Reincarnated NPC, But Arknights Chapter 7

After he left, the Emperor hopped back into his chair, lit a cigar, and looked at Bai Ye, saying, "Kid, want to tag along with us?"

At this moment, Bai Ye finally understood what the Emperor had meant earlier when he said, "We'll decide whether to throw you a welcome party or beat you up together."

Was the interview essentially from the moment he walked in?

Ifrit was probably the technical interview, to see if he had any substance.

Bai Ye hadn't expected that he would stumble into an opportunity to join Penguin Logistics.

Penguin Logistics was indeed good, or you could say very good, but Bai Ye really didn't have any interest in it.

The reason was quite simple: Penguin Logistics' main business was currently concentrated in Lungmen, and Bai Ye didn't want to stay in Lungmen forever.

While players logged in at Lungmen during the open beta, the official launch of version 1.0 would allow players to freely choose their initial login location.

Victoria, Lungmen (Yan), Laterano, Columbia, Ursus – these were the login locations available in version 1.0. To interact with players later, he would definitely need to travel all over the place.

Joining Penguin Logistics wasn't actually a good thing.

Bai Ye believed his best choice was Rhodes Island, a neutral pharmaceutical company with offices all over the world.

Bai Ye's plan was to join Rhodes Island first, then find a way to pick up a mission in Lungmen when the open beta started, and make further plans after the open beta ended.

Rhodes Island was a faction that suited him very well, and there were many important NPCs within it. This organization had a presence in many major world events, and according to player summaries from his previous life, it was highly likely to be closely related to the main storyline of the world.

This meant more quests and richer rewards, allowing Bai Ye to leverage the organization to attract players. How could that be bad?

However, the Emperor now seemed to want to recruit him…

Bai Ye didn't want to give up on Penguin Logistics either, and refusing directly wouldn't be good.

Penguin Logistics was one of Lungmen's important factions. Although they had few personnel, they monopolized the entire underground logistics industry and were on par with another large courier logistics company. The Emperor himself was on friendly terms with Lungmen's high-ranking officials.

Bai Ye couldn't bear to let go of such a good organization.

Players were greedy; they didn't want to give up any benefits. Old-era games restricted players' choices, but new-era players declared, "I want it all!"

With that thought, Bai Ye looked at the Emperor and slowly said, "Mr. Emperor, I won't be staying in Lungmen for long. I have other matters to attend to. However, we can cooperate."

The Emperor tapped the table and suddenly asked, "Cooperate? In what way? Who do you represent? How much capital do you have? How far can you go?"

The Emperor wasn't doing charity.

If it were someone else, they would have been taught a lesson by now.

After all, Bai Ye had offended him first, and now the boss was being generous and extending an olive branch, yet he was being picky. Wasn't that a bit disrespectful?

The only reason the Emperor was asking so politely now, without getting angry, was due to Bai Ye's exceptionally high Charm attribute.

There was no helping it; interacting with Bai Ye was comfortable. His demeanor made it difficult for people to feel hostility. As long as he didn't thoroughly offend someone, it was easy to gain their favor.

Hearing the Emperor's question, Bai Ye smiled.

That's right, he was penniless after transmigrating, relying on "Zero Yuan Purchase" for everything. Even getting proof of identity had been so perilous. He truly seemed to have nothing.

However, Bai Ye possessed something others didn't: he had the game panel. He was an anomaly existing in the space between reality and the game.

Charm alone wasn't enough. To cooperate, he had to offer something the Emperor needed.

After a moment of thought, Bai Ye said, "An intelligence network that spans the continent, is that enough?"

After speaking, he shifted his posture, sat at the bar, and poured himself a drink.

Then, he habitually took a large gulp.

Instantly, his face turned red.

He'd been too hasty!

Chapter Twelve: A Temporary Stay

Bai Ye habitually drank in large gulps. After all, in his previous life, he controlled a virtual character in the game, and even drinking only simulated the taste without causing actual drunkenness.

Back in Ursus, he had once arm-wrestled NPCs in a tavern and drunk them all under the table.

So now, when he raised his glass, he habitually took a large gulp, forgetting that he was no longer a virtual character.

He had never drunk alcohol in his previous life either. This single gulp made his face turn red.

It was so embarrassing!

The Emperor looked at the young man before him, feeling a sense of disbelief.

This was a truly contradictory existence.

He possessed a very unique aura, as if he had seen everything, always able to calmly provide solutions no matter the situation.

He seemed to have met many influential figures, and despite it being their first meeting, he could still converse with the Emperor as an equal.

However, this fellow also had a remarkably naive side. Despite not being good at drinking, he still took a large gulp, ending up with a bright red face.

Having lived for such a long time and met countless people, the Emperor had never encountered anyone like Bai Ye.

After a moment of contemplation, he suddenly extended his hand: "Then, a pleasure to cooperate."

Ah, jeez.

This time, it was Bai Ye's turn to be stunned.

He had originally thought that after he said that, the Emperor would at least question him further, and then he could use a "big picture" to fool... no, to persuade the Emperor.

He hadn't expected the penguin in front of him to not even ask a single question.

That's it?

I dug a pit, why aren't you jumping in?

I took off my pants and you show me this?

Bai Ye was helpless, and slowly extended his hand, shaking hands with the penguin.

"Pleasure working with you."

Speaking of which, how did the penguin have hands?

It was truly strange.

After the handshake, the Emperor didn't ask Bai Ye how they would cooperate or what they would do, and just ran off to the record player to entertain himself.

Bai Ye was left aside, completely bewildered.

