye shook his head and smiled, "I'm fine... but I've always had a tiny question about whether you're stronger than that Wendigo."

Yes, Bai Ye was quite curious about what would happen when the sea monster and the land monster clashed. Don't players often wonder about such things? The so-called BvB (Boss VS Boss) is exactly this.

Uh, wait, has Skadi already been assumed to be a BOSS-level existence?

"He is strong," Skadi clearly knew who Bai Ye was referring to.

She could also sense Patriot's aura. After a pause, the girl said softly, "In the past, I thought all land dwellers were weak."

Well, if it were the Second Captain, she would probably add words like "barbaric," "technologically underdeveloped," and "ignorant."

As for the third captain—she's probably similar to Skadi.

"Well, Bai Ye is a bit different, of course," Skadi said, as if to reassure him, perhaps fearing he might misunderstand.

However, this simpleton probably didn't realize that such a statement could be even more damaging…

"But that land dweller is different," Skadi continued to herself. "I feel like—I wouldn't win."

"At least... two, maybe three Abyssal Hunters."

After thinking for a moment, Skadi added, "But in the water, I would definitely win."

"Of course you're stronger in the water..." Bai Ye said speechlessly.

Although on land, Abyssal Hunters are freed from the high pressure and resistance of seawater, they also fall into a state of dehydration. Dryness and lack of moisture weaken them (seriously).

Only in water are Abyssal Hunters at their peak. How many land dwellers could fight an Abyssal Hunter in the water?

Patriot: "..."

To Bai Ye's surprise, when he and Skadi suddenly appeared in the Reunion camp, "Patriot" didn't say anything. He just stood quietly to the side.

It was another Reunion cadre, the captain of the Snow Crab Squad, a girl named Caters known as "FrostNova," who looked at him with suspicion.

However, her attention was quickly drawn to Talulah's situation.

A Shield Guard walked up to Patriot and informed the captain about Talulah's abnormal behavior, advising him, "Captain, you should reprimand Talulah. Even as a leader, her unauthorized departure from the team is a serious disciplinary violation."

The Shield Guards were stubborn. They were former soldiers and therefore placed great importance on discipline.

FrostNova, however, was focused on the girl Talulah cared about. Although she, like most of the warriors, didn't know the girl well, she only knew that she seemed to be a teacher.

However, judging by Talulah's attitude, it was clear that her relationship with that person was unusual. Everyone had their own secrets, and this matter perhaps belonged only to Talulah.

For some reason, FrostNova felt a sense of relief. If that Little Deer had died then, perhaps another thread connecting Talulah would have been severed.

When she met Talulah, FrostNova had a conversation with Big Daddy. From then on, she knew that Talulah was Duke Koschei's heir. Actually, Patriot had intended to kill Talulah at first, but FrostNova strongly objected and finally persuaded Patriot to believe in Talulah.

Looking at the enigmatic Patriot and the wary FrostNova, Bai Ye shook his head. Cooperating with Reunion might not be so easy.

Perhaps he needed to find a breakthrough.

Sitting on a log, Bai Ye could sense at least three pairs of eyes staring at him.

Among them was Miss FrostNova.

This cold Miss Caters seemed very interested in Bai Ye and Skadi.

Chapter Thirty-Three: Medicine

"Bai Ye, want some fish soup?" Skadi asked, holding up her bowl towards Bai Ye.

She could also sense those inquisitive gazes, but the Abyssal Hunter simply didn't care.

The girl's voice startled Bai Ye from his thoughts.

He realized he hadn't eaten in a long time. As his physique attribute continued to strengthen, Bai Ye found that his extraordinary aspects were also growing.

He could consume a large amount of food at once, and also go without eating for a long time.

Eating after intense combat also accelerated the recovery of stamina and injuries.

"Where did the fish come from?" Bai Ye asked curiously, taking the bowl of fish soup.

Skadi was eating grilled fish, with a little oil stain on the corner of her mouth. Hearing his question, she pointed to the side and said, "They sent it over."

Bai Ye followed her gaze and saw several children hiding behind a tree, peeking at him and Skadi.

As soon as their eyes met Bai Ye's, the little rascals scattered. One of them, perhaps a bit bolder, turned and stuck out his tongue at Bai Ye.

Bai Ye suddenly understood. These Infected children were probably the civilians within Reunion. To put it in colder terms, they were non-combat units.

Actually, Bai Ye didn't know that because he had saved Little Deer Alina, he had a very good reputation among the Infected civilians, and they were all very grateful to him.

However, Alina's reputation was limited to the civilians. The warriors didn't recognize this spiritual mentor who often guided Talulah.

Because of this, Bai Ye and Skadi were treated very well. Not only did someone bring them grilled fish, but they were also arranged to stay in the warmest spot in the center of the camp. Even their vehicle was untouched by the Infected.

Even though many of them knew that the vehicle was definitely full of food.

"Don't run away," Bai Ye beckoned to the bolder little girl.

The little girl hesitated for a moment, then ran towards Bai Ye with her small legs.

The girl looked about 12 years old, like a bud about to bloom. She was wearing an oversized coat, and her small face was red from the cold.

"Thank you for the fish soup," Bai Ye said in his not-so-fluent Ursus. He had just learned Ursus, and his stat panel showed the level was not high, just Lv0.

"Because you saved Teacher," the little girl said softly.

Gradually, she was no longer afraid of Bai Ye, clearly because the affinity aura was working.

"Here, for you," Bai Ye took out a bag of candy from his pocket and placed it in the little girl's hand.

The poor child, perhaps never having seen so much candy before, opened her mouth wide, looking utterly stunned.

Bai Ye couldn't help but reach out and ruffle her hair, then pat her little head and say with a smile, "Here you go. Don't eat too much at once, or you'll get cavities."

Well, I'm not sure if people on Terra get cavities.

As the girl was still hesitating, Bai Ye nudged her shoulder.

"Thank you, big brother."

The little girl, now a bit flustered, thanked Bai Ye solemnly and ran off clutching the candy.

"Do you like children, Bai Ye?" Skadi asked from the side.

"I just remembered something from the past." Bai Ye was an orphan, but the orphanage he grew up in had excellent conditions and ample funding. Apart from the pressure of studies and training, they had never suffered.

In the past, Bai Ye had once thought that all orphanages were like that.

However, the suffering on this land had deeply impacted him...

Unfortunately, these were things he couldn't explain clearly to Skadi, so Bai Ye could only nod vaguely.

Skadi, however, seemed to misunderstand something and tilted her head suspiciously.

While drinking fish soup, Bai Ye suddenly sensed someone approaching him. He turned his head and saw a doctor in a white coat walking towards him.

"Excuse me, are you Mr. Bai Ye?" the middle-aged doctor asked, his face full of respect as he approached.

"I am Bai Ye. Did something go wrong with the equipment?"

Before leaving Laterano, Bai Ye had purchased some medical equipment and devices. If necessary, he could even set up a simple sterile operating room in the wilderness. After rescuing Little Deer Alina, Bai Ye had lent the equipment to the doctors of Reunion.

"No, no, no, we've been using them very carefully. Everyone is very grateful to you. Honestly, I haven't held such a fine scalpel in a long time."