Good heavens, are they all this casual?

"Bai Ye!"

Seeing the boss leave, Exusiai waved at Bai Ye.

Bai Ye turned his head and saw the four members of Penguin Logistics sitting together.

"Aren't you guys sleeping?"

Bai Ye walked towards everyone, asking with some confusion.

It was already almost four in the morning, yet Exusiai and the others were still full of energy.

"Ah, we just finished a big job and are celebrating with a party!" Exusiai held an apple pie in her hand, looking very happy.

In fact, the messengers of Penguin Logistics tended to have a somewhat inverted sleep schedule.

It was mentioned before that Penguin Logistics was not an ordinary courier company; their business was mostly gray underground operations, transporting mostly contraband and such.

Legitimate logistics couriers worked during the day, while Penguin Logistics' working hours were usually at night.

"Ah, your face is so red, what's wrong?" Exusiai suddenly noticed Bai Ye's appearance and asked curiously.

"Cough, cough, I drank a bit just now and I'm not quite used to it..." Bai Ye replied somewhat awkwardly. This reason was actually difficult to talk about.

"Pfft—"

As expected, after hearing his answer, Exusiai couldn't help but laugh. She handed Bai Ye an apple pie dessert: "Here, have some sweets, I baked it."

"Thank you, I've long heard that Lateranians are skilled at making desserts, I won't be polite then."

Bai Ye had exerted a lot of physical energy earlier and was already hungry. The apple pie emitting heat and a sweet and sour aroma was truly tempting.

Bai Ye took a bite, and it was indeed delicious.

Although he could eat in his previous life as a player, it was ultimately virtual and lacked something.

As he ate, Exusiai suddenly clapped her hands and looked at Bai Ye: "Right, we all forgot to introduce ourselves. You're really strange, not asking a single question."

Bai Ye thought to himself that of course he wouldn't ask them, after all, he had seen them all when playing the game in his previous life, so he already knew them.

However, Exusiai obviously wouldn't know this. She first pointed to herself: "I'm Exusiai, as you can see, a Lateranian who likes parties, gatherings, and apple pies."

"Texas." The black-haired girl who had been driving earlier was the opposite of the energetic and lively Exusiai; she was very calm.

"Say a bit more." Exusiai then explained to Bai Ye, "Texas's personality is naturally like this, don't mind it."

Bai Ye smiled and nodded: "It's fine, and with reliable teammates like this, it should feel very secure."

Hearing this, Exusiai looked very happy: "Isn't that right? It seems you have good judgment too, but Texas is mine, I won't give her to you!"

What a thing to say.

Bai Ye was amused and exasperated, waving his hands repeatedly.

However, the speaker had no intention, but the listener took it to heart. Bai Ye's casual praise for Texas seemed to resonate with the blonde twin-tailed girl beside her. She looked at Bai Ye and said, "My name is Sora, a professional idol from MSR, and I'm currently working part-time as a messenger at Penguin Logistics."

The girl looked at Bai Ye with a friendly gaze because Bai Ye's words increased her already natural good impression.

As long as you praise Texas, you're our good friend. JPG

Finally, the one who introduced herself was the Ursus girl sitting next to Sora. She gave a thumbs-up: "I'm Croissant, and I usually do the heavy lifting."

The messenger's job was usually divided into two types: one was delivering letters or information, and the other was delivering goods. The former required speed, while the latter often required strength and patience.

In Penguin Logistics, Miss Croissant clearly took on the latter type of messenger work.

She was a rather straightforward girl, and as she spoke, she patted Bai Ye on the shoulder: "I have some good stuff here. If you're interested, you can come take a look, and I can give you a discount."

Bai Ye then remembered that the special shop of Penguin Logistics seemed to be run by Croissant.

She would open the shop irregularly, and there were many good items in it.

"Maybe next time." Bai Ye made a mental note of this. He might need it someday.

"What does Mr. Bai Ye do?" Sora asked curiously.

She had only just learned that Bai Ye was the great thief who had broken into Penguin Logistics.

She had originally thought Bai Ye would be severely punished, but she didn't expect that in the end, Bai Ye would not only be fine but also be chatting and laughing with their boss.

"I am Bai Ye, a... traveler. I recently came to Lungmen due to some matters. I will be staying at Penguin Logistics for a while, so I ask for everyone's kind consideration. If you need any help, you can also find me."

Since a cooperative relationship had been established, it shouldn't be a problem to stay here for a bit, right?

The Emperor, not far away, smiled and shook his head.

This Bai Ye fellow is really not being polite.

The specifics of their cooperation haven't even been discussed, and he's already moving into Penguin Logistics?

You're something else, addicted to Zero Yuan Purchase, aren't you?

Chapter Thirteen: The Art of Language

After the party ended, Bai Ye followed them to the Penguin Logistics dormitory.

Croissant found a room for Bai Ye in the dormitory.

"This is the oven, there's a refrigerator in the corner, and the wall has the indoor environment regulator..." The young woman pointed to the equipment in the room and introduced each item one by one. Finally, she looked at Bai Ye, "Are there any other questions?"

Bai Ye crammed all the information in, scratching his head. "I think I understand. It feels like I can manage."

Croissant blinked her eyes, suddenly feeling that although the person in front of her was good-looking, he seemed a bit dim-witted?

Bai Ye didn't mind.

He was actually a bit of an idiot when it came to appliances, or rather, he was truly not good with the home appliances of Terra.

After all, he had never used them in his previous life – most players wouldn't bother learning how to use the appliances here unless they were cooking enthusiasts.